Looting the Secondhand Bin at my FLGS...Again

 My wife is a generous god. Today is our wedding anniversary, and we both scheduled ourselves off work with plans to visit a local greenhouse/conservatory that is having a butterfly exhibition. Unfortunately, it's extremely hot today and Gina's MS flares up when she overheats - so between the fact that it's a bit of a hike from parking to the greenhouse and it's a hot, steamy greenhouse, we decided it might not be in our best interest to go today. Instead, she proposed we take a trip to Harlequin Hobby - I'd been wanting to check their collection of decal sheets for some Orc/Ork decals, and with her blessing I also spent some time digging through the file boxes of secondhand figures. I came away with some real goodies!

First up, another blister pack of old metal Night Goblin fanatics, as well as a metal Black Orc standard bearer that had been converted by a previous owner with a resin head. A vintage Orc Shaman and a goblin with a flail that was I think originally a Heartbreaker miniature. 

When I went to pay for these (as well as my sheet of Ork decals), she insisted on treating me. 

Why yes, I did marry out of my league. 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 120

Figures Painted in 2025: 121

Old World Wednesday #1: 4-Way Battle

 Last night, I played in my first "real" game of Warhammer: The Old World. Readers might recall I played a 500-pt "learning" game back in April. Yesterday was the inaugural "Old World Wednesdays" at Harlequin Hobby; I brought a thousand points of my Oldhammer Orcs & Goblins, and met up with three other guys for a 2 vs 2 game.

Besides myself, there was:

• Reece, with 1000 pts of Beastman Bray-Herds
• Vinnie, with 1000 pts of legacy Skaven
• Derek, with 1000 pts of Orcs & Goblins!

Derek and I teamed up on one side of the board, our armies complementing each other nicely, and being similarly comprised of older models with paper banners. Reece and Vinnie deployed opposite us. We picked a mission from the new Matched Play book; both sides deployed on a diagonal with victory points scored based on units in proximity to the tower at the center of the table.

Also pictured - my original Warhammer dice from 2001!

We didn't manage to finish the game before the store had to close for the night, but we had a great time along the way. Some highlights:

• I cast the spell "Foot of Gork" right off the bat, instantly eliminating Reece's "Razorgor" under the stomping fury of a spectral green foot. The spell was not dispelled all game, and after multiple semi-effectual stomps on Reece's Dragon Ogres, it turned around and stomped half of Derek's Black Orcs out of existence! Oops!
• Reece had deployed two regiments of beastmen one in front of the other; I used my Doom Diver catapult to target the front regiment, and managed to land a direct hit. It scored enough casualties that the survivors needed to make a panic test - which they failed, despite having their general with them. The front unit turned and fled into the back unit, forcing it to take a panic test as well, which it also failed, sending them fleeing as well. They managed to rally before they fled off the table, but it still put them out of position and on the back foot for the next two turns. 
• A unit of Stormvermin charged into Derek's Night Goblins; they managed to survive the initial charge and deployed their Fanatics directly into the massed Skaven. 

This game was everything I ever dreamed of a game of Warhammer being when I first came into the hobby in 2001. I was entranced by Warhammer Fantasy Battles 6th edition, though I never managed to build an army or play a game at the time. The sportsmanship and camaraderie on display last night was second to none. We were all laughing at the Foot of Gork every turn, and we were all reading and interpreting the rules collaboratively to ensure no one was unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged. 

With this game I also feel like I finally hit a point where I was thinking and playing tactically, instead of hoping for the best while spinning in place playing the Major General's Song on a kazoo. Getting a perfect shot with my Doom Diver catapult that sent two regiments of beastmen fleeing in panic is going to carry me for a while. 

It ended up being a much later night out than I've had in a very long time, so this morning necessitated twice the coffee as usual to get me into some semblance of functional humanity, but I'm glad I did it, and I can't wait for next week's game. 

Returning to The Old World

 I got invited to a group chat organizing regular games of Warhammer: The Old World at my local game store. The people in the group seem nice and are painting their miniatures - and playing at a points value where I'm not going to destroy my back lugging my all-metal orcs and goblins to the store. 

