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2021/04/23 09:35:13
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
Since other people have mentioned but failed to provide a link:
Coincidentally - I just started watching Adam Savage's Youtube channel a few weeks ago and saw this video - it's 2 years old now! Which at least lets you appreciate how long it takes to bring stuff to market.
2021/04/23 11:20:15
Subject: Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
That video is what got my wife and I started on this road. The passion shown in the video captivated us.
And yeah, Johnny looks like it has been a tough road for him considering the more recent videos. I doubt they made much money off this KS.
As for first impressions from what arrived today, this is what I wrote over on the Lead Adventure Forum.
My wife originally had 4 tracking number emails. Then we had two delivery emails with some items on both but not all of our items. The packages that arrived today have what was in the two delivery emails. No idea what is going on with the other two tracking numbers as they are showing as still unused or where the rest of our pieces are.
I will be doing a blog entry with more details shortly but first impressions are not as good as we hoped. Of course we had high expectations however, which were always going to be hard to reach.
It would be easier for me to judge the value of the paintwork if we had gotten some unpainted pieces but on first inspection they do not match the expectations set by the original campaign or the more recent videos by TT.
There are more bubbles than I would have liked but nothing that can not be fixed with greenstuff. The paint and varnish have been put on too thick in some areas and not thick enough in others.
Different pieces clearly look painted by different folks on different days, with some pieces noticeably painted better than others.
I know you get what you pay for but now I see why the painted version was not more expensive.
The resin has an interesting feel to it. Hefty and a bit like plaster but is not plaster.
The pieces are big but not with as much playable space inside as I was expecting.
The sculpting is as charming and quirky as we were expecting with new little details constantly popping up. We still love Johnny’s vision but the production execution is a bit lacking. It “feels” like a discount Christmas village version of an original piece rather than purpose made quality gaming terrain.
The details, while charming, are chunky. I am unsure how it will mesh with our Dwarven Forge and Tabletop World pieces. At least the factory paintwork encourages me to personalize it to match our other pieces.
I hate to judge it all with only the pieces we currently have since each is so different. There will be photos and more info in the blog entry I will try to do later today.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Well here you go folks, hopefully that answers more questions than it raises.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
2021/04/28 11:52:48
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
Indeed, each to their own. Aesthetics are down to personal taste.
For those interested, there is an unboxing video on youtube from a different couple than Mrs. GG and me. They are very enthusiastic and it is nice to see folks enjoy HH so much.
I think you're being very kind in your review. Aesthetics aside (the 70s poster/muppet style fantasy isnt' my cup of tea), the mold lines and paint job are pretty bad. That said, looking at the pledges, it doesn't seem like the painting costs were very high, so maybe this is a get what you pay for type situation.
2021/04/29 07:46:45
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
There was only one piece with challenging mould lines for us, but I would not be able to say if that will be the same for all backers. The heavy wood stain seems more of an issue for us than the actual block painting.
It is funny to me that that my wife and I have been called picky by some, fair by some, and too generous by some in regards to our review.
Rick, the Grumpy Gnome
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/
2021/04/29 15:51:21
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
They look like cutesy "christmas town village" buildings from Michaels/Hobby Lobby, but since I assume that is what they were going for, mission accomplished. Not my bag, but great for those who want it. You could probably set up some neat dioramas of exterior shots. The paint jobs actually look decent, and a few mold lines here and there aren't a big deal to clean and repaint if you've ever held a brush before.
These do, however, look utterly worthless for miniature gaming. The interiors are much too small to offer interesting tactical choices. Even from a diorama perspective, they arent very good because once you put in some mini furniture, there's little room for figures. The exteriors are similarly weak for gaming, with few interesting spots to place figures. The ruins are OK tactically, but visually meh enough that I dont think they warrant the price tag.
This feels like something that should have been released in hard foam at a much lower price point and nix the interiors.
2021/04/29 21:14:56
Subject: Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
Thanks for posting the reviews Grumpy Gnome, I'm not in the market for these due to my tiny, tiny flat, but seeing different terrain is always fun. I actually like the style a lot, but it maybe shows that they're made by someone who's working in an adjacent but still very different industry - like, these are great miniature fantasy buildings, but don't really adhere to either the production values or design concepts you'd expect for wargaming terrain?
~~~ I Love The Power Glove. It's So Bad. ~~~
2021/04/29 21:51:23
Subject: Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
They were made first and foremost for RPGs and I think they're fine for that. Once you add a few bits of furniture there's still room for a handful of characters. You'll struggle fitting a Warhammer unit in there but I don't think that's really the purpose, you'd just move around them like you would other buildings.
Aesthetic is very much leaning into the Jim Henson stuff, which I'm really into but appreciate isn't for everyone.
2021/04/29 22:41:31
Subject: Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
That blog review was just excellent, thanks Grumpy Gnome!
Overall, I agree with you that the design is great and even much of the casting. The paint is a good base but needs adding to. In looking at the video at the top of this page, the wizard's cottage is shown at 4:10 and the paint work on that piece in particular is much better. I think your rating and assessment is very fair.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/04/29 22:48:13
2021/04/30 00:50:07
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
We just got ours and are very, very pleased. Its whimsical, surprisingly modular, and will see a lot of use for everything from skirmish tabletop, to RPGs, and huge LOS blockers for larger scale systems.
Paint jobs were inconsistent but well worth the cost too.
11527pts Total (7400pts painted)
4980pts Total (4980pts painted)
3730 Total (210pts painted)
2021/04/30 08:13:22
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
Thanks for the kind words folks, it is appreciated. I put a lot of time and effort in to try to create a fair review so that people can make a more informed decision about potential purchases of HH in the future. And I want JFA to succeed as I love his artistic vision.
The aesthetics of HH will not appeal to everyone. Mrs. GG and I like the whimsical Henson/Froud/Rankin&Bass vibe.
JFA did say the pieces were sculpted with miniatures in mind but I imagine he had to take physical space limitations into account. There are places where I wish he had sculpted more room. Stairs in particular.
And no, you will not fit Rank & Flank units inside any of these... but more so, you will struggle to put skirmishing individuals in with furniture. But there is some space and lots of potential for great looking interiors. And there Are some great spots to pit figures on the exterior. The buildings add incredible verticality.
Newtruthneomaxim shows that well in his great photo (nicely done mate!). A perfect example of how the pieces work better in concert than alone.
In my opinion they definitely have value for wargaming with miniatures. The advantage of the resin used is that it is considerably more durable than say Ziterdes foam.
It is my fervent hope that this is only HH 1.0, that JFA further improves the design (broader steps and more playable interior space please) and dramatically improves the business model of Tabletop Troubadour... which frankly needs a lot more improvement than these buildings. Better communication is an absolute necessity.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/04/30 08:18:58
Rick, the Grumpy Gnome
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/
2021/05/15 07:41:05
Subject: Re:Hagglethorn Hollow, incredible fantasy terrain Kickstarter
Tabletop Troubadour is still not communicating with backers as much as I would like and UK backers have still not gotten their pledges fulfilled. This is very disappointing.