Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Grumpy Gnome on August 02, 2019, 01:23:27 PM
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Hello folks, I am a new member but long time guest. I hope that I am not breaking any social conventions in my first post.
A few months back I got back into painting miniatures after a break of many years. I did this in part to get away from my computer gaming but also to share the hobby with my wife. My wife and I have been working on our own vision of Middle Earth using a lot of different inspirations.
Whilst not my first work done, this conversion is what inspired me to create a blog and gave the blog a name. More photos on the blog itself of course, but here you see some spare GW goblins I had no use for...
Feedback is a gift, so if anyone has any advice, suggestions or recommendations please do not be shy. I have also started a blog to document our projects.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/?fbclid=IwAR1uwaWjBa1p98RCt0U9CXZ4i3w7K668ZINoYoxuUEbvaPmFrWwAs8pJ7o0
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... and here you can see the end result. I was inspired to do this by another artist. After I finished I found two others doing similar projects so I am hardly alone but we each took slightly different paths.
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Welcome a-board Rick. :)
Those conversions are brilliant, I would never have thought of sticking a beard on a goblin and calling it a gnome!
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Thanks for the welcome. It would never have crossed my mind either if I had not seen a fellow on a Kings of War discussion group show off his idea. We had a little chat and in the end inspired each other.
Another artist who came up with idea is the guy behind Hagglethorn Hollow, but I did not see his designs until after I did mine. He went a slightly different way....
https://www.beastsofwar.com/project/1284312/
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Their magnificent noses make for some truly handsome Dwarves. OUTSTANDING CONVERSIONS!
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Indeed welcome and thanks for bringing your imagination with you, its always a pleasure to see someone else's vision and ideas.
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That is really rather clever!
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Cool idea.
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I love these conversions :o :o, I would have never thought about this way to create Gnomes lol
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Basically what my wife and I want to do is create a giant living gameworld based on Tolkien but with a cautious budget. We took the leap of backing Hagglethorn Hollow so our budget is rather tight. Our rules will at this point be based on GW Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game but we will be using a lot of proxy minis... in large part reliant on what I find inexpensive on eBay.
We have been doing this awhile so I will over time put some of my archived photos up. I am keen to hear feedback, suggestions and advice given my limited experience.
Here you can see some things I just finished plus a closer look at the Gno... er I mean Blue Mountain Dwarves.
Denethor looks more like Vigo from Ghostbusters in my opinion.
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Welcome. And as others have said - great conversions and painting.
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Whilst I got quite a bit worked on today, nothing quite finished. But here are some from my archives.
The pairs are couples, done as gifts.
The Winter holiday ones are also gifts.
The ship was a joint project between my wife and me.
The dwarf with the cool hat is me on a day when I feel more Dwarvish than Gnomish.
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Love it all (but then I also have a Christmas-themed collection).
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Thanks! It is great fun crafting things in the spirit as holiday gifts.
Next up we have a couple of figures I went back and did some reworking on, specifically the eyes.
A wight and barrow from Warploque and an old GW banshee that will make a fine wight in Arda.
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Loving everything! Well done!
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Thanks! Posting here and on my blog helps keep me motivated to finish things. Several on going pieces finished today.
Some CD terrain pieces, several objective marker scatter terrain pieces and some skeletons.
I should have more photos and information on my blog later today if people are interested. EDIT: blog updated with more photos and information.... https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/06/getting-some-work-done/
Any feedback or questions are welcome!
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Progress made... and some previously completed pieces.
More info on my blog post.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/07/getting-the-defenses-ready/
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Next is my take on Black Numenoreans... including Queen Berúthiel.
More photos and information on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/09/beware-the-black-numenoreans/
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Lovely painting.
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Thanks von Lucky. I have learned a lot from these forums. Just finished another Elven rider and have some archive photos to share. More info on my blog.
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Today we have some ents and a dryad that I went back and reworked.... more info on my blog.
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Lovely work on the elven figures.
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Thanks Elk101.
Just one photo today.... more information on my blog.
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I like the trees - and while the ogre looks a little worse for wear, I imagine the ones living far off the main paths would really let themselves go.
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Yeah, I tried to convince my wife of that... but she is not buying it. The oversized axe and spikes as well as the escaping intestine is just too much for her. I could easily modify the axe and shoulder spikes but the intestine would be a real pain for me to convert. The model just screams Nurgle too much for her. It may need to find a new home.... which could help fund my recent Dropfleet obsession...hmm...
Speaking of my wife, one of her pieces today. More information on my blog for the curious.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/13/a-house-for-the-wife/
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Experimenting with my new budget light box to show off my Human and bear forms of Beorn.
As usual check my blog for more information.
I do not think the black background material is working well, I will need to experiment with others. And today I figured out how to do a bit of photo processing on an iPad... but I am not sure the tweaked version is much better than the original. At least I know how to crop photos now.
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It's all looking great! I really like the scatter terrain... well done sir!
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Hi Rick,
some very nice pieces!
Although my idea of Middle-Earth is too much influenced by Peter Jackson I like your idea to use figures from various ranges.
These dwarf converted night goblins are spot-on!
Keep going!
Cheers
Stefan
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Thank you both for the kind words! To be fair Stefan you have been one of my biggest inspirations. I am glad you like my Goblin to Gnome conversions, they are my crowning achievement so far.
I have been researching photography of late to try to improve the photos. Hopefully it shows!
Edit: Although to be fair looking back I over exposed some of those.
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A couple of things finished today....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/16/thunderlizard/
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Nothing finished today, so some photos of work I finished previously for our Middle Earth project. More info on the blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/17/more-from-the-archives/
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Great stuff! I really like your goblin-to-dwarf conversions. Tolkien said his goblins were taken almost entirely from George Macdonald, and he uses "goblin" and "gnome" as synonyms.
The (awful!) pedant in me couldn't help noticing this passage in your blog:
Then we have some GW Moria Goblins. I hold to the theory that Tolkien used Goblins and Orc interchangeably, but that Goblins are the smaller Snaga type Orcs.
I agree with the first part - Tolkien says explicitly that "goblin" is a translation of "Orc". But the second point is surely confounded by the fact that he uses "goblin" more than once to describe the Uruk-hai of Isengard (as well as various other larger orcs like Azog, Bolg and Grishnakh). And then there are the "goblins of huge size" in Bolg's bodyguard, who are formidable warriors and can hardly be Snaga-types!
Anyway, a great thread (and blog)!
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An excellent point Hobgoblin! This is why I get so confused in his use of Goblin, mixed with how it has been interpreted by others, including Peter Jackson and Ralph Bakshi. We have Orcs small enough for Frodo and Sam to go unremarked for example.
Thanks for the compliment.
I was strongly inspired by the Wargaming in Middle Earth Group on Facebook before I deleted my Facebook account. Jack Sarge and Mike Peters in particular.
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Lovely work Rick :-*
lol I to was on Facebook and deleted my account :)
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Thanks Blackwolf! It is amazing how much time I freed up leaving FB.
That said, still nothing finished today so some photos of previously finished miniatures.... In the Service of Sauron...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/19/in-the-service-of-sauron/
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Managed to finish a piece today, a bit of a rework.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/20/covering-old-ground/
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great looking terrain! love the realism!
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Thanks again Gibby64.
I finished a couple of my higher priority projects. Not sure how happy some folks are with clockworks and Roman looking marines in Middle Earth...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/22/tick-tick-clockworks-and-anchors-aweigh/
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One of my previously done miniatures....
I think it is supposed to be Strider but I use it as a generic Dunedain Ranger. Does anyone recognize the original manufacturer or sculptor? I do not know it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/24/ranger-danger/
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Ent work...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/25/jazz-hands/
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Some of my older work, frustrating impatience with white and flesh tones led to chalkiness. Lesson learned, thinner paint with more coats. The extra effort pays off in the long run.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/26/the-lady-of-the-golden-wood/
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I love that Ent.... I don't mind the roman's and others... Middle Earth was about legends and lore, about known and unknown things... about present and ancient... I don't see why a certain type of armor and helmet should be disallowed because we know of a period in our reality that it existed. plus... we all know the Romans had some of the best looking armor. I say go for it!
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Thanks again gibby64.
I still have not cracked the photography skills yet but trying!
Today, some Trolls I finished earlier in the year. Eaglemoss and Games Workshop.
More photos and info on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/05/the-trouble-with-trolls/
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The Eaglemoss one in the middle is a beast!
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It is really quite heavy as well!
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So my friend Andreas has entered Middle Earth as an Easterling war priest....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/07/keep-your-friends-close/
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Using non-GW minis in Middle Earth...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/14/full-of-character/
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The latest update...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/19/little-monster/
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I do like the Dol Amroth knights! Well done.
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Nice work on the shield too.
And the rock golem is maybe a baby stone giant?
https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Giants
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Thanks for the compliment. My wife is quite keen on the shields but I feel like I should have done better.
Great call on the baby Stone-Giant. You see, that is why I post on here... to get feedback and suggestions. Thanks again!
And having read that entry it has me thinking of giants....
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Some more Dol Amroth troops. More photos and information on my blog.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/21/swan-knights/
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The Nine are abroad... any one recognize the maker of the Khamul model? It is resin I think, and originally had an oversized mace before I converted it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/23/ring-wraiths/
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A big old boar...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/24/what-a-boar/
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I'm going to borrow that gloss varnish on the eye trick. And now I want to start a Princess Mononoke project!
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All kinds of cool stuff here. I particularly like those of page 2!
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Thanks guys, always nice to get positive feedback. After so many years since I started painting as a kid it is nice to no longer be embarrassed by my minis.
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After almost a year I have finally finished my Thomarillion siege tower that I picked up at Crisis last year. Any suggestions on how I could spruce it up a bit, if you will pardon the pun, are welcome. I thought about trying to make some hides to hang on it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/26/how-time-marches-on/
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A few ladies...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/09/27/think-of-the-children/
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No one likes an Elf...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/02/no-one-likes-an-elf/
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Back from a holiday with some finished Riders of Rohan, some of my previously finished Rohan troops and musings of Weber‘s Honor Harrington alongside Drake‘s Hammer‘s Slammers.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/15/ride-to-wrath-and-ruin/
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Where was Gondor?
Revisiting some minis I finished awhile back and talking about various subjects....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/19/where-was-gondor/
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More Elves...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/23/more-elves/
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Even more Elves...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/27/so-much-done-so-little-finished/
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Some Rohan troops... and an Orc? Maybe?
As usual more info and photos on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/10/29/archers-for-rohan/
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Very nice conversion and painting on the orc (I agree too he's an orc). Who makes the original?
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I do not know to be honest. I think he might be a grenadier chaos warrior? Maybe?
Some more Elves today...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/01/for-our-friends/
And some knights I painted to gift to a friend.
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Great work on those knights in particular (Metal Magic?)!
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I am not sure to be honest. Got them in an auction on eBay as part of a bigger job lot. Thanks for the compliment. I was hoping that I was not boring people with my posts.
PS I am amazed at how well you are able to bring those 1/72 scale minis to life Hobgoblin.
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Or Ral Partha? He reminds me of the Plague Knight:
http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/shop/heartbreaker-miniatures-28mm-c-115/chaz-elliot-c-115_154/5009-plague-knight-with-scythe-p-3552.html
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And your posts aren't boring!
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Harden up Samwise. :D
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Yeah, I suppose he could be Ral Partha. I did not see any distinctive markings on his base when I rebased him.
As for hardening up.... yeah, there is some good in this world...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfNIzsBG3j8
.... and it is worth fighting for....
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In other news... my wife and I decided to back the Reaper Bones 5 Kickstarter. We will have to see how much we can fit into our Middle Earth project...
And here are some Rohan troops we finished a few months ago. More photos on my blog.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/02/for-rohan/
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Trying to finish a couple things today or tomorrow... until then here are some of the warriors of Rohan my wife and I finished a few months ago. She painted somebody the troops but did almost all of the shields.
As you can see a mix of different minis... more info on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/02/for-rohan/
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Finally got some more finished....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/05/busy-busy/
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From the first picture, I was sure the women were holding pizzas.
They all look very nice.
andy
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Very cool. Hail Theoden, King!
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Yeah, when I got them they looked a lot more like pizzas. I stripped them as best I could but whatever the previous owner used resisted my usual disinfectant in a sonic bath as well as a few weeks in a jar of white spirits. I struggled to come up with a way to paint the food to break the pizza image. I tried to go for couscous with plums on one and mixed fruit on the other.
Thanks for the compliments, I know that my painting is not amazing like so many of the artists on here but I hope that I am slowly improving and can inspire other folks of similar skill levels to keep working at it.
Also, having feedback on something like this forum helps motivate me to keep working to get the next piece done since I do not have the benefit of a gaming group to do so. My wife is a great audience but I think she may be a little biased.
I got the stitches out of my hand yesterday and it looks like we will get to go to Crisis on Saturday, it will be her first and my second. We will see if she gets as awestruck as I was last year. We‘ve had a bit of a morale drop of late thanks to the delay of the Hagglethorn Hollow Kickstarter But going to Spiel got her enthusiastic enough to start painting a Ranger of Ithilien.
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And the latest blog entry...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/08/what-we-do-for-money/
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My Crisis experiences...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/11/crisis-loot/
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Eowyn... and more!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/12/the-faces-of-eowyn/
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Nice additions and not a bad haul (sorry to hear it wasn't as friendly as it could have been).
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Cheers mate. I wish my wife had found the crowd a bit more friendly but at least they did not make her want to quit the hobby. Quite pleased with the haul now I just need to find more painting time!
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Some Gandalfs... more info on the blog!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/14/the-faces-of-gandalf/
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And some Boromirs...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/16/the-faces-of-boromir/
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And Gimlis...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/17/the-faces-of-gimli/
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... and Aragorns...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/18/the-faces-of-stri-er-i-mean-aragorn/
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And some Chaos... er I mean Orc... warriors...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/25/should-they-stay-or-should-they-go/
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I think re-worked they look good as Orcs. The last one (in your blog post) could be a captain of some sort.
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Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking a Captain as well... maybe put some red on there and put him with the Morannon Orcs.
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Finally finished a bunch of converted Black Numenoreans....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/11/30/numenoreans-in-the-service-of-sauron/
More photos and info on the blog. As always, I enjoy feedback, suggestions and advice!
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I am surprised my Black Numenoreans did not spark any outrage...
... but more conventional minis are here...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/02/elves-but-not-santas-helpers/
... including one done by my wife!
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Trucking along nicely.
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Thanks mate, slow but steady...
Some Legolas and Wood Elf minis finished.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/03/the-faces-of-legolas/
More photos and info on the blog. Since leaving comments on the blog is a bit awkward for folks, I would encourage people to feel free to put comments on here instead.
I am always keen for feedback, suggestions and advice. Recently a friend (thanks Stefan!) suggested I try a fine point marker for eyes. It has helped, although it can still sometimes leave a bit of a bug eye look of the eyeball is sculpted sharply.
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Bits and pieces...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/10/bits-and-pieces/
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That all has a great Middle Earth vibe. I'm not very familiar with fantasy figure manufacturers, but are these designed as Middle Earth figures, or just pressed into service as such? lol
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It has been a mix of the usual Games Workshop Lord of the Rings minis and a wide range of other historical as well as fantasy minis. Basically what I could win inexpensive on eBay that then also passed approval from my wife. Stuff that did not pass was sold on or given as gifts.
Ideally I think I would have liked to go the more common Tolkien purist route of various Dark Ages minis but my wife is quite keen on some of the Games Workshop minis that look like what Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop came up with for the movies... so since that means later period plate armor for example, I figured I may as well make use of whatever I can that can retain some sense of continuity.
A lot of diversity started making sense the more research I did, for example when I started looking into other Middle Earth mediums... like computer games.
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Well, your wife may have the right feel for it. I think the overall look is just right!
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Thanks! It is always nice to hear when people like our artistic decisions.
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No outrage, but what are you assuming your Black Numenoreans are, with grey skin and blue eyes? I thought he looks like he's wearing glasses.
Some sort of undead, or just pumped up on black magic?
andy
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No outrage, but what are you assuming your Black Numenoreans are, with grey skin and blue eyes? I thought he looks like he's wearing glasses.
Some sort of undead, or just pumped up on black magic?
andy
From his blog:
I know some Tolkien purists will wonder on the pale skin and blue eyes. My wife and I decided to be inspired by Jackson’s take on the Mouth of Sauron as well as GW´s take on them being supernaturally long lived as a gift from Sauron.
For what is is worth, Grumpy, I don't see glasses. The eyes look more like they are glowing to me. Touched by magic? I don't do a lot of source lighting stuff when I paint, and I don't paint eyes, so I don't have difficulties making some logical leaps or using my imagination lol
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Nice to see folks engaging in the thread. Thanks for replying for me, I have had some technical issues preventing me posting.
My wife and I are going with the GW fluff of immortality, so undeadish. The purplish grey skin and blackened blood is from the Weta Jackson film design of the Mouth of Sauron. The blue eyes are my own twist, a bit Game of Thrones I suppose. I still have not quite cracked glowing eyes yet.
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Some Rohan troops, more info and photos on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/15/two-hands/
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Some old school fantasy heroes looking for a home in Middle Earth...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/16/holding-out-for-a-hero/
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Fantastic additions, Grumpy. The druid fella reminds me a bit of a Radagast the Brown type character.
Your mage reminds me of Tom Bombadil:
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qIRbBckDL._SL500_.jpg)
In fact, had I not popped over to your blog, I would have assumed you made both of these figures to represent the characters! Maybe it was a happy little accident.
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I have been fortunate enough to get the Games Workshop Radagast and Tom Bombadil in inexpensive auctions... I just have not got around to painting them yet. It is taking me much, much longer to paint these things than I expected. But thanks for the compliment!
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Nice work - the druid (and the scholar(hah!) in particular).
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I have been fortunate enough to get the Games Workshop Radagast and Tom Bombadil in inexpensive auctions... I just have not got around to painting them yet. It is taking me much, much longer to paint these things than I expected. But thanks for the compliment!
Are they wife approved? :D
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She did indeed. And thanks again for the compliments. Comments help motivate me!
I was not motivated enough to get much done on the Hobbits currently on my desk but I did finish this terrain piece...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/18/in-the-hills/
More photos and information on my blog. Folks should feel free to comment on this thread if they do not want to leave a comment on the blog.
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Undecided lizards... and if you are curious other thoughts on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/12/24/lizards/
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
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I like the colors of the lizard men. Not sure how I feel about them as a Middle Earth addition since I don't think it is even close to the lore. That said, there sure is a lot of the Middle Earth world that hasn't been explored or explained, so it wouldn't be a big leap even as it isn't canonical.
The hill/mine is a fun piece. I love terrain. Love it more than I love figures. If I could figure out a way to make two ruined houses fight, I would. lol. I like, and agree with, your decision to rebase and alter the original piece. I think the mine is more satisfying without the rails, and the extra bit you added around the edge really helped it blend into your table better than the original would have. Besides the flock providing a more natural transition between the table and the piece, it also looks like it removed some of the feel of stepping up onto a curb.
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Yeah it is a big leap from canon... but if you look at how vague the extended Tolkien lore is on various fell beasts and creations of Morgoth then the leap gets a bit smaller. The further you look afield from both the movies and books of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, the wilder Middle Earth gets. Not to mention Dragons other than just Smaug.
Just how vast and diverse are the nations of the East? What is in the very far South? What lies in or across the vast ocean to the West? What darkness lurks in the bowels of the world far below Moria?
Thanks for the compliments on the terrain. Normally terrain is more my a thing for my wife than me but sometimes I get that terrain itch needing to be scratched. I am a big fan of Mel the Terrain Tutor on YouTube and look forward to his book Kickstarter to be finished once he regains his artistic footing.
Any advice you might have on how to improve my terrain is welcome. I know I have a lot to learn and recognize feedback, even when critical, is a gift.
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And so, moving into the new year... a gaggle of Hobbits! Plenty of more photos and information on my blog.
It was a real challenge getting these done. I see why some folks suggest painting in batches of no bigger than ten. This was more a case of painting to have them done rather than painting for the pure joy of it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/01/08/a-new-year-and-a-gaggle-of-hobbits/
Not just the GW hobbits, there are several other things mentioned if you are curious.
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Some odds and ends for my wife... more photos and information on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/01/17/odds-and-ends/
And speaking of blogs, if you are interested in a great Middle Earth blog I highly recommend the blog of Mike Peters who is a big inspiration for me.
https://wilgut.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-southron-empire_17.html#comment-form
How many of you are doing your own Middle Earth projects and who inspires you most? What conversions are you doing? What personal proxies?
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A bit damned if you do and damned if you don't on the tomb stand. If you match it, someone isn't going to look like part of the gang. The only real answer would be to do everyone, and the display, in grey. But, it doesn't ruffle my delicate sensibilities either way. Well done.
I'm quite impressed that the wife takes on terrain. Mine has no interest in painting or terrain, but if I thought there was a way to get her involved it would definitely be on the figure painting side of things.
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Thanks for the compliment... and yeah you make a good point. I have considered selling the display and plastic Fellowship but our metal Fellowship minis are generally painted up post Lothlorien whilst the plastics have the original cloak colors.
It is a little annoying to have put in so much detail work on a piece that will not be part of a game. If we ever did a Moria game I would try to get the Ziterdes proxy for Balin’s Tomb.
https://www.ziterdes.de/bestseller/bestseller/dunkles-zwergenreich.html
My wife has a couple of terrain projects on the go right now, a large characterful tree and a multi-piece river. She prefers making terrain to painting minis... and anything she does clears me up for other tasks in my ridiculously long to-do list. I am hoping when my son starts going to school I will have more free time to get things done. Too often lately I am distracted with my sci-fi project.
Does your wife play? We got into this as a shared hobby in part to game together since she prefers tabletop to computer gaming.
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So I managed to finally get some Orcs finished. Too many projects on the go. More info and photos on my latest blog entry... as well as some Picard thoughts.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/01/31/orcs/
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.... and we finished some terrain...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/02/another-step-towards-the-forest/
Does any one have any good house rule recommendations for Battle Companies or SBG in general?
I like the idea of some sort of unit indirect volley fire that gives plunging fire and increased range using siege engine rules.
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Killer rabbit!!!
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Exactly! You have been warned....
I‘d put some bones down around it but the missus would not approve, it being her terrain piece and all.
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The ivy/creepers look great. They really add a lot of character to the tree. How were they made?
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My wife first tried Ziterdes wild vines... which we won as part of an auction awhile ago.
https://www.ziterdes.de/gelaendebau/miniaturpflanzen/wilder-wein-12-laser-cut-pflanzen.html
She was not satisfied with the result, so when I more recently won some Army Painter poison ivy she added that on top, giving a nice effect I think.
https://www.amazon.de/Army-Painter-4128-Basing-Poison/dp/B004BWH5VU
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Yeah the layering really adds to it, I think if it was just a uniform style & colour it wouldn't look quite as natural so she's done a great job I think.
Thanks for the links! It looks like Ziterdes has quite a selection of vegetation details.
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I like Ziterdes... and I managed to finish some more Orcs.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/07/more-orcs-for-mordor/
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Great Orcs and really like your hobbits! Never painted the fellowship but it's definitely on the to do list.
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Thanks! It is always motivating to get positive feedback.
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I agree - nice little conversions.
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Great looking orcs! The leather on the shields is really improved now, did it just take a bit of a wash and a highlight or did you start again from scratch?
Love the extra details like the bag of bones and dead rodent. The little details really make a huge difference to me and help bring me into the world. You have a good eye for the little things that bring a scene to life, especially the little animals and mushrooms in some of your terrain pieces.
Inspiring stuff!
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The scenery is nicely made!
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Thanks for the kind words. Positive feedback motivates!
The leather on the shields were improved with just wash and dry brush... thankfully no need to start over.
My eye sight is not what it used to be but I am all about the attention to detail. With the intent of course to encourage a visual narrative.
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I managed to finish some more terrain and a couple of Skinks... not sure if they will be used for our Middle Earth project or our Pirates of Ghost Archipelago project.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/11/keeping-busy/
As always feedback, advice and suggestions are welcome. I have noticed many of my questions have gone unanswered and I am wondering if I have broken some forum etiquette rule or social convention.
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I managed to finish some more terrain and a couple of Skinks... not sure if they will be used for our Middle Earth project or our Pirates of Ghost Archipelago project.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/11/keeping-busy/
As always feedback, advice and suggestions are welcome. I have noticed many of my questions have gone unanswered and I am wondering if I have broken some forum etiquette rule or social convention.
Great looking terrain, where are those steps going to lead to?
Not sure about etiquette or social convention, I'm new here ...
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I am not sure about the steps. They came in a big box of bits I won on eBay. Maybe they will end up as part of a bigger terrain piece, a hill needing steps to a temple? Or maybe a tower with an elevated front door that has a drawbridge coming down to those stairs? I have the top portion of a square Ziterdes tower, I just need the main tower bit. One of the challenges of hunting EBay deals is making do with the odds and ends that you end up winning.
What I am thinking is like the gate in the Warlord with Charlton Heston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk86Z7kp5n8
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Nice touch ups - the eyes on the skinks are effective.
Not sure what your unanswered questions are.
And love the hairstyles in the Tower Siege clip. And the torch to the face.
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Where do the stairs go?
They go up.
lol
Sorry couldn't resist.
That's one cute thunderbox would make a great treasure marker with suitable hazards involved should anyone be foolish enough to open the door. Or perhaps a disguised entrance to a under ground lair...
Great thread
Cheers
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There is a surprise behind the outhouse...
Thanks for the kind words by the way!
Von Lucky, I find it difficult to get people to engage both here and on my blog. I have tried to get people to engage on numerous occasions by asking questions. My thread about house rules questions had over 80 views over a few days before anyone replied. Granted, the conversation picked up after the first person replied but it was still a bit disappointing. I realize this forum may not be the best one for addressing SBG issues though, especially since I am late to the party and asking what many may consider old questions.
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Another blog update.... finished some more little terrain bits, some Isengard Uruk-hai and a warrior of Rohan conversion from a Gripping Beast Late Roman.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/15/step-by-step/
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Great stuff full of character
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You can't go wrong with making scatter terrain, it can really make a table 'come to life'.
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Thanks for the kind words.
I do love scatter terrain with character. It is fun exploring what I can make with the random bits I win auctions.
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The Uruks look great! I love regimented infantry, it always looks impressive.
I hope that Rohan lad has some mates to back him up with those pikemen headed his way!
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Von Lucky, I find it difficult to get people to engage both here and on my blog. I have tried to get people to engage on numerous occasions by asking questions.
Fair enough - but remember you're not really asking anyone in particular, so it will take a little longer to have someone come along and have an answer/opinion. Don't despair.
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Plenty of Rohan mates... something like 100 infantry and 25 cavalry already finished. Some reworks in today’s blog entry.
And some elves...
And Arnie the Dunlending Barbarian...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/18/the-flowers-of-elven-chivalry-and-more/
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They are looking fab! You've nailed the eyes on those elves and the group shot is mighty impressive!
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Thanks! I really struggle with eyes but a friend of mine kept encouraging me to keep trying and now I always think of him when I look at a mini and decide if Inam going to dorther eyes or not.
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The second last photo - a gaze of complete disdain!
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Deep breath, steady hand...and dot that eye.
Damn it, repaint eye socket lol
That's my technique anyway
Great thread cheers
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It is immensely gratifying when someone mentions they like the thread. Feedback, suggestions and advice is always welcome. Questions I put on the blog can be happily answered here if it helps get people involved. I know I rather discuss things on a forum than a blog.
Some more things finished, scatter terrain and some Dryads. Normally I would add some foliage to the Dryads but my wife did not want foliage on this lot. Not yet anyway, she may change her mind.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/22/trees-are-people-too/
One of my questions to folks would be.... grass on the sides of scatter terrain bases, yes or no?
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Looking good.
And yes to grass on the side - as other scatter terrain aims to blend in with the table and (usually) doesn't move liek miniatures do.
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Yeah, fair point on the movement aspect. And thanks for the kind words!
Some more photos from the last batch, including the river piece my wife made.
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I am enjoying this thread! I say yes to grass on the side of scatter terrain - in your example photos it helps it to blend in so much better.
Also I really like scatter pieces. Where is the semicircular stone with the carving of an archer from?
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My wife made the stone out of some putty we used to make impressions of our son’s hands and feet. She used a pewter salt shaker with Norse artwork on it to make the image by pressing the putty against it. I then painted, washed, draybrushed and based it.
I am glad you are enjoying the thread. And thanks for the feedback ob the static grass. I think it looks a bit messy but also more natural and helps blend into the table. But I like hearing what other people think.
Edit: One of my goals is to show folks what you can accomplish on a limited budget with some fortunate EBay successes and creative imagination in regards to proxies. For example I won this charming Troll Forged beastie on eBay for a Euro. I figure it will make a nice proxy for The Watcher in the Water.
Suggestions on a color scheme for the beast are most welcome!
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... and can anyone identify this mini?
I got it as part of a junk bits box auction, missing an arm. I was going to just add this Gripping Beast sword arm on to it but then decided it might be best to ID the mini before committing to that. I figured it was a Games Workshop LOTR Ithilien (Gondor) Ranger but now I am not so sure.
Anyone recognize it? The blue paint from the previous owner got me thinking it might be a Fiefdoms character... but if so, I can not figure out which.
Maybe I should switch out the sword for a spear and have it as a proxy for Duinhir of Blackroot Vale.
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I do not posses this type of knowledge!
Nice work from the Missus! It's a good looking river section!
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I heard water running as I looked at that river...
Where are the vines on the statues from?
andy
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My wife appreciates the kind words, it made her smile to read your comments.
The dark green vine is poison ivy from Army Painter. The other vines came in unmarked bags in a large terrain bits auction we got lucky on.
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Faramir, Dryads and something a bit more fantastical....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/25/if-you-go-down-to-the-woods-today/
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A lovely update - the basing adds but doesn't over power the miniatures.
Can't identify the ranger-type figure though.
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Thanks Von Lucky. I was concerned the bases might overpower the figures.
The unidentified mini is now identified as an Ithilien Ranger musician from the metal command team blister.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=122884.0
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I finished a bit more, various bits. I suspect the Pelargir marines may be a bit contentious. But I would enjoy hearing feedback nonetheless.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/02/29/a-bit-of-everything/
I know the spider is underwhelming.... more photos and info on the blog...
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nice additions in that mix (conversion on ranger has come out well). I think the marines work - my only feedback is less bronze and yellow on them (for more silver and white) and some non-roman shield designs to break it up. Buy uniform-wise are perfect.
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Yeah, I thought about changing the bronze metalwork and brown leatherwork to silver and black, I had originally painted these as historical pieces in red to sell, hence the bronze metalwork.... but I had received no interest in them on eBay. I thought about converting them to Orcs since I was not keen to introduce the Republican look to the Imperial look I had already started for Pelargir marines and was unsure the decals I had chosen for the auxiliary troops would work on Republican shields. They do, with some modification.
When you say shield design do you mean the shape of the shield or the design on the shield?
In hindsight I would prefer to mix and match bits from multipart kits to create my own design but I am trying to work with a bunch of Roman minis I won already put together. Removing shields is easier on metal minis like these than on some of those Warlord Games plastic minis I have from what I have experienced trying to remove shields from Praetorians.
Your suggestion on the silver and white makes perfect sense aesthetically and would move them away from the more traditionally historical look. I will see what my wife thinks and consider how to best proceed. I really appreciate the input.
Part of me is a little nervous about converting them too far from historical because I was thinking of giving them double duty but realistically I am very unlikely to ever get around to finding spare time for a historical Roman game.
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Design on the shields. The current shape helps move about a ship, etc.
I think only dark age / early medieval really can do double duty for Middle Earth (in my mind at least).
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Yeah, ideally I would really be using just Dark Ages minis but I have to reconcile what my wife likes aesthetically and she likes a lot of the later period Peter Jackson Weta GW looks as well as consider our budget. I only very rarely buy anything new, even less so full price. And I want to eventually have vast swarms of troops. Retirement dreams kind of stuff. So I try to make do with lucky EBay lot wins.
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Some more GW scatter terrain. I considered basing them but decided against it. Anyone think that it is better to base them?
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/03/04/sticks-and-stones/
Also, if you have not seen it I strongly recommend having a look at Battles in Wilderland by Shaun Wymer. A collection of house rules and campaign scenarios that nicely blends SBG and the One Ring RPG.
https://www.dchobbitleague.com/fan-made-supplements.html
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I think a few should be left as they are for scatter, but putting a bunch together onto a themed base as well (with a larger ruined wall piece for example) is more practical for objectives & quick board setup.
While the concept of everything being modular sounds good, I've found in practice that it just makes everything take longer to set up and simultaneously look like a board of lots of items, rather than a coherent battlefield.
That's just my opinion though, your mileage may vary!
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The pieces do look great though! I'm always impressed by your use of foliage and flocking to make your scenery stand out.
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Thanks mate! I always value your input.... and kind words!
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Some more bits finished.... with some reworks as well.
Fire is a challenge. I have seen contradicting painting advice, red base to yellow tips and yellow base to red tips. Which do you folks prefer?
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/03/08/scatter/
And Mantic Dwarves... too World of Warcraft?
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yellow base red tips for me! that is a beautiful campsite, great collection.
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Red base to yellow tips for me! Now we just need a third opinion to get you out of your stalemate.
Your campsite is great. What paints did you use for the canvas on the tents?
Not a fan of the Mantic Dwarf, bit silly for me (and that's coming from someone who likes 5th Edition warhammer fantasy!). The GW LOTR Dwarf Warriors are some of the best I've seen in miniature form - they're a stark contrast to that one; it just looks a bit Warcrafty, like you say.
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I used Army Painter desert yellow on the inside, a generic house paint tan for the outside (a bit lighter than the desert yellow inside). Army painter light wash and Army Painter Bleached Bone dry brush inside and out, with less inside than outside. I was trying to go for a weathered, stained set of campaign tents with more fading outside than inside.
For Dwarves I like the GW LOTR minis and the Oathmark ones. I have a bunch of others won cheap in auction, Mantic, GW Fantasy and assorted others. My thinking is to try to make them look more like the Oathmark ones with spare Oathmark bits.
As my collection of cheap auction won minis grows I a less inclined to make compromises on proxies but I need to keep a more open mind on conversion ideas.
Putting Oathmark Goblin heads on Mantic Goblin bodies for example.
I also like Warlord Games/Wargames Factory Orc heads on Oathmark Dwarf bodies for Snaga/Goblins. Quirky Labyrinth sort of looking fellows, slightly comical but not as outrageous as the Warcrafty looking Mantic Dwarves.
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I tried some Oathmark Goblin heads on GW Gnoblar bodies but they just did not work for me.
And I got more scatter terrain done!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/03/14/even-more-scatter/
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I just wanted to take a moment to mention how awesome a fellow hobbyist is.... Koyote inspired me with some of impressive kitbashing and went the extra mile to demonstrate how he did it. Such generosity warms the heart and reminds me why I joined this forum. The thread can be seen here, well worth the time to look even if the specific subject matter genre is not your thing.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=118478.150
As to what I am trying to build.... inspired by his Forest Goblins I am trying to make some spare bits I won into a siege engine for spider worshipping tribal folks in Mirkwood as suggested in the One Ring RPG.
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I'm still impressed by your output (noting that some is touch ups but still).
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The advantage of being a stay at home dad.... although my plan to increase my workload as my son goes to school more is on hold with the current coronavirus school closures. Also, I would get more done if I was not so tired at night. My eyes, and endurance, just are not what they used to be. I have had a couple of all nighter painting sessions I really paid for the next day.
In the beginning of this project, when my son would sleep quite a bit I was getting 10 minis a day done. No where near that now. Not even 10 minis a week it seems.
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Red base to yellow tips for me! Now we just need a third opinion to get you out of your stalemate.
Wanna take this outside? ;D
Lovely characterful scatter as always! Really need to learn from your basing style and technique.
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Thanks mate!
One thing I recently learned, I threw in some longer static grass to my main static grass collection... this caused my bases to look increasingly overgrown. Against my wife’s advice I started trimming some of the longer grass around the edges of the bases but left the longer grass that was standing up. I think it really helped. Not sure what you folks think.
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I had a joke here but it might be inappropriate I'll have to read the forum rules ...b :-X
I think the long grass really helps! My static grass is all same length ... I'd better add some variety!
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I will imagine the joke was funny and laugh.
