…I was playing with a group of friends. We played AD&D 2ed (Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Birthright), Shadowrun, Call of Cthulu and Star Wars.
It was the ’90s, we were teenagers, gathering to play once per week.
Time passed, friends changed, TTRPGs were put aside, stored in a warehouse. Computer RPGs and gaming scratched that itch a bit.
More time passed, family came along. CRPGs no longer could scratch the itch, but there simply was no time. I remembered how hard it was to get to play once per week, even with that tight group of friends, even when our only responsibility was to studying for school. But the love for TTRPGs was still there.
One day I stumbled upon a reddit post on solo roleplaying. At first I was sceptical. Then I found a subreddit, blogs from other fellow lonewolves. Solo roleplaying was something that worked, and there were tools designed to enable it.
Finally I decided to give it a go. I pulled my old Star Wars the Roleplaying Game (West End Games) books from the storage, found my dice, got some pen and paper, and journeyed to my first adventure. So this is my blog, where I will talk about all things relevant to solo roleplay gaming from my perspective.
Edit: This site is in the affiliate program of drivethruRPG, so the respective links include the affiliate id. It’s a small help with my hobby budget to try more new things.
Choose your battle Check for Rivals – 6/1: None Select your Job: Patron job
Readying for battle
Determine Deployment Conditions No Condition Notable Sights: Documentation
Determine the Objective Deliver
Determine the Enemy Roving Threats: Swarm Brood
Number: 6/3+2=8 1 Pack Leader (No Specialist? (2))
Battle Rolls
Seize Initiative: 4+4 = 8/10 Fail Round 1: 2266 Everyone is dashing forward Round 2: 2334 Quick Phase: Ariana dashes forward Enemy Phase: the Swarm dashes closer Slow Phase: Urien aims and Shoots: 5+2/5:Hit:4: Casualty! Renette moves and shoots: 2+1/5: Miss Drathi moves and shoots: 1+1/5: Miss Round 3: 4556 Enemy Phase: Swarm vs Ariana: 6+1/2+1: Ariana receives 2 hits: 1+1,2+1/4: Stunned twice Slow Phase: Urien: aims and shoots: 1,4+2/5: Hit: 3: Stun Renette: moves and shoots: 4+1/3: Hit: 1: Stun (2) Drathi aims and shoots: 6+1/3: 2 Hits: 5+1, 2+1: Casualty Round 4: 2245 Quick Phase: Ariana retreats and Shoots Machine Pistol: 5,6/3: 2 Hits: 2,6: Casualty Drathi aims and shoots Leader: 6+1/3: 2 Hits: 6+1,3+1: Casualty Enemy Phase: Bugs can't reach team, by a short distance Slow Phase: Urien aims and shoots Military rifle: 2+2/3: Hit: 4/4: Casualty Renette aims and shoots Military rifle: 6+1/3: Hit: 4/4: Casualty Round 5: 2445 Quick Phase: Drathi aims and shoots: 3+1/3: Hit: 3+1/4: Casualty Enemy Phase: Bug charges at Drathi: 2+1/5+3: Drathi Wins: 1+1/4: Stun Slow Phase: Ariana shoots Machine Pistol twice: 5,6/3: 2 Hits: 5,5/4: Casualty
Post Battle
Resolve Rival Status N/A
Resolve Patron Status Busy-> Will get another Job next Turn
Determine Quest Progress N/A
Get Paid 3 Credits
Battlefield Finds Vital info / Invasion Evidence: Turn in this information to get a Corporate Patron automatically on this world. If the enemy is an Invasion Threat, you instead find Invasion Evidence; if so, earn +1 credit and add +1 when checking for Invasion in the next step.
Check for Invasion 2+1-1: No
Gather the loot 3 Dazzle Grenades
Determine Injuries and Recovery N/A
Experience and Character Upgrades Ariana: +3 XP Urien: +4 XP Drathi: +3 XP Renette: +3 XP
Invest in Advance Training No
Purchase Items No
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP/Level
Ariana Raschke
2
6″
+0
4
+3
2
36/5
Urien Jackstadt
1
5″
+2
4
+0
11/2
Drathi
2
6″
+1
3
+2
2
12/2
Renette Grison
1
5″
+1
3
+0
1
9/1
Urien: +1 Toughness Drathi: +1 Luck
Crew Name
Notes
Story Points
Credits
Stash
Raschke‘s Rifles
2 QR
6
16
Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Quality Sight
Roll for a Campaign Event A chance meeting turns into a new ally. Roll up a new character and add them to the crew, OR add +1 story point. You may decide after rolling up the new character 98: Strange Character 08: Unity Agent, won’t Recruit, we have enough of Unity
Roll for a Character Event Ariana: You know someone who knows someone. Add a Patron. Private Organization: The Coreward Path (Veron Voss)
Check for Galactic War Progress N/A
Text Narrative
Night fell, and the three moons of Mackensen V stood high up in the sky, a cool green colour reflecting off them. In the safe house, Ariana and Drathi had all sorts of spare parts in front of them, trying to fix the damaged items in their stash. Ariana was focusing on Urien’s military rifle, while the skulker was working on the damaged stabilizer, which would make a fine addition to his hunting rifle. Renette was not with them. She had just finished a glass of skoltar ale, and was starting an interview with a potential crew member. Tarminos had referenced her, reluctantly. Something was off about her. Renette has seen her share of crazy across the galaxy, and she’s heard that some people look at her weird regarding her own beliefs and volitions, but she felt that this lady in front of her, had taken it a step even further. “So tell me Pan. Tarminos told me, you escaped an isolationist enclave. Are they after you? Will that be a problem for us?” She asked her. “After me? nah. They absolutely loved me. They’ll miss me, but I left them a copy.” Pan replied while fiddling with the table. “What’s with the atmosphere here? I can’t breathe.” “You’ll get used to it.” Renette cast aside her complaint. “What do you mean a copy?” “Oh I’m an artist, so I made them a copy. Of me. They loved it.” She responded. “Yeah… so nothing else to bring to the crew. Why, did you ask to join us then?” Renette asked. “Well for the credits of course. Everyone knows that the fastest way to riches is joining a crew and doing jobs and shit.” She coughed. Trying to cast away the feeling of cat hair in the throat that the atmosphere of Mackensen V had served upon her. “Scoltar ale helps.” Renette told her. “Good luck finding a crew, I don’t think we’ll be a good fit. Also consider, to keep doing what you do. You know, art.” She stood up, and mulled over the wasted time.
Urien called out to Ariana. “It’s time boss, we have to go and meet our next benefactor.” “Benefactor?” Ariana asked as she finished working on the rifle. She had fixed it. “Well, that is if we do the job right.” Urien said. “His name is Darius Armiger. He’s waiting for us.”
They reached the top floor of the tower where Darius lived. Something that stood out to Ariana after climbing five floors worth, is that the air was cleaner. She paused for a few moments and breathed in, enjoying this feeling that she had missed since arriving at Mackensen V. They rang the bell, and the door opened. “Come in, come in.” A voice yelled from inside. As they stepped in, a hulking figure, stood at the side. “Don’t mind Crut.” A fancily dressed man said as he arrived from the inner part of the appartment. “He’s just here to ensure of my safety.” He smiled and bowed slightly. “Darius Armiger.” “I’m Urien, and this is my boss, Ariana.” Urien started, before Darius cut in. “-Raschke. Yes, I’ve heard of you. A pleasure to meet you in person.” He showed off his manners. “Will you have a soft drink with me at the bar, while we discuss business?” She leaned her head softly to the side as a positive gesture, and moved to the balcony. A nice view overlooking Kevil’s Port. “I didn’t know this place was beautiful.” Ariana commented. For a moment she forgot her hardships in Unity. “Yes, it’s easily hidden by the harsh reality of this planet. That’s why I bought this place. It’s a daily reminder that there’s beauty even in the harshest places.” Darius added. Ariana didn’t talk for some time. She wanted to enjoy this. The beautiful view, the soft drinks, the clean air. Urien cleaning his throat returned her to reality. “We have business to attend to.” Urien pointed out. Ariana sighed and nodded. “What is this job Mr. Armiger?”. “A delivery. There’s a package I want you to bring to a location.” He hands over a single-use e-data sheet. “Details are here.” “I see that you’ve added some extra security to offset some risks?” Ariana asks. “Yes, you won’t even notice. Just deliver the package and get out. Simple.” Darius replied. “Oh, and if you get it done quickly, I’ll have another job for you. It’s a busy period, and I’m short on hands.” “It’s a deal Mr. Armiger.” Ariana smiled. She finished her drink, and they left.
The crew arrived at their destination, several kilometers away from Kevil’s Port, only to be greeted by an eerie silence. The observation tower in the middle was unoccupied. “Meeting we someone for package delivery, boss?” Drathi asked as he scoped the area with his rifle. “Someone should be here, but if not, we just drop it off, take photographic evidence and leave.” She replied. “I’ll do it.” “Hold up. I got movement.” Urien cut her off. “What are these things!?” He added, visibly scared. “What?” Renette asked and tried to see for herself. Ariana looked carefully to where Urien was pointing, and immediately drew her machine pistol. She cursed. She spit in the ground in front of her. And the cool friendly face she had immediately disappeared. Her crew hadn’t seen her before like this. As if a switch flipped. “Bugs. Fucking bugs.” She said. A frown appeared on her eyebrow ridge. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding. “Bah… what?” Urien asked. “The Swarm.” She added. “I fought all sorts of bugs. They do look like face rippers. I count 8 of them.” Her crew is frozen. They’ve fought other goons, but nothing like that. “Alright, squad listen up.” Her voice turned strict, military. “Shoot to kill. Don’t let them get close. Cover each other, advance slowly.”
Ariana dashes towards the tower, the package in her backpack, machine pistol at hand, while the swarm approaches from all sides. Her crew advances slowly, and starts shooting at the bugs. Urien’s shots find one dead center, killing it. Knowing how to maneuver around them, Ariana positions herself carefully, so that when they jump her, she faces only one of them at a time. She’s struck by one, but manages to fend it off eventually. The rest of the crew keeps providing cover fire, and Drathi kills another bug. Retreating tactically, she fires her pistol into the thorax of the bug, green goo splashing everywhere. Now they have them all in the open, where they want them. The team opens fire, and they start eliminating the remaining enemies, one by one, all of their shots find their targets. Two swarm bugs remain. Drathi stops, aims, and fires, finishing off one, while the other finds the opportunity in the chaos to reach him. He fends it off. Ariana turns to her side, and kills it. The battle was tense, and Ariana proved her worth – she knew how to keep the monsters at bay. She stood over the battlefield looking over the bug remains slowly dissolving. She climbs the observation post, delivers the package, and takes a picture for the patron. As she climbed down, she couldn’t help but notice the team gossiping. She barely caught with her ear that they were telling each other that she’s badass. She restrained a smile, and turned to them. “Where in UAF did you serve?” Urien asked. “Must have been a Hunter Squad.” Renette responded and Ariana nodded. “If you survive, constant deployment at invasion fronts will let you muster out quickly.” Ariana said. “Speaking of which…” she looked around. “We need to search this place. Make sure the swarm hasn’t targeted this system.”
A quarter of an hour later, they regroup. “Drathi found these.” He proudly displays 3 dazzle grenades. “LE grade.” He smiles, his whisker pads going to the side, proud of what he found. “That’s good Drathi.” Unfortunately my search yielded undesirable results. She presented a flat, alien egg-shell like piece. “These things were not indigenous or forgotten. They landed here, recently.” She looked up to the sky. “Perhaps we stopped them in their tracks.” “Or else?” Urien asks. “Or else we scrounge whatever credits we have, borrow from a loanshark, and get a ship out of here as fast as possible.” She answers. “Let’s go, time’s wasting.” She assigned tasks. Urien was to collect the payment for the job, Renette and Drathi were to go back to the safehouse, get their things ready and wait for her in the Tailed Gecko. She’d head to the Unity Reserve Office – she had to learn if the Swarm was coming to Mackensen system for real.
Back in Kevil’s Port, Urien collected their paycheck from Crut – Darius wasn’t available, but he left them a message to check back with them for additional tasks. Their questions would remain unanswered for now. In the URO, a suprised Colonel Novikov received an unannounced visit from Ariana Raschke. He was already in a meeting with a couple of people she hadn’t seen before, but she didn’t care. This was urgent. She opened her backpack and dropped off the swarm shell onto his desk. “The Swarm made an appearance.” She added. The Colonel and his guests looked at her. “Your UAF days are over Raschke. Leave the bugs to the hunters.” He exchanged glances with the other men in the room. “Are we under threat of imminent invasion Sir?” she asked. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he raised his hand to call for an officer to collect the shell. “We’ll check. Where did you find this?” “Five klicks South-South East. It could be a scout pod.” She added, leaning against his desk with both arms. The Colonel nodded to the officer who arrived. “Send a scout team. Two people. Investigate immediately. Run a deep-space hypersignal scan, relay to HQ, and receive information for any Swarm sighting or anomalies in two-parsecs radius. Priority Red.” Ariana sighed in temporary relief.