So I sat down and sorted out a 1000-pt army that should be relatively well balanced. I asked for a little bit of help on Reddit, given my past experiences with being left to my own devices to build army lists. If all goes according to plan I'll be playing games on both Wednesday and Thursday this week - and with my wife's blessing and encouragement, no less! 

Da Pig Hussas - 5 Orc Boar Boyz (Big'uns), with full command, cavalry spears and shields. Standard bearer has the enchanted Banner of Butchery and the leader is wearing a 'Eadbuttin' 'At.

Dem Wots Got Stickas - 20 Night Goblins (pretend they have hooded cloaks) with shortbows, hiding two manic Fanatics in their ranks. Next to them is Wee Whistle, a Level 3 Night Goblin shaman.

Da Red Bastids - 25 Orc Boyz with hand weapons and shields and a full command.

Harboth's Orc Archers - 15 Orc Boyz with warbows, shields and full command. Behind them is a Doom Diver catapult with an Orc Bully to improve morale.

Big Boss Yorzolg - Orc Big Boss, army general, great weapon, Trollhide Trousers and a Charmed Shield on a Boar Chariot.

How they're shown here is more or less my plan for deployment as well, though if I can put the Doom Diver Catapult on a hill I will do so. Hopefully the Pig Hussas and Yorzolg can hit some enemy units in the flanks and cause some extra damage that way while the orcs soak up some charges and the Night Goblins...well, they're mainly there to launch the ultra-destructive and uncontrollable fanatics into the center of the table. 

Finished: Orc Shaman on War Wyvern (Marauder Miniatures 1992)

 I haven't figured out banners for him that I like, but I'm calling this figure done for now.

This feels like a recruitment poster for being an orc. And honestly, I think the finished figure came out even better than I'd hoped; the yellow skin, the fade to red on the tail, the striping, the tigerskin saddle, the orange mohawk on the helmet, the tarnished bronze bits. I feel really good calling this a centerpiece model. 

I'm counting this as five models for the purposes of tracking - the wyvern, the rider, and the three "Lesser Goblins" on the base. 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 115

Figures Painted in 2025: 121

Wyvern Finished!

 I'm proud to announce I've finished the Wyvern half of my Marauder Orc Shaman on War Wyvern. Though I might go back in and re-do the eyes - the yellow pupil is too close to the yellow scales. Now, just need to finish the rider and a trio of snotlings for the base, then flocking and flags!

Once this is finished, I have a unit of Orc Big'uns that I started base-coating skin tones on that I'll focus on, followed by another big centerpiece-y kind of model - a Black Orc Warboss riding in a boar chariot. That's going to be a beast of a model, potentially even heavier than this wyvern! 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 115

Figures Painted in 2025: 117

WIP: Orc Shaman on War Wyvern

 I was able to spend an unexpectedly large amount of time today painting, which was nice. I'd originally planned on teaching a couple of friends to play Devilry Afoot and Perilous Tales, but when one had to cancel last minute due to some health issues, my friend Rick and I pivoted to having a relaxed paint-and-chat session at my dining room table. The two of us and our wives had lunch together, chatted for a while, and then from about 2:15 in the afternoon until probably about 5:30, Rick and I were parked at the table, hunched over our respective projects. 

I finished the primary color for the War Wyvern (a slightly orange-tinged yellow), and painted the tombstone on the base it will be leaning against. I also painted the furs, wood and bone bits on the shaman's saddle, with the furs painted as tiger skins; I've been wanting to do some tiger skins for a while now, and my fur-clad Savage Orcs were a ways down my to-do list. I think it worked out really, really well, and I'm a bit disappointed the shaman will be covering a lot of it. 

The wyvern, saddle and base are still separate from each other, just propped together for a quick photo. The wyvern itself is going to get a pattern of dark stripes down its back and head (and maybe some patterning on the backs of the wings), and I think the tail is going to fade to red towards the tip. Claws and horns in ivory shades, and the inside of the mouth I'm thinking blue. there's a bunch of tassels on the saddle (and another on the Shaman's belt) that I'm thinking bright purple for. Might as well go as visually loud as possible on a centerpiece model, right? 

