Tiny Goblins for Leviathan

 Hi!

As promised, here's the next addition to my Leviathan project in the form of a unit of Goblin archers.

As with my other tiny troops, they're made from small cubes of sculpey and detailed with pieces of EVA foam. While they may not be too detailed, they will do the trick for simple gaming miniatures!

As they are so small and stylised, I concentrated on getting typically Goblin features, such as pointy ears and big noses so they are readily recognisable from a distance. I had originally intended to paint them in the mustard yellow that Goblins are depicted as being in the rulebook but settled on a more traditional green as my paint collection is starting to show its age and some of the pots I've had for the best part of a decade are starting to dry out.

In Leviathan, Goblins are a slave race who basically act as cannon fodder for the Orcish horde but they do have quite good ranged combat so I've armed them with shortbows so on the faint chance they don't get shot to pieces by Dwarven artillery, they will be able to snipe back with their puny arrows.

I've also finished a unit of Great Orcs but will post pictures of it when I get the chance to complete work on their bases but I'm looking forward to making some warbeasts to give my forces some real punch and lets face it, they are the real focus of the game. 

I also need to make myself some characters to lead my army so I think I'll be concentrating on building some more of the core army choices that I need for the game as looking at the points allocation chart from Leviathan:

I'm planning on putting together a 1000 point army which I figure is the absolute minimum size force I can get away with as each army has required units and the Orcish horde requires 2 units of Orc infantry and 1 unit of Goblins.

If I make myself some standard bearers and a few unit leaders, I will end up with two units of eight Orcs and a large unit of 12 Goblins or two smaller 6 man units which covers the force requirements. I do need to spend 300 plus points on monsters though which is a lot, but also at this sized force, not that much!

I must admit that one of my pet peeves with Leviathan is the force construction requirements as its almost physically impossible to build an army at less than 1000 points. It does remind me of the old Warhammer Fantasy 3rd edition rules which requires you to have minimum units but it doesn't really fit in with the setting as well as I'd like. For example, I'd really love to include an Orc Necrodon cavalry unit but that doesn't fit in with the force structure, despite it being thematically more in keeping with the Mongol horde feel of the army.

I suspect that I'm going to end up making whatever I want and seeing how things go to be honest but at the very least, the points allocation system does give me a framework of what I need to try and get made first.

Hopefully I will have the next couple of units finished over the course of this week as I'm on holiday and I've enjoyed making the simple sculpts too!

I do want to explore the world of Aeroth more closely so while I'm making these units, I will also be using my cardboard token units that I've had for ages to play a few games to get back into the swing of things and I do want to break out Brutalquest so I can get my Boar Company or Sir Roderick back into the field as well and I've also got some of my SD scale figures that I need to paint up and have a few plans for making some more to boot so no doubt I'm going to be kept busy over the coming week!

In the meantime, All the best!

Tiny Orcs for Leviathan

 Hi!

Its been a while since I've been able to update as its been really busy, not to mention roasting! I have been busy with hobby gubbins for most of the last week though which has been brilliant, especially after the loss of motivation over the last few months.

Tiny Orcs

In my ongoing obsession with Leviathan, I'd decided at making some tiny troop style figures so I can put together an army without spending literally months trying to track down figures, clean and paint them. Coupled with the fact that they cost me pretty much nothing and storage is going to be an awful lot easier than 28mm scale, I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.

They're made from two pieces of plastic rod and some eva foam strips and while they may not be the most detailed of figures I've ever made, they will suit their purpose to eventually allow me to play some games as they look far better than using counters.

As I had them set up I also realised they would be handy for other games like Five Leagues From the Borderlands or even Rangers of Shadowdeep so they are proving doubly handy and I'm now thinking of making a few adventurer miniatures as well to give them some instant opposition.

I've yet to attempt to make any of the larger stuff for them such as Necrosaurs or even Titanosaurs but I shall experiment a bit to see how they come together as I have a rough plan on using similar techniques to what I did for my 2mm Land Ironclads for the Orcish Wartowers which should translate pretty quickly.

I've also been working on some other odds and ends but I'll save them for another post as I don't want to ramble on too much but I seem to have really got my inspiration back and it seems to be by doing a little bit of this and that rather than solely concentrating on a single project but picking up something and working on it for a bit and swapping out for something else before I get bored.

Needless to say its probably going to result in me taking ages to actually finish anything properly but I am having fun with the process and its getting me motivated to keep going!

I'll try and get another post up in the next couple of days with some more completed figures but until then, All the best!

Re-Exploring Old Games: Leviathan

 Hi!

I seem to be getting a bit of a post hobby slump urge to look at old games again which is always exciting, until I realise the possibility of actually creating said project it decidedly marginal at best but this got me to thinking about ways I can actually incorporate the spirit of the old games I love into a more manageable format.

For todays update I'll be looking at Leviathan, possibly the game that has obsessed me the most over the years.

Released in 1995, I picked up this book in Mac's Models on the Royal Mile and was blown away by how awesome it looked. As with all things hobby related it then sat on a bookshelf for 20 years as I left the hobby and sold pretty much everything I had apart from a few old rulebooks that nobody wanted.

Skip forward to 2008 and I found myself at university as a mature student and for some reason I had taken my now old and battered copy of Leviathan with me and sat down to read it one evening. This reignited my obsession and over the next couple of years I set up and ran my Leviathan blog:

I initially attempted to collect and paint whole armies of massive resin monsters and vehicles as well as sourcing infantry as well as speaking to the original creators about any further material they had for Earthpower, the promised but never released supplement but the whole thing was too much to do while trying to study at uni as well as working part time with a long commute to boot so things basically ground to a halt.

Over the next decade I've periodically ventured back into the game, using cardboard counters or my own sculpts to allow me to play the game or at least skirmishes set in the world of Aeroth. 

I found the game was pretty playable using counters but lacked the visual appeal of actual miniatures and despite getting in at least one or two games a year using them, I've never really done much more with classic Leviathan as is.

This brings me to today where I once again find myself wanting to explore Leviathan again but to actually go into the miniature side of things a bit more. 

Before I go any further though I realise that I just cannot face collecting all the miniatures for a mass battle game, especially with all the massive resin warbeasts and engines of destruction that were required for Leviathan (it recommends one use an 8'x4' board which I most certainly do not have!).

Coupled with the fact that while I love the old sculpts, the range is showing its age and it also has an awful lot of stuff missing from even the core rulebook which surely makes any attempt to play the game a futile endeavour.

But then I got to thinking about a two prong approach. Was there a way of putting together an army in a smaller scale that would tick the visuals but also allow me to play a game without spending a fortune or needing a large space and is there a way of capturing the feel of Leviathan in a different game? The answer is kind of. The thing is Leviathan has a lot of unique figures that just don't have anything like them in other scales which is an issue that many of my old game collection has: they are unique for a reason and its getting increasingly difficult, not to mention expensive to get figures that fit the vibe. Similarly the post apocalyptic setting makes for a difficult choice for fantasy gaming.

Before throwing my hands in the air and admitting defeat, I decided to look through my rulebooks for other games systems that I could use to play skirmish games which are driven by an interesting narrative that I could port Leviathan and the world of Aeroth into and came up with the following:

My collection of random rules gave me the options of Rangers of Shadowdeep, Frostgrave and Brutal Quest. You may notice I've gone for primarily small skirmish games as that will allow me to focus on small warbands and a small playing area rather than having to spend a fortune on figures. 

Of these options, I must admit that Brutal Quest is a firm favourite as I've played it a load of times and feel its sandbox nature will lend itself to playing games really well in the grim post Death world of Aeroth. Similarly Rangers of Shadowdeep and Frostgrave allow for both interesting warbands and narrative driven play that I really enjoy so I find myself pondering on having a go. 

I'll need to see what I have in my collection but I figure I could easily start with Brutal Quest level warbands of 4-5 figures and expand the collection so I can play either Frostgrave or Rangers of Shadowdeep without too much stress.

But what about Leviathan? I really want to play the mad mass battle game that it is so I'm looking at putting together some of my Tiny Troops to build a couple of armies and see how I go.

While not super detailed, they do give the feel of a proper miniatures game and are really easy to make so literally anyone can build at least infantry that fits the aesthetics of Aeroth. If this works out, I'll post my progress here as usual and may end up using this approach to allow me to try out other games in my collection that I don't have the time or money to invest in collecting armies for.

With this two prong approach, I've some high hopes of playing out at least a small skirmish or two using Brutal Quest and hopefully a classic Leviathan session and if it goes well, I will use it as an opportunity to build upon any successes I have to keep the hobby mojo going!

Gosh! Looking back at this post makes me realise I've basically jabbered on about what I want to do in yet another project that may or may not take off, but I find laying out an idea and working on it does help get the creative juices flowing. Hopefully I'll have something to show for the weekend but in the meantime, All the best!

Royal Opera House Il Trovatore: Oddly Oldhammer

 Hi!

I don't post about high culture very often but we went to see a live screening of Verdi's Il Trovatore by the ROH and it was pretty brilliant!

The reason I'm posting it up here is that it may actually be of interest to Warhammer fans as this version reimagines it as part of a Hieronymus Bosch settings with all manner of wonderfully weird characters. 

The chorus are particularly fantastic as either grubby looking soldiers or Bosch inspired creatures and the chap playing Ferrando was brilliantly villainous and stole every scene he was in.

