Well They Were Cheap

So it's New year's Eve. I don't imagine I will be doing too much drinking but a nice meal and some time spent in front of the TV will be fine with me.

I am not GWs biggest fan but at the same time, sometimes they do some nice figures. The nicest figures they d at the moment are for the Hobbit/LOTR. I got these on eBay relatively cheaply. They are repaints which means that they were never going to end up looking perfect.  I've looked at them online at the GW store and nearly choked when I saw how much they cost to buy new. On the down side, one does have a rather bendy sword.

I am not a big fan of painting figures in black. It is never much fun. I think I did okay with these. Not my best work but not too bad. They are not quite the true Viking Dark Age vibe but they are close enough to do what I need them to do.

I was tempted to paint one up as a more traditional ghost as I don't really have anything I could use as  ghost but I have a few wraith like figures already. I will have to figure a way to make them translate into Savage Worlds.

Winter Is Coming

I say the phrase Christmas is coming in much the same way Ned Stark used to say "winter is coming." The fear is almost real but one less thing to worry about for another year. Things are a little tight here at Jackson's Folly so Christmas has been on the cheap this year. Now that the snow has finally arrived I don't want to go anywhere other than my painting desk. Before things became really dark, this is my one hundredth post of the year and my blog, at least, is ticking over nicely and the snow is nearly gone.

I managed a trip to the Recon show in Leeds a couple of weeks ago and came back with some Reaper Bones minis. More of that in another post but that has been about it for spending lately. I have done some painting which is always a bonus. The number of painted figures on my paint desk now outnumbers the number of part painted figure, so I have been busy. Most still need to be based and sprayed.

These are some ex-Grenadier current Mirliton hobgoblins. I got these (and a huge number of others) at a bring and buy earlier this year. I think I paid £40 for them and I guess their current retail value is around £120 so substantially less than a pound a figure. They have been bought as army sized units. I have no real use for that number of figures, so I guess I will sell some of them on or find another use for them. Maybe I could used them for a fantasy SAGA army.

I have some orc figures but you can always use some non human humanoid figures. So I thought I would break with tradition and give them a red skin tone. Other than that, they are a pretty standard paint job. Whilst they are not really dark age, they have a few elements that make me thing they will do. I see (well maybe only when I squint) a certain amount of sub-Roman British in there.

I have started painting some up with a more human skin tone. I was working on the principle that they could be used as half-orcs in a fantasy game, if I ever get to playing a game with half-orcs in it. Maybe they could even be barbarians. I was planning on painting up some more hobgoblins. I figure this is not enough to keep the party occupied and I have some archers I haven't touched yet. I was thinking another eight figures would be about right. Sadly my thinking for this is that they will fill two foam tray strips which is a little on the OCD side for my thinking.

Still, moving on. I figured out how to not need the lamp stand for the magnifying lamp just before finding the lamp stand. That was the highlight of my week last week. So I can work on the details a bit more.

There is a load of stuff on the way. I have been doing a fair amount of gaming, so I will hopefully post about that as well as some board gaming and of course painting. I am hoping that Christmas will give me a but more of a chance to do some typing and maybe a few more posts over the Christmas period.

2015 The Plan

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions but I do believe in having a plan. Both carry the same amount of weight really it's just when you say you have a plan it sounds better. A nice idea in principle. I will be moving house in the new year (January or February) which is going to have a big knock on effect on my gaming time. My mum and dad will be moving back to the UK, at least for a bit, so I am hoping that will work out for me and them. This might also have a knock on effect. I also seem to be spending some time with old friends which I would obviously like to do a bit more of.

Obviously, the first step is to clean up the painting desk. I have a load of fantasy/dark age minis that are part way through. Then there are a load of odds and sods figures. These are some modern street gangster minis that I have been fiddling about with. I also have some modernish soldiers. The general plan was that I have some ideas to do an very American civil war game set in the near future. They may also be of some use for a post apocalyptic game.

I got hold of a big box full of ECW plastics. I have started painting them but have gone of the boil with them. I run hot and cold with the ECW period. Some of the first wargame figure I got were ECW and there is some big nostalgia stuff going on with me. That said, I have about 200 plastic figures to paint which would give me an army to play with. The idea is just a bit daunting. In 2016 I don't expect to buy anymore and I expect to paint a few units, or maybe about fifty to sixty figures some of which I have already started. Maybe I could use some of them for Witchfinder which is another game I am thinking about.

