Jaakko and Rugluk - Rank & File month #4

The camp had grown. Fires burned across the hillside while boyz laughed, fought, and argued over loot they hadn’t earned.

New faces had joined daily - hard-looking orcs, sly goblins, and even giants who towered over the camp, slow-witted and hungry, but useful enough to be welcomed.

Things seemed almost orderly.

Rugluk sat by the largest fire, chewing something questionably edible, watching his growing force with quiet satisfaction.

Not far away, goblins whispered among themselves.

“Dey say dwarfs been seen in da hills.”

“Heard it too. Whole army, marchin’ somewhere close.”

“Maybe dis way.”

Rugluk’s ears twitched.

He spat into the dirt and grinned.

“Let ‘em come.”

Welcome! I’m literally writing this post at the last minute, so I’ll keep it short. Let’s check out what I’ve painted this month!

I was relatively busy but managed to paint three Giants and a Goblin Battle Chariot. Not quite as much as I had initially planned, but that’s still a few miniatures cleared from the lead pile and enough for another Rank & File month. The Wild Card and Leader months are just around the corner, and I’ve actually already started crafting some terrain.

The first army I collected and played was Dwarves, so I’ve developed a real appreciation for anything that moves quickly. That’s one of the reasons why chariots are some of my favourite units, and I’m hoping to include more later.

I’m glad to see our mysterious wagon from last month in action. I can’t wait to steal one from a baggage train and push it up a hill in an actual battle. I’ve attached the (3ed) rules here to refresh our memory. I love this kind of crazy stuff.

This month in points:

And that's it for the month. Happy painting everybody!

Jaakko and Rugluk - Rank & File month #3

Grey dawn crept over the hills when Rugluk’s ragged warband reached the ridge. Below lay a lonely farmstead: a few huts, a barn, some fences, and a handful of humans still asleep.

Rugluk scratched his chin. “Right then. We sneak down quiet-like… nick da food… bash anyfing wot wakes up.”

Behind him a troll belched and scared three crows out of a tree.

Rugluk sighed.

“Quiet-ish.”

Just as they were about to move, a deep growl rolled from the trees behind them.

A band of savage orcs stepped out. At their front stood a massive brute with a feathered head dress.

He looked at Rugluk.

“You da boss wot bashed Gronk Skullbasha?”

Rugluk straightened.

“…Might be.”

The brute grinned wide. “Good. We like a boss wot stabs bosses. Keeps fings interestin’.”

Rugluk blinked once.

“…Right.”

The brute pointed at the farm below.

“So… we bashin’ dat?”

What followed was less a raid and more a small natural disaster.

Savage orcs smashed through the fences howling. The trolls wandered into the barn and snotlings chased chickens with never ending enthusiasm.

Within minutes it was over.

The huts burned. The food was looted. The savage orcs were laughing and mixed in with the boyz.

Rugluk stood in the middle of it all.

The savage boss slapped him on the back hard enough to nearly knock him over.

“Good raid, boss!”

Rugluk nodded slowly.

He looked at the smoking farm, the squabbling goblins, and boyz already chanting for another fight.

For the first time in a long while, Rugluk allowed himself a proper grin.

Hello again! Another month has passed and another batch of miniatures has been painted. I decided to paint some of the miniatures left over from the past months, along with some extras to avoid monotony. I'm behind from my initial plan, but miniatures are painted and progress is being made.

I managed to paint 10 Savage Orcs to complete last month's unit, as well as a troll, a giant, and a wagon. The purpose of the wagon will be revealed next month.

For some reason, the wagon draws the Giant's attention. I wonder what he's up to.

This month in points:

We also had the chance to play a game of 3rd edition Fantasy Battle with a group of friends. Rugluk’s orcs clashed with my dwarf army. The battle was neck and neck until Rugluk defeated the dwarf king in a duel, and the green tide swept over the remaining dwarves.

The hill in the middle has been in use since the ’90s-back when it was pretty much the only piece of terrain we had. I’m making new ones to match my current basing style and mat, but I’m sure this one will always see play.

Goblin Fanatics wreaked havoc among the ranks of gnomes, dwarves, and goblins alike.

And that’s it for the month. I can already feel the pressure lifting as there’s not that much mandatory painting left. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the challenge, as the final stretch has been the most enjoyable part in previous years.

Jaakko and Rugluk - Rank & File month #2

Night lay heavy over the valley. Trolls snored. Snotlings squeaked.

Rugluk squatted by the fire, gnawing a bone, when the flames twisted unnaturally. Smoke coiled, shadows stretched… and a towering figure emerged: Rugluk’s father, battle-scarred and ghostly, eyes blazing like forge fire.

“Rugluk,” the ghost’s voice rumbled, echoing across the valley. “Da path ya walk… leads only to ruin.”

Rugluk froze. “Father?”

“Da ambition in yer heart… it will devour ya if ya walk blind,” the ghost hissed. “Yer boyz, yer trolls, yer snotlings… chaos follows every step. Watch it. Trust none. Not even yerself.”

Rugluk tightened his grip on the bone. “So… what should I do?”

“Do?” the ghost spat. “Remember da blood ya spilled, da tribes ya crushed… and know… every choice… feeds da fire dat eats ya.”

A snotling peeked from a bush. The ghost’s eyes flared. The snotling squealed and ran.

The ghost drifted higher, silent now, its eyes burning like dying embers.

Rugluk’s gaze fixed to the ghost’s fading figure. “Dat made no sense... but I fink dis ain’t done. Dis ain’t over.”

Somewhere, a distant howl cut through the valley.

The ghost was gone. Only the fire and the whispering wind remained… and the uneasy knowledge that destiny had just spoken.

Here we are again! I had a lot of time at the beginning of this month and decided to start working on one of the largest units in the army. I ran into some unexpected trouble during the month, including a thumb wound that kept me away from the painting table for a while, and ended up ten models short of completing the full unit. The silver lining is that I have ten nearly finished models on the table, promising an easy month to come. But no more rambling-here are the models!

I managed to paint a unit of 20 Savage Orcs. They were pretty quick to paint, as many of them are equipped with just a loincloth and a blade. I loved all the sculpts and really enjoyed painting them.

I see the Savage Orcs as an orky version of the Dwarf Troll Slayers. That's why I wanted to take something from the dwarven death cult and turn it around, and decided that this tribe bleaches its hair. The original concept also included white body paint (ash?). I didn’t have time to experiment with it, so I skipped that part. I also have a unit of Savage Arrers, and might try the body paint idea on them though.

Da Boss

The month in points:

On the green skin

I’ve been painting models for Heavy Metal Hordes for their upcoming Kickstarter project as a side quest. They asked me for pictures and some explanations for a painting guide. I’ve also received some enquiries about the orc skin recipe I use, so I thought I’d share the pictures with you along with a few words about the skin painting process.

Start with a base colour of Elysian Green. Then apply a wash of watered-down Druchii Violet with a dash of Agrax Earthshade in it. Add small amounts of Druchii Violet to selected areas, like the eye sockets, between fingers, etc., for a more dramatic effect if needed. Highlight with Elysian Green, and add Ogryn Camo to selected parts of the skin on the face. Knuckles, knees, and elbows get Ogryn Camo with dots of Kislev Flesh.

And that’s it for February! Next month, I’ll paint a few more Savage Orcs, but I’ll try not to stop there. That might mean something a bit darker, something much bigger, or maybe some fast-attack choices.

See you later!

Jaakko and Rugluk - Rank & File month #1

The warband crested the ridge at dawn, tired, hungry, and down to numbers Rugluk could count without taking his boots off.

Smoke rose from the valley below.

Rugluk narrowed his eyes. “Dat’s a camp.”

Hope stirred. Maybe a tribe. Maybe deserters. Maybe lads wot hadn’t heard about the whole “failed siege, mutiny, near-death” business.

They marched down, weapons ready.

They stumbled into a circle of snotligs arguing with a cooking pot. One snotling kicked the pot. Another tried to wear it. The only weapon in sight was a spoon. Bent.

Rugluk stared.

“…Dis is wot fate sends me?”

One of his orcs scratched his head. “Dey’s enthusiastic, boss.”

A snotling looked up, saw Rugluk, and pointed. “Oi! Big un! You 'now how ta make stew?”

Rugluk’s eye twitched.

They heard loud noises and the ground shook.

