A Solution To 28mm Woes?

Hi!

Well my Oldhammer Slann are ticking along nicely but I still seem to have a block on my 28mm scale endeavours which is causing me a bit of a nuisance.

I still love all the classic and many of the new sculpts out there but can't ever seem to inspire myself to do any painting in 28mm scale but I think I may have found myself a solution. Over the last couple of months I've been pondering the possibility of getting some Dungeon Crawl type of games, be it Heroquest or any of its descendents and using the quest type of game as an excuse to paint some figures.

The reasoning behind this is that it will allow me to concentrate on painting up a small selection of interesting figures without having to churn through armies of lead and there will be enough different figures, races, classes and whatnot to stop me from getting bored too.

At present I am not too sure which system to go for but I do hope to have a rummage and see if I can't find some suitable miniatures to represent adventurers and even some foes for them without having to go on a spending spree.

I am also pondering putting together some dungeon floor tiles to create my own layouts too but that is reliant on me getting my mancave cleared out and my desk put together so its a bit of a boot up the bum to get me moving too!

Hopefully I will be able to post some updates on this from time to time but in the meantime, heres a pic I found on my old computer of a couple of Ork Nobs that I painted way back in 2007!

Nobz!

Slann Warband Part 4

Hi!

Well the first unit of Slann braves has been finished but getting a decent photo in the stygian gloom of Scotland this morning has proved to be a bit of a challenge!

Slann Archers

I will try and get a decent photo taken of them tomorrow when I have a day off but I must admit I am really pleased with how they turned out! I decided to go with a yellow skin colour as its a bit brighter than the usual green and with the small conversions I sculpted on earlier, I do think they look quite decent as a Slann regiment.

In keeping with the Oldhammer theme, I also went for a plain green base as it suited the Lustrian vibe more than my usual brown basing and adds a nice contrast to the figures too.

I also have my Warchief almost finished but he needs a lots more highlighting and shading to make him stand out amongst his troops and will post some pics tomorrow of him once he's finished. This will leave me with just ten figures to paint to complete Whiskey Priests How To Oldhammer challenge.

I have a unit of ten warriors with swords and shields along with a champion and standard bearer from East Riding sat on the paint table but they need somewhat more extensive conversion than the archers. I am going to give them clubs for a start in true Aztec style and they all need headdresses and loincloths adding and some will also be getting padded jerkins to represent the light armour that the unit is supposed to be wearing.

Its been an interesting experience group painting a unit like this and although the end result has been great, I'm not too sure how much enjoyment I would get out of painting too many more in a single batch again. I think in future I might split up the regiment a bit more and paint something different in the middle to keep me from despairing!

All the best!

The Counter Continent?

Hi!

Apologies for the lack of updates of late but I have been somewhat distracted by a bit of an Oldhammer project!

Whisky Priest over on his BLOG came up with the fantastic suggestion to showcase Oldhammer by challenging folks to collect two small regiments and a character using readily available or super cheap figures.

I have taken up the challenge by collecting and painting a Slann warband using 15mm figures for a fraction of the price of getting hold of these super rare figures in 28mm scale. While the project is ticking over over on my Tales From Farpoint blog, I have been wondering how I might combine the concept of Lustria with my Aeroth project.

The result has some really fascinating possibilities.

Aeroth has been laid waste by the Elves so expeditions of Humans have set sail for the fabled Counter Continent, a land long wreathed in mists, whose shores have never previously been explored with only brief glimpses seen from lost ships.

The storm of Wild Magic that raged across the continent of Aeroth has dispersed this impenetrable barrier and the last civilised remnants of humanity has fled to its mysterious shores. They have named the land Crucible as it is here humanity will be reforged and eventually reclaim their desolated home.

Handily this will allow me to combine all manner of background gubbins from Leviathan, Warhammer and even the old favorite Crucible by FASA! Imagine the conquest of the New World where Human conquistadors fight to hew out a new land for themselves while fending off attacks from the indigenous beings, namely the Slann culture and the wild tribes of humans and other, less well known races.

