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Author Topic: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.  (Read 7571 times)

Offline The Red Graf

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  • Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris
Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« on: June 09, 2018, 03:33:54 PM »
I'm thinking about creating terrain for a hellscape. Think a combination of Dark Gothic and Bosch. Does anyone have any inspiration for me?



Semper in excretum sum sed alta variat


Offline Diablo Jon

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2018, 04:59:56 PM »
OK those are disturbing... cool... but disturbing  :-X


Offline The Red Graf

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2018, 06:48:41 PM »
The one with the faces is incredible. Some really top notch ideas guys, thank you.

Offline Spooktalker

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2018, 07:18:39 PM »
I have several hundred images saved but not an easy way to share them with you since I save hard copies rather than "curate" them online in something like pinterest. I'm planning similar projects for various netherworlds and planes in the D&D sense. I recommend Barlowe's Inferno for starters. It's a book but the images are available online, just use google. I'll put a few below.

Tumblr is the best source I've found for historical images, or any kind of images. Tumblr has almost no metadata to help you navigate, and instead you kind of have to feel your way as you go, finding people who share the kind of things you like. But you can probably start by searching for keywords like hell and demons and find people to follow, and comb through their archives.

Consider Asian depictions of hell and those from old magazines and newspapers, especially political cartoons. Artists like Barlowe are great for the look and feel and pallette, but in terms of the ideas of what hell is, these sources can't be matched. For me, hell is all about the specific torture devices and prison systems on the one side and artifacts of bureaucracy such as queues and offices and such. It's funny to me that for all our contemporary penchant for blood and violence, our framework is mostly a pg-13 sort of violence. The 40k novels are a great example. Lots of flashing guns, but remarkably tame. The Liber Chaotica is the best example I can think of. Many words minced on how horrible the visions are without any specificity. My 12 year old mind imagined a way more perverted and awful place and when I went to fiction it seemed to me a poor joke. But my own visions, were, in turn, tamer than historical depictions, and mostly nebulous. They are these old pictures that show the "what" rather than allude to it.

Here are a few Barlowe ones.









« Last Edit: June 09, 2018, 07:28:10 PM by Spooktalker »

Offline Spooktalker

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2018, 07:26:12 PM »
Also Beksinski.








Offline shadowbeast

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2018, 07:03:31 AM »
Here's some:
https://julian-faylona.deviantart.com/gallery/63587586/HELLSCAPES
There were also the old Hellworks sets by Worldworks, but the original wasn't very, erm, original; mostly just the old "underground and hot" cartoon vision of Hell, while the later Cathedrae Noctis provided Gothic design being tainted by daemonic possession, and Celestus Pravatis, while designed to give you a spaceship set, was modular and every module could be replaced with a daemonic version, allowing a techno-hellscape.




There is also the game Prisonkage:



Very NSFW!

Then there's this...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1018557697

And perhaps, Tormentum:







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Offline waitwhat

  • Librarian
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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2018, 07:51:00 AM »
Good project.

A lot depends on definitions of hell - classic fire and brimstone stuff is fairly easy to find but approaches around barren/empty, inhuman/mechanical, or the impossibility of reason seem more interesting perhaps.

That said recent games like doom, dark souls, agony are useful sources as are a lot of magic art (esp swamps and phyrexia)






Offline DavyJones

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2018, 08:40:34 AM »
Great stuff. Since years I am interested I building something like Dante's Inferno on the gaming table. :)

Offline Cherno

  • Scatterbrained Genius
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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2018, 12:09:45 PM »
Some cover art by Tim White Michael Whelan:




« Last Edit: June 10, 2018, 06:29:09 PM by Cherno »

Offline Duncan McDane

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #11 on: June 10, 2018, 01:37:55 PM »
Awesome thread, awesome art. Very inspiring  :).
Leadhead

Offline ink the troll

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #12 on: June 10, 2018, 11:13:28 PM »
Huge, zoomable interactive version of Bosch's the Garden of Earthly Delights:
https://tuinderlusten-jheronimusbosch.ntr.nl/en#


A selection of grotesque creatures all sorts, including the Gates of Hell aka Hellmouth:

The Hours of Catherine of Cleves (pics are zoomable, but for me that only works if I right click on 'zoom image' and open the link in a new tab):
- https://www.themorgan.org/collection/hours-of-catherine-of-cleves/115
- https://www.themorgan.org/collection/hours-of-catherine-of-cleves/124
- https://www.themorgan.org/collection/hours-of-catherine-of-cleves/125
- https://www.themorgan.org/collection/hours-of-catherine-of-cleves/259


Orcus' mouth in the Gardens of Bomarzo (in a way a Hellmouth as well):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bomarzo_parco_mostri_orco.jpg

Egbert II van Heemskerck on Monster Brains:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/04/egbert-ii-van-heemskerck-calvin-and.html

Jacob Isaaczs van Swanenburg on Monster Brains:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/04/jacob-isaaczs-van-swanenburg.html

Herri met de Bles on Monster Brains:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/search?q=Herri+met+de+Bles