“While we’re waiting, how about some introductions?”. The gray haired guest expressed. He was a neatly dressed man. While not wearing a uniform, he might as well be. Ariana couldn’t tell if he was military or a politician. Perhaps a bit of both. Clean shaven, wearing a smart monocle. “Gentlemen.” Colonel Novikov said. “Meet Mrs. Ariana Raschke. Former bug hunter. A capable trooper, if I may say, who still helps Unity wherever she can.” He turns to the guests. “This is Mr. Voss, a representative of the Coreward Path.” He gestured to the neatly dressed man, who nodded in agreement. Without waiting to be introduced, the other man interfered. “Name’s Lombo.” He offered his hand. “Ariana Raschke, as in.. Raschke’s Rifles?” He asked. Reluctantly Ariana shook his hand. “Yes.” she agreed. “You’ve started making a name across Kevil’s Port. Really showed these isolationists.” He added. “If you’d have me, I could be a conduit between the interests of Unity and yours. I can see a definite alignment.” She looked at Lombo. Something about him was odd. She wondered. He looked fit, experienced, trained, and like knowing what to say in the right moment. She didn’t call him out, but she was certain that she was talking to a Unity Agent. Mr. Voss got excited at Raschke’s deeds. “Mrs. Raschke.” He gave her a data card. “Here’s my contact information. In case you want to find more opportunities to show your skills in a similar fashion.” He smiled. Ariana felt something sinister about that smile. She started feeling uneasy about these acquaintances of Novikov. What was their agenda, and what did they want with her and her crew. She smiled awkwardly for a brief moment, and waited in silence. It felt like hours to her, but in a few minutes the lieutenant returned, and gave a data sheet to the Colonel, who went carefully through it, scrolling up and down several times. At the end he turned to his guests. “I can’t say much in terms of confidentiality, but given our trust, let me tell you that preliminary findings show that Mackensen system is out of the Swarm’s antennae for the time being. We’ll verify with the scout team later.” He looked at Ariana. “Raschke, thank you.” She knew that this was both a thanks, and a dismissal. She mumbled a goodbye to the company, and left for the Tailed Gecko. She knew that her crew was waiting eagerly to learn what she had found out.
Session Summary
This episode was a reminder that once a bug hunter, always a bug hunter, in the Five Parsecs from Home universe. I hadn’t fought bugs before with a regular crew, so I was uneasy as to how it would play out. After the first kills from my team, I was relieved, and we won in the end. Recruiting still doesn’t work to what I’m looking for. Truth is I’m looking for very specific things, but since I’m playing with extra upkeep costs over 4 crew, I’m content at staying as is until I find what I want exactly.
Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel
Name
Injuries
Status
Ariana Raschke
Active
Urien Jackstadt
Active
Drathi
Active
Renette Grison
Active
Crew Name
Notes
Story Points
Credits
Stash
Raschke‘s Rifles
6
13
Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle
Entity
Type
Details
Job
Col. Ivan Novikov
Patron
Sector Government
Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed
World
Settlement
Notes
Mackensen V
Kevil’s Port
Restricted Education
Campaign Options
Slaves to the Star Grind
Money is Tight
Starting in the Gutter (all options)
Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
5X Experience Variant
Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
Factions to be used once we reach the next World
Pre-Battle
Upkeep and Ship Repairs Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight) No ship
Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks Ariana: Find Patron Job Urien: Recruit: Baseline Human: Drifter, Power, Technician, didn’t recruit Drathi: Explore: Trade: Insider Information (automatically find a Patron next Turn if looking for one) Renette: Trade: Basic Supplies (skip next turn Upkeep costs)
Determine Job Offers Sector Government Danger Pay: +1 credits Time Frame: This or the following campaign turn BHC: Hazard: Veteran Opposition
Assign Equipment No changes
Resolve any Rumors None
Choose your battle Check for Rivals – None Select your Job: Patron job
Readying for Battle
Determine Deployment Conditions No Condition Notable Sights: Peculiar Item
Determine the Objective Fight Off
Determine the Enemy Criminal Elements: Tech Gangers
Number: 5 Lieutenant, Specialist
Combat
Seize Initiative 8+3 = 11 Success
Ariana Move to B1: 9/8: Success Urien Move to B1: 8/8: Success Drathi Move to A2: 12/8: Success Renette Move to A2: 9/8: Success
Round 1 Initiative: 3456
Enemy Phase: Enemy 1: Find Cover: Fail, Shoot at Urien: 3/5, Miss Enemy 2: Find Cover: Fail, Shoot at Drathi: 1/5, Miss Specialist: Find Cover: Success, Shoot at Renette: 4-1=3/5,4-1=3/5, Miss x2
Slow Phase: Drathi: aims and shoots at Enemy 2: 5+1=6/5: Hit: 3+1=4/5: Stunned Urien: Find Cover: 1/5: Fail, Shoot at Enemy 1: 1+1=2/5: Miss Ariana: Scout for Location: Person of Interest: 11/8: Success: +1 Story Point Renette: aims and shoots at Specialist: 3+1=4/5: Miss
Enemy Phase: Enemy 1: Shoot at Urien: 2/5: Miss, Stun removed Enemy 2: Shoot at Drathi: 5/5: Hit: 2/3: Stunned. Stun removed. Specialist: Shoot at Renette: 2,3/5: Miss
Slow Phase: Urien: aims and shoots at Enemy 1: 4/5: Miss Drathi: Move to B2: 2+6=8/8: Success Renette: aims and shoots at Enemy 2: 5+1/5: Hit: 1/5: Stunned
Round 3 Initiative: 1266
Quick Phase Drathi Brawling with Specialist: 5+3/4: Hit: 5+1/5: Casualty: 2/6: No Save. Casualty. Ariana: Move to B2: 2+6=8/8: Success: Brawling with Enemy 1: 4+1/4: Hit: 3/5: Stunned
Round 4 Initiative: 1223 Drathi: Brawling with Enemy 1: 5+4/6: Hit: 6/5: Casualty: 4/6: No Save. Casualty. We hold the field. 6/3: No credits paid extra.
Post Battle
Resolve Rival Status (4,1): Rival! Valentin Bezerra of the Neon Rippers
Resolve Patron Status N/A
Determine Quest Progress N/A
Get Paid 5 Credits
Battlefield Finds Curious Data Stick. 1 Quest Rumour
Check for Invasion N/A
Gather the loot Damaged Gear: Stabilizer, Quality Sight 2x Still
Determine Injuries and Recovery N/A
Experience and Character Upgrades Ariana: +3 XP Urien: +3 XP Drathi: +4 XP Renette: +3 XP
Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Stabilizer D. Quality Sight
Roll for a Campaign Event The crew has decided it’s time for a new person to be in charge. Story Point -1: You’ve made some business contacts. Add a new Patron to the list of those known.
