28mm Velites from Victrix

This entry makes me somewhat ashamed. I had them done two weeks ago but didn't get the basing grass done. I had them done last week but didn't get them photographed.  They are finally on the boards though.

6mm Sci/Fi Manufacturers

These are 6mm Sci/Fi manufacturers. Depending on what you are looking for you could also use 6mm historical models for some units, especially support stuff and artillery.

6mm Sci/Fi begins

These are the first models for the 6mm Sci-Fi project. I got some deals on eBay for some epic 40k models, but didn't care all that much for the rules. Rhys and I played a game the other day he liked it.

6mm Science Fiction

There was a post fairly recently on Delta Vector about his desire to develop rules to play Battletech in 6mm. That post has been percolating around in my brain for the last two months. I'm intrigued.

Old school metal mechs. Painted when I was 14.

One of the key pieces from the article is heat. This is one of the key factors of the old Battletech game. I used to love that game. I dove into the detail in the way that only a teenage boy can. I routinely fought company on company battles solo. That's record keeping for 24 mechs. I once played a game with two battalions fighting. That was 72 separate mechs worth of paperwork.

The very thought of that makes my brain blue screen now. It sounds like a night mare.  Still, I loved the game and I have the source books. On top of that, I need a game I can play with Rhys with mechs. There's no way I'm going back to the real rules, and even Alpha Strike is more record keeping than I want.

What to do? I could wait for Delta Vector to come up with his rules. I'm sure they'll be good since he's well versed in game design. On the other hand they won't be what I'm looking for, exactly.

I wrote my own. Two pages. Simple. No record keeping. They incorporate heat. I'll need to playtest with Rhys to see if he can understand them. They include rules for mechs, vehicles, infantry and flyers.

They use d20 to hit, a 20 is a crit and kills your target (head shot). Different classes use different size dice in an opposed roll against armor. Lights use d6 while Assaults use d12.

I think they will be pretty fast play and allow for the flavor of Battletech without the record keeping. There is a high level of abstraction since it's 6mm. I also have the old Battletech board game so we could easily use that for a campaign system.

As for 6mm, it has its attractions; not least of which is that it is cheap. I've picked up a bunch of Epic 40k Space Marine stuff on eBay for very little. There are some good manufacturers out there. The low cost also has the advantage of not meaning an arm and a leg in new terrain since that is just as cheap.

I'll get in a game with Rhys soon and see how the rules work. I'm sure some changes will be necessary.

Entry 9 - 7th Challenge - ECW Pike and Shotte regiment

This entry is another pike and shotte regiment for my small and really, really slowly growing ECW army. I've gotten one foot regiment done each year for the last three challenges, which means the next one will probably wait until next year. This is probably down to the fact that there's not much chance I'll be playing with this army any time soon.

This is the red regiment. They were going to be yellow, but I felt like painting red.

Entry 8 - 7th Challenge - A mix of models and some go backs.

This entry is an eclectic mix of models that have been getting bits of paint here and there and were close to finished. I like to keep spare models on the painting desk to soak up the bits of paint that are left after working on a unit. At a certain point they reach critical mass and I just finish them off.

The first entry does not count for today. It's the Celt unit from a week (2 weeks?) ago. I went back and finished the backs of the shields, since if I don't do it now it'll never happen.

Entry 7 - 7th Challenge - Eowyn, Maid of Rohan

This first entry is going to be solo because I don't think this princess deserves to be lumped in with the riff-raff that will be following.

Entry 6 - 7th Challenge - 11 28mm Uruk-Hai

My next entry is eleven Uruk-Hai from Games Workshop. I thought I had finished these off last year but then remembered that I hadn't painted the horizontal pikes because I hate them. On the other hand, we may be playing a Helm's Deep game and will need all of the nasty buggers we can field. I also picked a couple of captains up off of ebay, and they definitely needed paint.

EIR Command stand for Hail Ceasar - 28mm Warlord Games

This entry was completed right before the Challenge, though I'm just now remembering to get it posted up. This is a command stand for my Early Imperial Romans. The models are from Warlord Games.

The emperor and his praetorian guards.

Entry 5 - 7th Challenge - 32 28mm Celts

This entry was two weeks in the making. I started off strong but then had to go back to work and hobby time slowed to a crawl. These lads are another unit for my Celt army for Hail Caesar. As an aside, after the debacle of my last post I bought a tripod and a trigger for my camera. I can now take close in shots that are in focus. I still need to work on the lighting however.

First up is another warband for my army. This makes the third, so only another ten or twenty to go.

2016 Year in Review and plans for 2017

2016 is over and good riddance. On the hobby front, however, it was a good year all around.

Entry 4 - 7th Challenge - Eight RPG Characters

This next entry is eight RPG characters. These are mostly Bones but there's a couple of other manufacturers and one custom sculpt in here. I apologize for the smallness of some of these pictures. Either something odd is going on with my lenses or, more likely, I've forgotten how to take pictures. Most of the closeups did not come out.

Terry Jones

Entry 3 - 7th Challenge - Eight ECW Pikemen

This next entry is finishing up two regiments from the last two Challenges. This is eight ECW pikemen, four for my green regiment and four for the blue regiment. 

Mostly Foundry but one Warlord.

Dwarf Warrior Throng

This is another Ebay find. In addition to wanting one of each elite Dwarf regiment I wanted to fill out the ranks of the regulars. For this I needed more warriors and this regiment was another steal; $15 dollars for twenty, assembled and mostly primed.

A fully painted rank and file Dwarf Regiment. We're getting places now.

Dwarf Thunderers - Ebay repaints

I recently spent some time on Ebay filling in some blanks in my Warhammer Dwarf army. While I was mainly looking for the elite infantry regiments I found a few deals on other models that I couldn't pass up.

This first regiment is ten of the metal Thunderers. I love these models and just had to have them when I saw them for a reasonable price.

The business end of Dwarfen fury.

Kings and Things

I was digging through more boxes from my parent's house and found this old gem in one of them. My sister, cousins and I played endless hours of this game as children. I bought it 1983 - I think.

Entry 2 - 7th Challenge - 1 Dwarf Lord

This entry is a single Dwarf Lord from GW. He was painted to accompany the two units and two artillery pieces that I finished right before the Challenge. The units were Ebay re-paints so wouldn't count and the artillery were sitting there mocking me and needed to be done.

I had not planned on painting this guy but I pulled him out to use in role playing and he is such a handsome model that I just had to throw him in.

Dwarf Artillery

Before the challenge started I finished up two dwarf artillery pieces. I'm not sure why I didn't wait for the Challenge and I also am not sure why I didn't paint the crews for them at the same time.

Dwarf Flame Canon

Entry 1 - 7th Challenge - 12 Human Blood bowl players

My first entry for the year is one that I'm not even sure why I'm painting. This is my human blood bowl team from 3rd edition (? - I don't know Blood Bowl). They've been sitting in their box for five years. I found the box for a steal buried in a games store in Jacksonville NC. I have never played.

With the new edition out there is a lot of enthusiasm amongst the local gamers so that may change. Additionally, my friend Tony is moving back to Denver from New Zealand in May and has expressed an interest in playing. It's fun, from what I hear so I'll look forward to it.

The entire team. 

The 7th Annual Analogue Painting Challenge has begun!

http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/

The Challenge began last night at 2300 MST. I stayed up a bit late and got the first couple of colors put on my first entry, but you'll have to wait to see what it is. It's now been submitted and is awaiting posting. I believe this is the first year that I've managed to get an entry in on the first day, so wonders never cease.