Back To Business

Hi!

Well I am back in Worcester after a quick sojourn to Portsmouth and have managed to get a little sculpting done too which is a plus!

At present I am trying to finish off my dwarves, a task made easier by the fact I have currently got five at various stages of completion!

Hopefully I will be able to get them done this week and move onto the next force!

I finally have a small space in our somewhat crowded flat dedicated to gaming so hopefully there will be some more regular battle reports too and my long awaited Aeroth map really needs finishing so I can move onto a full campaign system rather than loosely connected scenarios but at present I just don't have the miniatures to make it a viable option.

This should change by the end of March as I am hoping to have a couple of fully fleshed out warbands suitable for a variety of systems. I also aim to have a fair amount of random monsters done soonish so I can threaten my assorted warbands with an interesting variety of nasties!

All the best!

Boar Company So Far

Hi!

Just a mini update to show my progress with the Dwarven Boar Company thus far!

Boar Company

I now have a full unit of swordsmen, my Wildling and a couple of characters along with a couple of hunters with crossbows. I will eventually expand them to a full unit of 4-5 as well.

I also have four heavy infantry on the sculpting desk and hope to be able to get them finished over the course of a weekend and that will pretty much round off the Boar Companies roster for now.

On a related note heres a picture of a before and after shot of my Wildling Proxy:

Wildling Proxy Before And After!

As you can see a decent paint job makes a real difference!

All the best!

Somewhere on the Border Battle Report!

Hi!

I recently managed to get another battle report using Song Of Blades and even managed to get a picture or two!

The Scenario

After several weeks recovering from their run in with several goblin tribes the Boar Company is finally on the move. Leaving Dur Zamor behind Grimli leads his men, along with their newly acquired Wildling, Thundergore.

Following rumours of an abandoned mine which still contains precious metals they arrive to find the workings being plundered by the rogue sorcerer Marik Goldhelm, along with a couple of minions. Rushing to attack the nefarious Goldhelm, they are shocked to see the bulky form of a dragon rise from amongst the rocky ground near the mine. Undaunted Grimli orders his troops to engage!

The Forces

Dwarves

1 Dwarf Commander (Grimli) 95
4 Dwarf Warriors 136
1 Dwarf Elite Warrior (Flint) 46
1 Dwarf Skirmisher (Gunnar) 18
1 Wildling 41

326 Points

Evil Doers!

1 Human Warmage (Marik) 45
1 Adult Dragon 218
1 Skeleton Human 28
1 Giant Bat 53

342 Points

The Battlefield

The battlefield consists of a ruined shack in the South alongside rocky ground. To the North the ground is sparsely covered with a mixture of sickly pines and cacti.

The Dwarves deploy in the North in three groups, Flint Leads two Dwarves to the West, the centre is held by Grimli and two more Dwarves, while Thundergore and his keeper Gunnar Ironbreeches deploy to the East next to the copse of trees.

Marik Goldhelm deploys his small retinue in the centre of his board edge to the North, the giant bat flaps lazily over the shack in the West while the dragon sets down amongst the Eastern rock piles.

The Game!

Turn 1 Evil

Confident of his minions abilities, Marik fails to move while sending his skeletal minion towards the rock outcrops to its right.
Meanwhile the giant bat flaps down the left flank towards the Dwarven infantry. Finally he dragon hurls itself down the right flank at high speed towards the Dwarven lines.

Turn 1 Dwarf

Grimli moves forward cautiously while Flint moves towards the dragon taking 2 warriors with him. One Dwarf fails to move, obviously overawed by the presence of the mighty dragon. His companion, obviously keen to impress charges forward towards the giant bat. Finally Gunnar herds Thundergore towards the dragon hoping to show his new commander just what the Wildling is capable of.

Turn 2 Evil

The giant bat continues its movement down the left flank while Marik again fails to activate. His skeletal minion Does better shuffling into the cover of the rock outcrops. Somewhat taken aback by the impertinence of the small force facing it the dragon only manages to move forward cautiously.

Turn 2 Dwarf

With a bellow Thundergore charges the dragon trading blows with the beast without either creature managing to gain an upper hand. Gunnar charges in after his warbeast but is forced to retreat by the huge creatures melee.