I also got the skin tones base coated and washed on the rider and a trio of Kev Adams-sculpted "Lesser Goblins" from Alternative Armies, who will be scattered around the wyvern's feet. 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 113

Figures Painted in 2025: 116

Works in Progress

 I've had a couple things moving at various speeds on my workbench this week.

First things first, I've finished a 3D-printed raised pumpkin patch that my wife Gina got me as an early anniversary present:

This will be a nice piece of scatter terrain, adding a pop of color to various skirmish games. 

I received an order of villagers from Midlam Miniatures, to provide Innocents for my hunters in Devilry Afoot to protect. I also got a plague doctor to serve as an additional hunter, and a trio of gnomes who will be sinister "Red Caps" in game. These have all been cleaned up and based. 

I started painting a horse and cart I got from Wargames Foundry as a Christmas gift in 2023; this will be a piece of scatter terrain most likely in Devilry Afoot.

Words fail to convey the thrillingness of this photo.

Finally, I have, well...gotten distracted. I blame Merijn over at Another Wargaming Blog: His recent goblin posts have drawn my attention back to my long-neglected Orcs & Goblins. I've got a fair amount of infantry, a few Wolf Riders, plenty of Chariots and a few big character models that are awaiting paint. And I've bitten the bullet and started looking at advice for list-building. I'd like to play a few games where my loss isn't a foregone conclusion before the end of the first turn, you know? 

One of the pieces of advice I was given, at least for Warhammer: The Old World, was putting my general on a big monster. That, I can do! Going into my project box, the first thing that came to hand was my Orc Shaman on Wyvern. This was a Marauder kit from the 1992 that Games Workshop reissued last year as a brief made-to-order offering. I snapped it up pretty quickly, and then had to scramble to change the delivery address when it took longer to produce than expected and was arriving after our move. It was a huge relief when it arrived! 

Assembly was a bit tough, and I hope I can get away with only one pinned joint, in the neck. I know this figure is prone to drooping due to all that weight being concentrated in the left ankle, so I dug into my bits box and fished out a tomb stone from Reaper Miniatures (it had come packaged with a zombie I bought probably 7 years ago). It ended up being the perfect height to rest the raised right leg on, so hopefully that will help stabilize it. 

After this photo was taken, I finished assembling the Wyvern as well as the two pieces that make up the saddle, keeping the saddle and rider separate to paint individually before final assembly. I'm going to probably scatter a few snotlings around the base as well for added visual interest. 

Transporting it to play games with is going to be a risky endeavor, I'm sure.

Figures Purchased in 2025: 113

Figures Painted in 2025: 116

First Game of Warhammer: The Old World

 I had a really nice afternoon at the game store today, got to chat with a couple of good guys, picked up a bit of scatter terrain for my big game at Wargames Among the Warplanes in June, and of course got my very first game of Warhammer: The Old World in!

I had the worst dice luck I can remember ever having in 20 years of gaming. I could not pass a Leadership test. My trolls, even with a babysitter, could not pass a Stupidity test, and remained irreversibly stupid. I could not successfully charge. 

But that's fine - I'm not playing orcs to *win*, I'm playing orcs to laugh when things go awry - for example, my trolls spending three turns staring in befuddlement at a giant eagle before getting obliterated by it. 

The High Elf General charges my orc spearmen.

My General charges the High Elf General and is promptly killed.

The last of my trolls falling to the Sky-Cutter. 

Even in losing, I enjoyed the experience, and my opponent was a gracious teacher (who, unfortunately, is moving out of the area next week). Another guy I talked to offered to meet me for games any time I'm available so this will not be my last game. 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 58

Figures Painted in 2025: 70

Happy Easter and Some Gaming

 Happy Easter to all my readers who celebrate. We're having a very low-key Sunday here, nothing too fancy on the menu or any visiting planned. Except...

On Friday, I found out that my local game store, Harlequin Hobby, is open for gaming today and there were people looking to play Warhammer: The Old World. I happen to have an army for Warhammer: The Old World. With no other plans, I cleared an afternoon spent at the game store with my wife, and asked if anybody would be open to a 500-point game to help me learn the ropes. Having confirmed that someone would be happy to do so, I drew up plans for a 500-point army that would be easy to transport.

I threw my back out earlier this week and am still on the mend, and it's situations like this that might maybe make me curse my deep love of metal miniatures. 