In hindsight I should have used more flock and less static grass on my bases but I won a lot more cheap static grass in auctions than flock.... that influenced me greatly. There many types of small lots of static grass and a little flock mixed into my generic basing grass mix. I have since won more flock but have been using that mostly for moss.
I also like flock for tree leaves but my wife is not entirely convinced.
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Continuing my research on old SBG materials I have come across a couple of interesting ideas that I am curious to hear everyone’s opinions on since they were probably discussed in the past.
1) #44 of the DeAgostini Battle Games in Middle Earth magazines, page 4, talks of Grand strategy and strategy points. This seems an interesting idea but underdeveloped with only 3 options per side. Was this ever expanded anywhere? What do you think of the idea?
Basically you get one strategy point per hero. You spend those points to buy Grand strategies which cost between 1 to 3 points and are exclusive to good or evil.
2) Random weather and time of day as per #65 DeAgostini, page 2.
The next couple were from a GBHL podcast 3 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeeXZq6XgCg
3) woodland creature gives +1 defense when model is in woodland
4) add the model’s fight value to the D6 of the duel roll
5) suggested in the comments, allow horns (and drums) to be picked up from fallen models like banners
What do you think of these?
Adding fight value sounds very interesting to tip the balance towards heroes and elites but may be game breaking. Thoughts?
PS... some of my recent scatter in my Smurf cart. Not gluing it in means the material can be changed between, or even during, games.
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I like the idea of random weather. Would it be used to affect things such as archery and perhaps skirmisher deployment? Thick fog could mean that after deployment you roll a scatter die and a D6 because they might have gotten their position wrong or something.
Any interaction between models and the environment is a bonus to narrative wargaming in my opinion, so fallen instruments and banners are perfect for adding a little bit of story-telling to a battle. Of course that means you'll have to make little fallen instruments and fallen banners terrain markers to show where they've fallen; the projects never end!
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“Of course that means you'll have to make little fallen instruments and fallen banners terrain markers to show where they've fallen; the projects never end!”
Of course! I had not thought of that... but yeah, you are right, that makes sense.
On the others,
1) There are more Grand strategy options, this time faction specific, in issue #87... not bad as a start but many more would need to be devised otherwise they run the risk of being used routinely and therefore become boringly anticipated.
4) This suggestion becomes problematic for Fight values over 6. However, I do still like the concept of introducing more gradual fighting skill advantage rather than simply better or worse. A F6 hero fights no differently against a F4 opponent than a F2 opponent.
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Despite the current troubled times causing us to have trouble concentrating on painting, me and my wife got a few things finished.
Some ruffians, some villagers, a well and more.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/03/30/you-you-ruffian/
The Mantic Elf has been an attempted Black Numenorean conversion. The well is by my wife.
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Nice
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Marvelous work here. A collection to be proud of
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Thanks for the kind words. I am pleased with the progress I have made, particularly with eyes but I am still in envy of so many gifted artists on here. My camera work still disappoints, the minis look much better in person to me. Now I know close up photos expose small errors that are normally overlooked but the subtle color change and glossiness in the photos does not reflect how they look in person.
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I came across an intriguing house rule for Battle Companies that is a bit crunchy but helps balance the experience system. Can you see any drawbacks other than the extra math work?
Credit to Simmushkan on Reddit
........................
We’ve only played a few factions (Haradrim, Rohan, Dwarves, Hobbits) and we house-ruled new xp because the Dwarves vs Hobbits meant that the dwarves leveled up way more quickly as it’s a per wound basis for xp.
As a result we grant xp = model cost when you kill something. You need 5x your model cost to “level up”. So instead of a flat 5 kills an 8 point warrior will need 8x5 = 40xp to level up.
It takes a tiny bit more record keeping (but we already used a spreadsheet so it’s not that bad) and seems much fairer so far.
So, for example, an 8 point dwarf only gets 4xp for killing a 4 point hobbit.
This tends to speed up the advancement of low point per model armies and slows the advancement of high point per model armies, which seems good to us.
Note that we do just play for fun not in competitions or anything though.
I should add that you divide the xp by the number of wounds. E.g. if you wound a model worth 60 points that has three wounds you get 20xp per wound.
Oh and the end of game when you get an xp point for playing the mission, your guys just get xp equal to their points cost. E.g, an 8 point warrior gets 8xp. This way, because they need 5x their points cost in xp to level up they still do so in 5 games like in the normal rules.
I forgot to mention how fun it is in the game when a super hero guy gets very little benefit from killing little Hobbits etc it encourages heroes to clash with heroes.
Also it makes for awesome moments when a lowly warrior does get a wound on an expensive hero, sometimes earning a promotion from that one wound! Good stories =)
No xp for wounding horses. The cost of the horse (and any other equipment) is already part of the points value of the hero or warrior, so if they start the mission mounted, whatever points value they were worth at the beginning of the mission is what is up for grabs.
And yes, when you win a scenario, any time the book says “gain 1 xp” you just get as much xp as you’re worth.
Eg. A hero worth 70 points gets 70xp for playing and 70xp for winning. They need 70x5=350xp to level up, so they are 140/350 = 2/5 of the way there. In the old system they’d have 2xp and need 5xp so also 2/5 of the
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Finally managed to finish a few pieces after a clear coat matt spray problem. Thanks to Wyrmalla for a great deal on some excellent minis only needing minor tweaking for our game.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/04/09/testing-my-patience/
Can anyone recommend a good looking, affordable (er... cheap) proxy for a Cave Drake?
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Looking good, Grumpy! Love the pack-dogs (and the dog packs, I suppose).
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Thanks mate! It has been a bit frustrating getting things finished as I have been getting distracted by so much... including building more ruffians today out of bits from the bits box. I keep telling myself to finish things before starting something new but I just do not seem capable of being self disciplined.
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Finished a few more pieces... some Orcs and rats. The Orcs are standard LOTR Mordor Orcs but I did some customizing to give them some more individual personality.
Advice, suggestions and feedback very welcome!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/04/15/rats-and-orcs/
No one has any suggestions for a good looking but inexpensive Cave Drake?
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The orcs and rats look good!
For the cave drake, why not go with a Reaper Bones shadow dragon and leave off/detach the wings? The slots are easily filled, and it only costs about a tenner over here. And because it's that classic "quadruped with wings" dragon type rather than the more plausible wyvern/GoT dragon, it'll look fine without wings. It's a good size too:
(https://images.reapermini.com/4/77108_w_1.jpg)
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Ah! That one looks good. My wife and I backed Bones 5, in part for a good dragon for later in the campaign but I wanted something more immediately available for the Drake. One thing putting me off Reaper Bones Dragons right now was the different sizes of all the various dragons. You say that one is big enough to swallow a character whole?
Looking at my latest Orcs I think I need to go back and redo the eyes as well as change those swords for something with curved blades....
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One thing putting me off Reaper Bones Dragons right now was the different sizes of all the various dragons. You say that one is big enough to swallow a character whole?
Near enough, I reckon. I'll dig it out a bit later and provide a scale shot.
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Cheers mate, I appreciate that.
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Here you go. You might need to allow for a dislocating jaw in the constrictor manner, but given that, I reckon it could do a spot of swallowing:
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Love you blog especially the scatter terrain. The ship here is great. Clever idea goblins converted to no doubt grumpy gnomes.
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Thanks for the help Hobgoblin. That could work. A bit of sculpting work there to make it wingless but the price is a good incentive and I like the look of it in general. I will have to ask my wife if she likes it.
And thank you Golgotha. It always motivates me when I hear someone likes my work. I know my artistic skills are far below the many great artists on this forum but it nice to think my skills have made some progress at least.
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My wife is not a fan of the Reaper shadow dragon.
I am currently considering a Schleich or Safari Postosuchus or Prestosuchus.
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Very nice stuff here, thanks for sharing.
For the cave dragon, Grenadier's Treasure Guardian dragon is very nice large sized dragon (if not cheap) that would look good also without the wings. Manufactured nowadays by Mirliton (http://www.mirliton.it/fantasy-25-28mm/dragons/the-treasure-guardian-dr020) and sold also by Noble Knight Games (https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2147567586/Treasure-Guardian-The). The stock image is painted in odd purple colour, imagine it painted natural green or brown like real snakes.
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[edit: double-post, sorry]
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Thanks for the kind words.
That is a good looking dragon, a bit static in the pose but I like the look of its head. That said the Cave Drake scenario for Battle Companies has a lot of treasure in its setting so that pose could work.
The price however is going to be too much for me unless I can find a used on one EBay.
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Despite being distracted by watching people play mount and blade 2 on YouTube I managed to get some more Orcs done. And a couple of casualty markers. It might interest folks to see Games Workshop, Oathmark and Warlord Games Orcs side by side.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/04/22/more-orcs/
As always, feedback, suggestions and advice welcome. More photos and info on the blog itself if you are curious.
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To compare how that last Orc looked before I painted it....
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One can never go wrong with yet more orcs. Keep 'em coming.
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More Orcs and Ruffians are in progress...
I am quite pleased with how the Mantic Ghoul to Orc Tracker conversions came out. I perhaps should have used greenstuff to give the one without a cloak pointed ears though.
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Excellent orcs! Well done
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I like your orc builds and head swaps :-)
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Thanks for the kind words folks, it really helps motivate me. I suppose I miss the buzz of getting likes on Facebook.
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I think I have found our Cave Drake. A very inexpensive EBay win. Once the wings are removed and some greenstuff sculpting done I think it may work.
And I am almost done with the next batch of minis... here is a preview of works in progress....
I took a gamble the Flintloque bandits would work for the Bree area. Some modifications required, such as hiding the maille armor on one of them. I try to make the minis as much as possible “what you see is what you get”.
This GW Bretonnian is one of the only ones I have with no armor or helm. I had to hide his little shield badges though as my wife immediately spotted them and thought they looked like they should have heraldry on them... and therefore looked less like a bandit or ruffian. It was supposed to be a rabbit’s foot to cover the one on his chest but that is one big rabbit, so maybe it is a trophy from a wolf.
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That dragon certainly has potential. Can't wait to see it revitalised.
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I wish my photography skills could do my minis justice. This last batch of Ruffians are some of my best work I think. The Orcs are ok but the Ruffians.... I am really pleased with the conversions, kitbashing, greenstuff and brushwork. Not as good as many of the artists on this forum but I hope you folks like them. As always feedback is welcome!
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... and.... I also finished the mounted version of my Black Numenorean converted from a damaged Nazgul mini. I think it will be an upgrade for my Minas Morgul Battle Company leader.
... and... the wings came off that Dragon much easier than I thought....
.... and I need to get these Ziterdes buildings ready for this weekend. We got them used on eBay for a great price and a lot of the painting work has been done by either Ziterdes or the previous owner but there is a bit still to do. In particular I am not sure about the blue windows. I am thinking yellows and oranges to reflect the idea that they are lit from within. Any one have any suggestions on that?
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Great additions. I'm a big fan of the guy with a missing hand. Seems a simple thing, but somehow I've never considered it before.
Buildings look great too. Frankly, I think the only time you would have windows lit from within would be night, and most gaming boards aren't staged as if the game takes place at night. It is hard to see from the pictures, but if the blue isn't too bright (it doesn't appear to be) then I would either leave it or perhaps paint the window panes in a grey palette as a compromise? Dark grey base with lighter grey/white reflection points, perhaps.
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Thanks mate. I do not think that I would have considered the one hand idea if I had not seen that arm already done like that in my bits box. The nub just looked the part the moment I saw it. I am not sure how it got like that. It looked too smooth to have been cut and filed.
Yeah, fair point on the yellow windows. I have been looking at masses of 28mm painted building photos and it is easy to get yellow windows looking too cartoonish.
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Thanks mate. I do not think that I would have considered the one hand idea if I had not seen that arm already done like that in my bits box. The nub just looked the part the moment I saw it. I am not sure how it got like that. It looked too smooth to have been cut and filed.
Yeah, fair point on the yellow windows. I have been looking at masses of 28mm painted building photos and it is easy to get yellow windows looking too cartoonish.
I have considered the look of interior lit windows as well, and the problem is that the window itself doesn't become yellow, but you see the reflection of light on objects in the room. So a curtain would become backlit, but that would mostly be alternating darker/lighter vertical stripes, right? It is a pretty complex painting compared to a basic idea of reflection on the outside of a window. Something like a candle in a window would mostly be black but for the candle flame, and any nearby surface the candle light would reflect off of. I think it would all look very cool if executed correctly, but I'm not certain I have the painting chops to pull that off. lol I am quite capable of making a basic "jewel" painting on a window pane to make it look like it has some depth and reflection.
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Our first battle report.... for the first scenario of our first Battle Companies campaign!
A quick scenario held whilst our son napped, it was a learning experience for both me and my wife. Mistakes were made, lessons learned.
If you are curious you can read about it and the house rules we used in our latest blog entry.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/02/and-so-it-begins-our-first-battle-companies-campaign/
Basically we did a modified version of the first narrative scenario in the second edition version of the Battle Companies book, replacing Bree with a more generic village. My wife’s Elves were jumped by a band of Ruffians. It did not go as expected...
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And we had our second match today, where the Forces of Evil get their shot at the Ruffians of Old Oak... or rather the Ruffians get their shot at our Villains from Minas Morgul!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/03/from-minas-morgul/
As usual more info on my blog but happy to discuss things here.
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I do not know about Grumpy Gnome... I think your a lucky Gnome - what with a wife that wargames and terrain like that... lol
Particularly like the root looking bare tree in the foreground. keep em coming otherwise I will be grumpy...
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This is one of my favourite threads!
And now that you've started with the battle reports it has become even better! Keem 'em coming!
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Thanks for the kind words. I was wondering if folks really wanted to read about our continuing project or not since there had been little response to the battle reports here or on the blog. My wife quite liked taking the photos but my taking notes during the games distracts me and the time I take online writing about all this is time I am not painting and building. I do not really want to keep doing it unless people get something out of it. My vanity only goes so far...
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I share your sentiments. At the end of the day we are here because of modelling and wargaming so painting miniatures should always be the most important priority. Just make sure you share pictures of them with us from time to time...
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Thanks for the kind words. I was wondering if folks really wanted to read about our continuing project or not since there had been little response to the battle reports here or on the blog. My wife quite liked taking the photos but my taking notes during the games distracts me and the time I take online writing about all this is time I am not painting and building. I do not really want to keep doing it unless people get something out of it. My vanity only goes so far...
Generally speaking the AARs is what I love the most about wargaming, I usually try to check all of them out here on Lead Adventure, because it's so fun and intriguing to see what different people come up with in terms of scenarios characters and even homebrew rules. It gives me a lot of inspiration, and most of the times it even tells a nice short story. Of course even the minis pictures are always nice and good enough, but I have a really soft spot for the battle reports with pics lol lol ;)
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What a great thread!
I’m scratching my head how I haven’t come across it before...I guess it’s the good thing about LAF that you can get engrossed in something....just read from start to finish, love the scale of your ambition
8)
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Thanks again folks.
Especially with the lockdown it is nice to know some folks enjoy the project.
I do not not mind the extra work if people get something out of it. I get a lot out of reading other blogs and threads on this forum. There is so much I have learned from others and sometimes a good post can raise my own motivation.
A lot of folks told me they would follow a blog if I created one when I told my friends I was leaving Facebook. That has not proven to be the case sadly. I suppose I miss the sense of validation that comes from likes, shares and comments that come so easily on Facebook.
Our project is indeed ambitious. Inam fortune to have a wife that shares my vision.
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I, for one, get a lot of enjoyment out of reading this thread. I do, at times, venture out to your blog to read but largely to look at some pictures not posted here. I rarely post in blogs and use places like LAF as a jumping off point and place to communicate with like minded folks.
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I appreciate that mate.
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Some great stuff here and I agree you are very lucky with your wife.
My own is very supportive of my hobby but, alas, not interested in playing games!
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I am indeed quite lucky but we noticed that perhaps more co-operative play than adversarial play may be in order for maximum enjoyment. She is much more interested in immersive narrative play than large tactical exercises. So many innuendos, so little time.
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Another battle report.... this time my Taken of Minas Morgul fight my wife’s Lothlorien Elves. I suspect you can imagine how that went....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/10/a-chance-encounter/
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Like Anduniel. Maybe try solo type rules for the opposition so that you can both play on the same side.
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Thanks mate. Yeah, there is a lot of development in Solo rules now given the international health crisis so maybe we can adapt something for co-operative in the future. For now though we are going to keep going with the adversarial gameplay.
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Boy that was a complete loss for the poor Takens.
I really like them, but as you wrote evil must lose in Middle-Earth so they're doing a great job at that. Would love to see them triumph some battles though :D
I've read everything in the blog but I'm commenting only here, I think that mixing up the rules is a great idea and makes for interesting and unique things so always give it a try!
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We went with the newer night rules, these merely reduce missile fire range. Using random time and weather we fought our third match. Hold the Gate!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/16/hold-the-gate/
More info on the blog of course.... but basically we had fun. The Taken had some good luck overall despite the Elves fairly consistently rolling 6’s at certain points, leading to among other things a basic Wood Elf warrior repeatedly outfighting Black Numenorean heroes.
But we also had a basic Orc archer jabbing Elves with the arrow in his right hand....
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Strange things do happen in the heat of battle!
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Blog entry updated with the post battle phase... that lucky Wood Elf ended up becoming a hero! Quite a fitting result from the narrative generated by the fight. My wife quite enjoyed the post battle. I felt a bit underwhelmed, I guess I did not realize just how slow the progression is. However that is actually good considering how long I foresee our Battle Companies gaming to continue when we eventually combine it with SBG.
My current idea is to use the hero injury chart for any named character heroes we later use as well as eventually running the Fellowship scenarios with different characters that my wife selects.
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Finally! Good Job Takens.
Glad for the win, it was well deserved. Arnakhor is definitely my favourite char, I wish he lasts long :D
As always super cool pictures terrain and minis
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Well, we will see what you think of Arnakhor and the Taken after the 4th battle report. Thank you for the kind words though! Both my wife and I appreciate it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/18/rescue-battle-report/
Things did not go as expected but it was a dramatic and exciting game. Emotions ran a bit high on this one, on both sides. The Post-battle end results being particularly important because the next scenario is the narrative “Ruins of Annuminas”.
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Ah! What a genius move by Arnakhor!
I'm glad he survived :D And finally Azgarzir gets an horse, hopefully he'll be a bigger threat in the following battles.
Also the Elves are really nasty, they seem to be so much stronger...it's possibly because of bad rolls but man..
Rip Radgaz the archer
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I suppose it is in large part the probabilities inherent in the stats. The better fight value means a natural six dice roll is incredibly powerful, add in great archery skill and courage and you have tough individual minis. Not to mention “woodland creature” is much more powerful than my wife and I realized on the heavily wooded tables we like.
It helps for me to think of my wife’s Elves as the protagonists of the Story despite how it may come across in my writing on the blog.
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An excellent report. It sounds like you are both having a lot of fun.
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Thanks! We are having a great time. That is something that makes this hobby so much better for me than the computer gaming I gave up on... sharing it with my wife! I can only hope my son will one day enjoy it when he is old enough.
I did manage to get some work done between games as well...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/21/working-between-games/
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Excellent terrain as always! I love the mossy rocks. I assume that was done to cover up the weird blemish on the rocks as you got them, but it really makes it feel more natural as a result.
Keep the battle reports coming. I'm invested in the story now!
Is this a fixed set of missions you're running from a campaign book, or have you crafted your own narrative?
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The moss was my wife’s idea. All the moss on the various rocks on the various pieces were her idea. Most are done just for the look but yeah on that piece it was done to cover the blemish, which I think is glue residue from a piece that broke off at some point.
I am glad some folks enjoy the story with the battle reports.
The scenarios are basically the five narrative missions in the Second Edition of the Battle Companies book. It recommends 1-3 normal scenarios between each narrative one. So we are going with 3. Originally my plan was to go in order of the normal scenarios rather than random but decided that instead we would select scenarios that we fancied, had the required bits for and fit the forming overall narrative of the campaign.
The final scenario is to face a Cave Drake and some Goblins. As it is a Good focused campaign my wife will get first crack at it, if she fails then I will have a go.... if not then the first stage of our larger campaign idea will be complete.
We will then look at the Good campaign from the First Edition of Battle Companies and the Evil campaign in the White Dwarf magazines.
We will also look at adapting scenarios from other sources such as Mantic Vanguard.
When we are ready we will start doing SBG games with our Battle Companies forming warbands in the larger battles.
We also have an idea to run an alternative Fellowship mini-Campaign as part of this with the Fellowship rules in the soon to be released Quest with the Ringbearer. The idea being the my Taken are joining the Nine Riders to stop the Ringbearer whilst my wife's Lothlórien Elves seek to assist the Fellowship. I expect my wife to add Faramir, Galadriel and Eowyn to the Fellowship if she can.
https://www.beastsofwar.com/news/quest-ringbearer-new-middle-earth-book/
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Battle report for Ruins of Annuminas, where my wife's Elves encounter an ancient Evil...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/24/ruins-of-annuminas-an-elven-battle-report/
A tough fight with a tragic result.
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That was a really hard battle for the poor elves.
I'm sorry for Fingaerion, he was a cool guy, hopefully Cailon will lead them as well as he did until now.
As always my compliments for the excellent photos terrain and minis.
P.S. Where's the Wight mini coming from??
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Thanks for the compliments, the sentiment has been passed on to my wife who deserves much of the credit.
The Wight is a Kickstarter only piece I think from Warploque. Like most of our stuff though we got it inexpensively on EBay.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/05/down-in-the-barrows/amp/
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And our sixth battle report! This time the Taken of Minas Morgul attempt the Ruins of Annuminas scenario... it did not go well!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/25/the-ruins-of-annuminas-ii-a-taken-of-minas-morgul-battle-report/
Orc archers are incredibly underwhelming. Poor accuracy, short range and only Strength 2. Maybe it would not feel so bad fighting Men but compared to Elven archers it is laughable. Might as well use the bows as two handed clubs in melee.... oh wait, that would give them a -1 duel roll... not something you want against a higher fight value opponent!
Originally my plan was to use skeletons as Dead Marcsh Spectres but now I am not so sure. In addition to the profile only listing sword, requiring a house rule for some diversity, it says heavy armor. I used an Army of the Dead mini, which I normally use for Black Numenoreans but I painted it differently from the Black Numenoreans. I think that worked well. In the future though I am considering using some Fireforge undead as Dead Marsh Spectres.
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Seems my wife has been enjoying the scenarios, she treated me to a magnificent haul of sprues of various makes for our Middle Earth project from Rich Severn of Creative Painting & Models in the UK. He goes by slogger777 on eBay.co.uk and we highly recommend him. He is fast, efficient and very helpful. If you are looking for multipart plastic sprue kits he is the guy to talk to.
So... much... kitbashing... to.... do!
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Some scatter terrain from me and a Perry Miniatures cottage from my wife....
As always feedback appreciated!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/28/no-place-like-home/
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Superb bits of scenery you have there.
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Thanks! It takes quite a bit of time and effort but the end result is worth it we believe for a more immersive gaming experience.
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I'm playing catch up from several posts, but the tree clusters look great, as does the rest of the terrain. The nice thing with sprues of body parts is that you can build what you need a little at a time. I have dozens of partially used sprues just waiting to get combined into a new character figure needed for a new game. Those are really valuable.
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Thanks Andrew. Kitbashing for the win!
We had our 7th scenario, Seize Ground, going on into the late night.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/31/seize-ground-7th-battle-report/
Please feel free to leave comments about the blog or our project in general here if you have difficulty leaving comments on the blog. Hopefully folks find the narrative aspect of the blog battle reports more entertains than just listing die roll results.
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May have been asked elsewhere in the thread but what is your table made of? Or is it a mat?
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It is one of the old Games Workshop static grass cloth mats. We picked this one up after being disappointed with a static grass paper mat and then the mats roundup video by Mel the Terrain Tutor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOgHiYdAjSY
It is a good mat. The paper mat was constantly losing grass, not so this cloth mat. The only real weakness in my opinion is the uniform bright green color, which makes it look like a golf course or sports field.
We have considered switching to a mousepad mat but have not found one we like enough to spend the money they cost.
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Another excellent report. :D
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Thanks mate.
Finished another one today. More rambling than previous ones at the end of the blog post as I voice some thoughts on Battle Companies rules.
This is our 8th scenario in our Journey to the Blue Mountains campaign.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/01/show-of-strength-8th-battle-report-in-journey-to-the-blue-mountains/
As always, my wife and I would love to hear what folks think about all this and in particular suggestions on what we can do to improve things.
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Some work done between games.... terrain and Galadhrim.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/03/more-work-between-games/
Our “Journey to the Blue Mountains” continues this weekend if all goes according to plan. Once we complete this campaign we have the two Evil campaigns from White Dwarf and the Good scenario “Quest to Fornost” from the first edition of Battle Companies.
Of course each narrative campaign is designed for a new battle company so we will need to do some adjustments to make them challenging enough for experienced companies.
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Ah! Finally the Taken are getting the victories they deserve!
Glad this has finally happened.
Also the revenge on the Wight was pretty sweet. I look forward to scenario 9
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Great reports and painting as usual!
The folly of knights is to assume they are front-line combatants. I suffer from this constantly in my games of Warhammer Fantasy, where I get my armoured cavalry to charge enemy blocks and see them far less effective than they should be. Even heavy cavalry are best used as shock troops in my opinion. Still, I applaud Azgarzir's zeal!
Great write-ups, Rick. I'm really enjoying the campaign.
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Thanks guys, I am so glad to hear people enjoy hearing about our project.
With the cavalry, you make an excellent point. Tactically I should know better given my understanding of military history but I got swept away with focusing on rule mechanics.... and in doing so made one of the usual tactical blunders of cavalry commanders throughout the ages.
We have been discussing house rules to adjust our gaming. Battle Companies has a night scenario with night limiting missile range to 6" but SBG has a scenario limiting it to 12". So we need to decide which to use as a more standard night time range as we expect to have random time of day for most scenarios.
Any input?
We are also looking as Terror. In the old rules Terror was checked for charging once at 1" away and if failed the model would flee the rest of its movement. The new rules have you check before you move and if you fail you do not move. But if we understand it right you can still shoot. The second one is much more forgiving for most infantry archers. We have tried both rules and right now we are thinking to use both, ie declare the charge attempt the roll courage. If failed, 1-3 the old flee rule, 4-6 the new frozen in place rule.
We are also looking at cavalry move speed. I prefer 12" to 10". But I do not want cavalry to move the same speed as flying, so considering bumping that up to 18" for the few models that can fly. Possible have armored cavalry with rider -1" and riderless unarmored cavalry (wargs mostly) +1“. But this is running the risk of getting entirely too crunchy and perhaps imbalanced.
Something I came across that confuses me is the differences between Army of the Dead, Shades, Barrow Wights And Dead Marsh Spectres. Only Army of the Dead gets "Spectral Walk" which treats water terrain as open ground (no movement penalty) but does not adjust movement over difficult terrain or affect jump/climb tests. This seems odd to me. My wife agrees in regards to ethereal entities but she thinks Dead Marsh Spectres May be more zombie than ghost, despite Spectre being in the name. All of these have the "spirit" keyword. Of course so does Sauron, the Nazgûl, Gulavhar the Terror of Arnor, the Dwellers in the Dark and the Balrog. And not all of these are ethereal. Oddly the Balrog has wings but no flying special ability. Another house rule to consider one day I suppose.
Whether Dead Marsh Spectres are ethereal or not I pacts not just game mechanics but model proxies as well. We have some GW AOS Chainrasps that I was thinking of making Army of the Dead since I already use the normal Army of the Dead models as Black Numenoreans. But since we will be using Dead Marsh Spectres often and Army of the Dead very rarely I was rethinking that.
On top of that I made a technical error in giving my Battle Company Dead Marsh Spectres shields, confusing the rule that allows heroes to do that but not warrior models who have to abide by their own profile list rather than any profile list in the company as heroes can. My wife and I discussed this and considered that Army of the Dead gets access to shields and spears, so for balance it would seem fair for Dead Marsh Spectres to get these too.
And yet there is also the issue... what is the difference from Dead Marsh Spectres and any other Spectres, ie Angmar. For further confusion a Watchers of Karna Battle Company can get a "Spectral Warrior“ which uses the Army of the Dead profile. Ugh.
Anyone with thoughts on any of this, please feel free to share your views.
The fact the Black Numenoreans have the man keyword instead of spirit is also causing me to rethink the implication GW made of Black Numenoreans being unnaturally immortal. I suppose the Terror they cause could be just from the rumor of it. Argh! Peter Jackson why did you have to make the Mouth of Sauron look undead?!
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And we managed to complete the scenario to rescue the “lost in battle” Elven hero Cailon. It did not end at all as you might expect.... but then I see the leader of my Minas Morgul company rather like Scorpius from Farscape, able to see the bigger picture!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/07/lost-in-battle/
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This one is a win for the bakery (have to read the report to know why)!
one loaf to rule them all lol
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I am not after power, I want revenge! And I can not get revenge if I am dead, now can I? - Arnakhor
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On page 125 of MESBG it says there are no Courage tests for being Broken in Narrative Scenarios. But there is nothing I can find written one way or the other for Narrative Scenarios in Battle Companies. Am I missing something?
My wife and I went with the SBG rule but I see folks on YouTube having enemies break, which really changes the difficulty of Narrative Scenarios. Of course that also means our own Companies could therefore break but that is less of a risk with high Courage troops.
So what do you think? Should troops check Courage once Broken in Battle Companies in Narrative Scenarios, unlike SBG?
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So, taking a break from gaming to get some painting done...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/13/pause-for-the-cause/
More info on the blog as usual. Expect some changes in the near future!
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Good looking models there. Even your thickly repainted models are better than a lot of stuff I've seen being used by the regular players in Games Workshop (back when they actually ran games of MESBG).
Not sure about the tiny horses though. It makes more sense now that you've said they're foal, but when I first saw them I just thought that they looked like wildly out of scale horses.
With regards for night shooting I think that 12" makes sense. 6" is more realistic perhaps, but realism doesn't always work with game mechanics. 6" would make the archers functionally useless at night due to charge distances, which wouldn't be very fun for an archer-heavy warband. I think spending most of the game unable to use their primary attack, and then getting charged immediately after they finally do that attack would feel too punishing.
If you have goofy old warhammer lying around that you're not interested in then I'd be happy to buy some off you! I'm all about the brighter, sillier warhammer. Those old wood elf models are my favourite ever wood elf models (although the new Hobbit inspired Mirkwood Rangers from GW are also very nice).
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Thanks mate. Some things are ok as filler for the table I suppose and do not need the same standard as heroes.
I have plenty of older sculpts my wife is not a fan of. Do you prefer painted or unpainted? Round base or square? Just the typical 80’s wood elves or the more Celtic looking ones? Metal or plastic? Just GW or lookalikes such as Harlequin, who make wood elves that have the same aesthetic?
Also, you might find some of my current works in progress interesting.
Some Oathmark Dwarves with extra bits from my bits box. A GW Dark Elf converted to be a Black Numenorean banner bearer. A kit bashing of a Haradrim Captain using Gripping Beast Arab Heavy Cavalry And GW High Elf bits, as well is some greenstuff sculpting. I thought the bow bit converted to a scabbard was clever idea but not sure others would agree. And a fellow I suspect will become a Dunland Wildman.
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Those dwarves look the part to me. Can't wait to see them painted up. Are you going to give them some under mountain halls to guard?
Terrain and table looks great in the last battle report. I'm afraid I don't have any feedback beyond enjoying the eye candy as always.
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Thanks for the kind words.
At this stage we do not have any underground terrain planned. There are so many things I want to do but only so much time, money and storage space.
I still have not figured out how we are going to adequately represent the Cave Drake scenario that is the culmination of our first campaign.
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I would be wary of adjusting the ranges of the bows in the at night scenario because they also get +1 to wound and that can really make a big difference in battle companies.
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My wife and I already agreed to remove the +1 strength adjustment on bows at night no matter the range as neither of us felt the reasoning of it made sense. Neither of us think of folks dodging arrows as if at a Larp event. It makes some sense for accuracy and penetration for shorter range but that goes down the slippery slope of crunchy simulation and away from quick, streamlined gameplay. And that balance between game and simulation is a tricky one!
Really what we want is a consistent rule for night between Battle Companies and SBG as we intend to evolve our Companies to eventually be used in SBG games.
We are not shy about using house rules. My wife is less enthusiastic about them than I am but I see no reason not to change a rule if both players agree to it. I grasp the need to ensure house rules do not break a game, that is a serious risk, but house rules can greatly improve a game as well. That is why I am constantly looking for and asking about the house rules other folks use.
Take for example our house rule that Haradrim can use shields. I get that some folks think that the lack of shields is a penalty to balance out their strengths and give them a different flavor from other factions with shields. But it is contrary to Tolkien lore and illogical in my opinion. Yeah, I get that GW was trying to stay true to the movies.... but if that alone was a driving factor than the Goblin Town Goblins would have access to bows. So I sometimes wonder if equipment lists are based on what sculpts have been made rather than what sculpts have been made being based on equipment lists.
Hence we have a house rule that all factions get access to mundane weapons, armor and shields unless it breaks lore. If someone wishes to put forward an argument against this house rule, that it breaks the game, I would welcome the debate.
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So, in preparation for gaming this weekend.... some Wildmen and Dwarves!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/19/wildmen-and-dwarves/
I am particularly pleased with how the Oathmark Dwarves painted up. More information on the blog, as usual. Feedback welcome!
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Great work on those dwarves. You've made them look really expressive. I'd fight alongside those stout lads.
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Those Dwarves look impressively determined (and the shield subtle but intricate shield design fits their look perfectly)!
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Thanks, I appreciate the kind words.
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They did turn out great, the guy with the double handed axe is wearing a particularly cool helmet!
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Glad to hear you like them mate!
Our next battle report, first one with my new Dwarf company....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/22/back-in-old-oak-a-new-battle-report/
This game really got to me, in regards to the impact of unlikely dice rolls. Both for and against me. Having a single Ruffian roll a six twice, once in the duel roll then to wound, followed by a failed fate roll on my part. And in another fight rolling a duel roll of two against two opponents, only to have my wife roll double ones!
You can have all the advantage and sound tactics only to be foiled by a random dice roll.
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Re house rules above, for sure its your hobby after all, too many people these days seem to buy into the tournament/GW line that its their hobby and you just get to give them money to enjoy their vision whether or not you agree, a totally fine approach if thats what you want, but not the only way.
If you've already removed the +1 to wound in this case then changing the range becomes less important. I was really just passing on a warning as someone who has been there.
Some nice kitbashing going in this thread btw
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I may have come across a bit abrupt above... if I have I apologize. I remember when GW was encouraging players like me to use our own fantasy minis to make crazy games of Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader. I miss those days. Too many times in the 90’s I was put off by unfriendly, over competitive tournament players at local GW stores as well as over bearing, arrogant GW staff.
Listening to Rick Priestly talk about how GW developed SBG just reinforces my feeling that the game is not as fine tuned, nor currently supported, as either my wife or I would like. We are trying to learn not just by doing but by asking folks like yourself who has been there. So we appreciate hearing your thoughts and experiences.
As we continue to game we both seem to feel the archery in the game goes wildly from devastatingly effective to disappointingly ineffective. Maybe the strength adjustment for night could help smooth it out but I think at this point it would just further exacerbate the problem. If we did use a strength adjustment it would likely be based on the range rather than amount of light.
That said, after the last couple of games I also feel like the melee combat can go the same way. A couple of turns of ineffective fighting, with folks getting pushed around and then suddenly a turn where you see several folks taken out one after another. All down to what feels like a little too random dice rolls. But I suppose the random nature makes for unpredictable narrative building.
And maybe as we become more familiar with the mechanics it will feel less random. As it is now, guessing whether it makes sense to wield two handed or to use a special strike given the attached penalty is a real guessing game.
Quick rule question, when you have a two handed axe can you use two handed and piercing strike? Can you only do one or the other?
Thanks for the kind words on the kit bashing. I am looking forward to getting them painted.
On another note, wordpress really messed up my last blog entry. I had to delete it and rewrite it. I was pretty tempted in the early hours to just stop blogging because it is a lot of work and so few folks read entries. After a few hours of sleep and some coffee I decided to keep going, at least until we finish this campaign.
