Do you ever think to yourself “if I owned a Warhammer-themed cafe, what would be on the menu?”.
No?
Well, strap yourself in. You’re about to.
In this episode, I also ask the question “do Games Workshop’s paints have an accessibility issue?”, and persistently get the names of miniature companies mixed up.
This isn’t a direct comparison of Frostgrave Vs Rangers of Shadow Deep. We’ve covered the ins and outs of the latter quite a bit on this podcast, already. Instead, we’re going to turn our attention to the frozen city, and delve into the Frostgrave rules (and spells) to see the similarities and differences between these two excellent games.
Not content with reading through the Frostgrave rulebook, we then take the heroic next step – put some little painted toys on a table, roll dice, and probe measuring tapes about the place.
The forces of good. Our Rangers of Shadow Deep crew are led by illusionist Claire with the Bear, and her apprentice, Russell Sprout.
They’re up against the forces of evil – led by summoner Courtney Lovecraft, and her apprentice, Squid Vicious.
The forces assemble. Photo credit, Vinny the Vulture, who did not take part.
Claire and Russell were joined by ‘Adam & his Apple’. A fast runner who eats his five a day.
An Orc Brute. Surely he’ll mash a few heads in. Surely….?
A Chaos Goblin champion and his two Chaos Warrior chums.
An Orc Warrior, and veteran of Battlemasters. He’s seen it all.
Squid Vicious, apprentice to Courtney Lovecraft.
A Chaos Dwarf with two heads, and Weird Willie (left) with… well, you know…
This didn’t actually happen (summoning a greater daemon was way too hard) but I thought it made for a cool picture.
It reminds me of a sort of grimdark Bioshock.
The kids went without supper that evening, purely because Stu was away out with his mum’s best pot on his head.
As for the big guy? Turns out he only needed directions to the post office.
The game in full swing.
Frostgrave Vs Rangers of Shadow Deep
Thanks as always for listening to the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, and please remember to follow or subscribe on your listening app of choice!
On this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, I’m joined by George, a returned hobbyist and fiction podcaster. George is the writer and creator of The Tales of Hobgob & Mulch. This is a show that draws some inspiration from the Warhammer world, though perhaps through a somewhat lighter lens.
We talk a bit about storytelling and fiction podcasting. I also mention The Witch Hunter Chronicles, and, if you’re in the mood for some high-fantasy audio fiction with a (very) NSFW twist, check out The Lords of the Ring Piece.
Elsewhere on the episode, a big thanks to our sponsor Midlam Miniatures, and I talk about my recent completion of a band of their junior townsfolk range – see my pictures in the link, there.
Then it’s on to the serious matter of stripping paint. We spend all that time talking about unpainted miniatures building up, so what do we also like to do? Remove the paint from those we’ve actually finished.
As I mention on the episode, though, there were a few minis from both childhood and early on in my “return” that I thought looked terrible. I really wanted to use these guys in various future projects. After some failed attempts with methylated spirits and Dettol, Biostrip 20 took that paint off faster than the guy in the takeaway shop shaves a stick of doner meat. A big thanks to the folks on Discord who helped me see the light (and the shiny metal), here!
By the way, that red grout brush is really good too. That said, after a bath in the Biostrip you could probably dab the paint off with cotton wool.
Finally, I talked about the pros and cons of 2D terrain. I recently got my hands on this wee kit, and, in the main, I love it.
Thanks as always for listening to the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, and please remember to follow or subscribe on your listening app of choice!
I recently painted up some of the excellent Junior Townsfolk range from Midlam Miniatures. As always, they’re full of character, and were a lot of fun to work on.
There is a time, before they are sent to be apprentices or a life of responsibility, when the young folk of Midlam can play freely in the streets, happy with their games regardless of the dirt and squalor. Others, though the entrenched poverty of their families, find themselves from an early age, forced in to a life of servitude. Some will go on to become craftsmen, artisans and nobility, others may cast off their heavy duties for a life of adventure. – Midlam Miniatures’ Junior Townsfolk
I’m going to stat this gang up as a warband at some point, either for a game of Song of Blades and Heroes or Frostgrave. I like the thought of them taking on a group of hardened chaos mutants or daemons, and – maybe even at all costs – winning.
Cheating, tacky, or clever? 2D neoprene terrain divides opinions amongst miniature hobbyists. But like almost everything else, there can be a place for it.
I remember one of the first games I played after returning to the hobby. In my newfound (newly discovered) enthusiasm, I’d quickly bought up some terrain. Included in this terrain were some trees. Trees, which, without a doubt, looked the part. But each time a hair on my arm brushed within 4″ of one of them, it would topple over.
This might’ve made for some cinematic gaming. Some massive hurricane or something like that. But in reality, it was just highly annoying.
