Mega Minotaur!

Managed to squeeze in the excellent Mega Miniatures Minotaur today in between other tasks.

Here he is!







And here is a scale ref with him next to Herakles (Wargames Foundry):



Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

Another Podcast From Play Unplugged!

Over this past weekend, Rico, Tony, and I did a podcast for Play Unplugged on miniatures in RPG games.

We talked about how using miniatures for our games informs the character creation process, and enhances combat scenes. Have a listen here. It's a great way to kill an hour or so while looking over those TPS reports at work!



Thanks for listening!

--Scott

Trollkin Skinner

I am a big fan of Solos in Privateer Press' games, Hordes and Warmachine. I like them because they're mostly a single model, usually fun to paint, and provide some interesting spark to round out a force.

Case in point, the Trollkin Skinner. From his coon-skin cap to his badass Bowie knife, the Skinner means business! He specializes in taking on warbeasts, so he'll prove less effective against Warmachine armies, but I don't care--he's cool! And that's all that matters to me!









Pretty much a stock paint job, but I saw no reason to deviate from PP's excellent example model.

Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

Hordes: Earthborn Dire Troll

I made a lot of progress on my Trollblood force this weekend, but today I will just show off the Earthborn Dire Troll, a 10 pt. model that will likely be Madrak's biggest weapon in the wars against the foes of the Trollkin.

He's massive, both in-game and out, a truly monstrous figure that proved quite a challenge to paint.









Finally, an aerial shot:



Later this week, the Slag Troll and the Trollkin Skinner solo.

Thanks for looking!

--Scott

Nobdy Asked Me, But...

Being an occasional feature where I discuss hobby and non-hobby related topics in brief.

1.) Here's my 20 pt. Trollblood list as it stands right now:

Madrak +6
Impaler 5 pts.
Slag Troll 6 pts.

Earthborn Dire Troll 10 pts.

Trollkin Skinner Solo 2 pts.
Whelps 2 pts.
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew 1 pt.
==========
= 26 pts. - 6 pts. = 20 pts.

*Stuff in bold is painted or mostly painted.

2.) Been really enjoying reading the old DC Comic Arak: Son of Thunder. What's more awesome is that I can walk into a comic store, plunk down $3.00 and buy six or seven of the old issues. Comic book back issue prices have literally fallen through the floor. Roy Thomas wrote Arak in the 1980's as kind of an answer to Marvel's Conan, but the book became much more than that. Smart and fun, Arak was a Native American in Europe during the early Dark Ages. Thomas expertly mixed history and high fantasy in these thrilling tales, and Arak grew and changed as the series reached a fitting ending.



3.) I love the Earth Born Dire Troll model, and I am getting him painted, but damn, he's heavy, and a bitch to both handle and paint because of this fact! I'll hopefully take some pics of him and do a post on him Saturday.

4.) I need to paint a few more figures for Labors of the Gods this weekend as well, then we can do the photography. I've got a minotaur and some more Amazons on tap.

5.) I will be attending Origins this year! I registered, booked a hotel room, and made travel plans. It will be great to cruise the dealer room, look for new and old minis, and rifle through bins of old, pre-painted minis. Also, as a dice fiend, having access to all of Koplow and Chessex's catalogs of dice will be great. Yeah, like I need more dice. Oh well...

6.) Still waiting to run my first Dragon Age RPG session. Hopefully April 30th will be the date. I am eager to test out the system.

That's all for now! If all goes well, I'll have PP Trollkin and more myth stuff on the blog by Monday.

Thanks for reading!

--Scott

Hordes: Troll Impaler

I completed the second member of my Trollblood force --the Troll Impaler! This figure's great sculpt and rules combine to make a him a must for most Trollblood forces.

One of the oldest sculpts in the Hordes line, he still stands up!









And here he is with Madrak:



Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

Mega Minis Medusa!

I'm working on Labors of the Gods, and what's any self-respecting Greek Mythology game without a Gorgon or two? So here's mine, courtesy of Mega Minis!









And here's how her profile will look in the game:

Medusa, the Gorgon (57 pts.)
Cursed by Aphrodite, her beauty forever replaced with a visage so hideous that it can turn any onlooker to stone, Medusa finds solace in serving Hecate's dark designs. Although she hates any follower of Aphrodite most of all, she does hold a special hatred for men. As they once looked upon her with lust, now there is only horror. She is careful to keep her eyes closed when among her fellow Daughters, but in battle, she seeks to meet the eyes of any unfortunate willing to gaze upon her. Failing this, she uses her bow & arrows to deadly effect.

