The long-awaited fantasy supplement to the Basic Impetus rules is available:
Basic Impetus - Fantasy
It is a PDF, and best of all it is free!
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07 December 2009
27 November 2009
Table
Along with the long work weeks, another obstacle arose in the path of my painting plans: the dreaded furniture move!
Here is a current pic of my painting table... strewn with the debris of a hasty movement, and this is after some time already spent on re-organizing!
Along with the tedium of moving boxes and other furniture items around, there was unexpected joy. During the shuffle, I discovered yet another box of minis that I had thought (or wished!) long gone. This discovery, however, just muddles my plans even further, as the minis are of yet another, different scale. A sharp-eyed observer will recognize some of the mini packaging on the table in the pic - Peter Pig, Essex, Battlefront (!), and even DP9. 15mm! The 15mm pile spans a lot of different eras and genres - Bronze Age chariots, Vikings, AWI, Ottoman Turks, WW1, WW2, and even sci-fi.
So, what to do?
Having already tried 6mm and 10mm, I am going to try my hand at painting a few of these 15mm minis. I do need to straighten the table out first...
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Here is a current pic of my painting table... strewn with the debris of a hasty movement, and this is after some time already spent on re-organizing!
Along with the tedium of moving boxes and other furniture items around, there was unexpected joy. During the shuffle, I discovered yet another box of minis that I had thought (or wished!) long gone. This discovery, however, just muddles my plans even further, as the minis are of yet another, different scale. A sharp-eyed observer will recognize some of the mini packaging on the table in the pic - Peter Pig, Essex, Battlefront (!), and even DP9. 15mm! The 15mm pile spans a lot of different eras and genres - Bronze Age chariots, Vikings, AWI, Ottoman Turks, WW1, WW2, and even sci-fi.
So, what to do?
Having already tried 6mm and 10mm, I am going to try my hand at painting a few of these 15mm minis. I do need to straighten the table out first...
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10 November 2009
This & that...
Sorry for the lack of pics - hopefully this will be the last week of long work-days and I can relax a bit.
I made a minor change to this blog's style - what do you think?
I'm slowly working on painting those Old Glory orcs; the skin colors are an ongoing struggle. No green-skins though for this batch!
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I made a minor change to this blog's style - what do you think?
I'm slowly working on painting those Old Glory orcs; the skin colors are an ongoing struggle. No green-skins though for this batch!
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31 October 2009
More links
Just added a few links to the lists on the right, specifically from Alnavco and Tumbling Dice.
25 October 2009
Tekumel on the Lost Minis Wiki
Eyin of the Lost Minis Wiki has started a specific page for all of those Old Guard/Ral Partha/PhD Games minis for Tékumel - Legions of the Petal Throne
He is missing a number of pics but it is a good start!
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He is missing a number of pics but it is a good start!
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04 October 2009
Empire Outriders, part 6
Here is a pic of the very first horse I have done in 28mm:
Wow, not nearly done yet, but it is getting there. I used a mix of Daler and Rowney Burnt Umber ink and 50% Future and coated the entire horse except the saddle. I like the effect of the ink on the horse; the mane and tail will require some dry-brushing to make them look right. The tack does not look good, so that will need to be repainted and then a wash of Reaper Pro Paint Wood Stain Ink to give it a more leathery and less pink look. The saddle will be dark grey and the blanket will be dark blue.
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Wow, not nearly done yet, but it is getting there. I used a mix of Daler and Rowney Burnt Umber ink and 50% Future and coated the entire horse except the saddle. I like the effect of the ink on the horse; the mane and tail will require some dry-brushing to make them look right. The tack does not look good, so that will need to be repainted and then a wash of Reaper Pro Paint Wood Stain Ink to give it a more leathery and less pink look. The saddle will be dark grey and the blanket will be dark blue.
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02 October 2009
Fantasy plans
In a rare departure from the norm, I am trying to set forth a plan for painting up that fantasy Pile of Minis. Making the plan won't be hard but sticking to it will!
First off is the orcs. I am not going to paint these up as the usual GW-style orcs; I have so many lizardmen types (Reptus and Reptiliads) and humans (maybe - the Yan Kor troops are a 'future' purchase) that will be in green, so the orcs will be different. I intend to shamelessly steal Tim's orc skin scheme - a reddish-brown as shown very well here. It will not be exactly the same, but rather close.
I also need to re-base most of the orcs onto round bases from square. Taeklonn has offered a handful or two of old GW slotta bases that will work perfectly.
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First off is the orcs. I am not going to paint these up as the usual GW-style orcs; I have so many lizardmen types (Reptus and Reptiliads) and humans (maybe - the Yan Kor troops are a 'future' purchase) that will be in green, so the orcs will be different. I intend to shamelessly steal Tim's orc skin scheme - a reddish-brown as shown very well here. It will not be exactly the same, but rather close.
I also need to re-base most of the orcs onto round bases from square. Taeklonn has offered a handful or two of old GW slotta bases that will work perfectly.
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01 October 2009
Halloween terrain bits
Feawin and I were at the local store the other day, and stumbled across their Halloween display. One item caught my eye immediately:
These are supposed to be sprinkled across a table for a kid's Halloween party, but I think that they will make great terrain bits. They are a bit big - the skull piece is just over 1" long, but for fantasy games they will be just fine for an ancient battlefield or graveyard of giants! 25 pieces in all - skulls, rib cages, hand-wrist-forearm, feet, and thigh bones. The store we bought these at (we grabbed two) is notorious for overpricing, so these should be available for much less money.
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These are supposed to be sprinkled across a table for a kid's Halloween party, but I think that they will make great terrain bits. They are a bit big - the skull piece is just over 1" long, but for fantasy games they will be just fine for an ancient battlefield or graveyard of giants! 25 pieces in all - skulls, rib cages, hand-wrist-forearm, feet, and thigh bones. The store we bought these at (we grabbed two) is notorious for overpricing, so these should be available for much less money.
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29 September 2009
Planning and scheming
I hate to admit it, but I spend more time thinking about minis than painting them. I always have some new project in the front of my brain and I never seem to get much progress on the projects on the painting desk. And, right now I have several items on the future to-do list:
1. Romans v. Celts - I should be doing much more on this than I have recently - as always I'm a bit distracted. Feawin and I have discussed this somewhat; she does not want to use plastic minis which leaves Warlord Games and Wargames Factory out. As this project is more about battles in England I would like to use Romans in lorica segmentata. Foundry is out due to pricing (although I do vaguely remember having a few Wargames Foundry Romans stashed somewhere!); I don't remember if Old Glory has Romans in segmentata (i.e. Early Imperial Romans). OG's Celts are not bad and a few are already represented in the handful of bowmen on the desk. Gripping Beast and Crusader might be the next logical choices.
2. The latest distraction - Napoleonics. That one word can conjure up a lot of gaming passion in some. Napoleonics has been a bit of a side show for me. I have played several Napoleonic games in the past - Napoleon's Battles, Shako, Piquet - and have even painted a few. My first non-naval, non-micro scale historical unit was a 6-stand 15mm Ottoman Janissary brigade mounted for Napoleon's Battles. But, lately, I have fallen for all of the new 28mm Napoleonic minis that are being produced. And, true to form, I am actually looking at something different than Peninsular battles or 1815 - the great campaign against the Austrians in 1809 or the Revolutionary battles in Italy 1796-1800 would be more to my liking. This would be in the skirmish scale, with maybe Sharp Practice or Song of Drums and Shakos as the rules. More thought is necessary for this one...
In another seemingly minor note - if you go back to my Piles of Minis post, you will see a number of minis primed black. I normally prime my minis in white or light grey. Being somewhat lazy, I do not want to strip and re-prime all of those minis, so the painting desk will see more experimentation than usual in the near future. Who knows, it could revolutionize my painting methods!
