I only made one WW terrain Christmas present this year - a Christmas setup using the Christal Caves, some in Transparencies instead of cardstock. To add just the right touch of tackiness I put LED Pinecone lights upside down, scattered here and there through the caves.



For the first time, I really wish that I had a digital camera, it is kinda pretty, in a good gravy! that's tacky! sort of way. (The tackiness is entirely on purpose - the person that I am giving it to will cherish it as such. )

Very, ummm... colorful.

The Auld Grump

Well, I received a package of promising size and weight.

As for this, umm, project - it is a board game using the Crystal Caves and some cheap plastic Christmas figurines (repainted, but a bag of twelve was just under two dollars).

A friend of mine who moved to The Other Portland a few years ago is having his kids over for the first Christmas in the four years since his divorce - so I did this for him to play with along with his kids. (The oldest is eight.)

As for why I made it deliberately tacky... this is the guy who turned the Maiden into a hat for St. Patrick's Day - this is something that he will enjoy. (He is also the fastest builder I have met - managing to do a huge CWU build in something like two weeks, as a Christmas present for his brother, along with Gormenghast on DVD. (This was also the time when his marriage was breaking up - non-gaming wife who did not approve of his hobbies, so he didn't get to play. Now he has plenty of time to game, and lives clear across the country.)

The Auld Grump

Ah well, looks like I lost my excuse - I now have one slightly used Kodak digital camera, the software to use it with... but not the USB cable to connect it to my computer.

This may sound like it is only a lame excuse, but, really, it is much lamer than it sounds - the camera has a memory card, and my computer has a reader....

Now I need to plan out something that I think is worth photographing.

I am currently leaning towards a Fallout Vault, Cave Works, Mayhem Bank, and Firstlight. I am just not sure yet on the ceiling heights of the Bank - is it 2" or 3"?

The Auld Grump

The Earth has officially shook.

Not the normal small connector - the dollar store typically has types A (the standard flat rectangle) and type B (The squarish connector) but this is a micro usb port - smaller than the one that hooks up to my MP3 player. I believe that it is a 4 pin micro usb, but I am not certain, and the Kodak site is not really detailed on the matter. What I am worried about is that this might be proprietary - my primary MP3 player has a Sansa USB port not used by anyone else.

In any event, I have ordered what I hope is a compatible cable, fairly inexpensive at $5. Now if I can find that fershluginner card reader I won't have to worry. I have no doubt that it will show up the day after I get my cable.

My instincts do not run toward taking pictures - I swan I went around Gen Con with the thing for three days, and averaged just over a picture a day. Sad really, I did well in class when we had to take pictures, I just don't think to take them.

The Auld Grump

Is one of these what you're looking for?



I've seen all but the left most at the dollar store.

Heh - and the leftmost is in fact the one.

I have all of the others, generally more than one.

The Auld Grump

Hmm, you might well find it easier to get a new card reader than find that one, its rather uncommon. I don't know if I have one, and I do have rather more usbs than I can keep track off.

We lost the same cable to my wife's Kodak camera. I found a replacement on-line for $27, plus $5 shipping. I thought that was a bit outrageous, so Santa brought her a new (and much better) camera this year.

Count this another vote for just finding or getting a new cardreader.

This one is from Hong Kong though.

Wait Gump has a camera now!!!!

Isn't that one of the signs that is supposed to indicate the end of the world is comming?


Congrads, I can't wait to see your builds finally.

See, save five bucks a week for a few years and look what you can buy.

*Sigh*
I ordered the cable, which has not shown up yet, but is on the way.
Within an hour of doing so I found my card reader.
The next day the folks who gave me the camera showed up with the cable (or at least a cable that will do the job - not the Kodak original but a retractable Phillips with multiple adapters, including Kodak).

Ah well, this will give me a spare, and was under five dollars, including postage.

The Auld Grump, who also received another MP3 player....

/seconds request for pictures

It will have to wait until I start building again - right now I am in miniature painting mode.

At the moment all I have that isn't in storage is a tattered old mill (Mk II). Building will pick up again when/if I can get a Mordheim campaign started, or I have a great idea for a scenario.

Right now the closest to such involves Industrial, Ebble's Invader, and Fat Dragon's helicopter. (For a Delta Green game, if you couldn't guess.) Of them only the FD helicopter is built.

Part of the problem is that for neither the Delta Green game nor the Scoobypunk game do I really use terrain much. Mordheim on the other hand.... I really miss the summer program, it gave me a reason to do terrain.

The Auld Grump, maybe I can fix up that mill a little....

Take a pic of the mill, even in poor shape. At least we'll be able to see what it looked like. Take a pic of the minis too.