As you may know, I am very much of fantasy games. Having let myself buy more than just moderns, I decided to go hard into getting all the fantasy figures I’d always wanted, but never got around to getting armies for. Combine that with 3d printing giving me all the figures I might want for cheap and a brain that can’t be stopped from writing settings, and suddenly I’ve got a hankering for fantasy world of men, elves and dwarves in puffy sleeves and filled with duty to their Empress versus the monsters of the wilds (although honestly, it’s probably more likely to be nobles fighting nobles).

The problem I’ve had is finding a ruleset that really hit the spot when it comes to the style of Fantasy game I want to play. I want a game that is balanced to be gritty but simple to pick up and play, as I’ll be mostly playing alongside my sister. I also want something that is filled with plenty of toys and is fun to be tied together into a campaign with some progression, allowing for gradual improvements as the games tick on… Oh and usually a suitably grim wounds table so by the end your grizzled veterans are hobbling their way into combat or sitting out for a contract or two.

I’ve already tried things like Open Combat (a fantastic system for getting stuff on the table but missing some of the grit I wanted), Frostgrave (great overall system and love the writing but the D20 mechanic seemed not the most intuitive too swingy for my taste) and Rangers (love the RPG element and the co-op but again D20s).

Enter a new challenger, Famous By Our Swords, available on Kofi. I was directed to this by a friend of mine I usually talk Ultramoderns with as it was written by a friend of his. After a little look, I was immediately taken by the rules set. I almost feel a little bad putting the fantastically written world-building that starts the book to one side so I can focus on the actual rules. The core mechanics mostly hinge around an interesting activation system (each character has a number of activations that go into a bag to be drawn out at random) that leads to some really interesting situations, a simple “D12 + stat” based combat system and campaign system based around venturing out to solve contracts for the company while slowly improving your crew raising stats and gaining new equipment.

I would wholeheartedly say it’s worth taking a look. This definitely feels like it needs a clarification or two, with maybe some additional details or explanations, with one or two places being more suggestions than hard and fast rules. Our main sticking points were activations (more specifically how many actions per activation – we ended up playing one action per activation for some extra tension) and armour (saves are mentioned in the character stats but not in the melee combat process so we missed it out). However, from chatting to the author, these clarifications and ongoing support is planned, and will be freely available for anyone who buys the book. So if you’re looking for something fantasy to play (or maybe have just finished mainlining Battle Brothers until a few hours before the game), creating a company in Famous by our Swords and running a few contracts is a pretty great way to spend an evening. I’m definitely going to play some of this, and I think we’ll be seeing more entries in The Empress’s Hounds with my sister rolling up her own warband to serve the Empress and clean out the Marches.

But enough talking about rules, let’s talk about the games. Yep, games! We managed to fit two encounters in!

Across the table from me sat the Dastardly Regular Opponent. Having rolled up a warband of four mercenaries (Hans with his hammer, Freddy with axe and pistol, Petyr with the polearm and Sydney with sword and shield), the company contract was rolled up – turns out the local village graveyard had a minor undead problem, complete with an attached necromancer.

Turning up at said graveyard revealed the rough estimate of 5 zombies was wrong and instead they would have to fight their way through 7. We technically played the zombies incorrect (the statlines were right but we missed the rules about only knocking them down and the resolve tests) but even so they were a big tar pit, tying up Petyr, Hans and Sydney at the gate. The Necromancer being able to bring them back during his three activations was also pretty irritating, but wildly swinging the polearm allowed Petyr to clear some space for Hans to break through.

Hans at this point rushed through the gap to get into close combat, swinging the hammer at the gibbering mage. Taking a wound off caused the mage to respond.

Reviving a zombie to come assist, the necromancer inadvertently formed a conga line and Petryr was all too happy to cut the music. Hans and Freddy finished off the necromancer (turns out mages are bad in melee with a poisoned blade). After shoving the bodies back into their graves and reliving the necromancer of his coin, the party returned to be paid for the contract.

At which point, the company took 25% of all loot gained. Because even in fantasy, you can’t escape admin fees. On the plus side, the XP gain did allow for some additional activations for each character.

For game 2, the dice rolled up a rescue mission, with the return of the fan favourite Siccarian Ambassador once again in trouble. Still grumbling about how much they had been taxed, the mercenaries took the contract.

And then realised what they were up against – Northmen! One leader, three heavily armoured warriors and worst of all, a very angry cow. I used the Cave Troll stats for the Minotaur, replacing it’s club with a spear. With 10 wounds and three activations, monsters are no joke.

Made worse when the group got bottled up between two halves of the force. The minotaur managed to pummel Hans into the ground and take wounds off both Petyr and Sydney but thanks to the polearm managing to cause two wounds when it hit, we managed to beat back the minotaur as well as the warriors.

WIth time going on, we decided to use the Brain/Brawn campaign skills to see if these heavily beaten mercenaries would have to fight the Lord. Luckily, a successful roll let the Mercenaries bribe their way out of having to fight a very scary man in their wounded state. Mission successful!

And then the company took their 25% cut. But on the plus side, Hans was only suffering from a maimed hand, putting him at -1 to his combat for the next two contracts. Maybe it’s time to get some guys on the roster (once I paint them up).

And with that, the games were done. We had a really good time so I think we’ll be playing some more of this. If you want to give Famous By Our Swords a go, you can find it over on Kofi at https://ko-fi.com/s/8f3371f9c4 for the cost of $5 or more.

Every servant of the Empress has their role. Mine just happens to involve balancing transactions and making sure that mercenaries like yourself fulfil their obligations. And while yes, my usefulness against a horde of orcs or the Northmen may be limited, I do like to think it works better when I am in charge of the coin purse for an expedition, rather than someone more used to using a sword rather than a pen. The right tool for the right job.

Now hand me the pouch of salt and spices from my bag – I don’t believe this so-called cook has ever heard of seasoning and I’ll be dammed if I’m eating something so lacking in flavour.

Aberforth Halwyn, Imperial Paymaster

Halflings! Adorable little bastards, usually the butt of most jokes in fantasy settings, much beloved of naps, good food and avoiding work. Something I’m sure we can all agree on.

When thinking up Midgard as a setting, I’m trying to find the guiding line between “perfect utopia” and “extreme fantasy racism” that a lot of settings seem to be going for (such as the Witcher). I’m trying to avoid the classic fantasy tropes, especially regarding the barbarians beyond the “civilised lands” (for a whole host of reasons) but I’m trying hard not to just make “another fantasy setting TM” while still having the features I’m wanting.

For this reason, the Halflings of Midgard are going to pull from multiple elements. Even if it’s traditional, I am keeping the idea of them being agricultural but updated slightly. Rather than just being a pastoral reminder of Middle England, instead they are actual canny farmers and inventors that work through their limitations – this ends up making them a keen part of the Empire as they see the need for co-operation. They get heavily involved in the day to day running of the Imperial organisations, with some of these skills then being in high demand with private individuals – even the dumbest lord in the Marches knows it’s handy to have someone who can balance the books when the Imperial Tax Collectors arrive for their share.

This halfling model is the paymaster from Last Sword, included alongside the paymaster wagon and a group of rough and tumble fellows escorting it. However, upon adding him to the base, I realised he would need a little something to make him stand a little higher. The cash box from the Elf Bard (a figure on my desk waiting to be painted) was almost perfect, if a little on the small side. However, thanks to 3d printing, I scaled it up slightly so both of his feet would fit on it. Got to love my magical resin box.

Painting wise, I decided to give him some armour pieces. Technically the vest is just clothing but I really like the idea that this particular halfling is valued enough to have armoured gloves and a breastplate. Just what’s needed for an adventuring fellow.

The main detail apart from the metal is the Black and Yellow. These are the new Imperial colours I’m using (perhaps inspired by a certain fantasy game I’ve been playing), while the Red and White will remain the scheme for other imperial elements (like the Swordmasters). Yellow is usually a bugger, but Flash Gitz Yellow over Eshin Grey seems to have worked out okay.

I’ve got a few more fantasy models to paint up but before I really get into them there is the matter of trying out my rules. Perhaps on Wednesday?

Godric sat in his tent, enjoying the feast before him, all of it freshly prepared. Boar, hen, baked bread made by the servants given to him by his new master, even some roots that had been foraged and prepared, mixed with spices and honey. He nodded gratefully to one of the marauders, whose family would have brought down the boar and enjoyed the reaction it elicited, a strange hand gesture mixed with an almost bow, the smile creasing her painted face as she returned to her own meal.

It was strange being here, he considered. In a warm tent as the wind howled outside, surrounded by people his former comrades might have called barbarians. They would laugh at them inside their castles far to the south, assuming anyone up here would be simpletons resorting to base violence. And true, it had taken him a while to get used to the idea of having servants he owned rather than simply employed. Or how frequently he talked to demons and Godlings as if they were any other comrade. But he had found a common purpose with these warriors, now seeing them as trurer friends than any knight he might have once fought alongside.

The wind howled once more as the flap opened, a trio of armoured figures joining them. Two of them, Musongo and Kazour, bowed and headed to their usual seats while the third came to kneel beside his seat, her hair pulled up into a topknot, the side of her head shaved and marked with tattoos.

“My Lord…” His Seneschal started, but Godric merely placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to pause.

“Rhazgra, my dear, come sit, you must be famished. I had worried the Templars had caught you.” He smiled down at her, spotting the confusion in her face slowly turning to relief.

