Mythic Battles: Pantheon – introducing the Amazons

13 Wednesday Jan 2021

Posted by in Dragon Rampant, Fembruary Challenge

≈ 81 Comments

Greetings Terrans, quick post today – hot on the heels of his excellent skirmish force from Mythic Battles: Pantheon, my youngest has just finished up a quartet of Amazons. They were fiddly little buggers, so I helped with some of the trickier areas, but most of the work & all of the design choices are his. Check it out:

My son really wants these to be an elite option in combat and at range, so in Dragon Rampant we’ll be fielding them as Elite Foot with the addition of a fantasy rule called ‘Wizardling’. This gives them a reduced access to some spells, one of which is a suitably shooty spell, this we can simulate their deadliness with bow, sword and spear. Here they are with their fellow mortals:

These ladies form a nice segue into another topic – that of my now-annual ‘Fembruary Challenge’!  It’s a simple affair, just paint & post one or more female miniatures from your piles-of-shame, in the name of fair representation within the hobby. Just link back to this post, or ping me directly & I’ll grab a pic and include your entry in the final round-up in early March (usually by International Women’s Day, 8th of March)

Given that this is intended as an encouragement to think about inclusion in the hobby then it makes sense if your entries are kick-ass ladies, and not the product of some socially awkward mini-sculptor’s sexy fantasies… Anything dodgy & I’ll omit it from the round-up, otherwise, have at it! I usually pick my favourite of the bunch – no prizes I’m afraid, but a boatload of kudos to you as an official Fembruary Winner!!! 😊

Laters potaters

Happy Commencement of New Arbitrary Terran Orbital Cycle

04 Monday Jan 2021

Posted by in Dragon Rampant, Side projects

≈ 22 Comments

Greeting Terrans, and if you are reading this, congratulations on getting to 2021 with your sanity intact. What a year eh? I’m a firm believer that pushing one’s comfort zone is good for your growth & wellbeing, but last year really did stress that outlook to a whole new level. It seems that every single assumed ‘truth’ that I understood about myself and my life in 2019 was deeply flawed… Things I thought were unconditional had conditions. Stuff I believed could never happen happened. Things that I took for granted were taken away, or were very nearly lost. The shock of these events was disorientating and deeply unpleasant, but I’ve certainly learned a lot & grown along the way. Here is a summary of my key takeaways:

  • People (and by extension, societies) are not always rational – get over it
  • A life is precious to those it affects, otherwise it is an abstract – get over it
  • Even the most secure workplace can be forced to make cuts – get over it
  • Fair-weather friends are just that – get over it
  • Some people can’t disagree without being disagreeable – get over it
  • I am not the Covid police – get over it
  • Never miss an opportunity to show someone you love that you love them
  • I wouldn’t want to swap my issues for anyone else’s issues
  • Get rid of shit that doesn’t enhance your life (and don’t replace it with other shit)
  • Don’t make your happiness & self-worth contingent on anyone or anything
  • Staying fit is hard… Being unfit is also hard… chose your hard!
  • Take a moment to be grateful for what you have every single day

I have cleared up my life & ditched a whole bunch of crap I didn’t need, both literal and metaphorical. I have refocused my energies into areas that deserve my attention and efforts, and I have pulled back from those areas that don’t. I feel a little older & maybe a bit more cynical, but I’m a hell of a lot wiser in terms of understanding those things that are most important to me. I honestly think that one day I’ll look back on 2020 as a defining year that led to some positive personal outcomes despite the trials and tribulations along the way.

Anyway, I know you came here to see painted minis rather than listen to my bollocks, (ok, not literally – that would be weird), so let’s get to it. During my mass-clear-out I found a whole load of minis that came with two kickstarters from Monolith Games, (Mythic Battles: Pantheon and Conan) and Rising Sun from CMON. I went through a phase of backing shit like this, but with no idea how I was going to paint all the stuff, learn the game, play, etc…  Pretty wasteful really, and definitely not in keeping with my drive to clear out crap.

I decided that the games per se didn’t do it for me & so I got rid of all the associated guff, but I thought that the minis were ideal for having some Father/Son time with my youngest during Christmas lockdown – if he fancied it. We had a chat, and he was pretty positive about it, so he helped me to sort the minis by type & selected those he most wanted to paint. A short time later & we had cranked out Ares, a trio of Argonauts, five Hoplites and Leonidas – I helped by painting in parallel with him to speed the process up, but not by doing it all for him. Here’s what we ended up with:

Nice!!

As we were painting, we naturally got to talking about having a game with them, so I got out my copy of Dragon Rampant & worked out a list for his Ancient Greeks, and another using my Greek-themed Dark Elves. DR is a cracking little rule set, very easy to pick up & understand, and is totally agnostic when it comes to minis… Perfect for a simple throw-down with a youngling! We played a couple of games over the weekend, winning one each for a very satisfactory outcome:

So, in a roundabout way, 2020 has led me up to this. Having a good clear-out unearthed these minis, and lockdown gave me ample opportunity to spend quality time with my youngest. This surplus of time meant that the slow art of painting and gaming managed to get a look-in against the many & various forms of electronic entertainment – no mean feat these days!

Most of all, 2020 taught me to be grateful for that quality time with him, and I am looking forward to more of the same – he’s already plotting what units he needs to add to make his first army even more formidable 😊

Anyway, that’s all for now. Keep buggering on ya buggers & I’ll catch you next time.

Last Post of 2020

23 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by in Daemon Ink

≈ 21 Comments

Greetings Terrans, this will be my last post this year – a few new minis to share as I round out my Warband for Heresyofus’ Daemon Ink event. I completed the rest of the Elucidian Starstriders to round out the warband to 14 (Marines count as 2), so in the interests of rounding out the numbers, I also added Sergeant ‘Ripper’ Jackson to the party. Stylistically she restores a bit of balance to the party, as it was starting to look a bit too heavy on the Steampunk aesthetic.

So from the top, let’s go through the warband – all names are TBC but some light background fluff is starting to take shape in my thoughts:

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Inquisitor xxxxxxxx – Vigilantia, the watch-fire in the dark – Ordo Chronos (because timey-wimey stuff is cool). Agenda is unknown, but whatever it is, it is sufficiently grave to warrant a slow shift towards the radical end of the Inquisitorial spectrum.

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Xenos companion & psyker – mysterious Harlequin Shadowseer xxxxxxxx who accompanies the Inquisitor at all times, but to what end?

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Brother-Tutor Marine xxxxxxxxx from the 888th Mentor Legion, assigned to the group at the request of the Inquisitor… Whether the motivation is to observe and learn, or to be vigilant and constrain is unknown.

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Astra Millitarum Veteran xxxxxxxxx, a tough, no-nonsense individual, completely loyal to Inquisitor xxxxxxx & friendly rival to Brother-Tutor xxxxxxxxxx

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Rogue Trader xxxxxxxxx, attached to the Inquisitor by mutual agreement – the Inquisitor benefits from her resources and discretion, while she benefits from the Inquisitor’s access to highly classified intelligence and artefacts.

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Rejuvenat Adept xxxxxxxxx, Chief Medical Officer to Rogue Trader xxxxxxxxxx, responsible for xxxxxxx’s longevity treatments.

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Tech-Adept Explorator xxxxxxxxx, Chief Engineer & techno-historian, part of Rogue Trader xxxxxxxxxx’s crew, but as with all priests of Mars, his true motivation is his own.

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Death Cult Assassin xxxxxxxxx, a superlative bladeswoman, xxxxxxxx is loyal only to Rogue Trader xxxxxxxxxx, and guards her fiercely.

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Voidmaster xxxxxxxxxxxx, leads an elite cadre of Void Guild soldiery, and is contracted to Rogue Trader xxxxxxxx. He is an experienced leader & tactician, and he expects the best from himself and his team in discharging their contract. He is staunchly loyal to his Voidsmen in return.

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Voidswoman xxxxxxxxxxx, second in command to xxxxxxxxxxxx, she exemplifies the duty & honour expected of the Void Guild.

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Voidsman xxxxxxxxxx – Void Guild veteran

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Voidsman xxxxxxxxxx – Void Guild veteran

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Voidsman xxxxxxxxxx – Void Guild veteran & heavy weapon operator

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‘Voidsman’ xxxxxxxxxx – Void Guild mascot, guard & scout

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Here’s a few pics of different groups within the warband:

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And a final team photo:

So that’s it from me for 2020 folks – I wish you all a safe & happy Christmas, enjoy it however you can. Fingers crossed that 2021 is less of a shit-show!