Forces of Nature: Tree Spirits

A quick update from Amy who has completed her Foundry Tree Spirits, they will be mixed in with various Dryads and other Woodland creatures to make up a KOW unit or will just be on their own for games of Dragon Rampant.

Next up for Amy is a Giant Owl from Otherworld Miniatures.

Conan: Black Dragons, Giant Wolves and The Black Ones

After the completion of my Ork army I decided that I wanted to get stuck into the Conan add-ons as we've now played through the box scenarios and are going through the campaign at the moment plus the Book Of Set is due early next year.

These miniatures will not only be used for the Monolith game (which we're really enjoying) but also the RPG from Modiphius, which is due later next, and of course Dragon Rampant which I'm personally really looking forward to.
There is nothing special with the paint jobs, just quick and easy table top standard so we can get them on the table sooner rather than later.

Next up on the painting table are the crossbowmen but I probably won't be able to make a proper start on them until next week due to festive preparations this week (and Star Wars on Sunday!).

Kickstarter Focus: Core Space by Battle Systems

Just a quick post today to draw your attention to another Kickstarter, this time from the great chaps at Battle Systems called Core Space.

Battle Systems are best known for their pre-printed card terrain (it's superb to use and you can see what you can expect from them in this earlier post of mine ) however this campaign is for a new sci-fi skirmish game.  It looks like its going to be a blast to play and uses their terrain, of which you'll be receiving a very nice amount, interactively for missons/looting etc.

Head over to Kickstarter and check them out, I've also put some key images and videos below for the game:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1621774283/core-space/description 

What you get in the core box (minus stretch goals)

Painted miniatures in the terrain (the game is also compatible with their other terrain)

Two 'Let's Play' videos form Beasts Of War

And lastly my favourite, the Titan Pledge

Forces of Nature: Mushimen, Earth Elemental and a Bakery

Two posts in one day!  However this one is to give an update on some of the things my other half Amy has been working on recently.  As some of you know she has quite a large and varied Forces of Nature army that she is working on for use in various different games (KOW and Dragon Rampant being the two major ones) and it's quite the eclectic mix of ranges.

First up we have the Mushimen from Toad Kings Castings which she picked up from their Kickstarter but are now available from their webstore.  She's planning on picking up some more of these to flesh them out into a full Dragon Rampant army as well as for potential use in KOW: Vanguard.

Next up we have a Harlequin Games Earth/Rock Elemental that was picked up from Wargames Foundry last year:

Lastly we have a Gnome Bakery from Hysterical Games, this was picked up from Salute last year along with some of the other great scenery from Hysterical which are currently in here painting queue:

I'll be posting more of Amy's progress on the blog as it comes.

Warhammer 40k: Ork Battlewagon/Looted Wagons Completed

Today marks the end of my 40k Ork project with the completion of the last two miniatures, the Ork Battlewagons (or Looted Wagons etc depending on what version is being played).

They've been painted to match up to my other modern battlewagon and despite their differences (age and manufacturers) they do look like a cohesive force, well as much as an Ork force should.

I'm really happy with how both of these have turned out considering one is only made out of miscast parts (thanks again to Curtis at Ramshackle Games) and the other started out life like this:

I guess the next step is to get these on the tabletop but recently Conan has been taking up all our time and we're just about to start the campaign, it's a belting game if you haven't tried it.

Warhammer 40k: Ork Deffkoptas/Jet Bikes completed

After a late night session on the Orks I have managed to finish the Jet Bikes/Deffkoptas just in time for the end of Orktober.

After first seeing the the Jet bikes at BOYL 17 (available from http://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/) I knew I had to have some for my Ork army and I think they fit in well with the Rogue Trader/2nd Ed look.  The sheer amount of parts I had to play with on these meant that I was like the proverbial  kid in a candy store, each bike is unique but there are elements on them all that tie them together so it looks like one nutty Ork Mech threw these together (namely me).

For the paint scheme there was only ever one way to go and that was red and to help them match in with the rest of the army check marks were also the order of the day (I think i'm seeing these in my sleep now).  For the kustom arms the boyz are sporting I used some of the newer GW paints (Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust) to give them a bit of depth and wear.  This is the first time I've used these so didn't go overboard with them but they work really well and are going to see a lot of use when I get to Nurgle's minions.