“I… thank you my lord.” She seemed to relax, taking her seat and quickly biting into the food that Kazour had passed her. Godric smiled at the way the Embalmer had served his superior before himself and wondered idly if the older warrior had once served some general in the South. Musongo, as she always seemed to, had already started talking animatedly to Kraureth and his Queen, the hearty laughter of the trio soon filling the silence as the Wanderer started up her story.

Godrivr leaned closer to Rhazgra. “I assume you encountered our mutual enemy?”

His Seneschal took a moment to swallow but then answered him, a childhood of manners the northern chill hadn’t pulled out of her. She answered, matching his quieter tone. “They did My Lord. And as you predicted they were far too easy to trap. The undead did our dirty work.”

“And I assume that your sister gave them a parting gift?” He smiled, already picturing the younger of the two girls casting down green fire upon their common foe. As much as he may dislike the Templars and their ways, Rhalar had a hatred for them that lit a fire in the young woman. He didn’t press her on it, but the Templars were not kind to those with knowledge of the arcane and the scars on her face were the sort of wounds an Inquisitor would inflict.

“She did.” Rhazgra smiled in response.

Godric couldn’t help but smile back. “Good girl. And the artefact?”

“Already presented to The Speaker, as you requested.” She bowed her head slightly, the candle light catching the golden ring through her eyebrow. “It was an honour to serve you this day, my lord.”

He smiled at her again. The two of them were not so different – both had fled the Empire for their own reasons, and turned their talents to thriving in the north. They may have travelled different paths to be sat in the tent in their pitch black plate armour but there was a connection there. She and her sister served him admirably and in return he rewarded them based on merit – a far cry from snivelling lords buying themselves commands in the south.

Tearing a leg from a cooked game hen, he pointed the exposed bone at her. “The honour comes to you because of your skills, not because I grant it. But for now eat. Rest. Tomorrow we return to our Lord and see what his next command is.”

I thought I was done with painting Chaos Warriors. I thought I’d had my fill of the black armoured bastards, the fridge sized units that are one of the best designed things Games Workshop have come up with. I’ve painted the Underworlds band, I painted both the classic design and the newer one (that still needs a separate release) and I even painted a limited edition one after doing mod work to it. Sure, there were some Chaos Warriors I had missed out – the Exalted Heroes which are made of finecast and probably not worth my time preparing or even painting for how much bullshit I’ll have to deal with (even if the Crom the Conqueror model does give me some massive flashbacks to seeing his figure being released in White Dwarf all those years ago) and the limited edition Slambo figure already has a call back from the Underworld’s band that does it better and more in keeping with the current range.

And then while walking around Warhammer World, I spotted… Him

Oh dear, another Chaos Warrior character. From 2012, this guy is actually in plastic which surprised me. He comes from that era just before Age of Sigmar, where characters were often sold with moulded plastic square bases – I also have two models from the Dark Elf range (the Assassin and the Sorceress) which are similarly equipped. As someone who never really into Warhammer Fantasy Battle, square bases always feel archaic. Buying models with them on, especially these sculpted ones, always is a pain. It just adds some additional work that needs to be done to clear them up, trimming down the plastic edges so they can be placed onto the regular bases.

However, there was another thing I’d need to do. As mentioned before, I’m using the Chaos Warriors to represent the armoured warriors of the Northern Kingdoms, realms beyond the control of the central Empire of the setting. For these reason, these characters are not the heavily mutated warriors of fantasy (we’ll get to those guys later) but instead highly trained warriors clad in well made armour. For this reason, I’d need a headswap to something more human. Luckily, one advantage of having a 3d printer is that it opens some doors in terms of spare heads. Looking through the collection of Mercenaries from Reptilian Overlords (which are basically a collection of parts for making Mordhiem mercenaries), I had an idea.

With how my world is setup, it’s very possible (and more common than the Swordmasters would like to admit) for an Imperial Knight to leave his posting and head into the north. Perhaps they grow tired of the Empire’s constant wars, maybe some betrayal on the field of battle leaves them alone and far from home. Once they arrive in the north, these Knights will need to prove themselves to their new liege lords (and their fellow warriors) but bring with them knowledge that the locals may lack – especially when the Northern Kingdoms head south to raid the coast or push back any Imperial advance across the Sea of Storms.

To apply this, I went through and found a suitable head, eventually settling on the classic veteran look of horseshoe moustache and eyepatch. Running it through a quick printjob, installing just required trimming the bulk of the head off the neck piece from the kit before filing down the joint. I also tweaked the head position – where as the original was glaring down an opponent, the new heading is a touch more relaxed, a little more posed.

Painting wise, the model is the same style as I’ve used through all my Chaos warriors. the nice thing about this scheme is that it’s simple but provide the effect I’m going for with ease. I’m still really happy with the black contrast on metal look, as well as how the purple stands out against it, really catching the eye. The main additions for this model was adding some bone colours to the snarling face and horns – I like the idea that this guy is a touch more ornate with his armour, the snarling skull probably something he slew back when he first arrived. I also played around with adding a touch of hexwraith to the spear to fill in some of the cracks with green. You can see just a touch of it which give an effect but I might need to rethink it for next time.

I think at this point I’m safe from future chaos warrior plans. As mentioned at the top, I’m really not interested in painting anything Finecast in this range, as the moulds are more trouble than they are worth in the clean up stage. I think my Chaos Warriors force is now going to look elsewhere for additions – I still need to paint up the knights and associated “Lord on Crocodile” but that will be a project I have to drag myself through (because painting horses). There are also some other Chaos forces to paint up – I now have three Chaos Warcry bands waiting for paint and some extra figures to accompany the big boss. Turns out I may not have bought anything at Warhammer World but the trip did give me some ideas…

“What’s the matter girl? Did you not think I would find you, even down here in the bowls of the earth? Did you not think that Our Lord would send someone to keep an eye on you, his Seneschal?”

With her pale hair running over her shoulder, the golden beads glinting in the torchlight and a humourless smile across her face, Musongo the Wanderer stepped over the shattered corpses of undead, her two handed mace swinging across the floor like a broom, sending the shattered bones spinning aside, before coming to rest on her shoulder. She extended her hand to Rhazgra before pulling the younger warrior up with ease, the strength of years as a fighter and traveller making even her commander a simple burden.

She grimaced again. “Do not be so weak Seneschal. One day I may come for your position, just as you came for your predecessor. And on that day I will need you fighting fit and ready for my challenge” She paused, and then her lip curled further into a genuine smile “Although that position does sound like a very boring thing to do – too much planning and commanding, not enough fighting and exploring. Much less interesting than wandering the world to find things that Our Lord might find useful.”

She clapped her hand on Rhazgra’s back, almost driving the air from her lungs, before point her mace up the tunnel. “Come this way – your Disciples lay beyond and they are eager for your successful return…”

As any fan of the blog can see, I am a fan of the Chaos Warriors from Games Workshop. I’ve painted the Underworlds group, I’ve painted both the old and new warriors. I even have a set of cavalry to paint up, although the sight of horses is perhaps slightly concerning. So, you might have guessed that when Games Workshop showed off a rather cool looking Chaos Warrior earlier this year and then announced she was event only, I may have been a touch annoyed.

Cut to a few months later and guess who reappeared on the Games Workshop site? Announced for a Made to Order promotion, and available for only one week, it was my time to bite the bullet and order something from the GW store rather than my local Leodis Games. It happened to fall over my Necromunda weekend, leading to me waking up on my friend’s sofa to see the pre-order up for £21. A little more than you may want to pay but I bit my tongue and bought her, in a large part just because I love the sculpt.

A week after pre-order and she arrived in my hands. Holga Clovenhorn (as this warrior is named) comes in the standard pack for a character sprue, complete with plastic surround inside the cardboard. The sprue itself is slightly tweaked, with thinner gates and careful placing. I should have grabbed a photo but from looking around it seems to be so you could assemble the figure at the event. It also went together in the easy build fashion, with some cool layering work to hide the joins.

And then as I reported in my SITREP post, I took the clippers to the limited edition model. Before you shout Blasphemy, it’s my model and I’ll do what I like. I think if you’re making a Chaos Warband for Age of Sigmar, then sure, the horns are a great touch. However, in my setting of Midgard, I use the Chaos Warrior models to represent the highly skilled fighters of the northern kingdoms beyond the Empire. These guys and girls are often warriors from elsewhere that have travelled north to find a new life free of the Empress’s orders – they aren’t mere puppets of a corrupting set of gods but actually well trained and hardy opponents.

The conversion itself was pretty simple – I cut away most of the horn with my clippers and then tidied up the mess with a mixture of hobby knife, file and even some sandpaper to really break through the material and smooth it down. For the horn stub, this was a touch easier to hide thanks to the character’s long hair. Trimming down most of it, I then worked greenstuff over the gap to cover it before threading it in a way that it looked like an extension of the existing hair piece. I did notice that removing this horn left a void of “dead” space on the model as well as making it look a little less special. However, it does now look closer to all the previous chaos warriors I have.

When painting her, I decided to try out a character with darker skin, using the method on the Games Workshop site. My previous skin paint jobs have been really limited in scope, either using Medium Fleshtone + wash, a base colour and a lighter drybrush or relying on contrast. So this time I decided to really push the boat out and go whole hog. I even added a spot of Druchii Violet in the eye socket to give it some depth (and save me painting eyes).

