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 

Armies of Evil

Finished the Necromancer & Started on Some Goblins

So, I managed to get some sessions in this week and finished off Vonatar the necromancer, evil villain and poster boy of the second Lone Wolf gamebook - Fire on the Water. After deciding to paint him up using the  paint scheme in Gary Chalk's drawing, I decided he would need a base to match. i.e. wooden decking of a death hulk. This proved to be a bit more complicated than I was planning because he is mounted on a solid base and I had to shave down the planks to fit around him and sit nicely around his robes. However, once started you got finish. Now I still need to make a 40mm base for him but since the 20mm is the deck of a ship then 40mm one will have to be the same...

Anyway, attention for the moment has turned to finishing a group of 20 goblins for my Midgard armies project. Now, these minis are mix of Oldhammer C13 goblins, Oakbound ones from the 2024 calendar and a few other randoms. 

Since I enjoyed the first pack, I bought some more for a Friday nights entertainment.

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 24 : Phew! Made It

Just Get to Grandma's House

So, Glenda has finally made it to grandma’s house, but grandma is clearly not at home. And now she must confront the big, bad wolf. Never one to back away from a fight especially when grandma's in peril, Glenda steps up to face the wolf. 

However, the big, bad wolf has form and promptly eats Glenda. 

Oh well, I guess I will just have to chalk this one up as a win for the bad guys. 😟

Snuck off of a crafty hour this morning to paint up Grandma? And of course a team photo*. 

*Just realised that I forgot the ghost. No time now!

Well another advent challenge completed and now time for a lunchtime Christmas beer. 

But before that I also found a bit of time last night to start working on some of my other projects. 

A couple more Roman gangers done.

And a few more bits stuck on an ork dreadnought.

And of course Merry Christmas to everyone 😁

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 23 : Different Thieving Git

Hand Over the Gold

23rd Dec – new box 23 / 4 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, gold crown & golden key.

So, this annoying git – ‘The Baron’ wants gold or is a right pain to get past. Luckily Glenda has a sack of gold which she hands over and so can be on her way. With grandma’s house is just in sight.

Geoff from Oakbound, kindly sent me the missing ghost. Which quickly got painted up this afternoon. 

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 22 : Time for a Rest

To the Sound of Music

22nd Dec – new box 11: harp and a path / 2+3 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, bag of gold, gold crown & golden key.

Since it is the last day before the numbered boxes, I opened the last unnumbered box, to reveal a harp. Well at least she would have seen a harp except that Glenda fell asleep and woke up feeling refreshed and the harp had disappeared. 

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 21 : White Knight

No Need for that Kind of Behaviour

21st Dec – roll of 8: Goblins / 5 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, bag of gold & golden key.

With the same skill as her sister, Glenda keeps the thieving goblins at bay and proceeds along the path. 

21st Dec – roll of 7: Crown / 4 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, bag of gold, gold crown & golden key.

Glenda finds the gold crown left by Brenda. Not knowing this is the last time Brenda was seen. So, she decides to carry on. 

21st Dec – roll of 14 – new box: sir Gebbon the White / 3 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, bag of gold, gold crown & golden key.

Whilst the knight’s offer to attack any creature she has met was generous, Glenda doesn’t take him up on his offer as while the goblins were annoying, she doesn’t really believe in goblinicide. 

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 20 : A Nice Old Lady

Obsessed with Apples

20th Dec – roll of 3: Witch & Crossroads / 5+1: 6 Endurance / Stuff: Bread, bag of gold & golden key. 

Glenda chats to the old lady who seems to be obsessed by apples, as well asking about a golden delicious apple, she seems pretty keen on Glenda eating at least one apple a day. And the old lady seems to think it will frighten medical professionals’ away if she has breath smelling of fruit.  

Anyway, Glenda eats an apple as it seems this is the old way to shut the old crone up and ponders which direction to take next. 

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 19 : If at First You Don't Succeed

Your are Up Next - Glenda

19^th Dec – 1: Heading to Grandma’s House (Again) / 6 Endurance / Stuff: Bread

Glenda peers out of the little windows of her mother’s cottage. It is bright and sunny but no sign of Brenda.  Brenda was always such a lazy girl, her mother says as she packs Glenda off to deliver some freshly baked bread to grandma.

Unlike Brenda, Glenda is a canny girl. With a keen eye for what is going on around her

So, after thinking about the problem, the answer seems straight forward, start with a new map. Play the first two tiles as per the instructions and then roll a D20 and add 2 to determine the next tile. If it is a tile, I have already played before, then play immediately and carry on. But if it is a new number then stop and pick an unnumbered box.  Then halt as per the normal advent rules.

19^th Dec – 2: Crossroads (Again) / 5 Endurance / Stuff: Bread

Off to grandma’s house.

19^th Dec – new box 5: Golden key & Crossroads / 4 Endurance / Stuff: Bread & golden key.

That didn’t last long to get to a new tile, as Brenda finds a gold key. Ok, wait for tomorrow. 

And a Friday beer of course

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 18 : That's Unexpected

A Sudden End

Once again, Brenda nearly exhausted by her travels hopes for some refreshment.

There is a wreckage of a cart, covered in moss and rotting away in the middle of the clearing and Brenda spots something glinting amongst the debris, a golden crown. But no food.

Worn out, Brenda decides to rest under the shade of a tall oak tree, but anxious to carry on, Robin in the Green bides her farewell and carries on.

To be clear, I wish I could draw this well. 

But this is an AI generated image.

Brenda has run out of Endurance, so her attempts to get to grandma’s house have ended. So, do I restart the adventure with a second sister but with the same map? If so, what happens to the objects and the characters that Brenda has already met. Or do the woods change after every journey?

Brenda had nearly got Grandma’s house just a few stages left but not this time.

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 17 : Robin in the Green

Brenda Picks up a Do-Gooder

Robin in the Green offers to help on her journey, which Brenda accepts. So, together they head off down the path. 

And I got a bit of time yesterday to finish of the Tweedles.

Rob 

Advent 25 - Day 16 : Fortune Favours the Bold

Seriously What Was She Thinking*

Never one to pass up a freebie, Brenda spies a stack of bottles next to a bubbling cauldron by side the path. Cautiously she takes a sniff of one or two until she smells one that smells like toffee cider and decides to take a swig. 

Instantly she feels braver (+1 Courage) and ready to take on world. With a spring in her step, she carries on down the path. 

*Drinking unknown liquids from unlabelled containers after meeting a bunch of psychos in the woods. She has no common sense, what would grandma say....

Obviously didn't take long to paint up the potions pot today. 

Rob