Deathworld Flora & Fauna ; Archon Subsector Gribblies

 Greetings all. As part of my plan to become a influencer and stop having to work for a living I've tried to pretty up my terrain. So here are some bits from Dungeons & Lasers Encounters kickstarter from a while back, along with some fanciful text to amuse, 

The Blue Sepsis Fungus

The Blue Sepsis Fungus, or BSF originates from the planet Encounters in the Sulka IX system in the Archon sub sector. It grows in the wooded areas of the huge forests on the main continent there and has little value, but two remarkable properties. Firstly, it's spores are of such a microscopic size that many of the original colonists died of a infection similar to sepsis with very little clue to how it occurred, the second notable property is it's incredible resilience to fungicides and other less sophisticated methods of extermination. BSF have even been unwittingly transported to other Imperial words from Encounters to such an extent that eight Imperial worlds have regular BSF culls and subsequent martyrdom barbecues after the events.

Two Imperial pest officers attempt to engage a mature BSF .

The Insano Nut

The Insano Nut is also from Encounters. They are large seeds that grow in abundance on the planet and have a highly palatable taste and high yields. The nutrients found in the nut can aid cognisance, concentration and have a mild anaesthetic effect aiding workers to continue labours up to 21% even after semi debilitating injuries. It can also benefit problem solving and cause a 6% increase in inquisitiveness. Despite these unwanted effects there is another reason the Insano Nut is not as popular as it could be; main problem with the Insano Nut is in a small percentage of the populace, it causes violent psychosis. Administratum figures for the occurance varies but figures estimate between 8% and 11%. This is not enough to cause a product ban but in most cases canned foodstuffs exported off world are required to have the following dislaimer ; WARNING: CONTAINS NUTS AND MAY CAUSE VIOLENT PSYCHOSIS AND/OR CURIOSITY. IN THE EVENT OF VIOLENCE CEASE CONSUMING . IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST CONSULT AN APOTHECARY.

Two Imperial pest officers attempt to apprehend an Insano Nut.

Devil's Cabbage

The Sulka IX system boasts several planets hosting dangerous xenos plantlife but on the 2nd moon of Encounters is the home of Devil's Cabbage. Or to be exact, research facility 71234, is where Xenobioligist Capsa Thunn decided to combine the dna of sand clams, catachan creeper fruit and terran iceberg lettuce. The somewhat inevitably predictable disaster led to the death of every person at the facility and an unhealthy infestation of this highly aggressive mobile vegitable. Of course the Imperium being what it is, and it's citizens, what they are, Devil's Cabbage managed to get off the moon and into several dozen ships headed for other Imperial worlds. So now we have cross pollination of these vicious face eating vegitables that by some horrible chance taste delicious pickled. There are even rumours of underground gambling dens where ambitious gluttons take on Devil's Cabbage in eat each other competions for large rewards. 

Pest officers attampt to bring down a Devil's Cabbage.

The Snappy Aloe

Another vicious inhabitant from Sulka IX is the Snappy Aloe. What was first found to be a large leafed plant with anaesthetic properties, with particular efficacy with regard to promethium burns. At approximately the same time as this discovery the Imperium discovered and immediatly went to war with a small humanoid xenos race called the K'Muk whose main method of waging war was the use for incendiary devices. So with minimal due diligence Snappy Aloe (or at that time mere Aloe Giganus) were swiftly exported to several systems to create plantations of these useful plants, stretching out for thousands of hectares. As the war dragged on more and more Aloe were planted and harvested. The K'Muk were eventually defeated and although useful the Aloe Giganus were deemed surplus to requirements and culled. This created a change in them. Xenobiologists have since discovered a latent psychic ability that meant all of the hundreds of millionss of Aloe felt the death throes of each plant, in their defence these alien flora sprout tendrils with a a strong beak like flower that has the ability to attack if provoked and this they did. The culling teams were systematically killed themselves as were any humans with similar genetic profiles. To this day there are dozens of outbreaks of Snappy Aloe attacks every Terran orbit, and on one planet - the once agri-world of New Abundance is now off limits to humanity until an anti plant crusade is mounted.

A reletively small Snappy Aloe about to attack.

