Unicorn & Ranger Painting Guide

Partway 2014, my sister-in-law commented on some of the new Brushes I had talked about and mentioned it would be nice if I could maybe starting paint some miniatures for my niece who was born in late 2013.  She sold the idea as a having a piece done a year and once a year there after would be a nice thing to have while growing (while remaining out of reach).  It wasn't a bad idea and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.

In a few years, it might also be a very good way to see my skills have advanced given increased experience.

So, here is the first one for Christmas 2014 and how I went about doing it (as in the past, I tend to use Citadel paints):

I originally wanted to do another 'Pathfinder Dragon' from Reaper's Bones line but, alas, it read as out of stock.  I decided to do a Unicorn accompanied with a Ranger and I figured it wouldn't be too complex and give me the freedom to otherwise cope during the hustle and bustle of the lead up to the holidays.

I prepared the miniatures with a coat of acrylic gesso as a primer.  While these are part of the Reaper Bones line which can take high pigment / base paints straight on with no dilution, I prefer working with slightly thinned paints.  Acrylic Gesso is a great primer when applied thinly as it tightens as it dries and can be applied by brush.

The Unicorn itself was a done with a coat of white (similar to a 'Ceramite White') which I airbrushed on.  I used 'Abaddon Black' for the hooves and 'Caledor Sky' for the eyes.

I followed up with layers of 'Warpfield Grey' and 'Slaanesh Grey' for the, mane, tail and hair at the hooves.  The legs and hooves consisted of me using a wet blending technique to 'transition' from the white legs to the lilac colored hooves.  I used a Wash of 'Druchii Violet' for all the same areas that got these purplish colors.  I then drybrushed these same areas with a layer of 'Lucius Lilac' and then finished the areas off with a layer of 'Praxeti White'.

I also used 'Nuln Oil' on the unicorns white coat which quickly turned the white unicorn to a very dirty white unicorn.  A necessary stage to capture and shade some of the areas where I wanted to showcase some of the details such as the horn.  A liberal drybushing of white afterwards served to 'clean it up' while preserving the details I wanted to show a bit more.  The hooves were lightly drybrushed with the same white afterwards to give it a more natural look.

The Unicorn was a great model to paint and very simple -- a great place to start for those starting to paint in my opinion.

The Ranger on the other hand requires a bit more patience since the size is smaller.  Calling it a ranger is a bit of a misnomer though as the model itself from the Bones line is 'Callie, Female Rogue'.  As an archer and given the look of the model, I think a ranger works just as well.

So, while the Unicorn was airbrushed white, the Ranger was airbrushed green... 'Caliban Green' to be precise.  The rest of the bases were fairly simple here too.  Aside from the cloak, 'Mechanicus Standard Grey' was used for the clothing.  Boots, quiver, and bow all got some brown -- I used 'Rhinox Hide', ' Dryad Bark', and some 'Mournfang Brown' to achieve the results I was going after though for the life of me, I'm not sure which brown largely went to what.  The darkest of the three was used for the bow and the lightest shade was used to drybrush the darker brown items.  The remaining brown paint was what I used for the quiver and boots.

The figure got a shade coat of 'Nuln Oil' from head to toe.

To do the face, I started with 'Rakarth Flesh' and layered with some 'Kislev Flesh'.  I used 'Reikland Fleshshade' as a wash, and used 'Flayed One Flesh' to bring out some of the highlights.  I used 'Mephiston Red' for the lips.

Back to the cloak, I drybrushed some 'Kabalite Green' (a layer paint) and 'Hellion Green' to highlight some of the edges and folds better to go along with the shading the recesses of the cloak already received thanks to the 'Nuln Oil' wash.

Beyond that, it was just a couple little details. The miniatures were varnished with a mid-glossy varnish which ended up being glossier than I would have liked.

Both miniatures were affixed to a 40mm base and it all got painted over using 'Lustrian Undergrowth' which is a texture for bases that is part of the Citadel line.  Basically, it's a shade of green paint with some 'grit' which makes it possible to shape it a bit which allowed a better transition from the larger base to the smaller bases on the two miniatures.  When dried, using some PVA glue to coat the base, I opted to use some basing supplies from Gale Force 9 -- the Meadow Blend Flock.

All in all, I think it turned out pretty well and it was fun to do.

M

I Dream of Demons and 5-Headed Dragons...

With my most recent post about 2014's Kickstarters that caught my eye, I decided to look back some of the longer and outstanding project.  In particular, the problem that Center Stage Miniatures has run into with the both of the Tome of Horrors miniature Kickstarters and the completion of the Demons & Devils Kicktarter.  Somehow, Torn World appears to have been largely fulfilled and completed though it was a much small Kickstarter having raised $4,085 compared to the $66,569 it raised for the first Kickstarter it held being the Devils & Demons.