However, with the rest of her being using a paint style (detailed in earlier posts) that is quite quite dark in tone (I literally cover the armour in black contrast), her dark skin would be lost amongst it. For this reason, I decided to go with white hair – the wrestler Jade from AEW pulls off this look with very vivid bright white hair that is frequently paired with dark clothing, so I looked to her for some inspiration. I ended up going for a few layers – dawnstone over the black undercoat, a layer of wraitbone, black wash for depth and then a highlight pass of wraitbone. This came out with a really nice effect I’m a fan of.

Having done the conversion work on the horns, I’m really happy how my fixes now look after being painted up. The patterning on hair on the right side was perfect to add some golden touches as little pieces in her braid (perhaps inspired by another character I like) and these stand out amongst the white in a pleasing way.

I didn’t go too hard on the shield, just giving it a few details including the nickel oxide eyes and the painted tongue. With the darkened metal, I ran a drybrush of leadbelcher over the top just to make it pop.

You can also see stripes of gold covering the exposed part of her head – this was my attempt to fill the dead space mentioned above. Gold is the shortcut for high ranking characters in my Warriors and having chunks of it always makes you look important. With two stripes along her skin, as well as a golden earring, it makes Musongo look important among the rest.

And speaking of the rest, the most important thing – She looks perfect alongside the first batch of models I painted. With a different pose, she’ll definitely work either as a champion or as some heavy muscle. The new style of painting I tried on her (using extra passes rather than just basecoat + wash) is definitely something I’ll be using more of going forward.

Actually, thinking of her role made me think a touch more about what sort of character she might be and what name would suit her. I eventually settled on her being a rival/ally to the Seneschal – someone powerful enough to be a threat but also useful to butt heads with when it comes to making plans. A two handed maul is a heavy weapon to wield, so naturally she has to be a tough lady. Eventually I settled on her being a Wanderer, someone that would slide in and out of the Seneschal’s story. Looking up wanderer in various languages, I settled upon the Bantu word for Wanderer as it fit the feel for the character. I can already see her as someone who came north and was granted her cursed armour, before venturing off on her own stories. I look forward to weaving her into my tabletop games – if she comes up against the Swordmasters, then she will be a fierce foe.

If you want more information on what’s going on, as well as the story so far, don’t forget to read the introduction page.

Scene 1 – Forest Clearing. Alistair Von Ferrumgard, leader of this band of Swordmasters watches stoically as his pupils form up in two groups of two and prepare for a mock duel

Introducing a player to a new game is tricky. You usually have to find a good scenario that is interesting yet not overwhelming, showing the game off without deluging them in details. Luckily, Open Combat is simple yet interesting enough that you can easily play it on a flat barren plain but see the ins and out of the combat system, enjoying the movement back and forth that comes from rolling a lot of 3’s and 4’s.

The Sister took the pair of Jochman and O’Dicca (who secretly are the main characters but don’t tell anyone), while I took the less teamwork focused (and less heroic) pair of Wolfgang and Zorros. All of them, as well as their master, use the Swashbuckler profile from the Sword Masters expansion to Open Combat, giving a pretty reasonable statline with a few of the special tricks that expansion added such as Lunging and Riposting (as you’d expect from a sword fighting expert). To add some variation, I tweaked each of the statlines for the heroes to play into the rough character archetypes I had scrawled down for them. Alaistair is the Old Leader (slower movement and increased mind to improve his use of Inspire), O’Dicca the Brash Youngster (increased attack), Jochman the Stotic Ally (increased fortitude) and Zorros as the the Cocky Bastard (increased mind to make him better at taunting opponents as well as some items to better suit the model).

Wolfgang did not receive any such additions – he is a mere swashbuckler. Take from that what you will.

One part of playing to tell a cool story rather than playing just to win is trying to play how best to suit the characters. I started off by not using Wolfgang and Zorros as a team – Zorros is more likely to push his junior assistant forward and wait for the moment to strike. Instead, I attempted to drag Jochman out of position, using the Taunt skill (which pulls a target model towards the character. Jochman however has no time for such childish behaviour.

Remember what I mentioned above about playing narratively? Well my sister managed to use her pair of characters exceptionally well. Despite Wolfgang getting up in both of their faces, the back and forth of Push Backs and Impasses went in her the pair’s favour. Eventually, Jochman was able to hold Wolfgang long enough for O’Dicca to flank around an deliver a strike from the rear arc, taking advantage of the massive reduction in character defence included in the Open Combat rules.

However, despite outflanking Wolfgang, it did not stop Lacele in turn being attacked from the rear (a move befitting a slippery character such as Zorros). In fact, he was able to land two good attacks, definitely a danger when you only have a fortitude of 4. Open Combat actually lets you land multiple hits depending on how many dice match the target result, so having a character with high ATK means you might end up with a maximum of 6 damage per turn (assuming you roll perfectly).

O’Dicca was easily able to turn around and fight back against her attacker (you can already hear the witty dialogue between the pair of them) using a combination of knock backs followed by lunges. Lunge is an interesting move in Open Combat, letting you attack with your speed rather than your attack state as well as giving you the ability to attack from 1″ away. The downside, rolling a 1 means you end up stepping into the fray, a mistimed lunge leaving you vulnerable. Rolling a 1 also means that you lose the initiative, leaving other characters on you team without an activation and at the mercy of your opponent.

Inevitable, with the fall of Wolfgang letting the pair gang up on Zorros, he soon lost the last of his Fortitude and the mock battle was over. Not even the use of his fine hat or cloak as a distraction would save him.

A good intro to the rules, as well as a fine start to the story of this group. The ruleset was really easy to teach a new player, with only a few core fundamentals to learn so you can focus on the actual gameplay. We forgot a few of the minor abilities (only remembering them part way through) but overall a success.

In the next game, I’ll be taking control of the bad guys, letting The Sister take control of the entire party and taking the first steps into The Estate of Vorpass!

An advantage of moving back to Leeds was bringing me closer to friends and family which brings with it the advantage that I have a much wider base of people to see and play games with. One of which is my Sister, who runs her own blog covering her hobbies. She is not really a wargamer, having only had the classic experience of being dragged through a game of Warhammer or two and collecting a few of the old Bretonnian figures. However, she is a keen board gamer and a fan of all things fantasy.

One day last year while we were hanging out (thanks to me being a single-person household I was able to bubble with family), she expressed an interest in giving my hobby a go. And as you might have seen, I have been lacking in wargames in the last 18 months. Because of this, the idea of running a game ever two weeks sounded pretty damn great.

However, the eternal question is what to play?

After a few weekends of thinking about it, as well as watching some classic swashbuckling films and trying out a ruleset, we finally decided we’d play some Fantasy skirmish (and not just due to the pile of models I’ve been collecting for it).

Part of this was also down to the rules – Open Combat is a system with plenty of potential for including a whole variety of troops (everything from hordes of rats up to large beasts), easy to expand with a collection of house rules and most importantly – it was simple. There isn’t 101 moving parts that need to be pulled together, there isn’t a host of cards that each player must learn. Instead, all you need is a few D6s, a few models, a small board and the 1 page quick reference guide.

The other part was down to the story telling element of wargaming. Neither my sister and I are rushing into games for the competitive side – it’s much more interesting to use them as ways of creating an exciting plot. For this reason, we both got especially excited about the idea of using our games as the starting point for content for both our websites – I’d be writing the game focused side (as well as detailing the scenarios) while The Sister on her blog (https://wolfishwritten.wordpress.com/) will provide the ongoing narrative written in universe.

However, we’d need a setting. And luckily I had one in mind…

The Setting

(map coming soon)

Midgard is a fantasy setting that I’ve been writing over the past few years as an excuse to let me use all the wonderful fantasy figures out there. It is a setting that contains elements of many other fantasy settings (such as the Old World from Warhammer, the Continent of the Witcher, Westeros, etc). At some point, I’ll write more about it but it’s a merging of low fantasy mud and grime while still containing elements of high fantasy and legends (such as encountering gods and there being other races without going too hard on the “humans are big racists”).

The main characters of the story so far are a group of the Swordmasters. These are the key agents of the main ruler in the world of Midgard, The Empress. At her command, they crisscross the realm to solve issues and protect her rule. It’s best to describe them as diplomats, spies and assassins all rolled into one, occupying the same slot as famous characters such as the Musketeers of the Guard in The Three Musketeers.

Going forward, we may encounter other groups working through the empire. There are a wide number of groups that go about their trade throughout the Imperial Lands and it’s kingdoms and into the unclaimed Marches, from the usual Mercenaries and Templars to Vampire Knights, Garou Scouts and Elven monks from secret temples hidden away where the average citizen would not expect to find them.

The Episodes

Of course, you can have all the setting you want but there must be a story within them. When writing the campaign, I’ve worked out that I want it to feel a bit like a premium TV show crossed with a little bit of the feel of the old Sharpe TV Movies. Each episode will contain a number of a scenarios (often using similar or the same terrain) while the actual plotlines may cross over between episodes, assuming the required dramatic cliffhanger is reached.

The Core cast will naturally move between Episodes and storylines (as well as having some bonuses to keep them around for longer), but you will see other characters join in for a few battles depending on how the fates go. Depending on how long we play, certain reoccurring characters might crop up, for good or for ill.

Prologue

In the Prologue, a group of the Empress’s Swordmasters went up against some death cultists that had captured a member of the Siccarian Nobility.

