Warhammer Underworlds - Blackpowder's Buccaneers

After languishing on my workbench for FAR TOO LONG in a very-nearly-finished state, I finally FORCED MYSELF to just finish them off! 

It's not my favourite paint job... but they're done. 

Blackpowder's Buccaneers

Now I guess I better read the cards and figure out how to play them!? I've looked the deck over a few times in the past but mostly felt the mechanism to get munitions for the BIG GUN seemed a little fiddly... We shall see if I can make it work... 

Gorlock Blackpowder - Ogor Pirate

I was super tempted to paint (or draw?) a bunch of tattoos on that big bald head... but then... didn't... I just wanted to be DONE! 

Mange and Shreek - Blackpowders companion animals

(Technically, Mange is Kagey and Peggz's companion!?) 

Kagey and Peggz - Blackpowder's Grot minion crew

That's one down! I noted that the recent acquisitions has brought me DANGEROUSLY close to no longer having more painted warbands than unpainted warbands... and that won't do! Not with Zondra's Gravebreakers and the Rivals of the Mirrored City set coming in just over a week! I need to finish up at least two more warbands in the next week to prevent this from happening! Luckily I have a few others that are very nearly finished! 

Stay tuned to see which those are! (Spoilera: It's the two Idoneth Deepkin Warbands; Elathain's Soulraid and Cyreni's Razors!)

Also, I've reorganized the Warhammer Underworlds Warbands Page. Now the Warbands are all listed in release order from Shadespire to Deathgorge! 

Pirates

It was a Theme Round last week on the Lead Adventure Forum’s Lead Painter’s League. The theme was “Ship’s Crew”. I’d originally thought I’d do some Hasslefree Miniatures as spaceship crew… but then I ended up king of running out of time and just cranked out a few random pirates I had left over. I’m not even sure where they came from…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

Yarrrrr! Pirates!

I lost last weeks (with the above pirates), which put me way down tin the ranks… So I worked my ASS off on this week’s entry… only to be matched up with Curt (CUUUUUUURRRRRRRRT!) . Actually I don’t at all mind losing to a guy like Curt – because he is just such a superb painter… It was a bit dispiriting though, having worked so hard and really been hoping for a win this week… gah!

I have to admit I guess I just don’t get how the match-ups work – I thought with a Swiss Draw the first two in the standings are paired off, then the next two, etc… perhaps they have a system built in so that people don’t get paired up with the same participants…? I don’t know… 

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Um….? Maybe this week’s entry… sometime next week… Not really working on much else at this point. Perhaps I’ll get a game in…? I don’t know. Everything seems to have gone CrAzY around here and I can’t seen to get anything done. 

Galleys and Galleons

I FINALLY got in a game of Galleys & Galleons this afternoon – a new game under development from Nic Wright and Ganesha Games. (Sorry Nic)!! Hopefully now that I’ve got it on the table and played a game (and all the kids activities are wrapping up for the year!) I should be able to get in a bunch more games over the Holidaze!

Tuesday afternoons we usually play some board games with some other homeschoolificators – but this week I decided to introduce the two that were able to make it this week to miniature gaming! So, while my kids have played lots of miniature games (and a lot of Ganesha Games) , two of the players, not only had no experience with the Ganesha Games/Song of Rules, They had never even played a miniatures game before – so this would be a real test of the system! As it turned out everyone, more or less, picked it up straight away and we were all off sailing, as it were.

SITUATION

The crew of the Red Snapper heard tell of a Spanish merchant ship, heavily laden with New World Gold would soon be heading home to Europe – enlisting the aid of the Snow – an English privateer – they endeavored to take the Merchantman down and share out the booty. The laid in wait, in the lee of some smallish islands in the carribean await the Spanish gold ship to lumber past on it’s way out into the open sea.

SCENARIO

Pirates and privateers set up within one medium of the east end of the table. Their objective was to take the Merchantman intact – gold’s no good at the bottom of the sea.

Spanish Gold ship and escort set up within one medium of the West table edge. Their objective was for the Merchantman to safely make it off the east edge of the table.

Wind started out of the north.

