Oldhammer Weekend 2014: Overview

As the final bars of the Queen track crashed to their conclusion, Stuart and I cruised our uncertain way up a rural lane. The SatNav interrupted the late Freddie Mercury to tell us that in one hundred yards we would reach our destination.  To be honest, we didn't really have a clue where we were going. Then, a solitary sign, and one I was not expecting to see, emerged from the curve in the road and we knew that the SatNav was correct - an Oldhammer sign cheerfully directing us through the gates of Stoke Hall and towards the Foundry premises. 

Parking by the church, Stuart and I disembarked from the car and strolled down the muddy path towards the imposing entrance that leads into the converted stables where the new Foundry complex is situated. We were greeted by the sight of a white marquee and hubbub of Oldhammerers in conversation. Pushing through the canvas flap of the marquee, our Oldhammer Weekend began. 

Over the two days I took a huge number of photographs and spoke to many, many people. I shall be chronicling some of these events in more detail is the coming days but for now I thought it appropriate to publish an overview of SOME of the things that happened on the day, and the day after. Using the medium of photography is probably the best bet so here goes. 

Painted dwarfs on show at the Foundry till. No pretentious aspirations here, as they were housed in what looked like a glass cake tray and stuck in place with Blu-Tak. These models really show off how vibrant the colours in those Foundry paint pots are. Needless to say, I bought more later on. 

The wonderful Kev Adams was on hand to talk us through what was on show as well as share a batch of his latest greens including an incredible standard bearer model. After the fiasco with the goblin with her boobies out at Salute, its was amusing to see plenty of 'topless' orc ladies showing their menfolk (or should that be orcfolk?) how to do 'da bashin'! These greens will be part of a future Warmonger release or possible Kickstarter in the coming days - but more on that later! 

Stuart starts shopping immediately, and begun to rummage around in many of the special offer trays that had been put out by the cashier station. Kev was keen to show off his latest work but I was far too terrified of dropping the greens to handle them much. The Goblinmaster was looking really well after his recent injuries and was in fine form. 

This is the interior of the converted stables that make up the new Foundry store. Considering that the place has only been going four months, the facilities were excellent and were much more welcoming than the previous site. The familiar tables build by the Ansells for last year's Oldhammer event had been moved inside and provided a very pleasant environment for browsing and gaming. Kev Adams, Claus Kliplev, Marcus Ansell and Tony Yates can be seen lurking in the background.

These are just some of the blisters available now from the Foundry shop. Most of the stock is housed in what were the old stalls for the horses. Bryan Ansell told me he plans to include miniature cabinets along these walls, place between the hanging stock, to show off many more models from his personal collection than he can at the moment. Not far from here is a far larger room that he intends to convert (if possible) into a main gaming room. The ceiling there is much higher and mooted plans suggest a second level and staircase. 

This photographs is a shot from the second day of the gigantic siege game. Have you ever seen so many Mighty Fortresses together? This really was an epic struggle that I kept popping over to check out and was easily the biggest game of Warhammer Third Edition in over twenty-five years! Of note in this shot are the awesome visages of Erny (Oldhammer t-shirt) and Snickit (green t-shirt) whose collections made up a very large part of this spectacle. 

A closer look of the some of the many models that made up the siege game, including the amusing bottom of a giant. There was a great range of models on offer here, from many periods and manufacturers, which just goes to show that Oldhammer doesn't need to be expensive vintage Citadel!

One of the gaming areas inside the stables a few hours later. Packed with gamers playing a multitude of systems. LegioCustodes (chequed shirt) and his team play epic Space Marine at the back of the photograph. Garth (Warhammer for Adults) ponders over which units he will use to crush my chaos forces in the foreground in a manly pink shirt.

The unmistakable form of Chico rises from his pit of darkness to get stuck into his Judge Dredd game. Plenty more pics are to be found on his blog. Oldhammer veteran Paul Golgfag shows us how to throw a die. 

LegioCustodes and his team warm up for their massive epic battle on the Saturday. These old epic scale models were welcome sight at this years BOYL, with fantasy and RT predominating the community. I expect to see a great many more games of epic in the future, and I predict a growth in the part of our community in the coming months, largely due to the efforts of Legio and his excellent blog, Oldhammer 40k.

A shot of the packed out Marquee taken at lunchtime on Saturday. Hot and cold food, drinks of varying strength and quality service was provided by Diane Ansell and her staff on both days, all at very reasonable prices. And to think, she fed over a hundred battlefield walkers as well as us! I am sure that many other attendees will agree with me when I say the food and drink on offer was the best I have even seen at a wargaming show or event, so thank you very much! 

