Well, I've gone and 'invested' and completely blown my years budget. Already. In April.
You see, I had a shocking realization. I didn't have many fantasy minis!
Yes, maybe I have 1500+ Lord of the Rings minis. But they are so strongly tied to their IP... it's not a generic forest elf, it's Elrond. They ain't any old ork - they're Saruman's mighty Uruk-Hai!
Yes, technically I have 250+ Warmachine/Hordes. They too are pretty strongly connected to an IP and their unique steampunk vibe makes them even less useful for generic fantasy than my movie-correct LoTR.
What I needed was... some generic fantasy goodness. To fill that grimdark Mordheim-shaped gap in my heart.
So Wargames Atlantic (guards, conquistadors) and Frostgrave/Oathmark (various undead) are getting some $$$. 3D print some dire wolves, add in my existing bitz box/sprue dump of Dark Age warriors/saxons/vikings/cultists and we're already making progress. (Damn, I've done it again. I always claim when I have enough wargame dough I'll buy Titanicus but every time I end up spending the same amount of money in smaller increments. GW's beginner boxes are still too much sticker shock - especially when you need to buy both sides).
Anywhoo, I'll post up some comparison size pics etc - if folk are interested - when the minis arrive.
Why not resin?
I know everyone thinks 3D printing is the second coming, and will revolutionize the hobby.... but I dislike it. I don't like the feel of the material. I don't like how they explode when you drop them or break when they are being painted. I dislike the extra step of cleaning off supports. I dislike the lack of kitbashability. I dislike them far more than the switch from metal to plastic. At least plastic had redeeming features. I quite like the actual 3D printing myself with STLs etc (on my filament printer) but... ....it's a whole separate hobby on its own and I barely have time for this one.
So... ...Mordheim?
Nah. You can't go back. I liked the game back in the day, but the rules are showing their age (unlike MESBG my beloved; which seems to age the same as Keanu Reeves or Paul Rudd). Yes, I printed out the rules, and I'm deliberately ensuring I can make all the base Mordheim warbands, but reckon I'll end up doing my own thing. It's also a good opportunity to experiment with homebrew melee rules. (Allocating attack and defence dice secretly etc like Bushido; I want melee to be more interesting choices than just 'push minis together then chug dice til someone dies.') I also want to experiment with wounds that aren't just disguised, simplified hitpoints - but actually cause cinematic effects and give choices. Maybe I'll smoosh together Bushido and Trench Crusade and stir in d12s. Sounds like a plan.
Symbaroum
The kids and I wanted a dark forest setting (like Amon Hem/Mirkwood in LotR but creepier) and while there wasn't any wargames that specifically did this, we did find a RPG that did (all the books on special in a bundle for $24 at the moment if, like me, you are a person who collects and read rules sometimes without ever intending to play them).
Strong setting? Grimdark Scandinavian forest? Exploring creepy ruins in gangs? Corrupting magic? Slightly nonstandard, offbeat theme but can use generic minis? Yup.
The art is so good my 12 y/o daughter (who loves art) is hassling grandma (an art teacher) about how to reproduce the rulebook's art style (a kind of old fashioned impressionism+lots of light/dark). So now we have some inspiration, and as a bonus many of the minis I make for Mordhiem can do double duty if I borrow Symbaroum factions (there are Black Cloaks aka Witch Hunters, Queens Rangers/Noble Troops aka Mercenaries, Undead/corrupted cults... ...as undead/chaos cults. Elves are ....elves, just the very unfriendly kind. As a bonus, even a RPG has stats I can use as a base for my own homebrew mechanics (probably using d12, which are my favourite dice at the moment: they are lovely and roomy, convert effortlessly from d6s, but are not as 'swingy' as d20s).
French Indian Dino Wars
I tend to try to make terrain for several uses, and not sure if you remember my French Indian Dino Wars craze? I had just seen Last of the Mohicans, and thought "you know what would make these forests creepier? Velociraptors!"
So the forest terrain I'm going to be working on will do double duty. Also I noticed there are some really nice plastic militia sets for bulking out my forces (I love Perry sculpts - same guys who did my favourite MESBG scale).
I feel I can probably upgrade my terrain a bit and pimp out the bases. I have some model railroad trees which 'shed' a lot but an experiment with my daughter's hairspray has seemed to 'fix' this problem - kinda gluing them in place.
In my browsing I also notice some plastic lizardmen with muskets (Wargames Atlantic) who may be purchased to act as the herders of said dinosaurs. Maybe they control the dinos with psychic powers? Mind control. Muskets. Velociraptors. Yep, sounds good.
