In the Land of the Sundering Flood - Review

 Hi!

As long term followers of this blog may be aware, I'm a massive fan of Nic Evans of Mammoth Miniatures and his assorted rulesets. I've embraced Planet 28 and Brutalquest as my go to for Sci-Fi and Fantasy gaming and recently backed his newest endeavour, In the Land of the Sundering Flood.

The Rulebook

Handily the Kickstarter shipped the other day and my copy arrived Wednesday so I thought it was high time I actually read through it and posted my thoughts.

I backed to get the game, the map and the measuring device and they arrived in a sturdy envelope which our postman managed not to mangle as he usually does with post and my initial impressions were excellent as the game is very much a love letter to William Morris but in the style of Nic.

The Map

The game itself is described as a miniature adventure game rather than a wargame which I do like: "Unlike a full scale wargame or a traditional role playing game, a miniature adventure encourages you to think and act as your characters may think and act, whilst still focusing on the movements and actions of the miniatures on the tabletop".

This is a really lovely element to the game that I'm a big fan of, its immersive, storytelling approach with simple rules that allows for a fascinating story driven narrative but with plenty of opportunities for action, adventure and villainy!

The rules of the game are quite simple but elegant remind me of a blend of Song of Blades and Brutalquest which is a big plus for me. 

The game is alternating action with players taking turns to activate a model in their force, performing two actions be it to move, shot, fight a combat or use a skill. Nic has given a rather lovely illustrated bestiary of characters, denizens and monsters which inhabit the land of the sundering flood and they each have their own skills and special rules which add to their character and make each properly unique in their own way.

Special note must be made of Nic's lovely artwork too as it's absolutely a treat to peruse the book and I think the best illustration of the whole thing is the wolf pictured above!

Characters are separated into three broad categories, Fair, Fae or Foul and within that there are limitations to how many of certain ones that you can take, be it the named unique characters, the doughty companions or the more numerous followers and I do love the fact the Fae can fight on the side of Fair or Foul which is pretty representative of the classic myths of Britain that Morris drew from when he wrote the book in the 1890's as part of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Along with rules for combat, magical shenanigans and whatnot, the game comes with four narrative scenarios which can be interlinked to provide a campaign to play as well as a guide to the land itself, its inhabitants and its ways. Unlike Nics other rules, there is no guide to character creation which is a bit of a shame but with a wide array of character choices, its a minor quibble and the setting is so unique, it feels like there isn't really a need for it as the settings very nature means that creating characters that might not fit the aesthetic would feel somehow wrong.

I must admit that I'm keen to have a go at the game as it looks just my cup of tea and I do have a weeks holiday coming up but inkeeping with the Arts and Crafts movement that Morris was a member of and Nic is paying homage to, I think I'll be sculpting all the figures I'll be using myself so I suspect it may be a while before I get chance to properly play it but it will give me a focus for the next few months!

While the game may be a bit niche, it is a brilliant addition to Nic's portfolio of quirky, innovative and fun games and I look forward to delving into the Land of the Sundering flood. I do hope to see more games of this sort where the story and adventure is more important than simply lining up your forces and crushing your foes. 

Narrative, scenario driven games are such a pleasure to play, especially when compared to the rather soulless stuff that GW is churning out at present that it feels that Nic has done the memory of Morris proud with this lovely little game and has embraced the very thing that the Arts and Crafts movement embodied.

According to Nic's recent post on Instagram that there is a supplement on the way which is really exciting too!

Hopefully I'll get chance to get a figure or two started tomorrow but we're off out for the day to enjoy a much needed day off work so until next time, All the best!

Tiny Goblin Raiders

 Hi!

I've had some tiny Goblins half built for ages and finally finished them off over the last couple of days.

Adventurers Ambushed by Gobbo's!

Made from some small balls of sculpey for heads and a cube for bodies, the detail is made from EVA foam which has proved to be surprisingly versatile in several of my projects over the last year or so.

Thus far I've got a dozen of the little Guys and Gals made with a mixture of swords and clubs and will need to make more with bows, some hero and leader types but I'm quite pleased with how they've turned out.

The figures are tiny, standing less than 15mm to the top of their heads and are mounted on small buttons so when zoomed in, the detail is pretty ropey but from table distance, they're pretty much perfect.

I plan on using them for Five Leagues from the Borderlands or similar skirmish games where I need warbands quickly and don't want to go purchasing lots of stuff that doesn't see regular use.

I must admit that getting these little fellows finished has been really fun and will need to make some more of them and build up the project a wee bit too but until next time, All the best!

Gunbot

 Hi!

Every so often, i will take a commission for making one of my Rusty Robots and this little chap is now winging his way off to his new owner in the States:

I really pushed the boat out with this little guy, trying nee materials and techniques on him. I'm quite pleased with how he turned out and its got me kind of hankering to make some more. 

It took quite a bit of time to get him right but I'm pleaded with the end result as the effort was worth it.

Standing roughly five inches tall and made from a mixture of sculpey, greenstuff, foamclay, wire and beads and painted with acrylics, Its the first robot I've made in some time now but its good to see him come together over the course of the weeks i spent making him between work and real life shenanigans.

I'm now thinking of making some more tiny figures so i can get my Five Leagues campaign going, I've been doodling out ideas for the region of Longmyre along with the assorted denziens who make it their home so expect some updates in the not too distant future. 

Until then, All the best!

Back To Work!

 Well after a weeks much needed but not very restful holiday, I'm back at work! 

Its been really busy but i have managed to sneak in a couple of small skirmishes of an evening.

With most of my terrain and miniatures still packed away following the guests visiting, I didn't have much to hand but threw what I could find onto the table.

The isolated mining outpost of Sigma 12 lies in the slime forest that girds Farpoints equatorial region like a smelly green belt. The miners extract valuable Promethium and Chobite from the slimy terrain while fighting off bands of outlaws, mutants and Orks, not to mention the scaly denizens of the slime forests. Unfortunately many of these outposts are unregistered and unscrupulous corporations have been squeezing many of the independent outfits so they can get a monopoly on the region. 

Combined with the shaky political situation in Freeport City where the new Governor General Laars von Dorn is still trying to wrest power from the disgraced former ruler, Alexandr Vosk and the crime cartel led by Lucius Goldburg, the boondocks of the Slime Forest have become a low level battleground between mining teams and corporate goons.

Now a corporate asset stripping outfit has arrived at Sigma 12 to make the yokels an offer they cannot refuse.

Bauhaus Asset Retention Team

The corporate goons are well armed and equipped and in theory should make short work of the poorly armed and equipped miners (one of whom is wielding a crossbow for pities sake) but will the miners doughty resolve and determination to keep their mine hold out against the might of corporate greed?

Gunderwick Mining crew

I didn't manage to take many pictures of the action unfortunately, simply enjoying playing a fin little game but surprisingly the miners trounced the corporate goon squad.

The goons, over confident rather brashly marched into the heart of the mining camp only to be ambushed from three sides.

The ensuing gun battle saw the miner with the crossbow go down but only after he'd managed to stalk and kill two of his opponents. Seeing they're facing stiffer resistance than expected, the goons withdraw under the cover of their heavy stubber. Surprised by the result, i played the game a second time and the same thing happened, the guy with the lowest tech weapon killed two opponents, this time my rock miner got blasted into rubble by the goons heavy but the miners still held their camp.

Brilliant fun and so good to be back to wargaming after an enforced break!

Hopefully I'll get chance to play some more games in the coming month but until then, All the best!

Off on Holiday!

 Gosh! It's the longest day of the year and we're off on our holidays for a week!

Alas I've not had much chance to do anything hobby related in what feels like ages so this will be a nice opportunity to relax, refresh and hopefully refocus as I'm really keen to kickstart some much needed wargaming shenanigans.

In the meantime I'm packing some reading and drawing materials and hope to enjoy a sunny week in Shropshire.

I'm hoping to be able to get some firm ideas for my Longmyre setting so fingers crossed, I'll have some updates upon our return but in the meantime, All the best!

Tiny Dark Ages Project Part 1: A Man With a Plan

 Hi!

Well somewhat surprisingly I've found myself with a bit of spare time to post a quick blog ramble! 

Our car passed its MOT with no faults which came as a bit of a surprise so I found myself with an actual hobby budget for once and decided to pick up some Lancashire Games Little Wars figures for my 10mm Lion Rampant army.

Having shopped around a bit, I settled on these little guys because they seemed to be just about the best value for money I could find and I liked how characterful the tiny guys looked!

Here's some pics of their painted Vikings from their website as an example:

I love how dynamic the figures appear and the mixture of weapons and gear which suits a bunch of pillaging Vikings!

The tiny figures literally ooze character and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Saxons in the coming week or two!

I ended up placing an order for one of each of the following packs which should give me enough to put together a nice size warband for Lion Rampant.

Saxon Command

Thanes with Axes

Thanes with Swords

Greater Fyrd 

Lesser Fyrd

Now while I'm waiting for the figures to turn up, I've been reading my way through some inspiration to get myself into a Dark Age mindset!

First and foremost, I've been listening the Wolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy and absolutely loving listening to the quest of Dunston, a grizzled and aging loner who becomes embroiled in a quest for vengeance in 838AD. Matthew does a brilliant job of bringing the period to life and creating a gripping story as well as a cast of characters that are really enjoyable to read, especially Dunston himself.

Secondly, I'm reading my way through Bloodfeud by Richard Fletcher, an eminently readable history of a family feud that lasted three generations and saw a ridiculous amount of bloodletting and also brings the period vividly to life.

I've got a load of other bits and bobs to read and have ordered a couple of Osprey books to help with reference and they're always a great way to get to grips with a subject.

I've still not settled quite on what basing I'm going to go for but once I have the figures in hand, I'll have a better idea of what I'm working with and what will work best.

Once the figures arrive I'll post a mini review and then see if I can paint up some test pieces to see how I get on with things but until then, All the best!

Beadbots

 Hi!

Just a quick update this morning before we head out for the day!

I've had these guys built for a while and finally got chance to paint them recently (annoyingly there's actually three of them but the cat has knocked one down the back of my painting stand and I can't seem to find it!).

Made from wooden beads, cocktail sticks and EVA foam, they've actually turned out quite nicely and would do for everything from mecha in 6/10mm to heavy power armour and dreadnoughts in 15mm or even normal warbots in 28mm.

I'm not too pleased with the bases if I'm honest and may yet rebase them with something a bit more substantial but they were the only ones I had to hand!

I've got a fourth, larger mech finished and just needing basing as well as a couple of rivals for these guys made from different shaped beads and plan on introducing them into my AK47 Republic sci-fi shenanigans at some point.

I rather enjoyed making them, apart from the fact that I had to use copious amounts of superglue to keep them together as the wooden beads seem to soak it up like nobody's business! 

All the best!