RPG project in 25mm (RAFM wizard - Nimrod the Bold)

[Hobgoblin]

I'm starting a new thread for this project as it's a bit different from most of my other fantasy stuff, even though some bits of it are on my other thread. I'll keep the relevant things here from now on.

Initially, I wanted to get a whole lot of 1/72 miniatures done for D&D, etc.. The smaller scale appealed to me for various reasons, and we still use it for our Hordes of the Things and DBA games (for which it's perfect).

The problem with RPGs, though, was that character figures were a bit elusive. I ended up considering sourcing single figures from whole boxes, which would mean losing the cost-efficiency that 1/72 offers in HOTT, etc.

So, over the past year or so, I've switched to 25mm. Smaller metal figures offer the same small 'footprint' on 1/72 (essentially, a penny base), which creates more room for manoeuvre in dungeons. And a lot of the monsters I'd gathered together for the 1/72 project were actually 25mm anyway (old Grenadier ghouls and serpent people, for example, or very early Citadel monsters). On top of that, many of the non-human 1/72 figures work just fine: Dark Alliance elves (which are very big); Caesar dwarves (which are the same size as classic Ral Partha 25mm dwarves); and Caesar orcs (which are big in 1/72 and are handy as generic humanoids).

This is one of those projects for which I already have at least a couple of hundred figures based up but only about 30 or so painted. And some of those need their base colours changed to the lighter, sandier tone I use now - both because it matches most of the dungeon tiles I have better than a darker, earthier tone and because I use the same colours for massed-battle games; penny-based figures can be dropped into sabots for those. So quick painting is going to be the overriding aim here.

Anyway, here's the latest addition to inaugurate this thread: a very quickly painted boardgames miniature. I was going to use him and his ilk as bugbears in 1/72, but I think he'll be some kind of giant orc or other humanoid - possibly a champion of the Caesar orcs. I painted this guy using some contrast paints over quick drybrushing in the flat-earth base tone initially: deep pink for the skin and blue (which turned to green over the brown/black) for the kilt. I then painted up in opposite colours quite loosely - just using two shades for the skin and highlight. He's still a bit glossy in his crevices because of the contrast paint; I'll matt him down later.

[Khusru2]

It sounds like you have a lot of work on your hands. Good luck with that!

[ced1106]

> This is one of those projects for which I already have at least a couple of hundred figures

Well, your paintjob is better than mine! Add a tuft of static grass and some sand, and the base is good!

Which RPG is this for? I've noticed it's "easier" for me to tackle my pile of plastic when I'll be using at least some of the mini's for a scenario.

Been painting for some solo miniature skirmish games: "Five Leagues from the Borderlands", "Sellswords and Spellslingers" and "Lasting Tales".

[beefcake]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do here. Good luck with the sourcing of minis, I hope the scales work out for you. The miniature looks great too.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, chaps!

Which RPG is this for? I've noticed it's "easier" for me to tackle my pile of plastic when I'll be using at least some of the mini's for a scenario.

I'll generally be running some form of old-school D&D - probably Swords and Wizardry, which is essentially a cleaned-up version of original D&D. But this campaign is going to be about the setting - a 'megadungeon' - more than the rules. Our regular campaign (BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia D&D, with a long foray into RuneQuest) has become more episodic (the younger participants have more homework and sports). So once that reaches a natural stopping point (probably in October), we're going to switch to a location-focused campaign in which whoever's available on a given evening can form a party and raid the dungeon.

I've got a system for ensuring that there's continuity in knowledge between these raids - we tried it out in 2021 when people were away over the summer, and it worked really well. I'm also hoping to have different groups of players (some overlapping) entering the dungeon at different points.

But while we'll probably use Swords and Wizardry for the most part, I'm quite open to having different sessions using different rules from time to time. So, for example, we might use Mythras Classic Fantasy for a particularly combat-focused raid - or something like Into the Odd for a more freeform game.

My son and I have also developed a simple mass-combat system that we can switch into for big encounters. I'm designing the dungeon to have some very large, characterful locations - "the Hall of the White Pillars", etc. - so that we can have some sessions that are essentially a wargame. But I want lots of roleplaying too: combat isn't going to be the default, and there will be plenty of room for playing different factions off against each other.

I'm expecting quite a high rate of character mortality; I want the location, rather than the party, to be the focus. And I think players will enjoy seeing the heads of their old characters on the spikes at the perimeter of the gnoll camp or whatever. Or, if not enjoy, at least appreciate!

