Terrain for Campaign

Terrain for Campaign

Tau Expeditions™

In October 2012 Devereux’s Volunteers will host a resumption of Warhammer 40K gaming.  My army of choice is Tau, for the greater fun. Seven armies have selected assignments for the mini campaign we have dubbed Expeditions™ for our autumn ‘diversion’.

A bit of Tau terrain and buildings seemed a good idea. Most of our games are held at the game shops in our area. These locations offer an abundance of terrain goodness, mass quantities actually.  Expeditions™ will be held at Devereux manor, which offers a nice games room, however, not much 40K ‘space opera’ terrain.

 1. Stage One Tau Pylon

I was advised to make plenty of Tau ruins. Well, to begin Expeditions™ on a grand positive footing I have made several drawings for structures for bombardment. In this way I am a civil engineer playing host to mechanical engineers, you know, the ones who devise a method of job security for civil engineers—destruction!

2. Primed Tau Pylon

The remarque of a Tau Keep floats in the background. I sometimes work in the studio without an outline or drawing. Making the drawings is so much fun. The next Tau structure is a larger ‘strong point’ . The drawing can be seen in the background.  I try to see how close to plan I can create. The assemblage method is just as much fun, just a bit different approach, just as energizing for me.

3. Tai Pylon Base Coat

The shapes are evocative of commonly known Tau ones. One Tau shape is the saucer.  As the maker I want to infuse the motif of sails and masts in order to infuse some visual interest in the Tau structures, reminiscent of primitive ships and ancestral voyagers on expeditions of discovery or even conquest.

This pylon was completed as an assemblage or a group of shapes brought together and all the unnecessary bits removed so only the essential remains.

Extra bits include communication assets, weapons pods. The finishing touches with decals, markings and a finished paint / seal job.

I like a bunch of terrain. We will use a 122cm x 244cm (4’x8’) table so off to the toy shop to produce more terrain.

Basic Bill of Materials Used

• Sugar Pine
• Western Red Cedar
• Styrene plastic bits
• Tau Decals
• Glues–wood, CA, hot

If you have suggestions for the terrain build send them along in the comments section.

Notorious Captains™: Presenting the Center Lances

Notorious Captains™

Company Center Lances

A Condottiere’s Company would be divided into several 50 or 100 lance squadrons. Their bands were largely of cavalry, and their principal soldier was the relatively unassailable man-at-arms or gendarme.

The Center Mercenary Lances of a Notorious Captain™

Condottierii bands could include infantry of various sorts sometimes being half the strength of most Italian states’ field armies in the late 15th Century. Most of these infantry were missile-men, armed with early handguns or later with arquebus, or with crossbows, even longbows.

Hired troops are expensive troops and the Company was careful to preserve those soldiers. The Patron and the Company Captain realized the Company needed to be kept on campaign, in the field; preferably some other one’s  field for plunder and pillage was the order of the day. Loyalty sometimes turned on the choicest gold or good chances of rich plunder, where greener pastures were likely as not to be over on the other side at any moment, then as now, money talks.

Personal Banner of  Notorious Captain™ Gerhard von Reichart

Light cavalry in the form of Stradiotti, artillery, and pikes, round out the other troop types. It was a tumultuous time involving the interests of the French, the Spanish, the Pope, Italian city-states and on-going military innovation. The next big thing that might prove the tipping point to secure the Italian peninsula for Bourbon, Hapsburg, or the Holy See, all others played the Great Game for a place at the table, whether minor instigator or Imperial potentate.

Free-Companies, contract soldiers, Condottierii, Grand Companies lead by Captains from a variety of countries flourished, which seems an oxymoron, to flourish amid war, but nonetheless it was so. This is the inspiration for building armies of this era and likewise representing these Notorious Captains™ on the gaming table.

Gerhard von Reichart’s personal banner was crafted using MS Paint program, so it was not so ‘involved’ a process.

Evangeline–Steampunk Pistol Finale

Small Bolter Finale

I must say this has been an enjoyable build. Specifications were easy, I made some changes as requested, and a restrained use of materials seemed to make the whole flow together nicely.

Many people give special names to firearms, this is no exception; I understand this build will be christened Evangeline*. Perhaps I shall also make a Gabriel™, with apologies to the poet Mr. Longfellow.

Evangeline™ before crating

As the maker I like the composition and build process. I seek balanced components and  simplicity of line in the structure. I tend to add a little surprise as in color or shape or ornamentation. Sometimes I learn more about the build once it has left the toy shop. It is not bitter for me when this happens. It keeps the piece alive in my imagination.

Reference to Evangeline

Link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline