LotR: Frodo's Quest - Invisible Frodo

I dug this out for a little project I have going on.

It is kind of a side project, only requiring a fistful of minis, but I may become the start of a linked series of LotR-mania, only time will tell...

I have no idea what the NIB value would have been on the collectors' market, and I really do not care the slightest - I bought this to game with it, and now I am finally putting it to its intended use!

So, out of the blister it came, and in the meantime, I have begun basing it - at the same time as a set of second hand Fellowship Frodo and Samwise that I also have to get ready for this, for now, little side quest.

I an going to paint them with Citadel Contrast Paints (metal Frodo and Sam, that is), to learn how they behave (the Contrast Paints, that is) - I can always strip and repaint them when I have some 'properly' painted versions ready for the table.

I expect to have an update on this project one of the next days; I have a gaming session tomorrow afternoon, so I am not sure whether I shall have time for reporting any progress, but I plan to apply the kaizen principles to it, so that it does not get bogged down.

I have not yet decided which ruleset to use - I may even go back and apply the actual LotR/Hobbit/Middle-Earth SBG rules with some house rules added, but that is yet to be seen.

The Walking Dead: Prelude to Woodbury

Ever since Mantic announced they were going to launch a Walking Dead game based on the graphic novels, I have been wanting a slice of the action. Now, finally, I have purchased the solo version of the rules, and am now all but ready to get stuck in (I just have to finish painting the last member of Lea's Sellswords and Spellslingers party, then I can paint Brian Blake and use some of my already painted zombies to get started).

I need to find a source for card sleeves fitting the character cards, though, as they have quite an unusual size (88 x 126 mm), and none of my usual pushers seem to have that size of sleeves in supply.

I hope to get my jungle bases done and put away tomorrow, and then get my dinner tabled cleared so I can make the 10"x10" and 15"x15" mats required for this version of the game. I should be able to clean up and rebase Brian Blake somewhen during the weekend, getting him ready for being painted, as soon as I finish Lea's barbarian, which I should also get back to painting this weekend, or Monday at the very latest.

White Knight Miniature Imperium: The Daughters of Graf Weisz von Schnee (Christmas Wars)

Many of my esteemed readers may not be aware of the gems provided by LAF's White Knight - and if these are new to you, please go visit http://whiteknightminiatureimperium.blogspot.com , to find out what is available!

I got these in the mail yesterday, and am going to get them prepped and primed for painting over the holidays, because, if these are not suited for the Christmas Wars, I do not know many minis that are... 👸

I have also got the two Winter Sorceresses from North Star, and I am going to dig them out and get them prepped and primed, very soon, Do you feel a song coming up...? 😉

Horisont VIII, 2016: Blood Eagle in Middle-Earth, Part 2

The Dwarf leader finally reached the village, and persuaded the women and children to leave the compromised area and try to reach safety in Edoras.

The Dunlendings kept hacking and slashing their way through the defenders.

And, finally, the Uruk-Hai started pouring onto the bloody field from several directions.

The Rohirrim were no match for the Dunlendings.

The Uruks came close to the fleeing civilians.

But but the Dwarves and the defenders moved quickly to intercept.

As the defense began to crumble, the Dunlendings started taking prisoners (white markers).

The civilians slipped through, before the Uruks could block the way.

The last Uruk was effectively blocked by the Dwarves.

At this point, one player had to leave, and as the most of the civilians would leavd on their next turn, we ruled that the defenders had carried the day, and ended the game.

Horisont VIII, 2016: Blood Eagle in Middle-Earth, Part 1

As mentioned, I brought my Blood Eagle Middle-Earth scenario for the Horisont convention last weekend.

Here is the first part of an AAR from a game played.

I had added about 140 points to the Rohirrim force defending the village, changed the chance for the raiders to enter the table, and I put a lot more terrain around the village to slow down the attackers' advance. As it turned out, the Uruk-Hai player was very unlucky with his rolls to get his Orcs onto the table, and I think I have to change the probability for an attacker entering a bit back.

Enough of that! Here is the table after the defenders and the relief force deployed, and the first Turn was well underway.

A single Uruk entered early on, but faced uneven odds.

At the far end, the Dunlendings had started arriving, axe and bow ready to carve a bloody trail through the defenders.