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1. Romans v. Celts - I should be doing much more on this than I have recently - as always I'm a bit distracted. Feawin and I have discussed this somewhat; she does not want to use plastic minis which leaves Warlord Games and Wargames Factory out. As this project is more about battles in England I would like to use Romans in lorica segmentata. Foundry is out due to pricing (although I do vaguely remember having a few Wargames Foundry Romans stashed somewhere!); I don't remember if Old Glory has Romans in segmentata (i.e. Early Imperial Romans). OG's Celts are not bad and a few are already represented in the handful of bowmen on the desk. Gripping Beast and Crusader might be the next logical choices.
2. The latest distraction - Napoleonics. That one word can conjure up a lot of gaming passion in some. Napoleonics has been a bit of a side show for me. I have played several Napoleonic games in the past - Napoleon's Battles, Shako, Piquet - and have even painted a few. My first non-naval, non-micro scale historical unit was a 6-stand 15mm Ottoman Janissary brigade mounted for Napoleon's Battles. But, lately, I have fallen for all of the new 28mm Napoleonic minis that are being produced. And, true to form, I am actually looking at something different than Peninsular battles or 1815 - the great campaign against the Austrians in 1809 or the Revolutionary battles in Italy 1796-1800 would be more to my liking. This would be in the skirmish scale, with maybe Sharp Practice or Song of Drums and Shakos as the rules. More thought is necessary for this one...
In another seemingly minor note - if you go back to my Piles of Minis post, you will see a number of minis primed black. I normally prime my minis in white or light grey. Being somewhat lazy, I do not want to strip and re-prime all of those minis, so the painting desk will see more experimentation than usual in the near future. Who knows, it could revolutionize my painting methods!
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26 September 2009
Legion of Ever Present Glory, part 5
So, so close to being finished !
Here is the command group for my first group from the First Legion of Ever Present Glory troops for the Tsolyanu. The pic is a bit blurry - I forgot to hit the macro button prior to launch. I have finished the bases in a more temperate fashion, as I am trying to co-ordinate all of the skirmish-based minis into a single scheme. I might add a bit of coarse flock from Woodland Scenics - maybe not.
All twelve of the troops arrayed. I believe that the trim on the shields is the wrong color - should be black I think. They still look OK in my opinion; not enough red to make them into Mu'ugalavyani. Now I just need to paint a few dozen more, especially the bow-armed troops!
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Here is the command group for my first group from the First Legion of Ever Present Glory troops for the Tsolyanu. The pic is a bit blurry - I forgot to hit the macro button prior to launch. I have finished the bases in a more temperate fashion, as I am trying to co-ordinate all of the skirmish-based minis into a single scheme. I might add a bit of coarse flock from Woodland Scenics - maybe not.
All twelve of the troops arrayed. I believe that the trim on the shields is the wrong color - should be black I think. They still look OK in my opinion; not enough red to make them into Mu'ugalavyani. Now I just need to paint a few dozen more, especially the bow-armed troops!
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25 September 2009
Moving slowly, but progress
Small and infrequent they are, yet some paint is being applied to minis -- sorry but no pics yet --
The first small set of Legion of Ever Present Glory troops for the Tsolyanu are almost done. I completed the bases earlier in the week; they only need a clearcoat (which will be yet another story as I am definitely not using the wonderfully toxic Dullcoat anymore...).
The unit of Empire Outriders is getting a dab or two of paint also. I am about to start Step 2 of the horse painting experiment - the block colors are done (with the exception of the saddle) and now a wash of ink will be applied over the entire creature. Scared? Yes I am.
As the prospect of having completed minis is getting closer, I have been thinking more about terrain. I have a few plans and some materials gathered, so soon I will attempt to make... something.
There is yet another MMORPG that is absorbing my time and attention. It is a new game from NCsoft called Aion and it is quite simply beautiful. The graphics, from characters to terrain, are stunning even with our outdated graphic cards. I will try to post some screenshots - I have a large collection since I have been using them to get ideas for mini terrain projects.
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The first small set of Legion of Ever Present Glory troops for the Tsolyanu are almost done. I completed the bases earlier in the week; they only need a clearcoat (which will be yet another story as I am definitely not using the wonderfully toxic Dullcoat anymore...).
The unit of Empire Outriders is getting a dab or two of paint also. I am about to start Step 2 of the horse painting experiment - the block colors are done (with the exception of the saddle) and now a wash of ink will be applied over the entire creature. Scared? Yes I am.
As the prospect of having completed minis is getting closer, I have been thinking more about terrain. I have a few plans and some materials gathered, so soon I will attempt to make... something.
There is yet another MMORPG that is absorbing my time and attention. It is a new game from NCsoft called Aion and it is quite simply beautiful. The graphics, from characters to terrain, are stunning even with our outdated graphic cards. I will try to post some screenshots - I have a large collection since I have been using them to get ideas for mini terrain projects.
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16 September 2009
Piles of minis, sorted...
I went through and made a list of all of those minis that were arranged on my painting table recently, and here is a boring list of numbers:
ORCS - 33 Lots of hand-to-hand types, a complete lack of missile troops and spellcasters
HUMANS - 45 Lots of crossbows, very few melee and casting types
MONSTERS - 13 Much room for improvement, but the ettin is finally going to be used!
REPTUS - 19 A fair mix of melee, 3 bows, 1 caster
ELVES - 27 My wife's personal army, very well equipped with plenty of longbows!
DWARVES - 2 A totally unacceptable number, there needs to be many more!
There are others, but the above is the main list. The orcs need some archers, the humans need melee troops that match the crossbow troops, and the dwarves are shamefully few. All of the races have almost no cavalry troops.
Looks like some shopping is in order, and then they need to be painted...
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ORCS - 33 Lots of hand-to-hand types, a complete lack of missile troops and spellcasters
HUMANS - 45 Lots of crossbows, very few melee and casting types
MONSTERS - 13 Much room for improvement, but the ettin is finally going to be used!
REPTUS - 19 A fair mix of melee, 3 bows, 1 caster
ELVES - 27 My wife's personal army, very well equipped with plenty of longbows!
DWARVES - 2 A totally unacceptable number, there needs to be many more!
There are others, but the above is the main list. The orcs need some archers, the humans need melee troops that match the crossbow troops, and the dwarves are shamefully few. All of the races have almost no cavalry troops.
Looks like some shopping is in order, and then they need to be painted...
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13 September 2009
Ship mini painting, part 1
Been awhile, hasn't it? I am making some slow progress with the minis:
Here is a pic of the WTJ minis, with masts of brass rod added and a coat of primer(Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer). I have glued them to a nail for easier handling.
I am also experimenting with paint choices:
1. Reaper Master Series Pure White
2. 1 part Pure White + 1 part Reaper Master Series Misty Grey
3. Misty Grey
4. 1 part Misty Grey + 1 part Reaper Master Series Cloudy Grey
5. Cloudy Grey
6. 1 part Cloudy Grey + 1 part Reaper Master Series Stormy Grey
7. Stormy Grey
8. Delta Ceramcoat Charcoal Grey
9. Delta Ceramcoat Black
To my eye, #3 will be a good choice for German hulls (except DD's), with #2 as the color for the upperworks. #4 will be the overall color for the Russians (except DD's). I still need to decide on a deck color, however.
#5 could be the color for the Russian DD's, with #6 for the Germans. I might use #7 as the color for the decks of all the DD's.
Here is a pic of the WTJ minis, with masts of brass rod added and a coat of primer(Reaper Master Series Brush-On Primer). I have glued them to a nail for easier handling.
I am also experimenting with paint choices:
1. Reaper Master Series Pure White
2. 1 part Pure White + 1 part Reaper Master Series Misty Grey
3. Misty Grey
4. 1 part Misty Grey + 1 part Reaper Master Series Cloudy Grey
5. Cloudy Grey
6. 1 part Cloudy Grey + 1 part Reaper Master Series Stormy Grey
7. Stormy Grey
8. Delta Ceramcoat Charcoal Grey
9. Delta Ceramcoat Black
To my eye, #3 will be a good choice for German hulls (except DD's), with #2 as the color for the upperworks. #4 will be the overall color for the Russians (except DD's). I still need to decide on a deck color, however.
#5 could be the color for the Russian DD's, with #6 for the Germans. I might use #7 as the color for the decks of all the DD's.
30 August 2009
Piles of minis!
I have uncovered a mother-lode of old minis!
Some of these minis have not seen the light of day since the change of address BEFORE the last one (over 2 years ago). A lot of these were purchased in the 90's from one of my favorite game stores - Fantastic Games & Toys in Lynnwood, WA, USA. And there is quite a mix of manufacturers represented:
Foundry - a single Great Orc on the left
Harlequin - lots of orcs from their LoTR line which predates the movies by some years
Games Workshop - black orcs, savage orcs, and goblins (and some unfinished Kroot for conversions!)
Old Glory - orcs and HYW crossbowmen
Ral Partha - an ettin, half-giant with huge sword, VOR Growlers
RAFM - Gilla worms, a war turtle
Wizards of the Coast - half-orc assassin, and some gnomes hiding on the right
Grenadier - wolves and giant rats
Mithril - a giant eagle
and more!
Many of these are in sad shape, but a new lick of paint and proper bases will go a long way into rehabilitating them. I have found that I am missing most of the shields for the Harlequin orcs, though.
In the back of the pic above you see some of my Eureka Legion of Ever Present Glory troops. Yes, they are finally nearing completion:
They are mounted on 7/8" steel washers. A little bit of spackle hides the cast bases on the washers. Soon the bases will be painted and flocked - a clear overcoat will finish them off.
One of the neat-o finds in the top pic was a bunch of Old Glory crossbowmen from their Hundred Years War series. The minis shown in the top pic have had their old square bases removed in preparation for new round bases. Since there are so many - 30 (an entire bag) - I am going to divide them up for painting/gaming purposes. Roughly half have chainmail, the other half do not so that is the starting point. Unarmored minis will be more akin to a militia, I'm thinking, and probably will not be painted in a uniform fashion, while the armored minis will be somewhat uniform.
One high point of many OG products is the variety in the sculpts. In the 30 crossbowmen I have, only 6 are the same; the rest vary in one form or another.
Now, many of the stances are similar - I believe this bag had 6 different stances - there are many individual differences, especially in the heads and faces. With all of these minis being utilized for skirmish gaming, the variety is a nice touch.
(BTW, the mini in the bottom pic on the far left seems to be the only one repeated in the entire bag - there are 6 of that pose)
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Some of these minis have not seen the light of day since the change of address BEFORE the last one (over 2 years ago). A lot of these were purchased in the 90's from one of my favorite game stores - Fantastic Games & Toys in Lynnwood, WA, USA. And there is quite a mix of manufacturers represented:
Foundry - a single Great Orc on the left
Harlequin - lots of orcs from their LoTR line which predates the movies by some years
Games Workshop - black orcs, savage orcs, and goblins (and some unfinished Kroot for conversions!)
Old Glory - orcs and HYW crossbowmen
Ral Partha - an ettin, half-giant with huge sword, VOR Growlers
RAFM - Gilla worms, a war turtle
Wizards of the Coast - half-orc assassin, and some gnomes hiding on the right
Grenadier - wolves and giant rats
Mithril - a giant eagle
and more!
Many of these are in sad shape, but a new lick of paint and proper bases will go a long way into rehabilitating them. I have found that I am missing most of the shields for the Harlequin orcs, though.
In the back of the pic above you see some of my Eureka Legion of Ever Present Glory troops. Yes, they are finally nearing completion:
They are mounted on 7/8" steel washers. A little bit of spackle hides the cast bases on the washers. Soon the bases will be painted and flocked - a clear overcoat will finish them off.
One of the neat-o finds in the top pic was a bunch of Old Glory crossbowmen from their Hundred Years War series. The minis shown in the top pic have had their old square bases removed in preparation for new round bases. Since there are so many - 30 (an entire bag) - I am going to divide them up for painting/gaming purposes. Roughly half have chainmail, the other half do not so that is the starting point. Unarmored minis will be more akin to a militia, I'm thinking, and probably will not be painted in a uniform fashion, while the armored minis will be somewhat uniform.
One high point of many OG products is the variety in the sculpts. In the 30 crossbowmen I have, only 6 are the same; the rest vary in one form or another.
Now, many of the stances are similar - I believe this bag had 6 different stances - there are many individual differences, especially in the heads and faces. With all of these minis being utilized for skirmish gaming, the variety is a nice touch.
(BTW, the mini in the bottom pic on the far left seems to be the only one repeated in the entire bag - there are 6 of that pose)
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25 August 2009
Navwar, continued...
Unfortunately, I've been distracted and have yet to work with my new Navwar ships - no painting, no pics, and they are still in the bags. I have discovered that I forgot to place Augsberg on the order sheet and instead received one of my alternates - a Wittelbach-class predreadnought. I guess that means that I'll need to place another order, soon!
16 August 2009
Navwar order
The ships from Navwar have arrived - faxed the order in last Monday and delivered on Saturday - very fast service! Pics later on...
15 August 2009
First set of minis...
I finally have some pics ready to post. Some of these are a bit dodgy - I need to refine my method just a bit of these small ships.
First up, the Germans:
These are the WTJ versions of Prinz Heinrich and Lübeck.
A very close-up overview of Prinz Heinrich.
The WTJ castings are very nice - not much flash, just a small amount there on Prinz Heinrich's fore funnel.
And some Russian ships:
The cruisers Oleg and Bogatyr.
And a close-up:
Nice. I really like the detail on the ship's boats.
And a broadside view. Note the detail on the casemate guns. There is a bit of a mold line along the waterline; some careful filing will take care of that.
Last but not least, Bayan:
First up, the Germans:
These are the WTJ versions of Prinz Heinrich and Lübeck.
A very close-up overview of Prinz Heinrich.
The WTJ castings are very nice - not much flash, just a small amount there on Prinz Heinrich's fore funnel.
And some Russian ships:
The cruisers Oleg and Bogatyr.
And a close-up:
Nice. I really like the detail on the ship's boats.
And a broadside view. Note the detail on the casemate guns. There is a bit of a mold line along the waterline; some careful filing will take care of that.
Last but not least, Bayan:
Empire Outriders, part 5
Just a little bit of evidence that I actually am making some progress on the Empire project:
This is my first-ever attempt at painting horses, so bear with me.
The plan is to paint the horse, along with some of the tack, in basic colors and then give it a good wash of dark brown. Almost like 'the dip', without the dipping. Then, I will come back and touch up the horse, adding socks and various other marks, and voila - done! Hope so, at least.
I did initially plan to paint the horses in different colors, but the paint I selected is rather ancient and needed a lot of dilution. With a lot of paint on the palette, I just kept on painting... There is a slight variation in the colors, but not much.
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This is my first-ever attempt at painting horses, so bear with me.
The plan is to paint the horse, along with some of the tack, in basic colors and then give it a good wash of dark brown. Almost like 'the dip', without the dipping. Then, I will come back and touch up the horse, adding socks and various other marks, and voila - done! Hope so, at least.
I did initially plan to paint the horses in different colors, but the paint I selected is rather ancient and needed a lot of dilution. With a lot of paint on the palette, I just kept on painting... There is a slight variation in the colors, but not much.
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12 August 2009
Wargames Factory Ancient Germans
Recently, I placed an order with The Warstore for some paints to use with my WW1 naval project (see my other blog), and The Warstore was offering a special - a free set of the brand-new 28mm plastic Ancient Germans from Wargames Factory. It is hard for me to pass up free minis whether they are lead, plastic, or even in the genres I collect - these at least are very close to the Celt/Rome project time and scale-wise, so I asked for a set to be included with my order.
(My order with The Warstore arrived quite quickly, no hassles at all - thanks Neil!)
Here is a pic of one side of the sprues:
I think these look pretty good. I'm not too impressed with the way most of the bodies are leaning heavily to one side, but that is just my observation...
And, the other side of the sprues:
Lots of extra weapons on these sprues - one of the great bonuses of plastics. There are spears and swords for all six 'bodies', shields, bows and quivers, ceremonial dagger, round-headed club, and what appears to be a tree branch!
Some close-ups of the heads:
Eight different heads for the six bodies. It is a bit odd that the faces are not aligned in the same fashion on the sprue; I'm not an expert on injection molding so what do I know?
