Fallout Sandbox: Close Encounter

Elara looked out across the waste cautiously. She could see the slumped form of the 'engineer' and the tracker on her Pipboy confirmed that the chip was still on his person, but something wasn't right.

This felt like a trap.

What had happened to the man?

If he had been grabbed by one of the many creatures than prowled the wasteland, the body would be gone. If he'd been got by raiders, the chip would be gone.

It didn't make sense.

Welcome back to my Fallout campaign using Five Leagues from the Borderlands and Fallout Wasteland Warfare to tell the story of my lone survivor Elara.

It's been a while since I posted for a variety of reasons (all good actually) but it's been even longer since I posted to this campaign and this is mainly due to getting sidetracked by other projects.

To cut a long story short, Elara and her sole companion, Robbin, made it to Haven City, but before going after the Super Mutants, they decided to search up some contracts to raise enough money to hire some help on their mission.

They actually turned up two very similar contracts - which I decided would have the same goal. The water purifaction chip used by the city had been absconded with by an engineer and the city authorities wanted it back quickly - they knew where it was, but the area was mysterious and dangerous, and no locals would risk it. Another shady individual was offering more for the chip and with more time flexibility. Elara opted to help the city, but having a fallback if she was delayed was helpful.

Travelling to the undiscovered location, Elara and Robbin tracked down the engineer's body lying undisturbed in the ruins of an old building.

***

Sensing a trap of some sort, Elara advance cautiously whilst Robbin covered her.

All she needed to do was get to the body, grab the chip and get away quickly.

Suddenly, a flash of energy shot through the air and Robbin saw small shape scuttling towards Elara.

He could only make out a silvery grey suit and a bulbous green head. What was it?

Whatever it was, Robbin decided it needed to die and opened fire. If he could keep its head down, Elara might be able to retrieve the chip quickly.

However. He quickly spied another green head popping up from the rubble. There were two of them, which meant the firefight was even.

Damn.

Energy blasts and bullets spat back and forth across the open ground where the chip lay. To entered the killing zone would be fatal.

Elara yelped and fell back as a splash of energy struck her arm. She dragged herself further into cover, but was out of the fight.

Almost simultaneously, Robbin's shot hit home and the enlarged cranium of one of the creatures exploded in a shower of green goop.

The second creature suddenly and inexplicably dashed forwards. Perhaps It sensed that it's blaster would be more lethal at close range, perhaps it wanted the chip.

Its thinking was completely alien to Robbin.

Robbin took a breath. The creature was getting closer and if he didn't get a good shot in, he and Elara were going to join the engineer in death.

He squeezed the trigger of his bolt-action pipe rifle...

The creature's head popped like a balloon and it's body slumped into a heap.

Robbin dashed over to where Elara was struggling to maintain consciousness.

After quickly administering a Stimpak, Robbin helped Elara up and they moved slowly towards the engineer, carefully scanning the ruins for more bulbous heads, but none appeared.

The creature's body was strange. It had spinly arms and weird three fingered hands. It was wearing an odd sort of hazmat suit and the blaster was of a design that neither of them understood.

The engineer was also strange. He'd clearly been hit by a blaster from the energy weapon, but his clothes bore a strange insignia of an 'E' surrounded by stars. Elara didn't know what that might mean and Robbin didn't have answers either.

Fortunately, the chip was still intact, and now they needed to get back to Haven quickly.

***

I don't fully remember all of the details of this game and the turns leading up to it. I do remember that I bought some armour which then got lost on the journey to the alien area. The journey took longer than expected and so Elara needs no delays getting back to complete her first contract.

I suspect that the second contract might be the Enclave, who I decided to start to bring into the campaign in a small way.

At least Elara has an alien blaster for her troubles.

For Frodo?

It's amazing how motivation works for me.

I've had a little bit of a block on sitting down to get things painted over the past week, and then suddenly I'm struck by inspiration and get Merry and Pippin knocked out in about three hours.

The spur e of this inspiration was not actually anything Lord of the Rings related, instead I'm prepping for a 7TV scenario as part of the Night Terrors campaign in which a D&D session becomes all too real.

The youngest of the kids in this scenario plays a paladin, and so I needed a model that was both short and knightly.

Merry and Pippin were the best option.

This is the plastic version of Merry, Esquire of Rohan, that comes with the Dernhelm/Eowyn model released a couple of years ago. There is also a mounted version that slots on the horse in front of Eowyn.

I do have to admit that printing the newer plastic model is so much better than grappling with the 20 year old plastics I have for the rest of the Rohirrim.

Similarly, Pippin, Knight of Gondor, comes with the plastic Gandalf the White, again with a mounted version for the specific scenario from the movie in which Gandalf rides out against the Nazgul and for some reason takes Pippin with him.

Both models were very straightforward to paint, but Pippin was incredibly easy. Bring mainly grey black and silver. It's made me consider starting a Minas Tirith force.

Anyway, they're done, and that probably meant I need to turn my attention to mounted versions, along with Gandalf and Eowyn.

