Thank you so much for the compliments guys, really appreciate them!
Okay, meant to post this yesterday, but the formatting got killed and I couldn't be arsed to sort it out at midnight. Hopefully it's fixed now though! Just a little atmosphere, and nothing too exciting. Was trying to have a bash at a little local mythology to flesh out the background. Hope you like it
The surface – the true surface – now had a strange kind of beauty to it, Coop thought to himself. The emptiness, the silence, had a unique sensation, a feeling all of its own. Between the settlements, in the mainly intact ruins of the old world, it still felt like trespassing, like sneaking out as a teenager. The truck growled through the silent city, echoing back and forth in the empty buildings. He felt as though he were walking through Greenmile City again, footsteps echoing impossibly loud in the early hours of the morning when the streets were dead. You could be the only person in the world. It would be easy to ignore the signs of what had happened, if you kept your gaze high enough. Facing skyward, the pockmarked walls and burnt out vehicles would slip out of view, the upper levels of what used to be Ruckarnlan jutting dark and silhouetted against the yellow-hued sky, looking now as he imagined they always had. He’d never come here before the evacuation – the empty streets of the old city were all he’d ever seen of it, a passing blur thrown up and down from the back of Carson’s caravan. The city told stories, like every place on the surface. He’d learned to read the environment as they drove, hear the history it whispered, just below your hearing, through the tedium of the long ride. Here a former shop-front was boarded up with scrap scavenged from nearby buildings, corrugated iron and rotten wood. Empty food cans littered the ground, a rainwater collection duct rigged to the front of the building. A scavenger, maybe a family, had lived there once, maybe died there. Picked the area clean before moving on, or succumbing to the poisonous air. Conditions on the surface were harsh, and few survived up here for long.
Here, a faded mural. Scorpions, a gas mask, crossed rifles. A gang? Perhaps just a lone waster? Might even have been prior to the rebellion – images of warfare and revolution were nothing new on Caitiff. There were others around Ruckarnlan, less warlike, less violent – things of beauty. Real artworks, sprawling growths of painted plants, painstakingly etched representations of women, surrealist blooms of colour. Multi-storey buildings covered in swathes of pigment - hours upon hours of work in the deadly conditions of the wastes. He’d often wondered about who could produce such things: could they be the work of a single man? Some crazed artist lost in the wilderness? Coop had seen shadows moving through the buildings, all of them had – ghosts of the old world, they called them. Killed so quickly when the violence began that they’d never realised that they were dead. Stories were common in the hive of people taken by these shadowy spectres, vanishing silently from the back of vehicles in dust storms, not a trace of their passing, only to be seen in the painted walls of the surface. Coop didn’t believe them, but he still shuddered as the wind picked up.
There were still signs of the life that had once thrived here, if you looked high enough – tattered rags hung on what had once been washing lines, faded curtains still blew from open windows. The signs were always there, though. Windows, shattered. Paintwork peeling and torn. With time came decay, and decay was all that was left in the wastes.
Pulling at his uncomfortable mask, Coop nudged Riff awake. It was her watch, and he’d seen enough.
Would have been a pity if it had gone unnoticed.
It's a nice read. Very atmospheric, almost poetic in places.
Gives me a very clear impression of the desolace and desperation of a long changed world.
Slightly different feel from the normal necromunda flavor, while it would still fit into the theme, so it's much like your miniatures, it has it's distinctly own style.
Actually I'm reminded of "The Dark Tower" and Stephen Kings vision of a world that has "turned", which is of course a good thing because it's one of my favorite stories.
That makes me think of reading it again and sculpting some of the main characters... I think I'll have to do that some time.
@samwellfrm - Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it
@Baiyuan - Thank you, those are really kind words, and I really appreciate it I've not actually read 'The Dark Tower', though I do like a lot of Steven King - I'll have to give it a look if I get a chance!
Today's update is a little different - I've been reading up on the Necromunda vehicle rules, and considering that the Jackals are surface scavengers and the QA are a vehicle-based gang, it's only right that they get some wheels!
A lot of the parts I've used to make these are bitz orders fromramshackle games that I've put together in my own way, though there's a fair bit of plasticard and GW stuff thrown around in there too. I love love love these model parts, and I feel like they're perfect for my theme, but a word of caution about Ramshackle themselves: The resin they use is AWFUL. It comes with no clean up whatsoever, a lot of pooled resin, and absolutely covered in release agent. When getting rid of the excess, every cut is a little gamble - some pieces will literally shatter into a hundred razor sharp pieces as you remove the flash. The order took a long time to arrive, and based on some of his interactions on Dakka, the owner of the company doesn't seem like too pleasant a gent either. That being said, the models are awesomely cheap, and just generally awesome, so I reckon it's worth it Anyway, without further ado, the Remnant ride, previously belonging to a guilder named Carson:
Here you can see the added nitrous, exhaust system, fuel barrels and armour plates:
With makeshift 'ballistic shield' (aka scrap metal), support grips for anyone riding in the back, and a tow hook
And just a shot for scale - it's pretty hefty!
Also included is a WIP of the first of the QA's buggies - I'm working on a makeshift rollcage, and I did some plasticard work to extend the chassis, which is all new to me!
With the exception of two sentinels, I've never painted a vehicle before, so I fully expect to wreck both of these when it comes to painting
Final bit for today is a small one - Latest Remnant gangers will be a juve and a replacement heavy. I'm still working on the juve, but here's a copplestone model I've made a couple of small changes to:
Do you think that's enough for her to look female? She has a big bulky jacket, and I really don't want ot go down the line of sculpting boobs onto a model that doesn't need them. Small change, but hopefully just a hint.
Hope you like the haul today, and please let me know what you think - I really value ALL your feedback, good or bad
Automatically Appended Next Post: By the way , That story was beautifull , i must of missed it first time around , You captured a rare thing with that, it really moved me, and i could almost touch and feel it , it felt so real . In fact you have inspired me to creat a picture from what you described . congrats and thanks mate.
Wow, neil, thank you! That's maybe the nicest thing anyone's ever said about something I've written, thank you so much. I didn't really think anyone would be interested to be honest - almost didn't bother to repost when it didn't work the first time.
Please please upload it if you do create anything - I really love the artworks you produce, and I'd really like to see it - only if you don't mind though!
EDIT: Thank you for the links as well! Really helpful
Your welcome sometimes , quick answers dont really do the amazing work you find on dakka justice , i hope i can equal the vision you gave me with your words. Again your writing is evocative and understated, I will deffinately do that if you so wish.
Nice vehicle. It really does live up to the name of the company that made most of it.
I have only one suggestion and that is adding grab handles so your gang can actually get into the cab/on the back. Perhaps add rungs on the block above the middle set of wheels?
While on the subject of vehicles for Necromunda...I saw this one on Eastern Fringes. You might want to check it out...
As for the heavy....the barrel needs more drilling and I really hope you're going to remove her base (and put her on one of your own devising because they are much much better).
She looks like a girl from the rear, hair is fine....I couldn't make out from the pic her chest or how feminine her face looks.
Neil very nice drawing...you've very much caught the imagery of Scarper's atmospheric story.
Wow, thank you neil, that's fantastic! It looks absolutely perfect. I love the detail in the miasma, and the bending of the buildings in the haze. I almost didn't see the shadow either on first glance, which is exactly how it should be. Thank you so much, saved in my 'Inspiration' folder, for sure (and my desktop background too!)
@PDH - Thanks! Good call on the rung - a nice little detail touch, I'll see what I can do. The heavy will be rebased, and the launcher will be drilled out. Her arm and mask cover much of her face, and what you can see is pretty androgenous. I'm confident she looks feminine enough, it's just that realism looks a little understated against GW's "heroic scale" (aka porn star) aesthetic
As to the link, that thing is MAMMOTH. A crawler if ever I saw one, absolutely perfect for crossing the ash wastes. And all the interior detail, my god. I'd love to play on a board big enough for that to be a presence - you could do a rolling hijack attempt, with combat inside the damn thing! Nice use of the hasslefree models too - always been a fan of his work Thanks for showing me!
Lot's of new stuff and good stuff too! The vehicle are good, only thing I miss about them is a little bit more scifi flavor. I'm not saying you have to make it from rhino and land raider parts, that would be worse, but I vote for some hints to the grimdark future. Another addition could be some scrap and crap, cloth, wiring, metal sheets, gimme more mad max feeling.
A great inspiration for postapocalytic vehicles is the recent Mad Max Competition by the guys on Massive Voodoo. I guess everybody is aware of Massive Voodoo and the competition, but just in case you're not:
http://www.massivevoodoo.com/roman/MadMaxCars01/ If anyone didn't know the site at all, you really should, those are some of the best painters and sculptors in Germany (Jarhead, White Rabbit, Matt Caxwish blablabla), and they have lots of great tutorials, most of them available in english.
hey matey i worked up the pic a little more , added some depth and colour. I see you approve with the avatar change this is not what i had in mind at all by the way , its just that i was too tired to really do what i wanted oh well , maybe i shall do another pic at some point
Scarper - Its the little things in life eh rungs, straps and buckles! I actually agree with Baiyuan a little more sci-fi is needed to 40kify it...I big gun maybe lol. As for the crawler....that would be one hell of a game you suggested.
Neil - I think I prefer the first pic...maybe a lttle more definition to the vehicle in the second pic would change my mind.
@Baiyuan - Thanks so much! I know what you mean about the sci-fi, guess I really am underdoing it a little. I've added a few more plates of armour, but I'm a little worried about overloading it - I like the 'lines' of the model as it is at the mo. The roof is going to get a lot of boxes, a barrel and a spare tyre strapped with wire to the rack I built, possibly partially covered by a tattered tarpaulin - hopefully that'll give it a more raggedy look! I'm planning on doing a lot of reading before I paint this beast, so hopefully the paint job will give it a really rusty, used feel. Fingers crossed, anyway!
Thanks a lot for the link - I've been watching that competition, didn't realise it was finished though! Was kind of gutted that the format they've used prevents you saving the images - had to use screenshots to drag pretty much ALL of them into my painting inspiration folder
@Neil101 - Thanks so much, love the update! I do still really like the washed out version though - I feel like it conveys desolation and emptiness a little more without the colours. You don't mind me using the avatar do you? I credited you in my sig, but I can change it back if you like It looks fantastic, even if it wasn't exactly what you were going for!
@PDH - Isn't it just? I think it's making me a little weird - I used my phone to photograph a rusty wheel arch on a car outside my flat the other day cause I wanted a reference of the texture. Made sure no one was around first though! Any ideas for what I could do to 40k it up a little?
@Rogue Wolves - Thanks a lot, I'm glad you like them! The shotguns are from maxmini - they're really good quality, and they'll even let you pick how many you want of each design if you have a particular favourite!
Today's update isn't massive, just a few detail touches on the truck. As I mentioned in Baiyuan's reply, the roof is going to get a lot of boxes, a barrel and a spare tyre strapped with wire to the paperclip loops that I've added built, possibly partially covered by a tattered tarpaulin. I've added a heavy machinegun and a pivot in a defensive position (the truck's for scavenging, not chasing down other vehicles, so no forward facing weapons!), and I've taken PDH's advice for a mini stepladder. There are also a few smaller armour plates on the other side, but no photos of them just yet. Small touches, but hopefully they add a little more character!
I've also got a scale shot and a different angle of the buggy. At the mo, I'm thinking it'll get two pairs of wheels at the back and one at the front, once my brass rod and plasticard gets here. I still haven't ruled out a halftrack at the back though, and I've been flirting with the idea of a hover vehicle (though I think my theme rules that out - it's just a fun idea while making whooshing sounds )
Again, not a huge update, but I hope you like what you see. Please let me know what you think, and feel free to sling any ideas my way - I'd really appreciate them!
I so want to blow up that truck with a missile launcher in a good way of course , it looks lots of fun to game with . the heavy stubber on the back of the truck is very nice too,
roll cage is looking dapper to me, and i am very flatterd you used the pic as an avatar mate i agree with both you and pdh aboutr the newer one , sometimes you just need to know when to stop
That truck is super Scarper! I love the rear firing gun! He who runs away gets to fight another day! That truck would be sweet for my IG army, I cant wait to see it painted and loaded with loot!
The rungs look good. I like the sound of the additional roof gubbins.
I was hoping you wouldn't ask that question. I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I just know it needs something a little more 40k. The best thing I can think of would be mount a 40k weapon on the back eg. a boltgun looks for 40k. Maybe adding some 40k gubbins here and there eg spare parts from the sentinel sprues? Oh a dozer blade could look 40k and would be suitable for a scavenging vehicle. Jerry cans would also look the part.
As for taking reference photos - nothing wrong with that (though taking pics of someone elses car could make you look like a car thief). I spend a great deal of time looking at rust its beautiful. There is a small railway bridge here in Preston that I can spend ages on, looking at the rust and peeling paint. Abigail usually starts getting fidgety/annoyed after 5 mins, she really doesn't see the beauty in it.
@Neil_101 - Totally understandable! You'll have to get a bead on it first though From the Ash Waste rules, vehicles seem to be pretty hardy, so I think it'll maybe take the hit ok anyway. Thanks so much for the kind words - Wish I could work as fast as you seem to be managing at the moment!
@Stormwell - Thank you! Hasslefree make some cool parts, I'm sure it would fit in well
@talons 58 - Always a good adage to live by in Necromunda. Thanks so much, I hope I can live up to your expectations!
@PDH - I'll have a dig around in my bits box! There are actually a couple of Jerry cans in the back, though they tend to blend in a little with the rest of the kit. I'll be sure to paint them a nice bright colour Good point on the car theivery - my shifty looking around to make sure noone was watching probably didn't help either...
@Porkchop 806 - Good call, that could work! I'll see if I can find a big enough aquilla.
@Baiyuan - Thanks a lot mate, I'm glad you like where it's going!
Ugh, so, exams in two days. Needed a break from haematological malignancies, so I've done a little more work on Scratch, latest juve for the Jackals. She'll be driving the truck that Twitch used to drive in my fluff, as he wasn't really up to the task after his head injury
She's the youngest of the current Remnants, and relatively inexperienced. In her first game, with the first shot she ever took, the dum dum bullets in her stub pistol jammed and exploded in CC, killing the ganger she was fighting, but leaving her unscathed. Apparently, she's a glutton for punishment, as she then rolled gunslinger in the post-skirmish exp part, so a plasma pistol with big protective glove was clearly the way to go!
The brace is to correct a palsy aquired at birth (I've definitely been studying too much Obs&Gynae lately), and will be used to explain an attraction to speed. The pose was supposed to be awkward and uncomfortable - she won't be on foot if she can avoid it. I've got a big fluff section planned, but too tired tonight!
The top under her jacket is a thick woolen top - think fisherman jumper. I think it'll be clearer once she's painted up. She's not done yet - needs a little clean up on the twisted plastic on her backside, she needs some holsters or stowage and some general smoothing. Considering that she was originally going to be a "simple kitbash", I'm pretty happy with how she's going - parts from 8 different kits so far!
Here's the part I need a little help on though - small backpack, or bandolier, catachan torso style? I'm not sure which would suit her better, and I'm open to ideas!
Hope you like her, and, as always, please let me know what you think
EDIT: BALLS. Forgot to mention that the brace is not done, and will be getting a bunch of hanging straps and such. Don't hit me, Baiyuan!
Maybe with the truck you can take a note from Mad Max, {stop at a store that sells doll house stuff} add little things like pots and pans, record player, maybe even the kitchen sink. I really like the new girl, but what ever you put on her back keep it light. Her leg will not let her carry a heavy load. I dont wear a brace but a 9" scar on my left ankle, makes me lug most of the weight on the right side.
I really like the character of the new girl, her dissabilty has been turned into an advantage with her driving skills, reminds me of the pilot from mass effect. ( best game ever!) the gloved hand is a great attention to detail , and like all your characters they aer well rounded and believable . i did think she could be curvyer is that a word? maybe a little slimmer on the hips? but the big fishermans jumper explains away that.
i agree with talon thata small back pack over her left side would add even more subltle believability to her palsy.
Thanks so much for the kind words and the tips. I like the idea of a small cross-shoulder strapped pack, on her left side. Will have to see what I can do! Thanks also for the idea with the pans and equipment too - I've seen that look done really well on some scavenger models. I'll have a quick look on ebay and see if I can dig anything up. Glad the Mad Max vibe is coming through - not intentional, but I do really like the movies, so I'm sure they're a big influence.
Not much progress today - mostly study. I filled in the gap between the sides of her jacket, just under her belt with some more of the textured jumper. PReviously I thought it looked more like she was wearing a frilly shirt and DJ, or had tucked the jumper into her trousers - a bit odd, at any rate! I'll try and get some work done on the pack after my exam tomorrow, but before my exam on Friday
I can tell you now my next ghoul legged scavvy is getting a leg brace....that is just an amazing idea.
While I understand she is wearing a fishermans jumper... I still think she needs to be a little curvier. At the moment I really don't see a girl at all... she needs hips
Some (work safe) reference material http://www.johnlewis.com/141297/Product.aspx?source=63257 (This was much more fun than looking up buildings for neil101. I prefer this rear view over the rear view of the URS building any day).
As you can see even with think woolen jumpers these models look like women. At the moment your model doesn't quite look like a women. Other than that it looks great...I really like the glove too but the leg brace is just brilliant.
Quite! Looking up women is always more fun than looking up buildings! Wait! Does that doesn't sound quite right. Think you can get arrested for that sort of behavior Not recommended without full consent .
