Painted 1/72 Goblin Army for DBA or HOTT

I finished painting three elements from my 1/72 goblin army. I'm following the fan-made LOTR DBA army lists from  David Kuijt's site. For models I'm mixing manufacturers. In the warband element (thumbnail at left and the photo bellow) I am using Rebel Minis Bag o' Orcs (now sold as Armored Ogres by Splintered Light), Caesar orcs and some gnarly-looking Strelets Franks.

My old 28mm orcs were painted with grey skin, so I thought I'd have a little fun with these green guys. I used Citadel's old "Catachan Green" paint as a base, and I mixed "Rotting Flesh" for the highlights.

Click on images to see a larger version.

The archers above are all Caesar orcs and a goblin.

The above Ps element shows psiloi in the truest sense. These rock-throwing 1/72 goblins come from Caesar. The fellow on the right was initially holding an 17th century-looking grenade, but I clipped off the fuse to convert it into a rock.

And I've got the command element models all picked out in this previous post.

Professional Illustrators take on D&D

Recently I discovered two excellent D&D blogs that feature the art of professional illustrators. These guys make their living making art, but not for Wizards of the Coast. Their monster illustrations are done purely for fun. You'll definitely want to check them out:

Beyond the Wall presents post-game reports from an art director's D&D games. Each report is written in a narrative style with the artist's own illustrations highlighting points in the story. It's very much like reading a graphic novel. The setting is the wilderness found beyond a great wall. There are biographies and portraits for each player character, which are replaced whenever someone dies. His game session reports are entertaining and he just started offering GM advise too.



Reekmurk by Blanca Martinez
Dungeons and Drawings is the blog of London illustrators Blanca Martinez and Joe Sparrow. Every Sunday these two post an interpretation of a monster from the D&D Monster Manuals. Each day this week they've been posting an illustration from a guest artist.

Rust monster by Joe Sparrow.

Luttrell Psalter film

The Luttrell Psalter Film follows a year in the life of a 14 century medieval village in Lincolnshire. Based on images from the world renowned manuscript the Luttrell Psalter. The film company promised to release the footage online if they received 1,000 followers on Facebook. In December they reached that goal, so enjoy!

Also check out the film blog.

And be sure to check out the illustrated children's book based on the psalter. Published in the 1980s, it is now out of print. Still, you might find it in your local library.

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, by Ethan Gilsdorf book review

Book Review

In Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks Ethan Gilsdorf takes on the role of fantasy anthropologist, studying the various tribes of geeks and gamers lurking on the edges of "normal" civilization. A pop culture and travel writer, Gilsdorf journeyed across the U.S. and Europe to meet Tolkien Society members, D&D developers and players, live-action role players, Society of Creative Anachronism citizens, World of Warcraft gamers, costumed convention goers, Kiwi LOTR tour guides, and a French dude building his own castle. The book explores the realities and the common assumptions made about fantasy nerds. Along the way the author examines his own relationship with the fantasy world and it's affect on his life. It's a fun and enlightening read.

The Giveaway (NOW OVER. Congrats to Tom W.)

For Christmas I bought myself and a friend autographed copies of Fantasy Freaks... The author also sent along a autographed paperback for me to give away to a lucky blog reader. You, dear reader, are obviously a fantasy nerd, so I am sure this book will appeal to you. Here's how to win it:

Leave a comment on this post. Be sure to include your name (first name and last initial will do). You may also enter by sending an email to: andrew [insert at symbol] ferrouslands.com I will stop accepting entries after 12 noon Mountain Time on January 10, 2011. I will randomly pick a name from all the entries and will announce the winner in this post (so be sure to check back here after the 10th). Once the winner sends me his mailing address I'll ship it off to him via USPS Media Rate. If you live outside the US, then you will need you to pay for the shipping cost. If I don't hear back from the winner within 4 days, then I will pick a new winner.