FORCES

Pirates

The Red Snapper – Brig

The Snow – Brig

Spanish

Harfleur – Indiaman

Rapier – Brig

Maybe those aren’t the most Spanish sounding names… I just used those because those were the names I had on the ships from the last time we used them…

THE GAME

To start off I noticed the battery on my camera was noe low and as I have not yet figured out what Amanda did with the other one I tried to take only a few picture hoping it might last at least until the end of the game… So a lot of these were hastily taken – without properly waiting for the canera to focus… sorry…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Initial setup from the North East. On the bottom left of the picture are the Pirates. On the top right are the Spaniards

TURN ONE

Everyone went straight ahead.

Spaniards lumber forward.

The Pirates sail towards their quarry.

TURN TWO

The Harfleur, seeing the pirates rushing towards them thorugh the gap between the islands turned to skirt around the north end of the Islands. The Red Snapper saw this maneuver and began turning about. The Snow also made to come about.

TURN THREE

The Rapier darted forward betweent eh Islands and fired upon the Red Snapper and extreme range – shots all falling very short.

The Harfleur slowed as it turned into the wind a bit.

The Red Snapper, coming about, strayed into the shallows around the island, but safely navigated their way around any rocks there might have been there.

The Snow rolled two failures – a double One which shifted the wind direction.

TURN FOUR

The Rapier ALSO rolled two failures - with a double one – shifting the wind a bit more. I think the change in wind made the Harfleur pick up speed and it almost sailed off the table edge – not being able to maneuver (as the Rapier had rolled a turn-over before it could activate and change course!)

The Red Snapper also picked up speed and so it went tearing through the shallows by the island and sustained TWO DAMAGE due to hitting rocks and whatnot.

The Snow turned.

TURN FIVE

The Rapier fired on the snow – hits, but with no appreciable affect.

The Harfleur did some fancy maneuvering – trying to find that fine line between not going too fast and sailing off the table edge and not sailing into the shallows too close to the island…

The Red Snapper decided to try and repair some damage, but in the process failed to slow the speed of their ship and sustained MORE damage on rocks in the shallows!?

The Snow returned fire on the Rapier – which was equally ineffective and then sailed on past – trying to sail about the island and give chase to the Harfleur.

TURN SIX

The Harfleur… a merchantman… fired it’s bow chasers… at the Red Snapper at the very end of a second long stick… causing no damage at all (surprising no one…).

The Rapier started to come about.

The Red Snapper scored a success and a failure – but not JUST a failure – rolled a one on a coloured die and had to make an “All At Sea” roll – which in the end made her fire on the Harfleur – which she’d been planning to do anyway! No effect.

Snow still desperately trying it give chase.

TURN SEVEN

The Harfleur turned a bit with it’s single action – the two fouble fail rolls turned the wind even further.

The Rapier could only said straight ahead – not being able to activate.

The Snapper rolled another two fails – including another one on a coloured die – the result was that they were to strike their colours and surrender. We figured it was more likely that they’d just sail on by and make for cover hoping the Indiaman made a run for it out to sea and not stick around to rake them up the stern!

Given the speed of the Snapper – it would likely have sailed off the table edge that turn anyway.

So the only actual damage done to any ships was due to hitting rocks or reefs in the shallows around the Island... Well, we got to practice moving the little ships about... and we've pretty much got that down. NEXT game we'll get down to some serious gunnery and boarding actions. 

I like the game so far. Definitely looking forward to having another go. It definitely has the right feel for a naval game in the age of sail – but still has the uncomplicated, streamlined, fast-play of other Ganesha products.

I think the only real problems were caused by my placement of the islands in the middle of the table – which turned out to be just way too big for such a small table and made it hard to ships to maneuver around them without accidentally sailing off the edge of the table. Probably tried too ambitious a scenario for the first time around – should have just had some open sea and said, “there they are, go sink ‘em!” 

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Well now that the kids have had a taste of that salty sea air we’ll be have a few more game reports to post! Ya-HARRRR!

I also have some Great War stuff I’m just finishing up. 

YARRRRRRR!!!

Well I still haven’t got much cycling in since the family got back, but I have been adjusting my sleep pattern. I’ve been going to bed at ten or eleven instead of midnight… or one… or two! My hope is that once I get caught up on some sleep and start getting to bed at nine or ten I’ll be able to get up at five and go for an hour or so ride out valley road before Amanda and the kiddies wake up…

So things have slowed down a bit here. But I am at least a bit more well rested… and happier… and I did finish up a few pirates last night:

(Remember: click on the picture for a bigger version)


These are Old Glory pirates I think one is from the Pirate Captains pack, the rest are from the Pirates with knives pack… Hopefully the players in my Savage Worlds: Pirates of the Spanish Main game will be hiring these lads on Saturday (the players have just acquired their own ship! – I guess I’ll be needing to make them a new ship too!)

