Battle of the Bards: We Hunt Buffalo

Welcome to “Battle of the Bards,” a segment here on Deep Delves and Bookshelves where your ol’ pal Armstrong takes a look at a particular song, artist, album, or other wondrous item of aural artifice, and breaks down what makes it cool in a general sense, and what additional value an RPG player can get out of it. Today’s sonic scrivening is We Hunt Buffalo’s new album “Head Smashed In.”

The “Backstory”

“Head Smashed In” is the third full-length album from Vancouver-based heavy fuzzed-out rock outfit We Hunt Buffalo. I can see a potential source of debate in the band’s sound, as I am sure some would argue that the band’s self-described “dirty, grimy fuzz rock” would fall under the umbrella category of Stoner Rock or Doom Metal, but regardless of where you might place the group on your own musical cladogram, this album to me is one thing above all others, this album is good.

My knowledge of We Hunt Buffalo as a band was nonexistent until about a month ago, but in the time since my discovery of the band, thanks to a couple of fuzzy rock-loving friends, I have become fairly well enamored with their heavy, low-fi but not low quality riffage, and their at times atmospheric style that occasionally puts one in a darkly bluegrassy state of mind. In this way, We Hunt Buffalo have delivered for me on what another album, “Red Hands, Black Deeds,” by Shaman’s Harvest, set me up for with its first two tracks, and then let me down on (Definitely not a knock towards Shaman’s Harvest though, they make a lot of very listenable and radio-friendly modern rock, and have apparently partnered several times with WWE to write theme songs for professional wrestlers, a niche for which their sound is perfectly suited. I’d definitely encourage you to check them out if you’re a wrestling fan or a general fan of more mainstream hard rock bands like Black Stone Cherry or Halestorm). At any rate, from the moment I heard We Hunt Buffalo’s sophomore offering, “Only Ghosts,” I’d safely say that I had once again found that musical place of dark mountains and coal dust-infused heavy fuzz for which I had been searching ever since I first heard the magical first two tracks of the above mentioned Shaman’s Harvest record earlier this year. I also knew that I was hooked on this uniquely fuzzy, complex, and atmospheric sound that We Hunt Buffalo have produced with such aplomb on their last two records.

The “Adventure”

When listening for the first time to what in only a few weeks had gone from a release entirely unknown to me, to one of my most anticipated of the fall, I can’t say that I went in without at least some expectation of enjoyment. What I can say, though, is that this record not only met, but far exceeded that expectation. Musically, all of the songs are written and arranged in a way which is engaging, and easily parallel in quality to the tracks on “Only Ghosts.” It sees a band who found a good formula on their debut self-titled album, improved in production to produce a truly excellent sophomore record, and who have now shown that they are truly masters of arranging an album. The entire track listing flows nearly flawlessly from one track to the next, without a jarring transition to be found anywhere on the album. The strong, heavy opening of “Heavy Low” -which, don’t worry, I’m not about to talk politics, but I feel as though this song’s lyrics really speak to, and make it an anthem for, the unique predicaments of our present world- launches the listener right into bangers of tracks like “Angler Must Die” and “Prophecy Wins, before going truly bonkers on the energetic instrumental of “Get in the Van,” and the aggressively bluesy “Industry Woes.” It then transitions surprisingly seamlessly into the breathy, atmospheric soundscape of “Giant’s Causeway,” before returning to heavy resonant fuzz that serves to quite literally “Keep it Refreshing.” “Anxious Children” is likewise heavy, funky, and serves to really highlight some of the album’s more elaborate bass passages, and then finally the album closes somewhat quietly with “God Games,” the track which I personally would consider to be the weakest of the lot, but is still melodically complex and full of interest. This is an album meticulously designed to take the listener on a journey with multiple climactic moments, and just enough chances for a breather that each crescendo is highlighted. All in all an excellent album to follow an excellent album, from an excellent band that I will eagerly anticipate any and all future releases from.

"A group of bards sings of my front door-step?  How preposterous..."

Armstrong’s Rating: 4.25/5 frothing mugs of ale

Favorite Tracks: Heavy Low, Prophecy Wins, Get in the Van, Industry Woes

The “Rewards”

So, by now, hopefully I’ve kept your attention through my rambling thoughts on a rock n’ roll record, and you’re all still with me, even if you’re thinking “Great, he’s written a music review. This is fine, but what does it have to do with RPGs?” Well, if indeed you are still with me on this journey, allow me to deliver the payoff you’ve been waiting for this whole time. This album, to me, is what I might describe as an “Atmosphere Album.” This is an album which I would listen to, and which I would encourage you to as well, in order to establish a mental framework for developing an RPG setting or fleshing out the details of an adventure which you want to have a certain theme. This album, and other Atmosphere Albums scratch many of the same itches as playing and running RPGs themselves to. They transport the mind to a place in which your setting and stories can take place, and which contain a very strong thematic connection to a certain desired tone to a campaign, one-shot, or adventure of any kind. In this particular album’s case, the atmosphere it cultivates, and the tone it evokes is one of a rugged, vaguely western setting, surrounded by mountains or in the deep, dark hills of a frontier mining region. For me, it’s the perfect accompaniment to writing a session of a fantasy western adventure, whether or not I end up actually playing any of it during the running of the game itself.

So, there you have it, a well structured atmospheric album perfect for getting into the mood for writing a setting or adventure for your next game of Owl Hoot Trail, ICRPG’s Ghost Mountain setting, or that Red Dead Redemption LARP you’ve recently started working on again with the release of the sequel. As always, I do not own any names, images, or trademarks thereof which I have mentioned above. I do so only for the purposes of review and discussion, and make no profit from their use.  All are the property of their respective creators, who I urge you to support.