Flint hurls himself towards the combat but is just too far away while two Dwarf warriors accompanying him mange to keep pace. Grimli also rushes towards the combat but is likewise too slow and doesn't quite make it.

Meanwhile on the Western flank the forward Dwarf warrior closes the gap between himself and the giant bat while the last Dwarf slowly follows him, for some reason lagging behind his companions.

Turn 3 evil

The dragon stikes at Thundergore forcing the beast back then breathes a jet of flame at Gunnar. Unexpectedly Gunnar is merely forced back by the inferno with a singed beard.

The giant bat attacks the lone Dwarf but is beaten to the ground with a flurry of steel.

Seeing that his creatures aren't fairing too well Marik rushes to catch up with his skeletal minion who in turn continues to shuffle towards the combat that is raging close by.

Wildling and Dragon Square Off!

Turn 3 Dwarves

Undaunted by his near scorching, Gunnar throws a javelin at the dragon but it merely bounces off its scaly hide. Thundergore once again attacks the dragon but is forced to retreat. Grimli bellows his clans battlecry and charges the dragon but is caught a glancing blow by the beasts bony clubbed tail and is knocked down.

Seeing his leader prone before the dragon, Flint swings a mighty blow at the dragon and manages to down it but not cause any lasting damage.The Dwarf warriors charges the dragon but fails to kill it. Inspired by his heroism his two Dwarven companions bravely also rush into the combat but still cant cause any damage.

The Combat on the other flank between Dwarf and giant bat ends with the Dwarf running his sword through the vile creature. The remaining Dwarf summons his courage and hurls himself at Marik.

Turn 4 evil

The dragon thrashes around but can't regain its feet due to the Dwarves swarming over it. Marik summons arcane power and blasts the approaching Dwarf with a bolt of dark energy vaporising him. He then tries to hit Gunnar with a similar bolt but the seemingly indestructible Dwarf merely shrugs it off. Finally the skeletal minion closes with the prone form of Grimli in an attempt to kill the Dwarven commander but runs out of actions.

Turn 4 Dwarf

Seeing the approaching skeletal minon, Grimli lurches to his feet and with a mighy blow cleaves the armoured beast in two.

Flint struggles onto the dragons back and buries his axe into its thick skull, ending its thrashings permanently. He then flings himself off the twitching corpse and at Marik.

Gunnar hurls another javelin at Marik, forcing him back while Thundergore lumbers forward towards the hapless sorcerer. Seeing his position has become untenable Marik takes to his heels!

Aftermath

Despite his unDwarven lack of courage, the Boar Company swears vengeance for their fallen comrade. Marik has escaped and will no doubt plague the Boar Company in the future but is presently too concerned with saving his own skin. Gunnar and Thundergore are hailed as true members of the company for their bravery and Flint gains deserved praise for killing a dragon and is renamed Flint Dragonbane.

Review

Well it was a really fun game and if it hadn't been for their superior numbers the Dwarves would have probably been beaten badly by the dragon. In hindsight it should have spent a turn or two crisping the Dwarves with its breath weapon before closing with the survivors. As it was the dragon just wasn't able to cause any damage.

Man of the Match would have to be Gunnar. He survived a close range blast of dragon fire and a magical bolt in a single game!

Alas most of the pictures I took were too blurry to post but I hope to be able to get some decent shots of the next battle!

In the meantime I have taken a shot of the Gronckyle battling Dwarves in a dying forest:

Dwarf Versus Dragon!

I will try and get another update sorted out ASAP!

All the best!

Sculpting Revisions!

Hi!

Just a quick update before I head off to work!

I have updated my sculpting lineup a little. The orcs have been removed while I rethink the look I am going for as the existing one just doesn't look right.

In cheerier news I have started work on four Dwarven heavy infantry, two Children of the Worm and finally completed my last Dwarf Hunter!

I am planning on having a sculpting day on Sunday where I will be cracking on with a load of stuff with the aim of completing all my Dwarves and getting all the Children of the Worm done too. Its a bit ambitious but I want to get the first two forces completed as soon as possible so I can get some games in!

After these two forces are done I will be able to move onto something else, namely the sculpts I will be sending to get put into production which is very exciting but more information on that later once I have finalised my designs!

All the best!

Ten Thousand Hits!

Hi!



