Sowers of the Thunder (Mouse's Oldhammer Dwarf Army So Far)

A wail of horns and a clatter of drums...a rustling of armor and a measured tramp of heavy feet...at long last, my Dwarf army has reached 3,000 points!  It's been years since I began work on the War host of the Thunder Mount, and though there's a lot about the army that I'm not 100% happy with, its good to see the army 'finished'.

...Of course, is any army ever really 'finished'? There's still plenty I'd like to add...more infantry...fire throwers...engineers...cannon...more characters...a dragon...a giant....but for now, I'm just pleased to have reached the 3k summit.

Anchoring the  Dwarven right flank are Snorri Headbiter's Giant Slayers.  A good choice for flank guards. 

Everyone in the army knows that as long as one of Snorri's psychotically devout lads still stand, the army's right will not be turned.

To Snorri's left stand a detachment of Crossbow Dwarves of the Red Feather Troop...

...And the Lord of the Upper Hall, Thorrir Maull, with his dreaded 1st Company, the 'Skull Poppers', bane of Goblins throughout the Black river country.

On the low ridge behind the right flank, Captain Lonni Halgirdson's stone thrower battery stands ready to wreak bloody havoc amoung the ranks of the enemy...

...while in the army's center, two light artillery pieces, the bolt thrower 'Jenn Troll Spitter' and the fearsome flame cannon have been positioned to restrict the enemy's freedom of movement.  (And to inflict massive casualties on him.)

On a low knoll behind the Army's center, General Sveinn Donnerkind, the wizards Old Hal and The Hermit of the Mount, and the army's Standard Bearer direct the battle and stand ready to pitch in if the line buckles somewhere...

...while the 4th Company of the great hall, the mighty 'Razorbacks', are held back in reserve behind the army's center, ready to fill in the gap if the light artillery is over-run, or to reinforce if a flank caves in.

Center-left in the army's line, beside the light artillery, stand the crack 'King's Axes', warriors of the toughest fibre, ready to break any enemy's assault...

...and beside them, the 3rd Company of the Great Hall, the famous 'Red Dragons'....

...And another detachment of crossbows, positioned to whittle down the enemy as the approach the Dwarven left...

And, last, the baggage train, ready to serve up booze and chow to the lads prior to a hard day's hacking!

The army deployed to meet the foe!   Ready, lads?  Let's sort 'em out!!!!!" 

Dungeons and Dragons: Wood Elf Scouts

Though they seem but a fading shadow of their ancient might, the fragile realms of the Elder folk still endure, a tower of resistance against the growing powers of Chaos and Evil.  The Elven realms that remain number fourteen, spread throughout the dark forests, hills and isles of the lands which lie to the north of the realms of the Kings of men.  The fourteen realms are guided in their foreign policy by a Sorceress of great power, who was appointed at the founding of the alliance, and who has held the leadership of the fourteen lands in trust ever since.

There can be little doubt that the Elven realms are in decline.  The people of the fourteen lands grow ever more indolent, inward looking and morose.  Yet somehow each year the Elven realms still produce numbers of gallant adventurers who raid and plunder the dungeons of the fell folk with astonishing skill and daring, while their armies remain powerful enough to send contingents to help men and Dwarves when they have need, and to keep a deadly watch upon their borders.

Shown here are a small band of some of the Elven Lady's scouts, Fierce, stealthy and resourceful, they spearhead the advance of Elven War hosts in unfriendly country and keep undesirables from raiding or straying inside her borders.

I really had fun painting these boys...until I got the eyes.  I just don't know how some people can manage painting eyes on 25mms.  I guess I'm so old now that I just can't see what the hell it is I'm painting.  What looks ok on the figure under the naked eye looks like big sloppy globs of white and blue when I bring the picture of said figure up on the computer.  I am going to have to get some kind of a magnifier or give up painting eyes on my 25s altogether.

