Fireteam Fatigue and Some Painted Miniatures (With Colour Guide)

It recently dawned on me that I'm currently suffering from a very specific kind of gaming fatigue - Fireteam Andromeda Fatigue.

Last week I finally got around to having a game of Fireteam Andromeda which, considering all the work I've put in it, should have left me overjoyed! But therein lies the rub of it - all the work. It seems that (and I don't know if other game designers share this experience) after all of the work that I've put into Fireteam Andromeda it has ended up sucking out all of the fun from the game for me.

By no means do I think it is a bad game - far from it! Apart from a few "clearly-a-first-ever"-game design things that have annoyed me, the game is solid, works and has given people great games. So, the product itself isn't really to blame. It is, and again I'm guessing because I don't really know any other game designers, simply due to stress and burnout after having put a lot of energy and effort into it. I just can't seem to play it anymore and just have fun with doing so, but always end up tinkering and considering stuff.

So with that out of the way, I still needed a game for my 15mm armies and the Terminus Nebula setting as well. Rather than re-invent a new game from the base up, I instead decided to do the time-honored thing and tinker with an already published set of rules.

This means that within a couple of days (real-life permitting) I'll post a bit about my Employment War modification for Bolt Action as well as upload it for the general public at large. Thus I hopefully can get back into gaming - for fun -  and get back into developing the Terminus Nebula setting... which, when I get back into gear, will become immensely helpful as I start development of the Mecha Legion 6mm wargame that I've been tinkering away with.

Anyway! All this rambling and wordyness needs to stop - I've also been painting whilst contemplating the fate of my 15mm gaming life!

First up is a squad of Republican Guards for the Republic of the Western Sphere. These troops have been around since the dawn of the Republic and haven't really changed neither uniform colour nor equipment (overly much) in the last 200 years. I painted them in simple muted colours to reflect their campaign on Earth as well as Mars during the Civil War. The colours used also match my Mecha Legion for the Republic as well - which was the intention all along!

• Fatigues / Uniform - Iraqui Sand (VMC), washed with Soft Tone (Army Painter) and then painted with Iraqui Sand (VMC) once more, leaving the darker tone in the recess.
  
• Helmets / Armour - Beige Brown (VMC), washed with Strong Tone (AP) and then painted with Beige Brown (VMC) again leaving the darker tone in the recess.
  
• Webbing - A simple coat of Umber Brown (VMC) which was washed with Strong Tone (AP).
  
• Weapons - The rifles were all painted using Gun Grey (VMA) with a two drops of Black (VMC) added in to tone them down, then washed with Nuln Oil (GW). The missile launcher was painted with Reflective Green (VMC), washed with Nuln Oil (GW) and then painted with Reflective Green once more, leaving the darker shade in the recess.
  
• Flesh - Was painted using Foundry's (urgh) tri-color shade of basic skin. This is the first and last time I'll ever use this so...
  
• Bases - These were painted with Flat Earth (VMC) and then given a drybrush of Cork Brown (VMC). I later found bought a bottle of Brown Sand (VMC) and will use this colour for drybrushing in the future.

Secondly we have a squad for my other Republican Army that I'm working on. I really should have gone for them being Alliance Patrol soldiers or similar - but oh well. They're a continuation of my trend of trying to paint the same uniforms for my sci-fi miniatures across scales, where possible. The miniatures are from Critical Mass Games (Arc Fleet Troops) and are really great high-tech footsloggers, if a slightly bit too small next to my Ground Zero Game miniatures (sheesh, this scale-creeping!). 

• Bodyarmor - Was all painted using Dark Blue Grey (VMC), given a wash of Dark Tone (AP) then painted with Dark Blue Grey again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Fatigues - Whilst barely shown, then these were painted Dark Grey (VMC) and then given a wash of Dark Tone (AP).
  
• Weapons - The casings were all painted Cold Grey (VGC), given a wash of Dark Tone (AP) and then painted with Cold Grey again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess. The few metal bits were painted with Steel (VMA) with a bit of Black (VMC) mixed in, then given a wash with Nuln Oil (GW).
  
• Visor - The visiors were first painted Flat Green (VMC) and then painted with Scorpy Green (VGC). It was then given a wash of Thraka Green (GW) and then painted once more with Scorpy Green leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Bases - Burnt umber (craft paint) which was then given a drybrush of Light Sand (Lifecolor)

Finally I also painted a Sister of Mercy Sigmar for yet another unnamed Fantasy Warband. This time we go up to 28mm and is more a showcase of the flesh colour I've finally decided on using, as well as just to spice things up a bit on the painting table. 

• Flesh - First a coat of Beige Red (VMC), then washed with a 70/30 or 60/40 mix of Red Ink (AP) and Soft Tone (AP). Then painted with Beige Red (VMC) again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Hair  - This was painted Brown Ochre (VMC), then washed with Soft Tone (AP). It was then painted using Brown Ochre (VMC) again leaving the shaded area in the recess.
  
