Heroines in Sensible Shoes

Increasingly of late, I have trouble painting to completion a kickstarter project from a company before their next line is announced. Maybe I will cut back on my kickstarters, but I certainly won't miss out on Oathsworn's next crowdfunder now that I have their most recent set painted. 

Earlier this year, Oathsworn offered a kickstarter of 11 female adventurers form the traditional D&D races and classes. Their innovative concept for this range was a line of female adventurers in practical armor and gear rather than the more revealing and less functional outfits we have come to expect. On one hand, I appreciate a good Werner Klocke female mini, but I might not want to put it on the table with my young daughter and son playing. And since we are playing Frostgrave a great deal lately, chainmail bikinis are probably not optimal gear. As with their previous projects, the project was finished early and delivered a few weeks ago. A follow up project is promised soon. 

Human Cleric and Fighter 

Wood Elf, Halfling and Gnome

Human Bard and Rogue

Dragonborn Sorcerer and Human Wizard

Half orc barbarian and Dwarf

As far as size, they are heroic 28mm - slightly larger than historical figures or your old 80s Ral Partha, but closer to that size than modern figures that are pushing up to 32mm. The designs are clean and classic. These are adventurers on dungeon delve, not characters posing for a movie poster. I question the overuse of lanterns and torches - don't halflings and elves have darkvision? But it gets the theme across. I probably should have taken the opportunity to learn object source lighting techniques, but I am generally of the opinion that it looks great when photographed and as part of a display but does not hold up as well right in front of you. That could be just the examples I have seen.

Overall, great minis and a great company.

Female Monster Adventurers for Frostgrave

This is one of the more interesting ideas for a Frostgrave warband I have put together, an all-female "monster" warband.  I had started this before the Into the Breeding Pits expansion was announced, but I think they will work well with the new material. 

They might make a good Beastcrafter warband, as the author describes them as being a more animalistic type of magic, Read more at his website The Renaissance Troll.  

Krokuta, Gnoll Cleric, Reaper # 02955

Looking for a goblin female was a bit difficult, so I went with a gnome female and gave her green skin. Not very d&d goblin, but maybe Warcraft.

03196: Petra Posiedew, Gnome Sorceress

03263: Ferrunk, Female Bugbear Cleric

The two "sisters" shown below will be a ranger and a barbarian in the warband.

02708: Janara HalfOrc Female & 03019: Lathula, Female Barbarian

Female Adventurers from Reaper

A small party of female adventurers from Reaper, a warm-up for my soon to be posted Oathsworn female adventurers. 

The first on the right is in Bones plastic and the other two are metals. As it is from the first bones, it suffers a bit from a lack of details. It is also a bit tall for a figure that should be a halfing...or is it a dwarf? I have detailed my problem before with Reaper's "not small enough" halflings - but it is a nice figure. 

Bailey Silverbell

Liriel Silverlocks, Elf Bard

Magda Mintsilver

The dwarf above will probably end up as an NPC in a dwarven village, although I don't suppose there are too many dual wielding blacksmiths. Maybe it is a 3rd edition feat.

A Party of Halflings (not the usual halfling party)

Here's my next set of miniatures from Acheson Creation's last Kickstarter campaign.

In all my years of gaming, I've never played a halfling character, though I am very likely to now run a halfling only warband with these guys - either in Frostgrave or another skirmish game.




As with the last set of Halfling adventurers, these should appeal to those looking for an old school (OSR) art style. The faces and costuming are very expressive and unique. As with the last set, I found some of the details requiring straight edging (scabbards in particular) to be a bit indistinct or off.

Nonetheless, I think they are fine figures, and if Acheson Creations includes more of them in a future Kickstarter, I will probably pledge at the necessary level.

Acheson Creations Female Adventurers

Acheson Creations produces a diverse line of resin terrain and earlier this year they ran a Kickstarter for a line of plastic dungeon tiles. It delivered within a month of its promised date - which makes it early by most crowdfunding standards.

They avoided some of the outrageous amounts of free stretch goals that get a lot of projects in trouble, but one appealing freebie was packs of male, female and halfling adventurers in metal.

Here are the eight female adventurers, recently finished, but not necessarily grouped as sold. I've arranged them more for party balance.

