Painting a brass dragon-winged sorceress

It will take some time, but we'll eventually get to character level 14. Then, our dragon sorceress will grow wings. Time to paint this Reaper miniature.

Painting a witchy necromancer

Another sorceress, another dress experiment. This time on the Bones variant of this mini from Reaper Kickstarter 5. 

Paint a stereotypical witch

A bit late for Halloween, but here's the witchiest witch I can think of. All she's missing is a broom.

Painting a female elf bard

I got inspired to paint a Barbie-styled blonde in pink clothes. Don't ask why, I didn't even see the movie. The mini is from Reaper Miniatures.

Golden Vault: Casino heist part 2

We reunited with Thaldohr after he was released from the brig, did some preparations in advance, talked through our plans (rather inefficiently but excitement was running high), then made our move.

First, I put on my prepared disguise as an employee while hiding out in our bag of holding, then scouted the employee only areas. I discovered one accountancy office with a magic book writing down the winnings; one office belonging to Quentin, where I palmed a glass key, a minotaur-headed bone rod, and some gold; and one employee lounge, where I made a fantasy themed joke, mingled with the employees, and learned about the minotaur skeleton in the vault.

I also bumped into another employee, but successfully bamboozled him into believing I was a new guy.

The circus was playing at this time, so I also checked out the animal prep area, palming a suspiciously magical looking potion.

We regrouped, and while I explained my progress and Aris studied the bone rod, Quentin was seen rushing to the tournament scene. We decided that he must have discovered the theft, and it was time to move before circumstances change too much.

I moved in, still in disguise, and splashed paint on the mirror observing the approach. Everybody rushed in behind me. I went into the security room to distract the guards, but they were too tough to be put to magical sleep. 

Golden Vault: Casino heist part 1

Long story short, this tiefling lady called Verity Kai had a gambling partner called Quentin Togglepocket[1] who stole all the money they supposedly earned working together[2]. Quentin disappeared, then came back big to open his very own casino near Waterdeep, even hosting a 3 dragon ante tournament. Verity wants her money back. She also wants to ruins Quentin by stealing the golden statue which is the grand prize of the tournament. Sounds like the type of noble quest our party was made for!

Painting a commission travelling witch

Included in the final batch of commission characters for 2023, this is a Reaper Bones miniature from the 5th Kickstarter. The sculpt is absolutely beautiful and the scale is just right. Yes the text is copy pasted from the druidess. Still true.

Painting a commission goggled sorceress

Included in the final batch of commission characters for 2023, this is a Reaper Bones miniature from the 5th Kickstarter. The sculpt is absolutely beautiful and the scale is just right. Yes the text is copy pasted from the druidess. Still true.

Painting a commission druidess

Included in the final batch of commission characters for 2023, this is a Reaper Bones miniature from the 5th Kickstarter. The sculpt is absolutely beautiful and the scale is just right.

Painting a commission elven sorceress

I already painted this girl for myself. For the commission version, we decided on a reverse color scheme, in case we ever get to do something funny with the miniatures. So I reverted the red/blue cloaks, painted the robe warm white instead of cold, reverted the silver/gold bits, and painted all the light leathers dark. Then made her skin pale instead of "regular", and black hair instead of blond. Turned out pretty nice.

Astra Militarum vs Necrons, 07.02.2024

My first 2000 points Leviathan game. Kinda late but I've been having fun with narrative play so shut up.

Anyway, it was a deep dive in competitive style play. We played a standard mission (E from the Leviathan Tournament Mission Pool format) resulting in Take and Hold on an angled deployment. The table was absolutely overloaded with ruins. Ruins everywhere. Nothing but ruins. At least I had first turn, although I'm not sure if that was good or not.

Astra Militarum, turn 1

I pulled Area Denial and another one that I threw away. I moved forwards, getting some shooting angles.

I deployed my freshly painted Rogal Dorn alongside the Executioner as far forwards as possible without giving direct line of sight. First turn, they rumbled up into view.

The Catachan detachment (including Sly Marbo) had previously scouted up, taking the objective, standing still for shooting the Licheguard and completing Area Denial.

