A Jolly Man In Red

Ho ho ho.

Joaquin Phoenix or Phil Dunphy - someone's getting paid for image rights!

My last Crisis Protocol miniature of this year, and it's a doozy.

First of all: he's not the Devil. Marvel were very clear about that. He's just a supernatural being that inhabits a fiery realm, wears a lot of red and likes making deals with unexpected consequences.

In-game, that makes him a lot of fun, since he can create his own affiliation, and force opponents to make unpalatable choices. I've only played him once so far, but he's unlocking the fiendish part of my brain (which is only ever left on the latch) to maximise those abilities.

Painting-wise - well, the challenge was making a lot of red look different. So I dug out a number of techniques: overbrushing, layers and contrast to make the skin, cloak and clothes look different (and still red). Some flames and we're away!

(it does make me think about a Halloween-themed affiliation, now that Dracula and pals have been released)

And for a final word on Crisis Protocol: the knockout trophy!

This was cobbled together and despatched to Pootle, as champion of The Secret Infinity Invasion Wars knockout tournament.

I'm still amazed - and quite thrilled - that we managed to pull off a sixteen-game knockout that ran from September to December. It certainly met my resolution to play more games of MCP, and successfully got every miniature in my cabinet at least one game.

It's also taught me a fair bit about MCP (the rules, for one thing) and I can now appreciate the importance of action economy, activation, mission set-up and deployment. Not that I'll be putting any of these hard-won lessons into practice, since I inevitably get over-excited about playing with my superhero toys and just charge straight in.

Lots of plans for next year - and most of them start with an X!