Sanctioning a Privateer

Having come up with a framework to create a random Sanctioned Privateer and his Crew, I had to give it a go. So, after a couple of tweaks (I've updated the image in the previous post as well) and grasping a pile of d6s and d100s, I set to work...

Sanctioned Privateer

Like I said in my previous post, game reports and nice miniatures were a big draw to get me to start some science fiction gaming. And, before I go any further, I should make sure I plug Doug at em4. I emailed him on Wednesday about some of the sci-fi beastmen he sells that were showing as out of stock, asking when they'd be back in. Really quickly he emailed back to say he thought he had one or two available, sorted out the order and posted it Thursday morning on his way to root canal work by his dentist - they were in my grubby little hands by elevenses on Friday. Brilliant service, beautifully cast models with fab detail, and a good bit of banter by email in to the bargain. Go give him your money! Go now!

Back? Spend lots? Ok, back to me! What got me planning this new project was Whiskey Priest's post in which he came up with the necessary tables to create an Inquisitor warband in an RT/RoC style - it made me want to make one for a Rogue Trader. 

Going Rogue

It was only a matter of time. Posts like this, this, and this have broken my notoriously weak willpower. So, just when I seemed to be scaling the lead mountain with greater impetus, having only a couple of at least partially overlapping projects, I've fallen for the lure of lasguns and rocketships. I'm going rogue... Rogue Trader, that is. In the same way as I've been enjoying the skirmish level gaming of RoC over recent months, I plan to do the same with RT.

Step 1: The Rules

Well, I've read them on Scribd and am bidding on a softcover set on that auction site. I actually had the book on medium term loan from a friend back when they were newish so lots of it is pretty familiar (why is my head so full of, frankly, useless information from decades ago, rather than useful stuff?).

Step 2: The figures

Interestingly, considering the large nostalgia element to most of my gaming, I think might go almost entirely non-Citadel for this. Partly expense, partly just to be different, partly because there are some lovely old-school (or old-school style) figures out there to choose from.

Beastmen

These abhuman troopers were always high on my favourites list. Possibly because of the beastman thing (goes along with my RoC enthusiasm, I guess). Anyway, it's almost impossible to get hold of the originals for a decent price and there weren't many different sculpts, so I've ordered some of the old Spacelords' range of Phagons from Doug at em4 miniatures. Not only are there TWENTY-THREE different sculpts, but Doug has been really helpful, rooting around to find a single copy of a currently out of stock figure for me. Since I started this post he's found one and I've been able to ping some paypal credits his way this afternoon. Understandably, I recommend em4 and Doug for their customer service!

When they can be made to look this good (admittedly by a talented painter like Pil), how could I refuse?

See the trader chap in the middle? Absolutely screams Rogue Trader to me.

You can find more photos of his brushwork in this thread on the Oldhammer forum. I shall certainly be returning there regularly for painting guidance for these chaps.

Happy St. George's day, chaps.

This year's chosen image for the dragon slayer is this rather delightful lead (apt for this blog, I reckon) pilgrim's badge from 15th century England and now in the British Museum.

Now, onward and slay a dragon! (Metaphorical dragons permitted)

A few little things simmering away

Ok, so nothing actually complete, but I've been pootling about with a couple of bits and pieces over the last few days.

First up, some paint starting to appear on that converted centaur:

Ugly duckling - Completed!

Today is Mini-Rab #2's fourth birthday so I have eaten plenty of cake, soothed tears, built lego, regretted giving him a wooden sword and shield to match his brother's and played "pin the poisonous wart on the Gruffalo". It has been excellent family fun, and I knew it would be... but I hadn't expected to get any daytime painting in. However, Mother-in-Law decided that she would take the boys swimming this afternoon and so I claim completion of this painting and modelling challenge!

I even had a go at following Orlygg's 80s shield tutorial and it was only Very Difficult, rather than Utterly Beyond My Skills. Which was nice...

Mace side...

Ugly duckling - WIP 4

Nearly there! I just need to paint a shield for the rider (this time I really am going to try for an 80s style "eye" shield), glue him in place, and stick some flock and tufty bits on the base and then I shall claim completion of this challenge!

I'm probably blind to any errors, so do mention it if you think there is a small tweak within my apparent skill that would make things better. Photos taken on my phone with variable and uncontrollable white balance!

Checker me out? 

