Dungeon Saga: Dwarf King's Quest (Part 3)

Today I finished the last of the figures in the Dungeon Saga main set!  These last few figures took a little longer than expected, as there were several characters that deserved more attention than the rank-and-file troops.

Dwarf Revenants (3)

The last of the minions, the Dwarf Revenants seemed to have a little more detail and wound up getting put off until last.  I like how the warm tones on the figures worked out, and the different beard colors helps provide some variety to their otherwise uniform appearance.  The armor looks neglected, but still serviceable.

Hoggar, Zombie Troll Shaman

I used the character card for Hoggar's colors, which resulted in him having a slightly different skin tone from the other Zombie Trolls.  I think this works well, as it helps offset him further, but not so much to make them look unrelated.  The art for this figure was very heavy with the greens and I wasn't sure how it would work, but I think there's some good differentiation between the skin, clothing, and headdress (or whatever that's supposed to be on top).

Grund, Undead Dwarf King

Again, the character card was used for reference, which I liked as it gave Grund a similar look to the Dwarf Revenants (which I imagine might have been his personal guard).  The green and red is striking, but I can't decide if he looks like an undead Santa or not (the white beard isn't helping!).  Christmas flavoring aside, I do like how the figure turned out.

Mortibris, Human Necromancer

I saved the ultimate villain for last, which is fitting since I believe the figure is only used in the last campaign of the Dwarf King's Quest campaign (I could be mistaken, however).  Once again, the character card was used as a reference.  In Mortibris' case, his purple/blue robe is largely plain so I worked on using several different blues to highlight (though I'm not sure they show up in the photo).  The gold border on his scapular was freehanded, as it was not molded on.  I like how the figure is in the middle of raising a skeleton from beneath the ground; it gives no doubt as to the fact that he's a necromancer.

Conclusion:  I'm glad to mark another project as complete!  My goal was to get the basic set for Dungeon Saga painted and ready to play.  I think the game can serve as an excellent "gateway game" for people new to tabletop gaming, and having painted figures provides a stronger impact for that experience.  Also, having them done before a campaign is started means I don't wind up in the same situation I did with Descent: Journeys in the Dark, where some of the figures in play are painted, but others are not (and that any figures that get painted had to be completed by the time the next game night rolled around).

In the future I'll tackle the expansions for Dungeon Saga, but for now I'm moving on to a new project.  I still have some Bones I figures to complete, and I have some Kings of War armies pending as well!

- M:M

Reaper Bones: Nova Corp Squad

Before tackling more of Dungeon Saga, I thought I'd clear out a few more Bones minis.  I had a concept in mind for the Nova Corp figures for quite some time now, so I decided to get them painted (plus it gave me a bit of sci-fi to change up the spate of fantasy minis I've been working on).  So here's the complete 80010-80015 Nova Corp Squad:

Dungeon Saga: Dwarf King's Quest (Part 2)

Work continues on the figures from Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King's Quest.  A few more have been completed this week, as I narrow in on the final figures.

Zombie Troll (1)

The third and final Zombie Troll has been completed, with the same scheme as the others.  I actually used a lighter base color for this figure (as an experiment), but it didn't look right so I revised it with my original colors.  Interestingly, this may be the only "third" figure to be useful during the Dwarf King's Quest, as there is a mission that has the Overlord use the Zombie Trolls Shaman figure (Hoggar) as a "normal" Zombie Troll.

Madriga, Elf Ranger

The third hero, and one of two which provide the party with ranged firepower.  As with the other heroes, I used the character card for reference, though I did opt for a stronger yellow for the hair.

Danar, Human Wizard

I like the sculpt for Danar, as he has more practical adventuring gear than typical wizard's robes (though the latter have their place!).  I used magenta for the basecoat, which really worked well as a foundation for the red garments.  I used the same color on the staff, which I think is a passable "inner glow" effect for the crystal.

Elshara, Banshee

And finally, I'm getting to the Overlord's lieutenants (probably my favorite of any set).  Elshara was painted entirely in grays, with silver for the decorations (belt, tiara, etc.)  I like how this figure turned out, and I feel that I managed to differentiate the various grays enough to make various elements distinct.

