Gallimandus

 

Introducing, Gallimandus! I painted this figure to be my character for HeroQuest with the kids... but I'm so happy with the paint job that I might have to take him into the Frozen City on a treasure hunt or two...  

Yes, this is another Bobby Jackson figure from Reaper Miniatures. The guy just sculpts figures that are fun to paint! 

At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to get enough contrast between the purple and the blue, but I think the gold trim really helps to set the different areas apart. The only part of the figure that gave me real trouble was the main scroll. My first attempt just didn't feel right. It just looked too fresh, like it was written yesterday, where I wanted something older. Switching to a red/brown for the writing instead of black on the second attempt really helped with this.

I've always wanted scrolls to play a bigger part in Frostgrave, but I don't think I've ever pulled it off. My best attempt was probably in The Maze of Malcor, where you can find scrolls for spells you can't otherwise cast, but I still don't see them used very often. Oh well, something to think about for a future supplement!

Plague Doctor

 

On my computer, this figure is about 5 times 'life size' which probably doesn't do my paint job any favours! This is another fantastic Bobby Jackson sculpt for Reaper miniatures. I hear it was also the inspiration for one of the Rangers of Shadow Deep scenarios found in The Star of Alladore. 

This figure has been subbing in as my wizard figure in HeroQuest, while I get a new one painted up. (My wife didn't want to play the wizard anymore, she wanted someone more aggressive). 

I originally intended to paint him in black and grey as seemed more fitting... but when it came to it, I just couldn't do it. I like a bit more colour on my figs! So instead, I painted him up more like one of my rangers. I think it worked out pretty well!

A Rare Space Hulk Scenario

I was back in the pub last Sunday night playing a rare Space Hulk scenario. For as much as I love the game, it does have one major flaw - a lot of the missions are dependent on having a really large table! We play on a very long, but somewhat narrow, table in the pub, so I look for missions that will fit.

I found one in an old issue of White Dwarf (okay, I found a PDF online of the missions in an Old White Dwarf and not I can't figure out which one). This one is called 'Ambush'. The marine player has to get 4 of their 10 guys across the table and out the exit. It's tough though, because their are basically only two paths to take. However, unlike most 10 marines scenarios, the genestealer player only gets 1 blip per turn, meaning I had to be a lot more cautious how I used them than is normally the case.

The marines played a good game, leaving a couple of guys back to prevent ambush from behind, while slowly advancing the rest. A couple of marines were lost along the way, but they took a bunch of bugs down with them. It really could have gone either way. Towards the end, they had four guys near the exit, with only one blip in the way. They'd used the flamer to cut off any alien reinforcements. In the end though, it wasn't to be. The blip revealed three aliens, which proved just too much in those close confines. Three of the four marines were pulled down, giving the aliens the victory. Once again, the scenario demonstrated how such a simple game can be so tactical and tense!

The Joseph A. McCullough Newsletter

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Artwork by Barrett Stanley

The Semova Sisters

 

Another throwback in the miniatures collection, and a couple of my favourites. These are the Semova sisters, who were sculpted to accompany Second Chances, the first Frostgrave novel, written by Matthew Ward.

I admit, I wasn't sure about letting someone write a novel set in Frostgrave, but I really, really enjoy this book! It is unfortunately out of print now, but hopefully used copies can be found.

Rangers of Shadow Deep: A Gathering of Heroes

Rangers of Shadow Deep: A Gathering of Heroes has landed in the UK and is now available in print and PDF from the Modiphius website. North Star Military Figures should have copies in the next few days and is offering a free miniature with every order.  Or you can hopefully get it through your local gaming store, especially if they stock other Modiphius products! This book has been a long time in the making. I hope everyone enjoys it!

Ghost Archipelago - Crew Review 3

Here are the final members of my Ghost Archipelago crew. The one on the left is a Rangers of Shadow Deep figure. The third from the let is a Reaper metal miniature. The other two are from the official Ghost Archipelago range. The snakeman mercenary was created for the bad guys, but was just such a cool mini, that I had to induct him into the crew. He is a mercenary after all!

Now that I've got these guys out and dusted off, I might just have to run them through a solo scenario or two!

 

Ghost Archipelago - Crew Review 2

Having showed off the Heritor and warden yesterday, here is the first half of the rest of the crew!

For those wondering about the figures, from left to right they are from Lucid Eye, Frostgrave, Wargames Illustrated Giants in Miniature, and finally an official Ghost Archipelago figure. 

Looking back at these figures, I wish I had been using white undercoats at the time, as it would probably brighten up these figures a bit, but otherwise, I'm still pretty pleased with them. They are such a diverse lot, but all seem appropriate for a ship sailing the Lost Isles! 

Ghost Archipelago Heritor & Warden

 

I've been dusting off my Ghost Archipelago crew, and thought I would take some new photos to show them off. Here is my Heritor and warden. 

I spent loads of time searching for the perfect figure to match my vision of my Heritor. In the end, I used Hero Forge to make one. It was expensive, and I haven't used the service since, but I've got to say, I got just what I wanted! 

The warden is a classic old school Games Workshop chaos model. It's a figure I've always loved, and demonstrates, once again, how incredible some of the old figures were, even with the casting limitatons of the time.