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Hi Rick,
Just thought I would say hello!
I could not agree more with your ideas on the Haradrim
I have written my own profiles for the Haradrim based on what Tolkien has written and my imagination.
Feel free to use any of it
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I may have come across a bit abrupt above... if I have I apologize.
I didn't think you did, just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't imposing my will on your hobby, just offering my two cents.
Listening to Rick Priestly talk about how GW developed SBG just reinforces my feeling that the game is not as fine tuned, nor currently supported, as either my wife or I would like. We are trying to learn not just by doing but by asking folks like yourself who has been there. So we appreciate hearing your thoughts and experiences.
I would say that its definitely not their best supported game but its very well balanced. Battle companies on the other hand is not well balanced imo. You just have to look at the relative points values of the different default starter companies to realise that some some very big advantages over other ("cough" rangers of the north "cough"). My group and I play massively tuned version that I could send you a copy of if you had any interest in seeing the changes we made to the system as inspiration.
As we continue to game we both seem to feel the archery in the game goes wildly from devastatingly effective to disappointingly ineffective.
Archery is definitely an interesting beast in SBG, very few armies will reliably get most of their kills from it. It's most often useful to dismount the big scary heroes. (aragorn, boromir and such like) and for area denial. Melee you have look for the traps i.e. charging cav, outnumbering for reliable killing power. I think as you master that sort of thing as you say , you will have a better idea of when you will get rid of models or just hold.
Quick rule question, when you have a two handed axe can you use two handed and piercing strike? Can you only do one or the other?
You can definitely do both, Two handed is the weapon type, and piercing strike is the special strike.(this applies even to hand and a half weapons) Piercing strike-two handing is a favourite of mine with my Khand. Two handing is situational, more useful when you have higher fight value as the risk of losing because of it is lower, if you are piercing striking keep a close eye on the wound chart to work out if it is worth doing. For example if you are s3 and the enemy is def 5 its not worth it as you still need 5's. But if they are def 4 it makes it 4's to wound. So don't be mindless with special strikes I geuss is what I'm trying to say.
A blog called Drawn Combat has some articles with statistics re winning fights if you are interested in that kind of thing. Much too tournamenty for my liking but knowing them might increase your enjoyment (https://drawncombat.blogspot.com/)
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A fun read as usual. I'm glad you're going semi-coop with the campaign now, I always find it much easier to identify with good guys and your Dwarves seem like decent types (if a bit unlucky).
GW games do suffer from a high mortality rate and random dice rolls, but having tried some other systems I've often found that the randomness is offset by crunch instead, or worse - consistent results where every troop type feels exactly the same. I think it's the problem with dice-based wargames to be honest, but the highly random nature of GW games does at least give you something to work with when coming up with the narrative in AARs.
Keep up the battle reports, I'm loving them!
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Always happy to hear from you Wilgut. Glad to see you sharing your magic on this forum. I look forward to reading your pdf once my wife explains to me how I can download PDFs on her tablet.
Colonel Mutumbu, I would to read what rules you found worked well. That is a kind offer. We are just starting to get a handle on charging cav and infantry trapping, as well as the importance of spear support. Both my wife and I have been repeatedly surprised the way the S v D chart works with its 2 number plateau. It just feels counterintuitive. Whilst I do not want to be a min max tourney player I find it annoying to declare piercing strike and risk the D loss for exactly the same result as not declaring it.
I am glad you are enjoying the battle reports Mirjeki. Your reports inspire me, so you keep yours coming too!
One thing that feels missing in BC and SBG is an overwatch mechanic.
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And our latest battle report... my Dwarves against a bunch of outlaws!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/23/a-chance-encounter-with-old-ozzys-outlaws/
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I like your strategy of holding out on the rocks. It feels very dwarven to come up with such a defensive strategy in open-ground like that.
My vote is for spending your influence on better equipment. A good dwarven warband should have the finest steel (or mithril) in my opinion.
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Yeah, originally I was just going to charge the Outlaws. My wife set up the table and we rolled for table edge choice. I won but did not really see an advantage to any side... unless I was an Elf. I impulsively chose the side with the most rocks without having a plan to use them. Then as I started putting my minis on the table the idea to defend the rocky outcrops popped into my head.
I still am undecided. The rallying horn improves the quality of new recruits... but I did start putting together a new version of Rorik today....
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I would counsel buying the rallying horn early if you are going to get one. Would also strongly recommend the raven for dwarves its very strong to have a banner effect in BC
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Yeah the horn makes sense before recruiting anyone, the sooner you have it the more you potentially save. I used that strategy with my Minas Morgul company. And the raven is a definite. Myrddyn, one of my sergeants is scheduled to get a raven. I wanted a mini of one flying though before getting it.
The minis are part of the decision making process for advancement. I want to have possible reinforcements, like the Vault Warden team, painted before rolling to recruit. Same with an uparmored version of my leader Rorik. And there is the dilemma of having the very cool looking Dwarf Wizard Mini that is begging to be painted. I know Tolkien does not have Dwarven sorcerers in his works... but it is so tempting to veer from the canon for both aesthetic as well as gameplay reasons.
With the mini I am currently working on for Rorik, I may have gotten carried away and made him look a bit over the top in GW fashion....
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Some great posts mate, I am slowly catching up with your blog, some great writing there. I like your insights on BC, I completely missed that the rallying horn effects reinforcements, I must have read the first line and not gone further.
I like the healing Herbs as go to and the company banner is great when combined with "Lead by Example"
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That Dwarf Wizzard just looks so cool ... I'm sure Tolkien would approve!
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The only problem with the healing herbs is that the owner can not be a casualty in order to get the effect, unlike Waybread. This means you are best off having a support character that avoids combat where possible. Better for bigger companies, later in a campaign.
I would also like to get a lucky talisman for Rorik but it gets a bit much, investing so much influence in one character. Especially when you lose all there stuff when they die. My wife and I have discussed possible house rules to address that. Same with pets and mounts. We need a consistent system. We have gone back and forth on whether mounts should be subject to injuries just as pets.
Another house rule, picking up from a conversation earlier... I am thinking maybe +1 S on archery under half max range. This would be inline with +1 S for night fighting archery at 12", so perhaps not too unbalanced? Not applied to thrown weapons though.
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I managed to finish som odds and ends this week, terrain and minis.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/26/more-odds-and-ends/
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Some useful bits! All adventurers need a packhorse or pony. The horned skull adorned with heads is sinister. And I like the little mushrooms!
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Just spent some time going over all your photos in here, superb stuff. I skimmed over the battle reports though, in favour of the eye candy, so I'll need to go back over the whole thing again!
This is fantastic stuff though, some top notch conversions. I love how all your forces & terrain have a very unified look, like they all belong together on the battlefield! It's something I've attempted before but I end up doing all sorts of random basing out of hobby enthusiasm and now all my forces belong to opposite climates! lol
Love the look you've gotten for the recent dwarf conversions. I must hack up some of my own Oathmark dwarves soon, I've been putting it off as I love the standard kit so much anyway!
Great stuff, looking forward to seeing more!
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Thanks folks, I really appreciate the kind words. Such comments help keep me motivated. We got a couple of games in this weekend so I will try to get the battle reports done as soon as I can. I will say for now though that I am very glad I switched over to playing Dwarves, much more my style.
On the matching terrain, my wife and I talked at length about basing. We opted for temperate woodland as the most common we will be using, so in some games the bases will look out of place but in most we should be ok. And wE generally prefer making temperate woodland pieces over other types of terrain.
I can not recommend the Oathmark stuff highly enough. I love all of it!
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Another battle report, this time my Dwarves versus the NPC company Ozzy's Outlaws as the Defend the Gate.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/29/take-the-gate-a-battle-report/
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Job done for the dwarves! Time for some Ale.
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Funny you should say that... I was thinking we need some Dwarven Ale before we get to the Ruins of Annuminas....
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I managed to finish som odds and ends this week, terrain and minis.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/26/more-odds-and-ends/
Lovely terrain piece as usual. The little wildlife details are what really make them shine in my opinion (and the tiny mushrooms!).
I quite like the armoured dwarf leader. He's definitely a bit more ostentatious than most Middle Earth dwarves but I think that's okay. The Iron Hills dwarves are pretty ironclad compared to the rest of the dwarven folk.
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Another battle report, this time my Dwarves versus the NPC company Ozzy's Outlaws as the Defend the Gate.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/06/29/take-the-gate-a-battle-report/
Nice little report. If the outlaws gang is feeling a bit underpowered, why not break from the rules a bit and give them a little advantage which fits with the narrative? Maybe the new orc has brought along some tools or weapons from an evil 'benefactor' who wishes to see the forces of good waylaid?
Something which gives them a little advantage in keeping with their ruffian lifestyle, like some booby traps such as snares/pits. Or maybe a one-use blackpowder bomb to help deal with armoured clumps of opponents (not sure if blackpower exists in Middle Earth - I seem to remember the Uruks using it at Helm's Deep in the films, but Peter Jackson did take some liberties).
With the booby traps you could have the ruffian player put a set amount of markers underneath bits of terrain at the beginning of the game (without the other player looking), and if any model gets within 1" of that terrain, then the trap is sprung. Maybe played as an opposed combat test against the trap - if the model loses they cannot activate unless rescued by another model as they are trapped in a pit/swinging from a tree by a rope.
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We already modified the Ruffian stats to give them some help... most importantly they all have manacles, so basically a paralysis attack. Good against high fight, heavy armored troops as long as they are the same strength. It is a rewrite of the ability the Ruffians normally only get against Hobbits.
The main strength of the Ruffian company is numbers. Most companies are limited to 15 models, these Ruffians can go to 20. But it takes time to earn the influence to get the recruits. And with these additional numbers the Ruffians should find it easier to surround and trap opponents, trap being a mechanic to double number of strikes in a fight where the victim can not back away.
We made a house rule to help with their fragile morale, allowing Oswald to have a greater range on his Stand Fast call, the whole table in fact, which basically gives all the Outlaws two morale checks when they are Broken... for as long as Oswald is in play.
The Orc does allow better kit to be bought for the Outlaw heroes but we decided to spend influence on recruits rather than kit, unlike my Dwarves, since their strength comes in their numbers. And with numbers comes the trapping.
Being aware of the risks of trapping however, I work hard to try to avoid situations where my low model count Dwarves can get easily surrounded.
You will see this again in the next battle report, where I make use of terrain To limit the chances of being swarmed, surrounded and trapped.
As for the kinds of traps you are talking about mate... we Are planning to add them, using modified rules from the Scouring of the Shire expansion book but I have yet to get around to making the trap models.
Gunpowder is arguably in Tolkien’s work but right now we only have Isengard using it.
Thanks for the kind words regarding the terrain and mini. The movie armor of the Iron Hills Dwarves does help reduce my concern about being too over the top. At least he is not riding a boar or goat....
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Good stuff!
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And the Battle report from Sunday.... my Dwarves versus the Outlaws again.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/01/rescue-a-battle-report/
.... and yeah that is an unusual proxy for our Raven in the background.
Quick rule question for those familiar with BC or SBG... do flying Units have to Land every turn and therefore be vulnerable to a melee charge? That seems odd for a Raven....
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I broke one of my usual rules and used unfinished minis in the last couple of games... now I have them finished! Plus a bit more.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/02/upgrades-and-more/
As usual more photos and info on the blog...
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Nice clean paint jobs and cool smoke markers!
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Thanks mate!
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Our battle report from yesterday... my Dwarves try their hand at the Ruins of Annuminas!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/05/ruins-of-annuminas-part-3/
For those familiar with the rules for SBG and BC...
Do flying creatures need to land every turn? I can see this making sense for game balance but logically I do not know why my raven would need to land and make himself available to be hit by an Orc sword rather than circling the fight in the air and only risking arrows.
I understand how throwing weapons work as you charge into combat against a single unengaged model.. but what if you charge in to help a model being attacked? Can you not throw because of the in the way rule and how Good models are restricted from missile fire into possible friendly in the way rolls?
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And the next Battle Report.... my Dwarves against the Outlaws....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/08/seize-ground-a-dwarven-battle-report/
Edit: I got the answers to my two questions elsewhere. Flying creatures do need to land every turn and as a Good model you can not throw a throwing weapon into a melee, so if you have more than one model charging the same model make sure your model with the throwing axes goes first!
There is something unsettling about asking questions and getting silence in return. Considering how many folks open the thread I find it odd that no one is familiar enough with the SBG rules to answer my questions.
This is not the first time questions have gone unanswered or the first time I have mentioned my discomfort. I get that folks may not want to raise their head over the parapet and commit to an an answer but I really wish folks would feel comfortable enough to discuss things here.
I am not on reddit, Twitter, Facebook, etc... so the only input I get on my gaming is my blog, here and The One Ring Forum (Even less input there than on here). I would very much enjoy hearing what people think even if people do not know “official answers”. I thrive on feedback, even constructive criticism. My painting has improved in part because people encouraged me to work harder on eyes for example.
Various ideas I had at the beginning of the thread have changed, so for example my plan to incorporate skeletons into our game (similar to Lord of the Rings Online) has been dropped and the skeletons I painted went to a friend.
If folks can see something I can improve on, please let me know. Even if I may not necessarily agree with your view... I still want to hear it! Especially in this time of COVID, when contact with folks is so limited.
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There is something unsettling about asking questions and getting silence in return. Considering how many folks open the thread I find it odd that no one is familiar enough with the SBG rules to answer my questions.
I can understand that - unfortunately I’ve never played the SBG rules otherwise I’d give you my tuppence worth.
Personally I enjoy checking your thread for the great looking miniatures, and the battle reports.
:)
Maybe it’s worth starting a separate thread on the rules in question ...might attract the attention of those familiar with them, while a question can get lost in a thread (particularly if someone is just scanning through for the eye candy)?
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To answer your question about flying units in sbg. Yeah they do land every turn and can be attacked by melee units.
Otherwise some units like dragons, or the balrog would be really hard to defeat and they are certainly hard enough to bring down even when not swooping the whole time in the air.
Hope that answers your question.
Edit: Oh I see you got it already answered. Than sorry for not seeing that.
I will answer your other questions also, even when you already have an answer, maybe it helps to give you more insight on the rules.
Throwing weapons can't be thrown in a melee in general (but evil faction can shoot into melee, with the risk of hitting their own guys, the good side can't do that).
Throwing weapons are good cause you can move your full movement rate (but not charge) and than throw the weapon at your enemies, when shooting bows or crossbows you have to stand still or only move half your movement rate and get a -1 to hit your target.
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Much as I dislike Facebook, there is something to be said for positive feedback via the like system. Nothing substantial to it but atleast you can get a sense that people enjoy something or not.
I have avoided starting separate threads because I am quite active and did not want to flood the forum but maybe you are right AKULA. Thanks for your kind words by the way. You and your work continues to inspire me.
Fair point Darksider, my wife and I figured the flying rule was about balance. We understand the need for there to be a balance between game and simulation. I had not considered the Balrog but I had thought about dragons, eagles and Nazgul on Fellbeasts. Maybe the 33% bow limit makes it necessary to give melee a way to deal with such things.
The risk of friendly fire is an interesting one. My wife was frustrated when her Elves could not take the risk but my Minas Morgul company could. But she got used to it, so when she was playing the Outlaws at first she declined to shoot into melees... and then when she changed that to shoot at the Wight she shot one of her own by accident. Frustration returned.
Throwing weapons are pretty powerful, I saw that right off the bat in our first test games with Rohan from the Pelennor starter box. But when you are so few, as my Dwarves are, you can start to over rely on them instead of treating them as the bonus they really are... and you want to make the most of every throwing opportunity. One turn I thre three times and rolled a one each time. Another I killed all of my charge targets by throwing. It felt random but powerful at the same time. My wife wants throwing daggers for her Elves now!
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Throwing daggers on elves are not that bad, but you pay 2 points per model and that can add up really fast.
With throwing weapons you can't charge in melee (if that's what you mentioned, by killing your charge targets?)
If you feel restricted by the matched play rules, you also could try open play, only use points from matched if you want to.
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Perhaps my wife and I misunderstood the throwing weapon rules. Page 88 talks about it. Whilst it says throwing weapons can not be used in the fight phase it also says you can charge an enemy, stop 1" away, throw your weapon, resolve the attack in the move phase, if the target is not slain then move into base to base contact with the (which we took to mean melee combat could then happen in the fight phase with the model’s non-thrown weapons). If it is slain the charger can complete their move as they see fit, including charging a different target.
It also states, if you throw normally after moving (full distance, as you said) then -1 to hit but if you throw during a charge, no -1 penalty. This implies to us that there are two thrown weapon applications, normal shoot phase and special move phase shot before fight phase).
To us that sounds like you can throw and fight in the same turn if you charge.
So far we only did a couple of beginner test scenarios for SBG from the Pelennor starter box. The several full games we have played and blogged about have been Battle Companies and that may be having something of an impact on our impression of SBG and BC.
We try to stick to official rules where possible but we are not unwilling to create house rules.
We had wondered that if you can charge, throw and fight.... why not be able to throw at a model that charges you? We talked it over but failed to make a decision on a house rule addressing that.
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Hm, maybe I should read the rules on this one once again. I always thought that you had to stop the one inch away from an enemy and than throw the weapon.
But I am in no way an expert in middlearth sbg.
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Your battle reports are great. I've not seen this thread before and I have no knowledge of the LotR rules (other than knowing they exist). They seem like they have a lot of nice detail so maybe I'll have to make an investment in the future.
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I am not an expert on the rules either, which is why I enjoy interacting with others and hearing their interpretations of the rules. Even without the whole COVID issue my only source of interaction gaming wise is online.
It also pleases me greatly to hear people enjoy the battle reports. I do not get much traffic on the blog but if the handful of people who read it then enjoy it that makes the time invested worthwhile.
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Great Bat Rep as usual Rick, I like your writing generally and your AAR are full of interesting details.You are not frightened to question yourself and that is refreshing. I also feel that lack of feedback and playing solo because of covid means you dont get that interaction during play that answers so many queries. I think your take on throwing weapons is right,I hope it is, since that is the way I play it.
I have introduced javelins as a house rule, they cost two points, have a range of 12" and strength = that of user. Yes that does sound OP, however they are only used by my Evil light infantry Def =3. I am toying with the idea of a rule that they have a minus one modifier if they move less than half or maybe minus one strength to reflect the way that javelins are actually used.
I use house rules all the time and create profiles, after all there's only me to satisfy!
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Thanks mate. The feeling is mutual. I love what youvare doing with your Battle Companies campaign.
If anyone reading this likes cool BC campaigns, I highly recommend Wilgut’s blog.
https://wilgut.blogspot.com/2020/06/scouting-ithilien-battle-companies.html
Interesting take on javelins. House rules can be great, they can fill gaps in particular or fix things that annoy the players but there is always a risk of getting carried away.... just like mods in a PC Game that eventually cause it to crash under the weight of the changes.
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"If anyone reading this likes cool BC campaigns, I highly recommend Wilgut’s blog." Thanks mate
"Interesting take on javelins." do you know what? As soon as I saw this rule wriiten down, I knew it was right. The modifier for not moving will add a great twist a dn provide a need for tactical thinking
One thing I dont like about the SBG system is it encourages the use of a lot of heavy armour, I am hoping my ultra light javelin armed infantry and potentially cavalry will tip the scale the other way
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For us the trick to reducing heavy armor was movement penalties.
We decided most profiles have the models in armor, so make the standard 6“ move be for armored models. +1" for unarmored, -1" for heavy armored. A simple, elegant rule that works to encourage having some unarmored light infantry especially if cavalry is unavailable. It gives the light infantry an initiative edge in declaring charges from what I have seen from unarmored outlaws versus heavy armored Dwarves.
I like the idea of the javelins benefitting from movement. It is a bit crunchy but it definitely makes sense with the profiles you have created.
What other house rules do you have?
This is what we are currently running with...
1. volley fire, as per old rules
2. Throwing spears can be used in melee and support, as per War in Rohan legendary legion rule
3. modified experience system I found on reddit. Basically a 5 times system where 1 xp becomes instead 5 xp, you need 5 times your model cost to level up, and warriors get Xp for each kill. It means warriors level faster than heroes generally, especially when they wound heroes.
4. Level 6 warrior gets sworn protector ability as per Johnathan Baker rules
5. battle company gets matching army special rule
6. Time of day and weather generated randomly as per DiAgostini)
7. Archery at half max range or less gets +1 str, no additional str above that for night, night fire max range 12"
8. Basic move based on being armored. No armor +1" move, heavy armor -1" move. Dwarves exempt. Cavalry base move 12", armored -1", no rider +1". Flying base 15", +1 if unarmored, -1“ with rider
9.Terror Check, 1-3 frozen (the latest rules), 4-6 flee (the old rules)
10. warrior recognized but can not be promoted, D3 Influence as per Johnathan Baker rules
11. warrior can refuse promotion but does not get D3 Influence for that
12. Pike treated as two handed weapon, no -1 duel roll for Galadrim court guard
13. Mounts roll on warrior injury chart if casualty as per Johnathan Baker rules
14. Spider Queen broodlings can not be shot with archery (subject to change... we are undecided if broodling should be one small spider or a swarm of even smaller ones)
15. Lieutenant able to chose wargear from army list rather than just company list.
16. On company creation Lieutenant able to be progressed to advanced profile if one is available. If not, additional D3 Influence to use as player sees fit..
17. Lieutenant given one special ability based on company from the Johnathan Baker BC rules. There are usually a few to choose from for each company type. 5 points cost for ability.
18. As per Johnathan Baker rules, Elves can go to Fight 7 maximum instead of usual fight 6 maximum.
We are looking at a few other things and always keen to hear suggestions from others. We decided +1 def for woodland creatures in woodland was a little too powerful, especially with in the way tests but we may revisit that.
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wow! You guys have really given this some thought! There's a lot to process there, where did you find the Jonathon Baker rules? And the DiAgostini rules are in BiME mag I guess.
The archery rules make sense
And the experience rule is excellent
Most of my house rules have been scenario or person specific.
The Variags have "born in the saddle" which means they can move full move and fire with no reduction.
Sativa has the spell -Aura of Desert Heat Haze-All attacks against this mage have to take” in the way rolls” 4+
I would have to have look through my notes to be sure of any others, i do have afew
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I found the Johnathan Baker rules on DCHL. And yes the DiAgostini rules are the BiME rules..
https://jonathanrbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Battle-Companies-2016-1.pdf
So many good, although admittedly now dated, resources and ideas on DCHL.
https://www.dchobbitleague.com/
The modified xp rules I found on reddit are annoying book keeping but really feel much more intuitive and satisfying than the vanilla xp rules.
We have been considering if Rohan should have some sort of move and shoot adjustment.
Nicely themed spell. I love the Easterling characters you have created and the minis you chose to represent them.
When I was heavily into PC gaming I was also heavily into using mods. I suspect that has conditioned me to use house rules.
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Thanks Rick, there is some great stuff here, I remember the original BC rules in white dwarf, I have a photo copied set some where!
The Baker variants look great and all your house rules seem like excellent changes , i am going to try them out.
I have family here for the weekend so no wargame this weekend , but I am going to spend evenings this week planning the biggest fight yet, 1200 points per side or there abouts, on a bigger table and I hope to play it over next weekend and report it the weekend after that.
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I would love to hear your feedback on the house rules if you try them. Think of it as playtesting an open beta.
We plan on running the four official Battle Companies campaigns before adding SBG units to the mix. After the current campaign, the God campaign in the second edition BC rule book we will do one of the Evil campaigns (but using our good companies) from the old White Dwarf magazines, then the Good campaign from the first edition of BC. Then we will do the other Evil campaign, the one that ends with fighting a dragon! After that we will start adding SBG units, moving on to the Battles in Wilderland campaign but adding our companies, good and evil to it.
https://www.dchobbitleague.com/uploads/4/5/9/3/45938835/battles-in-wilderland-v1.pdf
All of our games are based not long before the War of the Ring.
At some point we may add our companies to games based during the War of the Ring, perhaps with an alternate Fellowship!
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Time for our battle report from Saturday.... my Dwarves and the Outlaws in a Show of Strength.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/13/show-of-strength-a-dwarven-battle-report/
More photos and info on the blog....
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another nice report Rick. The video is interesting.Sounds like 50% bows is the least you can do. Some nice terrain there, especailly the little copse' of trees
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Thanks mate.
I am still sitting on the fence for the 50% bows, especially after..... the Outlaws try to rescue Oswald!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/14/a-daring-rescue-a-dwarven-battle-report/
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Interesting! When I played this , i surrounded the prisoner with three guards so that he could not move with out attacking one of them.I am not sure that a prisoner should have a control zone, he's tied up after all, there is nothing he can do to "control " the space around him
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The scenario says anywhere within 3". And yet, the prisoner can attack, albeit an unarmed attack. The prisoner is not “paralyzed” as per the manacles equipment rule. Even if you ignore the zone of control though, all you have to do is cause an opening and off the prisoner runs. Even if I had cavalry to run him down I could not attack him. So the guards would need to win every fight or get pushed back/out of the way.
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I've never played these rules (I'm here for eye candy lol) but it's an odd situation with the escaping prisoner?
Feels like one of those when a GM would help like in 3rd edition fantasy!
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I suppose my wife was acting GM given she was running the Outlaws as NPC's.
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Some things I finished this week.
This weekend coming up is looking to be a painting weekend rather than a gaming weekend. I need to paint up 24 Wargs and a Warg Chieftain! My wife needs to finish the Galadhrim Knight she got as a reinforcement before her next game, the 3rd narrative scenario of the campaign.
Ideally we will both paint up future reinforcements so we do not have to delay between games.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/16/more-terrain-and-minis/
More info and photos on the blog!
I would love to hear your feedback.
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Great additions to the collection! Really like the rocky terrain, it has a nice mix of textures and colors that look very natural.
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Thanks! I thought maybe I had made them too busy.
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The more I read of your games the more interested I get in the Battle Company rules. I see that you use non GW figures which is good. Can you play the game solo?
I also really like those small rocky terrain pieces. I think I'm going to make a few small pieces like that (basically, I just going to copy you!)
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I think it would be the same playing it solo as most games not specifically designed for it, possible but not optimal. I imagine you could make it more solo friendly by incorporating AI rules from another game. There is no hidden movement to have to work around.
As for the terrain, feel free to copy away. I take it as a great compliment but to be fair I merely adapted the work of someone else to suit my tastes. I bought 16 of the CD terrain pieces this person sells on eBay, so they deserve some credit.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Tabletop-Gelande-Terrain-ScatterSet-3-Teile-Bolt-Action-Warhammer-28mm/193583427453?hash=item2d1278af7d:g:co8AAOSwUElet7I-
As much as I like some GW stuff, I dislike being restricted to using only GW stuff. Especially with GW being so awkward with price and availability.
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BC works fine as a solo game,better than most games,especialy if you add a few rules to create randomness, it's all I have been doing every weekend since lockdown began. It works best as a narrative game I think. No game can be played competetively solo.
Rick, I can not find the rules you mentioned were in DeAgostino, the weather and time of day rules , but I confess, I do not own all the copies, would you very kindly let me know what they are?
I like the terrain Rick, in fact I intend to copy those pieces as they will fit well in my collection.
My top tip for terrian is to collect al the the little tiny pieces of lichen and clump foliage that falls off (and recently small, pieces of rock) and scatter them across the table when it's set up. I have even spent an hour tearing up clump into tiny bits for this reason. At the end of every game I sweep them up and put them in bag for next time. The more varied it is the better.
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Issue 65, pages 2 to 7 if that helps.
Good tip, I had not thought of smalls stones!
For those folks playing BC and SBG.... why are Wargs considered infantry and not cavalry? Seems to me a Warg without a rider could knock over infantry as easily as one with a rider. My wife agrees and we have considered treating them as cavalry but that may be a bit overpowered for their points cost.
That said... not as overpowered for their price as Wood Woses!
EDIT: Wilgut, I have sent you a PM.
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Colonel Mutumbu, after reading your well written house rules my wife and think we will be making a use of some of them. Your ideas on relics, magic powers, influence point costs for reinforcements, max company size and the mundane armoury section all appeal to us.
Additionally, where you have allowed a Spectre hero in the Angmar company as the lieutenant is very interesting. That completely reversed my desire to make an NPC Angmar company.
My wife and I are intending to make Wargs without riders cavalry rather than infantry, we just need to settle on an appropriate additional model cost. Anyone have recommendations? I am thinking just 1 point.
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No games for us last weekend, it was a build and paint weekend. We got a few things done including some Wargs, A Cave Troll and some Elves.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/07/31/trying-to-get-things-done/
More on the blog for those interested.
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Colonel Mutumbu, after reading your well written house rules my wife and think we will be making a use of some of them. Your ideas on relics, magic powers, influence point costs for reinforcements, max company size and the mundane armoury section all appeal to us.
Additionally, where you have allowed a Spectre hero in the Angmar company as the lieutenant is very interesting. That completely reversed my desire to make an NPC Angmar company.
My wife and I are intending to make Wargs without riders cavalry rather than infantry, we just need to settle on an appropriate additional model cost. Anyone have recommendations? I am thinking just 1 point.
who is Colonel Mutumbu?
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He is a forum member who made some comments earlier in the thread. He sent me a copy of the house rules his gaming group (QLD I think). Quite extensive work really, very nicely presented, and some of the stuff they are using could work for my wife and me.
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The new terrain is great. I don't recall where I saw it, but that same rock clump terrain idea was something I ran across elsewhere and decided to whip some up. Yours are quite a bit more involved than mine, and they look great. I suspect yours are quite a bit larger than mine as well. Mounted on CD's?
Mine are just on some scrap MDF discs which range from 2-2.5" across.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/47/15049-040820181101.jpeg)
They do make for nice additions, and something sturdy to hide behind!
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Yeah, CD‘s. I bought them on eBay and made some personal modifications.
Yours look great. It is helpful to have varying sizes I think to prevent the table from looking too artificial. I need to make some like yours!
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It is a super easy little terrain project. I grabbed some rocks out of the driveway (gravel), washed them, glued them down, applied texture paste around the base and let the whole mess dry for a few hours. Then prime everything black. Ground gets a brown undercoat before applying my turf mix, and the rocks get a couple layers of grey dry brush. Apply the flock with matte medium, and then brush off the extra after it dries for an hour or so. Broken up into parts, this could easily be accomplished in a day. I think I really did it across two weekends, but getting things done quickly wasn't a priority for me and these were being worked alongside some more complex terrain pieces.
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The trick is finding just the right stones, that is a big part of the artistry of it. And while they are not as time demanding as some other projects they do add up in delaying other priority projects.... like painting more Wargs!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/06/more-wargs/
More info on the blog as usual. Feedback welcome!
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Great pack of Wargs. Like the little tree/bush too. I need some of those as well.
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The bush was started by me, finished by my wife. I was not happy with how it came out and consigned it to go on eBay but my wife decided to save it by improving it. She reflected it over my work and added the flowers. Now we both like it. Success!
Just about finished the next 12 Wargs, drying over night and clear coating tomorrow morning in case we manage to get a game in tomorrow afternoon.
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And even more Wargs....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/08/even-more-wargs/
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The Elves of Fingaerion‘s Spear are ambushed in the Hills of Evendim by a large pack of Wargs....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/10/ambush-in-the-hills-an-elven-battle-report/
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another nice blog mate! I like the warg scenario, its seems to come out different every time
"I also realized we have been making a mistake with how we have been promoting warriors to heroes. Once they roll to become a hero we have been letting them choose their path and roll on that path chart rather than waiting for them to level again, which is how I think it is supposed to work."
I also made this mistake to begin with, not as bad as rolling for advancement of warriors on TWO dice tho, which is what I did for my first twenty games or so!
I think your house rule for the Galadhrim pike seesm a bit OP to be honest, pikes are so cumbersome,to my mind they seem out of place in skirmish games. I think I might try a new weapon instead, one specific for the Galadhrim guard. How about a halberd? Would give unit distinction, nice conversion project. Could be a double handed weapon that could also double as a spear for support!
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I was a pikeman briefly in English Civil War re-enacting. I am no friend to the pike, I assure you. That said not all pikes are the same. I read once that a pike is a spear too long to effectively handle one handed.
So whilst at first I rejected the idea out of hand to equip Galadhrim Court Guard with pikes, it was not a serious issue because I did not intend to ever have any. My wife’s lieutenant ending up a Galadhrim Court Guard due to our house rule on lieutenant advancements made me rethink it.
So considering things like the writings of George Silver and boarding pike single combat, I rethought my vision of pike fighting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozDBCmcfoUo
https://www.amazon.de/Master-Defence-Works-George-Silver/dp/1581607237
I also thought about Chinese lomg spears... short pikes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvGMHS5HYU
This type of spear fighting seems very different from Norse shieldwall spear work or Greek Hoplite spear work.
So the strength bonus of two hands versus one hand and shield made sense to me and my wife. Losing the -1 duel roll penalty for two hands matched the 6 Fight skill concept of elite thousand year old martial artist guards. And the extreme thrust range shown particularly in Chinese spear work makes sense for two rank deep support, which was a factor in my wife deciding to give up the +1 Defense of a shield.
But I take your point. It does seem OP on the surface. It is balanced by the fact we will never deploy these in a large unit.
Even more OP will be when she gets a horse and uses it as a lance....
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Nice pack of wargs 8)
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Thanks mate! Woof woof!
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Nice battle report. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of context for the particular rule system you are using, but if it works for you and the wife, then I say go for it. Honestly, heroes should be heroic, and if they are beefed up a bit and darned unlikely to be killed by your average goblin, then that is pretty well the way it should be (in my head at least). Heroes kill heroes, that is the way of books and movies.
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Fair point mate.
One test I use to see if something is OP is whether or not it makes something you just can not do without. If for example this pike rule means of course you would never take a shield and spear instead, then it would be too OP.
And we decided to make our lieutenants more heroic than the sergeants by giving them the free advancement and a free special skill from the Johnathan Baker rules. But so far plenty of non-heroes have been killing heroes. Maybe as our heroes develop more that will change.
One thing about the Battle Companies SBG rule set combat.... no one is truly safe, no matter how good the odds look.
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Well, one always fights heroes with quantity. Death by a thousand cuts, or perhaps the one cut out of a thousand that you can't block?
Plus, those who kill heroes may very well just be heroes on the rise and you don't know it yet lol. Either way, I stand by my assertions. Heroes aren't meant to be killed off by level one skeletons in 1:1 combat. If they can be, they simply aren't heroic enough for my tastes.
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Our next battle report, my Dwarves get ambushed by Wargs as well... it does not go as I expected....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/13/ambush-in-the-hills-part-2-a-dwarven-battle-report/
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another nice bat rep! That chieftan can be a wicked adversary! Nice stuff, you have a very read able style
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Thanks mate! Strength 6 can open up Dwarven armor pretty easily.
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a fun read. Thank you
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He certainly screwed my BC up the first time round. Nice looking game too, although I am not a giant fan of the PJ/GW/Weta aesthetic , those wargs look preety cool en masse.
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Fun battle report. It was certainly looking dire there for a moment.
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Thanks! I am pleased to hear people enjoy the report. Considering Snorri’s past performance I was quite surprised. It certainly feels to me more like a party than just a couple of lead heroes and some support troops now.
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Just saw the battle report, a good read, keep up the good work
:)
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Thanks! Build weekend rather than playing so it will be a bit before the next battle report but it always helps motivate to hear when people enjoy our work.
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The results of the build weekend... most going to EBay or gifts to friends.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/18/more-odds-and-ends-2/
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That big hill is quite impressive. What is the overall footprint on that? I'm somewhat assuming the graves are something like 1x2" which would make that hill maybe 8x8"? It is impressive looking!
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Love the hill...much more interesting than the usual mounds you see on most tables.
Are the graves meant as markers for fallen characters?
:)
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Great reports as usual. Had to do a bit of catching up but it was a good read!
Happy to see the Elves unsheathe their blades once more, they were liable to get rusty from being unused for so long! Are the Dwarf and Elf warbands going to team up against the Cave Drake, or is it a race to the end?
I like your new Dunlending warriors, very sword & sorcery. I think there's room in LOTR for a little 80s flair!
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I am glad you liked them mate!
At this stage we are not planning on fighting the Cave Drake together but that could change, especially if we both lose on our first attempt.
80‘s sword and sorcery.... good way to put it! I am thinking Carn Dum Hillmen rather than Dunlendings at this stage. I have an idea for Dunlendings a bit different than what folks may usually expect. Celtic but with a little surprise.