Bullet Briars

Bullet briars are another plant from Encounters and is dangerous but not to the same extent of some of the other plants in this article. They are a prickly stemmed botanical that (like many alien plants) gave the impresssion of being benign due to their abundance of sweet fruit berries at their roots. The trouble with bullet briars is their thorns secrete a phytotoxin that is extremely painful, a pain so intense that it has been likened to being shot, hence the name. If untreated these toxins can cause agonising death but only in about 15% of cases. One interesting  consequence of this plant is Astra Militarum regiments from Encouters have a higher than normal pain tolerance due to the ubiquitous nature of bullet briars, thus making them ideal assault troops. This has been a source of great pride on the planet apart from the Encounterean 34th whose pain tolerances were deemed so high that they were classified as mutants (or worse) and liquidated. Bullet briars have since become a widely used hazard on Astra Militarum transports for the training of new recruits with only a few instances of them reaching planets to cause significant loss of life.

Two Bullet Briars about to be assaulted by Imperial pest control officers.

So that's all folks! Some vegitation to inhabit my jungles and forests with or without causing casualties in game.

Thanks for reading.

Deathworld Flora & Fauna ; The Spiny Abberration

Greetings. The following is an intercepted transmission from famed xenobiologist Zarp Mekradol of the Rogue Trader fleet belonging to  Agusttil The Flamboyant, currently exploring the Mantic sub sector of the Eastern Fringe.

The Spiny Abberration

Since entering the sub sector several encounters were made with an enormous xenos species that we have yet to determine it's original homeworld. It is large, immensely strong and resilient. Possessing a rudimentary intellect allowing them to communicate and follow simple instructions. Our first encounter with one was during trade negotiations with a member of the semi-aquatic species called the Guldphish. The creature seemed to be acting as a bodyguard and posed a threatening sight during the proceedings. We had a squad of Catachan Jungle Fighters as our bodyguard whereas the Guldphish merely had the Abberration. When trade negotiations broke down the creature lunged at Agusttil when the xenos merchant showed agitation. Luckily, it swiped the head from a servitors head before attempting to attack the Rogue Trader. His teleportation device removed him from the scene and the Catachans exacted retribution on the trade delegation with grenades and lasguns. Sadly none but sergeant Croker barely survived the engagement and the Imperium is currently at war the the Guldphish empire.

Deathworld Flora & Fauna ; Giant Wasps

 Greetings. A while ago I backed a kickstarter that had all manner of weird D&D type stuff from Dungeons & Lasers, one of the first ones for me to paint up were some giant wasps. They were fearured in the original Rogue Trader rulebook and I really liked the idea of horrific critters buzzing around paralysing their prey and laying eggs in them as a particularly horrific end. another reason I painted them up quick was as proxies for razorwing flocks for my Beastmaster. 

Natures arsehole, the wasp.

Equally at home in urban areas.

All I need to do now is finish up some jungle terrain and play a skirmish game where the protagonists have to cross one side of the table to the other without upsetting a nests of these dillholes. In any case they are off my 'to do' list and on to my 'play with' lists.

Thanks for reading.

Fun Guys, Hookey Mandrakes and some Humans

Greetings, progress is being made. Some more models are destined for the painted cabinet of model paradise, watched by the jealous semi painted existing in the purgatory that is my work in progress table. This update is a mixed bag of stuff that will be adorning tables in a scenario near you! Without any more bullcrap here is the stuff;

Some Fungii

A while back I put some dosh into a kickstarter that I thought had some great potential for my Warhammer Fantasy revival and several months later I got some stuff done. Not quickly enough to get them into a game but very soon I hope. They're from Dungeons & Lasers and it was the Encounters campaign. Apart from adorning battlefields of the 41st Millennium they can be stuck into my WFB mysterious woods when they turn out to be fungus forests and they scupper plans.

From left to right; The Blue Grotstool, Devil's Member and Twirly Flatcap.

Blind Beggar Hybrid Priest

Here's a model that took ages to complete as there was too much robe and not enough demarkation to make it fun to paint. Also I had started painting it pre contrast paints and couldn't be arsed to respray and start over. In the end some fishy motifs on the robes (hopefully) give off a fishman priest vibe. Doesn't really matter as it is unlikely he'll see much tabletime as anything other than a foul alien to purge.

It's all about fish and humans co-existing, right?