A staunch warrior of Rohan faced the lone Orc, all the while the Dunlendings advanced towards the village and were met by swords and arrows.

The sdefenders opted to meet the invaders early on.

The fastest Dwarves arrived at the outskirts of the village, just to see the Uruk cut down.

At this time, a regular skirmish had broken out in and around the woods to the west of the village.

A skirmish that did not go well for the Rohirrim... well, not for long, at least...

Meanwhile, another Uruk had been summoned by the sound of battle.

Still, the action heated around the woods.

Reinforcements arrived from the village.

But the Dunlendings pushed through the woods and threatened to enter the village itself.

And the defenders seemed hard-pressed.

The dice refused to roll 4+ for the Uruk-Hai.

I shall continue this tomorrow - right now I have a film to watch, and then it is off to bed for today!

Blood Eagle: Another Civilian Line-Up

I am busy re-basing minis, so here is a photo of all the objective markers which are ready for the table.

Blood Eagle: Yet Another Civilian Mini

His face did not come out all that well - I need to fix the right (Dexter) side of his mouth at some later point; right now he will just have to do as is.

This is the sixth civilian I have painted since deciding on getting the scenario ready for Horisont VIII, and I hope to finish one more before Friday (I would like to get the last one of the prepped/primed civilians painted up, too, but I consider it unprobable that I should manage that with only two full days left for painting this week (Tuesday and Wednesday - I have to sleep on Thursday, and Friday I must get the trailer packed up with all the stuff I need for the convention), and still having to get some Rohirrim and Dwarves re-based (which is WIP at the moment).

Blood Eagle: Civilian Line-Up

Five objectives ready for Horisont VIII.

Some of you may have noticed the absence of the decorative tablet woven bands that are normally the hallmark of the Dark Ages. It is not because I do not want to decorate these minis, but because I do not have the time to dabble with detail like that, as Horisont VIII happens in only one week from now, and I have more stuff that I need to get ready before that (I may not even manage to finish more than one additional civilian mini, as I have to re-base half a score of minis to be able to bolster the ranks of the defenders, and possibly the relief force, too). I may go back at a later time and pick this or that mini to paint some additional deco on, but for now, plain fabrics will have to do.

Blood Eagle: Third Civilian Woman

Slower progress than expected, but here is the next civilian for my Horisont VIII scenario.

Garish colours, but I just try to switch  my brain off and paint as fast as possible, so my only concern is to vary the colours used, instead of carefully picking out very historical accurate tones.

This evening, I shall try to paint another child (or, at least, paint so much that it can be finished Sunday, as I do not think that I am not going to have any hobby time tomorrow), and then I may not be able to finish further civilians, as I also have to rebase the Dwarves and a few Rohirrim, so I can boost the defenders of the village a bit.

Blood Eagle: The Civilians - Status

First four done, at least four more to paint. I may be able to finish another two this week, as I have all of tomorrow, and then the late afternoons the rest of the week (save Saturday, as we have tickets for the local sports club's jubilee event with a show by a couple of well-known Danish stand-up comedians) - and the rest of the minis I have primed do not have a lot of detail to be painted, but mainly plain clothes. The last two will probably have to be base-coated only, as I also have to re-base the Dwarves.

Blood Eagle: The Farmer's Daughter

As expected, I managed to finish another Dark Ages civilian miniature.

This time it is a young woman (I think), and she is all dressed up to look her best for any potential suiters.

Little does she expect the manhandling by invading raiders that is most likely to happen to her.

I just discovered that the next mini I planned to paint has a casting fault that needs filling with some greenstuff, so I shall have to choose another one to work on tomorrow.

Blood Eagle: A Thrall Boy

I managed to finish this busy guy some minutes ago (just had to take and adjust the photos).

He brings my civilian count up to 3, and I still have 5 or 6 models more to get ready.

I expect to finish one more tomorrow, and maybe also one on Wednesday, and then I start my five-night work period, during which I shall probably not get more than one or two minis painted, as I have only the late afternoons (and possibly the evenings, if I have the energy) for painting - and I really should play a solo playtest of the scenario somewhen during the weekend, but I do not think I shall manage to get that done - I shall just have to rely on the results from our test yesterday to adjust the scenario (and, I shall also bring some extra models for the defenders, and maybe the relief force, too, to insert in later games, should the first game go too much the way of the attackers.