• Tunic - First given a coat of Flat Green (VMC), then followed up with a coat of Iosan Green (P3). This was then given a wash of Strong Tone (AP) and painted with Iosan Green again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Non-armor Leather - This was painted English Uniform (VMC) and then given a wash of Strong Tone (AP). Painted with English Uniform (VMC) again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Leather Armor - Painted this with Bootstrap Leather (P3) and given a wash of Strong Tone (AP). Painted again with Bootstrap Leather (P3) leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Dress - Painted with Beige (VMC) and then followed by a coat of Menoth White Highlight (P3). This was then washed with Soft Tone (AP) and then painted with Menoth White Highlight again, leaving the shaded areas in the recess.
  
• Hammer - The shaft was painted using Foundry's Spearshaft paint (urgh), washed with Strong Tone (AP) and then given a basecoat of Foundry's Spearshaft again. The metal was painted using Steel (VMA) with a drop of Black (VMC) added. This was then washed with Nuln Oil (GW).
  
• Golden Bits - This was painted using Bright Brass (VMA) and then given a wash of Seraphim Sepia (GW).
  
• Base - This is then setting my new default for painting generic bases! A good coat of Flat Earth (VMC) followed by a drybrush of Brown Sand (VMC).

So there we have it - some painted miniatures and a new feature for the blog as well; the colour guide! I might have to revise the method of these in the future were I hopefully get around to write up an article on how I go about painting my miniatures in general. 

The paints used were mostly Vallejo Model Color (VMC) with a touch of Vallejo Model Air (VMA), Vallejo Game Color (VGC), Army Painter (AP) and the last time I'll ever use Foundry paints (which is a rant for another day).

Thanks for reading this far and let's see how quickly I can get the Employment War up and running!

The start of my Infinity Army

So - these have been quite some time in the running, but as I'm getting ready for a quick "learning-the-rules" demo game tonight, I figured I'd share with the lot of you how far I've gotten with my Morat Agression Force army.

The grand total of painted miniatures for my army.

Seeing as you only need a handful of miniatures in order to play Inifinity (more than those pictured, mind you) I decided that I did not want to go through my usual regimented motions of speedpainting the whole lot in one sitting - but rather take my time with each individual model, paint it up as nice as possible (whilst cutting my usual corners), base it up and get it all done before progressing to the next one.

These are some great miniatures, I'm nowhere near qualified enough to do them justice.

So - that's the main reason as to why there's only three models painted so far. I started out with all of the more "special" units that I had from the starter box and I'm slowly working my way through the rest of the army... which, because the miniatures are way too expensive for my tastes, only consists of a couple of grunts and some more grunts with Heavy Weapons. Once they're all done, I'll look into getting additional reinforcements and do this army as stated - buy one model for it, paint one model for it.

I really, really love this model - and as such he was the first to be painted up.

Oh and I hope that you'd notice that I've managed to figure out the lighting and camera setup for taking pictures of my miniatures now - turns out my camera had an auto-whitebalance thingy which helped immensely; barely any post-processing involved in these pictures. Huzzah!

The start of a new army!

So, I couldn't quite keep up with my initial promise of at least one post a week. Sometimes it just feels like that real-life has a tendency to conspire against you whenever you set yourself a goal. Ah well, I digress.

Whilst all manner of stuff was going on in my personal life I still managed to paint up and finish off the first couple of units for a new Fireteam Andromeda army that I'm making right now. I've gotten this crazy idea that I'm going to finish off all (or almost all) of my 15mm purchases - from last year - this year.

And here's the start of it then; the 317th Republican Regiment "Giant's Shadow". They're supposed to be a recon/forward element of a Mecha Legion that I'm brewing up for the 6mm adventure at some point. Oh and the colourscheme is the same as for a 28mm platoon of the same name - so this is then the first step towards a cross-scale platoon that I'm building. Fancy that!

Two squads of Power Armour (Blockhead troops from Critical Mass Games)

A medium hover tank - I intent to use this as some sort of support vehicle for the force which will primarily be airborne or some sort of walker/battlesuit. (Shaman Mercenary Tank from Brigade Models UK)

A squad of Engineers - makes life as a mechanized force much, much easier. (Engineers from Ground Zero Games, Droid from Laserburn)

And finally a squad of heavy combat drones. (2mm Mechs from Ground Zero Games)

So there we are - the first steps towards a completed army. The colourscheme came about because I wanted something that would stand out but also have a look of urban-ish combat to them (without complex camouflage schemes). I think they look really great and I'm looking forward to paint up the Airborne element of the army (I've got two Old Crow Landers that I'm looking forward to paint up with some Critical Mass Games ARC Infantry).

Another bout of Landscaping

I do apoligize for those who like to keep tabs on my hobby adventures; the last couple of months has been terribly busy and a general slump of all things blogging hit me again - prompting me not to keep up with this journal as the gains still do not outweigh the hassle.

But I have been doing stuff!

I made myself a lot of terrain and I think that my tables are starting to look better and better. Incidently, the last picture shows my progress of updating Fireteam Andromeda as well as some of the other things I've been working on (the camouflaged Rhino for instance).

Thanks for stopping by, I hope to have some more pictures of stuff I've been up to soon enough

A bit of nostalgia from the paintdesk

Even though I've been busily painting fantasy miniatures - and have really enjoyed myself in doing so - I still much prefer to paint and play science fiction games. So I painted up a couple of really great - and old - miniatures that I've either gotten as a gift, found on e-Bay or just had lying around the place since time immemorial!

A small command group for my as of yet unnamed mercenaries. 

A small (tee-hee) heavy weapons team for my rogue Venture-Captain Jari'hd ül-Harokraht, aka. the Red Scourge of the Five Suns

And my piece-de-resistance; a boarding party for the Red Scourge; ready to board'n'plunder across the known universe

As might be suspected, then I really love these models! They seem to have been cast with pure character and it is astounding, to me, to think that they're going on 20-odd years old at the time of writing! While they might not hold up to modern days finesse (shudder) or over-the-top-style (yuck) then they are serviceable for any wargamer - they're easy to paint up, they look the part and they are generic enough so as to be used in any setting you could imagine. In my eyes then they could easily be used in a Firefly inspired universe as they could be for a Star Wars inspired universe. 

I for one welcome this cherised addition to my collection and I look forward to be able to field them in battle soon!

My second Dreadball Team!

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you the...

PharmaTech Paladins!

The newest addition to my DreadBall roster is the Marauder Starter team - painted in a dashing stone-grey and grey-blue color. My idea behind this team is that it will consist mainly of Marauders, but with a few Journeymen painted in the same colours as PharmaTech fills out their roster by touring the various sickbays and buying up injured players "...from the goodness of our hearts" as the publicity goes. 

As PharmaTech is attempting to show what a progressive corporation they are, their Paladins are under strict orders to never, ever, ever foul - but still keep the sick-bays overburdened after a match (and not to mention PharmaTechs coffers!). Needless to say, the Marauders are in the top tier for brutal mayhem and post-game hospitalization; but how long they can keep up their "reformed" image remains to be seen.

And thus, I've finished painting up all of my teams from the base-set, including the Ref-bot. I am already considering what else to add to my rosters; apart from some of the MVP's, I'm also looking into getting myself a team of Forgefathers as well as Robots. Now to get a league going in my general area...

Paintjobs: Some more Science Fiction Miniatures!

Just finished these two of and here's a post to share them with you all:

The Anti-Walker-"Hand"-Cannon as used by the unnamed mercenary faction to combat various light vehicles, especially heavy power armor or similar. (RT-Era Shock Attack Gun Orc Model)

Two "highway men" or "emmissaries" of the dread Pirate Jiarez ül-Harokrat (RT-era Eldar Scouts)

Further I've finally decided on how to "manage" my web presence - I'll keep this blog going for random musings, news and what nots, whilst actual finished projects (as well as battle reports and tutorials) are going to end up on webpages dedicated to their purpose. That way I won't feel too obligated to keep posting high quality blog-posts on a daily basis, but can use the blog for just that - a weblog of what's going on and so forth.

Anyway - another ramble for another day!

My first DreadBall Team!

I finished off painting this team last ngiht, but waited for today to take a couple of pictures of the team as the sun is sorely needed for my camera to function correctly (incidently, I'm on the lookout for a new camera and a lot of lamps).

May I present to you the...

O.C. COMETS!

I chose to paint their threat arcs in a color corresponding to their role on the pitch, as well as a slight nod to the dice colors from the base game. Guards are Red, Jacks are White and Strikers are Blue. 

The team colours consists entirely of Orange (Macharious Solar from GW) and White (White from Coat D'Arms) which were chosen because one of the many corporations from my notebook regarding the Terminus Nebula is called Orange Corporation; a multisector conglamorate with interests as diverse as fruit shipping to multimedia platforms - and of course, DreadBall.

I am not entirely happy about the basingcolors just yet and may give them a final drybrush highlight to better tie the colors in with the board. But overall I'm pretty pleased with the results of the team. My painting style is not, however, greared towards these miniatures as they have a lot of panels, which takes forever for me to highlight - and incidently is also the reason why I haven't started on the Orx team just yet... Need to gather some patience once again! Oh, and figure out a color scheme as well...

An Undead Warband for Rosetta

Not a whole lot of text - just a small update to show that I haven't keeled over yet in this heat but that I've actually been painting!

Paintdesk: Minotaurs & Mercenaries

I just finished up this here minotaur as a present for a good friend of mine. She doesn't play miniature games at all, but I'm poor and I needed a gift for her.. so... here we are!

An old, old Rackham Metal Minotaur.

And then I finished up something completely different, but none the less old-school:

I just love these old RT-Era Adventurer sculpts!

And that's all for now, cheers!