Another Kickstarter from Dark Sword Miniatures

Those that regularly visit this blog know without a doubt that I am a huge fan of Dark Sword Miniatures.  I frequently rave about the quality of the sculpts and great customer service provided by the company.  I also tout the fact that a large portion of their miniatures are inspired by my favorite fantasy artists:  Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, Clyde Caldwell, and Keith Parkinson - the giants of the golden age of gaming. For those reasons alone, DSM has more than earned my business.  But an additional feature has ensured that my money tends to flow their way more than any other miniature company- the George R. R. Martin line of miniatures. 

My favorite sculpt of the bunch so far.

For some years now, DSM has been producing wonderful sculpts of many of the characters from Martin's epic series A Song of Ice and Fire.  The Starks and Lannisters and every character in between have been beautiful rendered in 28mm metal.  Now Dark Sword Miniatures is further expanding the line with a new Kickstarter.  Eleven new miniatures are being offered at a very reasonable price with plenty of promised stretch goals along the way.  Viserys Targaryan, Ser Barristan Selmy, a mounted Khal Drogo and my favorite of the bunch, Ser Brynden Tully, The Blackfish, are just a few of the upcoming minis.

Finally, a mounted warrior!

If you're a fan of Dark Sword Miniatures and/or A Song of Ice and Fire (or just like well-sculpted miniatures) then help spread the word and let's get this Kickstarter funded!

The Kickstarter page can be found here.

The Dark Sword Miniatures homepage is here.   

As a final note I want to point out that the previous DSM Kickstarter was a pleasure to work with.  The dragon and all of the stretch goals were shipped out almost immediately after the drive ended.  There was no waiting on miniatures for months and months like another Kickstarter I backed that rhymes with Reaper Bones (yes I do realize that they were on an entirely different scale).  The loot comes quick!

Black Sails

If you're into pirate gaming, or simply like pirates, I recommend you check out the new series on Starz called Black Sails.  I've watched two episodes now and I have to say that I have enjoyed not only the story and visuals, but the cinematography as well (I'm not a TV/movie buff so I cannot put into words what I have noticed, but something is definitely different and refreshing about the camera work).  The acting is top notch and the wardrobe people (see, totally not a movie person.  I don't even know the correct term) have set the series firmly in the proper time period.

The story takes place in and around Nassau in 1715.  I'll not give away any of the plot details but the weekly series is based on a nice mixture of history, literature, and creativity.  Black Sails features historical pirates such as Captain Charles Vane and Calico Jack Rackham.  Fictional pirates such as Captain Flint, Billy Bones, and John Silver add a unique but believable twist to the tale while a cast of invented characters round out the show and bring to life Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy.  After watching two episodes I am completely hooked.  It's like watching HBO's Game of Thrones set in the Bahamas.  Yes....that's a good thing!

Watching the series has helped rekindle my love for Legends of the High Seas and pirate gaming in general.  Suddenly all of those backlogged projects have taken on a new urgency and I find myself enjoying sitting at the hobby desk again.  Beacause of the show, I am currently at work on two different ships, three different pirates, and a naval captain along with his crew.  I'll post updates in the near future.

Once again, check out Black Sails on Starz and prepare yourself for a damn good pirate tale!  You can watch the first episode online now for free.  It's a heavily modified version (the nudity and some gore have been edited out) but the story and the visuals are still intact.  You can watch it here.

As always, thanks for reading!