I agree with everything said so far. Add some more hints to her gender. Apart from that I really dig your idea. It's so refreshing to see characters (note I don't say miniatures) that possess such fragility, that makes your work a class of it's own. Keep up the good work!
Oh dear....Scarper I'm sorry about what I started. I must remember throw away comments can often override the point.
Neil - Bizarrely your post under Chibi's wasn't there last night. Oh well indeed I believe you have a point. You could tell Amber its for a modelling project too...though I'm sure you'd end up in the shed again.
Just read through the whole blog, and I gotta say this is some of the most characterful work I've seen on Dakka. Brilliant to see how much your skills have come along in such a short time- I'm really jealous!
Reviews on Ramshackle, Copplestone and so on are really appreciated too. Will be following this with interest.
I've taken the curve comments to heart (what did I start with the 'fisherman jumper' thing?!) and attacked her with some of my shiny new files (it's really sad how excited I was when these turned up). What do you think? Obviously there's still some clean up to do, but I don't want to go overboard, and turn her into one of those 'babe with gun' kinda models. Do you think this is enough for a subtle hint at curves? I haven't put her back together yet, so I can still make changes
@Scrazza - Thanks a lot!
@PDH - Thanks so much for the kind words! Feel free to use the leg brace - I really doubt I'm the first person to do it anyway. Thanks for the references too - genuinely really helpful for getting across what you meant, and I'm impressed you have such encycolpedic knowledge of women's clothing websites - I won't ask how that came about And no worries about the tangent either, gave me a few more handy screenshots to store away in my 'blackmail: Dakka Members Part B' file
@Chibi - Hahaha, fantastic. Hopefully you can find some nice scrap for basing when you're picking up littering for your community service?
@neil - Just for reference purposes for your own sculpting, obviously!
@Baiyuan - Thank you, that's very kind! I always try to have a personality in mind before I put something together, and I've got quite an extensive bits box now Dakka just ends up making me feel bad about myself, anyway - there are so many people on here doing really amazing work.
And yeah, I'm studying medicine - sorry, I've been bitching about it a lot lately! just finished a final on 8 seperate specialties yesterday, so now I have a few (hopefully) lower-stress weeks to see friends, drink and carve up some plastic
@weetyskemian - Thank you! And no worries on the gender mix-up - trying to sort that out today!
@Da Boss - Wow, that's one hell of a compliment, thank you! Glad to have you with us, and I hope I can keep things interesting
@Monkeytroll - Hahaha, that's ok, I've got the message. Thank you though! I was quite tempted to give her another stub gun - hell, it worked out last time!
as always, thanks so much to everyone for your input so far - really helping me sort out the proportion issues! Hopefully more to come tonight or tomorrow
Much better imo and please don't go overboard, no babe with gun.
Never mind about the references to your studies, it's natural that you "radiate" your future profession, no need to excuse.
In my defence regarding women's clothes websites....I like to wear ladies clothes at the weekend. None of that underwear nonsense for me I love a nicely knitted cardigan or sweater.
As for
blackmail: Dakka Members Part B' file
I'm concerned you're only that far into the alphabet!
PDH wrote:In my defence regarding women's clothes websites....I like to wear ladies clothes at the weekend. None of that underwear nonsense for me I love a nicely knitted cardigan or sweater.
So that's what you say in your defence, strange strategy. About the underwear nonsense: What kind of man would wear women's underwear? Why would one do that, if it feels so much better to wear nothing but a lady's boots and whipped cream? Ok I'm just kidding, but I'm afraid Peter is not...
Chibi - Cashmire FTW is what I imagine Goliath gangers to scream as they attack an Esher enclave.
Baiyuan - Apparently the best defence is a good offence. I've actually got no idea where to go with that one....oh actually if is can work for Bond it works for me
Definitely more feminine now. I understand why you don't want to go the porn-star-with-a-gun approach, it wouldn't suit the tone of your miniatures at all.
Right, it's been a while - sorry about that! Exams, post-exam celebrations, hang-over recoveries and finally research project write-ups tend to take their toll /excuses
@Baiyuan - Thanks a lot! And that's a really nice way of saying I smell like antiseptic and vomit, so thanks for that too
@neil101 - Not that you won't use the excuse of course! Thank you
@PDH - Glad you like! And part A is another hard drive...
Also - where on earth did you find that photo?!
@Chibi - Thank you for the kind words!
@Da Boss - Thanks a lot! I can see the place for those kind of things, but I've never really been a fan of the look
As to the knickers / whipped cream / boots - whatever you guys do in your free time is completely up to you, though I may have to pick up a few hints if that's the secret to your modelling powers... What size bra do you think goes best when painting a wasteland camo scheme? And also, I am NEVER accepting a cream puff if I ever happen to end up around Baiyuan's way...
Remember my rejigged Murdock? I decided I need to put some time into painting again last night, and here's the results after another hour of two today. I've tried REALLY hard with highlights and shading on this guy (mainly under Baiyuan's kind advice!), so hopefully it shows through.
As always, comments and criticism are greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think (or your favourite cocktail dress for wearing around the house at the weekends, as that seems to be the way this thread is swinging lately ). Glad to be back at the table!
wow Im not sure if I should say anything about what he is wearing.. the paint job is super! he should have a belt with huge shells for that cannon he is lugging tho. That thing could take out a tank!! Great job!
@PDH: I thought I'd say something about the crossdressing picture coming from your porn vault, but after seeing the clip, I'm deeply impressed. It's an important message, so I'll save my jokes for later.
@Scarper: Kudos mate! That's definitely one of your best, if not the best paintjobs. Thank you, that you mentioned me helping you, if it has really had any impact on your painting, which clearly seems to have improved, then I'm more than happy to have helped.
The overall look of murdock is awesome, way better than the old one, more authority and attitude, worthy of a leader. I'll get back to convert my gang leader soon and I'm concerned I might fail in that precise point. Compared to the others I'm afraid he might look bland.
Baiyuan - LOL - I like to refer to it as the pron folder.... Very important message though. Oh and as for a bland gang leader, I can totally understand...I kept on putting mine off.
@Scrazza - Thanks, Scrazza! Can't really avoid the lice on Caitiff though...
@samwellfrm - Cheers! That's a massive compliment, and I'm glad it looks like I'm improving.
@Monkeytroll - THere's just no hiding it really, is there. Probably in the way he walks too! Thanks for the kind words
@talons 58 - Hahaha, thank you! The hand cannon is a DKoK grenade launcher, no retooling or anything. I think they're great - really primitive looking!
@porkchop806 - Thanks for the enthusiasm! I'll try to be a bit more regular
@PDH - Huh, never seen that one. A good cause, no doubt. Thanks for the kind words! I think my dislike for the old Murdock was probably because he was missing those kind of features Baiyuan mentioned - I just couldn't put my finger on it at the time!
@Baiyuan - Thank you so much! And not at all, it made me think more about what I was doing, which is endlessly valuable. I really appreciate you taking the time! I'd love to see what you have in mind for the Delaque leader - I'm still tantalised by the weapon you showed for your Scarecrow boss
Still working on Scratch at the mo - can't seem to get her pack to look right! Hopefully an update or two on Monday. Thanks to everyone for following!
I'll add a description of my gangleader's conversion status to my blog now, head over there, I don't want to pollute your thread.
The weapon for the leader of the miners became an orphan, I'm currently not having any plans for it, since I've discarded the conversion idea it belonged to.
Nice work with the rejigged Murdoc, it looks like snake bite leather on his duster ? the chipped red shpoulder pads and blue scarf are a nice colour touch , i think you should keep down this route of adding splashs of colour to your muted pallete.
@Baiyuan - On my way now! Shame about the Scarecrow leader, it seemed like an idea that really fitted their background. Will he still be using some kind of 'eye for an eye' weapon?
@neil101 - Good eye, it is! I thought it looked horrible til I set about it with washes and highlights, pretty pleased now I'm glad you like the colour splashes - I've been looking into colour theory a bit, and hopefully I can keep it going.
So despite my assertions, I've got very little done. I'm trying to get all my background for Caitiff down in one place, but I feel like this might be one of those posts that's more interesting to me than anyone else in particular. Still, the story of Caitiff itself:
Caitiff is a medium-small temperate world on the outer southern fringe of Imperial-controlled space. Its population once stood at around 15bn, with several small hive cities containing the vast majority of the population. Its income and value to the Imperium came from a rich supply of rusinate below its surface, a material essential in the production of, among other things, bolter cartridges, temperature regulation cells and in the refinement of various mineral ores. For several hundred years after its reintegration, Caitiff prospered – a bolstered economy, protection and trade with newly contacted Imperial fleets produced a new upper class of self-made industrialists and traders.
As stocks of rusinate dwindled, however, so too did Caitiff’s value to the Imperium. With a small population and little other minerals of value, the off-world contact and trade that had been the life blood of the new Caitiff slowly ebbed away. The economy suffered, and rising food prices and increasingly squalid living conditions kicked off a process of grumbling unrest among the working classes of Caitiff’s larger cities. The planetary governor at the time, Dyran Lavenne, was a corrupt bureaucrat widely recognised to be in the pocket of various industry moguls, and little to no relief effort occurred. Food riots in Rookpoint Spire and The Point were met with live fire from PDF forces, and an increasingly brutal arbite force enforced draconian ‘austerity laws’, leading to the disappearance of many dissenters. Civil war seemed a certainty. A number of popular resistance groups arose, and a pattern of ‘liberated’ population centres being mercilessly retaken by government forces began to emerge. Civilian casualties numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but it was only when several companies of the PDF defected to the rebel cause that the rebellion became a real and credible threat. Reports of executions and massacres on both sides could not be verified.
The downfall of the government of Caitiff didn’t come through military action, however, but through accident, poor construction and bad luck. The last hive city to spring up on Caitiff was different from the others. Over hundreds of years as the previous cities had grown, councils had been elected to ensure adequate ventilation, constant power and water supply, and structural integrity of the spire itself. Most of these councils were hereditary positions, chosen from the educated and wealthy elite. Some were benevolent, some self-interested, but all ensured the safe growth of their cities, both in height and spread. Easthollow, however, was in essence a vertical shantytown, a swaying and ever-expanding structure that sprang up over less than fifty years. It was composed entirely of the dwellings, both official and makeshift, of workers employed at the hundreds of vast rusinate refineries that made up the hive city’s base, and whilst an Easthollow council did exist, its members were hand-picked by the plant owners. At every turn, the council made concessions in the name of ‘austerity’, pocketing the funds that went unspent. A looming tower of plasteel, corrugated metal and scavenged building materials, housing a workforce of labourers widely considered disposable, run and maintained by a panel of corrupt and uninterested industrialists. It was a miracle that the hive stood as long as it did.
It’s unclear exactly what happened on the day that Easthollow collapsed, and survivor’s accounts are few and far between. It’s known that the ventilation system for one area of the hive was damaged in a wilful act of sabotage by a small rebel cell, though it’s unlikely that they were fully aware of what kind of chain reaction they were setting into motion. As their bomb, fashioned from stolen mining and factory equipment, exploded, Sector 12, location of one of the largest reactors powering the spire, lost both atmosphere and temperature regulation. The fires that started in the sector should have been stopped by auto-regulated flooding systems put in place to protect the lives of the inhabitants in such an emergency, but these never engaged, even as the fires spread into the power plant itself. Immense explosions ripped through the facility, containment domes failing and contingency measures overcome. It is likely that the colossal supporting beams housed in the area collapsed or melted in the intense heat, bringing entire layers of the hive down with them. The sudden and immense pressure on a single quadrant of a structure already weakened by cheap materials and years of poor maintenance proved too much to bear, and in less than an hour, the hive tore itself apart.
Refinement of rusinate is not a clean process. Several of the by-products produced are toxic to both plant and animal life even in miniscule amounts, and many of the radioactive elements have a half-life of thousands of years. Official policy required all waste from the process to be shipped off-world as soon as it was produced, and conveyed to planets designated ‘dead’ for long-term storage. This course of action was, of course, highly expensive, and many unscrupulous plant owners had taken to storing waste on site until such a quantity had been produced for a more efficient round trip. This efficiency measure proved disastrous with the collapse of Easthollow hive, and millions of tons of untreated industrial waste escaped into the atmosphere.
In the weeks following the incident at Easthollow, it became quickly apparent as the death toll rose that there was no containing the environmental pollutants, even if the various warring factions could put aside their differences long enough to enact a plan. Evacuation of ‘loyal citizens’ of the planet was organised by the planetary government, but woefully few evacuation centres were arranged, and rebel blockades, rioting, and bandit roadblocks made travel all but impossible. It is estimated that of the entire population, less than 1 million people were on board when the evacuation ships left for good.
The current story on Caitiff takes place fifteen years after the ‘evacuation’, and the planet is a very different place. The air on the surface itself is poisonous, though microclimate and uneven spread of the toxins from Easthollow results in wide variation - small pockets of more hospitable land exist, whereas the radiation in some areas would kill a man within hours. The atmosphere has thinned, and water vapour is scarce, resulting in sweltering days and freezing nights. Plant life, too, has been all but extinguished on the surface, and sprawling cities stand empty and abandoned – almost all surviving humans live in the vast hives, where filtration systems ensure relatively clean air to breathe. Humanity still thrives, adapting as it always has, and small, self-governing settlements exist throughout the world. Supply leads to wealth, and the settlements near clean water or functioning manufactorums quickly grew in power. With no central government, though, war and conflict are constant. Manufacture still takes place, though with no off-world interest raw materials are scarce. Scavengers pick through the corpses of the old world for technology that can no longer be reproduced, or simply materials or product that would be useful to surviving communities. This work is lucrative, but dangerous – many a team of fully equipped soldiers has failed to return from relatively simple pick-ups. Hardier creatures still stalk the surface – wiry, venomous nightmares that occasionally find their way into the deeper depths of the towering cities. Outside of the rudimentary justice system of the settlements, anarchy reigns, and gangs of murderous outlaws and bandits control vast swathes of the surface. Dark rumours persist of cannibalistic or mutated sects sweeping the land (always one continent over, or in an uncontactable hive); or of hive cities on the other side of the planet unaffected by the toxins, where crops still grow, the air is clear and clean water flows. The sensible take these stories for what they are. Life is hard on Caitiff, but, for better or worse, humanity prevails.
Hopefully I'll be doing a summary of the major factions in Rookpoint Spire (including the QA and a scavvy group) over the next few days. Hopefully that's vaguely interesting, and feel free to TL;DR away if it's not really your thing
Good bit of fluff Scarp! Always nice to know a bit more about the background when the models are bult with stories in mind, keep your fluff coming. And the models too obviously
The fluff is very good, you managed to create a gapless setting for your tales.
I'm looking forward to read more when you start elaborating on the individual areas and settlements.
I also like the fact, that there seems to be little wealth left on the whole planet, except for the new gained wealth of those controlling valuable resources. Is that correct? So there is no degenerate elite left, like in the spires of many hive worlds? I like that, it takes away the typical necromunda flavor and creates an even more hopeless scenario. On necromunda there is still a feint hope you can make it to the spire or off-world, your world sounds more desperate, that's good.
I can also totally fit your gang into that scenario. You might remember that I was from time to time attracted and repulsed by your gang's more realistic flavor, I can now see where it came from... Good work!
I really enjoyed reading the new background, looking forward to hearing more about the gangs themselves. Its been ages since I've been on here, revision getting in the way, somehow, not enough procrastination I feel!
I second neil101 on the mixing of post apoc and 40k, the way you've done it seems really natural, and would be a common thing in the 40k universe. Are you thinking of involving other aspects like Ecclesiarchy warbands or AdMech disciples? I'm sure what ever you get up to will be as inspirational as the rest.
Updating my blog more than once a month! Damn it, I knew there was something that I was supposed to be doing! Sorry again, all
@Sageheart - Thank you!
@Cadaver - Thank you! It was a happy accident as much as anything: couldn't believe it fit together at all...
@Bigmek35 - Cheers man, I really appreciate that!
@Monkeytroll - Thanks! It's always fun coming up with backstories and relationships as I'm making a model, and gives me a lot more motivation to finish it too. I'll try to pick up the pace a little.
@PDH - Thanks a ton! I am getting to the scavvies, just trying to finalise how they will interact with the other factions in my head. Hopefully you'll like where I'm going with the Wiz competition...
@Baiyuan - Thanks a lot mate, I'm glad I've managed to change your mind a little! Wealth is strictly tied to resources on the planet - if any of the ruling elite didn't make it to the evac ships, they were in the same boat as everyone else. Paper currency doesn't carry much sway in the wasteland! There may still be offworld influences, but more on that later....
@neil101 - Thanks a ton, man, and for your other comments. Really inspired me to do a little more, which I'll show you soon
@samwellfrm - Thank you! I felt like it was about time to get it all down in one place.
@mohaniker - You're back! Thanks so much for the kind words. Revision is a bit of a killer, but it actually seems to be the time i get most done modelling wise: 10 minute breaks are perfect for applying that extra layer of GS, or those few highlights you missed. Probably not the best for my grades though! I'm really glad you like the fluff - I'm leaving it a little open when it comes to admech and the like at the mo, so I can write them in later if it suits a campaign. Probably going to stick to my own factions for the mo!
In terms of today's update, it's pretty minor, but Scratch is basically ready for primer now. Fluff update on her to come, and as the youngest member of the Jackals, her understanding of the world may be different to the others!
Hope you like, and if you fancy a little more, I've left some fluff and a (rubbish) picture over on PDH and Baiyuan's competition thread. Please check it out - the others are doing some great stuff there!