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Looking forward to seeing your take on Dunlendings. Love the cemetery - keep up the great additions.
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It's been a while since I last looked in on this thread. You've done some great stuff recently. The graves and other terrain look great and I can't help thinking that I'm looking at a warband with Elrond and Conan. Egad!!!
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Think of the role playing opportunities with an adventuring party having Conan and Elrond as members....
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And a Battle Report from last weekend.... my Dwarves and my wife’s Elves versus a large Warg pack...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/27/wolves-attack-an-elven-and-dwarven-battle-report/
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... and the Report from Sunday’s battle.... Dwarves and Elves against a rampaging Cave Troll!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/08/28/tame-the-beast-an-elven-and-dwarven-battle-report/
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Good reports, and nice to hear the overall experience was a win-win/win-win with the wife... er "elves." lol
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"a mighty intervention of fate" that's a great line
nice report onthe wargs, Im glad Iam not the only one who can roll double snake eyes!
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"Although the Dwarves won, my wife and I both left the game feeling we “won” in part because of the cooperative nature of how we played the scenario but also because we both had very positive post game results."
Hallelujah-that's just what you want form such a game! excellent
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Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed the reports. We are getting a bit better at remembering to use might, will and fate points.
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We have not had much free time for gaming or painting but we got a few things done. A couple of things for our Middle Earth project but mostly bits for eBay or gifting to friends.
And possibly me getting distracted with a Sharp Practice project, more information in our latest blog entry....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/09/16/long-time-no-see/
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That Dwarven Forge stuff is pretty. Nice score there, and looking at the Wildlands KS I thought it looked reasonably priced all in all.
I looked at the Dungeons and lasers kickstarter, but I think I'm really looking for something with half height walls and in the end I found the terrain to be "too busy." While busy in an organic Dwarven Forge sort of way doesn't bother me, for some reason it felt a bit much for every square inch of wall and floor to be a pipe or console or grating. To be fair, I only looked at the sci-fi set as I have a dungeon set coming that I'm pretty stoked about.
Anyway, I like the black powder Enterprise idea. It should translate quite well. Just make sure you paint up a lot of "Red pantaloon" troops to serve as fodder for the angry tribes you might encounter. You might want to give your captain an option to romance the local princess/queen in every single mission as well. lol
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I really like that armoured Dwarf chap, especially his visor!
Interesting that you have backed the Reaper Bones 5 Ship. I am still in two minds about it. It is such an impressive model and would undoubtedly be significantly more expensive under other circumstances, but on the other hand it does not quite fit with any of the games we usually play, and where would I store it? I may go for it anyway...
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The Vault 7 sci-fi set looked the least busy but I agree, it all looked busy... and a nightmare to paint! That is one reason we chose Battle Systems sci-fi Terrain, no painting just some edging with a felt tip. The busier fantasy stuff did not work for me but I liked the mine and the Dwarven hall of heroes. My wife likes the regular fantasy core set and the gothic cathedral set. So it works out for us.
Apparently Sharp Practice has the romancing built in already....
Thanks for the kind words, Oathmark dwarves are great sculpts that are lots of fun to paint.
As for the ship.... yeah, we felt the same. It is even larger than we expected but perhaps the production model will be smaller than the prototype. It will dominate a table. As for fitting i theme wise.... That is why we started looking at games to play to suit it!
I expect we will back the next Blood and Plunder Kickstarter to get the two sloops and plastic multipart crew!
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A few more bits and bobs done and some talk about my latest distraction, if you are curious.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/09/26/gryph-what/
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I like the Gryph hounds. Why not repaint them if that is the only sore spot? Covering the previous owners work wouldn't prove too troublesome I wouldn't think. The heads all look fine, so maybe just the bodies need hit anyway. Not sure if there is a proxy monster from LOTR, but as you have said before; there are more lands and beasts than are ever mentioned.
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Amazing work so far, I wish I could convince my wife to play games it would be much easier than forcing friends at club to play what I’m interested in. I’m not a massive fan of the AOS look but those hounds are quite charming- maybe just some more realistic skin tones and steel rather than gold metals would help them fit? Sharp Practice is perfect for your intended use and I can recommend getting the campaign book (I want to call it ‘Dawns and departures’ but that may be the WW2 version).
Keep up the good work, I’m going to trawl through all your past battle reports I’ve missed whilst my wife watches something uninteresting on tv :D
BALM
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I think repainting them to a more subdued color palette would help them fit more easily into one of our projects (for example using Warg stats) but their original paint work is so interesting and skillful that I would feel bad about painting over it.
We bought Dawns and Departures at the same time we bought Sharp Practice. My wife got the PDFs printed off and bound yesterday. Expensive but I think worth it. I just do not seem able to absorb things as easily in digital form. However, D&D is going to require some reworking to take into account we do not have a neutral umpire to manage the campaign.
Every day I am thankful my wife and I share this hobby. We are both grateful when someone enjoys reading about our adventures.
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Dawns and Departures is a great investment.There are a lot of ideas in there that are transferable and I have used the system successfully for Battle Company campaigns. Even without an umpire the campaign game works well, even solo for that matter, however I am impatent to try the whole she bang! Maybe next year
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Rick I’d agree with Wilgut in that you don’t need a neutral umpire to run a D&D campaign it just hides the mechanics from you and allows better immersion in the adventure (rather than game). If you do want an umpire, and I’ve quickly looked through D&D to check and it seems that the main need is hidden movement and the generation of plot twists/random rolls etc, as a chap of infinite leisure I don’t mind doing it for you. As long as I could do it by email (I only have an iPad no printer) and your map was digital (A digital photo of a paper map would do as I could annotate it) I would be quite happy to do the hidden bits and update you each individually on your progress etc. No pressure but something to consider if you think it would improve your enjoyment of the game.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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Thanks for the input. It is heartening to hear it is not utterly reliant on an umpire. I appreciate the offer BALM, I may take you up on it but that is quite some time away in the future given how long my to do list is. I might finally get around to painting up my first few “test piece” French this weekend.... but there are a whole lot of troops to then paint for both sides.
I am thinking the first campaign will be my French against Native Americans using the special rules from the Summer Special 2016. My wife loves Native American cultures.
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I’m more than happy to help as I’ll enjoy being part of the game even if I’m not playing (shielding whilst not that different to my regular existence has stopped my weekly chance for gaming and I find games are the best fuel for my modelling/painting motivation) let’s hope the pandemic hassle has dissipated before then! Ahhhhh the to do list :D I also want to start gaming Sharp Practice again (have only played a couple of games of first Ed but have read and re-read the new ones and D&D) in 15mm with the American war of Tax Evasion and will hopefully get started on this by the end of this year (I’ve asked my wife for the minis as a Christmas present). The good thing about SP is I think I stand a much better chance of getting my wife to play it than my current fare of WW2 and sci-fi, daring do and musketry is much more her thing (I hope).
Keep up the good work it’s inspiring to read about your games and progress,
BALM
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Getting my wife to start watching the Sharpe movies has helped!
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Some more grist for the mill...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/10/03/made-to-go/
The GW Banshee that we are going to use as an Angmar Specter leading an Angmar Battle Company did not turn out as good as I hoped. I like the idea of the painting style, which looks good when I have seen others do it but just seems a bit lackluster on mine. It could be in part down to a flawed basecoat that got powdery, with a slight texture to it.
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Rick what don’t you like about the banshee? Maybe a few more highlights or a wash over the hair to separate the strands? I painted some nighthaunts in the GW scheme for a friend and whilst everyone who saw them said they were excellent I didn’t like it in person for some reason. I don’t even know why it just didn’t work for me and means I’m trying to find a better scheme for when I do mine.
BALM
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I used the contrast white paint to try to get some depth to the white hair without making it look “dirty”, which often happens when I try a black wash instead.
Part of my problem I think was seeing this version when I was looking up painting tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy61TxSa1Xc
I really prefer that look but did not want to put in that much work.
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I like the look of it, but I think that is because it fits well with the tones of the Nazgul realm (is there an actual name for where you go when you put the ring on?) which includes some of that stark white.
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I know what you mean but I am unaware of an official name of that unseen spirit realm.
My first attempt with a wash made the hair too dark for my taste, as I expected. I will keep trying.
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One of the great things about LAF is coming by every few days and finding yet another thread that somehow escaped my notice! In this case, for 27 pages...
I really like your painting and your gaming, Rick! Gonna take me a bit to go through the whole thread - and looking forward to it!
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Thanks for the kind words! It is always nice to hear people enjoy sharing in our exploits. As always feedback, suggestions and advice are welcome.
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I've found an easy way to shade white is to get some medium - citadel lahmian medium works well - and mix it in with a dark wash (i.e. nuln oil or Army Painter dark tone). I usually do 1/1 but it depends on how dark you want the recesses to be.
The medium helps to keep the wash away from the higher areas and stops it from looking grubby, while still settling in the recesses and giving it definition.
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I have been experimenting with the Army Painter medium. It seems to help. I had had some frustrating time spent on wet blending the lower parts of the dress but I think it does look a bit better. It is getting there.
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Not much finished but some progress made....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/10/14/slow-going/
.... I have been entirely too distracted of late.
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Good blog post. Any progress is good progress! The banshee is definitely looking a lot better now.
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Thanks for the kind words. Step by step, slowly we march forward. My latest update...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/10/17/distractions/
I am hoping to get a BC Game in this weekend with any luck.
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Good work sir! As Mirjeki says any progress is good progress (stares at part finished bocage/trees/desert terrain covering my wife’s beautiful antique oak rectory table) :) glad someone is achieving something somewhere. Banshee looks better (it’s not you they’re deceptively beautiful models that whilst mainly simple surfaces are hard to paint well) Keep it up,
BALM
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Thanks for the kind words. Such posts always motivate me to continue. And continue I have...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/10/26/weekend-no-game/
No battle report but another step taken on the march!
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The weekly progress, slowly... slowly...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/11/02/so-many-trays/
Please thoughts on some tv shows and movies, if you are curious.
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.... and some more progress...
More info, pictures and discussion on my blog...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/11/09/ever-onward/
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Rick I wish I had just a little of your hobby momentum :). I think with the basing for the trees the tufts are too long, maybe trim them but I also agree that some fine turf (sponge) will probably work better. Getting the right mix or look is quite hard to do and unnatural arrangements stand out quite clearly (I’m currently really struggling with my Arid mat for Tunisia/Italy - what looks ok to my naked eye doesn’t match when photographed). That said looking at the woods my house is in now, if you made model trees and shrubbery in their current colours people would think they looked wrong or artificial.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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Thanks for the input mate. I always feel like I should be doing more. This hobby is fun but it takes so long to get things done.
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Not much finished this weekend and no games but we did get some of the new Wargames Atlantic Giant Spiders delivered.
Pretty cool but fiddly to build. More information on my blog if you are curious.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/11/16/spiders-why-did-it-have-to-be-spiders/
I would be curious to hear what other folks think of these new spiders.
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Brilliant Rick, the spiders are something I’ve followed since they were announced but haven’t yet bought (may have changed by the time you read this!) it’s a bit of a shame about the lack of symmetry in the space spiders (but I could allow some flexibility and think crab and asymmetric overdevelopment I suppose) although I want them as plain big arachnids so it won’t be a problem.
On the matter of your SP campaign I think a little steam punk would be OK just not the ‘main’ theme or driving force. A little bit of imaginative reasoning in an alternate setting should be fine..... What did you think of to add?
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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I am still working out how to add large “monsters” to SP. So for example I am thinking of one campaign being a South America “Lost World” type campaign with GW Seraphon/Lizardmen as “ancient alien remnants“ with dinosaur pets locked in a thousands of years long struggle with giant spiders. The steampunk aspect is perhaps for example a construct built by a very short engineer to help in this titanic struggle.
My thought on the “Monsters” is to give each one the stats of a SP cavalry unit but with each fatality suffered by a cavalry unit being treated instead as a wound, ie treat a triceratops as a unit of impact cavalry with 8 hitpoints. Treat shock management and morale the same. Using an attached leader as a “handler”. So the same with the large steampunk construct with perhaps the engineer as a level 1 leader. Perhaps also use the Prominent Leader unit trait.
What I want to capture is a “science” versus “supernatural” narrative.
Part of my design thought is a Napoleonic “Star Trek Style” exploration adventure with various different locations and enemies. From Native Americans and Sasquatch to Germanic forests with angry “trees”. Mummies and Tuareg in the Sahara. Vampires and angry peasants in Eastern Europe. Djinn with Barbary Corsairs off the coast of North Africa. Oni and renegade Samurai in the Far East.
Think..... Napoleonic French Johnny Quest.
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Another week of work done...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/11/26/the-work-continues/
So much more to do!
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Awesome good stuff and those spiders look great. Cant wait to see them painted up.
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So much to do, so little time!
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I am still working out how to add large “monsters” to SP. So for example I am thinking of one campaign being a South America “Lost World” type campaign with GW Seraphon/Lizardmen as “ancient alien remnants“ with dinosaur pets locked in a thousands of years long struggle with giant spiders. The steampunk aspect is perhaps for example a construct built by a very short engineer to help in this titanic struggle.
My thought on the “Monsters” is to give each one the stats of a SP cavalry unit but with each fatality suffered by a cavalry unit being treated instead as a wound, ie treat a triceratops as a unit of impact cavalry with 8 hitpoints. Treat shock management and morale the same. Using an attached leader as a “handler”. So the same with the large steampunk construct with perhaps the engineer as a level 1 leader. Perhaps also use the Prominent Leader unit trait.
What I want to capture is a “science” versus “supernatural” narrative.
Part of my design thought is a Napoleonic “Star Trek Style” exploration adventure with various different locations and enemies. From Native Americans and Sasquatch to Germanic forests with angry “trees”. Mummies and Tuareg in the Sahara. Vampires and angry peasants in Eastern Europe. Djinn with Barbary Corsairs off the coast of North Africa. Oni and renegade Samurai in the Far East.
Think..... Napoleonic French Johnny Quest.
That sounds like the coolest game of all time!
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Seems like others have had similar ideas before me, ie the rumored Silver Bayonet game coming out next year.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55623317-the-silver-bayonet
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Hi Rick,
I am glad to see you've been gaming, will give me something to read. I had Covid, proper bite you in the arse,kill you dead Covid, ended up in ITU for a week. It made me diabetic and gave me some hypoxic brain damage too, so I am lucky and happy to be alive. Its gonna be a while before I am gaming I think so I will just sit and happily read your accounts
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Oh no! That is terrible! I had been wondering why we had not heard from you lately. I am glad to hear it was not even worse though. Seems you dodged the bullet, at least partially. I hope you make a quick recovery, I enjoy reading of your exploits!
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yeh man , I nearly bought it!
I am due to retire from work at Christmas so will have plenty of time for gaming. I have a great idea for finishing my Battle Companies campaign in two battles, as soon as I am well enough I will do the first one, so watch this space
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Wilgut I hope you are feeling somewhat better and I’m sorry to hear what happened to you. I hope the hobby helps to keep you positive and distracted (I have a long term serious health condition/s caused by a virus I got from sand in a playground when I was 4 - I ripped open my throat as I went off the side of a helter-skelter, fell 30ft and landed in the sand - I missed the concrete wall though!). I understand how the love of gaming and obsessing about your next project can keep you focussed and happy. Luckily Rick is so prolific there’s always something new to read and if you’re like me you can slipstream off of his productivity to give you your hobby fix. Stay safe and look after yourself - BALM
Rick that tree base is excellent and much more aesthetically pleasing now. Silver bayonet looks interesting and whilst it’s a different scale or focus to Sharp Practice it looks like it may be useful for smaller actions in your intended setting.
Keep up the good work
BALM
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When I was four I broke my foot jumping off a dresser playing paratrooper and I had thought I had things bad.... good thing you missed the concrete wall though, eh?
Thanks for the kind words. You guys help motivate me to keep up the pace.
I know my Napoleonic Gothic Horror ideas probably suit something a bit smaller than Sharp Practice but from what I have seen of the game the mechanics really appeal to me. The focus on leader driven narrative mixed with some linear black powder tactics just scratches a certain itch for me.
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yup, Sharpe Practice is an excellent game.The campaign rules are outstanding.
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I’ve always been lucky :D and now you know why in the 80’s they stopped using sand in playgrounds. Sorry wasn’t trying steal focus just wanted to assure Wilgut that nothing is a certainty, mainly as my doctor thinks I’m still alive due to my stoic nature and dark sense of humour (I hear that as sheer bloody mindedness lol ). It may be hard to stay positive but it will help if you can manage it.
The good thing about not being stuck to one rule set or company means you can switch and change to suit your needs. I’m also about to play Sharp Practice again for the first time since 1st Ed when I buy some AWI as my Christmas present to myself! I also think that it may be an era that I can finally get my wife to play with me.
BALM
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It is good I think for us to all commiserate together. But then compared to my youth I am a big softy.
AWI is a fascinating period to game. I am originally from Upstate New York. I was raised on FIW and AWI stories with much time spent at Fort William Henry and Fort Ticonderoga.
My Napoleonic Gothic Horror project will likely have an alternative timeline to allow my wife to use Native American tribes in a sort of second FIW. I also want to have an element of counter AWI with loyalist proto-Confederate Rebels called “the Sons of King George” who are unhappy that slavery has been abolished.
Yes, my alternative timeline is a way to mix up themes from several conflicts at once.
I am thinking Mexico is the seat of the exiled Spanish Crown, as Brazil is for the Portuguese, and also the seat of the Papacy.... having fled Republican French forces before he could be arrested as per our real timeline.
What elements of the AWI appeal to you and your wife?
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I don’t think any of it “appeals” to my wife :) (she doesn’t know I’m going to try and get her to play yet) but being Kurdish and having been in Somalia during Op.Hope she has no interest in modern conflict, with muskets and tricornes/bicornes there’s at least a separation from recent or family related conflict (and I don’t intend to be too historic but rather use it as a setting - more Revolting People than anything else).
I personally want to get into Sharp Practice (I only played it a few times in v1) and as a distinct change from my WW2 projects. I’m also really into Peter Pigs AWI line and I’m actually looking forwards to painting them (I’m sure this won’t last!). I considered ACW but the variance in uniforms of the AWI holds appeal as the slog of painting variants of green and mud for WW2 is starting to get to me.
BALM
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I very much get that, in both regards.
It has lead to some interesting conversations between me and my wife as we try tried to determine what conflicts we could wargame without either of us having baggage regarding them.
And the joy of painting various things largely influences these discussions as well! I have learned so much already researching the Napoleonic French Army and its uniforms.
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I managed to get a few things done this week despite a great deal of temptation from tv shows and debates on this forum.... one of which got deleted in the end...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/12/04/things-finished-on-hold-and-just-beginning/
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Terrain pieces look good.
When you say you aren't happy with some 3d prints, are you referring to the quality of a particular print, the quality of 3d printers overall, or...? Just curious.
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It is a mix. With figures it is that sometimes the digital sculpting is off, sort of soft and blobby. With terrain it is the lines. They blend in sometimes, like on planks of wood on a boat but stonework in particular for example they jump out. I looked at the recent Printable Scenery Kickstarter, some great designs, but the lines were there on the stones and put me off.
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Great blog as usual Rick! I agree with you on the Mandalorian - it was fantastic!
I really like those buildings you've done there, but I know what you mean about having 'moved on' to more expensive (but sturdier) products. I always thought "why would I ever want Dwarven Forge when I can make dungeons with some molds and plaster?" but then my plaster dungeons kept chipping, and were really delicate and needed to be stored with extra care. Eventually I decided to try out dwarvenite and it's brilliant.
The durability of it more than justifies the price in my opinion, especially when getting terrain out and putting it away again is the biggest annoyance in the wargame hobby.
Lovely wilderness pieces as usual. You really have an eye for natural foliage.
Thanks for the shoutout too!
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Thanks for the kind words mate!
Yeah, plaster chipping is very annoying. Some models it matters more than others. Post-apoc for example can benefit from natural wear and tear distressing.
As for Dwarvenite durability... our young son eventually getting old enough to play is a constant thought at the back of my head. The cavern pieces we got from you really convinced us that Dwarvenite is worth the cost. We just wish shipping and import costs were not so high from the States.
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Great painting on those buildings!
I got a lot of dwarvenite in the early kickstarters, and it was very reasonable then. The cost has gone up a lot to where it is about equal to the resin. Still worth it from the durability standpoint, but glad I got it when I did. I keep it in tubs, where the pieces rub against each other, and I have never noticed any flaking or chafing of the paint.
mirjeki, I tried to comment on your blog, but it only accepts Blogger accounts. Discrimination against my Wordpress identity! lol
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There are a number of blogs I want to reply to but without a Google account I can not do so.... frustrating.
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Great painting on those buildings!
I got a lot of dwarvenite in the early kickstarters, and it was very reasonable then. The cost has gone up a lot to where it is about equal to the resin. Still worth it from the durability standpoint, but glad I got it when I did. I keep it in tubs, where the pieces rub against each other, and I have never noticed any flaking or chafing of the paint.
mirjeki, I tried to comment on your blog, but it only accepts Blogger accounts. Discrimination against my Wordpress identity! lol
Thanks for checking it out! Yeah I've had the same problem trying to reply to wordpress blogs. They're trying to segregate us wargamer hobbyists!
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I think that some of the roughness with printed terrain has to do with settings. Layer thickness, etc. I've got some printed vehicles that are brilliant and some that are a bit on the rough side. Both fdm prints, which leads me to believe that the rougher versions were rushed along to get pieces out the door rather than taking more time to print a quality product.
In general I don't find the lines to be offputting, though I do think that I would rather look at resin printing for figures and very small objects. For the most part I find that they vanish with a decent paint job and the willingness to not inspect everything from 2" away lol. It is the same standard I apply to my painting and sculpting. Just admire it from afar and things will be ok!
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I suppose my deteriorating eyesight might give more latitude at some point but for now I can not help but be distracted by print lines. It reminds me of an old tv screen flickering. My wife is usually pretty forgiving of small detail problems but she also has a problem with print lines on stonework.
We have had better luck with some 3d printed resin figures when it comes to print lines but the sculpts have been chunky... which is fine for say a Beastman.
Each to their own though. If the lines do not bother you, fair play... it opens a lot of doors for you.
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The weekly update...
https://wordpress.com/post/thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2601
A few things finished and some movie/tv show discussion on the blog is you are curious.
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I'm not familiar with the Sharpe series. Looks interesting enough. I wonder if I can get it on PBS, which tends to be about the most reliable source for BBC shows that I've found.
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It has a certain old Saturday matinee feel to it. Limited budget but seems to deliver decent entertainment considering the limitations.
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I love the sharpe series but maybe more as nostalgia than if I watched them again (I recently rewatched the Indiana Jones films and was a little saddened by the lazy anachronisms in places and then more annoyed that I’d realised they were wrong when I was little - little boys and pointless knowledge about war/weaponry - but had forgotten the fact :D). I still love Indi (as the character) let’s hope the new film is awesome (that’s not sarcasm I’m just blindly optimistic - although that could just be the meds talking ;)).
I did consider rewatching Sharpe after watching Sean Beans Waterloo programs but think I’ve been spoiled by reading Flashman and GMF’s excellent writing, I don’t think TV Sharpe would hold up anymore (or just spoil my rose tinted memories) so maybe I should re-read them instead (I recommend the Flashman series if you want good characterisation and good history in book form). That said they’re not the worst TV that’s been made and at least the period is interesting.
I’ve just watched Mando up to current and not only am I enjoying it but my wife loves it (and sci-fi is not her thing at all) so it’s nice to have something we can both watch.
Great to see you chipping away at your mountain Rick, keep up the good work,
BALM
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I love Indy. Even Temple of Doom. I am still scarred by Crystal Skull though. Hard for me to be optimistic about the next one.
There is worse tv than Sharpe but it is a bit like watching old Star Trek episodes.
It is great to be able to watch shows with our better halves!
Thanks for the continuing encouragement....36 more skeletons to finish then I can focus on something else.
Sadly our winter holiday plans to get a bunch of games in whilst our son is in school and my wife is off work has been scuppered by the most recent lockdown.
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Yep I still refuse to admit ‘the Crystal nonsense’ is part of the series, I didn’t think it was possible to run out of uses for Nazis as baddies but GL seems to think otherwise. The only good point so far I’ve seen about the new one is Harrison Ford will be the same age as Indiana would be at that time, hopefully that’s used well. I still enjoyed the first two (even with the time travelling mp40’s and RPG) - the wrong/right way round but then when watching Holy Grail now you get that ‘sharky’ feeling (something well known to fellow surfers and deep water swimmers) that the Crystal Skull is coming! lol
I started ploughing my way through Skeletons thinking that they’ll be easy to knock out and they were surprisingly dull to paint and I struggled to maintain my interest, but they’re vital fantasy fodder and I want to play Advanced Heroquest solo over Christmas.
Always great to see your progress,
BALM
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I hear you mate! I hope you have some great gaming. On my part, providing the lockdown does not get worse, I will be at the in-laws for the holiday.... a break from painting. No idea when I will finally get to do some Solo Core Space gaming (so much to paint first!).
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Yep I still refuse to admit ‘the Crystal nonsense’ is part of the series, I didn’t think it was possible to run out of uses for Nazis as baddies but GL seems to think otherwise. The only good point so far I’ve seen about the new one is Harrison Ford will be the same age as Indiana would be at that time, hopefully that’s used well. I still enjoyed the first two (even with the time travelling mp40’s and RPG) - the wrong/right way round but then when watching Holy Grail now you get that ‘sharky’ feeling (something well known to fellow surfers and deep water swimmers) that the Crystal Skull is coming! lol
I started ploughing my way through Skeletons thinking that they’ll be easy to knock out and they were surprisingly dull to paint and I struggled to maintain my interest, but they’re vital fantasy fodder and I want to play Advanced Heroquest solo over Christmas.
Always great to see your progress,
BALM
A lot of the books that were put out had some far more interesting enemies than were in crystal skull...and Chronicles did as well. Really wish that they'd give all of Chronicles a full release at some point.
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I only saw a couple of the Chronicles.... at the Time I could not really get into them but I would like to try again.
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Finally finished the last of our skeletons so now I can try to focus on other projects. I also managed to finish some more sabot unit trays... only 53 more to go!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/12/24/to-the-last-skeleton/
Wishing you all a very Merry Winter Holiday and Happy New Year!
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Love those skeletons, Rick! It would be nice to see some before & after pics from your eBay saves. Glad to see you're restoring so many classic GW models. There's a lot of brilliant models underneath really terrible paintjobs on eBay so it's nice to see when they're given new life.
I hope you don't stop your blogs and posting! I followed the Mandalorian thread and found it interesting and I liked reading your posts on there a lot, although I haven't read thr final posts. It's a shame you've been muted for having strong opinions.
Fantasy stories can be very important and have a strong impact on people. Nothing annoys me more than the argument: "it's made up. Who cares if it's internally consistent?" - the laziest of justifications for bad writing.
I'm liable to go on my own long rant on such a topic so I'll stop before it's too late, but your words would be missed if you left the hobby blogging & LE forum.
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Left a few more thoughts on your blog, but just wanted to say how cool the skellies look.
And please don't go!
Top of the season!
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Thanks for the kind words, both of you. Always nice getting praise and agreeing view points.
Looking forward to reading your rant mate!
I will try to get better at before and after photos.
Enjoy the holidays!
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This week’s progress. Pretty pleased with the Warg Chieftain and pack beasts. Only 50 more sabot unit movement trays to go...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/01/01/more-wargs-2/
More on the blog about tv shows and my Gothic Horror Fantasy Napoleonic Imagi-Nation Sharp Practice Project... I really need to come up with a better name!
As always feedback, suggestions and advice are welcome. Feel free to discuss anything on the blog in this thread since posting on the blog can be cumbersome.
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Looking grand. The mouth on the warg chieftain is really nicely done. What is the miniature you used for it?
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Thanks! It is the Eaglemoss Warg and Rider (Sharku) model.
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mirjeki, I tried to comment on your blog, but it only accepts Blogger accounts. Discrimination against my Wordpress identity! lol
Ironically I've been trying to comment on Rick's blog, and it's insisting on my Wordpress login, which then doesn't work! :(
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I have found the comment aspect of WordPress quite awkward. It will also sometimes refuse to let me “like” a post on another WordPress Blog. Hence why I encourage folks to make comments here.
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This week... more Wargs, a bat swarm and some terrain. Pretty pleased to have finished these.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/01/11/warg-madness/
That said I have so much on my to-do list fighting for priority, it is quite frustrating.
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The terrain is looking fab. I also like the wargs - you have a great pack of them now.
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Thanks!
I still have a ways to go with Wargs... 15 Fell Wargs (Fenrisian Wolves), another Warg Chieftain (This one being a Fell Warg Chieftain) and a whole bunch of Warg Riders ( both the usual GW and some Oathmark Goblins without the chunky Oathmark wolves). But we are getting there, step by steady step.
The terrain will not be with us long I think. I want to upgrade to more Dwarven Forge and Tabletop World pieces.
Does anyone have experience mixing Dwarven Forge outdoor terrain with non-Dwarven Forge terrain?
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So many wargs! I'm not a fan of the flat-faced Peter Jackson wargs, I always just imagined them as just large wolves but I like your paintjobs a lot. The ziterdes tower looks good, how was it painting the foam they use?
I've used DF with my regular terrain a few times now, but mostly the free-standing stuff. I think the forest tiles could definitely work on top of a grassy board as long as you have the banks. I'm waiting on my Wildlands pledge to arrive before I can test it, but I think it'd look okay as 'deep forest' sections around the board.
Attached are pictures of my DF forest pieces that I used in a recent game alongside my regular scenery.
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Hey mate! Always a pleasure to see you on here.
I watched your video on turning DF cavern floor pieces into outdoor pieces. Interesting but I think ours make better cavern pieces for us.
As for Wargs, yeah I prefer large wolves for Wargs as well compared to the hyena, bear, bat, wolves of Peter Jackson. But these Wargs I got for much less money than the same number of large wolves. Have considered putting some spots on them to reinforce the hyena aspect. I see these as “Eastern” or “Mordor”Wargs and the large wolf looking Fenrisian wolves we will be using as Fell Wargs as “Western” or “Gundabad” Wargs. We might make Fell Wargs a bit faster than regular Wargs for an extra point as a house rule.
I put a much stronger dry brushing over this batch of Wargs following a comment on my blog. It does help the look I think.
Painting the Ziterdes foam was no problem. It does seem to prefer drybrushing though.
Thanks for the photos of your mixed board. I have a feeling we will not really be able to decide until we get our pledge and start mixing it all up. That said I would like to see more photos of other builds, especially where things are mixed.
Photos of Hagglethorn Hollow pieces for example look much better with some grass tufts added.
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Another week, and another progress report. I am pretty pleased with the Orcs I converted from Republican Romans.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/01/18/so-many-projects/
I also started experimenting with improving Dwarven Forge terrain pieces.
More photos and information on my blog.
As always feedback, suggestions and advice most welcome!
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Do you envision a table with nothing but DF terrain at some point? In some regards, I rather like the cohesion of such a plan, and then again some of the best looking terrain tables I've seen just seem to be cobbled together from here, there, and everywhere. So I'm up in the air on the subject but curious about your plans and thoughts on the matter.
While I appreciate a table that looks like a massive diorama, I don't know that the look of it supports good gameplay most of the time. Your DF pieces look like you could play over and through them, but I've seen very impressive terrain which just ends up leaving a giant hole on the table. It may be my preference, but I don't want terrain that takes three turns to maneuver around, no matter how pretty it is. As I build or purchase terrain, I always have thoughts of playability in the back of my head.
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My wife and I have discussed this at length during the DF Wildlands Kickstarter. Originally we only planned for DF cavern pieces but the Wildlands Kickstarter looked so good that it really captured my wife’s imagination.
So we started with some DF scatter but as the kickstarter went on we got more and more interested in the floor pieces, picturing bigger and bigger builds. In particular trying to imagine how it could work in conjunction with Hagglethorn Hollow.
For skirmishing, Middle Earth or otherwise, we feel a very busy table works. As it does for RPGs.
However I have concerns about bigger battles.
Of course we can always put less pieces down for bigger battles. And I have been thinking of other biomes for bigger close order fights for my planned Sharp Practice gaming, ie desert, savanna, prairie, etc. That said my wife tends to favor skirmish style forces even in Sharp Practice. Whereas I like rank and file tactics.
One issue we both had with using more DF terrain was the obvious joins between the pieces. I was more fussed than my wife but we have grown more accepting of them in regards to the ground pieces but not the river pieces. We are instead looking at using negative space for rivers, ie having a thin “water” material bordered by DF bank pieces. This system would replace the more conventional resin and plaster river pieces she has been working on, taking up less space on the table and with less build time.
We made a very sizable pledge for the DF Wildlands kickstarter, applying our annual holiday money to it (side effect of the current international health crisis).
Having met some of the Dwarven Forge folks at the last Spiel in Essen, we felt comfortable trusting them and like to help see them continue in their success. Much as we feel about the Battle Systems (Core Space) folks.
One thing I have been thinking is that my French/Non-French Napoleonic/Non-Napoleonic Line Infantry may need to actually be Light Infantry even if dressed and equipped as Line Infantry so that I can deal with so much terrain and an opponent that favors skirmish troops.
As for being Non-French, Non-Napoleonic I have come across the 7th Sea game setting that I quite like. We may borrow heavily from that for our Napoleonic Gothic Horror Pulp Exploration Sharp Practice project. 7th Sea is a touch earlier than what we are after but we are thinking we could just extend the timeline a bit and add in a Montaigne Revolution to create the Montaigne Republic.
https://www.chaosium.com/7th-sea/
I had been leaning towards creating our own fictional world in order to avoid unpleasant historical baggage but this game world seems to have done most of the ground work for me. I had not intended to have magic, and I still do not know how to incorporate it into Sharp Practice, but the more I read of 7th Sea online the more the magic of that world appeals. And I think my wife will like it.
The larger world of 7th Sea second edition really appeals to me. It is a shame to see all the problems associated with the production of the game though, particularly the delayed Kickstarter deliveries. Rather reminiscent of Hagglethorn Hollow. And like most of the things I am finding in this hobby I am again late to the party. Most of the online activity and frothing regarding 7th Sea seems to been a couple of years ago. I suspect largely because of the troubled game production surrounding the designer John Wick.
Troubles aside, I love the world he created. It reminds me of some of the larp world creations of Matt Pennington. Inspired by, but somewhat different, than our own history. Just different enough.
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Hey, Rick,
It was a pleasure getting caught up on the last couple of posts. I like that sylph a lot. Great job as well on the flock of bats and the tower, as well.
I dd not get any of the Dwarven Forge Wildlands stuff. I think it is attractively sculpted and I like the company, but the joins for outdoor stuff turn me off. I know this is ironic, as I like their underground river tiles where the seams stand out brazenly. Also, I just don't have the money for their terrain any more, even if I did like it. Each Kickstarter has gotten seemingly exponentially more expensive, and...and...I'm turning this into a rant. Sorry!
If I could do it over with their river stuff, I might with negative space, but the problem there for me is the transition from the bank to the negative space - it doesn't look natural, compared to the tiles, where there are bubbles along the river bank in the dwarvenite stuff, and actual terrain under the water in the poured resin tiles.
I will be interested to see some more tables set up with your Wildlands stuff when it arrives.
Cheers!
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Rant away mate, I am curious to hear what people really think about things. DF is darned expensive, no two ways about it. We are taking into consideration the durability though and hope it is something that we can pass down in the far future... unlike our traditional terrain, which is quite fragile.
And both my wife and I agree with you on the transition. My wife loves working with resin for water and the end result but it is so time consuming. So pre-painted DF negative space waterways are looking pretty attractive right now.
Thanks for the kind words! Such things help motivate me.
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Another weekly progress report... both Middle Earth and Napoleonic...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/01/27/welcome-to-the-jungle/
As always, I welcome questions and comments here as well as on my blog.
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Great work on your jungle terrain Rick, I like the little details that add authenticity. That 7th Sea map is brilliant, I’ve not seen it before and it’s familiar yet new which, as you said, helps to make it believable.
Keep up the good work,
BALM
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Thanks mate!
I still have more research to do before we settle on the 7th Sea setting but so far it is in the lead.
