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!

Super Cheap Gobbo's!

 Hi!

I've been pottering around with Brutal Quest with the vague idea of putting together a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay themed super cheap campaign and with that in mind, I've been doodling Goblins:

Goblin Characters

They're a bit rough and ready and I'll need to reprint them slightly smaller so they are suitably sized for Goblins but its been a really nice and easy mini project and I now have a veritable horde of little greenskins to menace any adventurers I end up with.

Goblin Great Weapons

While the Hathor campaign is ongoing, I do want to delve back into some fantasy gaming and figure that this might be a quick and easy method of doing so as with the increase in costs of pretty much everything these days, my hobby budget is severely limited in what I can get miniatures wise.

Goblin Melee 1

With this approach, I can at least play lots of quick and easy games by just making use of pen and paper. While it's not as satisfying as fully painted miniatures, it does have a charm of its own and if folks are interested, I can start compiling the artwork into a separate page here on the blog so you guys can make use of them too.

Goblin Melee 2

I actually played out a test game using a combination of Brutal Quest, Planet 28, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and some random elements introduced with Rory's Story Cubes and diverse other gubbins that I threw together and ended up having a really enjoyable experience so I may end up putting together either a post here or even a youtube video if I can muster the courage to do so detailing the campaign as I think it could be rather fun.

Goblin Spears 1

We shall see how I get on but I need to get the actual combination of rules and stuff worked out first and will need to make a bunch more paper standees featuring possible adventurers, npcs and whatnot to give me a decent selection of stuff to play with, especially if anyone else wishes to give it a try.

Goblin Spears 2

With that in mind, I'm going to be spending a bit of time hashing out the process of creating some characters and stats and will need to try out some playtest games to make sure it all works but expect to see a few more odds and ends turning up in the not too distant future as I keep working away at the project.

Speaking of which, I'm headed down to the post office today to pick up the Rory's Story Dice Actions and Journeys sets which my postie hasn't managed to deliver so I may post a bit of blather about how I use them to enhance my games in a future post but until then, All the best!

Lockdown Day 17

Hi!

Today I have finished a bit of scenery!

Mighty Magic Mushroom

I picked up a box of nine plaster mushrooms in three different designs from Lidl last year for about £3.00 and I've finally got round to painting one. The detail isn't fantastic but they do the job for scenery.

I just realised that I based them with brown/desert colour when they are more likely to be used with Leviathan which has my black and brown basing but hey ho!

I've also got a quick pic of my Goblin army thus far:

I'm really pleased with the progress I've made on the little guys but do think I need some more infantry to really flesh out the force a wee bit. I may need to scratch build some of the rarer Gobbo gubbins, be they pump wagons, Doom Divers, or Squigs but we shall see how I get on!

Hopefully I'll have a bit of an update tomorrow with some of the other gubbins I have been working on but I can't believe how much progress I've made over the last two weeks of being locked down!

In the meantime, All the best!

Lockdown Day 13

Hi!

I'm busy having a clearout of the mancave which means my table is currently in pieces and books are strewn literally everywhere as we attempt to bring order from the chaos but I have managed to grab a quick photo of my 6mm Goblin characters:

L to R, Shaman, Warlord, Boss

I went for some round bases and gave the tiny guys some suitably big banners which should give them a bit more visual impact, and indeed identifiability on the battlefield. My warband now has a Warlord riding a chariot, a shaman with properly starry sigils on his robe and a boss to act as a somewhat disloyal underling to my warboss!

I had been tempted to paint the warboss as Grom the Paunch but will need to convert a suitable ride for him and give him a teeny axe to wave about to make it really visually pleasing and may yet convert one to really give my army a big boss character!

I have only got a few more bases to paint for this project and it will be officially done which is really exciting but looking at the force I have, I realise I really need some more infantry so I may bite the bullet and place a small order with Irregular Miniatures to give me what I need to have a fully formed army...