Painting
This has re-energized my painting. The unfortunate Drukari (alongside orks, the only 40K race not represented in my d12Finity tests) have been put aside. I have to paint more minis than I buy - a rule to clear my backlog. Now I was sitting on +230 minis in recent months but ~100 incoming puts a fair dent on this; so it's off to the shed to get an early start.
My d12Finity seems to work pretty well for shooting games and I may reuse it with some of my remaining Secrets of the Third Reich which await painting (actually the old original rules a pretty good, a bit like Bolt Action it's a 'improved 40k' with suppression, orders etc - plus werewolves! It's basically Konflikt 47 before there was Konflikt 47).
I'm digging around for stuff that may be useful in "The Forest." I've got dark age generic fyrd, Anglo Saxons and some vikings that might do as barbarian forest dwellers. Currently some Mantic skeletons are being painted. I really like Mantic ghouls but their skellies lack depth in their details and are thus surprisingly hard to paint (usually skellies are easy.) FYI, if you are getting into dark age etc - Victrix is the way to go. I have Gripping Beast mostly, and I don't hate them - also their weapons are pleasingly robust - but my goodness, Victrix quality rivals Games Workshop at a fraction of the price. It's just that good. They've even got me considering Napoleonics, an era I have little interest in!
LotR is ur-Fantasy, so I'd have just stuck with them, maybe grab Easterlings or other lesser-known factions, rather than go with GW AoS which is even more specific in aesthetic.
ReplyDelete- GG
I've got ALL the factions for LotR. :-) Just not the Hobbit...
DeleteI'm after generic fantasy - hence why I've avoided GW products, yet picked models that can serve as Mordheim-esque minis but also Symbaroum and other projects. E.g. I reckon medieval dino-riders might be another project....
Not sure where AoS came from...
-eM
I was just warning away from GW's AoS as it's extremely specialized for Fantasy, to the point that I'm not willing to look at it.
Delete- GG
You have 1500 LOTR minis? That is massive
ReplyDeleteI'm not rich either - just bought them in job lots in a lull between the LoTR and Hobbit movies, averaging 50c a mini, and $2 a metal/cav. You know, the assorted bags you get off ebay? Lots of rescue minis.
DeleteEven new it was twice as cheap as other GW, but I think that's changed.
It sat for years, as I had made the project too big, then... COVID. ~700 a year for two years, and filling in rare gaps (or hard to get like Fiefdoms) with 3D prints, of which there is an amazing supply.
Still don't have a Fell beast or giant eagle, but I'm patient....
-eM
Eh, I have roughly 1,000 GW miniatures, almost entirely metal, mostly 40k.
Delete1,500 LotR isn't that much considering the number of factions, plus storage is easier because they're true 25mm vs "heroic" 28mm.
- GG
I love 3D resin printing, and I'm a kitbasher. Back in the day I liked the idea of GW's Inquisitor, but there were few compatible miniatures and so much 54mm was kitbash unfriendly metal, now with the printer I'm realizing my 54mm grimdark future medieval fantasy setting. Also, with the right resin they're no worse than plastic when it comes to fragility. Never had any explode either.
ReplyDeleteI'm aware I'm probably not a majority in my opinion.... but plastic all the way baby (or metal, but that's vanishingly rare). I've bought from a range of resin printers and have had very mixed results...
DeleteI also just don't have time for another extra hobby.
I think the proliferation of plastic kits - like WA, Frostgrave/Oathmark, Perry/Warlord - are the real revolution. Especially as many deliberately make body parts swappable.
-eM
yes, it's amazing how much plastic is out there, and it's nice to see brands like Victrix, Oathmark & WA stick with modularity rather than switch to modern GW monopose. If you like historicals and generic history-adjacent fantasy in 28mm there's an abundant choice. They don't offer the creative variety in designs you see in 3D printing (next to all the generic stuff that is of course also there), but that's ok, most people want the familiar & generic. On occasion I do too :-)
DeleteHave you watched 10,000 BC? I loved the dino things in the forest. Very raptor-esque.
ReplyDeleteNewer FDM printers are able to produce tabletop (not display) quality miniatures at 28mm and getting to plug and play usability. It's not perfect yet but I have faith we'll get there!
I haven't had much luck with the Bambu Lab A1 Mini for 28mm minis. Large robots/mechs, sure. But infantry? Way too brittle. Plus it takes a ton of time to print...
Delete(And cleanup. Cleanup is a bitch with FDM prints. I'd rather remove mold lines from traditional plastic minis!)