Opera may not be everyones cup of tea but its well worth a watch for some inspiration!

I'm knackered so am off to bed but I'll be posting some updates over the next few days as I seem to have recovered from my hobby slump and have been busily painting all sorts of bits and bobs. I'm also going to be posting further ponderings on forgotten games and what I can do to play some of them!

In the meantime, All the best!

Farpoint AK-47 Characters

 Hi!

I've been sat painting a few bits and bobs for my Planet 28 project (more on that later!) but have also been working on some characters for my AK-47 alternative Farpoint campaign.

As I'm making the project a re-imagined and low tech sci-fi with a hint of history thrown in, I've had quite a bit of fun drawing some characters that I will also be portraying in miniature format as I work on the project, either as army leaders or objectives for the opposing forces to try and capture. I also plan on using them to build the narrative of the campaign as it proceeds

Laars von Dorn Governor General

Laars von Dorn is the Governor General of Farpoint having replaced the previous Governor due to his complete ineptitude and corruption. The von Dorn's are a wealthy family that is respected by much of the population but the latest von Dorn has sparked controversy by taking power in what some call a coup.

Laars wishes to form alliances and trade deals with other planets and has been brokering a deal to join the Galactic League which would see the somewhat backward Farpoint gaining access to new tech and trading opportunities.

Count Cassitor of Rdunrundt

Count Cassitor is a despotic ruler of the region of Rdunrundt and was the staunch supporter of the previous Governor, mainly due to the fact that the corrupt fool was so biddable to Cassitor's suggestions and as such the Rdunrunt region and the count himself had seen themselves greatly enriched under the previous administration. With the coup this changed and now the count, along with his somewhat shady offworld supporters seeks to claim the rule of Farpoint for himself, obviously for the good of the people.

Colonel Jaswant 'Blood and Thunder' Singh

Colonel 'Blood and Thunder' Singh is a stalwart of the von Dorn military and a canny warrior in his own right but is tactics tend towards frontal assaults and letting bayonets do the talking and while he is revered, the fear is that his outdated expertise may lead the forces of von Dorn into trouble.

Saying that, Jaswant is a patriot and his zeal to put down the rebellion and enthusiasm has given his forces a near fanatical support for the aging warrior. Whether this survives the first encounters with Rdunrundt's military remains to be seen.

Major Victor Kurtz

Kurtz is the commander of the Rdunrundt Dragoons, Count Cassitors personal guard. Not much is known of the man but it is suspected that he's actually from offworld and is an agent of the Count's shadowy allies.

He is a brutal but cunning tactician who doesn't worry about collateral damage and has been working hard in secret to train the forces of Rdunrundt in preparation of the upcoming campaigning season. Cassitor doesn't fully trust his henchman as he suspects that the man has other masters who seek to use his holy crusade for more money as a subtext for taking control for themselves. With this in mind, the Count has several agents hidden within Kurtz's staff. 

Tony Wong, FPITV News

Tony is an enthusiastic newshound who will no doubt be breaking the news for his station, Farpoint Independent Television News as the conflict begins to unfold. Unflappable and with a near suicidal disregard for his own safety, Tony has made a name for himself by holding the government to account and was instrumental in breaking the scandal of the previous governors malfeasance. 

 

Albrecht Schliemann Chief Press officer of The Rdunrundtian Patriot

Schliemann is a cold and slimy sort of a fellow but has a knack for rhetoric and misinformation, something that Count Cassitor recognised would aid him in his quest to take control of Farpoint for his own more noble purposes. As such he installed Albrecht as chief press officer at the Rdunrundtian Patriot where he issues thundering denunciations of the degenerate enemy von Dorn and his lapdogs who constantly seek to put true citizens of Farpoint down. 

The demagogue is often used to whip up the citizens of Rdunrundt into a patriotic fervour that has seen volunteers forming militias on the Counts behalf.

Hopefully I'll get more background put together as I go and I've placed a small order with Peter Pig to get the first unit for each force started with enough figures to give me eight bases a side as well as a couple of rival camera teams!

As I mentioned in my introduction I've also been working on painting a few other bits and bobs which I will be posting later as I seem to be coming out of the hobby slump just in time to go back to work tomorrow!

In the meantime, All the best!

Farpoint: AK-47 Republic

 Hi!

I've been on holiday this week and have been to the Christian Aid book sale in George Street in Edinburgh. We've been going pretty much every year for over two decades now and its a family tradition, especially as we're all bibliophiles and this year was pretty awesome and I spent probably too much money on books I probably didn't need but the addiction is strong!

I've also received my copy of Mutant Chronicles Siege of the Citadel which is a lovely brick of a box which I spent yesterday rummaging around in and the rules seem pretty simple and entertaining. They feel a bit Space Crusadey which is good and there's a really interesting card mechanic for solo players too. 

