Ooser - Folk Horrors - Meridian Miniatures and Gardens of Hecate

“Ooser” from the Folk Horrors Kickstarter by Meridian Miniatures/Gardens of Hecate.

I decided to look this one up before I painted it- some of the folk horror miniatures seem to be invented, while others have a basis in some actual folklore. This one is based on the Dorset Ooser, which is a pretty interesting little rabbit hole. I decided to give him the multi-color treatment I used on the Crooked Dice mummermen I have painted previously.

About a day after painting him it dawned on me that he’s on the cover of the much beloved “Folklore, Myths, and Legends of Britain” book (which I still haven’t fully read 😞).

Happy Solstice! 

Ksenia - Graveclad - Deadcember 2022

 I managed to squeeze in a 'Deadcember' entry this year, 'Ksenia Graveclad' from Hasslefree.

Rangers of Shadow Deep - The Last Stand

A couple of weeks ago my friend and I were able to squeeze in the last scenario of the basic campaign presented in the Rangers of Shadow Deep rulebook, "The Last Stand". The scenario called for some things that I didn't have in my collection, such as civilians, trolls, and a burrow worm. I had the building done quite a while ago. Here's some pics of the minis for this scenario, along with some action shots. 

The scenario was a nail-biter, with a lot of careful tactical decisions. A few companions were knocked out, along with one civilian dying. All in all a fun campaign.

The Swamplands - Rangers of Shadow Deep

After finishing the Broken Stairs board it was time to move on to the "Swamplands", a 2x2 board with 8" of deep water. I used a piece of matboard, so that it was flat and could tuck under the stairs slightly.

It was easy to do- a layer of clear Plasti-Dip to seal it; brown and black spray paint with some flock sprinkled on, followed by painting with acrylic craft paint and a little more flock on top. Last, a coat of polyurethane to seal it up and make it look glossy, and a second coat of poly on the deep water.

View from opposite edge- the party prepares to move into the deep water. The raptor, Ladyhawke, inhales noxious fumes and passes out. Lewinna carefully places the ailing bird into her pack.

Vicious fight at the water's edge- the knight flounders in deep water. Lewinna prepares to cast a spell of Transference but the knight makes it out in time.

Gabriella pulls a treasure chest from the muck.

The wardog is felled by a gruesome swipe by the zombie. It recovers later, but develops psychological scars. Ingrid, the recruit, also takes a grimy claw to the face and is taken out... she loses an eye as a result.

Sadly, Ladyhawk does not recover, and Lewinna takes a moment to mourn her friend.

Easy Briar and Brambles Terrain

This is an older build I neglected to post. I needed a bunch of briar and bramble terrain for a Rangers of Shadow Deep scenario, and wanted to make something that figures could move into or through. 

I settled on making flat 'area bases' using Hardboard (Masonite) cut to ovals and irregular bean shapes, and textured them with sand and wood filler. They were then painted with craft paint- dark brown, drybrush medium brown, and final light drybrush with a light brown. 

The brambles are made with one of my favorite materials, the green furnace filter that I use for all sorts of things. I teased and cut it apart to form loose briar like forms and spray painted the patches brown and gray.

The next step is gluing on flocking material- I use Woodland Scenics. I went with a variety this time. 

The final step is a liberal spraying of "Plasti-Dip" Clear, to seal it all up and keep the flock on the brambles.

I don't glue the bramble patches on- they're just set on top so that they can be moved around to accommodate miniatures, yet the 'difficult ground' area is marked.

Rangers of Shadow Deep - Broken Stairs - Custom Board

I had been mulling around building a 3D board for a notorious Rangers of Shadow Deep scenario, the "Broken Stairs", for quite a while. Essentially, the rangers and companions descend into the shadow deep using a treacherous staircase, all the while being beset upon by giant flies. When the 2021 "Build Something" contest was announced on the Lead Adventure Forum, I decided that I would take on the project, as it was the next one in line on the campaign my friend and I had been playing.

I started with a paltry 20 degree slope, and scratched it as not threatening enough. Next pictures are of the build process. The main structure is 'gatorfoam', which I love using for terrain. Then, lots of insulation foam, foamcore, and spray foam to build up shapes. It is all tied together with bathroom toilet tissue and Mod Podge. Sand was mixed into the paint layer to provide a little more texture here and there. Painting involved washes, flicking paint, drybrushing, and spot painting, with a few tufts and some flocking as well.

Bird nest made from greenstuff and furnace filter, pressed into an Instant Mold.

 

 

 A few pics of the final product.

 

Action shots from the game:

Watch your step...

Gabriella the Duelist skillfully dispatches a fly.

Giant fly takes a vicious bite out of the wardog, taking it out of action.

 

Ladyhawke inspecting the nest. 

All in all, this was a resounding success and the height really helped pull off the threat of falling (literally too, not a lot of room to place figures!).

Since this was a lot of work for a single scenario, I'm hoping to get this to some conventions and will likely use it as a scenic backdrop.

Obligatory scenic shot, with a Photoshopped background...

Thanks for looking :)