Well its been quite a month for the blog, reaching 200 posts, breaking the 40 follower barrier and now reaching 10000 hits!

All I can say is a big thank you to all of you folks for taking the time to peruse the blog!

I am mid way through typing up a battle report and will try and get it posted by this weekend so keep your eyes peeled!

All the best!

Richard

Wildling Proxy!

Hi!

I picked up some Gormiti figures from Tescos yesterday on a bit of a whim and repainted one as a Wildling for my Dwarven Boar Company:

Wildling and Keeper

I am really pleased with how he turned out to be honest, not least because he's a big figure that I am happy with the paint job! I still need to get his base done but wanted to get a picture or two up here as quickly as possible.

Wildling Front

Wildling Rear

The detailing on the figure was surprisingly good once it was repainted and its a pleasingly chunky figure that looms impressively over the average 15mm scale dwarf. I have several more Gormiti figures which will be seeing action as either Daughters of Leviathan or Sea Devils and another which is perfect for the Elves! I suspect I will be picking up quite a few of them over the coming months as they sell for a princely £1.50ish each in Tescos.

The only downside that I can find is that most of them are in rather static poses and their lower limbs are a bit on the chunky side. Saying that they seem to paint up well and as the classic Leviathan range was similarly chunky, I am not complaining!

He has already seen combat and managed to hold his own against an adult dragon in an upcoming battle report between the Boar Company and the evil rogue sorcerer Marik Goldhelm!

Worry not though! I will be completing the Wildling sculpt I am working on and this one will be used as a different breed!

All the best!

UPDATE

Following a request for a better picture of the Keeper, here he is:

Dwarf Keeper and Hunter

All the best!

A Dragon! Sort of...

Hi!

I picked this chap up from Tescos for 99p yesterday:


Gronckyle Menaces An Unsuspecting Dwarven Hunter

Its one of the How To Train Your Dragon toys but I think he's just about perfect for 15mm scale gaming. He would also make a good mount for orc or goblin flyers...

Theres a couple of small bits needing filled but his paint job is surprisingly good, in fact I only need to define his teeth a bit and give him a more intimidating set of eyes and he's ready to go.

In fact I am so inspired I will be putting him into action against my Boar Company this weekend in a game of Song Of Blades!

There are several others available in the range but none were in my local store. I am sorely tempted to pick up a couple more if I see them though as they make rather unusual additions to the world of Aeroth and have the visual aesthetic of the Orc warbeasts from Leviathan (ie big and chunky!)

All the best!

Children of the Moon Developments!

Hi!

Just a quick update to mention some really exciting work being done by Qalpha over on his blog PROJECT QALPHA.

Essentially he has developed the Children of the Moon concept into a fully realised force, combining the Children and the northern barbarians!

Children of the Moon, Scratch Built and Painted By Qalpha

Children of the Moon Painted By Qalpha

He's posted a whole series of articles covering his project and they are well worth a peruse and theres some fantastic conversions and painted miniatures to peruse!

All the best!

It's Not All Fun and Games!

Hi!

I have finally set up my business blog!

SPACE COW SMITH will feature all my concept art, maquette and puppet making along with my animation work!

Rusty Robot Boy

Theres not a vast amount of stuff on there at the present but I will be adding regular updates of the stuff I do at both university and self directed stuff too! Please feel free to nip over and have a peruse!

All the best!

200th POST!

Hi!

Well I have finally reached the 200 posts mark for my blog! Its taken me three years but I have done it!

The project has suffered periods of neglect followed by frenzied activity and has developed from a project log to cover my attempts at collecting a couple of forces for Leviathan using the existing resin miniatures to extending the background setting of Aeroth and finally developing my own miniatures in a totally new scale!

At times I have despaired at ever getting anything done with the project but it is finally developing into something recognisable. By the end of this year I am hoping to get a small range of 15mm scale figures into production and continue the development of the setting of Aeroth. I also hope to get chance to continue sculpting and gaming as its been a real joy to be doing something productive for a change!

I still plan on getting as many of the forces people voted for sculpted and painted as possible, a task made much easier by the fact it takes a day to sculpt 3-4 figures and another to paint them! Admittedly the big stuff is taking much longer but I am enjoying the challenge.