Woodland creatures, Boarus and Goatsy
Tabletop Climate Change
My solution was an extreme one – climate change. Let’s never again game in a setting that’s environmentally conducive to growing trees. I’ve heard Felstad is nice at this time of year. And as for ‘The Infected Trees’ scenario in Rangers of Shadow Deep, let’s just play in the ‘Infected Ruins‘ instead.
The thing is, though, I still like trees and general greenery on the tabletop. I’m from that generation that flicked through the pages of White Dwarf looking at Space Marines and Orks fighting over a well-manicured golf course under a hazy blue sky.
Still, trees were something I’d put on the side for now and come back to in the future.
Then, I got myself a copy of Blood Moon, the Rangers of Shadow Deep supplement. One of the terrain recommendations was a pond. This isn’t something I currently own. Not exactly the hardest thing to make, I imagine. But I’m always cautious about starting scratch-built terrain projects as it takes me away from painting miniatures.
Grubb and Gunther go fishing
Enter, 2D Neoprene Terrain
I typed some words into my google machine for pre-made pond terrain, and up popped this Meadows 2D Terrain set from Gamemat.eu. As it happens, these Prague-based wizards are my favourite terrain company. I’ve got a lot of their pre-painted resin stuff and 4×4 neoprene battle mats already (a castle, a village, some gothic ruins). They had my attention, and now, they had my interest.
In this 2D terrain set, there were two ponds. If any terrain could be considered “acceptable” then it’s water features. But there were also mist clouds, rocks, hills, barriers, bunkers, buildings, and yes – trees.
I thought to myself, this is probably the best practical way to get some woods on the tabletop. Sure, it doesn’t look as visually striking, or, dare I say it, “realistic”. But having just played a game of Rangers of Shadow Deep using kid’s wooden toy blocks, I know that we’re more than capable of suspending our disbelief when needed.
So looking through this 2D neoprene terrain set (by the way, they have others too, “arctic” and “sands“, if you genuinely do want to abolish all greenery) I decided to jump in and add it to my collection. Now that I’ve had a good look at it, in-person, here are my overall thoughts.
Vinny sits on a wall. Best place for him, probably.
Cons of 2D Neoprene Terrain
So, obviously, it’s not as “realistic” as 3D terrain
I’m not convinced it works well for buildings – are minis on them, or in them?
It might make line of sight and cover-related stuff less dynamic
Is Harald Half-Orc on the house, or in the house?
Pros of 2D Neoprene Terrain
Creates an instant battlefield, quick to set up and tidy away
Requires almost no storage space
Highly cost-effective
Perfect for rivers, ponds, and roads
All the enjoyment of woodlands without knocking trees over
You could actually deploy a full multi-based regiment in your woods, too
Fun Gus, lost in a cloud. Typically.
Summary
Like anything else in this hobby, you’ll find stuff that works for you, and stuff that doesn’t. Whether or not a 2D pond can float your boat (see what I did there?) will be entirely up to you. For me, it makes perfect sense for both water features and woodland. I think the misty clouds and bunkers are a cool idea, too.
I’m undecided on whether or not to embrace the hills. I don’t have any actual hill terrain though, so I’ll certainly give them a shot. I really don’t see myself using the buildings, but mainly because I already have the luxury of owning some good 3D stuff already.
Anyway, I hope that’s given you a few things to think about if you’re weighing up 2D neoprene terrain for your own collection. And if you do decide to take the plunge, the imaginary greenhouse gasses in your story world are sure to thank you for it.
At very worst, you’ll now have an excellent choice of mouse mats.
Gnoll’s House Party: The lads prepare to toast some marshmallows around the campfire
Now it was time to kick off Mission Two (The Beacon Tower) with its first scenario, The Bridge Guards. Here, we see the introduction of the Gnolls, and those were a mixture of beastmen and goblins on our tabletop.
The gnolls were guarding a bridge (hence the aptly named scenario) over a fast-flowing and very cold river, which we needed to get across on our way to Tor Varden.
The stage is set
I took Joe McCullough’s “wooden blocks” advice on this scenario. The table had to be strewn with rocks, boulders, and general cover – the idea being that the Rangers have the element of surprise (at least, until one of my guys manages to blow our cover pretty early on!).
A Vinny the Vulture-eye view of the table
I even used these blocks to build the bridge itself. Sure, it doesn’t look ultra-realistic, but suspension of disbelief quickly kicks in the minute the first dice is rolled.
The well-guarded bridge
We upped the challenge level by adding in a “Gnoll Lord”, who basically took the stat line of an ogre. We also gave ourselves some extra backup with the addition of ‘Goatsy’ – and he had a very interesting afternoon indeed!
Goatsy: Will we ever see his like again?
