Invertebrates of the Underhive

Individually pathetic, swarms of rockworms can be a significant threat. They can be found in the Underhive as well as the Ash Wastes. Underhive rumours persist of rockworms growing to prodigious size...

The lost male cries plaintively.

Should have left the door closed...

These are Rockworm Grubs from Imitation of Life. I'm trying out the new Army Painter Speedpaints range. These are mostly Slaughter Red and Pallid bone. Slaughter Red in particular dries nice and matte with good shading.

I originally had these on thicker GW style bases, but the aesthetic proportions weren't satisfying. Then I tried some multibasing, but still wasn't happy. The svelte Renedra bases were fine in the end.

This chap is delightful, and free:

I do like the idea of a big game hunting Rogue Trader retinue- a magos biologos, deathworld veterans, beast handlers, indigenous trackers etc. Pith helmets, xeno-elephant guns, grimdark David Attenborough/ Steve Irwin stuff.

Arthropods of the Wasteland

I'm of the opinion that you can't have too many vermin for your games. Many years ago, I picked up these Reaper Bones scorpions:

My 3D printer has churned out a swarm of giant ants and a hive entrance (from Imitation of Life):

I'm conscious that all my stuff recently has been rusty browns, so I went for green. A pretty sloppy highlight to tone down the very saturated Army Painter Orc Flesh, and dot in the eyes and jaws.

When I was a vulnerable lad, the TV advert below was somewhat formative. I'm sure Aussie males of a certain age will agree!

Sic 'em, Rex!

GF9 Badlands

Gale Force 9 does a lovely collection of Badlands hoodoos, which I have picked up over the years. It is pre-painted, scale agnostic, well sculpted, interesting, affordable, and durable.The more recent pieces I've picked up, however, have been a considerably darker tone. And some of them had a bit of a sheen, and the bases didn't really match my Cigar Box mat.

Bases don't blend with mat

Discrepancies in tone

So I pulled out the craft paints and big brushes:

Not perfect, but better than they were. I could add some tufts- maybe another day. Now you go do the hoodoo that you do so well!

Pipework forest

I've been in a bit of a painting and blogging slump recently. I did some scenery as a quickie to get it off my pile:

I think they're a fun alternative to trees and shrubs. Maybe they're even fungi that have evolved to blend in with an industrial hellscape?

These are resin prints from Fantastic Plants And Rocks. I put them on some round MDF bases which adds a bit of height.

I'm trying to find a quick and reproducible recipe to match my Cigar Box mat. The basing doesn't quite work in the underhive- but maybe toward the sump bottom...

Five Parsecs. Campaign Game 12. Cornered!

Gallius and the unwounded of his crew are heading back to the Innominate when the lumens overhead go out. Venda is untroubled by this underhive event, but Julio is suddenly alert.

“Get into cover! Lots of footsteps approaching!”

Under cover of darkness, their pursuers close the distance
terrifyingly fast. Range has no advantage here.

Julio rushes forwards and hurls his last frag grenade!

“You will pay for your insolence!”

The miners have some sort of mutant brute with them.
Venda sees something in the dark to her right…

“We’re being flanked!”

“None shall resist us!”

Lady Heldycryn defeats one attacker with her pistol.

But a second miner clubs her down!

Gallius barely fends off blows from the mutant!

He is able to break away in the dark, alone.

The vengeful miners pursue Gallius and his wounded back to the ship. Gallius prepares for a crash-jump off-planet- things are getting far too hot on Hydresar X. As he hurriedly performs the necessary launch rites, the Innominate’s chirugeon-servitor is hard at work saving multiple crew members. Heavy fire shreds the exterior as the Innominate staggers into space- can she withstand interplanetary travel?

Five Parsecs. Campaign Game 11. Old friends

Gallius Marbec’s mysterious contact has another sabotage mission for the crew. Chugger and Konrad are still in the sick bay, so he has to go with a team of five. Gallius takes the meltabombs himself- slip quickly through the underhive, no one even needs know we were there…

The crew cover each other as they infiltrate the target

Gallius spies a familiar totem and realises who his opponents are

A gang of mine workers rush the crew

Julio takes down the front row

Roma charges the leader- but, impossibly quick, he takes her out!

Gallius takes down the leader himself and Julio mops up.

With the gang taken out, Gallius plants the meltabombs and the crew withdraw. Julio helps his lover Roma to the medicae. She will have to spend time in the sick bay, but should make a full recovery. Gallius doesn’t receive as many creds as he would have liked for this job, but he did get access to a small arsenal of weapons.

While Gallius and the crew were away, however, Konrad Rathgir has had plenty of time to think in the sick bay. He decides it is time to leave the crew and become his own master again. He slips away- will we see him again?

The Guiding Hands community group, meanwhile, is very upset and out for revenge…

Gorkamorka: Diggas

Digganob was the first supplement for 1997’s Gorkamorka. Diggas are humans who aspire to orkishness (orkdom? orkyness?) and take on the ork way of life. I picked up a mob off eBay for use in Five Parsecs/ Five Klicks and Necromunda: Ash Wastes. They will make good low-level enemies.

These miniatures are from what I think of as GW’s Silver Age. The poses are repetitive and the proportions and weapon sizes are off-putting, even for GW. They are, nevertheless, crisply cast with a lot of fine detail. They are vaguely piratical with cutlasses, earrings and black powder weapons.

Digga Shaman

Digganob 

Yoofs 

Boyz 

Diggas

Skull-o-meter: 20