I've taken a quick pic of my 15mm scale stuff, along with a couple of sneak peeks of some stuff I am still working on:

Assorted Gubbins!

As you can see I still have a fair way to got to get the forces I want finished, and I may cheat slightly and make do with some proxies until I get chance to finish everything! Theres also a sneaky picture of something big lurking in the background which will be getting worked on over the course of the next month or so!

Thanks to all of you folks for spending some time reading through my jabberings! Hopefully I will be able to keep you all interested in my ongoing Leviathan project for some time to come!

All the best!

Stuff Up For Sale!

Hi!

I have started listing a host of bits and bobs on ebay to help fund my attempts to get some miniatures into production!

Please feel free to have a peruse HERE for a large selection of graphic novels, miniatures and some other bits and bobs!

All the best!

List of Stuff For Sale!

Hi!

I have the following going up for sale over the weekend on Ebay:

Judge Dredd the Complete Case Files, Volumes 1-14

Nemesis the Warlock Volume 1

Ace Trucking Volume 1

Judge Dredd, Mechanismo

Black Powder Wargame Rules

Future War Commander

Theres a load more going to be added to the list including miniatures so keep your eyes peeled!

UPDATE!

Uncharted Seas Ralguard Starter Fleet

Dwarf Starter Fleet

Dragon Lords Starter Fleet

Miniatures

Bringer of the Nightwings, painted

Reaper Werebear, painted

Ral Partha Evil Cleric, painted

Heartbreaker Dwarf, Painted

An assortment of unpainted dwarves, Ramshackle games resin miniatures, and some Grendel stuff too!

All the best!

New Additions!

Hi!

Well its been a busy week here so its taken longer than expected to get the photos of my latest additions to my forces but here they are at last!

Left to Right: Dwarf Hunter, Children of the Worm Decayed, Orc Warrior

I am really pleased with how the Dwarf hunter and Decayed warrior turned out but think I need to reconsider my orc designs as he's just too small!

Heres a better picture of the Dwarf keeper along side the new hunter:

Dwarf Keeper and Hunter

I have another hunter nearly finished and the Wildling is slowly getting there! I have to admit that the sheer amount of time it takes to sculpt stuff in a larger scale is a bit off putting but he will look nice once he is finished and his addition will complete my Dwarf force for the meantime!

Next up I found this guy in my bits box so decided to paint him up and add him to my rogue sorcerers retinue:

Monstrous Minion

I think he's from a game called Inferno but can't be entirely sure! I got him amongst a pile of GW snotlings from Manic Miner a couple of years ago. He's a bit of an odd looking miniature to be honest but makes an acceptable addition to my forces!

Hopefully I will be able to get the other bits and bobs I am working on done soon but have a painting commission to get out of the way first which will probably take much of next week...

Anyhoo... Enough of my ramblings! I am off to get an exciting essay written! Joy!

All the best!

Quick Update!

Hi!

Apologies for not posting sooner but I have been a bit busy sculpting and painting!

I currently have 1 orc, 1 dwarf and 1 Children of the Worm decayed miniatures sculpted and sat undercoated. I will be cracking on with the bases this evening and should have them finished at some point tomorrow for folks to see!

I have also got about another half dozen miniatures at various stages of sculpting, but the Wildling is taking up much of my time! I should have him finished by the weekend so fingers crossed!

In other news, my scenic madness is getting there and I will soon have enough to add some decent cover to a 2x2 board!

After that my updates are going to slow down I'm afraid. I am entering my last semester of uni so will no doubt be run off my feet. Saying that I am determined to set aside one day a week to get some painting and sculpting done!

Hopefully I will get chance to get some games in as well, especially as I only now need 3 figures for my dwarves and I will have a decent sized skirmish force for Song Of Blades, or any other game I fancy having a go at!

My OTHER PROJECT shouldn't effect progress here as it is intended more to give me something to do if I get stressed with fantasy, as I do from time to time!

All the best!

An Old Blog Revisited!

Hi!

I have decided to re-launch my old gaming blog to cover some ideas I have been having for sci-fi gaming. Its had all sorts of random stuff on it over the years but I have made a fresh start on it by deleting all the guff so I can ramble on about stuff...

If you fancy a peruse please feel free to take a peek HERE for more information!