Roll for a Character Event Urien: They don’t make them like they used to. Damaged Military Rifle.
Check for Galactic War Progress N/A
Text Narrative
Ariana was finishing her breakfast, a locust goat egg omelette, packed with nutrients. Wiping her mouth, still chewing down her last bite, she stood up, put the plate in the Z-23 automated washer and turned to the rest of the crew who were doing their morning routine. “I’m going to head up to the URO. I got a text from the Colonel that he’s got another job for us. You know what to do until then. Gather intel, find someone new to join us.” She finished her bite. “We’ll meet up at the Tailed Gecko afterwards.” The crew exchanged glanced looks. Finally Renette spoke. “Just make sure we don’t end up being a Unity Task Force. If I wanted to fight for Unity I’d have enlisted.” Ariana pushed down the urge to defend Unity. After all she had chosen to leave this life. “Once we have more options, we’ll consider them.” She responded, not knowing what else to say. It didn’t seem to convince her crew, but they didn’t press the matter further.
At the Unity Reserve Office, Col. Novikov was waiting for her. “Raschke, so glad you’re here. I wouldn’t outsource this again, but you still find me in need.” He begun explaining. “You dealt with the Pale Colds swiftly and efficiently. But now there’s another gang that saw this as an opportunity. They think that this is a turf area to be fought over by the gangs. We need to make it clear to them that no-one I mean no-one will undermine our authority here.” “What’s the opposition?” Ariana asks. “Some sort of Tech Gangers. Neon Rippers they call themselves. Their leader is a man called Valentin Bezerra. Veteran crew, but you’ll get your danger pay. Finish them and I trust that we’ll be safe from anymore gang-conqueror wannabes for quite some time.” He presented a d-pad with pictures of their markings. They seemed well armed for gangers. “We’ll deal with them.” Ariana responded, and headed off to the Tailed Gecko.
There she saw Urien Jackstadt patting someone in the back and sending him out. “Another unsuccessful attempt to recruit someone useful Jack?” she asked, using a new nickname for Urien. He was taken aback at first, but replied soon. “A power-hungry drifter, only technical skills – I don’t think he’d be a good fit. I’m trying to find someone different. Someone that will make a difference.” He said. “I like the way you’re thinking. Where are the others? We have a job to do.” Ariana continued. “They should be here any moment now, our skulker friend has gotten some insider information. Should help with seeking job opportunities outside of Unity’s grasp.” He added. “Aha.” Ariana nodded. “And Renette?” “Got her message, something about getting a good deal on basic supplies. Should keep us afloat for a week or so.” Urien said. Ariana smiled, and wondered if things would be better going forward.
They gathered their gear, and went after the Neon Rippers. Ariana used her tactical knowledge to get in close to the enemy before they even knew they were there. They counted a handful of enemies, including their leader and his bodyguard. But soon they got made, and laser beams started flying in their direction, missing, while the party took cover. Drathi managed to get a grazing shot at one of them pinning him down, while the rest of the crew shot suppressing fire. In the midst of the firefight, Ariana spotted a person of interest. He was taking cover, but seemed otherwise unfazed by the conflict. She reached him and they exchanged some words. Noone knows what they talked about, and the crew quickly forgot about it, since they were occupied with the task at hand.
From a position of cover, Ariana took a pot shot at a tech ganger from above. The bullet found him in the chest, taking him down. The fight continued with neither side gaining any serious advantage. Determined to get this over with, Ariana gestures to Drathi and they both charge at the tech gangers from different sides, entering a brawl. Drathi is a fierce foe with the blade, the tech ganger specialist is wounded and out of the fight. Ariana stuns another enemy at close combat, while Urien and Renette provide covering fire. Renette’s shot is a direct hit, the ganger unable to stand again.
Drathi turns his attention to the last enemy in the field. They may be fearless, but they still can be defeated. His swings his blade, and another ganger is down. Raschke’s Rifles hold the field. Their wounded enemies scurry away while they rummage through their stash. They find a curious data stick, a stabilizer and quality sight in bad condition, and a couple of stills.
The next day Ariana heads back to the URO to meet up with Col. Novikov. The moment he sees her, he smiles. At the same time as he does the welcome handshake, he gives her the payment. “Unity sure made a mistake of passing you over, Raschke.” He says. “If it were up to me, I’d have made an officer out of you first chance I’ve got.” “Thank you, Sir”. She responds. “I would have taken it. Glad to know I can still be of help.” She turns to leave. “Oh, Raschke” he adds as she leaves. “Just a heads up. You fought them off. But their leader survived, and he’s a man with a grudge. Word is Valentin has started asking about your crew. Keep your head on a swivel.” “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She returns back to the the safehouse, and sees the crew exchanging weird glances. Unsure if something did happen, or did she just imagine it? Urien was working on maintaining his rifle, but he broke something in the trigger mechanism and will need a replacement part. “We got a good payment 5 credits.” Ariana says in a loud voice and the crew cheers. Renette steps up to her. “Here’s a contact info I got. A man named Darius Armiger. He’s known to be wealthy and with odd requests. Perhaps it will be worth it seeking him out for a different source of payment before we become solely Unity grunts.” Ariana nods, and forces a soft smile.
Session Summary
For this battle I tested some homebrew rules for small tables battles. They’re sitting in between RAW and the no-minis rules. Meant to allow for the placement of minis and terrain to give a nice overview of the battle, without going into the nit-picking details of counting distances and setting up a larger table. Overall it worked well, but I identified some improvements needed which I’ll need to test. Also perhaps a grid of 2×2 is too small, and I need to make a 3×3 grid to have more room to maneuver. I’ll test this in a later session. The interview recruit homebrew rule doesn’t work to my favour. I’m always getting uninteresting baseline humans. I want to find some different primary aliens, bots, or someone that will make it worth it to turn into a Psionic by spending a Story Point (someone that begins with a Combat Skill bonus due to a background roll preferrably.)
Getting the Actual Play Reports written has caused me a writer’s block, and due to that I haven’t gotten to playing my campaign. As with the previous session, I had played this months ago, but never gotten down to writing it. I need to tone down significantly the expectations from my reports. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the high production value of the 2nd campaign of Bug Hunt. But honestly, I don’t think I have in me the energy to keep doing it. Perhaps it’s part of the reason I have been stalling, and only focusing on different parts of the hobby. Risking a potential burnout on printing and painting miniatures, I’ll try to get back on playing my campaign.
