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Author Topic: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Barbarians, April 12!]  (Read 63550 times)

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Dwarf reinforcements, 1/23!!]
« Reply #225 on: January 27, 2015, 02:52:16 PM »
Really nice, I'd forgotten about the Ghost Minature line.  They really do look good.

Why thanks. They are not cast from the strongest metal, so those halberds and swords needed some adjustment, but overall the figures bring some nice old-school charm to my dwarven army.

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Dwarf reinforcements, 1/23!!]
« Reply #226 on: January 27, 2015, 02:59:56 PM »
Here's a figure that I've had perched atop my lead mountain for many years. This is a Grenadier Dwarf Flame Belcher that I picked up at a flea market, new in blister, for $1. The figure is an obvious precursor to the dwarven fire artillery that would come with later editions of Warhammer.

The sculpt is OK, not great, and the base is absolutely atrocious. The base of the flame belcher just sort of dissolves into squiggles of texture and flash. So I had to really cover up the base to make the miniature serviceable. I did this by adding some pieces of wood bark, painted to resemble rock slabs, as well as copious tufts of flock. The end result is a serviceable mini that will no doubt see action in Song of Blades & Heroes, Kings of War and Open Combat!






Offline eilif

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Dwarf reinforcements, 1/23!!]
« Reply #227 on: January 27, 2015, 03:56:16 PM »
Nice update of an old-school miniature.  I've also found that good basing goes a long way. Both in giving new life to figures that I might otherwise pass over and in bringing unity to a force composed of different brands of minis.

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Dwarf reinforcements, 1/23!!]
« Reply #228 on: February 08, 2015, 05:54:08 PM »
I finally got some pics of a few terrain pieces I completed over last summer, fall and winter.

These pieces started when I acquired the Scotia Grendel Ruined Keep kit, a very nice resin collection of tumbledown walls and ruined turrets. I knew I didn't want to assemble the kit exactly as it appeared in the studio photo (see below), so I decided to try my hand at carving stones and brickwork into blue foam chunks, then attaching the resin pieces on top to create a larger, more robust ruined fortress.



It was a good learning experience. In retrospect I don't think mortared areas between the stones came out quite dark enough to provide good contrast between the gray slabs. Otherwise I'm pretty satisfied.

This is the biggest piece from the lot: a broken wall capped by two ruined turrets. The whole thing is slowly being overtaken by the wilds, which fits perfectly with my fantasy wilderness setting.








Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #229 on: February 08, 2015, 05:56:50 PM »
Here's the next piece that came out of that Scotia Grendel kit: a ruined corner turret. This is just the resin piece attached to a larger wedge of blue foam, with stonework carved by hand into the base.






Offline Patsuriku

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Dwarf reinforcements, 1/23!!]
« Reply #230 on: February 08, 2015, 06:42:56 PM »
It was a good learning experience. In retrospect I don't think mortared areas between the stones came out quite dark enough to provide good contrast between the gray slabs. Otherwise I'm pretty satisfied.

I think it's pretty good, ruined keeps or castles tend to gain a sort of uniform color when the wilds take over them. You could maybe just add some more heavy green whashes and a few more growing vegetation at the base of the walls (kinda like this https://ruine.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/morimont-ruine-r-crozat.jpg.)
Looks way cool as it is right now anyway!

Offline DeafNala

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #231 on: February 08, 2015, 08:24:31 PM »
LOOKIN' GOOD! You matched up to the Grendel stonework in SPLENDID fashion. VERY WELL DONE!
I'd NEVER join a club that would have me as a member.  G.Marx

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #232 on: February 09, 2015, 10:49:10 PM »
Patsuriku: It's funny you should mention green washes on the stone. I recently completed another piece (photos forthcoming) and tried that technique to great effect! (Well, I think it's great, anyway.)

For now, I have pics of the last piece I've built from the Scotia Grendel kit. It's a corner piece with a small ledge for minis.







Offline Jevenkah

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #233 on: February 11, 2015, 06:34:23 PM »
Great work on the stonework! That's a wonderful way to spread the ready-made pieces out. Your mini bases look right at home on that ground.

