Creatures of the Post Apocalypse

Hi!

Heres the first of a series of articles covering the creatures which inhabit the world of Farpoint (yes I have decided not to rename it for the time being at least!) I will also cover stuff like locations, races, tribes and individuals of note as and when I get chance to type them up!

All the best!

Since their re-entry into the world of Farpoint the Dwarves have found themselves in a savage and desolate land but despite the hardships, it teems with life.

One of the first creatures they encountered was the Carnosaur.

Carnosaurs

Standing roughly five feet in height and about the same from snout to tail, these ravenous creatures appear to have no eyes or ears and rely on their sense of smell alone to hunt. Consisting almost entirely of a toothy maw, Carnosaurs are pack hunters which haunt the lowlands surrounding the Ironpeaks where they prey on the large herbivores and more recently parties of Dwarven explorers and supply caravans. 

Broken Mesa, Typical hunting grounds for Carnosaur packs.

The Dwarves have found the beasts surprisingly tough to kill and ferocious foes with a low cunning that belies their brutish appearance. Their skin is smooth but leathery and ranges in colour from fiery red to lurid blue while its underbelly is generally lighter.

Dwarven alchemists have theorised that they are mutations from some forgotten lizard which were blinded during the Elven apocalypse and in the following centuries radiation has continued warping them into the twisted form they now inhabit. 

 Carnosaurs in Action

Despite their depredations, Carnosaurs are highly valued for their skins and Dwarven alchemists have found quite a number of useful chemicals stored in their bodies.

Aeronef Progress

Hi!

Well its been a very busy end to the week with me beavering away on commissions while filling in application forms which require one to use all manner of bumf to big themselves up to their prospective employer!

Still I have managed to complete two nefs for my British flotilla!

 Exeter Class Cruiser

 Rwalpindi Class Colonial Cruiser

Group Shot!

I must admit I have rather enjoyed painting them and the rigging adds a pleasing finishing touch to them as well. Sadly I haven't managed to locate any stands yet so am thinking of ordering some over the coming week. Its a strange experience painting such small things as theres no highlighting, just a quick wash with ink. I also tried to go for flat colours which suit the models too. 

Speaking of which, I ran out of black paint the other day and nipped into Hobbycraft to get some more. Oddly they seem to have stopped selling GWs stuff but do sell Revell Aqua Colour. Having never used the stuff before I was rather reluctant to buy any but needs must and I am glad I did! The black has a brilliant, matt finish that I have struggled to find in other paints. The only downside is the pot which is ridiculously designed!

I am hoping to get the first three Dwarves finished today too so there may be a bit of an update later on!

All the best!

Aeronef Revival

Hi!

Many moons ago I purchased a starter pack of Aeronef from Brigade Models. The ships were then painted to a frankly pretty poor standard and abandoned in the loft. As I have been tidying said loft, I found the British flotilla and a couple of French ships too and have given them a bath in Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner to strip the paint and have spent the last couple of evenings preparing them for painting.

I've added some extra little details to each to give a bit more interest to them and am hoping to make a start painting them up at the weekend but find myself missing bases for them which is delaying things slightly until I find something suitable to replace them with.

Patrol Nefs

I also dug out my copy of the rules but must admit I found them geared more towards larger battles so am fiddling around with Full Thrust to add a little bit of spice to the game as I am planning on playing small skirmishes between forces rather than full scale fleet action.

In other news I had hoped to be posting something every day for the build up to my fantasy campaign but work has once again intruded and I simply haven't had time to do anything other than complete the first three sculpts for my Dwarves. Sadly I am still not happy with them, possibly due to their heads just not looking right so it will probably be the weekend before I get chance to do anything else with them!

Its a bit of a feeble update thus far but hopefully Saturday and Sunday will see more stuff!

All the best!

A Post Apocalyptic World Part 1

Hi!

Well I am busily sculpting a couple of bits and pieces but wanted to post a few of my thoughts on the concept of gaming a post apocalyptic fantasy world.

I must admit that I have never been too happy with the Tolkieneque western European medieval fare that many fantasy rulesets have, especially when they tend to overlook some of the stunning landscapes that one can find in the more desolate regions of the world and the possibilites these bring. I have in the past waxed lyrical about this very subject but the more research I have done (ie watching lots of documentaries and collecting mighty tomes of books as I am unable to travel to said regions!) the more I find myself wanting to develop the idea.

For example why settle for the typical rolling green plains  interspersed with some trees and the occasional building when theres the likes of some of these sights available?

Instead of pleasant green hills with the odd cliff face why not use broken mesas, towering hoodoos and similar terrain?

 Rocky Mesas

 Interesting Hidden Valleys

 Breathtaking Arid Landscapes

Hoodoo!

Likewise, just looking at our own planet for inspiration theres some really fantastically unusual terrain that would make for a fantastical setting and look spectacular on the tabletop too!

Imagine steaming hot springs, dried out salt pans or acidic lakes, pools of strange yet oddly beautiful water or fantastical trees. With a little bit of work and some imagination the terrain of a setting can become a fascinating element of a game.

Imagine forces fighting over these elements, unsure as to whether their actions will break through the salt crust or trigger geysers of boiling mud, all these elements and more can be added to create a far more interesting game than simply lining up on a green board and having at one another.

Even the lowly vegetation can be imposing, beautiful and even deadly, with battles raging over the precious commodities that an oasis can provide or the dubious decision to take cover in a patch of cactus!

