Age of the Wolf - A SAGA campaign - Part 1

My local game group has been working our way through the new campaign system for SAGA that was published in the Age of the Wolf supplement.

I believe we have 7 players and made a few tweeks to the system to limit the number of games we would have to play in each season.  Instead of each person choosing to raid or campaign against a specific person, we all just choose what we will do (raid, campaign, or defend) and send them to Randy who is organizing the campaign.  I pairs us up based on who sent the info in first and we play one game based on those pairings.  We are doing a single season each month.

I started the campaign with a band of Scots.  I was pleased with my roles for the leader's traits.  However, things didn't go so well for him.

In the first season I decided I would campaign.  I was paired off against Bill.  We played The Burh scenario with my force attacking the wall.  The game was going okay, but I let my pride get in the way and made some stupid mistakes and instead of winning the game, I lost the game and my warlord was killed during the game.  When we rolled to see what happened to my Warlord after the game, it turned out that the wounds he suffered were in fact terminal.  We held a beautiful service for him.

Oh what a fool!  It was a good reminder to stay focused on mission objectives.

I decided to create a new warband and went with Scots again as that is the only force that I have.  (This isn't legal in the rules as written.  If you want to create a new warband, you are supposed to pick a new faction, but we are allowing it.)

In the second season, I chose to defend.  After the beating I took in my first game, I was hoping to bulk up my forces a little before heading out with my new war band.  I was paired against Randy who was also defending, so no battle for me this season.  I was actually hoping to get a game in with my bolstered forces, but the fates can be fickle.

In my third season, I decided to go on another campaign.  This time I was paired off against Joe and his mighty Viking warband.  We played The Hazel Wands scenario.  I lost the challenge and Joe took the advantage and planned to beat me into submission.  Joe had some great saves in the game, which meant I had to spend way to much time fighting his levies.  At the end of the game, I had defeated his whole warband, but only had a handful of models left in mine.  It was a very bloody battle, but I did manage to take home a win.

Next up I will be facing Neal and his Anglo-Danes.  Let's see how brutal those Dane axes really are.

The Walking Dead: All Out War

Mantic's latest release is The Walking Dead:  All Out War.  I've read some of the graphic novels and watched the first couple seasons of the show.  I'm a fan of zombies and enjoy both the show and the book.

I was tempted by the Kickstarter for the game, but decided against backing it.  However, my FLGS backed it at as a retailer and they got their copies of the game a couple weeks ago.  The models look pretty good and the game play doesn't look to bad, so I decided to pick up a copy.

I've flipped through the rule book, but haven't read through it all.  The models look so good, I couldn't help but start painting them.  I'm not doing anything special with these.  I want a basic paint job so I can get them to the table quickly.

I've already got 5 walkers painted and all the rest of the models are primed and ready for their turn on my paint table.

I also picked up some die cast models at my local hardware store to replace the cardboard terrain cars.

I will make some barricades, as well, to replace those cardboard tokens.  I might make a custom game board at some point as well, but for now I will focus on the models.

Imperial Skies - Muin-I-Zaffer Class Dig Cruiser

I'm I've started painting up a few models for use with the Imperial Skies game.  This is a game of Aeronefs fighting against each other.  I've read my buddies copy of the rules and went and ordered myself a copy and some models.  While waiting for my models, I started painting a few of Doug's ships.

First up is a group of Turkish Muin-I-Zaffer Class Dig Cruisers.

I cleaned these up and added the mast and drilled a hole for the stand.  I sprayed these with a coat of light tan.  I then painted the structure with neutral grey and dry-brushed that with stonewall grey.

Next up was to wash the deck with Ogryn Flesh, the balloon area with Agrax Earthshade, and to pick out the guns and turrets in black.

Next, I painted the mast with Oak Brown, the smoke stacks white, and painted the windows deep blue.

Finally, I added a bit of crystal blue to each window.

I like how these have turned out.  The first model took the longest; mostly to decide on colors.  After I had the colors set, the rest painted up pretty quickly.

Next up will be some smaller patrol nefs.

So many Rhinos, but still not enough.

