Vikings Raid Angland Again at DayCon 2025

    Here I am at DayCon 2025, running my 'Viking Raid on Anglo-Saxon Town' game for a full table

I feel very lucky that the games that I run at our local conventions always seem to fill up. As a GM, I've been in that awful position of preparing for a game, packing everything up, hauling it to the convention, setting it up again there, and then sitting around and having no players. That's a frustrating feeling, but I feel so fortunate I haven't had to deal with that in awhile. Whether through word of mouth, or my cool-looking terrain and figs, or just luck of the draw, my games tend to fill up. And so it was at DayCon 2025 with my running of my Viking Raid on Anglo-Saxon Town. 

    My scratch-built Saxon church is the ultimate goal of the Viking players -- where most treasure is

My friends Terry H and John L both signed up, along with four other players I had not met (or don't remember meeting) previously. The rules I am using, Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers, are quick to teach before the game and easy for players to learn. I like the idea of a cooperative game at a convention, too, but I also enjoy tossing in a little competitive rivalry, too. The player whose Vikings earned the most loot would be the winner. In this case, Bjorn Ironside just edged out John L's Ulf for most silver pieces looted. I believe the score was 33-31, though I did not write it down. The players all said they had fun and thanked me for running the game. 

    Ragnar Lothbrok is surrounded by a horde of Saxon fyrd and a mounted hearthguard

Unlike the last time I ran this at Cincycon, none of the Vikings made it to the church. They all got sidetracked early on by Saxon reinforcements popping up near them. It takes a concerted push by players to make it to the church courtyard, batter down the shieldwall of Saxon hearthguard, and get into the church. Of course, looting the bodies of the Saxon defenders is a valid strategy itself. Every game, it seems there is one of the six Viking raider leaders whose band never ventures far from its deployment area. A combination of random arrivals tends to hem them in early. John L's Ulf the Wise was one of those player in this game. He had mounted Saxon hearthguard gallop down upon his raiders (on the "Wandering Monster" card) more than once. John's three characters stayed close together, though, and helped each other. They also did the 1-2 punch of "You kill him, I will loot his body" that allowed him to grab silver pieces steadily all game long.

    Saxon bowmen engage in a long-range archery duel with Terry's unfortunate Viking archer

Terry and Shauna's Floki and Lagertha, respectively, seemed to have the worst luck. Shauna's rolls were so bad she handed my dice back to me and pulled out her own. Those proceeded to roll even worse! In fact, I would say in the half dozen times I've run this scenario, I think she's had the most misfortune I've witnessed! Like John, her trio of raiders did not make it far off their baseline. A steady progression of Saxons arrived from the trees to the left, often in the form of hordes (2-6 foes that activate and fight the raiders together). Her leader, Floki, was involved in a duel with a mounted Saxon hearthguard for half the battle, it seemed. Shauna would do everything she could to give Floki the best odds to wound or slay the rider, and she would flub the die roll!

    Well-disciplined Saxon hearthguard kept in their shieldwall in front of the church by their captain

Terry's Lagertha was the only group to lose a raider, his bad-luck archer. Lagertha and his swordsman Fafnir advanced quickly through a gap between houses, leaving their archer companion to shoot at some distant foes. What should arrive eventually, but a horde of Saxon archers to oppose him? The Viking lasted for a few turns, dodging arrows and picking off Saxon bowmen. However, eventually, with no shield and no armor, he suffered one arrow would too many. Like Boromir in the Lord of the Rings, he fell, riddled with arrows. 

    The players laughed and celebrated their rivals' successes, and commiserated on their bad dice rolls

At Cincycon, I accidentally left all of my Saxon archers behind. So, in the first game, I used substitute figures for the six who begin the game on the board. After that, I made all of the arriving defenders be hand-to-hand fighters. In the second Cincycon game, I even left out the archers entirely. I definitely think the Saxon defenders are more potent when they have archers -- especially if they show up via an Event Card as a horde. That's what happened in this game, and it is more of a challenge for the players. They have to spend actions on movement to close with and kill the archers. Otherwise, if they ignore them, they will get sniped and begin to lose wounds steadily. Still, at DayCon, only one Viking died. In one of the games at Cincycon, I think the Vikings lost 2-3 raiders. So, this outing wasn't the most deadly.

    Rollo (Ragnar's brother) bursts into a Saxon home and confronts an elderly Saxon couple

Sellswords is an excellent rules set for a cooperative game. I really like how the player's activation failures lead to Event Cards being drawn, which enables the foes to attack (or new ones appear on table). In fact, this usually leads to a flow, or the feeling that there is a storyline directing the defender's actions. There will be times when the players succeed on their activation rolls, and the defenders seem to be back on their heels, reeling under the Viking's blows. Then, someone will roll three failures, and they seem to be rejuvenated, and reinforcements arrive and press home the counter-attack. For people interested in a cooperative or solo game, I would encourage them to take a look at these rules. They're available both on Ganesha's website and on Wargame Vault.

    Lagertha and her swords Fafnir fight off the attack of a defending Saxon archer

The Viking Raid will appear several more times in the coming months. Jenny will run it at Buckeye Game Fest (Thursday evening and Friday morning). I will run it at Drums at the Rapids on the Friday evening and Saturday morning sessions. And finally, it will be at Origins nearly all convention long, Thursday through Saturday. So, if you've wanted to try it out, make plans to show up to one of these excellent conventions and try your luck at raiding an Anglo-Saxon town!

