Train Tuesday Part 103: Keeping the Peace

This edition of Train Tuesday puts us at a crossroads because we can’t decide on what to do with today’s two featured miniatures. Maybe writing this DnD blog post will help DM Ben make a better game table decision. Let’s talk it out and see where the chips fall.

Every Hovertrain needs pit stops along the way, right? A place to drop off existing passengers and pick up new ones. That got us to thinking that we absolutely need to craft some cool encounters that fit the bill. We also need to craft a logical story or two while introducing a slew of new, fun, and engaging NPCs.

So, we’ve created our first Hostel inside The High Forest, called The Bramble Bush Boarding House, and even put a feisty lady in charge. Briar Thorne is a no-nonsense gal who doesn’t take an ounce of guff from any of its patrons. She can’t take the world on by herself, even though she clearly thinks she can. Ultimately, she’s gonna need some extra axes to keep the peace when the troublemaker numbers aren’t in her favor.

DM Ben’s initial thought was to add some road-weary, tough Vikings to her security squad. A couple of fierce warriors that are just tired of the pillaging road life and want a stable place to hang their hat, while still getting in some tussles here and there. So, the idea of them joining Thorne’s team in exchange for a place to finally hang their hat seems like a great story fit.

Before we explore this NPC narrative further, let’s take a closer look at these muscle-cut miniatures. We 3D printed two of the Ice Tribe Warriors from EC3D Designs’ The Wilds of Winteride set. We’ve actually printed all of six of ’em, but these are the first time we’re inserting them into a homebrewed DnD encounter.

Resident Painter Kimmy Utah rolled up her sleeves and took her paintbrush to the house, baby! Even though these two minis come from an ice-themed set, these Viking-esque minis work in all sorts of scenarios (which goes for most of the pieces in the collection). Beyond our Egyptian series, we really try to avoid pigeonholing miniatures or a lot of our scatter terrain into a specific environment. “Modularity” is on our office crest.

Kimmy went crazy on the details here, and we especially love how she did the fur pelts – a true sign of a cool-a$$ Viking. That shade of green she picked also complemented the other colors beautifully. Neutral stone bases were also the perfect choice, especially because we rarely do snowy scenarios.

Ok, so let’s get back to how DM Ben might insert these two new NPCs into our ongoing DnD campaign. Being Briar Thorne’s enforcers to ensure her Hostel is a safe place for any weary traveler to crash for the night. That role makes perfect sense. However, another take is that these are just two Hovertrain passengers the players notice on the train who also decide to deboard at The Bramble Bush Boarding House before moving on to the next stage of their journey.

Now, a couple of roleplay conversations at different points of game night are cute and all, but then we’re doing a disservice to these two Warriors, right? DM Ben is conjuring up a combat encounter so that these two can be part of the dice-rolling fun, and we’ll shed some more light on that idea later in the week!

Let’s finish by setting a few NPC specifics here:

• Names: Haldor Stormcaller & Helga Armjaw
• Proprietor: TBD
• Service: Mercenary Rental
• Optional Voice Accent: Gotta be Nordic

Until next time!