On a side note, I used my phone to take the pic of the Goblins as I've found it's got a better macro setting than my wifes camera which is better for larger scale shots so I will try to get photos of all my 6mm stuff up along with some 2mm pics in the next day or two. 

I've also finally finished my last Deadloque Zombie musketeer which is rather exciting as that will be a complete unit that I've painted (admittedly it has taken me over a year!) which is rather refreshing to have completed something! I'll need to work on my Ferach next but in the meantime, All the best!

Lockdown Day 3

Hi!

I've managed to get another addition to my 6mm Goblin army in the shape of two regiments of archers:

 Gobbo Archers

I'm quite pleased with the tiny little guys. They are originally Irregular Miniatures lesser Goblins and are really tiny but absolutely ooze character and feature diminutive Goblins armed with short bows and shields. The figures sport a selection of robes, hoods and sport some fancy standards.

I've still got another base for each regiment to make two big regiments of 30 Grots but may eventually build them up to hordes of 60 as what they lack in quality, they make up with in quantity.

Rule wise, I'm not sure what I'm going to use as I may tweak my Song of Blasters rules or play some Dragon Rampant or even simplified Warhammer Fantasy or even Warmaster but we shall have to wait till I've got an opposing force to play against the Goblins.

I do have a load of Irregulars Wood Elves which may do the job so that may be my next 6mm fantasy project once I've got the last of my Goblins finished which is looking like it's going to be done by the weekend!

The only thing that I really need to add to the army is a couple of big blocks of warriors and I'm thinking of adding some teeny fanatics to each regiment. I've also got a base of Ogres to paint as I want to add some heavy hitters to the tiny force.

The Horde so far

I'm going to work on getting the characters done soon and will be adding large banners in the style of my Epic command stands which should give them a readily identifiable look on the table.

I really need to work on some more 6mm fantasy scenics as at present I've only got the few bases of trees at the moment and want to add some hills, rivers, roads and settlements for my tiny forces to fight over and I'm humming and hahing over how to go about doing it.

It's interesting that with all this time dedicated to hobbying, I find myself being drawn to some middlehammer gubbins. I started gaming back in the early 90's and the release of Warhammer Fantasy Battle 4th edition was always fascinating. 

I spent most of my time playing 40k or Epic as I couldn't get any opponent interested in fantasy but seeing some of the stirling work that the Oldhammer community has done over the last few years has got me seriously thinking about having a bash at painting up a regiment and seeing how I get on.

I'm going to resist temptation for the time being though as I have enough stuff to keep me entertained for some time to come without starting a new and frankly massive project, especially as I just don't have the space for such a mammoth undertaking!

We shall have to see how I get on over the coming week and I've got some more stuff to post up on over the next few days and will be cracking on with painting some more gubbins today so I have plenty of stuff to entertain me.

More updates to follow but in the meantime, All the best!

Lockdown Day 1

Hi!

Well it looks like the next 21 days are going to involve a UK wide lockdown with me stuck at home as the shop is temporarily closed so instead of moping, I am hoping to use the opportunity to both get the flat in order but to spend some much needed stress relief of hobbytime!

To get the ball rolling, here's the latest additions to my Goblin army in 6mm:

Goblin Boar Carts

Originally from Irregulars Lesser Goblin range, these tiny transports are rather fun to paint and once the initial drybrush is on, the details literally pop. There's a ton of tiny Goblins in the cart waving weapons and in one case a chap looking like he's preparing to leap out of the cart to attack an unsuspecting target.

Game wise, I must admit I'm not sure how to use them but I'm sure I'll come up with something, especially as I have another three of them primed and ready to go.

I am finding painting these tiny chaps quite refreshing and shockingly it looks like if I keep this up, I may actually finish all the figures I have and have a decent little army to play around with too!

Goblin Cavalry Thus Far

I've thus far stuck to working on cavalry but have primed and drybrushed a couple of archer regiments so look forward to adding them to my slowly expanding horde.

