The Tally of 2015

So that was 2015, and this is the update to "Project: Micawber"...

I'm looking for an image of Old Father Time...
But as a Terminator...
Holding some kind of melon!

"Annual leadpile twenty orcs, annual painting nineteen orcs nineteen goblins and a snotling, result: stagnation.
Annual leadpile twenty orcs, annual painting twenty orcs nought and a snotling, result: progress."

First Step into a Larger World

Not that step, maybe.

After a brief exchange in a previous post, and an Amazon voucher for £25 sitting on my desk: I found myself ordering the XWing core set... which thanks to Prime, arrived that day and I could read the rules last night (then I found the rules are posted on FFG's site for anyone to read!).

New Year's Honours List

End of the year. Time to do my Lead Taxes.

I don't know if 'inspired' is the right word, but General Stylus's Project Micawber post last year certainly stayed with me. 'Haunted', that's the word I'm looking for.

In brief, the idea was to make sure you painted more than you acquired over the year. Let's look at the figures.

(by which I mean the numbers, not the actual models, even though that would be more interesting)

The True Meaning of WoffBoot

"What is a WoffBoot?" - the question asked on the very first post on this blog (I'm sure you were all reading it back then). In brief, it's the phonetic pronunciation of WFBT - an acronym for 'Warhammer Fantasy Battle Tournament'.

The technical word for this is a vocologue - that is, a word shortened to an acronym, then lengthened to a word (such as 'okay', 'emcee' and 'deejay'). If you're interested in such things, there's lots more on the Haggard Hawks etymology blog.

Stay awake, there may be a test later.

And that's the way we've been for the last four years. Until I recently got thinking: not anymore we're not.

Mural's Avengers II

A new addition to the Family Stylus means only thing: more superheroes on the nursery walls!

Ted Hughes ain't no thing.

Last time, I managed four characters. This time, only one. This is not due to any deficiency in affection for the prospective newcomer, but painting walls in June (16 hours of natural light) is a lot easier than painting them in December (16 minutes of natural light).

If junior stays in there long enough, I might be able to squeeze out another before the big day - although I am now running out of wall space.

All Fyrd Up

It's been a whistlestop December, but we have one last stop before the annual review: The Anglo Saxons!

Freeman's Catalogue, 872AD

PROPER Anglo-Saxons, that is. Not the BBC's cack-handed adaptation of an historical tour-de-force. (I mean come on - ITV did a cracking job on Sharpe. Where was the electric guitar intro?)

Christmas Leftovers

Christmas is over, so let's pick at this carcass for a few days more.

The state of my turkey by Day 3

Time for the leftovers!

Festive Cheers!

Don't worry, this is an automated post. At the time of publishing, I am scrabbling to find some AA batteries for a Thomas the Tank Engine, at a speed that will not satisfy a Christmas-infused toddler.

Cheers!

But it seemed a good time to rebase a mythic jolly figure with a long white beard and a generous spirit!

Proxy Baby Jesus

We did it! Well done everyone, for allowing all this time to pass. 

In Dulce Jubilo, You've Failed Your Saving Thow

See, this is why I don't let Admiral Ackbar decorate my kitchen.

Lufgt Huron Carol

Tenuous title, this. I'm not sure how many people have heard the classic French Canadian Huron Carol, which starts

'Twas in the moon of winter-time

When all the birds had fled,

That mighty Gitchi Manitou

Sent angel choirs instead;

I Saw Three Hulks Come Warping In

And what was in their cargo holds?

Genestealers. It's always genestealers. 

Hark the Heretic Angels Sing

If you've been both naughty and nice during the year, does Santa bring you half a present?

The True Story of Christmas

O Chestmas Tree, O Chestmas Tree

How lovely are thy claspses

Baby, It's Cold Inside

Day 18 - and we continue with our evening of Dwarf King's Quest

For his birthday, Gavin's getting Type II Diabetes

This continues from the same session as Mission 2 - we had time for a re-rack and heading on the next stage. Mission 3: 'Restless Guardian' (which was about a banshee, not a broadsheet newspaper).