Nice to see Scratch Finished , the back pouch is a really nice addition and quite feminine. would be nice to see her have longer hair at the back , just to add that final feminine touch , but i still like it as it is , though, looks she keeps it short for ease. the renegade arm works well with her .And what stuff are you moddeling with , i mean the brown stuff btw? looks handy.
btw here is a link to dark future on wikipedia , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Future take on 40k kinda remids me of this albeit a little more grimdark .will post up some pics asap.
Just finished reading your plog, the fluff is amazing, and i like the feel you have going, just a question where did blind go? or did he fall in to a septic pit and die...i think thats how some of them die in necro...any way great stuff love to see where its going oh like Scratch the only thing that looks kinda off to me is her pack but that might be my eye of inexpeirence talkin...i think its the way the straps are connected at the bottom.
Hahaha, where would this thread be without fisherman jumpers? You can call it what you like, I just feel like a painting log requires a little more painting than I seem to produce
@neil101 - Thanks a lot neil, I'm really glad you like her! I considered making her hair a little longer, but I keep thinking about how hard it's likely to be to get hold of products for washing and the like - a short look would be one hell of a lot easier to manage than a matted mess, I reckon, especially if you need to get gas masks on and off quickly! The modelling putty is actually 'grey stuff' with rubbish lighting It's great for things that need hard edges like straps or metal, as well as bulking up things that you'll detail with green.
Thanks so much for the link: would you believe that I never knew GW ran 'modern' systems? The cameos from Elvis I can imagine being really fun or really jarring - looks really interesting though! Did you ever manage to find those dystopian pics you mentioned in PM?
@alabamaheretic - Thanks so much! That's really kind of you to say, and I really appreciate it. Blind is still around somewhere - last pics I took of him are here:
Spoiler:
and he's still kicking around in game terms - he's pretty deadly with that power fist actually, and regularly ends up an mvp! I see what you mean about the straps on Scratch's bag. I've attacked htem with a file now and the join is looking a little cleaner. Cheers for the heads up!
@Anung un Rama - Thanks a ton man, really appreciate that
@PDH - Admit it, you've got a little light and claxon on your desk that goes off whenever "jumper", "girl" and "fisherman" are mentioned in the same sentence, right? Glad you like Scratch, thanks for the compliment!
Remember Ridgeway's Remnants? They're the small force that protects the interests of those under Ridgeway's care, and were once my IG army until that kind of fell aside to play necromunda. They have some old PDF equipment, so are a little better equipped than the Jackal squads sent out to scavenge, but even their gear is starting to fall apart, and there's little uniformity.
Well, my girlfriend talked me into joining a gaming club (the Edinbugh League of Gamers - they're seriously awesome, if anyone was considering), and I'm joining up with their escalation league. I've never really played 40k before, and am far more excited than I thought I would be To get ready, i thought I would fix up the paintjobs of some of my earlier models. No rebasing, but touching up faces, adding damage and dirt, that kind of thing. I'll post pictures of each squad here as I finish them.
So here is a retooled red squad 1: (you'll probably need to click to go to the gallery and zoom in if you want a good look)
Not as much character as my necro models, but quicker to do, and still looking uniform enough to be a force, I hope. Not the usual stuff, but thought maybe someone might be interested. Hope you like, and a return to the usual flavours soon!
Well now, I like them if nobody else does! Dammit, I can't believe you're in Edinburgh - I just moved from there to London! I'd have loved to see this stuff up close, all the work you put into each one really is something. It would drive me mad I think. But then again I am trying to do something similar for a small band of zombie apocalypse survivors I have. Wibble wibble wibble.
By the way, LOVING what you're doing with those vehicles! The truck is a badass piece of machinery and the smaller one is coming along nicely too! Sweet fluff too. Okay, that's enough crawling now
Hoi Hoi scarper, I've been pretty much absent from Dakka for a wee while but it's grand to see you're still going strong. just wanted to touch base and say keep it up, your minis are smashing and show up much love.
@Jihad_Ragsta - Hahaha, not at all, I really appreciate the compliments. Thank you so much! And I think the individual attention probably comes from never really gaming with them - no pressure to get units down on the table, so I can take as long as I like! I would love a game if you ever happen to be up around Edinburgh again though. And I actually lived in London before I came to uni, just in case you want to kick yourself some more
@monkeytroll - Not this time round. That little episode did get me the most replies of anything I've posted though (I think!), so maybe I should make it a regular feature... Jumper girls for all! Every 3rd post a jumper girl! Starting next week Cheers for the well wishes
@Anung Un Rama - Groovy new avatar! And they do fit nurgle really well! I'm trying to get as many gas mask designs as I can into the army though - very much a 'non-standard equipment' kind of feel
@samwellfrm - Thanks! I really enjoyed last week. Taking my own models along for the first time tomorrow!
@alabamaheretic - Thanks so much! And don't worry, the guard won't be eclipsing the necromunda stuff, just for a few weeks or so to get my army cleaned up. I'm aiming for 750pts, and I'm basically there already with what I have
@Captain R - Hey, man, thanks so much for stopping by! I was actually wondering where you'd gotten to, thought maybe you'd gone from Dakka. Glad to see I was wrong though What are you up to at the moment?
UPDATES! Not the best pic, but a complete vet squad. Hope you like
More to come later today I hope - got some boring jobs to do, but then some free time this eve!
Thanks a ton, guys, I really appreciate the comments.
Not much of an update, but I've made some progress on my pimp my wizard entry. She'll eventually be part of my developing scavvy gang, so I thought some viewers might be interested!
(There are some other models in there that are one hell of a lot better than my work, so check it out if you can!)
Story update time! This one's about Coop and Riff again. Was in two minds about whether to post it, but here we go. It's the first of a two parter. Hope you like!
Ah, Riff and Coop. A great pair, those two – funniest bastards I’ve ever met who weren’t trying to get me to buy something. You’ve got to get them started on something, there’s – you won’t have heard nothing like it. No one else gets a word in, once they’re going at it – It’s always a competition. Just got to outdo eachother’s stories, you know? Has Coop told you how he ended up in the Penals yet? Oh, he will. I don’t want to spoil ‘em, but there’s one for every occasion – last I heard he got busted impersonating a Commissar to get at the Amsec rations in his PDF conscription. As to what he actually did? Pshh, who knows. Something small, I’d bet. Can’t imagine him hurting a rat if it wasn’t looking funny at Riff. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t cross him; he wouldn’t think twice if he had to, you know? Just - not one of those men who gets enjoyment from it.
They’re good people, basically. Twitch too, though he’s not right any more. The fact that they stick by him, what with his new mindset and all – kind of thing that says a lot about a character, I’d say. They’ve been through a lot together, and I wouldn’t believe how they tell it neither – the real story’s a lot less cheery. Less bear-wrestling, too.
So RiffRaff first, right? From what I’ve heard, she really did live in Haverbrook, and she did leave of her own accord before the Evac. I know! It’s not the ‘coming of age’, swashbuckling adventurer type exit she likes to spin though; it was a little more sordid; a little more sad. She wasn’t the same girl back then. There was a man involved – I know, I know – but this wasn’t a romantic story. Not through his eyes, anyway. He was some real scum from Rookpoint Spire, though Throne knows which part. His settlement kicked him out and he was living rough in Haverbrook, stealing whatever he could to survive. Got cornered by the Arbites, of course – they didn’t used to put up with the underclasses there. By then, though, he’d met Riff, and Riff’s parents were in the guild – real important people. She wasn’t so smart back then, too trusting, too naive. Typical surfacer. He span her a story about false accusations, an evil associate setting him up to steal his business or some such, saving orphans from landmines, I don’t know. But she bought it, and begged the watchmen who came for him to let his crimes slide, for her. Promised to make him her personal project. Considering how upset her parents would be if their daughter didn’t get her way, they actually listened. You believe that? Bastard probably couldn’t believe his luck either.
The guy kept in touch, of course. Wasn’t going to lose a mark like RiffRaff. Over the course of a few months, he started giving her a taste of underhive life – spun it as a way of thanking her. He had some old contacts who sold him ghost, kalma, spur, whatever they’d scraped out of the chem pits, and she took it all; she’d never seen anything close. Thought she was doing something spiritual, some kind of cultural vibe, and you can guess where it led her. There’s no place for addicts outside of the hive, no tolerance for them. She needed her hits, and he was the only place she could get them. He knew it, too. When her parents began to suspect that she was spending their credits on something other than booze and clothes, he suggested they run away together, live on the road and follow the rebels. He talked her into stealing nearly ten thousand credits from her parents – after all, what had they done for her? They would never understand. If she took what she could, they would have all they needed to live the good life, away from their meddling. The good life for Riff, of course, began with multiple stab wounds in a ditch barely three miles from Haverbrook.
Amazingly, that’s not where her story ended, though no doubt been the end of many other lives these days.
A trade caravan ran from Rookpoint city (the polite name for the sprawling expanse of corrugated plasteel and concrete that had surrounded the hive in recent years) to Easthollow, run by a young guy named McCaughey. They dealt mainly in reconditioned electronics, buying and fixing mining and industrial equipment – junk that others considered beyond repair. The caravan stopped at some of the smaller shanty towns along the way to sell their wares - an old-fashioned way to do business, at the time, but they made good money in the places that the bigger conglomerates didn’t consider quite profitable enough to cater for. McCaughey and his partners made a comfortable living, and Rookpoint state was fairly secure in governmental territory, meaning that the route was also ‘safe’, as far as trade routes went. Course, the rebellion had been underway for a fair bit of time, and bodies turned up on quiet stretches of every highway. No one asked questions anymore; it didn’t matter who they were. Some were dissenters, killed by governmental forces; some were soldiers – men and women who had fought on either side. Some, no doubt, were the poor bastards killed by bandits: desperate men feeding their families in any way they could, or simply those that had come to enjoy the anarchy. It’s hard to judge a man who couldn’t watch his children fade away, you know? Whoever they were, they all carried equipment and goods, and McCaughey quickly realised that a corroded autogun or repainted flak armour could fetch a decent price on the black market. It was in this capacity that one of his men discovered that RiffRaff was still breathing.
McCaughey was a businessman, and mercenary as all get out, but he wasn’t a monster. Riff rode in the back of one of their trucks as their expedition medic, an old PDF dog named Kew, looked her over. He gave her as much medication as they could spare. She had lost a lot of blood, gone septic from the dirt in her wounds, and was going through one hell of a comedown from the drug withdrawal. She would have been raving, seeing things; fighting and lashing out. Wouldn’t have been easy to deal with, even with the ReBound they pumped her full of. They took her anyway. Good people. McCaughey planned to offload her in one of the last few free clinics that the sisters were running once they got to Easthollow – keep her safe, but no longer his problem.
Over the few weeks they travelled, Riff recovered. Physically, at least. Her temperature dropped, the demons left her vision, and though the shakes came back with every missed dose, the gnawing pain in her gut was much more short lived. The pain in her chest, though, was there to stay. She had betrayed her parents, left her home, burdened and attacked strangers, and nearly died, all for the sake of protecting a man who then tried to kill her. She’d thrown away everything – everything she had ever known, you understand? – and she was only realising now how well she’d been played. The man she’d saved had stolen her life, and she would probably never see him again. Riff knew that she would never return to Haverbrook. How could she? She begged McCaughey to take her on for work, anything that he might have going. She had no skills (who the hell does, growing up in a palace?), but was desperate to repay the debt that she felt she owed. McCaughey turned her down though. He wasn’t one to refuse free labour, but the girl was a liability. Since she wouldn’t tell him where she was from, he would leave her in Easthollow, and that was that. Only, they never got that far.
Before the haze, you could see Easthollow for days. A crooked spear jutting into the sky, mottled orange and brown, like rotten wood. There was no getting lost, it was just there – on a clear day, you could almost make it out on the horizon from Rookpoint. Which is why, despite being a few days travel away, the men and women working for McCaughey saw Easthollow fall.
RiffRaff’s never really told anyone what happened next. Doesn’t like to talk about it, you understand. You ever see someone that’s been burned with rusinate runoff? Nah, I suppose you wouldn’t have. No one goes near the dumping sites anymore – most of ‘em are wired off and signposted by now. But this stuff, the stuff they used to ship off world? It’s – I can’t really properly get across the horror this gak provokes in anyone who survived Easthollow. It’s corrosive, it burns you, right? But that ain’t always what kills you. Sometimes it’s slower, more painful, inevitable. Get contaminated, and it burns you fierce on the contact site, sometimes through to the bone. Some people died then and there – I don’t know if it was the burn, don’t know if their blood carries the poison around their bodies, burns ‘em up from the inside. Just a splash, though, step in something out scavenging, stray too close to a restricted site, that won’t kill you by itself. I’ve got no idea how it works (Farrell’s your man for that, if he’s in a talking mood), but those who die outright are maybe the lucky ones. The survivors - they got the burns, sure, but there’s something else in there too, something that stays in your body once the burning’s stopped. Over a couple of weeks, they just started to swell up. Cancers, tumours, I don’t know. Some kind of growth that just starts out and don’t stop. Didn’t hit them evenly either: might just affect one arm, might be your face; could be your liver, might be in the brain. Some people went crazy – turned violent and aggressive, beat someone to death just for staring. Farrell says it must have been compression – in the skull, you know? Others just went vacant, staring into space or just walking into gunfire. A lot of people killed themselves. Barely looked human anymore, guess they didn’t feel it either.
You’ll still see them around, sometimes. You probably have, just wouldn’t recognise them. People don’t take too kindly to those who got burned. After the hive fell, a lot of people saw the crazy ones, saw what they’d do if they got close to you – There are still people around who’ll shoot a hollow on sight. I’ve only met one or two, but they keep wrapped up, no skin on show. I don’t think there’s many left now. It’s - just no way for a man to live.
Ah, Throne, you’re right. Sorry, where was I? Poor bastards always throw me off. Right! Easthollow. And the aftermath, I guess. Rumour is, it rained runoff in parts of Shantytown. Literally poured from the sky. Think of the worst acid shower you’ve seen out on the wastes, kind of thing that strips paint from your truck, and imagine it doing the same to people. Reduction compounds got thrown up into the air too – you know the stuff that gives you blight throat? This is where all of it came from. ALL of it. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? There were rebreathers and gas masks around, of course, industrial protection for workers and the like, but nothing like as many as we’ve got today. More people back then, too, so less to go around. McCaughey’s train had masks – reconditioning gear like that was what they did, but the general public had nothing to protect themselves. Riff would have seen it all – the burned, the people whose lungs were slowly dissolving, the hollow crazies, hell, starvation and regular disease will have taken thousands. At first, they sold to the crowds, but Kew eventually talked McCaughey into giving out the spare masks they had left for free to any who would take them. It was already too late, really. All I know for sure is that once it was clear that there were more refugees than there were resources, people got desperate. Once the shooting started, McCaughey made the wise decision to get the hell back to Rookpoint.
Their flight took them past Haverbrook, of course, though they didn’t slow down. Riff still wakes up sometimes convinced that the glow off the generator is the fires of her home. She had no idea if her parents had reached an evac, fled to safety, been killed in the fighting. Who knew? She had the realisation, then and there, that she didn’t really care. She felt nothing when she thought of them, of all her old friends and neighbours. It was like a different reality, an old time. Numbed.
Over the course of the next few months, McCaughey let Riff work. She’d told him she was from Easthollow, and as far as he knew, she had just watched every person she had ever met burn. In a way, she had. Bresnan, one of the younger lads working for his team, showed her how to make repairs as he fixed up the few things they had left, and slowly but surely she began to pick it up. They stayed in Rookpoint, for a few months. Too dangerous to head out, back when the air was still poison. They were one of the first caravans to head back into the wastes, among the first to re-establish contact with all the new settlements that had sprung up in the carcass of the old ones. Over the course of the next five years, they helped more than thirty settlements start up – mostly for profit, of course, though I understand McCaughey was known to sell below cost if he could see that people were dying. Once again, though, McCaughey was making himself a tidy living. They had a pretty high turnover of caravan guards: riding shotgun was dangerous in the early days. Lot of desperate people.
The last day that Riff saw her friends off the route, they were travelling from Pallain to Ruckett. A pretty safe route, usually – through the bones of the old world city of Newhall. Lots of stories were told in the camps of sinewy monsters eating travellers there, or gangs of cannibals, creatures that used to be human. Nonsense, of course, but it made for a quiet route. They were a small convoy – a couple of smaller buggies up front, heavy stubbers and flamers on pivots, to keep the road clear. Riff and Bresnan were in the back of the first merch truck along with a couple of guards. One more truck ran behind them, a single buggy following up from the rear. Safe, but manoeuvrable. She was chatting with Bresnan, she remembered. Joking about vampires ambushing their route.
The first explosion knocked Riff to the wooden floor and threw boxes from the flatbed, spilling scavenged circuit-boards behind the truck. Shots rang out, as the truck skidded to a stop. The caravan guards began firing wildly into the buildings along the side of the street. The leading cars were on fire – Parin and Holt, the men who had built her shelter back in Rookpoint, already dead. Bullets ripped through the canvas around her, killing one of the mercenary guards and catching Bresnan in the shoulder. He screamed, and fell from the truck. More shots echoed out, and his screaming stopped. The other mercenary jumped from the back, dropping his rifle as he ran. Riff saw him collapse. Before she had even taken it in, the shooting had stopped. She could hear men laughing, two of them arguing over who would get Kew’s lasgun. A louder man with an Easthollow accent barked orders. Shaking, Riff pulled a pistol off the belt of the man lying dead alongside her, trying not to meet the empty stare of his wide eyes. When a face appeared at the foot of the truck, a young man in a penal collar, she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened – a faint, repeating click revealing the jam in the firing mechanism. The butt of a rifle met her temple, and the world slipped away.