Yet Another Painting Update

I haven’t been feeling like organizing things the last couple nights so I’ve been painting instead of stock-taking…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Another West Wind Productions “Town Elder” – from the Gothic Horror/Headless Horseman line. This will be Capitaine Joseph du Morainne, the captain of La Isabella – the ship on which the characters in my new Savage Worlds: Pirates of the Spanish Main campaign are currently employed.


The last of the Foundry Pirates.


…and fresh off the painting table (so fresh I haven’t even put on the static grass and the paint on matte varnish is still drying on them.....!); Some Crusader Miniatures World War Two Germans – I got a little excited about having some new opponents to paint in the not TOO distant future as I’ve traded away the 15mm Fallshirmjagers for some 28mm WW2 Russians?!

It’s also got me thinking about skirmishin’ again for tomorrow night…

Painting Update – 7 April 2008

A couple things I worked on over the weekend:

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Inspired by last weeks game I finished up a few more Artizan Designs Desert Commando types.


Inspired by the new Savage Worlds: Pirates of the Spanish Main game I’ve started up on Saturday nights I finished a few Foundry Pirates – YA-HARRRRRR!!!


West Wind Productions “Town Elder” – from the Gothic Horror/Headless Horseman line. He’ll likely be robbed by the pirates in the aforementioned POTSM game.

More Pirates! and… uh… some other stuff…

I know, I know… I said I was going to work on taking stock and work on terrain…. Well I had these started and very nearly finished when I typed that, so I just finished them off last night… For the rest of the week I’ll get cracking on terrain and taking stock…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Another six Crusader pirates.


I started this guy ages ago. I noticed him in the “on deck” box and he really only needed the base finished up so I finished it… I have no idea who made this. I’m sure I’ve had it sitting in a box unpainted for a dozen years at least. I took it out, based and primed it last fall, then painted it at some point over the winter.

Do I count this guy as "foot" or "mounted" for the painting totals....?

Who says that lead that sits in the closet for years will never get painted!?


These are a few of the Old Glory Frenchmen I got in the Big Swaperoo, with straps and boxes repainted, rebased and ready for action. I probably shouldn't count these towards the totals. Maybe I should have a spot to keep track of how many figures I've re-based... nah, that would just be sad....

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Stock taking (15mm WW2 to start) and terrain. Really.

Swashbukling Elfie Pirate - YA-HARRRRR!

One more finished up last night - more or less.... put the grass on this morning...

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


This is a Reaper Miniatures "Half-elf Pirate". Amanda will be using it in our Savage Worlds game.

The Big SWAPEROO

A big box o’goodies arrived in the mail today. This is the stuff I have (finally) received in trade for my 15mm HOTT Fantasy stuff. (There’s also supposed to be a pair of Osprey campaign books coming at some point…)

In addition to the toys pictured below there was a copy of Rules of Battle from Minden Games. The stupid part of me wants to hold on to this. The stupid part of me has amassed a ridiculous number of miniature war games rules that I will just NEVER read – let along play – just because I got them for a “good deal” (just LOOK at them all). I think I will pass these on to John (Bertolini) – it’s totally his period.

So here’s the toys:

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Some Old Glory Seven Years War figures. Not entirely sure what they’re supposed to be… Looks like French. Anyway, they’ll do fine as some Frenchmen for skirmishing.

Normally painted figures would go straight into the Pinesol bath, but these are pretty nice and close enough to the way I paint mine. I think with a few touch-ups -re-painting the leather straps to match the leather strap colour I use on all my own figures, and sticking them on washer bases – they’ll fit right in with everyone else…


More Old Glory PIRATES! It looks like the Pirate Captain and Pirates with Cutlasses packs.


Bizarre Lizard Creatures and a Rafm Reptiliad. Will probably see use as Venusians in some sort of VSF game…


A pair of West Wind Productions dwarves. The one on the right is a Dwarven Highlander – which made my day…


Some sot of Roman commanders. I’m not sure of the make. I know enough to recognize them as Roman – but I have no idea WHICH era of Romans…!? Anybody?


