Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIV #5 - Idols of Torment

 Idols of Torment is a dark skirmish game developed by Jeremy of Black Magic Craft, and his friend JP, in which different factions, called Orders, compete against each other to harvest the souls of the Lost in a zone called the Echo. Our local gaming group had a opportunity to play test the rules before they went to publication.

Idols of Torment rule book

A chart from the rules showing the different orders

Each Order consists of a Reaper, a Corrupter, two Slayers, two Lurkers, two Stalkers, and a Totem, each class with is own set of abilities.  Each of the eight Orders also has some special characteristics unique to that faction to keep the game play interesting.  Here is my version of the Insatiate, representing Consumption, Greed, and Need. These are the official minis for the game, although the game is designed to be 'miniature agnostic'. They are all 3D printed, which gives some very detailed miniatures, but at times it was difficult to get the paintbrush into some of the recessed areas. The wings on all the figures are quite delicate, and it was only a matter of time before one got broken. I painted them using Vallejo acrylics and a variety of Citadel washes to get that 'parched vampire' look.

 

The Insatiate (with a set of Initiative token)

 

Corrupters are the only Idol class that can bind themselves to the prime energy in the Lost. Totems are a superconductor of corrupted energy that enables an Eternal to manifest their Idols and focus their powers into the afterlife realm. Reapers are the Idol class specialized in reaping the souls of the the Lost.

Corrupter, Totem, and Reaper

 Slayers are the Idol class specialized in melee combat.

Slayers

 Lurkers are the only Idol class that can make ranged attacks.

Lurkers

 Stalkers are the Idol class specialized in manoeuvering around the Echo.

Stalkers

 

In addition to a set of 'Order' figures, we also got a set of the 'Lost'. The set I got were eight 3D prints that were a 'test of concept' of the final design. They are now available on sprues and stand 40mm tall. My inspiration for the paint scheme I used was the look of the 'Army of the Dead' from the 'Lord of the Rings' movies. Starting with black primer, I gave the figures a drybrush of white using a soft brush, followed with a wash of Citadel Biel-Tan Green. I think it makes them look very ethereal.

 This project was definitely something different from my usual fare. They were fun to paint, but as mentioned earlier in this post, the 3D prints are very fragile. My minis have experienced some battle damage since painting them up, with one of my Lurkers having a wing and his halberd break off rather easily.
 

Eureka Miniatures Chaos Army Gang for Idols of Torment!

Finally finished another "gang" for the local game Idols of Torment. We've blogged lots about this game, it's very cool, takes very few models to play, and is so atmospheric and fun. Anyway a faction is only nine models and although the creators make lots of "official" models and STLs, I really like building factions out of metal models from other random manufacturers. In this vein, I just finished painting a faction composed of models from Eureka Minatures' "Chaos Army" range, inspired by artists like Heironymous Bosch! 

A gang in Idols of Torment is composed of eight models and a totem. The models represent various archetypes and are statistically identical from faction to faction (two each of Lurkers, Slayers, and Stalkers, plus one Corrupter and one Reaper).  Lurkers are the only class of of Idol that can engage in ranged combat in the game. For one of these models I selected Blind Justice, holding a pistol.

 

The other one is Bonker, about to chuck a rock.

Slayers are the Idol class who excel at close combat. This is Harry Born Yesterday, about to bitecha!

 

Snailhead is the other Slayer. He looks like he's gonna get stabby.

Stalkers are the manouevre elements of an Idols gang. For these I picked two models mounted on starving hounds, yikes! This is Magog the Mighty and Knight of the Leash.

The Corrupter is an important member of the gang - it's the only model that can naturally bind the Lost. For this role, naturally, I picked Pope Simius.

The Reaper is kind of like the leader of an Idols gang, as the objective of most scenarios is to reap the souls of the Lost, and the Reaper is the best at it! 

This, of course, is Death Rides a Pale Snail. Super-fun model to paint.

The gang has to include a Totem as well. This model stays stationary throughout the game.

Phil the Unchastener was the natural choice here, no? Anyway that's the whole gang! The Eureka models are obviously super-fun and very suitable for Idols of Torment, I'm sure there are lots of other models from the Chaos Army that could be used in an Idols gang.

 

As a bonus, here's a freebie I got in my Skull & Crown order. I wasn't sure what to do with him, then it occurred to me that he'd make a great statue. Great use for random models and the column fits a 25mm round base to perfection!

Anyway that's it for now, see you next time!

Idols of Torment: the Insatiate!

Okay, so you guys know about the Idols of Torment skirmish game that some of us helped playtest. Well we're meeting up with the designers this week to snag some Kickstarter goodies so I thought I'd better finish up painting the 3D-printed models I got from the guys.  

The faction ("order" in IoT parlance) is the Insatiate - just one of the horrible gangs of demons that one can play in the game.

The sculpts and prints are quite exquisite and very detailed, but this means they're also quite fragile... I broke several just in the process of painting them.

