2015 in Review: LEGO

No summary of the past year would be complete without mentioning the other hobby that "Studded Plate" is devoted to. I acquired a number of new LEGO sets in 2015, but my two favorites are:

LEGO Minifigures Series 14: Monsters: See my review in a previous column.

(Side note: Series 15 is due out later this month, so expect a review of those new minifigures in a future column.)

LEGO Ideas Doctor Who: This is easily the licensed property I have been most excited about since The Lord of the Rings theme debuted in 2012. I'm unlikely to use any part of this set for RPG miniatures (with the possible exception of the Weeping Angel) but it's a well-designed, fun to build set, so I'm plenty pleased to own it for its own sake.

 

Speaking of RPG miniatures, I've continued to build a large number of new characters and creatures throughout the year. In particular, the current "Gorilla Island" adventure in my Freeport game has required many new minis--most of which the players have not yet seen, so I can't share here yet. As we play out those encounters, I will add photos to the Gorilla Island folder of my Brickshelf gallery. (Note: Because Brickshelf is a moderated site, there is often a day or two delay before newly-uploaded additions can be viewed. If you get any "this folder is not yet public" messages, please try back in a day or two.)

And to finish off this column, I'll plug a couple interesting LEGO- and RPG-related pages that I've discovered this past year:

LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Facebook group: To quote the group's description, "This group is for people to share Lego creations that were inspired by their love of Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role playing games." This is a closed group, so you'll need to request an invitation to join, but it's definitely worth the time if you want to see some inspiring models, discuss building techniques, participate in contests (for prizes!), or simply chat with like-minded fans. The group numbers a little over 200 members at the time that I'm posting this, and is growing. 

Lego Dungeon Master: This blog is written by another member of the LEGO D&D Facebook group. Much as I did here with "Studded Plate," Lego GM's first few columns (from May 2015) provide a primer for his approach to using LEGO for tabletop games. Later columns provide building instructions for unusual monsters, such as xorns and beholders. Other installments provide house rules that make brick building part of the game itself, whether it's partially disassembling a monster to reflect damage inflicted by the party, or providing players a way to construct magic items from body parts harvested from dead monsters.

That's all for now. And as always, leg godt!