Episode 1: The Estate of Vorpass

In Episode 1, the group of Swordmasters headed out into the Marches (accompanied by another trainee) on a brand new quest:

– Game 1 saw an intro game, explaining the basics of Open Combat in the form of a training fight.

– Game 2 took them to the ruins of the Estate of Vorpass, where they came upon a servant of the Emperess in distress. (Link coming soon)

– Game 3 followed up on the events of Game 2, the party being ambushed as they prepared for a trip into the vaults of the Vorpass Estate. (Link coming soon)

The account of this episode from the scribes of the Swordmasters can be found at Wolfish Written

Episode 2 continues the adventures at the Estate of Vorpass.

COMING SOON

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Well it’s been quite a while – I started talking about Fantasy Skirmish way back in August 2018, with the purchase of Open Combat and the Frostgrave sprue. Fast forward almost 3 years and I FINALLY have put some fantasty figures on the table and played a game of them using Open Combat by Second Thunder

The idea behind this game was something a little simple, to get myself and my Dastardly Regular Opponent up to speed with the system and have fun over a couple of hours on a sunny day. Combine this with the Sword Masters expansion sitting on my desk and having been planning some Swashbuckling games with The Sister to introduce her to wargaming, well it was time to actually play something. And for the first time since September, actually rolling dice against someone else!

As you can see from the handy paper prepared by a friend of mine, The Swordmasters of the Empire (think a combination of diplomat, spy and assassin) have been sent off into the wilds to hunt down a group of cultists that have captured a nobleman from one of the Empire’s client states. These Cultists are from a group worshipping the undead, seeking to summon various undead creatures to go forward and attack the Empire itself.

The team of Swordmasters have managed to catch up with the Cultists just as they prepare their ritual to summon a Shadow Knight from behind the curtain of unlife. The ruined Chapel amongst the trees is a suitable place for such a ritual, and the cultists have gathered in numbers.

Here we have our group of Swordmaster, their horses left further up the road for purposes of sneaking up on their opponents. All of them were made using the Swashbucklers profile in the Sword Masters addon book, but I tweaked each to fit their characters better with a profile adjustment and a new ability.

From left to right

• Benfrey Jochman – The oldest of the three Initiates into the ways of being a Swordmaster. He’s the tankiest of the three, used to taking hits in a bar brawl.
• Alastair von Ferrumgard – One of the leaders of the Swordsmasters, an inspiring Tutor to the Juinior initiates. He has trained the other three and, although age has slowed him, he is still able to inspire his students.
• Lacelle O’Dicca – A rising star within the Swordmaster, Lacelle has proven herself to be deadly with the blade and quick on her feet.
• Zorros Colvieri – The son of another Swordmaster, Zorros is… an asshole. Delighting in taunting his rivals, he also wears a suitable extravagant hat and cloak (and yes, these are items in the rule set).

All of them also have sword fighting skills like Lunge, Parry and Riposte which lets them do all sorts of things you’d expect from a group of heroes ala The Musketeers.

Zorros start off the plan by doing what he does best – distracting the enemy by making a lot of noise and standing out in the open, Taunting his opponent to lure them out of positions. However, as good as his skills were, the cultists were still wary.

Of course, Zorros hadn’t expected one of the cultists to step forward and pull his hood back to reveal a grinning skull! Turns out the cultists already had two undead servants, able to Intimidate our heroes to reduce their courage. This reveal may have shocked Zorros for a moment but he quickly continued his part of the plan, calling out the cultists and luring the guardians towards him.

Meanwhile, the other Swordmasters crept into position nearby, ready to sneak into try and disturb the ritual.

Of course, the Swordmasters hadn’t expect the cultists to have brought bows with them. As Zorros continued to heckle the guardians closer, one of the archers pulled his bow string and let loose. The arrow struck home, wounding the flamboyant Swordmaster.

Who responded by leaping upon the nearest piece of cover, insulting the cultists and dragging them closer to him.

Eager for the fight, the cultists joined in.

On the other side, Lacelle crept forward, planning to outflank the archers. However, the other skeleton warrior spotted her, revealing his frightening facade to her and causing a sense of dread in her. No one had mentioned there would be skeletons!

Despite their personal difference, Jochman considers it unwise to leave Zorros alone, and so creeps into position.

Pushing past her fear, and leaving Alastair to deal with the Skeleton, Lacelle instead climbed the wall, preparing to sneak up on one of the archers too focused on their ally.

Speaking of which, Jochman decided to take a more direct approach to assist Zorros. While the fight stood atop the barrels lunging forward to land strikes on his opponents, Jochman came barrelling in, trapping the Cultist Guardian between his and Zorro’s assaults

(Rules note: Landing a solid hit pushes a figure backwards, but if they can’t actually move the full distance they take an extra wound)

Very quickly, the skill of the two fighters took out the first of the cultists.

With a shout, Lavelle also managed to land a solid hit. As well as stabbing the archer, the battle pushed him off the top of the ruins and, with a cry, he fell to the floor, sustain almost enough damage to kill him. Almost.

While his younger colleagues got into the main fight, Alastair squared up against the skeleton… and entered into a multi-turn duel that had them moving back and forth like it was a fencing match.

With a cry, Zorros lept down from his cover and quickly finished off the other skeleton with a fancy set of sword fighting moves that pulled the undead creature apart.

In contrast, Jochman simply took a single strike to bring down his foe, before turning to hunt down a new target.

One of the archers, having just recovered from a fall off the ruins and starting to dust himself off, was surprised to see a very angry Swordmaster in black sprinting across the field towards him.

Meanwhile, Lacelle, seeing that the ritual was reaching a high point, decided that enough was enough and now was the time for drastic action. Running to the edge of the ruins, she dived towards to the Cult Leader…

Failed. Terribly. Landing short, she managed to attract the attention of the cult leader who turned around and, as all swashbuckling films tell us villains do, began to monologue.

Alastair, after several turns of back and forth with his skeletal rival, finally managed to land a killing blow.

Meanwhile, filled with revenge for the arrow that pierced his cloak, Zorros proceeded to run towards the archer. Sadly, an attempt to throw his hat (to distract the archer) ended with it fluttering gently towards the ground.

At the same time, Jochman also finished off the downed archer, knocking him down with a shoulder charge before rushing past to….

Come to the aid of Lacelle! Jochman interrupted the crazed rambling of the cult leader, giving time for O’Dicca to quickly recover and leap to her feet.

Now outnumbered, and with Alastair joining the fight too, the Cult Leader did the only thing sensible. Turning around to the captive and finishing the ritual, he slayed the Siccarian noble.

With a terrifying hiss and a sudden fog, the crumpled corpse of the nobleman was replaced with a Shadow Knight, a terrifying creature of undead bones and metal. With more attack, defence and fortitude than any other figures on the board, this would be a challenge.

Now, what the cult leader hadn’t realised it that Shadow Knight obeys no masters. So, when he attempted to order it around, it instead went and knocked a chunk out of his fortitude.

Facing such a betrayal, and unwilling to hang around to see who won between the Swordmasters and the horrible creature, he instead managed to disengage and flee the battlefield. Perhaps we’ll see him again?

Back in the centre of the battlefield, the three Swordmasters now engaged the horror from beyond space and time. Despite losing some mind to the Intimation of a such a monster, and wounds from it’s sweeping sword strikes, the Swordmasters managed to get in a good few hits…

And eventually, with one final rasping hiss, the Shadow Knight was defeated!

With only one model left, Zorros decided to end the battle with a final taunt. Finally, after a game of partial successes, he managed to fully succeed drawing the evil archer forward. In his rage, he failed to see that the platform ended where he stepped, leaving him to fall down and lose his final point of fortitude.

Well that was a pretty awesome game! I think Open Combat is a really great little system – it’s a quite simple core setup, using only D6s with a very small number of modifiers. In terms of play, it’s light enough that you can pick it up quickly but not too light that it feels simply like an excuse to roll dice with a beer or two – there are still plenty of tactical challenges and actions to consider. There is also so much you can play around with in the system, making it perfect for setting up a wide variety of characters to play around with, with various abilities, skills and weapons to let you create anything, especially with the Sword Masters add-on to include that final few touches.

You will be seeing a lot more of Open Combat in the future. I still want to try out Warcry properly (as well as other games) but Open Combat has (after this first game) definitely fit the niche I was want of some rules sit behind the narrative I’m wanting to write with my games. Not sure when the next game I play will be, but you’ll know for sure when it goes up!

“Taking their time down there aren’t they?”

The rough voice of the Northman Halfgar barked out, his grinning face looking around the group of warriors that stood among the scattered rocks and broken ruins of the entrance to the despoiled tomb. Rubbing the back of his hand on the rough stubble on his face, he continued, “Probably been killed by a tomb wraith or something. Or torn apart by skeletons. Maybe the Templars trapped them down there, hurr hurr” He chuckle again to himself, running a worn finger over the edge of his axe-head, his eyes jumping between his comrades

The other warriors, for the most part, just attempted to ignore him. Instead they focused on their own tasks. Wulf was busy preparing the fire, the former flame cultist staring directly into it as if looking for meaning in the flickering lights. The rest stood in formation around the cave entrance, looming over the rocks like a collection of statues placed among them, sentinels from a past time.

