30 December 2015

Deadcember the 30th

Almost late (which would, admittedly, have been apt for the undead), I finally got my unit of skeletons finished. Well, almost. I'll come to that later.

Here we go, pictures or it didn't happen:

Stage... something: I've lost track as I hurried to get them done, but the utterly-lost-in-the-photo shading on the shields was a base of Foundry's Musket Stock Brown 72C, with highlights mixing in some British Redcoat 68A and the magic sword was splodging about with pale blue and metallic drybrushes, then an Asurmen Blue wash to tie it together. Not too bad for a first go at a glowing weapon!

23 December 2015

Deadcember the 23rd

I had this strange idea that I'd have more time when I started my Christmas holiday to get on and finish my skeletal painting for Deadcember. Ha! How naive I was... Nevertheless, I've finished painting the rank and file figures and am bulk painting the shields. The command figures are a little behind.

That's not the reason for this post, though, my self-selected Christmas present is:


18 December 2015

Deadcember the 18th

Deadcember now has its very own artwork! How extraordinarily excellent is this piece of artwork I commissioned from Zhu in exchange for old school favours of which I shall not speak?!

I wasn't expecting anything quite as amazing as this!



So there we go. Cool, huh? If that doesn't get you painting up undead monstrosities, nothing will and you're a lost cause!

Get to it!
Rab

16 December 2015

Deadcember the 16th

Gods, raise these murd'rous gentlemen
as skeletons this day...

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle towards completion. This time with added metal tarnish, thanks to Jeff McC's advice on the Oldhammer Forum (you may need to scroll down a little to his photo guide). I added a bit of GW Tin Bitz to the mix and it lost some of that orangey quality of fresh rust which was a shame but, highlighted with a delicate drybrush of Foundry 35A - Chainmail, it looks pretty good to my eye! The group on the left have had their final bone highlight (Foundry 9C - Boneyard Light) which I used on the base as well. Their belts and a final thin wash of Army Painter Light Tone Ink to tie it all together, and they're ready for their shields! Nearly done!

The three command will obviously get a little individual attention in addition.

Stage 7 - metal tarnished with a mix of GW Fiery Orange, AP Dark Tone ink, Vallejo matt medium, GW Tin Bitz and water. Then drybrushed (patchily) with Foundry 35A - Chainmail.

14 December 2015

Deadcember the 14th

In the bleak midwinter,
skeletons did moan...

I found a bit of time last night to finish the most recent stage in this unit painting malarkey I've undertaken for this month. Even a simple thing like giving an inkwash to the bases takes quite a while - not a complaint, merely an observation from someone new to batch painting of more than one or two figures at a time!

Stage 6 - metal washed with Army Painter ink "Dark Tone", bases painted with GW "Graveyard Earth" then washed with Army Painter ink "Strong Tone", spearshafts highlighted with Foundry 72C - "Musket stock brown"

The next steps are to tarnish the metal, give a final drybrush to the bone and the bases (I'll probably use the same colour for both - Foundry Boneyard 8C), neaten any spoiled bits, paint the belts, then a tie-it-all-together wash of Army Painter ink "Soft Tone" thinned with a spot of water and some Vallejo Matt Medium. Then it will be the detail on the command group (cloak, some gold/brass detail, the drum, a magic sword for the leader in cold blue tones) and final tittivating of the the bases.

It has taken a while on each stage, but being so close to having twenty four figures painted in 13 days (and I only painted on six or seven of them!) is something close to magical for a slow painter like myself. For things like skeletons at least, I'm a total convert to batch painting - it's so efficient!

Have a good week,
Rab

12 December 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 05


[The story so far]

Session 05 - Cowardice and coinage

Having slain the goblins, the party now had apparently free rein of the rock complex and set to searching for treasure...

8 December 2015

Deadcember the 8th

Aaah, mortisnacht, the traditional Deadcember 8th celebration for the exchange of gifts for necromantic experimentation. Fun for all the graveyard! I remember well the year I got my very own zombie puppy...

From deviantart, by blackeyedcoyote

I must have been appropriately bad this year as when I got home from work last night, not only was my new suit waiting for me (three piece, slim cut, wool-rich, blue with a hint of violet, thanks for asking), but also THREE geeky packages for yours truly.

First, the B/X Monster Reference Index arrived that succesfully kickstarted on October 4th. If only all crowdfunding projects were so focussed and rapid in their execution - I'm still waiting on the Itar's Workshop dungeon tiles which funded on May 18th 2013!!!

