2010...the year you can make contact.

Just a quick advertisement for the hobby seminars at next year's Adepticon. This line-up is, if I may say so, incredible. Some of my favorite painters of all time will be there running classes all weekend. I know Adepticon continues to be THE place for tournaments, now including Flames of War and WarMachine. But Adepticon has also become one of the country's best venues for painting, sculpting and related classes and seminars.

Classes have already started filling up.

Additionally, the Warhammer Ancients tournament should include some very cool armies this year, including an early Etruscan force....

I, Gorgon

Our new Ancient World offering is a Roman Senator/Emperor/Consul. Steve did a pretty amazing job actually making him look like Derek Jacobi. Anyone in need of a Roman politician or civilian, look no further.

Scenic Etruria.

I recently did a "photo shoot" for my favorite periodical, Slingshot. If you aren't a member of the Society of Ancients, I recommend joining (http://www.soa.org.uk/). They put out a first-class publication.

Anyway, I was honored with the opportunity to do a cover shot, so I took a bunch of photos of our new Etruscans with some of my terrain; basically some scenic/dioramic photos. They came out pretty well, considering my lack of photography skills. I figured I'd post a few that weren't used by Mark at Slingshot.

FlatCon and Warhammer Ancients

Went down to visit two of my Gorgon compatriots this weekend at FlatCon in Bloomington, Illinois. Not a terrible drive from Chicago; maybe two and a half hours with stops. Anyway, FlatCon was a pretty vibrant gaming convention with a good-sized crowd, decent dealer area and a nice venue. We sort of used it as a "test run" for our Gorgon Studios booth, which will next be set-up at RockCon then Little Wars in 2010. By Little Wars, we should have a very cool table with a good amount of product.

We also used FlatCon as an opportunity to get in a 4-person, 2K point Warhammer Ancients game. We had a Roman/Carthaginian alliance against a Macedonian invasion force. It was a great game, with the last turn really determining the winners. There were a lot of panic checks in the end, with my side (Punic-Romano confederation) blowing most of theirs. My own subordinate general, a mercenary Carthaginian working for Rome, took off with his Spanish bodyguard relatively early. I guess he decided that once the elephant turned and started killing Romans it was best for him to take his money and run.

The best moment for me was when my Spanish scutarii managed a flank charge into the much-vaunted hypaspists and cut them down to a man. But by then it was too late. All told, a great game. It made me realize that I need to play more in order to actually get better (big surprise there, right?). I still love WAB and I'm optimistic about 2.0 (should it ever come out).

I'm posting some of the photos of the battle here.

No Pasaran

There's a place in Spain called Jarama
It's a place that we all know too well.
For 'tis there that we fought against the fascists
And saw a peaceful valley turn to hell.

I’m a member of a gaming group that meets about once a month. Generally we do “historical” miniatures games, but we occasionally get in the odd game of ‘Ogre’ or ‘Starship Troopers.’ The best games are, however, based on projects with multiple participants. By that I mean that, instead of one person bringing their figure collection and running a game, we decide on a period or project and each contribute figures and terrain. This Saturday we’ve got just such a game.

The Spanish Civil War is an extremely interesting period, even for an “ancients” guy like me. The politics, tactics and forces make for colorful (and tragic) history. The group decided that this would be an ideal period for a group project as there are multiple factions. Also, we found that the group was about evenly split along political sympathies, with maybe the edge going to the fascist dogs (my own sympathies lying just to the left of Trotsky).

So for the last couple months we’ve been working on the various troops, from Spanish Foreign Legion and Moroccan troops to CNT-FAI militia and the famed International Brigades. I’ve been contributing to the Republican effort by painting Assault Guard and Popular Army squads (we’re using the ‘Triumph and Tragedy’ skirmish rules set). I’ve also managed a UNL-35 and a Soviet advisor, who will report back to Moscow how the Germans have supplied Franco.

Our first battle will be based on the opening moves of the Battle of Jarama Valley. The rebels have crossed the river and now are met with a Republican counter-attack on the road to cut off Madrid.

This project has let me get back to some “table-top” painting. Instead of holding myself to a particular standard, I’ve tried to speed up my process. I think I’ve succeeded in finding a nice middle-ground with my troops. I’ve posted a few photos, but I plan on taking a lot during the game, so stay tuned. There are some really talented painters involved and the terrain (gracias, Tony) is always stunning.

Adelante!

Etruscan Officer

The summer has wound down and autumn is just about here. My favorite season. Halloween. Football (I am still coming to terms with that game last night). Painting. I find I'm most productive during the fall and winter months, as I'm sure a lot of hobbyists are. To that end, I'm currently taking on three projects. I hope to keep you updated on all three on, at least, a semi-regular basis.

The first, obviously, is the amazing new figures coming from Gorgon Studios (disclosure: I am a partner in the endeavor). I'm still not entirely sure what system I'm painting these for. By that I mean, I'm not clear what rules this army will eventually be organized for. Hopefully, a Warhammer Ancients early Etruscan list surfaces. I'm posting a new photo of an Etruscan officer I just finished. It is one of my favorite ancients figures ever-no kidding.

The second project was inspired by a game of (can you believe this) DBMM. I'm generally not a DBwhateva fan, but I have to admit to enjoying a 6mm game. It was early Republican Romans versus Selucids and it was a lot of fun. It also looked very cool. I've never even considered painting 6mm after a particularly traumatic experience with some French Old Guard. But I've been convinced to give them a second try. So look for a 6mm Syracusan army soon. Syracusans are an army I've always wanted to do, but I may not get around to them in 28mm for a while. So really 6mm is the perfect compromise. I can still be a Tyrant- just a very tiny Tyrant.

The third, and final, project I'll save for another update. Maybe later today or tomorrow, since I have some photos.

Etruscans...finally.

From the land now known for its delicious cured meats (Tuscany), these early Etruscan hoplites march forth from their city-states. Gorgon Studios is very proud to offer a bit of a "sneak preview" SPOILER ALERT! of their Etruscan range. This is the first pack. Heavy infantry; the backbone of the Etruscan army circa 600-400BC.

Now, obviously, a figure review is bound to be slightly biased as Gorgon Studios is partly my miniatures company. Suffice it to say that Steve Saleh has sculpted models that are a literal joy to paint. The figures are proportionally correct and the poses are dynamic. The new shields he's done are also perfect places to attempt some free-hand (or use some transfers, your call).

I'll write a little more tomorrow about what the range will entail and how building an army might be approached. But I wanted to post some pictures right away. Forgive and spelling/grammatical errors- I'm still recovering from three days at Lollapalooza.

Dave 8/11/2009