    The deadliest defenders on the board are the mounted Saxon hearthguard who charge into contact

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 119
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 54 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 17

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 39

Adventures of the Splintered Band - First Mission

    Splintered Band accepts its first job offer in Porthewn - escort a wagon through a rat-haunted forest

I'd read about the Ganesha Games rules Sellswords & Spellslingers on the Lead Adventure Forum. A cooperative fantasy miniatures skirmish game sounded intriguing. So, I did what I usually do when a new rules set piques my interest. I  batte reports on blog and watch them on YouTube. I also reached out to some of its fans on the Lead Adventure Forum. They wrote back and were very helpful, particularly Graham Harrison ("Sunjester" on the Forum). I was sounding out the possibility of running Sellswords as a historical cooperative skirmish for the Sunday gaming group, but setting it instead in Dark Age Britain.

I used the rules for a playtest of a Viking Raid scenario that I wanted to run at conventions. We decided that we liked the rules. Running it twice at Cincycon reinforced my liking for the game even more. So, in the meantime, I decided to start up my own solo campaign using the rules. I figured that every solo scenario I design and play will give me the experience to make the games I run for the guys on Sunday that much better, right? I also had been itching for a chance to use my Splintered Light Miniatures anthropomorphic animals again, so chose four of them to be my adventuring party. See the Prelude post to be introduced to the characters (if you haven't ready it already).

Setting the Scene

The four companions -- badger mage Jemmy Tar,  drinking buddy and armadillo soldier Abraxis, bodyguard and famed coyote warrior Yo-dee, and finally, the quiet, competent Pine Marten ranger Woodbine -- have just arrived in Porthewn. This town has been carved out of the Great Forest along a riverbank by mice settlers. There is a shadow upon the town, though, the four soon discover. Rats have been raiding the town and attacking travelers in the forest. Nearly all paths leading to the town have been closed off by the threat of the vicious raiders and thieves. 

    The table setup showing the wagon and its path through the forest to the safety of the bridge

The four are sitting in their Inn one morning, after finishing breakfast, when an elderly mouse enters the room. His deep green robes mark him as a monk -- a member of the Order of the Emerald Robes. They build monasteries throughout the forest as quiet places of study and learning. All mice revere knowledge and learning, and those of the order even more than the rest. The monk's brown fur is patched with white across his face and also on his arms encircling his staff. 

"Greetings, travelers," the mouse bows. "I hope your stay in Porthewn has been pleasant, so far." The four nod and murmur words of assent. "By your look, you are bold warriors and competent woodsmen. To reach Porthewn and not fall victim to the evils of the rats who have lately plagued the forest proves your prowess. Your arrival here is a blessing and we give thanks for it in our prayers."

    Here are the circled, randomized locations of the foes at the start of the game

Jemmy Tar stood up and pulled a chair from an empty table over next to the monk, motioning him to sit and join them. "Please sit, sir!" the badger spoke, waiting until the elderly mouse had seated himself before returning to his own seat. "How may our band of travelers assist you and the monks of the Emerald Robe?" 

The old mouse chuckled. "Badgers are so direct and to the point, are they not?" He smiled leaning his staff against the table and folded his hands, resting his chin upon them. "I am Talestor, a humble monk of the Order of Emerald Robes. Although our townsfolk are of good hearts and cheer, mine is clouded with worry. I fear for the closest of our monasteries in the forest — that of Brother Barnibus, his brethren monks, and their flock of students. We have heard naught from them in three weeks. The supply wagons we send weekly have yet to return, either. I fear that the wagons or the monastery have fallen foul of the plague of rats on this forest.”

    'ROAR!' A Bearman Guardian springs the ambush by felling a tree, blocking the path to the bridge

Jemmy and his companions exchanged looks across the table. Talestor was surely not just an old monk burdening them with his worries. With so much to be done in a growing, new town, they had anticipated someone would come forward and offer them a job here in Porthewn. For Jemmy, it was the reason he led the band here. He spoke up and encouraged Brother Talestor to continue. In the end, the order offered to pay them to escort a wagon of supplies to the Monastery of Brother Barnibus — a wooden tower and surrounded by walls -- a full day’s journey along forest paths. If all was well, he requested they return with the previous wagons that had been sent and, also escort them safely back into Porthewn. Then, he requested the four report to him and inform him how the people of the monastery were faring.

"Brother Talestor, you spoke rightly when you said my companions are bold warriors -- fearing no rats or dangers of the forest. We came to Porthewn precisely because we had heard of your plight. We will undertake your request, and accept your offer of pay," Jemmy spoke.

The elderly monk stood and bowed, thanking them each. "Meet me before first light at the town gate, then. Until then, I bid you good day!"

Wagon Through the Woods

Rather than simply use one of the scenarios in the rules or in the campaign book I had purchased (Last Stand at Mistham), I was -- perhaps foolishly -- designing my own. I did use the scenario in those two books as a template to choose how many foes would begin on the table, what creatures would arrive in response to which cards, and so on. So, I wasn't completely winging it. Plus, I figured, if this campaign goes well and others think it looks fun, I could always submit the scenarios to Ganesha Games as another campaign book supplement. 

