New Project: The Brumville Garrison

Why!
Yep uh oh new project....... Well kind of new :)
Last September I picked up the Relics rulebook by Tor Gaming and a bunch of miniatures with the intention of starting it. I built a few figures and primed them but as usual distractions loomed and I never got around to finishing the bits I had started. 

Anyway New Year and I fancied finishing off something on the painting table reading Carl Packham's blog post about a tournament he attended recently got the Relics juices flowing again and with the Britanan being a bit different to what I've been painting recently I thought yeah why not. So deciding to do a bit or research into colour schemes and get photos for reference. I joined up the Relics Forums and the Relics facebook group looking for bit of inspiration only to discover another tournament is being held by the Worcester Wargames club at the end of March...... So it begins!


About the Tournament.
I've got a lot to do before the 29th March! Firstly I need to plan an army, paint it and learn to play the game ha! The tournament guidelines are pretty simple but the army list needs to be split into sections.

At the moment it stands as three games to played.

First Game = 300pts
Second Game = 300pts+100pts reinforcements
Third Game= 400pts

So the target points value in total I'm aiming for is 400 pts. I have traded some figures with a guy on the Tor facebook group and have a nice chunk of Britanans winging there way to me. The points with what I have already should bring me my army up to to around 350pts.
I have made a 300pt list but can't decide on the remaining 100pts I think I need to play a few games first to help me choose properly. I also bought some figures through Tor Gamings Game Funder project last year (A couple of Banished Knights) which are due to ship next month as well. I need to find out if they are allowed as they aren't officially in the rules yet.


Painting the first units.
To also help things along the Tor Gaming guys (a fab bunch I have to say) are also running a monthly painting competition on the forums. Where you select what units you plan on painting for the month and you paint them. At the end of each month the guys at Tor will choose a winner who gets a £15 coupon to spend in there store! Very Generous!

Bit of a late start for January only starting last weekend. But I managed to get my first chunk of my army finished with a few days left for this months comp. Hopefully the rest of my force should arrive this week sometime so I can get cracking on February's Challenge.

The first two units are a Royal Arcanum Guard (command, magic user character) and a Grenadier company bringing the painted finished units to a total points value of 111pts. These will be part of the core 300 so I have got 189pts to get done for that.

More information.
For those interested in the world of Relica and its setting there is a ton of useful info and background on the Tor Gaming Website. Also if you fancy trying out the rules you can for free its in there downloads section

State Acquisition Squad: The Sirens Alyssa 'Road Block' Grier

Final member was finished at the end of last week. But for some reason I couldn't make my mind up on naming her.

Alyssa Grier or more commonly known as Road Block around the F-UK is the no messing leader of the Sirens. Carrying a rugged riot shield, smg pistol and machete. Road Block loves nothing more than getting up close and personal, blowing people apart with her smg or hacking them down with her chopper she lovingly calls States Justice. Leading the Sirens all over the F-UK dispensing the States 'Justice' to the lawless and whoever is found lacking.

The Full squad ready for action.

For those interested in the gangs stats. They come to exactly 350 pts and are equipped as as follows.

Road Block
Gear: Riot Shield, Smg, Pistol, Machete,
Skills: Leader

Jenna
Gear: 2x Pistols, Assassins Blade
Skills: Dual Wield 1, Scrapper, Feint, Skilled

Dove
Gear: Assault Rifle, pistol, Grenade x2
Skills: Scout

Roza
Gear: Assault Rifle, Pistol
Skills: Sharpshooter, Head Shot

Lyra
Gear: Assault Rifle, Pistol
Skills: Medic, Physician Heal Thyself

Hi all if your interested in getting into Across the Dead Earth and fancy 20% off. Send an email to info@deadearth.co.uk and say that I sent you you'll get a single use code for 20% off any order you make.

State Acquisition Squad: The Sirens Lyra.

Got them last two finished this week. Need to think up a suitable name/bio for the gangs leader. Anyway meet Lyra the Sirens medic. (Straight forward Hasslefree/Mantic).

Lyra is the Sirens no nonsense, taciturn medic. Lyra works efficiently patching up flesh wounds or causing them with her many time stripped down assault rifle. Always concerned about never having enough spares Lyra carries it all in her webbing and has a backup pistol and a backup for that just you know in case......

Hi all if your interested in getting into Across the Dead Earth and fancy 20% off. Send an email to info@deadearth.co.uk and say that I sent you you'll get a single use code for 20% off any order you make.

State Acquisition Squad: The Sirens Dove.

The third model finished for the Sirens. Another Hasslefree/Mantic Lady Soldier Kendra was the base model. All I have added was a new head (Foundry Victorian Lady), scarf (putty) and a backpack (Project Zeke). Similar mixture of colours just in different places again to represent the cobbled together uniforms of the State.

 Dove is the squads scout adept at tracking down loot and moving across any terrain sure footedly. Dove's greatest loot find was a cache of weapons found in a still intact room under a collapsed Police station. Giving the gang several intact assault rifles and other useful items of equipment. The choicest items the Sirens kept for themselves the rest was passed on to the States armoury.

Hi all if your interested in getting into Across the Dead Earth and fancy 20% off. Send an email to info@deadearth.co.uk and say that I sent you you'll get a single use code for 20% off any order you make.

