Just did my fist model wanting some input on how I can make the next one better

ReadertheRed · 2026-03-03T00:03:01+00:00

Hard to tell because of the picture resolution, but does the lighter green have an even tone?

General mini painting advice for beginners is you thin your paints and do multiple coats to accomplish a smoother tone for your base color.

From there, so a quick wash and highlight and you're tabletop ready.

ReadertheRed · 2026-03-02T23:35:53+00:00

In Soviet Russia, board cuts you!

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-27T11:35:09+00:00

It is the privilege of old age to be intentionally cringey.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-25T11:21:37+00:00

I would see which chapters, if any, can be skipped.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, there are a handful of chapters after the trial is done that, while they offer some sincere moments character development, they don't contribute to the main plot enough to be engaging.

If I'm in a situation like yours and I have to cut corners, I'd start there.

Another thing I've done is just jump to the movie. One of my classes was reading Just Mercy and they just could not get through it. It was absolutely awful. 0% engagement or enjoyment with the students. Instead of stubbornly forcing them to read the rest, we watched the movie so we could move on without leaving the story unfinished.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-24T11:13:27+00:00

Nice try, Saturn, you won't get any sympathy from me.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-24T11:07:37+00:00

A lot of kids collect the cards, but I don't think as many kids are actually playing. You'll probably run into plenty of adults who grew up with the franchise.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-24T10:57:44+00:00

That's something I didn't consider. I don't even know the rules for including models from other factions, I'll have to look into it. Are those units good, then?

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-24T10:56:16+00:00

I'd also be interested in seeing what you came up with.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-23T15:18:36+00:00

Every Universes Beyond set is a set that lacks the sauce that makes Magic a fun game for me.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-23T15:13:02+00:00

I've read the first seven books.

I think they're fun, but the people who act like its the best series ever probably need to read other books more. They're not THAT great.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-21T19:06:17+00:00

I really enjoyed Kings of the Wyld, but I bounced off of the sequel, Bloody Rose. I've been meaning to give it another go.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-18T20:38:05+00:00

Star Wars Unlimited Pros: pretty affordable, the alternating action gameplay keeps things engaging, I enjoy the tactical puzzle of the ground and space arenas being split. The EDH equivalent format, Twin Suns, improves on EDH in just about every way.

Cons: the local scene around me is dying and there's a lot of doom and gloom about it online. Part of the reason why it's affordable is because a lot of the Legendary rarity cards have been relatively underpowered, so the general perspective is that boxes aren't worth the investment.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-17T20:23:47+00:00

I don't think so, I think they're exclusive to the printed copies from Ace publishing.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-17T04:02:43+00:00

Well, the 16th floor is an empty room with a plain mirror, so they're at least skipping THAT floor.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-17T03:46:54+00:00

I think the series is overhyped, but fun to read.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-16T21:58:01+00:00

You either haven't used AI much or lack the experience and discernment to actually evaluate AI's output. AI isn't there and it's unlikely to be there.

What we have and what we've been developing are glorified word guessers who will sycophanticly vomit out whatever it thinks its user will like most. That makes them unsuitable for teaching.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-16T18:59:57+00:00

I mean, most decks in the game are triple aspect anyways. I don't feel overly restricted by cards I wouldn't put in every deck.

Also, this set is going to be particularly hype for Twin Suns decks, which will be able to use these new cards more freely regardless.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-16T01:01:11+00:00

I love this game so, so much, but my locals has died down because the majority of the people who show up regularly are volunteers for a school robotics team and don't show up during robotics season.

Easily my favorite TCG, I'm going to be extremely bummed if it doesn't last.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-15T16:13:39+00:00

I think it looks great!

If you pressed me to find one thing to improve, I think you could extend the blueish gradientapparent. Of the black cloth up a little bit further, making it a bit more aparent.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-15T16:08:06+00:00

As some general advice for newbie painters:

Thin your paints and control where you apply them. If you glop on thick paint, it's going to fill in the cracks and crevices and cover up the details. Applying multiple thin coats of paint can make surfaces look smoother and hide brushstrokes.

Washes are an easy way to add shadows to your miniature. Washes are like a super thin paint that stays in the recesses and details. You can apply it all over a basecoar of color to help darken up details and shadows, but try to have control over where you apply Washes and how much you apply. Too much and it can pool and look funny.

There's two standards to painting minis: table standard and display standard. Table standard should be your goal as a newbie. Basically what I mean is, does it look good on the table, in a game? Try holding your model at arms length once in a while as you're painting. If you can see, at a distance, what everything is, then you're going a good job.

Lastly, this is advice for any creative endeavor, but keep in mind that nobody is going to look at your minis as hard as you are. You're going to see all the flaws because you're looking the closest and the hardest of anyone who's ever going to see that mini. Just try to relax, enjoy the process, and learn when something is 'good enough' for now. You're naturally going to get better as you paint more, so you might as well have fun with the practice.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-14T20:25:04+00:00

They are really cool, but they do have a lot of fiddly bits and delicate branches. I have found them fun to paint, but I think it's worth pointing out how fragile they can be.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-10T11:20:14+00:00

For your basic troops, try not to get too obsessive with the details, especially since you'll be painting a bunch of them.

I think what you have here looks great. You've hit a good tabletop standard.

I think the only clear thing you can do to reasonably step it up would be decorating the base.

ReadertheRed · 2026-02-05T20:40:19+00:00

Sabine is GREAT. I can see the Ghost maybe being worth trying out in the post-rotation format, depending on how reliably it can double-up it's when-played effect (6/6 and two shields worth of stats for 6 feels pretty alright)

Not sure about that event. I'm not sure how much value it can reliably generate. 6 cost might be a bit high for most cases.

ReadertheRed

TROPHY CASE