All Sharkey's Men

First of Sharkey's Ruffian Bands Finished

Finished off Rowan Thistlewood this evening, which was the last of the original band of ruffians which I started in mid-August. So, I thought I would recreate the opening photo is this little project (it's good to see the first part of a project finished). I have even managed to get a few games in and have now started the next group. Plus reduced the lead / plastic pile by a little bit as all the miniatures have come from there so far. 

Even found time to do an extra four ruffians this month. 

The tall wild man on the right is a converted Grenadier barbarian. The main change was giving him a pair of trousers and a shirt! So that he looks more like a wild man of Dunland and less like Conan's uncle. I am quite pleased with the transformation, so may do a few more to bulk up Sharkey's followers. As still have a few unpainted ones lurking about. 

The last of Sharkey's heroes

Next Stop on the World Tour

Hunting a few wights in their barrows. 
For fun...

Rob 

World Tour Continues & Top 500

 The Next Leg

Troll Hunting in the forests of the old World. A tricky task for an archer, as hitting a troll's brain is a small target and well protected by a thick skull!

A troll's brain is a tiny target even
for a champion archer!

Top 500

Turns out looking through my Records (unsurprisingly I am that much of a nerd), Bifur was the 500th figure. Since I have returned to painting properly back in 2020. The first on the list was Prince Penethor of Lone Wolf fame. 

Prince Penethor (2020) - 1st painted 

Bifur (2022) - 500th

Rob 

First Leg of Riolta's World Tour

Travels in Lustra

I thought I would post a few pictures of Riolta on her travels as she seems to show up in lot of different locations. 

Riolta visiting an old Slann temple. 

Ther statue a.k.a. known as a fridge magnet I brought home from our holiday to Mexico. Always on the lookout for good wargaming stuff. Plus, a quick picture in the garden using some of potted plants to add that exotic touch. 

Riolta meets the mighty Malacassa and is impressed!

I Actually Painted a Dwarf from The Hobbit That I Like!

Actually, painting Bifur went well tonight, nothing special just managing to get the basics right. Painting these dwarves has been a bit of pain (just see any other post on this topic by me). I did look at the painting guide on Bifur for reference on Smoke Ring Miniatures which did help but the main difference is I tried to add the low & highlights by painting rather than drybrushing. As they just don't have enough detail to drybrush properly!

Rob 

Prehammer?

Starting More Stuff

Odd weekend this week, with the Queen's funeral and the extra bank holiday.  Not managing to finish much at the moment but I am managing to start stuff. The title of this post refers to the two very old figures I am painting at the moment both of which were realised around the same time as the first edition of Warhammer in 1983. 

Skarlos, Half-Elf Hero

Bryan Ansell's Heroic Adventurers - September 1983

 

I need some villagers for the next scenario in the Scouring campaign and so any lightly armed figures are top of the list. A couple of the ruffians may have to swap sides for this scenario to make up the numbers. Anyway, Diann was purchased as the stand in for an aborted Terror of the Lichemaster campaign. So far, I haven't bought any figures for this campaign and so I am searching round my collection for suitable miniatures to fill in the gaps. 

Diann the Girl thief,

Dungeon Adventurers Starter Set - Version 2 - October 1983 

The Prancing Pony

The next scenario - Skirmish in Bree requires a model to act as the Prancing Pony so I think this Oldhammer self-built inn is a perfect Standin. This was last fantasy building I made in the nineties before WH40K completely took over. Like all of my nineties buildings they are all showing considerable wear and tear. So, this one will need a bit of a tidy up.  I don't intend to completely repaint it but will add a few features such as a couple more windows much like a did with other buildings (DIY SOS) and a general touch up. 

I Think I might have a Use for This...

