Monday 29 May 2017

"And Then Came The Sickness."

"Forests rotted from the inside, and the filth of Chaos streamed forth in noxious waves."
These two 28mm Plaguebearers can be assembled from the sprues found inside the "Games Workshop" Plaguebearers of Nurgle boxed set, and are the final pair of miniatures needed so I can finally field a twenty-strong unit of the Plague God's loathsome Lesser Daemons for "Age Of Sigmar". Destined to form the centre of my Befouling Host of Nurgle's 'battleline', and flanked by at least one Herald of Nurgle, I'm hoping these boil-covered Tallymen will prove well worth the 200 points the rule-set's "General's Handbook" currently states they cost. 

Both figures, as well as the Nurgling, were initially given an undercoat of “Vallejo” Heavy Khaki and washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green. The bloated warriors were then dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Heavy Khaki before having their horns, open sores and teeth ‘picked out" with “Citadel” Abaddon Black.
The Ghost WIPs - The industrial saboteur has been primed, washed and dry-brushed
In order to represent the diseased Plaguebearers' long suffering with Nurgle’s Rot, I coated various parts of their stomach-churning anatomy with either “Vallejo” Heavy Red or Heavy Warmgrey, and subsequently washed these areas with “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson. Finally the pair's boils and pimples were dabbed with a spot of “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and then treated to some “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.

This year's visit to the "MCM London Comic Con" has also helped refuel my interest in "Age Of Sigmar" as I was able to purchase a copy of the "Games Workshop" Skirmish rules whilst there. This latest publication from the Nottingham-based company promises the opportunity to "take command of a small but elite group of warriors in fast-paced, objective-focused battles", and has already seen me assemble a 50-renown warband of Nurgle.  
"Expedition To The Barrier Peaks"
In addition, the country's leading event for all "sci-fi fans, gamers, comic collectors, movie buffs and anime enthusiasts" also featured both a display of the leading actors costumes worn during "DC Films" 2017 motion picture "Wonder Woman", and the formidable presence of "The Incredible Hulk" television actor Lou Ferrigno. This has undoubtedly given me something of a 'superhero' bug currently, and as a result I have found myself re-basing and priming a number of straightforward "Wizkids" figures.

My "Heroclix" figure of the Ghost is a case in point, who, despite being sculpted to represent the industrial saboteur as he looked when he was originally Iron Man's arch-nemesis, as opposed to the version who later repeatedly battled Spider-Man, has leapt up my painting queue and been quickly undercoated "Vallejo" White, washed with Pale Grey and dry-brushed.
Daleks battle Cybermen and Cybermats in order to locate the cargo of a crashed space freighter
However, perhaps my biggest 'motivator' at "MCM London Comic Con" was my chance find of the "Dungeon & Dragon" module "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks". This out-of-print 1980 "playing aid" by "TSR Hobbies Inc", which includes a "deluxe set" of over sixty illustrations, was "the official Dungeons & Dragons Tournament scenario at Origins II", and was written by Gary Gygax as an introductory adventure into the world of "Metamorphosis Alpha". As you can probably imagine it'll now form the basis of a sci-fi/fantasy campaign using the "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" rule-set by "Ganesha Games"... 

98 comments:

  1. You sure were lucky to find that copy of "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" scenario. I still have my original copy. I played it once in the 1980's as a GM and it was a party killer! I'll be most interested to see what you do with it. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Bryan. The chap actually had a second copy, which I was going to buy first, but then I spotted this version with the "Deluxe Set" of illustrations. It does say its for character levels 8-12 on the cover so I got the impression it was going to be a tough one :-)

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    2. Oh, it most certainly is!

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    3. Yep. The illustrations of some of the monsters potentially to be encountered look truly fearful, and even the opening illustration (#3) which depicts the hillside where erosion has exposed two doors to the vessel looks formidable.

      I'm desperately trying not to be distracted by all this and stay on track with my "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" but its really difficult ;-)

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  2. I thought AoS was a skirmish game? I'll look up this other rules set just to see how few models the new rules uses.

    BTW. My Robin figure - In my search of pictures to get the colours correct, I've spotted the (recent) comic book character wielding some sort of staff. The Impact Miniatures figure I'm using is positioned rather oddly, so I may try to convert/add a staff to my figure to 'balance' the leaning/squatting/doing-who-knows-what figure. Might mean having to cut off the hand, drill and pin it back on at a different angle (the staff would hit his knee at present), to get it to work. All good fun, anyway.

