Very slow progress and revisiting Orcs Drift

So although I am painting more, it is still painfully slow. I am however slogging through the Tropilium forces.

24hrs and still wet.

Slow but steady, armor bits.

These Roman riders look almost finished!?

I also realized that MC Monkey Dew had played out some battles with the Marauder Orcs and I did a search and found out that he was using Warrior Heroes to play out Orcs Drift. He said he was following Javier's example here. MC Monkey Dews posts here.

So my thoughts on doing Warhammer with Warrior Heroes, as usual, are completely unoriginal. But I sort of already knew that. Anyway I'll have more of a read through and try statting the Forces for The Altenburg Chronicles soon.

Welcome to new follower Subedai author of The Lost and the Damned. He is working on those Marauder Orcs, among other things for some awesome 3rd Ed Warhammer. Definitely worth a look.

Also looks like I've lost someone, although the numbers always seem a little skittish.

Me personally, I've been feeling a tad blah over the last few days, shoulder acting up etc. So a quick pick me up for those inclined. After the break:

Planning games for vacation.

As I mentioned previously, I am going on vacation this weekend and I need to put together a gaming kit. I intend to do some more Chronicales of Loa, and perhaps an RRtK battle in the Talomir campaign. In addition to this I was thinking on how I could make a sort of portable gaming kit.

So here is my plan so far:

I've ordered some stands from Precis Intermedia for paper figures here. I'm going to print out some figures from Paper Friends and print out some terrain form the various sets that I have.

I'm thinking of focusing on WHAA/ Swordplay / WHL for a dungeon crawl. I also have the Jewel of Murinae scenario from THW. I still also want to do a Cthulhu themed game of LTL. Thus far I have read WHAA and LTL but only thumbed through Swordplay and not read WHL at all. so I may cut my losses with WHL. The other question is if my brothers friends want to play. He said they will be coming for this big party my folks are throwing and like to game, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go live with a bunch of gamers. On the other hand it could be fun.

I also did a little retail therapy the other day and bought a card game box and die bag made by Fantasy Flight Games from my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. The box is meant for holding your Magic cards, but will work well for holding Munchkin Conan. It even has a little box that attaches to the bottom that I'm going to use for holding the die and level marker tokens.

Two part card game box and large die bag.

Viking figures, some progress

It's not much, but I've started making some progress on my Viking figures. Right now I'm trying to paint up the Mirholme Army in the Talomir campaign. There is a little more pressure as Ed (owner of Two Hour Wargames) has joined and will be fighting one of the other battles. He blogged about it here.

Anyhow, a few minor setbacks and challenges. I had to brush prime as my unused Citadel primer is somehow blocked and won't spray. My attempt to use poster tack to put figs on a popsicle stick failed miserably. I don't want to glue them on as I'm afraid I'll snap them off at the ankles. I found and then lost some double sided tape that I will try next, when I find it again.

The basing is coming along nicely, a mix of sand and Railroad Scenics ballast. But I learned that I need to apply a second coat of PVA on top unless I want the material all over my paint brush.

The non functional spray can.

What do you mean it's no longer under warranty?

 Yes that says 1999 on there, never sprayed it once.

You may recall Hemming and crew.

 Coated in diluted PVA then left to dry. Followed by more PVA on the base and covered in sand/ ballast. Then painted on the Black and relized I should have sealed the sand with more PVA.

A mix of Zvezda and Imex.

This group is PVA'd. I used light spackle and then played around with putting sand on in patches. Then sealed it with more PVA. When taking this picture I noticed the axeman  on the right has some terrible mold lines. I suppose I'll have to clean him up.

(This will also be my first test of scheduled posts)

Tales of Talomir

Or potentially Blod Orn Redux.

Recently on the THW yahoo group Ruarigh Dale, of Taomir Tales, asked for any takers to assist in his ongoing RRtK campaign. Seeing as how I am constantly threatening to play this I jumped at the chance to join in the ongoing campaign.

I thought that it would be only fitting that I choose Mirholme (the Viking equivalent) but I do have figures to play Altengard, Tereken, or Capalan as well.

When he mentioned that one could also possibly dovetail a WHAA adventure into the campaign I became positively giddy. I think that my Blod Orn campaign would fit in nicely with the current events of Ruarigh's campaign, even if the years are off since he's been playing for awhile.

In his campaign Gunnar Broadaxe is attacking Olaf Squinteye in a civil war to establish dominance over all of Mirholme.