More Roman command – These are Gripping Beast. Nice Figs. (Like I need another era to work on…) These and the fellas above will be hidden away in a deep dark drawer where they will cause no distraction or desire to build a new army… for a while at least…


A Parasaurolophus. I know this because I have a 4 year old son.


A couple of bizarre old Ral Partha figures. The assassin might see some use in various eras. The winged fellow… maybe a companion in a VSF game – the last of his kind from a lost world, or something like that.. They WILL have a pinesol bath…


Three void promo packs – identical except they have slightly different packaging….? Maybe They’re collectable and with the full set…. Feh… whatever… It’s a Viridian Night Shade. Anybody what one? I doubt I’ll use all three… if I even use any of them… (I will use ONE someday – I bought a pile of VOID stuff not long ago for generic Savage Worlds Sci-fi skirmishing – they were $1 per pack!)


Some cool resin scenery. The busted wall may not be so useful – as it would be the only section of wall that looks like that on the table (and thus look a little out of place). But the barrels and boxes will be painted up quite quickly and see much use as caches to destroy or simple stuff littering the battlefield getting in the way or providing cover…


A big PILE of GW plastic stuff… Unfortunately not enough of any to make unit for Warmaster (yes, I’m planning on playing Warmaster with 28mm…), but I should be able to use some for Savage Worlds Fantasy skirmishing… Included in this lot are 8 Human Archer types (Brettonians?), 3 40K Humans (Imperial Guards of some sort I assume), 4 mounted and t dismounted Wood Elf Horse Archer types, 4 Dwarves, 2 Ogres (these may go to John Burt – if I ever get around to painting the Chaos Ogre Command he gave me to paint…), 4 Zombies, and 4 frightful looking creatures that I am guessing are Dryads (I thought dryads were supposed to be hot looking chicks!?), and a sprue of chaos bits. Some of it is pretty neat looking stuff. Too bad it’s all so darn expensive!


These are wee goblinish things – almost like snotlings… but made by Harlequin.


Some halberds and gun carriages… without the guns… hmmmm…


Some mounted Dark Ages types… I have no idea what…? Scotts? Picts? Irish? Welsh? What’s the difference, really? Anyone know that they’re SUPPOSED to be?


More Dark Ages types – these are Gripping Beast. But again, I have no idea what they’re supposed to be. I think some might be Irish?


Still more Dark Ages types. Same goes for these – what are they? Does it matter? They’re made by Old Glory, I know that much.


What the…?

Any ideas…?

All in all a pretty good trade – got rid of stuff I will never use, got some stuff that I will… I really need to finish cataloguing all my stuff – and post some more stuff for trade (15mm Falshirmjagers will be next…).

Thanks Sean!

Gentlemen, Creepy Assistants, and a Lady

I finished up a few more 18th Century types last night…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These three are from West Wind Productions Gothic Horror line – The Headless Horseman collection – They were either from the Icabod Crane and companions or Town Elders packs… I can’t remember just off the top of my head. I added the cuffs to the two gentlemen and have painted them up as French and British officers – to use in tomorrow nights Battle of Jumonville Glen scenario I have cooked up.

The French officer will be Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur di Jumonville – who I believe would have been an officer in the Companies Franches de la Marine (hence the blue cuffs, breeches and waistcoat). According to his Wikipedia Entry he had been present in New France during the War of the Austrian Succession so I imagine he would by 1754 be a seasoned bush fighter and dispensed with the usual trappings of a continental officer as this figure has (wigs, fancy hats, swords, etc).

The Redcoat will be Major George Washington. I have no idea if he ever wore a redcoat such as this, or would have been wearing a powdered wig in the bush… I kind of doubt it… but I don’t have any other appropriate figures at the moment so this will have to do.


A couple more “Creepy Assistants” from Old Glory’s “Fat Governor and Creepy Assistants” pack from their Pirate line…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

The Battle of Jumonville Glen – A Savage Worlds: Showdown skirmish scenario.

The Pirates of Port Dular

I have a regular Savage Worlds game on Saturday nights. It’s been going on and off for years – sometimes on different nights, sometimes with different rules, and a number of different campaigns and genres. Currently it is Savage Worlds (and has been exclusively for the last couple years), on Saturday nights, and the campaign is a sort of fantasy-ish campaign set in a world that very much resembles early to mid 18th Century Earth.

