The road to League of Dungeoneers
I've focused more recently on boardgames but continue to play tabletop miniatures games - specifically Grimdark Future from OnePageRules. For OPR, I haven't bought or painted any miniatures, preferring instead to deploy my 40K armies of old such as my Tau and (rarely) Black Templars. OnePageRules is a lot of fun and has replaced 40K in my gaming group. There is a lot of love for the granddaddy of grimdark gaming, but OPR is simpler to play, faster, and more flexible, and crucially, with a far lower cost of entry (even just in terms of rules alone.)
On the hobby side I have been painting an eclectic mix of metal and plastic fantasy models from a variety of manufacturers. I've been putting these together with one eye on League of Dungeoneers, a tactical dungeon crawling game lovingly created by Von Braus publishing.
The game comes with hundreds of awesome cardboard standees, but in keeping with the models I craved in my youth I am attracted to metal and plastic 28mm figures (GW fantasy models just seem way oversized to me now!) I've kept an eye out over the last few months for models that I could use in the game for my party of four, as well as enemies. Along the way, I've picked up models that aren't on the game's list of foes, but have been painting those too.
What is this cast of characters that I have painted? Who are they? What enemies might they face? Just for fun, here are some photos with some backstory. I've noted the actual L.O.D. classes for each.
Dungeoneers
Classic adventurers!
Jack the thief, Gideon the hedge knight (warrior), Belinda the cleric (warrior priest), and Peter the mage (wizard) walk into a bar...
...which would be the start of a great joke, except that each has a hunger in their heart and adventure on their minds.
 |
| Thief, hedge knight, sorceress, mage |
 |
| Belinda, Cleric of the lake |
Belinda's beauty, noble bearing (and extensive wardrobe) belie her experience and ruthlessness. Forced to leave her family's estate behind after falling foul of her scheming sister's plans, she now travels in search of riches and rare magical treasures to fund her revenge. The night she fled the estate she stole her grandfather's sword and her father's eagle-headed mace (the symbol of his office). She keeps these weapons close (her family has plenty of money to spend on bounty hunters) and knows she is more likely to survive to get her revenge if in the company of other adventurers (who will protect her willingly, or be sacrificed as necessary...)
 |
| Barefoot Peter, Purple order apprentice |
In contrast, Peter has no interest in riches or revenge. An apprentice of the Purple Order of Wizards, he occupies the lowest rung of that esteemed enclave - a fact symbolised by being barefoot. He wears a chain to show that he has finished his initial studies and is never far from his books. His notebook is where he obsessively captures his observations, and his spellbook contains the simple cantrips and spells he has learned thus far. These large tomes are always on his person. As befits a wizard in training of the purple order, he dreams of only two things - gaining more knowledge, and the right to become an adept and wear shoes!
 |
| 'Black Jack' Thief |
"Black" Jack is a thief. Always on the run from a failed job and only a step or two ahead of his creditors...
...a man of mystery, he shares little and little is known of him.
 |
| Gideon, the hedge knight |
Gideon is a hedge knight - brave, but poorly equipped. Aside from his knapsack he has but a dirty padded hauberk, hand axe, and frog-mouthed helm (gifted to him by his grandfather). Surprisingly, his most-prized possession is not the armour or weapons that he and the party rely on, but the yellow scarf around his neck. Dropped at Gideon's feet by a passing noblewoman from high on her horse he tried to return it, but was told 'keep it, young knight!'. This gift (accompanied by a dazzling smile over a pale shoulder), lit a fire in the young man's heart......one day, by dint of arms, he will escape this hardscrabble career and rise to greatness, accept service in a mighty house, and wed a noble lady equally as beautiful as the pale lady in yellow.
Our adventurers are gathered, but who else is waiting in the wings?
Loitering in a nearby tavern and ready to join the party should anyone ask (or better yet, pay!) we have Darkwolf the Barbarian (a not uncommon name it seems)!
On stage at the same tavern a summoner (wizard) - Abigail - entertains the crowd with her pet miniature dragon (little do they know this is merely a cover for her true mission!)
In her employ we find the elderly Willard.
The classic 'Useful man' - he is talented in fetching, carrying, and fixing things. Beware though - as with his employer there is more than meets the eye to this bearded fellow! If cornered he is not averse to stepping out of his current role (and rather dramatically stripping down to his wolf pelt underwear) and reverting to the 'Wild Willard' of old - barbarian battler from the Sharp Hills! As famed for his braids as he was feared for carrying his 'three friends' - Biter (sword), Spiker (short sword), and Headsplitter (axe), the old man is as tough as nails.
 |
| Come and 'ave a go then... if you think you are 'ard enough! |
Dangerous denizens...
Any dungeon-crawling party needs a plethora of enemies to face, so I also started painting some fearsome foes to fight. These may not all be types featured in League of Dungeoneers, but who knows when they may come in useful?
A genie, a giant, and a dusk troll...
The genie is the brains of the bunch. His immeasurable age and deep-seated anger at being forced to grant wishes to greedy imbeciles over the millennia make him a devious and dangerous foe. Alone, he would be formidable enough, but over the years he has managed to capture a coterie of henchmen in his lamp who serve him in the hopes of one day being released from his magic.
Big Ben the hill-giant (always with his club 'Red Masher' in hand) make an 'impact' wherever he goes. Every worst impulse and bad idea he has is acted upon with little hesitation. He has a terrible habit of listening to the 'little voice' in his ear - not realizing that these whisperings are not from his own 'genius', but rather the whisperings of the insane (and magically invisible) Weezle, goblin master-manipulator!
 |
Big Ben and Weezle
|
Observers (those who have survived meeting Ben long enough to share their observations) have noted that along with Red Masher he is always to be seen with a rock in his other hand. Unknown to most, this is Ben's hobby. A dedicated rockhound, his hobby goes beyond simply preferring igneous to metamorphic (as evidenced by the quiet conversations he is happy to engage in with the very rocks he carries and is festooned with!) |
| Run! |
Rnnnr-Grrr the dusk troll.
 |
| Rnnnr-Grrr (and friend) |
Do you know any dusk trolls?
Dusk trolls are a rare and misunderstood breed. Compared to their more common, green-skinned cousins, they are less willing to socialize with fellow green skins or adventure in their company. Unbeknownst to many they have a greater level of intelligence than other types of troll, and are quite happy to avoid violence, favouring cattle rustling instead. This is a pastime they are well suited to. They have an uncanny knack for quiet movement, and their darker skin means they can be difficult to spot as day turns to night. While cattle rustling naturally alarms their neighbours, the cattle are kept as bovine companions and only devoured in times of severe famine - being far more highly valued for their milk and companionship.
Dusk Trolls are far longer lived than their lesser green cousins. Over their lifespans they tend to accumulate a great deal of knowledge, and are thus sought out by wizards and witches as sources of local information. Dusk trolls have keen senses and know well in advance of the arrival of a visitor, and (somehow) whether they harbour ill intent. Although no-one has ever seen a female dusk troll, those researchers who have spent time studying them theorize that they mate for life. Those brave souls who have visited their lairs note the decor and design are likely to have been the work of the female of the species. They theorize that the partner is hidden away for safety, perhaps watching from the shadows. One popular theory is that those dusk trolls who most engage in cattle rustling do so out of loneliness, rather than spite.
I hope you enjoyed meeting some of the case of characters on my painting table. I hope to post more in the coming days and weeks.
:-)
