Freeblades game report

 Got a chance to play a game face to face yesterday. 57 degrees and sunny skies, perfect weather for an outdoor adventure.

My buddy came over and we played a skirmish fantasy game called Freeblades. Urdagger (a Conan like barbarian force) vs my partly painted Eclipse (a Amazon like force). 

My friend has only played a couple of games, and I one demo game at Adepticon way back (in the old days when we had a thing called conventions) in 2019. It was mostly a learning game, just feeling out the rules, and more an excuse to get together for human companionship.

It was worth it. I have posted a few pictures below of our experience. The 6 sided die shows the turn number we were on.

[Below first face to face game of the year 2021]

While the game was slow only because we were learning, we could see the merits of the game and that it will play faster after we get comfortable with the rules. Definitely looking forward to more play.

As always thanks for looking.

Cheers

Kevin

Freeblades: Nightwhisper

 DGS Games on International Women's day had a sale for all there Lady figures. How could I resist these nicely sculpted 32mm miniatures for a Fantasy skirmish game. 

After painting Genestealers for a commission I am almost done with, I needed to reboot for a minute. So today I spent the day painting one of my favorite Freeblade ladies in the Nightwhisper. Such a cool name, and the rule of cool is what I follow to paint.

Here's a quick blurb on her from the site:

"A Nightwhisper is one of the most dangerous weapons in the arsenal of the Eclipse. These highly skilled archers know every street, alley and rooftop in the teeming cities of their birth. Impossibly elusive, they might be responsible for the deaths of more Traazorite notables than any other member of the rebellion. Imperial Ravagers do not try and take them captive, they have a standing kill on sight order."

The Eclipse is the name of the rebellion where the women are basically putting their collective feet down and demanding their due rights.

I figured out the colors I wanted, and didn't just copy the art work like I usually do, and I found this tough. At first I thought I was going to have to strip it or throw it away and start all over again, but I changed a few colors and now I am most partial to it.

So without further ado, here it is and I hope you like it.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kevin

More Adeptus Titanicus

 Well I've started in earnest on the Genestealers, but last week before I went full bore into them I completed two more Titans for my Legio.

They are two Warhound Titans for my Legio Mortis. Of course I've chosen the Heresy side (and depending on your view point) they are the good guys or bad guys.  They are model kits that you have to assemble and magnets have been added to the waist so it can swivel, and I drilled out the weapons to make them posable but more importantly be changed out so you have maximum re-playability.  

[below is Scar of Honor]

[and this bad puppy is named Tenebris Fedelis]

[and lastly them together with their interchangeable weapons]

As always thanks for looking.

Cheers

Kevin

Rangers of Shadow Deep, my Ranger

 Well I haven't been blogging lately, no excuse, just saying. I've been working hard on trying to kick some Genestealers out the door for a Space Hulk commission. I hate them so bad I took a break a couple of weeks ago and painted up my Ranger for Rangers of Shadow Deep. 

The Ranger is suppose to represent me on the table top and of course I had to pick a cool mini that looks exactly like I do..... at least in my dreams;) Anyways here he is along with one of his companions that will go on adventures with him, his loyal Dire Wolf. I'll have to come up with stats for him, but it's a pretty cool mini.

The miniatures are from Dark Swords Game of Thrones line. 

As always thanks for looking.

Cheers

Kevin

Director Orson Krennic

 God do I hate doing faces. I am not happy with how the face came out on this one, but being a 3D print I wasn't about to attempt stripping it and starting over again. Holding it at arms length it looks good and gives me the impression I want to present on the gaming table. Now I only have to paint up six Death Troopers for him. 

What a great opening scene in the movie Rouge One, right off the bat I liked this guy. His ambitions are high but unfortunately for him he has the Tom Brady of the Universe to compete against (Darth Vader). 

I love the the sculpt of this figure. Too bad I am not a higher level painter to bring out what's in my head to my hand, as this figure deserves it.

Above the scene that set the tone for the entire movie for me.

Below my best at the moment. To infinity and beyond for my next attempt at doing faces.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kevin

Rangers of Shadowdeep

 Two posts in one day! Miracles will never cease to happen in the land that is my hobby miniature toy soldiers!

Okay so since the great plague has us all, I am sure, finding and discovering new ways to enjoy their hobbies. It's had me on a journey to discover rule sets that not only provide Solo play mechanics, but also to be able to play cooperatively and/or go head to head. I have found several rulesets that do this, and good ones to boot. Two of my favorite right now are "Core Space" (scifi), and "Rangers of Shadowdeep" (fantasy).

Rangers of Shadowdeep has you taking a Ranger (which represents you) and a few companions on a perilous quest to fight your way past monsters, find treasure, but ultimately to discover why the darkness is spreading across the land.

I am almost finished painting my Ranger up, but a friend of mind shared a youtube video of how to paint fur. One of my Rangers Companions is his loyal Dire Wolf. So I was like okay I'll have a watch. The color theory the gentlemen shows had me open up my eyes to a different way to paint. Where I layer paint dark to light, he shows a way to go light to dark. I was like man I have to try this. So I did, and I hope you like my results.

I present my Dire Wolf from Game of Thrones line that "Dark Sword" makes, and they are awesome.

As always thanks for looking.

Cheers

Kevin

Carthaginians 28mm

Saga (a set of rules to play various periods at skirmish level throughout pre gunpowder era) has come out with a new set called "Age of Hannibal". I ask you, what little boy who ever was interested in military history has not heard of this man's name and fantasized about being this Great Captain of history? Well me for one, and to this day it still stirs something within me when I see books, figures, etc. covering this period of ancient times.

Of course I selected Carthage to paint up as my army, I leave the Barbarians, Greeks, and Romans to my friend to collect. I'm sticking to the studs of the period (okay in the end Carthage was conquered etc etc etc, but hey). 

I've chosen Victrix plastics to start off with because they are pretty good and cover everything you need for the period. As usual I glued my fingers together more than once and I broke like three spears and a sword which had me swearing about why they had to make these items so bloody thin. Come on man make them thicker or put some miracle ingredient (as long as it doesn't cause cancer) in them to keep them from breaking so easily. After all I have to push them around the game table and have them survive being handled. 

There are so many cool things to paint, it was what do I paint first! I decided to hold off on the Elephants, the Numidian cavalry, and other assorted goodies until I painted some of the Carthaginian veterans themselves. 

So up first are 16 veterans from Hannibal's campaigns. My pipe dream is to use Saga as a gateway to eventually have enough to use for Command & Colors Ancients. I have a 6 foot by 4 foot mat with five inch hexes on it and it's a quality mouse pad type. Very excited about having it. Not excited about painting 400 troops (cause I have to do both sides). 

Anyways enjoy the pictures. 

 

Cheers

Kevin