As I was happy with how these turned out I thought I'd get some decent photos of them but after setting everything up I discovered the camera battery was flat so the phone camera had to do at a push but even so these haven't come out too badly considering.

As I had everything set up I thought I'd also takes some snaps of some of the other keys Orks I've been working on for the army to give them a better showing than a work space shot.

Finally here's a quick work in progress shot of what is up next and is (for now) the last pieces for the army, as also any comments and criticism are welcome.

And now a break from your normal programming schedule... Kings Of War: Vanguard

Not a normal post from me (though don't worry the Ork jetbikes are close to being completed so pictures will be up soon) but as you may know I'm a keen fan of the Kings of War rules from Mantic, not only for use with their own miniatures but for large scale games of Lord Of The Rings.  Well they're expanding the world of Mantica with a new game system which looks very promising, Kings Of War: Vanguard.

Here's the blurb from Mantic:

Before the first charge, before weapons clash in brutal close combat, before the victor gathers the spoils of war, battles in Mantica can be won by the brave deeds of small, elite bands of warriors. 

These are the fighters relied upon by their commanders to identify tactical positions, light beacons to show their comrades the fastest route, or harry and disrupt their enemy’s vital supplies. If the raiding parties do their job well, the war is won long before the battle lines have even been drawn.

FANTASY SKIRMISH RULES – take command of a crack team of elite fighters, including captains, support units, weapons experts, along with grunts and warriors to overwhelm the opposition

IN-DEPTH CAMPAIGN SYSTEM – track the progress of your key members to earn experience and gain new abilities or improved stats

FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH KINGS OF WARS – use the incredibly detailed, dynamic miniatures from Vanguard as the heroes or elite troops in your Kings of War army

3D SCENERY – use Mantic’s new range of pre-assembled, plastic TerrainCrate scenery to bring your skirmishes to life, and with lots of different scenarios to play, every battle will look – and play - differently

INNOVATIVE RULES – issue special commands in the heat of battle with the unique Power Dice abilities, and gather your troops with the Group Actions

EQUIP YOUR FIGHTERS – ahead of the fight, choose from a range of equipment to improve the abilities of your characters, or unlock new and more powerful abilities during campaign play

I see a lot of promise in not only the rules system itself but also the potential of being able to cross over into full on games of KOW or even Dungeon Saga in one narrative arc.  I've already got myself some bases coming from www.warbases.co.uk so that both my Lord of the Rings/Hobbit and Conan miniatures can sit inside them (https://warbases.co.uk/?product=regiment-tray-25mm-slots-2mm-top-layer the 1x1 option here for those interested) as square basing in integral to the rules.  More importantly Mantic have put up the Alpha rules so that you can give them a try:

Download Vanguard Rules

If you're interested in the game why not give it a try and then head over to the Vanguard Fanatics group on Facebook to let Mantic know how your games went and chat with other players.

From what we've already seen we'll be jumping in on the Kickstarter and probably have a game this weekend, now to get out those Abyssals from Dungeon Saga...

Warhammer 40K: Ork build done! Now on to painting...

A certain amount of satisfaction was felt this morning as I finished building the last bits for my Ork project and though the painting is still to come (and I'm no speed painter) it felt good to look at the finished vehicles at last.

First up we have the last Battlewagon, a kit bash between a Rogue Trader Blood Angel Predator, a modern Ork Deffrolla, a with a gunner from the Ork Dreadnought, some Gorkamorka bits and finally some Ramshackle guns and a bit of plasticard.

Then we have the completed jet bikes/Deffkoptas, not much was need to finish them off except basing but due to their size I decided to pick up some brass rod and 60mm bases to ensure stability on the table top.

The key thing I wanted to achieve with these was a sense of movement and speed which I think has worked quite well and I can't wait to see them bombing (quite literally) towards their enemies lines!

This last bike was the heavily kit bashed one from random bits and pieces and I don't think I've showed how bulky it actually is so here's a few shots.

Next up I'll be getting them sprayed on Sunday and then it's on to the painting.