Into the Deep!

So, there's a new fantasy skirmish game on the block - Rangers of Shadow Deep, by Frostgrave designer, Joseph A. McCullough.

The PDF came out a week or so back, and Joe sent me a preview copy (in the interests of full disclosure, I've worked with Joe on a load of projects, most recently The Wizards' Conclave, and I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements for Rangers...). With it came my wargaming mojo which, like the mistral wind, blows irregularly throughout the year. It's based on the Frostgrave system, so I know it inside and out, but it's much more RPG than the previous games that used that system - a ranger (your character) has skills, stats, special abilities, etc., and is wonderfully variable from the get-go. It's also solo/co-op, so I'll be running this alongside a couple of friends, and with three players we each need just three models (at most). More than anything, it means I can finally bring to the table some of the figures that I haven't really ever had a chance to play with (and there are LOTS that match that description).


So, for the first time in... a distressingly long time, my knight and a couple of soldiers that I originally built for the Sewer Watch are going to take the field!

It's a pretty balanced starting ranger (I hope) - I've split my character customization options pretty evenly between skills, special abilities (one use per scenario), stat upgrades, and extra recruitment points with which to hire companions. Essentially, the more players there are, the fewer companions you can field alongside your ranger - and the fewer points you can spend to recruit them. This does mean that I have an arcanist carrying a shield, even though that's not an option for the troop type. Oh well, it's a co-op game, so no-one is going to complain, and these figures only have to last until I can get a bespoke gang built for the game.

So, for however long he survives, I give you Steiner, the Carrion Knight, and his motley associates. Much like the Sewer Watch, I see these guys as castoffs and outsiders, carrying out a miserable task for little reward and even less thanks. In this case, they patrol the realm's cemeteries, mausoleums, and catacombs, keeping them safe from the menace of the undead. With the rise of the Shadow Deep, they take on a more offensive role, venturing beyond the borders of the realm to take the fight to the enemy... Steiner is a pretty standard knightly character, but I gave him special abilities that played to dealing with the undead, while Magister Bohr and Sauer received a little 'thiefy' touch to hint at a shady history (each companion receives a free +3 skill of the player's choice - I put that into Pick Lock and Traps). What I do not have is a ranged weapon. Oh well.

(L-R) Magister Bohr (who definitely isn't carrying a shield), Steiner, and Sauer.

They should be taking the field very soon. Most likely against the re-purposed forces of the Choleric Order of the Yellow Bile.

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Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the models/components I have used or discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

A Very Special Card

The other day, Frostgrave author, Joe McCullough (check out his blog here), surprised me with an email containing a cryptic message - "What's so special about these Magic cards, other than the fact that they are signed by Dmitry?" - and a photo of two Magic: The Gathering cards:

I knew that Dmitry Burmak (who, with his wife, Kate, is the artistic driving force behind Frostgrave) had done some work for Magic in the recent 'Unstable' expansion, and thought he'd sent Joe a couple of signed cards - a really nice little gift. 

Then Joe sent me a second email. This one showed the reverse of the cards:

As fans of Frostgrave will recognize, that's a sketch of the scene from the cover of the rulebook.

It turns out that Magic artists receive a few blank-backed cards for the purposes of autographs, convention sketches, and the like - including surprising people with completely out-of-the-blue illustrations! I know it's not Christmas yet, but this might very well be the best Christmas card I'll ever receive. 

Joe and I have already noted that, as the two cards form a single image, they will need to passed down to our descendants to allow them to identify themselves to each other by reforming the image. Given that I'm investing in a baseball card-style acrylic display block for it, that might prove trickier than originally anticipated...

Oh, and for anyone wondering - I'm the Chipper Chopper, while Joe is the Chivalrous Chevalier. That seems about right to me...

On Warbands

These days, I'm almost entirely a Fantasy wargamer, and that's largely down to the fact that I can build a warband exactly the way I want it. Well, that and I have far too many Fantasy figures to get through before I can justify buying anything else (War of Spanish Succession, you will be mine... one day).

When I say 'build a warband', I really just mean figure selection rather than creating a list in accordance with the rules I'm planning on using. That said, the freedom offered by many Fantasy games (e.g. Song of Blades and Heroes or Frostgrave) means that I can almost entirely ignore the rules and focus on the toys I want to use. There are so many Fantasy figures and ranges out there that you can find almost anything you're after, cherry-picking your purchases to create the exact warband or force you're after. This is especially (and increasingly) true of multi-part plastics, which I love combining to product just what I'm imagining (hands down my favourite part of the hobby...).

Anyway, I was reading an RPG book the other day, and spotted a piece of artwork that really struck me - it was a reflection of exactly what I want in a warband.

Art from RiotMinds' Lex Occultum

We have a leader (seated on throne), a magic-user (crouched in the bottom-left of the image), three soldiers with a mix of ranged and melee weapons (the two musketeers and the swordsman crouched in the bottom-right), a specialist or bodyguard type (the warrior in top-left), and a large creature and handler (right). For me, this is the perfect warband line-up, and what I attempt to represent when I'm mucking around with figures. Pulling together seven or eight figures (my big guys don't usually have handlers, but that said...) is achievable. It's (usually) affordable, but still offers plenty of kitbashing opportunities if I desire. I'm also unlikely to get bored working on several very similar figures, which increases my chances of finishing the project!

It's strange that a piece of art from an RPG should so perfectly encapsulate my preferences for wargaming - and that it should light a fire under me in terms of wanting to get some warbands built!

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Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the models/components I have used or discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.

I Wrote a Thing

It's been a while since I wrote anything (two years since Steampunk Soldiers: The American Frontier, and nearly four since the original volume!), but February sees the release of my latest, and much more modest, venture into putting pen to paper.