As we may recall, Hemming Wulfgarson had been exiled following intrigues around the succession to the throne of Mirholme. The posts on this can be found here. So it is not hard to see Gunnar as a supporter or distant relative of King Haakon and Olaf as the Grandson of the previous King. I'll just have to move the year from 986 to 990 or 991.

Anyway this looks like the kick in the rear I need to get myself gaming. I've already accepted the invite to post on Talomir Tales and can't wait for more info on my upcoming role in the campaign.

Progress on Blod Orn Campaign

So some progress on the Blod Orn campaign in the Talomir setting.

I have been rolling up the Armies here they are.

Altengard:

Army:

2 Knights, 3 Archers, 2 Inf, 2 Merc Arquebusiers, 2 Merc Pike, 1 Merc Horse Sk, 1 MU

Fleet:

5 Rate 2, 2 Rate 4

Capalan:

Army:

1 Knight, 2 City Knights, 1 Guard, 2 City Spear, 1 City Xbow, 1 Contadini Inf, 2 Contadini Archers

Fleet:

2 Rate 2, 2 Rate 4, 1 Rate 6

Mirholme:

Army:

1 Death Dealer (Berserks), 2 Vet Warriors, 12 Warriors, 1 Skirmisher

Fleet:

5 Rate 2, 2 Rate 4

Tereken:

Army:

3 Hirdmen, 2 Select Fyrd, 7 Fyrd, 2 Skirmishers

Fleet:

6 Rate 2, 2 Rate 4

I also purchased some paper chit armies from Two Hour Wargames. I could have made my own, but I have been dragging my feet for so long I figures this would get me going.

On a side note I was reading M.C. Monkeydew's blog here and noticed that the Orcs in the pictures looked familiar. I'll have to post my version of them.

I also couldn't resist posting on Feb 29^th.

Viking figures - WIP

So finally I started cutting out and assembling some of the IMEX Vikings. I decided to go with six to represent the characters of the first encounter I have rolled up for the WHAA portion of my campaign.

Leif Yngvarsson, Gunnbjorn Yngvarsson, Yngvar Ormsson (background), Oleg Vikarson, Fafnir Svafrlamirson, and Hemming Wulfgarson.

You may recall that Hemming and his cohorts were named using the Age of Blood naming tables. Yngvar and his sons were named using a list from Medieval Total War: Viking Invasion. Both can be found as Inspiration Pad files (.ipt) here.

I have glued them to fender washers using PVA and used Loctite Gel super glue to attach the fiddly bits. Using fender washers sort of nullifies the savings of using plastic figs but I did it for two reasons. Firstly, I can't bring myself to use legal tender as a base. Second, I hope to make magnetic movement stands for use in non skirmish situations.

A little  20 year old Flex Paste

Next was a coat of Flex Paste, still good after it's last use circa 1991. I wanted to build up the base slightly and help the PVA hold the figure down to the washer. I already had popped Yngvar off his washer when I tried to glue the shield under his hand. I went with PVA because I want to be able to rebase if I hate my basing scheme.

Next is some base texture, then undercoating. I'll let you in on the gory details of trying out a twenty year old can of GW spray primer for the first time. I used to brush on primer in the old days.

I've also got to get cracking on some Saxons, I'm just not sure if I want to roll up the force first or just paint a bunch up. I also put in some multiple orders the other day, but more on that later.

Welcome to Ernie of Ancient Miniatures, a nice blog about Ancients in 1/72. He has been painting up a storm and getting quite an army. His friend profile doesn't have a link to his blog, but I recognized his avatar. Also welcome to winttrix of The UltraModern Warrior, a very talented young modeler and painter. Keep up the good work.

Tereken Army Lists

Here are the charts I made for the Tereken forces. On the top is the RRtK chart and the bottom is for WHAA. In making these I had noticed that the RRtK stats of other nations overlapped similarly with WHAA as far as the recruiting rolls and force composition.