With the destruction of Aeroth and the Human cities that once stood there, these brave adventurers must survive the strange new world, fully aware that there is not going to be any re-enforcements or supplies!

Crucible, unlike Aeroth has been protected from the destruction wrought by the Elves by the powerful magics and technology of the Slann and the vast jungles, endless plains and mountains that the ancient race of amphibians calls home is jealously guarded by the legions of the Slann god kings.

Despite their vigilance, several small fortified towns have sprung up on the Eastern shores. The largest of which is Farpoint and it is the new seat of power for the Human race and guarded by the Principate of the Eternal Queen and the Knights of the Eternal Light.

As each continent is so different, I will be keeping the blogs separate but it gives me the opportunity to really explore another, underused background and landscape to fight over!

All the best!

Slann Warband Part 3

Hi!

Well its my day off and yesterday evening was well spent adding a few conversions to the start of my Sann warband so they would be ready to start painting today!

First up heres a couple of shots of my Warchief:

 Slann Warchief

He is suitably characterful now with a two handed warclub and a truly impressive headdress to make him stand out on the table! As these Slann are going to be from the tribal frontiers of the Slann Empire, I am giving them a somewhat less civilised look with wilder head dresses and at most a loincloth for clothing

 Headdress Detail

Next up theres my archer unit. I had lots of fun adding little pieces of jewellery, clothing, headdresses and even face swaps on the little fellows to give them a more unique look than the two available poses would have looked if I hadn't done anything.

Slann Tribal Archers

The best thing about the 15mm nature of this project is that the conversions took an evening to do and I don't feel bad about chopping up and puttying them as they are both cheap and readily available and I wouldn't feel like I was committing some sort of heresy by hacking up some highly collectable lead!

As already mentioned, my Slann are initially going to be representing a frontier tribe who aren't particularly civilised but as the project goes on, I hope to add a few units of the Emperors finest and possibly even some tech wielding types!

Anyway, I'm off to do some painting!

All the best!

Slann Warband Part 2

Hi!

Well I was pleasantly surprised to find my parcel of Frogs arrived from East Riding Miniatures this morning and after a quick unboxing, I've taken a quick pic to show the unpainted warband in all its froggish glory:

 The Slann Warband!

Looking at the figures themselves, the pictures from East Ridings website really don't do them justice as the sculpts are really very nice! Alas as with so many 15mm ranges, there is only two poses for each unit type but I am going to be spending a few hours adding small details like head dresses, feathers and loincloths to give the units a bit more variety.

I've settled on one unit of swords Slann with a banner bearer and champion and a unit of archers. The warband will be led by the tribes warchief who currently is holding a staff with a beetle on it but will be getting some proper Aztec headgear added soon!

I was thinking of painting the whole lot green but am quite tempted to go for a warmer yellow/orange finish such as this:

Four A Gremlin

Hopefully I should have the conversions out of the way by the weekend and will be able to get on with painting soon!

All the best!

Dwarf Wargolem and Elven Bloathulk

Hi!

I've had a busy few days painting and have finished a load more bits and bobs for both my 6mm and 15mm scale Aeroth project so without further ado onto the photos!

 Wargolem

Originally a Mage Knight Metal figure from Ral Partha, the model makes for a pretty good Wargolem in 6mm scale and speaking of which, I have also finished a demon figure for my Elves when they eventually get sorted out:

Demon

Apologies for the slightly blurry photo but I just can't seem to get the little chap properly in focus. He's another Four A Miniatures figure that I have had sat half painted for a couple of years now. Again he is actually 28mm scale but looks rather good as a hulking demon in 6mm!

Next up I have also got some stuff  for my 15mm scale forces too!