Halfgar’s laugh was only interrupted when one of the other warriors pulled off their helmet, revealing close cropped hair and an angry scowl. “Give it a rest Halfgar you swine. We all know you’re angling to take over, replace Rhazgra and become our lord’s Seneschal although somehow I doubt your idiot ambition would stop there.” The red haired woman smiled, pushing up the golden ring through her nose so it shined in the weak morning sunshine coming in over the top of the mountains. “Either stop being a coward and challenge her, or shut up and save us all hearing your voice. It sounds too much like goats rutting.”

He fixed her with a glare before cracking a smile revealing the tombstone like teeth in the front of his mouth. “Easy for you to say, Zorath, you’re all buddy buddy with one of her cronies. Bet you’re more than happy to let Arkfel wrap you in that stinking beast skin when we camp, snuggle alongside him to stay warm, hurr hurr”. He began to laugh harder, a hacking rumbling laugh, which only intensified once Zorath got to her feet with a look of rage in her eyes.

This time the laugh ended much faster, the sound of an armoured hand smacking the back of Halfgar’s head. He moved, a snarl in his throat about to turn into words when suddenly he found himself looking into a skull mask staring back at him. Dark eyes glared out of the eye sockets at him, daring him to respond before the dull low tone of Kazsour the Embalmer started to speak, echoing out from behind his death mask.

“Halfgar, son of Horath, your comments towards your comrades bring much dissent, breaking the common bonds of warriors that bind us together. Your repeated insults to your leader bring you shame. It would be wise to hold your tongue.” The stare he fixed Halfgar with continued until the younger warrior looked down, all trace of the arrogant smirk now gone.

Kazour hefted the warhammer onto his shoulder, looking around over the mountains. The others bowed their heads to him slightly – Kazour had been a warrior longer than many of them had been alive, a rarity in the warriors. After the battle was done, it was he who would collect the dead for final rites, preparing them to go into the great beyond. Even Rhazgra, their leader, knew to take his advice – she would always bring him into council meetings with her, a calming presence against the manic rage of the Herald and the overpowering command of their Lord.

“We are our Lord’s Disciples, his followers into war. From his commands, we follow The Seneschal. This task we have been given, will bring us great favour with our Lord and his Patron. Now, prepare yourself – the enemy is close and we must prepare to defend for as long as The Seneschal and our brothers needs us to.”

I’ve written about my first lot of Chaos Warriors (the Underworlds Warband) in a previous post. For me, that group was always going to be the introduction into painting a full force of the heavily armoured icons for skirmish games. That first post includes my screed on why the Chaos Warriors are so awesome and so I’ll not reprint it here. The main focus in this post is talking about the models I finished off, which can split into two groups, the New and the Old.

Soon after picking up the Underworlds Warband, I started looking for how to expand. There are two sets of Chaos Warriors available. The main box is the classic plastic set, with models that have been in circulation long enough for them to still be the primary way of getting your hands on the heavily armoured fridges. I’ll detail more on them later.

The other set are a small number of models that were included in the Start Collecting box for Slaves to Darkness. Being much newer, these are less focused on the ability to rank up (Age of Sigmar having become a much more skirmish-y game than Warhammer every was) but are still incredibly easy to assemble. In fact, these models are push fit assembly, not even requiring glue. They are also incredibly dynamic, covered in details and might be some of my favourite troop models from Games Workshop.

In terms of assembly, the only option you have are picking is heads – everyone is armed with a hand weapon and shield combo either in hand or slung over their back. There are two heads for each model – one with a helmet and one without. I’m really impressed with the variation of both options – there is a nice mix of helmet styles and different facial features. Now, I’m kind of make it a goal to become slightly better at painting faces – the good old “flesh tone + wash” is fine for bulk armies such as my WW2 British or my moderns but for more character focused games, it makes sense to make the people look like heroes rather than line troopers. For this reason I did a few extra figures with exposed heads, rather than going purely for the faceless bad guy look.

I’ll cover painting in a second because…

Upon hearing that I was working on some Chaos Warriors, my Dastardly Regular opponent decided to throw a spanner at my ratio and dug out this box of Chaos Warriors that were buried in his shed. No, literally buried, I watched him dig through the piles of stuff to get them out. The sprue was pre-owned but only missing a single body, giving me an additional 11 warriors for the war band. The box design also gave me a vague clue to the age, as I remember visiting the Games Workshop in Exeter while on a family holiday in my childhood and being dragged away from a box very similar to this. And that was back around 2003.

Now, these old Warriors are absolute classics. In contrast to their newer Age of Sigmar brethren, they are much more static looking figures, with the entire unit sharing the same pose. You get a nice selection of heads, the ability to choose between dual weapons and hand weapon + shield combo as well as pieces for a champion, standard bearer and musician (from back in the olden days).

I ended up assembling them with shields and hand weapons (to match their more modern brethren). I also skipped out on the banner bearer and musician, they aren’t hugely useful in the skirmish games I’ll use them for). However, I did use the champion head and the skull face mask – they seem ideal to break up the group, especially the skull. As you can see in the start, the combination of the skull and warhammer is the starting point for a cool character idea.

For both sets of models, I went with the same paint scheme I used on my underworld figures. The Lead Belcher + Black Contrast works really well for getting the pitch black armour while the purple of the cloaks nicely offsets it. The actual scheme is quite fast to get onto the model, taking full advantage of wolf furs and washes to get everyone done. With the bare heads, it was fun painting the actual features, using the Contrast paints and then lightly highlighting to get the detailed look. I’m honeswtly impressed overall

With these Chaos Warriors done, a big chunk of my Chaos force is done. I did start looking at the Chaos Knights, but did not have a good time painting the horses. There are a lot of details hidden away that still need touching up. I’ve also been distracted by other things, but I think I might paint up the various Chaos warbands (such as the Scions of the Flame and the Godsworn Hunt/Darkoath figures) before coming back to the heavy armour.

The dark armoured warriors stepped further into the darkness of the tunnels, moving carefully over the loose sand and scree that covered the incline. There were four of them, the rest of the band left above to guard the entrance against any intruders while the chosen few ventured deep into the tombs. They were looking for something, something to bring their lord greater power.

At the bottom of the stone ramp the warriors paused, listening. The tunnels around them were inky black, not even the strange glowing crystal the cave above had contained. It was also quiet, still, not even the sound of the wind whistling through the caverns.

“Rhalar, light.” The tone of the leader of the band, Rhazgra the Seneschal, was short and to the point, the brisk words of a commander used to seeing her action done. She didn’t bother to turn, instead crouching behind her shield, her mace held low in the enclosed space.

“Of course, sister” the taller mage answered, her voice with an ethereal edge to it, the greenish glow of the scars in her cheek become stronger as her hand ignited, green fire wreathing it like a beast desperate to flee. With a delicate motion, she place the fire inside the top of the staff, letting it writhe over the metal as in it was in pain.

“Where to now Seneschal? These tunnels all look the same.” The Dour asked, his voice like the grinding of stone against stone, his axe resting against his shield as his helm leaned forward.

“Rhalar will guide us, won’t you beautiful?” Arkfel the Slayer, the pelt of a great scaled beast over his shoulder moving as he laughed quietly to himself, only stopping when he felt the glower from his leader.

Ignoring such pedestrian things, the sorcerer lifted her glowing hands, the magical energy now spilling fully from her eyes and the scars on her face before evaporating into the air. She turned to look down each of the tunnels, the glow seeing to burn away the darkness, before she focused on one in particular. “The way ahead. There is something dangerous, old, long dead but now disturbed.” Rhalar lifted up her hands, letting the staff float beside her as she pushed her mind forward, attempting to understand the presence before her.

“The treasure’s guardian? Or something else those damn Templars have disturbed?” Rhazgra asked, turning slightly to look at her sister. Spotting the way her hands shook and the way green fire was emitting from her eyes even as her face creased with the effort, Rhazgra placed her shield down and delicately guided her sister’s hand back to the staff, the cold metal bringing her back to the present. She seemed to sign, her shoulders heaving as she drank in the cool air.

“Careful, beloved sister. It would be unwise for you to push yourself too hard before we have reached the prize. I’ll need your mind to unlock it’s traps.” She pulled her taller sister’s head down so their brows met, the anxious sweat of the mage resting against the cool of the warrior. “Besides,” she smiled “I would hate to have to leave you behind in favour of the treasure.”

Rhalar smiled. “I know sister, but I do not think you will need to. I know The Patron smiles on us this day. I can feel her whispers in the air.”

Yep, it happens to the best of us. Eventually anyone playing Sci-fi or Fantasy finds themselves looking at Chaos Warriors and reflecting on just how cool they look. They combine the glorious appeal of knights in armour but with that dark fantasy baroque look that means they just drip with character. They are the warriors that burn down the hero’s village as child, thus setting off the story. They are the Dark Figures that chase your heroes across the plains, slaying anyone in their way. And right at the end, they are the army you fight through to take on their leader. As you might guess, I adore the artwork and mental images, even if the normal models (released back in Warhammer Fantasy Battle days) are very static/designed for ranking up.

Seeing as I’m now working on very small (honesty) fantasy collection, and after seeing the Underworld Warband back when it was announced, I decided that these much more dynamic warriors were exactly what I wanted. Each of them looked like a real threat, a champion of the dark gods assembled alongside allies and rivals to take the fight to the enemy. What better troops to follow my Chaos Lord (who I’ve designed as some kind of Cursed Warrior/Undying King) than a collection of highly skilled individuals who just happen to be able to work together.