Acquired: 52

Painted: 119

Lead Mountain: 677

Cover Models

After enjoying painting the last bunch of aged miscreants I've continued with my Oldhammer vibes and painted a couple of legendary characters inspired by the ancient texts.

I present Aldred Fellblade and Garg Gorgul.

What do you mean, "who?"

Aldred Fellblade is a Templar of the Sigmarite Order of the Fiery Heart who battled Garg Gorgul, the Ogre pit fighter bodyguard of an Orc warchief whilst on a quest to retrieve a the sword Karagul from the ruins of Karak Eight Peaks. His travelling companions included one Gotrek Gurnisson, Trollslayer at large, and Felix Jaeger, who both went on to bigger and badder things.

This was in the 1990 short story 'The Dark Beneath The World' by Bill King, which was later the basis of a mini campaign for Advanced Heroquest featured in White Dwarf #125, which is where I first encountered the characters.

However, the short story was actually inspired by the cover image from the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (published in 1986), a seminal text in fleshing out the Warhammer world, which I still own.

This piece of art, by John Sibbick, featured characters which were in turn inspired by several miniatures in the Citadel range at the time and the story made use some of those same miniatures' names, including Aldred Fellblade.

Part of the C01 Fighters range of 1986, Aldred Fellblade has actually gone by several names in the Citadel Catalogues: Aldred Fellblade, Arion, Knight of Harkness (from 'The Tragedy of McDeath'), and Sword 1. He even featured as Captain Grullman Grosz, Mercenary Warrior in the Citadel Combat Cards.

Sadly, my copy is a little miscast, something I've never noticed over the past 35 years, and has missing detail and a flat area on his forearm. I suspect this might be because I bought one of the later casts of this venerable mini.

I'm pretty sure the window of opportunity to ask for a replacement has closed.

My version of the Garg Gorgul the Ogre is not the model that inspired the artwork, but is a model inspired by a model based on the one that inspired the art that inspired character of Gorgul.

Let me explain. The ogre in the artwork is based on the C23 Ogre Gladiator from 1985, and I think also inspired the design of the first Blood Bowl Ogre (mohican, cestus, single shoulder pad, etc.). Ogre 1, designed by Bob Olley for Blood Bowl second edition in the nineties was clearly an homage to the first edition model, and so, in essence, a distant relative of Garg Gorgul.

I have no specific plans for either of these models, although Five Leagues from the Borderlands and 7TV are always an option, but it was an enjoyable nostalgia trip to take.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 117

Lead Mountain: 642

Game Hunters

After painting the Oathmark Light Infantry as somewhat generic rangers/outlaws, I was drawn to painting something in a similar vein but with a little more character.

I dug out five metal miniatures from the mid-80s which could easily be drafted into a Robin Hood themed scenario or two.

All five of these were released between 1985 and 1987, which means they were probably amongst some of the earliest models I owned, and they also indicate my focus on picking up miniatures related to the games I was playing rather than building armies for larger battles.

These three characters, a gamekeeper and two poachers, were released as part of the C07 Rangers...erm...range (released in 1985), which were clearly designed for use with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay as several of the models in the range (including the Gamekeeper) are clearly modelled on illustrations in the WFRP rulebook.

Interestingly, the Gamekeeper career in WFRP contained the option to choose to be a poacher instead leadung to slightly different skills and career exits.

So these three models are actually two sides of the same coin in game terms.

I really like how both of the poachers gave evidence of the illicit acquisitions poking our if their sacks.

I also like how one of them is barefoot - perhaps a little bit of social commentary on the idea that poverty can be a catalyst for crime.

The Spy is from the game Talisman, specifically the Talisman: Dungeon expansion, released in 1987.

I've painted the Spy to match the artwork from the game because I couldn't think of a reason to do it differently.

Games Workshop released metal versions of all of the player characters in the game, of which I only had eight: the Orc, the Soldier, the Warrior of Chaos, the Saracen, the Ninja, the Spy, the Highlander and the Inquisitor.

I still have all but the Orc, who went went I sold my unpainted army to a friend. All of the others, except the Ninja, have found homes in different armies and projects over the years.

The final, rather gaudily dressed chap is Rildo the Crafty from the Heroes for Dungeonquest expansion for the game Dungeonquest, also from 1987.

Yes. His name is Rildo. It's poorly stamped on his slotta tab, in a game partially aimed at children.

It was a different time.

The gaudy outfit is based on the official art from. The expansion which provided 12 new metal characters for your games of Dungeonquest.

I still have all but two of them, and most of them have fallen to chaos and joined my Nurgle army. One of the two still unpainted models is, like with Talisman, also a ninja.

If Nippon ever follow Cathay into Warhammer: The Old World, I'll have the start of an army.

I'm not sure how these five will get used, but I'm leaning towards just having a collection of generic fantasy types around for various uses such as Five Leagues from the Borderlands or 7TV.