Elven Bloathulk

The Bloathulk is an example of the Elven use of demonic creatures from the ranks of the fallen. During a hideous ceremony, a captive is transformed from a human into a gigantic, ravenous beast that stands taller than a Great Orc. He's originally a plastic D&D figure with a little bit of a repose and fresh coat of paint!

Lastly I have also finally managed to get the two Dwarves I painted a while back photographed!

Dwarves!

Sculpted by yours truly, they are available from CP Models and I must admit I am quite happy with how they turned out!

Hopefully I will manage to keep up the progress with actually getting stuff painted up and updating the project regularly. I even have a weeks holiday coming up which hopefully will allow me to round out a couple of forces and get some games in!

All the best!

Slann Warband Part 1

Hi!

As the title says, for the Warband challenge, I have settled on collecting and painting up a Slann army! Madness you say as Slann miniatures are horrendously expensive collectors pieces that defeats the very purpose of the project!

Slann!

Not so fast though! After a great deal of pondering, I decided to cheat a bit and collect an Oldhammer army in 15mm scale! The very prospect of collecting and painting a 28mm scale army, even the 21 figures suggested, leaves me cold as I just don't think I would ever manage to get past the first few miniatures before becoming downhearted and giving up.

There is also method in my madness as there are now lots of really nice 15mm scale fantasy stuff out there that would allow a gamer on a budget or wanting to try out Oldhammer the option of collecting a force very cheaply (for example one can get 6-10 15mm scale figures for the same price as one of the old school metal Citadel ones.

A bit of googling later and I spotted that East Riding Miniatures stocks a range of Frog Folk:

East Riding Frog Folk

A little crudely sculpted perhaps but with a little bit of greenstuff, they should look the business. My order has been placed for a few packs and I now have the required 21 figures to get the warband started and even have a few left over to bulk out regiments as time allows! How much did it cost? £12 plus postage which works out at under 50p per figure when you take the extra figures into account. Not too bad for an army that would cost about £12 a figure if I was using Citadel via ebay.

I hope I am keeping to the spirit of the project which was after all to show that it is possible to have a fun game of Oldhammer without the expense! It will also be fun to represent a race that very few gamers will have seen as the Slann were such a limited release.

All the best!

An Interesting Proposition!

Hi!

Whiskey Priest over on The Leadpile has been musing about how to get folks interested in Oldhammer and has come up with a really interesting proposal.

The full article can be read HERE but the general gist is to try and get a group of likeminded folks to start a small force each of approximately 21 figures (two small units and a character) and instead of using the traditional and often expensive Oldhammer figures, to use either something thats still available or bought ridiculously cheaply.

From here the aim would be to get all the gamers together at some point and play a game or two. While I doubt I'd be able to make it down for a game, I must admit the idea is a rather good one and it may encourage me to actually paint up my 28mm stuff rather than flinging it on ebay for pennies.

I'm off to have a rummage now and will see what stuff I have kicking around and see if I can cobble a force together with it and get on with some painting!

Updates to follow!

Horned Folk Cyclopean

Hi!

I've just finished basing up a small warbeast for my 6mm scale Horned Folk!

Cyclopean Rockthrower

He's originally a Four A Miniatures young cyclops but he looks bit tiny in 28mm scale and even a bit short in 15mm but in 6mm, he really looms over most infantry! 

Group Shot

I rather like how he's turned out and Paul Muller has sculpted some amazing detail into the little guy. In my force, he will provide my horned folk some much needed ranged firepower with his boulder throwing. I may have to pick up a couple more to give me a full squadron at some point but he will do for the time being until I pick up some more stuff.

Looking at what I have just now, I must admit I am tempted to have a bash at a game of Song of Blades as each stand looks rather decent and can easily be seen to represent different stuff. 

Maybe I should paint up something for them to fight against and I shall see how it goes!

All the best!

A Problem of Warbeasts and Warengines

Hi!

Well I have the morning off work so I've spent my time rummaging around through my bits boxes to see if I have any more suitable stuff for either my 15mm or 6mm forces.

