Weird Expansion

 My reading has remained fixed on the subject of weird fiction. I find the genre very enjoyable - although a little hit and miss - perhaps due to the nature of the writing (ie: to fit into a regular magazine with a fixed audience.) 

Of all, Lovecraft and Smith I enjoy the most with Howard producing some fine tales ... many of which almost leave the horror genre and become action stories. Howard did revisit stories several times, this includes ideas or themes, but these did get better (I'm thinking about the development of the degenerate underground race best illustrated in 'Worms of the Earth.) I can detect Machen's view of fairy creatures here. 

I'm looking forward to reading the critical analysis of Joshi and the horror fiction of Bloch (I would like to read more of his stories later - I've listen to a few and very much enjoy his style and humour.) I have also found Blackwood to be excellent - but due to his writing in an earlier period style, a modern reader needs to persevere. 

Postcards from the Lagoon

 I have posted images of my ADLG 15mm late medieval Venetians before but I wanted to show off some better images. Now I'm on hols, I can take photos in the day more easily and natural light makes for better images with my crappy old phone. In any case here they are. I'm very pleased with the results.  

(My beloved Captain General ... and what a banner! Pete's Flags ... what a champion!) 

(Medium cav XB, Hungarian LC Bow and knights aplenty in rear)

(LF - XB, Handgun, Bow ... and the main battle line behind.)

(My beloved mercenary pike and MF - or HF - 2HW - with that superstar = heavy artillery.) 

The miniatures were Mirliton - who were a bit hit and miss. When the miniatures are good they are very good BUT there is a little too much size variation in regard to the longbow and some weakness (too thin) around weapons - especially lances. I particularly liked the Italian crossbow, pikes, stradioti and all the knights. I do like the longbowmen too but they are just head and shoulders larger than the other foot miniatures.

(Knights and stradotti - a single bases of LC XB far left)

(My XB line - Italian and Dalmatian) 

All up - I do really like the army - I'm just going to have to be very careful in handling it. 

(Hand gunners, Longbow, Knights and stradotti) 

(Medium cav XB - magnificent troops - more knights and Hungarian LC Bow)

I must say that the Condotta army in ADLG is AWESOME!!! 

It has ALL the toys with some wonderful options. I love the medium foot 2HW for operating in, and charging out of, rough terrain. These are deadly. Two bases of elite longbow are very powerful especially included in a cavalry command. The amount of light foot is very dangerous for other western medieval armies - and these are very well protected by the stradotti who are a significant threat. Once maneuvered through the enemy line they can sack the camp or attack a flank or rear wonderfully. Pike and dismounted knights are a VERY powerful combination and that single heavy artillery to plink away at the enemy forces the opposing general to make decisions - and the result is usually not a good choice for them. 

I love to take a shooty army with knights and pikes to clean up once the arrows finish flying. The sheer amount of hits this army can put on will seriously stack up and push the opponent toward the break point very quickly. Then the pressure mounts as they will snap with not too many routs.

What can I say? The Venetians move well, shoot well and fight well. A great army that involves you in all phases of the game ... and it loves to ambush too (and doesn't mind fighting in some terrain too.) 

(Another image of my XB line ... with dismounted knights bases behind. I have four and am yet to experiment with choosing to dismount my knights. A great addition to a heavy battle line.)

(That's a line of significant heavy hitters ... and boy do they punch on when they do! If my missile line can put a few hits on the target first - its serious trouble when these boys go in.) 

Shadow Deep ... better late than never!

 With this year closing down soon ... I looked at my pitiful amount of posts for 2021 and my cheeks reddened with shame. 

So, with an hour or three up my sleeve this arvo, I decided to play a Rangers of Shadow Deep scenario solo. I have much wanted to see how this game played. It was certainly straight forward, logical and enjoyable - although I do think the first scenario is made to create an easy introduction to the game. 

Below are some photos ... in the end my little group mowed down 10 zombies and 2 giant rats. They found all the secrets (but failed to solve the mystery of the tracks) and walked away with some treasure, herbs, a dead body, a living one and a slightly magical sword. 

