Undead - King Slough

Today we have a real gem. Painted for the #paintabob competition on the Oldhammer Facebook page, this rotting monarch is from Essex Miniatures. He looks like he's spent several weeks down a well. He was ludicrously fun to paint.

When painting this fellow, I used the painting technique for rotting flesh used by Tyler Mengel of Mengel Miniatures. Here's the recipe should you wish to try it yourself.

As you can see, it's mostly washes. This suits Olley sculpts extremely well. It's also much more fun to play about with washes instead of laboriously layering skin, which suddenly becomes a cloak. Or an ear. Or a portal into the nightmare dimension.

King Slough might be a bit past his prime, but he still gets a big screamy face shield.

I painted the rest of the king to match my other undead. He's certainly going to be going into my Warcry warband, probably as a seneschal. It'll give me a lot of chuckles to see him go to town on some svelt chaos warband, imagining him shouting "What's that sonny?" and "Here's how we did it back in my day!"

"I can't remember why I'm here!"

Look at him there. A born leader. Shame his ears are slowly navigating their way into his beard. Still, many lols are to be had with this guy I'm sure.

Kickstarter - Shieldwall Fine Shields

A distinctly oldschool flavour to today's post. Some pals of mine are currently running a kickstarter for shields and shield inserts. You can check it out here. Shields are fun, and for those that like to freehand intricate designs on their shields, more power to you. As I get older, however, I'll take any shortcut I can get. Behold, this is one of those delightful shortcuts. Along with swanky shields you get themed inserts to suit most fantasy factions. Here are a few examples, though there are several shield shapes in addition to the rounds you see here.

Personally, I would probably paint the shield face wooden, then maybe fray or cut down an insert to show damage/weathering, then pop it on with the wood underneath showing through. A little run of ink around the edge maybe to blend the edge of the insert into the shield edge, and done. Swanky shield, minimal effort.

The kickstarter runs for another 24 days at the time of posting.

Wipsters, Oldhammer and KnaveCon 7

Piers Brand's superb greenskins

The internet is a funny old place. A lot of the internet is like a sneaky bowl of chocolate cereal. Briefly tasty, but then the guilt. The sugary guilt. Still more of it is like walking down an alley in Bangkok at 2am singing 'What shall I do with all this money' at the top of your lungs.

Now and again though it does yield gold.

The gold in this case is the way our hobby has connected the thousands of small metal and plastic man enthusiasts together. We all know how good the interwebs is for gaming, so I'll skip right on past that. What I mean is the friendships that can result from such shared obsessions over the net. The kind where a grown man you've never met before gives you a ten second bearhug, and you're totally reciprocating.

A deathworld never looked so beautiful.

That's what brought about the meet-up at KnaveCon 7.

There's already been some fine, fine reporting on the games of the day. You can catch the Rogue Trader report here, at Scale Creep, where some of the mightiest examples of the gaming elite hold court. Indeed, these, among some excellent others, are the very fellows that made the trip to Ireland to throw some dice and revel in the sumptuous miniatures there on the day. (Bar Captain Crooks, with his whole 'I live in Australia' excuse.)

The Frostgrave portion of the day was reported on here by Cheetor over at Sho3box and here by Asslessman at Leadplague.

The height of Rogue Trader fashion saunters through the jungle.

So my take on the day will be more about the participants than the gaming, as enjoyable as that was. Over the last couple of years the Wipster group has coalesced out of the Oldhammer scene. What started out as trades and comments on forums and posts turned into a gaggle of miniature nuts who constantly rant and ramble at each other about what excites them on any particular day in the hobby. From that Scale Creep was recently born, a pubic outlet for our mutual affliction. Online therapy.

Yes. That's a giant floating ballbag there at the back.

One of the most enjoyable things, hobby-wise has been the group projects. We've had several, and seeing everyone's work moving along has the positive effect of giving painting mojo a serious boost. Added to that the large amount of great work that comes out of the group keeps everyone pretty enthusiastic and churning out even more good stuff. See what I mean about gold in them thar internets?

Sneaking. It's what they do.

After a while, when you're speaking to folks on a daily basis you can't help but get to know them despite your best efforts. That eventually resulted in almost all of the Wipsters/Creeps showed up at KnaveCon 7. Getting nearly everyone together was tremendous in itself , and as expected, the games themselves were casual, friendly and full of laughs. It's always slightly weird meeting someone you know reasonably well for the first time, but a couple of the aforementioned bearhugs sorted that out.

