Inspired by this great work at the Warmachine forums, I set out to make some custom spell tokens for Gorten Grundback. I am very new to any kind of sculpting but I kind of like the results anyways... From left to right the tokens represent the following spells: Molten Metal, Strength of Granite, Solid Ground, Rock Wall, Eruption). I used a wooden craft piece for the metal pot and green stuff/modeling clay for the other items. Lava/molten metal was simulated with a little white glue that I painted over.
I am sure a second attempt would be prettier- but it was a fun little project!
In case you never noticed the links to the side, I'd like to point out the amazing work of two gifted miniature painters whose sites I visit often. Looking at their painted minis can be humbling but it also serves as inspiration to improve my own work. If you think you're good, be sure to look at their skills for a reality check.
First up is Marike Reimer who can do things with a paint brush that I didn't think was possible...
(be sure to click on the image twice to see the mini its its full-blown glory)
Equally impressive is the also award-winning work of Jen Haley who also impresses with her skills...
You can visit her wonderful site, Paintrix Miniatures, to see her great gallery and read her interesting personal background story.
I normally reserve my blog for my own painted minis and terrain pieces but sometimes you need to take a moment to pay homage to the masters who "push the envelope" in the miniatures painting hobby. If I ever come by some disposable cash, I'll be emailing both of those ladies for commissioned pieces for a display case!
I'd say of all the Hordes unit models the Farrow Brigands have to be my favorite. They of course are the meat and potatoes pig-men "shootey" unit of the Thornfall Alliance Minions.
The Farrow Brigands stat line reads a lot like the Cygnar trenchers including the "Dig In" ability. However, they are a Minions units that will work for ALL FOUR of the core Hordes factions which is pretty cool.
The leader of the unit(pictured in the middle above) can say a different Prayer each turn buffing the figures in a different way(for various offensive/defensive perks). I know many people are gaga for the Blindwater gators but I think the Farrows are more my style- in fact I might even build a Thornfall army in good time. In the meantime, these guys will be some core support for my small but growing Trollbloods army.
The first time I browsed Privateer Press' website I loved the look of the Deliverers unit! To be honest the Protectorate of Menoth wasn't a faction I was in a hurry to play but eventually I got around to them and of course, that meant it was time to paint up some Deliverers!
The Deliverers, like the other bread-and-butter Menite militia, Zealots, have a nice Arabian-Steampunk look to them befitting desert fighters. I went with a traditional paint scheme because I think the Sanguine/Menoth White/Black them is full of style.
One of the best things about these guys was assembly...none! That's right, all of the models are one piece so you just slot them into their bases, texture up said bases....prime and paint! As far as in-game- well they all fire blast radius rockets(Skyhammers, AoE=3) that can play havoc with an enemy advance...notoriously inaccurate but, hey, there's enough of them to blanket an area effectively!
Today I had a great time passing on to the students in my miniature gaming club(at the high school where I teach) the awesomeness of Warmachine. We had two small 18 to 25 pt. skirmish games and the students really picked up the basics rather quickly.
(excuse the blurry pics, used my camera phone)
One table saw a small Khadorian army led by Sorscha take on a Highborn Convenant Merc force led by Ashlynn. The students did a nice job learning the basics of running, attacking, boosting and jack-marshalling(Hammerfall Highshields took a couple of Gunners).
In the end the Khadorian heavies were too much to handle(although the Mariner beat up the Destroyer pretty well). It was said to see some of my favorite merc units(Highshields and Devil Dogs) get beat up a little...but they put up a valiant fight!
At the second table the other students had an evenly matched Protectorate vs. Cygnar battle. The Menite heavies(Vanquisher & Crusader) did a nice job while the choir of Menoth sung songs of battle to buff their attacks.
This battle ended in a stalemate(ran out of time) but it wasn't for lack of aggression. Stryker repeatedly unleashed Earthquake while Kreoss responded with often Cleansing Fire. The Vanquisher and Ironclad locked onto each other in close combat while the Lancer and Revenger repeatedly thrusted and parried with their polearms.
The students at this table quickly(and impressively) gained a knowledge of spell-casting, 'jack-buffing and combat modifiers.
It was a lot of fun watching several students learn the game and I look forward to them passing on what they know to others in the club. There's still much to learn, but in a couple of hours time they've mastered the basics and clearly have gained a sense of how different RATS, MATS, DEFS and ARMS affect the game.