My little band gathered near the well in the centre of the deserted hamlet. It was at that moment groans and loud squeeks communicated something was awry. We had been surrounded by enemies with the mystery still afoot! 

An overview of the hamlet. 

The giant rats were quickly killed by the decisive action of Peregrin, my ranger, and the swift arrows of my two archers - Lena and Reynard. The zombies shambling toward out little group would provide a greater challenge.  

With the small board size the zombies closed quickly. 

Sigurd, the barbarian, proved to be worth all the ale he guzzled as he slew all the zombies to arrive in his portion of the table. He protected the archers who then had the opportunity to look for clues. 

Fighting and missile fire erupted in the central area with foes falling without wounding my ranger band. Special events saw another 4 zombies enter the table. These would regularly arrive for much of the early turn replenishing their numbers as swiftly as we could slay them. 

As the game went on, the initial flurry of zombies began to wane and the ranger band had more time to secure the clues - largely unmolested by enemies. 

The great surprise was when my rouge, Ruprecht, thought he had gathered treasure but instead a rotting corpse (once named Franz) rose from the earth to assail him. Luckily, my ranger was not far away. He quickly downed the Fondler and dashed to the rescue ... the rogue was in the party of other reasons than marital skill. 

Peregrin dispatched his foe then ran to engage in several turns of combat against the strongest zombie of the day. Eventually he fell and the two giants rats which arrived late in the game did not reach combat. Peregrin's band had secured all they needed - especially the body of Aventine and a survivor - to aid their further investigation of the dread lurking behind these rotting minions. 

Overall, the game was enjoyable but left me thinking I'd been guided to learn the rules ... not face a challenge. But I'm pretty sure that will be amended when Peregrin follows his leads into the depths of the forest where the spider webs cluster in a most remarkable and chilling manner. 

Lockdown "light" Reading

 I usually only post about wargames, miniatures and painting. 

But over lockdown I have concentrated on reading (and listening) to a specific type of fiction. This is odd as I usually read non-fiction. I re-visited Lovecraft, after initially reading his collected works between the ages of 16-18. I found out about other stories he 'ghost wrote' to varying degrees. 

This book was filled with stories clearly influenced by old HP to a great extent. There were some wonderful stories - including the Horror in the Museum, the Curse of Yig, Out of Aeons (very much seemed like a precursor or heavily influence by the Call) and Two Black Bottles (for the atmosphere it sets alone.) Other tales such as The Horror in the Burying Ground, Medusa's Coil and Man of Stone had some horrible and chilling concepts within. 

This return to a much loved author set me on the path of his Supernatural Horror in Literature essay - which I had not read in 25 or more years. It pathed the way to the next lockdown read - Arthur Machen. The reading is much harder - due to the time in which he wrote - but the concepts are again thrilling, chilling and disturbing. This is just what the doctor ordered when reading weird fiction. The Great God Pan begins with a truly awful experiment than has dire and long reaching consequences. 

Then finally, a correspondent and friend of HP - Clark Ashton Smith. This is my second attempt at reading his tales. My first efforts were not effective - I felt stories (I'm thinking of you 'Geas') had wonderful beginning concepts then trailed away to rather pointless and aimless paths. Years later, I ordered the above Penguin and what a different a discerning choice of stories makes. These were wonderful mind and vocabulary expanding tales. The Vault of Yoh Vombis was a macabre extravaganza housed in a sci-fi setting and at the root of many modern films. That tales alone was worth the price. Clark's imagination seemingly knew no bounds or limits of wonder. 

I have also been listening to the tales of M R James while painting and Algernon Blackwood - whose tales I am resolved to buy as a physical text. 

I must make a final note - last eve I listened to Clark Ashton Smith's 'The Seeds from the Sepulchre." This is a truly frightening tale of horror with blasphemous and sinister developments. 

A masterpiece of weird fiction! 

ADLG 15m Venetians Complete

Looking at the photos, it really doesn't look like too many figs. A major benefit of ADLG is that each army doesn't demand too many miniatures. Despite that, there are around 80-100 infantry and about 60 cavalry in the force. A tidy sum. 