Unfortunately, I’ll be doing a variable style of actual play reports. Sometimes I may give just a rough overview of the turn. Other times I may provide a detailed comic presentation with actual play photos. Most of the time it will be somewhere between these two, but I don’t want to commit. At the very least I will be providing the bookkeeping information that I need so that I don’t miss any important things to the story going forward.
Current Status
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP/Level
Ariana Raschke
1
6″
+0
4
+3
2
27/4
Urien Jackstadt
1
5″
+1
3
+0
1/0
Drathi
2
6″
+0
3
+2
1
1/0
Name
Species/Type
Weapons
Gear
Traits
Notes
Ariana Raschke
Human
Service Pistol
Brave Supportive
Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
Urien Jackstadt
Baseline Human
Military Rifle w Beam Light
Friendly Logical
Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful
World
Settlement
Notes
Mackensen V
Kevil’s Port
Restricted Education
1st Turn Summary: Offered a job from Col. Novikov, didn’t take it. Drathi gambled away a Rifle. Opportunity battle against Isolationists (they didn’t like the newcomers)
Game Options
Slaves to the Star Grind
Money is Tight
Starting in the Gutter (all options)
Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
5X Experience Variant
Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
Factions to be used once we reach the next World
Campaign Steps
Upkeep and Ship Repairs Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight) No ship Drathi is back in fighting shape
Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks Ariana: Train +1 XP Urien: Recruit: Available is Baseline Human: Industrial World (Frag Vest)/Glory (+1 CS, Military Rifle)/Scoundrel (+1 Speed), Hired
Existing Job Offers Sector Government Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: This or the following 2 campaign turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful
Assign Equipment No changes
Resolve any Rumors None
Choose your battle Check for Rivals – None Select your Job: Patron job
Readying for Battle
Determine Deployment Conditions No Condition Notable Sights: Peculiar Item
Determine the Objective Fight Off
Determine the Enemy Criminal Elements: Gangers (Aggresive) (P1-2,S4, C0, T3)
Urien shoots Leader: Hit: Stunned Renette shoots ganger: Miss
Round 2
Drathi shoots: (aiming): Leader: Hit: Kill Urien shoots thug: Miss Renette shoots (aiming) thug: Miss Ariana shoots specialist: hit: Kill Morale: 1 thug flees
Round 3
Drathi shoots (aiming) thug: Miss Thug shoots Ariana: Miss Thug shoots Ariana: Miss Thug shoots Urien: Miss Urien aimed shot at Thug: Hit: Kill Renette aimed shot at Thug: Hit: Kill Ariana shoots thug: Miss Morale: Last thug flees
Post Battle
Resolve Rival Status N/A
Resolve Patron Status N/A
Determine Quest Progress N/A
Get Paid 1(=3)+2=5 Credits
Battlefield Finds Personal trinket
Check for Invasion N/A
Gather the loot Damaged Weapons: Ripper Sword & Hunting Rifle
Determine Injuries and Recovery N/A
Experience and Character Upgrades Ariana: +3 XP Urien: +3 XP Drathi: +4 XP Renette: +3 XP Drathi (5/1) Roll: Your pick: +1 Combat
Invest in Advance Training No
Purchase Items No
Roll for a Campaign Event An admirer wants to come along. Baseline Human: Drifter/Truth/Nomad, Not hired.
Roll for a Character Event Ariana: You meet up with an old arms dealer contact who owes you a deal. Hand Cannon, Machine Pistol, Shotgun.
Check for Galactic War Progress N/A
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP/Level
Ariana Raschke
1
6″
+0
4
+3
2
30/4
Urien Jackstadt
1
5″
+1
3
+0
4/0
Drathi
2
6″
+1
3
+2
1
5/1
Renette Grison
1
5″
+1
3
+0
3/0
Name
Species/Type
Weapons
Gear
Traits
Notes
Ariana Raschke
Human
Service Pistol
Brave Supportive
Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
Urien Jackstadt
Baseline Human
Military Rifle w Beam Light
Friendly Logical
Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel
Name
Injuries
Status
Ariana Raschke
Fit for duty
Urien Jackstadt
Fit for duty
Drathi
Fit for duty
Renette Grison
Fit for duty
Crew Name
Notes
Story Points
Credits
Stash
Raschke‘s Rifles
6
9
Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle
Entity
Type
Details
Job
Col. Ivan Novikov
Patron
Sector Government
Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed
World
Settlement
Notes
Mackensen V
Kevil’s Port
Restricted Education
Text Narrative
Zzx’rth’g the alien landlord collected the weekly rent, and was on it’s way, when Ariana left a sigh. Things weren’t looking good. The crew was short of men, credits were running low, and there was a deadline for her mission. She grit her teeth, told herself that she can do it, and went in the hall to talk to her crew.
“Hey boss.” Urien greeted her. He was trying so hard to appear cool and proffessional, but he always comes as a sleazy scumbag who’s trying to hit on her in the bar. Soft skills are not his forte. Ariana sighs again.
“What you’ll have us do? Drathi is ready to rest and get ready!” the skulker said in a cheerful? manner. She couldn’t understand if he was joking or not. She needs to freshen up on her skulker cultural knowledge. “Yes Drathi, you shall rest, so that it won’t hurt running at the Pale Colds the day after tomorrow.” she replied. “And you, ” she turned to Urien. “Get a second chance to find us the fourth member of our crew. I’ll stay here and do study tactics for our team, while looking after Drathi at the same time.”
Urien didn’t have many options for finding someone to recruit in Kevil’s Port. The Tailed Gecko was the most obvious place to start with, so that’s where he headed. “What you’ll have?” Asked the bull-man bartender. “A scoltar ale. Name’s Urien.” He put the credits on the counter. “What’s yours?” “Flattering,” the bartender replied in a heavy voice while serving him the same beer he had the other day, “But you’re just not my type.” “No no, you got it wrong. I am just trying to…ah whatever.” Urien paused, changed his stance, and went to explain. “Look, dude, me and the crew I’m running with, seems we’re going to be stuck in this place for a while. I’m trying to make some business connections. I thought learning your name before talking stuff like this would be good, you know, but have it your way.” Frustrated he turned his attention to the beer in front of him. He looked forward to drinking the viscous liquid that made him forget the annoying cat-hair atmosphere of Mackensen V. “My name is Tarminos. Friends call me Tar. My guess then is you’re looking for information?” the bartender replied, while drying some glasses. “Yes, Tar…” – Urien let it linger for a while, while the bartender kept looking at him in the eye, he decided to go with his full name eventually – “…minos, do you know if there’s anyone in here looking to join a crew? we’re quite short-handed at the moment.” Tarminos nodded. “I’ll hook you up. Stay.”