A-Waywatcher In A Manger

As we creak open another chest, please be assured that my takeover of this Advent will be short-lived, and Kraken's getting back the reins soon.

Pro tip: when you search for 'big chest' on Google, keep the Family Filter on.

But for now... Waywatchers!

Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (With Silver Bullets)

Day 16 and our advent brings us ... werewolves?

A clockwork orange at the bottom of your stocking.

Were there wolves in the Nativity? I'm guessing they were implied. After all, the shepherds weren't just watching their flocks because they had a thing about gazing at sheep in the moonlight (this, after all, was Judea, not the Rhondda).

Gory, Gory Hallelujah!

Only nine more bludgeoning days until Christmas!

You know, that tattoo should really be on a dead man's chest...

Behind Chest #15, we return those stalwarts of the Nativity: the livestock!

The mutated, bloodthirsty, Chaos-worshipping livestock, for sure. Doesn't everyone's school play go that way?

Jingle Bells, Dead Troll Smells

Day 14 - and I race downstairs to eat the advent calender choccie before anyone else can get there.

Never fear - we're still doing the chest thing.

I, Stylus, am getting in on Kraken's advent blogging - so ding dong merrily, let's have some more Dungeon Saga!

O Plastic Town of Bethlehem

Yes! The Advent Madness is still upon me! Pray that these bonds hold me to the chair, and flee while you can!

Deep and Crisp and Even

Chest number... what day is it today? The twelfth? Okay, number twelve!

Walking in a Dungeon Wonderland

Advent Chest time! Something a little more meaty tonight...

A Meat Locker!

All I Want for Christmas is my Lower Jaw

There was a plum pudding in our Advent Calendar today. I nearly just copied that, but it wasn't quite grimdark enough.

Bowels of Trolly

Done all your Christmas shopping yet? 

As with Badness Men of Old

Onwards to the inevitable!

Return of the King

The relentless march of Advent continues!

Pa rumpa pum pum

What the Hell-y and the Ivy

What's in today's box?

It should have been doors, really, shouldn't it? Dungeon doors. Ah well, too late now.

We Wish You a Bunch of Dead Guys

Fifth Box!

Thanks to our unwitting sponsor in Advent Fun, Atlantic Collectibles Ebay Store!

We Three Dwarves

Box number four! What's inside?

Three French Haunts

Advent continues!

Deck the Halls

Box number two!

Spirit of Christmas

Festive Season! Let's have a Woffvent Calendar. I shall post something every day - after all, if GW can do it, I can. Now excuse me while I step out for a moment to grow fat on a diet of the tears of addicted nerds.

What's in box number one?

Dungeon Saga II - Seeing Triple

Stylus is right, these are good models to paint! After getting the first batch of furniture out of the way (yeah, there's more, no, I'm not looking forward to it), I was pretty eager to get the core set down.

Dungeon Saga Evil Dead - Ghosties and Ghoulies (and Zombies)

Now the heroes are painted for this dungeon bash, it's time to give them something to bash!

The Fellowship of the Ring has seen better days.

Rise up, deadies!

Dungeon Saga Heroes - Your Quest Begins Here!

"Enter, stranger...."

In a wild departure from fantasy dwarf designs, this one is a grumpy-looking doorstop.

Despite having a SkypeQuest lined up with Kraken in the near future, I hadn't intended to paint any of my Dungeon Quest models. But I started to tinker with a few and realised - these things are fantastic to paint!

Frostgrave II - A Frosty Grave

I've Got Frostbite!
It's All Skype Fight Night!

Back to the snowy city of Felstad for a second round of wizardly duelling! I, Kraken,

and I, Stylus,

will be battling our warbands as we squabble over the riches within a newly-thawed Mausoleum. Can its prizes be wrenched from the knucklebones of those guarding it?