In other news, I've finished a new Ironclad for my Vongola City State force:

 The Lancia heavy ironclad

It's another of Brigade Models British Ironclads repurposed to my villainous Vongola landfleet.This is a class 3 Ironclad and armed with a pair of heavy turrets which makes it a bit more flexible than the heavier Capo di Capo due to having a better arc of fire than the fixed broadsides and single turret of the larger vehicle.

Capo di Capo and Lancia Ironclads on maneuver.

While it's all a bit small scale gaming that I've got finished thus far, I am working on finishing an Ork Nob in 28mm and a Chaos chappie who has been on my painting desk for quite some time now. My plan is to post up something every day, be it painted miniatures or battle reports and I have a fairly major Epic project that will be kicking off when I get a restock of bases which will see additions to pretty much all my existing forces and the beginning of several new ones too so watch this space!

In the meantime, stay safe and all the best!

Harlequin and Wolf Chariots!

Hi!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I happened across my old Eldar gubbins and in a moment of madness decided to have a bash at painting them in retro 2nd edition technicolour magnificence!

 Harlequin!

I settled on a NMM finish but using all the old school techniques I had to make the little guy fit the classic imagery of my 2nd edition memories.

I even primed him white (which in hindsight was a total pain in the bum but did result in a pleasingly bright finish that I wouldn't have got with black). There's lots of washes on there too but it doesn't seem to show up too well on the pics but I am quite happy with how he turned out.

 So many jewels!

That's not all though! I also managed to paint my way through a trio of tiny wolf chariots for my 6mm Goblin army:

 Teeny tiny chariots

As with my previous post, the figures were primed black then drybrushed grey which brought out the details and allowed me to quickly paint up the little guys.

 The force so far

With a strong cavalry force now painted, I need to sort out some infantry, monsters and artillery, not to mention characters which need to be worked on to complete the force!

I'm really chuffed with the progress I've made with the little guys and am really enjoying painting the Irregular Miniatures range as while the unpainted metal is rather uninspiring looking, once that first drybrush is on, they really come to life and I'm seriously pondering picking up some Empire proxies for the Gobbos to fight and defend the borders of the Empire from whatever forces that wish to bring it low...

I've mentioned my Song of Blasters rules that I've been working on over the last couple of years and one of my latest addition is to do away with traditional rulers and go for measuring sticks instead.

Here's the movement measuring stick:

 Move!

Infantry generally moves half the length of the stick while infantry the full length while fast cavalry 1.5 or even 2 for very fast units. This seems to work quite well in 2mm, 6mm and 15mm scale with only a few small modifiers.

Next up, here's the shooting stick:

Dakka! Dakka! Dakka!

Unlike movement, shooting has a longer range with short range being one stick, medium 2 and long 3 and individual weapon rules allow for a deal of customisation. For example the Beam option allows the firer to roll to hit any unit the ruler touches which represents things like flamers or grape shot.

The sticks are jumbo lolly sticks and measure 15cm which is very handy when it comes to measuring stuff and I am thinking of making some themed ones for my Goblins and more for my Imperial troops and Vongola ironclads!

It's interesting how simplifying rules down has resulted in a far more pleasing game than making things over granular and complex. I've found myself rather inspired by the likes of Epic 40k which has one of the best systems I've played for years and will continue to post the odd ruminations on the rules as I go so watch this space!

In the meantime, All the best!

Wolf Riders!

Hi!

Just a quick update this evening with a few stands of 6mm Goblin Wolf Riders!

I've been tempted by Warhammer Fantasy Battle and instead of giving into the rather pointless endeavour of trying to collect, let alone paint a 28mm army, I've settled on rummaging out some 6mm goodies instead!

 Fresh from the Worlds Edge Mountains

Ironically they are actually Orcs riding wolves and produced by Irregular Miniatures but in 6mm scale one can get away with playing a bit loose with what figures are supposed to be.