Minutes passed. Then one hour. Then more. Urien had to drink two more scoltar ales just to pass the time. Eventually he decided he’d have enough, and Tarminos was probably messing with him. He stood up. “Where are you going? she’s here.” the bartender stopped him. A long haired brunette, in her late 20s, took the seat next to him. “Hey Tar. The usual.” she said to the bartender in a confident voice. Urien turned to her, but before he even had a chance to speak, she cut him off, palm gesture to stop right in front of him. “Look man, I’m just not interested, alright? Go find another pretty lass to bother.” she told him. “Why does everyone think I’m hitting on them?” Urien said out loud, frustrated. She and the bartender laughed. “I’m messing with you. Tar told me about your little get-to-know before, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Name’s Renette. Heard you’re looking for crew.” Urien was left speechless. “You do pass as a Casanova if you ask me. So, tell me. What’s your crew, what kind of jobs you do, and what are you looking for in a member.” she continued. “We’re Raschke’s Rifles.” He eventually responded. “Our leader, Ariana, has strong tactical knowledge, and connections to get jobs that pay well. They also come with a good amount of risk involved. We need a few extra hands to ensure business continuity. What do you bring to the table?” “Wow, that’s a lot of corpo mumbo jumbo. Ariana? you’re the ones that faced off the isolationists the other day? I respect that.” she continued while Urien nodded. “I’m good with a rifle. Let’s say I come from a tough background, and I had to learn how to fend for myself. I managed to get out of there, and now I want to be someone. If it happens that the powers that be, pay for what they’ve done, along the way, well, that’s just an added bonus.” “I think we have an understanding. I say you join us for this next job, and we can decide after. Think of it as a trial period. You’ll get compensated of course.” Urien offered his hand. She bumped it. “I’m in. Let’s go meet the rest of the crew.”
Back in the safehouse, they found Ariana and Drathi over a rough map sketch. Urien did short introductions, and they got right on to the briefing. “Listen up, the Pale Colds are small time gangsters. They shouldn’t pose a threat, but we’re still low at numbers which makes this all the more dangerous. Urien thanks for bringing Renette to the fold. Drathi also is healing well, so he should be joining us tomorrow. The patron – local Unity – needs this to be done soon. There’s a risk that the Pale Colds will act against him, and then we’ll lose any favor we have. We’ll hit their turf near the Unity Reserve Office. We want them out of this area. Prepare for long range combat and they shouldn’t be able to close in for a shot against us. Questions?” Ariana used her military training to provide an efficient plan to the team.
The fighting the other day went smoothly for Raschke’s Rifles. They clashed with 6 gangers from the Pale Colds. Within a handful of minutes, they took down one each, including their lieutenant. Two thugs fled, carrying the message that this area was out of bounds for the Pale Colds. They also found the gangsters stash of weapons, a damaged ripper sword and a damaged hunting rifle. Nothing someone with skill couldn’t fix, in the stash was also a personal trinket.
After the fight, Ariana went by the URO again. She found him talking to an old acquaintance of her. “Flint?” she asks the gray haired old man. “What are you doing here of all places?” “Ariana! my girl!” A smile appears on his face as he hugs her. “You had just enlisted last time I saw you.” “You two know each other?” the Colonel asks frustrated. “She comes from Luyten-4071. A large trade hub. My trade was just starting in the arms business. Her parents helped me a lot getting the right connections. I don’t know if it wasn’t for them if I’d be where I am today.” The old man replied. “In Mackensen V?” she taunted. That was a side of Ariana that she never let out, except with the closest people. “I found that the Unity Reserves are ill-equipped, and requisitions take a long time. Since I’m UWS certified, this makes them a good sales partner. That’s my business here with the Colonel.” He replied. “How about you? I don’t see you in your fatigues, not that I’d expect a woman of your skill to end up in a URO in Mackensen V – no offense Colonel – this is one of the toughest ladies I’ve met.” “Mrs Raschke mustered out.” the Colonel intervened, a look of surprise in Flint’s face. “She did leave with a good record for Unity, hunting bugs along the galaxy. I guess she’s had enough. Now she’s here as a private contractor.” “There’s more to the story Flint.” Ariana replied. “But yes, that is correct. Also, Colonel Sir. The mission – the job I mean. Is done. The Pale Colds shouldn’t bother you anymore.” “Here for payment then.” He unlocked a drawer with a PIN code, took out a bunch of credits, and handed them to her. “Well done then. Unity thanks you.” “Hey girl, I’d like to catch up with you later. Where can I find you?” Flint asks. “The Tailed Gecko, old man.” Be there in an hour.
Back in the Gecko, the crew was celebrating a job well done, when Tarminos gestured for Urien to come over. “Word in the gutter has started spreading about your crew. There’s an admirer that would like to join you. But, he isn’t one of those who stick around. He’s a nomad, drifter. Do you want me to set up a meet for you?” the bartender asks. “Thanks. I think we’re good for now. We’re looking for a different skill set.” Urien replied. As he headed back he saw an old man had joined their table, and was sharing old stories with Ariana.
A long while later, when they were about to leave, Flint turned to Ariana alone. “Perhaps if you were still in UAF, I could have greased some wheels and pushed the bureaucracy to get you that Officer’s Training you were so eager for. Now I can’t, but I owe your family, so as a token of gratitude I have a small gift for you in your new endeavour.” They went to his ship, and he gave her a case with some guns. A handcannon, a machine pistol and a shotgun. “Thank you Flint.” she hugged him. “I hope we meet again.”
Session Summary
Writing down the actual play report months later doesn’t help with the summary. I really want to pick it up and start playing more. I need to actively decide to reduce my hobby painting time and play more. It’s just so much easier at the end of the day to do something that doesn’t require reading, thinking, and setting up tables. I have been considering creating a semi-portable gaming table that would really speed up my gaming time, perhaps I need to get on with it and do it. I’m also fiddling with some homebrew mini-table rules that are in-between the no-minis rules and the regular table rules. Something that will let me place minis on the table, but will be much faster.
As to the game session itself the combat part was really fast. The enemies short range weapons didn’t help them at all, and our crew made short work of them. The job interviews homebrew rule for recruiting, while interesting, hasn’t really worked to what I wanted sofar. I want diversity in my crew, and would like another alien or a bot if possible.
I really enjoy writing the text narrative in the end, I’m feeling I’m letting out some form of creative expression. But, perhaps for the next session I’ll also have some actual play photos to go along with it.
As I wrote some time ago, I have started creating a new album for my miniatures photos. However the app I was using for the new photoshoot changed while I was in the progress of doing it, and it kinda has made me lose my footing. White balance is off, focus is different, and I had already shot 1000 photos.