I rather like these minis. They are the first Wargames Factory minis in my collection - they might not be the last. I have a feeling that they will be used with my wife's Celts, but for now they will go into the unpainted minis pile...
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(My order with The Warstore arrived quite quickly, no hassles at all - thanks Neil!)
Here is a pic of one side of the sprues:
I think these look pretty good. I'm not too impressed with the way most of the bodies are leaning heavily to one side, but that is just my observation...
And, the other side of the sprues:
Lots of extra weapons on these sprues - one of the great bonuses of plastics. There are spears and swords for all six 'bodies', shields, bows and quivers, ceremonial dagger, round-headed club, and what appears to be a tree branch!
Some close-ups of the heads:
Eight different heads for the six bodies. It is a bit odd that the faces are not aligned in the same fashion on the sprue; I'm not an expert on injection molding so what do I know?
I rather like these minis. They are the first Wargames Factory minis in my collection - they might not be the last. I have a feeling that they will be used with my wife's Celts, but for now they will go into the unpainted minis pile...
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11 August 2009
Action off Götland, part 5
High Seas Fleet links
Here are a pair of links to web sites that have some good information on the German navy circa WW1:
Imperial German Navy deployment 1914
Hochseeflotte Ships
The Hochseeflotte page has several links to ship specs, histories, and some pics.
Imperial German Navy deployment 1914
Hochseeflotte Ships
The Hochseeflotte page has several links to ship specs, histories, and some pics.
10 August 2009
Fall back, and regroup...
(Yes, yet another sad story...)
So, what I am trying to do is get myself back on track with completing some of those pesky projects that I want to have finished enough to play with, as that is the ultimate goal - PLAYING GAMES! Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, because it is so easy to get distracted by all of the new and shiny minis out there - and so many seem to be coming out recently, of all genres and scales. This means that I have finally sorted things out (yeah, right):
1. Scale - 25/28mm is it. I have been off tangentially into different scales, but these were not a true waste of time/money. I really needed to show myself what the other scales were like and not just ponder them. 10mm just went right out; that was easy. 6mm, despite the glorious pageantry of masses of troops, is out also. The bigger minis are just more fun for me to paint (The magic word - fun), although I will try to finish off some strips of the 6mm EPG guys for Kokigami's sake.
2. Rules - Still my Achilles' heel. Whatever the rules I use, the minis will be singly-mounted for flexibility. I want to have skirmish-style battles, and massed battles. Element basing is nifty, but I do not believe it will work for me.
3. Genres - I just can not stay with one period of gaming, unlike my friend Chirine. But, I do want to have a way of using disparate forces together, either allied or opposed. This harks back to a time, while I was in Spokane, when my now-departed friend George ran his New World campaign... Imagine European countries sending off expeditions to the new world during the great Age of Exploration, only to find, not North America, but the mystical City State from Judge's Guild (now long OOP). George had a smorgasbord of countries represented - Romans, Greeks, samurai, lizardmen, orcs, etc. with the injection of 16th century Europeans as well. I want to have a facsimile of this, all under the aegis of one rules system. The other factor in this is that my wife, Feawin, is wanting to set up a Celtic army, both historical (as in Ancient British) and magical. I'll be collecting a Roman force to oppose it.
So, what does this really mean? The Roman/Celt project is slated to begin next year, and the other armies will revolve around this. I will be painting up what I currently have waiting on (or under) the painting table, namely Empire and Tsolyanu forces, and I'll continue poking around for the 'right' rules set.
Just had to get that off my chest - I feel better already! Thanks for reading!
.
So, what I am trying to do is get myself back on track with completing some of those pesky projects that I want to have finished enough to play with, as that is the ultimate goal - PLAYING GAMES! Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, because it is so easy to get distracted by all of the new and shiny minis out there - and so many seem to be coming out recently, of all genres and scales. This means that I have finally sorted things out (yeah, right):
1. Scale - 25/28mm is it. I have been off tangentially into different scales, but these were not a true waste of time/money. I really needed to show myself what the other scales were like and not just ponder them. 10mm just went right out; that was easy. 6mm, despite the glorious pageantry of masses of troops, is out also. The bigger minis are just more fun for me to paint (The magic word - fun), although I will try to finish off some strips of the 6mm EPG guys for Kokigami's sake.
2. Rules - Still my Achilles' heel. Whatever the rules I use, the minis will be singly-mounted for flexibility. I want to have skirmish-style battles, and massed battles. Element basing is nifty, but I do not believe it will work for me.
3. Genres - I just can not stay with one period of gaming, unlike my friend Chirine. But, I do want to have a way of using disparate forces together, either allied or opposed. This harks back to a time, while I was in Spokane, when my now-departed friend George ran his New World campaign... Imagine European countries sending off expeditions to the new world during the great Age of Exploration, only to find, not North America, but the mystical City State from Judge's Guild (now long OOP). George had a smorgasbord of countries represented - Romans, Greeks, samurai, lizardmen, orcs, etc. with the injection of 16th century Europeans as well. I want to have a facsimile of this, all under the aegis of one rules system. The other factor in this is that my wife, Feawin, is wanting to set up a Celtic army, both historical (as in Ancient British) and magical. I'll be collecting a Roman force to oppose it.
So, what does this really mean? The Roman/Celt project is slated to begin next year, and the other armies will revolve around this. I will be painting up what I currently have waiting on (or under) the painting table, namely Empire and Tsolyanu forces, and I'll continue poking around for the 'right' rules set.
Just had to get that off my chest - I feel better already! Thanks for reading!
.
04 August 2009
Still kicking
Sorry for the long delay - I'm actually making a bit of progress, but no pics to prove it.
I'm dabbling in painting the horses for my Empire outriders.
I have cleaned and primed a unit of Legion of Ever Present Glory bowmen.
But, no pics! Now that the weather has cooled down here, I might be able to open up the blinds and set up the camera. Morning sun is great for pics but can really make a room warm...
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I'm dabbling in painting the horses for my Empire outriders.
I have cleaned and primed a unit of Legion of Ever Present Glory bowmen.
But, no pics! Now that the weather has cooled down here, I might be able to open up the blinds and set up the camera. Morning sun is great for pics but can really make a room warm...
.
02 August 2009
Action off Götland, part 4
Slowly but surely, progress is being made. My first order from WTJ has arrived, and they are beautiful ships indeed. No pics yet; it is just too hot here to mess around in our hobby area but I will take some soon.
I have also sent off for an order of new paints. I am going to try something a bit different this time. Normally, I will purchase specific colors, as I do not like to blend my own shades. But, this time I am going to try it, so the paints I ordered are more basic colors, neutral greys and pure white. I will need to keep track of the recipes of the paints for specific navies as I will never remember them outright.
I am hoping that I can finalize my Navwar order this week; when it arrives I will have everything together for my first scenarios...
I have also sent off for an order of new paints. I am going to try something a bit different this time. Normally, I will purchase specific colors, as I do not like to blend my own shades. But, this time I am going to try it, so the paints I ordered are more basic colors, neutral greys and pure white. I will need to keep track of the recipes of the paints for specific navies as I will never remember them outright.
I am hoping that I can finalize my Navwar order this week; when it arrives I will have everything together for my first scenarios...
28 July 2009
Imperial Russian Navy links
Here are a couple of interesting Wiki links for pics of the Imperial Russian Navy:
World War 1 Ships of the Russian Empire
World War 1 cruisers of Russia
World War 1 destroyers of Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Navy destroyers
Very useful in my opinion - they are mostly based on Russian sources.
World War 1 Ships of the Russian Empire
World War 1 cruisers of Russia
World War 1 destroyers of Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Navy destroyers
Very useful in my opinion - they are mostly based on Russian sources.
27 July 2009
Action off Gotland, part 3
While sorting through the painting table, I made an unwelcome discovery - I do not have any paints suitable for naval vessels! None of the typical greys that one would need. Now, I could just mix my own, and I do not mind doing that in a very limited manner, but large-scale paint formulation is not what I want, especially as I do not need large quantities. So, along with the ships I will need to purchase some paint. Sigh...