My Leviathan project will still be taking up the lions share of my time but I thought it would be a plan to have something that I can do thats a bit different in case I have another stress out with this project like I did last month!

Hopefully there will be some interesting stuff added to it soon!

All the best!

Dwarven Keeper Completed!

Hi!

Just a quick update on progress so far!

Heres a picture of my completed dwarven Boar Company Wildling keeper:

Wildling Keeper

I've posed him next to a piece of terrain I have had kicking around for years in an uninspiring grey but repainted to a slightly more interesting sandstone colour! Its originally from the OLMEC RUINS set from SCOTIA GRENDEL but works rather nicely as some sort of buried piece of gigantic statuary!

I have also completed some random beasts to accompany my rogue sorcerer in the form of a pair of giant bats. Originally from Games Workshops Warhammer Quest box, they too have been languishing in the bottom of my bits box for years. I removed the large plastic flight stand and poked a bit of a hole in them to add the thin wire that is a bit less obtrusive:

Sorcerers Giant Bats!

Apologies for the slightly blurry picture but I cant seem to get a decent shot of them!

In other news I have been busily beavering away with the sculpting malarky and have got the bottom half of my Wildling done. Alas no pictures as yet but he is taking shape rather nicely! I have also got several orcs started but am not too happy with them as they are a tad on the wide side so may be given a slight re-design as minions of my sorcerer!

Theres also a load of scenery sitting undercoated and just awaiting the pva on their bases to dry before I get on with painting them!

Hopefully I will get some more bits and bobs finished over the course of the weekend before uni starts in earnest!

All the best!

Children of the Moon Overview

Hi!

Qalpha has asked for some more info on the enigmatic Children of the Moon so I thought I would write a brief overview!

Background

The Children of the Moon are one of the original races of Aeroth and predate both the humans and the dwarves.

The children were a nomadic people, traversing much of the savage world of Aeroth in Sky Arcs, mighty floating vessels with a core of moonstone. Originally a peaceful race of creatures, the Children were intrinsically linked with Aeroths moon, it gave them near immortality and was the source of their magic. Ironically it was this that first attracted the attention of the young race known as the Elves.

With single minded determination the Elves sought to conquer the Lunar Children and enslave them to learn their secrets. For a race unused to violence, the Children were decimated. Hundreds died as their settlements were raised to the ground, sky arks were boarded by dragon riders and burned, falling from the sky like fiery meteors. Many more died in the experiments of the Elven mages.

It was during one of these experiments when something unexpected to happen. Jamuga Silvermane, one of the few remaining Lunar Shaman was exposed to the full power of a cabal of sorcerers magic during the full moon. The rite Lunar power surged into the unfortunate shaman giving him near superhuman strength but twisting his body into that of a huge silver wolf. Driven mad by the change Silvermane tore the shocked Elves apart. Across Aeroth, similar changes afflicted the Children of the Moon and the land rang with the howl of the wolf.

Dawn saw the few remaining children bloodied but free. Regaining their senses but retaining their monstrous form, the Children were horrified by what they had done and realising that they could never return to their previous existence, they boarded their sky arks, and departed Aeroth for ever.

The Children of the Moon did not in fact leave Aeroth entirely. They relocated to the far north, further even than the barbarian settlements, to the endless tundra and frozen pine forests. Here they sought to rebuild their lives but the call of the moon was too strong and over the passing eons they have lost much of their humanity becoming more beast than man. Now they roam the lands in packs in an eternal hunt, embracing their new feral nature.

Appearance

The average Lunar Child stands roughly seven feet tall, and is a cross between a wolf and a man. Barrel chested and powerful the individual Children are capable of moving on two legs or four and have endless stamina enabling them to track and chase down prey in a hunt that can last days.

The bond between the pack is unbelievably strong and their spoken language has all but died out, replaced by a form of unconscious telepathy. This allows the pack to communicate, even over a distance.

Despite their changed shape, the Lunar Children retain their immortality and can take a huge amount of punishment in battle, often regenerating wounds almost as quickly as they have been taken.

Hopefully that will give folks a bit of an overview of the Children of the Moon! I will expand on it when I get chance and the opportunity to sculpt some gigantic wolfmen is rather tempting!

All the best!

Dwarven Wildling Project Log Part 2

Hi!