Well here are some miniatures I finished painting during this period, that’s why I didn’t post them back then. Still, I decided to go ahead and proceed with the post, otherwise I might miss it.
They’re Arbiter Miniatures. A barbarian, a female knight, a dwarf berserker, and a re-doing of the skeleton warrior.
They’re printed at 15mm scale (60%) on a BBL@A1mini, 0.2mm nozzle, eSun PLA+HS and 0.06mm layer height.
I don’t know what bug got into me to start this project. It’s been decades since I last played Warhammer Fantasy Battles. I think what took me down this road was mostly nostalgia, supported by my love of the hobby (miniatures painting and gaming), desire to experiment in 15mm and of course the opportunity.
The opportunity that arose from the latest releases of Old Realm Forge. FDM supportless goblins in oldhammer style. Back in the 90’s I was an Orc and Goblins player and had the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 4th edition boxed set which included 32 goblin spearmen and 32 night goblin archers.
I started my project by printing a dozen goblin spearmen by That What Grows from back when I was subscribed to them, and then I subscribed to the Old Realm Forge patreon and within a short period of time I got to work.
I tested print settings, calibrated the printer, tested prints against my existing miniatures to ensure a 60% scale fits well to get my 15mm, and also tried batch printing, single mini printing, print with integrated base or glueing afterwards. The goblin spearmen from That What Grows needed supports as well as the Giggle Shade Goblins from Old Realm Forge. The new models from Old Realm Forge were completely supportless, but they fit nicely with the other figures. I used Brite Minis bases just in case I decided to have a textured base rather than use basing materials like flock (which I did use in the end). It ended up being a lot faster to print the bases separately using a 0.4mm nozzle, and glue the minis to the bases afterwards using UHU Hard Plast. This will be my go-to process for the future.
Overall I printed 84 miniatures. 42 Goblin Spearmen including Command Group (Champion, Standard Bearer and Musician) – 12 of them are That What Grows spearmen, 36 Goblin Archers including Command Group (Champion, Standard Bearer and Musician), Goblin Boss – Big Ears, 5 GiggleShade Goblins with hand weapons and shields.
During the entire process for the paints I used solely Royal Talens Amsterdam Standard series acrylics, and I’ll describe the colour palette I used. I went down the rabbit hole of finding reference pictures to paint the miniatures, as I tried to give it the old vibes. I still have my old warhammer books, so for the spearmen and night goblins I had plenty of details. However finding goblin archers for reference needed some hunting down, as the boxed set included night goblin archers instead, and the Old Real Forge supportless archers are regular goblins. Thankfully squinting a bit into the battle photos of the book, I could see some goblin archers painted. As a history sidenote, goblin archers in plastic were available as part of the Citadel Fantasy Regiments box which was released during Warhammer Fantasy Battles 3rd edition instead, but the photos made it into the 4th edition books as well.
My original plan was to follow my regular flow: sketch prime, basecoat glaze, wash, varnish. However some things didn’t turn out as I expected, so I had to adapt. Everything was done batchwise. I first finished each step (i.e. Green colour) for the entire set, before switching to the next colour. I worked with 6-7 and sometimes 10 minis at a time before continuing with the next group.
Primed Black
For Sketch Priming I used a makeup sponge instead of a brush, and it was so much better, hiding FDM layer lines instead of accentuating them, that I replaced all my drybrushing with sponge drybrushing instead, and it’s going to be my main techniqe going forward. The downside was that I only had a bigger sponge (my order of smaller sponges hadn’t arrived yet) so it left more spots dark, which will also play a role later on.
Sketch Primed
For Base Coating, after a lot of research I ended up using the following colours. – Permanent Green Light for Goblin Skin – Pyrrole Red for Tunics (Reversed with Hoods in some) – Payne’s Grey for Hoods (Reversed with Tunics in some) – Raw Sienna for Leather parts (Belts, Bracers, Boots) – Gold Yellow followed by Primary Yellow for Shafts (Spears and Bows) – Gold Yellow followed by Yellow Ochre for Quivers and Arrows. – Yellow Ochre for Fur in Hats and Drum tops – Titanium White for Horns, Fangs, Buckles – Silver for Spears, Sword and Bow edges, parts of Shields, Helmets and Boots – Bronze for Gongs and Sword Guards – Metallic Black, Metallic Red for parts of Shields – Raw Umber for Ground – Oxide Black for Base Rim
Green basecoatRed basecoatYellow basecoatBrown basecoatBasecoats doneShields detailed
After Base Coating I made my Strong Tone wash, using my DIY recipe which I have done in the past, but also scaled up to double quantities. Somehow the wash turned darker than what I was expecting. I don’t know if it’s the hot weather which caused it to condensate faster or my lack of removing pooling due to batch painting them, if I messed up something in the recipe during scale up, or if the the initial sketch prime was too dark. Perhaps it was a combination of all the above. Whatever the reason, there was only one solution. Old-style painting highlights on top. I had always avoided this in 15mm, but this was a good opportunity to grow as a painter. Still, doing it for 84 figures wasn’t an ideal situation.
Wash applied
For Highlights I did a 3 step highlight. First step was using the same colour as the basecoat. I did the Skins, Tunics, Shafts, Arrows. Then I did second pass for the same, using a lighter colour and smaller area. Vermillon over Pyrrole Red, Yellowish Green over Permanent Green Light. Finally I did a very light sponge drybrush highlight over the entire mini using Permanent Lemon Yellow Light.
Highlights done
Regarding Sealing, I went with Matte Varnishing over the entire miniature, followed by Satin Varnish on metallic parts, before continuing with basing.
Varnish done
For Basing I decided to go mostly with Light Green Flock, and at times, spots of coarse sand (brown or gray), small rocks, and grass tufts.
Basing done
Overall I absolutely love the end result. I set them up for a photoshoot using some terrain (including an oldhammer tower from Doctor Spork!) woods, and a nice fitting mat. I intend to add some wolf riders and squigs, and find a fitting enemy army to fight against. If I don’t have the numbers, I’ll have to do a similar process. For now I’ll do a points calculation for funs.
