Project Updates

So to get a few things in order on this blog first. A few project updates.

The 3D Printing Project
...is dead. That one 3D printer I bought and was getting super excited about turned out to be a completely terrible experience. I was expecting something completely different. I was not expecting ultra-high definition or near invisible print layers, but I was expecting something that would print items and didn't need to be calibrated 10 times between each quasi-passable print. I was expecting something a little more user-friendly and a device that didn't need an degree in engineering to operate properly. I now realize that what I am looking for is way out of my price range.

So I cut my losses on the printer, and sold it on ebay as-is for about 70% of what I paid for. I may get into 3D printing still in the future, but right now it is out of reach. At least I tried. I really really tried. It was a bitch to work with, but I tried. The technology just has not caught up to the user friendly+quality level I was looking for.

Adventures of a C.P.A.
That campaign ended its season 1 with a lot of surprises. Flint had been working on a personal project this whole time, a giant clay golem that he bonded to his mind for control. This office worker/wizard was pushing his limits with the project, and thanks to constant help and knowledge from 'Tim', he was able to get a working model. The golem came into play during the season finale. A lot of buttkicking needed to be done, and with the help of the golem, Flint was able to carry himself in a fight. Until the very end.

It turns out an ancient presence was trying to break through the world, and all the magic use was gearing toward that. A sacrifice must be made every seven years. The 7th son of a 7th son is to be sacrificed to keep the current status quo. There were groups who wanted it to happen, and groups who didn't. With one, things would remain as they always have. With the other a change would occur in the world, we were just not sure what that chance would be. Flint is the 7th son of a 7th son, and knew what he must do. It was either him be sacrificed, or a little boy they had helped previously. He offered himself as a sacrifice, bled out into the swirling portal below in the Sears Tower, and died.

He then awoke. However he did not wake in his flesh. The surroundings were familiar to him, but the body was not. He found it was a body of clay. A body sculpted by an amateur sculptor, and runes inscribed allover to give it animation. The runes were his. The body was his golem.

End season 1.

Stay tuned for season 2 in a few years... hopefully.

Star*Drive Stuff
Speaking of seasons; after the modern fantasy campaign, we went back into another fantasy campaign that we started before. Sort of a science fantasy campaign I came in on halfway through before the adventures of Flint Richards. Our groups intention is to finish this campaign up, tie the loose ends, reach the epic conclusion, then it will be my turn to GM.

I am excited because I will be running a campaign in one of my favorite settings of all time: Star*Drive. Our intention is to use the FATE roleplaying system for some good narrative action. The group so far likes the idea of being a band of outlaws from their patron nations, and trying to survive and make a living in the Verge. I will keep this blog updated when we get to start that campaign with some developments.

Other Projects of Jarom and I
Jarom and I are still flexing our creative muscles on the various ideas and projects we have rolling around in our heads. He's still sketching and we're still brainstorming. However the Warhammer bug has bit him too. His attention has been focused lately on his Orks, and he has built quite a collection of them. Like me, he's really into conversions, and I will be featuring articles about his works on my other blog.

Good news, and bad news.

The Good News

My 3D printer arrived! After a very long anxious wait, I received this package today.

I can now finally begin my grand experiment to see what personal affordable home 3D printers can do for the hobby. I have a ton of personal projects and other things, this is expected to be very busy.

The Bad News

Well this sucks. The printer I ordered was supposed to have a heated build platform. It's a part that keeps the platform hot so when you print with ABS plastic they don't warp. This unit does not have such a part. I emailed customer service about it.

No printing yet. What a cruel fate. I finally have my cake, but I can't eat it.

BIG NEWS: 3D Printer Update

That's right. An update on my long awaited 3D printer projects. I got the money needed and was able to put in an order for one. This is really exciting for me because I will finally be able to get started on all my projects I have been planning. A few things:

My printer wont be here for about 2-4 weeks. They have to assemble it before they can send it.

It won't be a Makerbot. The Makerbot, while a very good machine, has been getting increasingly expensive. As new editions came out, the price kept going up significantly. The cheapest version of their latest model is $2,200. So I am opting for a Solidoodle 3. It is capable of the same printing resolution and is only $800.

My little thermometer image to the right of this page has been removed. I may put something there again related to printing, like an image that links to what I am currently printing.

Once it gets here you can be assured that I will keep you all updated on the process for getting it setup and running my first print. I have no shortage of things I want to try printing, so you can expect this thing to be in use a lot.

This picture is a screenshot of only a portion of the things I want to print. Most all of them are links from Thingiverse.