Bruglyother

What did you use for the wings in Lelu?

They were a bit I had in my bits box. I believe they were from one of GWs older Harpy models, but I am not positive. It was originally one piece which I then split, pinned, and greenstuffed.

I love what you've done with Hoffman's backpack!

Thank you. I am not the first to do this as I have seen at least one other, which is more or less where I got the idea. I just had a problem with the idea that he made this backpack to help him work and walk, and yet none of the limbs were really long enough to do so on the model. So, lots of steel pins, and some thin gauge wire, and there you have it.

So, our league is fast approaching. Do you have everything ready? No?! Me either. So, lets get together and try to fix that. Come to Millennium games on Saturday to work on your league models. It will be a time of modeling, basing, painting, inspiring, commiserating, and whatever else we may need to do to prepare ourselves for the league to come.

Start time will be 11 am. I will likely have to leave by 4 pm, but others are obviously welcome to stay longer.

Where: Millennium Games

3047 West Henrietta Road, Rochester, New York 14623

When: Saturday October 19th form 11 am until 4 pm

Fee: NONE!

I may very well have to steal that. That is fantastic work, and an inspired idea.

I usually start off by asking what their gaming experience is. As this is your friend, you probably have a good idea of this already. This will give me an example of what I need to teach them, and how fast I need to go.

For example, GW players coming over don't really need to be taught about measuring and movement. They also usually only need a brief rundown of the stats to understand them. They can usually handle slightly larger demos, or run a fast 15 stone followed by a larger game.

I always start off by explaining the basics. The deck, the jokers, the twists, the hand, duels, and strategies. Try not to throw too much at them at once. I will then choose a crew of 1 henchman and 2 minions of the same type (when possible). I have every faction other than gremlins, so I have a set demo group for each one. I let them choose, based on a brief description (This is Francisco and some death marshals. They are the law. etc.) I then choose a similar force that will be a good match up, or underpowered a bit. After that, I will go over the cards of what they have chosen, explaining the rules on them. After that, it's play time. I usually just play a Turf War on a 2x2 table. As Cthulu mentioned, I don't play hard ball, but I won't throw the game either. (I do occasionally choose not to cheat when I could.)

Now, their prior experience will dictate how fast I can go through these steps, and how much hand holding will be needed during the demo. I always try to get a 25-30 stone game in right after the initial demo, as a way to let them really solidify the feel of the game, as well as the knowledge of the rules.

If at all possible, I don't play against them at any time. I am lucky to have many players who are willing to help out. This way, I can focus my efforts on helping the new player understand what is going on and how rules are working.

I find those quite impressive. Like you, I looked to basing when my painting was not up to the standard of others around me. My painting has since improved, but basing is probably still my favorite part. These bases are fantastic. I particularly like the "islands" stuck to the feet of the Void Wretches. Should look fantastic once it's all painted up.

So, with the removal of the blogs, my old stuff is gone. I still have the pictures, and maybe some day I'll find a place to put them again. More likely, I will post old pictures as they are relevant to new projects.

But, that means I need to post pictures of said new projects. It has taken me a while to get back into photographing stuff for posting. I'd like to say it was because I was busy, but really I am just lazy. Admittedly, I did have a camera issue for a while in that my old camera bit the dust, but I got my hands on a new camera more than a month ago. So, as I said. Lazy.

Here's to correcting that.

First up, my new Nephilim additions.

I actually got these done a while back. The wings were added on to Lelu back when he still had flying. Now that the new posted rules are showing he has lost flying, I will likely use him as the basis for a Barbaros conversion as I am not likely to by the new box set. It does mean I will also need a new Lelu, and will likely have to scrap the already existing paint work, but such is the life of a hobbyist.

Then, there is the commision I just finished up for one of our local stores.