I've been hard at work on adding some vehicles to my Epic 40k Space Marine force.

Rhinos are a staple of the army and I want to be sure I have enough.  I've painted 19 that can join my existing forces.  (I'm not sure why I did 19 and not 20?)

I've also added a few more Whirlwinds to bolster my artillery division and a couple Hunters to add some AA support.  The Whirlwinds and Hunters were made from a Rhino and some add on parts I got from Shapeways.

I'm pleased with the results and now need to paint up more Space Marine infantry stands to fill all the Rhinos.

I've also got a batch of 12 predators on the paint table.  They have been base coated and washed and are ready for the details to be painted.

Game board/mat test #1

Terrain is important for game with toy soldiers.  I continue to work on my collection for the various games that I play, but I found one item that seems to be lacking in my collection.  A game mat.

Normally, I just throw down a green or brown sheet and then place my terrain on that, but I've started to think I need to upgrade.  There are a number of nice looking options available for sale, but I've seen quite a few nice options for the DIYer.  I thought I would test out some ideas and share them with all of you.

Stupidly, I failed to take pictures of the project at different stages, so only have the final work to show you.

For this test, I wanted to texture some canvas and then add some paint.  I've a couple of friends that play DBA and use 24" x 24" painting canvases for their boards.  They have just painted the canvases green and brown and they work well and are very functional, but I wanted to add a bit more detail.

For this test, I picked up a 12" x 12" canvas and some tubes of caulk.  I already had some bottles of cheap craft paint to paint the finished product with.

I applied the caulk to the canvas and spread it around with a putty knife.  I wanted a fairly even coat, thick enough that you couldn't see the canvas texture, but not super thick.

After the layer of caulk was applied, I let it dry just a bit, then took a sponge and used that to add some texture.  I just dabbed the sponge all over the canvas and lifted up.  This gave an interesting texture and made sure that you couldn't see the lines from the putty knife.  I let this dry a bit more and then used the putty knife to knock down the texture a bit.  I just ran the putty knife over everything very lightly.  I didn't want to kill all the texture, but I did want to make sure the surface was pretty flat.

I let the caulk dry completely and then put two of coats of a dark brown (burnt umber) on the canvas. It took two coats to get a solid coat down.  Once that dried I applied a dry brush of tan over the whole canvas.  It was a bit too light, so I went back and added a second (slightly) heavier dry brush of the tan.

12" x 12" board

Close up of the texture

The board with some buildings and troops

"I wonder what's on the other side of these buildings?"

I'm not completely happy with the outcome, but I'm not upset by it either.  I'm trying to decided if I should tone down the color with a heavier dry brush of the tan or if I should add some flock to the board.  I think the flock will work alright on these canvases, but I have plans to do a large sheet (4' x 6') at some point and I don't think I will be able to flock that because it won't hold up when rolled.

I'd like to hear what you think of this?  Does it need more color?  Should I flock it?  Would it be better to paint on some green instead of using flock?

Painting Project for Toys for Tots Charity Auction - Update 5

I have finished the project and the models are going in the mail.  I hope these go to a good home and make a few dollars for the Toys for Tots folks.

I decided to magnetize the sides of the dreadnought.  I was worried about it breaking during shipping and I thought it might be fun to add a little flair.  It isn't a perfect job, but not too bad for my first effort (other than turrets).

New additions to my Epic 40K Space Marines

After using my Space Marines for a GASLIGHT in space game several weeks ago, I realized I need to get more painted up.  Now that I have finished my Goblin army for Kings of War, I'm ready for a new project and I think I'm going to work on expanding the Space Marines.

Some time ago, I ordered some sponsons and turrets from Shapeways that will turn a regular Rhino into a Predator.  So I pulled them out of storage and got to work on some models.  I also want to add some regular Rhinos and a few Whirlwinds.  The whirlwind launchers from also came from Shapeways.

I cut plasticard to make a riser for the turret to sit on so it has clearance over the bolters.

The bottom has been painted and they are ready for the tops to get the base coat..  I use painters tape to keep these from flying away when I paint them.


Not bad progress for a couple hours of work.  I'll post updates as I make more progress.