Continuing the baggage train...

I'm usually pretty good at remembering from which company I bought my miniatures from (I try and buy from a wide range of producers), but on this occasion I cannot remember, so please remind me if you can.

I remember buying this for my baggage train idea; I like the downtrodden, abjectivity of the peasant and the ox and then decided to load up his cart with some bits which I didn't need but which could be handy for a mercenary baggage train. Quivers of arrows, some shields and a cask of ale in this case. I find these type of miniatures with lots of wood and cloth and little dynamism quite difficult to paint, so I'm pleased to get through it.

Like my previous post, I've half and half based it to fit both of my mini worlds.

The start of a baggage train

3rd Edition Warhammer Armies introduced me to the idea of a baggage train to accompany an army; the riff-raff hanging around for personal gain, the wounded and useless, the non-fighting (and from a gaming perspective - non-playing) characters could add so much flavour and character to an army and spawn a load of ideas about different scenarios. A defensive skirmish to protect the supply line. An ambush of an unsuspecting baggage train, the dawning realisation that a victorious army on the battlefield has been ultimately defeated because it no longer has it's baggage train... and so on.

So a few years ago I got hold of some ex-Citadel, now Foundry mules and quickly painted them up over the weekend.

To allow these models to be used in both city and battlefield environments (and to fit in with the two types of basing I have going on) I decided to go half and half. They can only walk to the right in a Mordheim/Frostgrave/Dungeon setting (cobblestones) and can only walk left on the battlefield.

Or perhaps they are saving wear and tear on their horseshoes by walking on the grass verge next to the road:

It always helps my motivation when painting to think of the miniatures backstory and how they fit into my plans. I currently only have a growing Nurgle army (and I want to do a Carnival/Calvalcade for their baggage - but that's for another day) so I tied these to my Mercenary contingent "The Blotted" and decided to do a little photoshoot where they are being escorted by the mercenary band. Perhaps these mules are carrying the loot and money earnt from another (successful?) venture and the vagabonds are protecting their haul.

Oh and here they are joined by an Otherworld Miniatures mule, in a slightly desolate town (more buildings needed...). The beginnings of a baggage train...?

Gaudy Garb - some unreleased Citadel Wizards

Sometimes I look at my paint rack and think “fuck me, there’s some nice colours on there that I never use”. This is an actual quote from my internal monologue. So it plays out that I wanted to paint something different from my usual limited palette and move into the realms of various bright and vibrant, perhaps even gaudy colours. So last night the task was set; but what models would suit the oranges, greens, pinks, purples and yellows? Well history tells us that the rich like to display their wealth with clashing, colourful clothing so I rummaged around and found these limited release Citadel wizards that I picked up from BOYL a few years ago. I kind of re-imagined then as haughty lords in a tavern and will again play them as npcs, but I wanted them to look like foppish dicks flouting their vivid couture in a grimy Inn, looking completely out of place. I’ll do a photoshoot of that asap (now that I’ve completed my tavern workers) too.

Imagine a couple of Barbarians entering the Spotted Dog and seeing these two twats ordering half flagons of shandy and sipping carefully on them [scenario/photoshoot opportunity] Maybe they do have a magical air about them though so the Barbarians should be wary...

Talking of out of place, I’ve got a real urge to post these on the Dark Age of Sigmar (Aos28) group.

Tavern crew - Otherworld NPC’s

Otherworld Miniatures produce some really excellent miniatures, particularly their npc and adventurer range. So it would be rather remiss of me to not buy some and paint them up to add to my tavern interior collection.

I've got a couple more npcs to paint up and then I'll show them in all their glory inside the Spotted Dog tavern.

Black Scorpion Miniatures NPCs

I've been building a fair bit of fantasy scenery recently and I always feel that the buildings are missing something until they have miniatures added to them. The buildings provide a context for a narrative, but the models will create it and of course the most common way for a story to unfold is when a battle or skirmish unfolds amongst the scenery; the fighters going for it against the backdrop of a battlefield. But I also like to include a few npc's in there too, either mixed up with the fighting, or setting a scene before a skirmish or adventure starts.

So I did a bit of shopping and found these lovely npc characters from Black Scorpion Miniatures Tombsone civilian range. I was most keen on the barkeep, patron and blacksmith to populate my (nearly complete) coaching inn and forge, but the doctor character may also provide some ideas for a future project..

They are gorgeous resin sculpts and a real pleasure to paint. I painted the blacksmith and the barkeep first, both with deliberately drab colours and then switched up my paint palette to some more vibrant colours for the patron and the doctor:

I'm now plotting an-depth photo shoot. Be patient...