This set is an A5 ring binder with all the monster stats from "the original roleplaying game" in its B/X incarnation. It'll prove an excellent flipchart on games nights and a useful reference when stocking dungeons. I like the cover, too.

Nice cover

7 December 2015

Deadcember the 7th

Oh what fun it is to ride,
in a one skeletal-horse open chariot!
Hey!

Why did they ever change from the original words above, eh? Next thing you know, Deadcember will be all about Peace and Joy and New Life For All... 

Painting.

There comes a point during each miniature's progress from blister pack to battlefield when I suddenly feel the need to edge the base. Not as a final step, but just so that the thing feels framed, and often after I've had to do a slow or awkward part - cleansing the palette between courses, if you like. Yes that was a palette/palette pun. You're welcome.

That moment was this weekend for this unit which, by the way, is the largest group of miniatures I've ever painted in one go - it's a whole new discipline!

Stage 5 - spearshafts in Foundry 72B - Musket stock brown, bases edged in black, metal started (the left hand group have it, the right don't) with a flat coat of GW Boltgun Metal

6 December 2015

Deadcember the 6th

I decided Deadcember had space for some verbiage as well as painting.

As is my wont, I succumb to sales and bargains far too easily, which led to me not only snapping up that unit of skeletons I've been painting step-by-step for your delight and delectation, but also a couple more bits from Ral Partha Europe. Specifically for this post, a pair of undead ogres with two-handed weapons, originally from the DSA/Armalion range!

This is what they look like in their catalogue:


5 December 2015

Slightly older hammer

No skeletons for you today.

I've had a good week or so on ebay, mostly gifts for others but a couple of choice bits for myself. I already showed you the copy of Ravening Hordes I got for a penny under £3, well now I got the rules for 2nd Edition Warhammer for £4. My Hammer just got slightly Older!

Box in pretty good shape - a little rubbing along the corners - but inside....

... the important bit, the books, in great condition, along with a roster sheet and one of the slann cut-outs

Ah, the galling bit - John Blanche and Gary Chalk posters on offer for £2.95, or miniatures for 30p.
Even using a Mars Bar Inflation Index of exactly 1, this would only be £1.28 per miniature!

I unwrapped this with my boys and they were excited "Can we play this, Daddy?", so I have hopes that my Slightly-Older-Hammer will end up being Younghammer as well!

Happy bargain hunting,
Rab

4 December 2015

Deadcember the 4th

The skeleton horde, it came upon a midnight clear...

I'm getting a little sick of highlighting bone now, if I'm honest, but that's ok, because I'm ready to get started on the wood and metal next. Hurrah!

Stage 4 - Drybrush with Foundry 09B - Boneyard

3 December 2015

Deadcember the 3rd

What's that? You can hear sleigh bells? Sorry, kids, those are passing bells...

The gleefully contra-seasonal month of Deadcember shuffles onwards with the next stage in painting these creatures of the night.

Stage 3 - wash with undiluted Army Painter Soft Tone Ink, drybrush with Foundry 09A-Boneyard Shade

2 December 2015

The costs of gaming - November 2015

Jan 2015  -  £00.00 (0/0/0)

Feb 2015  -  £24.99 (5/5/0)
Mar 2015  -  £46.11 (20/7/-13)
Apr 2015  -  £06.40 (2/12/10)
May 2015 -  £07.07 (-25/2/27)
Jun 2015  -  £34.00 (25/0/-25)
Jul 2015   -  £00.00   (-2/3/5)
Aug 2015  -  £00.00   (1/0/-1)
Sep 2015  -  £00.00   (1/3/2)
Orc 2015  -  £34.00 (27/2/-25)

November 2015


  • BOUGHT - AD&D (2nd Ed.) Dungeon Master and Player handbooks £5.00
  • BOUGHT - Ravening Hordes (WFB2 Army book) £2.99
  • BOUGHT - two undead ogres, a liche and a shield from RPE £14.05
  • TOTAL for November - £22.04   (3/0/-3)


Total net. expenditure for 2015 to date         = £197.78
Remaining acceptable expenditure for 2015 = £-47.78

In something similar to the LAF lead-hoarders vow, I'm also recording the number of figures purchased versus the number painted, which is what the numbers in brackets after each month's total represents - (net unpainted acquired/painted/net total for the month). So, here you go:

Net. unpainted figures acquired in 2015   = 56
Of which, painted to date        = 2
Total no. figures painted         = 32

Net. hoarding status -24

Deadcember the 2nd

"Well the winter wind it chills you, chills you to the bone!"