THUD.
THUD.

Two trolls stood behind the snotling mob, blank-faced, drooling, watching the fire with empty eyes.

One sniffed a snotling.

Rugluk’s grin spread slow and mean.

“You two - you’re hired.”

Hello again! This is one of my favourite stages of the challenge. The first month of OWAC is behind us, and the first batches of painted miniatures are starting to emerge before our eyes. Last season, I focused a lot on the core of the army to meet the minimum requirements in the Warhammer Armies army list. That meant many large units and a lot of batch painting. This year, I hope to add some spice to the mix.

I decided to start the challenge with snotling bases and trolls. I caught a nasty flu and didn’t achieve quite as much as I would have liked, but I’m really happy with these guys. I managed to paint five bases of snotlings (with 28 snotlings) and two trolls. A third troll is nearly finished and will join the force at a later stage.

Enough talking, let's move on.

These little guys are full of character, and I really loved painting them. I hope to paint more at some point, and I have enough of them to fill a few more bases and man another pump wagon. But, they are also tiny, and the bases are quite crowded, so I don’t mind moving on to something else for a little while.

Painting the trolls was also a lot of fun. Trolls from different eras have one thing in common: they are all amazing sculpts.

This month in points:

And that's it for the month. See you later!

Jaakko and Rugluk: Season II - The Reinforcements - Introduction

Rugluk Backstabba stood on a ridge of broken stone and looked down at his army.

It didn’t take long. There weren’t many left.

A handful of orcs leaned on chipped axes, arguing about whose fault it was they were hungry. Goblins huddled near a fire that wasn’t really burning. A pump wagon sat on its side, crew gone, probably eaten.

Rugluk bared his teeth. “Dis ain’t an army,” he growled. “Dis a bad joke.”

No one laughed.

The siege, the mutiny, the empty fort-it had all taken its toll. Some had wandered off. Others had challenged him and lost. A few had challenged him and won, at least enough to run away afterward. Fear carried only so far when there was no loot and too much marching.

Rugluk clenched his fist. He was still alive. Boyz will always find the real boss.

“Dey’ll come,” he muttered. “Dey always do.”

A goblin scout scurried up the slope, panting. “Boss! Found tracks”

Rugluk’s eye twitched. “Orcs?”

The goblin hesitated. “Uh… not exactly.”

Rugluk grinned anyway.

“Well, I ain’t picky.”

And so another season of OWAC is about to begin! And, as promised, the second season of painting Orcs and Goblins for the Horde of Rugluk.

The theme of season IX is to draw inspiration from Oldhammer artwork. I knew this beforehand, and since I’m working on a multi-season project, I already snuck this picture into the introduction post for season VIII:

Or rather, a part of this larger artwork from Warhammer Armies:

I love everything about it and hope to capture the style of this orc horde in my slowly materializing army-to-be. I’ve also snuck in some smaller details that fit this year’s theme into last season-but there will be more of them next month (as I’m not writing this from home and forgot to take pictures). More small surprises are also hopefully still to come. Anyway, here are some photos of the unpainted models waiting for their turn!

This unit will feature two banners, so the fellow in the middle seems to be a rival of Rugluk.

I painted some Goblin Fanatics last year, but I saved my favourites for this season. As far as I know, all the different pre-slotta sculpts will be featured. I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d actually need so many Fanatics, but I enjoy painting them.

And here they are in a list:

That’s still more than I can manage to paint in one season, but we’ll see.

If I have time, I might also finish these Goblin Wolf Riders that I didn’t manage to complete last season. They won’t be included in the model count or points, of course, since they already have some season VIII paint on them.

Good luck to all of our challengers! See you next month!

Jaakko and Rugluk Backstabba- The Tragedy of Rugluk - Wrap-up

Epilogue

Deep below the craggy hills a small cavern echoed with laughter. Not orcish roars or goblin sniggers-this was sharper, clearer.

Three gnomes sat around a bubbling cauldron, mugs in hand, snorting into their beards.

“And then-and then-he stabbed his boss over a fake prophecy! Hah!”

The eldest gnome, Tobbin Flickerflint, wiped a tear from his eye and waved a hand over the bubbling pool. In its surface shimmered Rugluk, raging across empty dwarf tunnels with a warband too tired to argue.