Happily I have indeed found some unexpected additions! For my 15mm Dwarf force, I have a couple of the master castings I received from CP Models a while back:

Forge Guard

I sculpted them up some time ago and sold them on but CP Models kindly sent me one of each! I plan on buying a few more of the fellows to convert as they turned out quite nicely!

 Crossbows

They've been sat painted but unbased for quite a while now so I figured it might be handy to get them finished and will post some pics of them tomorrow.

CP Models also bought my Carnosaurs, who will be getting some re-enforcements soon too, both as wild monstrous creatures but also acting as mounts for my Tribal Goblins:

Carnosaurs!

Further rummaging located me several more bits and bobs which are currently getting based and ready to paint, including a squadron of Wargolems for my Dwarves in 6mm scale, ably proxied by some Mage Knight Metal Golems:

The Smallest Golem they produce looked good for a decent sided construct in 15mm scale but far more imposing in 6mm. Handily I have three of them so once they've been painted, I will have some good hard hitting assault units for my Dwarves!

Speaking of which, I'm quite tempted by their other offerings too:

 Steam Golem

Storm Golem

With a little work, I can foresee either of these sculpts making quite nice heavy and assault Wargolems!

Speaking of which, I have been pondering the possibility of fielding some larger warbeasts in my 15mm scale gaming so I can play out some larger skirmishes as well as the more warband based games and have run into a bit of a wall with locating suitable proxy miniatures for some of the races. 

Ironically the Dwarves are spoiled for choice as theres lots of from the likes of Privateer Press for Wargolem proxies, especially the likes of Khador:

Imagine one of these monsters in 15mm scale and handily, the axe and stubby legs make them perfect for a Dwarven inspired metal behemoth!

Similarly, Black Hat has some really excellent 15mm scale steamtanks:

With minimal conversion work, both of these could easily be incorporated into the Technomancer Guild expeditions and shouldn't be too difficult to use to represent any of the common Dwarven tank designs, be it the Thunderhammer, Iron Drake or Rapier.

For the likes of the Orcs though, pickings are a little bit thinner but I did spot these chaps who might do as smaller warbeasts for my Orcs to ride into battle on:

Imagine Having an Orc hanging onto the back of one of them! I suspect theres going to have to be a considerable amount of googling go on until I find something suitable for their larger warbeasts or I am going to have to sculpt them myself!

Needless to say, if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them as my Aeroth project begins to gear up in preparation of the upcoming campaign season when the snows melt and the Orcs once again attack up the Axebite pass!

All the best!

Pinecliff

Founded by the Dragonlords over a thousand years ago when relations with the Dwarves were more cordial, Pinecliff lies high in the Western Axeblades on the banks of the Green River. It is ruled by the Skylark family who have for centuries been loyal vassals of the Elves, providing a trading centre with the peoples of the surrounding region and sending their sons to fight in the Elven armies. Since the Death, the Skylarks have had to strike out on their own as their former masters have fallen to evil.

Pinecliff

Lying in a narrow valley, Pinecliff's architecture has developed a unique look of its own with what little space there is to build upon literally covered in multi story buildings, seemingly thrown up at random with houses, workshops, bakeries and all manner of dwellings jammed in together. Much of the towns food comes from the river and fishing while extensive use of terracing above the town has provided enough space to produce a decent crop and hunters often venture into the surrounding woods to trap and stalk game for their pelts and meat. 

Side channel of the Green River, known as the Street of Lanterns

Fortunately, the town lies in a sheltered valley which has protected it from the worst of the Death but the new world the humans find themselves in is an unforgiving one. Pinecliff is surrounded to the North, East and South by near impenetrable mountain peaks and broken cliffs while to the West, the Green River flows down a series of steep canyons before flowing out into the ruins of the Elven domains.