    Rats time their ambush perfectly and begin within short range of the cart and Jemmy Tar & Yo-dee

The player characters (PCs) are in charge of escorting a wagon along a winding forest path from one table edge to the opposite. A bridge across a creek marks the exit from the table for the wagon. As the game begins, the echoing sound of an axe biting into the trunk of a tree over and over rings beneath the leaves. Soon, there is a loud crash, and the companions see ahead in the distance, a large tree truck falling across the path, blocking their progress. Stepping out in front of the trunk and into the middle of the pathway is a mighty bear holding an axe over its head. It roars a challenge that reverberates beneath the leaves of the forest. Woodbine's whisper could be heard, "A Bearman Guardian of the Forest..." On either side of the bear are two rats readying a sling and beginning to slowly whirl it around its head.

    An inauspicious start - Yo-dee fails 2 of 3 activations and is wounded by a sling stone!

When the tree fell, Jemmy Tar was riding in the wagon. Abraxis was plodding along in front of him, Woodbine scouting ahead. Trailing behind was his bodyguard, Yo-dee. Brother Talestor had given the companions a well-trained horse to draw the wagon. It would continue to move at the last speed it was directed. This could be a Slow Walk (3" per turn), Normal Walk (4"), Trot (5"), or stop. The horse would continue to move at the same pace once per turn, following the path, until a player character takes an action to speed it up, slow it down, or stop it. 

    The Splintered Band fight back and 2 ratling slingers & the armored ratman are quickly slain

I rolled randomly for where the other foes would begin on the table. A horde of three ratling slingers burst from the trees within range of  the wagon, accompanied by an armored rat. Three more ratlings with spears or clubs were near the board edge on the right hand side of the path, while an another armored rat was on the left. In Sellswords, you pick an order for your PCs to move in and they follow that throughout the game. The foes move or attack only when directed by cards, which are drawn when characters fail to activate. An 8+ is needed on a d20 to succeed, and players may attempt 1-3 actions each turn.

    With all of our failed activations, more and more rats began to appear in the forest...

I decided Yo-dee would act first. He is Impulsive (negative trait), meaning he must always attempt at least two or three actions. He promptly failed two of the three! I drew a "Horde Activates" card, meaning the slingers would shoot -- this was an ominous start! The horde, well within short range, fired two sling stones at Yo-dee and one at Jemmy, who was marginally closer to one of the ratlings. Yo-dee was struck, suffering one of his three available wounds before he'd even taken an action. Foolishly, I had not purchased "Armor" or "Shield" for Yo-dee yet, intending to buy them right away with my first experience points. On his one action, Yo-dee closed into contact with one of the slingers. Abraxis activated next and moved ponderously (he has the negative trait "Slow") towards the armored rat guarding the slingers. Woodbine also failed two actions, leading to the arrival of even more rats not far from the board edges near the wagon. Luck was not on the Sacred Band's side in turn one! Woodbine dashed back with his one action, thinking the others might need his help against this plague of enemies. Jemmy was last to activate and cast his "Magic Dart," slaying the armored rat on the edge of the trees.

    Jemmy Tar realizes they can't bogged down fighting every rat that appears - 'Catch up with the cart!'

Yo-dee snarled and cut down two of the ratling slingers with mighty sweeps of his two-handed sword. Abraxis stepped forward under the trees and snatched the pouch off of the rat Jemmy's magic had slain. Woodbine aimed at one of the reinforcements and shot that armored rat down. Next, Jemmy, attempting to slay the final rat slinger with another Magic Dart, rolled a "1." This is bad for a mage...really bad! It represents the mage's mana or ability to cast spells being exhausted for the game -- on turn two!! Now, I was happy that I had also purchased Martial Arts and Martial Block so he could melee enemies. The badger figure is the tallest of the crew and I figured he should be able to man-handle many of the other creatures they'd encounter.

    Another 'horde' (group acting together) of ratlings charges in against Abraxis and Jemmy Tar

Meanwhile, Yo-dee slew the last slinger. He reached into his pouch, and pulled out one of the two Healing Potion that Brother Talestor had given them that morning. He drank it, and marveled at the sorcery that immediately healed the throbbing bruise the ratling's slingstone had raised on his shoulder. Abraxis hurried back to the wagon and climbed aboard, at Jemmy's shouted instructions. Woodbine aimed through the trees and shot one of the ratlings advancing towards them. There was a hiss and another ratling leapt from the branches of the trees and charged at Jemmy, who was trotting up to help the ranger face the rats. Jemmy kicked the charging ratling, hurling it against the trunk of a tree where it shrieked, then lay still. He motioned to the ranger, "Let's catch up with the wagon! We need to fight our way through this ambush!" He called to Yo-dee, who was looting the bodies of the ratlings to follow them. The coyote pocked the silver he'd found in their belt pouches and trotted off to join his companions.