I must admit that the sculpts looked a bit uninspired until I primed them black and then drybrushed them grey and my goodness didn't the detail suddenly appear. They are actually wonderfully detailed little sculpts that ooze character with snarling little faces, gnarled knuckles holding reins and lots of nice little bits and bobs that made them a pleasure to work on!

Better yet, in 6mm scale I can field quite a few for pretty much nothing and an entire army would cost only a few quid so what's not to like!

I was gifted these little fellows about ten years ago by a follower of my Leviathan Blog (I'm so sorry I can't remember who it was!) and it's taken me till now to work on them but hopefully I'm doing the little guys justice.

I've got a few wolf chariots and infantry to paint too so we shall have to see how the whole force looks like once it has been painted but I have to say it is quite a nice way to put together an army quickly and cheaply and it has got me ruminating on painting up some Empire troops to fend off the greenskinned menace.

Looking at what I have, I think I can play a nice wee game of Dragon Rampant using the stuff I have so it might be fun to work towards playing a mini campaign over the summer, especially as it took me a couple of hours to paint a small host of figures!

In other news, I have rummaged out my Eldar and begun work on one of them and have almost finished an Ork in 28mm as well as a sinister Chaos chappy. The scattergun approach once again seems to be working quite well for me as I plow through all manner of random stuff and continue to enjoy myself immensely whilst actually starting to reduce my unpainted pile.

We shall have to see how I get on over the weekend with my assorted bits and bobs but I'll post updates as I get the chance but for now, All the best!

Goblin Spotted!

Hi!

We'll I've finally had chance to take some pics of the first 28mm scale figures I've painted in over a year and better yet, one of them is a Goblin for my Labyrinth project!

 Agnar the Unruly

Agnar the Unruly is a large Goblin armed with a mighty battle axe named The Collywobbler. Agnar is rumoured to be in possession of one of Prince Jareth's Gateway Keys, a magical key that will open any door in the Labyrinth and something has put to good use in his fiendish thefts of Goblin maidens undergarments.

Agnar is the leader of a band of Goblin warriors known for wandering the outer portions of the Labyrinth in search of loot and trouble (technically they were tasked with guarding the place by Prince Jareth but in typical Goblin over enthusiasm, they prefer getting into a good scrap or daubing slogans on the walls of the Labyrinth. This has led to a feud between Aganr and his underlings and The Cleaners)

Agnar is a Rackham miniature that I picked up some time ago from Spirit Games and is a cracking figure but took ages to paint as he is really covered in little details that require a fair bit of effort to get right. I'll be adding a few more simple Gobbos as his underlings in the next week or so!

Next up, there's the Marik the Outlander:

 Marik the Outlander

Not all those who run the perils of the Labyrinth come out unchanged and one such is Marik. Once, many years ago, Jareth challenged him to navigate the Labyrinth but Marik failed and is cursed to forever wander the twisting maze.

Now clad in a rusty suit of Goblin made plate and wielding a mighty flail, Marik roams the Labyrinth challenging all he meets to combat.

Over the years several Outlander bands have formed to try and depose Jareth, escape the Labyrinth or even destroy it. These grim and driven groups have had mixed fortunes as the magic that fills Jereth's realm means that any damage done to the maze is soon repaired and many of the denizens who make the Labyrinth their home actively work against the uncouth louts who smash up their home.

The two side by side

Marik is an old Citadel chaos warrior and painted up really quickly but looks the business with his beaten armour, furs and big flail. I tried out some new techniques for painting rust on him and am quite pleased with the results. 

I also sculpted both bases to reflect the flagstones of the Labyrinth and really like how they turned out and will be using the same method for basing the rest of my 28mm gubbins!

As I mentioned in one of my previous ramblings, I seem to have lost most of my Goblin miniatures in one of our house moves so will be actively seeking out more in the next few weeks. Having rummaged my bits boxes, I do have several more chaosy types who will be getting added to my Outlander warband though and I've almost finished a Bog Hag who will be leading another warband, this time centred around the Bog of Eternal Stench!

