Monday, October 6, 2025

'I Don't Take Orders from Stinking Morgul Rats' - Gripping Beast Armored Goblins

    First batch of 28mm Gripping Beast armored goblins for my Dragon Rampant army
The 2026 project -- an orc and goblin army for Dragon Rampant, 2nd Edition -- continues to move along. I chose seven figures from the horde of unpainted 28mm Gripping Beast lead I picked up from my friend Jeff, and got them ready for painting. I believe all the poses are from the Armored Goblins pack. I had to glue on their shields and put weapons into their hands, which at times is a blessing and a curse. It is nice to be able to create a little more variety with the weapons, but equally it can be a pain in the butt to attach the darned things sometimes! I used Gorilla Glue superglue for the initial attachment, then reinforced it after it had hardened with two-part, 5-minute epoxy. Sometimes, I have to use soft gray tack to hold the figure in an odd position while the glue dries, but it all worked out fairly painlessly this time.

Poses are fairly similar as I sorted through the unpainted horde looking for ones that looked alike
When attaching the weapons, I immediately forgot about the advantage mentioned above and gave spears to all three of the under armed poses and short swords to the three with their arms held back. D'oh!! The one with his arm over his head was given an ax. Thanks to my brain lapse, there isn't as much variety in pose and weapons as I'd like with this batch of seven figures. And why seven? Well, I was looking for a group that had similar equipment and dress, and these seven fit the bill. I guess that I was thinking that it would make it quicker to assembly-line paint them if they were dressed and equipped similarly? Of course, seven figures is a pretty small assembly line, by most people's standards. However, it is right in the six to eight figure batch "sweet spot" I prefer for my 28mm figures, though!

    I really like the expressions & animation on these goblins -- they look to be snarling or semi-scared!
After the epoxy had dried thoroughly, I primed them with Liquitex White Gesso and let them dry overnight. I gave them my standard recipe for orc and goblin flesh that I have used so far on my other three batches. I begin with a Walnut Brown base coat, dry brush them Raw Sienna, and then highlight them Khaki. Next, I used one of my all-time favorite colors for the base coat on their chainmail -- Iron Wind Metals Steel. This is a very dark metallic, which I then dry brush a silver over once it has dried and "shrink wrapped" to the miniatures. I had recently purchased a new Brushed Silver craft paint and decided to try it out on these. I liked the effect. However, I admit I would be hard pressed to pick out the difference between mail highlighted with the Brushed Silver as opposed to my normal silver!

    I used the same basic dark or pale clothes colors I've been using for this army, so far
At this point, they were ready for their clothes to be painted, which in this case was a tunic. Some of them also had trousers underneath the tunic, but some did not. I referred to my list of acceptably ugly colors to paint orcs and goblin clothes and picked one out for each figure and set those bottles behind it. While painting this project, I will stay on the lookout for more colors in a grayish, pale, or dark versions of colors so that my entire army isn't painted just the same 8-10 colors...haha! From that point on, it was my usual routine of base coat one day and dry brush the next. Tunics, then trousers, then footwear, and so on.

    All of the shields lined up so you can see the designs I chose -- I'd love to hear feedback on these!
However, for the first time in four batches of orcs or goblins, though, I had to paint shields! I didn't want to limit myself to Mordor orcs with their red eye, or Isengard with their white hand. I wanted them to be more generic. I didn't want them all be blank, either. So, I sat down and brainstormed what types of things orcs or goblins would put on their shields: skulls, moons, mountains, spiders, wolves, flames, fangs, etc. Then, I did Google Image searches (with the key word "clipart") and copied and pasted images of these things that I liked into a Word document. I even did Google searches to see what the internet said about what designs orcs or goblins would have on their shields. One page mentioned "tribal symbols," so I did a search for that and found several really cool pages of crude, tribal-like images that I thought would work perfect for my army's shields. 

For most of the shields, I painted it a base color, dry brushed it, and then used my black or dark brown micron pen to draw the design image on the face. I filled inside the pen outline in with paint most of the time, or if I wanted the design to remain dark dark, sometimes just colored in the whole image with the pens. I felt that the designs stood out too much, though, and looked a little too bright. However, when I did my last step of painting, the black wash, it seemed to fix that. I felt that the black wash did an amazing job of muting the shield. Will I continue to give every orc or goblin their own unique shield design? I'm not sure, at this stage. I am happy with how these looked, though!

Final look at my first armored goblins -- many more needed to fill the ranks of my orc & goblin horde!
I know seven figures doesn't go a long way towards finishing a Dragon Rampant army, but these are the size batches I like to work with. I just don't see myself ever priming and painting 50 miniatures at a time, nowadays. That's. Too. Much. Like. Work! So, this will have to be incremental progress for the rest of the year and possibly well into next year. Since I've decided to also work on my Devilry Afoot project simultaneously, that will likely slow it down even more. Oh well...that's the way it goes! I will get the figures I bought all painted someday, though I'm not sure my 2025 totals for Acquired Miniatures vs. Painted will ever make it into the green and "positive" range. To get there, I need to paint 57 more miniatures AND not buy anymore by the end of the year. Will I make it? My pessimistic guess is no, but we shall see!!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 231

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 40
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 200

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Devilry Afoot: First Figures for a New Project

 

    My first group of six 'Hunters' for Devilry Afoot -- a cooperative supernatural monster hunting game
There's an outside chance I may squeeze in my first game of Devilry Afoot in honor of Halloween this month. Just in case that happens, I wanted to get a batch or two of miniatures done for the main characters and their followers. I've decided that each of my players will control one Hunter and one Follower. In these rules, Hunters are divided into five different Archetypes:

  • Gentleman
  • Goodman or Goodwife
  • Religious
  • Scholar
  • Soldier

    I went back and forth between several rules & eventually decided on trying these cooperative ones
I am setting my games in the tiny, new settlement of Franklinton in the Ohio territory of frontier America. The games will take place in the late 1700s and early 1800s, prior to the War of 1812. As such, I have plenty of appropriate figures for the "Soldier" archetype (and probably followers, too). I think my French & Indian War armed civilians will also work for a "Goodman" (or Goodwife), as well. The nicer dressed leader types could be Gentlemen, too, I guess. However, when it comes to Religious or Scholarly types, I had very few figures. Thus, my purchase at Historicon this summer to enable me to field those archetypes.

    I'm calling him the 'Monsignor' - on the Brigade Games site he is in the 'Cardinal & M'Lady' pack
As such, this first batch is fairly heavy in Religious and Scholarly types. I have another batch of six primed and with the flesh done waiting in the wings, too. Those come later, though. Let's talk about these first six miniatures I just finished! They are all 28mm metal and from a variety of sources. My favorite miniature of this crew, so far, is one that I am calling the "Monsignor." He is from a Brigade Games two-figure pack called, "Cardinal and Milady." The lady I will discuss in a moment. She is also part of the first batch of six. Anyway, the Monsignor (or Cardinal) is wearing a cool robe, sash, and mantle, along with a "beanie" type cloth cap. Very appropriately for the game, he holds a nasty looking spike dagger behind his back in one hand while raising the other in a benediction or blessing. I love the folds and drape of his clothing, and I think the blood red and black color scheme works really well for this figure. You may ask what is a cardinal doing on the rough frontier of America? In my story, he is a visiting Catholic priest ministering to the needs of some converted native Americans who live near Franklinton (which is early Columbus, Ohio, where I live). More on the story below of the how Hunters came to be in this small, frontier village!

    One of my favorites from this batch, he is a Crucible Crush Puritan who I added a lantern to
The other religious type is from Crucible Crush. His outfit is a century or so out of date, but I think he still has that frontier preacher look about him. Yes, he is from the English Puritans pack, but just look at him! He is clutching his holy book to his chest, his arm is raised in calling down God's fury on the heathen demons of the frontier. Can he be more perfect for a game of Devilry Afoot? I painted him pretty much identically to the picture on the Crucible Crush website. The severe black and white color scheme just screams frontier preacher to me. I am envisioning him representing the Franklinton's local Protestant deacon or preacher. He is obviously filled with God's righteous anger and bravely steps forward to hunt down the servants of the Devil prowling around the village!

    Sarah Starling, wife of Franklinton founder Lucas Sullivant, was a skilled nurse - a perfect Scholar!
A female scholar is probably a rarity in frontier America, but I figured it would make for an interesting character. I may make her a healer or herbalist, or some sort of doctor. I figure that the chauvinism of frontier America might be overcome if the woman has badly needed medical skills. Those in need might just look the other way at the impropriety of a woman openly practicing her craft! You know - necessity and all that!! This would be even more likely if said female doctor is relatively high up in the social standing of the town. In my research, I discovered that the wife of the village founder, Lucas Sullivant, was devoted to nursing the needs of the sick in the village. She even lost her life during the War of 1812 taking care of the sick soldiers stationed in Franklinton during a Typhus epidemic. So, perhaps she is Sarah Anne Sullivant, wife of the village mayor? The figure is from the Bad Squiddo Games pack, Beer Maiden and Scholar (she's the scholar, of course!).

    One of the founders of the Franklinton society of supernatural hunters - young lady Marib Domigan
The other female character is the aforementioned Milady. Wearing a voluminous hoop dress, bewigged, and carrying a Carnival mask on a stick, you may wonder how she could ever belong with a group of hunters of supernatural monsters! Right?? Well, if you look at the way she is holding that rapier, you would realize this is no idle patroness of dance balls. She is nobility, for sure! How else would she have had the leisure time to be trained in the art of the sword? In fact, she is actually one of the founders of the club of Franklinton men and women who hunt the horrors of the frontier. To them, it began as a game. She and her male cousin (next batch of figures) read about supernatural hunters in Europe. They decided to mimic the fun by collecting stories of supernatural occurrences here in the Ohio Territory. They were delighted when they discovered the first account of a mangled farm animal on the night of a full moon. And they giggled as neighbors reported drumming and strange animal cries on dark nights. And then suddenly...it wasn't a game, anymore. They were on to something!! I painted her in a dark green outer dress with pale yellow inner skirts. The white wig and mask is concealment, keeping her identity safe from those outside of their secret society. I like how she came out, and even if none of my players choose her as their Hunter, she will be an important part behind the scenes!

    Lawyer and hobby naturalist, Orris Parish, is skeptical of the whole supernatural angle
The two male scholars are both from the same pack from Brigade Games. Owner Lon Weiss very helpfully found this pack for me in the Napoleonics section when I described what I was looking for. It is the French Scientists/Savants pack of four miniatures. I picked out my two favorites from among them and included them in this first batch of six. If you click on any my above links for the half dozen figs in this batch, you'll notice something different. Lanterns! At Historicon, I also picked up a pack of 28mm lanterns made by Bad Squiddo Games when I was shopping at the Badger Games booth. They appear to be made from 3-D printed material, as the thinner parts are fairly brittle. Otherwise, they're perfect for Hunters or Followers to be holding aloft. Whether a character (or monster) is in the dark or light is important for Devilry Afoot. As you can see, three of these figures have a lantern added to their raised hand. I used superglue to attach it, and then added a thin streak of epoxy to it once the glue dried. The bond between the lanterns and their hands seem to be fairly sturdy (with the primer and paint on top of it), so hopefully none will pop off when playing!

    An occultist is key to a group of supernatural hunters, and Scholar Jacob Shade fulfills that role
These scholar figures are obviously at the later end, time-wise, of the figures I'm painting up for this project. The Protestant preacher above is at the early end. I tried to mix up the colors of the Hunters, but keep them in a darker tone. I also tried to mix in something on each that has the Iron Wind Metals Blood Red color that you see on the Monsignor's robe. It's not exactly a sinister color, but suggests something darker and more secret. For some, their sash is in blood red. For others, it might be a simple accent on an article of clothing (the band in the preacher's hat). I like how all of these came out, though, and am very happy with this batch of six. I kept going back and forth on which figure was my favorite. The Monsignor was my early favorite, and may still be the one I like best. However, I also really like the female scholar. And what's not to like about the fire and brimstone Protestant preacher? I'd be curious to hear from my readers which ones they like best...

    A final look at the first group of six Hunters (from a variety of sources) that I painted up
The lanterns were painted bronze and then highlighted with gold. After that was done, a dark black vehicle wash was added to give the lanterns an old and well-used look. Finally, I did the glass. I used a dull yellow on most of the glass, with a watered down pale yellow in the center. Once spray coated, I added in a clear gloss over the glass. Hopefully, this makes it look like it is shining more than if it were matte. I have the next batch of six figures waiting in the wings, too. One of them is a young nobleman, but most of the others are meant to be armed Followers. I chose rather rustic looking ones for them, except for one servant in fancy livery. More about those in a future post, though, as I have a batch of Gripping Beast goblins in front of them.

    I love the look of these 3-D printed lanterns from Bad Squiddo Games
Also, I decided to use my "standard" flocking system for the Devilry Afoot figures. I am trying to limit any unique period or location-specific flocking, nowadays. I want to be able to use figures together that were ostensibly painted for different projects as much as possible. So, stay tuned to see if I actually do run that first game of Devilry Afoot around Halloween or not. Sorry for this past week's break in posts -- Jenny and I went to visit friends on Long Beach Island in New Jersey for a few days. Now that I am back, hopefully the pace of production will resume!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  • Miniatures painted in 2025: 214

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Terrain acquired in 2025: 40
  • Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

  • Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  • Scatter painted in 2025: 200