I've been slowly assembling a force of old Tom Meier Elves for the last few years.  Tom set the standard for Elves for me, sort of like Kev Adams set the standard for Orcs and Goblins, and I don't like anyone else's compared to his.  Meier's Elves had an alien beauty and poise which nailed Elves for me, and which you can't find anywhere else. He lavished attention on his Elves' weapons and gear, and the engrossing detail of their mail, plumes, robes, helms and magic weapons and shields were perfect extensions of the unearthly beauty of their features. Now, I'm not going to go crazy, just a warband of about 50 fighters or  so, covering most of the Elves Mr. Meier did in the 70s and early to mid eighties, with a few characters and a chariot or two.  Some I can't include because they are a bit too big to fit in with the rest.  Scale was a little erratic back then, even within a single line of figures.

Better order that magnifying glass...

Probing ahead of their advancing war host, the Elf scouts flush out a band of Half Orc champions.  A bitter and savage struggle is about to begin...

Orc Crossbow Boys

Ach!  Curses!  A gang of Big Blackie's crossbow boys at large on the left bank of the Black River! This surely spells trouble for some of the good folk of the Baron Von Refn's realm.

After nearly a month away from home, it was a great pleasure to jump back into painting little people again.  This little bunch of venomous creeps was a lot of fun to work on.

I didn't have enough of the original Citadel crossbows to go round, so I substituted some old Rafm pieces and 2 plastic xbows from a Mordheim equipment sprue which seemed to appear inexplicably in my attic a couple of years ago.  That was fine, since I've never been especially keen on those 80s plastic crossbows.  They look more like they belong to the 40k universe than to Warhammer fantasy.

Naturally, these are not the orcs that I really need to be working on right now.  I need to get to work repairing Big Blackie's @#&*ing chariot and my Gobbo chariot squadron, but I have trouble staying on task sometimes, you know.

Da Boss gets his boys into wedge formation.  Bring dem humie horse boys on, we's ready!

Da lads add their firepower to Yummskab Hokkflemm's light Orktillery....

Ok lads...One...too...er...um...Wut comes after too?  Uh...Free!  Yeah, free!  Shoot!!!!

More Pics from Enfilade 2016

Between games at Enfilade I wandered around the convention hall and ogled some of the gorgeous games going on at other folks' tables.  I didn't get pictures of everything I liked...there just wasn't time.  Not shown in this post are some amazing sci fi space fleet battle games and other good stuff, but here's some of the things I liked best.  Hope you get some enjoyment and inspiration out of them.  I know I did.

 First up is this very attractive game of Hail Caesar fought out in the shadow of a beautiful Roman Fort which I suspect was made by Grand Manor

Beautiful board and minis!

In another corner of the convention hall, another Roman vs Celts contest was being decided.  This one looked very much like the Battle of Alesia, with Roman siege works sandwiched between a defended Celtic city and a determined relief force...

 My favorite game of the weekend was this drop dead gorgeous American Southwest game with its delightful terrain, and loads of detail.

 I'm not sure what was going on, but there looked to be Apaches, Soldados, cowboys, cantina grils and a crashed space ship teeming with hostile aliens all fighting enthusiastically over something or other...

 Later I tried to buy some of the Monument Valley-esque terrain.  Not sure what I was going to do with it, but it was so lovely in its John Fordian-ness that I'm sure I would have found something to do with it.  Naturally, it had all been claimed already.

Very inspiring, though.

 On Sunday the Vikings showed up, harassing some Anglo Saxon types in what I think was a game of Saga...

Who doesn't love Vikings?

 Last to catch my eye was this sexy Pulp game...Again, gorgeous terrain and beautifully painted minis

 Do you dare cross the ford when it is guarded by the bloody minded bull hippo?

 Simple set-up, really but it looked great!

Wish I had gotten more photos, but this was it.  Lots to think about while dreaming up projects this year, and lots to look forward to next year!