So, what went wrong?

There's a lot of speculation and only the project creators are familiar with all the details. In October of last year, they announced that CSM was experiencing some administrative and organization issues.  In November, it was made clear that it wouldn't be able to fulfill all its obligations dues to budget miscalculations and cost overruns.  And then the bankruptcy news hit.

It's really sad to see these Kickstarter projects go down in flames and CSM with them.  There is, naturally a lot of resentment against CSM at this point and who can blame them.  You see the same sort of thing in a lot of other Kickstarters that fail to materialize what was promised.

So, without going into too much details, what happened here?

Obviously there was a budgetary miscalculation somewhere along the way and there are certainly theories been put forth that the month raised in subsequent Kickstarters helped pay for earlier ones.  How true that happens to be is irrelevant.  Some of the biggest mistakes though was even doing those two Tome of Horrors Kickstarters in the first place.  What likely happened is that there was a strong desire to grow CSM faster than it could safely handle.  Add a few missteps and some bad financial planning, and you run out of money really quick.

Center Stage Miniatures was not committing fraud.  I was one of the lucky ones and have about $300 worth of largely metal miniatures to prove it.  It's a damn shame because these are really awesome models.  I haven't had a chance to paint any of them yet but I look forward to painting a lot of them.  The only model outstanding for me is the 'King of Dragons' and it looks like I will never see it.  I certainly won't complain because, in hindsight, I really am one of the lucky ones.  You see, originally I selected Resin but when the offer went out to switch to Metal, I took that option though the shipping implications made me a bit nervous being in Canada.  Matt was kind enough to oblige though it did take a couple months before I saw anything let alone a bill for the shipping.  After waiting awhile, I reached out to Matt again and he responded:

Hi, Pat. Your box has already gone out, and you should be receiving it shortly. I didn't charge you for shipping because, let's face it, I promised you a box quite some time ago.

Please accept "free shipping" as my apology for your delay.

Your tracking/customs # is XXXXXXXX

Please let me know what you think of the figures when they arrive! As an aside, these will be available in our online store shortly, so whatever you missed, we'd welcome your purchase!

Thanks for your support!

Matt S.
CSM

When I got the response, I was pleasantly surprised and even more surprised when I looked up the tracking number to see it was already in Canada.  I got my package the next day.

I was really lucky and had a nagging feeling that the problem getting the resins could be linked to money or even a company doing a bad job in producing the resins for CSM.  This is the reason I switched when the posted that they had extra metal on hand if anyone getting resin models wanted to switch.  And while the free shipping was certainly appreciated, if there was a lot of that going around, the great customer service could really have bit CSM in the ass when all of this was done.  That said, the shipping is much less than the money I put towards that awesome looking 5-headed dragon.

In my dealings with Matt and CSM, I got the sentiment that Matt was a good guy and the way this ended up turning out is unfortunate.  It's bad for the backers and bad for CSM which clearly was a labor of love and not just a cash grab.

There was talk about 'saving' CSM and a possible buy-out and investor to salvage the Tome of Horror Kickstarters but it was outright rejected.  With the challenges with completing fulfillment of the Demons & Devils Kicktarter, I think doing a couple more Kickstarters and agreeing to licensing to do so was probably a bad idea.  I heard that CSM was also buying up other models / molds such as the older Goodman Games ones which is another nod towards the idea that CSM was trying to grow faster than it could financially support.

At this stage, I would have liked to see someone come in and 'save' CSM and the various projects but seeing that there are stories of some of the sculptors still being unpaid, and the money we are talking about, this is less and less likely.  I think all the backers who have yet to receive something are acknowledging the final stages here and are hoping for a little piece back of their initial investments.

M

Aihrde Kickstarter - Just A Few Hours to Left!

Time is running out for Troll Lord Games' latest Kickstarter campaign and as we get closer to the wire, there are many goodies to be had plus a chance to get some other C&C material at a bit of a discount.

As it stands (as I am writing this) we are just over the 25k stretch goal to turning a book with a page count just shy of 300 pages as a full color book.  It's going to look sweet when it is done!  There seems to be rumors of a Backer Kit set up to add to your pledge once it is done but I don't know for how long and I don't want to be as presumptuous as confirming that as fact.  If you haven't pledged yet but were thinking about it, now may you your last chance and, if they do go through with the Backer Kit, even a $1 pledge will give you the ability to add-more to it after the campaign closes (once the Backer Kit is up and running).

