Not all Paleo-Hunts are Great Victories

Chasing Deer in the Wild Winter

Hunters and the game. 

The next scenario for Paleo-Hunt was The Hunger Games, in which our four hunters set out to bring down deer and wild pigs while battling their own hunger. All at the tail end of a long winter. Still learning the rules at the moment. So, missed a few points which might of turned the game. But that is all part of the experience. 

Things began badly when Agg, the first hunter to move, startled the nearby deer. Fortune turned when Grog landed a spear strike on the stag, and Agg quickly redeemed himself by bringing it down with a second spear. However, hunger soon overcame the hunters, and they rushed to gorge themselves on the freshly slain animal.

Once Ugg had satisfied his hunger, he drew his bow and struck one of the wild pigs. Igg, sensing his chance, charged in with his axe but missed, allowing the pig to break away. He gave chase at once, but fortunately Ugg had already loosed a second shot, bringing the fleeing pig down.

The commotion sent the remaining pigs stampeding away from the hunters and off the table. Although the hunters managed to kill two of the prey, only one counted, as the first kill had been ravaged rather than carried back to the tribe. In the end, the hunt was unsuccessful and Igg was roundly mocked by the others for scaring the pigs away.

After the hunt, no new hunters were promoted from the tribe and Igg gained the Timid trait for the next hunt.

‘Grog looked across the campfire at Igg and smiled. How things had changed since the last hunt; once again, his leadership stood uncontested. They had not brought back enough food to fill every belly, but at least everyone would eat something. And in the cold air, they could all smell winter turning. There would be no hunters celebration by the Blood stones today, but better days were ahead.’

Ugg marks the trophy stones for his kill and leaves 

some antler horns as a tribute. 

Rob 

Igg Claims His Prizes

 A Quick Scenery Item for Paleo-Hunt

The hunter Igg marks the Bloods stones with his mark, a white hand print whilst sporting his new rhino hide cloak. 

As the campaign progress, I plan to add new marks to the trophy stones. Assuming they actually complete any hunts!. 

Update - 19 Sep 26

I decided that just one hand print was not enough for the blood stones, so added a rhino horn and a new hand print. Otherwise this is going take a very time to make this look like a 'proper' paleo-hunt trophy. 

The hunter Igg marks the Bloods stones with his mark, a white hand print, leaves a rhino horn as tribute whilst sporting his new rhino hide cloak. 

Rob 

Rhino Clan Hunt

Back in the Holocene

It feels like the right time to play a few games on the wargames  table. After some reading, I have decided to return to Paleo-Hunt (again), with the possibility of adding a little Hide, Bone & Stone if needed.

As my last game was a couple of years ago, I thought it best to start again with the basic rules.

‘Despite the wintery chill, Grog smiled as he looked out across the frozen landscape. The little gods of stream and stone had guided him to the bloodstones on the first day of the new hunt. Surely this was a great omen, and it had led him in turn to the lone woolly rhinoceros.’

This marks a change of pace, as I begin a new mini project and return to Paleo-Hunt: Eat or Be Eaten. Over the last couple of years, I have quietly added a few miniatures to this collection, and I have not quite given up on the idea of getting a few games played. The plan is to use existing figures where possible, draw on the pile of opportunity where needed, and keep new purchases to a minimum.

Since it has been a while, I returned to the starter scenario, Vanilla Skies, in which four hunters take on a lone woolly rhinoceros.

I split the hunters into two teams: one moved south, while the other circled north around the rhinoceros.

When Agg finally drew close enough to charge, he badly mistimed his spear thrust and was battered aside for his trouble. His brother Igg followed up with a successful blow, but he too was punished by the now enraged rhinoceros.

With two hunters wounded, Grog could delay no longer and charged in to support them. Proving his worth as leader of the band, he struck true, and the rhinoceros fled north with the hunters in pursuit.

Igg proved the swiftest of the hunters, catching the rhinoceros before it could escape and landing the killing blow.

After the hunt, both Agg and Igg recovered from their wounds and were ready for the next hunt. The hunt trophy went to Igg, who gained the Alert trait.

