Saturday, December 2, 2017

Slann Spawn Band Regiment

This was my first month's effort for The Old World World Army Challenge...


Head over to the blog to see more pics of these models, plus three dozen more Oldhammer armies underway!

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Necromunda

 Yep. I pre-ordered the box set today and the additional Gang War rulebook. I'm slightly sketched that the second book is not part of the main set because I doubt I'll play a single game on the cardboard tiles, but the box is the best way to get the models if you intend to get both gangs.

The basic set is meant to be played as a board game and only contains the core rules. The Gang Wars book has the campaign rules.

Something I'm even more sketched about is both only include rules for TWO gangs - the Goliaths and Esher. I get that this is the same treatment sets like Bloodbowl got. The fact that this game is receiving support will cause me to overlook this. My option is to NOT buy it...

Yeah, right.

I'm willing to bet Necromunda is hands down my favorite game of all time. I bought EVERYTHING they made for the first edition of the game. Yes, I could happily play Necromunda with all of my old stuff until doomsday, but there is something about being able to walk into my FLGS and pick up new stuff for my favorite game.

Anyway, I am really looking forward to this. All I can say is "Hurry up and take my money, GW! What took you so long?" You can check out pics of a small sample of my old collection here...

Thursday, October 19, 2017

The Old World Army Challenge Blog

Just what it says! The blog for the Old World Army Challenge is now live and sporting a spiffy header made by yours truly!


Looking forward to getting started, however, I won't be blogging about it here. I'll post some pics of Slann army I'm working on eventually, but we want folks to check in over at the other blog to follow our progress.

So what are you waiting for?

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Oldhammer Army Challenge

Iannick (Of Marauders and Citadels) and Chris (Blue's Marauding Miniatures) have issued a challenge in the Oldhammer in the New World Facebook Group to build 1000-point armies in six months. The goal is basically to paint at least 200-points per month with one mulligan if you fall short. All of the rules are yet to be set out, but it seems a leisurely pace to me and while I've never participated in one of these painting challenges, even with my busy schedule I should be able to manage 200-points. It is set to kick off in November and it looks like we have at least one of every choice from the Warhammer Armies book!

So what to paint? I have unpainted armies of Dwarves and Slann. In the end the choice was really easy...

Clarence Harrison I'm in... Slann or Dwarves... I'll decide by November. I have unpainted armies for both.

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Darrin Stephens You would paint some killer Slann

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Iannick Martin Has to be Slann! We don't have them yet!

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Tom White Please paint slaan!

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Iannick Martin Clarence, the board of directors discussed your situation, and a decision has been reached : it's Slann or you're out.

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Ben White SLANN!!! MAKE LUSTRIA GREAT AGAIN!!!!

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Clarence Harrison LOL... Slann it is!

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Iannick Martin Fantastic. I believe we will have at least one of (each of) the Old School armies

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So, yeah, that settles that! I have quite a collection of Slann with many in their original blisters. At the moment my pile of lead includes...

Hero (the only Alligator Warrior I managed to get so he is unique in the army and works perfectly)
Wizard (on a litter)

Bull Slann Riders x8
Eagle Warriors x18
Jaguar Warriors x8
Venom Tribe Warriors x11
Spawn Band Warriros x30
Slann Animal Handler w/6 War Hounds

I also have ten Human Slave Warriors, though not the oldschool sculpts. These are Wargames Foundry models from one of the ancient ranges (I forget which) that really look the part and will make a better looking unit than ten monopose minis.

So far I've managed to paint exactly ONE since I've started buying them a year ago...


Now I'll need to hold off until the challenge starts, but it will give me time to sit down and figure out some point values and make a plan. Up until now, collecting the army has been purely purchases of opportunity. I've never bothered to price out the minis points-wise or figure out magic items, etc. but I think I'm around 1300 points without standards, instruments, any 5th level unit champions (I would include these in elite units), or magic items of any kind. The range never had many models so I'll have to convert all of my standard bearers and any other characters I decide to field. Again the pace of the challenge will make this easy. Six Bull Slann Riders with Shields and a standard is 231 points (and light armor which is probably a must for such pricy troops adds another 24 points). Boom! One month done. While I'm at it, I'd paint the other two which is close to 300 points. The hero and wizard are easily another 200 points, even with modest 10th-level characters.

Off to plan the subjugation of the dry skins!

Friday, September 15, 2017

Rogue Trader Female Warriors

Two more models for the collection - Jayne and Gabs!

Female Warrior Jayne

Female Warrior Gabs

I haven't decided if these are Daughters of the Emperor or renegades who acquired power armor. In Rogue Trader, renegades were not necessarily spawns of chaos, nor was power armor the sole property of the Adeptus Astartes.

I'm not thrilled with how the checks turned out which is why I didn't bother painting them on the top of the thigh plates too as in the originals. I'm pretty good at such patterns, but trying to paint checkerboard freehand along a curve is a nightmare. I may just black these out and paint a simple single pattern of gold and white or something. but they are done for now.