No, hang on, that's not a carol, that's from the muppets... No matter. Today's picture is brought to you by the number 09 and the letter A - a strong wetbrushing with Foundry paint 09A-Boneyard.

Stage 2 - wetbrush of base bone colour (Foundry 09A)

1 December 2015

Deadcember the 1st

Ho-ho-ho, boys and girls it's time to get started with the brush! In case it wasn't clear from my last post, you're all welcome - nay, encouraged - to join in with some unfestive undead painting yourself. Also left unsaid, I realise, was that a unit of twenty-four was not random but the equivalent of the Deadcember calendar doors. I won't say "Advent" calendar because most of them are as utterly unrelated to Advent/Christmas as these skeletal chaps. Don't expect an update every day, though!

Blether over, here is the first exciting instalment...

Stage 1 - thinned Army Painter "Strong tone" ink wash applied

30 November 2015

Dead-cember (prelude)

Advent. A time of reflection, preparation, and impending joy. For me and millions of others around the globe it leads up to the second most significant time of the year, the first being Easter.

However, thanks to a poor pun on the name of the month, and having just bought a bunch of skeleton figures that I want to paint by New Year so that I hit an average of one figure a week for 2015, it's also going to be the month of the (un)living dead! Why don't you join in with any dry bones or squelchy zombies that didn't quite get the attention they might have done at the end of October?

So, here's my unholy horde to disturb any silent night or lay siege to a Good King's castle, twenty-eight skeletons (including musician, banner and champion) from the old Harlequin range now with Black Tree Design:

Stage 0 - based and undercoated
They were mostly pristine casts with almost no mould lines or flash. One pose seemed to have a slightly duff mold and all three of them had a lump of excess blobby lead under their right arm, almost as if that part on the mold has a tendency to bulge slightly.

What will you paint to increase the darkness before the dawn?
Rab

28 November 2015

The restless dead



No, not a miserablist prog band, but an impulse buy that arrived over the last couple of days. A little late, but worth the wait...

20 November 2015

Knovember Knights

I've blatantly stolen the title of this post from Erny (do go and read his blog if you don't already) as it fits this post perfectly. Perhaps I should take inspiration from his Orctober success and encourage chivalric geeking next (k)November?

But back to today and the three reasons for stealing the title.

First, battle is soon to be joined. Based on the Combat of the Thirty, Whiskey Priest and Lenihan (I think) have devised a free-roaming foot tournament in an Oldhammer styleee for some of us Ogres to play on Erny's kitchen table tomorrow. My first adult-adult gaming for months!



Apparently there'll be jousting, too!

19 November 2015

NaGaDeMon 2015


I wasn't going to get involved in National Game Design Month this year, really I wasn't, but then I was laying in bed while my two sons charged around like lunatics and I had no choice but to hear their game. It revolved around using lasers on each door to stop the ghosts from stealing their duplo models because it would give the ghosts special powers that would allow them to take over the world.

You couldn't make it up.

17 November 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 04(b)


[The story so far]

Session 04(b) - Victory through cunning

The six males (four human, two elven) arranged themselves carefully to creep down the steps into the darkness, knowing they were searching for not only the missing young man but also the first rescue party...

14 November 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 04(a)


[The story so far]

Session 04(a) - Back to the gully with a new party, and introducing the Summoner

The "Four Javelins" coaching inn was busy. It was late afternoon and the light was fading from the early spring day. Locals, and travellers who had decided to stop the night rather than risk not reaching the next welcoming fireside, thronged the bar with its flagstone floor and oak-beamed ceiling. At one sturdy table a group of farmers toasting the birth of a healthy son, traders swapping gossip from the capital at another, here a rich man, there a poor man, most of them human but a couple of halflings and maybe even the odd elf thrown in. A roaring fire in the hearth gave not just warmth and light, but a glow of civilisation, comfort and security most welcome after a damp day's work or travel. Serving girls with trays filled with mugs of foaming ale or platters of simple but good quality meals weaved their way through the press, and, overlooking it all, the landlord. A man in his late forties, perhaps, stout and bearded. The sandy hair on his head thinning, his beard streaked with grey, but his eyes still sharp to spot newcomers and his voice still loud to welcome them over the cheerful din.

