It had to happen eventually folks.
We got to the end of OWAC IX.
For those of you just tuning in, I’ve been painting an army of Undead Gnomes with paint schemes inspired by works from David Gallagher and Ian Miller, as per the prompt of this season’s challenge.
Ian Miller
David Gallagher
I began OWAC IX reflecting on what the challenge would be to me, or to be clearer which aspects of the project would be the challenging part. I think in previous years I have made volume the focus of my challenge, since I delight in surprising the readers of this blog with oddball filler or kooky units, but this year was different. There had been rumblings of doubt about people finishing their projects this year given the stresses of the world, and recognizing those concerns in myself as well, I made the army compositionally something I was confident I could paint in all of 6 months. With that fear quenched, I decided to paint not just with the palettes of these artists (which was already the challenge,) but to also paint more fantastically.
What does that mean?
I feel that for a long time my sensibilities were drawn from earthier and more naturalistic color groups, like how Frog and Toad is illustrated with a small range of colors, but all of them are drawn from the nature that Arnold Lobel translates into the aromantic amphibian adventures. Gnomes don’t exist, but assuming the fantasy realism and lowness of fantasy, they’d have only so much dye for their clothes, and maybe a homogenized skin-tone depending on how much contact they keep with communities outside their own. Since I didn’t imagine the undead gnomes as having a culture they actively engaged in (I am unsure of skeleton sentience,) their material culture would be a stagnation of the culture they were harvested from the graves of, while their current continence would be a reflection of the magic that raised them from the tomb. My goal was to paint as much of the magic onto the miniatures as I could, hence the extra high saturation of colors, and the decision to paint the skellibobs’ bones like they were enchanted instead of fresh out the dirt.
Here is the army, as originally proposed
Undead Lord - Vampire Lord on Dragon - 825 pts
2 Necromancers - 68 pts/each
20 Skeleton Warriors - Full Command and Halberds - 257 pts
20 Skeleton Warriors - Full Command and Halberds - 257 pts
10 Wights - Full Command, Spears, Shields, Heavy Armor, Skeletal Steeds - 528 pts
Total - 2003 pts
Hmm, actually there is one addition that I failed to mention. Last month I revealed that my second necromancer was actually Heinrich Kemmler the Lichemaster, but as many oldheads know, where there’s a Kemmler, a Krell is sure to follow.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a Krell in budget and in time for my OWAC deadlines, but I did place a last minute Ral Partha Europe order that happened to include a powerful looking skeleton champion with an iconic helmet. Although it’s not an exact 1:1 I was reminded of the named equipment of Fafrd and Grey Mouser; their weapons have names, but the physical objects are replaced time and time again. This is a Krell with a Black Axe of Krell. Is it the Boneripper of Theseus? Maybe. In later editions, Krell’s Axe is a magical equipment your Vampire Counts characters can take, meaning that Krell and his axe are not attached at the hip, and it could be that if there is a singular magical Black Axe of Krell, it could be one of Krell’s goals (he is likely on the more sentient side of skeleton) to be reunited with his iconic item.
Anyhow, Krell isn’t the only extracurricular model of my army.
As mentioned previously, I do like my detours and surprises, and so while I don’t have 5e points for all of these figures, the army has grown beyond its original footprint. This delights me to no end.
The full roster is actually
Heinrich Kemmler and Krell
Necromancer
Vampire Count on Dragon
40 skeletons
10 mounted wights
3 ghosts
3 stands of crow swarms
15 zombies
10 mummies
And judging by my recent acquisitions, we’re likely to see more before this army is put to rest.
Congratulations to all of my fellow OWAC IX conquerors; I hope you’re proud of what you’ve accomplished, and that you’re taking a well deserved rest.
If you aren’t though… I hope you’re having fun planning for next year’s OWAC project!
The Artist Gets a Hat
That's all I've got to say from this side of the keyboard. Thanks for all the fun, and see you next year!