D&D 5e Test Run

I played a game of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition!

My buddy Lord Grimskull ran a session of D&D 5e about a month ago. There were 4 PCs, although one player couldn't make it.

We started with some experience. Since 3rd level is a big power boost and there is a career path choice, the DM decided we would be 2nd level.

As soon as we started "rolling" up characters I was taken aback... point... buy... abilities... !?!?! Yep, the standard in 5e is stat buy... no rolling 3d6 for your abilities. This was different. I know 3rd and 4th edition had optional point buy rules, but in some way it felt wrong. 

The basic stat block is 15/14/13/12/10/10. I think everyone else took that. I chose to take the extreme of 15/15/15/8/8/8. With my racial bonus, I ended up with 17/15/15/10/8/8. The game is designed so you CAN NOT have a starting character with an ability over 17. In fact you would have to take the extreme starting stat block like I did and put two of the 15s in your racial prime stats to end up with two 17s (17/17/15/8/8/8).

It took about 2 hours to get 4 2nd-level characters rolled-up created. We were an adventuring group that had been together for at least 2 missions. The most recent was simple goblin extermination. Our party consisted of a Dragonborn Rogue (me), a Human Wizard, a Gnome Cleric (NPC), and an Elf Paladin. The game starts as we arrive back at the small logging village that hired us to hunt gobbos.

After a night of kicking back and spending our recently acquired coin, things started going awry late that night: Weird sounds, a dead body, missing grave stones, and a dense wall of fog surrounding the village. We survived the night. The next day, the fog spoke to us, threatening our lives. We dug here the missing grave stones were to find there were no bodies at all. Mid-day, the leader of the village guards went into the fog and never came back. We rallied the villagers to build up defenses.

Before night-fall we built a roof-bridge between the watch tower, the temple and the barracks. We put all of the food and supplies in the temple, and anyone who couldn't fight went in the barracks. we tried digging pits between buildings and boarding up windows, but we only managed to get the south face finished before the second night.

We were attacked by strange undead. I lost track of how many varieties, but it was at least 3--The "grunts", a long legged fast type, and ones with a 20' tongue attack that grabbed you like a lasso. The night did not end well.

The map shows were we left things. The figures laying down in buildings are actually on the roof (and alive). The one figure in the upper right laying down in the street was a prominent figure. We lost over half the fighting villagers (most of them were guard-types). If things go the same the next night, Im not sure we will make it through! 

This was supposed to be a one-night test drive of 5e, but things ran long. Everyone had fun and thants the point of all this anyway, right! We are planning to finish up in the near future.

Warmachine Cryx Color Test 3

Getting closer...

On this go around, I've added more corrosion and rust. I also added a dark wash and highlight to the bone. At this point, I think I am calling it done. All that is left is finishing the base.

I struggled getting the correct white balance from my camera outside. I finally gave up and took these pics with my phone at my workbench.

BFG BatRep – Space Marines vs Imperial Navy 500 pts

More Battlefleet Gothic!! Again I am almost a month late posting a BatRep!

The other day Deathbot wanted to play 40k, but I didn't think we had time. I suggested a game he had never played, but within the same universe... Battlefleet Gothic. He loved the idea. So much so, he talked Mrs Zorcon into playing too!

SET UP:

I broke out my felt starscape, using the game boxes to mark off one board edge to keep the play area manageable.  We played the intro scenario 'Cruiser Clash'. As the name says, the the scenario is meant to be cruisers only, but we included escorts too.

FLEET LISTS:

Each side had 500 points. I decided to give each side 2 cruisers and 2 escort squadrons.

IMPERIAL NAVY (285pts) - Deathbot

• Tyrant Cruiser
• Cobra Destroyer Squadron x3

IMPERIAL NAVY (215pts) - Mrs Zorcon

• Dauntless Light Cruiser
• Sword Frigate Squadron x3

SPACE MARINES (500pts) - Zorcon

• Strike Cruiser
• Strike Cruiser
• Gladius Frigate Squadron x2
• Hunter Destroyer Squadron x3 

TURN 1:

Image terminated by Inquisitor Nicodemus from the source of transmission.