On a good note, I have found some interesting web sites pertaining to the naval situation in the Baltic during WW1. I'll post them very soon.
On a good note, I have found some interesting web sites pertaining to the naval situation in the Baltic during WW1. I'll post them very soon.
20 July 2009
Progress
Progress is being made at the El Grego shipyards - being back on-line (after work on the building and a 'slight' hiccup in our internet connection) is the major one! I have placed the first order for 1/3000 minis with WTJ; German and Russian cruisers mostly, with a few torpedo boats thrown into the mix. Hopefully I will place an order with NavWar this week for the remainder of the ships I desire for the 'Action off Götland' scenario. I'll post pics as soon as the minis arrive...
08 July 2009
05 July 2009
Action off Gotland, part 2
After much deliberation, and the confirmation of a slow-down at my place of employment, I am reconsidering my decision of using 1/2400 scale ships, especially the beautiful but expensive GHQ models.
If you look at this post on A Wargaming Odyssey, and again at this post on SteelonSandBlog, you will see some very nice examples of 1/3000 naval ships. With the prices for these minis running at least 50% less than GHQ, they are great bargains.
Also, Navwar makes a specific SMS Albatross mini, and WTJ has an awesome SMS Prinz Heinrich! Neither of these ships are available in 1/2400.
If you look at this post on A Wargaming Odyssey, and again at this post on SteelonSandBlog, you will see some very nice examples of 1/3000 naval ships. With the prices for these minis running at least 50% less than GHQ, they are great bargains.
Also, Navwar makes a specific SMS Albatross mini, and WTJ has an awesome SMS Prinz Heinrich! Neither of these ships are available in 1/2400.
04 July 2009
New format
Things have changed a bit - is it better or worse?
I was trying for a bit of Mu'ugalavyá (the 'Red Hats' of Tékumel) but is it still readable?
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I was trying for a bit of Mu'ugalavyá (the 'Red Hats' of Tékumel) but is it still readable?
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03 July 2009
The 6mm Distraction, part 2
I'm slowly getting more done with these new minis. So far, I really like these new toys, a lot. So much, my thoughts are racing with new ideas and projects. Of course, most of those will never see the light of day - I need to get these first steps done first!
As a reminder, here is what I started with:
Macedonian phalangites.
Here is what they look like now:
I trimmed down the shields, making them much more oblong, and added long spears made from 0.5mm diameter plastic rod. My original post on making spears from plastic rod is here.
Another pic, with a different background:
Looking pretty nifty so far. I do still wonder if those plastic spears will hold up to rigorous handling...
I also added a plume to the back of the helmet:
The plumes are made from the same plastic rod as the spears, with the exception of the trooper on the far left - that plume was made with a small chunk of a Baccus ashigaru's yari. I think that I will save the metal pieces for the unit standards, which will need to be longer and more flexible.
Hopefully, these 6mm conversions will look something like this:
The paint will be the final arbiter in this, but so far they look remarkably similar.
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As a reminder, here is what I started with:
Macedonian phalangites.
Here is what they look like now:
I trimmed down the shields, making them much more oblong, and added long spears made from 0.5mm diameter plastic rod. My original post on making spears from plastic rod is here.
Another pic, with a different background:
Looking pretty nifty so far. I do still wonder if those plastic spears will hold up to rigorous handling...
I also added a plume to the back of the helmet:
The plumes are made from the same plastic rod as the spears, with the exception of the trooper on the far left - that plume was made with a small chunk of a Baccus ashigaru's yari. I think that I will save the metal pieces for the unit standards, which will need to be longer and more flexible.
Hopefully, these 6mm conversions will look something like this:
The paint will be the final arbiter in this, but so far they look remarkably similar.
.
20 June 2009
The 6mm Distraction...
Yes, yet another distraction! Now, I do have some history with 6mm/micro scale gaming. The first minis I ever purchased were GHQ, Soviet T-55 tanks if I recall. I also had a small collection of 5mm ACW minis, painted and based for Johnny Reb 2. Of course, this was 25 years ago, but the memories of battles with lots of small minis still linger on.
So, in a fit of manic inspiration, or maybe desperation, I placed an order for a small amount of 6mm Baccus minis from Scale Creep Miniatures. Absolutely no hassles in the ordering process - several e-mails on the order's progress, funds charged at time of shipment, and actual postage charged! Thanks Mark (proprietor of Scale Creep).
Here are the samples I ordered:
There are twenty-four strips, of 4 figures each, in each of these bags, 96 figures total. The phalangites are open-handed, which I kind of like, as I can place my own pikes on the minis, probably brass rod.
The key, in my opinion, for 6mm gaming is mass. You need to have quite a few of these guys in your units to get the right look. Here is an example of how the phalangites could look:
48 minis on that base! The strips are 20mm long, so it would not be too hard to fit several more strips onto that base. This pic fits into one of my manic thoughts for their use however; if I actually get these painted up and based you will see.
Here is a close-up:
(please note: the line in the foreground is actually straight - there seems to be some sort of aberration with my camera in Super-Macro mode)
And a shot of a single strip, with a scale in the background.
The ashigaru are a bit different - the strips are 30mm in length and are in ranks (the phalangites are in files). Still impressive:
Once again, 48 minis on the base outline.
Some good detail for such a small figure, and not much flash. These seem to be a bit bigger than their Macedonian cousins.
Yep, the ashigaru are a fraction taller and somewhat more beefy than the phalangites. The ashigaru are on a slightly thicker base.
Now, to paint these up!
.
So, in a fit of manic inspiration, or maybe desperation, I placed an order for a small amount of 6mm Baccus minis from Scale Creep Miniatures. Absolutely no hassles in the ordering process - several e-mails on the order's progress, funds charged at time of shipment, and actual postage charged! Thanks Mark (proprietor of Scale Creep).
Here are the samples I ordered:
There are twenty-four strips, of 4 figures each, in each of these bags, 96 figures total. The phalangites are open-handed, which I kind of like, as I can place my own pikes on the minis, probably brass rod.
The key, in my opinion, for 6mm gaming is mass. You need to have quite a few of these guys in your units to get the right look. Here is an example of how the phalangites could look:
48 minis on that base! The strips are 20mm long, so it would not be too hard to fit several more strips onto that base. This pic fits into one of my manic thoughts for their use however; if I actually get these painted up and based you will see.
Here is a close-up:
(please note: the line in the foreground is actually straight - there seems to be some sort of aberration with my camera in Super-Macro mode)
And a shot of a single strip, with a scale in the background.
The ashigaru are a bit different - the strips are 30mm in length and are in ranks (the phalangites are in files). Still impressive:
Once again, 48 minis on the base outline.
Some good detail for such a small figure, and not much flash. These seem to be a bit bigger than their Macedonian cousins.
Yep, the ashigaru are a fraction taller and somewhat more beefy than the phalangites. The ashigaru are on a slightly thicker base.
Now, to paint these up!
.
05 June 2009
Action off Gotland, part 1
Way back on this blog - here actually - I started some notes on my WW1 naval project. After a bit of digging, I have found a few of the missing pieces of info.
First, the scenario now has a title - Action off Götland. The battle was fought in the Baltic near the island of Götland.
Second, I did find the 'missing' cruiser that was cruising with Prinz Adalbert - Prinz Heinrich, an older armored cruiser in the German Navy. To the best of my knowledge, there are no minis for this ship in 1/2400, so some conversion work will be needed.
Third, the budget does not seem to be an obstacle at this time. A proposal was made to the household CFO (my lovely wife) and she approved it! I will be waiting for one of GHQ's sales before ordering, but hopefully I will send off for the Panzerschiffe ships very soon.
First, the scenario now has a title - Action off Götland. The battle was fought in the Baltic near the island of Götland.
Second, I did find the 'missing' cruiser that was cruising with Prinz Adalbert - Prinz Heinrich, an older armored cruiser in the German Navy. To the best of my knowledge, there are no minis for this ship in 1/2400, so some conversion work will be needed.
Third, the budget does not seem to be an obstacle at this time. A proposal was made to the household CFO (my lovely wife) and she approved it! I will be waiting for one of GHQ's sales before ordering, but hopefully I will send off for the Panzerschiffe ships very soon.