‘Grog sat silently, staring across the campfire. The little gods had deserted him today, and Igg would now be the first to place a hunters victory mark upon the bloodstones, place his tribute to the gods and wear the rhino-hide cloak. Yet Grog could not go against the gods, even if he suspected the old crone had favoured her grandson.’

To the victor the spoils - Igg with his new cloak. 

Some future prey, a predator and the trophy stones - 'The Bloodstones'

Once I have painted up the trophy stones, I plan to add to it as the campaign develops. 

Rob 

A Day at the Races

 A Bit of Money was spent

A grand day out at the Colours war game show at the Newbury racecourse today. A great mix of different traders and games. I managed a nice little haul including the new 2026 Oakbound advent calendar. It is quickly becoming my favourite show of the year. 

Once again Geoff from Oakbound has produced a eye-catching looking calendar. And while I haven't had a proper look yet as there still as a couple of months to go. It has a resin boat with a ratman captain, a map and a game book. As well as the mystery boxes. 

I also played ‘Will the Portcullis Fall at The Castle? – Écorcheurs’ which was a fun and straight forward skirmish game set in the hundred years’ war. I did lose but at least I went down fighting.

In case you are wondering I was the blues (Lancastrians) against the red Yorkists. And got caught in the narrow lanes behind the houses. It didn't help when my second in command ended up at the back and couldn't get through and then my leader got surrounded by a couple of Yorkist thugs. But Écorcheurs was easy to play and we quickly got the knack of the rules. 

Rob 

C08 High Elf Adverts

& It's Colours Tomorrow

A quick post before Colours (in Newbury tomorrow). So, I have nearly completed my C08 high collection, with just one mini left (on order!). And Since I did one of these finished mini cards, I had to do a couple more.  Obviously thanks to Stuff of Legends for quick access to the originals. 

The last one is from White Dwarf 59. 

Cover is by Peter Andrew Jones

And as its Friday Night, another French beer. 

Rob 

Having fun Painting on a Sunday Night

Or Back to Painting as Normal

OK, so I managed to get a bit of painting done tonight and return to my normal Sunday night painting sessions. I didn’t try too hard with any clever techniques or complicated paint schemes; I just had fun painting up my second copy of the Witch-king of Angmar. I deliberately wanted to make him look a bit different from the first one I painted for my ‘official’ set of Lord of the Rings minis.

So, plenty of dry brushing and washes to bring him to un-life. I deliberately went with a purple and green colour scheme instead of the blues and greys of the original paint job. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take that long, so I was able to paint him in a single sitting. I’m pretty pleased with the results, and he will take his place as a new captain of the zombie horde.

Plus, as a bonus I managed to also finish off the Gondor citadel knight.

Since it’s Sunday night and I can’t be bothered to go to the shops to get any more beer, I had to drink what was left in the house, which was this alcohol-free beer. Hey, don’t knock it until you try it.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your evening, and have a good week.

Rob

Painting at a Snail's Pace

 And Very Obscure 90s Tabletop Magazines

With work and family commitments, there has been very little time for painting recently. However, I did manage to finish this Rider of Rohan, though. Rather than painting the horse in one flat colour, I added some brown patches to give him a bit more character.

The sculpting of the face is really well done and the painting was nice and easy. Mark Copplestone perhaps? 

Also, found time to start fixing up my rather battered Rangers of Ithilien. 

Gamesman Magazine, March 1992

With a slightly uncomfortable

 looking 90s glamour model

Staying with old gaming finds, I also dug out a very obscure tabletop gaming magazine from the 1990s: Gamesman. This issue is from March 1992 and claims to be “Britain’s best-selling independent gaming magazine”, probably because GMI magazine had already stopped publishing.

Back in the day, I bought this issue for one reason: an article on the Battle of the Five Armies by Martin Hackett, who wrote a fantasy wargaming book. A quick Google search suggests he is still active, though now more on the historical side of wargaming.

The issue also contains a number of interesting adverts with plenty of Oldhammer significance.

For me, the standout is the Kryomek artwork, with its obvious Aliens influence. It is exactly the kind of atmospheric, slightly grimy sci-fi art that makes these old magazines so enjoyable to revisit.

Rob