The Song of Blades and Heroes Campaign moves on...

I played my third game in our revised Song of Blades and Heroes (SoBH) campaign last night.

We had originally started the campaign using the basic campaign rules in the main rulebook, but soon after I bought the Song of Deeds and Glory book with the expanded campaign system, so we decided to restart from scratch.

The table layout, the third river section was designated as a ford.

I had my Dark Elf Warband facing off against Jeff's Orc. I have won all my games so far, and Jeff has been struggling to get the Orc to work effectively and has lost all his games. Still I never going expecting to win, as I am prone to a severe lack of strategic thinking and also make the odd silly mistake that usually lands me right in it!

However, the gods were certainly on my side last night. We were playing a take and hold scenario, there were three objectives and we got victory points each round for holding them (uncontested). The game would be over when either of us held all three objectives or when one of us wiped the other out...

I advanced across the field and soon had two of the three objectives and was advancing on the third. One of my crossbowmen landed a bolt in one of Jeff's Orc, it knocked him down and more importantly reduced his quality by 1 (sneaky Dark Elves and their poisoned weapons). Then I charged my Dark Elf Lizard Rider into a group of three Orcs that Jeff had sent to push me back.

My Goblin Sneak guards the first objective.

Now, my Lizard Rider had proved to be totally useless in previous games either standing their doing nothing or running in and getting killed, so I didn't hold out much hope for this tactic this time. How wrong I was. In the first round of combat he pushed one Orc back and then ripped a second one to pieces (a Gruesome Kill in game terms). This forced Jeff's whole force to take morale checks, of which half of them failed, and as we were quite close to Jeff's edge of the table they ran right off it...

The next round of combat proved just as successful. Jeff's fallen Orc failed to get up and my Lizard Rider finished him off in similar fashion to the first one, causing another morale check which drove the rest of Jeff's force from the table!

Red "Splat" Markers indicate Gruesome Kills...

So effectively I had completely routed Jeff's entire warband with just the one miniature. Now I must say that on the whole I was extremely lucky with this one, and Jeff made some very poor dice rolls just at the wrong time. However, my Dark Elves struted off the field with suitably smug looks on their faces!

The after battle campaign resolution went fairly well too. I managed to aquire a small cash reward of 25 gold pieces, taking my purse up to 54. I decided not to spend any on adding new equipment or a new recruit to my warband, prefering to save the cash for a expensive purchase later on! I did however have some experience point to use. I upped the quality of a few of my characters and decided to take a risk and let two crossbowmen attempt a Quest. To have a successful quest the figures sacrifice three XPs and then roll on a D6. If they get a 6 they can roll to see what reward (usually an improvement to the figures abilities in some way) they get. My first attempt failed, but I got very lucky with the second attempt and one of my crossbowman aquired the Leader special ability (giving me two leaders and a hero now)...

Model Making: Laser Cut Barbarian King’s Hall – more photos…

I was very pleased with the reception that the photos I posted yesterday received. There were a few requests for photos with a figure in, so as to get an idea of scale.

So here are a few more photos, I didn’t have a 15mm figure handy so I have used a GW Lord of the Rings figure, as everyone should have an idea as to how big they are…

As you can see, scale wise the building works quite well with 28mm figures, it may not be a huge King’s Hall, as was intended for the 15mm scale, but it makes a reasonable scale house.

The rear door definitely shows that it is aimed at 15mm though, unless it is the Dwarf/Halfling entrance…

For those that have enquired, I am looking into the best route to start selling my laser cut models. Please be patient as I sort out how I am going to do it. If you don’t have any patience, then you can always email me and I will do my best to arrange something for you…

Model Making: Laser Cut 15mm Scale Barbarian King’s Hall

After being smitten by Mark Copplestone’s 15mm Barbarians and deciding to go with them as my new project I immediately started to think about terrain. I do have some plans brewing away in the back of my mind and while they develop I knocked up this building.

It’s not perfect, I still need to refine a few things on it (especially the roof). Also, I am going to add a throne and a fire pit. Still I thought it was worth putting an update on the blog.

Actually from the front there is nothing that stops this working fine for a 28mm building, it is only the rear door that shows it to be 15mm scale. Of course once I have added the 15mm scale throne it will become even obvious what the scale is!

Here you can see the view through the front door, with the roof in place. The model is designed to have a lift off roof, ideal for skirmish games!
The columns holding the rood up are laser cut, but with a length of dowel running down the middle, I wanted to experiment with this to see if it would add something of the 3rd dimension to the very flat nature of the laser cutting process.

In this photo you can see the rear half of the hall. My next task is to add a fire pit in between the columns (with a smoke hole in the roof), and a throne at the far end of the hall.

This is the roof, once removed from the hall. The rafters sit on to the tops of the columns, which can  be seen when looking through the front door.

Finally a couple of more views of the front of the hall. The engraving I have used is a mix of Celtic and Pictish design, suitable for a good Cimmerian village hall! Running around the base of the walls are a couple of layers of stones, this is then carried on through the interior floor which is flag-stoned!
I think this building will become the basis for several future projects, as with a little conversion it will fit into several periods and styles.

Note:
I have  posted some photos with a figure (28mm GW LoTR) to give an idea of the size of the hall! Check them out HERE!

That time that all wargamers dread–rationalising your collection!

Recently I have been very busy, between a commercial sculpting project, putting together a new website for my pal Sholto at Scheltrum Miniatures (I did their old website as well, but it hadn’t been updated for a good few years) and my full time day job is at it’s busiest at this time of year too. Consequently I have had very little time to do any painting or terrain work since Christmas. While working on these other projects I have had plenty of time to consider my collection, decide what I want to paint next and make a few decisions about reducing my lead mountain to a slightly more achievable size.

I have started by listing all of the armies and projects I have started over the years and still have stored away ready to finish, as well as simply listing them  I have included a ranking based on my current interest levels.

Project	Priority
28mm Pulp Sci Fi	10/10
Weird War	8/10
40K Tau	5/10
Steampunk Skirmish	5/10
Shieldwall/Saga Vikings	2/10
20mm WW2 British	5/10
Sci Fi Terrain Project	10/10
28mm Samurai Skirmish (Perry Miniatures)	4/10
Necromunda	4/10
Mordheim	4/10
40k Kroot Army	7/10
28mm “Fantasy Mongols” (Ebob Miniatures)	5/10
Warhammer Dark Elves	3/10
40k Dark Eldar	5/10
Crimson Skies (metal models not the later plastic collectibles)	3/10
Confrontation Barbarians	2/10
Sudan British Colonial (Camel Corps. etc.)	6/10
Ancient British	5/10
6mm Sci Fi	4/10
28mm Post Apocalyptic Skirmish	5/10
28mm Fantasy Skirmish	6/10
15mm Sci-Fi GZG Kra’Vak	8/10
15mm Sci-Fi CMG Praesentia	9/10
15mm Sci_FI CMG ARC Fleet	10/10
15mm Mongols	3/10
15mm Barbarian Wars	7/10

There are several factors that I have tried to include in my priority score, firstly my current level interest, then completeness of my forces, and finally the possibility of my actually using them. This last one springs mainly from the fact that I don’t wargame regularly and I am not in a wargames club at the moment, my armies are based more or less exclusively on whatever I fancy doing rather than on what fellow gamers are playing at the time. I periodically consider joining Aberdeen Wargames Club (lack of time usually holds me back, but eventually I will get around to it), and so I intend to hold on to the obviously popular forces (28mm Ancient British, Sudan British) so that I will have something to use when I do get around to joining them.

Working my way down the list I will try to explain my thoughts on each genre.

28mm Pulp Sci-Fi Skirmish This is always going to be a favourite of mine. I just love the Hydra Miniatures range, they are so evocative of the 1930’s to 1950’s Sci-Fi art. I have big plans for terrain, buildings and even more figures with this one. It will always be skirmish rather than large battles, as I think it suits the genre much more closely!

28mm Weird War  I can probably put together enough forces for a skirmish game. I enjoy the genre and have some plans for scenics and terrain that I know I will enjoy building and will also be usable for the Pulp Sci-Fi games.