The Best Bang for your Buck is the $69 Pledge Level which gives you the following:

• Code of Aihrde (276 page hardback with fold out map)
• Player's Guide to Aihrde 100+ page hardback)
• Cradle of the World Map A and B (both 39 x 27 inches)
• World of Aihrde Map (39 x 27 inches)
• Darkenfold Map (39 x 27 inches)
• Aihrde Mouse Pad
• Aihrde Six-Sider
• C4 Adventure Module
• C5 Adventure Module
• Inner World of Inzae Primer (24 page softcover)
• Heraldic Calendard
• Unamed Adventure Module by James M. Ward
• Lure of Delusion Module (goal gained by having attained 300 backers)
• An unnamed print DCC Module converted to C&C from Goodman Games (for hitting 25k)

Not too shabby of a haul -- even if you are an international customer.  If interested, you should check out the campaign going on HERE before time runs out!

M

Speaking of Kickstarters... 2014 Edition!

Like many people who have backed projects on Kickstarter, the expression 'Once bit, twice shy' does apply.  Since I've started backing projects on Kickstarter, I have to this date backed a total of 53 projects over the past 4 years.  All but one was successful though there are some that date more than a couple of years that I'm still waiting on.

But I'm not going to discuss those.  Rather I'm going to highlight the ones I backed last year and mention a few that I was at least looking at but ultimately didn't back.

After a few disappointments, readers of my blog already know that I've tended to back every single Kickstarter that Troll Lord Games has launched.  I'm loyal to the company and the C&C brand and, most importantly, I have no fear that they will actually deliver what was promised.  Time is a different issue but even this has greatly improved compared to a few years ago.

In the order that the TLG Kickstarter campaigns launched, you have:

• Codex Nordica
• Castles & Crusades 'Three Sisters' (new premium color printings of the core books)
• The Story Teller's Thesaurus
• Amazing Adventures RPG (three books)
• C&C: Beyond the River (TV Pilot)

I have to date received everything from Codex Nordica and most things from the C&C reprints (still short the CKG and a couple of the bonus items).  The Story Teller's Thesaurus is apparently shipping now and the Amazing Adventures material should be lined up to go to print shortly.  My understanding is that the present Kickstarter has material almost ready to go as well (mentioned HERE) and since these are hardbacks and the hardbacks are outsourced, it's a matter of doing one print run at a time.  The TV pilot is not a TLG project and, honestly, I pledged a token amount.

Other Kickstarters I backed are:

• Games & Gears Ichiban Studios Pro Line Brushes
• You Need These Dice
• Dungeon Morphs 2: Cities & Villages
• Zenith Comics Presents: Heroic #2

I have received my brushes but the rest of these kickstarters were launched later in the year and two of them (the Dungeon Morphs dice and the Heroic comic book) aren't due till Spring of 2015.  The other Dice campaign was due to ship out in December but I don't think any backer took that seriously.  As of X-Mas, production was due to start (a month of production) and shipping afterwards.  I realistically expect these dice to also ship in Spring but look forward to being surprised.

Kickstarters that I considered but didn't back:

Bethorm: the Plane of Tekumel RPG. Bethorm was a painful thing to pass up.  I really like the Empire of the Petal Throne material but have never played or run it.  This looks to be a nice new version and my original reasons for passing on it was a combination of a tight budget and the simple fact that it was done for a different game system (Pocket Universe).  I'm not saying that it's bad but that it's yet another game system I'm likely never to use.  I decided that my 'pink' copy of Empire of the Petal Throne (Different Worlds edition) will have to do.  ;)

Combat Description Cards for Storytellers and GMs: Cool but not really necessary.  It's another fun gaming aid that would have just collected dust on the shelf.

Pop-Up Miniature Terrain Kit: I really like my miniatures and I liked the look of these but, honesty, I'd use them once -- if that.

Vault of Adepts - 1900: An RPG that sounded right up my alley but failed to capitalize on many aspects promising digital rewards only for rather high pledge prices.  A shame too since it was described as 'Penney Dreadful meets Arkham Horror in this pen and paper RPG of secret societies in 1900 London.  Occult schemes in the age of absinth.'  Awesome and poorly executed.

Designer & Dragons (Evil Hat Productions): This 4 set edition came down to money but it wasn't the cost of the books that deterred me -- it was the cost of shipping to Canada.  I'll be going through my FLGS for these now that the Kickstarter is done and the books are becoming available.  I have the original PDF from Mongoose but would like to have these on my shelf.

Matchstick - The Streaming Stick: I like gadgets but decided that I didn't need ANOTHER gadget in this case.

