Leviathans!

At the recently concluded PAX Prime convention, I had the rare opportunity to see a great new game just before launch - Leviathans, by Catalyst Game Labs.  We had next to no spare time as we were on our way to another presentation, but I had a brief chat with Randall Bills, mastermind of Leviathans, and as a token of appreciation (we were among the early playtesters - a few years ago - for the game) Mr. Bills gave us these:

A French light cruiser on the left, and a British light cruiser on the right.  These are nice models, and I will have more pics later!

A new Tékumel-related blog

Skein of Destiny is a new Tékumel-related blog with a purpose of gathering news and more links to all things of note with regards to Tékumel gaming.  Go have a look-see!




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It's a bit dusty here!

Apologies for the long delay - it is high time to sort things out here!

I have to admit that I hit a mental wall of sorts with this project, mostly because my budget for hobby materials collapsed somewhat.  I have been concentrating on the Tékumel minis more, but it is time to get going here as well.  However, the quartos and baskets will need to wait a while longer; I have yet to get any suitable minis for the skirmish games.  So, I am going to try and get the slipways going again for the ship project with a critical eye turned out towards making the ships faster and of course nicer.

The first ship still does not look quite right to me - the masts are too short and off-kilter especially.  I have yet to decide if I should tear it apart for another go or just leave it for now and replace it later when my skill level increases.  She is a nifty little vessel, if you squint a bit!

Tékumel priests, part 3

More slow progress:

On the left, the priest of Hrü'ü has received the first gloss protective coat.  I am still trying to sort out the reds on the priest of Vimúhla (second from left).  No major changes on the priestess of Dlamélish (second from right), and thanks to Chirine I adjusted some of the bare flesh areas of the priestess of Avanthé (far right), although I was a bit sloppy with their placement and will need to touch them up soon.




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Carnivoran RAATACs for MAATAC

Front, side, and rear views of the Carnivoran RAATAC.  These are a bit bigger than their Terran counterparts.

A comparison to the Fang class destroyer - the RAATAC is almost taller than the destroyer!

Hlutrgú, part 5

The first 5 of my Hlutrgú warband are finally complete:

I tried to give a little variation in the minis by slightly bending the arms and legs.  The metal used is a bit bendy and the pose can be altered just by using hand pressure.  I used some artistic license to alter the coloration also; three of the Hlutrgú above have splotches, and one is very pale in comparison - a young Hlutrgú in my book.


Another pic, showing the basing:

I did not go with a swampy scheme although I could change that in the future.  The materials are very simple, just Woodland Scenics flock and talus for the most part.  The larger, darker rocks are crushed walnut shells, which I found at the local pet store.  My 7-lb bag will last me several lifetimes!




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Tékumel big battles, part 1.1

One small detail that I should have noted in my previous post:

The vast majority of my Tékumel minis are mounted on 7/8" fender washers - which is unfortunately a really odd size and I kind of regret it.  Litko and others sell large bases for 1" or 20mm rounds; 7/8" is right in the middle of those two sizes.  I am not really desiring to rebase yet again but it might be the only way.


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My approach to Tékumel big battles, part 1

As part of my Tékumel gaming, I would really like to do some large battles; i.e. where the are units of soldiers on the tabletop not just individuals.  Now, I should have thought about it more before, as the round bases that I favor for my troops look great for skirmishes, but do have problems when trying to combine them for the units that I envision.  Here is an example:

In my mind, this would be a single cohort of the First Legion of Ever Present Glory.  They are sitting on a piece of magnetic sheet material that was a freebie with a phone book (remember those?).  It is 3 inches square.  A cohort should be the smallest unit in the big battles that I would like to play out.  The problem here is that I would like to have the cohort's base match up with the bases of the individual minis, which would mean building up the top of the base to help conceal the round bases.  The only item that would really be an issue would be making nice round holes in the cohort base for the individuals.


Here is another view:

Three cohorts in these pics.  One of the issues with the somewhat large size of the cohort bases is my desire to protect the lowered spears of the front rank.


At the most radical, I could try to make two different sets of minis - one on round bases for skirmishes and another set permanently affixed to cohort bases.  The lowered spearmen would be good for skirmish battles, but I dread the thought of not being able to utilize all of my minis for whatever battle I choose.


I guess I will need to sit down and try to make a cohort base for the individuals.  If it is easy and practical then I will be quite satisfied.




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Another MAATAC game by Eric Hotz!

Eric Hotz hosted another beautiful MAATAC game with the Trumpeters; full set of pics Here.

Eric, you mention that you use a modified, faster version of the venerable MAATAC rules.  Can you share some of the changes?

Hijacked

Sometimes things just happen!

That is a screenshot of one my vehicles in World of Tanks...  Fun and free to play, a dangerous combination!

Regular posting will return soon, I promise...