Tereken		Alignment	Tech		Mana		Defense		Realm
(9th Cent. Anglo-Saxon)		0	-1		1		1		Tribal
Motivation		National Morale	Battle Tactics		War Rating		Recruiting Rolls
Loot		1	A		-1		12
#	Unit Type	Class	Rep	AC	SP	Figs	Cost	Rec Rolls	Total	Fig Source
1	Hirdmen – Elite	Foot Melee	5	4	1	4	40	11, 12	40
2	Select Fyrd	Foot Melee	4	4	0	4	32	7, 10	64
5	Fyrd – UD	Foot Melee	4	2	-1	4	20	5, 6, 8, 9	100
2	Skirmishers	Foot Skirmish	4	2	-2	2	8	2 – 4	16
							0		0
							0		0
							0		0
							0		0
10									220
	Tereken	Alignment	Army Type
		Twilight	A
	Unit Type	Class	Weapon		Rep	AC	Move	Rec Rolls		Hardiness	CV	Notes
	Hirdmen	Melee	Various		5	4	6	11, 12			2	Elite Trained
	Select Fyrd	Melee	Various		4	4	6	7, 10			1
	Fyrd	Melee	Various		4	2	8	5, 6, 8, 9			1
	Skirmishers	Missle	Various		4	2	8	2 – 4			1

The column for figure source is something I have added for my own use as I try to decide what figures to use for each troop type.

Right now I have a box of the IMEX Saxons:

The review on Plastic Soldier Review can be found here. The IMEX and the Emhar are exactly the same, the IMEX can be found for less $.

Thanks again to Ruarigh over at Talomir Tales for responding to my query over at the THW yahoo group. I'm still mulling over the Defense value and terrain implications for both Mirholme and Tereken. The rules state that the Defense value of a country is not just terrain but the ability of the country to conduct guerilla warfare. It is also factored into recruiting rolls. And lastly, the recruiting rolls show seem to be for one off battles and do not fit the formula given in the Campaign rules ie R.R. = # of Provinces + Defense + Tech. I am treating this number as a stockpile of resources, men and political will to start the game. I am also considering the concept of banking unused recruiting rolls.

Blod Orn – Prologue

  The sky began to lighten as Hemming Wulfgarson readied his pack for the long trip ahead. His fathers old Huscarl, Fafnir Svafrlamirson, was sharpening his axe while the young Bondi, Oleg Vikarson, thanked the Farmer for his hospitality. Hemming's head swam at the thought of how he had gone from inheriting his fathers lands to exile in just two short seasons.

  Wulfgar had died from age and illness in the Summer of 985. Hemming had taken over as Jarl and his brother Dag had inherited a few farmsteads to the north. Hemming remained a loyal supporter of the King, Haakon Thrandson, and all was well. This continued through the fall and winter of that year and it wasn't until shortly after the new year, in the Spring of 986, that things all began to go horribly wrong.

  First the King had died suddenly and without an heir. All the Jarls were quickly called to the capital and the factions began to jockey for support. Hemming had sided with the Jarls of the Western Province in backing a distant relative of King Haakon. Those from the East backed the Grandson of the King before Haakon. They were at an impasse and it looked as if the country would be torn by civil war. It was at this point that Aun Bjarnisson pulled Hemming aside. He said he had a way to make a deal with the Eastern Jarls but he needed Hemming to go a get Odin's Godi, Stakard Svafrlamirson, to quickly coronate the new heir before they had a chance to change their minds. In order for this to work, Aun explained, Hemming's brother Dag would have to be present to cast his vote while Hemming brought the priest.

  The road had been hard and Hemming had been waylaid by bandits, but two days later he brought Stakard to the Council chambers. It was then he learned he had been duped. Aun's sly tongue had fooled him and preyed upon his brothers sympathy for the Eastern Jarls. Dag had cast the deciding vote for the candidate of the Western Jarls. They then claimed that Hemming had kidnapped the Godi to prevent the coronation. Rather than further shame his family name or challenge his beloved brother to combat, Hemming accepted the penalty of exile.

  Now he would follow the winds to fame and fortune and cut a swath across the fat belly of the decadent southern lands. If he could make it out of Mirholme alive.

Talomir Campaign – Blod Orn (Blood Eagle)

Following in the footsteps of TalomirTales, Javier at War, Chroniques du Fort Bastiani and HalfwayStation; I am starting a campaign set in the Two Hour Wargames setting of Talomir. This is a fairly stock Fantasy setting with Elves and Orcs, Good and Evil etc. In it I will try to tell the story of Hemming Wulfgarson, an exiled noble from Mirholme, using the Warrior Heroes: Armies & Adventures (WHAA) rule set for his adventures. For larger geo-political events I will use Rally Round the King (RRtK). To help drive the story I have been using a combination of Mythic Game Master Emulator (Mythic GME)¹ and random tables from Age of Fable, as well as other random generators from around the web. I'll try to point those out as I go along.

