Thursday 31 March 2011

A Free Warband In A Day Part 6: Getting There!

Hi!

Apologies for taking so long to update the project but I have now got commissions for about 50 miniatures to undertake to help with the funding of my degree show!

This means that the Orcs are going to be delayed by a while as I am going to be rather busy. The good news is that I have finished all the Orc and Goblin infantry and will be posting some pictures of them tomorrow!

All the best!

Monday 28 March 2011

Fundraising!

Hi!

Well I am graduating from university this year but have to get the degree show out of the way first!

We need to organise and set up our own exhibition which requires rather a lot of money so I am posting a request here for donations!

Further information can be found at the DEGREE SHOW DONATION PAGE. And as an added bonus, if you do donate £5 or more I will post you a free miniature from my lead pile so theres something in it for you too!

If you donate £25 or more I will sculpt and paint you your own 15mm scale miniature and for donations over £50 I will sculpt and paint an entire warband in 15mm scale!

To get the miniatures you need to post a comment here and I will check the funding log for your name then contact you directly for instructions on what you want!

All the best!

A Free Warband In A Day Part 5: Progress So Far!

Hi!

Heres a quick picture of the progress I've made so far with getting the Orc warband sculpted:

Orcs!

I hope to get them finished this evening and make a start on the Darkwings. I must admit that I am really pleased with how they are turning out as they are far better than my first attempt at an Orc!

All the best!

Sunday 27 March 2011

A Free Warband In A Day Part 4: Status Report

Hi!

Well I now have three orcs nearly finished and the remainder about half way there and I will post pictures first thing in the morning.

I have to admit that I haven't managed to get the darkwings done but the orcs are looking promising!

All the best!

A Free Warband In A Day Part 3: The Armatures

Hi!

Well the project is finally up and running!

Heres a picture of the basic armatures for the force:

Armatures

I still have to make a second set of wings and cover the second rider with his first layer of putty but things are getting done!

Alas now I have to wait for an hour or so for the putty to dry before I can get started on bulking up the Orcs!

Updates to follow!

A Free Warband In A Day Part 2

Hi!

Well I am preparing to have another bash at making an entire warband in a day. Having had time to think about it I have realised that making an entire force in a day is going to be a bit difficult so have come up with a revised plan.

Looking at my blog stats, the fantasy aerial combat topic is one of the most read. Therefore I've decided to have a go at sculpting up the beginnings of a 15mm scale flyer force.

I had originally planned on making them in 6mm scale but have decided that 15mm is far more fun! The plan is to initially sculpt it for use in Song Of Blades but then gradually update it with new sculpts over the next couple of weeks to enable me to play Fantasy Flyers!

The Leviathan Setting has the Orcs using Darkwings, nasty reptilian scavengers in a role of scout and flying skirmisher. Therefore I plan on having a go at producing a themed force based on them.

Darkwing

As you can see the Dark Wing concept was produced but never made which gives me something to work from but it still leaves me with a question mark about how I am going to depict the whole force.

After a litte thought I realised that to produce all the members of the warband mounted would make for a very small force in Song of Blades. Therefore I have decided to sculpt two Darkwings and an assortment of infantry!

Looking at the rulebook I am using the Small Dragon stat for the Darkwings so the force will consist of the following:

Orc Commander 45 points.
Darkwing 80 points
Darkwing 80 points
Orc Warrior 23 points
Orc Warrior 23 points
Orc Archer 29 points
Goblin Sneak 20 points

This will give me nine miniatures to try and sculpt with a nice range of subjects including large monsters, orcs and even a goblin minion!

It will also give me the opportunity to work on getting my Orcs to look right and give my Dwarves something else to fight.

Step one will be to get the armatures done which shouldn't take too long, followed by the sculpting which will, I suspect take much of the day. I doubt I will get everything finished but hope to get a decent amount sorted!

I will post an update as soon as the armatures are done!

All the best!

Saturday 26 March 2011

28mm Scale Musings!

Hi!

My 15mm scale project is going well at the moment but some of the bigger figures have got me to wondering if it is possible to create a couple of warbands in 28mm scale for small scale skirmishes using Song Of Blades.

Having perused the web I am struck by how creative folks have been with using some of the existing miniatures ranges to build some truly original forces.

I still have some 28mm scale miniatures kicking around so may have a go at getting some of them painted up!

All the best!

Miscellaneous Monsters!

Hi!

Heres the latest additions to my 15mm scale collection!