Warlord
Big Ears, Double Handed Weapon, The Golden Helm of Atrazar, The Axe of Grom, 150 points
Goblin Archer Mob, 36 incl. Boss with Sword of Swift Slaying, Standard Bearer, Musician, Short Bows, 153 points
498.5 points total
Summary
It was a big task, but I absolutely loved it. I loved the Old Realm Forge sculpts, and it’s great to see another sculptor doing FDM sculpts. Really looking forward to seeing what else Old Realm Forge has in store for the future. I learned a lot from this especially considering sponge drybrush, highlights and colour saturation, and hopefully this will help me improve as a miniatures painter. Looking forward to taking it slow now with regards to my hobby painting, to avoid burning. I expected the little gobbos to give some more points values, but overall it was at about 325, and I had to add magic items to reach 500. With a target of 500 points, I can now focus on the exact enemy numbers I need to get to field a battle for fun. Should I start printing some Old Realm Forge dwarves? hmm…
It’s been a while since my last post, as I’ve been busy (and sidetracked) with some projects. One project has to do with re-shooting photos of the entirety of my collection (over 1k figures), uploading and tagging them properly. This is roughly 1/3 done. It’s a chore, but I really love seeing them in better pictures. Still not perfect, but far better than previously. Although the new photos are less forgiving in some cases. When that’s done I’ll make a separate post about it, but I’m not in any rush, as I kinda paused it, working on my second project, that this post is about.
I’m a huge fan of Moonstone. This was a computer game back in the 90s, released in Amiga and PC – I had finished the PC version. I recently bought it again in GOG and played a bit, and the idea stuck with me that I wanted to print a suitable miniature to represent a knight in a similar style. I tried finding a suitable stl model, but while some came close, they were not close enough. Titancraft and Heroforge also didn’t have the model I wanted. I then tried digital kitbashing using some parts I found in thingiverse, but they were using realistic proportions, and also were missing some important details. Then I tried doing a mutation from some existing models, cutting and glueing parts digitally, but that was an absolute mesh, which I abandoned quickly.
Which leads me to the final choice. I decided to spend the time and learn how to sculpt it myself. This was a process that lasted around 2 weeks of intense, learning blender, watching tutorials, and making several attempts, hacking at the problem from different angles. I tried sculpting using MWsculpts tutorial, but that, while easy at the first steps, requires true skill to get a nice clean result towards the end. I then tried using an animated rig using Charmorph and Rigify to have a base character, but that wouldn’t work either for many reasons, the main problem being proportions being way off from Heroic. In the end I learned that I liked the approach of mesh editing and use of subdivision as my core editing, physics and modifiers for most of the part. I also used some parts as a basis to work upon which really sped up my process. Some sculpting here and there, and a lot, I mean a LOT of different iterations and learning. The body was rigged together via parenting parts.
I also tried to make the knight a boolean union instead of separate parts, but I could go as far as 2 parts (surcoat and rest of knight) joined together before the model became non-manifold in my first version. First print was okay, but I found that I wanted a larger sword, as it felt flimsy when printed, so I revised it with a bigger blade and also increased the size of the helmet a tiny bit. It printed better. There were some warnings about floating regions, but it wasn’t really a problem when printed without supports on FDM. I didn’t design a separate base, as there are tons of good free bases to use, and I just used one that I liked. Here it is printed in 18mm scale, and painted in Pyrolle Red (as I realized the Primary Magenta that I used as Red until today, is not actually Red).
I remember playing moonstone on a friend’s computer in highschool. Amiga maybe.
Pretty startling the first time the spear guys spike you and hoist you into the air.
I wanted a Hydra for so long. However the pewter choices were few and far between, and quite expensive, especially considering post-Brexit times. The FDM friendly options for models were also limited, and I just hadn’t gotten to pulling the trigger on them. Then Brite Minis came along, and released one (I’m subscribed to their patreon), so I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. When my printer freed up, I immediately went to printing and painting it. It’s been a while, but I hadn’t gotten around to posting about it. So, here’s one of the rare monster options for 15mm:
A year ago, I had gotten several vietnam-war related 3d miniatures models from 3dbreed and their March to Hell Vietnam range. These miniatures are not meant for FDM printing, and while I did print some US Special Forces for my Forgotten Ruin campaign (which I regret to say I did not continue with – and I should!) the results left a lot to be desired. I decided since I know a lot more about 3d printing today, to give it another go. First I measured a lot, and settled on a 60% scaling of the 28mm miniatures (5% larger than my old prints), and then I experimented with different options for supports. I tried the following:
28mm unsupported miniatures with tree supports in bambu slicer using /u/ObscuraNox guidelines
15mm pre-supported miniatures scaled at 115%
28mm miniatures supported in SLA generated by prusa slicer
Combination of first and second option, using both
Combination of first and third option, using both
*miniatures were rotated 30 degrees backwards for best results
The best results were the tree supports. Hats off to ObscuraNox for well defined settings. However removing the supports was a pain – not due to them sticking on the model (a common issue which leads to undesireable artifacts), but because they wrap around the mini so well, that the legs needed careful cuts using flush cutters many times, and removing little pieces slowly. I broke legs sometimes and had to reprint, taking even more carefult steps. However the end result was more than worth it.
I tried to get a historically accurate and popping colour scheme, and gave them a wash from my DIY sepia recipe (except the blue and black uniforms to which I applied a DIY blue-black wash). I also attached a Jungle base by EC3d that painted and then I populated with flock and grass tufts.
Love these little dudettes, and looking forward to printing and painting more in the future. I only did 4 out of 7 of the squad, but took notes of the paints I used so I can keep the consistency, when I do the last 3.
I realized I never displayed my space frew from my 5 Parsecs Campaign properly. It’s three characters, one, for my protagonist, that I’ve designed in titancraft and kitbashed in blender, and the other two by EC3D, Novus Landing range, Zane a human mercenary, and Ratticon. I’m using Zane as a human mercenary (ha!), and Ratticon as a skulker. I went with bright colours overall. So I clothed, posed and chonkified my protagonist in titancraft. Posing was done so that she’s supportfree, and gave the heroic proportions (perhaps not enough, so that she fits with the rest of my minis). I didn’t like the firearm options I had, so in blender, I swapped it with one I got from cults3d. I wanted something special, since she mustered out with her service pistol.
Also since, I’ve dabbled further in titancraft and designed another sci fi fighter lady. I hadn’t decided on the pose, so I printed and painted two different poses. Check the bottom of the page for her photos.
Zane, human mercenaryRatticonAriana RaschkeFighter pose AFighter pose B
Here are some science fiction warrior girls, two cyberpunk elves, two humans, by Ill Gotten Games. My keen eyed audience may identify that the first of the elves I had printed and painted again some time ago when I was just starting printing FDM miniatures, and wanted to give it another shot, to see if there’s any noticeable difference. I think there’s an overall improvement, but the original print was good enough, so not too much.
Human GunslingerHuman MercenaryElf ArcanistElf Fighter
Onibaba is discussing. 
Daveb are discussing. 
Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice 
Onibaba 2:39 pm on July 16, 2025 Permalink |
Amazing as always, thx for the effort! At least Jake managed to get out of it in one piece
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Onibaba 3:24 pm on November 5, 2025 Permalink |
Great BR as always!
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