Frostgrave Characters - Potion Master and Alchemist

I love the adaptability of Frostgrave. Like many of my favorite rules sets of late - SAGA, Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant, nothing ties you into a specific figure manufacturer's line. Of course, Northstar's dedicated line of Frostgrave plastics are excellent, but what about the metal characters?

In all honesty, I wish they were a bit larger. It is fine that the plastic sprues fit in with historicals, but I would like it if the metals stood out as bit more heroic. The potion master below is actually a bit smaller than the plastics. Which probably fits with the way it would work, but I like a little more heft out of my metal fantasy figs.

I bought the pack pretty much for the potion master. He's a really unique character and tough to find a suitable stand in among my collection. The marksman is not terribly interesting - any Crusader Miniature crossbowman could stand-in for that roster slot.

Here's some treasure markers I made up using Hirst Arts casts - barrels, treasure chests, a stack of books and some sacks. 

Finally, my last minis of the week are not Frostgrave related directly, but I suppose one could make them work. Both are Reapers, one is a half orc and the other is an ogre, although I painted them with the idea that the smaller guy is a half-ogre - a father/son pairing, perhaps. 

Oberon Half-Orc and Ogre Chieftain

Fire & Ice: Reaper minis for Frostgrave

This week I worked on my Reaper I backlog, in part due to some Frostgrave inspiration.

First, the fire elemental which is cast in red translucent plastic. I held back on this mini because I had some plan of drilling out the bottom and installing an LED. No shortage of examples are out there on the web, but I pretty much decided that after two years that was a project that would never get off the backburner.

So, here it is, ready for summoning by an elemental wizard. I quickly applied some basic yellow highlights with hot ash and coal on the base. 

I really like this Frostgiant Princess, although it looks more like a shaman than a noble. Some of the design elements have an Inuit influence, or possibly Saami. 

Frostgrave

Frostgrave is the mini hit of the summer, and I have certainly fell under its spell. Part of its appeal was that, like Open Combat, any miniatures could be used. With plenty of Reaper Bones on hand, I bought the rulebook, and passed on the official wizard and soldier minis.

That was the plan, but the book was illustrated with so many beautifully painted miniatures that I gave in and ordered the box of plastic figures from Brigade Games.

The sprues are well stocked with so many options that one could assemble all 20 with no noticeable repetition. The two handed weapons (great sword, battle axe) will be in my next batch.

Here is my planned warband - a Sigilist wizard and his apprentice, both from Reaper. The plastic miniatures are closer to the 28mm standard used by historical manufacturers. In fact, many of their arms and weapons will fit with Gripping Beast's plastic figures. I'll post some examples next week. But as you can see below, many fantasy manufacturers tend towards the taller side of 28mm (really 32mm). The two don't necessarily look out of place together, but there is a noticeable differential. 

I have also been busy assembling some Frostgrave terrain from my Hirst Art blocks. One of the nice things about building ruined terrain is that I don't have to use clamp and guides to line up the blocks straight and true. Buckled walls, gaps and other irregularities are the desired outcome in this case.