2023 Challenge - January

January 2023

The year began as most do, with high aspirations and a dire need to do laundry.

After I put both of those in the wash cycle, I started in on neat tricks and hullabaloo.

For models I finished for myself I completed five in total, the Turnip one above, and the Lobsterpot four below. The frogman in the bunny suit is Tod, an unfortunate soul who's perhaps the most miserable mascot of Turnip28. I sculpted this sometime last year, or maybe the year before, and sometime between then and now I popped it on a base meant for a Warhammer Underworlds figure. 

On the subject of the base, I don't know that I like these bases with wholly molded details, on account of my reluctance to add any gubbins to them. Basing models is one of my secret pleasures, as I find the globbing of texture, bits, and dirt to be theraputic, so perhaps I'll rebase this bloke if it bothers me enough.

Mechanically, Tod would be a Toff or Toady, leading a Tod's Folly army. In game, this faction is rewarded for losing, as they're canonically and chronically confused when it comes to strategy. Ordinarily, or in version 1.16, some units work better when up against other specific units, so when helming this army the goal becomes to engage in the very worst matchups so that you lose, erm, win by the best possible margin. It definitely turns the game on its head, that much I've heard.

This fella is a Shepherd, meant for a scenario I'd like to write this year. He's from the free-take bin the local club keeps at the shop, from a boardgame that had their own resin miniatures. If anyone knows where he's from, I'd love to know!

I've ached to finish this one for a while now. Its a head from the Cadian upgrade sprue, body from Fireforge, and arms from... I forget. Anyhow, she's a wandering warrior who's seen almost too much, and while world weary, here's hoping she's up for one more adventure!

Here's a conversion of Outpost Miniatures Lady Ferrers with a new head. There's a bit more cleavage than your traditional Lobsterpot denizen, but its tactical cleavage, so no worries. On an odd note, I don't think I've written any rules for whips, so I'll have to sort out her loadout given her choice of accessories.

I think this is the first model I've used static grass on, which was a neat learning experience. I mostly learned that I don't love supergluing static grass to myself, so I'll have to dig out the PVA before I get too gung-ho about it again.

And then our last lad, also from outpost, with a hat from god-knows-where, and a face stolen from a miserable Weird WWII game that I've forgotten the name of. I like his action pose, but for slapstick reasons as his clubbing pose screams, "why I oughta." That's it. That's the hot take.

I'm going to keep track of miniatures this year with the low, low expectation of finishing a model per week. Here's the first fraction of the year. Welcome to the world my muddled mathy friend!

5/52

Not Pictured: I began sculpting two miniatures. I used some reaper armature puppets, and I'm not super psyched about them, but I'll try to keep working on them until the armatures are buried and I won't have to think about them. They're going to be miniatures for Burrows and Badgers, since eventually I'd like to host a game.

Outside of minis, I made a game last year that I've been affectionately calling Necroduel. Its a game where you cobble together abominations out of bodily components to gain the favor of corpse gods.

As you can see, I've drawn a bunch of horrible little friends, based on previous horrible little friends and I think they've turned out pretty neat. I'd go into detail, but its really just "make it creepy, but endearing."

Is grimgoof a term yet? That's the vibe we're going for here I think. Of the games I've made this year (hush until they're in a better place,) none of them quite reach the same tone as these doo-daddy-doos.

I think my favorite goober of the bunch is the bottom rightmost dude in the picture below. There's something about a bunch of faces stitched together, making up a wandering flesh easel that just butters my biscuit. Also, biscuit is spelled like that you guys. 

? /? 

Anyhow, that's Wonderwall. Hopefully I can steal time enough in the next month to get this formatted/arranged and up on an itch.io or something. This push is in part to work on my "finishing things" muscles, to establish patterns of polishing projects and releasing them, but also to get it out of my head so I can move onto other projects. As any long-time reader can tell you... there are plenty of projects around these parts.

Not Required Reading

Kind of an odd idea, but maybe I'll include what I'm currently reading/listening/consuming, since I'm sure it'll leech out in my work. I don't know if any of these are up your alley, but they're things I'm percolating on, and documenting that couldn't hurt. Thanks for joining us this month, and stay safe!

Monstress volumes 1 and 2 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Goosebuds Podcast

The Booster Pack Network Podcast - TCG Design Theory

Ludology Podcast with Gil Hova