Designing the Frostgrave Combat System

I just got my hands of the new issue of Wargames: Soldiers & Strategy (78), which contains my article on Designing the Frostgrave Combat System. Basically, it talks about the decisions I made when working out how one figure goes about attacking another figure - should I use dice? how many dice should be rolled? etc. 

Actually, it looks like a great issue. The theme is The Hundred Years Wars. There are three different scenarios for Lion Rampant (could they be converted for use with Mythological Greeks?). There is also a really cool looking scenario for Force on Force, where a group of British Commandos are trying to steal a Russian code book off a ship!

So, if any of that sounds like your thing, I suggest picking up a copy! 

My First Centaur

I have completed building my first centaur, and it really is a conglomeration of Wargames Factory pieces. The lower half comes from the Persian Cavalry box. This box is rare in that the horses are completely free of saddles or harnesses - perfect for making centaurs. The torso comes from the Orc box. This does mean that the armor is a bit fantasy, although since it is just leather with a few metal plates attached, it works well enough for Hollywood Greek Myth. These torsos have an advantage because they are reversible and have a slight bend. Having the torso bend upwards helped with construction. Connecting the horse-half to the torso is a big blob of green stuff. I have no real skill when it comes to modelling green stuff. I can only hope that my attempt to cover the join with a tunic skirt looks good enough when painted.

The arms and spear come from the Numidian box. I think the arms might be a bit short; I suppose centaurs should have slightly longer arms than humans if they are relative to their size, but I couldn't be bothered to lengthen them. The head comes from the Greek Heavy Infantry box. It will also get a shield from this box after it is painted.

It's not perfect, but it's not bad for a first attempt. More importantly, I like it more than any of the centaur figures that are commercially available.

I have also based up my first satyr archer. He's a straight out of the pack Wargames Foundry figure, so I haven't bothered to picture him here.

I will now take a break from building and hopefully do some painting. Most wargamers, when building an army, like to paint one unit at a time. This is more efficient, but also dull, and it tends to kill my enthusiasm for a project. I like the variety of painting a few models from various units at a time.

* * *

I just finished reading Book IV of the Odyssey, in which Telemachus, Odyssey's son, goes and visits Menelaus and his wife, Helen. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Menelaus. Of all of the flawed characters in the Iliad, he actually strikes as one of the most noble and sympathetic of the Achaeans. He is a courageous warrior, who is loyal to his comrades, and willing to fight his own battles. He actually seems to favour the less violent solution when available, and at no point, that I remember anyway, does he commit any of the cruel or treacherous acts that characterize so many of the other Achaeans. In fact, to the modern reader, his is probably much more 'heroic' than Odysseus. His only notable flaw is that he is easily swayed both others, especially his brother Agamemnon.

Interestingly, it is the story of the death of Agamemnon that hangs over the first four books of the Odyssey. I suppose it serves as an example of what could happen to Odysseus when he returns home...

Greek Myth Army - The First Glue

Over the last few days, I have assembled the first few figures for my Greek Myth army. First up is one of my Hoplite Heroes. The body and the left arm are from the Wargames Factory Greek Heavy Infantry box set. The right arm I chopped off a Warlord Games Celt, mainly because I liked the sword. The head comes from the Gripping Beast Dark Age Warriors box set. So, a lot of pieces from different places went into this figure. He will also feature a large round shield, but I will add this after I have painted the rest of the figure. I think he looks suitably heroic.

I also put together two of my light infantry. These guys come straight from the Wargames Factory Numidian's box. You can see the detail is pretty light on these guys. Still, once they are painted up and have shields, I think they'll look good enough. 

Next time, I hope to have my first centaur construction to show off.

***

Over the years, I have found, that if I'm going to keep my enthusiasm for a large miniatures project such as this one, it is necessary for me to be reading or watching something related. So, while I go about assembling the army, I'll also be commenting on Greek Myth from other media that is keeping me entertained and inspired. To start, I am reading the Odyssey.