TURN 2:

This was taken after the Imperial Navy's turn, before the Space Marine's turn. Both sides fired torpedoes, forcing the opponent to take evasive maneuvers. 

TURN 3

Image terminated by Inquisitor Nicodemus from the source of transmission.

This is the only image of turn 3 to make it through the communication black out. It shows the miraculous luck of the Imperial Navy's Dauntless Cruiser as 4 waves of Thunderhawks and a torpedo salvo 6 strong slam into its hull.

TURN 4:

The Imperials lost their capitol ship (taking out a Space Marine Gladius Frigate in the explosion), and the light cruiser was crippled. Morale was lost and the Imperial Navy surrendered.

The game took about 2.5 hours--Re-learning and teaching the rules added quite a bit of time. Reguardless, Deathbot, and surprisingly Mrs Zorcon had a good time.  So much so, we have already planned the next game!

Warmachine Loot

Scoooooooore!

I just received a recent FleaBay purchase. These figures retail for $165 new and I got them for $40. I am quite stoke about the deal even though there is one figure I can't use. While this lot duplicates some of what I already have, the 2 minis back row and center are ones that I wanted to eventually get. They retail for $55--The entire lot was about 30% of that price!

Granted, some of the figures were sold already broken and a few more broke in transit. But nothing that isn't easy to fix.

I now have enough Cryx to field a 100 point force. Although I have no idea what I am doing, or if I have a cohesive force! :P

Warmachine Cryx Color Test 2

Now I am getting somewhere!

Just a few days ago, I posted my first attempt at my first Warmachine figure. That post was full of firsts as it was also my first time using GW's technical paints Ryza Rust and Nihilakh Oxide. Well I think I have sorted out how to use them. Now I have tried my hand at two more firsts! To get the effects seen below, I used for the first time GW's Typhus Corrosion and FW's Orange Rust powder.

Pictures taken with my phone.

This is exactly how I envisioned it in my head! Just a few more finishing touches before I fill in the 'swamp' with water effects.

I really like how the rust powder added a 3D layer. I inadvertently obliterated all of the 'corrosion' on the brass/copper parts with an orange ink wash that was too intense.

Strange angle, but it shows the inside of the base a little better.

BFG Color Test

I've decided to repaint my Imperial Navy.

Here is a test color scheme.

I realize that the last thing I should be taking on is repainting an already completed army, but the current color scheme has never set well with me. Its not the execution--I put a ton of effort and detail into the previous efforts.

Warmachine Cryx Surprise!

An early Birthday gift?

Adeptus-B surprised me with a small gift last Saturday... A Warmachine Cryx Stalker Bonejack!

It was used, but unpainted and in good shape. The figure was broken off is't base, which was OK as I was going to re-base it anyway!

I grabbed one of my resin 'swamp' bases and experimented with some positions. Nothing looked good. I realized it was how the legs were positioned. So I broke off three of the legs. First, I re-attached the front left leg as if it was raised, about to pierce an enemy.

Then I fiddled with the rear legs. I tried about every position and angle, but still nothing look right. Then I accidentally held up a leg backwards and... That I liked!

BFG Grey Knight Allies Showcase

My Battlefleet Gothic mojo is in full gear!

Way back in 2010 I nearly completed these two Strike Cruisers. Today, I just finished them, along with their Attack Craft.

These will be part of an Inquisitorial detachment to my Aquamarine Fleet... I am working on those ships too!

Warmachine Cryx Color Test

My first painted Warmachine figure!

My first go 'round was not as successful as I had hoped. I tried the "new" GW technical paints Ryza Rust and Nihilakh Oxide. I need a little more practice with them to get the desired effect. Overall, I'm happy with the concept of black/bone with rusted-metal/corroded-copper.