Inside the marquee on the Saturday. A Chaos warbands game was fought out surrounded by old school homemade scenery. I spent quite a bit of time photographing the models here as the range of painting styles and miniature choices was broad and exciting. More from this game in a future post. Some of you may well recognise this board, it was the one we used for the warbands game last year, as well as the game we played at Blog-Con. 

Kev Adams brought out some of his latest greens fresh from his workstation to share with us. Here we have a close up of one of the female orcs he is producing at the moment. These are great, great fun and will no doubt make up many a regiment when they are released. 

Bryan brought out a real curiosity on Saturday, the metal version of the Mighty Fortress. Each weighs a ton and really is a sight to see. Mr Ansell went on to explain a little about how it was produced, being built from wood, with the detail sculpted on by Trish Morrison. 

Tony Yates, whose blog is always worth a visit, as also on hand to talk about his work illustrating and creating miniature concepts. He had some interesting illustrations of elves to share and was happy to sketch pictures for all who asked. He did a quick chaos warrior for me which I shall share shortly. 

Somebody (please up date me so I can put the correct name here) brought this hand made Heroquest board, complete with laser-cut character boards. By all accounts a great game was had using this. We discuss the game with Bryan later and he spoke about the game selling over TWO MILLION copies back in the late '80s. And as someone quipped, the next time you see a BIN version for sale you can inform the seller just how many were made and sold. 

Bryan also brought out many of the more recent miniature concepts designed by himself and Kev Adams for forthcoming Foundry fantasy ranges. These were very interesting to see as they were often sketches and ideas rather than the high concept work we are used to seeing. We spoke about beastmen at length and tried to persuade Bryan to produce a range with a greater emphasis on variation and mutation, rather than just the generic 'goatman' norm. Hopefully, we will see such a selection from the Foundry in future years. 

The Mighty Avenger also brought out recently discovered greens and communications between himself and a range of sculptors. Like the concepts these were fascinating to look at and were from all kinds of ranges and places. The Tim Prow robot was perhaps the highlight of a very impressive selection.

This figure was given to me by the Foundry for winning the 'Best Army' award at the event. This was a fantastic touch and a quite unexpected one. As some of you will know, there was a painting competition on the Saturday, judged by Kev Adams and myself. We decided on three categories; 'Group', 'Single' and 'Large' and I must say it was a very, very difficult decision. One of the winners was Graham Applerly. Each of these got to select unreleased Marauder models as part of their prize. It was very humbling to be selected for a similar prize for my Chaos armies, alongside Garth from Warhammer for Adults, and I had the very difficult task of choosing a model from the unreleased selection. In the end, I chose this unreleased Citadel/Marauder? wizard the Bryan says was sculpted by Aly Morrison of all people. 

A fine physical reminder of a fantastic day. 

There is plenty more BOYL coverage to come from me in the coming days, just as I expect there will be on many other blogs in the Oldhammer Community. If you don't blog, and you have a great photo to share from the day please do email me at realmofchaos80s@yahoo.co.uk and I will include it in one of the forthcoming articles. 

Orlygg

Acceptable in the '80s: The Launch of Heroquest

In the summer of 2012 I set about chronicling the history of Warhammer Third Edition through its releases, supplements and published material in White Dwarf. Thanks to the wonders of the labelling system on Blogger, collecting all of the posts in the series is rather easy, just a case of clicking on the 'Acceptable in the '80s' label on the right hand side and you are away.

I was brought to my attention recently that I missed several small bits and pieces of material from WD. Sure, most of us are aware that I am not commenting on the sneak peek that would be later printed in RoC Slaves to Darkness and the Lost and the Damned but I have missed a few nuggets. Due to this, I have decided to go back to issue 115 and relaunch the series and pick up those little nuggets that I have missed and get this series back on track. 

Today's piece concerns the release of Heroquest, dealt with in issue 115. Now, if Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, then this particular game must be the game that launched a thousand (if not many more) wargamers. I am sure that a great number of people who read this blog had the first taste of the fantasy game business playing this immortal game. 

So how were things done back in 1989? Page after page of images of the same few models? A shed load of thinly disguised adverts posing as articles? No, just a White Dwarf cover and a four page launch. 

Have a look!

Heroquest Launch by orlygg

Reading through the article with fresh eyes uncovers some interesting facts. The four player characters are given names and these I had been previously been unaware of. The barbarian, always the favourite of mine, was called Toran. The dwarf was called Gorlin. Eldoral was the name of the elf archer while the strangely clad wizard was known to his friends as Gelmick.

The whole package screams 'production values' to me. The first class art by Gary Chalk, the miniature design (and the great painting by Mike McVey), the components and, of course, the fantastic board. What makes it all much more impressive is how all this was achieved with a smidgen of the technology we have now. There are plenty of box games released in the last couple of years that lack the 'quality' look that Heroquest has.

