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Did I say Dragon Horde?  I meant Enter the Dragon!

Did I say Dragon Horde? I meant Enter the Dragon!

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Project Blog by Bali Cult of Games Member

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About the Project

The kobolds have skittered off as an unusual warband enters the camp outside of Frostgrave.

This Project is Active

Past time for an update

Tutoring 5
Skill 5
Idea 5
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Continuing along I’ve finished up a number of NPC models.  Specifically we now have a painted vampire, ghouls, wraith and spider.  Additionally I painted up a Foo Dog to act as the warbands war dog.  Finally I painted up a stone golem/elemental to act as the main character in the Frostgrave mini-campaign “Hunt for the Golem”.

The vampire was a fairly standard paint job.  I’m still a but unsure of if the metal and grey clothes are too close in tone.  Might have made more sense to either go with a purple/blue for the clothes or a bronze for the armor.  Regardless I like him well enough.

The spider is based on an image I found.  In the game they’re ice spiders but I’m not sticking too strictly to the frozen theme in order to make these more generally useful.  I like the final effect and I’m pretty sure I could get a scream out of a number of people if I left him sitting around 😉

The poor ghouls I could not seem to get much motivation to paint up.  Not really sure why but they just weren’t pulling my interest and so have been sitting here for a few weeks.  I finally got them done by 1. deciding they just need to get to a reasonable state and 2. using the power of an XLBS.  I did quite a bit of back and forth with blues and skin tones trying to get a skin shade I was happy with.  Glad to have them done and happy enough with how they came out.

On the flip side the elemental was lots of fun.  The basic scheme for him is pretty easy so I took some time to paint up the crystals, add some different colored stone, little gold deposits and some glowing runes to spice him up a bit.  He probably came out a touch cartoon-y but has some nice character.

The wraith is the last of the NPCs.  He’s actually a model I’d started years ago and had been sitting around.  The mini is one of Reapers translucent lines which make for a bit of a painting challenge (for me at least).  Translucent models are cool and all but if you’re going to paint them you have to figure out how much of that you want to maintain and how you want to use it.  I went for a dark central area that fades off into the translucent edges.

Last but not least is the Foo Dog.  He’s a bit interesting as I wanted to inject jade into the color scheme.  To that end I started with a jade green underlayer and then worked into Reapers Palomino Gold triad.  I went through quite a number of glazed to work the colors and like the result.  I do find that the light the mini is in can really change how the colors look on him (shifting from yellow to brown/green especially in the darker areas).  The eyes I left as single colored orbs but I might add pupils in the future.  Looking up reference art seems to support either option.  I think adding pupils would give him a bit more life but I’m worried it will also make him look a bit too googly-eyed.

Next up is a Frost Giant.  He’ll serve a duel purpose as he’s needed for Frostgrave but will also act as a test subject for a clan of Frost Giants I’ll be painting for a homebrew Pathfinder game I’m running.

Treasure Hunter, Assassin and more NPCs

Tutoring 6
Skill 9
Idea 9
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It’s been a fairly productive week as far as Frostgrave goes.  After a number of games the Asagao Clan has explored a few locations in the frozen city including a mysterious well and anti-magic tower.  So far it’s been a lot of fun and we’ll next be running some linked missions from Frostgrave Folio.

I was also happy to have my Alkemy order arrive and so the first two models are from their line :

 

Asagao Ikaru (Treasure Hunter) and Kuroi Bara (Assassin)Asagao Ikaru (Treasure Hunter) and Kuroi Bara (Assassin)

I’ve also been working to get all the NPC types filled out.  This week I added a number of critters including a wolf, snow leopard, werewolf, giant worm and a collection of constructs (love these stitch golem models!).  All the mini’s are from Reaper.

Next up is to finish off the NPCs which means a frost giant, vampire, ghouls, spider and a wraith.  I also need a boar and giant frog but need to get mini’s for those still.  A construct/elemental for the “Hunt for the Golem” scenario is also waiting on some color.

Well back to it!

Growing the world

Tutoring 5
Skill 8
Idea 7
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I’m still waiting on my order from Alkemy to show up (apparently swimming across the Atlantic takes miniatures some time) so I painted up some Reaper mini’s to play the role of Thief and Treasure Hunter until they do.

You're getting your chance at the starting line-up.  Don't blow it!You're getting your chance at the starting line-up. Don't blow it!

Lastly no game of Frostgrave is complete without some local residents to make things more interesting. I love the way Frostgrave lets you make use of your mini collection and gives you a reason to dig things up and get them painted.

Some demons for my kids Summoner to..well...summonSome demons for my kids Summoner to..well...summon
Can never have enough skeletonsCan never have enough skeletons
Bring out your dead!Bring out your dead!

So that’s where things are now. I’m continuing to work my way through the NPC list to get a full set painted. Next up some animals, a werewolf, ghouls and a worm.

Try, try again...

Tutoring 6
Skill 7
Idea 7
No Comments

Well the project page ate the last two update attempts so we’ll try splitting into two….

First some significant progress over the last week or so. Most importantly the rulebook showed up and I got my first couple games of Frostgrave in (Woot!). Having lots of fun with it and we haven’t even started using scenarios or missions yet.

Here’s a couple of (probably not particularly interesting) shots of a game in progress. Note the lovely Infinity and Death Ray Designs Gangs of the Undercity KS terrain. It’s not exactly to theme but works great.