I had no inkling that I would paint a Venetian force from the outset - in fact i wanted a all purpose Italian army. It didn't turn out that way as Venice called me. The history did it really as the Venetians were embroiled in many major conflicts. Interesting condottieri commanders such as Attendolo, Piccinino and Colleoni made my choice easy. The Venetians fought all and sundry in north Italy and beyond - not always successfully (which I find another drawing factor.) 

I used Mirliton miniatures. I'm not sure I would choose this range again. There are many fine details - too fine with hands that are not easy to drill nor details easy to hit with a brush. Overall, i think there is a softness to the metal that could be improved. Having said that - the casts and minis speak for themselves in what is an attractive and period accurate force. Just a couple more flags to the knight bases will really make this force 'pop.' 

Not only do I have the Venetians basics for the list but a range of options too. A good mix of melee and missile foot support a strong knight option - 8 bases if needed or affordable. The new addition of 4 bases of dismounted knights give the army flexibility. I can now run an all mounted force or a strong foot army depending on my opponent or desire at the time. 

The mix of many heavy and light troops make the Venetians very versatile. A great force for ambushes (as I have already demonstrated against a pedestrian German medieval force) and flank marches - or just the threat of either to discombobulate the foe. Onward, ... for the Doge! 

 

Brutal Bullies ... New Ogre Guards

In continuation of my latest fantasy project, I painted two Reaper Bones Ogre miniatures. They are excellent value and the large, solid form of the ogres removes the plastic softness common to the Bones range. I like the sculpts as each ogre oozes a flabby muscularity and menace displayed in the skulls each carries. 

How will these fit into my project? And ... what is my project? It started as Mordheim - but is well beyond that now - although ogres do feature in that game. I decided to buy and paint these two to fit into Rangers of Shadow Deep .. if I ever play that game. I have all the terrain and figs for it (well, I just ordered some $3 plastic spiders to fulfill that final need.) 

They do fit into my new beastman warband rather well ... hmmm. 

If not, will they take the field in Frostgrave - if I ever play that ... or something else? I'm sure they will get some use and I do like the figs - even though I found so much skin and muscle a struggle to paint. The idea of role play bounces around my head ... but is then thrown out again - I think I'd feel silly at 50 sitting around a table trying to be a gnome. 

In any case, the ogres have arrived ... whether they will be brutal line breakers in a battle or dull witted guards to bypass remains to be seen. 

 

Heroes ... to stand against the tide of Evil!

 

After completing my Middenheim Warband, and a couple of sundry barbarians, I felt my human forces still needed to be bolstered to face evil. 

After all, I do possess - skaven, undead, ghosts, ghouls and now beastmen - representing evil. 

A square up was needed - so I consulted the Reaper catalogue. 

Responding the the call was the witch finder - I don't have a name yet. This figure is part of the Bones range and is an excellent plastic miniature. He is stylish and elegant but full of latent menace. 

The second warrior was a brave woman representing the fierce spirit of the North ... a valkyrie. I won't be using her as a supernatural being but rather a warrior champion of the northern kingdoms. 

The model oozes Wagnerian charm and is cast in a suitable heroic stance to take on evil. 

Above you can see them confronting the power of a shrine to darkness. 

The first, I'm certain, of many travails ... 

Both are wonderful additions to the human mercenaries and the miniatures embody boldness and fearlessness in the face of any foul denizen of the night. 

The Beastman Warband Grows

My warband of raiders, underlings and all purpose seeders of destruction grows. 

I have 14 out of 20 beastmen completed. Although not varnished ... i can't leave the lockdown to get the varnish I need to finalise. So here they are ... nude. 

I'm very happy with the appearance. I used a slightly different technique than I normally do. I tried to leave more areas of shadow and highlight more sparingly. 

It works really well 'by eye' but not as well under the sharp lens of a shitty phone camera. 

I made a shaman model but neglected a banner. I thought this would communicate more organisation than I wanted this group to have. 

So far, 7 bowmen and 7 melee warriors. 

Six more melee men to come. 

The harsh warhorn has sounded in the wilderness ... and guttural bleating wild cries have echoed in answer from bleak wind torn places. The warband is summoned ... no doubt for ill purpose.