    Ratling horde is quickly dispatched, but the Bearman Guardian comes closer and closer to the cart

The horde of ratlings armed with clubs and swords was closing in on the cart, so Abraxis hopped off to face them. Jemmy stood alongside him, smacking his fist into his palm. He shouted for Woodbine to shoot at the bear, who was steadily advancing towards the cart, shaking his axe and roaring. With high-pitched shrieks, the three ratlings charged into the badger and armadillo. Abraxis' mace smashed one to the ground, while Jemmy blocked the swing of another's club and slammed his fist into its face. It crumpled to the ground. The badger then swatted aside the spear thrust of the last ratling and grabbed it by its throat. He shook it a few times and then dashed it to the ground, where it lay still.

    Jemmy Tar shouts out instructions to encircle the bearman and attack him all together

The horse behind them began to neigh loudly and rear in its wagon traces. Spooked by the approach of the roaring bear, it refused to move forward anymore. In the setup, I noted that when the "Scenario Event" card was drawn, the horse would refused to move until either the card was drawn again or a PC was able to convince it to move forward. A snarl of pain and rage escaped from the bear as Woodbine fired an arrow, striking it for one wound. The bear would be the group's biggest challenge. It could take five hits, but also had "Berserk Rage" as a trait. That meant each wound would cause its Danger Level to go up by one (what you need to exceed on a d20 roll to hit it). The bear's DL begins at 14, so it would steadily get harder and harder to kill as we inflicted wounds upon it.

    Blood flows in a furious battle -- the 4 adventurers take wounds, but inflict them on the bear too

Jemmy called to the group and urged them to charge in it all together so that the bear would have a harder time focusing on one of them. In Sellswords, a PC or foe is -1 for each extra figure in contact with it. Yo-dee watched his friends encircle the bear. He then howled a warcry, charging in and landing a two-handed slash across its back. Two-handed weapons inflict two hits, so now the bear was up to three total wounds! The bear responded with a backhand swing of its axe, wounding the coyote. The bear lunged again at Yo-dee, slashing at him and inflicting a second wound. Woodbine charged in and swung his axe, missing. The bear jabbed the long handle of the axe into the ranger's chest, wounding him, as well. Sellswords has a very clever melee mechanic. If you equal or exceed the DL of a foe with your attack, you inflict damage. If you fail, the foe wounds you! Jemmy was up next and also charged in, attempting to hammer the bear in the back with a two-fisted blow. He missed, which meant he was also hit. His Martial Block failed, and Jemmy was also wounded. Our rolls, which had been below average, took a nose dive in the combat with the bear.

    The wounded bear roars and in a berserk fury swats Yo-dee into the trees, knocking him out of action

Yo-dee rolled for three activations, thinking one more hit with his two-handed sword would finish off the wounded bear. He failed all three! I pulled a "Monster Activates" card. The bear attacked and Yo-dee rolled of "1!" When this happens, the powerful bear lashes out and hurls the PC 2d6 inches away. The coyote was flung into the trees, smashing into an oaken trunk. He crumpled limply to the ground, out of action. Abraxis also tried a two-handed blow, as well. If you use two actions to attack in Sellswords as a "Powerful Blow," you get a +3 to beat the enemy's DL. This was the tactic I needed to employ to hit the bear. With three wounds, its DL had risen to 17. The bear was in a state of fury, though. Abraxis rolled a "1", suffered his second wound, and was also flung into a clump of trees. Now, only Woodbine and Jemmy were left to face the bear. The ranger also tried a powerful blow, but failed, and suffered his second wound, as well. Jemmy took advantage of the bear's focus on the pine marten and landed a blow, inflicting its fourth wound. One more and it would be down! Just to be on the safe side, Jemmy stepped back for a second and quickly downed the last healing potion they'd been given. 

    With Abraxis also hurled wounded into the trees, Jemmy Tar & Woodbine face the foe on their own

At this point, I was wondering if I would have a "TPK - Total Party Kill." Woodbine swung a powerful blow at the bear but missed. Luckily, he was able to block the return swing from the bear with his shield. Jemmy lunged, though, and locked his arms around the bear's throat. He summoned all his strength and lifted it off the ground, shaking it back and forth. The battlefield was suddenly quiet as the bear's rorars were silenced, its windpipe cut off by the badger's vicelike grip. The bear struggled, but Jemmy refused to let go. He felt as much as heard the snap when the bear's neck broke. He sighed and dropped the bear's heavy body, which tumbled to the ground motionless. From behind him, Jemmy heard Abraxis, who was struggling to his feet, say,  "That was a mighty feat, my friend -- worthy of song!" 

    Victory - the Bearman is finally down! All are covered in the blood of their own wounds at the end

Jemmy took one deep breath, then began shouting out orders. "Woodbine, grab Yo-dee and put him in the cart! Abraxis -- get to work on moving that damned trunk out of the path! I'll get the wagon moving, again." All around them, the steadily advancing rats had paused upon the death of the bear. They now set up an angry chittering sound and were closing in on the cart from all sides quickly. Snapping the reins, Jemmy sent the cart racing forward towards the barrier. He took one second to catch his breath (sigh, failing all three activations!). Then he leapt from the cart and charged the rat slingers who'd been watching the duel with the bear, unable to fire for fear of hitting their own. Woodbine sprinted to Abraxis' side to help him move the tree from the cart's path.