I have some figures for X-Com now and this would not be a major project to get off the ground although there would be a fair amount of effort to get it to where I would like it to be. In my mind I have always got all the figures before the game begins when really I don't need every figure, just enough for season one. This has more to do with the free form way that I play than the actual need to own figures, The hard thinking for this has been done now. Some figure painting and some digital map drawing are all that is required now. I expect to get about forty figures painted this year and maybe order another forty or so with the remainder being finished in 2016. I also expect to make up a little scenery for this game during 2015 should the right bits and pieces appear.

The Scavenge Skirmish Survive figures are now available again, I just have no free cash at the moment as the plan is still that I will be moving in the new year which continues to break the bank before I have even moved. So I think if one of the other projects doesn't get in the way, this will be the focus over the summer months. I expect to buy about sixty figures and get them all painted by the end of 2015.

Fallout would be nice to run again but some of the players are not currently available so may have to put that on hold for a while. I am toying with the idea of the idea of getting this off the ground in 28mm. It would be a smaller scale game but I think I have a lot of figures that could be re-purposed. I may buy some monster figures but think I can repurpose some of what I already have. I could see me buying some vault dweller figures. The plan may currently involve changing the plot and maybe even the vault but keep a lot of the ideas in place. Any figure buying is likely to be done on impulse. I can see me buying about twenty to forty figure and painting hardly any of them.

I have put a lot of effort into the Viking game so would like to go back to that. My main painting focus still seems to be on the Viking/Fantasy figures so this is likely to continue. Most of my purchases for 2014 and nearly all of my painting has been for this game and I still have a stack of lead so I guess this is still going to be showing up on the blog. I am looking a lot more at bad guys and monsters for this at the moment and these may well take centre stage for a while. I can see me buying another forty or so figures and maybe some more monsters. I suspect that I will find the time to paint most of these and a lot of what I already have. So the plan involves painting another sixty figures for the Viking game before the end of 2015.

I have a very British Civil War itch that has been going on for some time. I am plotting two forces at the moment. The first would be Greenshirts. It was a powerful and almost forgotten British political movement that was one of the reasons that uniformed para-military groups were banned in the UK. I am not sure that throwing a green brick through the chancellors front window helped them much either. I am also thinking in terms of a very middle class battalion. Gentlemen, their servants, the local Hunt, Grenadier Guards and the like. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, VBCW seems to be a game about losing gracefully and I wouldn't mind losing with these guys. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the ire that these guys would generate amongst my fellow gamers would amuse me greatly. I can see me making a series of purchases this year and maybe as many as a hundred figures. The aim is to paint a platoons worth and if I really get giddy with it maybe an opposing forces.

Speaking of itches that need scratching, I have a number of super hero minis to paint and I am planning on buying maybe a couple of dozen more heroes as well as minions (probably another forty or so of these). Again I have a plan for these. My big problems is that I have no experience of playing in, let alone running, a super hero game. I am unlikely to run this game in 2015 but I would hope I have the figures painting so that I can run the game in 2016. Forward planning or what. SO I expect to buy about fifty and paint sixty figures.

I have got some WW2 figures to do some WWW2 . So far this means I have some half painted British Paras. The plan is to get some more. I may even cross this with the VBCW timeline. I have a whole line up of ideas for this game. In fact it is the game I have the most clear ideas for. It's just not lighting my fire right this minute. I can see this running from about 1936 till Korea and maybe even later with the main action taking place around 1941. This is not currently at the top of the list so I have no plans. If I do decide to d this it could be a big game.

Merry Christmas Everybody

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope it's a good one and I hope all your toys are nice and shiny, unless you want socks, in which case I hope you get loads of them instead.

I hope it snows so maybe we could make another snow dog.

The portents seems good and Christmas should be a good time this year. Neither me or my other half have got presents for each other yet as the run up to Christmas has been chaos and neither of us really knows what we want. The food is ready to go in the fridge and the decorations are up. My mum and dad are already here. So an early start and a lot of driving around not to mention walking the dog should build up a nice appetite by around two o'clock.

100,000 Hits And Some Work

A few people have hit milestones this week. Mine might be so grand but I think I am doing okay. I guess that I am happy enough that the blog is not a total flop.

