[KQ] The caverns of calamity! (Part 1)

A long time might have passed in the real world since Sir Reginald was nearly slain by an orc during the retaking of his home, but "in-game" it has merely been a day and a half's hard ride. Unwilling to spend the time circumnavigating the southernmost spur of the Dragon's Tail mountain range, our Heroes elect to take the old mining route under the mountain, directly through...

.... THE CAVERNS OF CALAMITYYYYYYYY

A soundtrack such as this might set the mood.

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

[GS Review] - January

So, how is the 2016 campaign going? A slow start in January, it's fair to say, but February has already been better!

The overview:

The pictures:

Averaigne campaign - session 08

[The story so far]

Session 08 - Gnollololololol

Fired with purpose and the growing realisation that, if Aractheon was real and the apocrypha were accurate, the world really could be ended if they and the other parties failed to return with sufficient information to allow Alaric to prevent this apocalypse, the party rode West at speed. Once through the nearly empty streets of Corcelle as dawn broke, they continued past villages and inns that were increasingly widely spaced. The road was good, however, and they must have covered twenty miles before making camp for the night.

Finished dwarf

Not a proper photoshoot, despite my Geekstarter intentions, but here is my Wayne England tribute miniature. The background wall is white, so I guess my phone's white balance is a little out of whack...

Rab

Blue and white dwarf

After yesterday's sad news about Wayne England, there was only one choice I could make for last night's hobby time - my first dwarf (one of the Imperial dwarfs by the Perry brothers), in the classic blue and white combination that Wayne popularised.

Still a WIP and snapped on my phone, but my own little tribute to a man whose artwork has given me so much inspiration over the years.

I can see me getting into painting dwarfs of this era. I have a few, but....

Rab

RIP Wayne England

I just read, via Facebook, that Wayne England, GW artist and progenitor of a thousand blue/white dwarf armies has died. I hope his family will take some comfort from the deep affection and esteem in which he and his body of work were held by those who knew him in person, or only through his pen.

The first White Dwarf I owned was UK issue #110 and Wayne's cover for it takes me back to being about ten and in the first throes of overexcitement that encountering miniatures and wargaming will do to a young geek.

Averaigne campaign - session 07

[The story so far]

Session 07 - Alathea defiled!

The party, now better armed, armoured, and feeling ready for anything, headed back towards the temple of Alathea to leave Dumnorix to his devotions before an evening of drinking and telling tall tales at the Wounded Gryphon.

Cabinet of curiosities

Long have I lusted over the display cabinets of other Oldhammerers and gaming bloggers. All their figures laid out in their multifaceted and painted glory, inviting closer ogling and holding out the promise that there'll be some rare gem of great price tucked away among the plastic Bretonnian archers that seem to collect like dust in any gaming room.

But I always returned to the calculation of how many miniatures I could buy for the price of even the most rickety of cases...

And then, while feeding next door's cats I noticed this ready to go on ebay, but they gave it to me when I expressed interest; wouldn't take a penny - wooohooo!

Be lucky,
Rab