Finished my Orctober (Half-Orctober) goal a week early. 24 Grenadier/Mirliton half-orcs, with an oldschool Ctiadel figure mixed in to round the regiment to 25.
Time for a group photo!
Along with the completion of my Orctober/Half-Orctober '19 goal, that also finishes the half-orc project. At least in terms of figures I already owned & planned (for several years now) to paint & form a small contingent for gaming. (Should I ever get the chance to play games again.) A really enjoyable project! As nice as it is to feel a sense of completion, I'm already thinking 10 more archers would be a good addition. And my eyes will be open for more/new opportunities to add to this. But for now I'm done. 😁
25 Warriors (mostly Grenadier)
16 Warriors (Old CItadel)
30 Warriors (Black Tree and a few Reaper Miniatures)
We're in the week between the end of my daughter's summer day camp, and the start of school. So we've made assorted arrangements to keep her occupied & supervised. Today was, as she called it "daddy & daughter day" -- I took a day off work to spend with her. Unfortunately, bad weather blew my initial plans (mostly outdoor activities) away. But I did have some indoor backup plans. We went out for most of the day and had fun, then came home around dinner.
She's been asking about the Temple of Elemental Evil boardgame, since I've had the box out. We played Dungeon! again a few weeks ago (with my wife as well) and I described it as "kind of like Dungeon! but with a lot more rules. Recommended age is 14+, my daughter's only 8, but she's really bright. A couple days ago she suggested we could play it today, and my wife told me she was talking about it last night & this morning, so who am I to disagree!
We played the first scenario from the campaign. I left out the background about murdered friends and switched the "Massacre Site" tile for the "Oubliette" tile. She played the ranger, I played the cleric. She took to it like a pro -- making me do the dangerous work & act as a tank, while using her archery to pick off all the monsters (and collect all the treasure.)
Her good tactical sense combined with her strong imagination and still being a great age for "pretend play" make me wonder if I should introduce her to some kid-friendly RPG-ing. I follow a few other parents running RPGs with their kids & friends on their blogs & social media. Maybe I should take the dive?
Today I got Stuff! In the Mail! that will supplement several of my ongoing projects. (Thank you Shadespyre!) Half orcs (and one will fit perfectly for a character for which I've been hunting for a figure lately!), high/sea elf, what appears to be a robo-clown (who I'm already generating backstory for) and a witch-hunter.
Also more of the old Citadel "armoured skeletons" which I can probably never have enough of. But this is especially good timing since I recently won an absolute bargain on some of the Black Tree knock-offs, who can serve as back rankers. Add in a few other stray skeleton figures, and I think I've now got a solid sized unit for this year's Deadcember tradition!
Finished the skeletons. I started them early, in November, but completed in Deadcember. Close enough for me. Mostly old Citadel, a few Black Tree Design mixed in.
I managed to squeak out some painting over the holiday, mostly sneaking off a few minutes at a time.
About 80% done with the batch of "armored skeletons". I still need to do some highlighting, patch & paint the shields, glue them on, and flock the bases.
I also painted a couple of characters. Summoners, champions, whatever -- the guys who summon & control the huge units/legions. They'll fill the space of 4 regular rank & file.
At this rate, I'll have nothing left to paint for Deadcember.
Starting to get those skeletal minis ready. Pic of what I've got painted already, plus the minis I've prepped for painting so far. Still need to clean & assemble about a dozen more plastic skeletons on the left, and another 8+/- with beastly heads on the right. Decided to put some "summoners" (the liche & the reaper) on 40x40 bases to include in these big hordes.
Thinking a lot about an order to Black Tree some armoured skeletons to mix with the unit in the middle, and some other regular skeltons for future units... plus the wraiths... hobbits... more "half-orcs"...
Forgot to post a few more things I picked up while I was gaming at the FLGS.
Fairly inexpensive, thought they would be good additions for theoretical future gaming.
The other thing I was checking out was board games suitable for solo play. I'm going to drop some heavy hints for Christmas. I'm leaning towards trying the D&D Temple of Elemental Evil board game as an entry level game. Open to other suggestions.
Deadcember and My BleedingEyes
Not much painting going on. Eyes are still having some problems, but hoping that I can start seeing clearly, and painting again by the end of the month. That brings me to Deadcember. I have some skeletal units started, I'd like to finish them, plus a few "wishlist" items that I'm not sure how to proceed with (don't have the figures!) Here's my plan for that...
Horde (40) of old plastic Citadel skeletons.
Regiment (20) of old Citadel & Black Tree armoured skeletons.
Horde (40-ish) of non-human humanoid skeletons (mixed manufacturers)
(...plus wishlist...)
2 really old plastic citadel skeleton cavalry (have 8, need 2 more)
2 skeleton standard bearers on skeletal steeds
2 skeletal characters ("lesser liches" or skeletal necromancers) on skeletal steeds
I wouldn't mind painting up a skeletal monster too, but I don't really have anything on hand at the moment.
Eventually I will post a bit of backstory about these two units. I'm increasingly fond of creating a narrative behind the units I paint. These were painted with the idea of two rival units of scouts. One a group of bandits who appear suddenly, raid small settlements, then slip back into the woods. The other a group hunting them.
The B.F.G., lead by the Notorious G.O.B.
Mostly Westfalia steppe goblins, plus a couple of old plastic classics I recently found, lurlking in the background. (The latter don't really fit aesthetically and may end up being used elsewhere.)
Hawk's Blue Forrest Rangers
Black Tree Design minis, one of two flavors of halflings they sell.
I ended up ordering the second figure that I had been considering for a half-orc shaman. Shawoman? Maybe priestess is better. She looks more refined than the connotations "shaman" usually carry. And to be honest, with her attire, the jar in her hand, and the staff -- I'd be half tempted to use her as a priestess of some sort with the Merienburders.
I had initially wanted to replace the jar, but it would require completely re-sculpting the hand. Not something I'm in the mood to do right now, but I can always pick up a second miniature and do that in the future.
Speaking of the future, two things on my mind regarding half-orcs today. One is that Black Tree is doing another 50% off sale and I'm tempted to double my half-orcs. I'd like more variety, but I do really like these figures. So that got me thinking about head-swaps, which, in turn got me thinking about... Two is that I should try sculpting some oalf-orc heads aesthetically resembling (as best as my meagre sculpting skills will allow) that could be used on some of the plastic human kits to turn them into half-orcs. I'm thinking along the lines of some of the Frostgrave plastics, but possibly also plastics or bits from Perry, Gripping Beast, and/or Fireforge. Maybe a big mix of all of those for a more irregular look.
At any rate, back to the new priestess, from Reaper, alongside samples from the rest of the clan:
She's a little taller than the average troopers, but that's OK. She's also standing more upright than any of the others as well, including the larger shaman and warrior.
My Bones 3 KS figures came in. Plus I picked up a pack of 3 of the Bob Olley orcs in Bones to see if they would fit with the recently nearly completed half orc unit. I thought I would post a few comparison pics. I didn't get a ton, but this isn't pics of everything either.
The best two figures from the "Lords of Undeath" are the two big guys. The halfling is OK, and I'm not sure I will ever use the elf & dwarf (not pictured.) The latter three are skeletal, but have pristine clothing, equipment, and hair -- which seems a bit odd. The two big ones shown here compared to skeletal ogres from Krakon Games, RPE, and the one I picked up (via FB) from a small personal project someone had cast. I think these will all work pretty well together!
Bob Olley orc in Bones material next to a couple of the half orcs. Nice figure, but unfortunately hot certain I like them together. I also realized I should show a scale pic of the half orcs next to my standard reference.
One of the most fun minis from the KS. GOREMAW. Sort of an impulse buy, a ridiculous miniature I just had to have & paint. I think it will be a big nasty summoned by Fomorians & others. Pic next to the Fomorians/Fimir, plus the (formerly) largest critter in their arsenal -- Reaper bog demon.
Reaper is "super sizing" their giants. I've got mixed feelings on this. I felt the fire giant queen I previously painted (second pic) was a great size for a giant, that bucked the trend of "bigger is better." Maybe hypocritical of me to say that given some of the enormous models I've picked up and/or painted the past few years. But in terms of background/setting, etc. I really do like the smaller ones -- and she was really well sculpted (and a nice casting, give that she's also in Bones!)
So here are some of the "super sized" fire giants, next to the old-ish Citadel giant, and the earlier version of the fire giant queen mentioned above. Definitely going to need some work on the bendy issues, but looking forward to seeing these painted up. Someday.
Also in the package is a restock of conversion fodder for my Fomorians. So those are back on teh menu now that I finally have more bodies to work with!
Done with Rotghar's Headhunters -- the half-orcs -- other than adding a standard and possibly some insignia on some of the shields. So... I guess 98% done?
A few more half-orcs done. Just five more left -- including the three command figures. Plus I need to do a banner (and maybe go back and paint designs on the shields.)
I realize this may not be exciting, given that it's just another handful of the same stuff I've been working on. But it's motivation for me as painting time (or any free time at all) becomes increasingly scarce and everything else becomes more stressful.
I also bought a figure to use for a shaman on eBay, who should be here later this week.
On a longer term, more ambitions note, I think I'd like to get & paint a small unit of half-orc scouts, and a second formed unit of melee troops. That should make a nice little mercenary force. Something a little more than a single unit, but still small-ish. Right now I'm not buying any new figures though, so I'll have to paint up something else that I already have in my possession.
I'm thinking more about the fringe mercenaries, outcasts, and so on. Still haven't decided what to work on next, though.
I previously mentioned thinking about adding a couple of larger figures to the half-orcs. I like the idea of variety in the unit. (And I'm still considering what to do about smaller figures to mix in.) So here's the two Reaper orcs used as half-orcs...
Now I will continue with the rest of the Black Tree (half) orcs to wrap up the unit... for now.
Painting these has got my mind wandering about my Zogmar ideas. They will work well as mercenaries for Marienburg, and allies for the Fomorians, but I'm also thinking back to the half-baked* idea of a misfit warlord assembling an army of equally misfit troops. I think some half-orcs are perfect for that.
*Or half-written. I've got a great deal of a game/campaign setting in my head, I just need to keep writing it down and get it into some sort of presentable form. My plans are still to create a complete oldschool campaign book. Probably a static web site as well. I am still dying to actually play some games. Thinking about playing some RPG campaigns too. So frustrating when I'm stuck trying to spontaneously squeak out 10-30 minute allotments of painting time at odd hours of the day!
Happy 4th to my fellow Americans. (This commercial never gets old.)
Slow progress on the half orcs.
As I've been painting them, I've been thinking that I'd like to add some more half-orcs of varying appearance and size. Initially I was thinking about some smaller half-orcs, but tonight it struck me that I might slip in one or two of the larger Tre Manor brutes that I like using for conversions/Formorication. So...
Hard to tell from the pic, but he's noticeably larger than the rest of them. I took this pic with the big guy on a 40x40, but after cleaning him up and looking at him in the unit, I opted to glue him to a 20x40 base instead and it seems to keep a more consistent density in the unit. I may throw a second Reaper-Manor orc in there too.
So, I'm still on the hunt for other options. I've previously mentioned the Scotia-Grendel orcs, but I think I will hold off on those for a unit of their own. They've got a different aesthetic, almost like an Ian Miller influenced orc. So I'd like to get a bunch, but keep them as a separate half-orc project.* As far as mixing with these, I think I will go back to Reaper for some of the old Bob Olley sculpted orcs. In fact, I think I may pick up a shaman, also by Olley, because I really like this figure...
I also spotted this half-orc while browsing the site, and I think she will end up in the unit too...
*FWIW, I 'm getting further into the idea of creating specific mercenary companies or regiments rather than just painting figures and calling them "mercenaries" and being done with it. I'm OK keeping all the generic landsknechts I've got on that basis. But I think my new projects will all have more to them. So the current batch of half-orcs are getting a backstory developed as I paint, similar to the way I've been working on the Scrobbleton Jackrabbit Trading Company for the hobbits. This has a secondary effect of giving me an outlet for putting down some of the geography and cultural background that I've had in my head.
I need to get a Czernobog character. I loved him in the book, I think the TV series did a pretty decent job with him so far.
I finished the two half-orcs I started with, because I wanted to see how they would turn out. Pretty happy with the results. Still haven't decided on a regiment name or emblem, but I do know I want red for what little color they have.
This weekend was Fathers Day. I'm happy to see that, if nothing else, my five year old daughter has caught on to my sense of humor. She apparently picked out the card on her own, and when told it wasn't a Fathers Day card, explained she would just cross it out and turn it into one. So proud. :)
This weekend was also the "Duck Tape Festival" in nearby Avon, Ohio. Did you know they have bacon duct/Duck tape? I do believe the ducts in the basement need some repairs. I think they may be in bacon tape...
Also, I as a Fathers Day gift to myself, I just purchased the Shadow War rulebook. Should be here by the end of the week. I loved Necromunda, and had semi-recently been looking into INQ-28. Also still interested in small games of Rogue Trader. I think Shadow War may be a good comprimise, plus it's a "current" game. Not that I actually play any games in the real world. But at least I will have a new rulebook to fantasize and dream about playing. Should be here by the end of the week.
I've painted the first group of Westfalia halfmen for the Jackrabbit Trading Company (JTC.) These are the crossbowmen. I liked the idea of crossbows because it's a different take on halflings. It seemed to make sense, for some use, to me. Greater draw, range, power than bows or slings. Both of those will still have a place with scouts, rangers, militia, etc. But for the "professional" guard of the JTC, I'm going to use some crossbow troops.
If you look carefully, there is actually one with a handgun. I picked up some miscast figures from Westfalia, with the intention of using them for casualty markers. And I will. But I needed a few more figures for this group, and one of the supposed miscasts was a handgunner that I couldn't find any flaw on. So "Boomstick Bill" the hobbit joined the ranks. Bill's always got to do his own thing.
On that topic, I still wanted one more. So I picked a halberdier from the miscasts, reconstructed his helmet and side of his head (a couple of big bubbles in the casting) and then cut off the halberd and put together a standard. So once this guy is painted, he will join the above unit plus the first sample figure I received from Westfalia, giving me a unit of 16. Or two smaller units of 8. I regret not getting more crossbow hobbits, and if they become available for general purchase, I would like a second batch.
Yesterday I received (another) package in the mail from Shadespyre. A small batch of the later Citadel armoured skeletons, to match the few I painted up in Deadcember. I knew they were on their way, so I also got hold of a sample pack of similar looking former Harlequin skeletons from Black Tree Design to see how they scaled up. In the photo below, there are three Citadel figures on the left, and three Black Tree figures on the right. Pretty close match!