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And both my wife and I agree with you on the transition. My wife loves working with resin for water and the end result but it is so time consuming. So pre-painted DF negative space waterways are looking pretty attractive right now.
I think the negative space idea is a good one. You could even compromise with a bed of level resin to place the DF banks on top of? More work but might pay off visually.
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Jungle terrain looks sharp. What are you using for your hill structure? MDF, foam... I don't think I've seen a WIP post where you are building things.
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We have some of the clear plastic sheets DF sells to add a “watery” surface, we just need to find the right thing to put it on. We are debating getting some water texture trays when the Wildlands backerkit opens again.
The hills are foam. I really should do more WIP posts but generally focus on completed projects.
Such as my latest Napoleonics... er I mean Tainted Splendor figures. More information on my Tainted Splendor (working title) project in the thread below.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=129427.msg1641314#msg1641314
This is basically my Napoleonic Gothic Horror blah blah project.
My latest blog entry here... including photos of our new DF castle... thanks Tom!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/02/09/tarnished-splendor/
As always feedback welcome!
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Left a little longer comment on the blog, but I like Tarnished Splendor quite a bit!
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I like the project so far. Particularly that there are scientific explanations for "magic" as it were. It reminds me of the Arthur C. Clarke Three Laws "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
In a roundabout way, it also reminds me a bit of the common theme in Rick and Morty wherein Rick understands the universe, and science behind it, while Morty is in awe of everything that happens to him. Either way, there is always an explanation through science even if we just don't understand what it is and stand around with our jaws dropped.
That castle is a hefty piece of real estate. For the LOTR campaign or will it do double duty in your new Tainted Splendor world as well?
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It is my real world views creeping through I suppose. I believe their is a scientific explanation for everything but that does not necessarily make things less wonderful. The more I read of the 7th Sea background though, the more I am tempted to refine this a bit and instead of my original “dispelling magic” maybe we go with “dispelling the superstition around magic” and making things like Porte “magic” a branch of science.
I want to avoid using the “Not-Puritan” Realists plot concept for my new vision of Montaigne. They believe magic is not real and is a dangerous form of mass hypnosis. An interesting addition to the 7th Sea game world but I do not want to take that plot away from them.
The only way we could justify the expense of the castle was to make sure it was for more than just Middle Earth, so expect to see castle pieces used in Tarnished Splendor.
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The progress for the past week...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/02/16/so-much-to-do-so-little-time/
As always, feedback is an appreciated gift.
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The jungle bases look fantastic - great work there!
I also like the way you have done the Uruk Hai. Limited palette, but very effective.
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Thanks for the kind words!
Looking at stills from the movie compared to GW marketing photos, there is quite a difference but screen accurate is very hard to replicate at 28mm and not look like a dark blob. So I tried to find a happy medium between the two. It is nice to hear when someone thinks my painting works.
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Really nice jungle/forest tiles!
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My thoughts with the GW bases: either grass/flock them, or give them a few more hits with a dry brush trying to match colors to other pieces. I don't think they are awful, but I do think they could look better without a ton of energy.
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Very nice work here.
The white face paint on the Uruk is well done.
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Thanks for the kind words folks, they always help motivate me.
I am almost done with the modifications my wife suggested for the Citadel forest base.
The handprint is one I redid, the one from the original owner was not quite right. The various handprints I have done on the Uruk-Hai have been hit and miss, with some much better than others. The biggest mistake I think folks often make is making them far too big (EDIT: Although, to be fair the film does have some examples of Uruks with larger than hand sized stylized “white hand” markings on them). My biggest... pardon the pun....mistake tends to be not getting the spread of fingers right. The handprints are important to me to try to make individual models more identifiable, although the movies seem quite happy with makin them look like fairly uniform clones.
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Good work on those jungle bases. Very nice.
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Thanks mate!
As you can see I designed them to work with the old Citadel grass mat we have.
But I am not a huge fan of that shade of green.
It is a very practical mat but aesthetically it just is not doing it for me and my wife. She thinks we should keep it and the jungle terrain whereas I think we should just use the swamp terrain we have coming from the Dwarven Forge Wildlands Kickstarter.
We just added some trays (small mats with a metal plate in them) and mats to our pledge. Since the swamp trays will not have the glossy “water” application permanently applied, I am thinking it can serve as both wet swamp and dry jungle.... especially if we use the more “exotic” plants we are getting that my wife is not a big fan of for her Middle Earth swamps.
Transitioning over to increasingly more Dwarven Forge terrain has been challenging in more ways than one. Expensive, difficult to source and requiring a little additional painting to suit my tastes but we feel ultimately worth it. We will have to wait and see what tables we can build.
There should be a blog entry soon about our Dwarven Forge progress.
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Looking forward to seeing what you come up with, Rick. I love the look of the Dwarven Forge stuff, but man is it pricey. Still, if you eased into it over time I don't think it would be a huge issue. My problem is with easing into anything over time. I want a 20x40' table full of terrain yesterday lol
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I hear you! Truth is, I am not one-off moderation when it comes to my hobbies so yeah, I want enough to fill our 6x4 table. But we have to pace ourselves... as I keep telling myself. There is very little Dwarven Forge makes that we do not like, although we like some of it more than other bits of it.
And we intend to use the more cost effective Dungeons and Lasers pieces for dungeons.
Our mate Tom helped make it affordable to get started but yeah it has gotten rather expensive. If we did not have unused holiday money to reallocate we would not be getting the things we are getting. I guess you could say our next holiday will be to our 28mm fantasy forest.
The weekly update blog post is finished... not much on Dwarven Forge but lots of other things to talk about and show, such as the Citadel forest we have been working on.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/02/22/so-many-projects-so-much-to-talk-about/
As always, feedback is appreciated.
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That Citadel wood looks fantastic. Well done to you and Anja - you've almost made me want one! I say almost because I did actually have one once but it was just too delicate for my storage options. The foliage would often snap off or even bits of branch.
I think it would fit in really well with the Dreadhollow stuff with the way you've painted it. Great work.
Nice job on the broken tree too. I hope the layer lines aren't too obvious. I gave it a somewhat thick spray primer to try to fill the layer lines a bit, I hope it hasn't taken away from any of the details.
I'm looking forward to seeing you post about your new DF sets when they arrive. I'm very very tempted by the Plaguestone Cavernous Alchemy Lab myself, but I don't use a lot of my current DF stuff anyway at the moment due to covid (not a lot of gaming happening in general) so I keep talking myself out of it.
La Revolution looks interesting, I'll add that to my list of historical fantasy to watch (alongside Kingdom).
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Thanks mate! It is a bit fragile, especially compared to the Dwarven Forge stuff but we like how it came out and we got it for considerably less than what Dwarven Forge trees cost.
The tree you printed for us was a bit challenging in regards to drybrushing due to the print lines but no, none of the details were masked by your priming. Our usual techniques are just not the best for 3d printed pieces so we have to learn some new ones.
We wanted the cavernous lab but could not afford it, so instead we ordered some of the interior bits rather than the whole set. Our order should be with us any day now and I will do a blog entry about it when it arrives.
I tried a couple of times to get into Kingdom, since it comes so highly recommended, but just was not able to.
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The trees look better, for sure. Remind me, were the trees pre-painted?
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No, the trees were painted from scratch by my wife. If you look close you can see she used some branches and leaves from the original kit and some from the newer forest by Citadel. We have another set of the older forest and a set of the newer forest ( the ones without the base) to do yet. One set of the older forest we found as old stock on sale at a hobby shop, the others were won on eBay if I remember correctly. All unpainted and unassembled. Both can usually be found on eBay but tend to go for more than we are willing to pay.
We have looked at other options, like Schleich for example but again these do not tend to go cheap on eBay, even in fairly beat up used condition.
That said we are going to try some Toyvian trees to see if they are decent quality despite the budget price.
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The tree bases look much better. Good job on the fallen leaves. Be interested to see a picture with it beside the Dwarven Forge Dreadhollow stuff. Does it blend in better, now?
And, yeah, that color combination on the dice looks great!
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I think it blends in better but it may need more work.
More information can be found on the longest blog post I have written so far. Numerous photos with comparisons and observations, including some detail painting I have done.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/02/25/dwarven-forged/
As always feedback is encouraged.
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It looks like it could use some lightning up. The DF stuff has a higher contrast between the highlights and recesses. By comparison, I think the GW piece looks monotone. I'd just try hitting it with some lighter dry brush highlights to see if you can pull the two items closer, visually.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
Getting the drybrushing on it just right has been more challenging than I expected.
I suggested to my wife that she may want to add some brown dirt patches to break it up as well but I think it is the edge of the forest base that is the real problem.
Perhaps paint it brown and wash it the same as the bases for the figures?
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I would imagine painting the edge brown would cause it to stand out more. If it were me, I'd probably opt for getting the right color for dry brushing, and then sponge painting the edge, or stippling with a brush to bring the dry brushed color down the sides to help blend it. Since it appears like the edges are pretty flat, I would think a minimal amount of being careful would be needed and the process should go quickly once you find the right colors to blend it all together.
In regards to painting some browns on the base, I can see that the DF pieces have a little bit of dirt showing, but then I think you get back to a second color matching issue (perhaps).
I found this topic on the DF forums that talked about matching unpainted DF pieces to the factory-painted bits. I suppose this would help to tie other pieces in as well.
https://www.dwarvenforge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11356 (https://www.dwarvenforge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11356)
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I like that stippling idea. I have experimented with using some foam to stipple paint before with mixed results but yeah, that could work.
And thanks for the link, I will go have a look now.
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Excellent haul Rick! I think they look great and love the versatility (but can’t even consider them with the existing lead mountain in its current state- I often have to re-explain why I need 6 mighty fortresses to my wife). Your wife is right to be disheartened at the mould lines - it’s just plain lazy by the creators and could have been easily dealt with before painting but will now be a hassle. Are DF contactable? Could you get them to divulge a list of colours used? If not the best way to match the pieces (using the stippling suggested by CookAndrewB) would be to add colour to both pieces to get uniformity across them both. More work though :D
I like that Fallout board and it reminds me of a childhood gaming board my dad made for me. It looked like a multi-storey car park with the ground floor and three levels above. They stacked with corner columns and had stairs and lifts cut into them. It was for the forerunner to Necromunda which was called Confrontation and published in White Dwarf. It was very versatile and got a lot of use (mainly solo) before it’s sad unintentional abandonment in a house move.
Keep up the great work,
BALM
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DF have their own brand of paints but I think there is a chart somewhere online that I have seen giving comparisons from their colors to other brands. There are also numerous posts, photos and videos online to help with color matching unpainted DF pieces to the factory paint. It was all a little overwhelming when I was researching it.
It really comes down to balancing demands on my free time.
House moves are a nightmare, I loathe them.
Thanks for the kind words and continuing encouragement.
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Good luck with the house move, Rick.
I did notice some "this paint = DF paint" types of equivalents when I was looking around. Mostly this came in the form of video tutorials rather than any useful conversion charts, but I can respect that DF is trying to keep their paint proprietary.
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Thanks for the luck, I will take what I can get, but I am not moving... I was just empathizing with BALM and his house move caused loss!
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Oh... I'm a bit slow on the uptake these days. Big work project. I feel like it is making me dumber by the minute.
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No stress mate. I know the feeling.
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Our latest progress report...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/03/05/some-of-this-some-of-that/
As always we would love to hear your thoughts!
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Hey, buddy,
I think I'll put a few comments on your blog, too, but wanted to say here that the orcs look really nice.
The DF stuff looks OK, too, though the difference in the base green does still give it kind of a patchwork appearance. That's probably just me, though. Your long post on DF had me thinking about doing the same. But while your enthusiasm has been building, mine has been fading. Not for the pieces I have, but for their direction. I do like the people and I'm glad they seem to be doing well, and I don't like to be negative.
I'd be interested in knowing how your Wildlands pieces do during an actual game. Particularly the banks, which blend the trerrain to the mat well but still seem to be a bit of un-useable space? Maybe that's just me and my unbased 25mm dudes! lol
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Fair point about those sloped banks being tipping hazards! I had not considered that. You are right, we need some games on the terrain to experience things like that. I was just writing about the stepped Minecraft look of the mountain pieces and that it may impact the look, it helps avoid tipping hazards. There always seems to be a balancing act, pardon the pun, of gameplay versus simulation.
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Your Dreadhollow Forest repaints look really great. I have a Dreadhollow cave entrance tile that came in the old paint scheme as well but I'm planning on trying to 'tone it down' (as it were) to match the new style of painting. I really like your autumn leaves scheme though, it really highlights how incredibly detailed the DF pieces are!
Those bank pieces are really cool. After seeing your blog post I considered getting some from DF but it looks like they're out of stock already - they don't seem to be very good at keeping their products consistently in stock. I guess that's what happens when you have a product line that's hand-painted though?
Personally I quite like that cardboard ship, I don't think it looks bad at all. But I think the problem occurs when you mix & match elements. I think your upcoming Reaper galleon and Blood & Plunder sloops would really show them up. I had some Battle Systems card terrain for a while but I kept trying to use it with true 3D terrain and it just looked awkward next to it. All or nothing, I say!
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Thanks mate, I really appreciate hearing that. I am always a bit insecure about my painting, no matter how cocky or pretentious I may come across to folks reading what I write online.
I can understand “toning it down” to go with new DF style. It should be easier to match to other things that way, not just DF.
As for DF stocking issues, I have no idea but it is one of the frustrations. We really wanted more Dreadhollow trees but at this stage we are hoping we pledged for enough Wildlands trees. I am experimenting with some “toys trees” as well. Photos soon hopefully. Getting the leaves to a point I am happy with has been more difficult than I expected. And my attempt to add some weight to them by putting metal shavings inside their bases has been challenging.
Your point about mixing ship types is my biggest concern with the idea of getting some.
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This week’s update... a bit late!
It has been a tough week.
Not a lot finished but a lot to talk about on the blog... feel free to reply here or on the blog itself if you have anything to say in regards to what I have written about.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/03/16/a-tough-week/
I would love to hear your thoughts!
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That DF setup is brilliant - really good use of the pieces to get an interesting cavern layout. The Citadel trees in the woodland area really fit in as well. They're a different shade to the DF ones of course but I think they fit in with the general colour palette well.
I'm not sure I like the rocky banks on the woodland tile, but I assume that's just a result of not having enough pieces for what you were going for. Was this just a test setup or will it be used for any games? You could always do a one-off skirmish if you have specific designs in mind for the cave drake encounter? Maybe test out some Tarnished Splendour rules & models?
Of the road ideas you've tried out I actually really like the mountain terrain tray with fieldstone walls one. The transition banks could be used in between some wall sections as a path into the woodland, which would save on the amount of banks you require. The terrain trays themselves are still expensive though.
Where did you hear about the Wildlands issues by the way? I had a look but couldn't see anything on the official DF forums - but I might have been looking in the wrong place. They have too many sub-forums in my opinion!
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Yeah, the ledges are not the best but better than nothing. We need more banks. Even though we have a bunch coming with our Wildlands Kickstarter I do not think they will be enough. This DF stuff is highly addictive!
The subforums are a pain to navigate. There are a couple of discussions in different places that are relevant but this is a place to start.
https://www.dwarvenforge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&p=194904#p194904
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And another weekly update. Hopefully folks here are getting something useful out of my blog posts.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/03/26/another-tough-week/
This week I focused on painting Dwarven Forge and some “budget” toy trees.
EDIT: Also, we are selling off our spaceship combat project materials... so a whole lot of TT Combat Dropfleet Commander stuff and some 2up models from the TT Combat Stellaris Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ttcfm2/stellaris-the-ether-drake/description
We would love to trade for anything Dwarven Forge... help feed our addiction! Middle Earth, Pirate and Napoleonic items also considered.
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I like your work on those trees from Amazon. They look really good, and I'm tempted to try them, but the last thing I need is to invest more time in something to fix it. Still too much terrain and too many figs to paint and play with.
I like the look of those Stellaris models, really atmospheric. But alas, I am holding on to all my DF, and i don't have the space for those guys anyway. Hope you get a positive response on trading, though, here or on the DF forums.
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Thanks for the kind words mate! Much appreciated.
I spent WAY too much time on those Toyvania trees but I am pleased with how they look now and they are incredibly durable. It was an interesting experiment to learn from.
Selling all our spaceship combat stuff is a hard choice to make but we need to focus, we just do not have enough time, money and space for everything we like. We ended up with a lot more Dropfleet stuff than we realized. We sold off our PHR stuff awhile back on eBay.... it did not make a lot of money, so ideally we would prefer to trade with someone looking to avoid eBay for things that would help our ongoing projects.
We have a few post-apoc things kicking around as well.
And some Early Imperial Roman stuff.
There just is never enough time....
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I have a set of those trees from Amazon. I think they look good for the very low price. I really didn't think they took much effort to fix up. Mixed in among my other trees they just look like a forest with diversity, which works for me. I did also take the time to boil them and bend them into shape so that the canopy spread a bit better. A worthwhile extra step I think.
Did you look at any of the larger-sized trees?
The DF terrain looks great. That is exactly the kind of terrain I always wanted while playing D&D!
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I had thought I had enough of painting the leaves on those Toyvian trees but decided that they looked good enough to get a set of two medium (although these are marked with a different maker, Stobok) and the one large one. Certainly worth the effort and not that challenging but tediously time consuming when I have entirely too many other things to be working on. In hindsight I should have bent the branches on the trunks further in order to get a better spread.
It feels like everything is taking a very long time, from waiting for Kickstarter fulfillment to getting things painted up so we can play. And my son’s school being closed has really cut down my painting free time.
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Bending the branches really had more impact on the taller trees. With the short trees, the foliage wraps partly around anyway. It gets more noticeable that the canopy is on two sides of the tree in the medium and large versions. It is easy to fix though. I think I only dipped them in boiling water for ten seconds, pulled them out, twisted them, and held them in place while running cold water over them for another 20 seconds. They rebounded a little bit but held 80% of the twist. So don't be afraid to go a little further than you think you want.
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Ahhhh, great advice... thanks for that!
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Great post as usual! I'm enjoying seeing how you're modifying your DF scenery to match your vision for your projects. It'll be interesting to see how your miniatures look on the tiles.
My concern with lots of (highlighted) moulded detail is that it might make it too visually 'muddy' and become difficult to see the miniatures when you're playing. Our brains are good at seeing human(oid) silhouettes, but we usually adopt a birds eye view of the battlefield, so the units need to stand out from the terrain in some way.
Really looking forward to seeing more of your 7th Sea/Tarnished Splendour project. Sharpe + X-Files sounds like exactly my cup of tea.
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Wonderful work on those trees!
I've never really been on-board with the foliage clumps generally used; to me, they are not to scale with 'our' 28mm. At that scale, one expects to see individual leaves after all.
This is the reason I once splurged for several months on any Britains Trees lot on Ebay that I could find. They have marvelously detailed leaves and branches, which can be assembled in a huge range of configurations, making every tree feel unique.
Plus; they're durable as frak, with no foliage dropping off whenever they're handled. So kudos to you for doing the same (with a different brand); they look great and will no doubt survive any battle they have the misfortune of standing in... :)
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Thanks folks, I really appreciate the kind words.
We will have to see if the minis get lost in the clutter... but I think much of the table will be game mat rather than forest tile. Certainly for the Sharp Practice part of Tarnished Splendor.
Thanks for the tip on trees Daeothar... I will look into Britains Trees for some more diversity.
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Great post as usual! I'm enjoying seeing how you're modifying your DF scenery to match your vision for your projects. It'll be interesting to see how your miniatures look on the tiles.
My concern with lots of (highlighted) moulded detail is that it might make it too visually 'muddy' and become difficult to see the miniatures when you're playing. Our brains are good at seeing human(oid) silhouettes, but we usually adopt a birds eye view of the battlefield, so the units need to stand out from the terrain in some way.
Really looking forward to seeing more of your 7th Sea/Tarnished Splendour project. Sharpe + X-Files sounds like exactly my cup of tea.
This was exactly my concern when painting my Dwarven Forge dungeon terrain from KS1, so I left off the Stone Edge Highlight paint. My dungeon tiles are darker than factory-painted, but the figures do stand out against them. My cavern pieces, though, I used the Cavern Dry Brush and because it is a light color, the figures do sometimes get lost in the background while photographing them.
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Well, found some of those Britains Trees on German eBay but not cheap... so I will pass on them for now and keep my eyes open for a good deal on some.
If our minis get lost in the busy details... I can always add additional wash or just repaint. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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A bit delayed but another weekly update.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/09/a-busy-holiday/
With just a little work I took factory painted Pegasus Hobbies walls to the next level.... when we got them my wife said, “Prepainted? Great, we can use them as is.” She was skeptical of my plan to “product improve” them. However the end result convinced her. Only 24 more walls to go now...
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I am guessing my weekly progress reports are not as entertaining as my battle reports...
One of the reasons I keep going on and on about Dwarven Forge is that I wish I had tried it out sooner. I was put off by the reputation of cost and limited application. However, there is a lot to be said for, “buy right, buy once”.
Yeah I know, no one preaches like the converted.
And really it is the woodland terrain of Dreadhollow that has changed my views on DF. Once Wildlands arrives I think it may see a revolution in 28mm wargaming, especially skirmish games.
It is so durable and so versatile. Yes, it is expensive but it will literally last a lifetime of Kids, rough handling, getting wet and being dropped. It breaks down forecast storage. It is heavy but the breakdown storage and durability makes transport a breeze for convention games.
You can cut expense by buying unpainted. The reputation for being difficult to paint has not proven to be true to me. I just avoid using a spray on primer.
You have to like the aesthetics of the sculpting, admittedly they will not be for everyone, but I am so surprised to not see more DF pieces in photos here on LAF.
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Those stone walls are brilliant! You've really improved them. The dungeon tiles are much improved as well. A splash of contrasting colour goes a long way.
I have to agree on the DF terrain being so durable and versatile. The only downside for me is their modular nature. I'd actually prefer less modular set pieces, although then they'd be harder to store. The more modular something is, the longer it takes to set up - and that's a big downside for me. That was my chief concern with the castle, although a lot of that depends on how you've stored it.
The terrain trays really help with that though. I've only used my DF terrain very occasionally with RPGs (I generally prefer 'theatre of the mind' style of play) but when I have, I've been able to set up the dungeon rooms beforehand on the trays and then get them out instantly when needed for the adventure. It's minimum fuss and looks very impressive. I'm also surprised at the lack of DF usage on the Lead Adventure Forum, but I think that's probably due to the general wargamer preference of outdoor terrain, which DF never really offered before.
I think the hills, stand-alone trees and other 'scatter' terrain of DF will really go down well once Wildlands hits the stores. My few Dreadhollow trees are already one of the best purchases I've ever made from DF - I never have to worry about how they're stored or if they get knocked off the table, unlike with my old Citadel trees (which looked lovely, but constantly needed repair).
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I like the terrain and hobby updates. The battle reports are fine, but I just like to see what others are working on.
The wall upgrade was worth it.
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Thanks for the replies folks, sometimes it feels like I am talking to empty air when no one makes a reply.
Kind words are always appreciated of course but I also like hearing what others think about issues I bring up... even when folks disagree with me!
We still need to come up with a plan to store the castle. Right now it is still set up as a display at the end of our gaming table since we have not been gaming... but it will be distracting once we get some games going again. I was thinking maybe using it as display pieces behind other pieces in our big cabinets.
You make some excellent points Tom.
And I hope you are right about DF catching on more with Wildlands. Availability will of course probably still be something of an issue though.
Andrew, I am glad to hear you enjoy the progress reports. I know they are not as exciting as narrative driven battle reports.
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More exciting than battle reports for me. I'm not generally familiar with the rule sets you use, and I'm not really a big fantasy wargamer. I have a very small fantasy project I was excited about for 15 minutes, and then I went back to my sci-fi and post-apoc projects, which I'm much more wedded to.
So your terrain work has far more bearing on my hobby than the battle reports. Particularly pieces that are more genre and scale agnostic. Your trees and wilderness builds, as well as your new walls. That kind of thing.
To each his own. lol
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Would a breakdown on how I do the walls be helpful to anyone?
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Would a breakdown on how I do the walls be helpful to anyone?
Definitely yes!
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Would a breakdown on how I do the walls be helpful to anyone?
Absolutely!
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I never pass on a tutorial of any kind. Even if I know how to do something, I inevitably find that someone else does it in fewer steps, or one more step looks ten times as good as my method. Never stop learning!
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Ok folks, it will not be the very next blog post but it will be soon.
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Sorry for the delay, another progress report...
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/21/ups-and-downs/
... with a good bit of news, some controversial views, and hopefully a few laughs.
Please feel free to comment here or on the blog. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read what I write and enjoy hearing what other folks think... even when they disagree with me!
I am hoping to have a decent write up of how I modify the Pegasus Hobbies walls in my next blog entry.
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Hey, happy birthday! That looked like a nice loot haul!
In regards to Russian purchases too good to be true, I have had similar experiences with a couple of Russian companies. Sci-fi stuff mostly in the vein of "not WH40K" or "Not Battletech" but I've had nothing but great success ordering from small businesses over there. I tend to like bright and colorful and loathe a grim-dark approach to world-building. So the paint jobs just look stunning to me. Not cartoonish, and I think they pop out well against your gaming mat.
Are those Pegasus pieces cast or printed?
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I wouldn't worry about people not commenting, I still check out this every time there's a new post. Some of us are just doing it at work with no time to comment but still enjoying the content lol
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Thanks, Andrew! I was very fortunate with that haul. We really love the sculpting and painting on those Russian pieces from Gabrigame Workshop. I can not recommend them highly enough.
The Pegasus pieces are cast. There will be plenty of close up photos in the next blog post.
Ah, that is good to know Colonel. It really makes the time spent posting feel better spent when I know people are enjoying what I post. That said, I also like hearing where I can make improvements.
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Happy birthday!
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And about Love and Monstars (as I watched it on the weekend): I liked it, but it feels like a missed opprotunity. The world, the setting and the humor were very nice, I liked the characters too, but it wanted to show too much. The journey(s) were lashed-together clips of happenings without the feeling for time. It would have worked much better in 2 parts, or even better in a series...
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Thanks BZ! My wife and I both agree, a missed opportunity. Mrs. GG was taken by surprise about halfway through to find out it was a single movie rather than a series. We wanted so much more from it.
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How do you want to use those translucent Reaper miniatures? I have some of them too, and for me was a really easy method working pretty good: just drybrushed them a bit. Because of the translucency, the details are not really visible, but the light drybrushing helps to amplify them a lot while still remaining translucent. The only problemy is, that they got sticky over time... Maybe I shoup bursh-varnish them.
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Hey, Rick some interesting food for thought on your post. I'll comment there shortly, but just wanted to say here that I always enjoy all that you post, even when I don't run my mouth. I should - I think we all appreciate comments.
I will add that I can't wait to see you guys start your gaming campaigns. I enjoy art, and I enjoy gaming sausage being made, but I personally love battle reports best. Very curious to see what form y'alls' takes.
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The translucent pieces are all for our Tarnished Splendor project, so various magical horror beasties.
I had considered drybrushing but was unsure as I have not seen others doing it. What colors did you use?
Time is a precious gift, I always appreciate when someone takes the time to interact with me! If people think about what I write, that makes me very happy.
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I used first a similar, but lighter color, than the original one, and an (almost) white after it:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/49/16223-231120065406.jpeg)
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Excellent! I will try that.
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I liked Love and Monsters, but generally got the feeling that they were setting up a sequel. At least that was the feeling I got regarding why the ending looked the way that it did. While the travel from the original bunker to the beachside cave was basically short clips along the way, it worked for me as a montage. Maybe not quite as rapid-fire as a Rocky training montage, but I didn't mind it. Overall I found the entire production pretty charming. It felt a little like the Wasteland Survival Guide quest from Fallout 3.
In general, I've come to accept that editing probably does more to create plot holes than poor writing. I almost always watch a movie and think "I would like to know more about this... I wonder if there is a book I can read." I don't expect the kind of deep attention to detail that people seem to hope for. It's a movie, and it is meant to be beautiful to behold. If it gets that far, I'm pretty happy. If you want a Frank Herbert level of intertwined plots and intrigue, you gotta hit up the book (Dune, obviously). I like Dune (the book) and Dune (the first movie) for entirely different reasons, and both are valid in my world.
If you liked Love and Monsters, I would also suggest The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. It was a bit like Ferris Bueller, Groundhog Day, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had a baby. As a guy that doesn't care much for romantic movies, I found it very charming.
As for the Pegasus pieces, I wasn't sure if they had 3d printed pieces or not. I know you hate print lines, but I have seen some really good 3d printed terrain. I've been running my 3d printer non-stop since xmas and absolutely love it. Often, it outperforms my expectations.
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Thanks for the heads up on that movie. I like the patent movies you mentioned so it should be just my kind of thing.
I have to break a promise... my next blog entry was going to be the walls but Hagglethorn Hollow has taken priority....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/23/hagglethorn-hollow-arrives-sort-of/
More tomorrow as we received emails to say two more boxes are scheduled for tomorrow.
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And here is part 2....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/24/hagglethorn-hollow-part-2/
I would love to hear what folks think!
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I haven't read part 2 yet but I'm sorry to see the Hagglethorn Hollow scenery doesn't meet your expectations! The badly cast sections are a bigger inconvenience than the badly painted sections in my opinion. Obviously it's not what you paid for but at least you can make your mark on the scenery and make it unique with a few extra touches of paint.
I'll have a read of part 2 tonight and see how the saga continues!
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We still feel it is a 7 out of 10 quality wise (9 out of 10 on the concept though) but considering how little we paid in post-campaign costs the price was... generous. Very generous.
And yes, we can make our own mark on it. We will have to wait and see what folks think because it is joining a very long “to do” list!
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Finally got to how I modify those walls....
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/26/walls-yes-walls-and-more/
Also, my opinion of Monster Fight Club bushes (TLDR I like them).
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I'm not sure what you paid for the Hagglethorn Hollow stuff, but it looks good. Better than I thought it would when you started the first of two posts. It might need some touching up, but if the painted goods got you most of the way there, I think it is a win. Chances are good that no matter what the circumstances, you would need to do some work to pull it back to center with the rest of the world you have going.
Thanks for the wall tutorial too. I have to say that was a more involved process than I was originally envisioning!
As for the politics in gaming rant... I think sometimes games are just games. Maybe if they go sideways you have to look inside yourself to figure out whether that is the game, or the lump of meat in your skull, that is causing things to be dark.
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I seem to recall with postage and add ons we spent just under 1k in Euros.
Politics, philosophy or painting.... if I am involved it is rarely simple.
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And my latest blog entry.... focusing largely on Dungeons and Lasers from Archon Studios.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/04/29/the-backlog-grows/
With some discussion of morality, ethics and politics in gaming.... if you are into that kind of thing.
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Dungeons and lasers is a great concept, I didnt backed it, because I usually build my terrain from scratch. But the modularity is awesome, and the price is also fair.
Im very corius about the dragons! I really-really like them.
Shadow and Bone is on my list, but Im a bit afraid from it being too teen-series. But I will definitely take a look in it.
I never played D&D but for me, the question of ethics in it looks like this:
- Good: Mercy for an eye
- Neutral: An eye for an eye
- Evil: All the eyes for en eye
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I assure you that Shadow and Bone is not very “teen”.
We seem to agree on D&L as well as alignment. I like your example.
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Politics, philosophy or painting.... if I am involved it is rarely simple.
I think this illustrates my point. We bring ourselves to the table, and our gaming is colored by far more than the rules and ideas of the creator. Honestly, I don't think my gaming is very influenced by Gary Gygax. That gives him too much power and takes away my responsibility for the character I play or the world I create. Plus, when I started into D&D I had pretty crappy reading comprehension and I think any political innuendo was lost on me. I don't think any of us played as humans because then we wouldn't have cool traits like night vision, or improved dexterity. If anything, my lesson was that being human was mundane and average. If I'm going to role play I don't want to be me ;D If I ever played an evil character it was because I wanted to wear black plate mail and have a helmet with bat wings. In my kid brain, you couldn't pull that off being lawful good. lol
The D&L Kickstarter looks fun. I think I'm pretty set on not getting into these things. I have a couple of terrain sets that I bought, and if I back anything else it will be from a particular vendor. Also, at some point, I think you will have enough terrain to fill a 20x20' table if you keep it up lol
I listened to a radio interview with the Shadow and Bone author this weekend. I think the concept sounds interesting. I discontinued my Netflix service as a way to save some cash, but when I turn it on (and likely Hulu or HBO off) again I'll definitely check this out. That, Cobra Kai, and Stranger things.
I'm looking forward to watching you work your way through the painting backlog with all that terrain. It seemed to go from famine, to feast, to being force-fed three holiday meals back to back!
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As a larper in Europe who has organized a pretty big international group for a few years, it was interesting to see how D&D and WoW influenced American larders compared to Non-Americans with no experience in those games. That includes comparing US to UK larders and bearing in mind there are always exceptions to any generalization.
Another example is how my wife, with no wargaming or D&D experience tried to find a non-violent role playing solution as her Elven party in our first serious game of MESBG Battle Companies.... because her experiences in DSA (a German game similar to D&D) as a teen taught her the value of non-violent conflict resolution that was missing from the original AD&D.
Games, movies and books can influence people more than they realize. More than the creators sometimes realize. I do not think Gygax meant any ill in designing D&D but he did help establish a game that rewarded killing over non-violent conflict resolution. Power revolving around wealth and lethality. I can not help but wonder how Monty Haul campaigns and Murder Hobo role playing has influenced some young people and their values.
I have only seen part of the first season of Cobra Kai. It was ok but I have told it gets better.
Stranger Things was amazing. I loved it. But then I am a sucker for 80’s nostalgia.
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I assure you that Shadow and Bone is not very “teen”.
Just finished the first part. Except the usual Netflix illness (main characters are too young and too pretty), its looking good. And it has hungarian audio, which means, I can watch it tired :).
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Interesting posts fellas; a couple of years ago I got involved in a murderhobo Pathfinder campaign,lasted one night. Coming from a Runequest background frankly it was weird. The funny thing was that all the player characters (including me) pretty much followed their true to life characters .
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I do not think Gygax meant any ill in designing D&D but he did help establish a game that rewarded killing over non-violent conflict resolution. Power revolving around wealth and lethality.
That's because D&D evolved from an historical miniatures wargame. Gygax and group were playing medieval historical miniatures, and being geeks influenced by Tolkien, Howard, Lieber, etc., they thought -- hey wouldn't it be cool if a dragon attacked the castle -- or maybe we could play the Battle of Pellanor Fields! And so they created Chainmail as a fantasy wargame. From there they said, hey, wouldn't it be cool if we did something smaller, like Conan and his crew in the Temple fighting that giant snake! Thus was D&D born. Given its wargame roots character progression was originally based on concrete actions - killed something, got something, etc. Since then a whole range of games have evolved with differing designs and game philosophies, and D&D itself has evolved as well. And as a GM you can make the game what you want -- and on topic, the Adventures in Middle Earth 5e game is heavy on journeying and goal accomplishment instead of just killing stuff. Cubicle 7 lost the release license, but you can still find the books and they are gorgeous! The original designers who did The One Ring have the rights back, and they just did a very successful KS for The One Ring 2e with fantastic production value and creativity. Looking forward to my set towards the end of the year.
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I'm unfamiliar with the "murder hobo" idea. I infer this means the players are a roving band of "kill everything" characters who are not tethered to a castle or a town?
My own experience with D&D showed that there is a lot of value in non-combat activity. Sneaking and lock picking were probably the most obvious tasks (gotta burgle that gold!) but my friends and I had lots of fun trying to sway a local baron to fund our dungeon delve by way of charismatic tests, and lord knows it was great fun to make everyone attempt to jump over a pit trap. Yes, we hacked and slashed our way through skeletons, but what else would you do? They aren't good listeners.
I don't remember worrying about XP too much. We seemed to give ourselves levels willy-nilly or just start characters at level 30 if we felt like it. You really couldn't cast fun spells at level 1, so we rarely started at the very beginning. ::)
Maybe we were an oddity in the gaming community, but then we only ever played these games together. When, as an adult, I played D&D with others I found a wide range of playing styles. Some players even played "conscientious objectors" and only provided assistance to teammates without engaging in direct combat. I played a dwarf who grew up a simple miner in the family mine and suffered from dizzy spells if he was out under the open sky as he found the expanse very unsettling. So I would try to keep him under rooftops or trees and purposefully bungle about if I was forced into the town square, for instance. Role-playing isn't supposed to be a button-mash game like Diablo or WoW. If combat is the only thing, then I think video games are a much more satisfying way to accomplish that experience.