Painting a primeval shaman

This resin miniature was a $3 eBay find, I have no idea where it comes from.

Painting an old human druid/sorcerer

This guy from Hasslefree Miniatures. He looks druidic but I did not want another brown scale or brown/green miniature, so I decided on some faded cloth besides all the fur and leather.

Painting a Halloween golem

I was delighted to be invited to this Paint your first mini (Halloween edition) event as a... supervisor, I guess. We each painted different types of Halloween miniatures 3d printed by Novac Dawn. Pretty fly!

Now I already painted something like this as a commission, but this one is different. I'd normally do Contrast basecoats, but as a first experience painting, I usually recommend regular paints. So I painted him the same way myself.

Also, some paints were provided by the game shop, but not all, so we used mine as well.

Last but not least: low budget effects!

Painting an aquatic monster girl

I think I bought this miniature from the same place the genie came from - I just don't know where. 

Anyway, I painted them up in parallel. Next to the genie's regal blue, I wanted this one to be more turqoise.

Painting a blue genie

I felt like experimenting again. I tried a blue gradient some time ago - time to rethink it using Contrast paints. I have to say it came out very well.

Painting a female dark elf with spider

I painted this miniature from Hasslefree along with the commission priestess.

Painting a commission dark elf priestess

We have already encountered this mini long ago during our MAGUS adventures.

Golden Vault: Eldritch horror heist, part 2

We resumed our heist with a much diminished crew, but with a new addition: Hasbullah 'Mini Khebab' McSparkface, the rock gnome artificer. We got down from the attic, but not before noticing some unidentifiable metallic sounds from below. Oh well... Teek listened at the door, I opened it, and we stepped out into... a well lit museum, with now windows but wall sconces and continuous flame spells. I sneaked forwards, almost triggering an enchanted statue - I managed to dive behind a couch just in time. Guards, guards everywhere. But I did reach the cleaning supplies' room.

Painting Elrond

Time to experiment with a greenish tint on a miniature.

Painting LOTR orc leaders

Grishnakh, Lurtz and Gothmog had been sneakily hiding in a box until now. In the movies they are mostly black armed and armored. Now if you look for screenshots, some items of clothing, fur and hair have tints of dirty brown. In art, the reddish orc skin is quite red/copper. However, if you just look at the movies, they seem almost completely... just black. So here's an exercise in black.

Painting Gandalf as a blue wizard

I had a second Gandalf, so I painted him blue instead of grey, in memory of the lost Istari.

Painting Gandalf the Grey

This Gandalf had a broken staff, and I pinned and glued it, only later realizing that I fixed it upright, and it should have been slanted. Oh well.

Black fur (complex)

Some animals or creatures may only have flat areas or fur areas. Apply as necessary.

Instead of the regular grey or blue highlights, which fall flat on very large and/or complex areas such as the entirety of a bigger miniature, this mixed color scheme results in bluish shadows and some browns playing across the highlights.

Atican campaign summary

Plot summary

Orks land on an outlying world of the Atican system. They are met by the local regiments of the Imperial Guard as well as agents of the Inquisition. The orks inadvertently uncover that the imperials were studying the dormant necrons of the world and attempt to rouse them in hope of a better fight. However, they are first delayed, then beaten back at every turn. In a final battle, the orks are soundly defeated and the awakening necrons pacified. With the orks slinking back to their ships and the necrons continuing their slumber, the world shall know peace once more... for now.

Dramatis Personae

Imperium

• Castellan Mother Theresa
• Sister Lucy and her command squad
• Inquisitor Caecilia
• Interrogator Clotilde
• two unnamed assassins serving the inquisitors

Orkz

• former Warboss 'Edkrakka
• current Beastboss Gitstompa and his squigosaur Missiz Muncha
• Da Surgion
• Grokkit  Tinkrakka (formerly known as Scrapfinda before cracking a lot of necron tin heads) and his smasha squig Ed Buttacup

Mission #4 - Necron beacons

So here we are, deployed for our first 2000 points game in this campaign. The scenario is based on the crusade mission Bio-sample Acquisition, with the imperials narratively trying to suppress the necron beacons while the orks are trying to get them wakey-wakey. The action cannot be initiated turn 1 (so I don't auto-win with 2 infiltrating characters) and upon completion, a random necron squad spawns close by.

