Reaper Djinn

Before I jump head first into my 1st Crusade Arab SAGA warband I did one last fantasy figure. A Reaper Djinn - just the thing to ease me into the middle-eastern theme.

Last post here was a WIP of the figure where I mentioned a number of things I was not happy with. I've gone and fixed them in tonight's painting session and am now quite happy with how it turned out.

Quite different from the way it looked last night and I am now happy with it.

Next up on the workbench, Perry Muslims :)

Work in Progress - Reaper Djinn

I will change the whole smoky bit, as I´m not at all pleased with how it turned out. Will make it darker and more unnatural, using either greens or blues in the deep recesses and some OSL to make it pop. As it stands now it really isn´t doing anything for the overall effect.

Went for some fine dark lines on arms and chest to try and emulate body hair. Not quite there, but good enough for a first experience.

Rest of the miniature is pretty much done, just a coat of matt varnish away and a touch up of the base.

Retro fantasy undead mounted Lord

I personally need to take a brake once in a while from a project so that I don't become bored with doing it. In my particular case I normally use fantasy to take a brake from historical painting.

I had this miniature lying around (among a pile of similar miniatures) for a while after I picked it up at a local store who was having a sale on the whole range. It comes with a mounted and foot version.

I used lots of blacks and grays to work on my highlighting/shading and tried to do indirect lighting in pale green (not completely happy with how that turned out though...).

Quick footnote: basing material is from a recent basecrafts.com order (autumn leaves was actually a freebie in said order). Inexpensive and excellent (plus, superb service). Recommended.

More Perry Clergy for Normans/1st Crusade

Another 4 done, Peter the Hermit on a Donkey, Praise de Lord Priest, a bishop and Bad Back priest.

Only a couple of miniatures left before I can call this project closed and move on to the Muslim side of the 1st Crusade. I´ve kept those tantalizing Perry black boxes securely closed lest I stray from the path and leave (yet another) project 99% done.

Perry Clergy - first batch of 5

First 5 clergymen done, another 5 to go.

These are from the excellent Perry Crusades range. Must collect them all! :)

Over the next days I think I´ll be able to tackle the additional clergy figures (with the occasional ox thrown in the schedule).

New arrivals for my Normans

Some new additions to my SAGA Normans have arrived in the shape of some Perry black boxes. Love these boxes (a friend of mine says they look like jewel boxes, and that they are).

Having most of what I need for the army itself, these new arrivals are mainly for flavor (there´s a mission where you have to escort "something" out of the table, and these will fill that role nicely).

Pictures are the ones from the Perry website as mine are all still somewhere between the shiny metal and the brown undercoat stage.

Some clergy command figures from the Crusades range (Perry code CU18):

Some assorted monks and priests from the same range (Perry code CU28):

Some Oxen from the Perry WOTR range (code WR2026) - I´ll only use the Oxen to give some colour to my scenery.

In the same order I also got the first pieces of my next project. 1st Crusade Muslims. The Perry range is excellent and at last I gave in and bought 3 codes to get me started (these will be confined to their little black jewel boxes until I finish my Normans, lest I get sidetracked, which I would...)

The way I found to justify (to myself...) the absolute need of getting some Muslims is that the Normans are only a short step away (or none at all) from Crusaders in the 1st Crusade, and I would need some antagonists.

More on these Muslims once the Normans are done.

1st SAGA game ever - Normans vs. Vikings

Everything was silent in the small farmstead of Aix-les-Couchons, a couple of miles from Normady´s shore (as represented by a "Seaside" box). It was Saturday and all the fields were empty (there was a Petanque match between Rouen and Bayeux for the Nationals). The small garrison (4 points) of the watchtower overlooking the fields watched over the peaceful landscape as the Petanque results came in via signal fires of another tower on the horizon.

Initial setup (we used the great terrain placement rules on SAGA)

The silence was broken by the clash of metal on metal - a Viking raiding party was coming in from the North!

Disposition of about 80% of the Viking warband, with Levies at the left, warlord and warriors on the center and hearthguard at their right

It looked like the new advertising campaign from the Normandy Tourism Board was not that brilliant after all ("Normandy - come for the fabulously wealthy churches, stay for the pork delicacies!")

Mmmmm... Pigs!

The commander of the Norman garrison reacts quickly and spurs up his men: "They can have our women, but they will never take our pigs! Erm.. Whoever shares this with anyone will lose his croissant rations for the week! At them!"

Norman Cavalry ready to storm to the Viking Lines

Without warning (and wishing to get it done over quick to find out the Petanque scores) the Norman cavalry rushes to the Viking raiding party, taking advantage of the fact that the Viking warlord was busy going through a recipe book for pig on a spit.

Normans midway through their charge. We use sheep and ducks as fatigue markers.

In a blink of an eye the Normans clash with the Viking levies, yet to get an arrow off at the Knights (it was the 1st turn, after all):

Mismatched fight - Norman Warlord and 8 Norman Hearthguard clash into Viking levies.

Slaying all but two of them, who ran back to the protection of the Viking lines, where the Viking Warlod Ikea Allenkeysson smiled as he stroked his heavy axe (which he had assembled himself, without reading the instructions!)

Normans lose 1 Knight for 10 levies but are now exposed to a counterattack by the Vikings

The precipitation of the Normans was exactly what the experienced Viking Chieftain had expected. At the exchange of some lowly levies the Normans now stood exactly where he wanted them! He lifted his heavy ax and the viking warriors rushed the already fatigued (2 markers for all the running and fighting) Norman Knights.

Norman Hearthguard & Warlord are charged by Viking Warlord & Warriors. The Fatigue accumulated by the Normans would be decisive for the outcome.

Heavy casualties are taken by both sides in a desperate fight and for brief moments it looks like the Normans can yet snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but at the end the Norman Garrison commander looks around and all his Knights have fallen.

The Norman Warlord with 1 fatigue marker is left standing alone against 4 warriors and the Viking Warlord. His fate was sealed.

"Any last wished dog?" bellows out Ikea Allenkeysson. "I want to die with honour." the Norman cooly answers. "And with my favourite cow, Margery. I want to die with my Margery."
The Norman had fought well and bravely and his wish was granted.

Cow marker is Margery, the poor thing.

The rest of the Norman host dispersed, the pigs left at the mercy of the Vikings. The Dux had to be warned of the invasion - the day would be avenged! (Actually it wasn´t - we did another quick fight which was much more balanced but the Vikings prevailed again.)