Hopefully my next update will give a bit more details on some of the locations of the Labyrinth and the strange creatures who inhabit it.

In the meantime, All the best!

Redemptionist Fanatics!

Hi!

Following on from my Laserburn kick of last week I have also finished basing some crazed Redemptionist cultist types.

 Red Redemptionists!

They are the 15mm.co.uk fanatic figures but the sculpting on them is pretty dire so I reworked them as best as I could by adding more interesting pointy hoods and beefed up some of their guns.

To make matters worse they are on the larger end of the 15mm scale and have VERY thick bases so I incorporated some rock formations for the crazies to stand on so they dont look quite so bad.

 Fanatics with firepower!

I've always had a soft spot for the Redemptionists in Necromunda and took the opportunity to add some flames and checked leggings on them to liven things up a bit. I gave the two heavies a yellow hood to identify them more easily and their leader gets a fetching black one. He's actually a mercenary but I wanted a different sculpt and used him instead with just a head removal and pointy hat he looks ok!

Wile going through my miniatures collection I also rummaged these fellows out of a drawer:

6mm Scale Goblins!

I had originally painted them back in my Leviathan days as a possible way of playing the game on the cheap and in a limited space, sort of a travel Leviathan but never completed the project. I have several more bases of the little fellows kicking around and may yet expand them a little with one or two warbeasts to liven things up but we shall have to see!

Oddly enough, the sculpting quality, especially on faces is excellent and the Irregular Armies website really doesn't do the range justice as they have some lovely sculpts and I would recommend folks take another look at the range!

All the best!

Goblin Re-enforcements: Wartowers

Hi!

Well I've placed a small order for a couple of Lesser Goblin Wartowers from SCOTIA GRENDEL:

Lesser Goblin Wartowers

I will be converting them rather heavily into Goblin Wartowers which will in turn add some much needed muscle for my Goblin Warband.

As the background I have been developing has leaned more towards the Native American look, I will be making them into nomadic transports of a sort. The howdah will be replaced with a somewhat different platform sporting a couple of Braves apiece. I may even be tempted to sculpt them up a bit to turn them into either Spiny Devils, Rivetbacks or Firebelly.

These hybrid Carnosaurs are found throughout the High Mesa and Western edge of the Endless Plains and have been tamed by several tribes of the Goblin Nations. They form the basis for the Goblins nomadic lifestyle and transport the Goblins tents and supplies as well as their heaviest warbeasts.

I also plan on sculpting an entirely new Warbeast in 28mm scale as I want to have a bash at sculpting something large and impressive to act as a centrepiece for my Goblin force!

Speaking of which I think I am going to have to re-evaluate my current collection as the figures I have don't really match the background as they are too heavily armoured. I don't think theres actually any figures out there currently available which fit the bill so I may have to sculpt them myself! If so I think there will be some 15mm scale versions of them too!

All the best!

Goblins in Aeroth

The Free Goblin nations of Aeroth are descendants of the Goblins who fled the shores of the Cold Sea far to the East of the Endless Plains when the Orcish Horde enslaved their kin. These tribes now eke out a living amongst the desolate foothills of the Axeblade Mountains.

The Cold Sea

These Goblins are a wild and hardy breed who regularly raid the herds of the Great Orc Khans for food, mounts and fun. They will also free any Goblins they find from their Orcish overseers. The free tribes see these downtrodden wretches as distant relatives and will actively recruit them into the tribe which helps keep their gene pool diverse.

The constant raiding enrages the Orcs who see the Goblins as property at best and vermin more often than not. Many punitive expeditions have been sent to find any Goblin encampments and wipe them out. To combat this some tribes have taken to a nomadic life, following herds of the lizardlike Megadons. Others live in cunningly constructed villages built high on cliffs out of the reach of their enemies.