Mission #4

The morning found Castellan Mother Theresa once again leaning over the tactical hololith. While the raid on the ork camp surely set the brutes back somewhat, another force had raided the inquisitor's excavation site, reactivating several strains of robotic xenos. Her troopers were putting them down, but they were rising back up almost as fast. Now she had to contain it all, coordinate her forces, and hope that the inquisitor won't get in her way too much.

As if on queue, the plasteel door opened, followed by the rustle of ample skirts. Caecilia herself was tired, and dispensed of all formalities. Not even bothering with a greeting, she stopped at the hololith. As if summoned by her presence, new red dots appeared all across the map. The inquisitor jabbed at them with her index finger.

'Additional xenos reactivations have been spotted by my tech adepts here, here and here. We must jam them, and quickly, or they will overrun this sorry planet faster than the orks ever can. Allocate me some forces, commander. I will deal with this myself.'

Theresa sighed. On par for the course.

...

Some distance away, the orks were having an obviously different, yet disturbingly similar conversation. 

'Sod off, 'Edkrakka! I iz boss now!' yelled Gitstompa, waving his choppa. 'And I sayz dem freaky metal boyz make for a hekkin good scrap! Good loot too! All dem meks bein squig deep in all we'z found.'

Gitstompa abruptly halted, seeing the excited mek waving at him from the other side of the command hut.

'Wot iz it? WOT IZ IT?'

'Boss! Boss! Dis metal tek is zoggin bootiful! We need more gubbinz... to make ya somefin' propa flashy an' 'ard! Da Big Mek sayz more metal boyz be comin' out of dem sands. Roight about now!'

Gitstompa grinned from ear to ear, saddling his choppa on his broad shoulders.

'Alright boyz. Let's get lootin'!'

January review and February goals

The year is off to a great start! Let's dig in.

D&D is booming, with the Dungeon of the Mad Mage progressing a bit slowly, but ever steadily. All combat encounters are done on the current level, and we'll advance into the next one probably next session. I joined a completely new campaign as a player, heading into our second session tomorrow - probably with more action than the first. 

I prioritized RPGs during January, but I still managed to get some wargaming in as well. The Atican campaign is finished, closing off a bumpy narrative first ride in Warhammer 40k 10th edition. I also dipped my toes into the brand new (for me) A Song of Ice and Fire miniatures game.

Finally, on the hobby side, the last year ended slowly. With my target reached, I did not paint in the last weeks of 2023, instead focusing on preparing stuff for 2024. Then I started the year in force! I finished a bucketload of commission works for ASOIAF, sneaking in a couple of my own miniatures that could be painted in parallel. With such aggressive results, even if I wouldn't touch a paintbrush during all of February (which I definitely will), I would still be on target. Imagine that.

Now, on to next month's targets. I intend to keep both D&D campaigns rolling on, but revive some of the  waning interest in Warhammer - and I mean all kinds. Will I get a game of The Old World in? Perhaps. I intend to finish my remaining outstanding commissions - 13 more miniatures to go. Then no more commissions for a while. I need to work on my Imperial Guard force, starting with the Rogal Dorn tank that I assembled, magnetized and LED-ed. Then there's more infantry and artillery to work on. With the target a bit more relaxed, I should have time for fancy basework and some conversions.

Painting Gimli and Balin

Nothing new here, I just painted them along the other two dwarf miniatures. Same red and black color scheme, but paint Gimli's orange beard as here.

Painting a dwarf fighter

I painted several dwarves up at the same time, including this guy from Hasslefree Miniatures. 

Painting a dwarf crossbowman

A truly ancient miniature, lifted from storage to be painted along with the other dwarves. The kit was a bad fit, you can see my ancient (and pretty bad) putty work where the cape starts.