As is usual for any project I do, I have gotten so far ahead of myself without even playing that I have become bogged down in minutiae. So to reign that in I am, more or less, following what they are doing over at Talomir Tales. To that end I am focusing on that portion of Talomir referred to, by some, as Norwes. This will include the countries of Mirholme (Vikings), Altengard (German Imperialist), Capalan (Italian Condatta) and Tereken (Irish in the rules but Saxon for me).² Therefore I can use the Viking and Saxon figures I already have (still unpainted) and concentrate on amassing only two more somewhat similar armies.

So the first issue to resolve is the Army List for the now Saxon lands of Tereken³ . I could use the one from Talomir Tales here, but I am not sure about having so many mounted. Age of Blood has some provision for mounted Nobles and another Army List for WHAA for the Anglo-Danish armies of 1066 has 6% chance for mounted Huscarls. However, the brief blurbs I skimmed about Hastings (and Stamford Bridge for that matter) make no mention of Anglo-Saxon cavalry and if anything only mention that some Huscarls rode to battle and then dismounted to fight. This same WHAA Army List has a 9^th century Saxon list which includes no cavalry. I'm leaning towards this as I want the Vikings and Saxons to be roughly equivalent.

So I shall endeavor to post AAR's and a more story like telling of the tale in subsequent posts. Nuts and bolts, game mechanics and figure sourcing, as well as general thinking out loud will be separated into their own posts so as not to totally destroy the narrative.

Well it's off to online traffic school for me, I've put it off for almost too long.

Notes:

1. I first read about Mythic GME on The Old Dessauer's Table. It was a great blog and seems to be out of action at the moment. The impetus to actually start using Mythic GME came after reading this series of posts on Solo Nexus.
2. Again, blatantly taking this from Ruaridh over at Talomir Tales. I also cannot find any Medieval Irish figures in my preferred scale of 1/72.
3. Interestingly enough a Google search for Tereken turns up the Belgian (Flemish) town here.

Welcome to BragonDorn of Bragondorn's Asylum and A Squirrels Tail. Quirky stories, observations and reviews. Looks like fun.

Oh and I submitted my site to the TableTop Gaming News Blog Network, but I have no idea if I've been accepted.

1500 Views

Well, despite not really posting much I have made it to 1500 views. So here is an image of a 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle of the map of Middle Earth. I think this would drive one insane faster than painting 2mm figures.

Unfortunately, what with the Holidays and all, gaming has been zero. For some reason I have been husbanding my posts (or post ideas) and then not committing them them to the blog. Bad blogmanship. Or is that bloggering?

So my immediate plan is to take some Two Hour Wargames stuff and try to press my brother into service. My folks still have all my old Army Men so they can be pressed into service like the old days, German paratroopers for Orcs etc.

I have a lot of notes for a Talomir campaign and am planning to do a combined RRtK (Rally Round the King)/ WHAA (Warrior Heroes: Armies & Adventures) campaign following the exploits of a dispossessed (wouldn't you know there were five s' in that) Mirholme (read Viking) noble. Most of this is not really my idea but following the lead of Ruaridh over at Talomir Tales.

Also plenty of reading to do on all those THW titles I purchased.

Oh yeah, I'm also coming up on 6 months since I started this thing and so would be eligible to list to Table Top Gaming News Blog Network. Which is of course where I first got sucked into reading blogs. Actually that isn't wholly true. I think the one that started it all for me was An Hour of Wolves & Shattered Shields.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi All,

Thanksgiving here in the US. Ready for an orgy of eating and watching football. Just wanted to update on a few projects in the works. Been looking into Inspiration Pad Pro from NBOS and made a quick Goblinoid naming list ala Mighty Empires (link to original rules pdf file).

Looking into making a map and gaming RRtK in middle earth after someone on the THW forums put up a list for LOTR using WHAA.

And of course I need to get back to making that darn map of Talomir.

Welcome to StuG of Armored Fighting Vehicle, a really nice site about modelling. I liked the Speeder model.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

Map Of Talomir Project

So to add to my gaming ADD I've begun a mapping project for Talomir, the world of WHAA and RRtK from Two Hour Wargames.

I'm not sure how hush hush it is, but there is some stuff in the works. Right now it is building off of existing maps that can be found in the THW yahoo groups.