DeleteJust watched 10,000BC btw. The turkey raptor thingies are cool.
DeleteI really recommend Primitive War (filmed in Queensland based on the trees). T rexes vs BRDM? Vietnam-but-dinos? It's a good inspiration of "just add dinos" to a war movie theme.
It's certainly not an A-list movie, but I watched with low expectations and really enjoyed myself.
-eM
I'm with you on two things:
ReplyDelete1- 3D printing is mostly not for me. It's a hobby in itself, takes time and room. I simply have my hands full with actual minis and paints. And plastic minis all the way!
2- Wargames Atlantic is your friend here. A good mix of Frostgrave plastics, Oathmark, and Wargames Atlantic is all anybody really needs. And it's simply kitbasher's paradise. You might also want to look into Victrix superb foot knights + upgrade sprue of fantasy bits. You'll be set for life.
If you forget the kitbashing aspect, and can deal with bendy plastics (a big downside, to be clear), the minis from Zombicide Black Plague + expansions are pretty good and characterful, both for heroes and baddies. Wolfsburg comes with an amazing giant zombie wolf. All of those minis paint really well, I know from experience.
Delete3-D printing is fine if you don't care about stairstepped surface texture / roughness. I have similar issues with lasercut MDF.
DeleteInjection mold line and sprue attachment plastic cleanup is much easier, especially now that the Chinese are doing the production - they manage consistent perfect alignment with near zero mold lines. Chinese manufacturing is clearly superior to Japan, to say nothing of America, much less Europe (LOL).
Game minis are incredible, even though recent Kickstarter isn't as great of a deal as it used to be. I kept what I like best, so it's all good.
- GG
Perry sculpts? I see you are also a man of taste and distinction!
ReplyDelete- Eric Farrington
Perry are lovely to paint in that they are not too "busy" with random stuff, being lifelike and not stupid proportions; yet solid enough limbs and weapons to survive the table. It's almost like they were designed by actual wargamers...
Delete-eM
Please skip the generic Fantasy, as we have enough of that. I want you to focus on Dinosaur French-Indian War. We don't have ANY of that.
ReplyDelete-Eric Farrington
Insert Eldorado "why not both?" gif here.
DeleteBut yes, am doing both. I need generic fantasy for my Underworld vampires vs werewolves and possessed cult vs cult games, and Siege of Malta with demons as well...
-eM
IIRC, WGA has a boxed set of plastic Werewolf multi-part minis, so that's easy. Not sure about mutants / possessed or vampires.
Delete- GG
WA Werewolves are definitely on "the purchase spreadsheet" - this is an Excel that shows what projects will use/need what models. My vampire plans are mostly just ordinary minis using various undead heads..
Delete-eM
I can recommend the WGA werewolves, with two caveats: One, the box comes with 20, way more than you can realistically use for any project. Two, they are smaller than you'd guess (in general, WGA minis are on the slimmer side of 28mm) and don't really fit the "huge hulking monster" I had in mind when I bought them.
DeleteIn your mind's eye, just how big are werewolves supposed to be? Wolves themselves are consistently smaller than people, and the absolute largest ones barely reach the size of an adult male (75 kg). For the longest time, werewolves were ordinary people who transformed, as seen in the movies. It wasn't until White Wolf revamped them in Werewolf: the Apocalypse that people started envisioning them as huge, and then, only in their Crinos form. Then Underworld came along made the whole thing super compelling because Kate is SO good in leather.
Delete- GG
I really envision hulking creatures as you describe from the White Wolf and Underworld franchises. This is what I had in mind, and this is what mildly disappoints.
Delete> Kate is SO good in leather.
Preach, brother!
My original plan was for them to face realistically proportioned Perry knights (w vamp heads), so size isn't an issue. Thanks for the warning though! I can 3D print the odd bigger boss wolf if needed - I need some anyway for MESBG.
Delete-eM
I have really wanted to make a "Modern Vampire Campaign Skirmish" set of rules BUT hunting around for the right models that catch what I am looking for has slowed me down. The number 1 killer of projects strikes!
ReplyDelete- Eric Farrington
Sounds like a good project. I've had my eye on Necromunda Delaques for exactly this reason: tell me they don't look like modern vampires! (With appropriate kitbashing to remove unwanted parts).
DeleteI'm currently looking at WA's Agents and Modern soldiers and going to use 3D print or bitz vamp heads/normal heads with very pale paint schemes; the WA werewolves + heads attacheds to agents/soldiers doing something similar for the Lycans.
Delete-eM