Painted Gloomhaven Miniatures (Starting six characters)

One of the attractions of Gloomhaven is the different characters that you can play, and the excitement that comes from retiring your character and starting a new one. Each time, you get to open a new envelope that describes that character AND a model box which has their tabletop model. 

If you are like me you enjoy all of this, but you also want to see those models painted. Last week I finished the final two of the 18 models that come in the box, so thought I would share them here, starting with the first 6 (unlocked) characters.

To paint these, I focused on:

1. Speed. I used Games Workshop Contrast Paints for all organic material - this saves time because I don't have to do a separate wash. I used regular Games Workshop paints for other materials. (I use GW simply because that is what I have. Other ranges are just as good - or better depending on who you talk to!)
2. Bases. I wanted to have each model based, as I feel this always ties a model together, even if the base is very simple. My attempts range from super simple (sand with a brown basecoat on most of the starting six) to trying to do something different (some bases painted to match the hex designs in the game, and a cobblestone effect I hadn't tried before.)

Below you will find all of the models, starting with the opening 6 characters that are available when you start the game. With some I've added a couple of comments. In the coming days I'll post the other 12 finished models too. 

A word of warning: Please note I'm not claiming to be an expert! These are "Tabletop" quality. Designed to be fine for a game when viewed from 2-3 feet away, but not for trying to win any painting prizes etc.(and I couldn't even if I tried!) 

:-)

Starting Six Characters

Gloomhaven starting 6 classes

General painting approaches used throughout:

1. Undercoat whole model (including base) in a light colour (e.g Wraithbone). Spray cans are ideal for this.
2. Do all the Contrast Paints first on organic materials. (e.g. leather, wood, fabric, skin).
3. Tidy up any mistakes with Wraithbone. Make sure all non-organic areas are carefully covered with Wraithbone, ready for next step.
4. Do "Normal" (non-contrast) paints on non-organics (e.g metals, metallic armour, glass, belt buckles, gems etc.)
5. Add "washes" onto the normal paints to add depth and shadows.(e.g. Nuln Oil on top of a metallic paint.)
6. Highlight washed areas with normal paints OR do a drybrush. (e.g. On a metallic paint that had a Nuln Oil wash, now go over with the original metallic paint again, but leaving the Nuln Oil in the dips and shadows to add depth. Then use a lighter version of the original metallic paint as a highlight (or drybrush.) 
1. For example, on a metal blade: Leadbelcher (basecoat), Nuln Oil (wash), Leadbelcher again, then Runefang Steel (highlight). OPTIONAL: Drybrush Runefang steel (to pick out raised areas/ edges.)

OK, with that out of the way let's get going!

Mindthief

Vermling Mindthief

With the Mindthief you can see immediately how useful Contrast paints can be. The blue robes just get painted once, and the paint flows and gathers into the folds of the robe naturally, meaning they are done in one pass.

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• Robes: Contrast Talassar Blue
• Fur: Contrast Space Wolves Grey
• Skin: Contrast Guilliman Flesh
• Belt: Contrast Snakebite Leather
• Knife blade: Leadbelcher
• Knife guard: Mournfang Brown, then Agrax Earthshade wash, Dwarf Bronze (guard highlight)
• Bracelet: Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze (highlight)
• Potions: Contrast Ork Flesh, then Moot Green, then a spot of 'ardcoat varnish to make glisten.
• Eyes: Lothern Blue.
• Base: Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!). Middenland Tuft grass. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

Scoundrel

Scoundrel

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• "Skirt": Contrast Ork Flesh
• Hair: Contrast Cygor Brown
• Leg/ cloth: Contrast Space Wolves Grey
• Skin: Contrast Guilliman Flesh, Tallarn Flesh (highlight)
• Leather armour/ leather thigh boots/ belt/ scabbards: Contrast Snakebite Leather 
• Chest armour, forearm armour: Leadbelcher, then Nuln Oil wash, then Leadbelcher highlights, then Runefang Steel drybrush.
• Knife: Leadbelcher (weapon blade), Nuln Oil wash, Runefang steel dry brush. Optional: Add "poison" along the blade edge: Contrast Ork Flesh
• Knife guard: Mournfang Brown, Dwarf Bronze (guard highlight)
• Knee pads: Abaddon Black, then drybrush Leadbelcher
• Backscabbard: Contrast Snakebite Leather, Leadbelcher (on fittings), then Nuln Oil wash (on fittings) then Runefang Steel highlights.
• Mask: Contrast Black Templar
• Base: Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!).  Middenland Tuft grass. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

Brute

Inox Brute

The Brute is another model that works really well with Contrast Paints as almost everything on his is an organic material. His cloak is huge and covers almost the whole of the rear of the model, making that side really quick to finish.