More gorgeous Frostgrave minis.

The day went off super well, bar poor JB who was afflicted with something akin to the black death. The amount of fantastic terrain and models was such that I didn't get around to seeing all I wanted to see, but there's always next time. Again, it's one thing looking at a model on the web, quite another holding it in your hand and being able to turn it about for a good look.

Brewhouse Bash at full tilt.

So there you go. The internet. Not all weirdos and creepy bearded men. Sometimes it's weirdos and creepy bearded men with great paint skills who like to roll dice and have a laugh.

Kickstarter - Diehard Miniatures

For those of you with a liking for Oldhammer miniatures, and for those of you that just really like great fantasy minis, the Diehard Miniatures kickstarter is currently ongoing. There are several factions, from the amphibious tech-laden Eru-kin to the undead, humans, goblinoids, humans, chaotic monstrosities and even and hawkmen. There are quite a few stretch goals planned too. The pledges allow some mixing and matching between factions, along with a large add on section if you're only after a few models.

Personally I'm looking at the snakemen, if they get unlocked, and the dwarf boar centaur. Anyone with an old school chaos dwarf army might be interested in this fellow. He looks happy not to be pushing a large warmachine/lawnmower. If you get me.

I'm a whirlwind! I'll tenderize you!!

These would work great for Warhammer, Age of Sigmar, and with the expansion for Frostgrave imminent, I'm looking at the undead knight. So, take a gander, there's a lot of good stuff to choose from.

Multi Player Pulp Alley - 40k Style

Last weekend we kicked off the gaming for 2015 with a large Pulp Alley game hosted by John of JustJohn fame. Saturday morning (late morning, we just can't seem to stop talking little men over pot after pot of coffee) we adjourned to John's hobby building (shed doesn't really cover it) and his enormous wargaming table.

The game was Pulp Alley, and the scenario was uncover several minor plot points hidden around the table to find out the whereabouts of the captive held by the sinister cult. The players were as follows:

A loose alliance gathered to find the captive, all with agendas of their own:
Bruce - An inquisitor and his retinue of Imperial followers.
Paul(Cheetor)- Heisenbork brainboy and his band of greenskins. Big Billy was my favourite here.
Sean - A unit of Imperial Ogryns, led by Beefpounder, the biggest Ogryn I've ever encountered.

This very loose alliance was set against the cult, represented by:

Craig - A gang of trench-coat wearing toughs led by Salty Tom.
Dave  - My own league was a group of nasty genestealer hybrids, led by magos (not magus, you'll note) Kurgan.

So, essentially the Imperial/Ork alliance had to find the clues to the whereabouts of the captive, and the cult had to keep them guessing.

The inquisitor leads his followers into the jungle.

The ogryns crash straight into the hybrids.

As you can see, Sean, who was the only Imperial player on his side of the board wasting no time in ploughing right into the cult magos. Magos Kurgan has an unlucky reputation, ans spent several turns fending off the unstoppable Beefpounder before help arrived in the shape of brother Welt, a grossly misshapen and augmented hybrid. With the cult in furious battle with the ogryns, the initiative stayed at this end of the table for several turns, denying the orks and inquisitor the chance to make an impact in the early game. Judicious use of cards meant that the orgyns put up one hell of a fight though, with lead and steel bouncing off them to no effect. (It seems tremendously easy to build characters in Pulp Alley to reflect any type of ability. Such as Beefpounder's ability to just not die.)

Bruce drives his men forward like a merciless tyrant.

Eventually the initiate shifted, and shots began to ring out from the advancing Imperials and Orks. Notably from Bruce's sniper, who cleared an area very swiftly as dodging cultists dove and rolled behind whatever cover was available. Craig rolled some truly astounding dodge rolls.

Dodging like a boss.

Eventually though, as plot points were uncovered, a second underground entrance was discovered. The main entrance being in the ruins of the Imperial shrine in the centre of the table. Bruce's inquisitor and his fellows raced for the shrine, with his commissar and adeptus arbite vaulting up the outer wall and onto into the ruins.

Well, that's what statistically would have happened. Instead, both managed to fluff several peril rolls and sprain their ankles, taking them out of the game. Hilarity ensued, with the mental image of two Imperial hardcases rolled up in a ball grabbing their ankles and hissing 'Fffffffff, oOooOoooo that's sore!'

