An Updated Map Part 1

Hi!

I've been putting a little more thought into my updated map and have realised that making a modular one is a good idea as it will allow me to re-jig it to suit whatever setting I am working on, rather than just Leviathan.

At present I am looking at several options:

Games Workshops Mighty Empires

Heroscape

Hexon By Kallistra

Each has its own strengths and weaknesses but I have to admit that I am quite liking the Hexon range for its sheer choice, ranging from hills to escarpments and mountains. I think I could put a basic map of Aeroth together quite quickly using them, or even a specific segment to cover whatever campaign I may be fighting, be it the Axebite mountains for dwarves attempting to hold off besieging orcs, northern barbarians invading the elven lands or the Children of the Worm operating from the great southern deserts.

I think I may have to make a small order to see what the stuff is like and then see where I can go from there!

Going Postal!

Hi!

Alas theres been no sign of any of my packages of miniatures arriving yet (there are now three on their way to me!) so I am a little stumped for things to do with my Technomancers. I have two character models awaiting finishing which will last me to the end of the week but after that I will be in the odd situation of having nothing to paint!

In the meantime I may take some time to review some of my fantasy rule sets that I have kicking around including Chronopia and Crucible. All of them have their uses and may well be handy for some Leviathan inspired gaming!

Heres a quick look at just some of the rules I plan on giving a go:

Crucible

Chronopia

Song of Blades and Heroes

No Quarter

Fantasy Warriors

I plan on trying out each game using either my leviathan miniature collection or some handy counters! I have had some success with a similar approach to gaming over on my Special Corps blog where I went from having zero games over several years to almost a dozen within a few months!

I hope to bring this to my fantasy gaming and hopefully get chance to play some actual games for a change!

In other news I am sorely tempted to sculpt a 10/15mm version of each of my Leviathan forces. The bigger scale looks great but is a tad bulky to play in a small flat. The smaller scale will allow me to make a really nice little gaming board that will be about 48 inches square (travel sized!) and test out the game and new units before spending a fortune buying them!

As you can see I have plenty to be thinking about!

All the best!

Tiny Dwarf!

Hi!

I've posted a preview of my test piece for the Dwarves in my 10mm scale project over on my OTHER BLOG.

I have another six in various stages of completion and will post updates as I get chance.

Heres a pic:

Dwarf Test Piece

All the best!

Mk2 Wargolem Black Thunder!

Hi!

A while back to celebrate my 100th post I sent out the blog followers a random model from the Leviathan line and Steve over at BLEASE WORLD has just finished the Mk2 Wargolem Black Thunder!

Black Thunder Painted By Steve Blease

I really like the grey and bronze colour scheme and wish I had used it for my Technomancers and the smoke plume is really nice, in fact I may pinch the idea for my own dwarves!

Hopefully some more folks will get their stuff painted up so I can stick it on the blog here!

All the best!

Leviathan Project Overview 2011

Hi!

I thought I should spend a few moments to outline my Leviathan plans for 2011!

Its looking like my gaming budget is going to be seriously limited over the course of the coming year, making my monthly faction plan rather more of a challenge than originally thought but I will keep at it anyway as I have been enjoying the process. How long this will last is anyones guess but I plan on completing at least four or five factions over the course of this year which will be an improvement over last years feeble efforts.

I just don't currently have the time or money to buy and paint such large models and my work over on the Special Corps blog really got me to appreciate gaming in small scales, both on my budget and the amount of time it takes to paint a force!

Following on from this I have begun developing my own small scale miniature range and work has begun on the sculpts. These will not be too Leviathan inspired as there is a 10mm scale version of Leviathan in development already. Instead I plan on coming up with some original forces, re-imagining the typical fantasy races...

After my previous ponderings here on the possibility of a 15mm scale range, I have decided on a 10mm one as there seems to be more of a market for them and were a far more popular choice with posters.

I've been wanting to start my own miniature company for over a decade and it looks like 2011 will be the year I actually get to do it, especially as I've been given a business grant to start my own firm.

This funding should allow me to have several different forces cast up so I can test the market, with the initial plan to release about 5-6 packs for each of four forces, covering a mixture of infantry, cavalry, a war engine/monster or two and command. This will allow players to collect a decent force and if things go according to plan, I will eventually have 8-10 packs for each force with a fifth faction started.

I doubt there will be an actual ruleset for them in the short term though as its rather a long process to develop one, although I may yet convert Wargames Unlimiteds No Quarter rules as they have some real possibilities!

As already mentioned the first force will be the Dwarves, followed by Orcs, Elves and Humans. I hope to steer clear of the usual generic fantasy fare though and large monsters will be playing an important part in the range!

To get the ball rolling I will be cracking on with the sculpts ASAP and hope to have the Dwarven command done by the end of next week, again this is rather dependent on work and university but I am determined to give it a try!

I know folks love 28mm and I will be continuing with that scale but with the economic climate its well worth looking into cheaper alternatives!

All the best!

NEW STAINLESS STEEL FICTION!

Hi!

Just a quick update but theres been some new (well newish as Ive not had chance to look at them as yet!) books featuring our favorite anti hero Slippery Jim diGriz!

First off theres the Stainless Steel Rat Returns, A series of stories featuring the Rat in his latter years. Secondly theres a compilation of the old 2000AD comics in one handy volume!

The Stainless Steel Rat Returns

The Stainless Steel Rat Graphic Novel!

Hopefully they will provide me with a host of new bits and bobs for use with gaming.

In other news I plan on making a couple of small orders over the coming weeks which will allow me to complete my existing forces and provide some new enemies and allies for Jim.

All the best!

Rules Update!

Hi!

Well its been another busy week at uni leaving me with almost no time to get any painting done! Alas Ive only managed to get a single miniature painted all week!

Other than that Ive had a further perusal of the internet for some suitable rulesets to try out, including Wildfire, Savage Worlds, and Chaos in Carpathia. The rules range from hard sci-fi to pulp but with the wide array of tech levels and planets featured in the stainless steel rat books I figure they will all be of some use!

Hopefully over the course of next weekend I will be able to get either a bit of painting done or try out a couple of rulesets! I hope to start up a bit of a mini campaign and play a couple of games a week (uni work permitting!) featuring Jims mission to Freibur!

Ive already got enough painted miniatures to play a couple of different skirmish level games so hopefully there will be some reports coming in from Jim soon!

All the best!