I first read the Odyssey about twenty years ago in college (in my much beloved The Heroic Journey: Homer to Hobbits class). I believe I have read it once since then, but I can't be certain. Anyway, I've had the Oxford World's Classic edition, translated by Walter Shewring, sitting on my shelf for awhile. As I have assembled my first three figures, I have also read the first three 'books' of the Odyssey. It's a good, entertaining translation, and I'm quickly getting into it.

I had forgotten that the story doesn't start with Odysseus, in fact, we haven't seen him yet. Instead, we follow his son as he goes off seeking news of his father. He is guided on his journey by the goddess Athena in the guise of an old friend of Odysseus named Mentor. I suppose this is where the word 'mentor' probably originates.

A Mythic Greek Army

Like almost every wargamer I have ever met, I have trouble staying focused on one game/rules set/time period. Even with my own game coming out in a few months, I am always thinking about forces I could build for other games. Well, once again, my will-power has cracked, and I have decided to embark on a new project.

I really love Dan Mersey’s Lion Rampant rules, and I’m looking forward to the fantasy version, Dragon Rampant, coming out later this year. I decided I needed an army that could work for both. At the same time, I’ve had a hankering to paint some Greek myth figures, as Greek mythology is one of my enduring loves. So…I’ve decided to put the two together.

Lion Rampant is actually a set of medieval rules, but the troop types and rules will work just as well for ancients, especially the Hollywood Hoplites I am imagining.

So, here is the army I am envisioning:

2 Units of 6 Heroic Hoplites

1 Unit of 12 Light Infantry

1 Unit of 6 Satyrs

1 Unit of 6 Centaurs

So, 36 miniatures in total. It’s a lot, at the rate I’m painting these days, but far from impossible. My goal is to try and get this force onto the table quickly. That way I have a ‘base’ army. I can then go back and replace units with better ones or bring in some other units for variation, but at least I have a force I can play with in the meantime.

The other great thing about this army is that I already have most of the pieces to construct it (thanks Phil!) I’ve got a box of Wargames Factory Greek Heavy Infantry. I really like this set as it is the only plastic Ancient Greek miniatures set on the market that allows for heroic poses. I’ve also got a box of Wargames Factory Numidians. These figures are not so great…but they’ll do for the Light Infantry for the moment.

For the Satyrs, I’m going to pick up a pack of the Wargames Foundry Satyrs with bows (these will serve as bidowers (sort of ranger types) in the game. 

The only group I’m not sure about is the Centaurs. I’m just not particularly taken with anything that is available on the market at the moment. I might have a stab at converting my own…

The Frostgrave Wizards!

All ten of the wizard figures for Frostgrave have now been revealed. Just in case you missed them, I am posting them all here. Remember, each of the wizards represents one of the schools of magic in the game.  Each of the schools have three allied schools, five schools which they are neutral towards, and one they are directly opposed to. Potentially, a wizard can learn any spell in the game, but he suffers penalties to casting spells that are outside his school.

Ranger of the North

After a little break, I have picked up the paint brush again, and the first thing I have finished is this Ranger of the North. This might be my favourite single figure in the whole of The Lord of the Rings range. It is just so classically Middle-Earth, combining rugged, practical clothing, with an elegance and nobility. I mainly painted him in earthy colours, browns and greens, although his under-tunic is actually violet (this doesn’t seem to have come through in the photo well). 

My only disappointment with this figure is the pack it came in. The blister contained three Rangers of the North, and I should have loved them all. Unfortunately, the other two figures, both of which are holding spears and bows are both in rather awkward poses. I will still paint them up, as they aren’t terrible figures, they just don’t compare with this archer.

Frostgrave Artist - Dmitry Burmak

The Osprey Games Blog today contains a nice piece of background on Dmitry Burmak, the guy responsible for all of the artwork in the Frostgrave rulebook (and Thaw of the Lich Lord). The post also contains a couple of pieces of artwork from the book, one of which I've attached here. 

I would just like to say that working with Dmitry was a real pleasure. He took the brief notes I gave him on the ten wizards and various battle scenes and really brought them to life, adding all kind of wonderful details.  

Dmitry is a seriously talented artist, and I suggest checking out his Deviant Art page to see more of his work.