As a test bed, I decided to paint up the Underworld Warband “Khagra Ravagers”. Comprising of three warriors and a mage, it’s a great little introduction into the range. There are lots of shared character design elements among them – the armour and cloak combination, the multiple weapons and shield all ready to go, the smattering of decorations showing their allegiance.

As an aside, before I get into the figures, I’m just going to mention that I’m using my own names and descriptions for them. As much as I like Games Workshop’s setting, I’m one of those people who really like writing their own settings, characters and stories. As part of this, these four warriors will form the leaders of my Chosen Warriors, set to accompany the Lord into battle (seeing as he fights on foot). Additionally, as the greatest warriors among them, they are sent off to do specific tasks for their leader, ideally setting them up for small skirmish games.

First up we have a Warrior with shield and axe, ready to attack but in a relatively guarded pose. This is “The Dour”, an old warrior in a profession where that is a rarity. He’s basically Rhazgra’s main advisor/strong man, ready to offer the blunt opinion when required but then following her orders to the letter.

He’s also just really fun to paint, a relatively open pose with lots of finer details to add to. As the first figure painted, this was where I decided on the colours I would be using. Going for Valejo’s Royal Purple for the cloak really helps to make them look regal. I also used the classic Leadbelcher for the armour but after a quick look, a layer of black contrast over the top made it look the classic black armour that the Chaos Warriors are known for. On most, I decided to use mostly brass colours rather gold, helping to make them look less “fancy” than any Templars I am doing. The exception was the leader and mage, the gold marking them out as a little more important.

Next, with a weapon in each hand and animal pelt over the shoulder we have Arkfel the Slayer. With a pose like that, leaving himself entirely open and daring his enemy on, he seems like a real charming bastard of a warrior. Combine that with the pelt over his shoulder, I worked up the idea of the charming asshole who knows he has the skills to backup his boasting. Plus, if I’m doing the writing, a perfect partner to the mage, standing there to taunt attackers away from his beloved.

This guy is really similar pose to the Slambo figure from the olden days and I kind of love it. It was really fun working on him, especially with the scales over his shoulder. I originally started off with the colours reversed, only swapping to a more realistic look once I double checked some reference.

Rhazgra the Seneschal is of course the leader of this warband, standing in a dynamic pose to command her warriors forward. Her gear is more ornate than her fellows, she goes to battle without her helmet and that sneer of command. In her role as Seneschal, she is responsible for making sure her Lord’s affairs are in order, as well as enforcing his commands and protecting him with the help of the Chosen. At other times, she will go and do important tasks and quests herself. As for her (and her sister’s) origins, they are shrouded in mystery. Some say she is the daughter of a northern tribal chief, others say she ran away from the Templars as a teenage trainee to protect her sister. Either way, she’s a formidable warrior and great leader of her force.

As the figure that attracted to me this band, I was very careful to try and get her done just right. As well as the ornate details, the face is really well sculpted. Normally, my faces are apply base colour, wash, finish, barely even bothering to do the eyebrows. With Rhazgra, I used the Reikland fleshshade but then went back, adding eyebrows, highlights for the nose and cheek bones as well as a touch of gold though the piercing on her eyebrow. The markings on the side of her head were an attempt at tattoos which I think have the right effect. I also spent a lot of time on the hair, working from the black basecoat to the strip of white. In sort of the opposite way, I started off the wolf pelt with a very light grey, working my way down until the layer of black contrast paint over the top portions. Overall, I’m really happy with this model, one of the ones I’m most proud of.

And then we get to the mage.

So at first I originally painted her up using the original head. This sculpt was my least favourite in the set. I understand the visual of the cursed mage with the horns and hairless, and it makes sense for Warhammer. But in my head, this wasn’t the look I was wanting for the warband. These are supposed to be well trained and skilled warriors, not yet corrupted fully. The other issues was that the head lacks a lot of the details I’d usually rely on when painting – it’s not got much topological features to let the wash run into. I tried my best with the black and gold bands but it just looks so agressively… eh.

After a weekend of staring at the model, I decided enough is enough and went looking for an alternative head. I had, a while ago, purchased some alternative Stormcast heads (which are now being used in my Templar forces which I’ll be showing off soon) so I could get away from the “nope, we’re totally not space marines” look. Those heads, waiting for me to finish the box of Paladins I got for cheap from the local corner shop back up in Edinburgh for a tiny price, have been in my bits tray for a while. Pulling them out, I found one which was ideal, matching the look of Rhazgra while still looking a little magical. The only problem was that all the detail was on the wrong side of the head, forcing a slight change in pose.

Removing the head without damaging the paintwork was one of those butt clenching moments of hobby, trying very hard to scrape as little away as possible. Luckily I made a clean cut, cleaned up the resin part and then re-assembled the head into the slot, undercoating it via brush.

And now, here she is finished – Rhalar. With the new head, she looks like a true battle mage, just as likely to kick your ass with her fists than she is with magic. This better suits the mental image of her, working as her sister’s magical aid right next to her in battle. Her origins are as mysterious as her Sister’s and she shows promise of an even greater level of magic than she has already shown.

I’m really happy with the headswap, elevating this figure from okay to something I’m really happy with. I like how similar this model is in terms of gear to the actual warriors (such as the armour, cloak and the fur around her neck) while still having plenty of pieces that are different enough to make her stand out. The flames were especially fun to paint – I used the Hexwraith technical paint over a white basecoat and it worked out exactly as planned. I also managed to drip a little bit into the scars on her face, just to show the magic beginning to seep out.

Overall, this Underworlds unit was a fantastic way into painting more fantasy figures. I really recommend anyone interested in trying out a new Warhammer army take a look at these figures – they have some really nice details and it isn’t a huge amount of models to paint up. I’m also pretty happy with how the group has turned out, with a paint scheme that is relatively simple but looks awesome.

Next stage with these guys? Well I have 10 warriors, 5 knights and a lord on angry crocodile to finish off in a similar way to this warband. Beyond them, there are a few more less armoured chaos fighters to paint before I can move onto the big parts of the force – my Lord and his Patron.

Only a little terrified at the prospect of those two.

So it’s been a while since I last talked about Fantasy Skirmishing. Mainly because, like a wargames butterfly, I was distracted by something shiny and disappeared off into doing non-wargaming things for a bit (as well as losing motivation). However, this didn’t stop me picking more models and continuing to think about adventures

Name Change

First of all, you may notice the name of this project has been changed. The reason is pretty simple – after finally settling on a story or setting, I realised dungeons would end up only being a little part of the games I’d want to play. Sure progressing through a maze of tunnels is fun, but so is ambushing carts on a forest road, brawling in the local tavern or even sneaking past the town guards through the streets of some fantasy town.

The other reason was the lack of chandeliers in most dungeons.

Setting

I mentioned setting above. Well, I’ve been talking with a friend, often about story ideas, and we came up with a fantasy setting to base some of them in. The world takes a lot of inspiration from other fantasy settings, along with a few twists of our own. Now, it’s still in development, so lots of things keep changing with it. You might see a few names change even between posts on this blog.

This is the continent of Eutanica, one of many on the Lonely Sphere. It is split between two rival kingdoms. In the North, the King of the Dark Elves rule – his navy crosses the seas to bring back slaves and plunder from other continents while worship of the twin Elven gods of War and Shadows powers his armies. In the South, the Queen of the Iron Kingdoms gives praise to the Morrigan, her nation a patchwork quilt of smaller kingdoms united under a common ruler. It advances ahead thanks to bottling lighting and using it to power a host of machines, from weapons of war to great Iron Ships. These two powers, once almost close to being united through friendship, were torn apart by a flashing blade and now exist in a state of semi-war.

And in between these two superpowers? The Marches.

Comprising of multiple smaller nations, The Marches are what have stopped these two greater powers from attempting to wipe each other out. None of these independent kingdoms has the might to challenge the Dark Elves or the Iron Kingdoms but neither would they be simple to overrun and subject. Instead, this separation has started a cold war, with both superpowers seeking to improve their influence over the buffer, gently pushing the balance of power. Both powers send their agents, such as the dreaded Dark Elf Shades and the Swordmasters of the Iron Kingdoms to assemble alliances, impress the locals and generally push their agenda forward.

And this is where the players come in.

The idea

I am a fan of narrative wargaming, to put it mildly. So my concept for this project is that each fantasy skirmish will be wired together to form miniature campaigns. Each “campaign” will represent a single quest, with the players picking small groups to represent their adventuring companies. And like every quest, each will begin with a meeting (sometimes in a tavern), progress through the mission’s various stages (with smaller battles) and usually end in some terrifying finale against a dangerous foe (ranging from rival agents to the undead to servants of the Elder Gods).

The actual battles will probably be fought using Open Combat, giving a versatile tool kit to build everything from a ratman with a knife up to Greater Demons of the Dark Prince (…maybe… if something goes very VERY wrong for the players). I’m only aiming for small battles so we don’t need to deal with things like ranked up groups. Open Combat is also relatively easy to bolt stuff onto, so weird effects like magic shouldn’t be too hard to stick on.

Painted Figures

Of course, all these games need figures. More importantly, my collection is full of unpainted fantasy figures that someone bought and the painting logbook is merciless. Let’s take a look at what I have done so far.

Iron Kingdoms Ruffian

Ruffians, rogues, scum of all kinds. A good recruiter will find them throughout the Marches, even if their quality does vary from soldier to soldier.