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    1. "AOS" is indeed a skirmish game, Roy, but "Skirmish" reduces its numbers down to just three models - if that's what you want to do. Its rather "Mordheim"/"Frostgrave" like in the sense that it takes place within the dying city Shadespire and warbands visit in search of lost loot and shadeglass.

      I look forward to seeing Robin's Bo Staff in place, though as you say, that does sound a bit of a work-up to convert. However, it sounds like the mini will really look the business once done. Good luck :-)

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  3. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a great science-fantasy module...I have my copy in a box somewhere...up there with DA2 Temple of the Frogs and DA3 City of the Gods. You should also check out Dungeon Crawl Classics...the art is superb in that old school way...and the upcoming Mutant Crawl Classics: http://goodman-games.com/store/product-category/dcc-rpg/ and http://goodman-games.com/store/product-category/mcc-rpg/

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    1. Gordon, those links are truly horrifying!! Besides all the wonderful Dungeon Crawl stuff on show, they've got loads of "Metamorphosis Alpha" PDFs too!! That site is a real threat to the wallet, you fiend!! :-)

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    2. And just to make things worse...you can buy print copies of all the Goodman Games stuff here in the UK at Leisure Games or Gameslore, though they do go out-of-stock very quickly.

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    3. Oh thanks Gordon. That's really helped enormously!! ;-) I've put a small order in with "Games Lore" now, just to see what the "Goodman Games" stuff looks like in the flesh, you understand :-)

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    4. I'm going to send you a bill one of these days ;-)

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    5. Hey...I just bought a bunch of Hellboy Heroclix from Troll and Toad which I'd never heard of until I read the comments here so it's not all one-way traffic! :D

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    6. Excellent news, Gordon!! Revenge is mine :-) Or at least it may be if I can just resist buying a load of D&D minis from them myself..!!

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  4. What a plum find, and I bet you are thrilled to bits. oh man, Barrier Peaks is a hard one to find nowadays, mostly due (I suspect) to it never having been released in Britain back in 1976 through to 1982... back when TSR was still Tactical Studies Rules: and you literally had to get an import if you wanted to own and play it. The tie in with 1st edition Metamorphosis Alpha was a bold one, and switched emphasis from D&D Grewhawk (set in the Grand Duchy of Geoff I seem to recall?) firmly into the (at the time) relatively new genre of science fiction rpg. I suspect this was paving the way foreshadowing for Star Frontiers. As Barrior Peaks was hard to paly without Metamorphosis, and that little gem was almost utterly indecipherable in its original format lol.. so mostly out or reach of the understanding for most DMs of the time.

    But the early days of Tactical Studies Rules was full of such wonderful `half realised` gems, and to have found this one, wow Simon, I`m delighted for you.

    Its a tough one to run too, as its designed for seasoned DM`s and with high level characters of about lvl 12 I seem to remember: try at 8 and you`d die horribly. So unless you made a party from scratch just to play this through, it would be a very long time until players got to such exulted heights. Much like the B1 & B2 Modules of the time. I DO suspect (like so many of the early modules now nailed onto Gxgax`s banner), Barrior Peaks may well have been originally conceived by Tim Kask and possibly Rob Kuntz while at The Castle & Crusades club: but this is buried history now and we may never know anymore for sure.

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    1. A "plum find" indeed, Steve, and one I was delighted to find I can tell you. I really now need to get cracking with my "Frostgrave" Barbarian warband so I can get going with this game. Hopefully I can translate it into "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" quite simply, and post plenty of BatReps about their exploration of the crashed space vessel :-)

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    2. Hmmmm, should be interesting to convert. I`d even convert my Test of Courage to Mutants and Death Ray Guns if I truly had the strength of my inner convictions lol), but then again, have it my way and the whole world would be playing that one game and converting everything else to it >>winks<<

      ComicCon, hmmmm you`d run into Tar then for sure {The one dressed as the cosplay assassin lol}}

      I DO look forwards to seeing your take on Frostgrave. I WANT to like it, I THINK I do already, but am not fully convinced yet (despite Hils attempts to seduce me into loving it).

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    3. Whats this what this, a new game I don't know about.

      or maybe you mean Test of Honour **grins wolfishly**

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    4. I don't think it'll be too difficult to use "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" with "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks", Steve. But I'm sure you and the other Musketeers will let me know your thoughts once I start posting up BatReps based upon it :-)

      As for "Frostgrave", I think it is well worth playing, and although somewhat brutal, rather good fun. I've yet to play the campaign rules, but I reckon they only add to its enjoyment.

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    5. Frostgrave is brutal, perhaps a little too much so to e `realistic` in it casualty count? But the thing is amazingly well conceived and developed none the less.

      We are all looking with bated breath to see what you do with this Barrier Peaks module.

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    6. "We are all looking with bated breath to see what you do with this Barrier Peaks module." - Gulp! Well one thing is for sure, the opening BatRep will almost certainly feature some (re-envisoned) Vegepygmy :-)

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  5. You lucky s*d getting to go to Comicon, I'd love to get there one day. You can cannel all that extra motivation into "Forgotten Heroes" then, twenty plus figs this year then Simon?.

    Never seen that Ghost figure before, but it's a cracker isn't it, just crying up to be re-purposed as a new super, and another great example of how you do basic white characters so well.

    Saw a review of AoS skirmish on the net somewhere, is this just a knee jerk reaction by GW to the success of "Frostgrave" do you think?

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. I'd be absolutely delighted to tag up with you at "Comic Con" if you do fancy coming to the show, Roger. Its definitely a five-hour feast better enjoyed in someone's company imho.

      This year's "Forgotten Heroes" will simply be about finishing off last year's overly-optimistic goal, and thus giving me time to finish off a few other minis too.

      The Ghost is a great figure imho, and so typical of its comic book era too. Its also, as you've identified, a nice, simple mini to paint, so should be posted soon.

      I do indeed think "Skirmish" is a "GW" response to "Frostgrave"; which in itself was clearly inspired by "Mordheim". "AOS" plays well enough as a skirmish game as is, and as hopefully a couple of my BatReps have shown. But this latest incarnation really reads like a "Mordheim" re-write.

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  6. its held its price too, look at this on Amazon

    https://www.amazon.com/Expedition-Barrier-Advanced-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0394515439

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    1. Ouch! I didn't pay that much for it, Steve. but it certainly wasn't cheap either. I was actually grateful that some of the other modules/books around it were uber-expensive, as that meant I could only afford "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" - otherwise it could have been an extremely costly experience...

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    2. oh gawd yes I bet, but still, you walked away with one gem: and just think of all those adventures waiting just ahead of you.

      Hmmmm, thinking about it, you should come over and visit sometime and meet the club lads, we play ALL these old classics endlessly.

      That's got me thinking actually: wouldn't it be fun to set up a multi link Skype chat and cam session with fellow bloggers, you, us... Tar`, Andy, Jez, Dave Glidle, etc. Could do it pretty much anytime. Just needs to be when all are available for it?

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    3. Actually Steve, I've already GM'd a game of "Zombicide" using Google Chat [link to posting: http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/the-mindless-ones-theyve-broken-through.html], and it worked very well imho. I'd be delighted to do something similar with yourself etc if you have a Friday or Saturday evening free?

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    4. I think we`d all be interested in this, if you can handle us all at once on voice and cam lol.

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    5. I don't see why not. A Goggle chat room is supposed to handle ten people at once. But perhaps just a handful at once to begin with to see how the game pans out?

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    6. Oo sounds fun.

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    7. I'll try and find a couple of possible evenings in the near future, and send you all an email seeing who is interested then. It's about time Howard The Duck and the rest of the Avengers headed towards New York City again ;-)

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    8. hehe, this will be a marvellous evening for everyone here.

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    9. brilliant, I`m really looking forward to this now.

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    10. My original idea was simpler lol, just a multi chat/natter, to `get to know everyone` kinda thing, but heck yeah, game sounds fun too.

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  7. Ghost mmmmm, nice find.

    Well done on finding Barrier Peaks. Will you convert it to M&DRG or use ODD White Box to play it through?

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    1. Thanks Hils, the Ghost is a great "Heroclix" mini imho, and a nice straightforward painting subject too. I'll be converting "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" to "Mutants & Death Ray Guns", and probably do a BatRep on each room. To begin with though, my party will have to enter the "metal doored cave", which will be no easy feat considering some of the vessel's alien fauna and flora has "prospered and propagated" just outside the airlocks ;-)

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    2. Vegepygmy by any chance hehe, oh yuck, these little critters are the worst lol.

      Interested how you will convert mutations into the Greyhark setting, or will you change the setting to somewhere else?


      and yes, The Clix Ghost is a lovely, lovely mini.