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Role-playing isn't supposed to be a button-mash game like Diablo or WoW. If combat is the only thing, then I think video games are a much more satisfying way to accomplish that experience.
Totally agree. The Talomir Tales system from Two Hour Wargames has a lot of non-combat encounters that require NPC interactions and skill tests to meet your goals. But then most of it really depends on the GM and group style - any system can be used for non-combat roleplaying.
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Like most games, players have a way of utilizing D&D the way the want and not always the way the game designer intended.
Mrs. GG and I heavily backed the new One Ring RPG. We have the first addition books except for the core rule book, which unlike the other books we could never find a good deal on. We are keen to use the first edition source books with the second edition. There are many interesting game mechanics, as you mentioned SBMiniaturesGuy, in the One Ring that are far removed original AD&D... but I have to admit I have no idea what 5th edition D&D is like.
I am currently trying to get my head around morality and ethics in John Wick’s 7th Sea RPG (Second Edition).
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I have to admit I have no idea what 5th edition D&D is like
5th edition has evolved into something like the 3.5 OGL model, very flexible - though unless you adopt some optional rules it seems that most combat won't be particularly lethal to your PCs.
I am currently trying to get my head around morality and ethics in John Wick’s 7th Sea RPG (Second Edition).
I played 7th Sea 1e a long time ago -- thrown off by the name John Wick, 'cause now I'm picturing Keanu Reeves in a pirate costume mowing down enemies while the lead villain yells at his son, "You stole his ship and killed his parrot! You killed his f&!*!@(!( Parrot!!"
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I had a similar idea when I read John Wick. lol You really don't want to kill that guy's parrot.
Also... morality in pirate games? That seems like a bit of an oxymoron. Like honor among thieves.
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7th Sea sets itself up as a game of Hollywood style swashbuckling with heroic pirate PCs rather than a more historical reality.
https://www.robjustice.net/games/7th-sea/7th-sea-morality/
https://www.7thsea2e.com/port/blog/absolute-morality-disfigured-7th-sea
As you can see, there are mixed opinions about the morality system in 7th Sea.
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I think the morality of D&D and other roleplaying games is entirely down to the games master, RPGs - and miniature wargames as well - are often more sandbox rulesets which are meant to be tweaked. I know most editions of Warhammer often state that you should feel free to adjust rules as you wish to make it more entertaining for all players (and D&D 3E definitely states this too). As a result I've always gone for a 'theme is king' approach to my tabletop gaming.
If it makes sense to employ a solution outside of the norm then I definitely encourage it with the people I'm playing with. So in that sense you're imparting your own morality onto the game setting, rather than having the books dictate their morality to you. Diplomacy is something I always encourage in my wargaming and RPGs, and I love an unexpected resolution to a game.
Another example is how my wife, with no wargaming or D&D experience tried to find a non-violent role playing solution as her Elven party in our first serious game of MESBG Battle Companies.... because her experiences in DSA (a German game similar to D&D) as a teen taught her the value of non-violent conflict resolution that was missing from the original AD&D.
I think this is really interesting, and it would be great if a gamified non-violent option was available in such games. I've been making my own skirmish game as you're aware, Rick, and I really wanted there to be an option for diplomatic resolution to a situation, so it includes a stat which allows you to try to 'talk down' enemies. In terms of game mechanics it takes an action and is functionally very similar to just shooting an enemy (except they then hang around on the board as a neutral figure), but I think the thematic option it presents would be attractive to some players.
If a similar stat-based roll could be added to your Middle Earth games do you think it would add something? Perhaps missions could be constructed with multiple solutions (and differing rewards)? eg. If both sides agree not to fight, then they have to cooperate against a monstrous foe instead, which offers greater reward but also has a higher chance of permanent injury for your soldiers. Or you could have it where non-violent resolution of a battle triggers a morale test for some of your more hot-headed Battle Company members, and they might leave the company due to its 'loss of honour' for having a parley with the enemy, but as a counter point your less willful members gain more Influence than usual as they're filled with confidence for a hopeful future.
I think the best way to gamify a non-standard solution is to increase the risk/reward factor. If a player suggests something unusual then it should have a chance for a better than usual payoff, at the expense of being tougher to pull off, otherwise it will always be the optimal way to play and would be over-used. Combat is playing it cautious and keeping your guard up. Non-violent solutions are potentially letting your guard down, but have attractive benefits alongside the moral victory.
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I agree with your points Mirjeki.
Morality in games should be a consensus between the players and GM/DM/Umpire.
There was a mod for Fallout 4 that operated similar to your diplomatic resolution, if I remember correctly it was a charisma stat based intimidate skill which used shooting mechanics “behind the scenes” to determine success.
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I think it is easy enough to skew rewards (XP most specifically) towards non-combat actions. You could pretty easily award clever gameplay, or success using skills rather than kills. Even if killing were the order of the moment, you could employ some generous morale (not moral) tests for the opposing team to break ranks and flee. After all, I know of few groups of men who are truly willing to stand and die to the last when there are other options. Fleeing opponents could yield loot by way of dropping things and running.
It does seem silly to try and describe how being hacked at with a sword might result in "minor cuts and abrasions which leave you helpless."
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcfwe4xTH77w9FKDm2HF_rK_xVANB8QLTwPA&usqp=CAU)
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Here's the thing: in Advanced D&D - and even original D&D - you got more XP for treasure than you did killing foes. 1 XP for each gold piece. So if you were a first level fighter, you could kill 20 orcs in single combat, and still not be 25% of the way to second level. But if you acquired 2,000 gold pieces, you were now second level.
I was never crazy about that because it made more sense for a fighter to gain experience by actually fighting rather than stealing. And of course stealing is fairly low on the morality scale.
But from the earliest days of the hobby, finding alternative ways to acquiring treasure than fighting and killing all foes was encouraged, because combat could become deadly very fast. There were other ways to get the treasure, by guile or by trickery or negotiation.
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Both of you make excellent points.
Of course you can easily give XP for non-combat achievements but other than the gold example Mister Frau Blucher pointed out the rules did not necessarily teach you to do this.
Now the gold example is something I had forgotten and yes, fair point. You could get more XP robbing someone and letting them live to be robbed again tomorrow. But I do not recall the rules pointing that out.
D&D and AD&D were my gateway formalized role playing experiences. Whilst I am unfamiliar with 5e AD&D it sounds like it now addresses this but my point was more about what D&D was not what is today.
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I didn't explain as well as I should have. I meant that there was always other reasons besides killing to give out XP. Story Awards were are around long before they became codified in the second edition. They were discussed often over the years in Dragon Magazine. In Original D&D, where you were encouraged to "make the game your own," before everything became codified in AD&D, many campaigns gave out xp for role playing and achieving campaign goals. You can see this from the APA magazines being published at the time, some of which are available online. The Wild Hunt was a good example, but I'm not sure if it's still available online. Alarams and Excursions was another that showed how differently people played with XP. There were dozens of these fan-made zines back in the day.
The gold piece XP rule in AD&D is found in the section of the DMG on experience, page 85, right beside the xp for monsters killed table.
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You have a much better memory for the lore than me mate. I greatly respect that.
It would seem there were attempts to add incentives for non-combat that I do not remember. Maybe I am completely off base in my theory. I just do not remember non-combat XP rewards being highlighted in the original, despite a “make it your own game” sentiment.
Village of Hommlet, Keep on the Borderlands, Isle of Dread, Temple of Elemental Evil, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. The adventures I remember really focused on combat but that could have also been down to my DM’s. And it was a long time ago for a Gnome with a less than perfect memory.
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I think that some games we played as youths did devolve into little more than tabletop wargames. Rifts was a good example of that. I wanted to shoot something with my Glitterboy Boom gun. Mostly because it seemed overpowered and I wanted to turn weak enemies into pink mist. It is a little like mowing the lawn with a nuke, but my teenage mind was pretty sure that would be awesome too.
As an adult, I often lament that there are character stats that never/seldom get used. Charisma-type stats are often present, but actual use in a pre-made scenario is almost nil. In this way, I can agree that gaming often goes in the direction of the creator of the scenario. You can hardly "make it your own" when every encounter pits you against a skeleton or wolf. No point in trying to seduce them (has anyone ever REALLY thought of seduction in terms of gameplay? I'd cringe pretty hard if someone tried to roleplay a seduction), or persuade them. Maybe you could persuade a wolf by giving up some food, but then that feels like a more likely option in a choose your own adventure book than a pre-written scenario. Also, tossing a biscuit hardly requires charisma.
Since I play solo games, primarily, I am often looking for a rule set that allows me to play something other than straight combat. Sneaking down a corridor to hack a computer should be a better option than "kill all the guards" when the player's team is small and guard presence could very well be endless (Luke Skywalker on the Death Star). Give me chances to toss a pebble to distract a guard, or let me put two characters into an argument to pull attention away from a third who is sneaking through a fence. Charisma in that context may simply mean a "convincing act" as opposed to guards watching two dummies throwing clearly fake punches at each other.
That really leads me to an outcome mechanism that I use when solo gaming (pertinent as outcomes are a good way to reward XP) which is a simple "Yes/no/and/but" mechanic. Rather than straight success/failures I sometimes add "and" (additional consequence)/"but" (mitigating consequence) modifiers. So trying to hack a computer terminal might result in:
Yes (success) AND you also notice that this terminal can control local security doors.
Yes, BUT the computer snaps a picture of all who access it which leaves incriminating evidence behind. (Hello Mandalorian!)
No, AND your tampering has activated local security doors trapping you in the room.
No, BUT a timer pops up indicating that you may attempt to log in again after 30 minutes.
So, you can start to give some variances in XP based on how the overall story develops, and it can give characters a new set of decision-making points which then lead to more XP depending on how the interaction develops. Again, because I play alone this type of mechanic really helps me not get stuck playing a linear game and allows me to hide some of my own Easter eggs lol
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I hear you on that. And yes, I felt that way with RIFTs too, back in the day.
That is an elegant system you created mate.
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It is that time again. Lots totally about but not a lot finished…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/05/06/forest-for-the-trees/
As always feedback is appreciated.
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Your DH tiles are looking great! Really loving the improvements you've made to them.
Mrs GG's setups are good. I like the walled gardens a lot.
It's nice to see the interiors of the Hagglethorn Hollow buildings with some decorations in them too, they remind me a lot of fantasy sets from the 80s like Yoda's hut in ESB and Miracle Max's house from Princess Bride.
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The trees look great!
On early D&D: I'd agree with MisterFrauBlucher that the original game encouraged non-combat solutions specifically through the gold-for-XP system. But there's something else too: combat in early D&D was so deadly for low-level characters that the combat system itself was a disincentive to avoid it - at least directly or without overwhelming odds.
I've been running a sporadic side-campaign for my kids and their friends (for when not all the group can make it), using Swords and Wizardry, which is a cleaned-up retroclone of the first (1974) edition. And the single-hit-die/death-at-negative-HP mechanic makes combat extraordinarily risky if played by the book. So the players are learning to avoid it at all costs. We've only had one session so far without PC deaths, but the players are now becoming much more cautious and canny.
Of course, being murderhobos to their hearts, they're trying to come up with fiendish schemes to denude dungeons and their denizens of their treasure. But the fragility of the characters is certainly a disincentive to fighting their way through.
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Your DH tiles are looking great! Really loving the improvements you've made to them.
Mrs GG's setups are good. I like the walled gardens a lot.
It's nice to see the interiors of the Hagglethorn Hollow buildings with some decorations in them too, they remind me a lot of fantasy sets from the 80s like Yoda's hut in ESB and Miracle Max's house from Princess Bride.
Thanks mate!
Mrs. GG is having a blast with HH.
The HH aesthetic definitely reminds me of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth… but now that you mention it, yeah Miracle Max too. Good call.
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The trees look great!
On early D&D: I'd agree with MisterFrauBlucher that the original game encouraged non-combat solutions specifically through the gold-for-XP system. But there's something else too: combat in early D&D was so deadly for low-level characters that the combat system itself was a disincentive to avoid it - at least directly or without overwhelming odds.
I've been running a sporadic side-campaign for my kids and their friends (for when not all the group can make it), using Swords and Wizardry, which is a cleaned-up retroclone of the first (1974) edition. And the single-hit-die/death-at-negative-HP mechanic makes combat extraordinarily risky if played by the book. So the players are learning to avoid it at all costs. We've only had one session so far without PC deaths, but the players are now becoming much more cautious and canny.
Of course, being murderhobos to their hearts, they're trying to come up with fiendish schemes to denude dungeons and their denizens of their treasure. But the fragility of the characters is certainly a disincentive to fighting their way through.
Thanks mate!
I do not remember our adventures being so deadly but in hindsight I wonder why because the game mechanics certain do look deadly for low level pc’s.
As for my perception of D&D focusing purely on combat over non-combat, all I can say is that our experiences differ. That does not make anyone wrong, just that our perceptions and experiences of the game differ.
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Thanks mate!
I do not remember our adventures being so deadly but in hindsight I wonder why because the game mechanics certain do look deadly for low level pc’s.
As for my perception of D&D focusing purely on combat over non-combat, all I can say is that our experiences differ. That does not make anyone wrong, just that our perceptions and experiences of the game differ.
To throw in my two pence: My early experiences of D&D as a player and as a DM often involved a lot of combat. Mostly because when we were young it was the fight scenes in films that stood out the most (now it's clever interactions that I prefer. Fight scenes are often a bit dull to me now, with a few exceptions), so I guess we wanted to reenact those thrilling moments.
However, even now my RPG sessions often involve more combat than I'm expecting, as there's a tendency for players for resort to violence a lot faster than they probably would if they were actually in the situation. In a recent (well, pre-covid) Star Wars adventure the players got in a taxi, and the taxi driver tried to charge them a ridiculous fee - one of the players was a Hutt, and the taxi driver's bigoted views of Hutts assumed that they'd be rich. As a GM I figured this would be a chance for a little roleplay, either with them grumbling and paying the fee, or trying to reason with the taxi driver, or simply refusing to board that taxi and finding another way across town. Of course one of them decided to pull a blaster and point it to the head of the taxi driver. The taxi driver panicked and the player fumbled some checks and they ended up killing the taxi driver accidentally, all for the sake of a few hundred credits.
This sort of ultra-violent behaviour is pretty common in my RPGs, and isn't just restricted to that one group of players. Every group ends up displaying hyper-aggressive behaviour at some point, and I do wonder where it comes from. Is it an expectation of the fantasy genre that encounters should end in violent resolution (or at least that violent resolution is acceptable)? I tend to think of there being a big difference between killing a zombie to killing an NPC, but maybe my players just don't empathise with imaginary characters as much as I do?
I often to try to apply more grounded consequences to their actions, and they often don't get away with their crimes without feeling a sense of remorse at least, but it is interesting how often it happens.
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A fascinating example.
And it matches my experiences of pen&paper rping, online rping, and larping.
I have never really understood why it happens or why role playing evil is so fascinating for so many people. I find it exhausting emotionally.
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Rick, I wish it was "my system" but I picked it up out of Mythic solo RPG system (?) I think. Still, it is very elegant, and probably better describes life than a series of successes and failures.
I play a lot of post-apocalypse gaming, and it occurs to me that one reason I like limiting ammo, or making it a scarce resource, is that it makes shooting it out in combat a strategic decision. Do you need to shoot that rat and waste one of your last five bullets? Do you need to get close and try to brain it with a shovel? It looks rather rabid and it could bite you, and you only have one medkit left... Yeah, maybe there is another way.
I wonder if you couldn't take the same approach with fantasy gameplay. Arrows, once shot, may not be recovered. They snap or get forever stuck in the enemy. Swords and axes get stuck and can't be easily pulled out of an enemy. So maybe you get one swing and then that ogre now has your axe in its ribcage. It is wounded and pissed off and you don't have a good way to defend yourself at this point. Or perhaps weapon wear would be an easy enough element to incorporate. That sword doing d10 damage now has a chance to do d8 damage next turn through dulling and nicking the blade. The turn after that, d6, finally it is little better than a thin club and ends up at a d4 until a character can pay a handsome sum of money (in town) to have a blacksmith sharpen a blade. blunt weapons could have the haft snap, like a baseball bat. Might not render it 100% useless, but it would limit the effectiveness if you have a shorter arc of the swing. Potentially these rules would be annoying to players who want to solve every issue with a gun or blade, but you could change the way they consider their approach at least. Everyone gets the opportunity to start out as a murderer, but quickly the tables would turn against them if EVERY situation was solved with killing.
In terms of swashbuckling, I imagine the reality of a black powder weapon is that it probably gets used once per combat. While reloading may be achievable in ACW-style skirmish lines with some distance between combatants, I imagine that it would be quite the feat to reload a black powder pistol while there is a skirmish all around you. At that point, it becomes like a single-use spell scroll, perhaps. You just have to time its use for the greatest impact.
The terrain looks good. It looks like you darkened the tree up a bit. I think you might like the look of it if you picked out a few leaves and varied the greens a bit. Doesn't need to have any bright spring green in it, but even a brown-green, brown, orange, or slightly lighter green here and there helps. The leaves are pretty well defined, so it isn't hard to pick out a little detail here and there. I think it would actually match your HH and DF terrain better that way too.
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Also, the table with all the terrain bits looks good. I particularly liked the D&L cobblestone with the DF terrain stacked on top. I thought that looked much better than the DF stuff next to the D&L. I think it is because my yard tends to grow over top of the sidewalks, and not sit nicely next to them lol
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Some excellent points there mate. Tension and having to make difficult choices are important parts of good narrative gaming in my opinion.
It may be too subtle now, after the washes. But I did pick out random leaves with two other, lighter greens. I experimented with darker as well as lighter greens but did not like the darker green ones. Before I put the two coats of Army Painter military green wash on, the lighter green leaves jumped out in a little cartoony look.
Sitting it next to my wife’s GW trees and the Dwarven Forge trees, the DF trees have much heavier drybrushing. Up close the drybrushing looks too heavy but from a distance our trees look much “flatter” or “dull” compared to the DF trees. Mrs. GG compared it to Theater make up that looks far too heavy up close but works at a distance.
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And the latest projects update…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/05/17/more-terrain/
As always, feedback welcome!
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I really like those dry stone walls.
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I'll be interested to see if you decide to glue buildings together with your D&L stuff. I've been considering something similar with my 3d printed terrain tiles. In my case, I have the ability to almost infinitely print and glue rooms together at a mere fraction of retail prices, where you are somewhat limited by what you have on hand or the cost. While this would allow me to decorate particular rooms in a certain way (berthing, dining, armory, etc) it does also complicate storage and reduces flexibility as I would need to wait and print more and more tiles to create a new room.
Lots of pros and cons there.
I think the HH rework looked good. I could tell the difference.
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Thanks, always nice to hear positive replies.
We are pretty committed to gluing the D&L surface building pieces together at this point but we will need to wait until the other bits are delivered next year… so things may change!
I am not sure yet on the underground Dwarven Mine pieces.
We may turn the Hall of Heroes pieces into an above ground Dwarven tavern. Dwarves do not need windows I suppose. Hmm. Maybe I need to look at World of Warcraft Dwarven surface buildings.
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The Hagglethorn Hollow improvements are working. The details stand out a lot more now. Colouring in those rocks has made a big difference too - I never even noticed them when they weren't coloured in, it just kind of blended into the thatching and I wasn't aware of what they were. Good job!
That little Dwarven Forge tower you've put together looks pretty great. Is it fairly stable for wargaming with or are the crenelated roof pieces in danger of collapsing if it gets nudged?
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The tower itself is stable enough, but yeah those four crenellation pieces are a bit fiddly. Not as bad as I was led to expect but not something you want your sleeve to brush against…. rather like some of the Hagglethorn Hollow tower tops.
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Perhaps some drilling & some magnets could do the trick? I quite like the look of the DF stone houses for making toll-houses and roadside fortifications, but have concerns about the stability of them.
I might get a few crenellation pieces and try modding them a bit with rare earth magnets, see if I can make a stable roof which is still modular.
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This conversation may be of interest to you mate.
https://www.dwarvenforge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=12164
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Feedback on my new blog format is most welcome!
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The format is fine, Rick. Plenty easy to navigate around in.
It does feel a bit "empty" with the background being white though. What color was the background previously?
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This conversation may be of interest to you mate.
https://www.dwarvenforge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=12164
Ah, exactly what I was thinking of! Useful thread, thanks.
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The format is fine, Rick. Plenty easy to navigate around in.
It does feel a bit "empty" with the background being white though. What color was the background previously?
It was tan.
What I spent the most time doing was figuring out how to add various types of search functions to the blog. Now it should be much easier to navigate and find older posts relevant to the specific interests of various readers as the scope of the blog has grown beyond Middle Earth Gaming.
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I did see that you split things up a bit. I suppose that isn't overly useful for me as I tend to just check out the newest posts on a blog rather than really dive in. The first time I visit a blog I do tend to really browse the depths of the entire thing, but having once caught up I just read the latest and greatest. That tends to mean I don't search for much, though if I can carve out "just terrain" I often go that route. I particularly avoid hobby stuff revolving around WH40k, Napoleonic, and micro armor as none of that really interests me, but on a first browse I'll usually skim it anyway.
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Well hopefully now you can use the terrain search to keep it focused for you mate.
Latest blog has some reviews and a WIP shot of some Halfling to Gnome conversions.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/05/21/some-reviews-wargames-atlantic-and-miniaturicum/
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Out of curiosity, how'd you do the hats for your first gnomes? I like the look of them, but not for Gnomes. I was thinking I'd ask you to use it for WHFB Hobbos.
My Chaos Dwarfs need someone to kick in the tuckus, after all.
(https://us.v-cdn.net/5022456/uploads/editor/tk/xmmvf6dhkaz4.png)
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Do you mean these?
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2019/08/02/the-first-of-the-gnomes/
Those are GW Goblin heads, maybe Night Goblins. I had planned on doing a bunch more like that but in the end decided to put all my GW goblin bits on eBay.
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That was a ton of plastic you reviewed! Can't wait to see them get built.
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So much work to do, Never enough free time. And my allergies have been going crazy making it difficult to paint. So I have spent a lot of time online!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/05/24/some-more-reviews-dwarven-forge-burrows-and-monster-fight-club/
At the request of a couple people I have tried to make the blog less bright but have failed to figure out how to get the parchment background I want. So far anyway. I will keep trying.
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Those burrows are cool. I do like the natural feel of them. Do they make any wider tunnel sections or larger rooms? I know your blog said that this was part of a larger set, so maybe there are some other pieces found in the other set which would give more space for your troll? How a la carte is DF? I've browsed the website from time to time, but can't remember if they just sell sets or if you could just go in and order another 4-5 straight tunnel sections, or another room.
The addition of the trap doors is an interesting one. That could lend itself to all kinds of interesting mechanics in a game. Particularly needing to step lightly over them or risk falling through to the level below. That makes me think of the Mandalorian episode with the ice spider things.
As for the Monster Fight Club stuff. I think it looks ok. I have looked at their trees before because I liked the idea of being able to have a tree with/without foliage as my particular game required. I was very tempted by early kickstarters, but ultimately decided not to go that route.
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Unfortunately there are no larger rooms or tunnels. There has been talk from DF to one day do more, larger burrows but no timeline on that.
There is a new website, easier to navigate and DF is bringing out new sets… and sets is how DF works. You can not order bits piecemeal unfortunately.
Stock issues is one of the difficulties with DF. Yesterday’s restock felt like the Hunger Games. Our order was in 15 minutes after restock and all the trees in the restock we’re gone before we could complete checkout. More trees are due in next month though and that is a bigger restock according to DF.
As to the trapdoors, yeah, I totally see that. Cool stuff. Mrs. GG is not so sure so I will have to convince her with a game at some point.
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Rick,
I just saw that DF bundled some "hell" terrain. Feels relevant for your Middle Earth gaming.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OfyN8jjDeM/YLiJVdnoqDI/AAAAAAAEe68/pqVETS7HkH4rSwwczwTS-bVzbEnWlhWMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h320/unnamed%2B%25283%2529.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TdFKg_3cplw/YLiJVzfrVjI/AAAAAAAEe7A/DJ3Om38tqGgcg6JAfZU25vz-1XMae9o2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/unnamed%2B%25284%2529.jpg)
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The Hellscape terrain is cool, particularly if you use it with the light panels but we intend to avoid going into that biome for budget reasons.
This month’s build of the month is pretty neat and all discounts are appreciated but we are giving it a pass to focus on other purchases… like more Dreadhollow trees when thy come back into stock.
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Do they do a different build monthly?
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Yup. You can see them on YouTube. Comes with a gift voucher usually about 10% of the bundle cost. Each build of the month has an adventure story tied to it, the videos are entertaining in that regard if nothing else.
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And the weekly update…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/05/a-few-good-elves-and-things-finished/
Some Mirkwood Elves and the last of our Pegasus Hobbies walls.
Plus my thoughts on Army of the Dead if you are curious….
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Great looking elf warband - very dynamic.
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Thanks, Mrs. GG is rather fond of them.
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They're probably my favourite sculpts from the new Hobbit miniatures line. They're perfect for generic fantasy too - I agree with Mrs. GG, they fit with my mind's eye view of what a Wood Elf should look like.
Great paintjob on them Mrs. GG! And well done on all those walls GG, the end result is definitely worth it. They look so much better now.
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Thanks for the kind words mate! Mrs. GG also appreciates everyone’s kind words. She is considerably more humble than I am.
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My latest blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/08/lets-talk-about-miniatures-a-tutorial-of-sorts/
… warning, it is long winded even for me.
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Nice post! I also wrote 2 posts about the type of bases, because I think that the same type of base really unifies all the miniatures. But to select the type what You want to use for the rest of Your life is hard. Especially at the beginning... There are a lot of pros and cons for every type. I ended up using 25mm GW-round bases, and Im satisfied with them. They are not perfect, but was still a good chocie (for me).
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Rick, I think a very basic overview of figures is often nice. Though many of us are probably familiar with each of those producers individually, it is often rarer to see them side by side or even to see how one scale compares to another. I've often wondered if a particular mech might pass as a suit of power armor in 15/28mm scale, and those kinds of comparison shots are hard to come by unless someone like me buys one on a hunch, and then shows the end product. Even so, I think it is somewhat easier to compare unpainted minis next to each other as my eye can be drawn by color, a particularly brilliant (or rubbish) paint job, or a bad camera angle (I do this to myself constantly) and somehow that makes the comparison more difficult.
I will also say that while scale creep can get out of control, I generally accept figures from 25-32mm as being of the same scale on my table. 20mm, 15mm, or even 6mm may be fine if the figure is meant to be monstrous or large in a smaller scale. I have an "epic" scale Titan that I love as a 28mm scale Securitron type robot. Often, the thing that prohibits this is indicator features. An example would be a 15mm troll having small little 15mm human skulls which may look like he has been pillaging daycare centers rather than collecting the skulls of mighty warriors. So when I'm planning to bring a figure up/down a scale I tend to primarily evaluate those indicators of scale more than the particular height of a figure.
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Nice post! I also wrote 2 posts about the type of bases, because I think that the same type of base really unifies all the miniatures. But to select the type what You want to use for the rest of Your life is hard. Especially at the beginning... There are a lot of pros and cons for every type. I ended up using 25mm GW-round bases, and Im satisfied with them. They are not perfect, but was still a good chocie (for me).
Thanks mate!
Everyone has to choose what works for them and yeah, it is very hard to choose one… the right for you… right off the bat.
And who knows, I may yet change my mind on themed bases given how cheap Dungeons & Lasers 3 from Archon Studio may make them.
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Rick, I think a very basic overview of figures is often nice. Though many of us are probably familiar with each of those producers individually, it is often rarer to see them side by side or even to see how one scale compares to another. I've often wondered if a particular mech might pass as a suit of power armor in 15/28mm scale, and those kinds of comparison shots are hard to come by unless someone like me buys one on a hunch, and then shows the end product. Even so, I think it is somewhat easier to compare unpainted minis next to each other as my eye can be drawn by color, a particularly brilliant (or rubbish) paint job, or a bad camera angle (I do this to myself constantly) and somehow that makes the comparison more difficult.
I will also say that while scale creep can get out of control, I generally accept figures from 25-32mm as being of the same scale on my table. 20mm, 15mm, or even 6mm may be fine if the figure is meant to be monstrous or large in a smaller scale. I have an "epic" scale Titan that I love as a 28mm scale Securitron type robot. Often, the thing that prohibits this is indicator features. An example would be a 15mm troll having small little 15mm human skulls which may look like he has been pillaging daycare centers rather than collecting the skulls of mighty warriors. So when I'm planning to bring a figure up/down a scale I tend to primarily evaluate those indicators of scale more than the particular height of a figure.
I quite agree with you mate.
The post was filled with information mostly considered common knowledge on this forum but was inspired by conversations I have been having on other forums. I thought I might pass on some of the knowledge I gained here.
You make a great point about indicator features.
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Latest blog post edited with new photos and information based on received feedback.
Thanks folks for helping improve the Home of the Grumpy Gnome!
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I mostly assume that those who post on here may find most of that common knowledge. However, for every person that posts I bet there are at least ten who lurk because they are trying to learn, get inspiration, or even get up the nerve to dive in. Before I started posting here I had been reading for 4-5 years (anonymously), and only started actually painting and building a handful of years before that. I still see things in blogs and forums that I had never even considered, and I imagine it will go on like that for as long as I haunt the hobby world. But, we all start somewhere, and I think the info you provided could really help someone just getting started out.
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That is my hope, to return the favor done for me by others.
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Hi Rick,
I think your good self and Mr.Cook have a very good point, it always shocks me when I see how many registered:guest users are online (38:839 as I type!). Inspiration is key.
I watched AotD on the release date and really enjoyed it whilst it was on screen (I like Mr. Bautista - in this case looking like Bunson Honeydew gave up on science and decided to kick some ass instead) but lots of Meds and insomnia probably help :D.
But as you said there were some annoying areas. It’s a follow on “of the dead” film and whilst I’m a fan I’m aware they haven’t been great. I did however watch the 20min making of film and then watched it again and it helped ameliorate my critical feelings somewhat. From the lenses used to make that unique look, Mr.S’s obvious enjoyment of his job (you’d have to be dull not to enjoy getting paid for that), the new motion capture system that made an excellent horde and to knowing that Ace the Horse was dutifully somewhere under that zombie suit of armour and was being looked after off screen by a bigger team than any of the stars. It’s not brilliant but I’ll take it and be happy enough (story of my life). In a perfect world it would get the ‘Snyder cut’ treatment and come back three times longer, plugging those little gaps and omissions (the film and my life!).
Hope you’re both doing well, looking forwards to Tarnished Splendour.
BALM
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I know people complain about the camera work, ie focus in particular but I have no problem with that.
It is the writing that I have an issue with. Plot points that make no sense break my immersion. Why would the military stop flights in but not out? How is that containment?
I have been thinking about the “Why would you need to break into your own vault?” So it does not look like you stole your own money? Maybe. But why not just have a way to make it look that way without risking failure. And yes, I know there was another Agenda but this question is one the characters should have asked not just the audience.
There are many questions I have about plot points but do not want to get into spoilers.
I get that the crew were enthusiastic. I was enthusiastic. But I do not think a Snyder cut… since this was a Snyder cut… would fix this. Nor do I think a simply longer director’s cut could add things to fix the incoherent plot.
One of the critique points I read somewhere really struck home.
Fast zombies versus slow zombies is a common debate point. I follow the Max Brooks school of slow zombies in general as I think fast zombies are more like ghouls. I see 28 Days later as a ghoul movie. The threat is very, very different.
Snyder avoids the debate while trying to have his cake and eat it too, with both fast and slow zombies.
And as much as I love the movie “Aliens” this movie mirrors “Aliens” too much for my taste. Rather than a clever nod it goes beat for beat too many times.
I do not want to yuck your yum, if you enjoyed it great. There were some cool visuals and Dave Bautista is awesome. The dude deserves an Oscar in my opinion, although not for this film. But it irks me when I see a film that had the potential to be so much more.
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Don’t panic, you’re not saying anything I don’t think :) . The lenses and focus I found quite beautiful but it helped that seeing the making of show and how they were unique, old hand made lenses that were modified and housed to be used on the cameras (the son of two professional photographers typing). But it did make it slightly visually jarring as they change shot and the image was different, suddenly too clean. Also the American military lack of common sense issue was fine with me (I come from a mildly military family and I’m married to an Iraqi Kurd so I have no illusions to the competence of them).
I also don’t think a re-cut would help really, there was too much where I thought “ooh that’s interesting” and “cool, that be a nice twist” only for nothing else to be said of it - the first team with the similar gear/clothes/jewellery etc. But the edit/story in my mind made up for it (why I love make believe with toy soldiers).
The heist idea was dumb (you mentioned the vault) but I took it as Tanaka had just hired grunts and was hoping they wouldn’t think out any of the issues. I saw it as avarice blinding reason. I’d also love to be a pilot that could rebuild a knackered Huey with just bad language and presumably the multi-tool of doom she had hidden in her pocket?
I for one would have shot Mr.Dillahunt in the back the moment I entered the place! The zombies were different and that’s fine I suppose (I agree - ghouls), but nothing was really made of them and there weren’t any really tense hopeless, horde based shoot outs that couldn’t have been effectively run away from so not truly “of the dead” so much as “not well and pretty angry”.
But most importantly for me it wasn’t “Into the Woods” - a film that sounded like a true, nail biting, gut churning horror - and lived up to it! lol (Chris Pine if you see a 6’2” Peaky blinder looking guy taking a run up at you I’m truly sorry but you deserve what’s coming)
I’ll stop digressing now (been rough for quite a while and miss chatting!) and let you continue to amaze and delight me with your never ending hobby progression.
BALM
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I was wondering what was going to happen with the eerily similar details of the previous team but the dialogue was enough to deal with that for me. Weird but ok. It felt like a filmschool moment.
You may digress and chat away mate. Always happy to discuss things.
I have not seen “Into the Woods” though and I am not a big Chris Pine fan.
As for the US military… I am an old grunt but there are limits.
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I don't have much to say as I haven't seen this movie. However, I've seen 28-Days and as this is one of my favorite movies I think I agree and disagree with your assessment.
First, a zombie is an undead thing. I think that it is important to keep our cupcakes and muffins separate here. Whether caused by government experiments, magic, or meteorites, a zombie is a dead person now alive. What happens in 28-days is a pandemic. It is a viral contagion that removes sense and sensibility and causes blind rage in those infected. The tearing apart of a person isn't so much a need to feed on brains, but sheer hatred. You can see people torn apart by attackers today. An angry mob can do some damage without knives or guns. To me, the infected are different than the undead. Perhaps the infected are scarier as they represent a real possibility where zombies clawing their way out of the grave feels safely on the side of fantasy.
To be honest, I'm not sure where ghouls fit into that continuum. I guess I assumed that ghouls were undead by D&D lore, though possessing of greater mental faculties than a mindless zombie or skeleton. I'm not sure what origin ghouls have in the real world, so it is possible that they are just creatures of nightmare who feed on the living. Things of the underworld which wouldn't make them changed (Bob into zombie Bob, or uninfected Bob into Rage Bob), but having always been what they are.
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You are quite correct mate, 28 Dass later was a poor example. They are indeed infected and not undead as they can be killed by normal means.
The movie version of World War Z would be a better example.
Here is Max Brooks briefly on fast versus slow and why he prefers slow, as in his book.
https://www.scifinow.co.uk/interviews/world-war-z-author-max-brooks-interview/
I find my fear of slow zombies different from fast, even if I would say fast are more dangerous. It is the implacable, unthinking and inevitable threat… like time passing to our inevitable demise by old age if nothing else.
Whereas fast zombies are scary in the way bestial vampires and ghouls are. Monsterous. Ferocious. Insatiable…. but not necessarily inevitable.
https://zombie.fandom.com/wiki/Differences_Between_Surviving_Fast_and_Slow_Zombies
https://screenrant.com/slow-fast-zombies-scarier-than-fast-zombies-comparison/
https://www.ranker.com/list/fast-moving-zombie-movies/ranker-film
It is to me a strictly personal reaction but not one I am apparently alone in feeling.