8 November 2015

The costs of gaming - Orctober 2015

Jan 2015  -  £00.00 (0/0/0)

Feb 2015  -  £24.99 (5/5/0)
Mar 2015  -  £46.11 (20/7/-13)
Apr 2015  -  £06.40 (2/12/10)
May 2015 -  £07.07 (-25/2/27)
Jun 2015  -  £34.00 (25/0/-25)
Jul 2015   -  £00.00   (-2/3/5)
Aug 2015  -  £00.00   (1/0/-1)
Sep 2015  -  £00.00   (1/3/2)

Orctober 2015


  • BOUGHT - matt medium, basing material, dice £6.65
  • BOUGHT - skeletons, wraiths, a wizard and a goblin princess (!) in the Black Tree Design sale £33.88
  • BOUGHT - zvezda medieval cog kit from a good friend who picked it up from a car boot £5.00
  • BOUGHT - the B/X monster guide from the Oubliette kickstarter £5.00
  • TRADED - finished my contribution to the Oldhammer warband 2015
  • TOTAL for Orctober - £50.53   (27/2/-25)


Total net. expenditure for 2015 to date         = £175.74
Remaining acceptable expenditure for 2015 = £-25.74

In something similar to the LAF lead-hoarders vow, I'm also recording the number of figures purchased versus the number painted, which is what the numbers in brackets after each month's total represents - (net unpainted acquired/painted/net total for the month). So, here you go:

Net. unpainted figures acquired in 2015   = 53
Of which, painted to date        = 2
Total no. figures painted         = 32

Net. hoarding status -21

Oh dear... red figures everywhere. It was going so well and then I had a bad week at work, and there was a sale, and the bood-wargames classic dwarf kickstarter hasn't even launched yet... Ok, I'm weak. But if you're reading this, you're probably weak too. Well that's how I make myself feel better, anyway!

7 November 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 03


Today's session is brought to you by the letters T, P and K. Yup, only three sessions in and the players managed to combine overconfidence with abysmal dice rolling (with their brand new sets of polydice which I'd bought them, all parcelled up in little drawstring bags like treasure) to such an extent that I couldn't tip things in their favour and they all died. But I'm jumping ahead...

[The story so far]

Session 03 - Crossing the gully, noisily, and then blundering about

Concerned for the health of Bernard the magic-user [he was down to 1hp, and the player was sick so didn't make today's game], the party left him with a torch and a whistle to keep watch over their rear, while they proceeded over the bridge.

31 October 2015

"It's all true"

Oh my, how exciting is the new Star Wars trailer? The first new films set in a galaxy far, far away since 1983...


As a warm up, the two Academy Pilots and I had a dogfight through an asteroid field. I had Han Solo flying the Millennium Falcon, with Chewie as co-pilot. They had five Ties between them, split into two flights (one of three Black Squadron pilots, one of two Obsidian Squadron). This gave them 61 points and me 51 points - a reasonable handicap as it would turn out. I had to collect three containers using the Steal action before leaving from my starting corner without being destroyed. To keep them interested, we decided that if all their own squadron was destroyed, they'd get two back at their original entry point as reinforcements.


Piloting was difficult (we had two starter sets worth of 'roids), and it was the first time I'd flown the Falcon, usually being relegated to the role of faceless baddies being vaporised by the named heroes of the Rebel Alliance. That big base makes skipping around obstacles rather tricky and I was rather embarrassingly grounded a couple of times.


"Alright, Chewie, pun...." *fizz* *crackle* 

The handicap proved perfect, with only some expert and self-sacrificial flying from the sole survivor of Black Sqdn allowing the last Black Sqdn pilot to get the final shot required to blow the old girl to pieces.

Some good flying from the little tykes, over what was quite a long game, including a couple of really neat pincer movements. Next time's handicap will be smaller....

From reggiestake.com


May the force be with you,
Rab

30 October 2015

Mapping Corcelle

This drawing maps lark, made to look so effortless by the likes of Dyson, Matt Jackson and Michael Wenham, turns out to be both tricky and time consuming! Who'd have thought?

Anyway, here's my progress on mapping Corcelle so far, heavily influenced by the styles of the three gentlemen listed above. Town walls, the main temple, guild houses, fountains, a wizarding college, marketplaces, river chains and a pair of bridges so far...



No corrections made yet, and I need to find a more satisfactory way of getting the scanned image into a pure black and white, line-art style.