Across the Dead Earth Discount Code

Hi all if your interested in getting into Across the Dead Earth and fancy 20% off. Send an email to info@deadearth.co.uk and say that I sent you you'll get a single use code for 20% off any order you make.

State Acquisition Squad: The Sirens Roza.

Been a busy week hobby wise.  Firstly I have finished off two more members of the Sirens. I'll show the other finished member when I've thought up a suitable name for her and a bit of background. Secondly another friendly terrain competition has begun in the Across the Dead Earth facebook group. Nothing to specific maximum size of a CD (or equivalent square)

Roza is the Sirens eagle eyed sharp shooter. A very cautious person by nature and always on her guard just expecting something to kick off at any moment. Due to this Roza is always looking for the best angles to attack or defend and to get a shot off with with her favourite suppressed G36 assault rifle. Roza carries a automatic pistol as a backup.

The Large Ruin A Tutorial.

A few people asked me how I did various bits for this building. It was quite simple really so I though I 'd piece together tutorial for it. It didn't take long to make to be honest I think some stages need a few days to dry between steps and thats about it.

The Beginning some packaging scavenged from a portable radio or whatever. Base is from a birthday cake. (yum yum)

 Getting a rough idea of position.

 As you can see the inner walls are quite thick.

 I ended up using a sort of small breadknife as a saw and trimmed down all the interior ad removed some of the bottom section to give it more height and appear more like the concrete shell I intend it to be. Keep all the offcuts they will come in hand later as rubble walls etc.

Thinking about access to the upper floor I wanted more than one way in but didn't want a ladder or rope. Decided to go with a wrecked vehicle.

 Trimmed out rough holes for windows and a damaged section above the van (Giving a way in and an excuse to have rubble as a means to step up.

 At the rear used some of the carved off sections from the bottom I carved out some L shapes and distressed them to appear damaged. I also clipped off some sections of paperclip and bent it to represent the reinforced rods often found in concrete. (Super glue these in place). The top floor and the extra L sections where simple cocktail sticked on to the main structure carefully. I find that twisting the sticks as you push them in helps prevent tearing big chunks out of the polystyrene.

Using the off cuts again I build up a back wall for the stairwell and from another chunky block  I carved out a stair section (deciding on playability over appearance).

 Van is now glued into place (I use PVA for most of it) Trimmed down some old bits of sprue and glued these into the one side of the building as the old door/window frame. I then trimmed into shape more off cuts and lay them out as rubble.

 Rubble inside 

 Now at this point I made a booboo. The nature in how it went together not only makes it difficult  to paint but also to game in. (Oops) so the one side where the van is ruined wall sections where put into fill that gap. (Note to self for any future builds)

 You can see the wall section in place now. Playability of the lower floor will have to be something I put more though to on the next one.

 Next a bit of detailing. I carved out some triangular shapes out of the polystyrene and using coffee stirrers trimmed down added roof beams and to the windows ledges where added .

 More rubble and, left over sprue and other bits off the cutting board where spread about some in a more careful position to give the impression of well worn s walkway and steps in the rubble.

 Next step mix paint with pva and water into a milky consistency (I used artist acrylics from the Works using black and white mixe to make a dark grey at first) and then cover the whole thing all over. Once covered apply sand and cat litter and any other debris from the build process all over then leave it to dry. (IRL it took 1-2 days to dry fully.

 Once dry I did another coat of the pva/paint mix with the grey a slightly lighter shade this time to seal the building.

 Next I use some Sepia and black washes to stain the floors and walls these where thinned slightly to allow the grey colour underneath show slightly.

 Next mix up some light grey paint and drybrush the whole thing. I used a 1.5 inch wide standard paintbrush for this. I did this two or three times adding white each time to the mix to get a lighter shade until I was happy with the overall appearance. It doesn't matter if you get it on some of the wooden areas to much.

 Painted the wooden details in a dark brown (burnt umber again artist acrylics)

I had a look at plant growth on various ruins on line before hand and found that its tends to have a water staining etc where things grow. So planning where the plants where going to grow I first applied a very thinned green wash allowing it to flow and spread. Allow this to dry (a couple of hours or so). I then got some Camo Green and stippled it using a cheap kids brush in the areas where you just washed.

The van at the front got mucked the same as the rest of the building. I washed the windows with black and brown washes to make the more prominent and a few other recesses on the vehicle. Stippled patches of orange/brown paint as rust patches.

 Next using PVA Glue (Diluted a little) I added some Javis Country side scenics Coarse Light Green Grass. I used generous amounts of pva and picked up clumps of grass and pushed it on quite firmly. Messy but fun. Allow to dry then using a soft brush brush off any excess then fill in any gaps.

I also had some dark green clump foilage which I added in a few spots. The clumps where difficult to add as the weight of them pulls them away from the vertical walls. If I did it again I'd put it on its sides so its was horizontal then add them and let them dry.

 Finally I add some grass tufts from army painter. A few here and there in nooks and cracks.

Thats about it. We have another terrain comp again for fun. Smaller piece of scatter terrain this time but  I hope to do 3-4 of them so I can fill out my table more. Probably going to do some corner ruins.