40K Tau I bought into the Tau when GW first released them, even played in a couple of tournaments that GW put on in Edinburgh (didn’t win much but I enjoyed the days – I have never been particularly competitive anyway). I have enough Tau to build two or three 40K armies, partly due to Jeff giving me his Tau army when he was clearing out a few years ago. I put a lot of time into putting together my basic Tau army, converted every figure in a couple of the Fire Warrior squads etc. I still love the look of the figures and the vehicles, and to be honest I have always preferred a “shooty” army when I am playing 40K. So I wont be getting rid of these, although I may thin out a few of the spares…

Steampunk Skirmish This has been a period I have wanted to develop for a long time. I have read a lot of steampunk books over the past two or three years, which have fuelled this, but it goes back a decade or more to when I was sculpting VSF figures for Scheltrum Miniatures, and helping them develop and playtest their as yet unpublished VSF rules. As it is I don’t have many steampunk figures, three 54mm figures and a couple of 28mm one. So, as much as I want to try it I am probably going to side line this project. I’ll hang on to the figures I have, and possibly buy a few more, but purely for painting and modelling purposes.

28mm Vikings I could say the same for the Vikings I have. 60 or 70 Foundry Vikings that I have sitting the box they came in... Now, unless one of my gaming buddies, Jeff, talks me into playing Saga, I  can’t see myself ever using them. My army is far from complete and I don’t see a time when I will want to paint them. So it seems like a good time to part with the Vikings while Saga is drawing so much attention to that period!

20mm WW2 British I have quite a large collection here, both figures and vehicles. Definitely in need of thinning out, but the core is worth hanging on to.

Sci-Fi Terrain Project I am part way through creating a series of terrain boards, buildings, scenics and other items that will represent an alien planet. I am aim for this to be usable for both 28mm and 15mm (at least most of it). So this is a top priority project and will remain so for a long time to come.

28mm  Samurai Skirmish I have always wanted to have a go at a samurai game. I can’t see myself doing a fun size battle, but I already have enough Perry Miniatures Samurai, so this one will stay on the back burner, but I don’t plan on getting rid of them at the moment.

Necromunda and Mordheim I have both sets of rules (and of course they are free to download from the GW website now). I have played Mordheim a few time and really enjoy it. Never played Necromunda, but I imagine I would enjoy it as well. These two projects are both related to the later listing of Post Apocalyptic Skirmish and Fantasy Skirmish. Any figures will be interchangeable with those projects and I don’t have any of the official figures from these games anyway, just the rules and scenery etc.

40K Kroot Army I bought into the Tau because I liked the look of the Kroot so much. When GW brought out the original semi-official army list that was it I immediately started to convert up an entire Kroot army. Far from finished, but still much loved. I wont be parting with this one…

28mm “Fantasy Mongols” Ebob Miniatures produced this range of miniatures a few years ago, before GW had released their own range of LOTR Easterlings. I picked up the infantry and Cavalry army deals. I have not done anything with them, but as I have always been interested in the Mongols I wont be getting rid of these either…

GW Dark Elves I have been collecting GW’s Dark Elves since the very first pre-slotta based ones were released. I didn’t like many of the early slotta based ones but when Chris Fitzpatrick did the re-sculpts for the re-launch I started picking them up again. So I have a large collection across at least three distinct styles. I doubt I will ever field a whole army (although it is the only complete fantasy army I have now), so chances are, I will get rid of most of these and just retain a few choice figures for use with a fantasy skirmish game or Mordheim.

GW Dark Eldar When GW launched the Dark Eldar, back when they were included in the box with the rules. All my pals got rid of their Dark Eldar, so I acquired a large force for virtually nothing. I added quite a bit too it and had everything I needed to field a full size 40K army. I have also more recently had a small army given to me so, making my DE force even bigger. I don’t have any of the newer designs, they are all 1st ed. DE, but I will probably hang on to them as opposition for my Kroot and Tau armies.

Crimson Skies I have the original FASA rules sets and about two dozen of the original metal planes. Being pulp based I like the background fluff. I also like the FASA rules which share much with their Renegade Legion Centurion Sci-Fi Ground combat rules. These are in a limbo state in my mind, I like it and will probably keep it, but if someone made me a good enough offer I would probably part with it!

Confrontation Barbarians Not a lot to say about these. Beautiful figures, I have a reasonable size force of them including their minotaurs, amazons, giants etc. but a dead system! I have an awful lot of 28mm barbarians, from various manufacturers, these are just lumped in with the rest now. Will I ever do anything with them, well maybe but I doubt it.