Attributes
Prowess 2D
Endurance 2D
Spirit 5D

Background
Mythical Creature (Natural Attack: +1D ATT/+2D DEF/+1D DR, Outcast, Petrifying Gaze)

Move: 6" Fate: 0 Vitality: 6

Equipment: Bow & Arrows

Combat Stats
ATT 3D (Bow), 5D (Petrifying Gaze)
DAM 5D
DEF 4D
DR 3D

Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

Hordes: Trollbloods

Oftentimes I will start into a particular faction for a game based solely on the appearance of one or two of its models. This is one of those times. The alternate sculpt of Madrak Ironhide grabbed me from the moment I saw it. I hemmed and hawed for several weeks, looking at it on the shelf of my FLGS, putting it back, picking it up again.... Then I gave in.

I decided to build a beast-heavy Madrak force, and start it at 20 points. For another 5 points, I can add a unit of Fenblades later on and have some infantry support, but I felt 20 pts. would be a good way to go. I'll share my list later this week, but I managed to finish Madrak himself today. Here he is!











I'm pretty happy with Madrak's paint job. I ended up not using a single ink wash on the figure. He's all blends, with a bit of stippling and dry-brushing mixed in. I hope the other pieces in the force go as well!

--Scott

Warmachine Cryx Wreck Markers

Just wanted to show off these slick Wreck Markers I painted for a client's Cryx force. These counters can really enhance the look of a game when you do get around to destroying an enemy Cryx Warjack.

These metal markers were fun to paint--I hope he gives me a few more to do!










Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

More Myth Stuff

I've managed to squeeze in a few more figures for Labors of the Gods over the last two days. Here are some quick shots of them!

First up, a Foundry Herakles and a Mega Minis Satyr, a perfect core for a heroic warband!





Next, here are a few comp shots with the two and some Amazons:





That Amazon with the spear (above) is also newly painted, and part of the excellent Mega Minis line. She's available on their site here.

Here's a group shot of the five completed figures:



More to come later this week! Also, a return to Hordes (if I can swing it between mercenary painting gigs!).

Thanks for looking!

--Scott

Mega Myth: Figures For Mythic Skirmish

I'm always working on various Goalsystem related rules projects. Since I am on no one's schedule but my own at this point, I tend to flit between different projects as the whim takes me. For a while I thought that RoboFire might be my next game out of the gate, but now I think it could be Labors of the Gods. LotG will provide players the rules to do mythic skirmish battles and campaigns. Think Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules and Xena, Troy, etc., etc.

Anyway, these rules will not be tied to a specific figure line. And they're playable in 28mm and 15mm scales. I intend to include some shots of miniatures in combat in cool, period terrain to jazz up the book's interiors. A lot of mythic lines exist, so I intend to feature (and credit) a few of them in the book. At least one company's figures will get special attention, and inclusion.

J.D. Lauck at Mega Miniatures was kind enough to send me a batch of his awesome mythic fantasy figures. These cross several of his company's lines of figures, and as I paint them up for the interior, I will include previews of them here. They're really dynamite figures and a great value.

First up, a figure I'll be using for the sorceress Circe.





You can find her on Mega's online store right here.

Next up, an Amazon archer:





She can be found the store right here.

Here's a comp shot of the two side by side:



I'll be showing off more Amazons, monsters, and mythic heroes as the week goes on. Sharing these will act as motivation for me to get them painted up so we can get the layout for the book squared away.

More to come!

--Scott

Reaper: Monk or Mage?

This week I picked up Bertrand the Monk from Reaper Miniatures. He's one of those interesting figures that could fulfill a number of roles in a fantasy campaign. He's equipped in such a way that he'd make a nice monk, for sure, but he'll work just as well as a younger magic user.

Last night I put some quality time into him and I am quite happy with the outcome!









And finally a comp shot for scale (I'm certain he won't run into trouble with the guards!).



Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott

Old PC Art III

It's been a long while since I did another installment of Old PC Art, but I was going through some old records of campaigns last night and I came across a real treat. It's been my pleasure to both work and hang out with Chris Moeller, a super-talented professional artist who does lots of work for DC Comics, Wizards of the Coast, and many other companies in the comics and gaming industries. Living here in Pittsburgh, Chris and I became acquainted through the nexus of Phantom of the Attic, and since then it's been my pleasure to game with him from time to time.

Back in 1996 - 1998, I was running the Doomstones campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Chris sat in for two sessions and ran a Dwarf fighter named Nirgathu the Fat. Chris' inspired role-play of his character was also accompanied by two amazing renderings that he did of him. These were done idly, as I would describe a scene, or as I was prepping some other aspect of the game. They reflect Chris' amazing ability to compose a character and invest him with a spark of life that is the hallmark of his professional work.

Without further ado, I give you, Nirgathu, the Fat!







Thanks for checking out the blog!

--Scott