Saturday, May 27, 2023

Cthulu Death May Die - Hastur joins the party

The King in Yellow

I posted some WIP of the Cthulu Death May Die base set models in a previous post

What you won't see in that post is 'Hastur', one of the two Elder Gods that comes in the base set. The photos you can see there (and below) of the Disciples of Hastur also actually don't show that those are the second attempt on those models, as I really hadn't liked my first attempt!


The problem? 
I'd tried Citadel contrast paint 'Iyanden Yellow' over my first 'slapchop' undercoat and grey/white drybrush. To my eyes it hadn't worked at all! Yellow is notoriously difficult to work with, and the contrast yellow looked washed-out, dull, and chalky, especially over the smooth robes. If I added more it looked very orange. 

I wanted a more vibrant effect, so I went back to a normal yellow - Flash Gitz Yellow and Iyanden Sunset, along with a Gryphonne Sepia wash. That process took multiple thin coats and a frustratingly long time, but I ended up with a result I much preferred.

And Hastur? 
Having learned from my failure with the Disciples and trying a contrast paint yellow, I now knew that for part of the Hastur model (yellow robes) I'd stick with normal paints and layers. For the tentacles and other parts I would stay with Contrast paints to save time. Here it is!

Hastur & Disciples (front)

Hastur and Disciples (side)

I kept thing pretty simple, and just stayed with a contrast paint Ork Flesh green. I used a Wraithbone white for the teeth, followed by a wash and then highlights. To add some interest, I then added an 'Ardcoat gloss varnish on the mouthparts and Hastur's red fleshy 'bits'.

Good enough for the board game table I reckon!

Cheers.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Cthulu Death May Die Painted Minis (WIP)

 Getting nearer the table...

...but on the way!

I've been finding time to paint the models in the base box (before work in the morning and at the end of the day) and I feel like I'm nearly there in terms of being ready for a game. The key to that is getting the basic colours down and aiming for speed, rather than lots of detail (or beauty!). I still have 4 more monsters to paint (including Hastur) but this is about 90% of the base box.

These models have received:
  • Priming: (Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black)
  • Basecoats: A mix of Citadel contrast paints for highly textured surfaces, and standard paints for smooth surfaces, some details (with an occasional wash.)
  • Spot varnish: An occasional gloss varnish on eyes, slimy bits.
They aren't fully finished in many cases (base rims need to be done in black, and bases painted up etc.) but I feel like I'd be happy to use these.

Monsters:

Cthulu

Cthulu

Cthulu

Byakhee

Byakhee

Shoggoth

Shoggoth

Fire Vampire

Fire Vampire

Star Spawn

Small monsters and cultists

Ghouls

Deep Ones

Deep Ones

Disciples of Hastur

Cultists

Cultists

Investigators

Rasputin

Borden

Borden

Fatima

Fatima

Sister Beth

Sister Beth

Sister Beth

Morgan

Morgan

Morgan

The kid

The kid

Ahmed

Ahmed


Elizabeth

Adam

Adam

Ian

Ian

I'd like to come back to these with proper highlights, maybe drybrushes etc. In the meantime, I can use these to hit the table.

Cheers

Friday, May 5, 2023

What's in the Box? Cthulu Death May Die

The ritual must be disrupted!



Welcome! 

In my gaming group we have very much enjoyed playing the Arkham Horror living card game (LCG). We've spent many happy hours exploring various scenarios with our characters, picking up clues, fighting (and running!) from various horrors that have sought our untimely end, and saving the world. 

I like the world of Cthulu (for gaming, not in terms of the future it conjures up!) and have other games that use the I.P. I'd read about Cthulu Death May Die on Boardgamegeek, and it sounded like an interesting premise - a Cthulu-themed dungeon crawler that puts you up against the Elder Gods, and actually gives you a chance to bring them to a violent end*
(*not an actual possibility in the Cthulu mythos as originally conceived by H.P. Lovecraft - as I understand it.)

My copy of the retail edition arrived the other day, and although I haven't played it yet I've had a chance to look through the box. I'll be painting the minis in due course, but today I'll just document the content in photos.

Box cover image

Character boards

Character boards: Adam

Character boards: Adam (closeup)

Character boards: 10 included (Rasputin)

Rulebook (cover)

Rulebook (pages)

Storyboard (reverse)

Storyboard (front)

Map tiles and playing pieces

Miniature storage

Characters

Characters, monsters, and minions

Custom dice

Insanity cards

Playing pieces

Characters x10

Monsters

Cultists and monsters

Cultists and monsters

Character box cover insert

Box art

Monsters

Monster storage

Episode boxes

Episode box cover art

Season 1: A Blasphemous Alchemy

Episode 1: Back cover art

Elder God boxes

Cthulu Elder God box content

Cthulu model

Cthulu Elder God box, contents

Hastur Elder God box

Hastur Elder God box content

Map tiles

Map tiles and tokens

Map tiles and tokens

Map tiles and tokens

Box art (characters)

Box art (characters)

Box art (characters)

Box art (characters)

More to come on Cthulu Death May Die in future posts...