Lesser Oni (Kappa) for 'Hametsu'

In 'Hametsu' there are a wide assortment of villains with which the heroes have to overcome, ranging from the Oni, to the fearsome 'Bosses' and over-the-top 'Raid Bosses'.   The lowliest of the low are the Lesser Oni.  These are essentially the luckless mooks within the game's monster hierarchy. Individually they are fairly easy to dispatch, but if encountered in a mob (which invariably they are) they can be quite dangerous to an incautious adventurer.

The Hametsu figures from Black Site Studio are beautifully designed, but I find the cost of shipping to Canada is prohibitive. So begun the long process of looking for viable 3d proxies online (two of the heroes were in my previous post originated as stl files). During my search I came across a series of models from Sharedog Miniatures depicting Japanese water spirits called Kappa, which I think will make fun Lesser Oni for the game. 

In doing a bit of research I found that Kappa have a shallow depression on the top of their heads which holds a small pool of water. If this water is spilled, or dries up, it makes them weak and sluggish. Yes, how wonderfully odd! The list of defensive measures to ward against Kappa is quite lengthy (and rudely funny), so I suggest you look them up for a laugh if you have a moment.

I decided to give my Kappa a sort of tree frog look, so I used blends of vibrant Citadel Contrast and Vallejo Xpress paints over a white basecoat. Overall I'm happy enough with the effect and they should stand out well on the tabletop.

For those who are wondering, the yellow on the front base edge denotes their arc of vision, which is a big deal in 'Hametsu' which is all about keeping out of sight and timely ambushes. I chose the bright yellow as I'm planning on gaming with these online and I hope the colour will help with on-screen identification.

Thanks for dropping in for a look!

- Curt

School of Magic Heroes for 'Hametsu'

 

Hi All,

I like to have a LOT of things happening on my hobby desk, and this winter is no different! 

Last year my good pal PhilH pointed me towards a new game coming out called 'Hametsu' from Black Site Studios. I looked into it further and thought it might be a good candidate for our group, being as it requires a fairly low figure count, has simple, fast moving rules, and seems chock-full of flashing katana character. 

I duly plunked down for the rulebook and have been very happy with my purchase. The rulebook is gorgeously produced, very high quality stuff and more importantly the rules are excellent as well. So I've been busy ever since, amassing 3d prints and getting things ready to churn out for the Challenge. In fact, I was so keen to try the game that I've hosted several sessions with my primed figures (clutches pearls!), and even have had a few online games with pals from away using Discord. It's been well-received so I'm eager to move forward and get some colour on these figures.

'Hametsu' is essentially a cooperative monster hunting game. It's set in feudal Japan, built around the premise that a cataclysm has created fissures in reality across the country, letting demons (Oni) through into the material world. The population has largely retreated into the relative safety of the cities, while the countryside has been overrun with roving bands of Oni and other nasty creatures. As a result, Japanese society has created bands of 'Hunters' to go out into the wilds and try to stem the tide of evil infesting the country. I know, it sounds very reminiscent to 'Rangers of Shadow' deep, but it has a mannered structure and groovy Boss fights that make it quite unique and compelling.

In the base game the heroes originate from three 'Schools' of martial prowess. They are The School of Magic, The School of Stealth and the School of Strength. Each of the Schools has three 'classes' or archetypes.

Today I have three 'classes' from the School of Magic: A Monk (close combat/healer), a Bunraku (necromancer) and a Onmyoji (mage).

The Monk is a metal figure from Otherworld Miniatures. Surprisingly, I found him to be sort of ropey, which is kind of weird as Otherworld stuff is usually so darn good, but I liked his minimalist pose and so stuck with him (so many of the 3d designs for monks are a little too Marvel for me, if you know what I mean). I'm happy I preserved as I quite like him now.

The Bunraku is a 3d print from Kyoshuneko Miniatures. I was smitten by the effect of her flaming ensorcelled hands (great word: 'ensorcelled'). (Although to be honest, the real character class can't actually cast fire, but don't mess with my jam...).

The Onmyoji is a print designed by Epic Miniatures. I was curious about the whole basket-helm thingy and found that these guys were (and still are) Komuso monks from a specific Zen Buddist sect. Originally descended from samurai, the basket is worn over the head as a symbol shunning one's sense of ego. Interesting. Following this train of logic, I suspect Sarah will suggest that I get my head measured for one...

In the future I plan to post figures from the other two Schools of Magic along with an assortment of the baddies that the heroes have to face and overcome. If I get especially fired up I may even get some terrain completed. Hold my beer.

- Curt

Gnomish Airship

Hi Everyone,

We recently had a Christmas-themed game of Moonstone which, as usual, was a lot of fun. I was hoping to have this entry done for the game, but it just wasn't quite ready for the tabletop, but I did manage to finish it for our next outing. 

This is the 'Gnomish Airship' for Moonstone (one of our proud Challenge sponsors). It's a lovely little model, packed full of whimsical character and silliness (who can deny an pedal-powered airship, armed with a steam harpoon and bombs). I painted it up using fairly punchy colours, reasoning that Gnomes are a jolly lot and so would like their flying machines to be much the same.

I considered breaking out the airbrush for this little brute, but frankly I was just too lazy (rum and eggnog are good sandbags to activity) and the model actually seemed well-suited to straightforward brushwork. I used a mixture of VMC, Contrast and good ole craft paint for this. It was a lot of fun to work on (though it's a surprisingly delicate piece, so I had to be mindful).

The base was built up with foam bits, liquitex and tallus. I had some great mushroom prints on hand, which I glued in for a bit of additional whimsy.

The Airship will be a nice addition to the Gnome troupe and I hope to see it plying the skies, causing mayhem, during our next game.

Mama Grimble, her two Boys and the new Gnome Airship.

________________________________

Thanks for popping in for a look!

- Curt

The Rosetta Stone (1799)

First, Happy New Year everyone!

This year's Painting Challenge focuses on libraries, and so I wanted to make sure I made my first entry about reading, specifically the words and symbols that we use to communicate out thoughts and ideas. 

Here is a small vignette depicting a group of Napoleonic soldiers and French academic savants examining the Rosetta Stone (perhaps only a few hours before it became a  British trophy). 

The Rosetta Stone was discovered by the French in 1799 during their ill-fated Egyptian campaign near the town of Rashid ('Rosetta') in the Nile Delta. 

As many know, the Rosetta Stone's importance stems from it providing the linguistic links between Egyptian and Greek, and three writing systems, hieroglyphics, demotic script (a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics), and the Greek alphabet. The Stone provided a definitive key to translating Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.

The Rosetta Stone was later taken by the British as a war trophy, part of the Capitulation of Alexandria in 1801, resulting from their victory over the French in 1800. The Stone has been part of the British Museum's collection ever since, and is in fact their most viewed object. The Egyptian government has made requests for the Stone to be repatriated, but there has been little movement on this matter. With an increasing number of cultural objects being returned to their traditional owners, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles and other priceless objects held in foreign repositories. 

I got the Rosetta Stone as a STL file from MyminiFactory. It's very cool in the sense that the file is from a scan of the original artefact. I simply reduced it down to scale to fit with 28mm figures. The assorted minis shown here are a conceit, coming from a previous Challenge years ago (and so will not be scored), but I thought it might be a bit of fun to have a scene depicting French scholars madly taking some sketches before the heathen British arrive to despoil their discovery.

- Curt

The 14th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge

It's that time of year again! 

Feel free to head over to the Challenge blog to see the full announcement for Challenge XIV.

It's going to be great!

Curt