Giant Earth Elemental

Cave Dwellers

The Elemental is a Gromiti figure I repainted and will make for an interesting giant creature to menace just about everything else in the Axebite Mountains as its huge!

The Cave Dwellers are my sculpts and will soon be added to so they form a nice little clan. I do notice that the paint I used has got a little lumpy when I painted them but its not too noticeable...

All the best!

More Boar Company!

Hi!

Well my plans to attempt to get a force sculpted in a day fell flat on its face after a succession of workmen and university work unexpectedly appeared. I am planning on re-attempting the task at some point this weekend though.

In the meantime heres a picture of the newest additions to the Boar Company!

Battle Rager and Hunter

The battle rager is a veteran warrior who has dedicated his life to the martial arts. Armed with a broad axe and sword he will be bringing some additional muscle to my front line. The hunter with his crossbow, will bring some much needed ranged firepower to the force.

The Boar Company itself is now nearly compete apart from the four heavy infantry I have been working on and a spellcaster (Inspired by Magical Trevor) who will round out the force nicely!

I have also received the order from Peter Pig and have based a barbarian warband which will be getting painted up soon so I will have some proper opposition to my Dwarves. I will also post a review of the miniatures themselves at some point this evening!

All the best!

Wednesday 23 March 2011

A Free Warband In A Day Part 1

Hi!

I am planning on attempting to create, sculpt and paint an entire warband for Song Of Blades in one day. I wont be buying any miniatures, simply using whatever bits I have kicking around the house!

Its a bit of an experiment into frugal gaming but should be interesting. The time is now 1.35pm in Worcester and I am hoping to get the force sculpted within a couple of hours and ready for paint so wish me luck!

Updates to follow!

All the best!

Creepy Cave Dwellers!

Hi!

I've been a bit busy with university stuff over the last day or two but have managed to sculpt up a couple of creepy cave denizens:

Cave Dwellers!

They took very little time to make and aren't the most amazing sculpts ever but do have quite a bit of character! I will be trying to paint them up over the course of today!

In other news my degree show is coming up and we are in desperate need of donations to fund it! We have a donations page set HERE so if you folks could take a peek at it and if possible donate a pound or two would be fantastic!

All the best!

Monday 21 March 2011

Barbarians!

Hi!

I have just placed a small order with PETER PIG for some ancient Germans to act as barbarians. I Having seen the quality of them painted (some years ago I had a bash at painting an ancient German warband using them) I must admit that I am looking forward to getting my hands on them!

Alas I haven't managed to find a company who makes classic Conan style barbarians in 15mm scale so am going for some proxies instead. Saying that the Peter Pig stuff is rather nice and with a little conversion, I am sure I will have a decent sized warband in no time at all!

They will give me some allies and enemies for my Boar Company to battle against and theres enough to field two clans worth, one who worships the Earth Mother and the other who have fallen to evil ways. Another possibility is to have some Children of the Moon added into the mix...

I am still on the lookout for some monsters to support them, but already have an earth elemental put aside and will be perusing the packs to find a suitable druid.

Once they arrive I will post a bit of a review!

All the best!

Sunday 20 March 2011

New Stuff From Four A Miniatures!

Hi!

I just spotted these guys produced by FOUR A MINIATURES and thought they were worth a mention:

Sea Demon Hag by Four A Miniatures

Four Armed Monstrosity by Four A Miniatures

Andy seems to be developing a really nice range and there some really handy looking miniatures that would suit as medium sized monsters for 15mm gaming. Although they are a little on the pricy side for small figures, they are absolutely packed with character which makes them really appealing!

All the best!

Further Ruleset Musings

Hi!

I have been having a bit more of a ponder over my assortment of rulesets as I now have over thirty to choose from. Covering everything from the smallest skirmish up to huge campaigns that encompass the entire world.
I have a ruleset to cover just about every eventuality but the background settings are also providing rich pickings. For example, Leviathan has the post apocalyptic setting I have enjoyed so much, Bladestorm and Crucible have an element of exploration, while all of them have forces that are original and interesting.

This has got me thinking about the possibility of merging forces, settings and ideas into something a bit different. Why cant Elves from Leviathan cross the path of Firstborn humans from Chronopia or Sea Trolls from Bladestorm or even some Briny Rogues from Strange Grogge?

The answer is of course theres nothing to stop me from having a go! Therefore I will be creating a series of warbands in 15mm scale to cover all sorts of forces that catch my fancy. It may take me away from the Leviathan setting to a certain extent but at the same time Aeroth is a big enough place to incorporate just about any force one can think of.