It's a game that is simple enough to pick up and enjoy quickly but strategically deep enough to never grow old- that's the greatness of Warmachine!
Update: One of my students was nice enough to send some pics of our battles...he has a much nicer phone(and therefore better photos) than I...
Well I finally have painted my first couple of Trollbloods- an army I've been anxious to get my brush on for some time now. You have to love these sculpts...full of power, character and humor!
Madrak is a great figure who, of course, is an "albino" Trollblood. I love the stone, metal and leather details that Privateer put on this guy. This was my first time doing a tartan- and that was a challenge. I pretty much followed the guide in the Forces book for painting it, although I scrapped my first try and started over.
The bases for my first two Trollbloods are fully customized. I used carved sprue for the plant and green stuff for the other details(mushrooms, logs, vines & leaves). I wanted a whimsical, decaying forest theme.
The Impaler has a classic Trollblood Blue coloration and I used the studio models as mu inspiration. Note the turkey(s) hanging from his belt! I find trollblood eyes a little tricky...but I have discovered that "less is more" is the key when it comes to their eyes.
The leather on this guy was fun to do...some Gun Corps Brown, Beasthide, and a couple of other shades all received a wash of Reaper Brown Ink(including the metal bits).
It's in its infancy but to check out my new blog dedicated to Spartan Games' "Dystopian Wars"(a steampunk naval warfare miniatures game!) click below... http://dystopiansteam.blogspot.com/
I have a video up there showing an "unboxing" of a starter set if you are interested. I will rarely use this Warmachine blog to make mention of the other blog, but I thought I'd kick it off here for anyone interested(after all, if you like steam-driven warfare, Dystopian Wars might be your 2nd favorite game like me!).
Don't worry, I'm still primarily a Warmahordes guy....but a little diversion is a good thing!
So I finally finished painting up the core of my Protectorate of Menoth starting army. Having already built a Cygnar, Khador and Merc force, this was my next big Warmachine project.
The models pictured above include the BattleBox minis(Kreoss, Repenter, Revenger, & Crusader(shown as a Templar)) with a Heavy Plastic Warjack kit added(shown as a Vanquisher) and the Choir of Menoth as well. I also ordered the box set of Deliverers, but my first Delivers box actually contained Flameguard Cleansers by mistake. I liked them so I kept them...and ordered an additional box of Deliverers(which were Deliverers!). These two units are still unpainted(and thus not shown).
A couple of things I wanted to mention about painting. First, Menoth White I found to be very tricky. I used the painting technique suggested in the Forces of Warmachine book but as I start with a light grey primer and not a black one, my white ended up being too white so I had to adjust the approach a bit
Secondly, I chose a mosaic tile pattern for the base and I really liked the result. The basing them was a partially ruined Menoth temple that was reclaimed by Menite forces(this the partial tile/rubble effect).
I had a lot of fun magnetizing the heavy warjacks using this tutorial made by Plarzoid at the Privateer Press forums . I highly recommend K&J Magnetics for the magnets...great website, prices and prompt shipping. At any time I can run any two of the following in a battle now: Crusader, Crusader, Vanquisher, Templar. I call these guys my "Protectorate Action Figures" because of the nice, pose-able articulation that comes with magnetizing them.
I really like the Choir of Menoth figures- another example of Privateer Press having the best mini sculpts around!
I am excited to add to this army and I look forward to fielding it of course. For now I am on to Trollbloods but all of my armies, including the Protectorate one, will continue to receive reinforcements of course.
Kreoss and company emerge from the forest, ready to deal death to the Morrowan heretics!
For a more detailed description view the video version of this Figure Feature below...
Well of course everyone knows that Long Gunners only achieve their marksmanship(RAT) with many hours of training...thus the need for the Cygnarian Shooting Gallery!
The moving paper targets depicting Iron Fang Pikemen, Lich Lords and Helljacks provide the real-world combat situation of trying to hit a moving enemy(artwork by Clayman8 and thevampiredeo)...
The words above the firing stalls remind the trainees of an important truth: "One shot could save the kingdom"...
And of course the boulder backstop provides secondary targets in the form of the ever-threatening watermelons and pumpkins!(ever see Mail Call or Lock n' Load on the History Channel?)
The Watermelon/Pumpkin casualties up close(warning-some vegetarians may be sensitive to these images)...