“I told you the snake illusion would sell it,” said Primsy Gloomwhistle, and took a sip of mushroom wine. “Bit of hissing, a few glowing eyes, some destiny nonsense-works every time.”

“What was it we called him?” chuckled Jibbin. “The Chosen One?”

“Might be our best one yet,” said Tobbin.

They raised their mugs and toasted.

“To da Backstabba!”

The cauldron flickered and showed Rugluk again-this time yelling at returning goblin scouts.

The gnomes howled.

“Ohhh, we should definitely do goblins next!”

And here we are! The painting marathon we call Old World Army Challenge is once again grinding to a momentary halt. And what a ride it has been!

This has easily been my favourite season so far, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring the classic Orc and Goblin range with a paintbrush in hand. The events that set this project into motion happened during the Leader Month of Season Six, when I painted a banner inspired by the designs in the O&G section of Warhammer Armies. I already had a Chaos Thug Musician wielding an instrument that seemed to be stolen from my Dwarf army (Ronald the Farter, painted just before Season Six), and I felt I needed to paint the Orc army that the banner belonged to.

And here it is-the siege-laying horde of Orcs and Goblins led by Rugluk Backstabba! Or at least the first part of it. This is more than I hoped to achieve and I'm really happy with how things are going. I did expect to have painted some Goblin Wolf Riders by now, though. I actually started both units on January 1st but only managed to finish the wolves themselves. I’m hoping to get them done during the off-season and present them in the intro post of next season-alongside a Snotling Pump Wagon that didn’t quite make the finish line either. 

Rugluk Backstabba and the Boyz-my favourite unit in the army

I kept painting more models throughout July, as I had a 3rd edition Fantasy Battle game lined up for the end of the month. I needed to meet the minimum requirements from Warhammer Armies and to hit the 3000-point mark we had agreed on. With a bit of help from some Giants borrowed from Slargash’s army, I managed to reach both goals-and we had a great game to top it all off.

I painted a unit of Stickas, six Fanatics, beefed up the existing unit of Arrer Boyz, and added an Orc Shaman on a Warboar.

I love Goblin Fanatics-these sculpts are oozing with character. My favourite sculpts are saved to the next season, though, and I hope to dedicate a full month to them.

 

The Stickas

As mentioned above, I painted five more models for this unit, bringing the total to 19. I also received an Orc from John R that fits the unit nicely and finished a spare Harboth I’d used for skin tone tests before the challenge began, bringing the unit up to 21 Orcs overall. Naturally, only 19 will count toward the challenge tally.

Orc Shaman on Warboar. The model comes with a banner pole, but I didn’t have time to add it yet. It’ll need pinning and a bit more work, so I’ll come back to it later.

This month in points: 

Some pictures of the army:

I really like Pump Wagon models and how they work in the game. I also enjoy painting the little guys themselves and hope to do more of that next season. I brought some daylight lamps to my gaming group's space to better capture their slightly paler skintone (and colours in general) in photos. 

 

The Harboth shown partly here was one of my early skin tone tests. I’m thinking of giving a second one a matching look and tying them together as brothers in the background lore.

I really like the command group in Grom's Goblin Guard-they're all fantastic sculpts. 

The picture isn’t great, but I wanted to include the baggage in this post since, even though it wasn’t the first one I started painting, it’s the first one I’ve actually finished.

 

And the army in points:

The Owac adjusted model count has been applied to the Shaman and the baggage. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

What next? Well, I have some half-painted miniatures from this challenge that I need to finish, as mentioned earlier. I also hope to explore the siege theme further in the future, but we’ll see what form that takes. Originally, I had planned to fix and paint a Mighty Fortress during a future Wild Card month, but the current idea is to tackle it during the off-season instead. I’m hoping to get a Warhammer Siege game under my belt sooner rather than later.

And that's it, I guess. As mentioned above, I had a lot of fun this season, but I definitely don’t mind taking it a bit easier over the next few months. I hope to return for Season IX with Rugluk and his army as there are still plenty of units, monsters, and character models I can’t wait to paint!

Wishing you all the best in the meantime. My condolences to the fallen comrades, and big congrats to the challengers who made it to the finish line!