Jevenkah

Offline Knightofspades

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #234 on: February 16, 2015, 08:05:24 PM »
Amazing looking terrain man. Great work.

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, 2/8!]
« Reply #235 on: February 18, 2015, 04:08:12 PM »
Here's one last piece of terrain. We've all seen these nifty WArhammer 40k plastic ruins on tabletop battlefields for the better part of 18 years (has it really been that long?). When I acquired these two corner sections, one of them was missing the second-story ledge. So I fashioned a makeshift floor out of balsa wood, which gave me a great excuse to use a color other than gray on this piece of terrain!



I splashed some brown and green washes on the gray walls to add a little more color, then liberally applied flock and static grass to represent just how long this little ruin has been sitting in the wilderness, untouched and unexplored.



The rubble in the center is composed of broken Hirst Arts pieces, small stones and gravel. I used Gorilla Glue on this area, which is tricky to use since it expands as it dries. I used this to my advantage to fill gaps between the rubble bits. Pro tip: After you've laid down your Gorilla Glue and arranged your large stone pieces, let it stand for 20 or 30 minutes, then come back. The glue should have expanded and foamed up quite a bit -- now, sprinkle some sand or gravel onto the expanding glue to add more texture. This is a great way of building up volume quickly and easily without having to wait for subsequent glue layers to dry.






Offline Patsuriku

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, Feb. 18!]
« Reply #236 on: February 22, 2015, 01:17:26 AM »
Very nice! It really looks like the wilds have taken over that ruin.
I wonder what treasures are hidden under it !

Offline PatrickWR

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Terrain update, Feb. 18!]
« Reply #237 on: February 24, 2015, 11:16:42 PM »
I recently did a big ol' blog post where I attempted to catalog most of the warbands that I've put on the table over the last five years of skirmish gaming. Some are veterans of the wilds, others are unblooded (so far). Most of them fit into the fluff of the club's campaign world.

You can read the full blog post here: http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-warband-project-part-one.html

Some of the pics include new (improved!) photos of miniatures that have already been showcased in this thread. Here are a few of the choicest selections:



The Cursed Horsemen of Frostvale

In the wind-scoured wastelands of the far north, where snow-frosted trees cling to craggy mountains and men wrap themselves in furs the year round, a band of horsemen sallies forth to raid the barely civilized lands to the south. In their wake, men whisper of a terrible curse that lies heavy upon the warband -- and of unspeakable barbarity that grips the fighters in the heat of battle. Woe to those who spy the Cursed Horsemen of Frostvale at the gates of their village of an autumn evening!



The Scourge of Longrieve

After the doom-cloud had swept across Qaarra and the fearful population had been left to quake and mourn, the mysterious Leathern Gate in the northern mountains opened once again, briefly creating a portal between Qaarra and the Wyrdwold. From the grimacing doorway came the Scourge of Longrieve, a band of raiders, cutthroats and foul creatures bent on looting the jewels of Qaarra. They broke like a wave upon the idyllic village of Longrieve, earning their name through senseless butchery and slaughter.



The Hour of the Rat

When the Clock of Omens strikes thirteen, families know to bar the door and place their heaviest cook-pots atop open drains and sewer pipes. For it is the Hour of the Rat, when the chittering hordes surge from the under-depths, led by fearsome chaos ratmen armored in scavenged mail and plate, and wielding blades of corrupted steel. They visit the surface world to raid for treasure and slaves -- but the day may yet come when these ratmen do not slink back into the catacombs at dawn, but instead stay to rule the realm that they have conquered.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 11:19:12 PM by PatrickWR »

Offline DeafNala

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Warband The Project, Feb. 24!]
« Reply #238 on: February 25, 2015, 01:57:51 AM »
INSPIRING STUFF! The War Bands with the small numbers of BEAUTIFULLY painted, WONDERFULLY diverse miniature warriors & rich background material are really most appealing to moi. AND I LOVE the Mega-Mushrooms! OUTSTANDING WORK!

Offline manic _miner

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Re: Fantasy warbands for skirmish gaming [Latest: Warband The Project, Feb. 24!]
« Reply #239 on: February 25, 2015, 06:54:20 AM »
 Nice work on the scenery and a great mix of miniatures in your warbands.

 

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