Comments, criticisms and advice very gratefully received.
Rab

29 October 2015

Thursday roundup

Yeah, Thursday roundup! It's definitely a thing. Here goes...

This week I have:
  • played Keys to the Kingdom once (escaped but wasn't the player with the Key)
  • played three games of Hurry'Cup (a win and two 3rd places)
  • become a patreon! Specifically, I've dropped a few copper pieces into the online hats of two very creative chappies, Dyson Logos and Matt Jackson

  • started to learn to use watercolours
  • written one-page DM summaries for two major deities (one which the players don't know about yet muahahaa!) and one now-minor deity
  • written a one-page DM/player summary for the big town that will prove... important in our campaign
  • started a map of said town

  • not painted any miniatures or played the next episode of Knights' Quest - can't do it all, I guess!

I hope your half-term holiday offspring aren't being as mental as mine,
Rab

24 October 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 02


[The story so far]

Session 02 - From road, to inn, to gully... via financial disagreement

After a night disturbed by the howling of wolves, and a pep talk from Berignon to reassure Bregans that smiting the evil and chaotic was an acceptable action for a cleric of Alathea, the party set out again along the king's road towards the city of Corcelle through a very foggy and miserably wet spring morning.

18 October 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 01


[The story so far]

Session 01 - Ambush on the King's Road

The three carts trundled on slowly through the weak early spring sunshine. The monotonous creak of the wagons and occasional snort of the pairs of oxen drawing the carts had lulled carters and passengers into a waking torpor, conversation had faded some time ago and all were looking forward to arriving at a decent inn to make their final overnight stop before Corcelle and the delights of its Vernalia equinox festival.

17 October 2015

Averaigne campaign - session 00



As I mentioned earlier in the week, I've allowed myself to be talked into running an introductory mini-campaign of "proper old roleplaying with loads of different dice" for five 6th formers and on Friday afternoon we had our first session, chucking their characters (which they'd rolled up 3d6 in order under my supervision on Wednesday at the end of the school day) in at the deep end.

It was the first time I'd done any roleplaying since I was about ten, when I'd run the introductory adventure (B11 The King's Feast) with Red Box Basic D&D back in the late 80s. I was worried I'd be a bit rusty and the whole thing could fall flat - blind leading the blind! But I relied upon my trusty parent/teacher/DM skills of "if you sound convincing, no-one will ask awkward questions" and all the mistakes I'm sure I made became unimportant.

This is the Session 00 post, though, in which I introduce the characters and the world in which my campaign will run....

11 October 2015

Keep out!

Getting myself in the mood for DMing on Friday for the first time in TWENTY-FIVE years (goodness, I'm starting to pile on the birthdays...), I was pointed in the direction of this fun little browser dungeon-crawl by Billiam Babble of Inked Adventures fame.


It's called "Keep Out!" and can be found >here<

Enjoy!
Rab

10 October 2015

Good friends are good

Or should that be "mates" given the nautical nature of part of this post?

Work has been well and truly claiming its pound of flesh over the past couple of weeks as departmental analysis reports, performance management, and budget cuts have had me scurrying around much more than usual. Not even a sniff of eight hours rest each day, never mind eight hours of leisure!

As an aside, workers of the world, we should still be fighting for this!

7 October 2015

The costs of gaming - September 2015

Jan 2015  -  £00.00 (0/0/0)

Feb 2015  -  £24.99 (5/5/0)
Mar 2015  -  £46.11 (20/7/-13)
Apr 2015  -  £06.40 (2/12/10)
May 2015 -  £07.07 (-25/2/27)
Jun 2015  -  £34.00 (25/0/-25)
Jul 2015   -  £00.00   (-2/3/5)
Aug 2015  -  £00.00   (1/0/-1)


September 2015


  • BOUGHT - 
  • TRADED - received a chaos warrior from Asslessman (and I've already painted it!)
  • SOLD - 
  • TOTAL for September - £00.00   (1/3/2)


Total net. expenditure for 2015 to date         = £118.57
Remaining acceptable expenditure for 2015 = £32.43

In something similar to the LAF lead-hoarders vow, I'm also recording the number of figures purchased versus the number painted, which is what the numbers in brackets after each month's total represents - (net unpainted acquired/painted/net total for the month). So, here you go:

Net. unpainted figures acquired in 2015   = 26
Of which, painted to date        = 2
Total no. figures painted         = 32

Net. hoarding status 6

As I said last month, I should admit that I've spent a bit on the table I built, and am about to spend more on blue foam and other bits to create terrain boards. I'm not including it, though, because I sold all my re-enactment armour - thus one hobby funds another and still leaves me in the black...