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• Horns: Contrast Snakebite Leather
• Skin: Contrast Space Wolves Grey
• Teeth/ Mouth: Wraithbone highlights after doing skin (above)
• Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Wild Rider Red (Highlight)
• Furs: Contrast Gore Grunta Fur
• Leather forearm armour: Contrast Snakebite Leather 
• Shoulder pads: Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze, then Nuln Oil (wash), then Dwarf Bronze (highlights or drybrush). Optional bling: Drybrush Auric Armour Gold.
• Belt: Dwarf Bronze, then Nuln Oil (wash), then Dwarf Bronze or Auric Armour Gold (drybrush.)
• Chest "armour"/ ribs:Mournfang Brown, Dwarf Bronze (highlight)
• Gems: Moot Green, then Moot Green/ White 50/50 mix (highlight), 'Ardcoat varnish.
• Sword: Leadbelcher (weapon blade), Nuln Oil wash, Runefang steel dry brush.
• Knee pad skulls: Contrast Skeleton Horde, then Ushabti Bone (highlights)
• Shield: 
• Inside: Contrast Cygor Brown.
• Rim/ Boss: Dwarf Bronze, then Runefang Steel (edge highlights)
• Hide covering: Mournfang Brown, then Vermin Brown.
• Brute symbol:Agrax Earthshade.
• Base: Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!). Middenland Tuft grass. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

Spellweaver

Spellweaver

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• Hair/ chest: Contrast Aethermatic Blue
• Skin: Contrast Magos Purple
• Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Wild Rider Red (Highlight)
• Robes: Contrast Blood Angels Red
• Shoulder pads, forearm armour, leg armour, wrist cuffs shorts: Contrast Snakebite Leather 
• Stud (on front of belt): Leadbelcher, then Runefang Steel (highlight)
• Coins (on back of belt): Mournfang Brown, then Dwarf Bronze, then Nuln Oil (wash), then Dwarf Bronze (highlights or drybrush). Optional bling: Drybrush Auric Armour Gold
• Magic "flames"
• from hands: Contrast Aethermatic Blue
• on base: Contrast Talassar Blue, leading up to Contrast Aethermatic Blue
• Base: Watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!). Middenland Tuft grass. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

Tinkerer

Quatryl Tinkerer

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• Skin/ scalp: Contrast Iyanden Yellow
• Eyes: Abaddon Black, then Lothern Blue
• Goggles: Abaddon Black, then Mordian Blue, Lothern Blue highlight, 'Ardcoat.
• Rucksack, chest, coat, legs: Contrast Snakebite Leather. 
• Buckles: Leadbelcher, then Runefang Steel highlight.
• Tinkerer symbol (on chest): Contrast Aethermatic Blue.
• Pteruges (tassel-like armour protecting waist and groin): Snakebite Leather, then Lothern Blue detail.
• Metal utility belt: Leadbelcher, then Nuln Oil wash, then Runefang Steel highlight.
• Potion: Contrast Ork Flesh, then Moot Green highlight.
• Arms/ crossbow/ shoulder quiver/ thigh knife: Leadbelcher, then Nuln Oil wash, then Runefang Steel drybrush.
• Armour (Shoulder, knees, vambraces, greaves): Dwarf Bronze, then Nuln Oil (wash), then Dwarf Bronze (highlights or drybrush). Optional bling: Drybrush Auric Armour Gold
• Cobbled base*: For cobbles: Mechanicus Standard Grey, leaving black lines (or add black lines later). Then add some lighter layers of grey: 50/50 mix Mechanicus Grey/ Russ Grey. Finally lighter edge lines of light grey. After all painting, paint on some very thin lines of watered down wood glue and dip in flock. Finally, add Middenland Tuft grass to taste. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

* I'm not very happy with the way the cobbles turned out, but this was my first try. they look very "flat" and waaaaaay too big. For an awesome video on how to paint cobblestones but that may add a lot of time to each miniature, visit Terrainosaur's YouTube video here.

Cragheart

Savvas Cragheart

The Cragheart is probably the easiest (and fastest) model to paint. He (it!) is also the second character I played after my Mindthief retired. Although I wanted to make "Ricky Balboa" a bit of a bruiser his loincloth turned out pinker than I'd hoped...

...still, if anyone can wear pink with confidence it is an element-wielding, earth-slinging, rock creature adventurer!

After undercoating with Wraithbone, painted using:

• Skin/ scalp: Contrast Space Wolf Grey
• Eyes: Abaddon black, then a layer of Corax White (leaving a black outline)
• Belt, shoulder armour, wrist cuffs: 
• Belt - Leather sides: Contrast Snakebite Leather.
• Belt - Metal front/ back: Dwarf Bronze, Agrax Earthshade wash, Dwarf Bronze highlight, finally a Auric Armour Gold drybrush or edge highlight. 
• Shoulder armour (spaulders): As above, but do a final edge highlight of Runefang Steel on the upper edges where light would fall, or to show where the brighter metal has worn away.
• "Heart": Contrast Black Templar.
• Loincloth: Contrast Magos Purple
• Base: Abaddon Black, then watered down wood glue, dipped into modelling sand, then Contrast Cygor Brown (when dry!). Middenland Tuft grass. "Victory lap" of Abaddon Black around rim to finish.

