Xmas shopping, alternate minis, and unusual inspirations

[Psion]

Hey all

Christmas shopping has given me a lot of unusual game inspirations.

For one, my daughter was begging me for some little plastic toy animals at the store while we were shopping. I looked at them, and I'd be damned if I didn't think the bug and reptile selections would make awesome -- and cheap -- minis.

Along similar lines, I saw a lego "bionicle" toy by the checkout stand, and actually found one with a little double-sword quite interesting... so much so I was tempted to buy it and stat it out using EA: Constructs to use as a foe in one of my game.

Anyone do anything like this?

 

[Nightfall]

Perhaps if I had the money Psion...

 

[Prince Atom]

I was tempted to buy my brother "Summer Fun Cthulhu" the other day. He's already got a "Cthulhu Saves... for later" bumper sticker, although we've both agreed that it is an Item Most Likely to Incite Property Damage.

As for inspiration... I've got to admit, when I get into a new product, however I obtained it, I start getting ideas and the desire to use the product in play, or at least base an adventure or a campaign off it. Frex, when I first saw Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" I wanted to run an adventure with an undead horseman in it. While I was working on it, the adversary became a skeleton warrior under the control of a cleric trying to kill the party, and the horses dropped out altogether.

But still....

"Summer Fun Cthulhu" inspires some weirdness in me. Probably I'll use it in an IOU game rather than a D&D game.

TWK
Summer Fun Cthulhu -- buy the Cthulhu Happy Torture Chamber Playset*!


*All pieces sold separately. Batteries not included.





Should I be worried that I can remember such things from the Saturday Morning Barbie commercials?