"We never talk of this, agreed?"

After the mockery abated, it was noticed the orks were making for the rather lonely looking outdoor toilet at the far end of the table after completely abandoning the fragile alliance with the Imperials. The second entrance had been found. They were now only a flush away from certain victory.

Heisenbork leads his greenies to the secret entrance.

At the other end of the table magos Kurgan eventually managed to extricated himself from combat, with Beefpounder's attention diverted by brother Welt. The ogres had soaked up an enormous amount of punishment, but eventually the cultists managed to access the entrance to the catacombs in the shrine and head off the orks before they managed to rescue the captive. After some vicious tunnel fighting the cult came out on top, though there are rumours of a steward's inquiry. All in all a great game, which fairly effortlessly accommodated several players. This only serves to further cements my affection for the Pulp Alley rules.

Bono attempts to barge the charging cultists out of his way in the dying moments of the game.

Next up was an introductory game of Bolt Action using our Rogue Trader models. Bruce gave us the skinny on the game, which was a lot of fun. I do like the dice system, and it seems as if the rules can be massaged enough to suit the 40k universe. I've seen a game using German Walkers and zombies, which ticks my weird war box something fierce, so I'm interested in more Bolt Action.

Imperial guard and squats await the assault.

An odd alliance of Leprecians (Ratlings) and the Legion of the Damned.

The Leprecians advance along the flanks.

These legionnaires hadn't seen battle in literally decades up to this. They seemed to have retained their mojo though.

To finish off a very fine weekend of gaming, Sunday morning saw John crack out Dungeonquest. Insanely difficult, but loads of fun. I must get me a set.

Bottom right character. Second tile, fell down a hole. Good old Dungeonquest.

BroCon 2014

Magos Kurgan (me), Captain Jameson (Just John), Inquisitor Verhoeven (Cheetor) and Zardork (theottovonbismark) for the traditional group shot.

Last weekend myself, Cheetor, theottovonbismark and Just John converged on BroCon. This follows on from our game at KnaveCon. We played two games, the first using the Pulp Alley rules, and the second using 2nd edition 40k rules. Both were highly entertaining, but the Pulp Alley game, set in the madness of Rogue Trader 40k, Get to the Chopper, was genuinely hilarious. Usually a good game was one or two memorable events, but there were several times during this game that tears were welling I was laughing that hard.

For the first game we all picked a small team to investigate the rapidly irradiating jungle for the key that opened the door of the ship waiting in the compound. With Inquisitors, Ratli - I mean Leprechans, moustachioed orks and genestealer hybrids, there was plenty of Rogue Trader variety going on.

Smell the Oldhammer

 Uncanny radiation from perilium deposits exposed by recent seismic activity (see “Inquisitor – The Ragna Rock” for details) has caused the dead of the Northern Polar continent of Krellborn IX to rise and attack the living. Being suddenly surrounded by homicidal cadavers has brought the individual agendas of the various factions currently in the area to an abrupt end. Escape is the only thing on our heroes minds and the only reliable route out is by air.
 

The local wildlife is also aware that death is creeping up. Driven as before an eruption or forest fire, the colourful and hostile local predators are also panicked and aggressive. Therefore the likes of enraged Death-Ferrets, Bouncers, Face-Eaters and more will have to be factored into any plan.

The single available shuttlecraft in the area appears undamaged, but access to the vehicle is restricted. Remains of the prior owners of “The Chopper” surround the local Leprechan agri-science outpost. Hopefully those remains will also be the location of the key cards that allow access to and control of the vehicle. There is only one way to find out…

The Magos and his retinue creep forward.

Zardork spies the compound in the distance while taking fire from crack-shot Leprechans.

The Helga prepares for lift-off.

The finest moustache in 40k makes it's way through the jungle.

Bedlam on the landing pad as the scuffle for keys gets nasty.

Inquisitor Verhoeven finds that getting over a chain link fence appears to be the greatest challenge of his career.

For a more detailed report on the desperate dash for the shuttle, you can read it here on Sho3box, Cheetor's blog.

In our second game, the sensei and their followers face off against each other, highlander style, and, of course, there can be only one. With some jaw-dropping ruthlessness, the sensei butcher each other while making half-hearted noises about making common cause until the end. After several turns of such carnage, sensei Ramirez emerges to claim the prize. Cheetor has a more detailed report coming for this game also.