Likewise the very colours of the surroundings lend themselves to dramatic backdrops to games with orange dunes of shifting sand, dark rock and even the odd splash of blue, yellow and green could be used to liven up games dramatically.

Imagine playing on a board like this, with small pools of water dotted around which may contain all manner of nasties while the rock itself looks more like some sort of lizards skin!

Needless to say some of these terrain types are pretty impractical on the gaming table but it doesn't mean they cannot be represented in other ways and over the coming year I really am going to try to push the boat out with terrain and developing the world my games are set in.

Likewise the forces are going to differ from the usual fantasy type setting but more on that tomorrow in part 2! I do apologise for ranting so much but I really feel that gamers can too easily go for the simple approach when with a little effort one can do so much more!

All the best and until tomorrow!

The End of the World

Farpoint was not always a wasteland. Once it was fertile and life flourished in its verdant forests, blue seas and picturesque landscape. Sadly mankind brought destruction to this eden. 

Countless years of genetic manipulation by the rulers of the world developed new races and strains of humanity, each suited to a different task. Even the ruling caste were not immune to the temptation of alteration. Soon their lifespan could be measured into centuries and eventually they became all but immortal, blessed with a timeless beauty and towering intellect they renamed themselves the Elves.

Sadly all the tinkering with their genes bore unforeseen side effects and many descended into a kind of cruel insanity, where they were once gracious and fair, they became cruel and sadistic, glorying in causing exquisite tortues and degradations to the other races and turning from just and kind rulers to mad despots.

Not surprisingly the lesser races turned against their masters in a war that swept the planet. Terrible weapons were used by both sides but no matter what the Elves did, they found themselves driven back until they held only the capitol city, a great black monolith that had withstood the worst the rebels could throw at it. 

Raging at their impotence, the Elves unleashed a doomsday device that would wipe out all life on the planet while they retreated to the safety of stasis. Sadly the device worked too well and in a single night the planet burned. 

The very earth split and untold millions died in the terrible radioactive cataclysm that incinerated the great cities.  The oceans boiled and scalding steam coupled with toxic ash darkened the sun and the world died.

Almost, but not quite, as some of the rebellious peoples, known as the Dwarves who had been bred to work the mines which dug deep into the mountains had foreseen the coming cataclysm and had prepared deep bunkers far down in the bowels of the earth and even as the Elves set their diabolic plan into action, the Dwarves sealed themselves away in their subterranean caverns and awaited the end. 

Three Centuries have passed and during that time the Dwarves have expanded their settlements deep into the very core of the earth but now supplies have dwindled and the very machines the Dwarves use to supply them with power has begun to run down and have in turn polluted their food stocks. The great gates of Kareth Dul have been opened and the Dwarves have set out to explore a world very different from their ancestors, the world of Farpoint.

Well thats a bit of a quick background to the setting, essentially a bunch of psychotic Elves all but blew up the planet. Theres going to be a bit of a combination of science fiction and fantasy but more on that later when the different races get some coverage!

I am taking the opportunity to create a setting that will allow me to really have fun with sculpting and building both the models and scenery as well as putting a bit of a different spin on the typical fantasy races too!

All the best!

Welcome to Farpoint 2013

The sun rose over the endless plains, turning the sky into a rolling cauldron of golden fire. The beams shone over a desolate landscape of sand, tough grassland and broken mesas before striking the mighty mountain chain that dominated the region, the great Ironpeaks. 

A view from the Ironpeaks

Unlike so many other days that had passed since the end of the world, movement could be seen high on a ridge, a section of the mountain seemed to shiver then painfully slowly move with a dull grinding which sent echoes rolling across the early morning and sending a flock of black crows cawing up into the sky, their raucous cries sounding as they voiced their outrage at being so rudely stirred from their roosts.

The section of mountain ceased its movement with a hollow boom and for the first time in centuries the great gate of the Dwarfhold of Kareth Dul stood open. From within its darkened maw, figures appeared, tentatively at first but soon more boldly as a group of Dwarves emerged from their home to stare out at a world their people had not seen in three centuries.

The group was short in statue but very broad, their legs short and stumpy but their arms heavily muscled, each wore beards and to look at one could not imagine that they were once of human stock. 

Standing at the forefront of the group was Uthor Silverdelve, the lord of the keep of Kareth Dul, a powerful figure, he wore heavy plate armour and fingered the haft of a heavy hand axe as he surveyed the scene before turning his head and saying "It would appear the world didn't quite end after all my friend!" 

A silver bearded dwarf to his left grunted dismissively. 

"If the food caves hadn't been tainted we wouldn't have to bother with this my lord and remained safe underground."

"Aye but they have  and now we have to return to the surface and see if we can make something of this new world we find ourselves in, Gunner." replied the thoughtful ruler. 

"I doubt our old maps will be of much use here so I think its time we sent out some scouts to explore the vicinity while you get the engineers up to rebuild the fortress." he said, gesturing at the low ruins that lay strewn around the ridge. 

"I will see to it at once my lord!" replied the silver haired Dwarf...

And so the Dwarves have returned to the land of Farpoint!

My new project is a fantasy themed one in 15mm scale and pits the Dwarves against the wilderness they find themselves in and will develop as and when I get chance with battle reports interspaced with background and all sorts of other bits and bobs.

Each day I hope to add a little more to the setting and will keep it up throughout the year chronicling the exploits of the great hold of Kareth Dul!

All the best!