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    3. I'd like to capture the flavour of Gygax's fantasy world as best I could, Hils, so they'd certainly be set within the realm of Greyhawk. I want to paint up my barbarian adventurers first though for "Metamorphosis Alpha", but could be tempted to simply pick up and use the current "Frostgrave" minis I've already finished...

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    4. {{I'd like to capture the flavour of Gygax's fantasy world as best I could}}

      Tell me Simon, do you think M&DRG would be used as a stand alone game to play a D&D Greyhawk setting, using just the skills and `powers` intrinsic in the Ganesha book(s), or would you include material from Song of Blades and Heroes? Me personally, I`d be massively interested to see if Mutants & DRG could stand ALONE to create a rpg/skirmish game for this genre, as well as its intended futuristic post apoc setting.

      Every time I think about Frostgrave it makes me want to start painting too. Especially my Sigilist & Apprentice. I`d be massively interested to see how your barbarians shine up once you put a lick of paint on them. Will you keep the Frostgrave collection pure, or mix and match them to create your games?

      I must say, your ideas and dedication to creating a consolidated Met Alpha campaign is most addictively engrossing.

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    5. Hil, are you saying that you`d like to see a fantasy type (Gygax style) game played employing M&DRGs as the preferred `go to rules` set to use?

      If it can be done, what a cool idea. What you think Simon? Obvious thought here is, what about just using Song of Blades and Heroes instead. But there`s something intrinsically neat about the Mutants & DRG that would be really nice to see used as a stand alone default.

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    6. "Do you think M&DRG would be used as a stand alone game to play a D&D Greyhawk setting?" - Quite possibly. I was actually planning on using "Song Of Blades & Heroes" for some "Lord Of The Rings" battles. But for anything Fantasy which touches upon sci-fi, I'd have thought "M&DRG" might be the preferred rule-set. I definitely need to do a BatRep and find out :-)

      If you search "Frostgrave" on my blog, you should see all my warband fully-painted, Hils, as well as a couple of spare magic-users. I'll keep my "Frostgrave" minis pure, as far as having their bases flocked with snow, but if a couple of minis do really well in my games of "Metamorphosis Alpha" then I wouldn't put it past me to convert a couple to carrying firearms/laser guns ;-)

      Glad you're enjoying the "MA" talk on the blog, as its all thanks to you pointing out the game to me. I'm hoping the snow effect basing will suit the narrative too, as my Barbarians will be coming from a floor close to the ship's hull, and thus close to the coldness of outer space ;-)

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    7. Tarot, I'm certainly planning on using "M&DRG" as my default rule-set for my coming games. Indeed, I plan to use it for "Doctor Who" too, but as I now own the "Exterminate!" boxed set, it seems rude not to at least try "Warlord Games" rules out.

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    8. you have my full attention, and will look forward to your findings.

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    9. Well this posting about "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" certainly seems to have garnered a lot of comment, so I'll redouble my efforts to get ready for 'The Metal Doored Cave' BatRep ;-)

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  8. Very nice work on the Plaguebearers as usual. :)

    The Ghost mini could be very useful conversion fodder for a project I have in mind, any advice on sources of specific minis like that? I ask as Ebay yielded nothing when I looked after seeing this post.

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    1. Cheers Leon. I'd recommend "Blue Rat Games" for UK sources, and "Troll And Toad" in the USA. I particularly favour "Troll And Toad" personally, but you need to buy in bulk to make the P&P worthwhile.

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    2. Simon, if you ever need any special clix, let me know. I still have hundreds unused that I`ve not got round to playing yet, so chances are sometimes reasonable that I may have just the one or ones you need - going begging.

      Similarly, if you ever come across THIS one, let me know: check out the link below Simon, if you have time. Take a close look at (what I presume is) an Emma Frost figure in white. I want THAT one. But she`s seems to be available only in that starter set, which sadly, I have never been able to chase down. I really want this version of her (yep, to represent me in the game lol). I have other Emmas but this is version one I am keen to get my hands on.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeFoUQSNCn0&t=405s

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    3. Thanks very much Hils. I'm desperately trying to hold to a vow of not buying anything until September in order to whittle my collection down but I'll send you an email if an urgent need is required :-)

      That Emma Frost is for sale at "Troll And Toad" for less than two dollars, so if there are others you want, I believe you'll find the p&p from across the Pond worth while. Here's the link: http://www.trollandtoad.com/p1047964.html

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    4. sometimes its good to try moderate our spending. And yep, anything you need, let us know. You never know, we may just have it.

      OOoooooo that's interesting about Emma Frost. Thank you Simon.

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    5. No worries Hils, I'm trying to be very good now "Colours" has been confirmed for Saturday 16th September 2017. That's when the splurging will doubtless start again ;-)

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    6. Oh yes Colours, mmmmmm. I dearly wish I could be there for that. Sadly, it will fall right in the middle of recovery time for my next knee operation (due in a few weeks). This will see my pretty immobile for many months I fear :(

      But still, mmmmmmmmmmmm Colours. Lots of photos of that event please. As for the Skype and cam chat idea, I just need to talk with himself about that and then yaaay!!! away we go. Will have to be sooner than later though, before my next op.

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    7. Hope the op goes well Hils, and you have a quick recovery

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    8. Thank you so much Dave, that is lovely and considerate of you to say (I don't normally even mention it). Yeah one of a few operations still to sort out for mi` ol` bones hehe, but each step sees me a bit closer to an eventual full recovery.. and back to my beloved gardening and long walks.

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    9. It's great you can see an end and have a goal afterwards. I've got about a fifteen year wait for an end, but always hopeful

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    10. oh no, that terrible Dave, ouch :( I`m so sorry.

      Thankfully, mine isn't that long, just about five (four if I`m lucky, six if not) operations spread over.. roughly one a year.

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    11. Lets hope it's the four for you, with quick recovery, and you can get back to full health.
      As long as I do as much as I can with every day it should fly by. Plus the hobby community should keep me sane in the mean time ! ; )

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    12. bless.

      and good good, I solid positive attitude really makes a difference doesn't it. Glass half full is always so much easier to bear than a glass half empty.

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    13. It's amazing how much it can do

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    14. Sorry to hear that Hils and Dave. I wish you both as speedy a recovery as possible!!

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    15. Cheers mate, just waiting for them to find a valid treatment. Cybernetic spine is looking the most likely option

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  9. I remember "Expedition to the barrier peaks!" with reasonable fondness. My character died... which was sad but not unpredictable.

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    1. I'm certainly hoping my adaption into "Mutants & Death Ray Guns" will help increase the survivability of my party, Clint. "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" certainly reads like a nightmarish adventure :-)

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    2. It would be interesting Clint, to get together the few rare veterans who survived the Barrier Peaks, and have them recount and relive their adventures for us. Would be like listening (all starry eyed) to campfire/bedtime stories.

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    3. I ended up a sticky blood red pile of goo under a pile of fallen masonry!!! Teach me not to be brave again, and try push the Halfling out of harm`s way.

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  10. Brilliant stuff. Love the Plaguebearer. I'm trying to beat down the temptation to buy the forthcoming 40K edition with it's Nurgle models. The 'Expedition to the Barrier Peaks'-what a great find. Not one of the modules I ever bought, but wow, just wow!

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    1. Thanks Mark. I've another ten Plaguebearers in the box waiting for a rainy day, but twenty will be it for now at least. I'm very happy with the "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" find as you may have guessed :-)

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  11. Great to see more Plaguebearers Simon, always love the way you paint then and very excited to read the coming meeting of metal battle report.

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    1. Cheers Michael. It seemed silly not to have a game of "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" now I've painted enough models to do so. Hopefully I can post the BatRep up soon!!

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  12. Great to see you finished your unit of plaguebearers Simon. Would love to go to more shows like Comic Con as a punter if I had more time.
    That's a great pose on the Ghost model.
    Look forward to seeing what you do with the great find at Comic Con

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    1. Thanks Dave. The Plaguebearers are a large part of my Nurgle Host's battleline, so it was good to get some reinforcements for them.

      "MCM Comic Con" is terrific. I've been going for a few years now. But this is the first time I've spotted D&D modules; albeit I don't suppose I've really been looking for them in the past.

      I've a few all-white(ish) "Heroclix" on the table for the next few weeks, just so I can finish at least something whilst I drag my heels with my Boromites ;-)

      "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" certainly captured my imagination when I spotted it, and clearly has caught many of the people commenting on this post too. Hopefully my campaign will live up to expectations...

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  13. Ah, "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks"... Fond memories of Greyhawk evoked, although my first AD&D adventure was in S1 Tomb of Horrors, which my character (a 1st lvl Paladin) survived due to being overwhelmed by evil on the threshold and being too sick to continue. Lol
    Good find, Simon. I also like your Ghost figure, as you always seem to manage white figures really well, which is something I struggle with.
    And a Doctor Who batrep to look forward too? Truly it is a golden age of gaming...

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    1. lucky Pally **grins** like finding out you have the mumps on the morning the Somme Offensive starts.

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    2. As Tomb was designed for character levels 10-14, my lowly 1st lvl Paladin would't have lasted very long anyway - he was left looking after the horses, which as the sounds of combat, stone grinding, magical explosions and scteams met his ears, he was rather glad of - although he did pray for forgiveness and the souls of his companions before he sensibly left.

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    3. that would make a great short story. "The Paladin Who Never Got There." No need to describe the main story, just a short story of his thoughts as he tends to the horses, then the screams start.. eventually - just silence! Then he leaves and goes home.

      "Hi Mum, I`m back."

      "Welcome back, son. Now pull up a stool and milk that cow: there`s a good boy"

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    4. Thanks Jez, "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" certainly seems to have generated a lot of fond members in some people, so I'm hoping my "M&DRG" campaign will live up to such grand expectations.

      The Ghost was a great find in my "Heroclix" collection, and a nice simple painting subject when compared to some of the other minis I've got in my queue currently.

      Hopefully the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" BatRep will match people's expectations too. Its certainly taken some time to get the two opposing forces painted and ready :-)

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  14. oh and Hil, what`s a Vegepygmy?

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    1. its a living plant creature. Originally the creation of Gary Gxgax back in 1976 for his "Metamorphosis Alpha" game. It was introduced into "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" as a crossover monster and `extended` into the D&D monster manual as unofficial canon. Paizo have changed this now (within Pathfinder rpg) and made vegepygmy (also called moldfolk) into a sort of plantmen species; making them noticeably humanoid in shape. The original were completely different.

      Think more like the Batman stories and Poison Ivy`s living plants, THATS what the original vegepygmy were like. Terrifyingly triffid like, only less well kempt hehe.

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    2. Thanks Hil, aaah I see, I get it now. I was thinking "is it a vegetarian Orc of something?" hehe.

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    3. "making them noticeably humanoid in shape" - now that sounds like a great excuse to finally give my Krynoids a tabletop outing, Hils :-)

      [http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/its-more-serious-than-death-hes.html]

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    4. oh my, those plant-zombies are simply amazing.

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    5. Cheers Hils. "Doctor Who Adn The Seeds Of Doom" is a BatRep I'm still keen on playing; I just need to finish the boards...

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  15. I always liked the Shambling Mound. Everyone had their favourite iconic monster, and that would be mine.

    Very inspiring and rich post Simon. It really seems to have caught the imagination of many people. So many amazing forthcoming things to enjoy to on your site it looks like. Can`t wait to see them all revealed.

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    1. Thanks very much Dave. I can't wait for them all to be revealed either, as it'll mean that I've finally finished painting them all up :-)

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  16. Drat Dave, you just picked the same one I would have chosen. I always loved the Shambling Mound and was always sad I never ever managed to pull one from the D&D Skirmish Miniatures Game booster packs, even though I must have bought dozens of those packs, I never got lucky.

    Okay then, in that case, mine would have to be the Gelatinous Cube - as a close second favourite.

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    1. Yep. Gelatinous Cube is definitely mine, Steve; albeit in recent years I have also grown strangely fond of both Kobolds and Owlbears.

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  17. Kobolds and Goblins for me.

    But I like the Pathfinder versions much more, especially the blue Goblins.

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    1. Splendid response Hils, another vote for Kobolds ;-)

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  18. OOo the the Otyugh for me, everytime (I call it The Toilet Monster). You can `plonk` it in a game in soooo many odd places.. which will utterly baffle and scare your players to bits every time.

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    1. One of Gary Gygax's weirder creations for first edition D&D, Tarot. Not too sure about its habit of eating other monsters' dung though...

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  19. And mine would be the Grell. Who doesn't love a beaked, tentacled flying brain-thing? And then they upgraded them in Spelljammer and gave them 'lightning lances' IIRC. Weaponised SPACE beaked, tentacled, flying brain-things...

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    1. Jez, you're not helping me try to be good and stop buying minis. The plastic D&D Grell look awesome imho, and a couple of them patrolling the corridors of a downed space freighter would look awesome...

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    2. there are three simply gorgeously sculpted Grell minis in the D&D Adventure System Boardgame, in The Legend of Drizzt boxed set I think.

      just saying **winks** I know, I`m a temptress hehehe.

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    3. Yep! That's not helping either, Hils and September is so far away too... ;-)

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