A Thief Named Shank

About to play in a quick game with +Christian Walker.

My character is a thief named Shank. I cranked out the paint job on the mini this morning.

And here's his character sheet: 

All rolled up strictly by the book (3d6 in order, 1d6 for hp, etc.). With a whopping 2 hp, I'm not sure how long Shank is for this world.

Back to Painting: Crimean War French and Russians

It has been forever since I painted anything. But the past week-and-a-half at work has been massively stressful, and nothing calms me like painting. So I picked up my 1/32 Crimean War toy-soldier-style project where I left off. I now have the total up to 16 Russian infantry, 12 French infantry, 1 French commander and 1 French artillery man. My goal is to work this up to 24 infantry, 4 cavalry, 1 gun and 1 commander per side, and have a go at Nick Bouette's Volley Fire rules for a solo game.

All the French so far...

And all the Russians...

All the other models I need to complete the project are primed and waiting on the workbench.

Toy Soldier Style

Recently a number of things have happened to get me started on a new project. I re-read H.G. Wells' Little Wars, looked at a bunch of blogs and websites related to gaming with 54mm (1/32) toy soldiers (as opposed to "military miniatures"), and started reading a book on the Crimean War.

Toy Soldiers (Armies in Plastic Union Civil War Marines) I'm using as mid-to-late 19th-century French line infantry

So the new project is a set of 19th-Century toy soldiers. "Toy soldier" gaming seems to have a lot of practical advantages if you are pressed for painting time:

1. the technique is super simple (block painting only)
2. you don't worry at all about the little details on the figure (the less detail the better, and it's okay if the details are "wrong")
3. the models are larger (you'd think this would be time consuming, but since you're not doing detail, you use a way bigger brush; in my case I've started using an "8" – yes, that's right, an "8" –  vs. the usual "0000" or "000" I frequently find myself using on 25/28mm figures)

I dived in this weekend and managed to get sixteen infantry models done in three days. When I do a more detailed "proper" miniature paint-job I'm lucky to get maybe three or four models done in that amount of time, if I really push myself.

Russian Crimean War Infantry (Armies in Plastic)

I decided I wanted to do some French (with some Allied British Cavalry) against some Russians in the Crimean War, and picked up several boxes of Armies in Plastic soldiers. The Russian infantry and cavalry, and the British cavalry are designed as Crimean war models. For the French I'm using American Civil War models. The infantry, zouaves and artillery are all a pretty good match for the French. The Russians artillery will be a super simple conversion (Civil War artillery crew, cut off the caps; take spare Russian infantry, cut off their caps; attach the Russian caps to the now hatless Civil War artillery crew and voilà).

The French again. Same guys as above, slightly different angle. I just like the French.

Using something like Morschauser's rules from How to Play Wargames in Miniature, I'll probably need only about 25 infantry, a gun or two, and about 5 cavalry per side, which means I've got two armies 25% complete in one weekend. All the other models are prepped, primed, and ready to go. I might also try using G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. which is a nice looking set of rules, even if I don't plan to have any sci-fi element (at least not to start).

I don't know if this is a significant enough project to merit its own blog. For now I'll keep it here, even though it really isn't the usual fare for this blog. I might put it up on a new blog if it takes on a life of its own.

Jaatu from Reaper

Took some time to paint today, Reaper's Jaatu:

Finished except for his clear overcoat. He might make a nice barbarian shaman, or perhaps a villain.

Juron, Mystic Knight

My latest paint job is finished. It still needs a spray of clear coat on top, but it's just too cold outside to do that right now. So here is Juron, Mystic Knight from Reaper (sans clear coat):

Nerea, Anti-Paladin

After two months (!) without painting, I picked up the brush this weekend. Here is the fruit of my labor:

Nerea, Anti-Paladin, from Reaper 

Although my painting production has slowed, I am getting in some good RPGing. My West Kingdom (Swords and Wizardry) campaign has now been running for eight months, and I also have a PC who's still romping around Sonofotho's Yendo (Labyrinth Lord) campaign world after more than a year. So despite a minor painting and posting slump, I'm happy to say my gaming overall is still going pretty strong.

 

Zombie Champion from Reaper

In the mood for something quick and easy to paint, I worked up a Zombie Champion by Reaper yesterday and today.

Same basing method as last time.

The work goes fast when there's not much detail on the figure.

Reaper Death Cultist and Basing Experiment

I've had this mini primed and waiting for paint for long time and finally sat down today and completed it.

Caella, Death Cultist, from Reaper

In the hopes of doing some skirmishes in dungeon locales, I've been looking for an appropriate basing material by experimenting on "blank" mini-less bases. After a number of dismal failures with a variety of techniques, I finally settled on spackle as my basing material, painted gray and dry brushed.

The good news is that this stone-style base also doesn't look horribly out of place in an "outdoor" environment either -- in contrast with the usual grass-style basing I generally use that really looks very odd on a dungeon floor. It has the most "neutral" quality of all the basing styles I've fiddled with.

I've got another order in with Reaper, and the plan is to do up that batch of minis this way for some underground action, hopefully in the near future.

Reaper Miniatures' Minotaur of the Maze

With the electricity out for four days, it took me longer to finish this guy than I intended. No electricity means no magnifying lamp. For me, no magnifying lamp means no painting. But with the power back on, the project got done.

Ogre Bully Boys

The rest of the ogre warband is done (except for the clear spray overcoat, which has been delayed on account of rain). In addition to the leader, Vourgha, the four ogre grunts are also from Reaper ("Garnuk the Ogre," x 4).

Hopefully I'll have Vourgha leading his band of bully boys into battle in the near future.

Vourgha the Ogre

It's over two months (seriously!!) since I've painted anything. I can't remember when I last took a break that long. But I made some time this weekend to start on an Ogre warband for SBH. I bought the minis some time ago, but they've been sitting on the shelf.

I primed them on Friday, and painted up the leader yesterday and today.

Vourgha the Ogre from Reaper

He'll have four ogre grunts under his command. Hopefully since this is finals week and next week is spring break, I'll be able to finish up the rest of the band. It feels soooooo good to have a brush back in my hand!

He's rather a large fellow -- almost twice as tall as a human-sized figure.

Perspective shot: the ogre fighting a band of men, elves and dwarves

Coming at you at ground level!

Saxons

The latest project – some 1066-era Saxons. I have a whole horde of these primed and based, and waiting for paint, along with a bunch of Norman infantry. I've got a batch of eight Saxons done.

I'm basing them individually on 1x1 bases, with a strip of magnetic tape on the bottom. That way I can use them for skirmishes, or I can plunk them down on thin metal underbases like these...

...depending on whether I want to also use them for something like De Bellis Antiquitatis...

...or for games like Chronicles of Blood, or Neil Thomas' Ancient and Medieval Wargaming...

Also just arrived in the mail today – a couple of boxes of mounted knights.Technically they're not 1066-era Normans, but somewhat later Templars. However, nobody makes a decent set of plastic Norman knights. On the other hand, in Italeri's box of Templars, most of the models are wearing chainmail and Norman-style helmets, and carry kite shields. I'll just have to smooth the crusader cross emblems off and I should be set. With luck this should be the world's easiest conversion.

Photo from The Plastic Soldier Review

Between two boxes of these, I should have all the Norman knights I'll need for at a DBA-sized army.

Barbarian Archer and Torolf's Warband

Here is the last member to join Torolf's warband – a female barbarian archer.

"Kara, Female Archer" from Reaper

Torolf's warband should now be ready to go off hunting Brogg's Kabad'zem.

Barbarian Warband for Song of Blades and Heroes

Torolf: Barbarian Leader (Q3/C3, Fearless, Leader, 66 pts)
One Barbarian Shaman (Q4/C1, Fearless, Magic-User, 35 pts)
One Barbarian Archer (Q3/C3, Fearless, Shooter-Med., 44 pts)
Four Barbarian Warriors (Q3/C3, Fearless, 4 x 36 pts)
Total: 289 points

Barbarian with Axe, from Reaper

Most of my time has been divided recently between the PbP Labyrinth Lord game I'm in and painting WWII minis for the Solo Gaming Month project I've been planning. But this weekend I decided to turn my attention a back to a possible new character for my Mithril Wars campaign, to go up against Brogg and his dwarves.

So here is "Lorn, Barbarian with Axe" from Reaper. I will undoubtedly change his name when I give him a profile.

But once I've given him a personality and motivation he, and a few already painted barbarian buddies, should be ready to dive into the fray.

Dwarven Warband

Finally finished -- my dwarven warband.  Three warriors and two crossbowmen, all from Reaper, to go along with the leader painted previously. It's taken me a while to get them done, but at last I get to toss them up on the blog.

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 Is it just me or do these guys look a little like ZZ Top?

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Dwarven War Chief, Asgeir Redbeard

It's been a while since I painted any fantasy minis, so over the weekend I did the first of a dwarven warband, Asgeir Redbeard, by Reaper.

On the workbench, primed and based, are three axe-wielding dwarven warriors and two crossbowmen. It may just be a matter of time before the Kabad'zem enter the Mithril war.

Elf Warband for SONG OF BLADES AND HEROES Completed

It really takes me forever to paint even just a handful of figures, but I finally finished my two elf archers today.

Eldarion, elf archer, from Reaper

With these two fellows done, that means my elf warband is good to go.

Completed elf warband

Elf Commander (100)
Elf Warriors (2 x 38)
Elf Archers (2 x 55)
Total: 286 points

Instead of doing a good vs. evil thing, I'm thinking something more "political" is on the horizon, like a human vs. elf border conflict, since the human warband I painted a little while back still hasn't seen any action yet.

Loryn Stormblade, Elf, from Reaper

This week's project was Loryn Stormblade, from Reaper.

My plan is to use him as an elf captain for the Song of Blades and Heroes warband I'm currently working on.

Two Elf Warriors

I finished painting two Reaper elf warriors yesterday.

Warriors of the Forest Guard Sparring

They'll be part of a five-man warband for Song of Blades and Heroes.

The other members of the warband – two archers and a leader – are already primed and based and waiting on the workbench.

Templar Knights from Reaper Minis

So after my ten-day trip and a full week of trying to catch up on things when I got back home, I finally managed to pick up a brush this week and start painting again – boy, did it feel good! Painting is terribly therapeutic. I've decided to switch up from 25mm plastics to 28mm metal minis for my Song of Blades and Heroes warbands. I spent the week painting five Templar Knights from Reaper.

I opted to not paint them as Templars, going instead with a scheme to match some existing figures. The five knights will join up with Sir Titus, Lorus Hightower the Wizard, and Connor the Archer to make a nice human warband.

Human Leader (60)
Human Magic-User (40)
Human Archer (44)
Five Human Warriors (5 x 30)
Total: 294 Points