Once again, may your road lead ever onward to adventure,

-Armstrong

The RPG Room: Spell Miniatures

I Put a Spell on You: A review of the new D&D Spell Effect Miniatures

I began collecting miniatures in or around 2011, starting with the various pre-painted sets made by Hasbro for Wizards of the Coast. They bore an official D&D license, came in sealed “blind” boxes with a random assortment of miniatures within (a format still employed today by Wizkids for their Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing licensed pre-painted product), and were some of the coolest nerdy things I owned, as my own abilities as a painter in the beginning were not enough to replicate their average quality. Among the greatest offerings of that entire line is what I still consider to be more or less the pinnacle of my pre-painted collection, the Beholder Collector's Set. These, however, were generally discontinued at or shortly after the time in which I was buying them, as the shift from 3.5 to 4th edition D&D and the failure of several attempts to make a tactical board game to compete with something like Wizkids cash-cow HeroClix brought an end to the Hasbro line of figures, leaving me to collect what I could of stock that my FLGS and various online retailers had.

I did not have to wait too long, or shift to solely collecting and painting metal or plastic miniatures from the likes of Reaper, Games Workshop, or others. By the end of 2012, the next big revolution in miniatures had hit. Reaper had given me a near-infinite mountain of things to paint with the release and immensely successful kickstarter campaign (the first of four and counting) for their budget-priced Bones line, and Wizkids had entered into the market of miniatures that don’t come on proprietary Clix bases with their Paizo Publishing-licensed Pathfinder Battles line. It was through this that I first got a taste of what would become the theme for years to come. Those early sets of Pathfinder Battles, and a few years later the first few sets of official D&D minis also produced by Wizkids were inconsistent to say the least. I certainly expected it to take a while for the Wizkids line to measure up to the same level of quality in construction, sculpts, and paint application as the old Hasbro line. In some ways I remain disappointed to this day. There has yet to be a single set of the Wizkids lines which I would consider as having truly surpassed the Hasbro line in every way. That said, there have been several sets which have done so on average, and for every strangely painted Naga with visible seams where the parts connect, or every Waterdeep noble with the face of a blonde Mr. Potatohead, there are generally at least two imposing Storm Giants with translucent lightning bolts or gorgeous Gynosphinxes with exquisitely dry-brushed feathers and the expertly painted face of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra.

The resemblance is uncanny, no? 

In the last year or two, we have seen yet another level of development in both pre-painted and unpainted plastic miniatures coming from Wizkids. Not only have we had some of the best sets ever produced under the D&D and Pathfinder banners (the Monster Menagerie sets and Pathfinder’s Rusty Dragon Inn and Deadly Foes come to mind), but also the release, and then rapid expansion of the unpainted lines such as Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures and Pathfinder Battles: Deep Cuts. Recently, my FLGS has had to double the amount of peg board on the wall just to accommodate all the new stock brought on by the expansion of the sets -which comes at a pace perhaps only eclipsed by Reaper’s Bones line- and with it, the release of whole new sets of special case-incentive figures, character collections, and other excellent accompaniments to their already wide range.

Among the most recent offerings by Wizkids, are the subject of this review, the two sets of Wizards-licensed D&D spell effect miniatures. One set offers a collection of translucent plastic figures depicting many of the classic spells used by D&D spellcasters over the years. Within can be found representations of mage hand, Tenser’s floating disk, multiple forms of Bigby’s Hand, a phantom steed, and just about any kind of magically summoned weapon you could possibly want. The other set contains a physically imposing collection of effects markers for the spells Wall of Fire, and Wall of Ice, of which each has six pieces. The pieces themselves are cast from translucent orange and blue plastic respectively, and painted well, with just enough dry-brushing to bring out detail, but not so much paint that one would be lost on the fact that they are translucent. All in all, through thorough examination in my FLGS, I can definitely say that I am impressed with the quality and presentation of these miniatures.

The one thing that I am less than impressed with, however, is the price. I acknowledge that this business can sometimes be a risky one, and that all companies are out there to make a profit at the end of the day, but given that these retail for 40 bucks a box ($31.99 US on certain online retailers), I did not feel the temptation to actually purchase any of them. When compared to the unpainted, but Vallejo primed Green, White, and Red Dragons which have also just released as part of the Pathfinder Battles: Deep Cuts line, and which retail for $29.99, I have to say that this pricing was a bit of a misstep on Wizkids’ part, and that despite the fact that their pre-painted nature commands a premium for good reason, there really isn’t much justification to having a set of minis that look like things that could happen, rather than the characters and monsters on which the game is focused, sell at such a price point is a bit ridiculous on some level. Why would I pay that much for things that have been historically handled in the “theater-of-the-mind” even while miniatures are present?

All of that said, they are excellent quality figures, and I would also not be surprised if unpainted versions are released as part of a coming expansion to the Nolzur’s line, likely retailing for something like 9.99 a box for one of the Wall spells or 4.99 a blister-pack for 2-4 of the smaller spell effects. If you happen to be in that stage of your career where you have disposable income to dump into your RPG hobby for days continously though, and if you also happen to play as or run for a party that includes a Wizard, I couldn’t recommend these figures highly enough.

The Verdict: Cool, but not 40 bucks cool

If you happened to stumble upon this, thanks for reading. If you found anything above helpful, feel free to pass it along to your friends. I do not own any part of Wizards of the Coast, Wizkids, Reaper Miniatures, or any of their intellectual properties. Any references or pictures above are intended solely for the purposes of review, praise of, and occasional complaint about their products, of which I remain an avid consumer.

May your road lead ever onward to adventure,

-Armstrong