Mind you, they were fun to paint, so I don't really need a reason.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 115

Lead Mountain: 644

Ranger Danger

The other part of my 7TV Secret Santa gift was a sprue of Oathmark Human Light Infantry, clearly intended to go with the Norman Chest Bearers as outlaws intent on liberating the contents of the chest.

For the poor...obviously...definitely for the poor.

Anyway, I opted to take the lead that was offered and set about turning them into some soon to be merry men.

This was the first time I've had a close look at one of the Oathmark sprues, and they are really nice.

The cloaked figures can be armed with bows or a range of hand weapons and shields and there are a good range of characterful heads. Including three with hoods.

These models could easily be used as peasant rabble, loyal retainers or, as I have done, furtive woodsmen.

I've never been the biggest fan of multiparty plastic models due to the soft details that done suit my painting style. However, I did like how simple these models were, meaning that I could at least get them done without too much fuss.

I've opted for a uniform range of greens and browns - the main tunics are dark brown, rather than black, as they appear in the pictures - as I intend for these outlaws to pull double duty as Dunedain Rangers or even Rangers of Ithilien in games of Lord of the Rings.

As such, I armed one of them with a spear, as both types of Rangers are allowed to use them, and there was only one in the box. I did need to cut it down though as it was clearly intended for use with a banner.

I gave the last of the group a sword simply to allow him to serve as a captain if necessary. The sprue dies include a small amount of pouches, daggers and scabbards to be hung at the belts, but I opted to ignore these for simplicity's sake.

There's clearly a bit more work to do if I'm going to try to play any Robin Hood themed games, so I might look into pick up the 7TV feature pack to give me some guidance about where to go next.

I'll also have a rummage in the lead pile to see what I can turn up that could be used for either side.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 110

Lead Mountain: 649

A Shokking Development

I fear I missed my calling.

When I eventually came round to building my first 40k army. I opted for Blood Angels as I had a handful of Space Marines and the 4th edition codex came free in White Dwarf.

However, I should have been an Ork player from the start as cobbling stuff together from scrap turns out to be right up my street.

This time I've built the dreaded Shokk Attack Gun.

A contraption that dates back to 1991 and require literal pages of rules in its first iteration, the Shokk Attack Gun punctures a hole in reality allowing Snotlings to be teleported to somewhere in the vicinity of their enemy (sometimes appearing inside them).

Needless to say, this is the sort of fiendish device I want in my Waaagh and given that I had some Snotlings to paint, the time seemed right.

My Shokk Attack Gun is built mainly from a spare weapon mount from my Land Raider Spartan and some lengths of wooden skewer. The stand is a Leviathan Dreadnought's foot.

The iconic three-pronged spinny thing is a conveniemtly shaped bit of sprue and some beads with a bit of Daemon fire added to give some sense of motion.

The front cone is a hanging basket from the Mars Attacks terrain.

I and really running out of Orks in my bits box, and so I've drafted in a Heroquest Orc to serve as my Mek. He got a shoulder pad, a hand swap from the spare arm of the Mek I painted last year and a metal Necromunda backpack which has appeared from somewhere.

I needed to reposition his left arm to get it to an appropriate angle, and I had to reattach his right leg when it shot off whilst I was removing his chunky base.

The Snotlings, including this on the base of the Shokk Attack Gun were easy and fun to do, although they were much more time consuming.

I'm the current game, as well as in 5th edition, the Snotlings don't actually serve a purpose, however in 2nd edition they were essentially ammo markers.

I have no problem just having these for the aesthetics.

I am now properly out of Orks or Grots to add to my army unless I was to tool up some more Heroquest models, something that is not totally out of the question given my relative lack of Boyz.

However, there's a new edition due out soon with Orks in the somewhat discounted starter box, so it's quite likely Armageddon that.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 105

Lead Mountain: 654

Cost Cutta

I said a couple of posts ago that I might have a go at cobbling together a second vehicle for my Rebel Grotz in Gorkamorka.

And I have.

This is my take on the Rebel Grot Cutta, a lightly armed and armoured, sail-powered vehicle used by Grots who don't have access to the same quality of scrap as the Orks.

It's a totally bodged together creation made from bits and pieces from my bits box combined with some coffee stirrers and a wooden skewer.

At a push, it can probably carry around five Rebel Grotz, which is more than enough to prevent me from overloading the Big Lugga and allows them to fart off from the main force in search of scrap.

The sail is nothing more complicated than a triangle of old dust sheet painted cream. The paint gives it a bit of thickness and shape.

The rest of the painting was done with my usually Orky blend of washes, drybrushing and sponging.

All in all I'm really pleased with how my kitbash has turned out and as you can see, it's pretty close to the original model, although I might see if I can add some sort of steering mechanism at the back.

I'm delighted with how this Gorkamorka gang has turned out. I now need to get my hands on a couple of the rulebooks, Da Roolz and the book from Digganob, as I currently only have Da Uvver Book.

I know I can use pdfs from legally grey sources, but I really like having the physical products when I'm playing.

Acquired: 15

Painted: 102

Lead Mountain: 670