Slow posting
My apologies for the slow posting rate - I have not picked up a brush for weeks, and now the hobby area in our apartment is about to be used as storage as we move furniture around. Patience please - I will return!
I have been working on the naval side of my hobby lately. You can see some of that here: my other blog
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I have been working on the naval side of my hobby lately. You can see some of that here: my other blog
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31 May 2009
More links added
I have added a few more links on the margin, including the new site for Molniya Miniatures and David Manley's Naval Rules On-Line
27 May 2009
New VSF game coming soon - Leviathans
Catalyst Game Labs has announced a new entry in the VSF aerial fleet genre - Leviathans.
So far, the Leviathans blog has some information on the background for the game, and some interesting artwork. I am not sure how this new game would affect the already established Aeronef; it might be complimentary as the two games are based in slightly different time references. Aeronef seems (I am not quite certain as I have yet to purchase it) to have its ship architecture based in approximately 1890, while Leviathans is in 1910. That might not seem like much, but naval architecture was rapidly changing in the turn of the previous century.
My biggest hope for Leviathans is the commisioning of new minis!
So far, the Leviathans blog has some information on the background for the game, and some interesting artwork. I am not sure how this new game would affect the already established Aeronef; it might be complimentary as the two games are based in slightly different time references. Aeronef seems (I am not quite certain as I have yet to purchase it) to have its ship architecture based in approximately 1890, while Leviathans is in 1910. That might not seem like much, but naval architecture was rapidly changing in the turn of the previous century.
My biggest hope for Leviathans is the commisioning of new minis!
25 May 2009
Some more links...
Mark at Scale Creep Miniatures has posted pics of the Navwar 1/1200 ACW line
Mark at Deepfriedhappymice has several entries for naval rules at his Rules Directory
And, I am trying to add more links to the lists on the right...
Mark at Deepfriedhappymice has several entries for naval rules at his Rules Directory
And, I am trying to add more links to the lists on the right...
Base basics, part 2
I finally had a bit of time to experiment some more with my basing scheme. My typical base color, Apple Barrel 'Territorial Beige', is too dark in my opinion, so off to Michael's we went to find something more suitable. Feawin and I looked at several colors, and in the end we picked 2 - Americana 'Fawn' and FolkArt 'Camel'.
And, here they are - 'Camel' on the left, 'Fawn' in the center, and just for comparison 'Territorial Beige' on the right. To my eyes, 'Camel' is too yellow for my purposes, but 'Fawn' looks like a winner.
This side-by-side comparison confirms that opinion. I do like the comtrast between the 'Fawn' and the 'Territorial Beige', and I might use the 'Territorial Beige' and the base color for any rocky formations when I finally start making some terrain pieces.
One more comparison:
This is a heavily fooled-around-with but still poor pic of the test bases on the felt that will be the terrain cloth for my first games. 'Fawn' actually does look good on the felt, just not in that pic!
After some thought, I decided that I would stick with a slight variation of my usual base decorating strategy, which is as follows:
1. After gluing down the minis, paint the base in the selected color - 'Fawn' in this case
2. Once the paint is dry, spread white (PVA) glue on the base
3. While the glue is still wet, sprinkle various types of basing materials on the glue, starting with the most coarse and ending with the finest grain material.
I considered using a different technique, where the base is coated with the rocks and sandy materials first and then inked/painted up to the desired colors - as exemplified on the Olicanalad's Games page - but I am not a very skilled drybrusher, therefore the old technique is the one that will be used.
Here is the array of material I am considering to use on the bases:
1. Crushed walnut shells - I found this stuff while wandering around the local pet store. It is normally used for bird cages, but it should make a great basing material. And, it is cheap - $10 for a 7 pound bag! The size and sharp edges might be better suited to 15mm rubble, but the color is perfect.
2. Woodland Scenics fine tan talus
3. ?
4. Woodland Scenics fine brown ballast
5. ?
6. ?
The ? materials, unfortunately, are just perfect for the job, but I need to hunt around here for some info on what they are! I purchased most of these items 12 years ago or so, and have held onto them ever since. Some were used on other projects, especially 40K minis, but never in a large scale. I do remember buying the ? materials from a now-closed train/hobby shop in Spokane... I should have the package labels here someplace (I'm a pack-rat for paperwork).
This is an example of what I'm trying to achieve. This is the 'Fawn' test piece from above, with various amounts of the 6 jars of materials as shown above. I like it so far; I might add some bits of light green foliage in the future.
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And, here they are - 'Camel' on the left, 'Fawn' in the center, and just for comparison 'Territorial Beige' on the right. To my eyes, 'Camel' is too yellow for my purposes, but 'Fawn' looks like a winner.
This side-by-side comparison confirms that opinion. I do like the comtrast between the 'Fawn' and the 'Territorial Beige', and I might use the 'Territorial Beige' and the base color for any rocky formations when I finally start making some terrain pieces.
One more comparison:
This is a heavily fooled-around-with but still poor pic of the test bases on the felt that will be the terrain cloth for my first games. 'Fawn' actually does look good on the felt, just not in that pic!
After some thought, I decided that I would stick with a slight variation of my usual base decorating strategy, which is as follows:
1. After gluing down the minis, paint the base in the selected color - 'Fawn' in this case
2. Once the paint is dry, spread white (PVA) glue on the base
3. While the glue is still wet, sprinkle various types of basing materials on the glue, starting with the most coarse and ending with the finest grain material.
I considered using a different technique, where the base is coated with the rocks and sandy materials first and then inked/painted up to the desired colors - as exemplified on the Olicanalad's Games page - but I am not a very skilled drybrusher, therefore the old technique is the one that will be used.
Here is the array of material I am considering to use on the bases:
1. Crushed walnut shells - I found this stuff while wandering around the local pet store. It is normally used for bird cages, but it should make a great basing material. And, it is cheap - $10 for a 7 pound bag! The size and sharp edges might be better suited to 15mm rubble, but the color is perfect.
2. Woodland Scenics fine tan talus
3. ?
4. Woodland Scenics fine brown ballast
5. ?
6. ?
The ? materials, unfortunately, are just perfect for the job, but I need to hunt around here for some info on what they are! I purchased most of these items 12 years ago or so, and have held onto them ever since. Some were used on other projects, especially 40K minis, but never in a large scale. I do remember buying the ? materials from a now-closed train/hobby shop in Spokane... I should have the package labels here someplace (I'm a pack-rat for paperwork).
This is an example of what I'm trying to achieve. This is the 'Fawn' test piece from above, with various amounts of the 6 jars of materials as shown above. I like it so far; I might add some bits of light green foliage in the future.
.
24 May 2009
More blogs
Here are a couple of naval or mostly naval blogs:
SteelonSand - Pre-dreadnought naval and some interesting 6mm sci-fi
My Victorian Navy - Ironclads among others
SteelonSand - Pre-dreadnought naval and some interesting 6mm sci-fi
My Victorian Navy - Ironclads among others
21 May 2009
Another naval mini You Tube video...
You Tube user SEEKRIEG4 has a video of a WW2 naval miniatures duel for your viewing pleasure - SeeKrieg Naval Miniature Battle
20 May 2009
Another naval gaming blog
I just wanted to point my gentle readers to another great blog - A Wargaming Odyssey
There are several great ideas for naval gaming, and a lot of nice pics. Highly Recommended!
There are several great ideas for naval gaming, and a lot of nice pics. Highly Recommended!
19 May 2009
MMORPG, part 7
Quite a while back, last December actually, Feawin (my wife) and I switched from World of Warcraft back to EverQuest2 as our on-line computer game/time-sink. I have a couple of screenshots from EQ2:
My Ratonga berserker, Ratzenfric, in East Freeport.
Larousse, a Ratonga brigand, fighting undead orcs in The Commonlands
Buffing up, EQ2 style - my wife's Wood Elf wizard, Miraj
My Gnome conjuror, Gnisq, and his Tellurian Soldier pet, in the North Qeynos bank
(one thing about gnomes - I played a gnome mage in EQ, a gnome mage in WoW, and still play a gnome in EQ2!)
Larousse and my wife's warden Anashi in the Sinking Sands on Erollisi Day
Grinding away and having fun still!
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My Ratonga berserker, Ratzenfric, in East Freeport.
Larousse, a Ratonga brigand, fighting undead orcs in The Commonlands
Buffing up, EQ2 style - my wife's Wood Elf wizard, Miraj
My Gnome conjuror, Gnisq, and his Tellurian Soldier pet, in the North Qeynos bank
(one thing about gnomes - I played a gnome mage in EQ, a gnome mage in WoW, and still play a gnome in EQ2!)
Larousse and my wife's warden Anashi in the Sinking Sands on Erollisi Day
Grinding away and having fun still!
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08 May 2009
Well where's he at?
My apologies for not posting for so long... the blazing start I had burned right out!
Some of this is due to getting a severe case of 'sticker shock' with the GHQ minis. They are beautiful minis, but I just do not foresee myself having the financial resources to invest in them, especially with the other projects demanding funding as well. Also, the problem with the GQ3 rules, as mentioned previously, took some of the wind from my sails, even though the charts were quite satisfactorily replaced.
So, a change of course is required. I am looking into 1/3000 scale ships instead. And, I might even revise the scope of the collection to pre-dreadnoughts. Much to decide...
Some of this is due to getting a severe case of 'sticker shock' with the GHQ minis. They are beautiful minis, but I just do not foresee myself having the financial resources to invest in them, especially with the other projects demanding funding as well. Also, the problem with the GQ3 rules, as mentioned previously, took some of the wind from my sails, even though the charts were quite satisfactorily replaced.
So, a change of course is required. I am looking into 1/3000 scale ships instead. And, I might even revise the scope of the collection to pre-dreadnoughts. Much to decide...
04 May 2009
Base basics
My initial order of Impetus-sized bases from Litko arrived recently:
These three bags will be enough for 45 Impetus units! These are very nice bases.
I do have another worry - what sort of adhesive should I use? Having 7 to 10 metal minis on one base will get a bit weighty; I can not hope that, even with the 3mm base, the units will always be handled by the base - some one (probably me!) will pick up the unit by one mini and I would prefer that it not break off. I might need to use the hot-glue gun that is hiding around here, somewhere.
The base color is another item to consider. I typically use craft paints for bulk area painting, but my usual base color - Territorial Beige from Apple Barrel - is too dark from the dry scrub look that I want to portray (it works great for a more temperate area), so some new paints will be on the shopping list.
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These three bags will be enough for 45 Impetus units! These are very nice bases.
I do have another worry - what sort of adhesive should I use? Having 7 to 10 metal minis on one base will get a bit weighty; I can not hope that, even with the 3mm base, the units will always be handled by the base - some one (probably me!) will pick up the unit by one mini and I would prefer that it not break off. I might need to use the hot-glue gun that is hiding around here, somewhere.
The base color is another item to consider. I typically use craft paints for bulk area painting, but my usual base color - Territorial Beige from Apple Barrel - is too dark from the dry scrub look that I want to portray (it works great for a more temperate area), so some new paints will be on the shopping list.
.
18 April 2009
Wargaming Tekumel, part 5
I am going to try for 'many topics one post' with this post...
There are some great comments to one of my previous posts, and it is easier to comment and expand on them here instead of in the Comments section. It does require me to explain the Impetus rules a bit more closely.
Units have 7 basic characteristics: class, base size, move rating, VBU, Impetus, point value, and any special notes.
CLASS: There are several classes for the troops - heavy infantry (FP), light infantry (FL), missile troops (T), skirmishers (S), artillery (ART), elephants (EL, but will represent Serudla, Sro, etc), and a variety of mounted troops which I am not going to worry about until I start up the historical counterpart.
(the abbreviations might not seem appropriate, but are taken directly from the Impetus rules and are a holdover from the original version of the rules which are written in Italian)
BASE SIZE: The size of the base for each individual unit is typically based on the Class of the troops. In Impetus, the base width is most important. 120mm is the standard base width when using 25/28mm miniatures. The base depth varies per class: heavy infantry use a 40mm depth; light infantry and missile units use 60mm; skirmishers use 30mm. Artillery and large creatures can have a base depth that fits with the minis being used; this can be 80mm or more if necessary. I like the different base sizes for the different troops, as it is a subtle mnemonic device to remind players of their troop's capabilities.
MOVE RATING: This is how far a unit can move on the tabletop each turn. This is often related to the unit's class. In the historical unit ratings, a unit of heavy infantry typically has a move of 5U (U is a generic Unit of measure which is different for the minis used, i.e. 1U = 1cm for 15mm minis, 1U = 2cm for 25/28mm minis). Light infantry and skirmishers typically have a Move of 8U. Thus, a unit's CLASS, BASE SIZE, and MOVE are all interconnected.
VBU: Ah, now for the good stuff. VBU is a unit's Basic Combat Value. This is the number of D6 dice that a unit has for melee and/or missile combat. This can be increased due to charging or reduced due to losses, among other things. When looking through the unit stats for the historical armies on the Impetus site, the highest VBU for foot troops is 6 (16th century samurai). I intend to use this as the 'top end' of the scale for human troops on Tékumel, so the first cohort of the First Legion of Ever Present Glory will have a VBU of 6.
IMPETUS: Another important number. The Impetus rating of a unit is the number of bonus D6 that can be thrown when a unit charges. This number ranges from 0 to 4 for foot troops. If a unit has an Impetus rating of 0, it can not charge. Skirmishers and most missile and light troops have an Impetus of 0. There are, of course, exceptions and this number, along with the VBU, will be one of the more 'interesting' parts of my project as I come up with combat values for all of my troops.
POINT VALUE: Listed as VD (Demoralisation Value) in the Impetus rules, each unit has a value or cost in the army. This can range from 1 to 3. When a unit is routed (destroyed), the Point Value is subtracted from the army total, and when the army loses 50% of its points, the army is routed and the game has ended.
SPECIAL NOTES: This can be as simple as listing the missile weapon used - slings, javelins, long bows, etc. to noting any special detail a unit might have. Some troops are Impetuous - they must pursue a retreating enemy unit. Others might have special movement allowances. It is just a small patch of chrome to help differentiate special units.
There are several points that I will need to re-align for the conversion of the historical Impetus rules into the Tékumeli Impetus version. The most obvious is the VBU + Impetus values for the individual legions. This is where my friends Kagesh and Chirine make some very useful insights. The missile-equipped cohorts of the heavy infantry legions should be quite capable of melee combat, if not so well-equipped as their specialized counterparts in the legion. By giving these cohorts an Impetus score, it makes them much more useful for combat and it gives the player a choice - melee or missile fire (you can not do both in Impetus). I do not think that a specialized missile unit, say the Legion of the Clan of the Broken Bough, should have an Impetus score, therefore they are unable to charge the enemy (a unit without an Impetus score can defend itself if charged, however).
In relation to this, I am thinking that there needs to be an addition to a unit's characteristics. A Missile score, I think, will be very useful to help differentiate between special missile units - like the Broken Bough troops - and the bow-armed heavy infantry troops. A cohort of Broken Bough troops should be able to outshoot the Ever Present Glory cohorts in my opinion, but as Impetus is written, they could not unless the Broken Bough unit has a large VBU, which would then make the lightly-armored and armed missile troops very good in melee. Hmmm, more calculations!
I am also not a big fan of unit point values. I might not use this at all, or I might alter the army's break point value from 50%. A scenario could change that to, say, 40% for troops or leaders that are not that interested in fighting or are exhausted. The army break point could go up - 60% or more if the army is suitably desperate.
I'm also starting to rethink the base sizes. Maybe the bow-armed cohorts of a heavy infantry legion should be on the heavy infantry bases (120mm x 40mm) instead of the light infantry/missile bases (120mm x 60mm). All of the cohorts of the heavy infantry legion should have the same move rating, yes? ... hmmmmmm
Wow, lots of words there - I hope you made it through without a headache!
.
There are some great comments to one of my previous posts, and it is easier to comment and expand on them here instead of in the Comments section. It does require me to explain the Impetus rules a bit more closely.