Eight models to go...

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Rogue Trader Imperial Scout

This is a model I actually started over two years ago. It was suppose to be part of an Oldhammer Legacy Warband project I was taking part in. I could have painted this in a couple of days, but because the deadline for the project was so far away, I kept putting off finishing it.

Then my wife passed away on June 27th, 2015. Of course, I kinda stopped everything related to the hobby for a while. Even when I returned to painting, the model just sat on the desk. Somehow I couldn't bring myself to finish the damn thing.

Well, that came to an end yesterday. Pretty much all it needed were the metallics and a couple of highlights and I decided it was time to finish this.


Obviously this is one of the instances where I chose to deviate from the original model color scheme. I also did some minor conversion work, replacing the left hand which held a flamer pistol with a sword taken from a plastic eldar (a harlequin I think) which reinforced the fact that this guy was sporting a shuriken pistol and obviously hanging out with treacherous aliens (or maybe at least killing them).

More minis on the way - I primed the rest of the set this afternoon and hope to get a couple more finished by the weekend.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Rogue Trader Space Amazon

It's been a stupid long time since I've actually painted any Rogue Trader stuff (or much of anything really). I've been busy with real life (for some reason I keep getting bills in the mail and I have to have a real job to keep up with them) and working on another book, Beneath the Lily Banners: The War of Three Kings (due out this fall). This weekend I walked into my studio and looked at the mess on the painting table and spotted one of the RT Adventurers sitting there already primed...

Governess Celene

For me this is one of the iconic models from the era. All it took was a few hours work. Hopefully this gives me the incentive to get back on this project. There's another model from this set on my desk that's been half finished for two years - maybe I'll paint that today.

My foray through the Rogue Trader Adventurers set has alternated between my own color schemes and trying to duplicate the studio collection from the 80's. In this case, I decided to try and capture the scheme from the original painting by John Blanche (of course).

This was challenging because of all of the textures. For the most part I had to be content with just a hint of these details because the areas were so small. The stockings were painted by painting the legs bare, then adding several layers of 2:1 washes of Lhamia Medium and Nuln Oil. These were carefully applied so as not to let them puddle as I didn't really want the recesses any darker - I handled the shading with the skin tones. Then I went back in with black and painted the top of the stocking trim and added a hint of the patterns from the painting. Finally I went back with my flesh tones and tried to portray a few rips in the fabric. The leopard print sleeves, zebra stripped loin cloth, and polka dot kerchief were all painted with a small Citadel Articifer layer brush that I reserve for such work. I'm pretty happy with the results!

I've got the Imperial Scout and pair of Female Warriors (power armored hellions named Jayne and Gabs) lined up next and I hope to find the time (sigh... and motivation) to add them to the completed pile this week. I'm only about a dozen models short of finishing the set and I could have them all done by the end of the month.

Hold my beer...

Monday, July 31, 2017

More Slann

This collection is quietly growing thanks to another great eBay find...




That gives me 10 Slann Scouts and 30 Spawn Band Warriors! Now I just need to find time to paint some of them!

Monday, May 15, 2017

Shadowquisimunda

I really can't decide what to call this game. I suppose going forward, I'll start using Shadow War, but the publication of this book has sparked a return to multiple projects. For instance, this weekend I worked on a little terrain...


Forgive the photos in this post, they were taken with my phone. Still very much a WiP (see all those white and grey rectangles along the right hand side of the photo below? Those are doors that belong on the walls above there current locations).


This project was actually something I started in 2001...


It was a table I was designing for Inquisitor, which I was planning on playing in 28mm (though I ended up buying and painting around 30 of 54mm models... maybe that deserves a post at some point). Aaaaaanyway, the launch of the game featured a battle report with an incredible backdrop factory that filled one whole table edge. As Inquisitor was designed to be played on a 4x4' table in 54mm, I launched a similar project for a 2x2' board.

I have the attention span of a four year old and followed the game into 54mm as I said and probably jumped from that to 40k or Mordheim or Napoleonics or... you get the idea. The model above was tucked away. I've actually returned to his project several times over the years, but never really got around to finishing it. Hell, I might not finish it this time, but at least the release of the industrial kits for Shadow War (and the looming release of 40k eighth edition, which is actually closer to the Rogue Trader rules than the game has been in decades... hmm, that sounds like a topic for another post) got me to pull out the half forgotten shells of project. I spent a couple of days happily carving up foam core, inhaling glue fumes, and generally making a mess across the entire top floor of my home as I rummaged through closets looking for that bit I just know I had tucked away (and leaving piles of stuff around the room as I dug through).


The board needs to be crowded for Inquisitor so this 2x2' board is packed and only needed room for 3-5 models per side to go at it, but all of the terrain will work equally well if I spread it out on a 4x4' or 4x6' table (and add it to my large collection of urban ruins and other 40k stuff). Heck, I've got three or four more of these new kits still in the cellophane! There's still a ton to do, but I thought I'd share a couple of WiP pics and get a cheap blog update out of all this work.