And though she didn’t know it yet, this was how she met Coop.
I also have a little bit of background info on Jackal cells and the Remnants themselves. More to come on this, but thought this could be interesting!
Among the residents of Pinepoint, service is required for citizenship. Outsiders, paid in credits, alcohol or food, are hired for work, but military service is a requirement to stay within the relatively safe and desirable Remnant settlements. Ridgeway was criticised harshly for the introduction of this system, but he called for realism among his people – there simply were not the resources or room to shelter everyone who came begging. Despite this, he relented, saying that those too weak or ill to serve could also be sheltered provided another within their group would serve double time to take their place.
Newcomers wishing for full citizenship in Pinepoint or one of the smaller Remnant settlements had two options – work with Ridgeway’s Remnants themselves, or service in a Jackal team. The Remnants were a form of defence force and military police. Once given brief training, they would carry out local patrols outside the settlement, settle disputes between citizens, and form the only line of defence should the settlement be attacked. They were reasonably well equipped, with each ‘volunteer’ issued a rifle and armour from the remaining PDF stockpile, to be returned at the end of their service. Whether this equipment was still functional was another question. The minimum service within a Remnant squad is one year, though many stay longer than this. With steady (though meagre) pay, free equipment, and a relatively stable lifestyle, service in the Remnants is seen by many as a great way to live.
For those wishing to finish their service sooner, give something back to the community, or simply the poor misguided souls bored with life in the settlement and seeking adventure, joining a Jackal cell is an alternative option. Usually led by a veteran of the PDF, Jackals receive no training, no equipment and have no official instructions. There is no fixed term on service within a Jackal cell, but the cell is dissolved once it is judged to have acquired a resource of “significant value” to the settlement itself. The Jackal cells are usually a ragtag group with scavenged or homemade weapons and armour, and many have not returned after leaving the safety of Pinepoint. Others have forged trade routes with other settlements, discovered large caches of fuel or medical equipment in the wastes, or travelled to old military bases to pick through the broken equipment left behind. Some have been rumoured to have sacked other settlements for the resources they own. No questions are asked as to how the gain was made, but those proven to have stolen or murdered face the full force of Remnant justice. Any weapons and equipment that a Jackal may come across during their service is theirs to keep. Service with a Jackal cell is seen as a quicker way to gain citizenship in Pinepoint itself, but few are fully aware of the dangers that they face when they sign up.
Hope you like, and please please let me know what you think, good or bad
Thanks Scarper I really like your writing style! A lot of times people like to write about how much better the future will be. But sometimes tomorrow isnt as nice as to day, and we should remember that.
Hahaha, thanks Monkeytroll! And you might be a bit more pleased with this update, even if the fisherman jumper is only in picture form...
Been messing around trying out colour schemes for Scratch whilst I wait for the PVA on her base to dry. I quite like this one, but I was worried it had a little too much blue to fit the others. Hopefully it meets the 'more colourful' advice I've been given, though! (excuse the rubbish drawing, please)
Obviously there will be a bit more freehand and weathering going on, but this might be bare bones how she looks. And the standard, mini character blurb:
Scratch
At 19, Scratch is the youngest member of the 21st Jackals. Optimistic and adventurous, she spends as much time on the surface as she can, and adores the ruins. Scratch had no real experience of the world before the Easthollow disaster, and was carried to Pinepoint shortly after the evac by her parents, both of whom have since passed (her father of rusinate lung, her mother of radiation sickness while serving with the Remnants). She was raised mostly be Elara, another orphan girl discovered by Remnant patrols shortly before her arrival, and the two are very close. Scratch revels in finding what she can of life before, and has developed a penchant for old world luxuries – she has spent many an evening with a begrudging Elara combing old stores for lho sticks, soda and sour candy. She also delights in finding gifts for others, hunting out undamaged spray-paints for Coop and Riff, or interesting mechanical parts and wiring for Skragg.
Originally from the poorer quarters around Rookpoint Spire, Scratch’s parents had little money for medical care, and her birth was complicated. She suffered a nerve injury to her right leg, leading to complete loss of sensation that led to multiple fractures and injuries as she grew. Though it does little to slow her down, pain and fatigue quickly set in if walking longer distances and Scratch is loathe to admit this, pressing through the pain for as long as she can. She learned to drive at a young age and has developed some skill, often being entrusted with the truck by Murdock on their expeditions outside of the hive.
Not much of an update, but just a sign that i'm still ticking over! Would love any thoughts on the colour scheme etc. Hope everyone's having a nice weekend
Don't think there's any issue with the blue Scarp. Works for either a 'fancy' jacket or a denim jacket I'd say. Denim as it would be a relatively sturdy jacket, plus as I recall, Coop's wearing jeans. Or a 'quality' jacket sh acquired whilst hunting through those old stores, seems to me with her interest in the old luxuries she'd grab something like that.
Thanks a lot guys! And monkeytroll - you're dead on. I was thinking she might have ignored some of the hardier, more practical clothes for something with a little style
Possible patterning, and a few extras - a few small button badges on her bag, and a (tiny!) character design for branding. I'm off to bed - going to have an actual model to show at some point soon, I promise!
Oh, and I forgot to say well done for making her a redhead Instantly makes her my favourite When I thought of her grabbing a jacket from an abandoned store I had a little movie playing in my head featuring Molly Ringwald
Hehehe, thanks Monkeytroll! And I swear you've mentioned Molly Ringwald before in this thread...
I guess she's done now. I'm not really sure how I feel about her. Colour scheme seems a bit off, the lines I sculpted were'nt too sharp, so painting was a little tough. I also resculpted her hair four times, and still don't really like it Still, I was looking to try something new, so that worked out. Hope you like, anyway, and please let me know what you think!
Night shift tonight, so I'll be getting a few hours shut-eye now.
Err, I have? Umm, well, that would be becauase, um, you see, ah yes, that's because she was in a dodgy post-apocalyptic type thing back when I was a kid and so I automatically associate her with this thread. Yes that's it. Nothing to do with having a crush on her or anything like that you understand. And I definitely didn't want to get stuck under her desk in The Breakfast Club. Someone else entirely
After looking at her a while I think your issue with the colour is maybe down to the jumper (it always comes back to the jumper ). The jumper, the strap and to some extent the flesh and mask are all fairly similar, depending on angle and lighting. Looks fine though.
Not got a good angle on the hair so can't comment, but a scavenger team probably isn't going to have the best-kept hair
@Rogue Wolves - Thanks a ton, man I'll see what I can do to dirty her up further - I think I was a little too cautious about overdoing it.
@Monkeytroll - Well, that's what I assumed, of course. And completely understandable, that other thing you mentioned - the one that had nothing to do with you I know what you mean about the colours in the photos, but I do feel like they are visibly different in person. Might be worth a few extra highlights though, so thanks for the tip and I'll try to get some shots of the hair up too, probably some time tomorrow.
Thanks so much for all your comments, btw - I really appreciate it!
I've actually just made a kind of cumulative blog - some (new!) photos of the gang so far, and all the fluff I could dig out, all in one place. More for my own benefit than anything, but there we go Take a look if you fancy it!
Working on Elara now. She'll be the final member of the Jackals before I move on to a bit more serious work on the QA.
Thought I'd post this here as well for completeness - kind of an amalgamation of all my fluff and models for the Jackals so far. With some new pictures!
TL;DR campaign fluff - Caitiff is a planet under imperial control that suffered an environmental disaster in the midst of a civil war. An evacuation was planned, but only a miniscule proportion of the planet's population were able to reach evacuation points. The planet now has no system of government and conditions are anarchic outside of several larger settlements. Much of the air on the surface is poisonous, though settlements have sprung up in pockets of clearer air, and hive cities with their own air filtration systems remain. Major factions include Ridgeway's Remnants - a small community originating from PDF remnants; the Quadring Accord - a group originating from prisons and penal legions and a few others. The Jackal cell detailed below (my gang) is affiliated with the Remnants. Hope you enjoy!
Info on the planet setting:
Spoiler:
Caitiff is a medium-small temperate world on the outer southern fringe of Imperial-controlled space. Its population once stood at around 15bn, with several small hive cities containing the vast majority of the population. Its income and value to the Imperium came from a rich supply of rusinate below its surface, a material essential in the production of, among other things, bolter cartridges, temperature regulation cells and in the refinement of various mineral ores. For several hundred years after its reintegration, Caitiff prospered – a bolstered economy, protection and trade with newly contacted Imperial fleets produced a new upper class of self-made industrialists and traders.
As stocks of rusinate dwindled, however, so too did Caitiff’s value to the Imperium. With a small population and little other minerals of value, the off-world contact and trade that had been the life blood of the new Caitiff slowly ebbed away. The economy suffered, and rising food prices and increasingly squalid living conditions kicked off a process of grumbling unrest among the working classes of Caitiff’s larger cities. The planetary governor at the time, Dyran Lavenne, was a corrupt bureaucrat widely recognised to be in the pocket of various industry moguls, and little to no relief effort occurred. Food riots in Rookpoint Spire and The Point were met with live fire from PDF forces, and an increasingly brutal arbite force enforced draconian ‘austerity laws’, leading to the disappearance of many dissenters. Civil war seemed a certainty. A number of popular resistance groups arose, and a pattern of ‘liberated’ population centres being mercilessly retaken by government forces began to emerge. Civilian casualties numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but it was only when several companies of the PDF defected to the rebel cause that the rebellion became a real and credible threat. Reports of executions and massacres on both sides could not be verified.
The downfall of the government of Caitiff didn’t come through military action, however, but through accident, poor construction and bad luck. The last hive city to spring up on Caitiff was different from the others. Over hundreds of years as the previous cities had grown, councils had been elected to ensure adequate ventilation, constant power and water supply, and structural integrity of the spire itself. Most of these councils were hereditary positions, chosen from the educated and wealthy elite. Some were benevolent, some self-interested, but all ensured the safe growth of their cities, both in height and spread. Easthollow, however, was in essence a vertical shantytown, a swaying and ever-expanding structure that sprang up over less than fifty years. It was composed entirely of the dwellings, both official and makeshift, of workers employed at the hundreds of vast rusinate refineries that made up the hive city’s base, and whilst an Easthollow council did exist, its members were hand-picked by the plant owners. At every turn, the council made concessions in the name of ‘austerity’, pocketing the funds that went unspent. A looming tower of plasteel, corrugated metal and scavenged building materials, housing a workforce of labourers widely considered disposable, run and maintained by a panel of corrupt and uninterested industrialists. It was a miracle that the hive stood as long as it did.
It’s unclear exactly what happened on the day that Easthollow collapsed, and survivor’s accounts are few and far between. It’s known that the ventilation system for one area of the hive was damaged in a wilful act of sabotage by a small rebel cell, though it’s unlikely that they were fully aware of what kind of chain reaction they were setting into motion. As their bomb, fashioned from stolen mining and factory equipment, exploded, Sector 12, location of one of the largest reactors powering the spire, lost both atmosphere and temperature regulation. The fires that started in the sector should have been stopped by auto-regulated flooding systems put in place to protect the lives of the inhabitants in such an emergency, but these never engaged, even as the fires spread into the power plant itself. Immense explosions ripped through the facility, containment domes failing and contingency measures overcome. It is likely that the colossal supporting beams housed in the area collapsed or melted in the intense heat, bringing entire layers of the hive down with them. The sudden and immense pressure on a single quadrant of a structure already weakened by cheap materials and years of poor maintenance proved too much to bear, and in less than an hour, the hive tore itself apart.
Refinement of rusinate is not a clean process. Several of the by-products produced are toxic to both plant and animal life even in miniscule amounts, and many of the radioactive elements have a half-life of thousands of years. Official policy required all waste from the process to be shipped off-world as soon as it was produced, and conveyed to planets designated ‘dead’ for long-term storage. This course of action was, of course, highly expensive, and many unscrupulous plant owners had taken to storing waste on site until such a quantity had been produced for a more efficient round trip. This efficiency measure proved disastrous with the collapse of Easthollow hive, and millions of tons of untreated industrial waste escaped into the atmosphere.
In the weeks following the incident at Easthollow, it became quickly apparent as the death toll rose that there was no containing the environmental pollutants, even if the various warring factions could put aside their differences long enough to enact a plan. Evacuation of ‘loyal citizens’ of the planet was organised by the planetary government, but woefully few evacuation centres were arranged, and rebel blockades, rioting, and bandit roadblocks made travel all but impossible. It is estimated that of the entire population, less than 1 million people were on board when the evacuation ships left for good.
The current story on Caitiff takes place fifteen years after the ‘evacuation’, and the planet is a very different place. The air on the surface itself is poisonous, though microclimate and uneven spread of the toxins from Easthollow results in wide variation - small pockets of more hospitable land exist, whereas the radiation in some areas would kill a man within hours. The atmosphere has thinned, and water vapour is scarce, resulting in sweltering days and freezing nights. Plant life, too, has been all but extinguished on the surface, and sprawling cities stand empty and abandoned – almost all surviving humans live in the vast hives, where filtration systems ensure relatively clean air to breathe. Humanity still thrives, adapting as it always has, and small, self-governing settlements exist throughout the world. Supply leads to wealth, and the settlements near clean water or functioning manufactorums quickly grew in power. With no central government, though, war and conflict are constant. Manufacture still takes place, though with no off-world interest raw materials are scarce. Scavengers pick through the corpses of the old world for technology that can no longer be reproduced, or simply materials or product that would be useful to surviving communities. This work is lucrative, but dangerous – many a team of fully equipped soldiers has failed to return from relatively simple pick-ups. Hardier creatures still stalk the surface – wiry, venomous nightmares that occasionally find their way into the deeper depths of the towering cities. Outside of the rudimentary justice system of the settlements, anarchy reigns, and gangs of murderous outlaws and bandits control vast swathes of the surface. Dark rumours persist of cannibalistic or mutated sects sweeping the land (always one continent over, or in an uncontactable hive); or of hive cities on the other side of the planet unaffected by the toxins, where crops still grow, the air is clear and clean water flows. The sensible take these stories for what they are. Life is hard on Caitiff, but, for better or worse, humanity prevails.
Info on Jackal cells:
Spoiler:
Among the residents of Pinepoint, service is required for citizenship. Outsiders, paid in credits, alcohol or food, are hired for work, but military service is a requirement to stay within the relatively safe and desirable Remnant settlements. Ridgeway was criticised harshly for the introduction of this system, but he called for realism among his people – there simply were not the resources or room to shelter everyone who came begging. Despite this, he relented, saying that those too weak or ill to serve could also be sheltered provided another within their group would serve double time to take their place.
Newcomers wishing for full citizenship in Pinepoint or one of the smaller Remnant settlements had two options – work with Ridgeway’s Remnants themselves, or service in a Jackal team. The Remnants were a form of defence force and military police. Once given brief training, they would carry out local patrols outside the settlement, settle disputes between citizens, and form the only line of defence should the settlement be attacked. They were reasonably well equipped, with each ‘volunteer’ issued a rifle and armour from the remaining PDF stockpile, to be returned at the end of their service. Whether this equipment was still functional was another question. The minimum service within a Remnant squad is one year, though many stay longer than this. With steady (though meagre) pay, free equipment, and a relatively stable lifestyle, service in the Remnants is seen by many as a great way to live.
For those wishing to finish their service sooner, give something back to the community, or simply the poor misguided souls bored with life in the settlement and seeking adventure, joining a Jackal cell is an alternative option. Usually led by a veteran of the PDF, Jackals receive no training, no equipment and have no official instructions. There is no fixed term on service within a Jackal cell, but the cell is dissolved once it is judged to have acquired a resource of “significant value” to the settlement itself. The Jackal cells are usually a ragtag group with scavenged or homemade weapons and armour, and many have not returned after leaving the safety of Pinepoint. Others have forged trade routes with other settlements, discovered large caches of fuel or medical equipment in the wastes, or travelled to old military bases to pick through the broken equipment left behind. Some have been rumoured to have sacked other settlements for the resources they own. No questions are asked as to how the gain was made, but those proven to have stolen or murdered face the full force of Remnant justice. Any weapons and equipment that a Jackal may come across during their service is theirs to keep. Service with a Jackal cell is seen as a quicker way to gain citizenship in Pinepoint itself, but few are fully aware of the dangers that they face when they sign up.
Murdock
Leader of this Jackal cell. Claims to have been a sergeant in the PDF, but carries a lot of ‘non-standard’ equipment. He has spent many years on the scavenger teams training new recruits in the Remnants, far more than his required service. If asked, he tells people that it’s because he upset a high ranking officer in the Remnant forces themselves, but many other stories are told. Some believe that he hates Pinepoint, and will do anything to leave it. Others have suggested that he is fighting to his death, his only means to reunite with a family killed in the rebellion. Others, perhaps more realistically, have wondered if he simply enjoys the work. Whatever the suggestion, put forward to Murdock it results in scorn and hard labour. Often brusque and unfriendly, he will nonetheless go out of his way to protect those under him. Trinkets or alcohol have often appeared in the packs of his cell members after an excursion to trading posts, but Murdock denies all knowledge of this. He recently suffered a serious head wound after a blast knocked him from a window during a skirmish with some local outlaws. He recovered well, but Murdock's reactions and instructions have since seemed slower during combat situations.
