This blog is dedicated to ancient and medieval miniature wargaming. I'd like to share pictures of my painted armies and models, self made terrain-pieces and sketches of projects still residing in my head or on a piece of paper.
My main interest at the moment is creating armies and accessories, researching for historical or made-up scenarios and campaigns for the fast-play wargaming rules from "De bellis Antiquitatis" (DBA) with 25mm and 15mm figurines.
I use the blog-format rather unconventionaly. It is more like a scrapbook. And I update the older posts so keep checking. I recommend utilizing the labels to the left. So if your just interested in miniatures click the "Miniatures"-label and you will be presented with posts concerning painting, figurines etc. And don't forget to click on "older posts" at the bottom of the page for more. And many thanks for commenting!
Photographs showing painted toy soldiers, terrain pieces, scratch-built things and drawings © Menic Rüttimann 2.Nov.2006. Please notify me if you wish to use these.

Let your fancy flow...
Menic


Wednesday, 29 July 2009

Early Swiss Project continued

All Elements are painted but the bases and banners are still uncomplete. But here are a couple of pictures of the "Beta-"Early Swiss. Here we go:
Bern, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Glarus. Zürich, Luzern, Zug. The Bernese Guild of Ober-Gerweren. Uri and Obergerweren Uri with Urisstier Crossbows (=Psiloi) Unterwalden Schwyz Bernese Troops (General) Glarus

Sunday, 26 July 2009

Paint a Polka Dot Hoss

Let's get it up and paint one of these fluffy polka dot hosses I so cherish. I'll show you how to paint the riderless one in the two pictures below. Miniatures are Artizan-Berbers, 25mm. I used this technique in 15mm too, click the "Parthian" Label to have a look.I use a pointy size 3 brush ("rotmarder"-hair). Click on the pictures for a bigger image.
Step 1: Over the sprayed-on white primer paint the fury parts with a very dark Red-Brown (mix Chaos Black with a swaller of Blood Red. Keep the paint not too watery, it should let the white shine through a bit so one still can perceive the redish-grenadine hue.
Step 2: Apply the first VERY watery layer of egg-white over all fury parts (Bleached Bone + Skull White) and let it dry. If too much paint gatheres in crevaces, suck it up with a dry brush.
Step 3: Apply a second VERY watery layer just like highlighting. But don't wash over the whole horse, that was step 2. Keep in mind: The back, behind, and neck should end up very light while the lower parts of the legs stay dark. The horse to the right has 2 layers, the one to the left has 1 layer.
Step 4: A third watery layer (Horse to the left). Remain confident, even if the horse starts too look REALLY bad! The last layer of dots will help blend the sometimes revolting contrast you create at this step.
Step 5: A last, fourth layer of egg-white. Remember: alsways let the former layer dry before you start a new one. Really let the back, neck and behind shine with this last layer.
Step 6: Apply egg-white polka dots, densley over back, behind and back of neck. The paint should be less watery, so the dots stand out a bit. If contrast is too mush, add more water.
Step 7: paint the hooves, saddle, reigns, hair... finished!

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Getting Ready for the 25mm DBA Open Tournament in Ulm

We (Tobias from Ulm and me) gladly present our first

25mm DBA Open Tornament

Where:

At Ruhetal in Ulm, Germany

When: Saturday, October 31st 2009, 9.30 AM

What: An open tournament, using DBA 2.2 rules with houserules (see below), 120x120cm boards, and painted 25mm figures. Any legal army with elements of 6cm basewidth allowed. Some terrain can be provided, but please feel free to bring some of your own. Loaner armies will be available for anyone without their own troops!

Houserules:

- a. basedepth and figures: The amount of figures per base may differ slightly from the rules. Basedepths may vary, too. But elements still recoil according to their type as given by the rules.

- b. board size: 120x120cm

- c. deployement zone: 900p x 1800p.

