Paint Table Saturday - 7 Dec 2019

I haven't done any painting since before the summer, but the prospect of hosting my own RPG sessions requires me to get some minis ready for the table.  The group often says nice things about the minis I put on the table, so I thought I'd let that be a prompt to get the brushes out (we all need some encouragement!).  In addition, we're having a bumper session at the end of December, so I thought it'd be nice to have some new options.

So what have I been working on?  Grouped here by manufacturer for ease of identification;

Shield Maiden and Lanterns from Bad Squiddo Games

Hirelings and Not-Bullwugs from Lucid Eye

Frostgrave Cultists

Gnomes from Krakon Games

Those photos are from last week as I did the prep.  I didn't get as far as I intended, but have made some progress...

Seconds after taking the second photo, I snapped the 10-foot pole the hireling is carrying.  Sharp-eyed readers may also spot that one of the gnomes has lost his axe-head.

Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge X

Also, it's that time of the year again.  The AHPC starts towards on 21 December.

I won't be taking part this year: for the past few seasons I've felt like dead wood and that I've been clogging up the limited roster of participants.  I know no-one would begrudge me, but that does take some of the fun out of it for me.  If you are interested though, I would recomend it.  Its not a competition: it's a group of painters working in parallel, having fun and being supportive of each other.

You can follow the Challenge here.

Midlam Apprentices

I must have been among the lucky ones who were in the first trance for their Midlam Apprentice Kickstarter rewards to be posted out, as I received them on Friday, some hours before the notification of mailing was sent out.

For those who like humorous, characterful sculpts, you couldn't really do better than these lads (and lasses?).  They really do seem to be having difficulty getting the hang of their spells.

Who knows, I may paint them as some time...

Midlam Apprentice Kickstarter

Some of you may remember that I have some of Midlam Miniatures' spellcasters for Frostgrave purposes.  Well, they've just launched their first Kickstarter - a class of wizards' apprentices sculpted by Martin Baker.

Full details here.

Tribal Plans...

OK, now I've bought into Tribal, what shall I do with it?

I've been considering what figures to use.

• Maoris - too expensive to source.
• Aztecs - too fiddly to paint
• Inca - Foundry's Inca are nice and aren't too complex in dress
• Native Americans - some nice ones about, but most include firearms
• HYW troops.  A real possibility.
• Cavemen - I do need to get me some cavemen!

But we have a winner.  Vikings!  Why?  Well, for several reasons...

1. Well durr!  Vikings!!!
2. Easy to source - my Friendly Local Hobby Store stocks Gripping Beast
3. Cheap to source (ie, there are plastics)
4. The Wife and I are both interested in the period
5. They will cross-over into other games (in particular Frostgrave, for which I am still building up a pool of fighters).
6. Ernest Borgnine!

Now for various reasons I can't just nip out to the shops and buy said Vikings.  So what do I do while I'm saving up?  Well, a rummage in the Shed of Delights has resulted in the discover that I have almost three quarters of a box of Perry's Ansars still on their sprues and that I haven't even touched my box of  Frostgrave Cultists!  I'm sure I can bash some warbands out of those...

Anyone got any other suggestions of cheapish pre-gunpowder troops?  I'd need about forty or so, including chiefs and heroes armed with a mix of short- and long-arms.  Potential cross-over into Frostgrave would be a big plus.

Terrain Tuesday #15

It was very pleasant weather here over the weekend, so on Sunday afternoon after doing some 1:1 Scale painting, I was able to settle into the Shed of Delights to pick up on some long-postponed terrain projects.

Remember this one?

I'm sure that I'm not the only one cluttering up my shed with terrain building material.  As well as having a draw full of bits'n'bobs, I've a pile of polystyrene and kiddies' building blocks (I need more of the latter!).

The polystyrene is intended  for larger walls.  It isn't my intention to build a pink castle but I decided to put a little paint in with the diluted white glue so I could make sure of good coverage.  The next time I'll make sure I have some black or grey paint in the shed!

As well as the Pringles Tower I also had a well/pool languishing in a part-completed state.

I had thought that there were WIP photos for this, but I can't find them.  Basically, I took the lid from the Pringles tube and stuck teeny-tiny foam bricks to it.  On Sunday I added some bits from the gash drawer and undercoated it.

And as you see, I also had some fund gluing the kiddies' blocks together (the beasts came from Poundland  - they originally had wings, which have been removed and put on one side for 'something').

So, in summary: nothing finished, but things progressed a little.

Fantasy Thursday #2

Admin first.  I've changed the name of this series of posts from 'Frostgrave Fursday' to 'Fantasy Thursday'  as I think it will cause less confusion.*

* Not that that's a given though - did anyone else see the title of the post on Wargames News and Terrain last week 'X Stocking Fantasy Figures' and momentarily think the figures were 'Stocking Fantasies'?