Crooked Dice Civilians

Crooked Dice have some bloody brilliant models mainly civilians and these are from the Colony 87 range. The Rolling Messiah and Unit L-Ron are below from the street trader range. Very nice models, dripping with character. The guy in the go cart can gain employment as a preacher with the Astra Militarum as a preacher if my crusade adversaries will allow it, the other can be a quantity surveyor for the AM if they ever get a proper resource management specialist game. Failing that, the mobility cart human can be used as a model representation of Revs Cantalope; tank commander in the Scargill Planetary Defence Force who lost his legs doing his duty defending Scargill from the thrice accursed Tau of Pur'La sept. Bastards. The other guy could be the quartermaster of the PDF of that highly busy planet.

Single White Guardsman

Here's one half of a Catachan Weapons team double act. I'm sure I have painted up the loader so this guy can make my units more symmetrical. Once again the base was adorned with some throttled alien fauna that trooper Gunn killed while waiting for the orders to move out.

Trooper Gunn and his dead mascot.

Demo Charge Cultist

According to the internets Acolyte Cultists with demo charges are the way to go if you want to win. As I nearly always buckle to social media pressure I made a hybrid armed with said equipment. It's am old Tyranid Attack hybrid from the early nineties with a modern demo charge arm. Mainly because it's far easier to recognise the dynamite in it's claw than continually explain to my opponent what it is. Contrast paints once again make this model froody.

Zanex Bomberknucle

The rear view of Zanex shows his two petrol cans to aid in the general fireyness of the rebellion.

Fake Mandrakes

Lastly on the list are some stl files for some faux Drukhari mandrakes. A few months ago a regular adversary of mine Aaron got hold of a 3d printer. I found him a free file for Mandrakes as they weren't available on the GW website and an unspecified time later I  had enough for two units. These are also very important in the tournament meta. I don't play tournament games but I do like the idea of them so expect to see them on some battlefields in the future.

I think I'll give these a cool sounding name like unit A.

These will get the even cooler name of unit B.

So that's the update for this week. Eighteen models to enhance my hobby life and provide a tiny bit of serotonin if someone actually comments on them (except for those arsehole bots that put a link in the comments). I bid you farewell and have a good hobby.

Thanks for reading.

The Athel Loren Air Corp

 Another gaggle of ever-so-nearly finished models that have sat around the place since late summer are my Wood Elf air cavalry, fun models that always promise much but regularly fail to deliver. All the below models are currently rider less due to me not prioritising the jockeys and also me having several dozen projects all simmering away jostling for attention. Anyway here come the birds;

COVID 19 Painting Club

Greets. Despite the title, no I haven't contracted the virus that no one like to talk about, merely a reference to me getting stuff painted instead of rolling dice and making others miserable with my tactical nous. As I've probably mentioned before, my painting speed and gaming ideas speed don't match at all so I assemble something, undercoat it with an intention to use it in army x or gang b any by the time I have it painted myself and much of my gaming group are playing game q. This leads to my finished model posts in no way relating to what I am currently playing. With all this in mind here comes a random collection of models;

I Am Some Law!

Back when I was a mere 20something I bought five of the original Arbites models. I sold one on eBay, sold another three on eBay but due to COVIDity couldn't send them to Australia so refunded the dude who bought them and painted up one with citadel contrast paints. That's the story of them, I had decided to paint one and get rid of the rest, but now I have one complete and another three in the loft, so not even enough for a squad. I am gutted I never got hold of the shotgun and bolter armed comrades of this guy as I think it today's Blanchitsu world they have a lot more character than the newer iteration. So anyhow, back to present day. This lad has character enough to be a proper Arbites Judge on some Imperial backwater, even though his one squad of Arbites are way *beefier than he is. He can be used as some sort of Imperial Agent, that gets mentioned a hell of a lot in the Rogue Trader plot generator lists. He could also I suppose wander into my Astra Militarum army as Commissar who wasn't really paying attention at Commissar school during 'uniform class'.

Murdo MacBatter Imperial Agent

 

41st Millenium Mongols

Back in 1994ish when all the Imperial Guard regiments came out and I was an official GW employee with access to loose lead with free associated plastics, I bought 20 Attilan Roughriders. Ten were undercoated black given a lacklustre urban camo paintjob that was never completed then nothing for a long time. I gave them some more love about 3 years ago and even played a couple of games but I never liked the colours so largely ignored them. Until they got the Dettol bath and were redone in Krablokistani colours. I think it also helped that they are now worth taking in the army as at some point after the Codex they could be given regimental traits. Bingo! Something approaching close combat troops for my Guard! There is even a rumor that Ogryns could even be in my painting plans, and then I will really be on the porcines back! I finally finished these up as a direct result of the Crusade rules, I really like the idea of a fast attack unit with objective secured and a possible +1 movement. Plus I have some plans to convert an old mounted elector count into a roughrider company commander. I am also toying with the idea of making an mounted imperial preacher and commissar.

These guys have some Genestealer bits adorning their bases.

Some Lizardman bits and part of an old Terminator heavy flamer.

I also converted the banner from a Chaos Knight standard, a greenstuff hat makes it looks less like the property of the ruinous powers.

Hermaphrodite Beastman

Another one of those eBay chopped up models was this Beastman, one arm and no sword in the other meant he was fairly harmless. He (??) got a Witch Elf sword and a a collection of bits for his left arm. As far as seeing table time he could be part of an Inquisitor warband or part of the New Mutant Army that may or may not ever get finished.

Horny McUdder

Budget Skull Servitor

Around 1992 I put two legs from some skeleton cavalry on an old beaky marine to make a chaos marine. After some 30 odd years later I decided I couldn't be arsed so I used a lizardmen drum from the cavalry boxed set and Voila! Some sort of skull servitor. Another one for my Inquisitor army.

Black Tree Druid

As a long time fan of Black Tree Designs I have been painting their stuff up for yonks. This model is no exception. Bought when I was a full on dabbler of Warhammer Quest and other fantasy role-playing games I thought this model was a very cool mage type. Then came the great shitting on of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe and I lost interest in it. They mooching through my pile of shame I saw this dude on a square base and saw another use. Way back in the Rogue Trader rulebook there was a scenario where some guy in weird clothing claiming to be a traveler from ye olde futurre was causing a ruckus on some Imperial planet giving the downtrodden ideas above their station and what not. So Imperial forces go in to **'question' said time traveler and his associates. So some non grimdark colouring and a character in a scenario is born. Of course he can easily fit into a lot of those scenarios as a witch or possibly even an Obi Wan Kenobi type recluse are all possible. 

"I would like to talk to you about God".

The Balancing Monks Of Bah!

Next are some Shaolin monk models from a company called Iron Mammoth Miniatures. They disappeared so after a bit of investigation I found Rat Trap Productions had them, now they don't it seems so I really don't have a clue where you will find them but after 20 years I finally painted them! It's unlikely they will see much action in a Shaolin type scenario but I have a few other ideas for them. Firstly, they can be part of the entourage of the above Druid/Time Traveler, another possibility is as members of a travelling psychic circus (also an old RT scenario) as acrobats. They also have a gangling look to them and slightly overlong limbs so aliens bent on Imperial mischief is another. My favourite, is as members of The Balancing Monks of Bah! A religion based on austerity, serenity and balancing things on body parts. The central model is performing the human hatstand position which, according to legend a master of Balance can maintain with a fullen laden Chimera tank on the sole of his upturned foot almost indefinitely.

   

<Insert Kung Fu noises here>

Genestealer Hybrids

What painting update would be complete without a couple of painted GSC models? Not this one, obviously. Two are RT era metal models (one with brand spanking new arms) and a third metal  bloodbowl player converted up. The model in the centre was missing his dagger hand so he got a greenstuff hook hand to help overthrow the Imperium. They are all wearing the colours of the Assembly of D'Keddes the first two will just slot into the rank and file Neophytes. The conversion is meant to be holding a petrol bomb and some sort of remote control (presumably to detonate something) so he could be given a new title such as Senior Insurgent. Of course for the purposs of GW's intellectual property naming-stuff-weirdly-so-no-one-can-rip-them-off-malarkey, I will name him a Flawgus.

Moar Rebellion!

Drukhari Bad Guy

A while back I bought some old metal Drukhari models with the intention of building them into a Ynnari army. Here is the Drahzar, who due to a clerical error on the Commoragh is now obsolete as the master of blades. His new job is as a saucy little Archon. The model itself is very noice and I was happy to use it as Drazhar but then the new hot Drazhar came my way and this lad got relegated.

Stabbing For Khaine!

Eyes Left!

Now Look the other way

Scaly Betty

Just when I haven't played Necromunda in years and Scavvys no longer seem to exist I paint up this lady (or gentleman). As most of my models origin stories begin with "I bought this on eBay with part x missing", this model is no different. Picked up cheap without his harpoon or backpack, some greenstuff and a raid to the bits box made this a passable mutant heavy.

Nothing says far future like a spring loader harpoon gun.

Jurassic Park Wannabee

Another Black Tree model, this time a bipedal lizard with a lazy paintjob. not much else to say about it other than it could be making an appearance in a jungle scenario. I have some more that I put on Lizardman swarm bases that I may or may not regret when the new Warhammer comes out.

RRaaarrgh!

Family Picture

So that's my lot for today, I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane or whatever. Presumably within the next ten years I might get to game with them!

Thanks for Reading.

* Presumably they were recruited from Catachan.

** More like kill.

Deathworld Flora and Fauna Part 4 The Mantic Ogre Crab

Excerpt from the Mantic Grimoire of Dangerouse Beastes

Three adult Ogre Crabs

The Ogre Crab (turci cancer ardentum) was discovered during the colonization of the Mantic Sector,planet Nameless; a temperate D class planet with 11% landmass the remainder given over to huge oceans of sodium laced H2O. Initial explorators discovered many edible wildlife and of particular note was a small crablike creature that produced highly nutritious meat with an extremely palatable taste. They were scavengers that could eat virtually any foodstuff but seemed to thrive on human waste; non techs quickly gave them the name Turdcrabs. Six limbed with a hard exoskeleton and two powerful claws were the most noticeable feature. Six eyes that could view through the infrared spectrum and a cluster of feeder tendrils allowed them to digest most substances quickly. Approximately 14 cm in height they were thought to be a good source of protein for the ever expanding Imperium. Experiments were conducted on them and were approved as Xenos Nutrititatum and therefore sanctioned for interplanetary export. Either due to incompetence or laziness, servitors omitted a vital piece of information regarding the species growth rates and that was, they do not stop growing. The immature Turd crabs have a tendency to cluster around the coastal areas of Nameless until they reach a size where they can successfully navigate the deeper oceans and defend themselves from the enormous marine life found there. This means that specimens can reach dreadnought size and beyond. The information was hastily amended and was due to be sent to all the Imperial planets that had been sent live specimens for breeding purposes, sadly an unprovoked attack by Aeldari pirates destroyed the Astra Telepathica station before the warnings could be broadcast. Some 80 Terran years passed before contact was re-established and by then the Turd crab had been transported to hundreds of planets and were put to use in many planets sewer systems. On the planets where these creatures are kept under control they are little more than a nuisance. On planets where they are left to proliferate and grow they can become a severe threat. One example of this is the now uninhabited Bulapse Theta planet in the system of the same name. Inquisitor Shablitz Morne landed on the planet on the trail of Idolator Jobes only to find the place swamped with thousands of huge Turd crabs. After accessing the dataslates it became apparent that routine sewage patrol designed to eradicate larger specimens were cancelled due to budget cuts. Turd crabs proliferated until they reached swarm type numbers and overran the planet. Morne declared the planet unfit for human habitation until a major reconquest force is deployed. Due to the current galaxy wide conflicts that will not be in the near future. It was around this time that the name Turd crabs was changed to something more fitting for such a dangerous creature the Ogre crab was reclassified (Imprimir PÃ ¡cancer ardentem). Sadly an organization the size of the Administratum is not without faults, one of the main ones is it's immense size and how quickly it can change the millions of documents in it's archives. To this day there several xenos publications using the old entry for the Ogre crab and a consequence of this is there are still some planets exporting these creatures to new colonies. This, unsurprisingly continues to create new outbreaks of Ogre crab infestations across the Imperium of Man. It has been theorized that the attack by Aeldari on the Astra Telepathica station on Nameless was a deliberate attempt to spread this creature throughout the Imperium. The continued miscommunication between different parts of the Administratum is also believed to be a deliberate attempt to sabotage the expansion of humanity by hostile alien forces. Whatever the cause the Imperium now has to expend a sizable portion of it's resources on keeping these creatures in check.

Turdcrabs scavenging on New Berkshire

Deathworld Flora and Fauna Part 3 - The Catachan Brainleaf

Another Gribbly!

So here is part three of my irregular series where I make models that hark back to 1992 when I first discovered the Rogue Trader rulebook. Back then modelling supplies and tools were in short supply as all I had was cardboard and a damp cellar. So after the semi-infamous splats of craters incident, I pretty much ceased making terrain. Fast forward to White Dwarf 242 when an article was created to instruct unwashed gamers on how to create these wondrous items.

The White Dwarf article.

Deathworld Flora and Fauna Episode 2; The Miral Catcher & Catachan Mantrap

Welcome To The Jungle!

We've got fun and games. So here I am with another collection of virtually finished foliage for your perusal. Like I said in my previous post, I love the idea of lethal plant life on alien planets. So I got some more inspiration from White Dwarf issue 242. I think I will put up the picture from the magazine then my attempt so you can judge how accurate/inaccurate I am.

Mangrovian Trees

The first non-lethal trees I made were these palm type trees. Simply made with twisted wire, masking tape and surgical bandages they are very easy to make. To make them a bit more 'alien' I tried to elongate the roots that go into the ground, a lot like mangrove trees here on blessed Terra but slightly different.

White Dwarf 242 a Prince of a magazine

At the surgical bandage stage.

Getting leafy. After making these I figure some walking plantlife shouldn't be too difficult. The Day Of The Triffids will come!

Avec Bases.

In all their glory! I sculpted a green grub type thing at the base of the second from left tree with a nifty pipe, tube and tentacle maker from Green Stuff World. I am sure an entire post devoted to the tool is on it's way. Be warned. 

Sergeant Cutter of the Catachan 79th regiment shows newly recruited trooper Terry some wildlife. "See these Mangrovians? Chop here, here and here. Careful no Eyebiter Grubs don't land on yer head, mind".

The second type of tree is made using exactly the same method, only with much longer and broader leaves. I also used the masking tape tree trunk method instead of the bandages. Although this tree is nicely different to the previous ones it is rather impractical as it takes up a lot of room without any great benefit. I also left the roots bare and applied pva to them to give a pretty gnarled look. Painted a fairly luminous green that will be washed with a darker shade to tone it down a bit.

"Now these Crusherleaf trees are a different story, chop here, here and here. While your at it give it a good hard kick to make sure any filthy xenos get dislodged and fall down for a good bayoneting.".

Miral Catcher

The Deathworld of Miral has to my knowledge two dangerous things the Miral Land Shark (just ask commander Stracken about those) and this nasty plant, the Miral Catcher. It has tentacles according to the WD article, Sadly stamen was used in the first entry so an alternative was searched for, inadequately found, so the T word was used even though they're not a fitting plant accessory. Anyway, the Miral Catcher's overly sensitive roots detect prey and it's 'tentacles' lash out trapping it with it's powerful paralyzing stings. Leaving it's victim to death by compost. Anyway My version is in some ways similar to the studio one. Not as good but there is a definite similarity.

The Miral Catcher shares a page with the Venus Mantrap

"So these Miral Catchers are tricky buggers. a few chops should do it, but it's always better to bring a couple of mates with heavy flamers. Just to make sure it won't sting you on the arse. This particular Catcher seems to have very bloody long appendages, someone is bound to trip over it. Better get health and safety down here".

Catachan Mantrap

The 'official' Catachan Mantrap in the magazine is very different to my attempt. It's sensory tendrills are far more discrete than my versions. The jawlike leaves on the one in the studio looks less like eyeless Kermit the frogs, than my one, but I think I captured the ethos of the original. According to the blurb the Catachan Mantrap moves it's leaves around actively seeking prey but GW's version, like mine doesn't show any evidence of how it is achieved. All I will say though, this one is newer! 

Catachan Mantrap and a Sucker Tree.

"As you well know, Catachan Mantraps are horrible bastards, with all that aggressively seeking it's prey with its jaw-like leaves. Just chop here, here and here and stick a frag grenade up it's hoo ha. That should do it. Careful it doesn't blind you with pollen though. There was that nasty business with that overly curious Butafucco 12th regiment over on Pseudo Earth 9 ". 

So there you have it, some jungle vegetation that my Catachan fighters can frolic through and kill the enemies of mankind. A member of our gaming group suggested a 'Get To The Chopper' scenario where my squad of Catachans try to escape the clutches of an evil Lictor, Predator style. There are also a couple of cool scenario's from the Rogue Trader rulebook involving jungles, dinosaurs and unfortunate Imperial employees trying to get home for Thanksgiving. So as my tables get a little bit more occupied here's to me getting some proper Oldhammer gaming going on!

Thanks For Reading.

Deathworld Flora and Fauna Episode 1 - The Strangleplant

The Rogue Trader rulebook contains many entries concerning dangerous plants and alien wildlife. A far better blog than mine has many examples of them. Now, hopefully you've clicking on the link, been enthralled then felt a bit guilty about being so fickle and returned here. Anyway since my earliest encounter with Rogue Trader, I dearly wanted to create some of the wondrous things to adorn my gaming table. Nearly thirty years later and my ability is approaching my ambition. I was looking around in my loft for some new endeavor when I found a White Dwarf with lots of Catachan Jungle Fighters on the cover looking like they've just walked of the set of 300; More Muscled Men With Oiled Torsos. I opened it up and found this page........

Back in the good old days when Paul Sawyer was editor.

More Deathworld Gribblies & Some Astra Militarum to Wipe Them Out

The Leadpile Receeds!

Finished some more models, mainly due to my renewed interest in 40K. Before I unveil my galaxy defeating forces here are a couple of long termers from my 'get it painted sometime' painted table.

Naked Mutated Fox Chick

This model is so Oldhammer! Back when I had access to loose lead from Games Workshop every now and then I would order a couple of kilos of lead (associated plastics were free), one day I bought this freaky little minx. A werefox of all things. Having never seen one in any of my games, I presume it's a DnD critter. Probably tricky and slightly sexual. Not sure what I will be able to use it as, but some sort of alien menace I'd imagine.

I'm pert and weird.

Naked Yoda Orgy!

Well if you've clicked on the link hoping to see some Star Wars themed Jedi porn then you're in for a disappointment.

Vindicare Assassin 

I painted up a Vindicate Assassin to go in my Inquisition Cell. Also my Imperial Guard. Trouble is, I varnished the little fucker and got this awful chalky effect. That'll teach me to varnish in December! I recoated it with gloss and now I'm waiting for a nice 11C sort of day to respray with a matt varnish.

Soon my pretty, soon.

These Little Piggys......

Progress!

Yes that's right, got some more figures finished. A warband in our campaign is a Nobilist Faction on an intergalactic safari. Basically some rich kids (and adults) going round hunting wildlife and making species extinct. Because of the grim dark ethos of the 40K universe, there probably isn't much in the way of conservationists, so this type of behavior is actively encouraged.  This had me thinking about the many types of wildlife that can infest an Inquisimunda battlefield causing aggravation to unsuspecting grunts and other higher ranking individuals. I am also involved in the Inquisimunda version 2.1 update and I've been tasked with updating the bestiary. This will be a labour of love as I've been a long time fan of Death World creatures from the Rogue Trader era. As there are now so many excellent miniature manufacturers around finding new critters for your games is a lot easier. So my project at the moment is to collate all the 40K gribblies into one article, give them Inquisimunda stats and points values and try to create a couple of creature intensive scenarios to boot. Not sure of the time frame, but 6 weeks should be an achievable target.

Four Little Pigs

Back when I started playing Warhammer with my Wood Elves beastmasters were a thing and some rather cool Elf running models could be had. Bears, boars, cats and dogs also frolicked along in step with the tree loving hippies. After playing the Catch The Genestealer game on the Agri world of Nora I thought some tough yet not overwhelming creatures would make ideal nuisance beasts. The main feature of Porcines (old Terran food creatures) is they're omnivorous, hardy, and most importantly - very, very tasty. Ideal guard animals that squeal very loudly when approached by unfamiliar people. When roused or threatened they should also be able to mess up a juve or two as well. Worst case scenario they could be trained - Hannibal Lector style to be attack pigs. Whenever I play a game on the infamous ratling planet of Oirlund, I'm sure these guys will feature in it.

Oink!