Apparently ghoul comes from the Arabic word ghul according to Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoul
In the earliest references it appears to be a demon but I have seen some sources reference ghouls having other origins including humans eating human flesh for too long and radiation (fallout game lore).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghouls_in_popular_culture
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Don't put too much on about Army of the Dead, I haven't seen it yet! lol
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Sorry Elk I shall be quiet now (apologies if I’ve spoiled anything for you, I tried to be as vague as possible). Please watch and enjoy.
Rick: it’s nots the cogs I’m unsure about but rather the idiot/s operating the machine :D. Anyone brave and conscientious enough to serve their country and uphold decency has my full support, my brother is a high ranking member of the Women’s Auxiliary Balloon Core - I believe he’s in charge of afternoon teas lol
My father in law (born and raised in Baghdad) said that ghul (ghouls) are cursed/demonic from inhabiting graveyards and eating human flesh - sounds like a reference to an early prion style disease to me (I posed this possibility to both my Parents in law, who are also Biology post grads and they thought it reasonable) in the same way as not eating pigs as they willingly eat the human dead.
BALM
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Sorry Elk101. I intended to avoid spoilers but got a bit carried away.
I can not comment more on potential stupidity in the movie, intentional or otherwise without spoilers… but I will say this.
The best example of the kind of stupidity I would expect from the US Army when it comes to zombies was presented by Max Brooks. Here is a clever version of that which although short is much more entertaining to me than the movie version of World War Z.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQphbRo_Clk
And BALM, that is a fascinating theory on the origin, makes sense to me.
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Weekly update and a review…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/11/well-thats-tabletop-world-a-review/
As always we love feedback, suggestions, advice and questions.
Do you use Tabletop World terrain? What do you think of it?
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Sir that looks positively bucolic. Fantasy is one of my favourite gaming settings as it can be whatever you want. I have a good number of chaps but little to no scenery (bar the 6 mighty fortresses I own - everyone should have their own fortified building!) and I’m now tempted because the range looks lovely. It’s a great feeling when a models is easy or fun to paint.
You’ve done an excellent job on the paint scheme and the vegetation is nicely done. Unfortunately gaming suffers from a frustrating disparity of what looks right to the eye and is actually realistic (a word I hesitate to use) and I think you’ve got a perfect balance there.
In reality plant-life can be jarringly bright and dense but recreating this on the tabletop is hard to achieve or can look positively odd/wrong because nature’s ‘rulebook’ is complex, with the positional relationships of each species and individual being easily overlooked or misunderstood by the casual observer.
I’m currently working on (read taking a lot longer than I thought!) my trees (new and reconditioning our joint old set) for just this reason, as a retired arborist I can look at a tree and give you a pretty good precy of its life story - it’s shape and form tells you so much, even just the direction of prevailing winds. It won’t matter to anyone else (and it doesn’t actually matter at all when playing with toy soldiers :)) but I find it really improves my immersion in the setting when my scenery feels like an actual place.
Keep up the good work my friend, you are a strong positive force in helping my modelling enthusiasm stay high when I’m not functional.
BALM
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Tabletop World is a company that I tend to think of as offering top-quality at a premium. I have to admit that I browse their selection at times, but have never purchased. Mostly that has to do with 28mm fantasy not being my overall interest and scale. Still, it is pretty and reminds me of Miniature Building Authority (which skews more towards my tastes) in terms of production quality.
For your hobby, I think they make sense. Heirloom pieces that will last you a very long time and bring joy on the table.
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lovely piece of terrain, beautifully painted.
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Thanks for the kind words folks.
They really help motivate me.
It took a long time to get the well piece “just right” but I really like how it came out.
I know very little about plants. I suspect my plant choices might make an arborist cringe the same way I cringe when I see an actor in a movie with their booger finger on the bang switch.
Miniature Building Authority has repeatedly been recommended to me but I have not got my hands on any of their stuff yet. I will keep trying.
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Been awhile but finally another battle report…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/15/aftermath-an-elven-battle-report-on-the-journey-to-the-blue-mountains/
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Great stuff. You say your scenery is somewhat sparse but I think it looks spot on, the rocks and trees are very atmospheric even in limited numbers (my mind fills in the scrub on the forest floor and the understory - which might look great modelled but would be a massive faff to game through), so adding your upcoming dwarven forge cache can only make it even better. That poor mercenary, bit of a Pyrrhic victory for him “there’s good news and there’s bad news old chap” lol.
BALM
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Yes I agree, an atmospheric table set up.
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I agree. I'm not sure how much more terrain you would want before it became too busy.
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Fantastic-looking game! And yes, that's a great table with a good amount of terrain.
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Thanks for the kind words. Mrs. GG gets full credit for the table set up. She enjoys that kind of thing more than I do.
I guess I am still getting use to the neoprene mat and new terrain compared to the Citadel grass mat and more traditionally modeled terrain. This was certainly much less faffing about with bits of scatter and was very playable… although that said it was too quick to really test the playability on the rougher terrain bits.
Not sure when we will get a chance to play again but be sure that when we do we will do a battle report on it.
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A couple more Toyvian trees finished…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/21/more-treestoy-trees-toyvian-trees/
I recommend these trees. They can be found on Amazon and require a bit of work but they look pretty good and are fairly durable.
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As a group, I think those trees give a "cohesive diversity" appearance. Good work!
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Thanks mate!
I am keen for our Monster Fight Club Icy Wilds and Dwarven Forge Wildlands Kickstarter pledges to arrive to really make a decent 8x4 forest table.
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I finally finished my personal touches on the first lot of the Gabrigames Workshop pieces we bought and I wrote up a bit of review with those as well as the second lot we bought… which are still unpainted unfortunately.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/06/23/gabrigames-workshopa-review/
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lovely work on those tents and bits and bobs :-*
like those trees - wonder if they're available in the uk ...
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Gabrigames Workshop did a stunning job on the painting. A bit vibrant for us but a sepia wash toned it down nicely.
You can get Toyvian trees on Amazon UK.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toyvian-Miniature-Architecture-Landscape-Simulated/dp/B083LSN4GN/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Toyvian+trees&qid=1624534612&sr=8-6
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Very cool set of bits and pieces, and the patchwork painting on the beds/bedrolls is fun!
Not that I need a new source for fun small terrain, I still haven't painted anything from the batch of small terrain I got months ago from Bad Squiddo...
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I do like the toned-down look. I liked the original version well enough, but I think the toned-down keeps the character while fitting your terrain more closely.
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Great posts as usual! It's good to see another battle report, I feel sorry for the human mercenary who was 'rescued' by the spectre!
The Toyvian trees do look good, but I find the roots a bit bland. Maybe I've been spoilt by Dwarven Forge but I think a little base with some foliage (and some critters!) would go a long way to improving the Toyvian trees. Not that I'm finding more work for you to do of course.
Great job on toning down the Gabrigames Workshop items. The original paintjobs were fantastic, but perhaps a little too brilliant, they look like they'll fit right in now.
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I did base my Toyvian trees for this reason. I was mostly worried they wouldn't stand up once dropped on my gaming mat.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/15049-250621155741.jpeg)
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Yeah, fair point on the roots of the trees being a bit bland Mirjeki. We chose to weight them and not base them so they could more easily just fit on whatever without having yet more circular bases all over the place.
However, your tree looks brilliant with that base Andrew.
I particularly like how you painted the trunk. Excellent color choices and great drybrushing.
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Gabrigames Workshop did a stunning job on the painting. A bit vibrant for us but a sepia wash toned it down nicely.
You can get Toyvian trees on Amazon UK.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toyvian-Miniature-Architecture-Landscape-Simulated/dp/B083LSN4GN/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Toyvian+trees&qid=1624534612&sr=8-6
crikey - thanks Rick - I had looked on Amazon and it said sold -out. No Google-fu ...
picked up some of the big-uns.
and yes, now I can see that the sepia wash has made a big difference: muting and shading
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Glad you like it, Rick.
In keeping with your observation about oddly shaped bases, maybe go with that if you decide to put your trees on a base. By the way, did you glue your canopy pieces onto the branches? I did not, but I have a couple that seem to jump off. Not all of them have that issue, just a couple. I've been considering some super glue to fix their wagon. Just curious if anyone else had that happen.
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Looking forward to seeing your painting of those Bloggard.
Andrew, most of mine are fine without gluing but a couple do like to pop off on occasion. I had not considered gluing them. One was broken on arrival, with the post stuck in the branches/leaves piece. I tried hot glue but I did not do a good enough job and it later broke off. So I superglued it in frustration to quickly sort it out but in hindsight I think I should have used a more flexible glue to maintain that bouncy durability.
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ah right, confused.
thought the Toyvain stuff came pre-painted: looks like it in the Amazon listings.
But read your blog entry now ... ???
If they arrive looking like the listing, I'd be quite happy with that tbh.
* yeah ... looking more closely at the listing 'details' they're described as 'green' as per GG's pics.
hmm, that's a bit naughty, to say the least.
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I am pretty sure they did not arrive painted but in hindsight they could have had a wash as that’s what it looks like in the listing photo.
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I hope Grumpy Gnome doesn't mind, but just thought I'd clarify, having had my small and medium sized trees delivered today: the colouring is just as the Amazon listing pics. A vaguely washed brown and green.
So no complaints there.
I think a quick wash with some Contrast paints, and a possible dry-brush and that'll do me, if anything at all.
Seem like they 'keep' a good manual 'bend' as far as the branches go (they do indeed arrive 'flat) so hopeful I wont have to do the hot water thing, and if pushed very firmly down, I don't feel the leaf clusters are going to come off that easily - but YMMV.
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I never mind clarification mate.
Citadel contrast paints could be a quick and effective method.
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This past week I finally finished some Gundabad Orcs and some Cave Trolls…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/07/05/ridgeback-gundabad-orcs-goblin-mercenaries-oh-and-some-gw-cave-trolls/
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They look great, especially the trolls!
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Thanks!
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Nice painting on the trolls. That came out quite well. The forces of Sauron are growing I see.
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Thanks mate, slowly getting there. Everything takes longer than I expect.
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Very nice, have been looking for some Ridgeback miniatures myself but they don't have a store?
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Very nice, have been looking for some Ridgeback miniatures myself but they don't have a store?
I found them and dealt with them on Facebook but that was quite some time ago. I also got some Laketown and Game of Thrones inspired minis from them but have not gotten around to painting them yet. I wish now that I had gotten their Nazgul inspired minis.
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Sounds interesting will send them a message.
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Another Battle Companies battle report, this time the Taken of Minas Morgul versus Old Ozzy’s Outlaws…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/07/09/aftermath-2-the-taken-of-minas-morgul-versus-old-ozzys-outlaws-as-the-journey-to-blue-mountain-continues/
….with some discussion on unofficial rules and home brewed house rules, as well as a table with Dwarven Forge terrain.
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What a lovely table You had!
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Thanks! Mrs. GG deserves any credit. I felt it was a bit sparse but Mrs. GG had to work with what we have on hand. We will feel much better when our Wildlands and Icy Wilds Kickstarter pledges arrive.
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I concur with BZ, the setup is quite good-looking.
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Thanks! Mrs. GG deserves any credit. I felt it was a bit sparse but Mrs. GG had to work with what we have on hand. We will feel much better when our Wildlands and Icy Wilds Kickstarter pledges arrive.
I dont feel that its sparse. Its playable, what is very important!
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Rick,
Reading about the pack animals. I like your idea about the capture the flag aspect. A few questions though, as I don't suppose I understand what purpose they serve.
1) Is this purchased just to allow for hauling loot?
2) Could you completely break a scenario by only capturing a pack animal which would be better than the victory conditions earned?
3) Could a pack animal require a handler, which may be dragged about by a spooked animal? This could then at least lend an element of tactical consideration. Leave the mule with a character you don't need in battle? A strong character who can best a mule in an opposed "test of wills" roll?
Otherwise, I think the table looked good. It didn't strike me as sparse, and I'm not entirely sure if that matters in a game that leans heavily on getting face to face. It isn't like you need cover from opposing troops comprised of archers. You have a little of that (or could), but melee battles don't need to be set up with so much density as I think that would only serve to create choke points rather than tactical options. If you have to funnel troops into small gaps then that would be more like cave fighting than the woods.
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The pack horse in Battle Companies really seems to be just a tool to work around the limited carry space of the individual models. In the rules the characters can not carry both a torch and a rope, only one or the other, for example. And could carry neither if they were wearing a “concealing” cloak or poisoned weapons. Strictly by the book, I think items could be carried on the packhorse and the first turn characters could equip themselves as needed for the scenario but then that disrupts first turn deployment options. We currently house rule that items can be stored on the pack horse and dished out prior to deployment on the first turn but the book keeping of how having additional equipment only temporarily in regards to the models’ points value is a headache and easily forgotten.
Yes, I think there is the risk of breaking scenarios if the packhorse has too much value.
Making the choice of who to make the handler something tactical is a good idea.
You make some good points about the table. I have a bad habit of craving overly dense tables, I suppose because of modern combat line of sight considerations. I need to get over that, especially if we are going to play Sharp Practice in the future.
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Late to the conversation, but that is a great looking table. Not too sparse, but certainly allows for great combats to take place. Just off to read your blog.
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The table would probably suit a different scenario better. Aftermath, the scenario we played does not drive players to make the most of the elevation and rough terrain.
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Well, you could make the pack mule a minor goal rather than major. Perhaps reaching the mule would simply eliminate the ability to carry the additional items until the group can again reach a town. If killing the mule is too dark, then maybe the "capture" entitles the opposing team to as many items as they can carry (could be zero?) and/or an influence point? I assume the capture wouldn't be too dear at that point but could be enticing enough to give it a go if the opportunity arises?
Or, maybe just assume that mules are lashed to a tree just out of sight and ignore the complication if it doesn't add some enjoyment to the game. I can see the reason behind their existence, but I'm not sure that it sounds like they have any functional value as written.
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Yeah, Mrs. GG and I discussed the pros and cons of just running it off board but that got me thinking about other things off board, such as wounded characters… and that got me thinking it would be cool to have the wounded with the pack animal.
And some scenarios have the defenders in camp on the board but their wounded are kept off board.
Mrs. GG is unsure if my ideas on this will break the game but I think there is a cool narrative element to this. Both Thorin’s Company and the Fellowship of the Ring had pack animals with minor plot points associated with them. It seems in keeping with the tone of Tolkien to have pack animals a part of the game and actually on the table. And I think they look cool, although I only have a few painted up right now.
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I managed to finish some more terrain this past week.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/07/14/continuing-the-world-building/
Not as glamorous as minis…
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I think the mix of trees looks good together. I assume that some of the more tropical trees will fit with your Pirate games quite nicely. Don't forget to check out aquarium plants too. There is a ton of decent fodder there so long as you resign yourself to painting them up and not just using them as they are. A little greenstuff work also helps smooth some of the rough edges. I figure you can either pay more and skip some of the leg work or pay less and plan to put some effort in. I prefer doing more work myself with the idea that anything I accomplish is truly unique. Since you seem to modify and touch up everything you put your hands on, I assume that you have a little bit of that desire to make it your own as well.
As for print lines, I've been goofing around with some ways to smooth that over without resorting to solvents or heat. For some ruined buildings I've been stippling liberally with a PVA/spackle/sand mix that I think has worked pretty brilliantly. It doesn't dry very thick, but it does blur the print lines. I will also say that really bad print lines are the result of crappy printing. I assume that some companies have monetized the ability to speed print in low quality, and thus the very obvious print lines. I've generally been impressed with the quality of printed items on my home printer when I'm not in a rush and I can allow for fine detail and long print times.
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I have used aquarium plants in previous terrain builds. I found them hard work to get to look good but I think that was largely down to what I got as I have seen better plants on EBay for just a bit more money.
Brilliant idea on the sand! Should have thought of that. I have used a similar technique on column tops but never considered it to help blend print lines.
One of the 3d printed Hagglethorn Hollow design ideas I really like is the ruins. Even Mrs. GG who normally does not like Ruins likes the Hagglethoen Hollow ruins on that Kickstarter.
We are wondering if the road design on that Kickstarter might work for us as well.
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My latest blog update…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/07/20/going-over-old-ground-and-new/
Redoing some things, doing some new things and thinking about Frostgrave…
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Some random reactons to Your blog:
- Didnt get the transparent Reaper miniatures sticky after varnishing? I made the same drybrushing technic on ghosts, varnished them (Vallejo brush on gloss varnish), and they got sticky... And Im pretty angry about that (no more bones!)! I know that the Reaper plastic is sensible for spary cans, but bursh varnish too???
- The frosty setting in Frostgrave is just an art direction. If You remove all the snow-, frost-, ice- words from the book, You lose nothing essential. We also play Frostgrave in a grass/forest setting, because those terrain pieces are more versatile. And frostgrave has tons of supplements too...
- Advice for Xgrave-engine games? Dont get upset about bad rolls! :)
- I have to watch Loki...
- I didnt knew about the Van Helsing series. It reminds me a bit of the amazing Vampirehunter D anime (post-apocalyptic world with vampires). I will have a look in it, thanks for the hint!
- Sweet Tooth is magical! My wife (as Yours) doesnt like post-apocalyptic movies, but she watched this series stunned, as the whole family! Its one of the best series since years! Cant wait for the next season...
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One thing I have come across with varnishes, not all miniatures and terrain react the same to different varnishes.
I think Dwarven Forge pieces have been the most sensitive but yeah some of the Reaper pieces have gone a bit tacky with one brush on varnish but not another. Which is why we have more than one brand. Where AK Interactive is a problem, Vallejo may work. Where both acrylic varnishes get tacky I also have a Polyurethane varnish to try.
One reason I have not gotten more done is that I have spent a lot of time trying to paint up some factory painted translucent Dwarven Forge “Walls of Flame”. So many iterations of different combinations of paint and varnish and in the end I went back to the original factory work with just a very light drybrush over the heavy handed Factory “over brush”. The least tacky varnish on that was Army Painter gloss. Normally I dislike gloss varnish but on these the gloss accentuates the translucency, making it look almost like amber.
If the d20 swingyness bothers me I will try 2d10.
Van Helsing is very hit and miss. Some episodes are better than others and it can drag on at times with characters going back and forth in exhausting development cycles that are at times inexplicable. Lots of annoyingly bad decisions and foolishness. However, if you have the discipline to persevere some of the characters may grow on you. The show definitely has more to offer than just the main character but it does get into soap opera territory at times.
You do need to watch Loki. Seriously. If you like the MCU you will want to see Loki to understand where they are going with the multiverse.
I am surprised at how much I like Sweet Tooth considering how “on the nose” it is at times with current issues. So many things are addressed beyond the obvious pandemic. Climate change, politics, family values, generational conflict, technology, crime, scientific ethics. It gets a bit preachy at times but never too much to bear (if you catch my pun, bonus points to you).
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Little to add today beyond saying Loki has been one of the better-produced TV series I have seen in a while. The difference between a movie and TV is getting smaller by the day. Loki churned out more than a feature-length worth of footage at nearly the production quality of MCU's summer blockbusters of 2-3 years ago. I'd rather see something like Guardians of the Galaxy in this made-for-TV format as I think it would allow for more linked stories to be told that fold into a larger plot thread. Something serialized would work well for GotG similar to Mandalorian.
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I quite agree with you mate.
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I managed to get a few things finished. Terrain and some big bats.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/07/24/paying-full-price-or-nearly-anyway/
Opinions?
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Those bats are superb. Truly excellent wing tones.
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Thats a really awesome paintjob on those bats!
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Thanks for the kind words folks! I have to admit that I am pleased with them.
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Agreed, those bats are wonderful.
Nice to snatch up some DF bits to add to the collection. I imagine there is a fairly steady trade in such things at this point? Also, the HH building is looking good. Can't wait to see the whole lot on the table.
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The DF pieces are ones we got quite some time ago but have taken awhile to come up with a paint scheme we liked to standardize our collection. Right now we have a medley of unpainted, factory painted, and painted by others pieces.
Thanks for the kind words. The bats have been some of most complimented painting so far so it feels like a real achievement.
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I feel like once you crack the code on color matching all your DF stuff back to a standard it won't take long to get them matching regardless of the source.
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Very nice. Still kicking myself for not grabbing a box of those bats in the twenty minutes the FLGS had them. I think GW sent them a grand total of three boxes of them despite them ordering 24, and as with so many things these days they refuse to even commit to them ever being available to stores again.
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GW puts out a lot I do not like aesthetically (too over the top for me but to each their own) however lately there have been a couple things that caught my eye. I am even considering the new kruleboyz and hobgrots..
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I liked the old beaky marines. Past that I haven't cared much for GW. I do think the models are impressive and detailed, but that doesn't suit my painting skill or style. I also don't like the size of them, nor the cost. I'd probably pay good money to get my hands on a sprue of the beakies, but I've no real interest in their modern take on things.
Grumpy enough for you, Rick? lol
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GW puts out a lot I do not like aesthetically (too over the top for me but to each their own) however lately there have been a couple things that caught my eye. I am even considering the new kruleboyz and hobgrots..
Agreed. Their figure ranges are very much an example of Sturgeon's Law - mostly dross of no interest to me beyond maybe trading for bits, but they have enough things that catch my eye to make me reluctantly buy things now and then.
They're probably seeing more business from me than usual of late as a side effect of my attempts to support the local FLGS during the COVID mess - US distributors are getting very, very bad about carrying minis from anyone (especially overseas), so I'm reduced to buying GW for lack of the store having much else to choose from beyond D&D plastics from WizKids. It's been like pulling teeth just getting North Star and Wargames Atantic stuff into the shop the last year or so.
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Hmm, Good point about the increasing size… thanks for reminding me Andrew.
It seems a terrible shame Rich, the Northstar and Wargames Atlantic stuff is so good. I take it that this applies also to Victrix and Fireforge?
The Fireforge Folk Rabble “peasant mob in a box” is also one of those sets that deserves pretty much universal FLGS distribution. Same with Victrix Vikings.
I suppose I used to take for granted the wide spread international availability of models but post-Brexit EU store stock levels has given me a glimpse of what it sounds like you have been experiencing in the States.
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My FLGS always gets a few bucks from me for paint. They have a nice selection of Reaper (primarily fantasy), GW, WizKids, Warlord Games (Bolt Action Primarily), and a rather nice selection of RPGs that aren't D&D. They are also kind enough to put in special orders for me from time to time. Still, the majority of gameplay in the store is GW 40k and Magic the Gathering. Neither interests me.
Most of my ordering of odd stuff comes from a game store in Michigan. They have put in a lot of special orders from Europe for me. Gives them a little cash and I don't have to fuss too much with shipping and such. They put in larger orders from partner stores overseas and catch some shipping breaks that I wouldn't see. Cost is about the same for me either way, but at least I contribute to a local-ish store this way.
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It is good for folks to support their FLGS if they have one.
My latest weekly update of finished items for our various projects.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/08/03/ogre-ogre-2/
As always feedback appreciated.
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Looks nice. The chain repair on the ogre looks good to me. The links look about right for something out of Sauron's armies - salvaged from a support chain for that uber-ram they used on Minas Tirith, or for some suitably ridiculously OTT drawbridge in Mordor itself or something. Heck, maybe just something used to restrain uncommonly unruly trolls or ogres, right?
My FLGS always gets a few bucks from me for paint.
Yeah, I throw all the supply purchases at them that I can. Sadly they don't carry as much as I'd like (no decent spray paints at all, just overpriced GW crap, no Plastruct material or plastic glue, no Testors dullcoat) but at least they've got a reasonable Vallejo range and Zap-a-gap on top of a (spotty) selection of GW paints.
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Thanks mate!
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More useful additions, for sure! I like the dirty look of the ogre.
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The sculpt, and my paintwork, is growing on me. Still irked about that wrist though.
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Maybe a day late and a dollar short, but you could have done both wrists with the chain to balance him out.
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Maybe a day late and a dollar short, but you could have done both wrists with the chain to balance him out.
Never too late for feedback.
I could still do that, I have plenty of chain and greenstuff. In fact I did think the model looked a bit lopsided. I would have preferred it on the other wrist to balance out the club aesthetically but t is not as if I got to choose. As it was I decided to just call it good enough since I was not in love with the chain anyway.
But yeah, maybe I need to go back and do the other wrist as well.
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The chain is a really nice fix. I agree it would look a little more symmetric with chain on the other wrist, too. But I like it, and the colors on the model.
Yeah, I like what you were going for with those chair backs, but the color does blend in too much with the wood color to really distinguish it, at least in the photo.
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Great work and I like the scenic pieces. Where did you get the fallen tree trunks please?
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I may go back and redo those chair backs in a dark green.
The fallen trees are from Monster Fight Club.
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Well, it doesn't look terrible as it is. I think a second chain would probably look good, but there is little reason to fix something until it is broken. I have lots of figures that end up "good enough" because I'm pretty sure the next thing I do to them will take a so-so situation straight into "set fire and start over" territory. For something like an enemy, I don't bother. If it was my main character I might put more effort and fuss into it, but I also refuse to paint eyeballs or cloth fold lines so my tolerance for putting a lot of time into painting is low. lol
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I see it has been a while since your last post. Hope all is well. Hard to know for sure these days if someone got busy at work or got hospitalized :/
Looks like you have been blogging, so all is presumably well! lol
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All good here, just busy busy busy. Never enough time for everything I want to do. I hope all of you are doing well!
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And my latest update….
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/09/03/busy-busy-but-not-much-finished/
Not a lot finished but a lot going on and a lot to talk about.
As always, I would love to hear your feedback.
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And the latest update.. more terrain.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/09/14/terrain-so-much-terrain/
Feedback very welcome!
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Brilliant progress as ever. Those Chevaux de Frise look great - the flaw isn’t particularly obvious (certainly not in the pictures). I had a similar problem with 60 odd trees by Woodland Scenics. They come flat and you bend them to shape - then you notice the mould lines you thought you’d done and spend ages going over each one.
The spider victim dioramas and associated webbing is really nice. If you ever want/need to go big on webbing for scenery there is a GreenstuffWorld solution which you spray through an airbrush. It can look very believable. I believe you also need the solvent or single use airbrushes lol.
The new resin terrain and buildings look amazing. I’m quite envious. Your tables are looking prettier and prettier with every report. Keep up the good work.
BALM
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Thanks mate!
I would like to do better spider webs but at this stage I do not really want to get into airbrushing… paint, webs or otherwise. In the future however these pieces will be easy to retrofit with better webs.
It is taking me much longer to get things done than I expected, especially when some of the free time is spent gaming rather than crafting.
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Good stuff, yet again!
I think the webbing looks good. Can't get too wrapped around what they look like in photos or from 2" away. That is an entirely different level of detail that I believe should be left to the diorama makers of the world. Everything there is more than acceptable for a quality tabletop.
I'm still waiting for you to put a dent in all those resin buildings. Every time I check your blog there seems to be more. Are you sure they aren't breeding? lol
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I like the webs you’ve done, clear yet will survive gaming. Airbrushing is almost another hobby (I have one but it doesn’t really interest me) and I like using brushes to try and achieve the look I want.
BALM
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Thanks for the kind words folks.
It is always hard to decide wha to paint next, so much is clamoring for my attention.
I would love to get into airbrushing, especially for vehicles, terrain and larger creatures but I just do not see that happening any time soon unfortunately. I really like the smooth finish of airbrushing over large surfaces and for blending colors in a more natural manner, as commonly seen on creatures in nature.
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Airbrushing is just one of those things that scream "more mess than I care to deal with." I rarely spray anything for the same reason, though really large terrain sets tend to be the exception.
Plus the cost and I am not sure how to cram one more piece of hobby equipment into my house. 3-d printers are taking up a lot of room and they seem far more interesting than airbrushes at the moment. Of course, printing means you have to also paint, so maybe I need to rethink that as a way to get through my growing piles of unpainted bits! lol
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Hi mate
If you think an airbrush is more mess than you can handle, then you probably have the wrong airbrush ;)
I can fully strip down and clean mine in about five minutes, which is not much longer than it takes to clean my brushes and palette after a painting session. For paint, then Tamiya diluted and ready to go makes things quicker and simpler. As to the extra space needed, well, you’re on your own there….can’t help you I’m afraid….. lol
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Nice -- Show us some of your work "in action" with the missus in a game! :D
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We are currently breaking one of my cardinal rules, “do not use unpainted minis” in our current Frostgrave games. I am loathe to do full battle reports of games with some of the minis being unpainted. However, I will get caught up enough at some point to start doing proper battle reports with nice photos of our games at some point.
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We are currently breaking one of my cardinal rules, “do not use unpainted minis” in our current Frostgrave games. I am loathe to do full battle reports of games with some of the minis being unpainted. However, I will get caught up enough at some point to start doing proper battle reports with nice photos of our games at some point.
I would never play anything with that rule... ☹️
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This week’s update… lots to talk about for the curious…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/09/21/translucents-and-more/
Frostgrave continues to enchant Mrs. GG and me. There just is never enough free time!
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That is a downright fun table, Rick!
I think that really looks the business.
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That is a great looking table.
BALM
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Thanks folks. The elevation added to some tension to the game. Mrs. GG would have beaten me to the treasure at the top of the square tower if her apprentice had not had a critical spell failure while casting leap on one of her soldiers. It was also an interesting tactical choice for me to decide whether my thief should simply climb the nearest side or run around to the front to go through the door and up the stairs.
We really should have had more line of sight blockers and small detail pieces but I was in a rush setting the table up.
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Looks like a good amount of scatter on the table. Do you randomize it in some way, or just plop it down until it feels right?
I've found that randomizing terrain typically provides some challenges that I don't get if I "set the scene." I play solo, so this is one of the ways I keep things "honest" in terms of gameplay. No stacking one side of the table, and the randomized distribution creates both cluttered and empty places on the map. It can also result in some weird scenarios like deploying next to the objective and leaving the table without ever firing a shot. I mean, that has to happen sometimes too, right!? lol
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I just plopped most of it down, my wife added a few bits and we rolled for table edge. It is not necessarily a “fairly balanced table” but we liked the look of it.
For solo play I can see random table set up being a good idea.
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This project is stunning. Love the table one page back. Great collection.
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Thanks mate! It is a long road and as you inspire me so much with your projects your kind words mean a lot.
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And my latest weekly update…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/10/01/more-transluscents-and-moremore/
… with more translucents…and more… more. Lots of focus on figures for Frostgrave. As usual more photos and information on my blog post. Feedback very welcome!
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Cool editions. The stained glass golem is particularly inspired. That is such a great idea.
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Thanks mate!
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My latest progress report blog post… mostly terrain…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/10/14/on-the-road/
Some other topics of discussion. As always I would love to hear your feedback.
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Well I'll be, there aren't very many folks who got their rewards from that old Troll Forge Kickstarter - even if you got yours through ebay.
I couldn't bring myself to put the Goliath Worm together as a stock model, because I'm just like that.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tlm0RWAvqKI/XWLxqH_xIcI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/varRgVYOm-gWZh1-UE85F2Ep2di3LIpBwCLcBGAs/s320/101_7901.jpg)
I've got a gallery page of many of the other models from that project, albeit with rather dated paint jobs. Still have some unpainted Alien Host stuff around, I should probably do something about that one of these days.
https://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/04/assimilation-alien-host-gallery.html
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Rich, you are the one that let me know what I had gotten my hands on. I much prefer your version of it.
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Rich, you are the one that let me know what I had gotten my hands on. I much prefer your version of it.
Ah, my memory is failing in my old age, apparently.
It appears Impact Miniatures is still trying to complete fulfillment on the (ancient) Kickstarter, which is impressively persistent if nothing else. I'm sure he'd like to finish so he can put the figs up for sale and start earning some money from them for all the work he's done since he took over responsibility for the project. Think there were still ~200 people waiting for their figs at that point.
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The oldest Kickstarter that I'm waiting on was supposed to be delivered in June of 2018 lol. I still get periodic updates and such. At this point, I don't even remember what I ordered and I'm too lazy to go look it up. :? If I get it, I get it. If not, there is precious little I can do about it now.
Love the roads, Rick. You said those were prints?
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Yeah, they were 3d printed on request by a company here in Germany called Resin Engine. They are from the Printable Scenery Hagglethorn Hollow Kickstarter. We have a lot more on the way now.
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Great stuff, buddy!
I like the roads' look, but i just wonder if they'll look good in action. Their raised nature, rather than being recessed or sunk into the terrain - an admitted impossibility - might bug me a bit if I was using them. But then there ain't a perfect solution for modular roads that I can see. I do like these.
The MDF base looks pretty good. To my eye, just as good as the DF forest floors. Hope you guys allowed a little bit of room for a circular 25 mm base to drop into so it is not too tight! :D
Scatter terrain looks good. Had a tough time spotting the critters. Is that a butterfly on the shroom in the middle?
How was Spiele? Did you guys spend your son's college fund? lol
Hope you guys are doing well!
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Hey mate, thanks for he kind words. We are doing well.
We will have to see how the roads do in games but we are optimistic.
The scatter terrain base had the holes made just a touch too big on purpose as we have learned a lesson from previously purchased sabot bases being too tight. The critter on the mushroom is a grub of some sort.
Spiele was alright, I will write about it a bit in my next blog post but we certainly did not spend as much money as we planned. There were a lot less stalls with a lot less products available for sale. Discounts were not that good either in general although Playmats.eu gave us a good deal.
I hope all is well with you and your folks!
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I was picturing them a bit like the Incan road system:
(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/B401/production/_84018064_18618721676_bcc0ea0a2b_h.jpg)
They don't really tend to be recessed,
(https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0836f7_76019f91e6904023a99754086b56ad33~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1000,h_750,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/0836f7_76019f91e6904023a99754086b56ad33~mv2.jpg)
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Great images mate, I was unaware of those.
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Glad I could help make some sense of those roads. I suspect that style of road was more common between towns than within. Even modern highways tend to sit above the ground around them. You would want the water to run off the road, and you wouldn't care where it went. Unlike in a city where you would want to control where the water goes to keep it out of homes and away from foundations. Thus, curbs, gutters, and drains become more useful in a populated area.
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Fascinating pictures, no idea those roads existed. They're not really elevated from the surrounding terrain, though they probably were when constructed.
Do those roads exist in flat terrain that you are aware of, or just in broken/mountainous terrain?
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Take all of this with a little bit of salt as I'm no expert and only happened to vacation in Peru and Ecuador, which is how I learned about these roads. The Incan empire didn't cover a lot of flat ground, so I think that answer is a bit tricky to give. I want to say "yes, of course, there were flat streets" but probably not Kansas flat.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Inca_road_system_map-en.svg/1200px-Inca_road_system_map-en.svg.png)
(https://www.kuodatravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Also-known-as-the-Royal-Road.jpg)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YSKDBCdbiLo/YCWkcp5aehI/AAAAAAAAlOo/eSR1nixaAjQwrW1IpQVLVOlBDaAeLirKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1060/731A-Image%2BRock%2BRoad.jpg)
This is in the city of Ollantaytambo. Chances are good that the stones seen here are from a much older Incan structure, but modern Peruvians have a habit of taking the stonework of their ancestors and repurposing it. That started with the Spanish. Any time you see "sloppy" stone work with mortar, it is probably not Incan.
(https://www.scope.travel/static/c78f1babf521bb6fbbd43688e6bb2fa3/67d4f/peru-ollantaytambo-things-to-do-streets-waterfall.jpg)
The Incas were pretty ingenious with their engineering. We visited sections of their irrigation and freshwater delivery systems that were still operational AND moved water uphill. Unlike Roman Aquaducts, a lot of their system was in the ground. You can see what is likely original Incan construction on the right (tight fit, no mortar) and repurposed stone on the left below.
(https://wired2theworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ollantaytambo01.jpg)
This is from the city of Cuzco (I've been here). Notice the fit of the stones and the streets are original to the Inca. The white building built on top of this structure was a Franciscan monastery. The Spanish tore down some of the Incan structure and then just built over top of it.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/tqKLXAEXcxJWYpbOfAI_nGS0rYWJ_e9vPkOcIgTlTvezF1w9tK9NOMR8SJc09dw1KB3BOAiUc1EVZPHdSN9_oVoU7evr0HC-7GuYzY12nlsASqN2)
The most amazing stonework was at Saksaywaman (our guide pronounced this like sexy woman). This fortification was largely disassembled by the locals to make new homes and structures, but many of these stones were just too big to move so a decent amount of the walls still exist.