I chose not to go overboard on these, as they are supposed to be highlighting the game and Wyrd as a company. So, no custom basing, just stock Wyrd bases. No serious conversions. The most complex work would be filling out the "blast" from Ototo's smash effect to compensate for the gap when I attached him to his base. My blending is still a bit rough, but these are my best work at it to date, so I am happy there. Just need to touch up the base rims since one of my cats decided my paint table was a good place to jump up, and spilled some paint water in the process.

Now, for the current projects. I am planning to run an escalation painting achievement league next month. As our group is small, and I am designing the league to be very transparent in scoring, I will be in the league as well. The main premise of the league is for our group to take an unpainted crew, and build it up over time into a full fledged crew list with variations. We are starting out with a henchman and at least 15 stones of models painted, and we will be ending with a Master and at least 75 stones worth of models, fully painted and based. We've done something similar in the past, and the group likes these sorts of things, so it should be fun.

But, this means I had to get started on a crew to use. I went through my unpainted crews, and I initially thought of Tara, but I have a concept in mind for how I want to handle her crew that is going to be a bit time intensive, so not ideal for a league format with deadlines. Then I thought of Kirai and Collette, but both are crews I want to spend real time on to make the REALLY pretty. Once again, not ideal. That left me with Sonnia or Hoffman. I went with Hoffman. So, here is what has been done so far.

The base for the Peacekeeper had actually started out as a first idea for the Nothing Beast. It was after I was finishing up on the initial work on it that I came up with the new idea for Tara and company. So, I had this large base kicking around. This was ultimately what got me to choose Hoffman, as the Peacekeeper fits the base so well. Then I had to carry the idea over to the other models.

As you can see, Hoffman has a similar concept for his base. The angle doesn't show it well, but he is standing on a manhole cover beside the manhole itself. I never quite liked how the original backpack looked, so I spent quite a bit of time cutting, pinning, and rewiring it to meet my view.

The final picture is the preliminary work on my Watcher bases. The one on the left is just missing the smoke trail, while the one on the right has a ways more to go. Note, the peacekeeper above is also missing his smoke. I haven't started working on the smoke yet as my method for doing it tends to be hard on my fingers, so I want to do all of it at once. If you look closely, you will see the one on the right has a grate that looks all the way through the base. I'm sculpting it up to be a street on one side, and the roof of a tunnel on the other.

My idea for the basing in general is a ruined section of town. A VERY ruined section. The whole place has crumbled and buckled. I am quite happy with the results so far. Now I just need to get the Hunter and Ryle built and painted and I will have my starting points. Anything after that will be buffer for the weeks to come.

I will try to keep this updated as I make more progress. I see so many others managing to keep their threads updated, and I did well when I had the blog, so I have faith in my ability to keep posting at least once in a while. Now, if I can just keep painting at the same time.

Malifaux Grow League

November 3^rd, 2013 - February 25th

With the rise of 2^nd edition, and the influx of some newer players, it is time to run an escalation painting league. The idea here is to help everyone develop a new master and their crew from nothing, all the way up to an event ready force. This is a casual play league, and as such, your win/loss record will have no bearing on the final results. Instead, this will be an achievement based league, with modeling and painting playing a heavy part. At the end, prizes will be handed out based on achievements, and based on final appearance. There may be other prizes if we have enough players involved. I will also be approaching both Millennium Games and Pair A Dice LLC for support on this, so there will be no restriction on where to play.

Achievements: The achievement system will be much like the ones we have had in the past, with some alterations. First off, there will be a packet of generic achievements that can be earned at any time during the league. Then, there will be a sheet of achievements for each period of the league, which will only be earnable during that period. When you make an achievement, it is your responsibility to get your opponent to initial and date it. At the end of the league, the achievements will be totaled up, and the winner(s) will be determined.

Painting: As this is a painting league, pained miniatures are required. But, you must be starting from scratch more or less. The crew you declare must be one you have not used in painted form before this league. There will be a staring value for your crew, and then the value will increase by a certain amount of Soulstones each period of the league.