The same holds true for the settings. The Sea Of Storms which lies to the west of Aeroth could easily conceal a plethora of islands and continents ranging from Crucible to the Bladelands!

As you can see theres quite a choice of stuff for me to be getting on with and its giving me some really interesting ideas for how I want to progress with the project. It also gives me the excuse to try out lots of other games and sculpt, collect and paint more miniatures!

All the best!

Bladestorm Battle Report and Review

Hi!

I managed to play a quick game of Bladestorm this morning and even managed to get a couple of half decent pictures of it so without further ado here we go:

The Scenario

Grimli, Flint and Gunnar have ventured into the abandoned mine workings following the battle with the rogue sorcerer Marik Goldhelm. In search of treasure they don’t realize that the mine is the lair of a gloom hulk until they stumble into it.

This is a variation on the first scenario from the Bladestorm rulebook and uses the introductory rules, which cover the basics of movement and combat.

The Battlefield

The Abandoned Mine

A subterranean cavern with a number of columns holding the ceiling up.

The Forces

The Dwarves

Grimli
Movement Rate: 6” [15cm]
Melee Attack: 2d6+d10+3
Melee Damage: High+Low+2
Defense: 9
Endurance: 18

Flint
Movement Rate 5” [13cm]
Melee Attack: 3d6-2
Melee Damage: High+2
Defense: 7
Endurance: 10

Gunnar
Movement Rate 5” [13cm]
Melee Attack: 3d6-1
Melee Damage: High+2
Defense: 7
Endurance: 10

The Fallen

Gloom Hulk
Movement Rate 7” [18cm]
Melee Attack: 3d6+4
Melee Damage: High+2
Defense: 10
Endurance: 51

The Game

Dwarf Turn 1

The Dwarves get to move first with Grimli leading and Flint and Gunnar following closely they move along the corridor.

The Dwarves Begin Their Exploration

Fallen Turn 1

Enraged by the Dwarves presence the Gloom Hulk rushes them bellowing.

Seeing Grimli as its main opponent the Gloom Hulk attacks him, sorely wounding the stalwart dwarf and causing 8 points of damage.

Grimli attacks back with a mighty swing of his sword causing 11 points of damage to the Hulk. Flint and Gunnar both strike at the fell creature Flints blow strikes home causing 8 points of damage but Gunnars sword strikes off the Hulks armoured hide without effect.

Dwarf Turn 2

Despite his wounds, Grimli strikes again causing another 8 points of damage to the gloom hulk. In return the raking claws of the Hulk causes a further 8 points of damage to the embattled boar company commander.

Flint strikes the hulk for a further 7 points of damage but once again Gunnars blow fails to damage the beast.

Combat Hots Up!

Fallen Turn 2

By this point the hulk has taken 35 points of damage and is gravely wounded but sensing Grimlis strength is failing him, the creature once again lunges at the hapless dwarf hoping to drag him down with it. The blow strikes home felling Grimli but as the mass of the Hulk crushes down on him, he manages to run his great sword into the beast belly before darkness claims him. Enraged by the loss of their commander Flint and Gunnar proceed to hack the beast to death with a total of 14 points of damage.

Aftermath

It takes Flint and Gunnar some time to heave the Gloom Hulks carcass off their fallen leader and is alarmed to see the extent of his wounds. Gunnar produces a small bottle of evil smelling liquid; a potent brew of fermented wildling sows milk and forces it down Grimli's throat. Grimli's eyes flicker open and he moans as the fiery liquor burns its way down his gullet.

Although gravely wounded Grimli has survived the Boar Companies first brush with the Fallen. He will wear the scars for the rest of his days and has an abiding hatred of the fell creatures, which will see the Boar Company attack on sight, any of the Fallen they meet in future.

The mine cleared of the Gloom Hulks evil, the Dwarves set up camp at the mine while they await the arrival of a group of miners who will take over its workings.

Review

In the game players take turns activating all of their models with movement being given in both inches and centimeters.

Bladestorm allows each combatant to choose one opponent per turn. This resulted in the combat between the Gloom Hulk and Grimli being a bit of a race against time as the dwarves needed to cause as much damage as possible to the Hulk before Grimli succumbed to his wounds.

During this combat both sides get to attack simultaneously which is a good idea as it means both sides get to participate in the combat rather than one killing the other without ever having the chance to fight back.

In order to damage an opponent one must roll their attack dice, in the case of the Gloom Hulk, 3d6+4 and beat the defenders Defense stat or 9 in Grimlis case.

