Workbench Rampant

After a few months in which I've been using my desk for non-gaming creativity, I've has a burst of mojo. Geeking hasn't been abandoned in the interim, however, and my two sons and I are nearly half way through a 2-teams-each Bloodbowl league.

Fortunately I can fit two pitches side by side so the little Rablings can fluke their way to victory over me simultaneously... I am actually a little miffed that I've taught the older one to play skaven so effectively!

Orc archers 1

He was sitting with his back to a great tree, as if he was resting. But Aragorn saw that he was pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his side. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet.

One of the arguments I regularly trot out to the incomparable Mrs Rab about why I'm painting "horrible, ugly monsters" is that without such horrible, ugly monsters, how are the heroes to prove themselves? Tolkien (of whom she is sensibly an admirer) understood this and so, while he further understood that the worst monsters could be apparently fair or only temporarily wicked (Boromir himself...), I picked half a dozen older Citadel orcs as the next victims of my brush, of whom the first three are now complete.

While the wife's away...

...the geeks will play!

The incomparably wonderful Mrs Rab is away this week, leaving me in sole charge of the two little'uns - we worked out it's the longest she's been away from them since they were born which caused her all sorts of angst! To take their minds off her absence, what else was there but to cook up a decent chilli, crack out the PS2 from the loft for a bit of LEGO Star Wars and Burnout - Takedown, and then get on with some good old pre-digital gaming? Nice!

Yesterday saw this:

[DR] - "Oi, that's OUR village!"

It's always good to start a month's blogging with a game report. Heck, it's always nice to have played a game to be able to report! In this case it was a three-player game of Dragon Rampant against my two boys to christen my gaming board. Whoop!

It became clear that finishing the trees and pouring the river are going to be needed before this feels a "proper" board

Dwarves of the Twin-Peaked Mountain

So this month I've painted a whole wargaming unit! Admittedly, this is an elite foot unit for Dragon Rampant, and therefore only six figures, but I'm happy nonetheless. I did eyes and freehand shields and everything! Have some phone photos as proof...

Those of you who know this figure range well will perhaps notice that fist-pumping boss dwarf (red mantle and golden dog crest) has been slightly modified. I removed the lump for a shield from the back of his hand because I thought it looked better.

Blue and white is obviously a nod to Wayne England's classic army from the pages of White Dwarf (back when it was good), although I decided out of pure caprice that for dwarves it is the colours that matter in heraldry rather than the usual human insistence on pattern.

I hope you like them,
Rab

Half-term brushwork

I've been pressing on with some painting in the evenings this week (I'm just waiting for a wash to dry while I write this) and enjoying myself hugely. I've even been attempting eyes!

Since snapping these fine fellows (and yes, the back right pair are from January), I've finished another dwarf and made good progress on two more. That will give me the six I need (once shields and basing are addressed) to make a nicely robust unit of Elite Foot for Dragon Rampant - the first step towards that goal of a Dwarf warband.

It seemed fitting to paint stunties in the shortest month of the year ;)

Rab

Lego Rampant - battle for the crown

Ba'al Harredzar (evil wizard, wicked uncle, kicker of cats, and all-round Bad Sort) was in need of a stronghold, an income stream, and a veneer of respectability... Oh look! A small out of the way kingdom! Perfect.....

Lego Rampant

I can't quite believe I'm the first to do this, but a quick spot of googling seemed to say otherwise. I give you... Lego Rampant!

Tidying up after another day in which my boys seemed to have the sole aim of carpeting the house in tiny bits of... stuff, I realised that their Big Present from Christmas (a rather fab Lego castle) would provide them with a warband apiece for a game of Dragon Rampant tomorrow.

Introducing the dramatis personae. First, the "goodies"...

King Larenath
Elite riders, Level headed, Single Model Unit, Leader [8pts]

Chaos warband [DR]

I've mentioned Dragon Rampant in my last couple of posts (I've also just ordered Lion Rampant for the extra options, scenarios, and for straight pseudo-historical gaming), and this one will continue that theme. It's also an Oldhammer post because the figures I'm using have that vibe and these warbands will be based in such a way that they can be used for Warhammer 2nd and 3rd editions.

Although my stated plan is to complete a 24pt warband of chaotic ne'er-do-wells, it would be nice to give myself some options, especially as I reckon I could manage 30pt games on my table without it being so crowded it wasn't worth it. I'll start with what I've already got, then move on to the additions I hope to paint this year for this small section of my own personal Geekstarter.

The swan knight
Elite riders, Level-headed, Leader, Single model unit
8 points

Fresh from the jar

Whew! Busy week! Nevertheless, some geeking happened. I've picked the models I'm going to paint this month and got them pretty much prepped (four beastmen to take me up to twelve for a full Dragon Rampant unit of Bellicose Foot, and the two Ral Partha skeleton ogres to give me some Heavy Foot for my undead DR warband). I had intended to paint last night but after a couple of clumsiness incidents went for clearing out my ice cream tub of stripping models. Quite a variety, it turns out!

What can you spot?

I did at least get to continue our Swords & Wizardry Averaigne campaign this afternoon. Details to follow.

Enjoy your weekend,
Rab

Some die are cast

EDIT - I've changed the title to the die are cast because I realised that in 49BC this was the day that Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with the immortal gamer's line "alea iacta est"

First game of the year, and first game of Dragon Rampant. It's great!

Younger son (EM, aged 5 1/2) has been pestering for a 'knight game' for most of the week, usually just as I'm heading off to work or he's being put to bed... Today I put that right!

I had to cheat a little with my usual gaming rule to only play using painted miniatures, but they were ghosts/undead so it didn't feel as bad. Don't judge me!

We played a straight battle, despite my very very strong preference for narrative or scenario gaming, while we got the hang of the rules. I took a chaotic warband and my two boys generalled the undead I've been painting recently.

Geekstarter - more details

Last night I posted about my idea to "kickstart" my 2016 hobby endeavours (I work best when I have a structure with achievable goals!) within my pun-tastic idea of a personal Geekstarter, and how I was going to split it into four sections (Painting, Building, Gaming, and Blogging), each with Core and Stretch goals.

My Core aim overall is to play a two games of Dragon Rampant on my own gaming table, using different warbands I've painted myself in each game, and to keep you lot informed of my progress. So what does that look like in detail?

Deadcember the 23rd

I had this strange idea that I'd have more time when I started my Christmas holiday to get on and finish my skeletal painting for Deadcember. Ha! How naive I was... Nevertheless, I've finished painting the rank and file figures and am bulk painting the shields. The command figures are a little behind.

That's not the reason for this post, though, my self-selected Christmas present is: