Tengu and Jackalope

The Hermit and the Boar

Jackalope

For last year's Warhammer Empire "Pleasant Surprises" I received two unpainted miniatures, a tengu and a jackalope from Stonehaven Miniatures.

Both are on my desk, and I just finished the jackalope. Simple mini, simple paintjob that gets a bit blown-out by the photo due to scale -- but I love the mini and how the painting turned out! (As with most pics on the blog -- click to enlarge the pic even more...)

And a scale shot, with the usual reference figure...

Minis of Future Past

For whatever reason (nostalgia?) I decided these old minis need a new life. Previously used for Hordes of the Things (along with some other rabbit themed minis.) Just a small warband, but it looks like I've got...

12 Archers
12 Spearmenrabbits
6 Axe & Shield
6 Sword & Shield (which I don't care for and probably won't use)
2 Heroes
2 Musicians, one Standard Bearer

I'm not sure if I will repaint, touch up, or a little of both. I do want to replace the old carrot shields with new plain ones -- so I'm on the lookout for source for round shields.

I've also decided I need to repair my stepped-on self-portrait mini. (Early sculpting attempt, from one of the old sculpting list's Visions In Putty challenges)  I've glued me to a new base, will fix the legs & touch up the paint. I want to replace the axe, but I think I will leave it in place and just repaint it. Even though both sculpting and painting are... let's say, "rough," I'd like to preserve it for nostalgia and as a record of what I was doing at that point.

Spontaneous Undead Painting

Distracted. Spontaneously painted a couple of old Citadel undead.

Bushes

11 new bushes. Steel wool, brown spray primer, PVA glue and some small clump foliage (most likely Woodland Scenics.) PVA is still wet in the pic. Still need more, but it's progress.  I also still have some air filter I can cut up -- might do some of that next. I've still been wanting to pick up some lichen, as was previously suggested, but still haven't been able to get to the store. (Maybe I should just order from Amazon?)

Need for Bushes

I'm really trying to play an actual game, and set in the evolving make-believe world/campaign I've got in my head. The arrival of Sellswords and Spellsingers, as I've mentioned before, has spurred me on to finally try some solo gaming -- especially since my old plans have been mostly killed by lack of space since our move. So for the past few weeks, I've been slowly making plans. After initially selecting a warband for the Warhammer-Empire miniatures exchange minis, I've completely changed gears and decided to go with Plan B. In fact... maybe that should be their name: Plan B.

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After a harrowing journey through the Grey Mountains and his narrow escape from the Barrow, Zogmar finally grew a little more cautious. An almost "strategic" thinking started to creep in as he began recruiting among the misfits and dispossessed of the foothills and  Bitter Moors. From his small retinue he selected Zomar's Finest. Six of the brightest, strongest, or most talented (in some manner) among a sad and motley group to undertake a scouting mission with broad goals: find easy targets for supply & looting, determine strong points to be avoided, and aid in locating recruits for the proto-horde. Plan B, some witty half-orc called them, as the main force was taking up the safer mission of raiding isolated farmsteads and recruiting among small camps of bandits and outcasts.

They may have been viewed as an accessory to the main action, but their mission proved the stuff of legends... at least among Zogmar's camp.

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The first mission they will be undertaking is... a trap! After raiding along the foothills of the Grey Mountains, Zogmar's forces hit one wrong target -- a small inn at a crossroads frequented by the small garrison assigned to the western roads. Several small detachments of guards have been sent to keep the mysterious raiders from venturing further east -- precisely where the Finest have been ranging in recent days. After quietly scouting out the area, the Finest are trying to slink back out of the area. As they travel along a shallow gully in the Moors, something doesn't seem right. Spike, probably the most attentive & savvy of the group, calls out his suspicions, and the party proceeds cautiously...

In terms of Sellswords, the mission is a modified Through the Badlands -- which I will call Through the Wastelands. Some alignment swapping fun... orcs & troll for guards and ogre.

I just need some more bushes! Of all the stupid things... Luckilly I've made some before. Like the ones in the back of the second pic. Hopefully I can crank some more of those out soon -- or just go buy some lichen or similar crap from the local craft store!

Sellswords -- The Other Side

I'm also considering something like this for a themed "the other side" warband for Sellswords & Spellslingers.

End of April - Giant Progress

This is as far as I got by the end of Big April.

Swordslingers and Spellsellers and Stuff

After reading the Sellswords and Spellslingers rules a month or so ago, I decided there were a lot of things I liked about the rules. I was convinced enough that I bought most of the cards online and picked up some MDF to make a 3x3 tabletop, figuring that I would use it for some sort of skirmish gaming anyway.

Since then I haven't been able to get out to the garage to glue some sand, paint, etc. So today I "gave up" on doing a full oldschool table like the old (larger) one that's been hanging in the rafters for the past few years. The weather was nice, so I spent a quick 10 minutes spray painting a piece of MDF, hoping it will look convincing enough to work with the rest of my terrain. I'm still hoping I can find some time in the next few years to spend a little time gluing sand and then painting it, like I had originally planned.

So... here's the half-assed table in basement where I paint. I put my usual scale-reference handgunner on the table, as well as on of the converted Fomorians. I managed to clear some space near a light, and mostly away from the beams that I usually crack my skull on.

I've got two ideas for starting warbands, and I think I've decided which to try first...

...It won't be all of them. And there will be a more recent entry. These are from the Warhammer-Empire "Pleasant Surprises" miniatures exchange, and I had started thinking about making use of them in some sort of skirmish game a couple years ago. The essential premise will be this:

Rune, Etrigan (just the zweihander), Claus, all three crew members of the Chump Change Artillery Corps, Anvalous, and the (not pictured, and still to-be painted) Artoban's Ghost have been stranded behind enemy lines. Fighting off whatever come their way, while trying to reunite with the rest of the army. The undead King may show up as a villian.

Hopefully I will finally play the game soon....