First model painted, this is a Ghost Archipelago crewman. The main thing here was getting used to contrast paint for the skin and painting things other than camo. There are going to be a chunk of these Ruffians assembled and painted. Mainly because these guys will form the core of most adventuring parties or (if not chosen) be causing havoc while working for rival employers.

Lacelle “Gordelan” O’Dicca, Swordmaster

Swordmasters are the Iron Kingdom’s main agents in the foreign lands. Trained in the ways of the blade and the wit, Swordmasters travel around to push their Queen’s agenda. Lacelle is one such Swordmaster. As fast with her tongue as she is with her blade, O’Dicca is notorious for causing havoc and mayhem wherever she goes.

One of North Star’s Swordmasters, this was one of those models I just had to have. Painting the puffy sleeves (in Iron Kingdoms red and white none the less) was especially fun. She may not be on the board very often, but I guarantee she will cause havoc.

Benfrey Jochman, Swordmaster

Perfectly paired, Benfrey is the yin to Lacelle’s yang. While she is fast talking and emotive, Benfrey is usually quieter, lurking in the corner of the tavern waiting to tell the poor saps she has hired exactly what they will be doing. In battle he works perfectly alongside the quick strikes of O’Dicca, often delivering crushing final blows.

The other Swordmaster, painted up to be contrasting with Lacelle. At the same time, the red and white cloth at his waist shows off his allegiances.

‘Mouse’, ThIEf

For many in Eutanica, poverty can often be a bad harvest away. Luckily, ‘Mouse’ has developed a very special set of skills to assist her in redistributing wealth in her advantage. And for a fee, she’ll join your adventuring group to use them for other purposes.

I really like this little figure. Small than the others in the range, she just looks the very model of a fantasy thief.

Syghilda, Dark Woods Wanderer

Between the lands of Siccarius and Ruskov lies The Dark Wood. Many leagues across, this dense forest is a place of superstition and danger. Some say that the Elder Gods themselves stalk between those trees, their servants living alongside humans who fled into there thousands of years ago. Occasionally, denizens of this forest venture out to live among the more civilised people of Eutanica. With pale skin covered in strange eldritch markings, they are worthy warriors, unnaturally tough and strong.

This was a fun model to paint. Lots of exposed flesh to cover in my attempt at tattoos and then a bright vibrant hair colour to draw the eye. She fits the Celtic barbarian idea that the Dark Wood’s inhabitants are supposed to evoke, even if she is a little bit more refined.

Ser Renault, Knight of Fransya

North of the Iron Kingdoms, Fransya is ruled by a monarch but the individual peasants owe the fealty to one of 12 Knightly Families, each with their own traditions. Blood matters little to these families – a knight must prove themselves worthy of the name, often by embarking on quests elsewhere in the Marches.

Honestly, super simple to paint but super evocative. I love everything about this model, from the posing to the mix of armour and cloth. I went for a simple tabard, as this questing knight hasn’t earned the right to wear his house’s full colours.

Zarqaa, Farisian Demon Hunter

Hailing from a land across the sea, the Farisian Demon Hunters travel the world to slay creatures of the Elder Gods wherever they may be found. Painting their skin in ash to hide their presence from the beasts, they have many tools to banish or trap their prey. The gold on their cloaks can attract wandering eyes, but the large sword is often warning enough.

Another evocative model, whose back story was written while painting. The mix of weapons and layers of clothing were fun to paint – a light coloured lower cloth is probably all she would need back home but the other layers hold back the chill. Plus, I’m excited to introduce this sort of character into quests.

The Old Lioness, Iron Kingdoms ADVENTURER

Not all heroes can settle into a quieter life. The Old Lioness is one restless soul, happier travelling the roads than settling down to live by a fireplace. Strangely, records of a woman resembling her have existed for centuries, leading some to question just how old she really is…

One of the Heritor models. I really like this set, and for her, I went with the old adventuer look. Drybrushing on the grey hair is fun, but also adding touches like armoured plate beneath her clothing to lure in the unaware

Death Knight

In ancient places, far from home,
In tattered skin and browning bone,
Metal rusts, fabric decays, all goes below,
But Evil is a hardier foe…

I don’t have to say much – this figure is one of those that got me out of my funk and back into painting. It reeks of evil and malice, standing taller than most other figures, thin but also worrying. This is an enemy that will appear in the finale, the corroded metal and exposed bone there to terrify the players…

Cultists of the Undead

The dead should say dead, say the Covenant of the Iron Kingdoms. However, dark magics exist in this world and some mortal men wish to put the dead to other purposes. These necromancers often form cults around their work, offering immortality in exchange for service.

These were fun models to paint. I think my gold was a little too thick (I’ve lost some of the detail on the masks) but it is a nice contrast to the black robes and corroded metal. Plus great weapons to smash apart those goodie two shoes wanting to interrupt their master’s work.

Skeleton Cultists

Although skeletons with rotting clothes may have a certain visceral horror to them, loyal acolytes are much better when dressed as they were in life. And returning them as the undead means they are much less likely to tell the local constables exactly what their master is up to when captured…

These guys. Skeletons in robes have a glorious comedy to them even while looking horrifying for the part. I had great fun painting the bone thanks to how easy washes and well-sculpted figures make it.

So that’s the new update done. Obviously, I have a lot of painting ahead of me, and a lot of games to plan. I’m in the progress of planning the first few adventures (which is mostly assembling generic scenarios and working out the right bad guys for them) but the main thing is going to be finishing off the figures I have while trying very hard to not buy any more. One of the advantages of fantasy is just how many ranges full of shiny things there are…

And what’s next?

Elves. Damn, dirty, scheming Dark Elves

Ah time to catch up on some of those side projects…

Oh.

As you might have guess by the slow down on the main blog, I just didn’t have time for very much other than moderns for the last little bit and so my fantasy adventuring plans have gone literally nowhere. I still have a pile of unpainted models on my desk and I have yet to even play a single game of Open Combat.

However, that wasn’t going to stop me picking up some sprues and creating a few more adventurers to go into the dungeons. Kicked off by the arrival of single spures on ebay for the new female soldiers, I quickly grabbed some off eBay and got to work.

ghost archipelago Crewmen

Hailing from the more tropical realms of Frostgrave’s sister game Ghost Archipelago, these 5 figures have a bit more of a tropical pirate vibe to them. However, I think they would work pretty well as the townsfolk of this northern town once they are indoors or in the underground. For this reason, I decided to go with the less “sea dog looking heads”. These are going to be the poor peasants or workers, suddenly interrupted by the appearence of cultists or barbarians (or maybe worse)

Assembly wise, it’s obvious there is the same feel to them as the other Frostgrave kits. I didn’t try any cross assembly but it might look a little unusual with the difference in clothing styles.

Let’s take a look at what I assembled, going from left to right

• Simple bowman – maybe someone to be encountered out in the woods near the city, moments before something nasty appears.
• Big axe, bag on back – either another woodland dweller or maybe a merc hired to cut through obstacles before grabbing the loot.
• Bandana, beard, sword – simple cannon fodder. Ideal for a bar fight.
• Mohawk, sword, simple clothes – another sailor ideal for throwing into the mix
• Okay, this guy is my secret favourite. Floppy hat, club in hand, closed fist. I am willing all my luck

I’m actually tempted to pick up some more sprues of this, especially if I decide to add some docks to the city for the opportunities. So expect to see more of these guys.

Female Soldiers

I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on these girls for a while, especially after seeing the original previews. I really like the style they have gone for, continuing the wrapped up warm look that the original figures had while being sculpted to still look feminine. These all look like tough practical fighters working in winter conditions.

Options wise, there is the same mix of kit as the original spures, everything from bows and crossbows to various swords and spears. There is a great selection of heads

So lets look at who I assembled. Again going from left to right

• I went for a classic adventurer look here, here striding forward, resting on her spear as she treks into the mountains.
• This one is probably going to be used as the leader of the adventuring party. Cape hanging off there back sword held low as she advances, her mouth covered in a cloth against the environment.
• An experienced fighter, axe in one hand and a bow in the other
• Big lady with a big axe. This figure also has the two-part ponytail head, slightly moved to give her some motion
• I think the hood and crossbow makes her look like some form of tracker, ideally suited for living up above the snow line

Overall, this is a really nice alternative to the normal soldier sprue if you want some additional variations. There is a good selection of parts and they do look different to their male variants – it’s definitely more than just a headswap.

So where do we go from here? I really like both of the sets I’ve take a look at, and I’m tempted to play around with the crewman sprues a little more to make some more civilians.

Next step: Actually do some painting.

Do not adjust your set, you’re about to look at a post that may not quite match with what you normally come to the blog for. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in the modern-day on Friday.

As I’ve said before, modern wargaming is still my favourite thing. But you know, maybe it’s time for a side project or two. For a while I’ve wanted to do something Fantasy related. I’ve also wanted something that is relatively quick to play and easy to pick up. I bought Open Combat earlier this year and after reading it (and talking to the author at Chillcon) it seemed perfect to act as a base. However, it’s not a ChargeBlog project until I break out the rule writing and there is a specific type of game I’ve wanted to run:

Dungeon Crawling

As such ,Project Dungeon Crawl is made out of three parts:

1. A set of rules designed to tie games of Open Combat together, let players create an adventuring party and the generate the dungeons with ease.
2. Dungeon Tiles – after all you’re going to need somewhere to fight through
3. Some figures suitable for dungeon delving

We’ll look at the first two parts in future posts but today we’re going to focus on building the troops. Before deciding what I wanted to buy, I had to think about the look I was going for. The plan was for some dirty grimey low fantasy, with the dungeon delvers being the city watch fighting through the sewers and caverns against the thieves and cultists that inhabit them. The Frostgrave Soldiers box seemed ideal for my purposes based on pictures of the sprue and the examples I’ve seen produced from it.