If you succeed in damaging, you then look at the dice to see how many points of damage has been caused. The Gloom Hulk causes High+2 damage which means that it chooses its highest dice roll and adds two to the result, for example if it rolled a 6,4 and 1, it would cause 8 points of damage.

Grimli on the other hand causes High+Low+2 damage so if he rolls a 10,5 and 3, he would cause an impressive 15 points of damage.

I must admit that I like this method of combat as its nice and simple and can result in a wide range of damage ratings rather than the more usual one or two wounds.

Another element of note is the large amount of damage most combatants can take, with the Hulks impressive 51 points and Grimlis 18. This does result in some extra record keeping but adds a more roleplay style element to the game.

The rules themselves give plentiful examples of each stage of play both visually and clearly described which is an excellent element that doesn’t get used enough by other rules. Also by splitting the rules into basic, intermediate and advanced sections the game has been nicely designed to ease the player in slowly and makes sure they understand each rule before moving on to more advanced stuff.

About the only criticism I can come up with is that the illustrations throughout the book are of a somewhat basic standard. It would have been nice to see pictures of actual miniatures or some higher quality illustration but it’s not a big problem really!

As I have only covered the introductory rules, I don’t want to make any premature comments about Bladestorm but even at the most basic level it makes a rather fun game and I look forward to trying out the intermediate rules that add a host of new options for play.

All the best!

Saturday 19 March 2011

An Updated Map Part 7

Hi!

Well my plan to complete the map yesterday has fallen through some what as I've spent all my time at work!

Still I have managed to get some better photos of the work in progress map:

Perspective Overview

Overview

Theres actually an escarpment and raised level created by cutting out some cork tiles in the same shape as the hexes and using them as an underlay. This effect will be used further if I ever get to the point of adding some ocean in!

Settlements

Created from small pieces of balsa wood, a bit of green stuff and some thin plasticard.

Plain Hex

The basic hex was bought untextured from WARBASES and measures 50mm across the flat edges. I textured it with some acrylic texturing medium and after a few drybrushes it turned out rather nicely!

Road Hex

The roads are simply carved into the MDF hex with a cheap carving tool I picked up for a university project years ago!

Forest Hex

I am really pleased with how the forest hexes turned out. I dabbed a bit of brown paint onto a basic hex and began gluing short lengths of pipe cleaner that I had dunked in paint and then shaped a little to it. This looks good but takes quite a lot of time to do so I cheated a little and added some scenic texturing!

The map itself will get finished soon but university work is beckoning! I hope to expand the map soon with some volcanic tiles, rivers, lakes and swamp/fens!

Looking at my to do list, I now have two less things to work on. The map and the boar company are almost complete and just need a few finishing touches and I will be able to move on with my next task!

All the best!

Thursday 17 March 2011

An Updated Map Part 6

Hi!

Alas I still haven't finished the modular map but its rapidly getting there!

Heres a couple of rather poor pictures of it:

Fortified Town

Map In Various Stages of Completion!

Alas the lighting has turned it orange but I will get some proper ones taken once its all finished!

I am finding the project oddly compelling as the tiny details are really fun to make. With elements like tiny towns made from balsa and forests of pipe cleaners its proving to be quite a lot of fun!

I now have a series of cliffs and escarpments done too and hope to get the lot painted up this evening!

By the time I have completed it the area surrounding the Axebite Pass along with all the surrounding settlements. With this map I can then get my campaign underway as soon as I have some army and flag counters sorted out.

Its nice to see that the project is finally coming together as it will be one less thing on the to do list!

All the best!

Wednesday 16 March 2011

An Updated Map Part 5

Hi!

Well I have finally started work on my modular map project to help chronicle the Axebite Pass campaign!

At present I have over a load of plain, road, forest and mountain tiles in varying stages of completion along with an assortment of towns, cities, fortresses and ruins for my forces to fight over!

With a little luck I will have the lot done by this time tomorrow and hopefully some pictures too!

An unexpected benefit of the new map is that it is suitable for both 2mm gaming and aerial combat!

In other news I have got some work done on my Technomancer Guilders! The 28mm stuff has been languishing in a box since I conceded defeat in painting them a month or so ago. I have re-undercoated the various smaller machines and am half way through painting them up. I still need to find some suitable infantry for them but will no doubt sculpt them once I get chance.

Hopefully I will be able to get some more regular updates sorted out too!

All the best!

Monday 7 March 2011

Fantasy Aerial Combat?

Hi!