Keeping the Joe McCulloch theme of this episode, I also wanted to chat about a book I recently bought and read through – Frostgrave supplement Perilous Dark. This excellent solo/co-op guide combines pre-written scenarios with a lot of how-to advice on creating your own scenarios and campaigns of this nature. Big thanks to friend of the show Mark on our Discord channel for the heads up about it!
More Photos From The Bridge Guards
This episode is sponsored by Midlam Miniatures. Three of the miniatures used in this scenario were bought from Midlam – Goatsy, Boarus, and the big lizardy lad playing the role of the Gnoll Sergeant on the bridge. You can see pics of the Kraken Cult, Grim Reaper, and Headless Lady miniatures mentioned in my post about Populating a Lovecraftian Dungeon.
Harald Half-Orc. Boarus, and Vinny
Fun Gus, Grubb, and Count Gunther
Quite literally the bridge guards. Note that the Gnoll sergeant is too tough for clothes.
Tabletop Scotland 2022 is an event that takes place over the weekend of the 27th and 28th of August 2022. The venue is Dewars Centre in Perth.
A few keen cosplayers make their way through the door at a previous Tabletop Scotland event.
The show promises something for everyone, whether you’re a hobby veteran or completely new to it all. You’ll find card games, board games, and roleplaying games all represented, and there are plenty of opportunities to pick up some new miniatures and terrain for your collection.
On this episode, I’m joined by John who’s one of the organisers of Tabletop Scotland. We talk about the birth of the event, its history, and what’s in store for 2022.
If you’re not based in Scotland though, or simply can’t make it along to the event, then this episode is still worth your while. We also talk about the importance of “real life” and in-person hobby stuff. Podcasts, online communities, and remote gaming are all brilliant in their own ways. But the hobby is a tangible one, and, as John puts it, we are social beings. So no matter where you are in the world, remember there are always opportunities to find local gamers to play against.
We also had a chat about John’s hobby background. He’s the first guest on the show that’s openly said he hates painting miniatures and will do anything to avoid it (whilst still managing to field fully painted armies). This shines a light on the depth and value of the tabletop miniature hobby, and gives an example that you don’t need to do everything. Just pick out the bits you like, and enjoy them.
Horus Heresy was also on the agenda, because, why wouldn’t it be? John’s the proud owner of the old card game version and has played it regularly for the past 30 years. He sounds excited to dive into the new one, too.
If this is your first time listening to the podcast, then thanks for giving it a shot. Remember to check out our full list of episodes right here.
Finally, we have a new Discord channel for the show. It’d be great to see you in there, if you’re so inclined.
That’s what I’ve been up to recently, anyway. I talked more about the painting of these on a recent episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, so be sure to take a listen if podcasts are your thing!
I found an old copy of Space Crusade for the Commodore 64 up in the attic a while back. This was alongside some other long-forgotten finds like my childhood Space Wolves, Lizardmen, and Undead armies. Oh, and some Monster in My Pocket.
Space Crusade was an 8-bit dip into the Grim Darkness of the far future. I initially thought it was a digital version of Space Hulk, but now I see that Crusade was actually a board game in its own right. Would it be fair to call it a more simplistic and accessible version, given that it was co-produced with Milton Bradley of HeroQuest fame?
To be honest, I don’t have a huge amount of memories of playing this. And, given that I was very much into both Games Workshop and Commodore 64 games at the same time, I wonder if that means that it just… wasn’t very good.
“How to find local gamers” is probably the biggest problem facing the modern-day miniature hobby enthusiast. Very few of us are looking for a game every night, or even every week. But let’s face it, we’d all probably like to play at least a handful more games each year.
Dan and I found there to be six ways to find local gamers to play miniature games against (and with). We go into depth on each in this episode, but at a glance, here they are:
Convert a Friend: Is there someone you already know who might enjoy a game of something. Dan likes to test the water with an out-the-box game like Space Hulk. I think Song of Blades & Heroes works well for this.
Play Solo: Do you need to find local gamers to play against? Not necessarily. Solo wargaming exploded in popularity during the pandemic, and Rangers of Shadow Deep is one of the best games around.
Your Local Club or Store: Sounds like a no-brainer, but here’s a place where you’ll definitely find local gamers.
Apps & Tech:GameFor was a handy app where you could find gamers in your area. It isn’t available at the moment, but it’s apparently on its way back. Dan also recommends Tabletop Simulator which is the best online substitute for an in-person game.
Posters or Flyers: Is there a local community centre or library in your area? Then why not stick something up on their noticeboard. Better yet, order a few thousand leaflets and pop them through every door in your neighbourhood!
Social Media: The low-hanging fruit option. The games you like probably have communities on platforms like Facebook and Reddit. So why not just ask if there’s anyone nearby?
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