There you have the "Starting 6". In my next post I'll cover 6 more models, so watch this space.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.

:-)

Cheap Gloomhaven Storage Organiser options

As well as painting and playing Warhammer, our gaming group likes to play boardgames and try different systems. We have at least one "serious" boardgame addict collector who (luckily for us!) has some great games, so I've had the opportunity to try games like Lords of Waterdeep, Pandemic, Zombicide and Dead of Winter. I've also collected a few different games such as X-Wing and Dust Tactics, While other friends own games like Werewolf.

Enjoying all these different games led me to recently order Gloomhaven, as it brings together several different themes that I really like:

• Miniatures.
• Tactical combat.
• A new fantasy world (Gloomhaven avoids many of the races you see is "Standard" fantasy).
• A role-playing/ story experience.

..and lots and lots and lots of bits and pieces in the box!

If you don't know Gloomhaven, the first thing to know is that it was released in 2017 or so and immediately took the boardgame community by storm thanks to its huge amount of content and mix of game mechanics. Many have said that it isn't necessarily innovative, but that it brings together many different mechanics into one smooth package. It is also a "Legacy" game, meaning that it is intended to be played through as a campaign once, and then finished. Game characters will level up and retire, while other new ones will be introduced as part of the story. (You can play the game again of course, but you just need to bear this in mind as you go through, thinking about when to not use stickers or rip up cards that are used.)

The second thing to know is that this game is HUGE. The box is huge (about 10Kg), the story is huge (100+ hour campaign?) and the amount of stuff used is...HUGE difficult to manage!

Here is what you get:

• 723 Standard sized cards (2.5" x 3.5") 
• 975 Mini Euro sized cards (44mm x 68mm) 
• 18 miniatures 

...and many thick card floor tiles, obstacles, traps, terrain and more. For this reason a whole industry has sprung up of Gloomhaven box "organizers". These are often MDF kits (some assembly required) that fit into the original box and keep all of the pieces together. The benefit of this is that setup of a game can be reduced from more than 30 minutes laying stuff out to just a few minutes. 

The downside is the cost. 

Although there are many variants and manufacturers, the nicest ones are 60~90 US dollars. At the higher end that is almost as much as you might pay for the game itself. At the very reasonable end is something like the excellent Y.A.S.S (Yet Another Storage Solution), full information for which you'll find on Board Game Geek. YASS uses Plano boxes/ tackle boxes and users have created inserts to help the user find the monsters. 

As I'd just spent more than 100 dollars for the game, I didn't have any spare cash for a nice organizer. So, inspired by YASS I headed over to a 100 Yen shop (I live in Tokyo) to see what I can find.

I quickly realized that directly copying YASS wouldn't work as the storage options on display were different. However when in the store a Google search led me to a Japanese Gloomhaven site that really helped me. Hats off to "Shiro's Boardgame Room" and the excellent post there on using 100 Yen goods to organize his set (without this post I would have been lost and much more trial and error involved.) If you don't read Japanese my variation on the ideas there are below:

What did I get?

• x2 boxes for monster tokens.
• x1 large overlay tile and stands box (2 and 3 tile overlays like obstacles, tables etc.)
• x1 status token box (11 spaces, with movable divisions.)
• x2 "Medal Case 36" boxes (the Japanese name) for single tokens/ tiles. (18.6 x 14.2 x 1.6)
• x3 Pill box sets for wound/ status tokens and kitbashing spaces. (3 small "snap shut" boxes in each set) - These are actually used in the Monster Tokens box as subdividers.
• A4 label paper printing stickers (x5 sheets). For organizing monsters and tokens.
• x2 Packs of drawer organizers for dividing the box and cards

Below, I'll go through these one by one. The dimensions are provided, but if you have something within a couple of millimeters you should be fine.

x2 Boxes for Monster Tokens:

(23.2 x 17.0 x 3.7)

As you can see, these boxes actually have 15 compartments and then I used the pill boxes to subdivide the larger compartment at the top into a further three. This allowed me to store more monsters. NOT perfectly in alphabetical order though, as some monsters can only be accommodated in certain areas of the box. Still I think this will help. (See below for more information on pill boxes).

x1 Large Overlay tiles and Stands Box

(23.3 x 17.0 x 3.4)

This used the "Sicari 10" mentioned earlier, which has ten slots. I used this for the larger overlay tiles and monster and character stands. You can see in the second picture below that I made one cut to allow the large x3 tile "Hot coals" tile to fit in snugly.

x1 Status Token Box

(19.9 x 13.4 x 3.7)

This includes a variety of tiles that wouldn't fit elsewhere (e.g. treasure) and all the various status tokens like Poison, Strengthen, Wounded, etc.