The "Target Shack" where fresh paper targets are loaded on to the revolving chain...
A local villager has contributed a pumpkin for the good of the kingdom(target practice) as a worn-out chain and gear lay abandoned next to the shack...
If anyone has any questions about the project feel free to post them, or check out the vids where I describe the project in detail...
Historical wargamers have used coconut fiber mats for field grass and crops on their battlefields for over 30 years...and it's still a useful way to model fields. I incorporated the easily usable material into area terrain for my Warmachine battlefields. Tall grass makes a great +2 DEF cover terrain- not strong enough to stop a bullet and act as cover, but thick enough to obscure the target(especially a Rhulic Dwarf of course!).
Above you can see a "winter" version of the field grass being used in a game.
The individual based 'clumps' can be removed from the area base to make way for figures or they can be used separately on a terrain board without a larger base.
As you can see, even without the area base the smaller pieces can be used as nice "concealment" terrain.
The picture above shows a standard spring/summer version of the field grass.
And above you see some trenchers advancing through that version(sorry the pic is a bit bright).
For a complete "how to" make the terrain elements and to see how I use them in a WM battle take a look at the vids below...
Some of the greatest miniatures from the Warmachine line are the Rhulic(dwarven) forces from the Mercenaries faction. Plenty of fantasy settings have mountain-dwelling, forge-oriented dwarves...but adding the "steampunk" element gives them an extra dash of character!
The Grundback Gunners are fun little light warjacks that I like to think of as "walking guns"- I mean look at them! I do not yet have enough Rhulic units to field an entire Searforge army but I plan to jack marshall these gunners to my Hammerfall High Shields in the meantime in support of contract armies.
I painted these guys the standard Hammerfall Khaki. I wanted a clean, un-worn look but after my initial paintjob I decided to go back and given them a Gun Corps Brown wash to bring out the details a little more.
The newer Horgenhold Artillery Corps are some of my favorite Warmachine minis to date. I decided to call the main gunner "Red" after the color I chose for her hair. The armor was a combination of Hammerfall Khaki and Thornwood Green. I like the poses of the 'support' minis- the loader and the troop directing the shot. I used my usual baking soda-white glue-white paint mix to make the "snow" for the bases.
The only conversions I made to the model are visible from the rear. I replaced "Red"'s axe with a sword from my bits box and made sandbags out of green stuff as a backstop to the mortar. I am really looking forward to fielding this unit and the long-range punch that it packs.
And above you can see a "group shot" of my new Rhulics!
Double click on the video below for a full "Figure Feature" for these minis on my Youtube Channel...
So I am knee-deep in WM minis and that is not a bad thing. However I looked up at my desk this morning and realized how much I was juggling in various painting stages...yikes! So I thought we'd play "I Spy"-Warmachine style.
What different WM units/jacks/etc. do you spy in the photo?(click to enlarge)
I put together a simple little "Khadorian War Memorial" monument the other day(two versions as you can see below) as a little side project while painting up some Trenchers. Well of course I got carried away and the terrain became my main project and the minis my side project(as usual).
The idea was to create a village monument to fallen soldiers where their surviving loved ones could express their remembrance.
The idea of the candles was that loved ones would burn a candle, say prayer, use some wax runoff to affix a 'letter of remembrance' to the base of the statue and then affix the candle. My three red candles are to honor the fallen and the yellow candle(with no matching letter) is to honor a still-serving Khadorian son or daughter.
And here's just another look from the back.
I also put together a "destroyed" version of the memorial with a summer motif.
The story here is that some Cygnarian invaders(or perhaps spiteful Llaelese resistance types?) laid into the memorial and wrecked it.
For a complete video walk-thru discussing the construction, painting and detailing of these pieces double-click on the link below to my Youtube video...
From left to right the tokens represent the following spells: Molten Metal, Strength of Granite, Solid Ground, Rock Wall, Eruption). I used a wooden craft piece for the metal pot and green stuff/modeling clay for the other items. Lava/molten metal was simulated with a little white glue that I painted over.
I know many people are gaga for the Blindwater gators but I think the Farrows are more my style- in fact I might even build a Thornfall army in good time. In the meantime, these guys will be some core support for my small but growing Trollbloods army. 
Secondly, I chose a mosaic tile pattern for the base and I really liked the result. The basing them was a partially ruined Menoth temple that was reclaimed by Menite forces(this the partial tile/rubble effect).