I also plan to go full Mythic Underworld in my approach to the dungeon - so lots of levels that are very distinct from each other, all kinds of weirdness and a pervading sense that this is not a natural or hospitable place!

[Old Hob]

Very much looking forward to how this thread evolves, not least as 25mm minis tend to be older sculpts and you excel at painting classic lead. That possibly-an-orc-champion looks the business btw.

He's still a bit glossy in his crevices

We all have our crosses to bear.

[Sunjester]

 I am also looking forward to seeing this project develop!

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, all!

No progress on the painting front (it's been a bit of a mad period workwise, and the pool stages of the RWC haven't been helping ...), but I'm hoping to get more up soon.

I got an order in from Irregular with a large swarm of 'dungeon vermin' in the form of their chunky 15mm ratmen and lizardmen. Both make very good and characterful small monsters (reskinned kobolds, most likely) for the upper levels of the dungeon. And I also picked up some of the wonderful 10mm rat riders, which I can see as brilliant annoyances in 25mm scale:



The other thing I'm thinking about now is how to make the dungeon rooms memorable and easily reconstructable. Three dimensions will be crucial here, but that raises challenges not only of creating interesting environments but also of mapping them so that they can be easily put back together the next time the players are in the room.

One thing I'm planning is something along the lines of Matakishi's marvellous dungeon blocks. These will probably be used in conjunction with both card floorplans (D&D, Advanced Heroquest, etc.) and larger purpose-built room tiles. So it might be a question of numbering or coding parts to that a 2D map can clearly show what goes where.

The other thing I want to do is built up sets of 'motif' terrain for each level or section. These might include sets of identical statues, pillars of particular colours, grisly boundary markers and biological features - clumps of giant fungus with particular colours in different places. I want players to be able to say, "Ah - so the gnolls have moved into the Hall of White Pillars" or "The Bloody Eye orcs have displaced the White Star tribe in the Great Fungus Cave", and so on.

[Hobgoblin]

Here's the latest player-character figure for this project (though he'd make a decent villain too) - Nimrod the Bold Wizard from RAFM's Wanderers and Warriors range:



A word on the bases: they don't look good in close-up (the drybrushing looks terribly unsubtle, and the photo processing sharpens the contrast unhelpfully), but I do like how these generic bases look on the table. They fit in unobtrusively with dungeon floor plans and outdoor mats, etc. I may do something to augment them somehow (staining washes?), but I'm quite happy with them so far, even if they aren't ready for their close-up!

[tikitang]

Love it!

A dark brown wash on the base will work wonders.

What's your recipe for that beard?

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks!

The beard is azure, azure + white and then pure white.

Oddly, my view on the base is that it might need a lighter starting colour rather than a darker one. But again, it looks better to the naked eye than when blown up.

That said, I'm thinking about a couple of changes: using a texture paste with a more subtle grain than the coarse pumice gel I'm currently using; and perhaps painting the base rims black (as I do with wargaming miniatures).

[Old Hob]

Nimrod is so fantastically Old School.  He would look quite at home on a hexagonal base. Lovely stuff. I especially like the light reflection on the staff's jewel. It's one of those techniques I've been promising I'll have a go at one day. It looks so effective.

No progress on the painting front (it's been a bit of a mad period workwise, and the pool stages of the RWC haven't been helping ...), but I'm hoping to get more up soon.

Hopefully the organisers of Australia 2027 will take note and not have the next tournament clash with Orctober. What were they thinking?

[Hobgoblin]

Nimrod is so fantastically Old School.  He would look quite at home on a hexagonal base. Lovely stuff. I especially like the light reflection on the staff's jewel. It's one of those techniques I've been promising I'll have a go at one day. It looks so effective.

Thanks! It was very quick to do, mainly because I couldn't be bothered reading up on how to do it properly! I'd finished the rest of him and was about to call him done ...

He is a great figure. I've got four or five of that RAFM range; I'd love to get my hands on some of the others (especially Jogar of Gug, who I'm sure I had as a kid).

Hopefully the organisers of Australia 2027 will take note and not have the next tournament clash with Orctober. What were they thinking?

I know! At least we're down to the knock-outs now, so I'm not quite so distracted during the week.

[blacksmith]

I love Nimrod figure and you painted it very well, the style and the colours fit the model perfectly.

[LouieN]

Well done with the Wizard