[Catacombs] Retinues WIP 1

Rather delightfully, new projects (even little side projects) require or allow new miniatures. They are a spur to collecting, modelling, painting. Small projects, particularly those that are self-contained like this, also give a chance to try out new methods or styles knowing that if they prove to be onerous or underwhelming, they aren't going to need to be repeated ad nauseam. Fun, eh?

Here are the retinues for my Catacombs project, in their pre-painted state. I'm not very used to plastic kits, but cutting and sticking three different kits together (Conquest's Dark Age Archers, Fireforge's Foot Sergeants, and a couple of heads from an old GW Bretonnian set) proved rather enjoyable and allowed a certain level of creativity from your truly. They didn't all work out as well as I envisioned, but I tried to be guided by the archery and sword-fighting I've done over the years as I did my best with the nice range of bits in front of me.

The two metal figures, oldhammer stalwarts seeing service, finally, since their moulding in the 80s or 90s, are the two knights who will lead their retainers into the darkness. There is one figure missing from the line-up, the mage. I've chosen a figure that has no company stamp on its slotta base, and merely says "WIZARD" on the other side. He looks decidedly 80s and will fit in nicely.

Speaking of bases, you might have noticed that the figures above have no bases attached to their feet. That's because I'm going to take advantage of the "small project" freedom and try my hand at sculpting some flagstone bases for this lot and then pin/glue them directly in place. I have some Mantic bases that will form the canvas for my putty-pushing.

I'll keep you posted,

Rab

Catacombs teaser

Whatwhatwhat?! This looks dangerously like a new project...

Sprues from Fireforge and Conquest Games (bought from 2nd City Games at a very reasonable price per sprue):

Boney ogres

Last Deadcember I purchased two skeleton ogres from Ral Partha and blogged about how one might use them in WFB 3rd edition. I was quite pleased with my noodlings but really wanted a unit of three so the project stalled.

Enter Justin Coutange on the Oldhammer FB group who sculpted an absolute beauty of a third ogre, excellently picking up on the classic ogre captain by Jes Goodwin, Hrothyogg:

Picture from Stuff of Legends

[GS review] - July and August

I realised I never posted July's data, so here I give you a particularly thrilling double whammy of me not quite achieving what I wanted to , except to play more games! Lots more games, particularly Space Hulk, with my two little boys.

The overview:

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:

Loot

After a glorious holiday, in which no modelling took place because I forgot my pin vise, I returned home to a couple of nice little packages and with a surprising little purchase from a post office in tiny, remote Cornish fishing village, Newlyn.

First, the WYBBL dice I sorted out the logo for. These are the ultra-limited pearl versíon. Snazzy! Also, I had the undead ogre sculpt by Justin Coutange through the Oldhammer FB group. In fact, I liked it so much I got two. I think the second may be offered as a prize for Deadcember at the end of this year.

There was also an apropos nothing gift from an old fencing and re-enacting friend, something which I'd never seen before. It's a beautifully illustrated Steve Jackson 'Fantasy questbook' called 'The tears of Tantalon'. I think I'm going to enjoy solving it, as well as looking over the artwork. Thanks, Phil!

And my post office purchase? Two oldish GW washes (Baal red and the blue one, no Devlan Mud sadly) and a Hawk Turquoise (I have trouble mixing turquoise) all from a £1 grab bin. I only got them thanks to Mrs Rab spotting "some of your monsters" in the shop window and suggesting I check inside. Bless her!

Now, to put all these treasures to good use.
Rab

Into the West

So in the morning Mrs Rab, the two mini-Rabs and I will be starting the seven-hundred-and-twelve hour drive down to the far tip of Cornwall (leaving Castle Rab well guarded, naturally) for what I hope will be a fabulous holiday. Sun, sea, cliffs, stone monuments both ancient and industrial, maybe even a dolphin or two. Plenty of Clannad and Show of Hands for the car, because folk. Lovely.

But, I hear you cry, what about geeking? Fear not, I have packed some Stuff for evenings or wet days. Taking a leaf out of Asslessman's book, I've got tools and bitz for making up another couple of chaos centaurs, as well as some medium-sized models that will probably need filing and gap-filling. If the putty mood doesn't take me I've also packed some squared paper and my notebook to extend Averaigne for a September restart.

On the other hand I might just eat fish and pasties, drink wine and beer, and skim stones into the ocean at dusk. Decisions, decisions...

Dice

A few weeks back, a chap from the West Yorkshire Blood Bowl League (WYBBL) asked for a spot of help on FB to turn their logo into an appropriate format for lasering into some custom dice to use as giveaways in an upcoming tournament. Having enjoyed doing just that for BOYL '14, and wanting to not get rusty using Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as helping a fellow gamer out, I volunteered.

This is their logo:

Chess

So this has happened - the ankle biters decided they needed to know how to play. Excellent!

The lovely folding set Mrs Rab got me many moons ago from The Shambles in York

I had a really cool how-to book which, along with my dad, taught me the game as a boy

Fortunately, I rarely throw things away so they are getting the same introduction. Happy days!

Averaigne campaign - Year 1: Epilogue (a)

[The story so far]

Gaming Year 1: Epilogue
What to say about those days after the defeat of the Vespertines and the flight of their masters? Strangely little happened, strangely little was said, strangely little was remembered, and even less was ever told outside Corcelle. Listen carefully and you will understand as far as I do, you may even remember some of it yourself. Then again, you might not...