The Edge of the High Mesa

Ruin of the Goblin Settlement at Ul Ygoth-Vaah

Unfortunately these tribes have come into conflict with the other inhabitants of the region, namely the Dwarves of Kareth Dull and the Barbarian tribes. Determined to survive at all costs the Goblin Chieftains have taken to capturing and training all manner of strange creatures to bolster their fighters.

The leaders of the Goblin tribes are the Chieftains. At one time Chieftains were elected by the elders of the tribe but following the Death this has changed. Now to become a Chieftain, a Goblin Brave must pass many physical trials in order to prove their worthiness as leader of the tribe.

A leader who is brave, cunning, able to lead raids with panache and hunt successfully is now seen as of prime importance. The Death has been hard on the Goblin nations and food has become ever more difficult to get hold of and their hunting grounds have been encroached on by both the Orcs and the Dwarves.

Although the Chieftain is nominally the leader of the tribe, they defer to the tribes Shaman. These wizened creatures are the true guiding force behind the tribes. Within their dark sweat lodges the Shamans commune with all manner of spirits and can wield amazing powers in battle and only the most foolish Chieftain would ignore the advice of the tribes Shaman.

The bulk of any Goblin force will be made up of braves. Although individually quite fearless, they are no match for the sheer size and strength of most opponents so prefer to attack from range using shortbows before closing to finish off the survivors.

Goblin Brave

Most tribes will also field large numbers of Carnodons, sleek killing machines which are well suited to both open plains and uneven ground. These Goblins will use either shortbows or spears and are the tribes shocktroops.

Carnodon

Some Goblins join warrior lodges and become Headhunters. These crazed individuals will hurl themselves into combat with anything believing that their names will live on in glory if they die and taking heads to mount above their lodge if they live.

Headhunter Lodge Banner

Nearly all Goblins will bedeck themselves in warpaint before battle with the colour and patterning reflecting their tribe and status. Many also wear feathers in their hair with the patterns and quantity showing their deeds.

Cunning Fox, the Chieftain of the Tribe of the Heights, gazed down towards the canyons floor. From his vantage point he could see the Orcish column wending its way along amongst the rocky dry riverbed which formed the canyon floor.

Riven Tongues, the tribes Shaman had been right. His spirit vision had shown the route of the Orcs march and the most auspicious time to spring the ambush was close. Hidden along the rim of the canyon Goblin braves waited, their short bows ready and flint tipped and poisoned arrows notched waiting for the signal to attack.

Far below the one of the Orcish warbeasts bellowed, as if sensing something was amiss. With a piercing howl the Goblin Chieftain fired his own bow, aiming at the rearmost Orcish Carnosaur rider. The arrow flew true and embedded itself in the Orcs neck pitching him off the beasts back. All down the canyon barbed arrows flew from the ambushers peppering the Orcish column.

Many fell clutching at the shafts as they died but at least one of the Orcish leaders saw the danger.

Roaring at his underlings and using one particularly unfortunate minion as a shield, the great beast began forming his remaining troops into a shieldwall and backing them down the canyon towards freedom.

Taking careful aim Cunning Fox once again let fly an arrow, striking the Khan in the eye, killing him where he stood.

Seeing their leader fall the remaining Orcs broke and ran but there would be no escape for them. Cunning Fox grinned tightly as he signalled down towards the canyons mouth. More Braves appeared to block its entrance, this time mounted on brutally sleek Carnodons and hurled themselves on the fleeing Orcs.

"Today we shall eat well and gained much prestige amongst the other Tribes!" murmured Cunning Fox as he hopped over the boulder he had been lurking behind and descended the canyon face to help finish off the surviving Orcs and claim his loot as is right as Chieftain.

More Demonworld Goodness!

Hi!

RAL PARTHA EUROPE have released the first of the Demonworld Goblins!

Theres some really nice giant insects in the range which would make for a really interesting force in their own right, especially for all the Warhammer players who wanted their own Forest Goblin army!

All the best!