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The sculpting quality does not match up to most of the top names in the field. Some of the hands a little lumpy, and one particular problem I noticed was a lack of separation and definition between sword scabbards and the surrounding leg or cloak.

However, they do have a lot of appeal for several reasons. First, is scale. These are true 28mm (I know 28mm is a size not scale) and match up closer with old school fantasy figures and historicals. Speaking of old school, their overall aesthetic matches the artwork from the early editions of D&D.

Here's a shot with the Acheson tiles in the background. I'd say it's Frostgrave ready.

Fafhrd and Grey Mouser

My first introduction to Fafhrd and Grey Mouser was not through the original novels by Fritz Leiber but from a comic book adaptation by Howard Chaykin and Mike (Hellboy) Mignola. Howard Chaykin, in addition to being a great creator of original characters (American Flagg) also knows his way around other writer's works. And in the late 1980s at the prime of my comic collecting days, Mignola was one of my favorites. He is a stylist without making his style obtrusive on the story. I enjoyed the collection quite a bit, but not to the level of Marvel's Conan comics, especially Savage Sword. Regrettably, I did not pick up the novels until years later and was blown away by the craftsmanship of Leiber.

Here are two obvious Reaper "not Fafhrd and Grey Mouser" figures, Fafnir of Kjord and Arran Rabin. Fafnir is in metal, the other in Bones plastic. Side by side, one can see that metal holds better detail, especially in the face, than bones plastic, not withstanding improvements in Bones II over Bones I. He's still worth picking up if you need a Mouser stand in for an RPG or skirmish game. 

Leiber continually emphasized Grey Mouser's monochromatic apparel. On the page, it's fine, but on a figure it is hard to avoid a dull, boring look. However, put the Mouser against a grey stone background and I instantly see why the smaller man favored such an outfit. It's sword & sorcery urban camouflage. 

Before my comic collecting days, but a little web research led me to this forgotten (better forgotten?) work from Wonder Woman's disco era costume days. 

Female Adventurers

Here is a quartet of female adventurers from Reaper Bones plastic. Below, a female paladin and wizard, both ready for some Frostgrave action.

The caster is from Bones I, and the problem with indistinct facial details are particularly noticeable on that figure. The severity may vary from figure to figure, but it has improved on the most recent Bones release.

Below, the two female adventurers from the Dragons Don't Share set. Fine details on the face and clothing are noticeably better here. 

The two face off against a Warg, also from Reaper Bones. The terrain tiles are by Acheson Creations. Cast in a hard plastic, they paint up very nicely and will work in a variety of situations. Check for updates later.

Stonehaven Half Orcs

It's raining Kickstarters around here lately. In addition to my Oathsworn Miniatures, here are my Stonehaven Miniature Half-Orcs. I went for the choice of 10, rather than the complete set.

Here are the first three finished figures.  From left, the Paladin, Barbarian and Bard.

Half Orc Barbarians are cliched, but Stonehaven captures something unique in her.  Not a savage brute as would be typical, but a wild spirit, one who is curious and joyful. I am tired of grim-dark barbarians.  The Paladin begs to be generated as a Ronin and the drummer girl is appropriately Sgt. Peppers meets Punk rock.

Stonehaven has some of the most interesting fantasy sculpts on the market.  The faces ooze personality, clothing and armor is superbly detailed and the casting quality is top notch. Minimal shaving or filing is needed to get these ready to paint.  Any negatives? A strong tendency to sculpt miniatures that are "flat" in cross section. I am sure this is mainly a desire to keep the casting and spinning process simple and avoid multi-part models. Despite this, the poses are dynamic and natural.

Dark Sun

I am always on the lookout for minis that I can fit into a Dark Sun campaign.  As I have said before, the world of Athas is one of my favorite fantasy settings, for it is a rich blend of John Carter's Mars, Frank Herbert's Dune, Robert E. Howard's Conan along with some pre-WOTC TSR weirdness.

The barbarian below is from the first Reaper Bones.  While the over the top sword and armor would be out of place in a traditional Forgotten Realms style fantasy, it is perfect for Dark sun.  The weapons and armor have a bit of the bone and chitin look for the metal-impoverished Athas.  

The barbarian below is from the first Reaper Bones.  While the over the top sword and armor would be out of place in a traditional Forgotten Realms style fantasy, it is perfect for Dark sun.  The weapons and armor have a bit of the bone and chitin look for the metal-impoverished Athas.  

