Reign in Hell – A tale of dice and demons

The Mantic Games demon sprue is a lot of fun. I think I got it in a Mantic fantasy sale box years ago and already used one for a Frostgrave project.

I think these class as spined demons. They have the spikey boned spine and shoulders. Their weapons are very spikey. Even had a spare spine from a Mantic zombie sprue to go on a base.

The orange and blue on the armour of the shins and forearms to distinguish them is very bold rather than the dirty look of most of the others. I figured that if the lists take me in an unexpected direction the colours might be handy if they end against eachother.

The orange was Jokaero Orange and I used Casandora Yellow wash. Then used a mix of Averland Sunset and Jokaero as a highlight.

The blue was Smurf blue (Macragge) with a little white to do the highlight.

Decided that I already primed the models with my black and red zenith, so whether they fit a list right now I should probably just get them painted and off my painting counter. I think the zenith did a great job. I used a mix of Leadbelcher and Runelord Brass on the metals with a Stormhost Silver highlight.

The blood effect probably won’t last long because it is just a strand of static grass with Blood for the Blood God slid down it.

I used the same reds and creams etc on the bodies and horns and am happy with the results.

The list for my Judges is only 6 models, but they still should punch quite hard. I may give them the first initiative free as they are running short on points.

The Executioner Garrek and his Slaughterpriest Warrior Leader Mayatroth will be free.

Their list looks like this.

1 Spined Demon 19pts (Arnulf Khorne Reaver)

2 Armoured Demons 44pts (Khorne Chaos warriors)

1 Slaughter Fiend 21pts (Targor Khorne Reaver)

84 points.

The only extra mini I could give would be a mephit (16 pts) and I just don’t feel like making one for their list. They only need a few points from their first battle to be able to field a 5th lesser demon.

For Hitlore and Myroar’s list of Earthbound demons I am looking at my opening 100 points. I realise I need to stop painting random Beastmen and tailor my hobby to the game a bit more.

I was planning to paint more Beastmen to take me up to 10 models, not being careful to see what my opening 100 points would look like.

So my Succubus Devout and my big mean leader are free. I have begun painting my tentacle beast again after seeing it looking a bit bland in my photos. My list looks like this.

1 Tentacle Beast 21pts (home brew)

1 Spined Demon 19pts (Mantic Games demon)

2 Armoured Demons 44pts (Beastmen)

1 Mephit 16pts (Beastman with wings, I think)

This is only 7 models, but feel that over a campaign I will get to use my other minis and get up to a full 10, hopefully enough to even get a big mean minotaur greater demon.

Tentacle demon home-brewed from green stuff, bits from the bits box and failed sprue stretching pieces.

When stretching sprue over a candle (to make aerials, whips and details etc) you sometimes pull when it’s not hot enough or over stretch it and it snaps. When it snaps sometimes the ends curl up. I had a couple of failed attempts and the curled ends looked like tentacles to me, so the idea lead into this mini.

The head and cut up shield “armour” are from NorthStar Frostgrave Demons box. The hands are from a Warlord Games ECW Pikeman with an unknown make of spikey mace head added.

I used Bugman’s Glow to suggest the texture on the softer underside of a tentacle, over the black and red zenith primer I used for the rest of this cabal.

When the axe head the size of your torso is just not enough… Reach for your knife. Lol.

I like this mini. It was nice to paint him in the same style as the last two. The loin cloth is Steel Legion Drab, Agrax Earthshade wash and Zandri Dust with a Morghast Bone highlight.

Will probably make all the base edges dark brown in the end.

Reminds me a bit of “Archer” from the movie Small Soldiers.

I remember painting a Gnoll for Rangers of Shadow Deep. The only comment that stands out to me is that it was a little clean and why isn’t there any blood on his axe? I said that once he damages one of my men I’ll add some blood between games. I only half meant it but this is actually my intention this time.

There are achievements in the game that can be tracked game to game. I think there’s a rule that if a demon keeps on killing Leaders in-game that he should become your leader, but there’s no immediately prepared sheet to record the progress. I am thinking that until a demon kills anyone it gets no blood. If it starts to kill the axe gets gore and then I start tracking their progress. I will make a five bar gate style tally on their base or somewhere easy for me to mark up how many kills they get just as fun for me.

I went with some colour for his under armour cloth with Orcflesh Green Contrast and a Deathguard Green highlight. (No tartan, Celts and Gaels don’t go to hell.)

The Leadbelcher is so grainy but it worked out ok for this battered look to the armour and some Runefang Steel silver caught the edges and gave me some scuffing. On his back he has some awful super glue scarring. (Again, these were probably built by a pre-teen and I am just really grateful to have been gifted them.) I didn’t bother to try and carve it off or smooth it out. Free texture like that on my minis becomes… Battle damage. Rusty and fun.