Just a quick update!

Heres the progress so far on my Wildling and keeper:

Work In Progress!

I've added the second layer of putty, building up the musculature and gut. Once this has dried out I will add another thin layer to bulk up the legs and add definition. Once the lower half is finished I will bulk his upper body and ribcage, followed by a load of fur, a bit of armour and some big tusks!

I also started work on the keeper, as you can see he's pretty much just boots and a basic body shape at present but I have found that working from the bottom up, a little at a time works bet in the long run as I avoid squashing uncured putty!

I dont know how much more I will get done today as I have a meeting to shuffle off to at 6 followed by a bit of food shopping! Hopefully I will get chance to

Dwarven Wildling Project Log Part 1

Hi!

I thought it might be a plan to post a work in progress log of my Dwarven Wildling!

Wildling Armature

At present I have the armature built and the first layer of putty added. I will be bulking him up as each layer dries out!

Background wise, the Wildling is a gigantic mutated boar, trained by the dwarves to fight over terrain unsuited to seam driven vehicles. Popular with the frontier garrisons due to its ability to be both self sufficient and more light footed than a wargolem, the Wildling is capable of taking on just about anything the wild frontiers of the Axeblades can throw at it.

The Boar company have been awarded one, by Hrothgar the Bellower, thane of Dur Zamor, for their courageous action that broke the goblin advance in the battle of the previous week.

The company will be venturing out into the wilds within the next few days and the addition of such a powerful creature to their roster bolsters their chances of survival greatly.

Hopefully I will get him finished in the next couple of days, along with his keeper so I can get them painted and ready for battle!

All the best!

Rogue Sorcerer!

Hi!

Heres the latest miniature I sculpted:

Marik Goldhelm, Rogue Sorcerer

He will be featuring in an upcoming battle report between my Boar Legion and some evil doers, probably using Song of Blades!

Again theres a few issues with him from some soft detailing to the fact I made him too tall (he stands just over 20mm high) but I rather like him! I chose the black and gold colour scheme for him as it looked suitably sinister without being ragged! Despite my mumblings I now have a suitably impressive spell caster to menace my dwarves!

In other news I have just got a really nasty bill for repairs on my bathroom due to a leaky pipe so won't be able to buy any of my 6mm scale stuff I had been planning to but will be continuing on with my 15mm sculpting as its proving to be such fun! This will allow me to get some games in soon too!

The more observant amongst you may have spotted my sculpting update on my sidebar of the blog. Its been updated with what I am working on, including some surprising additions that I really want to work on!

Firstly theres the dwarf Wildling and keeper. Following on from a request on a forum (I forget which) by Manic Miner, I am going to attempt to make a large boar creature inspired by the blood totems in Chronopia:

Blood Totem

This will allow me to get some small games of Chronopia in too which is a plus!

Next up I have defined my dwarf and orc force somewhat so that I am clearer as to what I need to work on and finally comes the Children of the Worm!

I know folks want to see the Sea Devils but I have done a lot of background work on the Children and am really keen to see them develop into miniature format! Information on the units available to them can be found HERE. I have a few more bits and bobs up my sleeve for them in the coming month too so keep an eye out for updates!

All the best!

Interesting Developments!

Hi!

Well I have been really enjoying how my Leviathan project has been developing over the course of the last month or so. It seems to have developed from a fairly simple fan project into something somewhat unexpected!

I have played three games in a week, sculpted and painted more in a month than I did in a whole year and generally had a lot more fun with my hobby. To top it off I have posted more updates in a month than much of last year!

As for the rest of the year, I plan on continuing apace with regular battle reports, painted miniatures and reviews of all sorts of wargames!

This is still primarily a blog dedicated to Leviathan as I really love the setting and feel that there is so much scope to develop it! Although I may be using different rulesets, the action will take place in Aeroth and new factions, forces, locations and monsters will be added as time allows! For example, I need to get 15mm representations of my Technomancers done, followed by Steppe Orcs but also plan on sculpting some assorted bits and bobs that will see action in games ranging from skirmishes to massive battles!

I will be adding another update in the morning featuring the rogue spellcaster I sculpted who will be facing off against the Boar Company in a forthcoming border skirmish but more details on that in the morning!

All the best!