Still has. As I am sure that the game is still played widely around the world. I bought a battered copy at a carboot sale one year and took it into school. The Year 5 and Year 6 children adored the game and all the parts that came with it and the set was literally played to death.

Looking back over the advert now, so many memories are catapulted into my mind. I can picture my bedroom table, its surface spread with newspaper, a water jar full of brushes and the Citadel Colour paint set open before it. I can remember my first efforts with painting miniatures. Undercoat in white (brushed on) base colours and then wash with black paint. The models looked great to me, until the wash dried and I was left wondering in awe about how the Citadel painters achieved the finishes they did. I can recall inventing my own dungeons on graph paper to test out against my sister, generating my own epic stories. I can recall the hours I spent oggling every detail on the models themselves. Above all, I can remember the advert on TV and how everyone in my class own a copy of the game. Or seemed to, at least!

One day I shall buy another copy myself. When my boy is old enough to play a longer winded board game. I shall paint up all of the models too, based on the McVey originals, and we will share many happy hours together battling in the dungeons of Morcar.

I am sure that there will be similar hours spent in your homes too!

Before you leave, please share with us your Heroquest memories. Do you recall this ad or the TV one? Did you own a copy? Were you first steps into the worlds of fantasy wargaming resplendent with fimir, orcs and mummies?

Please share!

Orlygg

Heroquest Heroics and Crazy Oldhammer Bargains

Some people have all the luck. 

Are you one of them?

My old gaming partner, Dan, is one such individual. Last week, he was trying to explain the concept of Oldhammer gaming to a colleague at work and was discussing the growing Old School gaming scene on the internet. They didn't believe that he was involved, so he loaded up some of the posts he's contributed to here at Realm of Chaos 80s in the past. 

One observer commented (and I paraphrase here) that 'I've got a few bits and pieces from years ago in my lost to do with that. I'll bring them in tomorrow if you want them.' 

Of course, Dan had no real idea what these bits and pieces would involve. He suspected a few ghastly plastics from the mid 90s, he nearly collapsed when he opened his haul the following day...

Dan and his Heroquest Haul. The original set (in mint condition), all the UK expansions (also in mint condition), the extremely rare Advanced Heroquest paint set (yes, you guessed it, in mint condition) and a copy of WD 145 (yes, it was in mint condition!)

These brought back a fair few memories, though neither of us played the expansions back in the day. 

All the classic Citadel Miniatures are in mint condition.

That includes the rare Ogres from the expansion. I'd never even seen one of these before. 

The Advanced Heroquest Painting set was also mint, with all the models still on the sprue, the paints still in position, the second edition painting guide and a Heroquest poster. 

In side the box Dan found two mint skeleton horde sprues and their shields, a single sprue from the plastic regiments box  with the shields and a mint sprue of the Advanced Heroquest Hero models. Lovely stuff. 

Obviously, we decided to get some Heroquest games in. Dan decided to be Morcar first and selected a suitable scenario for us to play. 

We added lots of little rules to spice things up as we played, including characters jumping on tables. Here my Elf and Barbarian battle it out with goblins, orcs and a chaos warrior! Smell the 80s! 

I ran the Barrow of  Witch Lord for Dan. 

Dan ran the Bastion of Chaos for me. 

Fantastic production standards throughout the set, the resources and miniatures are better than modern releases.  

Some of the spells that were available. Loving the old school pen and ink illustrations by Gary Chalk. 

I am sure you will agree that Dan has scored quite a deal here. He asked me how much his horde would be worth and I estimated easily £200, if not more. Not that Dan has any serious plans to drop this lot on eBay, being a serious collector of Heroquest related material. He plans to restore and paint his original copy of the game in the future, keeping this set mint, and get his hands on a copy of Advanced Heroquest and do the same. 

His good fortune got me thinking about Oldhammer bargains in general. 

Have you ever scored a fantastic Oldhammer bargain? You know, when quite by accident you get your hands on something really special for next to nothing and either keep it as part of your collection, or sell it on.  I did the same with 2nd Edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay source books at a Car Boot Sale. I bought the core rule book and 6 other hardbacks, all in very good condition, for £20 before selling them on eBay for £280. 

Quite a profit!

Do you have any memories of Heroquest you'd like to share? Or boasts you'd like to make about rare and classic Oldhammer items that have come your way through luck?

If you do, please comment below because we'd love to hear them!

Orlygg and Dan.

Ode to Heroquest: More fantastic pictures appear!

When you think of France you think of the birth of liberty, the finest wines, the gastronome and, of course, art of the highest quality. It comes as no surprise then that miniatures of a retro nature are also of the highest standard in the country.

Remy Tremblay is a prolific sculptor with many exceptional designs to his credit. I have been involved in the world of tabletop gaming for over 25 years and have rarely seen such exquisite work. Check out what he has been up to lately at his blog http://remytremblay.sculpture.over-blog.com/.