The recent Elemental Evil Player's Companion inspired this levitating Genasi. While the four new races (Aaracokra, Deep Gnomes, Genasi and Goliath) are intended for the Forgotten Realms, a text box refers to Genasi in Dark Sun.  Hopefully, this is a sign of something in the works for new campaign settings.

The source is Reaper Bones II, a Pathfinder figure, but painted as a desert dwelling Air Genasi Wizard, using his Levitate cantrip.

Short People got...

A gnome mage and a dwarf monk.  Both are from Reaper, but the mage is from the Bones line and the monk is metal.  

Excellent sculpting on both of them, and whoever heard of dwarf monks?  I had to have it and roll up a character just for it.

Monks for D&D 5th Edition

I recently purchased the D&D 5th edition Player's Handbook and with enough reviews out already, I'll just say I like it. I played first edition in the 80s, and tried second for a few years before moving on with life and computer gaming. The OSR movement brought me back onto RPGs, but the idea of getting in on the ground floor of a new edition was definitely appealing.

Monks have always been one of my favorite classes - in theory. Way back in First Edition, Monks were basically unarmed super heroes with critically low hit points- a risky proposition for low level characters.

The Fifth edition Monk character has some nice abilities but it doesn't seem over powered given the amount of special features given to all the classes. Which might be a matter for discussion, but I probably missed that debate by sitting out third and fourth editions.

Above, three monks. From left to right, a Reaper monk, a Ral Partha from the late 80s, and another Reaper. The RP is bigger than 25mm to the eye, which the standard then. Nonetheless, he's still shorter than modern minis which are now pushing 30 to the eye. Scale creep...whaddya do about it?

Mice and Mystics Heroes

Here are some mouselings from Plaid Hat's Mice and Mystics boardgame.  It is great fun and an excellent way to get your 5+ year old children into fantasy board games.  The miniatures are made of plastic or a resin-plastic and are well detailed for board game pieces.

With the Reaper Bones II Kickstarter close to delivery, I am hoping the Mouselings in that set will be compatible with these guys for some expanded off-board adventures

Crusader Adventurers

Here's a look at another pack from Crusader Miniatures' rather limited line of fantasy characters.  As I said previously, Crusader is my favorite historical miniature manufacturer, and some of their Dark Ages and Medieval figures could easily fit into a fantasy setting. This three pack of named fantasy adventurers contains all demi-human characters.

From left to right

Illadrian  the Half Elf - very typical Elven figure, his thigh boots and leather codpiece are, well...unique.

The Gnome McCoy - Really like the proportions on this gnome figure; he is short but proportioned very slim.  Next to a dwarf he would definitely be distinct.  The two-handed broadsword must account for the Scottish name. The stone basing is from a press mold made by Happy Seppuku.

Urko Half Orc - My favorite sculpt and character.  His scale and chainmail armor and solid greaves and arm pieces give this character a look of a Germanic warrior in the late Roman Empire.  Very inventive.

Crusader Miniature CCF002

Dark Sun Mul

Googling a bit will show that I am not the first person to turn this Reaper figure into a Dark Sun Mul Gladiator - but I would like to state that I had the idea before I saw those previous versions.

The Dark Sun campaign world included a wonderful race that rarely appears in fantasy or gaming literature - the half dwarf.  It combines the best of both worlds - as tall as a human, but as stocky as a dwarf.  Sterile and hairless, "muls" are favored as gladiators in the arenas of Athas' city states. 

The figure below is a Reaper Bones barbarian whose conversion to a Mul requires only a specific skin tone and a bone blade in place of metal.   

Dark Sun Elf

One of my favorite D&D settings is Dark Sun, although I have seldom had the opportunity to play a long campaign in that game world.  For those not familiar, imagine a typical D&D world of wizards, elves, dwarfs, humans and other monsters.  Then imagine a magical event on the order of a nuclear holocaust that has upended the usual fantasy tropes.  Halfings?  Happy but shy farmers and villagers have now become savage cannibals.  Dwarves?  Still industrious but now hairless surface dwellers.  And elves are no longer mystical and coolly serene but are wandering merchants and raiders not to be trusted.