After breaking out the plastic glue (last seen building crashed C130s) and sitting down with a box of sprues, it was time to get building.

Soldiers

The Frostgrave Soldier box comes with four identical frames of various plastic pieces. The max number of figures you can build from each sprue is limited by the bodies included on each one, giving you 5 figures per sprue giving you 20 in the box. The rest of the frame is packed full of items – there is a nice variety of weapons you’d want in an adventuring party as well as plenty of tools and kit to really make them look like a group carrying all the kit needed to get past all the various traps you may meet. I really like the lantern – perfect for going through dark tunnels. One comment i was about to make was in regards to the relatively few left handed weapons (other than a small knife); however I then realised that with only a little extra work you could easily use some of the clenched left hands after clipping the weapons apart.

The box doesn’t include an exact construction guide but most of the bits that are multi part (such as the bows) are located close to each other to make things easier. The plastic is pretty tough meaning that there was very little damage to the pieces when clipping them from the frame. Overall, it’s a great frame to work with. I will say that after finishing a box I have a literally pile of arms, heads and more waiting to be used – all I need is some more bodies and bases.

Anyway enough technical stuff, lets take a look at what I’ve made so far. These are all WIP – they are not quite ready for painting as I might go back and add a few other items and do the last bits of cleanup.

Group 1 was the very first figures I made once the box arrive. The idea for these is to represent the City Watch while looking at the options. From left to right we have:

1. The technically minded crossbow wielding adventurer, laden down with bolts and kit needed for dismantling traps (or reassembling them)
2. The hardened tunnel fighter with sword, sword knife and armed helm to jump into battle in the darkness
3. The classic “axe and board” guard ready in a defensive pose
4. The grizzled watch veteran, lighting the way but ready to switch to his great sword when needed
5. The foppish bowman, probably more used to spending his time above ground, pointing out the cultist/man sized rats climbing out of the sewers.

Group 2 was part . Again from left to right:

1. Another laden down crossbowman – unsure if it’s supplies needed for dungeon delving for just space for ill gotten loot.
2. A Sword and Board guard in full effect ready to rush into battle.
3. Sven – doesn’t take kindly if asked about being a northman in the tavern. The combination of great axe and helmet just sold me on the idea of viking looking big man.
4. “Who goes there” in plastic form. Probably more useful as a tavern keeper hearing noises after closing or a concerned citizen.
5. The most accurate of dungeon adventurers – torch in one hand, sword in the other, distinct look of unease on his face as he shuffles into the darkness.

Of course, after building the first group of soldiers I realised that it might be time to pick up some of the other plastic kits so I could do some mixing and matching. After finding the sprues available individually on eBay, I got some ordered and then picked up some bases and heroes from Northstar.

Cultists

The cultists frame follows the same basic idea as the soldiers sprue – 5 bodies and a pile of accessories. As well as equipment with a different style to it, the spure has some cool additions to theme some of your characters. There are several skeletal and zombie parts (including heads and arms) so you could easily assemble undead or reanimated versions of your goons if a necromancer is in play. I really like the heads – the hooded versions come in plenty of styles while the unmasked sets are packed full fo character. This sprue had a few more items that were designed to replace the hands of other arms so having a sharp scapel was useful. There are also a few sets of belt kit with bits of bone and mysterious bottles that just sell the point of this pack.

After having built the figures you see below, I can easily see myself going back and building more cultists when the situation demands a horde of robed goons.

Using just the cultists sprue, I threw together these rather unsavoury looking chaps. As I theme I wanted to make these guys look very cult-y so it was pointed caps for everyone. From left to right:

1. I was inspired by the zombie parts to add them to a few of the cultists, maybe showing that following a death cult is a bad idea. Not sure the ingame effect but I’m sure pointing a rotten hand towards people might not be the most inspiring sight
2. This guy is similar to the first although with the opposite hand beginning to decay. I also used the knife arm from the soldier pack to give him a weapon.
3. The Heavy for the cult, giant maul in hand
4. Some sort of jailor or warden for the cult, with spear for poking captives and a chain for shaking threateningly at people
5. A mainline cultists with sickle and knife. I modified the knife hand to adjust the pose, making it look a but more dynamic

Of course the point of buying more spures was to start combing parts. The idea behind these was to be able to use them in multiple roles, either as other cult members, criminals or members of the watch (assuming they have reached the bottom of the barrel for new recruits). The heads from the cultists sprue (including the zombie ones) really give these guys a very different feel to the normal soldiers. From left to right:

1. A criminal ready for tunnel fighting with axe in one hand, knife in the other and a bag of swag on his back
2. I really love the later but this guy is interesting due to the conversion work. After using the top of a two-handed axe on character number 5, I used the bottom end of it and paired it with the sword held by the skeleton on the cultists frame. The chipped blade gives him a slightly different feel to the other lantern holders above. Also the gritted long teeth and hood just makes him look like a real bastard.
3. Zombie head means this guy isn’t a great looker but I really like the setup. Combing the cultist curved sword and shield together with the soldier body, makes him look like a different breed of soldier. Maybe a specialised hunter journeying into the dark on the path for revenge.
4. The other zombie headed soldier is combined with the pair of arms that make the great sword ready to swing. Adding some pouches to make this chap look a bit more well equipped and I think we’ve found a suitable grim-looking monster slayer.
5. The pointing hand is challenge due to the lack of left-handed weapons. However, but using the two-handed axe top and an open grip, I was able to assemble this guy. He also has a coil of rope and a club on his back, making him a well prepared adventurer. Perhaps he is pointing out a door that needs cleaving open.

Barbarians

As you might have guessed the barbarian sprue also matches the idea of the soldier spure with five suitable attired bodies and then plenty of options for them. This entire spure screams “Big gits with big axes and big beards” from the posing on the bodies to the focus on axes and hammers. As with the cultists, there is a similar selection of weapons to the original soldiers spure but with a very different feel to it. There are also plenty of knives, axes and other little items to include on your figures. In fact, between the five barbarians and the five semi-barbarians I actually used up everything off this set.

First up we have the full-blooded angry northmen and their furry cloaks to look at. From left to right:

1. Come on. That head, big ass axe, dynamic pose? How could I not make a not-Conan?
2. I really had fun building this old archer, covering him in little addons like his quiver but also some knives for when things get close. I can see him being useful as a scout like character.
3. A more restrained warrior in a threatening pose ready for combat to begin.
4. Another older looking figure, this time using the spear. Perhaps the brother to number 2, helping him with the hunt?
5. Big hammer, flowing cloak, armoured helm. I can see this guy being the big guy the party needs to take out the dungeon.

Like with the cultists, I swiftly got to work mixing bits. I think this combination of soldier body and barbarian heads works really well – it makes them still look like part of the civilised group but still wild like their brothers outside the city. From left to right:

1. In a charging pose, this berserker has a sword in one hand and a throwing axe glued to the other. I trimmed the bottom of it off so it would fit properly in the hand.
2. Even northmen need a sword and board, although this one is using a bit hammer instead
3. Even the vikings get a crossbowman. I like the unbearded head – a nice change from the beard patrol.
4. A bit of conversion work here with adding a torch to the clenched fist. It hasn’t glued 100% straight so I might go back and tweak. This guy has a knife out but additionally has a knife on his back and an axe hanging from his belt.
5. This final soldier has gone all in on carrying items with a sack over his shoulder and a bag hanging from his waist. Combined with the dual wielding, he is obviously very prepared for adventure.

Alongside the bases I ordered from Northstar, I realised that I needed a few other items to make the order sensible (and not just postage). Thinking more about my plans for what dungeon crawling might eventually entail (and delving into the metal figures in Northstar’s Frostgrave range) I decided that I should get a few villains for the piece. The plan is that the barbarians and cultists represent two different threats to the city above and that conducting dungeon raids would eventually reveal their plots. As such, I’m sure the groups will need some characters to get involved – perhaps to turn up and get rid of them meddling kids.

For the cultists I picked up the Lich and their apprentice. I love the sculpting on these figures, with the Lich looking terrifying and the book wielding side kick like the slimy weasel that escapes from the heroes at every turn. Open Combat doesn’t currently have a magic system other than counting certain abilities as spells (although a supplement is coming to fill this) but I have a few ideas on how to make encountering either of these two a bad idea for your party. For the barbarians, I went for bigger badder beardier. I went the Barbarian Knight and Templar set. The hammer equipped chap will probably be the chieftain planning to take over the town while the horned helmet chap work great as his second in command.

So there we are, the first step is taken. I am a massive fan of the Frostgrave range so far and it’s very hard to avoid picking up more of their figures to fill in the rosters. I’m also quite excited for the female adventurers coming soon and will probably take a look once they are released.

The plan for the next few weeks of side project is to start getting these figures painted up. I would normally base with sand, but I think more of a stone/dirt colour for these guys. I’m also going to do some more writing work, nailing down the back story and getting the rules for mission and dungeon generation done. And I probably need to get a few games of Open Combat in to get some more play time with the rules.