Farrell
Medic and plasma gunner. Farrell was found in the wastes a mile outside of Rukob, bleeding badly from embedded buckshot and a (clumsily stitched) stab wound to the stomach. He was carrying an infant girl, unharmed, but with a strange symmetrical birthmark on her back. Both were carried back to Pinepoint, the largest Remnant settlement. His wounds were infected, and the fever almost killed him as he raved about mutants and monsters. As he recovered, he first asked about the girl, then about others who may have come after him. The medical staff became concerned that he may have a bounty on his head. Many of the Remnants don’t trust him, and from his strange arrival to his refusal to explain where he came from, he didn't help himself. The plasma weapon he carried was also a rare find, unusual to see outside the slaver camps to the North. Leaving the girl in the safety of the camp, he joined a Jackal team to pay back the kindness he was given, believing that his skill with medicae and especially his work with bionics (again, an unusual skill in the underhive) would prove invaluable. Friendly and jovial when spoken to, Farrell was nonetheless rather quiet, with a tendency to stare into space and tune out of conversations. He was most vocal when discussing his frustration at the lack of medical equipment available – there was nothing on the planet, he said, more heartbreaking than knowing exactly what was wrong with a man and being able to do nothing to fix it. He regularly wrote notes in a small book, telling any who asked that it was a diary. Convinced that that he was a spy for the QA, Twitch stole his book and handed it to Murdock. Whilst he did write detailed notes of his own activities, almost the entirety of Farrell’s book was filled with letters to a particular woman, none of which it appeared had actually been sent. Murdock spoke to him about it, but saw no reason for concern. Farrell went missing following a series of engagements with an offworld private security company, and is presumed dead or captured.
I’m sorry I haven’t sent word in a few weeks now – I wasn’t sure anything was getting through. It’s been tough.
I’m not –
I’m not going to be coming home, Malaena.
It’s all gone to hell. Everything down here, just – I don’t know what happened to the others. Eli, Pirren, Clara. I think they might be dead. I took her with me, the girl. It was stupid. Throne, it was stupid.
But she was so desperate...
pause, heavy breathing
I’ve been missing you, Malaena. I wanted to come back to you. I tried to tell them we should go, that we should have left when the guards did, when he moved in – but... Crucien wouldn’t let us. He said it was humanitarian, but it – it wasn’t humanitarian anymore.
I don’t know how far I can –
Rustling. Subject grunts with pain
I’m going to keep moving. If I leave her here, she’ll die. If she dies, it was for nothing. I’m leaving the transmitter, I- I won’t contact you again. Crucien will look for you. Play him this. He’ll know.
I love you, Malaena. Always will. I’m sorry.
Stay safe.
file ends
Skragg
Heavy weapons enthusiast and inventor. Apparently mute, but adept at rigging technology from scrap, Murdock considers Skragg an idiot savant. Many of the others in the team think his silence is not a result of lack of intelligence, but rather a conscious choice. He had a close relationship with a younger Jackal named Scout, who was killed early in the campaign while the pair of them rescued Blind from rising floodwaters. Extended fluff story in the spoiler below. Skragg’s hearing has suffered as a result of his fondness for loud weaponry.
Skragg and Scout part 1:
Spoiler:
The guy with the...? Oh, you mean Skragg! Big guy, spiked hair, doesn’t talk much, carries a gun that looks like you couldn’t lift it? Yeah, that’ll be him. Don’t take offence or anything, he doesn’t talk to anyone. He’ll smile at you, laughs at jokes and that, but he’s been with us for years and I never heard him say a word. Nothing wrong with his head though - You know he built that gun himself? Two autoguns, few pipes from a condenser we found out near Saltash, couple of rings out of an old piston, Throne, I don’t know. Put it all together with that welding gun on his hip. Makes his own bullets, too! Keep an eye on him next time we’re out in the wastes. He stops every now and again, picks stuff up and pockets it. Trash, utter junk. The kind of thing you don’t look twice at, but give it a week and it’s part of a firing mechanism, or he’s put an autoloader on your shotgun. Murdock reckons he’s some kind of idiot savant, but I’m sure he’s all there. Just keeps himself to himself, y’know? Just cause someone don’t talk, doesn’t mean they don’t know how to.
His story isn’t the happiest though – you sure you want to hear it? Well, take a smoke, it’s kind of an epic. Nah, don’t worry bout it, got packs of them back at camp. Factory uphive gives ‘em out to anyone who asks – figured they’d stop all the raids that way. Most of their profits are offworld or something, I dunno.
Right, well I can’t tell you about Skragg without telling you about Scout, the kid we met him through. First time I saw either of em, they were in this drinking pit together in Hole, Second Best between them. This was maybe two years back, I think. We’d been following these rumours of some kind of tech stash that had been uncovered near Lent (turned out to be bunk, before you get your hopes up), and Murdock had us out hunting for someone who knew the area. We’d had a fair few choices, loud mouths proclaiming themselves the best around, wanting paid upfront. Crow’s a good judge of these kind of things though, wasn’t having any of it. We’d heard mention of Scout from a few different people, this kid who’d been in town for a few years, supposed to be the go-to guy. He wasn’t like the others – he was calm, relaxed. We’d heard his name and he knew that. He was 16, maybe 17, no older. Sitting at the table with Skragg, this giant of a man, just talking away at him. Told us he’d learnt his way around scavenging for tech to sell for as long as he could remember, and if we wanted a guide in the badlands, he said, he knew routes that few others did. He knew where the local gangs holed up, and where the local wildlife hunted and nested. If that sounded useful to us, he said, we could hire him and his associate for a 10% stake of whatever was found. No questions about what we were looking for, who he’d be working with. He was good to his word, too. While he was with us, raids went smoother, we didn’t get ambushed once, and no one got et by sumphounds.
He was a great guy, too. Generous with what he had, great sense of humour. Laughed at himself – not many men around who’ll do that, a real rare quality. He was always with Skragg though, just talking to him. The guy never replied, of course, but he always listened, and listened intent – had that look, you know what I mean? Just complete concentration. Always together. They were more than just friends – maybe that way, maybe not. Never felt it was my business to ask.
He told me they’d been partners in the scavenging business since they were kids – they’d been slaves together, working a chem pit in the Northern Wastes. Do you remember Derrick? No? Ah, well, little settlement to the North West, got overrun by the QA maybe 10 years ago. Everyone killed or captured, Scout and Skragg included. Reckoned he was 6 years old at the time. Second night they were in the mines, a friend of his dad’s, a barkeep named Garret, caved in the skull of their guard and made a run for it with four of the neighbourhood kids in tow. You ever met the QA? They’re pretty soulless, even by badlands standards. One of the kids was shot in the head as they ran, and Garret took a bullet to the gut, bled out in a dome 2 hours later. That left three of them. Skragg, aged maybe 7, Scout, and an older kid named Relleck. They did what any kids would do in the situation – panic. Scout wanted to go South, keep running until they found another settlement. He’d heard horror stories of what happened to kids who tried to pass through the hive on their own, but he knew it had to be better than the fate that waited for them in the mines. Relleck wanted to go back, thought that if they returned, hands in the air, they’d let them rejoin the chain gang as if nothing had happened. They’d have been crucified, for sure – the QA don’t forgive the killing of one of their own. Skragg, as always, said nothing. They argued for a few minutes before Relleck pulled the pistol off Garret’s belt and pointed it straight at Scout. For a few minutes, no one did anything. No one knew what to do. Scout cried. He told me that - no bravado, you see? They stood there, for what felt like minutes, just looking at eachother. Eventually, Relleck realised the position he was in. He broke into a smile, and told them to walk. He could at least save himself, he told em, if he bought the escapees back. He'd tell the QA he'd caught them trying to make a run for it, thought he'd be a hero. He told em he wouldn't care if they got boiled alive. Without a second’s hesitation, Skragg elbowed the kid in the face, put him flat on his back. He broke his wrist and took the pistol - Relleck was writhing on the floor. He shot him three times (slow and deliberate), then wordlessly handed the pistol to Scout. Without a credit between them, they headed South, into the badlands.
Blind
Whilst working as a gun for hire and going by the trade name of 'Jackdaw', Blind was hired with his mercenary partners by a power-armoured off worlder to retrieve a unique power cell he believed to be located in a subterranean section of the hive. After discovering that the factory had already been looted by Murdock's Jackal cell, Blind contacted RiffRaff, an old friend with whom he had once worked a caravan route, to arrange a trade. When they met for the handover, the stranger's men sprang a trap, blowing a resevoir dome and causing the area to flood with water. Blind was badly injured in the initial explosion, but was carried to safety by Skragg and Scout as many others drowned. After Murdock sold Blind's equipment to pay for medical supplies and bionic replacements, he joined the cell, with few other places to go. Gruff and unfriendly to strangers, Blind feels most at home with other professional soldiers and often seeks out the company of bounty hunters and other hired guns.
Crow
Before finding the Remnants, Crow scavenged the rocky and mountainous wastes outside the hive with her brother, who had raised her since they became separated from their parents during the Evac. After serving several months as a construction worker in the compound, Crow volunteered to join a Jackal team to rediscover the adventure and excitement of living rough. She may or may not regret her decision. Agile and sure-footed, Crow tends to stay high above the hive floor, shooting from vantage points wherever possible. She is good humoured and friendly, though with rather a dark sense of humour. She rarely takes off her rebreather, pointing out the very real danger that surface pollutants pose to the lungs. When pressed (or after a little too much wildsnake), she may relate the fate of her brother, who suffered worsening breathing problems on the surface. A few days prior to Crow’s discovery by a Remnant patrol, he left their camp in the middle of the night and shot himself without a word. He had complained over their campfire that his laboured breathing was slowing them both down, and one day waiting for him might get her killed. She had brushed him off, joking about carrying him. To this day, she resents his choice to make the decision without her, forcing her to carry on alone.
Ferret
Joined the Remnants after being caught attempting to steal food from the Pinepoint stores with her teenage son. Both agreed to serve in Jackal teams and eventually join defensive patrols if it meant access to the compound. Before the evacuation, Ferret worked as a teacher, educating the upper classes in Caitiff history, and the value of their contact with the Imperium. She was forcibly conscripted by the Eurata Separatist Front once the rebellion began, and served several years in a guerrilla unit. Ferret is very fast and a reasonable shot, but has been injured several times whilst in the 21st. Keen to return to base, Ferret rarely socialises, but will scavenge during her own time, hoping to find some archeotech valuable enough to merit a return to Pinepoint, and the peaceful existence that she longs for.
Riggs
Friendly and affable, Riggs was born inside the Remnant compound. Initially charged with sump-farming and looking after the animals, he joined a Jackal team as soon as he could, and acts as a friendly second-in-command to Murdock. Despite his affable demeanour, Riggs has a natural gift for negotiation and persuasion, and often accompanies Murdock to trading posts or to form treaties with rival groups. He tends to know a lot of residents in the settlements they regularly visit, and takes care of the team’s dogs, Loki and Cass. Riggs was badly wounded and one of his dogs killed by an unknown animal during a scavenging excursion on the surface. Farrell fitted him with a bionic replacement taken from the remaining PDF supplies.
Coop and RiffRaff
An ex-penal legionnaire with a history of forced service with the QA, and a once-wealthy runaway who served with a trade caravan specialising in electronics. Coop and Riff sold their services as caravan guards together for several years before meeting Murdock with his previous Jackal cell. Tired of life on the roads, they planned to complete their time in the Jackals and acquire citizenship in Pinepoint, where they could live peacefully. RiffRaff knits (badly), and Coop has been known to decorate buildings where the Jackals camp with vast, spray-painted murals. The two were inseparable, and a few fluff stories are under the cut. During the campaign, RiffRaff drowned in an engagement with the QA. Coop continues to serve with the Jackals, acting as a kind of carer to Twitch but he has developed several self-destructive tendencies, and has not recovered from her loss. He fights with a jerry-rigged flame-thrower created by Skragg, and since Riff’s death, he has been known to become frenzied and uncontrollable when engaging other gangs.
RiffRaff origin:
Spoiler:
Ah, Riff and Coop. A great pair, those two – funniest bastards I’ve ever met who weren’t trying to get me to buy something. You’ve got to get them started on something, there’s – you won’t have heard nothing like it. No one else gets a word in, once they’re going at it – It’s always a competition. Just got to outdo eachother’s stories, you know? Has Coop told you how he ended up in the Penals yet? Oh, he will. I don’t want to spoil ‘em, but there’s one for every occasion – last I heard he got busted impersonating a Commissar to get at the Amsec rations in his PDF conscription. As to what he actually did? Pshh, who knows. Something small, I’d bet. Can’t imagine him hurting a rat if it wasn’t looking funny at Riff. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t cross him; he wouldn’t think twice if he had to, you know? Just - not one of those men who gets enjoyment from it.
They’re good people, basically. Twitch too, though he’s not right any more. The fact that they stick by him, what with his new mindset and all – kind of thing that says a lot about a character, I’d say. They’ve been through a lot together, and I wouldn’t believe how they tell it neither – the real story’s a lot less cheery. Less bear-wrestling, too.
So RiffRaff first, right? From what I’ve heard, she really did live in Haverbrook, and she did leave of her own accord before the Evac. I know! It’s not the ‘coming of age’, swashbuckling adventurer type exit she likes to spin though; it was a little more sordid; a little more sad. She wasn’t the same girl back then. There was a man involved – I know, I know – but this wasn’t a romantic story. Not through his eyes, anyway. He was some real scum from Rookpoint Spire, though Throne knows which part. His settlement kicked him out and he was living rough in Haverbrook, stealing whatever he could to survive. Got cornered by the Arbites, of course – they didn’t used to put up with the underclasses there. By then, though, he’d met Riff, and Riff’s parents were in the guild – real important people. She wasn’t so smart back then, too trusting, too naive. Typical surfacer. He span her a story about false accusations, an evil associate setting him up to steal his business or some such, saving orphans from landmines, I don’t know. But she bought it, and begged the watchmen who came for him to let his crimes slide, for her. Promised to make him her personal project. Considering how upset her parents would be if their daughter didn’t get her way, they actually listened. You believe that? Bastard probably couldn’t believe his luck either.
The guy kept in touch, of course. Wasn’t going to lose a mark like RiffRaff. Over the course of a few months, he started giving her a taste of underhive life – spun it as a way of thanking her. He had some old contacts who sold him ghost, kalma, spur, whatever they’d scraped out of the chem pits, and she took it all; she’d never seen anything close. Thought she was doing something spiritual, some kind of cultural vibe, and you can guess where it led her. There’s no place for addicts outside of the hive, no tolerance for them. She needed her hits, and he was the only place she could get them. He knew it, too. When her parents began to suspect that she was spending their credits on something other than booze and clothes, he suggested they run away together, live on the road and follow the rebels. He talked her into stealing nearly ten thousand credits from her parents – after all, what had they done for her? They would never understand. If she took what she could, they would have all they needed to live the good life, away from their meddling. The good life for Riff, of course, began with multiple stab wounds in a ditch barely three miles from Haverbrook.
Amazingly, that’s not where her story ended, though no doubt been the end of many other lives these days.
A trade caravan ran from Rookpoint city (the polite name for the sprawling expanse of corrugated plasteel and concrete that had surrounded the hive in recent years) to Easthollow, run by a young guy named McCaughey. They dealt mainly in reconditioned electronics, buying and fixing mining and industrial equipment – junk that others considered beyond repair. The caravan stopped at some of the smaller shanty towns along the way to sell their wares - an old-fashioned way to do business, at the time, but they made good money in the places that the bigger conglomerates didn’t consider quite profitable enough to cater for. McCaughey and his partners made a comfortable living, and Rookpoint state was fairly secure in governmental territory, meaning that the route was also ‘safe’, as far as trade routes went. Course, the rebellion had been underway for a fair bit of time, and bodies turned up on quiet stretches of every highway. No one asked questions anymore; it didn’t matter who they were. Some were dissenters, killed by governmental forces; some were soldiers – men and women who had fought on either side. Some, no doubt, were the poor bastards killed by bandits: desperate men feeding their families in any way they could, or simply those that had come to enjoy the anarchy. It’s hard to judge a man who couldn’t watch his children fade away, you know? Whoever they were, they all carried equipment and goods, and McCaughey quickly realised that a corroded autogun or repainted flak armour could fetch a decent price on the black market. It was in this capacity that one of his men discovered that RiffRaff was still breathing.
McCaughey was a businessman, and mercenary as all get out, but he wasn’t a monster. Riff rode in the back of one of their trucks as their expedition medic, an old PDF dog named Kew, looked her over. He gave her as much medication as they could spare. She had lost a lot of blood, gone septic from the dirt in her wounds, and was going through one hell of a comedown from the drug withdrawal. She would have been raving, seeing things; fighting and lashing out. Wouldn’t have been easy to deal with, even with the ReBound they pumped her full of. They took her anyway. Good people. McCaughey planned to offload her in one of the last few free clinics that the sisters were running once they got to Easthollow – keep her safe, but no longer his problem.
Over the few weeks they travelled, Riff recovered. Physically, at least. Her temperature dropped, the demons left her vision, and though the shakes came back with every missed dose, the gnawing pain in her gut was much more short lived. The pain in her chest, though, was there to stay. She had betrayed her parents, left her home, burdened and attacked strangers, and nearly died, all for the sake of protecting a man who then tried to kill her. She’d thrown away everything – everything she had ever known, you understand? – and she was only realising now how well she’d been played. The man she’d saved had stolen her life, and she would probably never see him again. Riff knew that she would never return to Haverbrook. How could she? She begged McCaughey to take her on for work, anything that he might have going. She had no skills (who the hell does, growing up in a palace?), but was desperate to repay the debt that she felt she owed. McCaughey turned her down though. He wasn’t one to refuse free labour, but the girl was a liability. Since she wouldn’t tell him where she was from, he would leave her in Easthollow, and that was that. Only, they never got that far.