Ral Partha miniatures made for Dark Sun pop up on ebay and other used dealer from time to time and are becoming fairly expensive.  Furthermore, their "true" 25mm scale doesn't match up well with the 28mm heroic style of modern miniatures.  Luckily, it is not to hard to adapt current minis into the Dark Sun world.  Athas is hot, arid and metal is very rare.  So lightly dressed character in leather or fabric, and weapons should appear to be bone or stone.  High ranking character would have metal weapons, but they are rarer than a +2 sword in a typical campaign world.

This figure instantly screamed Dark Sun to me. Athasian elves were speedy runners and the none too smooth finish on the weapons could pass for bone.  As part of the Reaper Bones line, I found some of the facial detail a little less distinct than on the original metal figure.  However, the weapons were well molded and straight, and did not require the boiling water dip to reset them.

Reaper Bones Iconic Elf Merisiel 

RPR89009

Reading Recommendation

Troy Denning's five book series about the world of Athas is a minor classic of world-building.  The Verdant Passage, The Crimson Legion, The Amber Enchantress, The Obsidian Oracle and The Cerulean Storm can be found on kindle or in used book stores where I found most of mine.

Also worth getting from a few years ago is the IDW graphic novel Ianto's Tomb.  It's less epic than the five book series but the artist does a great job in capturing the look of Athas as many imagined it. 

Throwback Thursday - Female Barbarians

This is a true throwback.  Not only is a pair of miniatures from the 1908s, the paint job is from that decade as well.  The figure on the right is a 1984 Ral Partha from the stamping on the bottom.  The other one's marking is unreadable, but I suspect it is of similar vintage.

I probably painted them around 1989/1990 when I was in high school.  Of course, I am a bit embarrassed by the quality. On the other hand I was using mostly Testor's paint because nice Citadel paint was hard to come by in the small town South 25 years ago.  I also had no magnifying lamp, but I did also have 20/20 vision so that's probably an even trade-off.  All in all, it's nice to hang on to them as a time capsule.

And obviously, it's babes in chainmail bikinis.  What 15 year old (or 40 year old) doesn't occasionally like to paint up a little cheesecake? If anything, the figures are a bit restrained by today's sculpting standards.

Crusader Adventurers III - "Rune Lords"

Most miniature wargaming bloggers tend to mix all of their interests together, but I tend to compartmentalize my stuff.  Furthermore, my other blog, Sea Kings and Horse Warriors, is specifically focused on games and literature from the Dark Ages, so I would rather not mix in my additional interest in fantasy miniatures and the occasional RPG.

Crusader Miniatures are probably my favorite historical line, so it should be no surprise that I would enjoy taking my brush to their fantasy figures as well.  

Crusader Miniatures, all of which are sculpted by Mark Sims, primarily produce historicals from the Ancient era to World War II.  However, the company also puts out a few fantasy, western and pirate packs that might appeal to players of RPG and/or skirmish games

Coming from a primarily historical sculptor, these have a realistic look not usually found in most fantasy PC figures.  The sculpting is clean and uncluttered; weapons are not oversized, female proportions are not exaggerated and their clothing has definite historical precedents. Mold lines are minimal and easily removed.  Sims knows how to design a pose that is both dynamic and easily manufactured with minimal complications.

In addition to fantasy PCs, these models would work well as mercenaries or command figures in a historical game, or as the ubiquitous caravan guards.  The ethnic diversity of the characters is also a nice touch ranging from a possibly Celtic Druid to an East Asian, putting me in mind of the type of characters found in Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear's Mongoliad series.

Crusader Miniatures, Item #CCF003

Reading Recommendation

The Mongoliad Trilogy is collaborative work by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear and a host of other writers. The Series focuses on a fictional holy order, the Shield Brethren, who are rivals to the historical crusading order the Sword Brothers or Livonian Knights. The main characters represent a variety of Western ethnicities and fighting styles.  As the Mongol invasion of Poland and Hungary in 1240 threatens to push further west, the holy order splits into two teams.  One must compete in a brutal gladiatorial tournament held by the invading Mongols while the other group treks across the steppe on a mission to assassinate the Great Khan and halt the Mongol invasion.  

Clearly influenced by RPGs, the series is best described as historical fantasy that does justice to both genres with its inventive use of secret history and conspiratorial mysticism. On the negative side, a long distance quest is a plot device fantasy writers call upon too often, and any collaborative writing project is going to suffer from uneven intervals of differing quality.