I think I have spent more time on eBay in the last few weeks than I have spent painting. Somewhere along the line I have purchased a 28mm ECW army in plastic for what seemed like a great deal. I have managed to get hold of some figures that I was after for the still in the distance, X-Com game. I got hold of some plastic Dryads which are planned to be used for the not so far in the distance, death by trees game. There is a lot more besides. Aside from the ECW stuff, I seem to have a lot of GW stuff all of a sudden. I think I have purchased more GW stuff in the last fortnight than I have in the last ten years.

I have been painting stuff that I could see because my magnifying lamp has been US. I have now figured out a way to use it, involving a lamp base and a wedge so I should be able to do some detail work and finish what on the table, if I don't do the ECW army first.

The workbench before the ECW stuff arrived

Whilst I have been sat around, I have been working on some ECW rules that I have been playing around with for ages. They are now ready for play testing, I just need some figures based up, which now that I have the army, might actually happen.

The Eleventh Hour Of The Eleventh Day Of The Eleventh Month

I was in Tesco the other day and there was this old squaddie, I guess he was in his late seventies sat there selling poppies. He was neatly turned out, in his beret, blazer and meddles. I recognised the cap badge as a unit my grandfather had been in during world war one and it no longer exists. I was having a chat with him and it took me a moment to realise that he was blind. I guess it's difficult to comprehend what that generation gave up but it is important t remember what they gave up and what so many have given up since.

The Minions Are Coming

Not my best work but I still can't find the magnifying lamp base.

Amongst the many things I have been playing about with were some figures I got for a super hero RPG game at the same time I got some supers. I figure that they can be used for generic bad guys in modern and sci-fi settings. There are still not finished as I need to put some details on them,  but close enough for now.

I can see them playing a part in my X-Com game. I might even have to do a James Bond things...

Snakes - Or A Coincidence Of Needs

I am currently short of things I want to paint. I thought going to a show last Sunday would change that but to be honest...not really. Half of what I have painted is now done and drying off so I'll post a few pics of that soon. So I have been fiddling about with there projects that are not really what I want to do. I have been going through storage trays I can find at the moment and I am amazed at what I have been dragging out. I'll put some pics up as I start to finish things off. The oldest was got from a shop that closed down twenty years ago but for most part, they are a lot newer. As I am sure you will see, not the most challenging of subjects.

I'll finish the details off when I find my magnifying lamps base

So I found these snakes from Critical Mass Games. They have been stuck on bases for a well over a year, so that constitutes being in the paint queue. At one point, the plan had been to do a 15mm X-Com game. I think I have given up on this idea now in favour of doing something in 28mm. Snakemen don't make an appearance in the new X-Com games but they were a staple of the original. They were the easiest of the races to over come. They weren't especially tough and they had no psychic powers.

The main crux of the argument is, well they were really just there. So the thinking goes, snakemen, eh? Aren't they a bit lame. So I thought I could use them as a really weak opponent race, just ensure that there are lots of them. So I will probably get some more when I next see Critical Mass Games at a show.

Fiasco

As I missed out on Donnington show earlier in the month, I thought I'd make an effort to go to Fiasco. It's not a big show, but it's fairly local and easy to get to (not so easy to get out of tho). It was quite slow really. I didn't spend much, as the picture below shows the booty hall for the show (technically I got two packs of this). This is a shame as I had money to burn, it being my birthday.

These are planned to be done up as stand alone stuff as part of my never ending quest for tabletop scenery. The other pack are destined for the Summerland/death by trees apocalypse game I am planning. Speaking of which, I could kill Doctor Who's writers who seem to have stolen my idea.

My memories of Leeds are that it is always cold and usually wet, even during the summer. Pudsey, just outside of Leeds where Recon will be held in a few weeks seems colder. It was no different this time around.

Drink Up + Shut Up

Another year older, not sure I am any wiser and just a little bit poorer. It's been an odd day. Reconnected with an old friend recently and was just chatting with him and found out that another old friend had died in a car crash whilst I was chatting away on Facebook. All in all it's not been a bad day. Nice cake, some Star Wars movie books, a new mug, a reception bell and even a cuddly toy. The bell is a particular fave and I am sure that I will make this work for me so well that my other half will be driven to distraction.

Nothing orange, no zombies and no figures. People are trying to tell me something.

Another Building...