Before the haze, you could see Easthollow for days. A crooked spear jutting into the sky, mottled orange and brown, like rotten wood. There was no getting lost, it was just there – on a clear day, you could almost make it out on the horizon from Rookpoint. Which is why, despite being a few days travel away, the men and women working for McCaughey saw Easthollow fall.
RiffRaff’s never really told anyone what happened next. Doesn’t like to talk about it, you understand. You ever see someone that’s been burned with rusinate runoff? Nah, I suppose you wouldn’t have. No one goes near the dumping sites anymore – most of ‘em are wired off and signposted by now. But this stuff, the stuff they used to ship off world? It’s – I can’t really properly get across the horror this gak provokes in anyone who survived Easthollow. It’s corrosive, it burns you, right? But that ain’t always what kills you. Sometimes it’s slower, more painful, inevitable. Get contaminated, and it burns you fierce on the contact site, sometimes through to the bone. Some people died then and there – I don’t know if it was the burn, don’t know if their blood carries the poison around their bodies, burns ‘em up from the inside. Just a splash, though, step in something out scavenging, stray too close to a restricted site, that won’t kill you by itself. I’ve got no idea how it works (Farrell’s your man for that, if he’s in a talking mood), but those who die outright are maybe the lucky ones. The survivors - they got the burns, sure, but there’s something else in there too, something that stays in your body once the burning’s stopped. Over a couple of weeks, they just started to swell up. Cancers, tumours, I don’t know. Some kind of growth that just starts out and don’t stop. Didn’t hit them evenly either: might just affect one arm, might be your face; could be your liver, might be in the brain. Some people went crazy – turned violent and aggressive, beat someone to death just for staring. Farrell says it must have been compression – in the skull, you know? Others just went vacant, staring into space or just walking into gunfire. A lot of people killed themselves. Barely looked human anymore, guess they didn’t feel it either.
You’ll still see them around, sometimes. You probably have, just wouldn’t recognise them. People don’t take too kindly to those who got burned. After the hive fell, a lot of people saw the crazy ones, saw what they’d do if they got close to you – There are still people around who’ll shoot a hollow on sight. I’ve only met one or two, but they keep wrapped up, no skin on show. I don’t think there’s many left now. It’s - just no way for a man to live.
Ah, Throne, you’re right. Sorry, where was I? Poor bastards always throw me off. Right! Easthollow. And the aftermath, I guess. Rumour is, it rained runoff in parts of Shantytown. Literally poured from the sky. Think of the worst acid shower you’ve seen out on the wastes, kind of thing that strips paint from your truck, and imagine it doing the same to people. Reduction compounds got thrown up into the air too – you know the stuff that gives you blight throat? This is where all of it came from. ALL of it. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? There were rebreathers and gas masks around, of course, industrial protection for workers and the like, but nothing like as many as we’ve got today. More people back then, too, so less to go around. McCaughey’s train had masks – reconditioning gear like that was what they did, but the general public had nothing to protect themselves. Riff would have seen it all – the burned, the people whose lungs were slowly dissolving, the hollow crazies, hell, starvation and regular disease will have taken thousands. At first, they sold to the crowds, but Kew eventually talked McCaughey into giving out the spare masks they had left for free to any who would take them. It was already too late, really. All I know for sure is that once it was clear that there were more refugees than there were resources, people got desperate. Once the shooting started, McCaughey made the wise decision to get the hell back to Rookpoint.
Their flight took them past Haverbrook, of course, though they didn’t slow down. Riff still wakes up sometimes convinced that the glow off the generator is the fires of her home. She had no idea if her parents had reached an evac, fled to safety, been killed in the fighting. Who knew? She had the realisation, then and there, that she didn’t really care. She felt nothing when she thought of them, of all her old friends and neighbours. It was like a different reality, an old time. Numbed.
Over the course of the next few months, McCaughey let Riff work. She’d told him she was from Easthollow, and as far as he knew, she had just watched every person she had ever met burn. In a way, she had. Bresnan, one of the younger lads working for his team, showed her how to make repairs as he fixed up the few things they had left, and slowly but surely she began to pick it up. They stayed in Rookpoint, for a few months. Too dangerous to head out, back when the air was still poison. They were one of the first caravans to head back into the wastes, among the first to re-establish contact with all the new settlements that had sprung up in the carcass of the old ones. Over the course of the next five years, they helped more than thirty settlements start up – mostly for profit, of course, though I understand McCaughey was known to sell below cost if he could see that people were dying. Once again, though, McCaughey was making himself a tidy living. They had a pretty high turnover of caravan guards: riding shotgun was dangerous in the early days. Lot of desperate people.
The last day that Riff saw her friends off the route, they were travelling from Pallain to Ruckett. A pretty safe route, usually – through the bones of the old world city of Newhall. Lots of stories were told in the camps of sinewy monsters eating travellers there, or gangs of cannibals, creatures that used to be human. Nonsense, of course, but it made for a quiet route. They were a small convoy – a couple of smaller buggies up front, heavy stubbers and flamers on pivots, to keep the road clear. Riff and Bresnan were in the back of the first merch truck along with a couple of guards. One more truck ran behind them, a single buggy following up from the rear. Safe, but manoeuvrable. She was chatting with Bresnan, she remembered. Joking about vampires ambushing their route.
The first explosion knocked Riff to the wooden floor and threw boxes from the flatbed, spilling scavenged circuit-boards behind the truck. Shots rang out, as the truck skidded to a stop. The caravan guards began firing wildly into the buildings along the side of the street. The leading cars were on fire – Parin and Holt, the men who had built her shelter back in Rookpoint, already dead. Bullets ripped through the canvas around her, killing one of the mercenary guards and catching Bresnan in the shoulder. He screamed, and fell from the truck. More shots echoed out, and his screaming stopped. The other mercenary jumped from the back, dropping his rifle as he ran. Riff saw him collapse. Before she had even taken it in, the shooting had stopped. She could hear men laughing, two of them arguing over who would get Kew’s lasgun. A louder man with an Easthollow accent barked orders. Shaking, Riff pulled a pistol off the belt of the man lying dead alongside her, trying not to meet the empty stare of his wide eyes. When a face appeared at the foot of the truck, a young man in a penal collar, she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened – a faint, repeating click revealing the jam in the firing mechanism. The butt of a rifle met her temple, and the world slipped away.
And though she didn’t know it yet, this was how she met Coop.
Coop on the planet surface:
Spoiler:
The surface – the true surface – now had a strange kind of beauty to it, Coop thought to himself. The emptiness, the silence, had a unique sensation, a feeling all of its own. Between the settlements, in the mainly intact ruins of the old world, it still felt like trespassing, like sneaking out as a teenager. The truck growled through the silent city, echoing back and forth in the empty buildings. He felt as though he were walking through Greenmile City again, footsteps echoing impossibly loud in the early hours of the morning when the streets were dead. You could be the only person in the world. It would be easy to ignore the signs of what had happened, if you kept your gaze high enough. Facing skyward, the pockmarked walls and burnt out vehicles would slip out of view, the upper levels of what used to be Ruckarnlan jutting dark and silhouetted against the yellow-hued sky, looking now as he imagined they always had. He’d never come here before the evacuation – the empty streets of the old city were all he’d ever seen of it, a passing blur thrown up and down from the back of Carson’s caravan. The city told stories, like every place on the surface. He’d learned to read the environment as they drove, hear the history it whispered, just below your hearing, through the tedium of the long ride. Here a former shop-front was boarded up with scrap scavenged from nearby buildings, corrugated iron and rotten wood. Empty food cans littered the ground, a rainwater collection duct rigged to the front of the building. A scavenger, maybe a family, had lived there once, maybe died there. Picked the area clean before moving on, or succumbing to the poisonous air. Conditions on the surface were harsh, and few survived up here for long.
Here, a faded mural. Scorpions, a gas mask, crossed rifles. A gang? Perhaps just a lone waster? Might even have been prior to the rebellion – images of warfare and revolution were nothing new on Caitiff. There were others around Ruckarnlan, less warlike, less violent – things of beauty. Real artworks, sprawling growths of painted plants, painstakingly etched representations of women, surrealist blooms of colour. Multi-storey buildings covered in swathes of pigment - hours upon hours of work in the deadly conditions of the wastes. He’d often wondered about who could produce such things: could they be the work of a single man? Some crazed artist lost in the wilderness? Coop had seen shadows moving through the buildings, all of them had – ghosts of the old world, they called them. Killed so quickly when the violence began that they’d never realised that they were dead. Stories were common in the hive of people taken by these shadowy spectres, vanishing silently from the back of vehicles in dust storms, not a trace of their passing, only to be seen in the painted walls of the surface. Coop didn’t believe them, but he still shuddered as the wind picked up.
There were still signs of the life that had once thrived here, if you looked high enough – tattered rags hung on what had once been washing lines, faded curtains still blew from open windows. The signs were always there, though. Windows, shattered. Paintwork peeling and torn. With time came decay, and decay was all that was left in the wastes.
Pulling at his uncomfortable mask, Coop nudged Riff awake. It was her watch, and he’d seen enough.
Coop and Riff join the Remnants (written a waaaay back, and not very good ):
Spoiler:
Riggs moved through the shattered entranceway, following the glow of the fire. He could hear them talking - low and cautious, still unsure of themselves. He smiled. It would be good to get some new company. The dog growled, leaning into the rope around her neck as the campfire came into view. Riggs bent down, pulled her in and patted her side as her hackles rose.
"Easy, Cass. Calm down, girl. They're friends, ok? No one's trying to kill me today."
The strangers by the campfire turned towards him, the male half rising. His hand was at the holster hanging off his belt. The girl spoke first.
"Uhh... hey. You okay, man? We're new. Murdock's cleared us, so... no need for the dog, alright?"
Riggs laughed, raising his arms in what he hoped was a disarming gesture. "She's not that bad, honest - just talks a big game. She'll be fine once she's used to you." He tied her off against a door frame and patted her muzzle once more. "You mind if I join you?"
The man sitting opposite the fire still hadn't lowered his hand. The girl turned to him, and he nodded, sitting back where he had been. He smiled, and appeared to relax. Riggs pulled a bottle optimistically labelled "Wildsnake" from his bag and offered it to his new companions. The girl took it and drank deep before spluttering a few times and passing it back.
"Not the best, huh? Got it in Jento - should have been warning enough, I guess." He took a sup of the spirit and passed it on to the man opposite him. In the light of the fire, the thick gouges in the newcomer's arms were thrown into relief. "Name's Levin Grigg, though the folks round here tend to call me Riggs." He sighed. "Guess two syllables was a little much to ask. The girl growling at you on then end of that rope is Cass. I know the welcome Murdock gives to strangers can be... a little less than friendly, so I figured I'd stop by and say hi. What're your names?"
"Coop." It was the man who had spoken first. He was tall and heavy set, but probably no more than 20 years. Fresh cuts lined his features, and fresh bruises covered much of his face. His nose was set at an awkward angle - a look that seemed recently acquired, based on the crusted blood underneath it. Riggs could make out the profile of a penal collar beneath the man's coat - an interesting one, no doubt. "My friend here is Riff Raff." He paused for second, and grinned a smile with more than a little wince in it as he extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Riff Raff?" The girl laughed. She was about Riggs' age, with dark eyes and bright green hair cropped short to her head. Slung at her side was a heavy backpack, filled with what looked like computer equipment.
"It kinda stuck! I grew up in Haverbrook, you know?" Riggs looked blank. "Haverbrook! Oh, come on. Big, fancy, posh oppressive arsehole community, couple miles outside the hive? Lots of trees? Back when there were still trees, that is. You'll know it if you see it." She paused for a second. "You know what a tree is, right?" Riggs smiled wanly, took the proffered bottle from Coop.
"So it's an ironic thing?"
"Sort of. fething hated that place, ran away the second the factories blew up. I like it - kinda burning out my roots, y'know? Guess my family got evacced though, so maybe I shoulda stayed." She laughed.
Riggs thought for a second. "So how did you guys end up in Rukob?"
"Series of coincidences, I guess." RiffRaff grinned. "Coop, me and Twitch - have you met Twitch? You'd uh... You'd remember if you had." She giggled. "We were working as guards for this donkey-cave guilder, going place to place. Nothing too serious, just -"
Coop, who had been valiantly swigging at the bottle, cut her off with a smile. "Aw, come on Riff. He wasn't that bad. For a guilder." RiffRaff glared at him.
"He was a solid gold prick. He ripped off everyone he met."
"He was a guilder."
"He charged more for drugs if people were sick!"
"He was a guilder."
"He mixed sumpwater in the liquor!"
"He was a guilder."
"He shot that trader in Saltash!"
"The one who tried to stab him?"
"When he ripped him off!"
"Like a guilder!" Coop broke into a playful smile, which was apparently a little too wide as he grunted and rubbed bruised jaw. He turned to Riggs. "Carson was an underhanded, backstabbing con artist, but that just meant that he was good at his job. With us though, he was a good guy. We sat shotgun on his caravan between settlements. Easy money, apart from the odd raider or underhive moron. Between us though, they didn't really have a chance."
"So what happened?" Riggs took another swig of the 'wildsnake' Coop had passed him, gagging a little as the aftertaste hit him. It really was foul stuff.
"Well," RiffRaff muttered. "like he said, we covered his ass between settlements. If Carson wants to shoot his mouth off to every guy in every drinking hole in Skillett, we can't be there to stop the guy who... well, shot his mouth off, I guess." Coop laughed and put his arm around her shoulder, but stopped when she threw him a look. "Turned out he messed with some local hired gun, a real badass apparently. And apparently he wasn't in the mood for Carson's gak talk." A look of sadness spread momentarily across her face, before her features quickly hardened. "Either way, we found ourselves between employments." She passed a bacc-stick to Coop, lighting her own off the campfire. "You want one?" Riggs shook his head."Eh, your loss, they're good."
Riggs smiled, patting his shirt sleeve. "Got my own. From uphive." RiffRaff looked briefly impressed, but pulled it into a good natured sneer, rocking her head from side to side. "So how'd you find yourself here? Skillet's what, like, 10, 15 miles East?"
"Business venture." Coop replied. "Whatever we think of Carson," a glance to RiffRaff,"he went out owing us a fair few creds in backpay. He also left behind a fair few crates of spirits, munitions and condensor parts that he was no longer using. We heard of a trader who didn't ask many questions out at this end, but unfortunately didn't quite make it all the way here. The guide we hired was the same guy who gave us the tip, and said he knew the fastest way from Skillet to Rukob - yeah, yeah, I can see in your face that you know where this is going. It was stupid as hell, I know." Riggs raised his hands and shook his head, trying to repress a grin. "There were 20-odd armed men - thugs hired by the local guild interest - waiting for us in a pass about 5 miles out. We did what any sane people would do in that situation - gave em everything." He paused for a moment. "Twitch was raging, practically frothing at the mouth. Couldn't stand the idea that we weren't going to fight them. We managed to calm him down before he shot anyone though, or I'm guessing we wouldn't be here." He spat in the fire and watched it hiss. "Still, I'd love to meet that 'guide' again. Just the once." RiffRaff cracked her knuckles.
"They let us live, which was an unexpected courtesy. Took everything, of course, but let us go. Not before their boss had given me a "lesson about trade rights" though." RiffRaff put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and smiled at her. "We made it though. It's almost hard to hate them, they did it so well."
The dog had been whimpering for a few minutes now. Riggs pulled another bottle from his pack, set it on the rubble he'd been sitting on.
"That's one hell of a way in. Look, I need to move, or Cass here'll never forgive me." He gestured at the bottle. "That's yours, if you think you can stomach it. Sounds like you guys could use it." He untied the dog from the post, pushing her back as she licked his face. He stood upright, turned again to the two newcomers. "Welcome to the Jackals, guys. It's been a pleasure."
Twitch
A close friend of RiffRaff and Coop, Twitch worked with them for several years as a caravan guard. Somewhat of a heavy drinker with a talent with cards and a fast mouth, he was known as a story-teller and writer. Around a year before the three came into contact with Murdock, though, he was thrown from his truck in a collision with some local wildlife, striking his head against the road. Whilst he survived, he has been wildly unpredictable since, breaking down into tears with no provocation or attacking strangers over imagined slights. Despite this, he still experiences periods of lucidity, and can for days at a time seem the man he used to be. Whilst most men in such situations would not have lasted long, Riff and Coop stuck by their old friend, even though his outbursts cost them several contracts. Murdock was not happy with his inclusion in the Jackals, but allowed him to remain, as long as the others accepted responsibility for his behaviour.
Scratch
At 19, Scratch is the youngest member of the 21st Jackals. Optimistic and adventurous, she spends as much time on the surface as she can, and adores the ruins. Scratch had no real experience of the world before the Easthollow disaster, and was carried to Pinepoint shortly after the evac by her parents, both of whom have since passed (her father of rusinate lung, her mother of radiation sickness while serving with the Remnants). She was raised mostly be Elara, another orphan girl discovered by Remnant patrols shortly before her arrival, and the two are very close. Scratch revels in finding what she can of life before, and has developed a penchant for old world luxuries – she has spent many an evening with a begrudging Elara combing old stores for lho sticks, soda and sour candy. She also delights in finding gifts for others, hunting out undamaged spray-paints for Coop and Riff, or interesting mechanical parts and wiring for Skragg.
