Papa Weiner's: a Hive City Delicacy

Got this cool building from Print Minis last month. 

It's a one-stop sausage factory, with a grinder, smoker, and point-of-sale all in one place. Turf to Table, just don't ask what's in it. 

Apparently it's Zone Mortalis compatible, but I'm leaving it as a free-standing structure for now. 

It was a real project, let me tell you! All the roofs come off so you can put guys inside. 

The Grotto, now with Loonshrine!

So I've finally finished my Loonshrine, or more precisely, have decided I no longer want to work on it. Here it is amongst my goblin grotto terrain, which has had a couple more pieces added since we last visited. 

I have a half-dozen tree-sized pieces of scatter I want to add to this theme, but otherwise I'm calling it done! Sure would be nice to have a reason to play on a table like this... 

Even Bigger Caravanserai, Now With People!

I've added a sawmill to the lumberyard, and a gated courtyard to the caravanserai. I've also scattered about a party of European adventurers, amazed at the 'cleverness' that 'these Asiatics' can get up to sometimes. 

Architectural sketches

Lumber yard, front view

Lumber yard, rear view 

Caravanserai with courtyard

14" x 16". I know you were wondering. 

The Caravanserai. You must be weary, traveler! Stop in for a rest.

 

Caravanserai courtyard

The "Caravanserai" (lit. "Caravan Palace") was an old timey motel for long distance travelers, particularly but not exclusively along the Silk Road. It's where the name of the city of Sarajevo comes from, for example. 

A combination inn, stable, tavern and waystation, Caravanserai were essential infrastructure for overland travel in the good old days, providing food, shelter and safety for weary pilgrims and merchants alike. 

My pal Al kindly provided me these buildings from a Turkish design studio, 4d printed in fdm. I am over the moon with them - I think you could play whole scenarios just using the caravanserai itself! 

Also featured are a guest house for wealthy travelers, and a sawmill that represents some sort of local industry. (The sawmill attaches to a carpenter's home that I am still painting). I painted the guest house some time ago, but was trying something out and found the final result eye-wateringly garish, so have gone back to my comfortable desaturated greys and browns for these. I am very pleased with the terracotta "marbling" effect I achieved, and really think these buildings pop as a result! 

My only problem is how the heck I'm gonna store them. The main building is literally too big for any of my shelves... 

Guest House

The Hotel

Sawmill

The Grotto

Some progress shots of my collection of rocks and mushrooms. Lots more to go! This is on a 2x2 board, I should be able to fill a 3x3 by the time I'm done. 

From stls by Loot Studios and some gifts from Al. 

What do we think of the fluorescent mushrooms? Too much? Too aquarium-y? Or just right? 

Kill Zone: Volkus

The terrain from the Kill Team Hivestorm set. Lots of pieces for variety, good verticality, overall looks like a great board to play Kill Team on! 

Close Quarters: Taking Your Kill Team Into the Dark

This was a nice big project, but I got to burn through a ton of B movies while painting. I'm glad to have both open and closed boards for my new favorite skirmish game! 

My Three-Body Problem

My three-body problem is: 

Is this one building? 

Or is it three? 

This great kit was a recent gift. I think it'll make I nice strongpoint, or a table quarter's worth of urban sprawl. I'm even tempted to paint up my MDF stuff now! 

Tales of the Ecthel Coast, Turn 28

Bashir finds Light Armor and Shield! 

Bashir finds an enormous pile of skulls (Obstacle) 

Tales of the Ecthel Coast, Turn 26

The party travels to the Starridge mountain range in the south, seeking the valley in Yldris' vision. It turns out to be a tiny mining hamlet! The place seems abandoned at first, without a soul in sight, and all doors and windows shuttered. As they make their way carefully down the only street, they are startled by a sudden bang! as a shutter flies open. "Beware the Old Kin!" a crone calls out. "Ye'd best come in before ye become lizard food!" 

A warm tea and short chat later, the party learns that a raiding patrol of Old Kin has taken up residence in the mines adjacent to the town, which is called Saltshell. The mayor of the town hired a small group of adventurers to clear out the mine, but they haven't been heard from in some time, and subsequent attempts to approach the minehead were driven away by armed lizardmen. 

The adventurers look at each other. "Two birds, one stone," Bashir says, and shrugs with a rueful grin. 

With that they gear up and head to the occupied mine. 

The party makes its way into the mines

Diane moves deeper into the cavern

At first, all is quiet. Yldris stumbles into a toxic pool, whose caustic fumes trace angry burns on his legs. The elf winces but manages to stay quiet. 

Their way blocked, the party doubles back and tries a different passage. The alchemical light of magical runes glow at the end of the tunnel marks a chamber with exits in all directions, and perhaps contains the information they are seeking. As they approach, they hear the telltale sounds of a fighting patrol nearby. Brandishing swords and bows, Alcuin leads Yldris and Diane around the corner to confront their foe... 

The party confronts a lizard patrol

Diane downs the large lizard leader with a perfectly placed shot through the eye, but as they move in to fight the other lizardmen, she sees a glint out of the corner of her eye, and spies a slumping suit of metal armor behind them - guarded by three more old kin! The battle becomes desperate, its clashing din distracting Cordelia, who is unable to decipher the runes. 

Another patrol is sighted behind the party! 

Surrounded, the party fights back to back. Ocirne's incantation frighten away some of the foe, despite their implacable reputation, and swords and arrowshafts finish off the rest, but not before Jhonny Trinity is wounded by a vicious slash from one of their foes' curved daggers. 

Hearing yet another patrol coming their way, the party retreats deeper into the mines and sets up an ambush. 

The party prepares to ambush the remaining patrol. 

These last are caught unawares, and are cut down almost before they can respond. 

Moving carefully through the mines, they ensure that it is now clear of adversaries. Along the way, they find the bodies of the adventurers as well as the mayor who hired them, still wearing his heavy (and valuable) chain of office. As they are preparing to leave, Alcuin spies a short copper shaft among some debris; picking it up, he sees that it is a dart, whose fletches, shaft and head are all rune-inscribed copper. Admiring its beauty, he lets out a low whistle, and is astonished as the dart trembles and levitates, like a bird in his hands! 

Jhonny Trinity‘s gut wound looked fatal at first, but miraculously he is nearly unscathed! (-1 Luck)

2xp to all participants except Jhonny Trinity (1) and Alcuin (3). Alcuin and Ocirne gain a level!

Much loot is obtained: 

2x Partial Armor 

2x Helmet 

Fine Light Armor 

Strange Map (add an Unexplored Location) 

Penetrating Dart (R24, kill target to hit another within 4”) 

Jewelry worth 9 (!) gold 

Unusual Find: 2 Marks under a body

The Runes give the party the location of the Quest Finale! Also some extra stuff: 

-Evasive Silver (W) Enemy ranged attacks against the wearer will Hit only on the roll of a natural 6, however the effect ends for the rest of the battle if the wearer makes a ranged attack themselves 

-A bag of coins containing 2 Marks

The party returns to Saltshell to great praise and admiration. They are feted until the wee hours, and finally crawl into their cots, and a satisfied slumber.