This time in 15mm. I was playing around with this prior to starting the derelict project. I was thinking then that this was a nice idea. This is another project that will have to be stopped as lack of toys has stopped play.  I wanted something to go with all the stuff I already have but something a little more industrial in natures. I guess this gives a passing glance at what industrial units actually look like and not much more. Still it's the thought that counts. The general idea is that this is a post apocalypse building/combat zone, hence the upended floor paving slabs.

Today I have done a few tiny little bits to this and there is now not much more to do. I would to change the roof. This will mean finding some black flock covered sheeting I have in a box somewhere. The floor tiles are made from foam sheeting I got from hobby craft ages ago. The tiles are 1cm squares to give me an idea of size. The vents and windows are from TheScene and the door is GZG.

I have no immediate plans to do any more 15mm stuff as I am going to do some more 28mm stuff. That said, I cut out another blank box to do anther smaller industrial unit.

Hitting A Dead End At The End Of The World

 

I guess that there is a lot more I can do with the derelict but to be honest, I guess there is one big step that needs doing and I haven't got the resources so I can't finish it. On top of this, I have started to get distracted. anyway, this is kind of a window (or in this case a door) looking into the world.

The interior rubble has manage to just about get the look I wanted. I need to put some greenery in their to fill it out. This is all in boxes at the moment so will have to wait.

One I have finished putting the pebble dash on the walls, I'll work on making the outside a lot greener too. Then I might put on a few finishing touches like pipes and maybe a rubbish bin.

 Anyway, time to move on.

I have done much figure painting lately because I can't find the clamp for my lamp and my eyesight isn't up to much these days. I have found a few figures that I could do without this being too much of an issue. Stuff I can go back and finish off at a later date. So I guess that what I am going to move onto next.

The Derelict Is Looking Worse

Well the derelict is moving on, slowly. Time has been a bit short, but I have had some time today to sit in front of the work bench. I am kind of kicking myself at the moment as I have started a project that I know that I can't finish right now. The outside needs something to looking like rendering and the two things I can use, I can't find. I have had to do a few changes from what I originally planned. First I have extended the ground floor walls in two places so that there is something their to support the ceiling. I have also added a first floor. This is partly aesthetic and partly structural.

 I thought I would put a figure in to give the picture some perspective. The plan now is to do some internal painting, weathering and just generally improve on the derelict feel. I have a few bits to do away from this but I am running out of prime projects and even projects that I would class of new at the top of the list are hard to find. I may have to do some major moving of boxes and...open up some boxes that I was hoping to keep sealed up. The other alternative us that I might go to a show at the weekend and spend some of my money Lets hope something will turn up.

Roof

I have had a bit more time today but I have been dependant on glue drying so I haven't donr that much. The objective for the day was to get the block work of the roof done. I haven't got as much done as I would like. That said it is starting to take shape and it will turn into something worthwhile. Pity it's such an ugly duckling a the moment. I plan to make a space in the roof where it has completely collapsed so that there is a space for a few figures to stand up. So I have put some floorboards in. I don't want to put too many in as I have a really limited stock of them at the moment. I'll use some stirrers to make the eaves. Then I'll cover that in mounting card and then use thin card to do the roof tile.

The fact that I haven't made a lot of progress today is really my fault as I have mad a few mistakes. The biggest was putting the base of the roof upside down which meant there was not covered of some of the extension. This took a bit of time but at least the glue hadn't dried when I realised what I had done.

So I have been able to put right but others have proved impossible without starting all over again which is something that I am not prepared to do. The house is supposed to look rough so I am not that bothered.

 

It will look okay when it's finished. All I need is some more time, sand, stirrers, fence panels, flock, foliage, imitation water and a dozen bits of clutter. All of them (except the time) are stuff in boxes which I can't find, so I guess there might be a pause coming up.

The Derelict

I haven't had too much time to myself today but I have spent what I had wisely. One of the things I have managed to get hold of was coffee stirrers. Thank you Cafe Nero. So I have put them to use and put in some floorboard and window frames. Amongst that I have added a little bit more rubble and ruin.

One of the problems with doing you own buildings is getting the proportions right. These are not architectural models so there is no need to make them too accurate. I find a problem with doorways. I would like the door to be able to fit a figure base through it. In order to get doors to look in proportion, the bases one have to be about the size of a penny which is not good for the figures. So instead of making the walls 50cm high I settled on a doorway too narrow for figures to pass through

I had another think about how the buildings should look. I am moving towards the idea of derelict buildings and communities rather than ruins. I want overgrown and crumbling rather than blow up and devastated. So I go back to what I know. I search the internet for ideas as you would be surprised how few derelict buildings there are in leafy suburbia.

