Michka's fantasy projects. (Totems & Throne, the Final Chapter 4/18/15)

[Michka]

Thank you DeafNala and Von Lucky.

The Weird Water Whatever's turned out so much better then I ever expected them to.
DeafNala, you should give the DMs Craft forum a look-see. I've seen a couple people make some amazing multi-level ships using this method. I've even seen a really nice looking Traveller Beowulf class spaceship done this way, and it's awesome.   

[DeafNala]

DeafNala, you should give the DMs Craft forum a look-see. I've seen a couple people make some amazing multi-level ships using this method. I've even seen a really nice looking Traveller Beowulf class spaceship done this way, and it's awesome.   

I had a little walk through the DM's Craft site since you had mentioned it in one of your previous posts. It does seem like a pleasant group with some very interesting ideas. I'm still unsure about signing up as all my stuff is 3D.

[Jevenkah]

More really neat pieces! I love the scale of the Weird Water Whatever. Great mini tutorial too.

Nothing like a deadline to inspire imagination! That, and the players springing a major change of scene at the last minute.

Keep the inspiration coming please!
Jevenkah

[Michka]

I want to improve my tutorial skills. Thank you for noticing Jevenkah.
DeafNala, I'm sure they would love your work. As you say, they're very friendly, which I've come to expect from my forums. I've been spoiled by the people on LAF. 

[Michka]

Sorry for the double post. I have a bunch of photos I want to get posted, but my time is limited. Here are my Stone Giants. 



and here is a shot for scale.



I need these for the next chapter of my Rise of the Runelords campaign, The Fortress of the Stone Giants. They do make official Pathfinder stone giant miniatures for the collectible boxes. I even have a few. the problem is, they don't look that giant. Here's an example...



They just don't look like much of a threat. If you compare them with the Pathfinder Ogres, they just look little and sick.



That just wasn't going to work for me. I did take some work in progress shots. I really need to do a better job of documenting in the future. 



Ignore the clutter in the back of this next shot. I forgot to crop it before loading it onto Photobucket.



In as few words as possible, I sculpted the basic bodies out of Super Sculpey. Then I added embellishment such as clothing, jewelry, and such with green stuff. On the first three giants I had to add the ears on afterwards. I just hadn't figured out how to make ears yet. (That's why the Ettin has ear holes instead of ears.) The heads were sculpted as a separate piece. With some judicious trimming I can match the head to the body. You can probably tell I changed the kilt and discarded the neck chain on tall guy shown in the W.I.P. shots. They just didn't match the look of the rest of them. Anyway, that's what I got for today. Let me know what you think.
 

[DeafNala]

VERY COOL! In addition to lacking the height, the Pathfinder Giant also lacks the unique charm of your SPLENDID creations. The BIG Guys remind me of the better aspects of the original Monster Manuals' drawings. GREAT WORK!

[von Lucky]

Again, your group better appreciate how good they have it.

...

Unless you're failing to tell really how malicious as a GM you are

[Michka]

Thanks DeafNala and von Lucky. I have to admit my love for old school D&D art. I was investing lots of money into Otherworlds miniatures for years, mainly on the strength of their old school style. I haven't been buying much from them lately. Instead I'm spending my hobby money on Super Sculpey, green stuff, foam core, and hot glue.

As for my game mastering style, I've been meaner lately. If I'm gonna spend time and effort to make these things, it had better take some effort to kill them. Besides, who likes to cake walk a dungeon? There needs to be a challenge. (Hey, no one has died... yet.)

[Doomsdave]

Those stone giants are great!  I agree with what has been said about the old school vibe.  There's nothing better than having some good minis and playing some old school dungeon crawls.  Are you mainly a Pathfinder type?  I still use old B/X rules with a dash of 1e DMG thrown in.  Congratulations on great sculpts!

[Michka]

Thanks Doomsdave. I'm running an ongoing Pathfinder campaign for my main group. A buddy started running Pathfinder a couple years back, and it's been our mainstay since that first game. I'm running the Rise of the Runelords adventure path. Mike is running The Shattered Star adventure path. Tim, the guy who got us into this in the first place, has run a few different modules, and there are a couple more GM's on deck.

I'm a lazy GM (at least when it comes to reading rules) so I like the simplicity of the older games. I love running Labyrinth Lord, which is an OSR 1e emulator. I've got a small group that I play LL with when I have the time. The good news is, when I get back to running Labyrinth Lord, I'll have plenty of new monsters to throw at that group.     

[Doomsdave]

Sounds like a good group.  I haven't played LL yet but I've rocked some Swords and Wizardry. 

[Alxbates]

Those stone giants are GREAT.  They're very charming as they are, (and I mean this in no way as a criticism), if they had just a bit higher level of finish I think you could probably sell them commercially.

I've just now discovered this thread, and I'm deeply envious of your gaming group!  Thank you for all the awesome updates - I look forward to seeing the next posts!

-Alex in Alaska
www.facebook.com/ForgeofIce

[Michka]

Thank you Alxbates. I know what you mean. I'd like to make sculpts that are worth casting someday, but so far I'm having too much fun sculpting for the game. It takes so long to make green stuff sculpts. With the Super Sculpey I have the freedom to work fast and have a completed figure in a day or two.

[Michka]

I have a request. My favorite YouTube channel, The DMG Info, suffered a calamity recently. A glitch created by the system messed up his channel and lost all of his subscribers. All 9,649 subscribers. DMG has recovered most of his videos, but now he has to rebuild his subscriber base. As of this writing he is at 471 subscribers. He has asked all of his loyal fans, of which I count myself, to get the word out.

If you like what I've been doing for the past few months, if you like learning new ways to make terrain, if you like to listen to a crazy Australian guy babble about cardboard and hot glue, give him a view. If you like what you see, subscribe. I tend to listen to his videos while I'm painting, sculpting, and making terrain. Here is the link...

https://www.youtube.com/user/thedmginfo

#helpthedmginfo

and Thank You.

[Argonor]

I subscribed now - didn't know the channel beforehand, but it seems interesting.