They'll be fun to play with in the game but they are quite large - those are 32mm bases you see in the pics.

Here's the Totem, a big treasure chalice.

These dudes are pretty cool but I'm thinking I should've maybe gotten some of the more nurgle-y ones, I find that style much easier to paint. But anyway these are done and I also have my other Idols gang too!

Medieval Demons "Gang" for Idols of Torment

So finally I've painted an "army" for Idols of Torment, the excellent game the Conscripts helped playtest. After an extremely successful Kickstarter the boys are beavering away on the deliverables, for which I (for one) can hardly wait! 

Ever since we started work on Idols, I'd thought that the setting and backstory was really cool and reminiscent of Dore and crazy medieval woodcuts of devils. You know, this sort of thing:

Imagery like this really inspired me to try and find some suitable models to create a "demon gang" for Idols. And in some fortuitous Internet browsing I found the wonderful Antediluvian Miniatures web store which scratched that itch perfectly. 

The models in this post are all from Antediluvian's excellent "Medieval Demons" range and proprietor Andrew Taylor was kind enough to accommodate my specific needs for an Idols gang. In the game, your force consists of only eight models - two Slayers (close combat dudes), two Lurkers (ranged attacks), two Stalkers (fast guys), one Corrupter and one Reaper. 

Slayer and Lurker

Stalker

I asked Andrew to sell me two Demons with clubs, two with hand-gonnes, and two armed only with their claws, the last of which I converted by adding wings from some Reaper Bones demon models - I think that worked out well.

The ninth model required is a Totem - for this I used a Games Workshop Chaos banner bit from the bits box - decorated with the seal of Stolas, Prince of Hell, as illustrated in the Ars Goetia.

And here is the Prince himself, another model from Antediluvian. This model was the one that really sold me on the range, I just love it. My late wife Pam's favourite bird was the owl and this one really gets me. It's based on Louis Le Breton's depiction of Stolas from the infamous Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863 edition. He's described as "a Great Prince of Hell, [who] commands twenty-six legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and is knowledgeable about herbs, plants, and precious stones. He is often depicted as a raven or a crowned owl with long legs."^[

Another big draw to the Antediluvian range is this amazing Baphomet model. Baphomet didn't appear in Ars Goetia or other traditional volumes of demonology; this is somewhat surprising because he was cited as early as 1307 in transcripts of the heresy trials of the Knights Templar. However his physical appearance was essentially a creation of the 19th-century French esotericist Eliphas Levi, as the so-called Sabbatic Goat. Anyway it's a famous image and one I definitely wanted to be represented in my Idols gang. 

Another shot of Stolas, did I mention I love this model?? Just a cracking sculpt and a great representation of the illustration by Le Breton.

Antediluvian Baphomet pictured with a "Lost" model from Idols of Torment

So in summary I can say that the Antediluvian Miniatures Medieval Demons range is excellent and their customer service was exceptional. The models aren't overly large (I would put them at a slender 28mm) and are not cheap (Stolas is about 40mm tall and clocks in at 6GBP) but they are perfect for what I want them for. They were really fun to paint too.

 Have fun!

Angels and Demons - Some Models for Idols of Torment

No it's not a ropey Dan Brown novel... "Angels and Demons" is the subject of my post. This was a small project to get some models ready for a game last week. Our group has been playtesting an excellent new fantasy skirmish game called "Idols of Torment" - you can read more about it here, but it's a very cool concept and a super fun game. You only EVER need 8 models for your force, but there's a lot of excitement in the gameplay. Anyway, on to the models...

I needed to paint two angels and two demons for the game - these are essentially statues that animate during the course of the game and create chaos for the players. The angel models are conversions - I went to the local FLGS and bought two winged angel-types but after I got them home, decided I didn't like them. So I went back and got two more female fighter models and transplanted the wings from the original models onto them.

As the fighters had braided hair that would've prevented the wings from going on, I had to cut off the braids and do new hair with greenstuff. I think it turned out OK.

The poses of the fighters are great, aren't they! I think the outfits look suitably angelic too. The models were painted with acrylics, wings were drybrushed mostly but other bits basecoated and highlighted.

Had to do some greenstuff work on this model too.

The demons came out of the box of shame - I've had these metal Khorne Bloodletters for donkey's years and they'd never seen paint. So I thought I'd drag 'em out and paint them for the Idols game.

Bare asses of course :-)

Skin was painted Mephiston Red and highlighted with Evil Suns Scarlet. Brass is painted in with Brass Scorpion, the horns and claws are Mechanicus Standard Grey highlighted with Thunderhawk Blue.

Doing his best Gene Simmons impression...

The swords were painted a bit differently - taking a cue from some LotR models I painted in the last Challenge, I did these blades with a Corax White drybrush and a wash of Biel-Tan Green. I think they look pretty cool.

Just catching up on some cross-posts from the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge... stay tuned!