Although I am a Brit, a lot of the games I have been involved in are set in America. This is not always down to American cultural imperialism but because there are many great stories to be told in America. It is also home to many ghost towns which look exactly like what I am after in this game.
I am also looking at overgrowth. Waist high grass and head high shrubs are what I am looking for. Whilst the plants have taken over the long grass is home to many dangerous creatures. I keep thinking about Jurassic Park 2 and 3.

What is the everyday today, will still be there in the world overgrown. The old world is still there but often it is just hidden away behind trees and under ivy. Trees may also be a  place to find the things you need to live. There have to be reasons to venture out into the wilds or the games will be very short and very dull.

The Walking Dead Season 5

Well it's back.  It goes to prove that the real problem with this world will never be the zombie it'll just be people. The season starts well and without going into too many details, it is exactly what I was expecting as a follow on from last season. No Beth Jerky just yet although you will find that there are a couple of ideas for those of you who might want to be considering a career change to butchery. The episode really kept me sat there focussed on the screen for the whole of the show. Not quite enough to make me a vegetarian but pretty close.

If you were looking for bad guys for your game, this is a good place to look for ideas.

A New Post Apocalypse

I have had an idea in my head for a while. I watched a film about seven years ago called Origins: Spirits of the Past. I don't mind a bit of anime as long as there are not too many tentacles. I saw it on a monitor in a Virgin Superstore which should date it a bit. I just fell in love with the look. The apocalypse in this case was plants taking over. Then I read a roleplaying game called Summerland. Very Indie, more about the story. Less about dice and not very figure friendly. The game I am planning is not really either of these but I guess there will be elements of them in there somewhere.

What I was going to do was take the figures from Scavenge Skirmish Survive which are all outdoors types and some fantasy figures and make into something that would fit into the wild woods. This means moving into 28mm buildings which is not something I have done for a while.

The world as we know is now covered with trees. So houses are ruined, building collapse, roads are overgrown and wild things run around the woods. The look is similar to Stalker. I can also see things like the surface in Metro 2033, I am Legend (but with more ruin and trees) or The Last Of Us.

So I want so terrain to reflect that. This is not the kind of thing that is easy to find. So I thought I would do my own. This is the first one.

There is a lot to do on his one, not least it needs to be fastened to a board. I have decided to use a standard sized board which will be cut down from something that I found in B+Q (which I will get a picture of eventually).

Odd Little Things

I used to go to a lot of wargame shows. These days, not so much. Most of the time you see just exactly what you would expect. Every now and again you see something that makes you think you've picked the wrong scale. Well maybe for a minute. Angel Barracks is one of those manufacturers.

These were a bit of an impulse. They are called Drill Worm Nests according to the website. I didn't have a clear idea of what to use them for at the time. In truth I guess I still don't but they look scary enough to make the players think twice about going anywhere near them. They look nicely alien so maybe it's some sort of infestation or maybe something like  shrieker mushrooms from the back of beyond. Maybe something for the X-Com wargame or the Fallout and modern horror RPG games that I run.

They are notionally 6mm figures but I can see uses for them in 15mm and maybe even larger scales.

So I am working through the resin mountain. I am picking my way through what I can find to do. I am now scratching my head wondering what I can do next.

Bob's Iguana Bits

I was looking up stuff to do for Fallout. Images of the web are a great source of ideas. In the original Fallout game there was a stall called Bob's Iguana Bits, the brain child of Iguana Bob Frazer. Bob was actually selling chunks of human, not exactly the food of choice, even in the wasteland.

So I thought I'd do this. It took about twenty minutes of work, not a huge job but I am looking for something to do and I had the bits to hand. It will do as a little bit of table scatter. It's a little bit tall but close enough. If I was going to do any more, I think I would make them a little shorter.

Actually Done Some Painting...

...but not quite what I was expecting to paint. Although I now have a workbench to paint on, I am still scratching around for things that I can do. My eyesight is not brilliant so I depend on a magnifying lamp. I can find the lamp but I can't find the base. No problem I thought, I'll do some buildings. I use pins to keep these together and I can't find them either. So I went looking.