Loadout

We'll be taking our warbands from last time out again. My Necromancer, 'Gold' Dulgur, won the first round. Along with new henchmen and Stylus's injuries from last time, I have a distinct numerical advantage, as well as a big, tough Barbarian to deploy!

Goldie is now a she, since I finished the paintjob on the model that played apprentice last time. Her new apprentice is Mr Bones on the extreme left, and after injuries from last time, I was packing two thugs, two thieves, a crossbowman, an archer, a big dog and an even bigger Barbarian. 

Slothslayer's Proxies - two archers, three goblin thugs, an apprentice and a treasure hunter. The Man-at-Arms was actually injured, but managed to make the team photo anyway. 

Dungeon Saga - Solo Rules Review

Playing by myself? Yeah, I'm that sad.

Stikka Album

... or are Stikkas meant to be archers? Well, for the purpose of a good pun, let's assume goblin spears are the ones they call 'Stikkas'

You find a good pun, you Stikk to it.

This is the second of my Night Goblin originals. They served me well for many 6th Ed battles, but as with the archers, the time has come to repaint them.

Aim for the Black

Not for the Red

Yeah, it's Crypt Angels time!

Tonight, on a very special post...

Well, this all seems like splendid news (and remarkable that the too-good-to-be-true rumour preceding it actually turned out true),

Perhaps a new Necromunda game will finally goad me into painting my Escher gang. Mind you, I wouldn't pass up a Blood Bowl game either. Or maybe Epic.

Oh damn, GW, just shut up and take my money.

It Was A Rock... Lobba!

... and if that's got you humming the B-52s, then get yourself off and have a quick boogie. It's fine, I'll wait.

Ski-doo-be-dop!

EXT: Fallen Statue

The concrete gloop from the burned-out shack wasn't the only leftovers from the lifecasting session recently. We also had some spare parts.

Fauschlag

It's A Long Way From Gorkamorka

Having painted up a Wyvern rider for our recent battle report, I figured I needed a Warboss on foot model (in the *unlikely* chance that the wyvern would get shot out from underneath him).

I mean, what are the odds of that happening?

EXT: Ruined Hut

 More ruins for my snowy bog theme. This time, the remains of a shack!

That burned down, fell over and then sank into the swamp.

The Bat Winged Loony Lobber

a.k.a The Doom Diver. I've already made a customised version, but I can't believe it's taken me this long to sort out a proper one: the model, the rules and the fluff are equally awesome.

From the Wile E. Coyote school of artillery.

"...This technique was developed to provide greenskin tribes with a form of aerial reconnaissance. Early aeronauts were given bits of slate and chalk on which to sketch enemy troop dispositions. As few Goblins survived the rather sudden landing, this was felt to be the only way of recovering the information they had gleaned. Unfortunately the idea wasn't a great success as most slates were found to bear a hasily scrawled message along the lines of 'Yahooooo!' of Wheeeee!'"

Orcs & Goblins 6th Ed (when fluff was worth reading)

WoffBoot: The Movie!

Having penned over 80 battle reports, we thought we'd have a try at making a video report. But, of course, we couldn't just make any old video...

So here we have a 2500 pt battle between Empire and Orcs & Goblins, as narrated by Brother 'Peachy' Toliver Carnehan and Brother Daniel 'Danny' Dravot, former Gunnery Sergeants in the Queen’s own Royal Loyal Light Infantry.

It was a fun battle - the losses were appalling (and so were the accents!)

Oddgit and Upchuck

So we SkypeBooted last week (battle report impending) and lending Kraken my greenskin army meant I was forced to hasten, not just the wyvern warboss, but also a couple of other extra models. Starting with two night goblin shaman:

In the end, he only fielded one of them: a cruel trick to make me paint faster.

Dungeon Saga - Miniatures Review

 Okay, I'll keep this brief.

Trick or Trick

Happy Halloween! Here's a selection of appropriately spooky models, freshly raised from the dead painted for your delectation.

Wooooo! Scaaaaaaaary!