Rask and Bog Trogs

The last edition of No Quarter had a spoiler for a new minion Warlock for Hordes. Specifically Rask, a Bog Trog 'Lock. A run down of his abilities can be found on the Battle College here, and his mini (yet to be released) is here. All of which has got me rather excited about putting together a list. It has been a while since I was so enthused about starting a new faction (which was the start of my Menoth collection a lwhile back), so I'm quite looking forward to it.
As you all know, I have a fully painted unit of Bog Trogs, that I am rather proud of, but who have never seen the table. Now that i have the paint scheme, it should be easy enough to rustly up a Warlock with the same scheme and put them on the table. The only issue is, I don't have any of the other beasts or units that are required to run either a Blindwater Congregation list, or Rask's theme list.



Rask Theme List

All this excitement got me wandering round the web, looking for interesting tid-bits about this guy (by which means I found the theme list and pics) as well as looking for inspiration as to what models work well with this guy, and work well in general for Blindwater lists (in terms of synergy). You could then call this post a summation of my researches, that are completely un tested on the field. A nice review of the theme list from a Gator player can be found here as part of the Rot 'n' Roll blog, which is a great introduction to Gators as a faction.

From posting questions on the PP forums, it seems there's little you can take for the Blindwater congegation that will steer you wrong (except maybe the Boneswarm). However, it seems the base tactics would involve having a minimun unit of Bog Trogs as his 'Body-guard' to be used as fodder for his Call to Sacrifice ability, and one to fill the role they are designed for as ambushers (for which it seems they are more highly prized than I first thought). Otherwise, anything goes, as it seems this guy is good enough to work well with all the other minis available. Whatever else I take, it seems I should get a unit of gators too (if not two), as they're just bad-ass and will of course work with my Legion army.

Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers

Furthermore, there will be a new Bog Trog Unit released with the Hordes: Collosals book, namely the Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers. Not much is known about them, other than they are undead. A cheap unit to use with Rask's Call to Sacrifice ability (which allows him to sacrifice a Bog Trog to not die, and have 1 life point left instead), which in itself is almost enough of a reason to buy them, despite what other abilities they may get.

Shamblers Concept Art

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Went to see the Hobbit last night. It was awesome.

It was really great to take another trip into the Middle Earth as imagined by Peter Jackson (and Alan Lee, and the rest of the minds behind this work)

I'm not 100% convinced of Martin Freeman in the role, he brings a little too much Arthur Dent to his Bilbo, at least for this the first of the trilogy, but I hope as the character evolves over the next 2 films, that this becomes less of a thing.

Saw it in 3D 48 fps (frames per second), or whatever the new technology is. I think it worked rather well. I had listened to a review before going where it said this technology meant that, with some of the slower scenes, it was like being at a live production at the theatre, rather than being in a cinema. i think I agree with this statement, although I am not perfectly comfortable with the 3D glasses yet, and wouldn't mind the chane to see the film in 2D, just to be sure.



Cracking hat Bofur!



Some other thoughts:

I want a hat like Bofur's.

I thought that Balin was played by Ken Stott, then wasn't so sure. Turns out I was right.

The Golum scene rocked, and was almost (if not exactly) word for word from the book. Especially in 3D, it really was like being in the room with the two as they matched wits.

It hasn't so much made me want to buy into the Hobbit wargame, as is currently being pedalled by GW (although, I do fear that if/when they release a Thranduil mounted on an Elk figure, I will have to buy it), but it really really took me back to my youth, where me and a few friends would sit round a table each and every Sunday (for quite a few years) playing MERP. As GM, that meant I was steeped in Middle Earth lore, if not from the primary sources, then at least from the I.C.E modules for the game, of which I had a rather impressive collection. Those were the days!

Off to rewatch the first trilogy.

I leave you with Thranduil on an Elk, just because!

Source, as the film stills I found online were not so great.

Colore ton Monde: December, Joyeuses Fêtes

November's entries are all now up on the Club Chaos site. Go and check them out here.

As always, an extremely high standard of painting, and some very manly miniatures to be found, all with impressive facial hair top boot. I particulalry love this one:



Zardoz for the win!


This month's challenge is as follows:

Joyeuses Fêtes

Noël s'en vient, et son Père avec lui. Remplissez-vous les oreilles de joyeux cantiques, que vous ne serez plus capable de supporter bien avant la fin du mois.

Pour le mois de décembre, nous vous invitons à peindre un modèle avec du rouge et du blanc. Un morceau de robot pour les barbus bedonnants.

Translated quickly, christmas is coming, so paint something in red and white. What else could the December challenge be about?

N.B.
Yes, this is my 100th post. Thank you very much for noticing, however, I think I'll hold off on a grandioso celebratory post for 500, or maybe 250, or maybe after 1 year. Or maybe just when I feel inspired! ;)

The Big 'uns painting blog.

Last weekend, the Big 'un and I had a little painting session. Which resulted in the beautiful pirate girl you see here.

There remains the basing to be done another time, but she assures me it is finished.

My only (very small) issue with painting with the Big 'un, is that she only wants to paint girls (or animals), so I'll have to go find a supply of minis for her to paint, as my stock of random female miniatures is running low.

Next up is an update from this post here, where we first saw this beautiful mini. When we brought this out to finish, I introduced her to the inks, and showed her that if we put some of the brown ink over the face, we could see the eyes and other facial features better. She liked that. After that we moved on to the base to get it finished. She remembered I had some little leaves, which she wanted to use. Then she told me she wanted the girl to be standing under a tree, and did I have any? To which, I popped out onto the balcony, and got her a little twig, gave her some glue and flock, and voila!

After seeing this little WIP, she decided she wanted to have a crow too, however, I didn't have any left, so the little blob of milliput on the tree is my attempt at a crow, and the only addition I made to this vignette, the rest is all her own work. I'm sure she'll paint the crow black the next session we have.

Now, to find some animal minis for her, or maybe a Unicorn...

N.B. This is my 99th post. Will there be something grand and exciting for 100? Watch this space!
(disclaimer: there's unlikely to be anything too grand, but a little self advertising can't hurt).

Kingdom of Britannia Riflemen

 After my last post, I decided to give an update on the rest of the troops, and where I plan to go with them.I hope to have the rest of this rifle section for my Kingdom of Britannia starter set all painted by the end of the week.

South Wales Borderers

I've gone with a classical redcoat scheme for this unit. I have chosen a green for the facings, as a nod towards the 24th Warwickshire 'South Wales Borderers'. They await good Lieutenant Bromhead to lead them. I guess that'll do as a name for the Lieutenant who came in the box set.


60th King's Rifle Corp

For the second unit (bought, but not yet based or primed) I was planning to go with the Kings 60th Rifle regiment, and if I ever get a third, it will have to be painted as the South Essex (because you need a link to tell you who they are!). This should be easy enought to do, with just yellow/buff facings, although I may have to sculpt an eagle, or Prince of Wales feathers on the helmet, since by now they'll be known as the Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers. 

The only thing holding me back here is the rumour there will be a unit, or an attachment based on the (ubiquitous) 95th Rifles that will be released for the game. If it's an attachment, then I can easily go ahead and paint up the South Essex to attach them to, but if it's a unit, then I'll have second thoughts about painting up the 60th.

Paint Scheme will be added under the cut, mostly for my future reference.

Colore ton Monde: November/Movember

Ok, so after a couple of months of failure, I'm back with a bang. Not only did I manage to get a 'masculine' mini painted up, but he comes complete with the desired moustache. The rest of the unit isn't all that far behind. I have a goal of finishing off this unit and the Lieutenant for my Kingdom of Britannia force for  Dystopian Legions at least, before moving back to the other projects I have started. Well, maybe I'll paint up the air cavalry too...

I'm not too happy with the face, I'll need to get a magnifying glass of some kind I think. My eyes are not what they used to be I'm afraid, especially later in the evening (I blame getting up early with the kids,  but it may just be a combination of age and to much screen time). As always, the pics show up bits I missed, but for sure he's tabletop ready.

French & Indian War: Alternative Quebec

Major General James Wolfe

Warlord games have posted an article on wargaming the battle of Quebec, specifically with their supplement for Black Powder, Last Argument of Kings. It includes a historical background for the battle as well as an order of battle and Black Powder stats for both sides. There are then some alternatives for gaming the battle, just to keep things interesting. Lots of options and lots of inspiration. One day I will game this, one day...

Check out the article here.

And for those of you that want a real alternative, Zombie Indians!

Necromunda: House Escher

After seeing some great painting posts of a House Escher gang for Necromunda, I was reminded that I have the boxed set of these girls sitting back in the UK. I also have a bunch of juves that I picked up from a bits-box sale in this country. Those are some cool minis, and they have aged well enough for having been released almost 20 years ago.

I still think the official yellow
scheme works well (GW)

What peaked my interest was that the post on Tale of Painters says there are only 20 miniatures released for House Escher (and similarly for the other gangs). 20 minis! Is that all? Even I can paint 20 minis. Hell, I know for a fact, I have done at least 3 already (a long looooong time ago). That got me off on a search. I was surprised to see that you can still buy the Necromunda minis from the GW site. A further search revealed this to be the full and complete list of minis that were ever released. All other gangs and extras are listed too (I think I have a Jakara Spyrer too).

All fair enough to take a wander down memory lane, but since I have currently 3 projects on the table, I don't think it's time to start another. Still, it's nice to reminisce. Maybe one of the juves in my box will see a lick of paint soon.

Kingdom of Britannia: Sky Hussars

I have spent this evening cutting off flash, and basing my starter set. Not much to show yet, but here are some shots of the Sky Hussars. I'm rather pleased with the guy on the flying base, although the angle the mini sits on the pole means he does look like he's about to fly into the ground.

Unboxing: Dystopian Legions, Kingdom of Britannia Starter Set

I have had one eye on the new Spartan Games rule set since it was announced. So when the starter sets arrived at my FLGS, I had to dig out some birthday money to go get them straight away. I plumped for the Kingdom of Britannia starter, with a side order of drummer boys, so to speak.



There's a link to the official unboxing for all the starter sets here.

Contents

On to the unboxing. The contents of the kit are as follows:

14 Miniatures
Model Bases
Token Sheet
24 Dice
8 inch Ruler
Stat Sheet
Activation Cards
Game Cards
Quickplay Rulebook


It's been quite a while since I bought a game that came with its own dice, but as I read into the rules, it was made clear that the main mechanic of the game is based on dice colour. 'Upgrading' the dice colour has in-game effect, hence 8 dice of each of the colours used (black, blue and red). Also, including a ruler of the right length for game use is a nice touch. The quick play rules are really quite in depth, and with all the cards needed, a stat card AND all the necessary tokens, this really is a game in a box, there's nothing you'll need to add to get right on with gaming, except for an opponent.

 

Miniatures

Arial Hussars

the first thing I noticed about the miniatures as I unpacked them from their little baggies was the flash. There is a hefty amount of flash that will need to be carved off these boys. Not all minis were too bad, but some were quite terrible. On the plus side, the mould lines seem to be minimal.

The second thing I noticed was that when they say heroic scale, they mean it. It lists on the website that these are 28mm minis, but I would put them nearer 32mm. I do not mean this as a criticism, just an observation. When compared to, for example Infinity 28mm (which may be nearer 25mm), these will definitely be easier to paint.

The kit contains enough minis to place 2 units or 'sections' on the table, along with the appropriate number of leaders and NCOs. there are a standard Rifle section, and the flying cavalry, or Flying Hussars, which come with their resin smoke plumes to really let them take flight. One minor quibble of these is that, except for one figure, they all look up, as they are taking off, which means not too many are paying attention to the enemy. This may lead to some conversions where I put a flying base on their chest to allow them to zoom across the battlefield, so all is not lost.

It is nice to note that there are no duplicates amongst the miniatures. Each is an individual sculpt. I like this, and I feel it is especially important when you're playing a skirmish game with very few figures, so this is a definite plus.

 

Cards, Rules and other bits

Flashman Flash

All the cards are of high quality, with the tokens being laminated. This means they'll be able to withstand some wear an tear. There are 4 activation cards, upon which I assume you have to write the name of the sections and characters so you can chose their order of activation. there are also laminated, and I will have to check what kind of pen is best to write on them with, but it looks to be simple enough. The rulebook that is included is not so much a quick start edition, but seems to be quite comprehensive, and includes quite a number of colour images. Since I have yet to see a full version of the rule book announced for release, this is not a huge surprise, but is also welcome for the stingy gamer like myself. The dice are not too cheap either.

 

Summary

In conclusion, I am more than happy with this set. It is a real starter set with everything you need to game, and with all the bits and bobs being of high quality. The amount of flash is the only let down, but is not irreparable, and I can only assume this will improve as production continues. There was rumours that the release may be delayed, as had happened with previous Spartan games, so maybe the pressure was on at the company end to get these boxes on the shelves. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume we'll have no problem with a what is to come.

 

Extras

Drummer boys from the s

I also bought a box of musicians, this is the first attachment figure available for the faction, and contains 2 drummer boys, with stat cards. I was happy to see that there were two separate sculpts here, and not just 2 versions of the same mini.There wasn't so much flash here, although one of the poor blighters has no boots!

The only other box that has been released for this faction is a Section of Riflemen, as per the minis that come in the Starter Set. I can definitely see me buying this, and having them painted up in Rifleman green, or maybe after a little trip to Victoria Minis, converting them into Highlanders. The possibilities abound.

Colore Ton Monde: November/Movember

October was a fail.

Not a complete fail, in fact, I almost completed the minis I planned to, but with no painting/modelling in the last two weeks, I had no pics to post to Club Chaos. Hence, even with 2 months to work on the project and the hard part done, I count it as a fail. Which is a real shame, as I was really looking forward to completing that project on time. Those who did complete the challenge, did so with style!

Not to worry, onwards and upwards.

November's Challenge is as follows:

Movember!

Tout comme Tom Selleck qui l'arbore fièrement, novembre est le mois pour orner nos visages de ce signe de virilité extrême qu'est la moustache.

Pour le mois de novembre, nous vous invitons à peindre un modèle masculin. Un morceau de robot en prime pour ceux qui peindront un modèle moustachu.

Des that really need a translation? The title is Movember, and the text contains the name Tom Selleck. The gist of it is, paint a male/masculine figure, with bonus points for those that port a moustache. Alright. Lets see what we have in the cupboard that fits the bill!

A Winner Is Me!

One of the great things I have discovered about the miniature gaming blogosphere is the generosity and willingness to help of the members of the community. One of the ways this generosity shows itself is the numerous giveaways (not competitions as such) that are held by so many bloggers. It may take the form of giving away minis and books, to offering to paint minis for others. I'm not ashamed to admit, I love getting stuff for free (I'm Scottish, we have a stereotype to maintain). So when Fog's Soldiers put on a give away for reaching 25000 page views ( a mighty achievement in my mind) I was right there at the front of the queue. 

I was rather surprised to find out that I had actually won. I was downright shocked to read that I had beaten blog-tart supreme Ray  to second place. That guy wins everything!

So, what did I win? I put myself in the draw for the third prize:

The third prize is...painting some miniatures for your collection at our wargame standard.

This is the method:

you have 12 points; a 15mm infantryman = 1point, a 15mm cavalryman = 2 points, a 25/28mm infantryman = 2 points, a 25/28mm cavalryman = 4 points.

As I'm not a 15mm gamer (just sold my only 15mm minis this side of the Atlantic this week), that means I'm up for a great paint job on either 6 troopers or 3 cavalry. A bargain by anyone's standard.

Looking through Fog's Painting Guide, to see where his specialities lie, I see he's about as eclectic in his painting as I am (the gallery on his site has even more). I had initially thought to send some of my Napoleonics to be painted, as the last batch of posts he has made have been historical miniatures, but I see he also paints quite a few Flintloque minis. I would be tempted by this, if not for the fact all my Flintloque stuff is back in the UK. I was hoping by looking at the back catalogue, I would have an idea as to where to start, it seems I'm no further forward! Back to mining the lead mountain... 

For more information on Fog's painting service, visit his website.

Longest Night

I went along to the hallowe'en party at my FLGS last Saturday evening. The store was open for an all nighter, which meant the party started after the kids bedtime, hence my availability. They were running (amongst other things) a ‘Longest Night’ event. I thought this was a one off event run last year, when Privateer Press released eAlexia. Although it looked fun, I doubted I would be able to make it. However, it turns out they are supporting this as an event that can be run at any time, which is great. I may even get round to converting some skeletons to be used as the Longest Night Thralls.

Participation Badge

Once I made it along to the store, there was a little delay in getting started, but I managed to play 2 games before having to run for the metro. I played Legion, and managed to pick up a bunch of points here and there from the list at the end of the scenario (which includes things like making a tent for the scenario, taking candies to share, and being in fancy dress). It pays to read the rules. I found out the next day I had won (although I have yet to collect the medal).

The biggun' was so taken by the tent, we had to make another one for her the next day,

Home-made tent and Thrall

I tried to get eAlexia painted up for use (she plays for any and all factions in this scenario), but failed. I am however quite happy with the horse (although it is not finished, it needs some work on the face and the ribs). I decided to go with a blonde Alexia, to move away from the dark tones of the mount, but otherwise I'm sticking pretty closely to the colour scheme laid out in NQ37.