X2 Single Tile Boxes

(18.6 x 14.2 x 1.6)

The x2 "Medal" case boxes are perfect for keeping single tiles and summon tracker tokens safe. They are also slim.

Pill Boxes

(11.4 x 6.4 x 3.4)

I bought x3 of these, as they are so useful. You can cut each up into x3 smaller individual boxes, or use them as a set of three. I used x1 set of three as an overflow to store anything that wouldn't go anywhere else. Here is an image:

A4 label printing paper

I found some "Old parchment" style images on Google, imported these into a Word processor (I use the excellent and free LibreOffice - give it a try!) then added some text using a font I found here called "FairyDust". This is an OpenDocument format (ODT) that you can download here from Google Drive. ODT files should open in later versions of M.S. Word (or download LibreOffice!)

Using the same system I created a table in the document, customized it, and added monster names as alphabetically as possible, highlighting the letters to help me find monsters more easily for scenario setups. I then printed and cut these out and stuck them on the inside of the box lid.

Drawer organisers to divide box

Finally, I also used "drawer organisers" to help me divide up the space in the Gloomhaven box and allow vertical storage and separate of cards. Originally designed to help you tidy up your desk drawer, there are supremely flexible. They come in packs, which you simply break up to the size you want, then slot together.

Here you can see how I organised my Gloomhaven box using these:

...all together now!

So here is how everything fits together. If I include the rulebook and scenario book the box will close, but not quite all the way. It is about a centimeter or so from the bottom of the box. Good enough (IMHO).

1: Core content and cards with drawer organisers

2. Left:  x2 Monster token and x1 large tile overlay boxes

3. Added x1 Status token box and x1 Pill box 

4. x2 "Medal boxes" with Single Tile overlays

5. All map tiles inserted

Voila! Even if you can't get the exact same materials I did, I hope this will provide a few ideas for approaches that you can apply to your Gloomhaven box.

Thanks for reading.

:-)

Skaven for War+squeek+

On a quick trip to Warhammer in Jinbocho Tokyo this week I picked up some Warcry cards for my Skaven (as well as treated myself to a 40K chibi pack. Which model did I get? Keep reading...)

I've enjoyed a couple of games of Warcry now using the Starter Set warbands that came in the box, and I have really enjoyed the overall experience. However one of the things that attracted me to the game initially was the opportunity to use other armies. Especially the Skaven, for whom I have a soft (corrupt) spot. After all, we know that Skaven get everywhere, so wouldn't it make sense for them to be exploring that part of the world as well?

So what comes in the cards, and do I have models that will work?

It looks as though I can definitely put together a band based on the majority of the cards, but it does appear I have a gaping hole (wound?) before I even get on the table. 

Let's see what I have. (For today I'll just use some old photos, so they won't exactly match the Warcry cards, but I think I have exact copies somewhere in my warband!). Let's start with one of the most iconic models in Skaven lore. The humble Giant Rat...
...(love these little guys - back in the day they were great little units of 12 or so that could slow our enemies down or nibble on small enemy units).

Check!

Next, one of the biggest units, our old friends the Clanrats. Fearful individually, fearless in big numbers (and they were used in big numbers in Warhammer Fantasy)...

Check!

Plaguemonks! These pustulent fanatics have all sorts of diseases to spread. Thanks to their decaying bodies they also are remarkably tough (for Skaven at least). Do I have any of them?
...Yes! Yes!

Stormvermin always look great ranked up, and I love the lore behind them and their armour and weapons. 

Night Runner (counts as)...

Finally in my current Skaven Clan I do have a Packmaster and Rat Ogres...

What about that gap I mentioned?
There is a gap in my current army. It is a large one too - monstrous in fact. That is Stormfiends. These are really great models that came out some time after I finished up my Skaven clan, and I don't have any of them! Sadly they just happen to be the most powerful cards in the deck (at first glance and judging by the expense.)

However, I'm also not going to try to get hold of any, as most of them seem to come in at 30-50 USD on ebay (before shipping) or more (close to 90 USD here in Japan new and boxed.)

I hope I can put together a fun Warcry warband with what I have. The next step will be researching other Skaven player's bands to see what they have and what is competitive. If anyone has any ideas please let me know!

*Squeek*

p.s. The chibi 40K figure was just for a bit of fun. There are 5 possible models. You guessed it, I got the one I didn't want, the Eversor:

Nevermind!