Units have 7 basic characteristics: class, base size, move rating, VBU, Impetus, point value, and any special notes.
CLASS: There are several classes for the troops - heavy infantry (FP), light infantry (FL), missile troops (T), skirmishers (S), artillery (ART), elephants (EL, but will represent Serudla, Sro, etc), and a variety of mounted troops which I am not going to worry about until I start up the historical counterpart.
(the abbreviations might not seem appropriate, but are taken directly from the Impetus rules and are a holdover from the original version of the rules which are written in Italian)
BASE SIZE: The size of the base for each individual unit is typically based on the Class of the troops. In Impetus, the base width is most important. 120mm is the standard base width when using 25/28mm miniatures. The base depth varies per class: heavy infantry use a 40mm depth; light infantry and missile units use 60mm; skirmishers use 30mm. Artillery and large creatures can have a base depth that fits with the minis being used; this can be 80mm or more if necessary. I like the different base sizes for the different troops, as it is a subtle mnemonic device to remind players of their troop's capabilities.
MOVE RATING: This is how far a unit can move on the tabletop each turn. This is often related to the unit's class. In the historical unit ratings, a unit of heavy infantry typically has a move of 5U (U is a generic Unit of measure which is different for the minis used, i.e. 1U = 1cm for 15mm minis, 1U = 2cm for 25/28mm minis). Light infantry and skirmishers typically have a Move of 8U. Thus, a unit's CLASS, BASE SIZE, and MOVE are all interconnected.
VBU: Ah, now for the good stuff. VBU is a unit's Basic Combat Value. This is the number of D6 dice that a unit has for melee and/or missile combat. This can be increased due to charging or reduced due to losses, among other things. When looking through the unit stats for the historical armies on the Impetus site, the highest VBU for foot troops is 6 (16th century samurai). I intend to use this as the 'top end' of the scale for human troops on Tékumel, so the first cohort of the First Legion of Ever Present Glory will have a VBU of 6.
IMPETUS: Another important number. The Impetus rating of a unit is the number of bonus D6 that can be thrown when a unit charges. This number ranges from 0 to 4 for foot troops. If a unit has an Impetus rating of 0, it can not charge. Skirmishers and most missile and light troops have an Impetus of 0. There are, of course, exceptions and this number, along with the VBU, will be one of the more 'interesting' parts of my project as I come up with combat values for all of my troops.
POINT VALUE: Listed as VD (Demoralisation Value) in the Impetus rules, each unit has a value or cost in the army. This can range from 1 to 3. When a unit is routed (destroyed), the Point Value is subtracted from the army total, and when the army loses 50% of its points, the army is routed and the game has ended.
SPECIAL NOTES: This can be as simple as listing the missile weapon used - slings, javelins, long bows, etc. to noting any special detail a unit might have. Some troops are Impetuous - they must pursue a retreating enemy unit. Others might have special movement allowances. It is just a small patch of chrome to help differentiate special units.
There are several points that I will need to re-align for the conversion of the historical Impetus rules into the Tékumeli Impetus version. The most obvious is the VBU + Impetus values for the individual legions. This is where my friends Kagesh and Chirine make some very useful insights. The missile-equipped cohorts of the heavy infantry legions should be quite capable of melee combat, if not so well-equipped as their specialized counterparts in the legion. By giving these cohorts an Impetus score, it makes them much more useful for combat and it gives the player a choice - melee or missile fire (you can not do both in Impetus). I do not think that a specialized missile unit, say the Legion of the Clan of the Broken Bough, should have an Impetus score, therefore they are unable to charge the enemy (a unit without an Impetus score can defend itself if charged, however).
In relation to this, I am thinking that there needs to be an addition to a unit's characteristics. A Missile score, I think, will be very useful to help differentiate between special missile units - like the Broken Bough troops - and the bow-armed heavy infantry troops. A cohort of Broken Bough troops should be able to outshoot the Ever Present Glory cohorts in my opinion, but as Impetus is written, they could not unless the Broken Bough unit has a large VBU, which would then make the lightly-armored and armed missile troops very good in melee. Hmmm, more calculations!
I am also not a big fan of unit point values. I might not use this at all, or I might alter the army's break point value from 50%. A scenario could change that to, say, 40% for troops or leaders that are not that interested in fighting or are exhausted. The army break point could go up - 60% or more if the army is suitably desperate.
I'm also starting to rethink the base sizes. Maybe the bow-armed cohorts of a heavy infantry legion should be on the heavy infantry bases (120mm x 40mm) instead of the light infantry/missile bases (120mm x 60mm). All of the cohorts of the heavy infantry legion should have the same move rating, yes? ... hmmmmmm
Wow, lots of words there - I hope you made it through without a headache!
.
12 April 2009
Another Tékumel unit formation
Since I am almost done with the first of my Tékumel units for Impetus (just need the bases from Litko), I decided to start to work on the next set - archers from the Legion of Ever Present Glory. This legion has six cohorts of archers; in the scale of Impetus, I have enough minis for two. The little question of the moment is the formation on the base.
'Two Moons' (base dimensions in red)
The original unit formation calls for two concentric half circles of troops. The Impetus base is not quite big enough to convey the proper image of the formation but it is close. I'm not certain if I want to use 9 minis for the unit, especially since I will only use one of the leader minis in the units.
Here is the alternate style for the unit:
Only eight minis on this base. It should look good and it should be different enough from the unit styles of the heavy infantry cohorts. These archers definitely do not have the same combat qualities as the close combat troops, even though they are in the same legion.
.
'Two Moons' (base dimensions in red)
The original unit formation calls for two concentric half circles of troops. The Impetus base is not quite big enough to convey the proper image of the formation but it is close. I'm not certain if I want to use 9 minis for the unit, especially since I will only use one of the leader minis in the units.
Here is the alternate style for the unit:
Only eight minis on this base. It should look good and it should be different enough from the unit styles of the heavy infantry cohorts. These archers definitely do not have the same combat qualities as the close combat troops, even though they are in the same legion.
.
04 April 2009
Wandering thoughts
As I sit here with some dreaded crud/lurgy/viral invader, I have been mentally reviewing my projects.
I have my first set of bases for Impetus on order from Litko. Unfortunately, the base that I will need the most, 120mm x 40mm, is a custom item which will take longer and cost more. Maybe if I order enough it will become a regular item!
Along with the bases, I am organizing the first units of my Tsolyanu forces. Two of the units, using the leveled spear minis, will be in the 'Blade of the Sword' formation, but I am not sure of the third, which will use my spear-upright minis. 'Teeth of Krá' perhaps? (See this for the formation pics)
The Empire army is slowly receiving paint. I am going to try and finish the Greatswords before the next unit.
I found a new company's web site - Immortal Miniatures. IM specializes in 28mm minis for the Classical period, and are working on plastic hoplites and sparabara. Could be very interesting...
I received some pamphlets for my Reptiliads:
I enjoy browsing through background info, even for obscure fantasy genres. The Reptiliads even has a painting guide and some optional rules, although the rules are based on Rafm's Universal Soldier series they can be 'ported into other systems with ease.
.
I have my first set of bases for Impetus on order from Litko. Unfortunately, the base that I will need the most, 120mm x 40mm, is a custom item which will take longer and cost more. Maybe if I order enough it will become a regular item!
Along with the bases, I am organizing the first units of my Tsolyanu forces. Two of the units, using the leveled spear minis, will be in the 'Blade of the Sword' formation, but I am not sure of the third, which will use my spear-upright minis. 'Teeth of Krá' perhaps? (See this for the formation pics)
The Empire army is slowly receiving paint. I am going to try and finish the Greatswords before the next unit.
I found a new company's web site - Immortal Miniatures. IM specializes in 28mm minis for the Classical period, and are working on plastic hoplites and sparabara. Could be very interesting...
I received some pamphlets for my Reptiliads:
I enjoy browsing through background info, even for obscure fantasy genres. The Reptiliads even has a painting guide and some optional rules, although the rules are based on Rafm's Universal Soldier series they can be 'ported into other systems with ease.
.
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