I rarely do game reports of the games we play as often there is actual role-playing going on. When there is action I don’t always have appropriate terrain to use so end up drawing stuff of a vinyl hex matt. Neither of these makes for pretty pictures – and this blog is all about the pretty pictures!

SITUATION

The Characters are in the employ of the Duke of Lafleur – a rival of the Archduke of Rodia. With intelligence provided by Mr. Drake (one of the characters, who was, at one point, a high ranking officer in the court of the Archduke) the group is sailing for Port Dular – a small station operated by the Achduke which is a base of operations for pirates and smugglers in his employ. With them is a unit of Colonial Infantry.

They sailed to the continent where Port Dular is located and found a cove where they could anchor and march overland to the port so as to observe and attack from land when there was a minimum of ships in the harbour – as they were few and this place was the base of operations for MANY. As luck would have it when they arrived there was a single sloop in the harbour – so they planned to attack at dawn the next morning.

FORCES

The Duke of Lafleur’s Men

Arna – Elf Ranger– played by Amanda

Andiel – Elf - played by Darrin

Agnar – a shoe-maker by trade, originally, and the meanest Dwarf that ever lived - played by Andrej

Sir Pwent – a Dwarven knight - played by Lloyd

Lieutenant Laroche – Naval officer in command of the Colonial Infantry.

2 units of Colonial Infantry (10 each)


Inhabitants of Port Dular (in the employ of the Archduke of Rodia)

Jean-Louis Prideau, the Administrator-General

Marc Leclerc – Clerk

The Guard (10)

Capatin Mortimer Noir - Pirate Captain

Pirate Crew

Natives

The Inn Staff

THE GAME

Andiel decided to scout out the town before the attack. He checked out a couple of buildings which were locked (warehouses) then decided to sneak into the Administrator’s compound and take out the two roof-top sentries. He failed to do so quietly and so the alarm was raised and the action began about an hour before they originally intended it to – in darkness, so all the humans were at -2 to do anything!?

Because the Lieutenant was ordered to wait until Andiel returned and was aware that the plan was to attack at first light – he stalled I said he was “shaken” and recovered at -2 (because it was dark!) and his troops would not leave their start positions until he had ordered them to do so. It tooke him three ofr four turns to get them going.

At the sound of the first shot Arna, Sir Pwent, and Agnar all made for town with much haste! Agnar made for the Inn to deal with any pirate crew that might be hanging out there… and if there weren’t any – he would just help himself to some spirits.

Arna and Sir Pwent met some armed natives in the street out front of the Administrator’s Manor – they were quickly dealt with, but in the meantime Prideau was up and awake and had mustered his guard in the courtyard of his Manor.

Arna dashed across the street to help Agnar who was single-handedly battling the crew of the pirate ship anchored in the harbour. Agnar didn’t really need any help, so Arna would quickly return to the manor to help out Sir Pwent and Andiel….

Sir Pwent dashed into the courtyard of the manor.

I started taking pics part way through the game…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


In the courtyard of the inn, Agnar, the meanest dwarf that ever lived, destroys the pirate crew single handedly… well almost. Arna stepped in for a moment and finished off one of the pirates that Agnar had only shaken….


Then Agnar carried on into the Inn killing the captain with a single blow and the remaining pirate in view…


Lieutenant Laroche leads his colonial infantry into the town.


Arna, Andiel, and Sir Pwent fight the governor’s guard in the courtyard of his Manor.


The second division of the Colonial infantry sweeps west of town.


Having heard their mates die below the remaining pirates upstairs (that had been sniping a people in the street) decide to skedaddle! What’s that menacing thumping noise coming up the stairs!?


It’s Agnar! Certain that there had to be more Agnar charged up the stairs to the rooms above in search of more pirates to kill.


They tried to surrender – but Agnar takes no prisoners!


After he sliced one the other two jumped hoping to surrender to the colonial infantry…. One broke his leg falling… Agnar followed. While the colonial infantrymen were perfectly willing to accept the surrender of the pirates – they weren’t exactly about to stand in the way of the raging, bloodthirsty dwarf!


Back across the street the battle continued in the courtyard of the Administrator-General’s Manor!



The Colonial infantry charged in just in time to see Sir Pwent strike down three more of the guards and the governor attempting to make a hasty exit up the stairs.


Arna and the colonial infantry take the surrender of the surviving three.


Sir Pwent and Andiel subdue the post’s Administrator-General.