Just spent the weekend sorting out my home office and finally got round to ditching the cardboard desk.  I have been using it for the last two years and I just managed build a proper one. I was just about to crush it and put it in the recycle bin when I realised it would be good source of strong,  unwarpped and most importantly free base boards for wargaming. I have had on the list, a couple of 2" x 2" boards for Scouring of the Shire campaign and wargaming in general. 

To give them a bit of texture (but not too much as I want them basically flat), I stuck some foam card to one side. One side the card was peeled off first and you can probably tell which one didn't come off neatly in one go unlike all the other bits!

I then rolled up a ball of scrunched of aluminium foil over the surface to give it a bit of a texture. This is much easier on a small board but a right pain on two 2" x 2" boards. Finally, a coat of PVA and sand.  

Vexed by Blogger (As Usual) 

Blogger seems to be doing something weird to some of my links to other blog pages and I have seen it on other people's blogs...  Any ideas anyone as it does not seem have an obvious cause? 

Rob 

Last of the Original Seven Ruffians

Painting Practice

Finished repainting the last of the original seven ruffians, I had them painted up for a Scouring of the Shire campaign about six years ago.  I wasn't painting much around that time, and it shows. Like any skill, painting needs practice and over the last couple of years I feel my painting skills have improved greatly with regular practice (and looking at all of the other great figures on other people's blogs has helped as inspiration). Still plenty of room to improve but at least he can join the new campaign without standing out.  

Without a doubt he is my favourite of the GW ruffians, a real character with plenty of nice details such as the keys on his belt and untucked shirt. 

Sept 2022

Circa 2016

Rob 

It was a Dark & Stormy Night

Ruffians on the Run 

The scenario takes place on a dark and stormy night, as a band of ruffians attempt to sneak through Farmer maggot's farm. But they hadn't reckoned with farmer Maggot's faithful hounds finding them. 

Mr Pumpkin the Scarecrow

This scenario features in both versions of the Scouring of the Shire source book with only a few minor adjustments. In the new version there is an extra ruffian (taking the total to six) and now three of them have bows. However, they now have to get four figures off the board instead of three from the original scenario. So, I don't think it has got much easier for the ruffians.   I don't have the new army book, so had to use the stats in the original version not that I expect they have changed much. 

One of the biggest challenges from this sourcebook is that all of the games are very small, this one only has ten models in total. Therefore, a little bit of luck can change the game quite dramatically (as was the case in this game) but if the scenario is well balanced then this should work out (most of the time). Something which I think was a problem in the first edition of the sourcebook and which I will come back too as I play more scenarios. 

If I can manage to get organised, then I will try and run through the scenarios in something like the right order and actually use the campaign rules in the 2nd edition. 

Farmer Maggot with Fang, Grip & Wolf

Villains of the piece led by Old Will. 

Battle Summary 

The ruffians decided to split into two groups and skirt round each size. Luck was on their side, and they managed to get halfway across the board before one group were spotted by a lone hound. The closest three ruffians decided to take their chance and charged the hound, one ruffian losing his nerve before he could reach the hound. The other two got a nasty surprise and the hound bit back, but none were wounded (and this set the pattern for the rest of the game, as the good side didn't cause any wounds for the entire game). 

Dirty sneaks. 

The other group saw this as their chance and raced for the table edge down the middle. Two archers stayed back (very noble for ruffians! or perhaps they were hoping the hounds wouldn't notice them) trying to draw the hounds away from the fleeing mob gathering in the centre.  Farmer maggot was roused (at the first attempt) at this key point but ended up on the wrong side of the fence. Ironically arriving later may have helped the good side, as they had to guess where the ruffians would head towards whilst they were still quite far from the table edge. And so, he was too far over to one side. Maggot did score one hit but failed to wound later in the game. 

Ruffians on the run. 

From this point onwards it was a race to the edge as the ruffians were generally luckier with priority, crossing obstacles or in single combats. And so, one by one all three hounds were lost, and all the ruffians escaped. It seems quite a one-sided tally for the battle but for a couple of turns it could have gone either way if the hobbit or the hounds had managed to score a wound...

Anyway, a fun start and in the campaign, the ruffians gain an additional three models in the battle of the Bywater scenario. 

Rob 

Farmer Maggot's Scarecrow

 Everyone needs a Scarecrow

Obviously, thoughts turn to playing some games in the Shire after painting these ruffians. I still need a few more ruffians painted in order to play some of the games (from GW's Scouring of the Shire), but I also need some scenic items. One of those is a scarecrow, now I could just use a marker as it is only needed for one game (on farmer Maggot's farm). But where would be the fun in that. 

I also thought I could use the bristles from the brush used to make the whips as straws on the scarecrow. So, I glued the brush bristles to a simple wooden frame. And then covered it in a modelling putty (a 50/50 mix of green stuff and Milliput). The pumpkin head is separate at the moment as it was easier to sculpt it on its own. 

Stage 3 - Modelling Putty

The head needs raising up and a stork, but these can wait until the putty hardens.

Stage 2 - Straw

At this stage superglue went everywhere and mostly on my fingers until I decided to glue the 'straws' together on the brush and then cutting them off as a group.

Stage 1 - Frame

A very quick and simple wooden frame. 

Riolta Snow - World Traveller

Painting also continues on Riolta. 

Riolta before setting out on her world tour

Rob 

Ted Sandyman - Friend of Sharkey

The Miller's Son 

Not all halflings cheered the return of Frodo and company. Some like Ted Sandyman supported Sharkey in exchange for money and power. 

I originally did a simple weapon swap but soon realised Ted needed a bit more work. He spends his time working in the mill. So I decided to remove the original short sword and slingshot pouch and replaced them with apron and money pouch to make him more industrial looking.  He would be a good stand in for a blacksmith. 

With only a dozen miniatures in Mark Copplestone's range of halflings for Grenadier. Most miniatures get used more than once.  But this is the first time I have turned one into  a blacksmith type. 

Not all hobbits are so easily cowered!

 

Forgot to take a picture of the back after he
was painted. But you get the idea. 

Halflings by the dozen 

Rob 

Sid Briarthorn - Ruffian Chief

First One Done

He was right pain to paint. I couldn't paint on any one part without getting paint on something else. So I am glad he is finished. He was mainly made up from Frostgrave's Ghost Archipelago Crewmen  sprue. Which is why he has a bit of pirate vibe. But  this is kind of fitting for a ruffian. The biggest problem with using any of these sprues is that the figures are generally too well armed and have to be fitted with nothing more deadly than a knife or club. 

With two wounds, two attacks and two points of might. Plus some special rules, he is one of the toughest characters on the board during the Scouring of the Shire campaign. 

Sid calls his ruffians to deal with some uppish hobbits!

Sid is Sharkey's right hand man. No task too petty! or vindictive.. 

Rob 

The Rings of Power - Two Episodes In

The Elephant in the Room 

Like many people by now, I have watched the first two episodes of the Rings of Power last night.  I think it was a cautious start. They got a number of story arcs started and tried to set the scene for the casual watcher. It looked gorgeous and the money spent can be seen on screen. Especially as it wasn’t splashed on a couple big name stars.  Lenny Henry was probably the most well-known face amongst the cast on this side of the pond. 

 

From a design point of view, they echoed most of the same design themes as the films. So, they didn’t look jarring different.  However, the differences were there in the costumes and armour. I particularly liked the look of the dwarves and I suspect the watchtower will appear on a few gaming tables.  

I never quite got the whole design ethos for dwarves in the films, no curves. I think they would need function as much as form. So sometimes a curve is the best shape! And dwarves are supposed to be practical. 

Too be fair it was never going to be a tough sell to me, and I am looking forward to seeing more of this series. But I doubt it has yet convinced the doubters that it was worth the time or the money.  

Anyway now back to the ruffians who are looking to cause mischief in the Shire. 

Rob