    Abraxis & Woodbine attempt to lift the huge trunk and clear it from the carts path quickly

In my scenario rules, it takes two successful attempts to move the tree to get it completely off the forest path. I gave it a DL 18 (no penalty if failing), but each additional friend helping move the tree gave you a bonus of +2 to the roll. It took MANY attempts with my crappy rolls for Abraxis and Woodbine to succeed in rolling those two 16's! Meanwhile, Jemmy killed the last of the rat slingers as the even more rats were closing in. Once the tree was off the path, the horse continued moving. Abraxis leapt aboard the wagon, while Jemmy and Woodbine circled in as a rearguard behind it. The closest rats were still out of charge range, so the two hurriedly grabbed whatever loot they could find. They then followed the cart over the bridge and off the table. As they descended the bridge's far side, the ranger handed a ceramic jar to Jemmy. "I have heard wonderful things about the healing properties of the honey pots carried by bear guardians of the forest. Let's hope this is enough to revive Yo-dee..." 

Aftermath

 Well, that was close! I guess I had it coming, though, if you think back to how lucky my rolls were in my Five Parsecs from Home campaign. Here, it was the opposite. From the opening moment with the slingers getting a wound on Yo-dee, to Jemmy's Turn 2 loss of his magic mana, to the comedy of errors and below average rolls while surrounding the bear, my rolls were bad. It continued when I sent Woodbine to check on Yo-dee. Results can range from "Flesh Wound" to the PC waking up with 1 wound left but at severe minuses to dead. Guess what I rolled??

    Finally - the way is clear! As Jemmy battles the final ratling slinger, the horse & cart begin to move

Since this is a solo campaign, I decided that the "Exalted Honey" that Bear Guardians carry as treasure (and normally heals 2 wounds) would be enough to revive Yo-Dee. Plus, Woodbine has the "Healer" trait and could heal him for one more wound. Plus, as they arrive at the monastery, the coyote will be under the care of the most learned healers in the Great Forest -- the Order of the Emerald Robes. All of those things seemed to make sense to get the tough, barbarian Yo-dee back on his feet!

I hope you enjoyed my account of the game. There were many minor combats that I did not cover, rats killed, activation rolls failed, and more and more rats arriving on table. However, the woods slowed down the new arrivals, who come in 1d6 inches from the table edge spot rolled. So, I summarized the main events of the game and left out minutiae!

    The cart rumbles over the bridge as Jemmy Tar and Woodbine cover their retreat

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 104
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 54 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 16

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 39

Another Swarm of Rats to Plague My Heroes

    10 Splintered Light Miniatures rats, billed as '28mm' on their site, but about 14mm to the eyes

Encouraged by how quickly the batch of rat slingers went, I started right away on this next batch. These 10 Splintered Light Miniatures were armed with melee weapons, mostly swords and spears. Some were armored, some not. They also included some cool "character" looking ones, like a rat assassin, rat shaman, and a couple of rat heroes. I have more rats left in my bag of unpainted SLM figures, but 10 was about as big of a batch as I wanted to attempt after being trampled by those Dark Ages cavalry awhile back!

    Two of my faves from this batch - a rat shaman or wizard and a cloaked and hooded 'assassin'

I put these rats on bases back when I started on the slingers. So, the first step was to prime them with white Gesso, and then paint a base coat in the fur color that I chose for each. The colors I picked were black, gray, brown, tan, and yellowish-white ("Maple Sugar" craft paint). Once dry, I did a drybrush highlight in an appropriate lighter shade of the base color. Both of these went very fast because I didn't need to worry about "splash over" on the other parts. Most miniatures painters work "inside out," so to speak. They begin with the bottom level (flesh on humans, fur on rats), and work their way outwards. Occasionally, I will change that around. An example would be a human in full chainmail and helm. Depending on the figure, I may actually do the chainmail before the flesh. Not always -- the whole goal is to make your work easier.

    Two rat heroes with fancy helmets and nice cloaks -- but not too nice! They're rats, remember...

From this point, I picked out the biggest surface area remaining on the figure. Typically, this was the chainmail on the armored rats or the tunic/jacket on the unarmored ones. I decided I had liked the dull or pale color scheme I had begun with the slingers, and continued it here. I like to leave base coats to dry overnight, so the acrylic paint has a chance to "shrink wrap" onto the miniature. The detail is more raised at that point and easier to dry brush. Once highlighting of the armor and tunics was done, I did a base coat on the next biggest surface area. Honestly, there was so much variety amongst these 10 figs, I was kind of winging it from step to step on what constituted the next part to paint. Things that all 10 miniatures had in common I typically did together, such as the salmon base coat for the noses, inside ears, and tails. The next morning, I would do the tiny pink highlight on the salmon. And so on, until these guys were done!

    My thinking is the armored rats will be the big & nasty ones (read: 'Orcs'), the unarmored 'goblins'

Honestly, these were a lot of fun to paint up. I may continue to work my way through my unpainted SLM figs -- we'll see. They paint up quicker than an equivalent batch of 28mm foot figures, for sure! There are less extraneous details. Fewer pouches hanging off belts, secondary weapons -- you name it. Even the shield patterns are simpler and typically one step, as opposed to the way I do 28mm ones. I used my micron pens for the patterns, except for the black shield (where the dark pen colors wouldn't show up). I was very tempted to do hem patterns for the more characterful figures, but had to keep reminding myself that these were rats. They don't make nice things for themselves. Rats don't put fancy embroidery on their clothes. In fact, their instinct is to steal things they need from others, at least in my world of anthropomorphic animals living in the "Great Forest."

