My Dungeons & Dragons Miniature Journey Starts Again!!

I've FINALLY started painting some Miniatures for D&D to replace those lost years ago in an electrical fire, I finally got sick of running games and using the Steve Jackson Cardboard Heroes - even though they are great, I just prefer painted metal miniatures.

First Up - "Anshar the Magic-User". Descendant of the Great Ishtar, Anshar wanders Aerth in search of adventure (and busty wenches) - prematurely grey (because of an unfortunate encounter with a Cleric of Orcus) he looks older than his years, a fact he regularly uses to his advantage.

Back Detail -

You may notice I've also started some Dungeon Decor as well, and like the Magic User I've panted they are from Otherworld Miniatures.

More to Come!

Beholder Miniatures

Coming soon from Otherworld Miniatures - 

 

Its meant to be an "Eye of Terror" for the Labyrinth Lord RPG, and is a multi-part kit consisting of of 2 head sections, 2 sprues of eyestalks, 2 arm tentacles and 2 sprues of body fronds. The kit has been sculpted by John Pickford

They are available to Pre-Order at just £14.00 and contain enough bits to build either a "Classic" "Eye Tyrant" or a Labyrinth Lord Eye of Terror.

I am blown away by this, absolutely gorgeous!

Miniatures or Not Miniatures

Do you use Miniatures with your Games, being "Old Skool" I do - even though WotC have pretty much made it mandatory to run games effectively now that you HAVE to use a battle grid and miniatures making combat more like a tactical wargame - I don't really use them in that way.

They are there (at least from my own perspective) to -

Add Flavour.
Its a far more evocative scene in a Tavern (for example) if the Players know where their characters are standing in the room, where all the exits are, and exactly where the "Mysterious Stranger" is standing - and (hopefully) exactly what he looks like.

Stop Arguments.
How many times has a player argued his character wasn't standing there when a trap went off, or he wasn't "at the back" when those Orcs attacked. If the PC's miniatures are lined up in "marching order" there can be no arguments of that sort.

Scare the CRAP out of your Players.
You are attacked by 10 rampaging Ogres" is no where NEAR as scary as actually putting out 10 Ogre Miniatures, then telling them to roll for initiative. Likewise a Beholder looks scarier "in the flesh" on the table, indimidating the party!

Resolve Combat.
But not in a move your miniature and roll your attack sort of a way, in a broader more role-playing friendly manner. Who has line of sight to what, can the Thief get near enough to attempt that Back_Stab, or is everyone too close together for the Wizard to attempt that Fireball.

There are most likely to be many MANY more reasons than the four I have listed above, Miniatures should be treated as a tool to enable your Role Playing - they should't be allowed to take away from it (I'm pointing at you Wizards).

Otherworld Miniatures Sale

It's nearly 3 years since Otherworld Miniatures sold their first casting of the 'Demon Idol' on 3rd November 2006, and they've come a long way in just 3 short years.

There are now 169 different figures in their range of 28mm fantasy monsters, with many more on the way!

To celebrate their first 3 years,they are holding a sale,until 3rd December all of their figures have been discounted by 20%, and worldwide shipping will be free of charge for orders over £75.00 in value.

They won't even let the Royal Mail strike spoil your shopping, as all orders placed during the sale period will be shipped by either 'Airsure' delivery for international orders or Special Delivery within the UK.

My very first order arrived yesterday and - OH MY GAWD!

The are even better 'in the flesh' than the pictures show on the website!

Anyway, here is a quick rundown of what was in my Treasure Chest (lol) and my initial thoughts.

DD1 - Demon Idol
The Demon Idol is, to put it as succinctly as possible - a work of art. A brilliantly executed sculpt, with little or no casting residue on it. Its a real joy to behold. I just need some Wererats for my PC's to kill and I am set!

DM3a - Ogre I
I was initially unsure of the Ogre, the photos on the webstore really don't do it justice. I am REALLY pleased with this model now I have it finally an Ogre with proper 1st Ed feet! He's a big bugger too! He should imtimidate a party of adventurers nicely.

DM11 - Shriekers & Violet Fungi
A great addition, as I only have one Shrieker, an old Grenadier one (my Citadel one got swiped years ago). Plus the Violet Fungi tendrils are a great bonus too! The beaty of these little fungi is they are nice and easy to paint too, just a case of black undercoat and wet/drybrushing.

DM9a - Stirges
Stirges are one of my fave beasties, not so hard as to wipe out a party - and not so weak as to be beaten easily. I only have 4 of the Citadel stirges, and knowing I now have a ready supply is great. These new sculpts are far superior to the citadel ones in my humble opinion.

KB1, 2, & 3 - Kobold Warriors I, II, & III
Stunning, absolutely superb - these little buggers are spot on. can't wait to start plaguing my players with these! A lot of other manufacturers Kobolds are to squat or chunky, these are nicely wirey and you can imagine them easily fitting through the tighter places wthin a dungeon.

DM17 - Hook Horror
A great 1e style re-imagining of a Hook Horror. The illustration in the Fiend Folio didn't really cut it, as (to me at least) it looked like an overgrown parrot. This beastie looks much more dangerous.

DM1a, 1b, & 1c - Bugbear Warriors I, II, & III
Again these are great - less comical that the citadel bugbears - but just as much fun! There are 6 different sculpts amongst the warriors, and a Bugbear Chieftain too!

G1b - Hill Giant
Other peoples sculpts of Hill Giants either look to noble (those that are too muscular with thick hair and beards) or comical (like the ral-partha Hill Giant that looked like an oversized neanderthal) - this guys looks exactly the same as in the 1st Ed AD&D Monster Manual - sweet!

DM6 - Minotaur
I realy REALLY cannot stand minotaurs with hooves - according to greek myth they were huge men with the head of a great bull, no mention of hooves. This model is spot on!

DV2a - Giant Ticks
These little buggers are wonderfully gribbly, and will no doubt scare the crap out of the lady players - I cant wait Lol.

DM4a - Troll I
Again, very impressed - out of all the 'proper' AD&D Trolls produced, this is my new favourite (it used to be the ral partha one). Again, tick 'VG'!

O4 - Pig-faced Orc Warband
FINALLY Otherworlds Pig Faced orcs, I've never owned many pig faced orcs - in fact I only ever had two before. One was a VERY old Minifigs model (dreadful it was too LoL) and a Prince August model. These are amazing to be honest, funny (without being comical) and the detailing is amazing!

Now, I know people reading this might be calling me a fan boy (or possibly worse) but I can honestly say, if I wasn't happy (and very impressed) I WOULD be posting 'appropriate comments' LoL!

I've been a Dungeon Master for D&D/AD&D (and now my AD&D/C&C Hybrid) since the white box edition of Dungeons and Dragons all those years ago - I've bought and painted a LOT of miniatures over the years. Its a shame I've had to wait over 30 years to find a range that fits the bill!

To Richard of Otherworld Miniatures, long may you run your company - and many thanks for starting it.

Keep Rollin'

Toy Soldiers or not Toy Soldiers

Its a fact that not everyone likes using miniatures when they roleplay.

The 'elitist' Gamers who play "Storytelling" games (who naively think its a cool title, rather than a marketing device) more than often don't use them (I've bought no-end of Vampire and Werewolf Miniatures out of bargain bins in my time - GREAT for Shadowrun Lol); and even though DnD itself evolved from Chainmail (a wargame) a lot of DnD players don't use miniatures.

I'm not sure why, maybe the additional expense or the extra effort.

Now I prefer using miniatures, not because of the 'combat grid' or any such rubbish like that - but because its more evocative. You can describe your PC, or draw/paint a picture - but when you find (or convert) that perfect miniature to represent your Character (or in the case of a DM - a Major NPC) there is a great feeling of satisfaction.

Not only in the painting of your Model, but also when someone asks "What does your character look like" and you whip out your Figure and say "They look like that" . . . . . .