An executioner and his prisoner

As I explore a range of different miniature manufacturers, I came across Midlam Miniatures who do several great ranges of quite old school metal models, that are incredibly well sculpted and for very reasonable prices. I was tempted by the slightly scrawny orcs for my Warlock of Firetop Mountain project, but in the end I was seduced by the characterful range of villagers and townsfolk to add to my collection of various npc's. So to accompany my recent scratch-built torturers rack, I got hold of an executioner and his prisoner, as they can also create a new narrative for my games with the kids (and other future games):

I think the executioner has a good side and can be swayed from his grisly task. I wonder whether the adventurers will take that path when they encounter him? I think I need to add a male prisoner too so I'm not relying on the cliched damsel in distress idea; my daughters game with female heroes and they warm to lead female heroines in films (Princess Leia and Rey as two Star Wars examples), so instead they could save the captured (helpless) Duke for example. I'll need to source a new mini for this then...

Posing for the camera in his torture room.

Will he let her go and rebel against his dungeon lord?

The Chef

Black Scorpion Miniatures provided me with this wonderful, resin sculpt to add to my growing npc troupe. He'll work in the kitchen of the dungeons (those minions need to be fed and even the prisoners need gruel) and double up as part of my imagined baggage train for a future project. So for now I present the chef, in his kitchen, brandishing some sharp kitchen tools. Fancy pilfering from his larder?:

Goldhammer. A noble and his dungeon coinage

All gamers need piles of gold, either to expand their collecting habits in the man-cave or for a gaming focus in a dragon's cave. The gold tokens and chests I've used here are a combination of Dark Arts studios and an old citadel lead one (a contrast in weight and detailed texture) and painted simply before the addition of some craft jewels and some gold glitter to add the sparkle that all adventurers seek. I've seen a few other blogs do something similar and the affect is very appealing and easy to achieve and will look great for games of Heroquest, Frostgrave or even for a 3rd edition WFB scenario...

I've also painted up a Citadel merchant/noble to accompany the coins, who'll act as an npc in games, I can imagine him counting the coins with real lust and then commanding some underling dungeon minions to distribute them across the dungeon on behalf of Baron Sukumvit or some such ....

NPC Central (and the start of a baggage train).

I'm on a bit of a mission to get a range of npc's ready for my future games, be that Heroquest, Frostgrave, Mordhiem or WFB; I just feel they can add a whole lot of additional interest to a game by adding small side quests or passing on information to a band of adventurers for example. And they increase the visual spectacle/experience. I also harbour the idea of a having a not-so-merry band of mercenaries having an entourage accompany them as they ply their trade across foreign lands. Those mercenaries will need food, entertainment, weapons, baggage etc and of course these trades double up in other fantasy settings where they may be more insitu. The former idea will see them following as part of a baggage train and the latter alongside my dungeon scenery to be found in taverns, castles etc.

To start with I've delved into my old Rensburg Empire Army and cherry-picked the most appropriate figures for this task. I painted these a fair few years ago but never compketed the project as an army (one day, one day) and used some of them at a previous BOYL as part of a scenario driven RoC warbands game. I've painted and added another slave girl and the walking spell on familiar to the mix too:

Amongst this group you can see an executioner (perfect for my dungeon room with scratchbuilt rack on the way), some sorcerers (will be using the Heroquest altar with sacrificial slave girls), a very old Marauder villager woman, a scribe (alchemist?) with hound who could be seen with a bookcase or indeed the alchemists workbench.

To add to this group I decided to steer away from Citadel and explore other ranges, so I've just received some cheap Reaper Bones villagers, some beautifully old school Otherworld Npc's and some very cool looking Tombstone civilians from Black Scorpion Miniatures. Just need some wagons from 4Ground next to complete the baggage train idea.

I'll start painting these up when I return from the excitement of Bring Out Your Lead at the Foindry, Newark this weekend where I'm planning on playing some Coldhammer (Frostgrave/1st edition mash up), Judge Dredd vs zombies, some Advanced Heroquest, Advanced Sapce Crusade and will help GM some RoC warbands games too..

The Rat Catcher (an npc)

I bought this figure from the Foundry whilst at BOYL last year and wanted to get him painted before my return visit to Nottingham, next weekend. I've also got a few other npc's that I'd like to get stuck into (with a paint brush) over the coming weeks to accompany the dungeon furniture I've also been working on. I like the idea of being able to include them all in games to help progress the narrative and to create a prettier picture.

He may need a bigger cage (and may not be quite so affectionate) to the bigger rats emerging from the sewers...

I think he needs some sort of logo / pattern or text on his sash - any ideas?

I put a bit more effort into the base for this miniature, leaving the slotta opening uncovered by greenstuff when sculpting the cobbles, to act as an open drain and I then used a little plasticard / rod for the rusted pipe and drain cover.

A bit of Nurgle's Rot mixed in with some Woodland Scenics water effects were poured into the sealed gap to create the look of running sewage.

I found this picture online which obviously heavily influences the sculpt and I did consider using a range of black and white clothing on him.

In the end I decided to use some of the striking yellow and red patterns that I remember from the Pied Piper of Hamlyn on my Rat Catcher's shirt and stockings.

But I also wanted to give him a bit of a dapper look with a tweed overcoat based upon this.