No doubt I'll be kept entertained with it for some time, especially as the room tiles and figures will see double duty in games of Planet 28 but thats not the reason for todays post. Instead I'm looking at the classic wargame AK-47 Republic.

Aimed at playing warlord level battles in Africa in 15mm scale, I picked up the PDF of the game recently after reading quite a few battle reports and assorted bloggage about the classic edition being a rather fun game. While playing historical games in post colonial Africa isn't really my cup of tea, I did think that it could be useful for playing a quick, simple and characterful low tech sci-fi game set on a backward planet such as Farpoint.

With this in mind, I created a map of the unsettled region:

The primary foes will be Governor General Laars von Dorn with his government troops in Farpoint City who currently controls Toreday and Freiburg regions and Count Cassitor of Rdunrundt who is a despotic dictator who controls the Rdunrundt and Felvar regions.

Next up, I've created some flags for the two main factions:

The Blazing sun of von Dorn

The Black Hand of Rdunrundt

At this point I've become a bit obsessed and decided that I wanted a somewhat hapless peacekeeping force to try and stop each faction from killing one another so created the Galactic League Peacekeepers (I had been tempted to use the Imperium but felt it doesn't quite fit with the idea of a peacekeeping force...)

The Noble Galactic League

The rules provide you with several different types of forces to choose from which will effect the build of your army and with that in mind I settled on making von Dorn a Superpower backed client force and Rdunrundt a dictatorship. I'm seriously considering picking up the supplement for more inspiration for the Galactic League who won't immediately be making an appearance as hostilities between the dastardly Count and the noble von Dorn heats up.

One of the most interesting elements to the game is the Political Manoeuvring chart that you roll on which can radically alter, supplement or even hinder your forces but it makes for a really unique sort of an experience and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Similarly, you must roll to see which of your units actually turns up for the game with reinforcements possibly never arriving and forcing you to try and make do with what you have. While this isn't the sort of thing that I imagine tournament players would enjoy, it does lend itself to some really characterful scenarios where one force could be caught flatfooted by an enemy attack and the border guards desperately trying to hold out until reinforcements arrive.

The plan is to put together the forces slowly over several months before expanding into adding the Galactic League peacekeepers or any one of the dozen or so other factions I've got floating around in my head.

I also plan on using primarily historical figures from Peter Pig for my armies, supplemented here and there with Laserburn bits and bobs and whatever other gubbins I've got lying around to provide vehicles and whatnot.

Count Cassitor

This will mean that no actual games will be played for a while but I do have a bit of a framework to work towards and we shall see how I get on going forwards. 

I have been rummaging around and have found quite a few odds and ends that can be put into use and am looking forward to seeing how I get on with the project and have some hopes that this will get my hobby mojo back as this year seems to have been a bit of a non starter thus far.

I'm also conscious of budget so will be limiting myself to the bare minimum for each months attempts and will be placing a small order with Peter Pig come payday for the initial unit as well as some much needed bases from Warbases (I'd originally thought of using 30mm round lipped bases as it would look nice but would struggle to get heavy weapon teams onto such a small surface and have settled on getting some 30mm round MDF bases instead).

Hopefully I'll get the first unit done for the end of June and will be able to keep the momentum going so until next time, All the best!

Warzone Eternal Kickstarter Relaunched!

 Hi!

Just a quick post this evening with the news that Res Nova have relaunched their kickstarter for Warzone Eternal and its doing pretty well and has some really exciting stuff coming down the pipeline too!

WARZONE ETERNAL KICKSTARTER

The renders look ace and as of now, it's successfully funded and they've started showing some stretch goals including these rather fantastic Pretorian Stalkers for Algeroth:

The starter sets and booster boxes have been totally redesigned and redone since the original campaign with single piece but nicely dynamic figures for Capitol, Mishima, Imperial, Bauhaus, Cybertronic, Algeroth and the Brotherhood too.

I'm really excited to see the figures in the flesh so to speak and am looking forward to seeing how the campaign goes, especially as the booster packs allow me to re-build my classic Warzone collection and hopefully we'll see them getting a general release (including in the UK!) next year.

In related news, Modiphius has got their Siege of the Citadel core game reduced to £20 

While its not really Warzone Eternal, it is Mutant Chronicles and I've seen it played on several Youtube channels and it looks quite a bit of fun, especially as you can play it solo so why not grab a bargain while you can?

Gosh! All this Mutant Chronicles goodness is really exciting and hopefully the Warzone Eternal campaign with keep rocking and we'll see lots of lovely new stuff post Kickstarter as the universe of MC and Warzone is absolutely brilliant and I'd love to see them succeed! 

In the meantime, All the best!