The Axeblades seen from Pinecliff

In times past, Pinecliff was a frontier town between the Elves and the Dwarves and the skies were once filled with skyships and blimps transporting goods and valuables back and forth but the glory days are past. The docking pylons were demolished in one of the many earthquakes that followed the Death and trade has almost dried up.

Ruined Pylons

Similarly, the great cyclopian gates to the Dwarven realm have been sealed at the headwaters of the Green River but trade has begun on a limited scale between the Dwarves and Humans by using the high forested paths that lead deep into the mountains.

The Skylarks are currently ruled by Augustinia, the widow of the last lord Marius. Although no warrior, she has a shrewd business sense and is desperate to form a more permanent alliance with her mountain neighbours as she is fully aware that the meagre army under her control is no match for the many foes her people now face in the post Death world.

Hidden Dell near the Dwarven realms

The Dwarves, always a taciturn race, have been slow to respond to her overtures as they still mistrust the Humans, especially those who followed the Elves but common sense has led several of the local Dwarven Lords to send caravans West to trade their mineral wealth for food and agricultural supplies and the Skylarks have dealt with them honourably. No doubt come the thawing of the snows, fresh caravans will begin wending their way along the hidden pathways between the two peoples.

In response, the Skylarks have sent a larger expedition to Kareth Dull and have wintered there having been trapped by the onset of winter having delivered a sizable supply of grain to the Dwarves. 

The pathways themselves have become increasingly dangerous to travel following the Death and the Skylarks have formed the Ranger Corps, a regiment of woodsmen who travel its shadowy ways in small groups to keep it clear of the various wild beasts and monstrous creatures that inhabit the surrounding mountains. It is a dangerous job but one the Rangers take great pride in.

 One of the forest routes linking Pinecliff with the outside world

The Skylarks have faced many tribulations over the last two centuries but have adapted well to Aeroths strange new state remarkably well but at great personal cost. Marius was killed a decade ago in a skirmish between his ranger militia and a raiding party of Elven slavers who had infiltrated the remote land. Similarly both of Augustinia's sons have died in battle but the formidable matriarch has thus far held her people together by sheer force of will. 

A Ranger navigates the pine forests above Pinecliff

Following the attack, a pair of fortified towers now guard the towns Western approach. Named Skylark and Earhdell, they are constantly manned and sport a number of light ballistas of Dwarven manufacture have been installed to dissuade further raids.

The Green River just to the west of Pinecliff

The towns defences are separated into several small regiments, each with their own names and traditions and all fanatically loyal to the town and the Skylarks. Other than the Ranger Corps, the towns best warriors are the Order of Helm. Numbering only a dozen or so, these templars are the descendants of a group of Knights of the Eternal Light who were once stationed in the town before the Death and swore an oath to protect the town and its people until the Angry god returns. Over two centuries later, these stalwart knights still uphold their ancestors oath.

Pinecliff Militia

In times of need, the population of the town will also rally to the call to defend their homes and it is almost unheard of for any of the population to be seen unarmed.

  

Human Rabble and More Horned Folk

Hi!

Well a day off from work has been well spent by getting some painting done. While waiting for my Ral Partha order to turn up, I had a rummage through my 15mm bits boxes and found the remains of my old Crucible project and thought that it would be a bit of a waste not to use them in my Aeroth one.

 Human Rabble

I must admit I haven't put much thought into the human population of Aeroth, other than the untamed Barbarians of the far north but these chaps do look rather good and will be forming the basis for the inhabitants of the settlement of Pinecliff, ably ruled by the Skylark family.

Shield Detail

The miniatures themselves are Demonworld with a couple of conversions by myself. I believe Werner Klocke sculpted the range originally and he's put amazing amounts of detail on the little chaps, including eyes, eyelids and even tiny fingernails!

I still have another seven to paint up and need to rummage out the swordsmen too but I also have a couple of medium warbeasts for them to use and it will allow me to begin expanding my background to the Western reaches of the Axeblade Mountains too.

