The Muster of Dol Amroth

There is some talk amongst my friends of doing a bit of Middle-earth gaming, so I thought I'd better break out my Dol Amroth forces and see what I've actually got. I've been (very slowly) working on this army for a few years now, but never put it all on the table at once. Here's what I've got currently.

12 Spearmen

10 Swordsmen

10 Archers

6 Knights on Foot

2 Mounted Knights

3 Rangers

2 Men-at-Arms

1 Knight Captain

Prince Imrahil on Foot

I've got 5 more mounted knights waiting to be painted, which is the biggest hole in the army at the moment. Cavalry just takes so long to paint! I'd also like to get a few more rangers to get that unit up to 6 or 8.  And beef the swordsmen and archer units up to 12.

I really should paint up the mounted Imrahil, though I'm not a huge fan of the official figure. I've been thinking about conversions. For the moment, I might just use my 1 metal knight to represent him.

Longer term, I'd like to get a ballista for when they are fighting on the defensive. I'd also like to make a supply wagon as a scenery piece / objective marker.

The War of the Rohirrim - No Spoiler Review

I went to see The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. I was the only person in a 200 seat IMAX theatre…

Being a hard-core Tolkien nerd, I’ve known this movie was coming for a long-time, though I was undecided on whether to see it. Would it fill me with joy like The Fellowship of the Ring? Or fill me with bitterness like The Battle of the Five Armies? I read a few reviews, but they were so mixed as to be unhelpful. Eventually, I decided I was overthinking it, and I should just go and try to enjoy it. And even if I didn’t enjoy it, at least I would be able to talk about it!

I prefer to go to the cinema at off-peak times, so I knocked off early yesterday. It was only showing on the IMAX at the big multiplex, so I overpaid for my ticket and then overpaid for my popcorn. There was no one else in the theatre when I arrived… and so it stayed, a vast, empty room. Thankfully, I’m generally happy with my own company, and moved to sit right in the middle! I read a book while the adverts played, slightly worried they might decide not to show it for only one person (which did happen to me once!). Eventually, the movie began.

It was a strange ride, but I enjoyed it. The story itself is strong. It includes the whole tale of Helm Hammerhand as Tolkien wrote it – but obviously needed to add a lot to turn 3 printed pages into a film. Most of this addition comes in the form of Helm’s heroic daughter, Hera. She get’s her own story, intertwined with her father’s. Both are well told. The characters aren’t particularly deep, but this is fairytale not literature, and on that level, it succeeds.

Where it is less consistent is the animation. The movie opens with a beautiful shot of the map of Middle-Earth fading into actual mountains. A moment later, a giant eagle flies past… the eagle appears hastily drawn on top of the gorgeous background. For a moment my heart sunk. On the whole though, the animation is good, and sometimes it is utterly fantastic… but there are moments throughout that look either unfinished or rushed, which is a shame. A couple of moments did seem more ‘anime’ than ‘Middle-Earth’. The animation is going to lose a lot of people.

I have seen complaints that the movie is too long. I don’t agree, most of what is there is necessary. 

I have seen complaints that Hera is a ‘Mary Sue’ (a flawless heroic woman). These are baseless. She is heroic and competent, but she needs help as often as she gives it.

I was hoping to take my 8-year-old son to see the movie, but there are a few character deaths that are too rough for a sensitive soul.

The War of the Rohirrim is far from a perfect movie, but for my money (and I spent plenty to see it), it is a good one. More than a Tolkien fan should ever expect for the story of Helm Hammerhand! I probably won’t rush to see it again in theatre, but I’m glad that I went, and I will buy it on Blu-Ray when it is released. 

If you want to see it in theatre, I suggest going soon. Based on my own experience, it won’t be there long…

 

  

Walking Through Ithilien

There is a beautiful scene in The Lord of the Rings where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum come across an old statue of a Gondorian king that has been defiled by the orcs. The broken head lies nearby, and Frodo notes that nature has crowned it with a ring of flowers. 

Obviously the hobbits were walking through a region that had once been strongly held by Gondor... but at some point they must have crossed an invisible line into lands that were more traditionally held by Mordor, where the evil powers might have constructed their own statues. That was my idea here anyway.

The statue is from Gale Force 9's Egyptian line. It's a nice piece straight out of the box, but I decided that I'm unlikely ever to assemble a lot of desert terrain, so I decided I would repurpose it for a more temperate climate. So, I primed it black and painted various layers of grey over that. Then I gave it a coating of flock and added a few scenic tufts. Finally, I gave it a few flowers popping up. So here we have ancient evil, but still beauty and life persevere. How very Tolkien.

The statue does still show it's Egyptian influence with the headdress, but I think it looks generically evil enough to work for Mordor. It's a chunky piece and a good size to force tactical decisions on a battlefield without dominating a table. I actually have a second one, which I will probably give the same treatment at some point.  

Frostgrovey!

I've been a fan of the Dork Tower since it first appeared...30 years ago? Look what got a mention in the comic today (via the link).

http://www.dorktower.com/2024/11/25/19221/

Knock Knock

Knock knock

Who's there?

Moo.

Moo Who?

I hate it when cows cry...

The walk to school with my daughter produces another classic!

Goblin Treasure Bearer

I bought this miniature as soon as I saw it. Generally, I'm more patient, but this one I just couldn't resist. Which is funny, as it's such a simple figure. Just a goblin carrying a treasure chest... and yet, there is so much potential story to it. He looks rather mournful, so I gather it's not his treasure chest. Probably he's been bullied into carrying it by a party of adventurers. Possibly as an underpaid hireling, but more likely in exchange for his own life after an ambush gone wrong or something.

It's another Reaper Bones figure from Bobby Jackson. Bones USA to be precise, and it makes a difference. I have not been a big fan of either the original Bones or Bones Black material, but the new Bones USA ones are fantastic, with a level of detail at least the equal of metal.

I painted his skin with the Orc Skin speed paint from Army Painter. While it sometimes feel like cheating, and while I did touch it up a bit, I don't think I could paint orc skin much better than this using any of my traditional methods. On a figure with good detail, it just looks fantastic. The rest of the figure I painted with washes and layers. The whole thing is the product of a delightfully lazy Saturday morning.

Alien Crew 2...

 

Two more player characters for the Aliens game mentioned in the previous post. This time we've got a security agent and a corporate type. It was a bit of a challenge assembling a business person from Stargrave/Frostgrave bits, but I think she came out okay. The body is from the Stargrave Crew II set, while the arms and head are from the Frostgrave Wizards II sprue. I cut off a wand to give her a kind of PA device. I then used a book turned sideways to be a little briefcase. I think its the paint job that will cause her to stand out though, as she'll be the only one wearing a bright colour, where everyone else will be in muted tones.