Adventures on the Wargames Table

Having seen Jenny and I play some Chain of Command recently, my youngest - Katie - asked if we could play some Lord of the Rings games. A superb idea indeed! As we hadn't played for ages I decided to keep it to a simple scrap between Thorin's Company (with some Elves helping out) and a variety of Goblins. The Company, pursued by angry Goblins, have taken shelter in an abandoned farmstead in the wilderness. Here they are. Here come the Goblins! Thorin had directed Fili and Kili to set some traps, so Katie was able to set up three hidden traps that would be activated at the end of any Goblin movement phase if they were close enough. She really enjoyed using these! Having made their way across the table - being shot at by Dwarf bows, a few spells and the traps - the Goblins close in on Thorin and Company. This was also the point at which both sides reinforcements were activated. Here come the first wave of extra Goblins ... "They have a Cave Troll!" At ...

Here are Thorin and Company from GW's Escape from Goblin Town boxed set. They were supposed to a be Christmas present for my small people, however they were slightly delayed on the painting table! Fortunately we have a tradition in our family of a second round of gift giving either on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. So guess ... what? These made it in to the second round!! (Almost) Balin, Bilbo and Thorin. Rear view. Gloin, Bifur and Dwalin. Rear view. Kili and Fili. Rear view. Dori, Ori and Bombur. Rear view. Oin, Bofur and Nori. Rear view. Gandalf and Radagast. Rear view. Look out for more adventures from Middle Earth in future posts! BTW - as I effectively started these way back at the beginning of December (with only one colour!) then they cannot count towards my painting challenge total. Grrr!

A while back, whilst struggling to think of suitable festive presents for our youngest, I suggested to 'HQ' that we ought to get GW's Hobbit boxed set. "Oh, I'll paint up the figures beforehand, no problem" I blithely assured a decidedly sceptical 'Senior Officer'. Hmmm? Think she knew what she was on about! With the festive season drawing close I thought "Crumbs, better pull my finger out!". Thorin's company are wonderful figures and deserve a reasonable effort in terms of painting, but the Goblins are another matter. They can have a quick paint-job and like it. First step was to prepare and prime them. The figures are well moulded with very little in the way of mould lines, so that saved some time. They were undercoated white using GW spray. Then I gave them a good base coat of Foundry Rawhide light. Here they are. Drybrushing is the speed-painter's friend. The result is often a little untidy but serviceable. So out came t...