2 October 2015

Welcome

I noticed that my follower count has crept up over the last month or so and thought this would be a good point to welcome you. I'm glad you have enjoyed my recent output enough to let me clutter up your news feeds. The picture below is a good example of the sort of feel I want in my fantasy games - mostly medieval, with a hint of the wild and magical (for good or evil!). It's from the short-lived Red Giant magazine by Gary Chalk and comrades. Most of the figures are early 80s Citadel as far as I can tell; I know I've painted some of them myself!


What perils await them? Or indeed, you, new readers?

Wait and see,
Rab

28 September 2015

Look, Ma, it's my thumb!

A couple of quick interim snaps until I take a handful of decent pictures. These are the latest two additions to my unit of chaos warriors. Obviously at some point I'll paint a banner to hang from the pole. The tentacle arm is from a maxmini mutation sprue used to replace the arm that was missing before I got hold of him, and the banner pole was made from a variety of bits from old plastic beastman and chaos warrior sprues.




Oh yeah, and my thumb - it was time to unleash it's perfectly manicured glory upon the internet. You were finally ready.

Rab

22 September 2015

Colourful chaos collective

I've been carrying on (slowly!) with my haphazard approach to developing my chaos troops into a usable gaming force - I rummage through the bits I have and paint the one that catches my eye! Not exactly a purposeful and organised way of going about it, but perhaps fitting for the subject matter.

So, this time it was a couple of chaos warriors. The first from the inimitable Asslessman (hence the Gallic colours, suitably and chaotically rearranged), the next because he was the one that fell out of the box while I rummaged. To give them a bit of magical bite, I also painted up a CP Models fox-headed wizard. My plan is to have nine warriors and a wizard - seems Tzeentchian enough to me.


20 September 2015

[KQ] Pest control - part 3

Last time we left our heroes (Sirs CJ and EM) advancing up the stairwell from the store-rooms to the castle proper in the company of the rescued Sir Reginald and three of his retainers. They were expecting trouble, especially given Sir Reginald's tale of the monstrous orc champion with the blue face on his shield, and none of them were in peak condition. [Although we did discover that Sir CJ had been at a bit of a disadvantage as the d8 he kept repurchasing and then promptly losing again had 1-4 twice, rather than 1-8. Oops! So we buffed him back to a d10 in compensation before continuing]


The passageway was dark, but flickering firelight (and plentiful orcish racket) were clear up ahead as our party made their way cautiously forward...

12 September 2015

[KQ] Pest control - part 2

Last time, we left our two heroes (Sirs CJ and EM) bloodied but unbowed after a run in with a troll and his smaller but equally vicious kin in their search for their missing friend, Sir Reginald.

Our soundtrack this time, thanks to a recommendation from fellow 

A quick poke around the remaining store-rooms revealed nothing but the foul scattered detritus one might expect from the lair of such creatures. Had the knights really dealt with the fate that befallen their friend?

No.

8 September 2015

The costs of gaming - August 2015

Jan 2015  -  £00.00 (0/0/0)

Feb 2015  -  £24.99 (5/5/0)
Mar 2015  -  £46.11 (20/7/-13)
Apr 2015  -  £06.40 (2/12/10)
May 2015 -  £07.07 (-25/2/27)
Jun 2015  -  £34.00 (25/0/-25)
Jul 2015  -  £00.00   (-2/3/5)


August 2015


  • BOUGHT - 
  • TRADED - received a FANTASTIC troll green from Drew Williams (more in a future post!)
  • SOLD - 
  • TOTAL for August - £00.00   (1/0/-1)


Total net. expenditure for 2015 to date         = £118.57
Remaining acceptable expenditure for 2015 = £32.43

In something similar to the LAF lead-hoarders vow, I'm also recording the number of figures purchased versus the number painted, which is what the numbers in brackets after each month's total represents - (net unpainted acquired/painted/net total for the month). So, here you go:

Net. unpainted figures acquired in 2015   = 26
Of which, painted to date        = 0
Total no. figures painted         = 29

Net. hoarding status 3

So, that's good... but still only because I couldn't get to BOYL!

I should admit that I've spent a bit on the table I built, and am about to spend more on blue foam and other bits to create terrain boards. I'm not including it, though, because I sold all my re-enactment armour - thus one hobby funds another and still leaves me in the black...

