Pennants Update

Here is a belated post on the finished results of my lance pennants made form foil. These have been sitting finished on my desk from before Christmas, awaiting me to snap a few pics. They were all made from the thin foil described here, but are fairly robust and should survive the rigors of wargaming. All in all, pretty effective and relatively easy to do.  (Click the images to enlarge)

The Legacy of Arrius Lurco - RPG Session 1

Well, it has been quite some time since I posted here, but with good reason. Just before Christmas I welcomed a new addition to the family and along with her joyous arrival was heralded a distinct lack of painting/wargaming time.

This intermission has had it's benefits though, namely allowing me to get back into something I haven't done for quite some time - roleplaying.

Since I first heard about the "Cthulhu Invictus" source-book I have been itching to try out a Cthulhu game set in ancient Rome. The kicker was the release of "The Legacy of Arrius Lurco" by Miskatonic River Press, a brilliantly written campaign set in Rome, Greece and Crete.

Inspired by some of the "actual play" audio games found on the web, we decided to record our session. A big thanks goes out to Christian of Intergalactic Games for providing the recordings and to Romina, his wife, for doing the intros for us.

And while not strictly speaking "adventures in lead", what follows are certainly adventures of a different type. For the lead purists out there, please excuse the brief deviation from the usual subject matter, which will proceed in good time.

Follow the links to download the audio in MP3 format.

The Legacy of Arrius Lurco - Episode 1 - Prologue

The Legacy of Arrius Lurco - Episode 2 - A Day at the Circus

The Legacy of Arrius Lurco - Episode 3 - A Night of Chaos

Next session can be found here

Making Lance Pennants

After deciding to give my noble Indostani cavalry some lance pennants I starting looking for easy and inexpensive way to create them. The general consensus is to use the foil from a flattened out toothpaste or food product tube. I've had a hell of a time sourcing any of this type of stuff, but I have found an alternative source of strong malleable foil that is found under the lids of malt type energy drinks (like Milo in Australia) and baby formulas. These foil seals can be removed, flattened out and easily cut to an appropriate shape. Attach with super glue and bend to shape with a thin tube. (Click the images to enlarge)

The foil pennant in action.

The foil in its "natural form".

Photography blues...

One of the most challenging aspects of this hobby involves another entirely separate hobby in itself - photography. Having very little skill with a camera I can sometimes struggle to get a decent photo at all. While on the other hand, when I'm really not trying, I often get lucky.

The type of camera of course has a vast influence over the results. I have a few different cameras to choose from, but all are very simple, relatively cheap affairs and they can all produce different results, some good and some not so good. Even the cheapest and oldest model I have has managed to give me some good shots over the years.

Lately I have been using a Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS, which is supposed to be pretty idiot proof. Guess they never had me in mind during the design process. This camera has a Smart Capture feature that assists by adjusting the settings to suit the environment. Now this is where I can run into problems.

As mentioned previously on this post, I have wrestled with the age old question of "to flash or not to flash" before. Most folks in the know agreed that for the best results in taking photos of miniatures, a flash should not be used. So not wanting to become a trendsetter, I try to conform to the status quo and turn off the flash, secure in the knowledge that more skillful people have paved the way.

Alas, turning of the flash often gives me less than good results. Take for example my last post where I showed some Foundry gladiators I had recently finished. The photos I think are pretty poor, and really don't show the miniatures in their "best light". They appear muted and washed out. While taking these photos, ashamedly, I really tried hard to get some good pictures. I set them up under a very good light source, set the camera on a tripod, turned off the flash and gave them a quick doctor in Photoshop. All that work for some substandard pictures.

Mulling over it all, I grabbed the camera this morning in an effort to see if I could work this thing out and snapped away at some minis on my desk. The shots I produced are shown below. They were taken in all natural light with the flash on. I think you'll agree they are of a better standard than what I produced the other day and with no effort at all. In a state of total confusion - I give up! (Click the images to enlarge)

A quick snap in natural light with the flash off.

Now with the flash on.

Same conditions with the addition of the white background.

More Foundry Gladiators

Here are some of my latest additions to the arena - all from Foundry. (Click the images to enlarge)

A barbarian Dimachaerus.

A Myrmillo with a face mask.

Another Myrmillo.

A dwarf Retiarius.

A dark skinned Thracian.