I have been pondering the possibility of playing a game or two featuring aerial combat in Leviathan.

The background mentions Dragons and air boats being used by the Elves, Dwarven warbaloons and Orcish Darkwings and I quite fancy giving it a go using 6mm scale.

I have a copy of Fantasy Fliers, a freely available set or rules that has quite an exhaustive list of possible steeds, contraptions and weapons for use in aerial combat in any fantasy setting.

I have a Dwarven airship at present from the Uncharted Seas range, and plan on sculpting a couple of Gyrocopters to support it and am sat building a herd of Orcish Darkwings to attack it!

Final Fantasy Airship

Another Final Fantasy Airship!

Flying Junk of Doom!

A quick google search revealed that theres some really nice designs out there but the miniature market is a tad behind. Admittedly the designs pictured are probably a bit on the big and complex side to game with but the possibility of using some smaller classes along with dragons and other flying creatures has some real possibilities.

Riding the Cold Wind to Valhalla

A classic example is the Ral Partha model Riding the Cold Wind To Valhalla, although its 25/28mm scale its a rally interesting model that could be made into a playable gaming piece in a smaller scale!

Dragon Lords by Grenadier is another example which pitted different coloured dragons and their riders against each other but its sadly out of print but it uses 6mm figures and the overall look is what I am trying to achieve!

Dragon Lords

I shall have to see how things go but it might be a fun way to expand the Leviathan game and if anyone has a suggestion for possible miniatures please give me a shout!

All the best!

Sunday 6 March 2011

Addicted To Books!

Hi!

I made the mistake of picking up my old copy of Pawn of Prophesy by David Eddings with the intention of reading it during my lunch break at work. Alas I am now half way through book 2 and have not got anything else done!

Pawn Of Prophesy

On the plus side it has given me some ideas for a bit of a side project to collect each of the characters from the books, along with an assortment of minions and men at arms. To be honest its something I have wanted to have a go at for years now in 28mm scale but with my recent conversion to 15mm I will be giving it a go in that scale!

It shouldn't be too time consuming and it will give me some handy forces for Leviathan too! For example the Chereks are a race of Norse lookalikes who will be perfect for some of my barbarians, while the evil doers, the Murgos are perfect for minions of the Fallen and the Arends are heavily armoured knights who will also form the basis for my Knights of the Eternal Light!

I am hoping to place a small order for some assorted bits and bobs today! Updates to follow!

All the best!

Saturday 5 March 2011

Bladestorm

Hi!

I recently picked up a PDF copy of Iron Crown Enterprises Bladestorm and think it might be quite handy for some Leviathan gaming!

Bladestorm

Its a bit of a cross between a wargame and RPG and the rules themselves are handily split up into the Basic, Intermediate and Standard game with each section introducing new elements.

Once I've had a peruse of the rules I will post a full review here along with a battle report!

All the best!

Friday 4 March 2011

Fallen Gloom Hulk

Hi!

Heres a quick picture of the Fallen Gloom Hulk:

Gloom Hulk

Another repainted Gromiti toy, this time I had to do a little work on it though by reposing its wings.

The Gloom Hulk is one of the larger Fallen. Its hugely muscled body is heavily armoured with bony plates and it has a limited flying ability with its spined wings. In some sort of diabolic process its hands have been removed and replaced with a pair of dark metal talons.

These talons are not only fearsome close combat weapons as the Gloom Hulk has the ability to project bolts of dark fire from them making it a serious threat in both close combat and at a range.

All in all I am quite pleased with how it turned out although it is still a bit cartoony looking. The Gloom Hulk will make an interesting foe for my Boar Company to face. I am thinking of making it a horde of evil minions to do its bidding, possibly some sort of albino to contrast with its dark bulk.

All the best!

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Dwarven Battle Rager

Hi!

Heres a quick picture of the latest Dwarf model I've been working on, the Dwarven Battle Rager:

Battle Rager

Armed with a broadsword and battleaxe, the Battle Rager is a whirlwind of destruction and will be taking his place in the Boar Companies ranks as soon as I get him based and painted.

I wanted to do a slayer type of character for my force but not some gloomy death seeking type with a ridiculous hairdo but settled for something a bit more interesting, a Dwarf trained in the martial arts and fighting for the sheer joy of it. I will need to choose his stats carefully to represent his combat skill, but also an impetuous nature which will see him actively seeking a fight with just about anything!

I have also got my heavy infantry half done and hope to finish them by the end of the week which will just about complete my Boar Company for the time being!

All the best!