So here's what I'm taking to the store today:

Orc General on Boar. Figure by Knightmare.

Goblin Wolf Riders with Bows. Figures by Foundry/Warmonger

Orc Spearmen in looted Empire uniforms. Figures by Foundry/Warmonger

Trolls originally from Satyr Art Studios, currently OOP. Goblin handler by Knightmare.

I'll be back later with a play report or two!

Figures Purchased in 2025: 58

Figures Painted in 2025: 70

Demo Day AAR

 So yesterday, March 8th, the game store I've begun visiting locally - Harlequin Hobby in Cheektowaga NY - held a big day-long event (literally, noon to midnight) for people to demonstrate games they love and stir up interest. I signed on to run quick demos of Wiley Games' Fistful of Lead - the only truly indie game there, everyone else was running games with global distribution networks and marketing budgets that the store already stocked. 

Since I didn't need as much space as something like Warhammer 40K, I got put in the upstairs gaming hall - something I didn't even know the store had until yesterday! I got set up alongside a guy running Marvel Dice Throne and another running Marvel Crisis Protocol. My demo scenario was pretty simple - small gangs of orcs squabbling over division of treasure after a battle. Scaled it down to a 2' x 2' board and created warbands of just 3 figures apiece using my Oldhammer Orcs. 

The first hour and a half were pretty quiet, but a couple people walked by and asked about my set-up and I gave my sales pitch of what the game is and why they should play it. A lot of people were wowed by my painted metal figures as well. 

From 1:30 to 4, I ran four 20-30 minute demo games in pretty quick succession, and gave my sales pitch to probably 10 additional people, including a couple of store employees who couldn't sit down and play for 30 minutes. I only remembered to take photos of the last demo game, unfortunately.

Everyone who sat down at my table had fun, and left with a smile on their face, which is more than I could say for some of the other games I witnessed. I didn't get a chance to wander the demo games downstairs in the main play space, but a bunch of Warhammer 40K players showed up and decided to take over some table space across from me for a pick-up game, to practice for an event next weekend. Those guys just looked miserable the entire time they were playing, and an argument over rules broke out between a pair of identical twins - imagine the Marx Brothers mirror gag with Harpo and Groucho pointing furiously at PDF files on an ipad and you've got an idea. 

At 4 o'clock, after my last game wrapped up (and I was only scheduled for noon to 4) and I was putting my things back in my bag, a guy who'd drifted by and glanced at my table a few times came up and asked if I was still running games because he wanted to play. I apologized, let him know I'd only been booked for noon to 4, but informed him I'd be back to run more in the coming weeks because it's a game I love and there's definite interest at the store for more. 

Magnetize, Magnetize!

 Not much exciting going on at the moment on my paint desk, but I am working my way through magnetizing all of my orcs and goblins' bases and their movement trays. That's where the bulk of my hobby time has gone for the past week.

The movement trays are 3D printed, with spacers to convert to Warhammer The Old World unit footprints (which is a lot more appealing than rebasing 200-ish figures). Each slot in the base has a depression for a little magnet, so I'm gluing magnets into the trays and gluing squares of sheet steel to the underside of each base. Once the weather improves I'll hit the movement trays with a coat of green spray paint and flock the tops so the bases blend in. 

As you can see, there's a couple units here left to paint and even more in boxes behind them. The biggest limiting factor is going to be that the green I use for their skin is no longer being made, so once my stockpile runs dry I may have to stop. 

Warhammer: The Old World - Finally happening for me?!?

 So as readers of the blog will know, I've been slowly building an all metal Orc & Goblin army that I could use in any edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, The Old World, Kings of War, Oathmark, Dragon Rampant, etc. These days that project is more "art project" than anticipated "wargaming army," in large part due to the sheer weight of 200+ metal orcs, and also very much a "hey, 14 year old me - you did it. You built a Warhammer army, and it's awesome."

Well, asking around on Facebook, I found out there's a game store local to me that seems to prioritize wargaming and Warhammer, and there's a bunch of people there who are playing Warhammer: The Old World. 

I'd initially intended to drop by tonight and talk to a few of them, maybe watch a game in progress, but I got 4 hours of sleep last night and spent two hours today getting my internet turned back on, so by the time game-time rolled around I just didn't have the energy to get back in the car and drive 20 minutes each way, plus socializing. 