So....No pins and no lamp base. They are probably in a box in the garage. Which is piled high with sealed boxes. So using the lemons to make lemonade I found something that I can do. whilst searching I found some small castle walls. I got them in a shop in the Arndale in Manchester which I think has been closed for twenty years. I think I got them as an impulse buy. I had played in a HOTT game run by Chris Johnson at the MAWS wargame club and I never got round to getting a stronghold for the army I used. The army has never been used since and the walls have been sat in various boxes ever since. Not so much lead mountain as resin mountain.

 So...A nice little project seemed the obvious choice. The paint is almost the same colour as the resin. You can only really tell the difference because the unpainted one has some marks on it.

So...I have the urge and a bit of time. I am now looking for something else to do. I was goin to have a play about with doing some post apocalyptic I started on this then realised that I had no  sand. It looks a bit little bit poop but I am sure that it will work out.

So...I'll look around and see what I can do.

I have an idea that these could be used for a fallout game. They might well be of use to a HOTT game in 15mm. I guess they have some scope for the skyrim/viking game but they are a littlle on the small side for that. Other than that, I have no idea.

Now I need to varnish them. Guess what, I can't find the varnish either.

A Newish Workbench

Well I have put as much into the workbench as I am going to, at least for the time being. It's just getting in the way of me doing stuff and it was starting to rind me down. A lot of the stuff I do for shelving is a little over engineered. This is not what I have done here. This is a temporary measure whilst I wait to move. The phrase wired together with flexi cord and spit springs to mind but if I am going to move it might be some time. It is also looking like I might be staying in Warrington which is no bad news.

We are having a bit of a make down and mend thing at the moment (that's repair reuse recycle to some). so most of the selves are stuff I have previously owned, torn down and stuck back together. I am not really happy with it as I am too far away from the paint but at least it works.If I was doing it again there are a lot of things that I would do differently.Not least of which is buy a table saw.

I did think of painting it white. The whole thing is going to get chavvy, I mean shabby chic'ed by my other half, so I guess it doesn't really matter. The white would  give me a bit more light. The spot I am in now has a lot less light to play with so I am going to need something.

Now where's my brushes...

Poop

Well things proceed as normal. The house fell through two days before I was due to exchange. It appears the owners of the house had been holding back a load of information that the solicitor said would make it unsalable.

So everything is in boxes. Every mini, every paint pot and every brush is boxed up and ready to go. But I am not. Then I was looking at somewhere that is a bit of a fixer upper but is massive. There would be shed but maybe there is a spare room and a cellar that could be put to some use. However I have since decided that it is too close to falling down to take a punt which is a shame.

My dad did get me a new lap top but for some reason, the net at home does not work. This has gotten worse after someone pushed the router over and it fell four feet. Not to mention a battery issue and it has no DVD player. So I haven't been able to do much online either. I have had to go out of the house to do this, but that feels pretty good too.

So as I am going to be here for a little while at least, I wanted something to do so I have a bit of a side project which is a new workbench. I have been wanting to make my workbench into something that I can cover up to stop it getting dusty, jumped on by pets and the like. Mst of all it needs to be somewhere were I can get all my stuff in the same place and out of the way.

So I got this. It's a second hand Ikea computer desk which has seen better days. My other half even things that it could go in a reception room. So I might not be sent to the shed/garage/cellar/attic.  On the downside she wants to paint it in a chavvy chic, shabby chic way. I blame it all on Kirsty Allsop. Sadly there are laws against what I think should happen to Kirsty Allsop for filling the minds of the female gender with ideas like shabby chic. So I am hoping that my other half resists the urge.

So the plan for the cabinet is to put shelves for the paint pots around the make section of the desk. I want to run some lights around the top of the main area, probably some LED lights across the top. My magnifying lamp won't fit properly so I will have find a way to attach it to the outside and I also want to have a table lamp in there somewhere. I am hoping I can figure out a way to put a socket in there somewhere so I can power a glue gun or other tools.

As there is some scope for running cable up the back, I might not attach the shelves to the unit and get some board to run up the back. The same goes for the sides as there are extenders to bring the table supports out so I will have to find a way to protect them too.

Then I want to put the plastic draws on the shelf above that. Maybe there will be some space for nick nicks and all the other junk.

When I move and I have access to the tools, I would like to put a pane; underneath so that I can slide the plastic really useful tray underneath. This would also stop the top of the chair arms bumping into the the desk top which is currently vexing me a little.

