Druid Snart

 

A while back I entered several collections of miniatures into the monthly painting challenges that JustJohn has been running over on the Oldhammer forum.

 

To spare my blushes I'm not going to mention which months' challenges I entered them - suffice to say that the plan was to paint 20 strong unit of Norsemen, Druid Snart and the original King F'yar mounted on his Wyvern in time for the Bring Out Your Lead event down at Foundry we had at the end of the summer hols!

 

Anyhow, I'm afraid the Norsemen and F'yar still languish in base coat purgatory, but Snart got finished a while back.

 

Here are the pics I've been meaning to post up for some time now...

 

Only the villagers and the more expensive Orc and Dwarven personalities needed to complete the set now...

Brothers in (Four) Arms - Part 2

So we finally find ourselves back on the dingy little backwater that is Pelegosto Prime.

Apologies for the slightly longer than intended intermission - real life and all that...

We last saw our dastardly Pirate Captain Reade running into the first obstacles in his way, as he and his desperadoes attempt to track down the whereabouts of his Brother-in-Law, Black Bill - Part 1

We now pick up the action as Reade splits his party in reaction to the skirmish with the militia patrols on the right flank. A scurvy looking boarding party begin sneaking down the left flank, aiming to use the thick vegetation as cover.

Brothers in (Four) Arms

Well it's been a busy week or so in terms of getting games played and my Genestealer Cult got another outing last weekend when Warlord Paul came round for a game. After rejigging the original Imperial Rescue mission idea I'd had for the scenario, we had a great afternoon's gaming using the Rogue Trader Rules.

Here's the scenario -

A raid on the main settlement of Pelegosto Prime has gone dreadfully wrong. A seemingly low tech and backward planet in the Outer Rim, Pelegosto seemed ripe for the picking to the orbiting Pirate ship. With its largely peasant population, rural economy and small PDF garrison surely it would be a push-over...

The initial reconnaissance party managed to make planet-fall without being detected. Their reports indicated that there was loot to be had as the harvest had just been auctioned off and a large influx of currency was doing the rounds among the large landowners. A large forbidding fortress had been identified as the seat of Government and so possibly the planet's Mint. Orders were duly issued to investigate it.

What happened next was unclear. Upon entering the castle the reconnaissance party's reports became increasingly strange, telling of strange religious iconography, cowled figures leading large congregations in strange rituals and a fearful presence that gnawed at the edges of their minds. The last transmission was garbled and panicky. It spoke of claws and hypnotic eyes in the Dark. It spoke of the Great Father's love for his children...

After the screams had stopped leaving only the clicks and pops of subspace static coming over the ship's communicator, Dola sat back in her Captain's chair, fists and teeth clenched.

Her Son-in-Law quailed a little inside. He didn't like what he had heard over the radio - especially as the leader of the missing team was his Brother-in-Law. He could guess what was coming next...

"Get down there and if you know what's good for you, don't come back without my son!"

With a sigh, he motioned his band to the transports. He had a bad feeling about this drop.

A larger Pirate force has been dispatched to the surface with one objective:

• Locate and rescue the original Reconnaissance Team

Rise From Your Grave!

Trying to get back into the painting game after a bit of a drought! I've failed miserably at the last two Painting Challenges run by Just John on the Oldhammer forum so I figured it was time to pull my finger out!

Happily, half the reason for not painting much this past couple of months has been the amount of games I've played with actual people! This little lot I hope to have ready for Blog-Con in November - another great event being held at Foundry.

I suppose they'll be good for a bit of a Halloween theme too.

This chap, Tom Meier's superb Zombie Dragon, is one I'm really looking forward to - he needs a bit more filling with miliput yet and I'd love to find a rider for him one day - just like the one that featured in WD142.

What a Thing is an Orc?

As part of Erny's Orctober I thought I'd ramble on a bit about some of the many different flavours Orcs come in.

This does not pretend to be a comprehensive list, nor a definitive one. I intend it more as a trawl through some old favourites, curiosities and old hackneyed tropes.

More Mayhem!

My attention (wandering at best!) has once more been called back to 10mm Fantasy gaming thanks to Brent Spivey's recent update on his excellent rules system, Mayhem.

He has expanded the original rules set to include War Machines, Magic and a whole host of other tweaks to the original game, including a new unit profile characteristic and unit designations. I've got a bit if bedtime reading to do to catch up on the changes, but it was the War Machines that caught my eye and Brent's entirely provocative suggestion that I play my Engines of Avalone scenario with his new rules!

A while back I had great fun trying out the original rules with my Harrison's Ford game.

Well I can't turn down a suggestion like that and having chatted to Warlord Paul after yesterday's Rogue Trader game, I have a willing opponent who also happens to own a load of 10mm Warmaster stuff too!

Brent has been kind enough to supply me with some excellent suggestions for Oldhammering up the unit profiles for the necessary troop types so I'd best get on with squeezing some Empire and Dwarf cannon into my painting schedule...

The Tripods are Coming!

Isn't it typical.

You wait ages for a good game involving HG Wells inspired Martian Tripods invading Earth and two come along at once!

I'm sure you already know about All Quiet on the Martian Front and I've mentioned Fimm McCool's excellent looking boardgame on here as well.

Well now's your chance to get your grubby hands/tentacles on a copy as his Indiegogo campaign is under way - I particularly like the sound of the metal Tripod miniatures should targets be hit early.

I hope to be doing my bit once I've gathered funds together after my excesses with the Martian Front campaign!

For more Martian fun check out my nascent Martian blog.