5 September 2015

The Mysterious Cities of Ulysses 31 the Barbarian

To misquote Gaj's Warhammer for Adults blog's strapline, do you remember when cartoons were inspiring fiction and not just extended adverts for toys?

I do, and they looked like this:

Ulysses 31
(plenty of RT inspiration)

Mysterious Cities of Gold
(for planning expeditions to Lustria)

Thundarr the Barbarian
(Realms of chaos? Skirmishes on low tech worlds for RT?)


I thought about analysing style, storylines, theme music, characters, international collaborations of animators... but like so much of the nostalgia-rush that is Oldhammer, I am chary of spoiling the magic by peeking behind the wizard's curtain. So I shan't! Are there any other cartoons (apart from Dogtanian, naturally) that should also be included? I nearly included the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon but my recollection is that the stories were a bit cheesy, and the characters fairly irritating. I still watched it, of course!

Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the magic. That is all,
Rab

3 September 2015

[KQ] Pest control - part 1

Sir Reginald had been missed at the Midsummer banquet at the King's high court. In fact, his fellow knights realised, no-one had seen him since they had all ridden home after the Christmas court. Concerned that something amiss might have befallen Reginald, Sir CJ and Sir EM decide to investigate, riding to his small but strong castle which they both knew so well from years of friendship. The entrance was barred and no-one answered their call, neither Reginald nor his servants - something was definitely wrong! The two knights pretended to ride away in case anyone or anything was watching, carefully made their way to the postern gate, drew their swords and prepared to adventure on behalf of their friend...


28 August 2015

Gaming table - part 4

I'm delighted to announce that Stage One of the great hobby-room creation is complete! I have a table on which I can play, can store terrain and boxed games, can wheel off to one side when not in use, and have reorganised my painting desk and other storage. I've even played games on it!

Stage Two will be putting some better ceiling lighting in place (the photos below are all "assisted" by my phone's flash because it is a little gloomy in the cellar - it nearly blinded antipixi when he was checking the range on those red ruler thingys in our Inquisimunda game!), as well as constructing the terrain boards themselves and getting a couple of stools so the two mini-Rabs can reach the table top.

For now, here are some staged pictures for your delight and delectation...

22 August 2015

Inquisimunda - Let's get lootin'



Antipixi came over to christen my gaming table this morning with my first game of Inquisimunda. I had a single game of Necromunda under my belt from a few months back over at Erny's with the rest of the OGREs, but still didn't really have a feel for the rules, especially their unique take on close combat. Apparently it is the same as that used in 2nd Ed. 40K, but I never played that. As a result, he helped me turn the crew I wanted to run into something game-legal over a coffee before we got started.

Quick, to The Table!

21 August 2015

Gaming table - part 3

Wow, there turned out to be a lot of junk getting in the way of reorganising the cellar around my new table! I've treated and painted walls (well the ones behind where my stuff will go, the rest will have to wait for a sort of rolling treatment), cut my painting desk in half so it would fit in an alcove, moved bookcases (unloading and reloading two small bookcases revealed several books I thought I'd lost), and even mounted the first of three swords that will go on the walls.

Ok, I know I still need to clear out the spiders' webs hole behind the cellar window.

15 August 2015

Gaming table - part 2

In my last post I set out what I wanted from a gaming table, and why. Now I need plans and timber!

I had a good look around the internet at interesting set-ups (some of the prettier pictures were in that last post), trying to decide on a suitable design that

  1. Would be sturdy
  2. Would allow me to change the layout
  3. I could manage myself (on a Warhammer stat line my DIY Skill would be 3)
  4. Would not be bigger than agreed (i.e. 100x150cm)
  5. Would include book shelves for not-gaming books along one side (another planning condition!)
  6. I could build with the tools I already had (hand saw, electric drill, screwdriver)
Simples!

14 August 2015

Gaming table - part 1

Hello readers,

I'm back from my (very enjoyable) family holidays, caught up on the excellent post-BOYL reports and pictures, overcome the jealousy of not being able to go this year, and ready to restart the geeking!

One of the things that leapt out from the game pictures, aside from all that lovely painted lead, was the difference to the aesthetic (and thereby a large part of my enjoyment of gaming in general) that a good set of terrain makes. Here are a few examples from various blogs that I hope the owners won't mind me sharing:

One of the Foundry's more dramatically-landscaped tables