More later (hopefully)...

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Arodruin Dreamthief

And that makes four with Aridruin Dreamthief, Troupe Master of the Troupe of the Shattered Spear...



The power glove is suppose to represent a Harlequin's Caress. My original intention was to paint it with a ghostly glow around the hand, but I decided the model had enough going on already. It was really the only model I had without a sword or second pistol in hand.

A bit of the method to my madness when painting these guys and more going forward... I like the appeal of some uniformity in an army. While the old school Harlequins captured my imagination long ago, I wanted to tone down the riot just a bit. I also wanted to avoid the more uniform appearance of the newer GW studio versions.

What I ended up with is a compromise between the two. I've kept a somewhat limited palette, at least for Harlequins. The main unifying detail will be the white masks. All sashes and ribbons will either be yellow or purple. I've already discussed the plan with the relatively plain attire of the Mimes and higher level Harlequins will sport more familiar patterns. To tie together the fancier lads, each will bear at least some of the diamond pattern and all of these will be red and something else. These few choices will give the force a cohesive appearance while still allowing freedom to run a little wild.

I enjoyed painting these minis. I'm not sure if I'll paint more of these now or wait until the need arises in the campaign. I'd like to paint a few more for a proper troupe for Rogue Trader. Flipping through the Shadow War book I've found I can make Imperial Guard, Inquisition, and Eldar lists from Rogue Trader models I've already painted. I also have a hundred or so RT Orks tucked away and a Kill Team seems like a great way to paint up a few of these without the worry of needing all hundred guys for a game.

Fun stuff!

Friday, May 12, 2017

More Shadowmunda

Two more members of my warband!

Forthorn Sorrowsworn, Harlequin Virtuoso (specialist)...




Galandrad, the second of my Harlequin Mimes...


The Vituoso has a Neuro Disruptor and Harlequin's Kiss and Mime has a Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Kiss. Harlequins are expensive in Shadow War and some forces run into an issue where you don't have enough points left to buy another model and end up with more expensive gear that you might have otherwise chosen. The Kiss is probably overkill for a Mime, but what the hell...

All I have left for the starting kill team is my Troupe Master! I'm also going to paint a Death Jester to add some fire support in future games. I'll paint other models as I recruit them (or promote them in the case of Mimes).

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Harlequins for Shadowmunda

It's been a while since I've had anything in the vein of oldschool to post. I've been mostly concentrating on my 1690 historicals and I'm venturing into 1709 as well. Earlier this year I took on the US distribution duties for Warfare Miniatures and I've felt a responsibility to put in more time with those minis to push the ranges. I also hopped across the pond and got in a weekend of wargaming in Scotland and spent three days traipsing around the battlefields of Ireland (excerpts ongoing here) that form the backdrop for my collections - Londonderry, Newtownbutler, Athlone, Augsburg, and the Boyne. Besides being an amazing experience it fueled my fires to put in even more time in the War of Three Kings (hmmm... sounds like a book title).

Anyway, with GW recycling the Necromunda rules with Shadow War Armageddon, my friends and I are preparing to embark on a campaign. The new terrain kits look awesome as well (especially the cool cranes) and I already have half a dozen of them piled on my table to dress up my old City Fight table. The appeal of the new game for my friends was that they could all build gangs - well, strike that... KILL TEAMS... from their existing collections. I can do that too, however, I decided to take the opportunity to build a new force for the campaign, but I thought I would try to do it from the mounds of minis I already have on hand.

After flipping through the rulebook I acquired on Saturday (yes, I know now most of the forces have been out for weeks online, but I haven't been paying attention), I knew immediately what my new warband would be and as a bonus, I could use Rogue Trader era models...


This is Morrobryn the Mime and he is as Rogue Trader as you can get. Yes, he is a bit drab for a Harlequin, but there's a method to my madness. In SWA, Mimes are the Juves of the Harlequin faction. They are just growing into their first role. I decided to take the term 'mime' literally and paint all of my young Harlies in this fashion - if they survive three games, they level up to Players. At that time either the existing model will be taken to the next stage of their costume (and earn his last name), or replaced if their gear has been upgraded.

My starting list is a Troupe Master, a Virtuoso, and two Mimes. The first two will get the full clown treatment with an insane array of diamonds, stripes, hearts, and more. I have around twenty of these old minis (the box set and a handful more) and over time I may build them into a tiny Rogue Trader force to bolster my Eldar.

Harlequins seem very tough on paper, though I think they take some care to play. With only four models they will be out numbered by almost everyone. They are hard to hit at range, but if you can throw enough dice at one eventually you'll get a hit. I'm going to need to pay close attention to the victory conditions of the scenarios as my speed and maneuverability may make it possible to win certain games without even engaging in combat.

I suck at these games anyway because I'm just not competitive. I enjoy the painting aspect of the hobby more and prefer to act as GM in games, but the idea of a campaign with models gaining skills and gear appeals to me (or my likely for me splints and headstones, but maybe I can model those too).

More Harlies as I get them done!