Cabbages & Kings

Wargaming leaves you doing some strange things.  Yup, I was spending my nights making cabbage patches.  At least, a single cabbage patch.  Rarely has so much effort had so little payoff.

The model cabbages are O scale model railroad accessories ordered from Hobbylinc.  Seven bucks gets you twenty cabbages.  Almost immediately after ordering, I realized that I should have ordered two packs.  I didn't.  It's just that it seemed like such a frivolous purchase that doubling down on it seemed insane.

Then I had to go around about making them all red versus all green versus a mix.  I really didn't like the mix option and my father weighed in with a vote of red or green but no mix.  I initially liked the all red option as a bit of color sounded appealing.  My trees are green.  My buildings are brown. Red would break up the monotony.

Then it hit me I had made the decision to exclude blues and any bright yellows from my Norman army.  The Normans are colorful, but my focus on creating color profiles for armies would be undone if my scenery was colorful.  Pieces should blend into the scenery.  After all, they are scenery.  

Without getting too nerdy with this (too late), I returned to an earlier idea I'd had that armies would be defined by a color palette and scenery by a textural palette.  Early on I had started doing tree bases differently from my building bases, but went back and re-based the trees (almost done with that) to conform in shade and base texture.  

All this goes back to some ideas I was mulling over about clarity of intent in gaming trumping scenic beauty or diversity.  That post is in the hopper now.  

So, green.  I primed all the cabbages with black primer.  The base coat was a heavily watered down, almost wash of Vallejo Olive Green.  Once that was dried, I used a Games Workshop Camo Green, dry brushed initially, with a more careful highlight followup.  Finally, I made some super light marks with Games Workshop's Rotting Flesh, which is a greenish shade of white.  

 The overall measurement is 14cm by 11cm, which works out to roughly 6x4in.

By day, I work a desk job.  By night, I'm Chris, King of the Cabbages.

They Live?! Not So Much

The big release this year at Salute for SAGA was the new boxed Revenant faction.  It appears to be quite a deal.  It's got 48 revenant figures, two grave pits, a set of eight special SAGA dice, rules, battleboard, bases, and an exclusive necromancer figure and scenario available only in this box.  It's reportedly enough to get started with a six point warband.  Nice.

And yet, I'm not in.  Sure, I was chuffed when it first came out.  It's a nice set.  It just isn't for me right now.  Part of it is definitely the price tag.  85GBP puts it just above what I want to spend on gaming in a month.  It lands just beyond the thoughtless splurge threshold.

The biggest point, though, is the figures.  The sculpts are not bad.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  They're just not "Wow!" level.  They aren't quite evocative enough to make the cut. I really like Gripping Beast miniatures, but I think I could do better with some of the Wargames Factory zombies I've got sitting around and a few sprues from their Numidians, Germans, or Celts.  While I'll be the first to acknowledge that I'm not that I'm a great modeler, modelling zombies allows for a more relaxed approach to details and plastics make customization relatively easy.

Another concern is that these are going to be like the Jomsvikings, initially a terror and quickly negated once everyone figures out their weakness.  My understanding is that the rules were developed by an independent wargaming group. That doesn't mean it isn't properly playtested, but I'm not sure about paying $130 to find out.  Gripping Beast has already said that this won't be a tournament army and is supposed to be a fun one off.  While I hope they do more fun limited edition armies, this one isn't for me.

Finally, it comes down to comparing the set against other things I'd rather have right now for SAGA.  That 85GBP represents a new resin church as a centerpiece with money left over to finally populate my village with civilians.  It's two new warbands made up of nice metal hearthguard and warlords with plastic warriors.  It's a pair of really nice new printed gaming mats.  Good ones this time.

Mad Mats: Furry Load

In race to get things together for this game, the pace has definitely picked up.  Turns out those months I had to leisurely assemble a little skirmish game have somehow disappeared.  What hasn't been winnowed down as quickly is my shopping/to-do list.

