tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62733772395637943822024-03-24T03:16:27.644-04:00Deep Dark DungeonsTheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-71479555213089028002018-05-31T23:50:00.001-04:002018-06-01T20:17:16.470-04:00Death In The DarkHello patient friends and people who have stumbled onto my page for the first time by accident or from some link I posted somewhere!<br />
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It has been a long time since the last post but I figured since I played an actual game of <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2014/03/deep-dark-dungeons-dungeon-crawl-rules.html">Deep Dark Dungeons</a> that I should use this conveniently named page to share my session. I sort of threw something together kind of slap-dash, but a few encounter tables and carefully selected miniatures later I was off!<br />
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I ran a low-level adventure of around 160 points and I'm finding I'm enjoying these sort of adventures immensely. They are very much more tense, and require smaller numbers of figures which fit better into small dungeon rooms. I'm toying with the idea of making it the default setting, but I worry that for one-offs that you miss out on some of the crazier encounters.<br />
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Using my dungeon terrain I constructed a 6 room dungeon to explore.<br />
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I went with a classic party of dwarf fighter, elf rogue, human wizard and human cleric. The first door was opened and right away I got a challenging encounter, a medusa! Or not so challenging as the elf rogue dashed in and shanked her, killing her dead in one blow. Go us!<br />
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Of course as we moved further in, a random encounter had some goblins return home and immediately swarm the elf. A few sharp knives later and I was down one party member in room one. Go us?<br />
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The next room yields a weapon rack, and the cleric needing to pick up some slack left by the loss of the elf decides to search it. He ends up with a masterwork weapon and a curse for his troubles, lowering his quality and combat by one. I beginning to see a pattern develop here.<br />
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The next room has a lizardman guarding a chest! Huzzah, loot! The lizardman gets brained with an axe pretty quickly. The dwarf moves in to open the chest...<br />
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Annnnd it's a mimic. Of course it's a mimic. It hopped around and got chopped up and the party moved on.<br />
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Room number 4 contains nothing but an ordinary table. Or is it? The curious cleric decides to search it and...gets cursed again, this time getting turned into a frog. Sadly a frog miniature was not available for this picture.<br />
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The curse didn't last long, but it was long enough to distract the heroes while some random bandits ambushed them! Two were cut down quickly but a third almost made it to the wizard before the dwarf caught up with him. Close call!<br />
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The party again attempted to move on, but another wandering band of goblins showed up. Two rushed the wizard while the archer hopped up on that damn table and fired a crossbow bolt into the poor cleric's back, killing him instantly. His god must have been really angry with him! The dwarf and wizard finished off the runts, but now there were only two...<br />
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Trudging on to the fifth room, the dwarf opens the door and gets a spray of acid for his troubles. He is unharmed but soon finds himself charged by another lizardman! Blows and spells are traded but the mighty dwarf is finally felled by beefy scaled sinews.<br />
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Finding himself suddenly alone, the wizard decides to leg it and the quest is at an end. Sadly, adventure failed.<br />
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Even though my party died horribly and didn't even make it to the final challenge, I still had a great time. I've blown through adventures this size before easily, but this time luck was just not on my side. Lots of wandering monsters, unlucky combat rolls and an inordinate amount of traps just made this brutal.</div>
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But that's how life goes in the Deep Dark.</div>
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Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-60189987856293079492017-10-20T01:25:00.000-04:002017-10-20T01:32:38.064-04:00Custom Space Marine Chapter: The SwordbreakersGreetings fellow gamers! It has been a long, long hiatus and I finally have something I feel like posting about!<br />
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With the new edition of 40k, I decided to start my own custom chapter, which is really a chapter I started building a decade ago, but suffered some setbacks and ultimately abandoned. The new primaris space marines have given me the inspiration to push forward and I've assembled the force. Of course in my usual fashion, I've painted very little since I started collecting them in June.<br />
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But before I get to the pics, though I want to share a little background. The army started as a Crimson Fists stand-in and was originally planned as an almost pure drop-pods and veterans force. With the advent of the primaris, things have shifted but the ear-marks are still there: stubborn veterans who strike deep into the heart of the enemy to crush it's most vital armaments. Incidentally, even though they are sons of Dorn, I use the Iron Hands chapter tactics. Hopefully you can see why below. Anyway, I'll let my little chapter blurb do the talking.<br />
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The Swordbreakers</h2>
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Parent Chapter: Imperial Fists</div>
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Symbol: Sword with broken blade (white on purple).</div>
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Heraldry: Purple and black.</div>
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War Cry: "We are the shield of the Emperor! We are the hammer of Dorn!"</div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Swordbreakers take the legendary stubbornness of Dorn and weaponize it. When the enemy makes siege, the Swordbreakers bring the siege to the enemy. Each marine is a walking fortress, shrugging off grievous injuries through indomitable will while laying down hails of withering firepower from which there is no escape. The Swordbreakers strike deep into the heart of enemy lines, seeking to carve out their artillery and elite troops. Each mission is near suicidal, and Swordbreakers have earned a reputation for iron-willed tenacity. Each warrior emerges from these baptisms of fire a battle-hardened veteran, thrust into the midst of dangerous combat even few other astartes see.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c0009e8-382b-e512-9c2d-7a55f984aff5"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The heavy losses and injuries sustained by the chapter give rise to a large number of dreadnoughts, further epitomizing the impregnable fortitude of the chapter. If each marine is a walking fortress, Swordbreaker dreadnoughts are lumbering bastions of death, crashing into the foe and breaking them upon their heavily armored bodies. </span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c0009e8-382b-e512-9c2d-7a55f984aff5"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Severely depleted prior to the division of the galaxy, the Primaris marines were a welcome addition to the chapter’s ranks. Merely 300 of the original chapter’s marines remain, now comprising most of the upper leadership. In addition, the chapter’s entire 1st company is entirely comprised of the chapter’s original astartes. The 10th company is also trained by original Swordbreakers, maintaining the traditions of the chapter. The rest of the battle companies are almost pure Primaris, with non-Primaris marines serving in mentorship roles at a leadership level. The Swordbreakers see the Primaris as the inheritors and future of the chapter, and as such strives to put them at the forefront of their operations.</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3c0009e8-382b-e512-9c2d-7a55f984aff5"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Notable Swordbreakers:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chapter Master Alaric Bane (non-Primaris)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain Ramirez Holt, 1st Company (non-Primaris) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain Fenral Brandt, 4th Company</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chief Librarian Heinrich Voss</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaplain Balus Richter, 4th Company</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lieutenant Kurgos Vaughn, 4th Company</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lieutenant Godric Lang, 4th Company</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ancient Danais, 1st Company Venerable Dreadnought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eigon the Elder, 1st Company Contemptor Dreadnought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brogan the Honored , 4th Company Redemptor Dreadnought</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So you have the background, now on to the pretty pictures. First we have Lieutenant Kurgos Vaughn, of the 4th company. Vaughn is an accomplished veteran and carries an honor-mark over his right eye to attest to his valor.</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you can see I went with a semi-half black/purple scheme. I used bright green as the highlight to make it really pop, and white for markings so they would be highly visible.</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next up we have Chief Librarian Heinrich Voss. Even though Voss is one of the less seasoned primaris marines, his prodigious abilities and deep wisdom earned him a rightful selection to head the chapter's librarius.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPhUpxWl-6EGHsC4AU_DQYvY16jIjVbJHNoMwKys_pic4SHC4GLIzAcf2Ew8BMMQ6CGShHuRbSw0Cv3117qznFYvazBI2AZw0FqPtWAVVojrqLgLWUOcBrMiKLz179EIyiNKNHa7IMevt/s1600/FB_IMG_1508475409938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPhUpxWl-6EGHsC4AU_DQYvY16jIjVbJHNoMwKys_pic4SHC4GLIzAcf2Ew8BMMQ6CGShHuRbSw0Cv3117qznFYvazBI2AZw0FqPtWAVVojrqLgLWUOcBrMiKLz179EIyiNKNHa7IMevt/s640/FB_IMG_1508475409938.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Specialist characters can be hard to keep the chapter identity with the alternate armor colors, so I tried to convey the purple/black with the robes. I also tried to keep the blue dark as a semi-nod to the chapter's Crimson Fists inspiration. I tried to replicate the same burning sword look from my <a href="https://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/06/tell-me-your-secrets.html">Dark Angels librarian</a>, but the color shift to green left it looking a little odd. I think it still works though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that's two models down of about 60. I wouldn't expect too much movement on this project, but if I get anything else done, I'll be sure to post. It feels good to post again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyways, happy gaming!</span></div>
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TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-52086522791064585212017-03-13T01:19:00.000-04:002017-03-13T01:19:34.123-04:00SLAMBO!(Note: All references to SLAMBO! in this post will be in all caps and punctuated with an exclamation point. This is because his name must always be shouted at the top of your lungs while making an angry war-face. You should imagine that every time you read SLAMBO!)<br />
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In the ancient times at the beginning of Warhammer, Citadel put out a number of metal chaos warrior figures that for some reason or another they decided to name:<br />
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They were filled with character and in may ways set the tone for all chaos warriors to come after. They embodied the art of heavily armored murder, and none more so than SLAMBO!<br />
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You can see SLAMBO! in all his glory there in the upper left corner. The horns, the axes, the slitted great helm and giant pauldrons, SLAMBO! probably created the chaos warrior look we know and love. He was a real trend-setter from the get go. In fact, it is probably safe to say he was the inspiration for the equally-famous-if-not-more-so chaos warriors from HeroQuest:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMssx36WwO1gXHZk934hhvULgpM_4gedEeCRugMKa5VTeEjguy1_Z3cGga1yIwOKNWifXyvKLK05z6w6CHEYZkeJTkeS93zkcSkg7hpSC17xJKsrNgydvnj6_fiPgG6B9lDoatQgSCU3w/s1600/hero+quest+chaos+warriors+m6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMssx36WwO1gXHZk934hhvULgpM_4gedEeCRugMKa5VTeEjguy1_Z3cGga1yIwOKNWifXyvKLK05z6w6CHEYZkeJTkeS93zkcSkg7hpSC17xJKsrNgydvnj6_fiPgG6B9lDoatQgSCU3w/s640/hero+quest+chaos+warriors+m6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all joined his fan club. They got membership cards and everything.</td></tr>
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Over the years, SLAMBO!'s simple approach to horned, armored, double-bladed mayhem has made him <a href="https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Slambo">somewhat of a legend</a> among the Warhammer community at large. Which meant of course that when Games Workshop released a new, bigger, meaner <a href="https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Slambo-Exalted-Hero">resin version</a> of him, the internet was buzzing with excitement.<br />
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As a fan of old-school miniatures in general and a lover of all things even tangentially HeroQuest related, I had to pick up SLAMBO! and paint him up. I am incredibly proud of the results:<br />
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The main technique used on the armor was to prime black and drybrush the model in layers of silver. In this case, Boltgun Metal>Ironbreaker>Mithril Silver. Then I washed the armor with Thraka Green and Gryphonne Sepia in the appropriate areas, giving it color but leaving it metallic.<br />
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As you can see, I picked up a pot of GW's Blood For The Blood God and just went to town. This stuff is amazing and it is crazy how much it looks like real blood. I used a toothbrush dipped in BFTBG and ran my finger over the bristles, flicking the paint on to create spatter in the appropriate areas.<br />
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I really love how the severed head came out. It is an old Empire head, I think from some knights. I cut the neck area flat and painted in some flesh and bone then just gooped BFTBG all over it. It was only appropriate to show SLAMBO! in his natural element of blood-soaked glory.<br />
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He's surprisingly bigger than his original version. While SLAMBO! the elder was 28mm scale and we would expect his new version to be 32mm heroic or some-such, new SLAMBO! is well into the 40mm scale territory, almost completely filling his 40mm base. He makes for an imposing figure on the tabletop.<br />
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Speaking of which, while he has rules for both Age of Simar and the new version of Warhammer Quest, I think SLAMBO! will be a display model for some time. If you want to see him in person, you can pop down to <a href="http://www.black-moon-games.com/">Black Moon Games</a>, where he will be menacing people from the display case.<br />
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That's all for now! Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-18807027924325509452017-02-12T21:49:00.001-05:002017-02-13T09:49:20.258-05:00Here I Stand And Here I'll Stay<a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2016/02/one-with-wind-and-sky.html">In a post almost exactly a year ago</a>, I made it well known that I'm a ridiculous Frozen fan. Yes, I'm weird, whatever. Let's move on.<br />