    You have to love a rat standard bearer with a tabby cat's head on it...!

Probably my favorite figure of the batch is the rat shaman. I love the way his robe drapes about him, and I think the dull purple color works well for it. The metal-banded staff with the skull atop is perfect, as well. I wasn't sure about the short sword at his belt, but why not? My other one I really like is the "rat assassin" in the gray-green tunic. I seriously thought about doing his tunic in black to blend into the shadows, so to speak. However, I rationalized the gray-green would work better blending into a forest setting, where he would typically be operating. Plus, it is a lighter color and will show off the excellent sculpting better!

    I'm having a good time painting these Splintered Light figs again - such clean & detailed castings!

Since I plan on using rats as essentially my orcs and goblins in my Sellswords & Spellslingers solo campaign, I was hoping some of the rats would be bigger and beefier than others. They could be the "orcs" while the smaller ones could be the "goblins." Instead, I may have to use the armored ones as the bigger and meaner ones, and the unarmored as the weaker, goblin types. Hopefully, it will be obvious enough on the table when I am playing.

    Another look at the batch in front of my Bad Squiddo 'Enchanted Tree Stumps' atop Acheson stumps

So, what else is on my painting desk? Actually, these figs have been done for about three days. I just hadn't gotten around to taking photos of them. In the meantime, I kind of went crazy and have way too much on my desk now. First to be finished will be the three stands of clothes lines. They're in the flocking stage as of today. I also picked up some tiny mushroom charms at the craft store a week or so ago because they were priced half off. They were already painted and just needed darkened up and based and flocked. I also have a massive MDF Sci-Fi building from Dad's Armies that is primed and ready to go. I have another batch of Splinteredd Light Miniatures figs, too. And if that isn't enough, I have one of the larger pieces of scatter I bought at Cincycon from A Critical Hit underway. See what I mean? Too much at once!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 49 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 16

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 30

Rats! And I said I was done Painting 15mm (ish) Figures...

    8 Splintered Light Miniatures rat slingers that I need for my solo Sellswords & Spellslingers games

The other day I sorted through my Splintered Light Miniatures anthropomorphic animals (that's a mouthful...), both painted and unpainted. I discovered that I don't have quite as many rats painted up as I thought I did. They're going to be the "Orcs & Goblins" of my solo Sellswords & Spellslingers campaign. I must have sold some to my friend Rich Brown of RRB Minis & More this past Advance the Colors. I talked him into buying my multi-based armies (5 infantry or 4 missile troops per large hexagon base). He would be using them for Grey Matter Games' Mice at Arms rules. I had painted and based these for my own big battle fantasy miniatures rules set that never got written. So, I figured, why not make some money off of them? I remember also taking along my individually based ones, so I'm pretty sure he picked up some of my mice and rats.

    There were two poses in the batch of 8 figures - here the one with a pouch for sling stones

The reason for this long-winded diatribe is one I am sure you can guess: "Rats! I needed to paint up more rats!" So, I pulled out a bag of 8 rat slingers and sorted through and picked out 10 with hand weapons that looked like good characters. I would do them in two batches -- the slingers first and hand weapons after. To be honest, I had not painted figures this small in a long time. What scale are they? Well, that's a great question! When Splintered Light first released its miniatures, they were 15mm scale. Then, they started releasing bigger and beefier figures intended more as characters than as packs for 15mm armies. Initially, they said these were 18mm/20mm. Well, I looked on their website the other day, and they're listed as 28mm. To be fair, they say quite clearly, "Please note that these stand 15mm-22mm in height and are similar in size to halflings and kobolds." Measuring one of the slingers, he stands 14mm from bottom of the feet to eyes. So, yeah. I'm painting 15mm figures...

    LONG time since I painted such small figures - these rats measured 14mm from soles to eyes

Thankfully, this blast from the past of painting 15's went well. I did not pluck my eyes out and run screaming from the room! I told myself going that I would not go as crazy as I currently do 28mm figures. Every item on the figure would not be getting a base coat and highlight. Did I hold true on that? Hmm...you be the judge. Either way, this batch of 8 rats went fairly fast. First, I cleaned them up. Splintered Light figs have very little flash and are excellent castings. I glued them down onto the Litko hexagon bases that I started using for my individual ones long ago. And...um, that was for another set of rules that never got written! Then, I primed the rats white with Gesso.

I did a Google search of various rat fur colors, and end up choosing four to five. With a big brush, I slapped on their base coat, not worrying about splashing over onto other parts of the figure. Similarly, once dry, I grabbed my flat brush and dry brushed each in the appropriate highlight color. Next, it was time to look at the figures more closely and plan things out. I decided to go with their tunics/shirts next. I used pale or dark colors for that. I also did a drybrush on each. So far, no real difference between how I was painting them and how I do 28's! Next, I did the leather belts and straps in Autumn Brown base coat and Iron Wind Metals Leather highlight. Oops, still the same recipe as my 28mm figures!

    Here is the other pose which carry shields -- they were easier to paint than I'd feared they might be!

