Civil War Igniting

New, secret forces are taking shap

The big one is coming - War Head Civil War will be played in two weeks' time! It's one of our dearest wargaming traditions and the invitational event for our inner circle has always made amazing hobby memories. Civil War is one of those events where the journey is as important as the destination; everyone is currently painting secret additions to their army - or perhaps creating a new force for the occasion entirely! What's certain is that it will be superbly exciting to gather and see what everyone has come up with and then play for the annual bragging rights.

Our format this year is Horus Heresy Patrols, fashioned after the example of the classic "40K in 40 minutes" rules - 500 point lists with the toughest characters and heavier assets restricted. Three rounds will be played, a single game as 1v1, another as 2v2 and finally four player Carnage free-for-alls. Each round will provide a new layer of gameplay flavour and social interaction. Can't wait.

+ Classic War Head Civil War Articles +

Death Gor Glory

Mordheim is one of the evergreen fan favourite systems that just keeps sparking players' inspiration everywhere - these Beastmen are not the first marauding gang of warpstone-hunters we've been tasked to produce. This time we combined earthy leather and fur hues into the basing theme of cobblestone streets and rubble in a contrasting, colder palette. Crude, rusting armament, chaotic tribal tattoos and mainstay skull decorations were the essential details.

The warband has been well collected and it includes some older sculpts combined to modern plastics as well as a centerpiece model from a third-party manufacturer. The usual Beastmen are joined by a couple of spiky Tzaangors and the pack of Warhounds is led by a converted Centigor hero kitbashed out of Gor parts and a Marauder Horseman steed. The entire warband is a formidable force that is going after gold and glory already later this month - we wish them luck in their quests in the City of the Damned!

Trench Crusade Playtesting

Yesterday we had a neat opportunity to try out the up-and-coming miniature wargame Trench Crusade, currently in development by a team also including the Finnish scene legend Tuomas Pirinen (the mind behind Mordheim and many Warhammer Fantasy publications, to name a couple). Tuomas was kind enough to let us in on the secrets behind the early system and we ran a playtest session with the current rules set. We had great fun, came up with a couple of tweak suggestions and also got to delve into the nightmarish setting of the game with some thematic proxy models assembled from our miniature collection. The game is going to be a real treat for hobbyists into dark and twisted visuals and fast skirmish gameplay - personally I'm all for the "alternative history" setting, where the literal gates of Hell have opened and proper devils and heretic troops are marching out to meet the holy defenders in the trenches of the First World War! 

The style and quality of the artwork and imagery being developed for the universe are absolutely wicked and the official illustrations coming out have greatly sparked our interest. Personally it's always the feeling of the setting that grasps my attention before the nuances of the rules and it's been a while I've been this intrigued about a modern wargaming release. I've taken the liberty to borrow a couple of the official images here just to showcase a bit of the grim Trench Crusade atmosphere.

The Trench Crusade project is moving fast and we recommend you follow the #trenchcrusade tag and hop on their Discord server to keep up to date with future developments and release dates. Can't wait to handle some of the models currently in production!

+ Trench Crusade Discord Server +

Toxic Avenger

Although most of the painting commissions we produce are unit or army sized, every once in a while single character projects pop up. The scale of these gigs makes it possible for us to study the character in detail and put extra effort into conversions and scenic basing like we did here with a customized Death Guard Praetor. Our customer specifications was to have a magnetized weapon set and a basing theme of a tank trap and a "toxic element" to fit the Death Guard spirit. The Forge World Praevian kit accommodated a neat single-magnet weapon swap.

Here the Thunder Hammer has been exchanged to a legion-specific Scythe. Original model's head was changed to a rebreather version from Scout bikers and a hood was added out of Green Stuff.

And here with a Power Axe. The optional Hand Flamer was fitted on to a magnetized Servo Skull, that can be removed easily from the hero's backpack.

The Praetor also carries a Combi-Volkite.

The paint scheme follows the traditional Death Guard palette with some earthy tones and distressed freehand work. Doom shall stalk a thousand worlds!

Ropecon Honours

Ollie's study in atmospheric lighting.

In addition to our own Show of Force program in Ropecon the tradition dictated we had to submit a few entries to the actual painting competition as well! Ollie made this his personal quest this year, entering in all applicable categories with entries he'd been preparing throughout the year. Eric and Teemu also brought something to display and we ended up with a few trophies and commendations to show for it! The best achievement was for sure Ollie's Black Templar triumph in the single category, which was an amazing feat considering the popularity of the contest this year. He also recorded the Public Favourite honour with his screen-accurate Lord of the Rings diorama. 

The arrangements and credibility of Ropecon's painting contest have taken massive leaps during the last couple of years, as the founding actives of The Cold Tones Society have taken it upon themselves to develop the showcase painting scene in Finland. From the contest's practical features to the professional judging process, we've had the chance to enjoy quality organizing and top picture coverage produced by their crew - all of these brilliant photos have been taken by the organizer. This year's special treat was Ropecon's guest of honour Roman Lappat, who also appeared as a guest judge in the painting contest. What a Ropecon it was for a miniature painter and wargamer! The full Painting Contest gallery can be found in the Cold Tones Society site:

+ Ropecon 2023 by The Cold Tones Society +

Teemu's World Eater Contemptor-Cortus took Bronze in the Large Model category.

Ollie's Sicaran Punisher "The Symphony of the Night" received a Commendation.

The winner of the Ropecon 2023 Public Vote - a Wizard is never late.