First batch painted up

Tutoring 6
Skill 9
Idea 8
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The Asagao  Clan, considered nothing more than a group of bandits by many, has none the less managed to established enough of a reputation of mystical and martial prowess to secure themselves the grudging respect of the various powers in their homeland. An eccentric group, they have never held any particular territory for long but instead take up residence in an area for a few weeks or perhaps months before picking up and moving on as mysteriously as they arrived. The sisters Asagao Kaida and Asagao Kazumi, known as the White Haired Witches, lead the clan as they have for as long as any current member can recall. Both sisters are powerful mystics though Kaida favors a more martial approach to her sisters more spiritual focus. Their skill sets compliment each other well however and have also led to the clan attracting a variety of members.

Recently the sisters have chosen to take the clan far from their usual haunts, the scent of magic calling them northward. After many months of travel the city of Frostgrave sits before them, a puzzle box waiting to be solved and a prize waiting to be taken.

Good news, my Frostgrave book should be showing up Friday so I’ll hopefully get some games in this weekend!

On the painting front I have the first group of miniatures painted up including my wizardess, Asagao Kazumi, and her sister/apprentice Asagao Kaida.  Fluff wise they won’t be teacher/apprentice but sisters one of which (the wizard) is a bit more powerful magically.

Additionally I’ve got their Oni barbarian (Kurassha), three to be named monks (most likely acting as Thugs) and an Archer done.  Still waiting on my treasure hunter and rogues to arrive.

In the meantime I need to get this crew based and maybe even get some terrain started/built.  We’ll see how it goes.  Also need to possibly go back and fix up some eyes but just not feeling it at the moment 🙂

Funny thing about plans

Tutoring 7
Skill 8
Idea 11
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So the initial plan was to go with kobolds as my first Frostgrave warband but when I was talking to one of my sons about how he wanted to theme his force, wouldn’t you know it, he tells me kobolds (I actually figured he’d go gnomes or dwarves which would have fit nicely).  So I’ve decided to put my plans for a kobold band on the shelf for and went back to the drawing board.

After some thought it occurred to me I could use the opportunity to get some use out of the Legend of the Five Rings minis I had from Privateer Press.  And so a new Eastern themed warband was formed!

As before I want to tweak the various classes to fit my theme.  The rough plan right now is going to be :

Thugs : unarmed martial artists

Dogs : Foo Dogs

Infantry/M@A  : Martial artists with weapons

Archers/Crossbow men : Anyone appropriately armed

Thieves/Treasure Hunters/Rangers : Ninja

Knights : Heavily armored Samurai (Crab warriors)

Templar : Lighter armed Samurai

Barbarians : Oni

Of course while the intent is to use mini’s I have, one must always expand their collection so I tracked down some nice mini’s on https://alkemy-the-game.com as well as some from Reaper.  Here are a few shots of the models I have and pics of those on their way….

Edit : To clarify the pictures here (after the first one) are all studio paints from Alkemy’s website to show the models I plan to use.

Primed and ready to go.  Four of the minis are from Privateer Press while the Oni and Sajan from ReaperPrimed and ready to go. Four of the minis are from Privateer Press while the Oni and Sajan from Reaper
These Mists from Alchemy will serve as Thieves (Image from Alkemy mini's website)These Mists from Alchemy will serve as Thieves (Image from Alkemy mini's website)
The Shadows from Alchemy were too cool to pass up.  They'll potentially be trackers or treasure hunters (Image from Alkemy mini's website)The Shadows from Alchemy were too cool to pass up. They'll potentially be trackers or treasure hunters (Image from Alkemy mini's website)
Alchemy's aptly named Alchemy's aptly named "Collector of Knowledge" could only be a treasure hunter (Image from Alkemy mini's website)
The Militia Lancers will probably be slotted in as Infantry (Image from Alkemy mini's website)The Militia Lancers will probably be slotted in as Infantry (Image from Alkemy mini's website)
Reapers Rivani will take the lead as the bands Wizard. (image from Reaper's website)Reapers Rivani will take the lead as the bands Wizard. (image from Reaper's website)

So that’s where we stand now.  I’m glad to have a number of mini’s to start working on while the rest make their way here.  Hope to have further updates (and a new splash image) soon!

In the beginning there was...well, not much

Tutoring 6
Skill 7
Idea 10
No Comments

As a fan of Mordheim I was excited to be introduced to Frostgrave via all the recent hype.  Currently I’ve got my rule book on order but won’t have it in hand for a bit (down side to pre-ordering the Red King with it).  In the meantime I’ve been thinking about what my first (let’s face it there will be more than one) warband will be themed around.

As part of a RPG game world I’ve been running I have the (as yet unimplemented) idea of a kobold adventuring company in the “employ” of a blue dragon who sends them out to claim items of power for some unknown end game (or perhaps just to make the pile of treasure he lounges on more comfortable).  The thought is the players will run into them from time to time (even across campaigns potentially) as competition, allies or foes depending on the situation.

Anyway with that said I’ve decided that running them as a Frostgrave warband will be a good way to build some character into the NPCs and perhaps inspire some history behind the band and/or even some plots or future roleplay scenarios.

So with that decided it’s time to start coming up with ideas for minis to use for the various classes.  I could just go with Kobolds for all of them but I think it will be interesting to mix in other critters as a supporting cast.  So far I’m thinking about using alternates for the following :

Warhounds : Some type of lizard or perhaps a beetle swarm

Thugs : Mites? Larger Humanoid slaves/hirelings?

Tracker : Humm…

Knight : Giant Beetle (considering https://www.reapermini.com/search/beetle/latest/44138)

Templar : Winged Kobold

Barbarian : Orcs, Umber Hulk, lizard man?

Apothecary : Slave/hireling burdened down with potions

As you can see there’s a lot more thought to be put into it but that’s where it all stands now.