Talisman 2ed Figure Collection (part 7)

The final installment of this series!

Here we have a number of unofficial figures for the remaining official Talisman 2ed characters. I have included the in-game character art this time as a comparison to the figures I have chosen.

The main hurdles in finding/converting Talisman 2ed figures is scale and style. During this era of figure sculpting, GW exaggerated heads and hands and had a sense of humor too. Miniatures were full of character and were themselves caricatures.  The other issue is that 25mm = 25mm--No Heroic Scale here.

So, when selecting a miniature, the most appropriate selections are vintage miniatures and companies that currently sculpt in a cartoonish style at a small (compared to today) scale.

My main source of modern miniatures has been Mega Miniatures. But to my recent chagrin they have closed their doors and sold off their master molds. Last I checked, their website was up with links which company bought what.

The other figures I have used were found in my bitz box, collected over the last 3 decades.

The Templar, High Mage, Champion of Chaos, and Herald

The Templar was an old figure I had. I cut off the helmet crest.

The High Mage is a Mega Mini. I added a small hexagon shaped bauble on top of his staff.

The Champion of Chaos is made from GW's first box set of multi-part chaos warriors. 

The Herald came with a long wire meant to be a banner pole. I added a metal spear in its stead with the plan of adding a small flag. I do not recall where this mini came from.

The Mystic, Master Thief, Sheriff, and King's Champion

The Mystic is a stand in until I find a better suited option. This one is a Mega Mini.
The Master Thief in also a Mega Mini. No conversions.
I found the Sheriff in my bitz box. Also no conversions.
The King's Champion is a very old figure. I think he came with a D&D Battle Systems box set in the mid 80s. He came with a wire banner pole, ad I will be adding a sword in its place.

The Valkyrie and Dragonrider

The Valkyrie is a bit too big, but I have not had much luck in finding a smaller scale appropriate figure. I have a female winged helmet head to replace the original head.
The Dragonrider will be a combination of a mid 80's metal figure that had its sword replaced with a plastic lance and a plastic D&D Miniatures Green Dragon,

For completeness, I have included the in-game character images for these 4 previously shown figures in past posts of this series: The Questing Knight, The Minotaur, The Dragon Priest, and  The Dragon Slayer.

Well, that is it for this series. However, while compiling these posts and pictures, I made note of some later edition characters and home brew characters over on www.talismanisland.com that do not have 2nd edition equivalents. As I find appropriate figures, and finish painting the ones from this series, I will update my progress.

Dark Heresy Character Showcase - Psyker mk III (part 4)

I completely lost motivation to finish the last 5%  of this figure... Its been almost a year since my last post! 

Well, finally its done and the wait was worth it! The newest version of my Dark Heresy character is complete.

Besides adding all the finishing details, I made a significant change since my last post:

I pulled off the two pistol holsters and re-applied them a little farther apart. Then I relocated the Inquisitorial Icon from hanging off the back of the belt to hanging off the chain on his chest. Finally, I added a rolled up scroll under the back pack.

There is not much else to say that I haven't mentioned in Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3. Now all that is left to round out our cadre is to finish is the feral Scum.

You can check out the entire cadre of acolytes in each of its iterations here:

My Dark Heresy Cadre of Acolytes
My Dark Heresy Cadre of Acolytes mk 2
My Dark Heresy Cadre of Acolytes mk 3

To see other custom Dark Heresy figures click here:

Dark Heresy Character Showcase - Cleric
Dark Heresy Character Showcase - Scum
Dark Heresy Character Showcase - Guardsman
Dark Heresy Character Showcase - Tech Priest
Dark Heresy Character Showcase – Adept

BFG Terrain & Turning Key Project

I recently played 2 games of Battlefleet Gothic with Deathbot (and surprisingly) my wife. I haven't played for probably 10-12 years so I was *very* rusty on the rules. The first game was pretty rough and took quite a long time to play, but the second game went much better. Basic rules IN vs SM 500 points.