What I did do today, though, is go through the "Ravening Hordes" book of army lists and build myself a little 1000-point army; I'm hoping I can convince someone at the store to play a smaller game like this while I learn the rules more thoroughly, so that I don't have to try and schlep 2000 points of metal figures to the store and home. 

The whole army in one shot.

Characters - Orc Warboss on Boar Chariot, and Level 2 Orc Weirdboy

Da Red Bastids - 25x Orc Mob, hand weapons, shields and light armor, full command

Harboth's Black Mountain Boys - 20x Orc Mob, hand weapons, warbows, shields and light armor, full command

Cubsnatchers - 5x Goblin Wolf Riders, short bows and hand weapons

Da Red Stikkas - 20x Goblin Mob, hand weapons and short bows

Da Bilgesquatters - 3x River Troll Mob, great weapons

This will hopefully prove a fairly balanced force to start learning the game with, and one I can easily expand for larger games. 

I'll be paying the store a visit tomorrow (I need to restock a few things in my toolkit), and fingers are very much crossed that I'll make my triumphant return to in-person wargaming with a return to where my wargaming journey began - a Greenskins army for Warhammer. 

State of the Orc Army, May 2024

 Been a while since I've posted! Haven't done a ton of gaming since March; we're actually moving at the end of the summer, from our current one bedroom apartment into an actual house! In fact, the house I grew up in; my parents are looking to downsize as they get older, so my wife and I are buying their house from them. A lot of my wargaming terrain has already been moved into the basement at the house, just because it's delicate and I didn't want to risk anything breaking if I could help it. My painted miniatures will all be moved over in the coming weeks as well.

In the meantime, I did get my entire Oldhammer orc and goblin army out on the table this past weekend for the six-month muster. 

First things first, here's the entire* army:

So this technically isn't everything that's painted; my 3rd edition Hobgoblin contingent wasn't unpacked for this, and my Doom Diver catapult needs some repairs so it was left off the table this time around. Let's take a closer look:

Some miscellaneous characters; since the last muster I've added Grimgor Ironhide, Black Orc Warboss from Games Workshop, 6th edition WHFB on the left there, and a Heartbreaker Orc Shaman (now available through Ral Partha Europe) on the far right. 

Goblins! I've added a unit of Wolfriders from Warmonger miniatures (foreground) and a wolf chariot (in the back) from GW, as well as a shaman from Old School Miniatures (red hood). Someday soon I should bulk out that regiment of 12 up to...around 40. Maybe 48. 

These are really special. I painted the first 12 of Harboth's Orc Archers from 1987 back in 2021, and finished the remaining 8 (including standard bearer, musician and champion) in January of this year. They all have hand-painted face shields and I freehanded the banner as well. Behind them you can see one of my two 25-strong Orc regiments.

"The Old Guard" is 35-strong, consisting of orcs released between 1985 and 1996; a mix of Citadel, Marauder, Heartbreaker, Alternative Armies, maybe some I'm forgetting.

My Boar Boyz, from Knightmare Miniatures; have done a couple weapon swaps on these, including making the standard bearer.

Up front are my Black Orcs; these are "Barnorsk Great Orcs" from Black Tree Design, and the first figures I painted for this army. I have another 10 to add to them, and I'll be redoing shields. Also probably redoing the standard bearer, replacing the cast standard pole with a 4" steel pin and a new paper flag. Behind them is my second 25-man orc unit.

Trolls are from Satyr Art Studio originally; the molds were sold to Troll Soup Miniatures but I don't know if they're still in production; they're marked sold out every time I check the site. Next to them is a Warmonger Orc carrying a siege gun, which I'll be using as a Rock Lobber.

I have no idea if they'll ever make it on the table for a game, but I do still love the "Black Fire Boyz" - a group of orcs that have started wearing Imperial uniforms stripped from fallen foes and imitating pike tactics. 

And finally the baggage train; again, not something that'll ever see use past 3rd edition games (should those ever happen for me), but a characterful and fun addition. 

So that's it for now, minus the units I mentioned above. 

What's next?