That's it for this week.  I hope to have the remaining figures (three minions and three villain characters) finished in the coming week.  Once done, I'll have a nice Dungeon Saga base set to get on the table!

- M:M

Reaper Bones: Hellakin Gorecutter, Halfling Rogue

While my efforts to complete the Dungeon Saga figures, I wanted to switch gears a bit and give myself a change of pace.  Looking at my remaining figures from Bones I, I grabbed on from the Half-Size Heroes set:  77165 Hellakin Gorecutter, Halfling Rogue

My Triumphant Return! (ft. Dungeon Saga)

Wow, almost three months since a post!  It seems I wasn't exaggerating when I said it may take a few months to get relocated and readjusted.  For the most part, I've been dealing with the hundred tasks accompanying any long-distance move, though I'm mostly situated now.  Time to get back to posting regularly!

The good news is that I received my Dungeon Saga shipment, and have made good headway in getting the figures painted!  My initial goal is to get the base game painted up, so it'll look that much more impressive on the table.  I also added the bonus "Evil Dead" booster pack, resulting in three models of each of the undead minions.

Ghosts (3)

The Ghost figures are great, and take what I call a "minimalist" approach to the concept:  an eerily vacant shroud dragging a ball and chain.  I love this sculpt, and decided it would be a quick and easy starting point for the project.

Skeleton Warriors (6)

I followed up with more fairly easy models, as it had been a while since I had painted properly and I was still getting back into the groove.  Skeletons are great starting figures for those new to the hobby, as they're simple and rather difficult to mess up.  I love the Skeleton Warriors with scythes, as they resemble the skeleton figures from HeroQuest.  For the better equipped Skeleton Warriors, I wanted a little variety to make them appear as various deceased adventurers that Mortibris may have come across in his travels.

Zombie Trolls (2)

Due to the limited figure stands available at the time, I was only able to paint two of the three Zombie Trolls in this batch.  These are nice models, and have some nice textures which really sell the "decaying" effect.  Along with skeletons, zombies are another figure type that's great for beginners (and may actually be even harder to mess up, since any "mess" kind of looks intentional on a reanimated rotting corpse).

Skeleton Archers (3)

Wrapping up the skeletons for the set, these figures are used in the second introductory quest and needed to get done.  Similar to the equipped Skeleton Warriors, I wanted a somewhat mixed appearance for the figures.

Zombies (6)

The other "core troop" in the Undead lineup, the Zombies were next.  As opposed to dead warriors, I suspect these may have been unfortunate villagers that ran afoul of Mortibris' wanderings.  Again, I went for some variety here, and nothing really unifying.

Armored Zombies (3)

I wasn't sure how the Armored Zombies would turn out, but I really like the results.  Their gear is clearly Basilean, and the lore mentions a Basilean force pursuing Mortibris.  As such, I wanted these figures to look recently dead, with minimal rot set in.  Their equipment is dirty, but hasn't been abused and neglected long enough to show signs of rust or heavy wear.

Rordin, Dwarf Fighter

My goal for the heroes was to use their character cards as a reference.  Rordin had a peculiar color for his armor, so instead of the typical silver I went with a brownish metallic.  The effect is unusual, but I think it works and perhaps comes across as a dwarven alloy.  I also like how Rordin's beard turned out!

Orlaf, Human Barbarian

The second hero in the first introductory quest, Orlaf had a lot of browns.  I wanted to give him an appropriately bronzed look (befitting a barbarian), but keep it from running into the same color as his gear.  He also has a lot of bone, and I tried to add a little more depth to it than just a straight off-white color.

That wraps up the completed figures from Dungeon Saga.  For the base game, I still have two more Heroes, one Zombie Troll, three Revenants, and then the four villain characters.  I haven't yet decided if I'll paint the furniture, as I suspect it may suffer from rough handling (more so than the figures).  Still, my goal is to get the full set table-ready, as I think Dungeon Saga will be a great "gateway game" for those new to tabletop games!

- M:M