Chaos, Corleone style!

What have I been up to since the weekend, you say? This:

Ugly duckling - WIP 3

Basecoat applied - just for you Asslessman!

Real swan:

Chaos swan:

Ugly duckling - WIP 2

What seems like several months ago now, I undertook the Asslessman's challenge to oldhammerers to convert a knight that would say something about where we lived or where we came from. Now that I've settled in Bedfordshire I chose a giant swan mount to play with (many, many swans congregate on the stretch of river that runs through the town). This also went with my idea of including it in my nascent Tzeentch-themed force - an evil swan ridden by a fallen knight seemed as if it must have been well and truly exposed to the warping power of Change to me, no longer images of purity, loyalty (swans really do mate for life) and steadfast chivalry.

The process was initially straightforward. I found a not-too-spiky chaos knight to use from a joblot I picked up at the usual online auction site, as well as a giant model bird with a bad attitude to press into service as his mount. 

Flashback photo! First used on this blog back in October 2013...

The beak was pretty easy to sculpt, at least to my own satisfaction, but then I hit the Problem. For some reason I just could not get the saddle and its strap to look smooth, let alone like a saddle and strap, so it got pushed to the back of my desk and abandoned.

No more, I tell you, no more! The saddle etc still look more than a bit shoddy, but I shall attempt to paint on the detail and competence that my putty-pushing skills evidently lack. The knight is done (yes, actually painted!) and the bird undercoated grey and inkwashed with Badab Black (my usual starting point). 

Pictures or it didn't happen, you say? Here you go:

Gaah! Some of those dark bits on the reins and saddle are just pools of wash, rather than horrendous lumpy bits, honest!

Hopefully there'll be something interesting but not too taxing on the gogglebox tonight so I can get on with actually painting the bird...

Geek on, my friends,

Rab

Lashings of ginger beer!

Suitably refreshed by a generous picnic from our host, antipixi, of sandwiches, crisps, chocolate, and ginger beer (How delightfully Enid Blyton! I wonder if anyone has ever wargamed The Magic Faraway Tree? Or run The Famous Five as a dungeon crawl party? Hmm....) we got stuck back into our day of gaming.

We had time for one more battle so decided on a four-way warband skirmish around a tower containing a mysterious magic item. The last remaining champion on the field of battle would be able to claim this mighty object for themselves and the glory of their patron.

The field of battle. Whiskey Priest's caulking mat was really nice to game on.

There's my plucky band down in the bottom right. For some reason, Malc decided he needed revenge on me for earlier and quickly teamed up with the other Khorne warband to make me their prime target...

A free pass for good behaviour

So, after a kicker of a half term (admittedly with an amazing overseas trip in the middle), I was rewarded with a day-pass by the Minister of the Interior so I could go and play with my little mens. The weather was perfect for a day indoors rolling poly-dice (this was a Realms of Chaos day, so d100s and d1000s cropped up regularly) - it was always on the verge of absolutely hoying it down. Antipixi (Nurgle) and I (Tzeentch) had groomed over the internet invited Whiskey Priest (Khorne) to make us up to four, along with an offline friend, Malc (also Khorne). As well as turning out to be a thoroughly nice chap in the face of a sustained and repeated pounding from slightly more developed warbands and the dice, WP also brought his snazzy new caulking mat for us to play on, and a (very nicely) painted warband. Actually, this is where I should insert the pre-match warning: CAUTION - the following pictures includes images of unpainted miniatures in use! Strangely, the two culprits for such an abomination didn't think my suggestion of -1 to all dice rolls was a suitable one...

We played three games in total. The first were antipixi vs Whiskey Priest (hairy nuns in a courtyard - click on their names for their respective tales of victory and woe) and me vs Malc (coming up, below), then a four-way carnage after lunch.

So, onto the dice rolling!

From the Interwebz #1 - Steve Dismukes

A while back I posted a couple of "Follower Guest Spot" posts with cool stuff from the blogs of those who follow here but there's so much crossover between the readers of each blog on my list that this seems less necessary nowadays, particularly with the advent of the Oldhammer blog with its roundup of the fantasy blogosphere.

However, there is still cool stuff out there that I come across from time to time from beyond my usual internet hinterland that I think deserves a wider audience. This is one of them; a great mini-comic by Steve Dismukes that gamers and parents (and gamer-parents) will probably particularly appreciate: