Spanish Inquisition

In the early years of the 16th Century, to combat the rising tide of religious unorthodoxy, the Pope gave Cardinal Ximinez of Spain leave to move without let or hindrance throughout the land, in a reign of violence, terror and torture that makes a smashing film. This was the Spanish Inquisition...

Monty Python’s Flying Circus S2E2 (1970)

These figures are from Hungry Troll, but I cannot find them on their website. My recipe for red here is:

1. Vallejo Scarlet Red spray
2. Wash with 3:1 VGC 73.206 Red Shade: Army Painter Strong Tone
3. Black lining
4. Highlight with AP Pure Red and VMC 70.909 Vermillion

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

40K Slaanesh cultists

These have been floating about for a while, and I decided to polish them off before AHPC X begins. There's a fair amount of detail, and being ragged militia types, I couldn't paint two the same, so they took a bit of effort. But now they're ready for Kill Team, Necromunda, whatever.

Slaanesh cultists

Demagogue

Witch

Cultists with Heavy Flamer and Heavy Stubber

Cultists with Autoguns

Cultists with Autopistols and Melee Weapons

Skull-o-meter™: 1 ?!!?!

Journeys in Middle-Earth: 3D printed scenery

Journeys in Middle-Earth has two scenario types- a journey, or a battle. Battles are small skirmishes played on an interesting area grid, with cardboard tokens used for scenery which has in-game effects- shrubs and rocks provide cover, statues can be toppled for damage, etc. Cardboard tokens are a poor  substitute for 3D scenery, and I decided to fire up my 3D printer.

Wait, what, a 3D printer?

Yes- I invested in a small cheap-ish one a year ago and have been dabbling with it for a little while. I decided to push it a bit further than I had previously, and plunged into the addictive world of 3D printed terrain.

The technical details, for those who want to know:

• XYZPrinting Da Vinci Jr Pro 1.0
• 0.4mm nozzle
• 3DFillies Black PLA
• 0.2mm layers
• 10% infill
• 200℃

I've printed some statues, firepits, walls, barrels and tables. I have enhanced the scenery with basing, paint, flock, etc. The Skirt Swisher helped me paint the walls with drybrushing in the Dwarven Forge style.

The portcullis gate opens and closes!

Some of these were free, some designs I bought:

• Forgotten Kings and Queens from RM Studio Terrain
• Walls and floors (OpenLOCK) from Printable Scenery
• Firepit by The Caitasaurus
• Cask shelf by ecaroth
• Tables by Curufin

I'm very happy with the appearance- a small table like this is a perfect attainable starting point for a 3D printer project. I'm very much a beginner!

Happy Blogday!

Happy 8th Blogday! I read that internet years are like dog years, so WwB is overdue a mid-life crisis. This is my 399th post.

This Blogday review is brought to you by the colour Batman.

Pow!

Last year, I pre-ordered the Batman: Gotham City Chronicles extravaganza. I cleared the decks before it arrived in May, so was able to dive into a busy painting schedule and got it all done. Yay me!

I quite enjoyed the research for this project.

I also had fun painting my15mm poilus and tanks for WW1.

The other bigger project this year was Pinkstone Fortress, which has produced some fun battle reports.

I've just returned from Japan, so the blog went quiet for a few weeks. I saw Tokugawa Ieyasu's shrine, which has a carving of boardgamers on the gateway:

I also visited the Tokyo-Edo museum, which has some stunning 1:30 dioramas.

What does the next year hold?

• More terrain
• More Batman
• More Blackstone Fortress
• A return to Lord of the Rings
• Dabbling in 3D printing
• Samurai?

I'm looking forwards to AHPC X and CanCon! It was an honour to be a minion for AHPC IX.

Journeys in Middle Earth: Villains of Eriador

I picked up a pack of evil characters for FFG's Journeys in Middle Earth. I painted them the same as their minions.

Villains of Eriador

Gulgotar is an orc chieftain.

Gulgotar

Coalfang is a warg pack leader. I like her arrows and scarred eye. I rebased her on a 40mm base. I literally gave her black fangs; does it work?

Coalfang

Atarin is an evil wight or wraith or some such. My colour scheme of metal and ghostly cloth is not a resounding triumph, being a bit bland.

Atarin

I've now played through two different campaigns of about a dozen scenarios each. I really appreciate the different scenarios; they are quite varied and interesting (certainly when compared to the repetitive grind of Blackstone Fortress). The underlying mechanic of card-based skills and tests is quite nifty.

I'm not a fan of playing 'as' Aragorn, Legolas etc. When you whiff an attack it doesn't ring true, unlike if you were playing as, say, a generic ranger or dwarf. I think Imperial Assault handled this better, when named characters could turn up and ask for your assistance.

I do look forwards to more campaigns, more heroes, and more villains.

Blackstone Fortress battle report 2/2: Into the lair of the beast

Following last week's adventure, our heroes returned to Precipice to recover and get new kit. They had enough clues to track the ambull, and have now battled their way to its very lair...

Saved by urghuls again?! In Blackstone Fortress, enemy reinforcement rolls are rare but often devastating. Here, some unexpected urghuls erupted from a portal right next to the ambull. I randomised who they would attack- and luckily, it wasn't the explorers! Then, I rolled the rare reinforcements again- and again. There was no way Pious Vorne was going to survive.

In another unusual twist, I subsequently rolled an event that allows an out of action adventurer to return! Pious Vorne is back, baby!

Unlike the previous mission, the ambull cannot recover and return, so I wasn't worried by it once we had taken it down. I did enjoy the drama of it tunnelling and then emerging halfway across the board.

With the successful raid on the nest, I can now open the special sealed envelope that comes in the game, and get the unique goodies inside...

Blackstone Fortress battle report 1/2: Tracking the Ambull

An odd match of adventurers have been tracking an ambull through the Blackstone Fortress. Finally, they met it face to face...

A precision strike- the adventurers were all able to hit it with their up-gunned weapons, and it took some serious damage from the urghuls. By the time it recombobulated, the adventurers were well on their way to the exit.

Next week: Into the lair of the beast.

Blackstone Fortress: The Dreaded Ambull

Or, the most expensive Umber Hulk I will ever own.

It is a nice sculpt, not huge, with some interesting grubs literally dropping off the beast. They are rad-maggots, that help heal its wounds. The kit includes two Borewyrms as well, which are the Ambull's larvae.

Ambull and Borewyrms

With Traitor Guardsman for scale

Rear view

Skull-o-meter: 0?!

Blackstone Fortress battle report- Into the Deathmaze

This is a battle report from our protracted Blackstone Fortress campaign. BSF is a dungeon crawler in space, with unusual grimdark characters filling the adventurer tropes and journeying into a mysterious alien space station to glean its secrets. They are opposed not only by creatures in the station, but also by the forces of Chaos, who want to control the Blackstone Fortress themselves. 

Each Expedition takes four explorers and throws them against random challenges and encounters. They recover items which can be traded for upgraded equipment back at Precipice Outpost, and they also discover Clues. Finding enough Clues allows you to launch another Expedition with a climactic Stronghold mission; a more challenging encounter with added scenario rules.

Here's a Stronghold encounter, Into the Deathmaze. We've launched eight previous Expeditions so have a bit of experience under our belts. On this expedition, we've battled through some smaller skirmishes and challenges to get here and are a little bruised already.

Click to embiggen!

UR-025 is certainly a powerful tanking robot. But he couldn't have got there without Locarno's sneaky sacrifice!

I won't pretend it is a fantastic game, but the setting is fun and the figures and components are superb.  To be honest, it allows you to tell a nice pulp story. The new Escalation campaign expansion looks pretty good.

Report created with Comic Life 3 and LensFX iOS app.