Next up, I managed to get a stand of Horned Folk and Beastkin finished too so my 6mm force is beginning to take shape:

Horned Folk Progress

During my bits box rummaging I found a load of Irregular Miniatures 6mm fantasy stuff including a fairly large lesser Goblin force (the same figures as I showed earlier but handily unpainted and unbased)

Lesser Goblins

These will allow me to create a decent sized tribe of free Goblins which should be fun. Theres also a good sized force of Orcs and even some Elves and a couple of Dwarven Wargolems to boot so I have plenty to keep me entertained and my Aeroth project is really beginning to build up steam.

My next objective will be to see about getting some terrain done. I have found a large stash of old till roll tubes that I have been saving from work over the last twelve months which will be getting turned into a larger version of the basalt columns that can be seen above and I also want to try my hand at making some cacti and hardy trees too so I can start making the world a bit more interesting.

 Tribal Goblin Sacred Rock Site

Some is going to be rather easy to produce as I have a fair amount of pebbles and rocks kicking around as well as bits of foam and so on but I think making some of the vegetation is going to be a bit more complex as I want to avoid going for the usual hobby approach of using the rather fake looking Train set type of trees which bear no resemblance to any form of wild vegetation!

 Desert Vegetation

I'm also fascinated by the colours of the desert and a post apocalyptic fantasy one means I can really push the boat out and create something a bit special!

Hardy Desert Tree

Hopefully I will be able to get some more updates onto the blog this week expanding the setting and its inhabitants and maybe even one or two more miniatures!

All the best!

Thoughts on Aeroth Terrain

Hi!

I've been looking back over my old Leviathan blog and am rather taken with some of the concepts I was developing before giving up.

One of the immediately noticeable differences between Aeroth and say, the Warhammer world is that I have tried to steer clear of the typical fantasy fare where most games are set in a faux medieval western European world. I really want to introduce a more visually appealing type of game to be playing, populated by a mixture of deserts, mesas, rock outcrops and all manner of desert flora.

Along side this I have vaguely remembered notions of some more exotic terrain, be it obsidian pillars, strange vegetation or whatever suitably warped and unusual stuff I can think of and looking at some of my old photos, theres plenty to be getting on with!

Mesas, Crystal Deposits and Implausible, Floating Trees!  

Sadly, I think I had to chuck out most of my terrain when I moved house from Worcester to Portsmouth so I will have to start from scratch but at least have lots of pictures, notes and scribbles to be going on with.

Polished Obsidian Rock Piles

I must admit I have ranted in the past about my obsession with creating some more original and interesting scenery elements that better reflect a world devastated by an apocalyptic release of wild magic but must admit that having my own man cave makes the possibility of actually producing some of it a bit more likely!

I think I need to have a peruse of the likes of Terragenesis for some inspiration and then have a bash at making something for my Dwarves and Orcs to fight over!

In other news, I have decided to cheat slightly with my project! Instead of sculpting and casting everything myself, I have ordered some of the Demonworld gubbins from Ral Partha Europe to allow me to actually get some stuff painted up for each race and allow campaign season to actually start in a more timely fashion. I still plan on sculpting up all manner of bits and bobs to represent specific characters and lots of monsters too!

I've ordered the following stuff to get me going:

 Northern Barbarians

 Goblin Hunters

 Dwarven Veterans

Orc Marauders

I realise the concept isn't quite as I'd envisioned but with the application of a little putty, they should all look the part! The Dwarves will be getting tusked helmets for example and the Goblins will be getting lots of feather head dresses while the Orcs will be getting the traditional fur hats added.

Hopefully by using this approach, I will be able to field some small raiding parties by the end of January or early February with games to follow. I will also post a mini review of the forces when they arrive. You may notice that the Elves are currently missing but I need to flesh out their background before buying any!

In 6mm news, I have almost finished a second Horned Folks base and will be rummaging out my lino boards to take some decent pictures of the force as it slowly expands!

All the best!