Dungeon Floor Planners

 I treated myself to a Christmas present which arrived on the 24th December luckily.

I had these as a youth, but fancied another look at them. That wonderful period when Warhammer still thought of itself as a role-playing game, and there were no boundaries to world building.

Each comes with a map that join together. An excellent resource for a campaign. The text within is all by Albie Fiore, so has that early D&D flavour of his excellent scenarios The Licheway and The Halls of Tizun Thane. 

Covers by Gary Chalk and Iain McCaig...chefs kiss.

RASHER AND THE BACON BRIGADE

Some orcs for my Prehammer Joe Dever armies. Classic Minifigs D&D orcs, with pig snouts and groovy helmets as depicted in the Monster Manual.

I remember seeing these in the cabinet at Games Workshop Hammersmith (1 Dalling Road) painted up in green armour so decided to do the same.

I've added the Crimson King motif in miniature to their chest and back discs to show their allegiance, and they are grey based for dungeon use too. I bought these figures recently, new from Caliver Books / Miniature Figurines, and although I am delighted Dave Ryan is re-releasing these old sculpts, the orcs here were very badly encased in great lumps of flash and excess metal. So be warned as they are not cheap.

CLAN OF THE JADE BAT

I finished these a while ago, but have been waiting for some free daylight time in which to photograph them. Middle son, whom we home educate, was feeling ropy today, so we scrapped lessons, and while he chilled out with Return of the Jedi, I snuck up to the attic to take some pics. These Minifigs Hobgoblins were surprisingly quick to paint, but as usual, I prevaricated about the bases for weeks. First they were painted green, to fit in with other Prehammer figures in the army, then brown, then I decided I might want to use them for old school Dungeon games (when this might happen I have no idea) so changed them to grey, which I'm not entirely happy with. I suspect they might change again. I'm not fussed about bases matching in an army, so long as they suit the figures.

To re-cap, these guys are for a reconstruction of part of an early 80's Joe Dever battle you can see here . Airfix dinosaurs, Airfix Sherwood castle parts, Minifigs and Tin Soldier crew. All available in the early 80's (pre '83 is generally my goal). 

Citadel Fantasy Tribe skeletons.

The Banner of The Crimson King, a recurring character in the odd world from inside my head.The Jade Bat Clan are in his service.  The piled heads are from the top of an old Broo standard I think. 

The Horned Skull is an Asgard ogre skull with added horns. Dave Wood  helped me out with this piece.

The badge (or mon) of the Jade Bat Clan

The Daimyo of the Jade Bat Clan, Ichiboti Tadanoi 

He carries a shield coated in dragon hide.

These are Tin Soldier samurai. The left hand standard bearer has had a head swap, but the others look quite Hobgoblinish. I think they are wearing masked helmets, but I've painted them up as faces.

The cavalry contingent. Garrison figures.

The lizards were going to be yellow, but somehow ended up orange.

Their shields sport the Jade Bat too.

Another Tin Soldier dude, mounted on a Ral Partha land dragon. This is Saiko Madasakoi

The rank and file...good old Minifigs Hobgoblins from the late 1970's. 

I painted them following the description in the Monster Manual, but also following the lead of Spooktalker, over at Belched from the Depths . I don't think I've seen figures better painted than his. Mine are pale shadows of his amazing work, but I appreciate the inspiration he gives me.

The mace warrior on the right is my favourite pose.

The entire clan in array. 

CAVERN CRAWL

I've  been looking covetously at Dwarven Forge cavern systems recently, and come to the conclusion there is no way I can afford them, so will probably have to make my own (although I might treat myself to a stalagmite set). Back when I used to play D + D on a regular basis, I always used to enjoy mapping out cavern systems for players to explore, with fiendish monsters lurking in pools or behind rock formations, but it wasn't until I actually started caving for real that I realised just  how unrealistic role-playing caves are.

About 20 years ago I used to go caving once a week in the Mendip Hills, not far from where I live and poked about in a number of different caves, all of which would present some challenges to an armoured adventuring party

Birthday Squeeze in Swildon's Hole . Note the caver has had to remove the one piece of equipment he is carrying (his lamp battery) so he can get through to the next part of the cave.

(Image from Dudley Caving Club's blog)

The traverse at Eastwater Cavern, a smooth surface, but at a 40' angle ready to slide you down into a crevice

(Image from WAYA blog)

The Drainpipe in Goatchurch Cavern (wiggly)

(image from Pinterest)

Swildon's Hole sump 1. A short underwater passage, adventurers would need to hold their breath for 30 seconds

(pic from Carbis Bay Crew blog)

These are some of the more extreme passages (not the most extreme, it has to be said), and there are areas where one can walk upright, and indeed large and wonderful caverns

The Throne Room in Stoke Lane Slocker (I never did this challenging cave!)

(Image from Dudley Caving Club's blog again)

 but they are all connected by tortuous narrow passageways involving crawling or wriggling, with no level floors and plenty of piles of boulders to clamber over.... which would make for an exciting (and literal) Dungeon/Cavern crawl.

The point of this rambling is that I am getting a real itch to get back underground. I chucked my kneepads and helmet away when we moved house  6 years ago, but I am getting a whispering in my head to lure me back down below...............

Entrance to Swildon's Hole 

one of the fascinating things for me is that an innocuous little hole like this can lead to over 9000 metres of cave passageway, 167 metres deep.... but could you get down with plate armour and a 10' pole?

GRIMOIRES OF YORE #2

I have been keeping an eye out for this book for a while until one  cropped up at a reasonable price. Amazon marketplace came up trumps and the book arrived yesterday. I've not read it yet, but had a quick flick through to refresh my memory of the pictures within. I used to get this book from the library back in the early 1980's and it is like meeting an old friend again.

Hmmm, must get one of those castles....

as well as that Dragontooth elf, second from the right.

I've got these orcs, but no longer have the Atlantic temple grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

The author Dr. Holmes enjoying a game with his pals. Note the Rubik's Cube, widely marketed from 1980, so must be brand spanking new in this picture. (The book was published in 1981).

WHITE DWARF WISDOM issue # 30

The fantasy gaming boat is being re-floated in my world as I start to paint some non-glossy figures again (for really old school shinyness see my Conan blog ) as well as running a new dungeon for my 2 older sons to explore. I say new, new to them, the excellent The Licheway from White Dwarf 10 (so far the attrition rate is high with a dead thief and druid littering the corridors).

A bonus of pulling out the old WD's is the chance to scan over the letters pages and chortle at the arguments that seemed so important then. Of course it's easy to look back and laugh with hindsight and I mean no disrespect to the author of this letter from White Dwarf 30 from April/May 1982

Dear WD

could you please not start up a department devoted to micro-computers without even taking an opinion poll because I am sure the majority of White Dwarf readers do not possess micro-computers.

For instance no-one in our D&D group of about 5 people has the slightest inclination to buy a micro-computer for seventy pounds which is practically useless unless you buy extra 'chips' to increase its performance and price. 

Personally, I think a department on the subject would be a waste of space and money. I hope others feel the same.

R J Leedham

well Mr. Leedham, they certainly do (or did). I had no interest in computers back then and rapidly got bored with the family ZX Spectrum, an antipathy which has lasted into middle age. Still it has to be said Mr Leedham was a little off the mark.

MONSTER MANUAL MONDAY 16

It's a Monster Manual Monday. I have a touch of The Black Dog so appropriately today it's the turn of the Hellhound

2 Hellhounds from the Citadel Fiend Factory range. I always thought they looked rather friendly myself.

Quite often I look at other peoples blogs and painting and want to cry because their stuff is so much better than mine. Better painted, better pictures and just....better. However I am continually inspired by the incredibly talented Spooktalker over at Belched from the Depths . Just take a look at his treatment of the Minifigs Hobgoblins. Charming but static old school figures made wonderful. After seeing pictures like these I am always filled with vim and vigour to lift a paintbrush again.

MONSTER MANUAL MONDAY 15

One of the benefits of  Christmas /New Year  is that I get to come home from work earlier than normal  most evenings in the week between  the two and get a spot more painting done.

This is one of the first figures I ever had, the Fiend Factory Zombie. I have since collected a few more

shown here doing an Egyptian walk (or perhaps a Larry Grayson impression)