He is also a Heroquest fan and emailed me an astonishing set of images the document his miniatures. Considering he has worked on plastic models produced in the late 80s, his skills are very evident here. The colours are rich and vibrant and the painting quality is outstanding. I feel that the quality of my own painting will improve just by looking at his, and trying to copy his subtle colour blends, especially on the fabrics.

Well here they are for your enjoyment.

The intrepid adventurers off to combat Morcar. I love the bases here and I honest cannot be sure if they are sculpted and painted or just exceptional paint jobs!

Gargoyle, or Bloodthirster (take your pick) painted up in glorious red and brown. Old school Khorne has never looked finer. 

Even after twenty odd years, these mummy sculpts are still some of the best available to the thrifty gamer and painter. They ooze menace- its the eyes... the eyes! Beautiful highlighting on the bandages too!

Fimir (or Firmir?) Immaculately painted - its amazing that these are just 80s plastic mould injected models, and this is what Remy has achieved with them. Incredible skills!

All I can say is thank you to Remy for sharing his work with us. The question is, does he have anymore retro stuff hidden away?

Orlygg.

Ode to Heroquest: Gorgeous Citadel Miniatures by Florian

Modesty is a vital virtue, I am sure that you will all agree. 

I often receive emails from people requesting resources or information relating to 1980s Warhammer and Rogue Trader. Rarely, do these requests come with links to check out 'modest' collections of related figures. When I clicked the link on Florian's email I was blown away by the quality of his work and immediately knew that readers of this blog would want to share in the Old School goodness.

On previous posts I have discussed by hope to own fully painted armies for all forces for Third Edition and fully painted copies of the Big Box Games circa 1988-1992. Well, here was someone who had accomplished one of those dreams of mine - a fully painted set of Heroquest minis! Not only fully painted mind, but very much in the spirit of those classic Mike McVey paintjobs of yesteryear. 

The pictures that follow need no introduction or captions. Drink in the old school Citadel goodness and feel inspired (if a not a envious)...

Absolutely outstanding I am sure that you will agree. Whilst researching these images I found these two beauties on Dakka Dakka that fans of the period my enjoy. So I include them here also.

Old School Blisters - do you remember the walls of these? Rack after rack of lead potential! 

Classic '80s minotaurs. Mmm, I'm lovin' it!

Orlygg.

The Grand Plan: Ode to Heroquest

Oh Heroquest!

What a fantastic product you were!

 I used to have a rather battered copy but I lost it when changing schools, it had been an idea of mine to do a 'Heroquest' club for 9-10 year olds but my then head didn't have the vision. I imagined that I'd be planting the seeds of future gamers and keep the wargaming hobby secure into the next generation.

As I type this, I am a mere two weeks away from meeting my second child. She is to be born via C-Section due to the complications my wife has been suffering since February. This got me thinking about Heroquest once more.

You see, Heroquest was a classic game! A true gateway to Warhammer Third Edition. What made it so special is that it stood on its own. The campaign was interesting, the rules were simple yet addictive and you got everything in the box you needed to play. With a little effort you could easily invent your own dungeons (and indeed I did, to challenge my sister) and the expansions added a little more flavour to the game.

Many people have said 'why doesn't GW re-do Heroquest?' but my understanding of the situation is that the rights of the game remain with MB games (or whoever owns them) as it was designed by one of their employees. All that GW contributed was the background, the artwork and the miniatures. So sadly, we are unlikely to ever seen a re-release of Heroquest.

Still, there are plenty of copies about out there. I sold bucketloads.

How many hours did I spend pushing these figures around the table? I still think they are fantastic sculpts for early plastic miniatures.

So what makes me think of Heorquest at a time like this? Well, it all comes down to my 'Grand Plan' of having an army for each of the 3rd edition races in 5 years time. Why 5 years? Well, my son will be 7 and I feel that is old enough to play 3rd Edition with me.

A game in action. I remember the thrill of opening the doors and entering rooms. What would be in there? Hopefully not the gargoyle!

But what about before? Surely a gateway game such as Heroquest is going to be essential in 'turning my children on' to wargaming in general. After all, my sister really enjoyed the game so my not my daughter too?

With this in mind, I need to add a complete set in very good condition to my list of wants. For a decent price of course! Then I have to paint up all the miniatures (and the furniture) in bright, late 80s McVey style!

Anyone else play this game back in the late 80s/early 90s?

Does anyone else own a nice painted copy they could share some pictures with us?

Before I leave you, I'll share you this video for Youtube. You may well have seen it before but I'd not watched it for twenty plus years so I felt that readers of this blog may well enjoy it too. I found two versions of the clip.

Version 1

Version 2

Enjoy!

Orlygg.