Stargrave Campaign - The Unreal engine

 So last week , I was lucky to get the opportunity to meet up with some friends for a whole extended week end of gaming. I hadn't seen several of them since 2019 due to real world complications so it really wa s a tremendous pleasure to see them, push some lead, talk non sense, empty some pints and catch up.

The game we focused on this year is Joe McCullough's Stargrave, the sci-fi version of the famous Frostgrave and I was really happy be hapy to finally play a game I had been waiting for for years. There were 10 of us and 6 to 7 tables with a dedicated scenario each so plenty of opportunities to explore the game, level up the bands and experience the wonders of dice roll drama.

Yearly Review ! Welcome 2019 !

Yearly review tiiiime ! Quite a cliché I know but I've done the exercice since the start of this blog and it's a good thing to reflect on past and future at once !

What is your style ?

one trick pony : god mode

Ok, Today I'd like to talk a bit about what we consider as style or a touch, anything that sets one's work apart from the rest.
We've all encountered people's work we can immediately tell apart from others and there are some things that make or break it for each f us.
It's usually harder to give a proper definition of what we do unless we have a very strong vision and the means to translate it in a tangible form (and that requires talent AND skill I think).

Why would I think about all that ? Well I do see people with a strong identity in their painting and I've been told now and then I do have a "style" some can easily identify (although I've also been mistaken for my friend Jon).

Group painting, old chaos warrior and 200th model of the year !

So the other WE I was at the Octogone again in Lyon, a gaming convention. This year, I wasn't trying to promote Oldhammer (much) but took part in a painting get together with some pals !
I have to say I rarely paint in a group and have always had a lonely way of modelling but I have to say it's quite fun to have friends around you can share painting tips, paint pots, glue or whatever in a joyful mess !

BOYL 2018 Review !

Well well well ! It's this time of year again ! I just got back from BOYL and need to tell you all about it ! Of course, Bulldog Lopez has already covered the most important points but there are still a couple of lousy details that may be of interest to some !
As usual, this post will be packed with pictures so take a good seat and a fresh drink (damn heat...) and let's go on !

Summer work - More Venators !

Summer is not exactly the easiest period to get any hobby done let's face it. Too much bathing, sun, seeing friends and all. It's just not a productive time. We can make it worth though by trying to cease the opportunities.

And avoiding temptations.

Hobby mojo or how to make the best of our hobby

Something a little different today, I'd like to talk about Hobby Mojo and more generally speaking what we expect from our hobby (or any other hobby for that matter).

Over the past years, I've seen terms like Hobby Mojo, Hobby burn out pop out here and there and I have to say those have always seemed a little odd to me. Why do people feel that and why does it seem odd to others ?

Houses of the city - Post-apoc/Sci-fi scenery

In the last couple of weeks I had the chance to play a fair load of games and for the second part for the french Oldhammer event (posts HERE and HERE, I had decided to build and paint a bit more scenery to have a good table.

Now I've started these a few months ago but like often I did most of the job and then couldn't get myself to do what was left.

Oldschool gaming and a french Oldhammer Event !

A bunch of handsome french and belgian oldschool players !

Those last 2 weeks have been pretty packed with hobby in all its forms, from painting to modelling and even more gaming !

I've played a great number of games of all kinds from old to new, quick to long, small to large and all were simply brilliant !

Be warned, this post will cover many games with a stupid amount of photos !

This all started 2 weeks ago when I had the pleasure to fly to Ireland to visit my good friend Sho3box/Cheetor. Seeing him was already delightful but you know how it goes, when in Rome...

Wilson Ochtar - Octopus extraordinaire

Everything happens for a reason, even the most stupid ones (often the most stupid ones). It's been over a year now my WIPster friends and I have had the excellent Wilson in mind. You just cannot imagine the surprise we had when GW decided to release the Idoneth Deepkin and amongst them no other than our favourite invertebrate !

The stripper - Everyday life of an oldhammerer

See that imperial look, that nobility and the high standard of moral values Karl Franz embodies ? Of course you don't. Nothing here to see but inch think layers of hard enamels and gruesome gore effects... URGH...

But hey ! What's the matter, all we need is a good seesion at the strip club. We'll show those enamels (with Vincent Price's voice) the evil of the strrripper !

Now it had been a while since I last had a model so poorly painted to strip. Like 5 years ago actually. I'm going to show some models I've stripped before, just to attest (did I need to prove anything ?) that I'm not exactly new in stripping town.

Hello 2018 ! - Yearly Review !

YUP... Yearly review, we've reached that time ! It's honestly a good way for me to keep track of what I've done or should have done or just plan what I want to do next ! But since you're all so eager to read what I have to say I won't let you wait any longer.

Monster manual special : The Cockatrix !

OK, let me get this straight right away, this is going to be one of those stupid posts, just so you know. You don't have to say anything nice about it, I won't mind (much).

OK now James Holloway from Gonzo History has initiated a little contest to create new monsters like those you can see in the original monster manual.

You know, the kind of monsters when you have more imagination than money or models !

The first step being to find a cheap toy, I found exactly what I needed !

Trash Bash competition - The outpost

Brian Roe from Roebeast's magical house of sunshine has organised a new edition of the Trash Bash competition on the Facebook page.

I have to say trash bashing has never been my forte so I thought I'd use the occasion to take part and come up with something for once !

You can read the full rules on his blog but the main points were the following :

Contestants will construct and paint a vehicle or structure inspired by the terms ASSAULT/SIEGE. Concepts do not have to be military in nature and can embody any ideas that the entrant sees as viable.

The required bit is a medicine package. From pill bottles to blister packs, any bit that once held or dispensed some sort of medicine is valid

So I tried to look in my stash for suitable pieces I could repurpose and came up with those :

Life in 2 colours - a painting exercise

And now for something completely different and a little unexpected, here's a little painting exercise ! I've decided to take part in a little online painting challenge a couple of weeks ago. The rules were pretty simple : the only pots available had to be black, white, turquoise and orange !

Working with a limited palette should be OK, I'm used to it I thought... And then reality struck me in the face...

If model painters are ranked from "tournament minimum 3 colours" to "master level multi awarded god" well.... I guess I'm firmly stuck somewhere in the grey area in between.

Now what drives my painting ?

The lone shacks - Fogou Models

I've recently spent a lot of time on scenery from all sources and although it has made progression on models a bit more complicated it's starting to pay off. I have a convention planned in half a year and I would really want to be able to fill a fancy table so there's no other way to achieve this than to roll my sleeves up and get dirty !
I have many projects of scenery on the go but the first I've finished were those lone shacks from Fogou Models.

Factious Waste - Ludite and Neoprimitive priest of Consumar

Last BOYL, I was lucky enough to come back with an outrageous amount of models and amongst those, some very particular ones since they haven't been released yet !

Why haven't they ? Well because they're due for a Kickstarter coming very soon.

Morcar and and complete set of oldhammer exclusives !

Ok so after painting Curtis' sculpts for BOYL, I had to finish one last model to complete the set of Oldhammer events exclusive models. This one was sculpted for BOYL16 by Geoff Sims from Oakbound.

You might either have recognised him or just understood who he was from the title of this post but in case you have no clue, here is Morcar of Heroquest fame.

Ramshackle Oldhammer exclusives !

OK, so after painting Olivia a few days ago, I thought I'd finish all the models that I've got from previous BOYL events. Just as a reminder, BOYL (Bring Out Your Lead) is the Oldhammer event in Newark every summer to celebrate the joy of oldschool gaming.

One of the traditions now is to get a free model (sometimes 2) designed and produced specifically for the occasion because let's face it, nothing pleases us as getting new models !

Olivia Headhunter - Oldhammer special

Results over manners. That could be the definition of Olivia's state of mind and practical way of handling missions. Not that any of her employers have had anything to say about it so far.

Olivia is a special character, not only because she's one of the most fearsome female imperial guard models you've seen in a while but because she was the gift model at this year's BOYL.