Every few weeks, another package arrives and each time I open it and smack my head as I remember something else that should have been bundled into the order or ask myself why I felt the need to add some really pricey 1/600 Phoenician galleys onto the order and maybe one of those new packs of Bavarian infantry.

What do you mean there's no dignity to be had in here?

What's also a given is that my little helper will find her way into the order as well.  If the great sagas were written in blood and iron, mine is written in cat fur.  Long, black cat fur.

The latest was no exception.  My Hobbylinc order showed up with some more Squadron green putty as the last tube bizarrely went dry after a few months, some model railroad O scale cabbages, Woodland Scenics acrylic water, and a big green Woodland Scenics mat.

The mat was the highlight of the order.  All the other stuff could have stayed in the warehouse, but that mat was the essential element.

As I've said before, I try to put a hard limit at $80/month on my gaming madness and usually keep it far under that level.  That sort of limit keeps me from piling up stuff faster than I can paint and assemble it and staves off the worst impulses when browsing new releases on Board Game Geek or The Miniatures page.  I can be really impulsive.

So back to cats and mats.

A decent mat seemed like a literal good basis for a game.  I also really wanted some more trees.  Maybe some animals for the pens I had yet to construct.  Some Renedra fencing for those pens.  Some Renedra barrels and sandbags to paint up as grain sacks.  Oh, and maybe some of those nice Woodland Scenics plants to make the fields look lush.  And doesn't every village need a good church?  From either Grand Manner or Curtey's that'd run a fair bit, but how could my village remain so impious?  Can't have that church without some clergy, so add them to the list.  It goes on and on.

There was now so much on that list, and I still hadn't decided on a mat yet.  Deep Cut Studios makes beautiful mats for around $70US that would fit the bill.  I had already IDed a mat by Cigar Box Battle Store for my Hellenic galley project, so one of their other mats would fit the bill.  The Mat O War offerings looked really nice as well.  I had plenty of options.  I also knew that whatever I ordered, it would pretty much take up the month's gaming budget.  That meant no more trees.  No cabbage patch, and no pig pen.  Just the mats, ma'am.

One night, after work and unwinding with a few tall glasses of water, I was assembling my latest order.  No Phoenecian galleys and no Napoleonic infrantry.  Just the essentials.  Yup.  I had resolved that this order would be my April expense and then I'd buy the mat in May.  It made sense.  The mat wouldn't require work, whereas the gubbins I was buying now would all require assembly and with time running down, I'd have to prioritize my projects.

As I was browsing Hobbylinc, I found a section of grass mats.  Really cheap grass mats.  It was like the I was suddenly told that, in fact, I could have my cake and eat it too.  I could place an order for some extras for that river project I hadn't started and still get the mat, all while keeping the order cost low.  There was one Bachmann 50"x100" mat for just under $20US.  How could I go wrong?

Well, I could first go wrong by ordering a smaller mat.  I had ordered the smaller Woodland Scenics mat that was 50"x33"  Why would I do that when the game size is 36"x36" or 48"x36"?  Three inches isn't much, but why?

Another way I could go wrong was by not just ordering a quality cloth mat, instead getting a cut-rate sheet of craft paper covered in green flock.  Unrolling that thing out onto my dining room table tonight, I realized that I had seriously erred.  The crinkly thing shed green dust everywhere.  It will have to do for now.

As far as the cat?  She loved laying on it.  She shed on it and it shed back.  I'm sure that for years I will be finding green flock mixed with black fur on my gaming materials and furniture.  SAGA, memories to last a lifetime.

Feast of Figures: Plastics

In keeping with my earlier promise to cover plastics as a separate entry, I present the historical plastic possibilities of SAGA.

Conquest Games - Beyond their limited line of metals, Conquest Games has foot and mounted Normans.  For only 20GBP you get 15 Norman knights on horseback.  The box includes an equal number of round and kite shields, so you can use the round ones and call them Bretons.  The box also features a dead horse and rider.  The infantry box includes 44 troops casualties, and weapon and shield options for 20GBP.