Pouches and bags were next, with the tiniest pouch on four of the poses getting only one color. The slings were done in a base and dry brush (Maple Sugar and Wild Rice highlight). The stones visible in the sling and in the pouches were done in a medium gray, with a dot of light gray highlighting. There were basically two poses in this batch of eight. Four had shields, and I did each design differently -- once again, with a base coat and dry brush. I chose to do individual shield patterns mainly because I went back and saw I had done that on my previous rats. I tried to strike a balance between barbarian looking shield designs and simple ones 

All that was left at this point was the pink of their noses,  tail, and skin inside their ears. This was done with a Salmon base coat and a tiny highlight of Pink. I also gave them big black eyes. I was tempted to put a tiny white dot of the light reflecting, but felt that I wouldn't be able to consistently make it small enough. At this stage I was essentially done. The biggest difference between painting these and my 28mm figs, I guess, is that there simply isn't as much detail -- not so many pieces of equipment festooned all over them!

    I also put tiny leaves on the bases from a bag I'd bought -- adds a nice woodland touch, I think

I finished them out with brown and black washes, and then flocked them. I added a couple steps over my standard flocking. I put three small tan colored pebbles on each base, and then at the end, I added a few scattered leaves on each base. It seemed like an appropriate touch for woodland fantasy figures. I may yet go back and add leaves to my already-painted animals. We'll see.

So, what else is on my desk right now? I am finally just about done with my two Shipping Container buildings. They took longer than I thought they would. They are in the flocking stage now, so you will see them likely tomorrow or the day after. I have the batch of 10 rats with their fur base coated, now. I also have the clothes lines from Miniature Building Authority (still) primed and ready to go. So, as you can see, I have plenty to work on!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 39 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 30

Prelude to a Solo Sellswords Adventure

    My 'Sellswords & Spellslingers' solo campaign will use my Splintered Light Miniatures animals

 Wait...what is this about?

From previous posts here, you may remember my plans to run a series of semi-historical series skirmishes set in Britain during the Dark Ages, and using Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers miniatures rules. With my Five Parsecs From Home solo campaign wrapping up, I thought why not do another one of those for myself using these rules? It'll give me more practice with them, and be a chance to use my Splintered Light Miniatures anthropomorphic figures. It has been since last January that they appeared on table as enemies in a Might & Melee game (Wiley Games rules). We also used them in our brief dalliance with Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago back in 2018. In this case, my SLM animals will be both the heroes and the foes! 

With that, here's a little intro monologue introducing the characters: Badger Mage Jemmy Tar, Coyote Barbarian Yo-Dee, Pin Marten Ranger Woodbine, and Armadillo Fighter Abraxis. Apologies for my hack fantasy fiction writing...!

    The Splintered Band (from left) are Woodbine, Abraxis, Jemmy Tar, & Yo-dee

 On the Trail Towards Porthewn

"I am looking forward to finally arriving at Porthewn," said Jemmy Tar, as he adjusted the shoulder straps of his pack. He was the tallest of the four who were walking single file along a forest trail littered with fallen leaves, broken twigs, and lots of mud. Jemmy next straightened his light purple mage's robes, craning his neck to see if he could spot the roofs of the riverside town ahead, yet.

"Are you looking forward to sampling the town's ales, my friend?" asked Abraxis, the stout armadillo soldier, who was breathing hard as he tried to match his tall companion's longer strides. "We know how much you love your ale...!"

    Jemmy Tar, badger mage, and his little apprentice (who may appear in games, or may not...)

Jemmy snorted. "Ales are just one part of it! I want to see this new town that has been chopped out of the Great Forest. I want to talk to the mice settlers, learn what challenges they've overcome setting up along the river. I want to study their relations with the Frogfolk, who trade along the river's winding course. I want to talk to their Town Elders, hear why mice chose to settle here, in a place that only scattered forest monasteries of the Emerald Robe existed before. What new plants or herbs have they discovered?" At this point, Jemmy paused, and looked ahead to see if the cloaked pine marten, whose footsteps they were following, reacted. He received a quick glance back from the ranger, who then faced front again, deep set eyes scanning left and right.

"Are you suuure it's not the ales?" Abraxis asked. "That's the only thing I'm looking forward to after this interminable journey! Your stride is so much longer than mine," he puffed, swinging his arms vigorously, then patting his armored hide. "Plus, I'm carrying more weight than you!"

    Abraxis, the Armadillo soldier, is a sworn drinking companion of the ale-loving Jemmy Tar

Behind Jemmy, Yo-dee spoke up, in his heavily accented common tongue. "Yo-dee goes to Porthewn because Jemmy Tar does. Where Jemmy Tar goes, Yo-dee goes...!" The coyote barbarian's voice rumbled in the silence beneath the canopy of leaves.

The armadillo turned and craned his neck around Jemmy so he could make eye contact with the coyote. "Do you follow him out of friendship or service, Yo-dee?"

Yo-dee used his long, shiny sword to push aside a low-hanging branch and duck beneath it. "Yo-dee is Bloodguard. Because Jemmy Tar saved our village pups, Yo-dee follows. Our Wise Ones knew not why the young were dying. Jemmy Tar knew and provided potions. The young ones were healed. They die no more from the sickness. Yo-dee's village is grateful. If Yo-dee's life or death can serve the master, Yo-dee swears to do so."

    Woodbine, the pine marten ranger, is the band's guide through the Great Forest

Their ranger guide, Woodbine, spoke from the front of the column. "Well spoken, Yo-dee." He continued, "Jemmy, I have been meaning to ask. What was killing the young? Was it a new food source or a plant, or a vermin that infected them? I'd heard you tell the story before, but never the cause of the illness." The ranger's voice was modulated so silently that each could barely hear his words, but just enough that all could understand them.

Jemmy patted one of the herb pouches secured to his belt. "It was zuduk, an infestation. A vine that was growing on the trees close to Yo-dee's village. When the wind blew strongly, tiny petals, or pollenaides, would detach from the zuduk plant and and waft their way into the village. As you've noticed, coyotes pant to cool themselves. The zuduk is a mild poison to them. All would ingest it, but they are a hardy people. Only the very young were unable to shrug off the infection. They would wither, lose their appetite, and die."

    The Splintered Band trudges along on a path through the Great Forest

"Ah!" Woodbine nodded. "Ten autumns ago, there was no zuduk near Yo-dee's village. Now, it spreads throughout the Great Forest. No wonder their wise didn't have lore of that plant." Jemmy Tar made sounds of agreement, but did not elaborate on the cure. He knew the ranger, who was a skilled healer and understood the forest plants better than himself, would ask later.

Abraxis nodded as well, adjusting his shield on his back. "So, Yo-dee's village, in their gratitude, sent our friend here to be a bodyguard in repayment? No mean gift," he said, looking back at the tall and rangy coyote. He paused for a moment, then said, "Ah-ha!" Chuckling, he added, "If Yo-dee is oath-sworn to Jemmy Tar, then I must be tankard-sworn to him! For I have never known a better drinking companion than our friend the badger in all my days!" he laughed.

    The Great Forest has become dangerous, haunted by vicious bands of rat raiders

"Aye," Jemmy said, "but I don't have an armadillo's constitution to handle excesses of ale, my friend! Still, I agree -- we are companions of the tankard. Malty Browns, tasty Bocks, thick Porters, crisp Lagers!" Both badger and armadillo smiled, remembering many joyous evenings. "And I admit, I am thirsty..." All four laughed, for each had memories of their merriment. The band had been traveling for weeks to Porthewn, but had been boon companions for nearly a year, now. 

Woodbine's whisper carried back to the others, almost quizzical in tone, "No rats on our journey, so far..." Each made a sound in reply, but Jemmy's head continued to nod. Finally, he appeared to have gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, and sighed.

    Jemmy Tar and his Bloodguard companion, Yo-dee the coyote barbarian

"The wars of the mice and rats have been going on for centuries -- all the way back to the Great Awakening. When the woodland creatures opened their eyes and their minds grew, remembering, acting on what they learned -- no longer on instinct. Many creatures began to walk on two legs. The mice, smaller, but wiser, focused on lore. Accumulating knowledge and passing it on to their litters. They were the first to build communities. The rats, stronger, bigger, and meaner, learned to prey on others -- seizing was easier than building, they decided. The other races were occasionally drawn in to their wars, but the fighting never ceased. A century ago, the rats were defeated and driven back to the margins of the Great Forest -- the mountains, swamps, and desolate places. However, in recent years, they've returned. They are raiders, kidnapping merchant caravans or travelers, and taking their goods. Some say they devour those they take. Others say prisoners languish in cages, and still others say that they make the captives fight each other in gladiatorial games. That would fit their cruel nature...

"I confess I have led our merry band here, because I have learned rats are closing off the trails leading to Porthewn. If travelers do not come here soon, the way may be shut. So, I wanted to see Porthewn with my own eyes, and learn if the elders know what has brought the rats back. Why has their menace been reborn? So, I apologize if I lead you into danger, my friends..."

    Yo-dee the coyote has sworn to protect the life of Jemmy Tar, the badger mage who helped his village

Behind Jemmy, Yo-dee whacked a branch with his sword, scything it cleanly from where it was overhanging the trail. "Yo-dee does not fear rats..."

Abraxis turned around again, eyeing the tall coyote. "And you shouldn't -- not with that giant rat-cleaver of yours...!" Yo-dee paused and seemed lost in thought. He stopped walking for a moment, then abruptly strode forward, again.

"Maybe Yo-dee should name his sword. I call it 'Sword', now." The teeth in his long, narrow snout gleamed as his lips pulled back, revealing sharp canines. "Rat-cleaver is a noble name, friend. Yo-dee likes."

Jemmy chuckled. "A noble name indeed, Yo-dee. And look ahead -- Woodbine sees Porthewn, now. He is pointing out it the town's rooftops..."

    The Splintered Band arrive at Porthewn -- a mice city hewn out of the Great Forest

 

What's next?

Hopefully soon, I will begin posting battle reports and pictures from my solo games of Sellswords & Spellslingers. I encourage you to check out this cooperative/solo miniatures game, if you haven't played it. The defenders are controlled by a deck of cards and the game's A.I. You can play without a GM, or with, if you prefer. Stay tuned for reports from the adventures of the Splintered Band (named in honor of Splintered Light Miniatures, whose figures I am using).

    Along the river, mice settlers have built Porthewn -- where the Spintered Band begins its adventures

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 31 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26