Frostgrave: Assorted Figures

 Introduction

It's been a strange year (and a bit).  We've not been able to go out much because of the various lock downs and so haven't really played any games.  However, this has left a lot of time for painting.

I've been powering through a number of projects and individual figures, but I just realised that many of my recent completions are models for Frostgrave.  It makes sense to document them all together, so here we go.

Last of the old GW Wizards

When I started looking for miniatures with which to play Frostgrave (back in 2015!), I remembered that I had a decade-old collection of Games Workshop plastic wizards.  I re-based and finished painting seven of them (here: http://colgar6.blogspot.com/2015/11/frostgrave-wizards.html), but at the time I couldn't find the 8th model in the set - the Dark Elf sorceress.

Well, she finally came to light and so I've re-based this model for the frozen city.  Considering how long ago I actually painted this figure, I think it's help up well.  Mind you, I can't help thinking that her choice of clothing is not optimal for an icy wasteland.  Maybe the cold never bothered her anyway?

The Old Wolf

This is another old (ancient!) Games Workshop model.  It's one of the figures I prepared for Frostgrave some 5 or 6 years ago, but the snow effect on its base had aged very badly.  Oddly, most of the models I have prepared at that time or since are just fine, but this and maybe one other were yellowing visibly.

I painted over the discoloured parts of the base with white, then used a mixture of white paint and glue to stick down some "realistic" model snow (instead of the bicarbonate of soda I had used previously).  Because of the over-coverage to hide all trace of the yellowing, this is now the snowiest base in my collection!

Medium Constructs

For some time, I have been searching for medium constructs for Frostgrave.  There are plenty of large models of mechanical men, golems and the like and I have a selection of these from various manufactures already (see here and here).  However, I wanted some man-sized items as well.

I was delighted when I came across this set of "Magical Automata" from Midlam Miniatures.  These figures are available individually and I don't really need four, but I just love them!

Painting the grain in the wood was not much fun, but I think it has worked better than I had hoped.  Mind you, the models have no texture on these "wooden" parts and so they could be painted differently (as iron, ceramic or anything else you can imagine).

Cultists

As part of a recent "NickStarter" campaign from North Star, I received a bonus sprue of official Frostgrave cultists.  It seemed appropriate to build them (note that I've only made 4 of the 5 models on the sprue), though there's nothing particularly different or unique to distinguish them from anybody else's cultists.

I've finished the cultists with a brown theme.  This helps to identify them as a coherent group and also separates them from my other Frostgrave figures, none of whom are predominantly brown.

The Wandering Mage

Here's another North Star "freebie", recently finished.  She's a somewhat generic wizard or apprentice, though I imagine that the figure could also be used as a thief, healer or pretty much anything else that isn't combat-oriented.

Mind you, now that I look at the model again I remember I had intended to paint the robe with classic wizard's stars and moons to identify her as a wizard - but I forgot.  Hmm, is the figure truly finished?  Should I go back and add the intended detail?  I'm not sure.

Gnolls

Another part of the recent "NickStarter" was a sprue of Gnolls (hyena men).  Again, these seemed useful for Frostgrave and so I've completed all five figures.  This time they're painted in a dark grey or black theme, though there are splashes of other colours from their mismatched assortment of clothing and equipment.  Gnolls should be very useful as wandering monsters, or even as hirelings for the less scrupulous wizards.

Conclusion

That's all for now!  I think this pretty much cleans out my stash of unpainted models for Frostgrave, though no doubt I'll find a few more if I look properly through my storage.  And there's always the possibility that I might buy further models in the future...

Frostgrave: Magical Creatures

Introduction

Once again, I've missed my weekend posting last Sunday.  Once again, I'll explain that this is because work and home life are getting on top of me and I'm having difficulty mustering enough enthusiasm and time to write articles (or indeed, to comment on other people's).  Still, my problems are insignificant when compared with what many people suffer.  Enough of that already!

In gaming news, the Frostgrave painting engine rolls on.  This time, I've got a couple of unusual creatures from Black Cat Bases to show you, so without any more rambling, here we go:

The Construct

First up is a "Book Golem"; a magically-animated humanoid constructed entirely from books and scrolls.  This was great fun to paint, as it involved some unusual research and detailing.  It would be an obvious form of construct for a wizard of the Sigilist speciality to construct.

I wonder if the type of tomes from which this creature is constructed have any bearing on its behaviour?  If, for example, the magician built his monster from old county record books, the golem might be really dull and boring and only interested in land ownership.  On the other hand, if the wizard slipped in a few of the more racy pulp novels then who knows what the book creature might do?  Probably best not to think about this too much...

In the picture above, Oscar the Thief has been manipulated into standing next to the monster to provide a size comparison.  I think it's fair to say that this golem is a large construct.  Indeed, I think that Oscar is about to catch up on the book learning that he missed in earlier life, all in one go!

At the time of writing, the book golem costs £4 and is available from Black Cat Bases.

The Owlbear

In the same order as the book golem, I also purchased an owlbear.  This is a very simple little single-piece model.  I painted it quite hurriedly, so I rate the result as "acceptable" rather than "outstanding".  At least it didn't take very long to complete!  I'll use it in Frostgrave as a regular bear, I think.

From the back, he (she?) could be mistaken for a straightforward bear.  However, in a city full of perilous magic it's not perhaps surprising that the poor creature has mutated.  I wonder if it was a deliberate act by a heartless wizard, or just one of those everyday magical accidents, though?  Was the animal targeted or merely unlucky?  Either way, it's now lost, confused and upset!

Oscar seems to have shaken off the book construct, but has come face to face with the owlbear.  As you can see, it's not the biggest monster around and any decent hero should be able to take it on single-handed.  I think that Oscar is outclassed, though!

The owlbear is available from Black Cat Bases for the small price of £3.  Incidentally, if anyone is looking for an alternative then Otherworld Miniatures do a couple of very nice owlbears but be warned - they're much more expensive than this one!