Anyway, this isn't a BatRep. The games really inspired me to make some terrain! Back in the day I scratch built some orbital defenses, a large space station, and a bunch of large asteroids. But I wanted to have an option for all of the table top features mentioned in the BBB. I also liked the GW PDF article "New Phenomena". So I sat down at the computer and went to work. Here is what I have so far:

What you see here is a combination of original creations and modified Google finds. Here is a list of what is there:

Asteroid Field x6 (2 ea of 10 x 5 cm, 15 x 5 cm, 15 x 10 cm)
Asteroid Ring x9 (45° segments @ 30 x 7 cm)
Comet (20 x 5 cm)
Gas Belt x11 (150 liner cm @ 5 of 10 x 7 cm, 6 of 25 x 6 cm)
Gas Cloud x4 (1 ea of 15 x 2 cm, 30 x 6 cm, 20 x 12 cm, 10 x 25 cm) 4-6 more to come
Gas Ring 1 x9 (45° segments @ 35 x 10 cm)
Gas Ring 2 x9 (45° segments @ 24 x 5 cm)
Meteor Shower (15 x 5 cm)
Mine Field x6 (2 ea of 10 x 5 cm, 15 x 5 cm, 15 x 10 cm)
Small Planet (15 cm dia)
Small Planet (25 cm dia)
Medium Planet (32 cm dia)
Medium Planet (40 cm dia)
Large Planet (50 cm dia) Will be cut into 2 pieces
Large Planet (80 cm dia) Will be cut into 4 pieces
Plasma Cloud x3 (1 ea of 8 x 5 cm, 15 x 4 cm, 30 x 12 cm)
Vortex x2 (1 ea of 5 cm dia, 15 cm dia)
Warp Rift x3 (1 ea of 30 x 5 cm, 15 x 10 cm, 20 x 10 cm)
Sun-ward Edge x2 (80 x 4 cm) Will be cut into 2 pieces

I also plan on making a huge planet edge (90-120cm wide, 20-35 cm deep), similar to the sun-ward edge piece above, to place along a table edge including atmosphere, low orbit, high orbit, and a gravity well.  I have ideas for some scratch built planetary defenses and I think this will make a great scenario/battlescape. If it works out, I will probably make something similar to indicate low orbit and a gravity well of each of the 6 planets above.

When playing, I noticed my wife and son really struggled with the fiddly movement process. I sketched out an idea and cut out a prototype during the game. It worked well so I moved to the design process. This is what I came up with:

The "divots" are meant to be placed on the post of the flying stand. I also have a 20 cm version of the Range Key. After a few more games I will decide if I need and additions or adjustments.

Salamander Tanks WIP

New additions to Deathbot's Salamander force.

I assembled a pair of tanks the other day. Both of these were hand-me-downs from Laertes from his last purge just before moving to Arizona.

Land Raider. This was my first "modern" imperial tank build. I added the quotes because(I don't think this is the current version of the model. All of my previous tank builds are from the Rogue Trader era.

I am going back and forth weather or not to magnetize the doors and sponsons. In the meantime, I need them off to prime the interior.

Predator. My second "modern" tank! The kit was actually a Chaos Rhino. I put the chaos sprue in my bitz box, and added a turret aquired from a previous eBay purchase. The turret was broken when I got it and needs some green stuff repair.

Currently, I am looking for a pair of Predator sponsons with weapons for around $10-12 or without for about $6-8 to finish up the build.

I'm not sure if the kits were missing the accessory sprues when I got them, or if I had already canalized them. Whatever it was, when I dug the models out to build them, there were none to be found. Fortunately, I have plenty of hatches in my bitz box. However, I was all out of smoke launchers and searchlights. Since taking these pictures, I found a set of 10 of each on the ever-giving eBay for about $12.

Here is the most recent Progress Chart. There is a lot of painting ahead, and Deathbot reminds me every day!

Until next time!