Above that more storage I expect that this will be a pretty mixed bag of stuff that get used fairly frequently but not for every day stuff. I may find the space for a few books and maybe an old stereo I have lying around. Above that, I don't know yet, some more storage I guess.

I'll see where it goes.

Looks Like The Move Is On

Nagging! I have had enough of being nagged. Even though the move is a long way off I am getting nagged to start boxing stuff up and most importantly labeling it. I am pretty much against this as the last time we moved, nearly all of my worldly goods were boxed up for three months before we moved. I ended up getting my paints ut and sitting at the dining table for about three weeks.

Today I have been told to label stuff up where I want it to go when we move. As an example I did this....

Some People have no sense of humour.

Good News

Well, I have a laptop again. Thanks dad. I have money in the bank but my other half has forbid me from using it before we move which might be a couple of months yet. The thought of having no laptop for months after someone in the house breaking it and not owning up has been doing my head in.

So I have two projects on the horizon. The first is some weird war 2 as an RPG. There is some savage worlds stuff that I am using a place to start. I have got some British Paras from Warlord. These are set to be the core of the players and their team. I got a good deal on some Warlord minis. On the downside the big box was half empty but but the shop and Warlord treated me very well. They even threw in some extra transfers. I guess I have a few bits that are not going to be much  use. I might have to take up Bolt Action or I may just sell them. I will have to get a few more and of course some more to put them up against. Artizan are looking good for some PC types and maybe some enemies but I alsolike the idea of guards from Wargames Foundry. The game will be more like the beginning of Hellboy than massive metal battle armour.

I am also looking at a new work bench for when I move. This is probably going to be something that can be hidden away so I am thinking a bureau/writing desk/roll top desk. I am hoping to find something cheap on eBay. As I am already starting to pack stuff up, this might be something I can do on the side.

The packing process has made me think about all the half started projects that I have started. I am hoping that I will be able to do something about that soon. You never know, I may even gets some pictures.

End Of The Beginning

I watched a lot of the coverage of the start of World War One. Instead of the usual images of going over the top there was a lot about the men themselves. The shows seemed to talked about the men rather than the war. It was about celebrating them not the costly victory four years later. I am old enough to have met a few of the survivors. From what I am told about them they almost never spoke about the war. Those that did never spoke about the trenches. My family has two death plaques. These were for men I could have and should have known.

I am a wargamer but I aim to learn from it not to glorify it. As David Drake said “The use of force is always an answer to problems...[It] isn't an attractive answer, though.” I am sure the men on the Somme felt the same and I am sure the residents on either side of the Gaza border or in the Ukraine feel the same now.

Time For Some Action

Well its been a while since my last post. Things have been a bit poop. In no particular order [ahem] dead cat, injured dog and other half has a broken leg. Not to mention the fact that someone has broken my laptop and hasn't owned up yet. I picked up a paintbrush for the first time in over a month yesterday. I am likely to be moving soon. I'll talk about some of these themes when I'm not using a tablet and have access to some pictures.

On the plus side I am thinking ultimate gaming shed. I also have a new project to show of.

Some Work In Progress

I have been massively busy this week. I have been doing a lot of waiting but I haven't had a chance to take any pictures. Mostly I have been painting a lot of old stuff and in some cases very old (When did Chronicle stop making figures?)

So I have some Copplestone Yetis on the bench. These have been sat around for a little while. Nice easy paint job, I hope anyway.

I have this Mirliton (not Grenadier) female Elf magic user (yes I know she's a bit butch but in my game elves are ard). They are a little on the tall side but to my mind it adds to the haughty elf vibe.

I have some very shiny modern/sci-fi types. They have a lot of shading to do on them and a few big areas of colour to do.

And this dwarf.  I hate this dwarf. No matter what I do to it, it does not light. I'm still working n the book he is carrying.  It has been driving me up the wall for months.

Viking Civilians Again

Well I have pretty much finished these. They need a spray of varnish and some bits to tart up the bases. Summer has come early here so the rain is so heavy I can't take them outside so that I can spray them. The garden nearly has a river running through it where the dog has been playing in it.

I really like the way the woman in blue has come out. She has a great face apparently busy crying over spilled milk.

The guy on the left would make a nice Little Jon figure if he had a staff rather than a  mattock.Unlike the rest of them, he is a Gripping Beast figure and not Foundry like the rest of them. The best figure is the one eyed, one legged one armed civilian figure. I have plans for him in the game.