Frostgrave: The Wizards' Conclave is a collection of scenarios and adventures for Joseph A. McCullough's Frostgrave skirmish game, written by some of the biggest names in wargaming... and me! Joe has rounded up an all-star team of contributors for this one, and the scenarios they've written are incredible.

I am honoured that Joe asked me to write a scenario for him, and I am beyond proud to share an author's credit with designers of such pedigree. I just hope that my contribution doesn't let the side down!

Joe has commented on the book a little more here, and his blog is the best place to check for more information as the release date creeps closer...

Bucket List: Dr Shotgun

A few weeks ago, I decided to finally check off something that's been on my bucket list for some time – to get my very own model sculpted.

I dropped Giorgio Bassani a line to pick his brains about it. I've worked with Giorgio a fair bit on figures for the various Frostgrave lines, and the stuff he's been doing recently has just been phenomenal. Amazingly, he had enough time in his schedule to squeeze in a 28mm figure, and I jumped at the chance!

First thing was a concept – that was easy. A generic gunman with relatively low-key equipment, for use as a zombie survivor, a Delta Green agent, STALKER, or whatever merc-of-the-week was called for. Next, I put together a brief document outlining what I was looking for – costume, equipment etc. – and included some reference images to give Giorgio a starting point. Again, this was simple – I knew a flat cap was a must, ditto a shotgun, and the rest just fell together as I started pulling images.

References!

That done, I left it with Giorgio until, a week or two later, I received a work in progress sculpt with the pose and everything blocked out.

The work-in-progress sculpt.

I approved that, and Giorgio started putting in the details, and turning my concept into a full-blown little masterpiece (well, I'm biased, but I think it's great!).

The finished thing!

I chatted to Nick at North Star a line about getting him cast up, and over the conversation, we came up with the idea of offering him as a promo figure for Ash Barker's forthcoming Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse ruleset. And, lo and behold...

Not only has my little guy come a long way from a spur-of-the-moment whim, but he's also been christened Dr Shotgun! I could not be happier with how he's come out, and I hope he finds his way onto tables all over the world.

If anyone would like to get their own Dr Shotgun figure, pre-order Last Days through North Star (link). The figure's a freebie, so I'm not making any money off that shameless plug, but it's a great game, and worth checking out! If you'd like to learn more about Last Days, the Facebook group (link) is a great place to start.

Will I commission any more figures now I've got this out my system? Probably not. Am I tempted? Oh, definitely...

Board!

Now, I'm nothing if not awkward. The moment my colleague, Chris (check out his blog here), finished building a Ghost Archipelago board for shows and conventions, I was struck with a bug to do some terrain building too...

I'd got hold of a load of GF9's Battlefield in a Box badlands terrain a while back (a couple of years, judging by the dust on the boxes), and had never done anything with them. The main reason for this was the colour - a dark brownish-red. It just didn't go with the boards we had at the time, or with the games we were playing. Having been inspired by some of the forthcoming Ghost Archipelago material, I revisited the terrain I had, and looked to finally do something with it.

First stop was my local homewares store, where I found a doormat in what turned out to be almost perfect colours. It's not too fluffy, so figures sit on it perfectly, and has a rubber back, so it lies nice and flat. Sure, it lacks the texture of printed wargaming mats, but it's going to be covered in terrain anyway. Total size is about 2.8ft x 3ft, so not quite square, but bang in the ballpark for the scale of games I like playing.

The various rocks and bluffs from the badlands range had a bit of static grass added, and were then varnished. That's it. There are a few chips in the resin that I should probably have spotted and touched up beforehand, but... meh. They're barely visible from any kind of distance.

All told, it's not bad, even if it needs a lot more jungle terrain to give it some pop before it's finished. The huts are also from GF9, though I'm less keen on them - they're just so big (the largest is about the same height as the tallest of the bluffs!). It'll also work nicely for Wild West, SF or Post-Apoc games with the addition of some appropriate structures.

Generic SWAT

I've had the GW Primaris Reivers for a while now, with the vague plan of using their stripped-down Marine look for more generic SF troops. The UK has recently had a spate of snow, and I spent a weekend ensconced with various TV boxed sets and a pile of sprues. The Expanse, Killjoys, and Altered Carbon, especially, have a lot to answer for, and I decided to build a few generic SF SWAT-type guys using the long-ignored Reivers.

First decision was easy - lose the classic Marine look supplied by the backpacks and shoulder-pads and carve off the skulls on their chest armour. I did toy with keeping the helmets, with their new skull-like masks, but I wanted something more generic than that! Fortunately, I had a pile of bits from the GW Tempestus Scions, and grabbed a few of their helmets. This also had the effect of making the large Reivers (those are 40mm bases!) look more like guys in bulky suits rather than immense super-soldiers.

Outside of a choice of pistol and sword or bolt-carbine, I didn't have much to think about - the kit goes together really nicely. The most work I had to do was filling a hole in the back of the torso that would normally be covered by the backpack with a mix of sprue shavings and polystyrene cement.

Painting was, deliberately, simple. I wanted a classic dark, plain, look with just the eyes as a spot colour, so out came the greys. I picked out a few details (belt clips, magazines, gun barrels etc.) with silver and diverged from the original plan a little by painting their webbing dark brown rather than black. Final touch was the eyes - red touched up with orange for a nice Helghast effect.

Well-camouflaged against the local terrain...

I rather enjoyed doing these guys. Whatever else they do, GW make some nice toys. I have another 4 still on the sprues (there are 5 per sprue, but I really dislike one of the poses), and might see if I can find some bitz from other Primaris kits to allow me to give them some heavier weaponry.

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Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the models/components I have used or discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.