6mm Sci-Fi Another system I have had plans bubbling at the back of my mind! I have Future War Commander and also Renegade Legion Centurion. The actual models don’t take up much space and wont take much painting, so chances are I will keep them, but on the other hand, I don’t hold any particular urge to run out and game with them…

15mm Sci-Fi Anyone who has read this blog for a while will know I am very much into 15mm sci-fi at the moment. No chance of these disappearing anytime soon.

15mm Mongols As I mentioned earlier, I have a keen interested in this period of history, I’ve read several books on the subject etc. However, I am starting to think I will never do anything with these. I have a large collection from several manufacturers, Irregular Miniatures and Museum Miniatures for a start. Probably about time I moved them on…

15mm Barbarian Wars I took quite an extensive look at 15mm barbarians in my last blog post, but I have since found the carrier bag with all my Demonworld Orcs in it. So the plan for buying some Copplestones 15mm Barbarians and doing an REHoward style game has evolved a little into barbarians versus orcs. I am planning on building a terrain board around 3 or 4 foot square, possibly in square tiles that can be rotated to create different configurations. Something with a very Cimmerian feel, possibly with a hint of mythical Celtic Britain...

Now I need to sort through my store room (for that read garage) and organise all of those figures etc. into separate boxes so that I can find them a little easier. No doubt I will find other treasures that I have forgotten about!

Next I will have to start Ebaying off the stuff that rates a 1 or a 2 out of 10 on my priority scheme. I will also have to do some hard thinking about the 3s and 4s…

Toy Soldiers: 15mm Sword and Sorcery, I’ve been bitten by another scale!

It has been a long time since I played any fantasy wargames. I sold off my Empire army years ago, I have lots of Lord of The Rings figures that I haven’t done anything with, I have 28mm barbarians from every conceivable manufacturer, all unpainted and my Dark Elves have only ever managed to field a Mordheim Warband!

With the recent addition of all the plastic goodness from Mantic’s Christmas Goody Bag you would think that I would have enough Fantasy figures to last a life time. Certainly it will take several lifetimes to paint them all!

I have been watching the development of Mark Copplestone’s nominally 15mm Barbarian range with some interest. As a life long Robert E. Howard fan the Copplestone range has obvious attractions. Clearly he is basing the range around an REH Hyborian Age style.

There are clean shaven barbarians – for those read REH’s Cimmerians, Bearded Northlanders – Aesir etc. Some very tasty wolves and Cave Bears and some Snow Trolls at the moment.

Mark is working barbarian archers, a mammoth and some Picts, which in his own words he describes as REH style as opposed to historical Picts.

Mark is also working on a set of rules, along with Nick Lund, that will have a background set around a fantasy version of ancient Britain. The rules certainly sound interesting, as scenic items such as stone circles and “Roman Roads” will all have effects on the game (I assume effecting how magic is used).

Mark has produced a map for his version of Britain, featuring a land bridge to Europe, as it’s most obviously fantastical element.

To support this use of scenics as a focus for the rules Copplestone Castings have just released a series of resin standing stones and stone circles. My normal reaction to seeing stone circles produced by mini manufacturers runs something along the lines of “Why not just pick some stones out of the garden” or “A lump of balsa wood covered with Plaster of Paris would work just as well for a tenth of the price”, still I can see that some people don’t want to spend time working on scenics and would rather just buy ready made terrain. So on that level I must say these look very nice.

Now as it happens, a gaming buddy of mine (Jeff) just happened to suggest I take a trip along to The Works (the same remainder bookshop that I picked up the Tron vehicles in last week), he’d picked up a miniature Stonehenge set for £1.99. I have seen these mentioned on the forums before, but they are usually at least twice that price on Amazon etc.

You get 16 “Stonehenge Rocks” and a matt (a simple jigsaw) to put them on. I’ll ditch the matt, it gives you a handy plan if you want to build the actual Stonehenge, but as I will be using them to create my own stone circles I don’t need it! I bought two sets, so I will be able to build a fairly intact stone circle or a selection of more ruined ones! The tallest stone arch stands around 50mm high, so they are just about perfect for 15mm figures, and I suppose they could pass for a small stone circle for 28mm figures…

I haven’t actually bought any of Copplestone’s 15mm Barbarians yet, I am planning on off loading some stuff on Ebay to fund this new venture. I am however, already planning the terrain boards to accompany the project, so expect to see it develop over the coming months!