Both games went very well indeed, and already the O'Hammerers move to plan their next outing. Several ideas are fermenting, but there may be an electronux involved...

The sensei move through the jungle to claim the holy ground.

Otto twirls his moustache while considering his next dastardly move.

Ramirez battles his final opponent.

Fimir - Fianna Fimm Reboot 2

I've been beavering away on my fianna fimm, looking to take more time over them this time. I spent longer on the skin, and bought myself a new shiny tin of strong tone dip from Army Painter. The reason for this is that too much dip had dried out on the lid of my old tin, compromising the seal, and the air getting in pretty much ruined the dip left in the tin over time. Once dip starts to thicken it is only a matter of time before it's totally useless. Sure, you can thin it out again with white spirits, but the viscosity of dip is fundamental to its use. It should be like thin gravy. It also gives you more time to work the dip before it begins to coagulate, and you don't get long at the best of times. Dip that has begun to thicken doesn't spread as evenly and dries faster giving you less time to brush it on and then brush away the excess pooling in the recesses. It's not a technique for the faint of heart.

This is what led to the fianna looking less than I hoped first time around. Granted, I always paint over the dip, using it more as a wash than a final step, but if the dip wash is a fail, it's all over baby. The new tin made me realise just how treacley the old one had gotten. Taking no chances I'm sealing the lid with blu-tack to make sure it's airtight this time around.

I'm tempted to try the new GW blood/gore special effect paint on the bloody hand. I'll try out a wee tester first I think. In any case he needs a few more highlights here and there, basing and varnishing. Then I'll get cracking on his five mates.

Oldhammer - The Bazaar is open!

With the continual upsurge in the Oldhammer community, I thought it time to sort out my trading a little better, as there are now plenty of folks now out there who might get excited about goblin fanatics from 1983, or a chaos warrior carrying a crossbow from 1988. With that in mind, I've put together a page for all such curiosities, a place to peruse some of what I have on offer, and what I'm hunting after.

Mind you, it's only trade I'm interested in, not selling. If it's something you fancy, take a gander at the bazaar.

Upcoming Kickstarter - All Quiet on the Martain Front

Kickstarter has ushered in a new age for gaming, that's for sure. I've pledged on a couple, exerted all my will to refrain from pledging on others. Every now and then though, a kickstarter comes along that brooks no refusal. All Quiet on the Martian Front is one for me. Here's the basic blurb:

All Quiet on the Martian Front is a 15mm scale sci-fi battle game that plays out the second Martian War and breathes new life into the classic earth invasion tale. Set in the second decade of the twentieth century humanity uses tanks, artillery, and never before seen technology to defend Earth from the Martian invaders. The Martians use advanced war machines, human zombie slaves, gas warfare, and worse to eliminate all humanity from the Earth. It is tanks vs. tripods, big guns vs. heat rays, and incredible heroics vs. emotionless eradication across the tattered and entrenched landscape of 1910 America.

I'm a huge War of the Worlds fan, so this intrigued me greatly. When I heard Rick Priestly and Alessio Cavatore were involved, it intrigued me even more. Then, having seen some of the images and miniatures, I was all in. ALL IN.

Setting it in America in the the early 20th century is an interesting change, but makes sense given America's industrial might gives it a decent shot at making some attempt to fight the Martians. There's some great miniatures already making an appearance and concept work for more. Look at these fellows below:

All I can say is I'm eagerly awaiting this kickstarter. The miniatures will be resin, metal and plastic, with more plastics depending on the success of the kickstarter. The starter set looks to be a complete game, with rules and miniatures for both sides. There's a feel of something special about this game, and all signs so far point to win.

In other news, look what just arrived at castle Saturday today! That's my weekend reading well and truly sorted, an old school extravaganza awaits. This book is packed with pictures of great miniatures from days gone by, as well as plenty of illustrations, miniature lists and such. Joygasm.

Oldhammer - Bring Out Your Lead

 

The Oldhammer community are pleased to officially announce Oldhammer - Bring Out Your Lead! (2013). The event is taking place over the weekend of the 31/08/2013 - 01/09/2013, at - Foundry Miniatures in Nottingham.

 

You can see the full details over at  Somewhere the Tea's Getting Cold, and a great weekend it promises to be. A major hats off to all involved in upping the tempo for the Oldhammer scene! I'm sore tempted to make the trip, all that concentrated Oldhammer goodness in one place might be more than I could bear.