Frans Francken the Younger on Monster Brains:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/08/frans-francken-younger-1581-1642.html

Pieter Bruegel:
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Thetriumphofdeath.jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dull_Gret#/media/File:Dulle_Griet,_by_Pieter_Brueghel_(I).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Fall_of_the_Rebel_Angels_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_Big_Fish_Eat_Little_Fish,_1556_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
- https://www.pieterbruegel.net/series/the-seven-deadly-sins


Zumbo's wax sculptures in La Specola (more or less allegorical depictions of  various diseases) : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Museo_della_Specola_(Florence)_-_Grotesque_waxes


some things a bit more baroque but still worth a casual scroll:

Arent van Bolten:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/04/arent-van-bolten-engravings-1604-1616.html
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/04/arent-van-bolten-ink-drawings1588-1633.html


Wendel Dietterlin the Younger:
https://www.metmuseum.org/search-results#!/search?q=Wendel%20Dietterlin%20the%20Younger

Salvator Rosa: http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/01/salvator-rosa.html


even more modern:

Albín Brunovský- not all pics fit thematically but still good:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/07/albin-brunovsky.html

some of the sculptures may provide some inspiration, try to imagine the stuff with more period specific weapons/ clothing: https://www.kuksi.com/


remotely related:
Danse Macabre/ Dance of Death/ Totentanz- while not really hellish as such, these allegorical depictions of death as the great equaliser still may provided some inspiration. Admittedly more for for minis/ conversions than scenery:
A whole website dedicated to various Dances of Death:
- http://www.dodedans.com/Eindex.htm
on archive.org
- pictures starting at p. 29 https://archive.org/stream/iconesmortissexa01holb#page/n5/mode/2up
- https://archive.org/stream/dertotentanzvier00holb#page/4/mode/2up

- alphabet of death: https://archive.org/stream/celebratedhansho00holb#page/n7/mode/2up
- https://archive.org/details/dertodtentantzwi00holb



 somewhat related (and far from serious):
Hellmouth in modernish architecture- Cabaret de L'Enfer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabaret_de_L%27Enfer
http://www.coolstuffinparis.com/cafe_de_lenfer_paris.php

Some of the pics remind me a bit of the Diableries: http://www.londonstereo.com/diableries/index.html


Scenrywise things commonly encountered in medieval and later art depicting the torturing of souls in hell include
various types of breaking wheels,
cauldrons filled with boiling water, oil etc. ,
trees or some type of framework with penitents hanging from branches or a beam respectively -sometimes the rope is put around the neck but often it's attached to other limbs.
Often the above are combined with burning fires and demons/ devils operating bellows while others hold fire pokers and pincers.
For decorating hellscapes barrels of various sizes seem like a must have as well. Also boats/ ferrymen/ versions of the river Styx. And piles of bodies, bodies tumbling all over the place.
 
For large cauldrons Halloween deco might prove usefull (e.g. https://www.amazon.de/Horror-Shop-Packung-Hexenkessel-Halloween-Walpurgisnacht/dp/B009CA5Z7C/ref=pd_sbs_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RK41024Q398BVMMB4Q85 )

minis and scenery:
- Hellmouth (and medieval demons & devils) available via Antediluvian Miniatures: https://antediluvianminiatures.wordpress.com/2017/12/03/shop-medieval-demons/
- Boschish minis: http://www.eurekamin.com.au/index.php?cPath=87_126_838&sort=3a
- barrels: http://www.renedra.co.uk/productlist.php?category=4&secondary=14
- GW's Silver Tower fish familiar would fit right in, the Tzaangor heads and legs would be good for conversions

Minis suitable for creating Dance of Death/ Triumph of Death type stuff:
- 28mm http://www.skullncrown.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=85&zenid=CiwWP2EnV4Qi9S1gFI3SA0
- 15mm http://totentanz-miniatures.com/product-category/totentanz/


as for real world landscapes, Dallol + the sulphur pools seems like a truly hellish place...

.:edit:. some pics and a couple more links for minis:.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2018, 11:33:06 AM by ink the troll »
sanity is for cowards

Offline nic-e

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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #13 on: June 10, 2018, 11:29:39 PM »
I'd also have a look at the chapman brothers hell dioramas. they are at the very least a good source of creative model kit bashing.

never trust a horse, they make a commitment to shoes that no animal should make.

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Offline fastolfrus

  • Galactic Brain
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Re: Skirmish gaming in a Hellscape.
« Reply #14 on: June 11, 2018, 09:44:12 PM »
There used to be Bosch/Brueghel inspired figures from Miniature Figurines in the late 70s in their Aureola Rococo & Valley of the Four Winds ranges.
http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Category:Aureola_Rococo

http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Valley_of_the_Four_Winds

East Riding Miniatures used to have a range of exotic looking figures (Blemyes? from Grumpy) with no heads but eyes in their chest and mouth in their midriff etc. Again quite a while back, but if you email them (is it still run by Tony?) you might find where they went.

Gary, Glynis, and Alasdair (there are three of us, but we are too mean to have more than one login)