From A Certain Point Of View

Watching the new season of Andor with my partner last night we had a little Leo-points-at-TV-meme moment at a scene clearly shot not far from us. (Hardly unusual. When that "share a film set where you're from" thing did the rounds on bsky recently I had to make it tricky for myself by getting as geographically close as i could manage. "London" is cheating.) Like season 1 and the movie it was based on Rogue One, some of the show was filmed at Canary Wharf.

Canary Wharf is a privately owned development built in the 90s on East London's Isle of Dogs in the hollowed-out shell of its former docking industry. It is a complex of indoor malls and financial institutions housed in some of the largest skyscrapers in the country, a modern temple for the money-lenders, a shining edifice to commerce itself. Its borough's current mayor was re-elected in 2022 after a previous indictment for electoral fraud.

Growing up south of the river, the blinking light atop One Canada Square was a distant north star in a night sky erased by pollution, ominous and beautiful. On my first summer job after school I spent a day doing deliveries around the loading bays and sorting offices in the towers' underbelly. Between the hostile architecture, austere security systems and the dispirit of the fellow shift workers I occasionally interfaced with, I've rarely felt less human.

I've designed two Mothership pamphlets loosely inspired by the location so far. One never went anywhere, one I sold to TKG. Just writing this post is giving me ideas for more, or maybe a short story.

It's a well I keep coming back to, but every time I have the same self doubts.

Because perspective is a weird thing. It's very easy to feel like your own is unremarkable because it's all you know, while the viewpoints of other artists can seem so fresh and engaging by comparison. Even typing this out is tough for me because - well, who cares? This is nothing, this is my normal.

I dunno though. In Andor, the wharf serves as the offices of the fascist Gestapo-analogue the ISB. In Rogue One, one of its transit stations was used as part of the Death Star. This year alone I've seen film crews there for Apple's upcoming Neuromancer series and Edgar Wright's new adaptation of The Running Man.

I guess I could see it as discouraging that other people got there first. Or, maybe if so many other people can see dystopia where I do, there's something in my own perspective worth looking back over.

I'd encourage you to reconsider whether your own point of view is too mundane to bother making art about. Your normal could be our brave new world.

Straturday Nice Easter

bad photo of nice minis

Just a short update this week, been putting together some of these Necromunda models. Here's a tip, don't start a blog series that comes out on the day of the week you're most likely to be busy doing other shit

Some of the models in this box are a lot of fun to put together. I tried to stick to the instructions where convenient but couldn't help doing some minor kitbashing on a couple. I'll take better photos and show them off once they're all done.

But man, those Van Saar minis... There are pieces so fiddly it's impossible to even take them off the sprue without bending them. And whose idea was it to give these inch high fuckers separate necks.

Anyway! Nice to just be working on a little creative project where everything's laid out and I'm not designing something from scratch myself for once. And it's fun to have the end goal of the game waiting for me once I'm done, that makes for a good hobby motivator.

On the flip side of that, it's kinda crazy that I'm only going to find out if I even like the game after the massive craft project. But I get that's how these games work and can be part of the appeal. Still. Imagine a minis game where you could play first and then do the crafting stuff later if you wanted? Hmmmmmmm 👀🤔 (Overcure coming soon from Possible Worlds Games, stay tuned)

Have a good weekend everyone, and happy hobbying x

Straturday Hive Creeper

 

Got this big old box for my bday! That's my hobbying time sorted for the foreseeable.

Necromunda is the problem child of the Warhammer world which suits me just fine. I won't do a full introduction here because even GW's nichest games have paeans written to them across the internet that could serve you better if you don't know what this is.

Absolutely still planning on hitting all the many indies I have in my sights, but this looks fun too. I won't comment on the rules until I've played but at the very least I'll have cool minis to play those other games with

Gotta put all the bits together first though! See you on the other side.

This week's shoutout: Magnagothica Maleghast is on sale for 100% off this weekend. This one has been on my radar for a bit, I don't know anything about it other than that the art is cool and I think you play it on a chess board which is fun. But hey it's free, jump on that

A bit of housekeeping: I chatted in my last post about doing some spring cleaning on the old gumroad store. As it turns out I went overboard - the store has closed down.

A few reasons for this. Chiefly, the guy who runs that place is a dick. I know every platform is run by some nefarious CEO, I'm typing this on a google-owned page, but this dude fucking sucks in full techbro fashion and I've wanted to divest for a while now.

Secondly, nothing on there sold any more. That's my fault, I don't self promote or whatever. But I get most or indeed all of my games income through freelance work these days (hire me! graverobbersguide at gmail dot com) and I prefer it that way.

I was only ever a publisher by necessity. I love working with other folks who do that shit way better and just focusing on my writing and design. Some very cool collabs are on their way out in that respect, btw

The unfortunate upshot of me scorched-earthing the gumroad is that some very cool stuff I made over the years is now no longer available. I'm looking for a way to share it that's as accessible and easy on me. I know itch is the place these days but I've heard mixed things and, like I said, I'm not a publisher or store owner at heart. Setting all that up again... eh.

I'll let you know! In the meantime, if you're desperately seeking a pdf of Journeylands, Graverobbers, or a Paradice Arcade game or whatever else, just email me and we can work something out all right PEACE x