Start up: To join the league, a registration fee of $20 must be paid to me by the start date. At the start of the league, you will be expected to have a henchman and 15 soulstones worth of other models painted and ready for play. Basing will not be required at this point, but it is still encouraged, and will be required at a later time in the league.

Late join ups are allowed and encouraged. They will be given a bonus amount of points related to how late they have joined. This will make up for having missed prior weeks of achievements. They will also be given some leeway on the painting requirement for their first period. There will also be an achievement for bringing a new player in to the league.

Locations:

Pair-A-Dice LLC - 274 Goodman St N - Rochester, NY 14607 - (585) 442-8506

Millennium Games - 3047 W Henrietta Rd - Rochester, NY 14623 - (585) 427-2190

Schedule:

(Subject to change)

Period 1: “Just getting started!” November 3^rd – November 16^th

Henchman plus 15 soulstones worth of models painted. 10 Soulstone games on a 2x2 table.

Period 2: “Let’s get the ball rolling!” November 17^th – November 30^th

Henchman plus 25 soulstones worth of painted models. 15 soulstone games on a 2x2 table.

Period 3: “Really warming up now!” December 1^st – December 14^th

Henchman plus 35 soulstones worth of painted models. 25 soulstone games.

*** Periods four and five have Master or Henchman as a leader. If/when you have painted your master, your Henchman will count towards your soulstone total.***

Period 4: “Time to catch up!” December 15^th – January 4^th

Master/Henchman and 45 soulstones worth of painted models. 35 soulstone games.

Period 5: “Almost there!” January 5^th – January 18^th

Master/henchman and 55 soulstones worth of painted models. 40 soulstone games.

Period 6: “The real deal!” January 19^th – February 1^st

Master and 65 soulstones worth of painted models. 50 soulstone games.

Period 7: “Now for the kitchen sink!” February 2^nd – February 15^th

Master and 75 Soulstones worth of painted models. 60 soulstone games.

Painting voting: February 16^th – February 22^nd

Awards: February 25th

Good points about random pairing. I'm just giving info so the OP can make an informed decision!

About the painting I think that it should be independent, simply because a player might not vote for the best army based on bias at having won/lost to a player. While a flat point bonus is helpful for having a basic painted force (eg 1 point for colours 1 point for basing and 1 point for highlighting/details/etc) I'm talking about a seperate small prize for best painted. It means that people who aren't interested in hard core tournament play have an incentive to enter.

When it comes to giving a painting prize, I tend to try to bring in an outside person. Usually I will grab some of the store staff and have them judge it. Doesn't always work, but it has in the past, and it is an idea I don't often see used.

For small local level events, particularly when filled with a group of more casual players, I will give the first round some extra time. Most casual players usually need a game to get into the timed game mindset. I don't usually announce the extra time, but I plan for it.

I have done raffle based prizes with some success. Each player gets a ticket for playing. Then give out 1 ticket per player for a draw, and 2 tickets for a win. End of the day, raffle off some prizes. Gives all of the players some chance at loot, while the top player will get a trophy. If you want a new player friendly format, do the same thing, but the loser gets the tickets. If going this route though, Trophy should come with a prize of its own as well.

I'll put in another vote for the toolbox and magnets approach. I am big on custom basing. Between that and the poses on these models, there is no way my stuff is going in foam.

2nd edition is fully here, and that makes this a great time to introduce new people to the game. There have been many people who have either expressed interest, or have mentioned friends who have expressed interest.

So, this Sunday, October 6th, Pair A Dice will be hosting a demo day. If you want to learn about Malifaux, come on down. If you have a friend (or two or three) who have expressed interest, or a friend you want to convince to try it out, bring them along. Even if you are a player who has not played in some time and want to try out the new edition, come join us.

There will be a raffle during the day. Each person will be given a ticket. Bringing a friend will earn you another ticket. Other tickets will be handed out for various reasons I think of on the day. At the end of the day, I will raffle off a few picks from the prize box.

So come on down and have some fun. Maybe even win something.