(https://sworld.co.uk/img/img/18/photoAlbum/812/originals/0.jpg)
Getting stones up and over the mountains in this part of the world is stupid tough, so I understand why they tended to recycle from ready sources. Cuzco is at an elevation of 11,152'. Denver is at 5280', for comparison. Quito, the capital of Ecuador is at 9350'. So you get an idea of just how rolling the terrain is. Lima Peru sits at roughly 500'. So you ask about flat roads and I'm guessing there aren't more than a few sections of road and most of that closer to the coast.
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For those curious about my take on Spiele this year…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/10/28/spiele-21-in-essen/
… plus some TV and movie talk.
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Sounds like a rather disappointing show overall, which is depressing but not what I'd call surprising.
The dice-shaped chair/stool things are very cute, though. Wouldn't care to sit on a d4 version, though. :)
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It was disappointing in that it was not as good as last time but it was nice to at least be able to go to a show. It would be great if things could get at least close to what they were before COVID/Brexit/International shipping crisis… although I am not sure that is possible.
We did not spend a lot but we did manage to get information to help us spend money better in the future, ie… what not to buy. That said, we have a much higher opinion of Titan-Forge now. Expensive and we would prefer buying items printed by themselves rather than have someone else print them for us. We almost bought heavily into their fantasy Asian and fantasy Mesoamerican Amazon lines at the show but they did not accept cards. They also did not make clear how much of a discount they were offering compared to their website.
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Interesting Spiele review. I haven't ever been to anything approaching that size of gaming convention, and I suspect that once I would factor in drive time, cost to park, food, etc, the discounts would hardly be worth it. I honestly find that most discounts aren't very good when they force you to move outside of your normal spending and behavioral habits. Buying $100 worth of things when I wanted $40 just so I can get a discount or free shipping isn't really saving me money, and buying things that I may theoretically have use for at some undetermined time in the future is also not helpful. Part of this blends with your idea that it isn't money that limits me but time and storage. I could buy far more than I could ever paint or play with.
My wife liked Dune and said it was far easier to understand than the Lynch version. I think it was helpful that my son and I had both read the books before watching the movies, so we could gloss over some concepts as "known" without needing an explanation. My wife just felt lost in the Lynch version. While I think the modern CGI effects were a very nice addition to the experience, I felt like something was missing by removing a lot of the quirkiness that the Lynch version had. Dune is, after all, a universe with mind-reading witch advisors, drug-using human supercomputers, and mutated hallucinogen addicts who can fold space. It is a weird place, and with all of the polish that the movie gave, I think they didn't take the weirdness far enough. It felt closer to Trek than it needed to be. Very enjoyable, but ultimately too safe. I am glad to see that this will be a series of movies, as part of the trouble with Lynch's Dune was that it had a TON of heavy lifting to do where the story was concerned. Too much to tell in too little time. I guess it was envisioned as a multi-movie trilogy like Star Wars, but never got there. The new Dune has the luxury of slowing down and telling the tale more thoughtfully instead of either rushing through the plot like a meth addict on fire, or jumping over items entirely.
I'm infamously easy to please where movies are concerned, so I look forward to your critique.
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The savings we got on the mats covered our entry tickets and lunch. And we to to cherry pick from various suppliers based on seeing them with our own eyes rather than relying on digital images. So that was cool for us.
Your review is fascinating and echoes that of Angry Joe from YouTube. I usually enjoy his reviews.
I agree that Lynch captured some of the interesting quirkiness of the Dune universe that seems missing in the trailers of this new one. I really enjoy hearing what you and your wife thought of it and look forward to sharing what Mrs. GG and I think of it in due course.
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My review of Warlord Games and Northstar Figures Osprey Games Oathmark skeletons…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/11/07/review-skeletons-warlord-games-northstar-figures-oathmark/
… now that I have finished a few of each.
TLDR: Good kits, I prefer the Oathmark but both are better when mixed together.
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Skeletons look great, but those pictures from your vacation are mind blowing ! :o
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Thanks… I am pretty pleased with how the skeletons came out but I do not think you are referring to any holiday photos of mine.
And now, my review Archon Studio Rampart 2 Kickstarter…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/11/09/review-archon-studio-rampart-2/
… we managed to successfully late pledge before Rampart 3 which is due soon.
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I find the skellies a bit fiddly, but I also just use them as parts for dead bodies in my apocalypse, so I haven't spent too much time trying to get them to stand up lol
The Archon studio's terrain looks ok. I've been eyeballing their next offering as it will include some ruined modern city terrain. I have an interest in that, but keep wondering if I wouldn't go mad trying to remove everything from a sprue. How does the removal go? I think that removing bits from tight areas always annoys me, and those sprues look chock full of bits.
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I do not mind removing parts from a sprue so I do not find it too problematic. The plastic on Archon is quite hard, making it a bit brittle at times with very thin pieces. There does tend to be less mould lines to clean up in exchange.
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Another progress report…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/11/12/a-few-things-finally-finished-and-new-arrivals/
As always feedback is welcome. I am happy to discuss things here if folks do not want to leave a comment on the blog.
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I like the red striped spiders!
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Thanks! So you do not think they look too cartoonish?
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Thanks! So you do not think they look too cartoonish?
No, they look nicely buff.
You are right though that the WizKids ones are creepier!
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Our latest update… this time focusing on a big game of Frostgrave using DF caverns and burrows….
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/11/19/we-few-we-happy-few/
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That's an amazing set-up!
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Sounds like quite a big and complex game. I've never actually used the Ulterior Motives cards, although I'm prett sure I have a set around here somewhere. Perhaps I should fix that.
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That's an amazing set-up!
Thanks mate. I would have preferred a different game mat but we had to make do with what we had at hand. Otherwise it was pretty cool to finally put this stuff to good use.
Rich, Ulterior Motives is brilliant to add some tension and mystery. Something Silver Bayonet needs more of.
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My latest blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/11/22/bittersweet-nostalgia/
Thinking about Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, Twilight 2000 and the Wheel of Time.
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Rich, Ulterior Motives is brilliant to add some tension and mystery. Something Silver Bayonet needs more of.
I haven't seen the full rules yet so I'll forego comment beyond saying that homebrewing something similar to Ulterior Motives for SB shouldn't be too difficult. Still can't find my set of UM, maybe I sold or traded it off.
From the blog:
And thereby learning that I only really like the early versions of Gamma World. For some reason I just do not like the later artwork and plotlines.
I was mostly a 1st and 2nd edition GW player, and positively put off by 4th. The much later WotC version that used the D&D 4e engine remains weirdly appealing though - it's very tongue in cheek and doesn't take itself at all seriously, and had very little support material, but the idea of the apocalyspe being the result of the Large Hadron Collider breaking spacetime is so crazy-conspiracy-theory-come-true it makes me smile. Certainly less grim than the traditional nuclear exchange with a leavening of biochem warfare for spice.
Metamorphosis Alpha I've enjoyed in every incarnation I've owned (which doesn't currently include the Goodman Games one), even the oddball Amazing Engine: Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega book. Quite liked the Amazing Engine range overall, although I don't think it ever sold well for TSR, adding to their woes in the 90s.
This reminds me of how the Kickstarter for the latest version of Twilight 2000 did not appeal to me in the same way the original version did.
Left me cold too, although I was no big fan of the old GDW version either. More of Striker/High Guard/Traveller guy back then. And honestly, I'd spent so much of my life at that point expecting one of our lunatic presidents to trigger a real-world nuclear war that the idea of gaming an unrealistically optimistic version of the aftermath was distasteful. My opinion on that hasn't changed with the passage of years - it's not like all those nukes have gone away, nor have international tensions decreased.
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As usual a joy to read your input Rich. It is a shame we can not game together, I think we would both have a blast.
My opinion on Silver Bayonet may change with some playing but right now it is looking like more of a starting point for something else. Modified Gothic Horror Sharp Practice will likely give me more of what I am after.
Zany does help take some of the grimness of Post-apoc.
MA may be a bit too ambitious for me but one day…. maybe…
At the time I was heavily into Twilight 2000 I expected to be dead by the time I was 30, and to have been a Captain in the 75th Ranger Regiment fighting Soviets on the Moon.
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Man, that is a fantastic-looking table, Rick. I don't share your lamentations about the mat. I think that it actually makes the DF stuff pop since it doesn't blend too well with the table below.
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My opinion on Silver Bayonet may change with some playing but right now it is looking like more of a starting point for something else. Modified Gothic Horror Sharp Practice will likely give me more of what I am after.
That may be a good option in any case. I generally prefer somewhat higher figure count games.
To date, I've been using Donnybrook for my French Indian War Gothic Horror games in Sleepy Hollow. There has been rumoured work on Donnybrook Dark for years now, but it's been so long that I'm not sure it will ever see the light of day.
It does look like there's enough interest in The Silver Bayonet to get some regular play going at the FLGS, and that will be fun if we can get an ongoing campaign with a number of players.
A Sharp Silver Bayonet may be an entertaining way to go for running bigger convention games though.
: 3
**edit**
Or perhaps a Muskets and Tomahawks blend...
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That is a spectacular dungeon layout!
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It is a shame we can not game together, I think we would both have a blast.
Alas, wrong continent. Perhaps if I become an expat following (say) the 2024 elections I might wind up over there, although fleeing to an English-speaking country seems more likely. Like many US citizens my language skills are appallingly bad.
My opinion on Silver Bayonet may change with some playing but right now it is looking like more of a starting point for something else. Modified Gothic Horror Sharp Practice will likely give me more of what I am after.
I'm planning to buy a copy and take a look, but I may or may not keep it long term. Still have my copies of Chaos In Carpathia/Cairo and Vampire Wars, etc. and even they haven't seen a ton of use in recent years. Not sure I need a third Gothic Historical Horror rule set sitting around, even with McCullough's name on it. Mostly interested in the game mechanics for maybe reverse engineering some of them into the earlier games. I've grown to tolerate the d20 in them but I'm sure not in love with it.
MA may be a bit too ambitious for me but one day…. maybe…
The Goodman version of it is rather expensive unless you know for sure you're going to use it. Their stuff is usually pretty good (especially D&D material) but you do pay for it.
At the time I was heavily into Twilight 2000 I expected to be dead by the time I was 30, and to have been a Captain in the 75th Ranger Regiment fighting Soviets on the Moon.
Well, there is GZG's Moongrunt range for that these days. :)
I wonder how long it'll be before some prat from Beijing notices that range and demands an apology from Jon. Don't think he does a ton of business with Red China so unlike (say) Hollywood he can probably just tell them to shove off if/when they do.
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Later than usual but another update with lots of photos and news….
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2021/12/24/better-late-than-never/
I would love to hear your feedback!
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Hopefully folks are still getting something of interest out of this thread.
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Great blog post. Always appreciate reading about your TV and movie watching. I'm certain that I've dodged some garbage TV by listening to your critiques lol
Interesting bit about the Wheel of Time. My wife and I watched the show and then decided to go back and read the book. I'm about 50/50 as to whether shows turn me on to books, or books make me excited for shows. In this case, I thought the show was interesting enough to make me want to read the book and see what I was missing. So far, I'd say that in the first few chapters the book has blown the TV series out of the water. Not that the series is bad. I thought it was actually quite reminiscent of a serialized rendition of a quasi-LOTR-style fantasy quest. I just think that the book has organized the information in such a way as to make the story understood. The important back story is told upfront. Where the TV show jumps right in as if the series of events that launch the adventure all happen in a span of six hours, the book describes a more ominous feeling over many years.
Good looking table. The DF terrain really does look every bit worth the price.
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Thanks for letting me know your thoughts mate, it really helps me justify the time I put into the blog knowing that some folks get something positive out of it.
Since I am not on Facebook any more, and I never got into any of the other forms of social media other than various forums, the blog is one of my core communication tools…. Online or otherwise, especially with the Covid lockdowns.
I really want to love rather than like Wheel of Time… that is the problem. Expectations too high yet again.
Speaking of high expectations…. I am incredibly excited about the Book of Boba Fett coming out… hopefully I have not set my expectations too high for that as well.
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I like Your caverns - it's surely fun to play in them ...
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Good to see you got more gaming out of that cavern set-up! Looks good.
I like the touch-ups you did on the dragon. The more subdued color looks better to my eye.
The Frostgrave guys are painted up nicely, as well.
I don't watch a lot of TV, so it's difficult to react to your thoughts on the various shows. Not a big fan of WoT, stopped reading after book 4 or 5, so I'd probably be ambivalent about the series. Space Sweepers looks interesting.
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I also really enjoy reading your blog posts and the cavern set-up looks awesome.
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Thanks for the kind words folks.
I really need to take down that cavern set up to free our gaming table but it is hard to do for some reason. I keep finding reasons to procrastinate.
Space Sweepers was fun at times, wacky at others, really dark at others and even cute at others. It is a bit long winded and drags a bit at times and yet sometimes feels like it has left something out or rushed past it.. It might have made a better tv series be honest.
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I am also excited for the Book of Boba, but feel like I'm going to end up thinking differently about the character. That could be an ok thing, though I doubt that I will like whatever I learn more than I like the Laconic bounty hunter who felt like he was brimming with steely-eyed lethality. This Boba puts slippery smugglers in carbonite for gangsters. I like that guy.
(https://www.bobafettfanclub.com/multimedia/galleries/albums/userpics/10002/normal_esb-cloud-darthlando.jpg)
I have no idea what this new Boba will do. I don't need or want him to be kinder and gentler. Wiser can still be interesting even if all he learned was to draw first. I don't want a redemption story, and I suspect that I'm not going to get my wish. Still... the teaser was him walking in, murdering some folks, and taking up the throne of a notorious gangster. That holds just a little bit of promise that my dark wishes will be granted by Disney.
What platform is Space Sweepers found on?
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Yeah, the challenge for me is that as a former cop I normally do not like glamorizing criminality, but the nostalgia of my youth for just how cool Fett was… how he could accomplish so much with so little dialogue, just astounds the amateur cinematographer in me. The character‘s costuming is spot on perfect in my opinion.
Now we have an actor I love playing the role… and yet I was a bit disappointed to find out in the Mandalorian that he and Jango technically are Mandalorians. I like the earlier Lucas version where him and Jango were not actual Mandalorians… but someone who wore the armor the same way he wore Wookie scalps, as a trophy.
So will we see some sort of anti-hero redemption story? Most likely, in my humble opinion. But that really is just me guessing.
I watched Space Sweepers on German Netflix.
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Ah, that is my problem. I currently don't have Netflix, though I'm about to get it again for a while and catch up on some stuff that I've missed over the last year or so.
I understand cringing at showing the glamorous side of criminal enterprises. Still, I would be game for something that looked like a Star Wars version of Breaking Bad. Every successful step feels like blindly stepping towards a cliff above a pit of sharks. The rush and terror are portrayed in equal measure and in the end nothing great comes of it. Or, any mafia movie. For every comped steak dinner with a beautiful mistress, there is that moment when Joe Pesci will stab you in the throat with a pencil for telling him you think he is funny. In those cases, it would be naive to look at the story and feel like the roller coaster was worth it when you find out the tracks were never completed halfway around some random loop. I'd be all for that type of story, but it would require Disney to get a good bit darker than they have been.
What I don't want to see is Boba going around making amends like he is in some kind of 12-step program for aging bounty hunters. To me, that doesn't fit the character. Mando has that luxury to wander in and out of quasi-ethical situations because he is a young foundling trying to make money (sometimes the wrong way) for his displaced Mandalorian enclave. He has a solid foundation of ethics (or a code of sorts) by way of the Mandalorians. Working with other bounty hunters is what gets him messed up and he ultimately has a choice to pick which side he will be on. Mando rankles at the idea of working with, or for, the remnants of the Empire. Boba is on the bridge with Vader when the call to kill some rebels comes in. Boba is on speed dial when Jabba has the urge to redecorate his palace with frozen bodies, feed the rancor, and dress some lady in a skimpy outfit strikes his mood. Boba isn't struggling with morality. He's Sammy "The Bull" Gravano lining up to do wet work for bad people. If we don't have those characters, then the goodness of Luke isn't all that interesting. You have to have the really bad guys to make the really good guys important. Boba just doesn't seem like a wishy-washy grey area type of fella.
Just my .02, but I suspect Disney will bungle it a bit. Obi Wan should be a story of boyscoutish do-goodery. Boba doesn't need to go there.
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I hear you mate, I really do.
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This is the Fantasy Board and as such please keep discussions on sci-fi on the Future Wars Board.
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Yeah, the challenge for me is that as a former cop I normally do not like glamorizing criminality
As a former Circus Performer and Catwalk Model I don't like glamorising criminality either. Glamour belongs on the high wire and catwalk, not in drug deals or bank robberies. I've yet to see a criminal pull off a bank heist in Gucci or Prada with the pizazz of Milan Fashion Week, they're just not gorgeous enough.
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Can we keep this about fantasy gaming and miniatures rather than Fantasy and Anything Else We Want to Talk About?
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Sorry Elk101, I was trying to keep from overpopulating various different sections of the forum. I see that was an incorrect decision and will try to keep things better focused to match the forum requirements.
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Thank you for your understanding.
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That Dwarven Forge setup does look great.
I'm mainly a user of cardcrafted terrain, particularly some more modular sets of walls that Dave Graffam does as I can break them down to store and also have different configurations between games. Hopefully I'll get a game or two in soon to get some pictures up.
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Dwarves Forge is brilliant but it has its drawbacks.
Looking forward to seeing your set up with that cardstock terrain. We considered Battle Systems Fantasy cardstock terrain as we use it for Sci-Fi (Core Space) but decided against it once we started collecting Dwarven Forge pieces.
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My latest update for the curious…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/01/02/and-so-it-begins/
TLDR: Wishing you all a brilliant 2022!
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Some zombie discussions in my latest blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/01/31/a-zombie-follow-up-spoiler-free/
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My latest project update…
And now my latest project progress report… with some brief tv show reviews…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/02/03/too-many-distractions/
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Looking good!
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Looking good!
Thanks mate!
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Wow! What a thread, some really great things going on here. I will have to follow this as it continues.
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Wow! What a thread, some really great things going on here. I will have to follow this as it continues.
Thanks! It is always nice to hear when someone likes What they see.
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Like those trees, Rick. Monster Fight Club? I think I remember looking at the Kickstarter for those, or something very similar. I like how the canopy just sits on top of the tree and can convert to a bare tree (in the case of an apocalypse, remove the canopy). In the end, I think I settled on scratch building my own, which I'm bound to get to before I die lol
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We like how robust the MFC (and DF) trees are compared to our old railroad model trees and our GW Citadel hard plastic trees.
And the removable canopy is nice to get some versatility. A bit pricey normally but we got them on a 50% off sale.
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that dwarven forge stuff looks so good (speaking of the cave set-up on the previous page). Trees are nice.
Like the fact you can take the foliage off and kind of make a haystack (or similar).
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that dwarven forge stuff looks so good (speaking of the cave set-up on the previous page). Trees are nice.
like the fact you can take the foliage off and king of make a haystack (or similar).
The foliage makes good bushes to hide gaps in terrain tiles.
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What have you been up to, Rick?
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Mostly basic restoration of things for my wheeling and dealing to get budget stuff for my Weird War 2 Post Apoc not-quite-Fallout project (working title Twilight ’49)…. basically a lot of basing and a lot of priming, which is helping me to learn how to operate my new air brush.
But also time spent reading rules for various games and scouring the internet for good deals.
Not much progress on my fantasy projects.
What about you mate?
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I think I've had more fantasy progress than anything else lately, but that isn't saying much.
I'm very interested in your Twilight '49 project. Details in your blog? I tend to only pop over there when you drop a link here.
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I have been working on a “mega post” for the blog regarding Twilight ‘49… it should be finished soon but may be hard going to read all in one sitting. 🛸
Edit: the latest blog post is now up… and it is a long one even by my normally longwinded standards.
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great project you're working on GG. Have posted on your blog.
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great project you're working on GG. Have posted on your blog.
Thanks mate!
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It has been awhile but here is my latest fantasy projects related blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/04/30/another-year-comes-and-goes/
As always feedback and reader input welcome!
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… and my latest blog post, with a few things I have finally finished despite a busy schedule.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/05/13/picking-up-where-others-left-off/
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Very nice additions!
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Very nice additions!
Thanks! Progress has been slow but every small step is still a step forward.
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all looks good to me. Re; blog., have commented there that imo the eyes are fine btw.
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Cheers mate!
One of the reasons I do not have more finished is that I am so darned fussy.
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… and my latest blog post, with a few things I have finally finished despite a busy schedule.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/05/13/picking-up-where-others-left-off/
Nice batch of figures. :)
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Thanks! My poor photography skill does not do them justice.
I say Frostgrave but really for us it is more like Forestgrave.
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I may have said before but I love your stuff, yours is one of only a handful of blogs I have bookmarked.
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Nice work! 8)
Is that a cargo-warg?
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Nice additions. The pack warg is nice. Maybe the next step will be a pack warg pack? lol
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Thanks for the kind words folks!
It really means a lot to me to hear that.
Not being on Facebook means that a couple of forums and my blog are my only online presence/connection to the rest of the world. Living in a small rural village in Germany as an American with poor German language skills and not being part of a local gaming club means my hobby is a bit… isolated…. to say the least.
So thanks for helping with my motivation. Hopefully folks find my blog informative and entertaining to some degree. I know there are a lot of time sinks out there and any time folks spend on my blog is precious.
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Not being on Facebook means that a couple of forums and my blog are my only online presence/connection to the rest of the world. Living in a small rural village in Germany as an American with poor German language skills and not being part of a local gaming club means my hobby is a bit… isolated…. to say the least.
I refuse to do social media, so I appreciate your commitment to something I can read. That said, I live in a small rural town (that I'm not entirely sure speaks English some days) in the US and my own hobby time is also largely in my head or for my own enjoyment. Nothing wrong with that. At least you have Mrs. Gnome and some wonderful toys to play with! I'm always happy to follow along with your projects.
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And I enjoy reading your adventures as well, particularly those Post Apoc ones mate!
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My latest blog update for those that are curious…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/06/14/one-lonely-knight/
As always feedback appreciated!
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Adding the flying cloak gives him a great sense of motion! Looks good.
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Adding the flying cloak gives him a great sense of motion! Looks good.
Thanks! It was more challenging than I expected. I thought I could just pop the cloak on (Fireforge cloak I think) but I had to cut it to get it over the helmet. Then when I went to glue it I tried to take a short cut with superglue. A mistake. Then I thought it would be a simple greenstuff job to fix it but I just could not get the sculpt right. Then when I thought I had it I struggled to get the off-white to look the way I wanted. It took me much, much longer to get the figure to look like I wanted but I think I finally got it. I appreciate the kind words.
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That’s a lot of effort! Now you need another half a dozen of them! 😉
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I suspect using Fireforge plastics will make the rest a good bit easier.
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The knight looks great, and the cloak works really well!
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Thanks mate!
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I like the knight. He is probably a better representation of the White Cloaks than the TV series representations. I felt like they were more like hairdressers at an Avante Garde salon. Children of Vidal Sassoon.
(https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/wheel-of-time-whitecloaks-header.jpg)
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I really hated how the Whitecloaks were portrayed in the overall disappointing TV series.
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Children of Vidal Sassoon.
Children of Vidal “anti-fascist warrior-hairdresser” Sassoon isn't a bad lineage!
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-suprising-story-of-the-anti-fascist-warrior-hairdresser-vidal-sassoon-2012-5
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Well, maybe the warrior hairdressers were a purposeful look then. A "well-coiffed" spin on a group that was actually rather dull in the books. Maybe dull isn't the right word. Inconsequential would be better stated. People fussed over them, but two books into the series I've failed to see them as an actual threat. I get the sense that the characters of that world feel as though the White Cloaks are bad news, but I've not seen much evidence.
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The Whitecloaks become more of a force to be reckoned with later, but really it is with individuals, and the internal politics, that the Whitecloaks are most interesting for me. In particular Galad Damodred. Whom I can easily identify with.
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I'm done with book #2, and it wasn't great. Not sure why it didn't capture my imagination quite as much as the first. I've been told not to even bother past book #3, so I'm going to try to get at least that far.
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I got up to about book 10 if I remember correctly. It was a long time ago. I was a much more voracious reader back then with a lot more free time.
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When I was younger I really really liked WoT. Sadly the story, which is actually not that bad, gets retarded and retarded. After a while I simply lost interest, namely when I had reached the last volume and I had to wait for the next.
This situation has changed by now and I was really excited about the TV show. Yet, the first minutes, the costumes, most everything wad not at all how I imagined it and I quit…
For wargaming WoT has some potential, though.
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When I was younger I really really liked WoT. Sadly the story, which is actually not that bad, gets retarded and retarded. After a while I simply lost interest, namely when I had reached the last volume and I had to wait for the next.
This situation has changed by now and I was really excited about the TV show. Yet, the first minutes, the costumes, most everything wad not at all how I imagined it and I quit…
For wargaming WoT has some potential, though.
WoT definitely has some wargaming potential but that is definitely a project I can not see myself finding time for. Too many cool things to do, not enough time.
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"Too many cool things to do, not enough time."
Should stand on the flag of tabletop gaming... :)
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Agreed, though it should be in Latin.
"multa excitando facere non satis temporis" - Many exciting things to do and not enough time lol
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Well said mate! 👍
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Our Dungeons and Lasers 3 pledge has arrived… with a blog post!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/07/26/bugs-sir-thousands-ofem/
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That is a lot to unpack. I look forward to seeing what you and Mrs. Gnome get up to with your pledge. In theory, I like these sets but wish D&L leaned more towards things that weren't so busy and detail intensive. More detail means a lot more paint time to get them on the table. That is always a big turn-off for me.
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I hear you mate. I do find them less detail busy than GW though. The proportions on the scatter terrain can make them look about cartoonish, less so with the minis…. but there is still quite a bit of whimsy in the designs.
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Looking forward to see what you do with these. I ended up backing their Gamefound campaign recently for the wilderness terrain.
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Looking forward to see what you do with these. I ended up backing their Gamefound campaign recently for the wilderness terrain.
As did we. I would have preferred receiving D&L 3 before having had to decide on our D&L 4 pledge but given how well D&L 2 worked for us we took the gamble.
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When I was younger I really really liked WoT. Sadly the story, which is actually not that bad, gets retarded and retarded. After a while I simply lost interest, namely when I had reached the last volume and I had to wait for the next.
This situation has changed by now and I was really excited about the TV show. Yet, the first minutes, the costumes, most everything wad not at all how I imagined it and I quit…
For wargaming WoT has some potential, though.
Welcome to any modern adaption. It's not about the source material or a quality story. It's about some fanboy writer using the characters like action figures to play their own silly game out and companies pushing agendas where taking a popular series name and slapping it on this awful fanfiction is the only way it will get any attention. If we keep up these monkey paw wish adaptions we're going to run out of monkeys in the next 3 years..
"Too many cool things to do, not enough time."
Should stand on the flag of tabletop gaming... :)
How are we going to read a flag buried under 3 unopened packages, 28 unopening boxes of models from the last 3 packages and a pile of lead so tall it could be sprayed black and give a good impression of mount doom?
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Speaking of unopened packages…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/08/02/the-waiting-is-the-hardest-part/
… our Dwarven Forge Wildlands KS pledge has arrived but it remains unopened….
….for now….
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Looking forward to the DF items. Looks like another good haul!
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And here we go…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/08/08/unboxing-of-our-dwarven-forge-wildlands-kickstarter-pledge/
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See Christmas has arrived early this year... lol
That board looks fantastic - close-ups please!
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Technically it is more like Christmas running late… but yeah, good times.
Plenty of close ups on the blog with more to come in the future.
And never enough time!
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Very impressive the Dwarven Forge mats look particularly nice.
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Very impressive the Dwarven Forge mats look particularly nice.
Mrs. GG and I like the neoprene mousepad trays but we are not as fond of the thin PVC-like mats. And we are undecided on the clear plastic “water“ texture foil. Mrs. GG likes it more than I do but I may yet be convinced once we get more time building with them. I want to like the textured foil. It looks so good in so many photos but it seems to me not so great in person so far. I am perhaps being unfair as I had high expectations.
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Holy moly. Opening all those boxes alone will take forever. :D
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Holy moly. Opening all those boxes alone will take forever. :D
Yeah… but it was fun. Quite the full weekend.
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It certainly does look impressive!
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That is a lot of stuff.
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Hopefully it will not be too long before we can start using this stuff in some games and post battle reports on the blog.
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Looking forward to another battle report, especially with all that loveliness.
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After many delays, my latest blog post….
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/10/01/more-unfinished-business/
… for those that are curious. Plenty to talk about so it is a long one. As always I would love to hear your thoughts on what I have written.
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Lovely new terrain. So much work ahead of you!
From reading your blog post, I feel like I could just about predict what you like based on what I don't like. lol
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Thanks mate!
If we all liked the same things life would be boring I suppose but it does surprise me to hear you say that.
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I’ll join the chorus: boy, what an awesome amount of stuff you got! :o :o :o
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Thanks, I am indeed fortunate that Mrs. GG shares a passion for the hobby. Careful shopping and deal making helps make it all more affordable.
The real limitation is time. Never enough of that!
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It has been awhile and although I have been busy, I have little finished to show for it.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/11/17/fear-not-i-am-still-around/
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Very nice work! I like the Halloween theme of the pieces - is the ‘jack o lantern beholder’ a commercial figure, or is it a kitbash you put together? Either way, it looks great!
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Thanks mate. The Overgourd was part of the Reaper Bones 5 Kickstarter if I remember correctly. Not sure if it has hit retail yet.
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That pumpkin monster is ace!
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I do like that Overgourd, Reaper do some strange stuff.
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Thanks for the kind words folks! Always nice to get some feedback.
Reaper does indeed make some strange stuff. I was not a fan of the Overgourd when I saw it in the Kickstarter but Little GG liked it and as I painted it, well… pardon the pun but it grew on me.
Reaper Bones 5 was a cracking good Kickstarter.
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Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2022/12/25/wishing-everyone-wonderful-winter-holidays/
Lots to say as usual. Always happy to hear feedback!
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Great work again! 8)
The Christmas Dragon is sort of cute...
The flock of birds are probably from the Murder of Crows set from Zombicide?
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Thanks!
The birds do kind of look like that but we have some of those models that I have not yet gotten around to painting so they are not those. It came with a GW base so I am guessing some sort of AoS piece but no idea what set it is from.
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Oh the dragon is really cute! :o
And congratulations on reaching 60 pages with a single thread!
Edit: probably with the next post.
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Cheers mate!
The dragon will look better when I go back and put some brighter highlights on. It is too dark but not as dark as my poor photography skills make it.
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Cheers mate!
The dragon will look better when I go back and put some brighter highlights on. It is too dark but not as dark as my poor photography skills make it.
That’s also my common problem and now that our electricity company prognoses the bill for 2023 I am somewhat reluctant to fire up the light of a million suns in myhobby room…🥶
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Good point, the IPad would probably wok ok if I used better lighting. ⚡️
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Always nice stuff on your pages.
keep up the good work in 2023. :)
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Good point, the IPad would probably wok ok if I used better lighting. ⚡️
It does. I do all my stuff with an iPhone and the difference light makes is enormous. Yet, even with good light it’s worse than an averagish digital camera and much much worse than a relex camera.
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Love the new editions especially the plant life.
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As usual a wonderful time scrolling through your blog.
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Thanks for the kind words folks, they are much appreciated. It really helps me justify the time spent to know I am not just sending digital shouts into the endless virtual void of the internet.
I know my painting is not nearly as good as some of the amazing artists on this forum but I like to think it has gotten better overthrew last few years thanks in large part to this forum.
So feedback, tips and suggestions on how I can improve my hobby projects as well as the blog format is always welcome.
Golgotha, it is great to read that you got a Christmas game in with your son. 🇫🇷
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Cheers Grumpy Gnome appreciates you having noticed and keep up the great work I regularly enjoy your blog.
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For the curious, I am still alive and recently made another blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/06/12/it-sure-has-been-awhile/
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Busy, busy, busy but things go slowly. My latest update. Too much free time spent on my big clearout…
https://wordpress.com/post/thegrumpygnome.home.blog/6430
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Another interesting read. I am please that Sheridan is growing on you, Babylon 5 is still one of my favourite sci-fi series, even though the CGI is rather dated now. A remake with modern effects (à la The Expanse) would be exciting, but the rewrite of the scripts would probably kill it!
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How have I not commented on your 60 pages of goodness! Great work, keep it up I want to see more and possibly comment on page 120 ;)
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Thanks folks!
This clearout is really dominating my free time. I have tried to tidy things up before offloading anything. Not finishing per se but at least nicely prepping them where possible so the new owner has an easier time competing them.
But it is all means to an end. MESBG, Frostgrave (and the various other *grave games), Core Space, Quar…we are still committed to these projects and more.
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For the curious my latest blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/10/02/yes-i-know-its-been-awhile/
… with a tiny bit of Frostgrave and a bit more other stuff!
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And another quick blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/10/05/i-am-ronin/
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Another long winded blog post…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/11/16/life-is-good/
… with a lot to talk about. Here is one photo to give you a taste…
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That’s a great arm swap/repair. Fits perfectly.
I really like the whole world approach by the twilight chap, you can clearly see their passion and imagination. You’ve got quite the stash there - it’s going to look nice on the tabletop.
Keep up the good work
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
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That’s a great arm swap/repair. Fits perfectly.
Thanks mate! I was surprised it worked so well. I use Oathmark minis for my Middle Earth Dwarves, he looks like a Gnome next to those!
I really like the whole world approach by the twilight chap, you can clearly see their passion and imagination. You’ve got quite the stash there - it’s going to look nice on the tabletop.
Keep up the good work
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
Thanks mate! It really worked out better than I expected. I use Oathmark Dwarves generally and he looks like a Gnome next to them!
Yeah Mike really captured my imagination with his vision. I wanted to get his stuff for a long time but could not justify the commitment… until I decided to partner it up with the Quar and cancel a bunch of my other projects. A difficult endeavor as my ongoing efforts in the sales and trades section show.
At some point my French Indochina project will be finished enough for me to let that go….
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I enjoyed your latest blog post. Not only an interesting gaming endeavour in the offing (I can definitely see the attraction of Battle Fraggles and think they'll mix well with the Zombiesmith muppets), but also a random act of kindness. It warmed my cockles.
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I enjoyed your latest blog post. Not only an interesting gaming endeavour in the offing (I can definitely see the attraction of Battle Fraggles and think they'll mix well with the Zombiesmith muppets), but also a random act of kindness. It warmed my cockles.
Thanks mate, I am glad to hear you enjoyed if. I figured that I can be quite quick to complain at times so it was important for me to praise as well when the opportunity presented itself. Also, when someone gets something positive from my blog it really is a great bonus for me.
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Unfortunately I have not finished anything for fantasy projects lately. Instead I have focused on getting cancelled project items in a decent state to shift them. This has allowed me to acquire a good bit of new material for my Middle Earth and Frostgrave projects.. as well as my Quar and Anyaral projects.
For the curious, my latest blog post…. spotlighting an artist and documenting my attempt to resist temptation.
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/12/24/artist-spotlight-jacob-hinds/
Merry Christmas to you all. 🎄
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I’ve never seen/heard of their art before but I really like them - especially the lady with correct trigger discipline and the “Flashman like” (to me at least) redcoat and lady kissing. Thank you for posting.
Hope you have a peaceful Christmas my friend, best wishes to you and your better half.
Andrew
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I’ve never seen/heard of their art before but I really like them - especially the lady with correct trigger discipline and the “Flashman like” (to me at least) redcoat and lady kissing. Thank you for posting.
Hope you have a peaceful Christmas my friend, best wishes to you and your better half.
Andrew
Thanks mate!
My “End of the Year 2023” blog post is up…
https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2023/12/31/the-end-of-2023/
Happy New Year to you all! 🎉
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"grimsical aesthetics" is such a good phrase, and works for some of the weird fantasy stuff I've been doing the last few years, too. Might need to borrow that!
Looking forward to your grimsical projects moving forward in 2024.
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"grimsical aesthetics" is such a good phrase, and works for some of the weird fantasy stuff I've been doing the last few years, too. Might need to borrow that!
Looking forward to your grimsical projects moving forward in 2024.
Joshua Qualtieri of Zombiesmith gets credit for the term “grimsical” but it is a very fitting term. May 2024 be a great year for you and your weird fantasy stuff!