- d.. We use larger Area Terrain Features to preserve the gaming experience from the 15mm/60x60cm boards. Steep Hills, Gentle Hills, Woods, Marsh, Rough, Dunes, Oasis must fit inside a rectangle, the length plus width of which totals no more than 9 x 8cm (=72cm). Features cannot be less than 8cm width across in any direction. All other rules remain unchanged. See picture below to get an idea...

- e. Players must commit to a particular army and sublist and chose any options before the start of tournament.

- f. No in-game dismounting. Troops must dismount before the start of tournament J

- g. Lighthorse do not quick-kill spears and pikes.

- h. Camps should fit in an area about 12x12cm.

- i. No BUAs.

We use themetric system

Format: Five games à 1h. The player with the highest score wins. Players get points for good generalship and for eliminated enemy elements and captured camps.

- Victory: 20/0 pts. The player who eliminates 4 elements in a completed game gets 20 Pts. The losing player gets zero points.

- Unfinished Victory: 15/5 pts. The player who eliminates more elements in an uncompleted game gets 15 points. His opponent gets 5 points.

- Draw: 10/10 pts. Both players have eliminated the same number of elements in an uncompleted game. So both get 10 pts.

- Blood: Players get 5 points for every eliminated enemy element

- Captured camps: 10 pts.

- Defeated enemy General: 10 pts.

Prizes: All prizes are 25mm figures. One is a complete DBA-army “Early Crusader” from Perry Miniatures with shield-transfers by Little Big Men Studios. The Winner, the Best Painter and 2nd place can choose in that order.

Cost: 12 Euros for the rent of location and the prizes.

Please Contact Sir Tobi (tobias-at-peylo-dot-net) or menic (menic666-at-yahoo-dot-com) to reserve a spot, or for any questions. Sir Tobi lives in Ulm. He’s glad to help you with accommodation etc.

See you in old germany and let your good dice roll!

menic

thanx to fellow fanatici and tiny soldiers for ideas and guidance!

check out these links:

Tiny soldiers Tabletop Forum

Sweetwater Tabletop Forum

Ulmer Strategen

Tuesday, 2 June 2009

This blog might smell a bit...

but it's not dead, I assure you! My focus has just shifted a bit to a couple of things in real life e.g. looking for a new job and working on my songwriting for my first solo-record. The Early-Swiss-Project is 14 figures short from finished. And I'm working on a Cordoba-influenced DBA-camp for my muslim-morph-armies. And playing DBA as much as I can - and that's not too much. So, dear readers, have patience and hang on. Thanx!

Saturday, 10 January 2009

Early Swiss Project: 3 Elements done













Two blade elements finished with camp followers (musicians). There's still a long way to go. I intend to paint an element for each of the eight confederate cantons of the 14th and 15th century plus the general (9x6Bd). That is: Uri (black + gold); Schwyz (red + white); Unterwalden (red+white); Luzern (white + blue); Zurich (white + blue); Zug (white + blue; Glarus (white + red); Bern (black + red).

Monday, 29 December 2008

Early Swiss Project: Dr Uristier

The "Uristier" and a musician from Lucerne(?) blowing the harsthorns, bringing fear in to the hearts of men (Luzerner Schilling, ca. 1510)

Early Swiss Project: Harsthorn, Uri 16th.c.

The Harsthorn of Uri, 16th century, a replacement for the original horn lost at Marignano 1515.

Early Swiss Project: Banner of Uri, 14.th.c.

An original Banner of Uri, 14th. century. Rathaus Altdorf. This one is supposed to be the original, used at Morgarten 1315 and Laupen 1339.

Friday, 19 December 2008

Partian II/37 Essex Miniatures 15mm

Aggression: 2
Steppe until 126BC, then arable.

1x4kn(Gen)
1x4Kn
2x4kn or 2Lh or 2Ps
1x4Kn or 2Lh or 3Ax
7x2Lh

Parthian Light Horse attack