Fireforge Games - These are later, more appropriate for the Crescent & Cross games, but wow are they nice.  Two boxes of cavalry give you two dozen horses and riders and run you a bit under 60 Euro.  These figures must be seen to be believed and at 24 figures for the cost of 5 Games Workshop Terminators, they make a strong case for putting your Games Workshop figures on eBay and placing a substantial order for Crusaders.  Besides, wouldn't you fee like so much less of a dork when guests ask what's on your workbench, telling them that you're modelling knights of the Templar Order as opposed to Terminator Dreadnoughts of the Imperial Fists?  One will make you look like a history nerd.  With the other you don't get to use history as an adjective.



Gripping Beast Plastics - Really nice plastics.  Slightly larger figures than the GB metal line, which works if you're pairing them with a larger line like Crusader or Dixon.  The box of generic Dark Age warriors has 40 unarmored figures, where as the Saxon Thegns and Viking Hirdmen incongrously come in boxes of 44.  Given that lower ranking troops come in larger groups, this doesn't make a lick of sense to me.  The price is a reasonable 22GBP per box.  Unlike the Wargames Factory boxes, there are no bows provided.  You do get lots of slings, though.  The figures area really nice, relatively easy to assemble and a box of warriors and a box of thegns/hirdmen provide you with everything you could need to put together a force.  Think about that.  For the cost of two 10 figure boxes of Space Marines from Games workshop, you can get 84 figures, all the troops you'll need to make up your force and still have plenty left over for options, or casualties, or both.

Wargames Factory - Really reasonable plastics.  Their Germanic warriors and Numidians can also be easily repurposed as generic Dark Age warriors.  Some people have expressed frustration at the poses, it's a matter of carefully finding what works.  The best poses may not be the most obvious.  Spears are really thin and should be replaced by metal ones from Crusader at the first possible.  All that aside, they can be had really reasonably.  I picked up a box of Saxon Fyrd and a box of Saxon Thegns for a touch over $31US for the pair and that was enough to build a full force with plenty of options.  For someone short on cash and longer on time, it's a tough value to beat.

So I know I said early on with this blog that one should never compare anything to GW, but I have repeatedly failed that.  GW is what people know.  It's also so ludicrous that people who have reached escape velocity from the GW world are constantly in awe of what else is out there.  You can still spend a lot to get really nice figures, but now you don't have to.

A Feast of Figures: Metals (and a few resins)

Recently I was talking with some colleagues for whom gaming begins and ends at the Games Workshop store.  I was trying to explain how I was able to collect SAGA armies without either breaking the bank or buying from a single line of figures.

The only analogy that seemed to get through to them was when I pointed out to one of them his resin Death Korp of Krieg army and the other his 30K Space Marine army.  Both are from Forge World, which is as close as one gets to an alternate vendor in the 40K world.  Sure there are a few vendors for shoulder pads or replacements for long ago discontinued metals, but they aren't cheap, common, or welcome in GW tournaments.

The guys still seemed confused.  "But how do you know you're buying hearthguard figures?"  "What if someone else thinks they're warlords?"  It's hard to wrap your mind around just putting figures on the board when there isn't a $2,000 collection of rulebooks to guide your purchases.  Caveat emptor!

Here's my list of sources for SAGA miniatures:

Artizan - a nice line of characterful figures.  Notable for having a full line of Franks.  Spears not included.
Black Tree Designs - their sculpts are mostly middle of the road, as is their pricing, but they frequently run ridiculous sales that make it easy to come away with a large bag of perfectly good metal soldiers for a silly price.  Keep an eye out.
Brother Vinni's - a Russian company doing a few resins of figures you may know from a show about Norse raiders.
Conquest Games - a small range of metals, including an impressive number of monks, largely a complement to their plastics.
Conquest Miniatures - yes, it's a different company.  They do a lot of French and Indian War miniatures, which means their 17th/18th century native warriors are perfect for Skraelings.  Nice sculpts.  A little on the small side; pairs well with Foundry.
Crusader - an extensive line of Dark Age miniatures, on the thicker side, spears not included.
Curtey's - their focus is Romano-British and early Saxon, but much of that range is perfect for SAGA.  Beautiful sculpts, including a line of civilians.
Dixon - small line of Vikings, notable for having some interesting packs that would make for nice vignettes or scenery enhancements.  Oddly, Vikings have spears but no shields.
eBob - a little line of slim, beautifully sculpted Normans on foot.  Spears are attached.
Footsore (used to be Musketeer) - a nice line of Viking miniatures, though many can be used as generic Dark Age types.  Sold through Gripping Beast.
Gripping Beast - distributors of SAGA, they're the default choice for many gamers.  Nice figures although several folks have reported excess flash and model issues on recent metal orders.  Still, a broad line with interesting sculpts and non-combatants which is a plus.
Newline Designs - they carry the usual Normans, Vikings, and Saxons, but also Carolingians and Arabs.
Old Glory - Old Glory are a mixed bag.  Some of the ranges are older and therefore smaller and to a lesser standard.  Others are much more modern than many people given them credit for.  A very impressive line of figures by any measure.
Perry Miniatures - not a specifically Dark Age line, their First Crusade range features figures that work well for Normans and Byzantines, includes generic civilians and monks.  Perfect for Crescent & Cross players.
Redoubt Miniatures - have a Viking line that works as generic Dark Age types.
Renegade Miniatures - a line of Saxons, quite a few sculpts.
Saxon Miniatures - a growing line of beautifully detailed Vikings and Saxons
Shieldwall Miniatures - a small line of nicely sculpted Vikings.  Distributed by Gripping Beast.
Stronghold Terrain - tiny line of very nice individual figures, several of which may look very much like characters from a historical drama on television about Norse raiders.
Tanatus Miniatures - a small range of Saxon and Pict miniatures, a bit more realistic proportioning than Crusader and Black Tree Designs.
V&V Miniatures - Ukrainian company, resin, little known, but they appear to be beautifully sculpted.  Planning to order some figures soon for comparison.
Wargames Foundry - an attractive line of Vikings, Saxons, and Normans.  A bit on the short side, but quite usable.  Lots of characterful sculpts.
Warlord Games - included in the interest of being complete.  Other than selling Gripping Beast Plastics and a model of a Viking ship, they sell one (1) metal figure for the Dark Ages.  They seem to realize that they got to this era late (Hail Caesar be damned) and figured "why bother".
West Wind - a line of Irish, Saxons, and notably, Welsh.  Spears not included.

The plastics of SAGA will have to be another post.  This post just kept getting longer and longer as I discovered or remembered new ones.  The buildings list will have to wait as well.  For now, I'm going to sleep.

Crossbows!

The first unit I've finished is a warrior unit of crossbowmen.  The figures are Crusader, which should come as no surprise.  

I'll admit that the painting isn't so hot, but I set a personal record for getting them finished.  As one of the world's slowest painters, I was thrilled to get them done in under two weeks.  I know, I know.

This photo is dedicated to all the people who like their photos blurry and poorly staged.

Still, I'm pleased with them overall.  They painted up quickly.  I've come to appreciate the delicate balance Crusader strikes with regard to detail.  There seems to be a trend these days toward over-sculpting figures.  Unless it's a warlord figure, I really don't want ornate armor and flowing clothing or ridiculous facial expressions.  As far as the last one, I just don't want that at all.

How did I not notice the guy on the far left's wonky eyes until now?

Each figure is based on a Warbases 2mm thick 2 pence-sized MDF base.  I've got enough GW plastic 25mm bases to top-off a landfill, so I nearly went with them.  I went with the thin MDF because I wanted something with a lower profile that stood out less from the scenery.  And the 2p sizing?  I guess I just thought 25.9mm just looked so much better than the 25mm ones used by commoners.

