Ninjabread

Twilight Kin Sorceress

by Curis on October 5, 2011 at 8:29 am

Posted In: Golem Painting Studio, Mantic

I did a piece recently with Golem Painting Studio for Mantic Games – the first of their Twilight Kin (evil elves).

Abyssal Elf Sorceress

What’s surreal about the whole experience is this elf missus I breathed life into with metallic purple is following me. I walk into Maelstrom Games and glance at their shelves and whose cold porcelain skin do I see…

Abyssal Elf Sorceress

Then I pick up my copy of 2nd edition Kings of War rulebook and who is striking a classical stuatue pose on the cover but…

Kings of War 2nd edition

(You might also recognise the Orc and Evil Dwarf.)

And then Mantic’s customers are copying the scheme…

Abyssal Elf Sorceress

Woah! Top banana!

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Stockport Stockade 2011 – The Rise of ANTISPAYSE MAHREEN

by Curis on October 4, 2011 at 10:51 am

Posted In: Blog, Epic Armageddon

The dust has settled, the annual Stockport Stockade has been and gone for another year. I’d say it’s Manchester’s premier Epic Armageddon tournament, but since Britcon includes Epic too I have to have the smaller boast of Stockport’s premier Epic Armageddon tournament.

Stockport STockade prizes

Eager gamers flocked from as far south as Surrey to compete for the glittering prizes, and the chance to test out the new Stockade scenario – Objectivity.

Here’s the now-obligatory shot of Jeridian, fighting it out with his Shadow Scorpion Space Marines. Epic UK have rejigged the Space Marine Codex this year so Si took to fielding his Scorpions as a ground-pounding Dark Angel force – or Iron Wing I’d say if anyone’s old enough to remember that company.

Si Jenkins

The angle makes the man look like album artwork. Hang on…

Psi Jenkinz

Not sure why I just did that.

Anyway, Si took the newly-rejigged Dark Angels list, and was drawn against Tim Hunt’s Dark Angels. I enjoyed this match-up as both players were attracted to the list as it’s new version allows them to field twice as many Hunters (Space Marine AA tanks) in a formation. However, Dark Angels don’t have any allied Navy so it’s largely wasted.

Who won what?

3rd place, and Most Visually Awesome – Judge’s Choice went to Steve Gullick and his Vanaheim air Cavlary.

Steve Gullick
Vanaheim Aircav

Steve’s Vanaheim makes heavy use of alternative manufacturers mixed in with exceedingly rare Games Workshop Epic Catachans. I (the judge) enjoyed its smorgasbord feel and variety.

2nd place went to Tim “James Dean Bradfield” Hunt. We are pleased to announce his bandmate Matt “Richey Edwards” Otter has been found alive and well recently following his disappeareance in 2009.

James Dean Bradfield
Tim Hunt Dark Angels

1st place went to Maaatt Arnoooldd. The expression we’re pulling, and the hat is a homage to Epic UK chairman Matt Otter. Maaatt Arnoooldd is constantly living in constant fear that photos of him involved in such high levels of nerdery will leak on Facebook and cause every girl he’s ever known to shun him, and so I’ve even obfuscated his name in case Google image search for for him turns up these blackmail gems.

Maaatt Arnoooldd

Last place, and Most Visually Awesome: Player’s Choice went to James Ramsay and his Death Guard.

Psi Jenkinz

Nurgle Plague Reaper

Steve’s gallery of the armies can be found here.

Special thanks to Tom Webb (no relation) of Exodus Wars, who sponsored the event and provided a big pile of Exodus Wars blister packs for prizes. These will undoubtedly surface at next year’s Stockade in the various armies.

They do a great line of 6mm sci-fi pieces, including the Khazari – a range of squat bearded chaps.

Special thanks to Steve as well who gave an Epic scale Magnus the Red and Ahriman to every attendee. And also donated a pile of metal Chaos Rhinos to the prize pool.

And thanks to all who came and partied hard over the weekend.

See you all for Stockport Stockade 2012AD: A Certain Shade of MAHREEN.

└ Tags: Epic, Epic Armageddon, Squats

2 Comments

A different type of Epic wargaming

by Curis on September 26, 2011 at 6:34 pm

Posted In: Blog

Trawling my my Twitter follower’s blogs I excitedly stumbled across Epic Wargaming. “Haha! Finally, another Epic Armageddon player!” I thought, as we are few and far between. But no, this Epic Wargaming was different. They use Epic in its everyday sense. Well, its everyday-if-you’re-not-Curis sense.

Epic Wargaming River

For starters they’ve got a selection of free downloadable wargaming terrain. I’ve made a paper river or my personal gaming terrain as I have a huge nerdboner for rivers in wargames. Super natch.

Epic Wargaming River

But their core product is a paper wargame called “Three Plains”. And it’s fascinating on account as it uses several mechanics I’ve not happened across in fantasy wargames.

It’s amazing but true; all other wargames do not have a system for stamina. In Three Plains, you suddenly discover the magic of having FRESH TROOPS, (you’ve cunningly had held up in reserve) hitting hard, but knackered enemy troops and wiping them off the board! You just don’t see that in other wargames.

Three Plains has its own psychology phase, called the ‘Battle Stress’, which raps up all the battle stress a gaming piece might encounter during its turn. So rather than taking test after test, only one needs to be taken at the end of the turn.

Battle Stress is particularly interesting, especially as I’m also playing Kings of War second edition which lacks the psychology mechanic (read more in Jake Thornton’s blog).

Check ‘em out. Along with 8th edition Fantasy, 2nd edition Kings of War, 1st edition Three Plains will be one of the systems I’m trying this Autumn.

5 Comments

Crimson Retribution – Ninjabread at the Theatre

by Curis on September 21, 2011 at 12:24 pm

Posted In: Blog, Pissing About

The year is 1986, and Season 2 of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon concludes in 1986. Only months later the Transformers Movie is released, where Victor Caroli informs us in his opening monologue “It is the year 2005…”. What happened to the Transformers in the intervening years? Well, I could tell you, but instead I’m going to tell you a little about what happened during Ninjabread’s summer hiatus. Come my friend, let me tell you of the Crimson Retribution…

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you crossed Shameless with Batman? No, me neither. But it’s a thought that obviously occurred to Steve Pearce, writer and producer of The Crimson Retribution and the result, premiering at Manchester’s 24:7 Theatre Festival, is a sharp, witty, darkly funny piece of theatre.

Iain Sykes

Yes, Ninjabread got involved with a theatre production. A superhero theatre production – possibly my favourite form of theatre (behind musical theatre). The poster illustrations were done by fellow Manchester illustrator Hammo. Hammo also produced a series of comic-cook style background illustrations which were back-projected onto the set to give the actors the feeling of inhabiting a larger-than-life world. I was called in by MEN Theatre Award nominated playwright Steve Pearce to animate the transitions, moving between scenes in such a way the audience felt they were moving between panels of a comic book – much like the classic Grange Hill opening. Only without the sausage.

Crimson Retribution backgrounds

I got to see the production on the sold-out opening night, and was thrilled to see my name in the programme. It was a dark comedy (a far cry from Manchester’s other summer superhero theatre – Batman Live) with lush production values.

Crimson Retribution cast
Cast in rehearsals – left-to-right: Paul Sockett, David Degiorgio, Al James and Emily Fleeshman.

What did other people think?

“…the bastard love-child of Sin City and Coronation Street … Director Clare Howdon has clearly worked hard with her creative team to fashion a technically impressive and highly imaginative production. It’s only budgetary and spatial considerations that stop this show from being as slick and flash as something staged by the National Theatre.“

UK Theatre Network

“Director Clare Howdon widens the references from the comics to include references also to films – the fight after the mugging taking place in Matrix style slow motion. She uses local artist Hammo’s clear and bright graphics as much more than just background setting the scene for the frightening city at night and creating the disorienting effect of the attack upon Amy. “ ★★★★★

What’s On Stage

“This production is really well designed, with a changing backdrop showing cityscapes, a cartoon bar and a street scene – before which various physical and comic fights (and a car accident) happen. “

Cultural Shenanigans

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Golem Showcase – Marauder Raptor

by Curis on September 20, 2011 at 10:21 am

Posted In: Blog, Golem Painting Studio

Mantic have unveiled their Marauder Raptor. It’s one of the two vehicles featuring in the first wave of Warpath releases. Today we get some nuggets about its paintjob from Golem’s Tommie.

Before Tommie started painting the Orx Marauders a great deal of thought was given over to the Orx signature colour - red. The Forge Father signature blue scheme had already been fixed by the concept art – but the Orx could be anything. Yellow was out as that was the colour of the Kings of War Orc. Green’d clash with the obligatory green skin. Brown or grey would look dull. Black could work if it was livened up with neon detailing. Eventually Tommie settled on red. It also feeds into the idea of Red versus Blue.

So red plates. The blue plates have been scavenged from destroyed Forge Father vehicles – and so you can see some looted Forge Father caution stripes. I’ve been trying to work out what these black and yellow stripes should be properly called – chevrons? dags? bendy sinisters? I need to know as they send me giddy – when I encounter them in real life I go all faint and start thinking I’m a Necromunda ganger.

Curis in Castle Necromunda

For this paintjob Tommie pulled off the tricky balance of wanting the Raptor to look battered and weathered, but also bright and photography-friendly. As great as the Forge World approach is (heavy use of weathering powders, airbrushing, faded drybrushing) it does wash out a lot of the detail and. The chips and flecks in the red are painted with clean and vibrant colours – Dark Flesh > Blood Red > Vomit Brown.

The last and most difficult thing to paint was the missiles. They need to draw the eye and not get mistaken for another panel. So bright colours to draw the eye – like yellow or gold? I suggested quartering or checking the missiles to make them more fireworky – but that would distract from their circular shape. Eventually Tommie nailed it with a vibrant green with red tips which didn’t distract from the shape.