Where: Pair A Dice Games LLC

274 N. Goodman Street, Rochester, New York 14607

When: October 6th from noon til 6 pm.

Fee: NONE!!!

Two other methods:

1) Thin strips of plasticard. You can quickly and easily score it using a modeling miter saw dragged across them sideways. The, glue them either directly in the base (with lots of fiddling) or glue them on a solid sheet of plasticard which you then cut into inserts. Paint as normal.

2) Green stuff. Flatten a glob of it into a base, deep scoring with a tool to define the boards, and then really light scoring for the grain. Once again, paint as normal.

There are pros and cons to all of these methods. Ultimately, you pick what works for you in look and difficulty of process.

Oh, and as an alternative to balsa wood, wooden coffee stirrers are pretty popular too.

You could do something similar to Mako's Paint along. No contest, just people working together and supporting each other.

I have yet to find a model I could not pin. You just need to practice at it, and get the right size bit and rod. It does take a steady hand to do the really small things like Torakage feet (or Ramos's spiders.) Now, I would not recommend this for everyone, because some people just have trouble keeping their hands that steady. So, barring that, the above advice is the way to go.

Nope. I assume it is for Chronicles 8. I got to the 7th without an issue.

I also had this issue.

I just don't know if I have any yellows that would really suit without being like 'McDonalds' yellow

Ah yes...a line likely to precipitate more paint purchasing. "I'm not sure I have any xxxxx to be able to paint this without making it look like xxxxxx."

Traditionally in heraldry, gold can also be yellow, so that is an easy answer. I would go with a deeper yellow, like GWs old Iyanden Foundation paint. Will be easier to highlight as well as metalics can be tricky.

I find that bigger is sometimes easier as you don't have to be as precise on such a small scale. Easier to clean up the mistakes.

I like it. I wouldn't go too much bigger unless you just intend to extend the wings. Keep it so the head is up against the plate and the tail is against the bottom border.

Edit: Now that I'm looking at the photos, I can see 100 touch ups that need doing. Mostly the bum plate. *sigh*

That's always the way with photos. They really help you see what you miss. This is both a good and bad thing. Good in that it can help you, bad in that you will always see problems in your own work.

As for how big, it looks like if you scale up a bit from what you drew in, you could have the head come up to just below the rear plate, and have the upper wings curl around the plate, sort of bracketing the whole thing. Could be an interesting effect.

I sort of want to do this, but I will be focusing on another project for a while, and have to real intention of doing freehand on any of it. (Other than some numerals I suppose).

Ok, why is that upside down???

Because it wanted to have a good time.

I had to do a double take because your RG looks enough like mine that I was wondering how it ended up in the UK.

I chose the lazy + cheap approach. I found metal washers at my local hardware store that were around the right size for 30 and 40 mm bases. On the slotless bases from the new plastics they actually fit perfectly on the underside of the base, attached with a bit of crazy glue.

I also found magnetic vent covers; thin, flexible magnetic strips used to block off heating/ac vents. I attached one to the bottom of the box I carry my minis in and voila - reverse magnetized bases.

I did that with my goblin army for Fantasy. Metal movement trays with magnetic strips on their carry box. It works ok, but the magnets aren't as strong usually, and this can cause issues.

No, but you do have the arts in general, which is gradually being removed from US schools.

This is gorgeous work, and I am Jealous.

Do you guys have no life over there in Europe? Just spend time honing your painting skills? Most of the best painters I see that post stuff are all from over there. Seriously? Something in the water or what?

It's because Europe knows the arts are important unlike the US education system. (Note, it's the politicians, not the teachers.)

I've had that problem in the past. I used plasticard to increase the height.

I did have taller magnets, but I got them as swag. To be honest, I have been functioning on swag magnets for quite some time. I am actually happy for your links as I have been trying to figure out a good source for new ones. They do come in different sizes though.

Also, the new Wyrd bases are not as deep as the old ones, so the short magnets are not an issue anymore.