Arcadian Adventurers

 Hi!

We've had a busy November which has resulted in a decided lack of posts as work has been busy and we've been working on our flat to get it finally sorted out how we want it (its only taken a decade!) but on the upside, I now have a dedicated workspace in the form of a small desk with all my paints, rulebooks and art materials nearby and have spent the month painting up some anthropomorphic figures my wife kindly picked up for my birthday in October.

Arcadian Adventurers

They're from a well known Chinese website and are 3d printed and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised on how much fun I had painting them all. They stand on 25mm scale bases and simply ooze character and charm and may have changed my opinion on 3d designed and printed figures.

Mighty Eagle and Leopold

I plan on using the figures as part of my GARDENS OF ARCADY setting that I'd been footling about with earlier in the year as I love the rather whimsical nature of the sculpts and think it might be rather fun to paint up some equally strange and charming opposition for them to face off against in the endless gardens, woods and greenhouses of Arcady.

Hannibal and Pooh the Honey Knight

I must admit that before I started painting them I was rather doubtful on ever getting the whole nine done as they're totally different from my usual stuff but by using a limited palette of colours and rather a lot of washes, I found myself really enjoying the process and each seemed to spring to life as I worked on them exuding a charm that I'd really not expected from 3d prints.

Raynard and Typhon

Before I knew it, I'd completed all nine and realised I was looking forward to adding to the collection with more animal adventurers, strange denizens and quirky dangers for them to face. Unexpectedly I seem to have fallen into a mini project that will have some real possibilities for keeping me engaged throughout 2026 which is really exciting and just goes to show that taking a break, picking up something completely different and not stressing about it can really work!

Sir Hootsalot and Snappy Jack

Rules wise, I suspect I'll use Brutal Quest or a slightly modified version of Song of Blades and the games I have planned for them may not all be blood and guts battles but exploration of the world, gathering herbs and dealing with pesky Outlanders.

Bastian the Fieldmouse

I think I'll be putting together a page on the blog dedicated to Arcady too so watch this space... Until then, All the best!

Pondering Arcady

 Hi!

We're off on our holidays for the week and we went off to the rather wonderful Erddig yesterday and while wandering the magical grounds it got me thinking of a new setting to investigate, namely Arcady, a strange, endless grand garden inhabited by strange and wonderful beings.

Surrounded by high red brick walls, doorways that lead to nowhere or further gardens, hidden nooks or mysterious and long forgotten potting sheds, Arcady is a seemingly endless land of grand gardens, orchards, hedge mazes and greenhouses.

The land itself seems largely uninhabited but strange beings stalk the land, topiary beasts roam the terraces, rare intelligent plants grow in abundance while statues move and fae creatures flit between the hedges.

The human inhabitants of the land are the Royal Order of Gardeners, a brave adventuring bunch who are tasked with maintaining the land, controlling pests and exploring its constantly shifting landscape. Wielding spade, trowel and garden fork, they roam the land searching for rare plants, managing the wild flora and getting rid of pesky Outlanders from beyond the Wall who seek to despoil the beauty and peace of the garden.

Wicker Bee and The Sleeping Lady

Beyond the Great Outer wall, lies the Wild, a great forest that teems with life, wild and untamed. The Wild is largely unexplored but who knows what new and unknown things could be discovered by those Gardeners brave enough to venture into its green depths?

Garden Wall and Rose Triffid!

Its a rather whimsical sort of a setting and would require me to make a board that is very different from my usual wargaming terrain, not to mention the figures I'd need to use would be pretty unusual too with bands of Gardeners armed with agricultural tools fighting strange vegetation or other worldly beings!

We'll be coming back up north on Sunday before getting back to work on Monday but I may yet return to the setting and expand some of the random ideas that I've found myself pondering on!

In the meantime, All the Best!