Earlier in the month I mentioned a couple of figures I'd bought in a sale, thinking that they were from the same manufacturer as the various other wizards I'd painted up for Frostgrave.  I was mistaken - the first figures were from Midlam Miniatures and the new ones from Otherworld Miniatures.   Well I've now painted them up.  In truth, I much prefer them to the Midlams - they have more character and are more dynamic.  Of course you makes your choice and pays your money: Midlam's figures are £2.00 each, whereas Otherworld's are £5.00.  I have to think long and hard before spending a fiver on a figure.

 

I'm quite taken with the dwarf and how he turned out.  He's made me think that I might dig out the fabulous Oathsworn dwarves and haflings from last year's Kickstarter.  Why shouldn't they get some of the Frostgrave booty?

Frostgrave Fursday #1

It had been my intention to use the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge to concentrate on building up a couple of Frostgrave warbands and a compliment of baddies and beasties for them to tackle.  But we've got within sight of the end and not a Frostgrave figure to be seen from me!

Well, better late than never!

First up are the spell fodder...

Who would hire this rabble?

As some of you will instantly recognise these are from Northstar's sprue of Frostgrave soldiers (though I can't swear there's not some cultist thrown in there).  As many have already said, this is a very nice pack, with some wonderful detail and character.

I've decided that this jovial chap was a mass murderer before
deciding to chance his luck in Felstad

The spellcasters on the other hand are from Midlam Miniatures.  They're sold as suitable for 28mm games, but some might find them a little small.*

*At 25mm they're the weedy academic wizards, compared to the beefy mercenaries.

The rest of the group call the apprentice 'Smiler' when the
spellcasters aren't around.

The bases are my usual 2p pieces with Vallejo Sandy Paste.  With the soldiers I added some sprue off-cuts to represent fallen masonry.  Then various grass and heather tufts (a mix of Tajima and some Gamers' Grass I got with my last order from Bad Squiddo - I think the former are much better value for money and will go with them again).

I haven't attempted to make the wizards school-specific, preferring to have a pool of figures I can choose from when I play.  Equally, I've not been too particular about what arms and equipment the soldiers have - today's Thug might be tomorrow's Thief. 

Sadly, other than Smiler and The Butcher of Harvey's Grove, these haven't inspired me to do any detailed back-story.  Perhaps that'll come when I start creating the stat sheets and playing with them.  And perhaps best not to get too attached to the Dispensables anyway...

Frostgrave Adventurers

Annie over at Bad Squiddo Games used her FaceBook group to announce a flash sale on Otherworld Miniatures adventurers the other day (stock she'd not got around to putting on the website, and was getting underfoot).  I've currently got five of their figures on the painting table and found them nicely detailed, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to add to the recruiting pool for warbands.

Accordingly, I present a Dwarven Cleric and a spell-caster  Two very nice figures which came with Annie's customarily speedy service and a complementary teabag.  Some will spot the resemblance between the wizard (who comes complete with a bandoleer of potions) and Nicol Williamson.

Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to sign up for the 600 Post Giveaway - there will be draws for all of the prizes and some haven't had any takers yet!

Treasure!

I recently painted the following treasure tokens, primarily for use in Frostgrave, but possibly also handy for Pulp settings.

They're produced by Ristul's Extraordinary Market (sold in the UK by Bad Squiddo Games).  And are full of great details – magic swords, war hammers, potions, crowns, jewels and, above all, GOLD!  And that's why I ended up submitting them the L'amour round of the Analogue Painting Challenge.

Like many others, I've found it a challenge to find suitable subjects for Curt's bonus rounds.  Not that I think that should be a matter of complaint - I think a good deal of the fun in the rounds is in seeing how the participants justify their entries!

In my case it was because as I painted the tokens, the line "Give pounds and crowns and rubies*, but not your heart away" came to me.

When I Was One-and-Twenty

BY A. E. HOUSMAN

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

       But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

       But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty,

       No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard him say again,

“The heart out of the bosom

       Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty

       And sold for endless rue.”

And I am two-and-twenty,

       And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

*You will notice that my memory was only approximate!

So with the addition of a suitable fluff (which people seem to have enjoyed), that was my entry.  Go and check it and the others out - and don't forget to vote for your favourites!

Terrain Tuesday #12

Sadly, my intention of submitting my Gurt Big Castle for the Defensive Terrain round of the Painting Challenge came to naught.  However it is primed, so we might see it in future terrain updates.

First up this week is a nice resin piece that I got in a box set with some other terrain and snake-warriors.  I really don't remember the manufacturer.

I've used it in the past in Lost World and Dino-Hunting games.  But now need not feel worried about its resin-y nakedness.

Secondly, another ancient damaged statute.  This time more Frostgrave-y.

The statute itself is one of the large plastic kit-figures that came with Doctor Who Adventures in Jan 2014 (oddly enough, they've got around to using them again for the current issue).  The plinth I picked up more recently.

In other news...

My entry for the L'Amour bonus round of the challenge will feature terrain, so there's that to look forward to.