Busy Busy

I am starting and nearly finishing a lot of figures at the moment. So as I haven't finished anything recently, I thought I'd post this picture of something I finished a couple of weeks ago. There are Copplestone scavengers I think.

It's not much I know but there is a lot of stuff about to be finished so I'll publish them as and when.

Distractions

I have been all over the place with what I have been doing since the last post. I did a bit more inking on the Foundry Viking civilians and the other figures from Gripping Beast. Then, whilst I was waiting for that to dry, I did some inking on the long ship. I used some old citadel washes this was more because the old, old washes were a bit useless for figure painting and there is a lot of boat to cover. I have several pots of the stuff just gathering dust. Maybe I should put them on eBay I ended up finding places where the ship would benefit from a bit more glue, so then I was letting that dry.

This is where the distractions really kicked in. The civilians were still not dry enough to work on. I have some chaos dwarves that I wanted to work on. bad guys are currently in short supply so a few more might help me out later on. They represent one of the possible plot lines I have worked out for the game. The miniatures, from Mirliton, have enough of a dark vibe to fit in with my concept of the game. some of the helmets are a bit out of place but I am sure no one will notice. There are a few more evil dwarves that I might get round to buying and they have some nice medieval noble and not so noble civilians which might work well.

There has been some blocking out of the base colours. This is mostly done. I have them following the same concept as dark elves so gave them the sort of traditional colour scheme. There are a few bits that need details that won't fit in with that sort of colour scheme but these are details and should hopefully make the figures look a bit more normal. I think these figures will fit in with the concepts I have lifted from Skyrim. 

May The Fourth Be With You

It's Star Wars Day again. I should be sat in front on the TV watching all six films and maybe even Caravan of Courage. I would not be watching the Star Wars Special. I am lead to believe that George Lucas Hunted down every copy of that and had it destroyed.

Anyway, I should be watching them in Hi-Def glory but the folks are here for the weekend so I guess I will be watching Last of the Summer Wine with the volume turned almost all the way up instead. My dad is such a big fan we went to see where it's filmed the other day, Last of the Summer Wine that is, not Star Wars sadly.

 

It looks like all the old cast are back. If this picture is anything to go by it's going to be the Han Solo Show. Maybe Mark Hamill will finaly have his day.
There is a fan Fun Day in Burnley Tomorrow which is worth a look if any one cares to go. Was a giggle the last time I went. Think I am going to a classic car show with my Dad instead.

Let's hope the films and are bit more Empire Strikes Back and a little less Caravan of Courage. :)

2300: More Trouble On Beowulf

The referee is having a laugh. Did somebody say "Kobayashi Maru"? If I wanted to put myself in situations where no matter what I was going to do, I was going to get screwed, I'd go back to working for the local council.

Seriously, it was a lot of fun.

Who is not going to love dealing with a corporate lawyer who has their own personal ED 209 security droid in tow.  Give them a cheesy corporate vice principle to add on to that. The mass eviction of a load of British locals in the middle of a massive storm. Did I mention that the corporation has a history of genetic slavery? Good solid people right? The kind you trust every day. Well if your American and you vote Republican. Or Democrat.

The locals a great. Really welcoming. The second one we meet is insistent on using a neural whip on one of the workers he employs in his brothel. Luckily for us, we find out after my security tem leaser knocks him out cold and leaves him with a few missing teeth that he is the local leader and everyone in town, well pretty much, is related to him. Said employee is a pleasure bot so  not really human. Except that somehow, she is the first bot to develop true artificial intelligence. This is largely due to her employer using a neural whip on her.

Said neural whip was removed from the local businessman by the head of security. Just for comic effect, he decides to toss it to the engineer. The engineer now knows that attempting to juggle a live neural whip does not always end well and that there is no ice cream or medals afterwards.

So, after finding that there is a fortune "In them there hills" just before the corporates move in, we get some orders (after defeating the corporates attempts to jam our single) from the ESA to ensure that the corporation stay out of the town. I'm not sure if this is the ESA doing the right thing by it's citizens or just wanting to make sure that it secures a vitally important strategic resource.

Anyway, we have a drop ship on it's way with six marines and thirty locals. we may get some guys i battledress too.

Anyway, there will be lots of poop to be in next week. We don't play nice with our friends, I suspect we are not going to play nice with the corporates wither.