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Anyway, I was never really happy with those miniatures. The sculpting was a little basic and kinda goofy, even for figures based off of Disney characters. On top of that they were a little out of scale and tiny.</div>
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However, <a href="http://www.hfminis.co.uk/">Hasslefree Miniatures</a> have once again saved the day with a couple of beautiful sculpts that really knocked it out of the park. This Christmas I was lucky enough to receive both their <a href="http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=resin-master-%252d-apprentice-raisa~hfmaster-h134&category=fantasy-%26%0D%0Asteampunk~%2Anew-fantasy%2A">Raisa</a> and <a href="http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=resin-master-%252d-cara~hfmaster-h133&category=fantasy-%26%0D%0Asteampunk~%2Anew-fantasy%2A">Cara</a> resin masters as a present. I've been eyeing these two for a while now and I've put it off mostly due to the price. But if you have never picked up one of Hasslefree's resin masters, do so immediately. They are incredibly clean and crisp. I don't think I could go back to their metal stuff unless I didn't have the option. Totally worth the extra money.</div>
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Raisa is the Elsa look-a-like and she hits the nail on the head:</div>
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I used the same basic color scheme as I used on the original Northstar sculpts, although this time around the skin came out much whiter looking, so I just washed it back down with Ogryn Flesh and left it. It came out surprisingly good, and I can see the benefits of the monochrome/wash methods some people use. I may practice more with the technique in the future.</div>
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Cara differs quite a bit from Anna in many respects, but still looks great. I was also happy to see that she was not portrayed as a spellcaster but instead a warrior/explorer type. Much more fitting:</div>
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Once again I opted not to do the embroidery on the bodice and skirt, but this time for very different reasons. I didn't rush through this one, but the sheer amount of folds in the skirt would have made things very difficult. On top of that, Cara is VERY busty in a way that Anna is not. So instead of having a nice flat surface to work on, it would have been challenging to try and freehand while compensating for the curves. I like to think of it as being a more no-nonsense, less fancy adventuring outfit.<br />
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One of the nice things about this model is that the way the hair is sculpted makes it very easy to pick out a single white shock of hair. There are no braids, but the pigtails get the point across. </div>
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Oh and for those of you who like the snow effect on the base, it's Games Workshop's <a href="https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Texture-Valhallan-Blizzard-24ML">Valhallan Blizzard</a>. This stuff is essentially the same as the pumice gel I use for my bases, but a finer grit and with white paint mixed in. It creates a fantastic effect and when it eventually goes out of production I will be very sad.</div>
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So there we have it. Frozen Project: Redux is a success. They will definitely replace the Northstar minis on display and on the tabletop, especially since they are actual 28mm scale and not dwarfed buy the other miniatures around them. I am extremely happy with how these came out all around.</div>
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That's all for now! Happy gaming!</div>
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TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-51796364779714789512016-12-27T10:36:00.000-05:002016-12-28T01:20:30.108-05:00Bloody Buccaneer Skarre and some updatesHello there, readers. Long time, no see. Nobody probably noticed, but the blog has been on kind of a hiatus for the last six months or so. There are a number of reasons for this. A big part of it has been time. My schedule has been tighter and I've had things other than gaming taking up my time.<br />
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Another part of it is that I work in a <a href="http://www.black-moon-games.com/">game store.</a> This isn't a new thing. It's been over a year since I started there and I still used to update. But as time goes on and I get more comfortable with the game community, I find I have more social outlets for my gaming. When I started the blog, you will find I was almost exclusively a solo gamer. Now I have a whole community of people to discuss and interact with, so the blog is less necessary than it used to be. This is a positive thing but it means the blog has gone unused.<br />
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On a slightly less positive note, this year has been a little hard on me physically and mentally. It is amazing how much chronic pain, depression and anxiety can sap your will to do the things you love. Playing a game seems like a chore and the paintbrush moves a little slower. These are things I'm dealing with and have always dealt with. I'm hoping in the new year that I can get a better handle on things.<br />
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So what does that all mean? Well it means I'm not going to try and force myself into a scheduled posting regime. No longer will I try to get a monthly post up, fail, feel bad, then forget to do it again. I'm going to just post when I feel like I have something to say. That might be a painting project I'm particularly proud of. It might be a game review or description. I might just pop in to say hi. I'm not sure exactly how it will go. It might end up I never post anything again. I hope that's not the case, because I've loved writing everything I have so far.<br />
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Ok, tired of listening to me ramble? Want to see the one thing I've gotten painted in the last six months? OK!<br />
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Back in August, Privateer Press put up a number of con exclusive models . Not only did I get to snag the Brute Thrall Femme Fatale I've been wanting for a while, but I also picked up the Bloody Buccaneer Brew version of Skarre.<br />
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Most of the BBB style models are pin-up types and for most of the Warmachine range that ends up looking rather ridiculous. For Skarre though, that sort of medium works. She's already a dangerous lady in skimpy clothing. In fact, they didn't even have to change her outfit much. And it's perfectly sculpted. The whole model just encapsulates the pirate queen in her natural element outside of battle, casually drinking a good brew (or maybe the blood of her enemies). She looks mischievous, yet relaxed. It just fits her whole character so well.<br />
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So without further rambling:<br />
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There are a couple of things I'm pretty proud of. First, I sculpted the floor with greenstuff so she would be standing on a tavern floor. Second, the cup of blood with the dribble down the side, just a little bit of red wash at the right angle. Finally, I did some jeweling on the dagger handle. It's a little hard to see because it's so small but I think it adds just a little extra touch to the whole.<br />
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I stuck pretty close to the original color scheme, since my Cryx are purple anyway and I like purple. This miniature didn't literally take me four and a half months to finish. I just took a long time between paint sessions on her. She languished untouched for all of October. But I finally got it done and I'm very happy with the result. She's now on display in the case at work for all to see.<br />
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That's all for now. With any luck, you will hear from me again soon. I have a couple of projects I'm excited about so I'm sure you will.<br />
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Until then happy new year and happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-34596222558063832432016-07-13T16:12:00.002-04:002016-07-13T16:14:12.526-04:00Warmahordes MKIII Ahoy! Bane Witch Agathia Appears!Just last month Warmachine and Hordes released their new MKIII edition rulesets. Even though I re-entered the game only 2 years ago, I was super excited for this for a number of reasons:<br />
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<li>More 'jacks/beasts.</li>
<li>Rebalanced Cryx faction so I don't have to feel like a complete ass every time I plop down my army.</li>
<li>More focus for 'jacks</li>
<li>Premeasuring.</li>
<li>Not feeling like I'm a decade behind everyone else</li>
<li>A bane warcaster!</li>
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While this has turned out to be sort of a mixed bag since the release, that last point was what had me most excited. You can tell by the exclamation point.</div>
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Banes have been my favorite models in Cryx since MKI and having a badass bane chick to lead my ghosty dead axe guys makes me happy to no end. The battlegroup is a great deal for the price so I had to pick it up just for this new caster, plus the mini rulebook. Getting an extra body to build Malice out of was gravy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious, evil gravy,</td></tr>
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Without further images of food, allow me to introduce Bane Witch Agathia:</div>
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I will say the plastic in the battlegroup boxes is not any better quality than Privateer's normal offerings. I found her details a little soft and there were multiple mold lines in bad places. Being bad at removing mold lines and not wanting to ruin her, I erred on the side of caution and left them intact.<br />
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Since my banes are ghostly green, I decided she should be green too, if in a paler fashion. It leaves her looking like an otherworldly creature which fits her perfectly. I also carried the purple and gold of my other miniatures over to her as well. I'm not entirely happy with the skirt. The picture kills the highlights and even in person they don't exactly pop. I may revisit it at some point.<br />
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And of course we have a family shot with her super happy fun bane-time friends and 2/3 of her battlegroup culled from previously painted models. The reaper is still a work in progress and should join her soon.</div>
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I look forward to getting some play time with Agathia. I'm used to using the amazingly powerful debuffs of Denghra and Agathea is more of a toolbox/assassination-y caster. The reaper is new to me too so I definitely want to get that in too before upgrading to the superior Malice.</div>
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Anyway, that's all for now. Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-62262579956124420992016-05-28T00:54:00.000-04:002016-06-03T02:16:03.095-04:00A Giant Among AngelsAbout a year ago, I celebrated getting a pretty good job by buying an Imperial Knight titan. That job turned out to not be so good in the long run but hey, at least I ended up with a Knight. About a week ago, at my current job with <a href="http://www.black-moon-games.com/">Black Moon Games</a> hosted a big 40k mega battle. We had 9 players with 1500+ points each. It looked a little something like this:<br />
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Of course, knowing this was coming up, I felt I had to bring something big to the table. You can see a preview of that big thing in the picture above on the left. If you haven't guessed already, that thing is my Knight titan. Seriously, if you didn't guess I am ashamed of you.<br />
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But before I get to the actual pictures, a little background...<br />
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House Feihn</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heraldry of House Feihn</td></tr>
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House Feihn is the ruling house on the Knight World of Cullough. Only recently returned to the Imperial fold a scant 500 years ago, Cullough was rediscovered by the Dark Angels chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Despite having lived outside of Imperial rule for so long, Cullough has become a staunchly loyal world and provides food and supplies to the Dark Angels, as well as occasional recruits. The Knight World's harsh, feudal society creates fierce warriors with unquestionable loyalty to their houses. As the ruling house, Feihn provides a fair number of these recruits as well as support from its knight titans when requested.</div>
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Most recently, Cullough found itself under attack by an ork Waaagh! that threatened to overrun the planet. Though their knights were able to defend the great bastions of the houses, aid was required to break the ork sieges. The Dark Angels' 3rd company responded, obliterating the ork forces in precise sweeps of bolter fire, driving the beasts up against the very walls they were trying to tear down. Seeing the orks boxed in, the knights sallied forth to slaughter the remnants.</div>
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Following the successful cleansing and rebuilding of the world, House Lord Kieran Feihn honored their rescuers by providing his youngest son, Aldric, and his knight titan to the chapter for permanent support attachment. Aldric is currently attached to the Dark Angels 3rd company.</div>
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The Nephilim</h2>
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Aldric Feihn pilots an Imperial Knight Warden named The Nephilim, after the giants born of angels in ancient Terran legends. He is well know in his house for his combat skills and the Dark Angels are glad of the firepower and ferocity he brings to each combat. Though never possessing the necessary attributes to be recruited for Astartes training, Aldric grew up with stories of the chapter's glory in battle and aspires to the same principles as the Emperor's finest.</div>
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Attached to the Dark Angels' 3rd battle company, The Nephilim bears the company's banner on its carapace, as well as the chapter's winged sword badge on Aldric's own banner. Of course, Aldric proudly displays House Feihn's heraldry on The Nephilim's shield.</div>
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Ok, enough of that drivel, on to the pictures!</div>
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As you can see, he's covered with the requisite abundance of swords and wings, along with some Gothic numerals to spice things up. I am not super happy with the house heraldry, since I discovered it was a much harder design for me to paint than it looked at first. I am apparently terrible with U</div>
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shapes. </div>
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I am most proud of the wings on the rear of the shoulders, since when viewed from the top they sort of connect with the swords and when viewed from the rear it looks like the titan has a set of its own wings. I also really like the lettering on the scroll, even if it looks kinda crappy in close up photos.</div>
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The base was a real pain. It is a resin base from a company whose name escapes me at the moment that I found cheap on eBay. The knight has already been mounted on the base it came with and the feet didn't quite rest properly on the new texture. Of course the feet are hollow, so in order to pin it, I had to fill a couple toes with green stuff. It is held in place with wood glue around the pins, but it still feels fragile to me. Hopefully I can find a good system in the future but for now it does the job.</div>
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That's all for now and thanks for reading. Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-90405763823120891592016-04-04T23:01:00.002-04:002016-04-04T23:01:37.679-04:00More Cryxy CryxnessWell March was a bust. I've been meaning to post, since I did actually get things done but laziness and a cold proceeded to kick my ass so I took a month off from posting. But here's what I did accomplish and hopefully I can get one more thing done this month to make it a double post month.<br />
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Anyway, this month celebrates a milestone, and that's me actually finishing the last bit of my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cryx-of-situation.html">original plan</a> to paint a 15 Point Cryx force. Yes the one I started back in 2014. Yes, I just finished it. This is how I work.<br />
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The final piece is the ubiquitous Skarlock Thrall, mostly used to put Ghostly on Bane Thralls for fun times, but also good for debuffing and generally being a nuisance. It's hard not to take a free spell each turn for 2 points.<br />
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I went with the same purple and glowing green I've been using across the army. He came out a little bright, since I was experimenting with some new undead flesh (which I like) and there's not a lot of dark metal areas to begin with.<br />
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The flash I'm using on my phone also takes it up a bit. Sorry for that. I'm still playing around with techniques and haven't yet mastered this new camera.<br />
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While I was working on this guy, I was also inspired to hit the ol' metal battle box Slayer with some updated paint as well. Mostly it was because it was already half painted but also because it allows me to run a more battle box style list for demos and it's a 6 point missile of destruction when used properly.<br />
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He came out quite nicely for being dropped on the floor and losing his arms and head mid-painting. The paint job alone makes me want to bring him to the table, even though most times banes are more efficient for the point cost. There's just a stompy evil-ness about the model I've always loved.<br />
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Anyway, that's one blog post down with hopefully another to follow at some point. It was kind of nice to work on something other than Frostgrave but I do want to get back to that soon. I'm also itching to do a different kind of post than just minis at some point. Maybe a battle report or review or something.<br />
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That's all for now. Happy gaming!<br />
<br />TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-39844166925556295282016-02-13T01:05:00.000-05:002016-02-13T01:05:48.427-05:00One With The Wind And SkyLike many of my generation, I am essentially a giant child. Because of this I collect little toy men and push them around the table, rolling dice and occasionally make "pew pew" noises. I play pretend as a hobby. I obsess about things like Star Wars and Transformers. I also enjoy cartoons, and as an extension of that, Disney movies.<br />
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Traditionally, those movies have consisted of the Aladdin, Mulan and Lion King kinds rather than the Little Mermaid or Cinderella kinds, but one very princessy one has managed to squeeze in there and that's Frozen. I am not sure exactly why I enjoy it so much. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the themes of isolation, loneliness and self-acceptance, or maybe I just have a thing for leggy, blonde queens with ice powers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know.</td></tr>
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So when I heard that North Star Military figures had a set of stand-ins for Elsa and Anna, I took the opportunity to pick them up to add to my Frostgrave collection. The set in question, of course, are the <a href="http://www.northstarfigures.com/prod.php?prod=7556">Young Fire Elementalists</a>:</div>
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The resemblance isn't exactly subtle. They aren't exact copies of course but they're close enough. With a suitable paint job they'd look perfect in the frozen city, leading a new Elementalist warband. First up we have the snow queen herself, Elsa:</div>
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I went with really pale skin, and the rest was all swathes of cloth, which I will admit is not my strongest suit. But the colors are pretty close and the point gets across. Elsa is the wizard out of the two, and therefore the more powerful. To show this, I added snow spreading out behind her, as if leaving a trail behind her as she walks.</div>
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The snow is from an old tub of Citadel snow flock that up until now I had never used. I like the effect although it's a little fluffier than I had intended. </div>
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Of course Elsa is never far from her sister Anna:</div>
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I'll admit I kinda half-assed this one. I'm not as big a fan of Anna and I sort of rushed getting this one done. For that reason I decided to forgo the agony of trying to freehand the flower designs on her bodice and skirt. I just didn't have it in me to be that frustrated.</div>
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Of course the biggest departure from the character is her actually having powers. Despite the visible magic effect, Anna is the apprentice. Because of that, I did the snow on her base as just footprints, not as extensive as her sister but still a sign of power.</div>
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I had a lot of fun painting these two up, and while it may be a while before they get a warband assembled for them, they'll go on display for the time being. While I enjoyed the process, there are a couple of things I felt the figures fell short on. And when I say short I mean short.</div>
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Since the models weren't originally for Frostgrave, they are a lot smaller. Not necessarily outside the range for normal human females, but enough that they look odd. They are more like a true 25mm than 28mm. The other thing I wasn't a fan of was the eyes. They are sculpted and therefore a set shape and size. This makes the eyes rather huge and starey. They almost look right into your soul.</div>
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I don't really have the skill to minimize this effect, but they look better than <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2013/08/crossing-threshold.html">some eyes</a> I've painted.</div>
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That's all for now. Happy gaming and stay frosty!</div>
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TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-10533447498924476842016-01-24T21:51:00.002-05:002016-01-24T21:51:45.293-05:00A Few TokensFrostgrave is a game where spells are slinging all over the place and there are a few rules that require tracking, like reloading crossbows. While one of the things I like about skirmish games is that extra layer of depth and detail, sometimes it is hard to keep track of things without having to constantly write things down, reference sheets, erase marks, etc.<br />
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To try and cut down on that, I decided to make up a few tokens for effects I commonly use in my main warband. I'm lucky enough to have a big bag of random parts or two lying around that I received in trade, so I went digging and came up with these:<br />
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The top three quivers are reload reminders for crossbows. Now when I fire a crossbow I can drop a quiver next to the model, then pick it up when I've reloaded. It's a quick visual reminder and looks cool on the table. I'm not sure exactly what models the quivers came from but I know they are Games Workshop pieces.<br />
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The armored arms are tokens to place next to models I've buffed with the Strength spell. I tried to make them ghostly/magical blue to help them stand out. I'm not super happy with them, so I may go back and drybrush them again with white, but I'll see how they do in a few battles first. I don't want them so light they get lost on the snow mat. The arms are old GW Empire Knight arms.<br />
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And to model these lovely tokens we have Sir Hadrian, although he lacks the requisite crossbow to reload:<br />
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They should get the job done. These tokens, along with my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/08/forays-into-frostgrave.html">fog walls</a> I made a while back, should give me everything I need to track spells and minor effects without needing a pencil. As my wizard learns new spells, I should have some more fun token projects ahead.<br />
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That's all for now! Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-6822559064165412092016-01-15T12:50:00.000-05:002016-01-15T12:50:56.640-05:00Untold TreasuresNo good adventure is complete without treasure. It's the reason most adventurers hit the road, killing everything in their path as they wander from one end of the realm to the other looking for that sweet, sweet loot.<br />
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Frostgrave, of course, centers around this bloody gold-lust. Needing treasure tokens for Frostgrave gave me a wonderful opportunity to find something wondrous and shiny for my wizards to compete for.<br />
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Looking around at various company's offerings, I set eyes upon Ristul's Extraordinary Market's <a href="http://ristulsmarket.com/278-cursed-fantasy-treasure-terrains.html">Cursed Treasure</a> set. Not only does it have some really magical looking treasture, but there was no way I could pass up that Conan-the-Barbarian-Atlantean-skeleton look-alike.<br />
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I haven't gotten to that piece yet, but since I am running demos for Frostgrave, I needed my tokens now. I chose six of the treasure piles and set to work. Here are the results:<br />
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These were a simple drybrush with metallics, then picking out the jewels, chests and weapons for detail. All in all they came out splendidly, and look great next to my warband.<br />
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Of course, I would be lying if these little beauties didn't find their way into D&D. They look especially good on my 3D dungeon terrain.<br />
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I have a couple of other things I want to work on first, but I can't wait to finish this set. That skeleton will also be perfect for all things dungeon crawl, so he needs to be finished ASAP. Until then, these treasure piles will be hauled about quite a bit, hopefully so wizards, thieves, clerics and warriors can retire and stop slaughtering every living creature they come across for their pocket change.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAMbDHF6Za2qqYd21p4j-RowBouFnSC8_iSnujKTmsoIswpjpg5P2ygLlPSoZ9MbhWqrDsWU6Xgl0RtBX13xn9ZirHpWPiN6GWv9o_VkyyCQRIFziksKMDGogBCgW2wv4BGD2B79gqgw3/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAMbDHF6Za2qqYd21p4j-RowBouFnSC8_iSnujKTmsoIswpjpg5P2ygLlPSoZ9MbhWqrDsWU6Xgl0RtBX13xn9ZirHpWPiN6GWv9o_VkyyCQRIFziksKMDGogBCgW2wv4BGD2B79gqgw3/s1600/group.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goddamnit, there they go again.</td></tr>
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Happy gaming!<br />
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TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-84704425355703005452015-12-27T18:32:00.000-05:002015-12-27T18:32:05.164-05:00Feeling A Bit ImpishHello again and welcome to the December update. This one is gonna be quick and dirty, since I didn't have much time this month to make any real progress. However, I did crank out a couple of imps for Frostgrave, both for use in the bestiary and for the summoner I'm planning to run using my Thaw of the Lich Lord stuff. Anyway, here are the little buggers:<br />
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The imp on the left is a very old Warhammer Quest snotling I sculpted into a mini-plaguebearer long ago, mostly to see if I could do it. He is painted with only base coats and a brown wash, so I am rather pleased with the result. The imp on the right is a <a href="https://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/familiar/latest/77196">Reaper Bones familiar</a>, sort of a mini fire elemental. To underscore it's supernatural nature, I did the flames purple. She's just drybrushing and I like the way she came out, though the sculpt is a letdown. It's kind of hard to remove a mold-line running directly through your main area of detail. Especially on Bones minis, which are bright white and hide detail to begin with.<br />
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That's the front and now the rear:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYMXeHudhH-Dg34aV1966BHeOxLTZI0TcQDC87f0ERdtZHy4B2e47vlnhc4eWI-YJwaxumnAUTFH5ZHeFeOMahzGq8qPCT4yb_U595dElTN0JDvJVoI7rvtHnlRRVysEsWBKBdJRLHZ6L/s1600/IMG_20151227_181314648_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYMXeHudhH-Dg34aV1966BHeOxLTZI0TcQDC87f0ERdtZHy4B2e47vlnhc4eWI-YJwaxumnAUTFH5ZHeFeOMahzGq8qPCT4yb_U595dElTN0JDvJVoI7rvtHnlRRVysEsWBKBdJRLHZ6L/s640/IMG_20151227_181314648_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like imp butts and I cannot lie.</td></tr>
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Not much else to say about these little guys. They were a fun quick project. Nothing terribly amazing but they'll do for the tabletop.<br />
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That's all for now! Happy holidays and happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-61145944738028174452015-11-29T15:47:00.002-05:002015-12-27T18:32:24.253-05:00Always Two, There Are....I'm the kind of painter that doesn't tie himself down to specific projects. I paint what I want, when I want and rely a lot on inspiration to get things done. Obviously, this gets fewer things done than some sort of crazy "ambition-based" system.<br />
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However, since hopping on the Frostgrave train back in August, I can say that I've made of <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/search/label/Frostgrave">progress</a>. I find the frozen city of Felstadt to be very inspiring and therefore have popped out quite a few projects. But the one thing I have always sort of felt guilty about was not having my spellcasters painted. The wizards are what make the game what it is and the master/apprentice thing makes for some great interaction between models when choosing which figures to represent them.<br />
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Now, I've had models picked out, primed and ready to go since the beginning. I knew exactly what I wanted, the color scheme, etc. and they have been mid-paint for months. Finally, I have managed to squeeze enough ambition out of the ol' inspiration tube to slap the last few colors on these wizards.<br />
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Meet Amuron Owlkey, enchanter extraordinaire and his apprentice Elizabelle.<br />
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Amuron is an old Empire Grey Wizard I had snagged to use as a hired warlock in Mordheim. Warlocks didn't have cool swords, so his sword got chopped off and replaced with an open hand from the Mordheim warriors sprue.<br />
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I kept the same color scheme as his brother <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/08/brother-in-arms.html">Hadrian</a>, or rather, this was the original inspiration for the scheme and the old templar got to wear it first. I was aiming for a natural, Gandalf the Grey kind of look with lots of neutral tones.<br />
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I see Amuron as the kind of enchanter that works with natural spirits, so I kept his talismans with natural bone and leather looks, with a few picked out in gold or sliver to stay earthy. The feathers are painted as raven feathers, a nod to Grey Wizards and Odin in some respects. Amuron is a wandering wizard of the natural world, not so much a shaman, but channeling the natural energies of magic instead of calling on demon summoning and black arts.<br />
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I also left his beard and hair brown because I wanted to stay away from the archetype of the old wizard. Amuron is the younger brother, impetuous, quick to anger but also quick to forget, and always willing to help those in need. He is youthful in spirit if not actually young and has enough age to have wisdom to go along with his power.<br />
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Elizabelle is a Reaper Bones mini, and honestly I can say she is not some of my best work. I will also apologize for the awful photos, since she is so thin the camera doesn't recognize her as a focal point. Girl needs a few sammiches.<br />
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I really liked her model at first but was really disappointed after priming and beginning painting. The model's features are very soft, her hands have no detail and there are a few miscast bits. Having invested some energy into her before finding the flaws, I decided to work them into the backstory.<br />
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As you can see there is a large flaw in her face. Elizabelle was attacked and burned by bandits when she was just a farm girl, saved from a crueller fate by Amuron's timely appearance. Her scars were permanent and her father cast her out, leaving Amuron to take her in as an apprentice. Elizabelle is studious, curious and strong-willed (much like her master) and her experiences have made her a tad hard. But she is eager to make her master proud and wants nothing more than to follow in Amuron's footsteps as a wandering hero-wizard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanuCEH5Hngx16WWbifHPRVVlrBNm71bjbIIg_VL4w95GEwqw1OUcf79hNKu-ZOzjdcytaxN2irhwbFDS9X9jEmQCgNVjeY5yz3ZSXzLV9T-MXfSxZKkaiQMC5SN0KsqbK9QwhwjW3MBcY/s1600/IMG_20151129_144529306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanuCEH5Hngx16WWbifHPRVVlrBNm71bjbIIg_VL4w95GEwqw1OUcf79hNKu-ZOzjdcytaxN2irhwbFDS9X9jEmQCgNVjeY5yz3ZSXzLV9T-MXfSxZKkaiQMC5SN0KsqbK9QwhwjW3MBcY/s640/IMG_20151129_144529306.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Honestly, I rather rushed poor Elizabelle because of how unhappy I am with the sculpt. I may someday upgrade her with a nice <a href="http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=resin-master-%252d-dynamic-lenore~hfmaster-h110&category=fantasy-%26%0D%0Asteampunk~%2Anew-fantasy%2A">Hasslefree</a> mini, but for now she'll fill the role of apprentice nicely. It may be that I will grow ever fonder of her and won't be able to part with her in the end.<br />
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Now that the wizards are finished, I feel a lot happier with where I am with the warband. Not gonna lie, the average soldiers are gonna take a long time. Great figures though they are, there are still five of them and they are nowhere near as interesting. I'll get there eventually though.<br />
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For now I will leave you with a new "family portrait" of my painted figures so far:<br />
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Happy gaming and stay frosty!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-32657877949255085342015-11-21T12:00:00.001-05:002015-11-21T14:20:03.838-05:00Heresy At Its FinestThough it doesn't show up much on this blog, I am a big fan of Warhammer 40,000 and space marines. Specifically, I am a <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/06/tell-me-your-secrets.html">Dark</a> <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/03/oldie-but-goodie.html">Angels</a> player specifically with a battle company's worth of (mostly unpainted) Greenwing, a reasonable chunk of Deathwing and a splash of Ravenwing. I like marines is what I'm saying.<br />
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I've never done any gaming in the Heresy Era, not because I don't like it but because it never really got big in my area and Forgeworld is expensive. Enter Games Workshop's latest board game offering, Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth:<br />
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It is a beautiful box filled to the brim with nothing but marines. As the focus of the heresy was the space marine legions fighting each other, this makes nothing but sense. The game centers around the betrayal of the Word Bearers against the Ultramarines on the world of Calth. I'll talk about the game in a minute but I do want to discuss the miniatures first.<br />
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<h3>
The Miniatures</h3>
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The box gives you 2 characters, 1 Contemptor dreadnought, 5 Cataphracti armor Terminators and 30 standard marines in MK IV "Maximus" armor. The first thing you'll notice is that, except for the characters and dreadnought, the sprues are full multi-part kits.<br />
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No static, push fit minis here. Every option is available to a unit, with plenty of parts left over. Even the dreadnought has a choice between assault cannon and multi-melta. The characters are cut up in odd fashions, but are both on the same sprue. This all fits with rumors that some of the sprues may be boxed up and sold separately later.<br />
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Now all this cutting and gluing (and painting) means that the set is a little less friendly to the casual board game player. However, I suspect GW doesn't really count those people at the target market. This box is a major boon to people who want to get into 30K gaming or who want to have a large number of older armor marks in their 40k. In fact, I added up the contents as a Chaos Space Marine army and came out to about 1300 points. That is a solid core of infantry for any army, with characters and a dread as gravy.<br />
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One issue is that the tactical marine models are functionally identical, so to actually play the game you have to find some way to identify the different side. One way to do that is to actually paint the models, but fuck that noise. I went the super simple route and just painted a ring of color around the bases. Effective and also leaves the models open for different color schemes in the future without having to strip them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One unit of tacticals is still pending for the Word Bearers due to assembly exhaustion.</td></tr>
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I am also a little disappointed that there is just barely not enough room for the dreadnought in the box once assembled. This is not an uncommon problem with GW games and I have developed a solution for this occurrence.<br />
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I have taken to making little stilts out of foam core and hot-gluing them into the corners. Nice and sturdy and they only have to be tall enough to make the necessary room.<br />
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<h3>
The Game</h3>
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I can't really describe the game mechanics better than GW themselves, so I'll let them do that:</div>
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Now, I have only played one game but I really like what I've experienced so far. In general feel, the game is a lot like a very tactical scale BattleLore or Memoir '44, with it's hexes and symbol-covered dice.</div>
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The action point system is great. Swapping back and forth with unit activation is a bit of a departure to GW's usual way of doing things. Both player sharing the turn makes sure one side doesn't wipe out the other without fear of retaliation. Sure, there is an initiative system but that just means one player gets a single chance to perform an action first and while that can be game tipping, the fact that it can switch sides from turn to turn makes it uncertain. Do you take the risk and hope for initiative or play it safe? Decisions are always good.</div>
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I am supremely happy with a hex board, since movement feels much more fluid. The art on the boards is amazing, but they also took the time to make sure those boards had plenty of well-defined cover to bounce between. Movement is much more important than just rush at the enemy and see who gets there first. Each stalagmite or piece of machinery can mean the difference between reaching your destination or getting pasted by a missile launcher.</div>
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Speaking of blowing things up, the combat is reminiscent of HeroQuest and that ain't bad. Combat resolution is simple to pick up and rolling those saves can feel tense. I love the critical effects, since this makes each combination of troops in a hex a little different and gives you a great bonus or two to choose from if you roll well. I also like that each model in a unit matters, since attack force is added for each model. This encourages creating tight knit squads supporting each other instead of just running around the board as loners.</div>
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Moreover, the decks of special cards for each side provide some great extra abilities that make each side play a little differently. Ultramarines use squads in tandem to increase effects, while Word Bearers get powerful effects for single units but sometimes at a cost.</div>
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While we are on the subject of cards, the reference cards are great as a quick way to check out your models' stats during the game. The damage deck for the dreadnought is also cool, as you never know how tough he will be when you attack, and wearing him down bit by bit makes him a scary monster instead of a one-hit wonder. My only wish is that they had put the weapons on cards as well. The reference on the back of the rulebook is great but it means closing the book and flipping it over if you need it. Weapon reference cards, maybe on half-size cards, would have been great to keep on the table next to the units.</div>
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The game comes with six different scenarios and they all look like they provide a very different experience. Scenario one, for example, is a race but scenario five requires one side to reach a destination and hold it while keeping a key model alive. The scenarios tell you which models to use, so the sides are already balanced. The scenarios are also set up well for building your models as you go along. You start with a tactical squad for each side, then add terminators and the dreadnought and so on in each scenario, so you don't have to rush to assemble and paint things all at once.</div>
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And even though the units in each scenario are set, you have choices with the unit options. Each option is free, but they are balanced by having different tactical applications on the battlefield. You can take a melta gun and wreak havoc at short range or a plasma gun for bucket loads of dice from far away and hope you don't blow yourself up. </div>
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A powerfist is infinitely better on a tactical sergeant than a terminator because they can count on more support but a terminator's twin lightning claws add multiple extra dice with re-rolls. It all comes down to how you expect to use the unit on the board. </div>
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Just be wary that some combinations might not necessarily be the best in 30/40K if you plan on using them outside of Calth. And if you find a truly compelling reason to use a heavy bolter over a missile launcher in the board game, I'd like to hear it. As it is, suppression is a dime-a-dozen with all those bolters running around and 5 dice with a potential of up to 3 extra dice beats a solid 6 dice in my book every time.</div>
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Hopes And Dreams</h3>
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There is a lot of potential in this little game. Right now it feels like a vehicle to sell heresy models and that is probably true. But expansion is possible. Rumor has it that Betrayal at Calth is a new core game and that some units in the future will come with bonus Calth rules. I expect these will be any new plastic Heresy models released, but there's no reason to toss in the occasional timeline-appropriate xenos. The issue I think would be more in the requirement of specific units for scenarios, but that could be solved with the occasional published scenario book, with scenarios related to models released at the same time plus a few with previously released models. There is also room for command cards for different legions or races, new board tiles and even big box expansions with those things plus new models. I know I would love to see a Caliban-based box with a bunch of Dark Angels in MK2/3 armor duking it out against each other in the halls of the Tower of Angels.</div>
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There also exists a chance for a separate core rulebook with rules for stand-up fights. For example, players could take turns placing boards to create a battlefield, take X amount of units (as long as each unit is balanced correctly), etc. I would prefer keeping the scenario system, but such a rule set would open up the potential for more unit releases outside of scenario books.</div>
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Conclusion</h3>
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Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. Is the game worth the $150 price tag? Well that depends on what you want to get out of it. If you want the models, the price is a steal by GW standards and comes with a great game. If all you are looking for is a game, the price tag is a little steep, but you can find the guts of the game sans models on eBay for cheap if you don't mind proxying. I think the potential of where the game can go is worth the cost, as long as GW supports it as rumors say they will. </div>
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I bought the game as someone sort of in between, wanting the models for 40K Fallen and looking for a fun game. I have had all of my expectations met in both regards, so I am pleased. It is up to you to decide if the price is truly worth it, but I definitely recommend giving this game a try.</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-49670365335231524372015-10-30T10:12:00.000-04:002015-10-30T10:22:54.115-04:00Happy Fun Time Frosty FriendsTime for another post and I'm squeaking this one in under the wire for October. I really have no excuse because I've been out of work and had a lot of time on my hands. But most of that time has been spent looking for new work and consuming incredible amounts of television with my ambition thief of a dog. Warm puppies make bad motivators.<br />
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Speaking of dogs, I painted one up for my Frostgrave warband. There is no better way to spend an extra 10 gold than on a slavering warhound with which to chew on the enemies bones. Or you could get a very friendly looking, loyal chap like Grimm to wander around the battlefield looking adorable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHO'S A GOOD BOY YES YOU ARE GOOD PUPPY YES</td></tr>
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Grimm is my wizard's faithful companion and despite his friendly appearance has actually mauled quite a few enemies with a little help from a Strength spell. I'm a fan of Irish wolfhounds, and that kind of look was really my first choice. This little guy hails from <a href="http://www.custommademinis.com/en/shop/fantasy/F0701500/#navigation-row">CMM</a> and I picked him up along with this <a href="http://www.custommademinis.com/en/shop/fantasy/F0701400/#navigation-row">characterful chap</a> in case I need a second dog for something. Not bad for $14 shipped from Europe.<br />
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The other thing I felt I was lacking was a medium construct. It's a good thing to have in case I need to replace a warrior on the cheap or for random encounters. Since I don't envision my Enchanter as a "builder" I went for a more natural kind of construct. Meet Twiggy:<br />
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I see my wizard as more likely to summon elemental spirits to animate earth and wood than to craft a mechanical object. Twiggy here is perfect for a tree spirit/wood golem type. I picked him up from <a href="http://www.nobleknight.com/">Noble Knight</a> on eBay, but he comes from <a href="http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/saproling/latest/14504">Reaper</a>.<br />
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And while we are on the subject of constructs, some of you may remember my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/08/forays-into-frostgrave.html">large construct</a>, who has since picked up the name Facebook. My first mini for Frostgrave, I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to go full winter, so I had based him with my usual green static grass. Now that I'm a few minis in with the dead grass look, he looked really out of place in the warband. A revamp was in order. So Facebook went from looking like this:<br />
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To this:<br />
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Which I think is a marked improvement. He really fits the pale, cold, dead look of Frostgrave now, and won't look off from the rest of the warband. And to prove the point, here's a "family portrait" of my painted Frostgrave minis so far:<br />
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Very cohesive looking and I'm really liking the natural look that is coming out in the group. And yes, that picture is still lacking wizards. I promise they are mid-paint and more than halfway through the process. If they were adorable and covered with lots of texture for dry-brushing they'd be done now too. But they aren't so they're not, so there.<br />
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Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-80371436961195001632015-09-11T23:07:00.000-04:002015-09-11T23:16:19.376-04:00Into The RuinsTo say the least, I have found the setting of Frostgrave to be inspiring. I've painted more things for this game than I can say for a lot of others. Each of my two main Warhammer armies has a single painted figure. I already have 2 for Frostgrave.<br />
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There is something about a magical, snow-bound city ruined by the sins of arcane excess, that captures my imagination. I imagine the city as a lost Atlantean ideal, powerful in its time but now crumbling and forgotten, and filled with all manner of demons, undead and weird beasts leftover from bygone days. With that in mind, I really want to start building on my terrain collection to suit that feel.<br />
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Most of my terrain is pretty generic, so I already have a few ruins, the odd <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2013/06/skeletower-of-doom.html">wizard's tower</a> and of course my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-have-altar-ed-dungeon.html">dungeon</a> <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/11/temple-of-old-ones.html">terrain</a> to draw from. Ambiance is everything though, so first I had to find a good backdrop for all that terrain. I settled on a 4'x4' <a href="http://store.frontlinegaming.org/fat-mat%3A-alpine-4x4/dp/853">Alpine F.A.T. mat</a> from Frontline Gaming.<br />
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It's on the bigger side for Frostgrave but it has the perfect bleak, grey look for what I envision. It looks really snowbound and the rocks could be hidden streets. I love these mats. I have two others, one for <a href="http://store.frontlinegaming.org/fat-mat%3A-asteroid-belt-3x3-sale/dp/6359">X-Wing</a> and I just picked up another for <a href="http://store.frontlinegaming.org/fat-mat%3A-barren-wasteland-6x4/dp/847">40K</a>. They are vivid, durable, non-slip and come with their own carrying case. A bit pricey, but worth every penny in the end.<br />
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While I was buying things, I also found this pair of beauties:<br />
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They are pre-painted pieces from <a href="http://wartornworldsstore.myshopify.com/">War Torn Worlds</a>, which makes their terrain out of recycled tires. They are flexible and durable, which is a big plus because I'm starting to have to stack terrain in my cabinet. The color scheme is little light, but they do the trick quite nicely.<br />
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Next I settled in to paint a piece that I figured I would ignore forever. I picked up the <a href="http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/dragons%20don't/sku-down/77381">Dragons Don't Share</a> set from Reaper's second Bones Kickstarter with the intent of never painting it but imagining doing do until the day I died. Howeve, the ruins were so perfect that I had to get some paint on them at least.<br />
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The color is just my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/03/one-painted-dungeon-room-and-short.html">dungeon blend </a>on a larger scale. I learned the hard way that Bones doesn't take spray primer well, so the piece is a little tacky, even with a couple extra loads of paint on it<br />
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And the top comes off for convenient model placement:<br />
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The set also has a set of crumbling stairs made up of a couple pieces for modularity:<br />
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But the whole thing fits together if you want it to be one big piece:<br />
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I have two notes on this piece. First, you may notice a big gap in the above picture. That is because there is another piece of ruin that has a huge dragon perched on it. I could not bear to tear the dragon off, but it would also look weird with a live dragon always attached to it. If I had another copy of that piece though, I would add it in a heartbeat. Second, for some ungodly reason the top portion with the stairs came in two pieces, both of which were very warped. All of my best efforts with a heat gun were for naught, but I found a solution. I filled the crack with my new favorite basing material, <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/03/lighting-way-to-better-basing.html">Golden pumice gel</a>. On a piece like this, you'd never know the difference and it came out perfect.<br />
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Finally, I wanted to add a little weird and ominous to my Frostgrave, so I set to scratch building. You see, a while back my wife found a little resin pond super cheap online and bought if for me on a whim. I think it was originally meant for fairy gardens or something, but it is a bit out of scale as a pond. It has been floating around for while, always waiting for a project, and I finally found one.<br />
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I stuck it to some foamcore, cutting out a place for it to sit down into to lower the height of the walls a tiny bit. Then I filled it with clay to get rid of dead space, plus some more clay around the edges to blend it into the base. Then I used a mix of skull piles from <a href="http://ristulsmarket.com/251-skulls-and-bones-piles.html">Ristul's Extraordinary Market</a> and spare Games Workshop skeleton bits from ages ago to make it look stuffed to the brim with bones. An old vulture from a Tomb Kings screaming skull catapult completed the look, plus some texturing with the ol' magic pumice gel.<br />
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The idea is that it's an old well or decorative pond that has been filled to the brim with dead bodies, possibly from before the city froze. But maybe they are unlucky adventurers after all, and who (or what) put them there in the first place...?<br />
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That's all for now. I'm hoping to add some larger ruins at some point to give the table a little more height and choke things up a bit. For now, though, I think it's a good start.<br />
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Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-48889243970639344932015-09-05T12:38:00.001-04:002015-09-05T12:38:57.174-04:00Frostgrave: The Night BeforeThe icy wind rattled the old knight's armor, and Amuron Owlkey looked his brother's way. Though almost ten years his senior and grey of beard, Amuron knew Hadrian's slouch was not one of frailty but of thoughtfulness. Sitting on a frost-bitten log, the knight sat staring into the fire, his blue-grey hood drawn up over his head. Nearby, Hadrian's sword lay next to him on the log and out of the snow. Snow which covered every tree, rock and inch of ground in the clearing they had chosen to camp in.<br />
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Amuron chuckled softly. Hadrian had always been the sensible one, the disciplined one. No one had been surprised when he had taken up the knightly order. He was a natural protector and Amuron admired that about his brother. It would also be something he would rely on very soon.<br />
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By contrast, there was nearly shock when Amuron enrolled in the colleges of magic. He had not taken it personally, since he knew his own impetuousness, his impatience and his quick (though short-lived) temper. But now, nearly thirty years later, he sat an accomplished wizard. In the snow. Staring at his brother.<br />
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Noticing Amuron's gaze, Hadrian shifted. He glowered out of his hood.<br />
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"Is something amusing?" he growled.<br />
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The wizard chuckled again, realizing he had heard him the first time. Amuron smiled broadly.<br />
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"You look cold. And troubled, brother."<br />
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Hadrian glowered harder, if that were possible, and pulled back his hood. The fire cast an orange glow over his snowy hair, almost returning it to the flaming red of his youth. Combined with his still-strong frame, he almost looked thirty again.<br />
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"Is she going to be warm enough?" Hadrian said, cocking his head in the direction of Amuron's apprentice. Elizabelle was setting up her tent, struggling a bit to get it raised. Though a few of the other men offered to help her, she refused. She was stronger than she looked. And she also looked very under-dressed, with her bare legs and low-cut tunic. Amuron chuckled again, knowing that was the provocation for his brother's comment.<br />
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"She knows the warmth charm as well as I do at this point," he said, smiling. "And it works very well. You aren't cold, are you?"<br />
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Hadrian stiffened at the implication. "No, I am not cold. I just don't know why you would bring this girl out here."<br />
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Amuron put on an exaggerated leer and leaned in toward his brother. "She has her uses."<br />
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The look on the old knight's face was priceless and the wizard nearly doubled over, his laughter echoing through the snow-covered rocks and trees. A few of the men looked their direction. Elizabelle still struggled with her tent, well used to her master's boisterous nature. When he finally recovered, he shook his head, smiling still.<br />
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"You know me better than that, Sir Owlkey. She is here because I will need her help and because first-hand experience is the best teacher. Those spells of hers will do her no good locked up in my tower. And she is harder than she appears."<br />
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Too hard, in Amuron's opinion, though she had right to be. When he had found her, it had been at the side of the road near-dead, with a good portion of her face burned by the thugs who had assaulted her. He had done the best he could to heal her, but healing was never his strong suit, and the scars remained. The wizard returned her to her farm, where her father promptly turned her out because she would never marry. So Amuron took her in, and so far he could not have asked for a brighter, more capable apprentice.<br />
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"We have done a fine job assessing who is cold and who is not," the wizard continued, "But you have still not told me what troubles you."<br />
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Hadrian's features returned to his glower. "I am not troubled," he grumbled out, "I am concerned. Felstadt is no place for grown men, let alone a girl of barely nineteen. Many wizards have entered the frozen city. Few have returned. Fewer still have returned unchanged. It is a dangerous place. I do not know if even I can protect you there."<br />
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Amuron's smile tightened, then drooped. "Having second thoughts about leaving the order?"<br />
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Hadrian's face softened, and it was his turn to smile, if slightly sadly. "No. The order can get by without me. The bonds of blood are stronger than any vow. Besides, what kind of brother would I be if I let you get eviscerated by demons?"<br />
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Amuron laughed again, stroking his thick brown beard. "Let us hope that most of the stories are exaggerated. I've seen demons at the colleges. They are not pretty. Well, some are, but they are the most dangerous ones. In any case, I think we will find more danger in other wizards."<br />
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"That is true," the knight agreed. "Avarice is always a dangerous thing. I still do not understand why you must go into the ruins. Gold and ambition have never appealed to you. Why are you risking your life in Frostgrave for scrolls and trinkets?"<br />
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Amuron turned thoughtful and it was his turn to stare into the fire. "I'm not," he said, his voice low and hushed, "They think I am." He waved a hand toward the handful of men he had brought with him. They were hard men. Strong men. Men motivated by wealth and the willingness to fight for it.<br />
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"That is another thing," said Hadrian "Can you trust these men? They are warriors, yes. But they are also thieves. Murderers. Blaggards. They could turn on you out there in the ruins."<br />
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The wizard smiled again. "Trust them? Not completely, no. But they are loyal. More than a few of them owe me their lives. Others owe me debts in other ways. And they know I fulfill my promises. I don't need to trust them. They trust me."<br />
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Hadrian scowled again and Amuron laughed. "Besides, if it goes south, well, I am a wizard after all."<br />
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"You can't cast spells in your sleep," Hadrian growled, "Unless you have a charm against slit throats. But you still have not answered me. What are you looking for?"<br />
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The wizard looked into his eyes, an uncommon seriousness settling over him. "I don't know. Ever since the snows receded and the city rediscovered, wizards and treasure seekers have been braving the dangers there. The promise of gold and glory is enough for any man, and the knowledge there priceless for any mage. It is no surprise that some test their luck and risk their lives."<br />
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Amuron shifted, looking back into the flames. "But I think there is more to it. I think something is drawing those with magic there. More and more wizards are flocking to the ruins. I don't think they really know why they are going anymore. Something is pulling them...us...to it. I want to know what that is."<br />
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The knight nodded. "Then, whatever it is, you are playing right into it's hands."<br />
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Amuron chuckled again. "Maybe so. For now we should get some rest. We will reach the outskirts of the city by early morning. Sleep well, brother."<br />
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The wizard stood, shaking some of the snow from his cloak and robes and began walking toward the camp proper. Elizabelle had finally raised her tent, and he intended to do the same to his, only with a little magical help. He looked back at his brother brooding into the fire, smiled then kept walking, hoping he had not doomed them all.TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-40463654120086669602015-08-29T11:57:00.000-04:002015-08-29T11:57:39.301-04:00Brother In ArmsI am a huge fan of <a href="http://www.hfminis.co.uk/">Hasslefree Miniatures</a>. Every one of their sculpts oozes character and charm. I also believe they produce some of the finest female forms in the business. I have painted their <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2013/02/enochs-kin.html">cultists</a> for Strange Aeons (among other things) and little <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/08/short-sweet-and-deadly.html">Hayden</a> the slayer for dungeon crawling. <div>
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This past Christmas I received a copy of their Sir Olwyn mini. I love the way he looks wise and devout, a perfect experienced mentor knight. Truly one of my favorite figures Hasslefree produces. I had plans on using him as a PC for Pathfinder and had primed him up, but then never got around to painting him. Then I found Frostgrave and realized I had a perfect templar ready to go.</div>
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Meet Hadrian Owlkey, elder brother to my wizard, Amuron Owlkey.</div>
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Hadrian protects his brother among the frozen ruins of Frostgrave, even having renounced his knightly order to follow him on his mysterious quest. Hadrian isn't privy to all of Amuron's secrets, but trusts his brother implicitly. Is his trust well placed? We shall see.</div>
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Templars are expensive, so they may not be the best choice starting out, but damn does he make for a pretty model on the table.</div>
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Of course my camera refuses to pick up the highlighting on the cloak but I assure you it is there. You can see that I've based him differently than my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2015/08/forays-into-frostgrave.html">construct</a>, having gone for a dead grass look that I think I favor over the green in the dead, frozen wasteland that is Frostgrave. I may go back and rebase the construct so he matches the rest of my warband going forward.</div>
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Speaking of frozen wasteland, I have decided that I will end up getting a Frostgrave specific mat at some point when I'm feeling rich. I want one of Frontline Gaming's <a href="http://store.frontlinegaming.org/fat-mat%3A-alpine-4x4/dp/853">Alpine mats</a> because I think it looks perfect and I'm leaning toward 4'x4' for my games. Plus the size would ensure the mat gets used for things like 40K as well, so it's not to tied to one system.</div>
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In the interim, I went to the local fabric store and picked up a yard of white fleece to use as a 3'x3' mat.</div>
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It's a little stark, but it does the trick and was less than six bucks. Really a bargain you can't beat. I'm also starting to look into some extra ruins to bulk out my Frostgrave. I'd rather not have to cast Fog all the time, so having some extra places to hide would be great.</div>
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Anway, that's all for now. Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-46980155947311501972015-08-15T11:34:00.000-04:002015-08-15T11:34:47.337-04:00Forays Into FrostgraveI love skirmish gaming. I used to play Mordheim. I'm a huge fan of <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/search/label/Song%20of%20Blades%20and%20Heroes">Song of Blades and Heroes</a>. So I'm always on the lookout for new skirmish possibilities, and it's no surprise that I have run across Frostgrave in my internet travels. It had piqued my interest, but I hadn't taken the plunge recently until some players at my local game store started buying books and kind of forming a group. Not to be left out, I also bought a book and so far I'm hooked.<br />
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For those not yet in the know, Frostgrave is about a ruined, snowbound city filled with the treasures of a former magical empire. Each player gets a wizard, who hires a warband to travel into these ruins and find gold, magic weapons and spellbooks for glory and gain. These wizards then fight in amazing wizard battles while their minions hoof it with the loot.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Like this, but with snow.</span></div>
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There are several different classes of wizard, like blasty Elementalists and evil Necromancers, but I went with an Enchanter. I did this for one simple reason: I can make golems. Of course there's the added benefit of being able to move treasures around and make magic items, but really it's all about the golems. </div>
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Now, most people start with painting their wizard and maybe their apprentice first. Not me. I want a big stompy golem and I want it now. So I looked through my piles of miniatures and had a minor brain storm. I grabbed one of these:</div>
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I used to buy a ton of D&D minis back in the day, so I have several of these goofy, Ben-Grimm-looking assholes taking up space in a box. A little cutting, gluing and painting later and I have this monstrous beauty:</div>
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I wanted him to look less like a constructed beast and more like something dredged up from the ruins of Frostgrave on the fly. Hence the books and broken weapons. I also filled the gaps with my basing gel to make it look like he's held together with dirt in certain places, and a little static grass helps with that effect.</div>
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I'm really proud of him and he makes a great wall to block line of sight to my wizard and put the hurt on people who come to near.</div>
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Speaking of line of sight, I kinda noticed in my first (and only so far) game that ranged weapons are fucking awesome. So awesome in fact that I lost my whole warband and decided to start over from scratch. I also made the decision that I wanted to stop getting shot. To that end, I took the spell Fog, which makes 6" long, 3" high, 1" wide walls of you-can't-see-me that linger on the battlefield. </div>
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Since I needed something to represent these but didn't want to get too fancy or expensive, I made these:</div>
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They are simply strips of thin card with a fog pattern printed on them, plus a couple of mini walls to help judge line of sight if there's any question that a model could be seen across them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Ss_4pP0pwwxsE5Add1z-JvD-NwPcbtLreN1vOLSEY0gC1nN4mQ8zob94HkpwVA-JSz8WI96UURw2HVnb3DKoxXJgTq1jiGm-cPEm6t_eVs87ScAmeFz051_EIYPX6fuw6hKkOr-9eDG/s1600/IMG_20150815_105402382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Ss_4pP0pwwxsE5Add1z-JvD-NwPcbtLreN1vOLSEY0gC1nN4mQ8zob94HkpwVA-JSz8WI96UURw2HVnb3DKoxXJgTq1jiGm-cPEm6t_eVs87ScAmeFz051_EIYPX6fuw6hKkOr-9eDG/s640/IMG_20150815_105402382.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftWfhAIfqUizfQyDgZDIxnOScjlf3wdpJydWlKEB7CEUgC2VSW4NlYIH2pmsRSA30OT_vXyL8eJ5XHeSHkUMTYY_W11R-2BU5_RKVI57TriTcyfa47dqHkoJ-9i0kCKjTVdsj9jRfySVE/s1600/IMG_20150815_105416672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftWfhAIfqUizfQyDgZDIxnOScjlf3wdpJydWlKEB7CEUgC2VSW4NlYIH2pmsRSA30OT_vXyL8eJ5XHeSHkUMTYY_W11R-2BU5_RKVI57TriTcyfa47dqHkoJ-9i0kCKjTVdsj9jRfySVE/s640/IMG_20150815_105416672.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFJWYF_lmG89IE2tPNyQq56zpGPU9jSE5ysHdOi0tijV77Gn-ihgkJymHFKNtAjxpumnYN-wGTQ1Ksh0j6xq6gsoTPb3PXqry6cQhQY-vBVR-UnhmuWpXqz4SVXEAdEnxzDMjBSg7f6sv/s1600/IMG_20150815_105443908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFJWYF_lmG89IE2tPNyQq56zpGPU9jSE5ysHdOi0tijV77Gn-ihgkJymHFKNtAjxpumnYN-wGTQ1Ksh0j6xq6gsoTPb3PXqry6cQhQY-vBVR-UnhmuWpXqz4SVXEAdEnxzDMjBSg7f6sv/s640/IMG_20150815_105443908.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinda.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Simple, effective and if I find I need more fog I can just cut out more strips. No getting shot in the face for me.</div>
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Even though I got thoroughly housed and I have a couple misgivings with the ruleset (but that's a post for another time) I am still excited to get playing in earnest. The warband is small, so I'm hoping to get it done relatively quickly by my standards. </div>
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If not, well at least my golem looks pretty.</div>
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Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-35635580765513604192015-08-09T20:18:00.001-04:002015-08-09T20:18:52.590-04:00Meow! HissssBOOM!I have been a big fan of The Oatmeal for a while now. His style of humor just seems to mesh with my own in delightful ways. His sense of weird and truth (and weird truthyness) are everything I look for in comedy. And it doesn't hurt that his art is hilariously adorable. He is accurate about <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_paradox">dogs</a>, as well as <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill">cats</a> and even <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon">grammar</a> in a way mere mortals can only dream of being.<br />
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I guess you could say I like his work alot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo6UnKIdIZ8XNilEPtUqtA5C1VNLhd_2lxVi2-0YPeCPjcwWVW56B3ITme_JqXjEcfM9BT09zAXNiZY6BrmHFYlrjeLCIZInkYART1eESkK8g61wgt4JEsdtQ-gCsb7gNs2axQb5X1ht1/s1600/ALOT2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo6UnKIdIZ8XNilEPtUqtA5C1VNLhd_2lxVi2-0YPeCPjcwWVW56B3ITme_JqXjEcfM9BT09zAXNiZY6BrmHFYlrjeLCIZInkYART1eESkK8g61wgt4JEsdtQ-gCsb7gNs2axQb5X1ht1/s400/ALOT2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So when I heard that The Oatmeal was making a GAME on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elanlee/exploding-kittens/description">Kickstarter</a>, I was intrigued. When I heard it involved kittens exploding, I pledged immediately. A lot of other people did too. In fact, people threw about 8 MILLION DOLLARS at him for the chance to meet their end via combustible feline.<br />
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The Oatmeal and his companions, Elan Lee and Shane Small, also did something that very few Kickstarter projects have achieved (especially one of this size): They delivered on time. They promised to ship in July, they shipped at the end of July and it just so happens that a few days ago I received my pledge. And now I'm here to share that with you.<br />
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A small blue box arrived with an adorable kitten and some big white letters on it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUb6cJfas6yxvycwqmaYf0VtwltC9VmwbZM_tuailTm9-vxQ7T9ueR3dZNCzncVkgImhZLzJUbKgqjwXwDbGcUn9E1QiHKn934iPmHlk1P84AoT_KLrtzDyplmi72GGbd3LUbn4a-v9oN/s1600/IMG_20150804_175931168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUb6cJfas6yxvycwqmaYf0VtwltC9VmwbZM_tuailTm9-vxQ7T9ueR3dZNCzncVkgImhZLzJUbKgqjwXwDbGcUn9E1QiHKn934iPmHlk1P84AoT_KLrtzDyplmi72GGbd3LUbn4a-v9oN/s400/IMG_20150804_175931168.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was mildly confused because it said it was shipped by Blackbox.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PdD_pZ3Q5yRL94qtHdu83ByBP3te3DjGOXfWnrUNGleLH26nnyS0ssshZ4oKwyt0bdSadQJ7XUPaH4yQ39dA2Fx_Oc42L5xqjbpGS7zWTfVTOBVv9K8TkCWfStOU3AzSEPevJ4N4xHNQ/s1600/IMG_20150804_175939150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PdD_pZ3Q5yRL94qtHdu83ByBP3te3DjGOXfWnrUNGleLH26nnyS0ssshZ4oKwyt0bdSadQJ7XUPaH4yQ39dA2Fx_Oc42L5xqjbpGS7zWTfVTOBVv9K8TkCWfStOU3AzSEPevJ4N4xHNQ/s400/IMG_20150804_175939150.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This box is blue. Not black. I expect better, dear sirs. I expect better. Luckily it got better. In fact, I received the best packing slip I have gotten in any package ever, and I doubt ever will again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Gq8skr6htwiN4EYtHhTzTslktgWTZ_GdkOahwNt7eT6RSCvzBHtMytkvO1XQfIz2I29-5zjHrY0IbsWgLrHqXVcrQiLDp_QdBdmBQGJ4XoK_MZq58Io_0vsAFcPgtRidoQwdxZuueWyP/s1600/IMG_20150804_180022929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Gq8skr6htwiN4EYtHhTzTslktgWTZ_GdkOahwNt7eT6RSCvzBHtMytkvO1XQfIz2I29-5zjHrY0IbsWgLrHqXVcrQiLDp_QdBdmBQGJ4XoK_MZq58Io_0vsAFcPgtRidoQwdxZuueWyP/s640/IMG_20150804_180022929.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In fact all of the inserted paper materials have a delightful sense of whimsy about them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9P1_-Q5znhDCnYF5oTnclWGfooZae9RF3MTL8wpVWRMVAAk9PGsAK54hckfSZDCUwru1FE7KLYogymUcWjLCqRRqd5IgYFtlLcwNb23gLg8elTxgJPXTNL18JN0Rn2_B3UZRRydFigeQu/s1600/IMG_20150804_180159988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9P1_-Q5znhDCnYF5oTnclWGfooZae9RF3MTL8wpVWRMVAAk9PGsAK54hckfSZDCUwru1FE7KLYogymUcWjLCqRRqd5IgYFtlLcwNb23gLg8elTxgJPXTNL18JN0Rn2_B3UZRRydFigeQu/s640/IMG_20150804_180159988.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Inside this blue (not black) box were two more boxes: My regular edition of Exploding Kittens and the NSFW edition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXooYmP-YbKdFsxrjlXoHd4sooCagBYeXNhsElFw2J5vDeKftlkGIsUWgngJAxvPqWLLNX2ddfyrd5yiIiKPPXJ1_kJGW0BIchazX6QY50kCKcZ5CWtvpyiCnbHIl8R0uePeIuAHeojqXc/s1600/IMG_20150804_180229140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXooYmP-YbKdFsxrjlXoHd4sooCagBYeXNhsElFw2J5vDeKftlkGIsUWgngJAxvPqWLLNX2ddfyrd5yiIiKPPXJ1_kJGW0BIchazX6QY50kCKcZ5CWtvpyiCnbHIl8R0uePeIuAHeojqXc/s400/IMG_20150804_180229140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A lot of fuss was made about the fact that a special addition was going to be made to the box, something that would surprise and delight us. At least in my case, they were correct. I could tell you what it is, but I think showing you would be better.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dygVdstE3Bxpt-uXqLS3AGnp2or9qvilKFmBs_nbOzffy2zmTYuUm4cjXzAOdOvliscTWMVuXFSfVmuKaNy4w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I spent a fair amount of time just opening the lid and giggling. I won't tell you exactly how much time, but I assure you it was inordinate and mildly disturbing.<br />
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Inside, of course, is the regular Exploding Kittens deck, a slot for a second deck and a little folded page of rules.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_D-ugociIve1bENOp3sDhRc6lTkw5z1lhVRGV_esapHZI4xK80My2nAX542PPWrVpcNC49gufqSzpDRgxFwvVl-wjeQhgqyHfUnz2AlpP-O-09X5nb3za9l2uAamWYr4H_2oiOlyaG-o/s1600/IMG_20150804_180438933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_D-ugociIve1bENOp3sDhRc6lTkw5z1lhVRGV_esapHZI4xK80My2nAX542PPWrVpcNC49gufqSzpDRgxFwvVl-wjeQhgqyHfUnz2AlpP-O-09X5nb3za9l2uAamWYr4H_2oiOlyaG-o/s400/IMG_20150804_180438933.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lifting up the deck shows off the bottom, which has some lovely art of a litter box.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrPW0i1UuOFFpQlT33xXAlfv-Z0BTckcC7AMQ74eUGNvx3GOiBMh0sPV8ACuFcLurQgkKEFTTx-t5SXSAmQ4rhGTyY7Iu-X-tB5hocJDqzyiiKDbhoojSLFpLkJUKnHEt5bxu8Khcem-p/s1600/IMG_20150804_180504431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrPW0i1UuOFFpQlT33xXAlfv-Z0BTckcC7AMQ74eUGNvx3GOiBMh0sPV8ACuFcLurQgkKEFTTx-t5SXSAmQ4rhGTyY7Iu-X-tB5hocJDqzyiiKDbhoojSLFpLkJUKnHEt5bxu8Khcem-p/s400/IMG_20150804_180504431.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lets not forget that I also got the NSFW Deck as well. The box is nice, but the deck will be going into that extra slot in the regular box for sure. It doesn't even have any cool art inside, just a plastic insert.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1qMkl_WYuOMNrBx4__mLXZ7rUjg5GHvVoUtDXEsZvtv5ihBh1ng3EmDPiYFuE3JunqHpfcgzVYs1q7feTX4RFdZMo968AQxO_A8xt6yttDkAhILFEaZoyfpBjrfvO7Q_btT6bxYmCZhT/s1600/IMG_20150804_180628986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1qMkl_WYuOMNrBx4__mLXZ7rUjg5GHvVoUtDXEsZvtv5ihBh1ng3EmDPiYFuE3JunqHpfcgzVYs1q7feTX4RFdZMo968AQxO_A8xt6yttDkAhILFEaZoyfpBjrfvO7Q_btT6bxYmCZhT/s400/IMG_20150804_180628986.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As for the game itself, well, it is not deep. Each player gets some cards, which do stuff and every turn each player can play those cards, then draw a card from the deck. If it is an Exploding Kitten and you don't have a Defuse card, you blow up and are out of the game. Last player standing wins. There are a couple extra rules, but that's the core of the game.<br />
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I will end this little unboxing with a selection of my favorite cards, first from the normal deck:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlD5I0hFqRQUpvVJ8lC3DZdZNItR2qLjwM5Py1k8nAjA2ejw35m8eIyfwRCOXpZU2FOH0e1maTaaFL3MEXn6HhQezvzEbcS6X13j9NbqwXcKMpfRCGTwYFb3IzhimsjNrX0-dPEHaCVP1d/s1600/IMG_20150804_190453690_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlD5I0hFqRQUpvVJ8lC3DZdZNItR2qLjwM5Py1k8nAjA2ejw35m8eIyfwRCOXpZU2FOH0e1maTaaFL3MEXn6HhQezvzEbcS6X13j9NbqwXcKMpfRCGTwYFb3IzhimsjNrX0-dPEHaCVP1d/s640/IMG_20150804_190453690_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then from the NSFW deck:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3_6LI1-5XBRnAfTDCAI0RT9HVp0DEl9k4cD03tYR_fCg4p5XgpQPpCxFQOjnYWHDCKwrP2lR0Ty1DqYstdzxKHjrFN1njIRA7d_GC97Oik0gj0MOHqxh2rTaoGmde4Q7a_XyII-sZtNO/s1600/IMG_20150804_190431524_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3_6LI1-5XBRnAfTDCAI0RT9HVp0DEl9k4cD03tYR_fCg4p5XgpQPpCxFQOjnYWHDCKwrP2lR0Ty1DqYstdzxKHjrFN1njIRA7d_GC97Oik0gj0MOHqxh2rTaoGmde4Q7a_XyII-sZtNO/s640/IMG_20150804_190431524_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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By the way, Smoke Crack With A Baby Owl is my favorite card. Of all time. In any game.<br />
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That's all for now! Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-90354781314847870972015-07-07T20:51:00.000-04:002015-07-07T20:51:45.302-04:00Star-Spangled Super-Soldier I know I'm a little late, but happy Independence Day! Or I suppose if you're British you would call it Treason Day. But I'm not British, so I spent my weekend eating awesome food and watching explosions. Why?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_IM09qz-uXB1_YGlniHIMOayMH3Lui0XTkiLHTbEZXSkS4wyu6zqvu8DQzCNojZBWPJ0XIG6i7WG8lt1910hi1EK78n1jC3iafSYO3PdGu8_SDAgEBPntAZQ59OSFnYcNPoKS7HxWJzy/s1600/merica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_IM09qz-uXB1_YGlniHIMOayMH3Lui0XTkiLHTbEZXSkS4wyu6zqvu8DQzCNojZBWPJ0XIG6i7WG8lt1910hi1EK78n1jC3iafSYO3PdGu8_SDAgEBPntAZQ59OSFnYcNPoKS7HxWJzy/s400/merica.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Actually all that stuff was kind of just a sideshow for me because I spent most of my time finishing up a little project that was more than appropriately timed.<br />
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A couple weeks ago, something just short of a miracle happened. My wife showed interest in space marines. Or rather, I was looking at some space marine color schemes and she happened to see some Crimson Fists and said "Those guys look cool, you should paint me one like that." I asked her why she liked them and she said she liked the red and blue, and they reminded her of Captain America. Since she is a little bit of an ol' Cap fan, I decided to do one better. A few ordered parts and a rummage through the bitz box and I came up with this fellow:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWROTZIpd1_b_6sdRXLemn4n09q4FExGDn4-JIERlckLNbYAExs_Y3l6sf-THHt2FpE1ouAqk9RTvgHobFJKsf7wdPOWrSgvT5TXdl7LXIol8niUAYNIiXdhLeT3jkipJxxNthxqXftpp/s1600/IMG_20150706_125951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWROTZIpd1_b_6sdRXLemn4n09q4FExGDn4-JIERlckLNbYAExs_Y3l6sf-THHt2FpE1ouAqk9RTvgHobFJKsf7wdPOWrSgvT5TXdl7LXIol8niUAYNIiXdhLeT3jkipJxxNthxqXftpp/s400/IMG_20150706_125951.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yep, that's a Captain America marine. I'm really pleased with the result. The shield came off a HeroClix figure and even though it's a little small, I feel it fits and doesn't overpower the whole model. I even left it with the original WizKids paint job because it looks good and I had no ambition to paint concentric circles.</div>
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I'm also really happy with the freehand star on the shoulder pad. It's the first real freehand I've done in a while so it was nice to see I still had it in me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8oG30VZ9__N5ohiwX6xmUAK3WDP-iD7MfGRAFAVOHCjFzhmjPjQHeA4wOdmGKHAaWyMBD_gtMvz89uUUPLFFMdFaDq1XdM2iWQNnjXdTP2AYTWP0RrNgymJKdAJIzhv4wC9FqJjv4AcY/s1600/IMG_20150706_130055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8oG30VZ9__N5ohiwX6xmUAK3WDP-iD7MfGRAFAVOHCjFzhmjPjQHeA4wOdmGKHAaWyMBD_gtMvz89uUUPLFFMdFaDq1XdM2iWQNnjXdTP2AYTWP0RrNgymJKdAJIzhv4wC9FqJjv4AcY/s400/IMG_20150706_130055.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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The wife is also really happy with him, and since he's "technically" hers, that's all that really matters. I'm slowly trying to convince her that he would be good for beating me in 40k and have been hinting at having some "extra" space marines lying around she could use too, but so far she's not biting.</div>
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Anyway, that's all for now! Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July! Happy gaming!</div>
TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-16334326437316440602015-06-06T09:10:00.000-04:002015-06-06T10:39:47.668-04:00Tell me your secrets...Hello again, readers. Sorry I missed May but things were hectic and I wasn't trying to rush the project I'll be showing off today. Maybe I'll get to a second post in June to make up for it. Maybe.<br />
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Anyway, a little backstory...<br />
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I started Warhammer 40k back in the halcyon days of Second Edition, when men were men, orks were orks and space marines were still barely restrained psycho-indoctrinated murderers for the good of mankind. My first choice of army was Eldar, because I loved the idea of space elves, shooting and OMG PSYCHIC POWERS. However, one day I discovered the Inquisition powers, and hatched an idea.<br />
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Back then, each psyker had to start with at least one power from their primary discipline, but could then take as many tertiary discipline powers as their psyker level allowed. And the Inquisition powers had a power that could open a vortex in real space that would swallow up any model it hit instantly. Yum.<br />
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I had already been toying with the idea of using the 2nd edition box set marines as allies, and Librarians could get Inquisition powers as a tertiary discipline. I chose the coolest color scheme for my marines (dark green Dark Angels) and got a Librarian in terminator armor. After a couple games I was totally in love with Dark Angels and Librarians! With a level 4 psyker I had a 3 in 6 chance to pull the vortex power and I used it to great effect. And when the Angels of Death codex came out, I started using other heroes like chaplains and company masters, but a Librarian always made it in. That is, until 3rd edition hit and killed psykers, a tradition held for many editions after.<br />
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Fast forward to 7th edition. Psykers are meaningful again. They blow shit up like you wouldn't believe. Not taking a psyker is generally seen as a Bad Idea (TM). I also had access to the lovely Librarian from the Dark Vengeance starter. And here he is:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GeLxPCsDviwj0G1InuafNGprvcTOqUIor_WiUUdqJMmxcPMcjHNBbDR-EfEIw7ai5ngJGAyCG-sFt-ICIAdlhRAtA6sctslE35cej_g495eFf9y0OL2Xjbo_PsDzt2mfoQCfDeLyB1LO/s1600/IMG_20150606_083219%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GeLxPCsDviwj0G1InuafNGprvcTOqUIor_WiUUdqJMmxcPMcjHNBbDR-EfEIw7ai5ngJGAyCG-sFt-ICIAdlhRAtA6sctslE35cej_g495eFf9y0OL2Xjbo_PsDzt2mfoQCfDeLyB1LO/s640/IMG_20150606_083219%255B1%255D.jpg" width="601" /></a></div>
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Though I stayed pretty close to the GW color scheme, I did stray a little. I have named him Codicier Bahram, and he always accompanies my <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/03/oldie-but-goodie.html">Interrogator-Chaplain</a> for that one-two punch of both physical and psychic torture for any Fallen they may find. He also has a penchant for Pyromancy powers, so I gave his force sword a hot, glowing metal effect. But enough rambling. Here are some more shots:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzWdu_5NcjY78kUKzliaXirbSVjnFstkfZPj0ZtBsCEs9kC5t2T6zEiKfHyz7hOK7er6wXTEATO-FOnZ_cb1iI3_ZRZsaoFe7T9W_c9TZdF5OKBniUkjWzV__jQEYA78um_y_0MS99DOa/s1600/IMG_20150606_083348%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzWdu_5NcjY78kUKzliaXirbSVjnFstkfZPj0ZtBsCEs9kC5t2T6zEiKfHyz7hOK7er6wXTEATO-FOnZ_cb1iI3_ZRZsaoFe7T9W_c9TZdF5OKBniUkjWzV__jQEYA78um_y_0MS99DOa/s640/IMG_20150606_083348%255B1%255D.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUzX4K5YSQeLtVKzQUyebae9EcpCSEHbVtVaMERoPYGL8JFbHa1VBd6t1CfiVvs6g3uztty6vQtxWMoCmY_WigeNU284Biu7YWwg9_lByf7IiBih8WcM5JuSKg47cNy5wrXQtbDc1pt9M/s1600/IMG_20150606_083415%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUzX4K5YSQeLtVKzQUyebae9EcpCSEHbVtVaMERoPYGL8JFbHa1VBd6t1CfiVvs6g3uztty6vQtxWMoCmY_WigeNU284Biu7YWwg9_lByf7IiBih8WcM5JuSKg47cNy5wrXQtbDc1pt9M/s640/IMG_20150606_083415%255B1%255D.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTI6uqX6RtBjKMHfp-Vq_mAy0YbMfeRjqy8VB7WlbrvFx7rHt9DsyJpacevhWGjlvg-hfYDNykmrYJGlMhlBoJxvEv-CS1AWtydN7rUJMFrU90JPjQwv4k_qwYeZLIRwTtF75ob0luq-o/s1600/IMG_20150606_083441%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTI6uqX6RtBjKMHfp-Vq_mAy0YbMfeRjqy8VB7WlbrvFx7rHt9DsyJpacevhWGjlvg-hfYDNykmrYJGlMhlBoJxvEv-CS1AWtydN7rUJMFrU90JPjQwv4k_qwYeZLIRwTtF75ob0luq-o/s640/IMG_20150606_083441%255B1%255D.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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And a peek under the hood...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5N20nkRF-fI7y7MBcVDj_x49nyLO7UBXp2nUOr3MUJyd9BQVS2TG97mlNQ225hyphenhyphenjMQfK3HxLHEknq5FIVMxXtrFvvbcXWHp-0toWDRB8FTPgSjwbp8tzdX18VT9ZrMaez7p0ishsYHlv/s1600/IMG_20150606_083500%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5N20nkRF-fI7y7MBcVDj_x49nyLO7UBXp2nUOr3MUJyd9BQVS2TG97mlNQ225hyphenhyphenjMQfK3HxLHEknq5FIVMxXtrFvvbcXWHp-0toWDRB8FTPgSjwbp8tzdX18VT9ZrMaez7p0ishsYHlv/s400/IMG_20150606_083500%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also caught a pic of him in action (still only partially painted), challenging a hulking warboss. It's a cool picture, but it didn't end well for Bahram. But if you have to go, you might as well go in style!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHkSMvIJbp4B7sh7meA9bGt_w_SO3VN3DryNgbHRe1zEspJVbkbPsHvsb_5YeeNB18F9owDJ3xDCByGbh6yTeiojwq3lpdYeE6sz9uSh8Fk207UJ92NdILlgSJId6Pi82lOGf15NeNFuS/s1600/IMG_20150530_142611028%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHkSMvIJbp4B7sh7meA9bGt_w_SO3VN3DryNgbHRe1zEspJVbkbPsHvsb_5YeeNB18F9owDJ3xDCByGbh6yTeiojwq3lpdYeE6sz9uSh8Fk207UJ92NdILlgSJId6Pi82lOGf15NeNFuS/s640/IMG_20150530_142611028%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's it for now. I had a lot of fun painting this model. The detail is exquisite, and I want to paint more of the Dark Vengeance marines soon. But first I have a rather large and stompy project planned.<br />
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Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-51366133016444803692015-04-19T19:50:00.000-04:002015-04-19T19:50:47.271-04:00Eternal ServitudeLast year I made the determination that I was going to get back into Warhammer 40,000. Somewhere in England, there was much rejoicing, as the chip Games Workshop long ago implanted in my brain informed them that my money would be theirs once more.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMs2rw6K6saIP53prU7evzgI0GbGu5ZBmyiJZ3YonZ_2VH9xUJUwzSoHmZlS9xgn4zauiiZ-gJgYSftcSsTlAFsfgr53M0tsvf2dAhi4UGVmVzhnSwxWaF6wY__fJla9ZFe3AigLJWInli/s1600/gw-money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMs2rw6K6saIP53prU7evzgI0GbGu5ZBmyiJZ3YonZ_2VH9xUJUwzSoHmZlS9xgn4zauiiZ-gJgYSftcSsTlAFsfgr53M0tsvf2dAhi4UGVmVzhnSwxWaF6wY__fJla9ZFe3AigLJWInli/s1600/gw-money.jpg" height="400" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"He's back! Yachts for everyone!"</td></tr>
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Despite the hemorrhage of money, I do love the setting dearly. It's so dark and grim, and filled with grim-darkness. And the Gothic-over-the-top-ness makes for wonderful modeling opportunities. One such opportunity was to make new wound markers for my characters.<br />
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I have always loved servo skulls. They have a morbid cuteness that can't be beat. For those that don't know, when a particularly devout Imperial servant (such as a janitor or accountant) dies, they get honored by getting turned into a servo skull. Well, not the servant himself, actually. Just his skull. The servant stays dead while a little robot floats about wearing his brain case, taking videos and reminding important Imperial dignitaries about upcoming appointments. Absolutely adorable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZRrpNQezcR37_Mh1WWUmbs_qj_DwbK3Kr4lRCvXYg_b6V2Kt8AHrMc8M_3YwvzgVeJlf_rqdQIeeIW1NTh8bin0nuckYSVBtszZp_bcsyPHmn6s-8N1co5-Q7adAjKi7N13tPn0Gm2F0/s1600/kawaii_servo_skull_by_wibblethefish-d5n68w6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZRrpNQezcR37_Mh1WWUmbs_qj_DwbK3Kr4lRCvXYg_b6V2Kt8AHrMc8M_3YwvzgVeJlf_rqdQIeeIW1NTh8bin0nuckYSVBtszZp_bcsyPHmn6s-8N1co5-Q7adAjKi7N13tPn0Gm2F0/s1600/kawaii_servo_skull_by_wibblethefish-d5n68w6.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So kawaii!</td></tr>
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When I found out that the most recent Devastator sprue had some servo skulls on it, I hit up eBay for 4 of them. This only cost me six dollars, which may be the least amount of money I have ever spent on anything Games Workshop. I drilled some holes in them, mounted them on lengths of paper clip and soon had them painted up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt59t0dBhC7_4bQaP8N3O8xxKWjfXLXFo-paFIa7T1UdbVWw3dLnVYphMrNgxq-_DJNVPnn6dJcd5lLz0V3qV18l6HHiaD6ZJxTxjW_feWa_m3d8XjJ8ZEIHstljD6sExYEbX-jJ0iThL/s1600/IMG_20150419_191228%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt59t0dBhC7_4bQaP8N3O8xxKWjfXLXFo-paFIa7T1UdbVWw3dLnVYphMrNgxq-_DJNVPnn6dJcd5lLz0V3qV18l6HHiaD6ZJxTxjW_feWa_m3d8XjJ8ZEIHstljD6sExYEbX-jJ0iThL/s1600/IMG_20150419_191228%5B1%5D.jpg" height="324" width="640" /></a></div>