Originally from the poorer quarters around Rookpoint Spire, Scratch’s parents had little money for medical care, and her birth was complicated. She suffered a nerve injury to her right leg, leading to complete loss of sensation that led to multiple fractures and injuries as she grew. Though it does little to slow her down, pain and fatigue quickly set in if walking longer distances and Scratch is loathe to admit this, pressing through the pain for as long as she can. She learned to drive at a young age and has developed some skill, often being entrusted with the truck by Murdock on their expeditions outside of the hive.
Every one definitely unique. Tell me, do you play a lot of fallout 3?
I love anything post-apocalyptic. Sometimes I get the feeling we aren't far away from it...
Aww, it's upsetting riff-raff drowned. I really like the theme you have going through your gang, you really capture a sense of humanity in the miniatures.
The whole crew is great, but I think I like Crow the best. She just screams "Post-Apoc" with her respirator and wire stock, beat up looking lasgun. Nice work all around!
Thanks a ton for the responses guys, as always, they are hugely appreciated
@monkeytroll - Hahaha, thanks a ton. You might be a little disappointed though, Elara's getting a fetching 'weatherproof jacket / tattered remains of jeans' combo. All the rage in Milan, I hear.
@Rogue wolves - Thanks, man, I think they might be some of my favourites too And cheers for the kind words - it's nice to know you think I've improved!
@weetyskemian - Thank you so much! I have played a fair bit of fallout and metro 2033 (awesome if you haven't played it and are looking for inspiration!), but I'm a big fan of loads of the 'dystopian society' kind of things in general: took a few pointers from books like 'the road' and films like the Mad Max ones as well
@ghosty - Thanks a ton, I really appreciate that And yeah, I was pretty gutted myself. Amount of time spent on a conversion and painting seems to inversely fit with how long they survive in game, tbh. But it does free up space for new conversions, so silver linings and all!
@bigmek35 - Thanks for the encouragement!
@Rawson - Thanks for the compliments! I do have a soft spot for crow myself - she's mostly vanilla, but I like that the small changes can have a big effect.
Now, in case anyone wasn't following Baiyuan and PDH's awesome 'Pimp my Wizard' thread - get over there now, what are you doing?! There are some seriously amazing things goign on in that thread. But just in case you weren't, here's my entry and the first model in my 'Hollows' gang.
I've also got the individual images, in case that doesn't come out properly:
Spoiler:
Photographing her proved surprisingly difficult! She comes with a little fluff, which I don't think I've posted here before:
Spoiler:
The sound of gunfire and Curen’s scream woke her with a start. Frantic, she scrabbled for her relic blade, finding no sign of it. She grabbed a rifle beside her, swinging left and right before she’d even taken in where she was. Her blood pumped fire, anger and fear a haze on her vision. She had to protect them! Curen was dead. She knew that. But as she struggled into wakefulness, she could not remember how that information related to her. Curen had been dead a long time. Baby was with her, too. She - she could not correlate that with where she was. Animal gave her a quizzical look, head cocked to the side. He chirruped, startled – she had kicked him as she jumped to her feet. He moved between her legs, seeking forgiveness for whatever his wrong had been. Her eye colours told her nothing, arm magics whirred to no threat. The walls of the watchtower came back to her, her mind slowly returning to the world where she resided. A dream. Nothing more. She felt sadness. She had lost them again.
The memories came at night. Confused, detached, garbled. She had been given a task, once. Important, secret. They had spent many evenings hiding. Curen had been with her, as well as another female, one she recognised as close, but for whom she could draw no name. There had been more, in the before, other friends and faces, but they had been whittled down, one by one. In the old time, Curen and the other had been all that was left. They had been fighting, a fight that they could not afford to lose, and Curen spoke often of death for a cause. What they were doing was important, but she could not remember why.
Her smile, though, the smile of the other, unknown female, snagged at the edge of her memory. It bore some special meaning, one exclusively for her. She had understood, but that slid away from her, even as she fought it – As every morning, her comprehension retreated, meaning receding and the strings that held the images together twisting and breaking, one by one. A truth once known was once again out of her reach. It was infuriating, and brought with it an aching and incomprehensible feeling of emptiness. A feeling of loss. All of her dreams ended in fire.
She scratched Animal’s ear, murmured platitudes. She was sorry that she had kicked him. She remembered now. Guard for the others, her new friends; remain awake and watchful for the bad men. She had failed. Slept. Baby cried now, woken by her night screams. She was sorry for this too, but she must fix her first failing before her second. She scanned the borderlands, eye colours searching deep into the forbidden territory, where her own eye could not see. Farl had explained to her how important her task was, and she mustn’t fail her friends. Not again.
Automatically Appended Next Post: ALSO!
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME -
Just ordered these guys:
The two guys on the right I assume are the father and son from Cormac McArthy's The Road, and are hence the best things ever to be made at 28mm scale, ever. The other two I recognised are, I guess, Eli (The Book of Eli) and that resident evil woman. Haven't seen either movie, but they both look like interesting models. Not sure who the guy on the end is! Not sure what I'll do with the others, but the characters from one of my favourite novels were just too cool to pass up!
Also got these unlucky fellows as some nice thematic scavengy loot markers for my Jackals. They fit the random nature of necromunda loot pretty well - who knows what they were carrying?!
That's all I ordered (well, except a SUPER SECRET MODEL I plan to convert, but enough about that ), but there are some other amazing models on the site too - check out these guys for ash waste gangers:
Complete with heavy stubber and a flamer! And seriously - check out the attitude on the guy with the stubber...
Or even these guys:
Not really my thing, but so much character!
Sculpting quality looks a little variable, but here's hoping they're as awesome as I'm expecting them to be! Here's the store, if anyone else fancies a look http://www.lead-adventure.com/
Hmm, I'm guessing the 'tattered remains of jeans' part of the combo isn't going to look like a tiny pair of denim hotpants
Not sure if I commented over on the PMW thread, but good job on the sculpting involved on that one. And is that decking from Antenociti's Workshop?
Very nice bit of fluff (I haven't gone through that thread yet, just looked at the pwetty pictures ), informative and teasing at the same time, just as I like it
Looking forward to seeing what you make of the Lead Adventures figs, lots of character in their stuff.
@monkeytroll - Hehehe, thanks so much for the kind words! I'm glad you like the fluff, she went through a fair few iterations before I found something i was happy with. The Hollows will eventually have a pretty twisty back story, but I just want to reveal a little at a time as I finish them - hope you'll still enjoy! Lead adventures stuff is here now and it's AWESOME. Some of the faces are a bit off on a few, but nothing I can't fix I reckon. Can't wait to get em sorted!
@Rogue Wolves - Cheers man! It is indeed, the hunched over necromancer. Sex change and time travel tends to make people a little less recognisable
Just a quick update on what I'm working on atm. Very early green of another QA member. Almost done with the faction backgrounds for both the Remnants and the QA now, but as I can't remember what I've posted on them already and too tired to check, here are some salient points for the QA:
- All ex-cons, ex-factory workers or ex-miners
- Jumpsuits required for all (this guy was clearly too hot, so the top half of his is wrapped round his waist
- Mostly shunned by society for their past actions, so generally very poorly equipped / undersupplied
The gang themselves are going to make up a mini-diorama where they are scavenging the remains of a long-dead convoy in the wastes. Looks like this guy just found the cargo manifest! He's letting the others know what should still be around that's worth having.
Stuff still to do: Clean up bandana, gap filling, goggles get lenses and a strap, ditch the dog tags for a pendant, gap filling, basing (obvs!). Hope you like, and please let me know what you think!
that looks great catachans are always great in conversions (when you take off their arms) the beard isnt over done as many do goggles or sunglasses or whatnot look nicely sculpted looking foward to seeing the rest of this squad
This is one hell of a inspiring and joyful to see and read thread! Love the attention to detail and the great fluff, and nice GS work too. Keep it up, i'll follow this thread from now on.
@Rogue Wolves - I know, right? The heads, once you shave off some of the really exaggerated features, actually have a lot of potential, and some of the legs and torsos are great for (bulky!) civvie stuff. The goggles will eventually have a strap and hopefully angled lenses - kind of like old-style aviator goggles. Cheers for the compliments!
@LordofMuck - Welcome! Thank you so much for the kind words, that's one hell of a thing to read Hope I can keep you coming, and feel free to wade in if there's something you do / don't like!
one question as i just bought some of those nice renegade arms as well how do the arms line up against the body is it thiner, could i just cut it off at the hand and gs it to a cadian arm?
@scarper.. Love this latest guy mate, the beard is really nice,
still haven't had chance to read all the latest stuff you have been up to just yet , but look forward to digging into the backgrounds you posted up on the last page . as soon as i can .
Hey Scarper, that Pimped Necromancer looks fanstastic... It really captures the grimdark feel of the 40k universe... in an almost-John Blanche kind of way, if you see what I mean !
The addition of the baby makes it look really unusual, and the bionic parts really add up to the character...
Amazing execution overall.
Also great job on your latest dude, the beard is nicely sculpted, looks as if it's real ! And the pose is dramatic, we can really see the scene unravel under our eyes.
As for the bunch you ordered, the "Last Heroes" look promising. But my favourite is the gasmask dude with ammo belt & machinegun from the "Ruin Raiders". Where did you get those?
Wow, a few responses! Sorry, should keep a better eye on my own threads
@PDH - Ace! Thank you, and I'm really glad you like him. I was a big fan of how the beard came out too: I'd never tried one before, and I liked the kind of 'biker' look it gave him - perfect for the QA!
@Rogue Wolves - Good call! They're really great to work with - loads of uses you can't get from the other IG kits. They fit pretty flush with cadians, I think, though you have to be careful about switching hands. FW tend to be a little more towards realistic scale than GW's 'heroic' models, so some of the older catachan hands, for example, will look like those foam '#1' fingers. That being said though, they have some bulky armoured gloves, so if you painted them the same way it might work. Only way to really know is try it out when they arrive!
...so I'm entirely unhelpful, in conclusion. Sorry about that!
@neil - Thanks! And no worries on the fluff, it's not going anywhere. Though I am nearly finished with both the QA and Remnant background write-ups, so the longer you leave it, the more you'll have to read at once!
@Yggdrasil - Wow, thank you so much for all the kind words. And John Blanche-esque is a massive compliment in my book, so thank you for that, totally made my day! Glad you like the beard too - I often struggle with sculpting hair, so I'm glad I've found somehting that seems to work.
As to the new figs, they're all from the lead adventure post-apoc line. The guy with the hoodie and stubber is my fave too - so much attitude in the pose! Unfortunately that set is still on my 'crave' list, rather than my 'impulse bought in a moment of weakness' list. Still, give it time!
Thanks a ton to all of you for the comments - nearly done on sculpting the beardy bloke now, will sure to get some pics up once I finish his base too. Plus maybe a fluff update in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Beards are great...his turned out really well. I think every real man should try a beard once in their life. The only disappointment for me was finding out mine is ginger and not blonde! Still hasn't stopped me from keeping it though.
So guys it looks like the next random topic is beards
im really liking the body on that model for the dad from "the road" im just hoping to see a nice scale shot in your pics to see how it fits up plus with a head change and maybie a shoulder pad that guy on the left could be a convincing undercover guardsmen
Those lead adventure guys are sooooo cool. I want to buy them as well but I have run out of fiat currency and I'm hungry...
The beard on your latest is spot on. And dead people are a great idea for loot markers - maybe you can sell their boots and gas masks. They would be bound to have a little ammo and some creds unless they've already been picked over
I think it's the sci-fi decking from Antenociti's Workshop, but not sure.
My current facial hair of choice is a small set of mutton chops, occasionally I'll add a moustache, and sometimes trim it down to thinner extended sideburns.
Probably my fave blog at all of Dakka this one!! I wish I had more time to read and comment at the moment. I would love to feature these guys in my blog soon. It'd then be John Blanche and you as the first two featured artists
Wow, Migs, are you serious? That would be absolutely amazing, and thank you so so much for the enormous compliment! Talk about following someone onto the stage though... Seriously, I'm crimson right now, thank you!
Automatically Appended Next Post: To everyone else: hey, at leasts it's not daniel craig in drag this time.
@Monkeytroll - Thank you! I'm quite proud of how the boiler suit came out: I was looking at reference pics to try and see how it would fold.
@PDH - You sly dog, I can't believe this actually worked. One little initiator and then you step aside with an evil grin But if we MUST talk about beards, I've had a go myself - looked good until it got away from the stubbly stage, and BAM, hobo. Not really something I could pull off in my line of work, anyway!
@Rogue wolves - It's great, isn't it? They're unfortunately a little small for 40k scale though, as evidenced here by an old friend (he was the closest guard scale model I had to hand!)
I wasn't really planning on using that particular set for gaming though, more just somehting interesting to paint. The other sets are closer to GW scale.
@dsteingass - I had a go at painting that waaaay back when I was first starting! It looked awful back then, but I think my fine control's a little better now. Hmmm... maybe another try at some point? And the decking is indeed Antenociti's. You don't get much for the money, so it may not be great for big walkway sections, but it works great for basing! And things only come to the uk because clearly we are the best.
@weetyskemian44 - I really like them too! Can't remember the last time I saw something that I would consider keeping completely unaltered, but with some of these I just feel like I'll be making them worse Seriously, don't look at the site if you're short on cash - I can hear them all whispering to me... Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad they're thematic. What you described is pretty much exactly what i was thinking. No-one would ever have walked the wastes without some kind of ammo!
@Chibi - Is it weird that I kind of picture you as the cat thing in your avatar? It has a goatee now
@Monkeytroll - And your avatar with muttonchops is now my mental image for yourself. Sorry!
@Storag - Thank you, that's really kind! And based on your upright orks and those WoW models you converted (seriously: whoa), I reckon you could pull off something far superior!
@Cadaver - And just like that, it's the new "show yourself" thread Here's a product that allows all the ruggedness of a beard whilst remaining conveniently detachable:
And I think that's enough derailing my own thread Work has been crazy at the moment, so not much progress on the scavengy ganger. Hopefully some progress over the weekend!
And seriously, thank you so much for all the interest guys, I really really appreciate it.
A detachable beard you say? There's a faintly heretical tinge to that idea
And you know, if you really don't want to talk about beards all you'd have to do was mention something along the lines of, oh, I don't know, let's say knitwear for example. And then link the knitwear to....say..a female maybe? And perhaps some sort of ..hmm..umm...an angling reference perhaps? I'm not sure, maybe that would do it, maybe not, just plucked it out of the ether like.
But why would you not want to talk beards?
And the thought of Raque (my avatar) with mutton-chops is a bit weird, but does seem to fit in with your thread somehow
Is the knitted mustache also removable? lol What about mustaches? Why do guys in their 50s still wear their enormous 1970s mustaches and still think they look cool? Mustache enthusiast psychology intrigues me lol
DOnt wory Cadaver Morgen Freeman has a mustache nad to dsteingass to your point Clint Eastwood dosent rock a stache but old time bare nuckle boxers do so close your eyes and picture one of them with a big waxed mustache and then say to yourself.. i understand now
Guys guys guys. When I said the next random topic is beards I meant on models obviously...we're on a modelling forum after all! Sheesh! Now my personal favourite is on the marauder horseman with eye patch.
Scarper - Where in the heck does one find a hat like that....it is terrible and I'm looking for redeeming features but I can't. Shame Farnham is so much bigger than Viggo, it is a nice model.
Sounds like you're going to have to do a little photoshoot for Legend of Plastic Looking forward to seeing it
Cadaver - I always freak out a bit when I see an American with a gun! After seeing that I'm just going to pretend that your Avatar is you!
Chibi - If it wasn't so early on Saturday morning I'd be tempted to get paint out and edit your avatar. Your flying kitty seriously needs a goatee!
*Evil grin, laughs like a bond villain, "Ha ha my work here is done"... vanishes in a poof of smoke
Scarper i love that model from the road , its spot on , and that movie made me cry .. i expect a suitably poignant story about this guy when you get time
@Scarper-Very awesome figs, I like alot how you name each soldier and give them their own personal touch. Looking forward to see more progress! oh and i was wondering where you got that autogun the bearded soldier was holding, i wanted to arm my whole army with autoguns but couldnt find any.
@cadaver- Nice gun man. thats an expensive piece!!
*but i guess everything is bigger in texas
OMG!!!! that hat just makes me laugh and laugh! I would love to give that to someone on X-Mass! I really like the new model your working on,it tells a real story in a small space.
oh and the first guy to the left in the "last heros" figures, i beleive thats the "postman" from the book with the same name by David Brin. Its a must read for any post-apocalyptic fan and i believe their is also a movie starring kevin costner out as well.
@Monkeytroll - You did this to yourself, my friend
@dsteingass - I'm not sure actually - can I please clarify that I don't actually own one of those things? Though I am pretty tempted now!
@Cadaver - Thanks! And I don't think I've ever seen a moustache which didn't make the moustachee (?) look creepy - unless you're a silent movie villain, I don't think it's a good look.
@Rogue Wolves - That cracked me up a little bit. Maybe it's just people from the early 20th century who can pull it off then?
@PDH - I was going to shop a moustache onto your avatar, then mock you, but you totally foiled me with the gas mask. You have all your bases covered, it seems!
@Neil - I haven't actually seen the movie! The book made me cry too (shhh), and I'm kind of worried the book will ruin my vision of it. Was it good? I've got the DVD sitting on my shelf from when it was on offer in Tesco, but I can't bring myself to watch it!