"Shoot like your fitrep depends on it!"

Finally, I know they come across as a bit shiny.  I finished them off with Vallejo matte brushed on because it was too cold to use a spray finish.  I'll fix that as soon as the weather here starts to pretend like it's Spring for more than a few hours.

Measured Response

It should be abundantly clear by now that there are many things involved with putting together a game.  Dice, rulebooks, scenery, figures, etc.  I have a shopping list that continues to grow despite my nearly constant attempts to trim it down or at least purchase items off it.

The order in which my purchases are made has largely been based on the timeline.  Items that require a lot of prep work and are especially critical go to the top of the list.  Basic buildings and trees, those move up.  Extra scenery details, those go to the bottom.

So why did I go and purchase something requiring no prep and already existing in the SAGA rulebook?  Weakness, I guess.

SAGA, like many miniatures games, requires measuring tools for movement and shooting.  The good folks at Studio Tomahawk were nice enough to put the templates in the back of the rulebook, which I scanned with every intention of printing out and mounting to balsa like a good frugal gamer.

That was before I saw the Kraken Skulls SAGA templates.  They have beautiful faction-specific laser cut MDF measuring sticks that put everything else to shame.  You really have to see these.

I excitedly put in an order for Irish and Norman sets.  At $8 per set and a total of $2 shipping, it was an easy splurge purchase.   To top it off, the guys at Kraken Skulls were amazingly patient as I repeatedly botched the order using a Paypal account that apparently was no longer my pal for paying or doing anything else.

The laser cutting is crisp and the designs are quite nice, even if my lackluster photography doesn't capture that.  The Celtic designs on the Irish pieces are deep and stand out well.  On the Norman items, the images from the Bayeaux Tapestry are remarkably detailed.

If cornered as to whether I'd prefer SAGA dice and generic measuring devices or these measuring sticks and generic dice converted to SAGA, I'd go for the nice measuring sticks and generic dice every day of the week.  These are that nice.

The Buildings: Part 3

Here are the photos of the recently completed buildings.  Overall, I'm pleased with how they turned out.  They're pretty much stock, except for the bases, which are just quarter inch foam core board and the ax in front of one of the buildings.  That little bit was taken from the Wargames Factory Saxon Fyrd box and modified to look a little less martial.

Doing them again, I'd probably add more stuff to the bases around the buildings.  They seem to need tree stumps, sacks of grain, and crude wooden barrels.  I had intended to include them in the buildup, but I haven't gotten around to it.  My gaming budget is restricted by choice (I'm not returning to my old acquisitive ways like when I got started with 40K) and little decorative gubbins are way down the priority list.

The Buildings: Part 2

Being resin, the buildings were subjected to a vigorous cleaning to eliminate an mold release chemicals that would make it difficult to get paint to stick.  As it turned out, there were little blue bits of the mold wedged in the thatched roof.  These were easily picked out with the tip of an X-acto knife. 

Black basecoat, browns overpainted, increasingly light browns dry-brushed.  The result still looked a bit flat to me, lacking any depth.  I re-primered, starting with a darker brown and going lighter with highlights.  Still not the result I was looking for.  

The next step was breaking out the Army Painter Quickshade.  While I know some people really like it, I've only one time liked the result, and that was with a Wargames Factory zombie I painted and dipped as a test figure to see if it would be feasible to crank out a a super fast cheap zombie horde.  The result looked good and painting was a snap, but assembling WF plastics annoyed me more than any fiddly GW stuff has ever managed.

The dip didn't make me happy either, but it was closer.  The result was just too dark.  Taking one more stab at it, I lightened the colors, painted on a thin coat of Quickshade, highlighted that, and then clearcoated with matte varnish. 

The result is far from perfect, but I was mostly happy with it.  This approach is one I've got to remember to keep with me on this project so that it doesn't die out like so many others, killed off by a search for "great" when I should stop at "good enough".