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I only needed three, so the other will be saved for a later date. The way I use them, each character gets one for each wound beyond 1 to follow them around the table. Every time the character is wounded, a servo skull gets removed. No more skulls=one wound left.<br />
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My Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain gets the halo skull and the plain skull, but I wanted to give the Librarians single skull a little extra zing. So, I free-handed a sword and a couple of lines for wards on the skull, in oh-so-magical blue, of course.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgPqWMRVUFHmSydKEr67ZAPLYVhgzw0tmZWzt6m1bpZ8ZCtIIxoXFdRC2YAmgFJM7fG8U-NMali3v-Qmb5rxHCASEPBGqYlMZVVBQLHO4ociBco0rzCNki3r9F9Hll94Yd2j_g-oItqce/s1600/IMG_20150419_192236%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgPqWMRVUFHmSydKEr67ZAPLYVhgzw0tmZWzt6m1bpZ8ZCtIIxoXFdRC2YAmgFJM7fG8U-NMali3v-Qmb5rxHCASEPBGqYlMZVVBQLHO4ociBco0rzCNki3r9F9Hll94Yd2j_g-oItqce/s1600/IMG_20150419_192236%5B1%5D.jpg" height="377" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not great, but also not a lot of room to work in and the Librarian needed something special. Of course I can't sign off without giving you a look at some skulls with their master:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4lmp_ZrIRbKzkHiNIxsb3e8-qQyYkBTVDuSuZ8vw2Ldtw_U9D71YwfEPXeD1zUhLkPoJrZjOfmkkG6aM1sMAP-PbJqmqaATeNgTL5iTlwb5KNxr1SjQapJVqKdqpTYO_rhMTGMurQyDa/s1600/IMG_20150419_192212%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4lmp_ZrIRbKzkHiNIxsb3e8-qQyYkBTVDuSuZ8vw2Ldtw_U9D71YwfEPXeD1zUhLkPoJrZjOfmkkG6aM1sMAP-PbJqmqaATeNgTL5iTlwb5KNxr1SjQapJVqKdqpTYO_rhMTGMurQyDa/s1600/IMG_20150419_192212%5B1%5D.jpg" height="504" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's it for now. These were dead-simple to put together and make for a fun project to add a little flair to your army. May the Emperor protect and happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-62493789179628400292015-03-22T11:10:00.000-04:002015-03-22T11:10:47.024-04:00Lighting the Way (to Better Basing)Hello again, gaming friends. I'm afraid this installment will be a little light (heh) on actual projects, since I have acquired a new and time consuming job that is very hard on the feet, along with a nasty cold. Time spent lying down is not time spent gaming or painting I'm afraid. But I did find time for a little project that was both simple and fun.<br />
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In our current Pathfinder campaign, our group has been joined with a fun and rather useful ally. This ally is a lantern archon named Laurel-Marshall Carancros Latuch. Once a mighty hobgoblin commander (for the good guys; hobgoblins are good in our setting) during the Ogre Wars, Latuch was killed in battle and his spirit sealed away in a small sphere for a couple thousand years. Now reincarnated as a lantern archon, he lends our group support as well as...ahem..."critique" of our battle plans.<br />
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Not having any suitable models I decided to build one and this is what I came up with:<br />
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After all that build-up, he doesn't cut that imposing a figure, but that's really not his fault. He is, after all, a glowing ball of light. But at least he was incredibly easy to make. Our glowy friend here is just a bead on a flying stand attached to a base. I left the bead silver, gave the rough edges some touch-up and then based it. Dead simple and fits quite nicely. The base was the most complicated part.<br />
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And speaking of bases, I wanted to share my new way of basing. This is a method that has existed for a while now, but I wanted to give it a little shout out because I'm a big fan.<br />
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You see, aside from a brief affair with green flock in the early 90's, I have always been a glue/sand/paint baser. I have always liked the gritty texture, flexible color scheme ability and relatively natural look it provides. I also hate the amount of drying time and the way sand falls off while you're trying to paint said sand. I've tried dozens of tricks to try and reduce the time and make it less tedious but to no avail. Then I found this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uFEAdfcAT1MqhhlOIiILWjYzMHCtMsdaw26WLdfrpqh0yjPAo2F-FzFJg8L4MswNPl0D7ikdGpIdnieLkNEuxTm_GfmkeSmAwWuyYSfQMTejPTodY2l-y4KkxoRhG1stZxEnbLIoXR0A/s1600/IMG_20150322_100644063_HDR%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uFEAdfcAT1MqhhlOIiILWjYzMHCtMsdaw26WLdfrpqh0yjPAo2F-FzFJg8L4MswNPl0D7ikdGpIdnieLkNEuxTm_GfmkeSmAwWuyYSfQMTejPTodY2l-y4KkxoRhG1stZxEnbLIoXR0A/s1600/IMG_20150322_100644063_HDR%5B1%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Like I said, it's probably no revelation to many hobbyers, but I stumbled across this stuff in a craft shop and picked it up. I'd heard of texture gels before and this one was definitely the right price, 8 oz for $10. An amount like that lasts a long time, especially for someone like me who only paints a few figures at a time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrfKmVg3Etn90jHB0p-O69cABTAPIueEh4glgu8pv-j3RXixbHHnvGnsNkRmmMElqCPvF9HEdOlU-zh3Mz_YuzeYxvK8n0sQpq8odoSLL4F2UoxfFo5dOdQDey59gG7Y0KNP82ShMnebO/s1600/IMG_20150322_100840%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrfKmVg3Etn90jHB0p-O69cABTAPIueEh4glgu8pv-j3RXixbHHnvGnsNkRmmMElqCPvF9HEdOlU-zh3Mz_YuzeYxvK8n0sQpq8odoSLL4F2UoxfFo5dOdQDey59gG7Y0KNP82ShMnebO/s1600/IMG_20150322_100840%5B1%5D.jpg" height="457" width="640" /></a></div>
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It comes as a fairly thick goopy paste. It is better applied with a small sculpting tool than a brush, since it needs to be spread and the texture will kill brushes pretty quickly. It still has some drying time but after about an hour it looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssITZmDjYeZLanniJf8DCqvp3aM7FKDlhaEHrB6ez2Vumu1fXNBz704IF0-qt-J01bU_UIL_kJDnXGhLYGAYdBAsKVffsT18gykxxqZoJM-Cz5QnNN4FRBXNAfqr5BnMnBUx1ShBFz0Mn/s1600/IMG_20150322_100815%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssITZmDjYeZLanniJf8DCqvp3aM7FKDlhaEHrB6ez2Vumu1fXNBz704IF0-qt-J01bU_UIL_kJDnXGhLYGAYdBAsKVffsT18gykxxqZoJM-Cz5QnNN4FRBXNAfqr5BnMnBUx1ShBFz0Mn/s1600/IMG_20150322_100815%5B1%5D.jpg" height="400" width="386" /></a></div>
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The medium shrinks up and leaves all of the nice grit detail fully visible. It also dries firm, but not rock hard. None of the grit falls out when painted and it doesn't require any sealing before painting. In fact, since it is a medium, it readily sucks up paint and covers up very well. You get a nice evenly covered base that is solid and easy to work with. It also can be built up or used to fill gaps in rocky pieces if you so choose. I recently used it to add some diseased areas to some Nurgle BFG ships I intend to paint "someday".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWAnKQepqm7BlHk9k3CxTksXFkhLA6SfK_xNh5dBeTTPtorN9XHBV9qOj4Vl50O0zd67PG_Ba6ceX9XzitGQJnscKY49oR_C3CKbUUmeGb2oyaWLp96njDfpBChJnrq7niAAobE5QwjDc/s1600/IMG_20150322_104939%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWAnKQepqm7BlHk9k3CxTksXFkhLA6SfK_xNh5dBeTTPtorN9XHBV9qOj4Vl50O0zd67PG_Ba6ceX9XzitGQJnscKY49oR_C3CKbUUmeGb2oyaWLp96njDfpBChJnrq7niAAobE5QwjDc/s1600/IMG_20150322_104939%5B1%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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It really has a lot of great applications.<br />
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For comparison, let's look at some of my bases in various forms:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bLNnQ5e06LZd05Wh5Alo8njiI0V8dlwmNtiJtEat9x6aq2ESB06R4ODcr6kwOpmNxMopGp0wG-nE8zAdlJ-ZgjVVUYUpJPdL-uREPTinJXBIv4w8Z6QVtkd5L_iGr9eKfOTqagshEtoQ/s1600/IMG_20150322_100608%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bLNnQ5e06LZd05Wh5Alo8njiI0V8dlwmNtiJtEat9x6aq2ESB06R4ODcr6kwOpmNxMopGp0wG-nE8zAdlJ-ZgjVVUYUpJPdL-uREPTinJXBIv4w8Z6QVtkd5L_iGr9eKfOTqagshEtoQ/s1600/IMG_20150322_100608%5B1%5D.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></div>
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On the left we have our pumice gel, the middle is sand, and the right is Games Workshop Stirland Mud, which I bought in fit of masochism. They are all painted and static grassed in exactly the same manner. As you can see, the pumice gel looks almost identical to sand and S-Mud, but with about half the hassle of sand.<br />
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S-Mud, by the way, is essentially the same as the pumice gel, but with color already added and approximately 8 times more expensive (Golden is about $1.25 an oz and GW charges $4.00 for 0.4 oz, or $10 per oz). The grit is also smaller, so I had to add a wash step to painting and the drybrushing isn't as pronounced. It also only lets you skip one step in the process. I really can't recommend the stuff. I'm glad I only invested in one bottle.<br />
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I'm in love with the pumice gel though. The biggest drawback I could see is maybe trying to base an entire army at once. That could get tedious really quickly and the drying/sealing time of sand could be a nice break. But for someone like me that only paints a few miniatures at a time, it's a godsend. If you can find some, you should definitely pick some up.<br />
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That's it for now, fellow gamers. Happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273377239563794382.post-47669286390167651272015-02-21T11:22:00.003-05:002015-02-21T11:22:22.318-05:0015mm Scale(s)For a long time I have wanted to get into 15mm gaming.<br />
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If you have been doing 28mm gaming for essentially your entire gaming career, this can be a difficult thing to get into. A significant portion of your gaming investment goes to waste. Your terrain is almost all the wrong size, unless you imagine your little soldiers as fighting their battles in a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9y3elUKZYY"> land of giants.</a> And your 28mm miniatures are titanic next to their smaller brethren. You might find one or two humans that could be hill giants, skeletons that could be bone giants, some rats and spiders that could be, well, giant rats and spiders. You see the common theme. Unless your collection is fairly scale generic, you can't use much.<br />
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I'm lucky in that, a while back, I made a <a href="http://deepdarkdungeons.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-recently-picked-up-games-workshops.html">small gaming board</a> for Lord of the Rings skirmish, but it also doubles fantastically as a cave themed 15mm skirmish board for Song of Blades & Heroes. Add in a few rocky outcroppings and smaller ruin pieces and you have a nice underground (or ash waste) playing surface.<br />
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So that's terrain sorted, as least until I get inspired and build some more pieces. I do have a green grass board the same size, but I'd be pretty much just using the same pieces on that, plus a couple smaller trees. And the board is very old and showing some large bare patches in its outdated bright green flock. My goal is to someday refurbish that board but for now we'll stick to the underground.<br />
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Of course next I need some warbands. Like I said, I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. Like years. Like a couple years ago when 15mm.co.uk was offering some of their <a href="http://www.15mm.co.uk/collections/tabletop-15mm-fantasy/lizardmen">lizardmen</a> as a free sample. For the cost of shipping, I got 10 or so lizardmen, of which I have painted up five.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY8LBL0w7E_W3Z2ftbPrgc3BeMvt1UgCtYcUyglF6H98A5cn_uc77GMoCkYy_LBFNPsuxXeteKXazI-Aa6zKNlT8QslpZqGV5Si7Yzz-KhKpTQJLjYPHQnnDyrqlDRJanjkPvrhLjhr6n/s1600/IMG_20150221_102132%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY8LBL0w7E_W3Z2ftbPrgc3BeMvt1UgCtYcUyglF6H98A5cn_uc77GMoCkYy_LBFNPsuxXeteKXazI-Aa6zKNlT8QslpZqGV5Si7Yzz-KhKpTQJLjYPHQnnDyrqlDRJanjkPvrhLjhr6n/s1600/IMG_20150221_102132%5B1%5D.jpg" height="306" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMGHasjRNj2qwKlYaHeagLhAHpfBypX8kCdNefSwtm6ajoHPmiqIltTdnInbNYHXpXycPeCGOj5rJNZbGX0_iFL8OlAIcA66COTKvAOJH9CAuCTlHGRm3YzmZmQbdT2LkjjAOb7b8NmX-/s1600/IMG_20150221_101948971%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMGHasjRNj2qwKlYaHeagLhAHpfBypX8kCdNefSwtm6ajoHPmiqIltTdnInbNYHXpXycPeCGOj5rJNZbGX0_iFL8OlAIcA66COTKvAOJH9CAuCTlHGRm3YzmZmQbdT2LkjjAOb7b8NmX-/s1600/IMG_20150221_101948971%5B1%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also added a <a href="https://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/snake/sku-up/02593">Reaper cobra familiar</a> as a giant cave cobra. Buying it as a single piece actually cost me as much as the lizardmen, but I needed a small point filler. They aren't the most detailed, but I like these guys because they have a sort of Gorn/Trandoshan/Godzilla rubber-suit quality to them. They are quite charming.<br />
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You can find their warband roster right <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw3AZy1PiBkVMDhDNlM2SjBGbEE/view?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br />
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Next I needed a suitable nemesis for my cave-dwelling lizardmen, a nemesis that also frequented the underground tunnels of the world. My answer came when Splintered Light put out some <a href="http://www.splinteredlightminis.com/enwa.html">warbands</a> of their <a href="http://www.splinteredlightminis.com/darkelves.html">dark elf</a> line. Suitably painted they make some excellent Drow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7LWLAh-y9w0oG_qMgrpwrBtcoWumPg-wtVlcciVTHwpPVqQ1DQBhXwRH4ePY7rHv1OpSlJ8OLn7IuWoDDIqYUY7dEeDeXFeArwMIOaUQREgsGGpFXp5YHDKchpBGnAKRTelAYTc2Qrmx/s1600/IMG_20150221_101307%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7LWLAh-y9w0oG_qMgrpwrBtcoWumPg-wtVlcciVTHwpPVqQ1DQBhXwRH4ePY7rHv1OpSlJ8OLn7IuWoDDIqYUY7dEeDeXFeArwMIOaUQREgsGGpFXp5YHDKchpBGnAKRTelAYTc2Qrmx/s1600/IMG_20150221_101307%5B1%5D.jpg" height="214" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKntpK6dv26-8-3Y5vB0EgcH-0O0Qbv3gr5X0rIDz2z0Vl5XXr9ZtbLcHhfMnc0R2riflSOQtl24oNDAihioM2QnabJd_Ag7qEmwUGt0N_FaS5P6Wjm5AbqwzJP6b1esINvijKRWeuZXO/s1600/IMG_20150221_101352%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKntpK6dv26-8-3Y5vB0EgcH-0O0Qbv3gr5X0rIDz2z0Vl5XXr9ZtbLcHhfMnc0R2riflSOQtl24oNDAihioM2QnabJd_Ag7qEmwUGt0N_FaS5P6Wjm5AbqwzJP6b1esINvijKRWeuZXO/s1600/IMG_20150221_101352%5B1%5D.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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And Drow them up I did, with traditional dark armor, purple cloth, black skin and white hair. These guys were fun and super easy to paint, as were the lizardmen. At the smaller scales, drybrushing and washing goes even further than on 28mm, I think. I'm very pleased with the result on both warbands.<br />
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The dark elves also have a roster by the way, which you can find <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw3AZy1PiBkVQXVjMWlLbWEyUnc/view?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br />
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And of course I cant leave off without giving you and action shot in their natural environment:<br />
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I have so enjoyed painting up these warbands that I have taken the liberty of picking up a couple more. Ral Partha Europe has a line of <a href="http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/shop/blighthaven-15mm-c-119/warbands-c-119_120/">Blighthaven</a> warbands, and I have purchased the dwarf and beastman packages. I can't wait to get them painted up, but lets face it, at my pace that may be a while.<br />
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In the meantime, though, happy gaming!TheUndergroundLairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03064647185319703154noreply@blogger.com1