I did recently score a complete set of the 2002 version of Ruglud's Armored Orcs, sculpted by Brian Nelson during the 6th edition era. These were kind of a "White Whale" for me - the issue of White Dwarf they were introduced in was one of the first issues I had as a teenager entering the hobby, and every greenskins army list I wrote up back then included them as a choice. Those are on my painting table right now. 

I have a bunch of chariots, more goblins, more black orcs, a unit of Night Goblins to do...

Really the biggest thing I should do is magnetize all these bases. I have 3D printed movement trays to adapt these base sizes to Warhammer: The Old World and I really should get magnets and steel squares so I can take these to a game without spending an hour ranking everyone up at the table.

Orc Siege Gun

 I'll be taking part in the Old World Army Challenge again in 2024, with an amusing little WHFB 3rd edition Empire Army with Halfling Allies. In prepping for January 1st, I've been very much in an Oldhammer frame of mind, and have been keeping myself busy with some of the orcs in my collection; even if I'm taking a break for the duration of the OWAC, I'm thinking the Oldhammer Orc project is going to be a constant for me, because there will always be something to add to it, and it gives me so much joy. 

The latest figure to be completed is this bunch from Warmonger Miniatures - Here we have mercenary orc "Curroneth" with his Orcquebus siege gun and crew. Another Kev Adams sculpt (like the bulk of my army), I think the mercenary orcs he did for Warmonger are some of his best and most underrated sculpts; the landsknecht style clothing and the sheer volume of looted goods they're crusted with cry out for bright colors and reward the patient painter. 

The "orclings" forming the gun rest as well as the reloading crew all came with Curroneth, but I added another one, similarly dressed in puff-and-slash and admiring himself in a hand mirror; I painted his clothes to match Curroneth's, with quartered red-yellow and blue-white. 

I also drilled out the gun barrels; I'd gotten a little bit of flack on social media for not drilling out the horns some of my musicians were blowing, so I figured I'd get ahead of that. 

Other than the "Leadbelcher" cannon in the 3rd edition list, orcs have not had access to gunpowder weapons in Warhammer Fantasy Battles; I figure I'll use this as a proxy Rock Lobba catapult if I ever get a chance to play. 

***

Finally, I have something very cool to share. Last week, my wife Gina found out that I have hobby "white whales" - old figures that I'd love to get my hands on given a chance. She asked for a list of what some of these white whales were, and got to work. 

Top of the list was the 6th edition WHFB "Orc Warboss on Wyvern" - I fell in love with this kit the very first time I walked into a Games Workshop store in August 2001. They had a painted example on a turntable in the display case and I was absolutely entranced - the short neck and bulldog face on the wyvern was so cool to 14 year old me.

Alas, I had neither the money nor the attention span to focus long enough to build a 2000-pt 6th edition army; I bought a few boxed sets here and there - Night Goblins, Orcs, Skeletons, Chaos Warriors - but never managed to get far enough to be thinking about characters. So I never bought the Warboss on Wyvern. 

Earlier this week, it arrived:

It feels surreal to hold it in my hands. It had become a pipe dream, a mythical "if I see one for sale that's not in too-terrible a shape, that doesn't cost a kidney." I don't think I was expecting to ever actually get one. It might not get painted until spring, because my priming window is rapidly closing for the year, but I'm excited to finally get a chance to paint it.

Orcs & Goblins: Boar Boyz Completed

 In 2021, I took part in the Old World Army Challenge, building an army of orcs and goblins for 3rd edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles. I tried continuing the army the following year, in 2022, but petered out halfway through, and opted out of participating in this year's challenge. Even getting re-energized this past December and again in May, I still have a lot of orcs awaiting paint. In June, I started painting a unit of Orc Boar Riders from Knightmare Miniatures; I'd converted some of them with weapon swaps and turning one into a standard bearer back in 2021, and they'd been sitting primed and waiting their turn ever since.

I completed the first rank, including the command, in June 2023, but the second rank remained unfinished. Until now. I was sick of having a half-finished unit looking at me and making me feel guilty, so I committed myself to finishing them; today, I can call the regiment complete.

Here's the finished second rank:

And here's the regiment as a whole: 

It's not Oldhammer if the banner isn't impractically large, right?