With The Recent Demise of My AD&D  Campaign, I have decided to share some of the miniatures I was holding back from the blog for fear my players would see them too early. I figured I’d start with the last (and final) adventure, in which the PCs explored the long-abandoned laboratory of an eccentric (but legendary) Gnome inventor.

These three gnomes hired the PCs to help them explore the lab in the hopes they could find something that would be of use in repelling the evil svirfneblin who were attacking their homeland in force. The miniatures, L-R, are Reaper’s Balto Burrowell (02510) and Marius Burrowell (02959), as well as an old-school Ral Partha Dwarf, repurposed as a gnome because he scaled nicely.

Of course, the opposition had already invaded the lab in the hopes of sacking it themselves. I decided to use Reaper’s Bloodstone Gnomes for svirfneblin. I went with a brownish skin tone as opposed to the blue of true BSGs. The majority were Bloodstone Pinners (06212). I also gave them a couple of Beetle Lancers as sergeants (14548), as well as a captain (Bata, Beetle Rider Captain 14568).

Along the way the PCs ran into some of the gnomish inventions, still active and guarding the lab from intruders. These Brass Arachnids and the Arachnid Swarm are from Wyrd’s Malifaux line. I actually never got to use the Brass Arachnids, but I’m quite happy with how they turned out. On a side note, the Arachnid Swarm was a cast iron bitch of fiddly parts that I never want to assemble again. I lost count of how many times a leg broke off. In fact, I had two Arachnid Swarms, and I gave up trying to assemble the second one. The Iron Golem is from Reaper (02728), and I can certainly find a use for him in other games as a robot or something. He was originally supposed to accompany the PCs in their quest. If you were paying attention, you may remember they’re already hanging out with an animated scarecrow. Scarecrow…Tin Man…off to (stop) a wizard…you get what I was going for here. all the above miniatures are based on junkyard bases from Taban.

Lastly is the big Boss miniature my friends never got to face.  He’s Frank-n-Steam, from Armorcast. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be available any longer, although there are still some similar Frank models on the site. Being resin, he required a lot of filling and cleanup before I painted him, and even then he still shows some bubbles and seams. I scratch built this base out of junk and bitz I had laying around. And yes, that’s a guy’s face in the chest. Much like the Iron Golem, I can use this thing as a mech suit or a robot body for a mad scientist in SuperSystem or .45 Adventure, so I’m not that bummed out that he never made it into my AD&D game.

Figured I’d post a few of my painting projects from a few years ago. First up is a duo likely familiar to any classic Sword-and-Sorcery devotees out there: Fritz Lieber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser!

I’ve loved the Lankhmar stories since I was introduced to the characters in TSR’s Deities and Demigods, way back when I was a kid. Both of these are Reaper miniatures, sculpted by the legendary Sandra Garrity. The Mouser is (02034) Kurff the Swift, while Fafhrd is (02152) Fafnir of Kjord (an homage if ever there was one). These miniatures together would make a very cool diorama if done properly, with the Mouser preparing to scale a wall, and Fafhrd covering his back. Unfortunately, I painted Fafhrd years ago and the Mouser only a few weeks ago, which is why they’re based differently (and why I think the Mouser looks better.) I’m not wild about this picture. I can’t account for the shiny, glossy look on Fafhrd. Must be the camera flash, as I never use any kind of glossy paint or sealant and he certainly doesn’t look shiny in real life.

Up next is another duo, from my current AD&D campaign, the Tears of Yevona. This is Scarlet and Rouge, a pair of renowned “crime-fighters”. Many bards have written songs extolling their deeds of derring-do. Unfortunately, every time they’ve appeared in my campaign, the PCs have had to rescue them from someone or something.  (“Of course, a few more minutes and we would have managed to free ourselves and overcome our dastardly captors. But your aid is appreciated nonetheless, comrades!”)

I actually forget which one is Scarlet and which is Rouge, so I’ll just call the girl Rouge.  Rouge is another Sandra Garrity Reaper sculpt, (02006) Sidrith, Sword Sister; while Scarlet is (02430) Rictur Deihn, Assassin, sculpted by Bobby Jackson. (I used Rictur Deihn as a character miniature myself in a GURPS fantasy game years ago, and found a new use for him as an NPC in my AD&D campaign.) I painted both of these several years back. I think they could use more facial shading, but overall I’m ok with how they turned out.

These guys are a small gang of bandits in my current AD&D 3.5 campaign. Basically they’re a group of highwaymen infamous for beating the hell out of the folks they waylay. The fellow in the middle is their leader, Quin Payden. The guy to the left of him is Karg, his lieutenant. Both are nasty fellows.

I rolled some strips of green stuff and cut off the tips, then painted them to look like coins, which I scattered on Quin’s base. I think I stole that particular technique from Cool Mini or Not. I like the end result.

The miniatures are all from Reaper. Quin’s miniature is Dub Bullock, Rogue (03026). Karg is Mack Hardwick, Mercenary Captain (14332). The fellow to the right of Quin is Calbach Greatclub (03231). The guys on each end are Thugs (14329).

Here is a rear view of Quin and Karg. I love the Dub Bullock miniature with the knife behind his back.

In the game, my players decided to fight rather than hand over their money (of course). They killed two thugs and badly wounded a third. Quin was wounded as well, but not before he got a chance to backstab the cleric and take the bard hostage. He escaped with most of their money. Karg got away, too…unscathed.

Bandits rarely change their ways, so there’s a chance they may cross paths with the party again. My players would love some payback.