Rorschach

The first mini on the blog in a while! This was a 'quick and done' type of paint-job, intended to fit with my BMG minis, but not taking ages to complete.

I was talking with main gaming buddy Rob a few days ago about not getting much done and painting a couple of quite fiddly minis recently, so he suggested doing something easy like a dog. While I had a couple of things in mind, my first thought was this mini, since it would require a relatively simple colour palette, was a one-piece cast (quick to get ready), and was a change from the recent focus on Anima Tactics minis. This was prepped and undercoated the probably took around 2-3 hours of painting in 3 sessions over 2 days. I am happy with the outcome for (for me) such a short turnaround.

The mini is simple enough and nicely evokes Rorschach, although hands in pocket seems a cop-out sculpting wise, since he could have had arms out ready for a fight, and the drapery on the trousers could have been a lot better I think. So far I have painted stuff in very random order for BMG, and this is no exception. I suspect it will be a while before I get a Crew together. Although I love the Watchmen minis, so that could be the first Crew I finish possibly.

I am still a long way off playing the game, and I hope that Knight Models produce a printed rule book (preferably hardback), and that they rethink their game cards. The game cards are an unwieldy size I feel, and do not fit any typical game card sleeves. Worse still, the trimming of some leaves them larger than the standard KM size, meaning they are bent when used for packaging, not a good thing when paying a premium price for a mini in my opinion.Small criticisms, but relevant ones I think.

Quarter 2 2014 Painting Summary

Well, I almost forgot about the Quarter 2 painting summary! Better late than never I say!

It looks like I will be lucky to manage 40 minis this year, which with my coursework workload is 'okay' although I would rather paint more.

May was a poor month, with just one mini painted.

Top row (l to r); click names for links to posts:
Kyler (Anima Tactics)
Lillian Virgil (Anima Tactics)
Tiamat (Anima Tactics)
Aurelius (Pulp City)
Alis Testarossa (Anima Tactics)

Bottom row:
Clayface (Batman Miniatures Game)
Shinobi (Anima Tactics)
Raziel Archetypum (Anima Tactics)
Al-Djinn (Anima Tactics)
Janiel (Anima Tactics)

Tooth & Sword

With a little over 9 days to go, Tooth & Sword is 80% funded on Kickstarter. If any readers have an interest in anthropomorphic fantasy minis, then I heartily recommend taking a look.

Rock Outcrops

Rock Outcrops (BB 545) from GF9

Another recent terrain acquisition, these Rock Outcrops are by Gale Force Nine, and like other Battlefield in a Box stuff are ready to play straight out of the box as they come fully painted.

The set includes 6 sets of rocks and two types of static grass to add as desired. This set is BB 545; there was an earlier set of Rocky Outcrops (BB 521) which had 8 pieces included.

It is easy enough to create rocks etc with foam, but for me, as I have said before, that would take away from the little time I manage to focus on painting my minis. The price is around £16-£18 and for me that is reasonable value as a trade-off for time and materials to do something similar.

One useful advantage of these over a foam alternative that is not immediately obvious however, is that they have a certain heft and weight and so are less likely to get displaced on the tabletop.

As is evident, I like the GF9 Battlefield in a Box range. The quality is consistent, so I know what to expect when picking up a set. Consequently the pieces I have picked up have been good value for me. I like that certain sets go nicely together to allow an expandable range. All in all, highly recommended.

The volunteers used for scale are:
- Crimson Oni (Pulp City)
- Azriel (Anima Tactics)
- Red Skull (What The? Miniatures)

Tooth and Sword Kickstarter (Meridian Miniatures)

Another KS I am backing, and I really hope the project makes it as I love the Chibi meets anthropomorphic fantasy look of the line.

I am in for the resin bundle and will top up if Stretch Goals are met - check it out. :)

Click the image below for the link.

Interviews From The Gaming World

Over the past few years I have conducted a few different interviews with some industry types.  Here are the links to those I have done so far.

The most recent was a brief interview with Carlos B. Garcia, the man behind Anima Studios and the Anima raft of games (including Anima Tactics; click for link to interview). He recently launched the Anima Gate of Memories: Extended Campaign on Kickstarter, as a supplement to the original Anima: Gate of Memories Kickstarter campaign.
As the Anima Gate of Memories: Extended Campaign heads into its final days, Carlos kindly agreed to answer some questions posed by the Anima Tactician (click for link to interview).

I have also conducted a few interviews with creators and developers working on the Pulp City game and on behalf of Pulp Monsters.

Maciej Żylewicz (part 1 and part 2) - the driving force behind Pulp Monsters and Pulp City.

Melvin de Voor - artist, concept designer, layouts and design.

James Van Schaik - sculptor, industry veteran and consultant.

Blasted Terrace & Ruined Fountain

Blasted Terrace

The Blasted Terrace and Ruined Fountain by Gale Force Nine are ready to play straight out of the box. Both can act as centre-piece type scenery in of themselves, but equally both should substitute well for hills, having the right kind of profile to achieve that.

The Blasted Terrace (BB556) was a birthday gift from my best mate and frequent gaming buddy Rob, and a cool addition to the array of scenery I have. I see it as functioning like any typical medium size hill in most games, having a nice profile to block line of sight for human size models.

Ruined Fountain

I bought the Ruined Fountain (BB553) for myself as an extra option and variation. The footprint would make it a small to medium size hill equivalent.

Like the rest of the Battlefield in a Box range they are solidly designed and cast, and neatly painted. The Ruined Fountain has the bonus of the water feature of course. I think that GF9's attention to quality is very good.

In my opinion, based on quality and usefulness, I think they are fine value at around £18-20 GBP.

As with the recent Terrain series of posts, the figures used for scale are:
- Crimson Oni (Pulp City)
- Azriel (Anima Tactics)
- Red Skull (What The? Miniatures)