Worldspinner: Fantasy RPG Worldbuilder & Map Maker: This started looking real cool until I saw some of the size limitations corresponding with the pledge level and subsequent membership fees.  No thank you.

Chill 3rd Edition RPG: A third edition of Chill... again.  Well, the last one never materialized so let's hope this one does.  At first I was excited to see it but really, I decided to skip it.  Already invested enough in Call of Cthulhu for my horror fix.

Polyhedral Dragon Scales: Metal dice which looked awesome... A full set would cost £39.  A bit too pricey so I let it pass.

Flat Plastic Miniatures: These were really awesome but I have tones of three dimensional miniatures already.

Stone Dungeon Tiles: I really kicked myself for letting the Dwarven Forge Game Tiles go and, when this one came up, I looked back and back again.  I chose to let this one go too.  I like the idea of tiles but I also have other things I can use.  Being close to the holidays kind of made it a deal breaker as well.

And there we have it.  There a couple interesting campaigns going on in the new year but I'm carefully considering anything that catches my eye.  I'm expecting many expenses this year as well so I can't be throwing my money away on any good old idea.

M

Kickstart This: Aihrde - An RPG Setting from the Makers of C&C

First Kickstarter 'push' from Under Siege in 2015!

I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of but I'm not ashamed about it either.  ;)

So, what is it?

Aihrde is the setting that Troll Lord Games originally put our when the company was formed.  At the time it was called 'Erde' and the new spelling reflects a closer and correct pronounciation of the name.  The setting might be better known as the 'After Winter Dark' setting and it was a popular and evocative one.  At 24 pages, the supplement presented some history, cosmology, religion, and the cradle of the world.  It was a concise and minimalist setting but provided a creation myth as well as detailing the rise, and fall of a great evil.  During this reign described as a thousand year rule, the land is described as being in a perpetual winter giving the supplement its name.  However, with the Winter Dark wars and evil being cast out, you were left with a setting that had history but at the same time, wouldn't be difficult to use or start new campaigns in.  It was almost like the classic grey boxed set that TSR released for the Forgotten Realms well before anything else was published for it!

Honestly, I fell in love with the setting -- if only because some of the ideas (the perpetual winter and demise and enslaving of the gods) appealed to me and mirrored ideas I wanted to put forth in my own setting.  The 'After Winter Dark' campaign setting was released in 2000 and a year later, the 'Codex of Erde' was released.  The Codex came in at just over 250 pages and expanded upon the material in the After Winter Dark supplement.  It should be noted that the original supplement was system neutral but the Codex was not and had some of the earliest d20 material that TLG produced.

Then Castles & Crusades happened a few years later and thing began to change for the company.  They moved away from the regular d20 product line and started to focus on other products.  A new 'After Winter's Dark' Folio was released for C&C (despite being largely stat-less) in 2007 and a new, revised Codex was promised.

After an earlier pre-order and now this Kickstarter, this is pretty much in its last lap and the project has grown some.  The Codex is ready to go, maps are ready to go (and they are going to be much bigger), and there is a Player's Guide being prepared with it.  The beauty is that the Codex for the setting has been confirmed to be system-neutral and stat-less!  This is great if you don't care for C&C or rather run a D&D5 campaign or something like Savage Worlds.  On the other hand, the Codex might not be your cup of tea since your DM is looking to pick it up.  The Player's Guide on the other hand could be interesting -- especially is the rumors of racial classes are true if you are playing C&C or something close to it.

In any event, the funding campaign is down to a couple of days and the basic funding goal has already been smashed and a few stretch goals have been kicked in as well.  TLG is very close to getting the Codex in full color though it will need a bit more to get the companion Player's Guide in color as well.  As you've no doubt heard time and time again, every little bit counts and this is your chance to pick up a few other picks (add-ons) if you are so inclined.

While there are a few pledge levels to consider, these are the interesting ones (in my opinion):

• $45 gets you the physical and digital copies of the Player's Guide and World Maps plus some of the stretch goals.
• $49 gets you the physical and digital copies of the Codex and World Maps plus a few more of the stretch goals.
• $69 gets you the physical and digital copies of both the Player's Guide and Codex along with the World Maps and a few more stretch goals.
• $125 is the same as the $69 level but the books are leather (leatherette covers).  All bonus stretch goals up to now are included at this level.  There are two $75 reward listings for either one of the Books in leather if you don't want both.

Of course, there are more and you should check it out for a better idea and all the add-ons available.  A $1 pledge gives you access to the add-ons.  You can check out the Kickstarter funding campaign HERE.  If you end up pledging, please let me know and feel free to add a note on the comments section on the Kickstarter telling them that I sent you.  ;)

Happy gaming!

M