@lonedrow02 - Welcome, man! Thank you for the kind words, and feel free to pick up your free beard and fisherman jumper on the way in The arm is one of the FW renegade ones - they're really (really!) cool, but also really pricy. Great for necro, maybe not so great for equipping a whole guard army :( Cheers for the info on the mysterious post-apoccer too - I got a PM from Lord Maleval saying he thought it might be the main character from I Am Legend, so now I'm even more torn! I do need to watch The Postman at some point though...
@talons 58 - I know, right? Not sure I could actually bring myself to wear one though... Thanks for the kind words!
Beardy guarsman is completely done now, but no pic, as he looks basically identical to the green I put up. You'll have to wait for paint! In the mean time, here's a (super-mysterious) pic of today's WiP!
More to come soon, and as always, thanks so much for the interest. You guys are awesome!
That is mysterious....
My only guess is that its that aqua glaze stuff and you are making a some sort of debris laden pool. Very curious to see what that is!
Haha, well decoded, ghosty! To be honest, it was never really supposed to be a big mystery. I explained what I was doing AND posted a picture all in the last 2 pages - I wasn't really expecting people to guess Really interesting to see the suggestions though - maybe a terrain piece in the future?!
@Almarine - Wow, you've been delving, that was from ages ago! The base model is an oop necromunda bounty hunter. He's usually holding a bolt pistol and standing on his own legs, but I got a mangled one on the cheap off eBay. Thanks a ton for the compliment, and I'm really glad you like him. Never thought anyone would consider that kind of dress sense 'tasteful' though
objective markers ehh..
Im thinking your army is going to do alot of fighting in the name of scavenging these bodies ha! hopfully one of them has a G.E.C.K on them... just wanted to share this store i just came across to you, lots of cool guns http://www.freewebstore.org/Zinge-Industries/Armoury/cat658642_584142.aspx
@Almarine - I found a couple here and here for relatively cheap if you're interested in getting one - hope that helps!
@lonedrow - Well, for necro they'll be scavenge scenario markers, which I reckon fits a lot better. And if the Jackals take out a couple of opposing gangers during the skirmish, well, that's just some more bodies to check for loot, right? Though a GECK would solve a lot of problems too...
Cheers for the link though - some of that stuff looks awesome! Have you ever played Brink? The custom magazines remind me of a fair few of their upgrades!
nope never played brink but im glad you enjoyed the link. Im sure you have already heard of this company but it offers a lot of awesome conversion potential. Ive ordered a bunch from them and am very pleased http://www.pig-iron-productions.com/index.php Not too bad prices either.
Scarper wrote:@Almarine - Wow, you've been delving, that was from ages ago! The base model is an oop necromunda bounty hunter. He's usually holding a bolt pistol and standing on his own legs, but I got a mangled one on the cheap off eBay. Thanks a ton for the compliment, and I'm really glad you like him. Never thought anyone would consider that kind of dress sense 'tasteful' though
Yeah I check a thread out every once in a while. Maybe 'inspired' is a better word though.
Thanks for the ebay links, that's very nice of you. Maybe it's time I got an account, bid on some bounty hunters, beakies, old land raider...
who's been toxic sump diving without proper protection? health & safety would have a field day, he should have been wearing his protective beard and his girlfriends fisherman's jumper then he would have been fine
Alright, so sorry for the delay in posts everyone! Has been a frigging awful week at work, culminating in a 48hr period with 2 hours of sleep. All my own fault though, so no complaining from me I also managed to completely balls up the loot marker I showed you, which really knocked off my motivation to do anything else. First, the ink I used in the lenses ran, despite sealing, leaving a red trail in the effect and white lenses. After some scraping and repainting, I filled it again, only this time none of the water effect seemed to seal. When some of it finally did, taking the plastic case away ripped the whole thing apart. I'm hoping it's fixable, but right now I would rather not look in its direction at all, if you dont mind
@Rogue wolves - Haha, I should have put a scale in. I liked your guess though! Thanks a bunch for the continued interest too - I'll try to get back into a bit of a regular pattern again.
@Orinoco - Thank you!
@Lonedrow - Now that is a quality company right there. Bought a big order of their gas masks a while back (militia, I think they were), and I've been seriously tempted to get some of their militia bodies too (the ones wrapped in the raggedy gear, but not the feral ones). Took some serious willpower to convince myself that I need to paint up what I have first though! Cheers for the heads up
@Scrazza - Thanks, man! Glad you like!
@Neil - Hahaha, you're not far off what I was going for actually! And the beard / jumper bit made me laugh out loud in the library, so now everyone's looking at me funny, so thanks for that The effect is called 'realistic water' and I do not recommend it to anyone and am seriously considering burning it. (It will probably burn - that's how 'realistic' it is as water...)
Your second pic didn't work, btw!
@Monkeytroll - I may now be kinda disappointed if it's anything else!
@Anung Un Rama - They're great, aren't they? I think the designer was probably playing some metro 2033. Some of them even have clips on them that look just like the pre-war rounds from ingame!
Bit of fluff i'm working on, just so it's not a completely pointless update. Part 1 of probably 2 or 3. May be a campaign intro story for a necro campaign I'll hopefully be running early next year!
Day 27
So we met some others out in South Crockfall today – traders out carting goods from Lakeside to Roth. Not the route I’d have taken. It all got a wee bit tense at first, warning shots fired, itchy trigger fingers. My boys are all fresh, no idea how to keep their calm yet. Had to pull Corin down, knock him behind some ruins, and Kaylan got to test whether that flak armour he’s so proud of still works. Could have gone bad, but no one dead on either side – don’t think things would have worked out so cleanly if their shots hadn’t swung so wide. Once things got calmed down, once we’d established that we weren’t trying to rob them, and they weren’t setting up an ambush themselves, things got a little friendlier. Kaylan held a grudge, went off and sat by himself, but that’s just his way. I got chatting to their train leader, this enormous Granger bloke, called himself Boln. Turned out they were with the Kinsmouth Company, taking sea salvaged gear by road – Pretty seasoned, by the sounds of it. We shared some food, traded information, went on our way. Nice to see some friendly faces occasionally. Or, sort of friendly, anyway.
Nothing much else going on. Found some pistons in an old wreck, pretty corroded, but no cracks. Might be worth a few credits once we’re out of the wilds. An old waster nest with an ex-family in it, too. They’d been picked pretty clean, but Jorn found an autoclip in the jacket of one of the little ones, a couple of filters that looked pretty clean, as well as a few baccsticks. I let her keep them - she’s a good kid, and I’ve got no doubt at all that Mule or Kaylan would have pocketed that gear without a word.
Day 28
Corin bust his mask. Kicked in a barred door and the hinge caught him in the face. It’s just a crack in the visor, might not even have broken the seal, but he’s hive-born, not used to the surface. He’s convinced he’s going to die. We’re on the lookout for a replacement, but I’m almost tempted to give him my own, just to calm him down. Air seems pretty clean today. Tempted, but I won’t. Bloody room was useless anyway – mouldy fashion clothes. Too fragile to wear before they rotted.
We’re in riot country now, near where the Crockfall evac left. One ship. The area immediately around the shuttleport housed six munitorums, four hundred thousand workers. The city they were supposed to be evacuating held nearly fifteen million people. One ship. There are bones lining the roads here – the PDF didn’t discriminate. I hate these places.
Still, Crockfall caught the rusinate rain when no one was prepared for it. Whatever people owned, it’s still here. And it might be worth finding. We’ll try munitorum B59-C tomorrow – I can’t imagine there’s anything left, but it’s never been picked over by the Jackal cells, so you never know, might be a ticket home for this lot.
Can hear shots tonight. A way off, to the East, but something to bear in mind. Never headed that way before.
Day 34
Leaving the munitorum tomorrow. I made it clear before we headed in that we were not there to fight, and if anyone else had a claim to it, we stayed quiet and backed the hell out. Lot of these places are pretty sheltered, out of the rain and out of sight. Nice bases for some of the bandit gangs that prey on the caravans out here. This lot are green as hell – we wouldn’t stand a chance against the cutthroats.
Place was open – couple of warning signs around, some of them pretty recent, bit of gang-style graffiti, but nothing too threatening. It was dark inside, not too dark to see, but dark enough that Jorn thought it was a good idea to put her headlamp on. A quick tap, and she had it off again pretty quickly. Good kid, but not the smartest. We stuck close together, weapons drawn. Had to show Mule how to unjam his pistol this morning – apparently he hasn’t cleaned it since we set out. Could have taken his hand off if he’d tried to fire it, especially with his homemade shells. Says he’s used to bigger weapons, but for an ex-arbite, he sure as hell doesn’t seem to know a whole lot about weapon maintenance. Worth remembering. Couple of hours sweeping, and we knew that the place was ours.
According to the map, B59-C was a production facility for promethium tanks for use in larger cargo trucks. No actual promethium, no actual trucks, just the tanks. And there were a lot of them. Lorek said he was hoping some of the production equipment might still have the ‘spirit units’ or some such intact – never really understood all the technobabble, here or with the mech units back in the day. Either way, they’re supposed to be good for driving other gear too, so would have been perfect for fixing some of the purifiers back home. ‘Technoheresy’, he called it. I kind of like the term. Nothing there that hadn’t already been picked over anyway. We found a few saleable things, though mostly scrap leftover now.
Someone had been here recently – couple of scorched firemarks and a few discarded food cans. We heard the gunfire again today too, still to the East. A little closer now though, it seems. Might be worth making tracks while we can. Mule and Kaylan are on watch tonight, and the rest of us are getting some sleep. We’ll head South in the morning.
Day 38
We found the shaft this evening, looks like an old elevator. It was in the basement of a wrecked house on a street called Dunover, covered over by rubble and a large metal grille. Pretty well hidden, really, nothing you would have seen from the surface before the bombs hit. Even now, we only found it because Corin almost collapsed the cover. The grille’s got a cog and a skull on it – only other place I’ve seen that is the hydroponics facility I used to guard with the Captain.
I’m pretty excited, to be honest. I’m trying to hide it so as not to get the boys too worked up, but – it goes deep, really deep, and it looks like it hasn’t been disturbed in decades. There are no research facilities documented in this area, so if we’ve found one, it’s new. Vox contact with home is pretty sketchy from where we are, and it’ll only get worse as we go down. We’ve let Crail know where we are and asked for an extraction if there’s no further contact in a week’s time. No knowing how big this place is, and I’m sure as hell not leaving it til we’ve found whatever’s down there. If it is more of that greenhouse gear, it’ll be the most important find any Jackal cell’s ever made. Might not be though. Got to keep myself grounded. I’ve set up a relay here for my logs too. That way, if we’re not back up by the time extraction comes, they’ll know where to find us.
If anyone’s listening to this, personnel include myself; Lorek, our engineer; Mule and Kaylan, ex-arbites; and Jorn and Corin, seeking citizenship in Pinepoint. We’ve been scavenging Crockfall and the craterside area for a few months now, so we’re all looking forward to you dragging out whatever the hell we’ve found down here and getting our asses home. Get some beers on ice for us!
It’s already dark and it seems like the power’s down, so we’re camping here tonight. I've sorted all the ropes, and we're looking to move out in the morning.
I love the fluff, Scarper, really do. I like fluff myself but for some reason I can never write stories as such - just background. This is good - it actually makes me think of some of H.P. Lovecraft's work! He tended to write in the first person too... So I'm pretty sure I would NOT go down that shaft ;P
By the way... I have 10 Guardsmen here that aren't doing much so if you want them they're yours.
PM if interested
scarp as you know i come here alot for inspiration on my own armies munda,40k, and =][=munda alike but as ive been working on fluff for my 40k army i think i might use some of your techniques i love the journal entries and stuff along with accounts or transmittions lookin forward to seeing more... and while im here why dont i take a look at the place from page 1..again
Automatically Appended Next Post: you know youve got a great blog when after looking at it many times it still inspires new stuff... i have a drawing to do now
Wow, cheers guys, that's one hell of a response! I'll have to get working on the rest of it
@Ragsta - Thanks a ton, man! I've read very little lovecraft to be honest, nothing like as much as I would like to. Just a few stories like the one with the clothing display mannequins. It's definitely going to get a little spooky down there, and I'm currently running with the narrator as a realist - it's been really fun to write, actually!
You should give writing for some characters a go, it's way more enjoyable to write than background! I tend to have a few personality types in mind and then spin some histories and character traits off there. Then you can shove em all in a group and see how they interact And are you serious about the guard? That would be awesome! PM inbound, thank you!
@neil - Thanks a bunch, Neil! Really value your opinion on this writing malarkey, so I'm glad you're enjoying it. More to come soon!
@Rawson - Wow, thank you, man, that's some real high praise there! Hope you like the rest just as much, but still a little bit of a wait I'm afraid
@Ghostmaker - How do you know about him?! Ricky Ghostmaker doesn't turn up until part 3! Thanks a bunch for the kind words though.
@monkeytroll - Aww, thanks, Monkeytroll! Really appreciate all your help in getting me there
@Rogue Wolves - Go for it, man! I'm far from the first to use journal entries to tell a story - just strikes me as an easy way to cover the passage of time I'm really flattered you're still finding stuff you like - any chance you could post up that drawing when you get done? I'd love to see it!
Today's update is more a "I'm still alive and doing things" than anything else
First off is Raston, with his base primed and ready to go. Told you not much had changed!
Next are a few VERY (very very) early wip parts and a teaser for Lodge, the first QA heavy. Any guesses on what he's going to be posed doing? I don't think you'll get it
And finally - the bloody 'water effect' disaster. It's a lot more transparent than it was before and I think I can get rid of the rounding by repouring with some better edges, but the surface has some rough texture to it that I'm not happy about at all. Looks more like he got trapped in amber Jurrasic Park-style than fell in a sump. I'd love any suggestions anyone might have for a fix - spent quite a lot of time on the paint, so I'm gutted if it's wrecked.
Still, bit more time this week, I hope. Thanks so much to everyone who's reading - I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time. You're all awesome!
4 things firstly loving what your doing with that catachan, secondly while looking through your thread i saw my favorite model (the warden) and was wondering if your adding any people to his crew, thirdly as im not the greatest writer only mad notes to myself i express fluff through visuals better currently im working on drawing the command of the multiple planets in my system, and then some studies on each individual planetary army, i'll be sure to throw the first one up when im finished and finally im curious what you plan on using the water effects for?
I started reading this a few pages back. Really like the "beard effect", nice sculpt!
The fluff was very interesting to read and I was disappointed when it ended. I'm interested in finding out what's down there.
Sorry about the water effect. I wish I had some advice but my experience is limited, and after reading online for possible fixes I didn't see anything that would offer a solution.
I don't think the surface texture is that bad. But from reading a "how to article" the person had to spend, something ridiculous, like 20 hours polishing the water effect to get nice edges and surface.
Raston is looking great very interested to see what direction you take the paint job for him and the corpse.
I think the new heavy will be laying prone providing cover fire?
The sump came out well , and like monkey said the lenses look very ominous , i have to tell you that you are really inspiring me to do some proper writing again mate, either that or illustrate your stories ;-) . Have you seen stalker by andrei tarkovsky ? if not i think you would find some inspirational stuff in that movie. I know i did.
The new heavy will be doing some spot welding to his heavy bolter - that looks like a welding mask to me... Er, if I've fallen for something totally bleedin' obvious then I apologise in advance.
Scarper, I had to stifle a laugh when I saw that entombed scavenger.
By the way, I haven't read that Lovecraft one about mannequins, where can it be found?
I'd hazard a guess that the rifle stock will become an artificial leg, with the bolter forming a jet engine, the bipod making wings and the mask helping to bulk out the neck connection between the organic head and the tekno-body.
wether you know this scarp you have unleashed a beast i started drawing some ig command then some troops then i was reasearching which lead me to start painting a mini canvas of cypher and now im doing that and have starting some ig drawings ughh your thread has.. done this to me...
Apologies for the delay, as always. Afraid my day job takes precedence. I'm applying for posts for next year at the mo, and have an exam in 2 weeks, and am currently commuting back and forth to a hospital an hour and a half away, so slow going, I'm afraid Thank you so much for the continued interest though, it's really inspiring!
@monkeytroll - Thanks! Might just be a trick of the light though I've currently repoured and am leaving for at least a week - no bloody fingerprints on this one. I'm actually really annoyed about your guess for his pose - you nailed it completely, and now I've had to put him together entirely differently so that it doesnt look like i'm stealing your idea. So cheers for that
@Rogue wolves - 4 responses:
1) Thanks a ton!
2) The current guys I'm making are the Warden's crew! I'm accumulating a fair bit of fluff for them at the mo, which I'll be posting in the near future. Stay tuned!
3) You really should! I'd love to see them, anyway. And I just find writing fun - no need to actually be any good at it 4) It's going to be a scavenge marker for necromunda games - the water effect was just to make it a little different from the others. More effort than it's worth, tbh...
Also, thanks a bunch again for the continued support - sorry I'm taking so long!
p.s. post your canvases!
@Skalk - Thanks for the kind words! Fluff update hopefully during the next week or two, including the close of that story. I hope you'll like it! Thanks a ton for the sub - hope I can keep it interesting. (Love what you're doing with your chaotic mob stuff, btw - really inspirational stuff )
@PDH - It's worse than it looks, trust me. And I'll crack out the sandpaper tonight! Thanks a ton for looking into it for me
@neil101 - Thanks a ton Neil! I'm really (really!) glad you're getting back into the writing, and thank you so much for the secret invite too - will launch into that once my exams are done. Did I say that out loud? Not quite right on Lodge, but I didn't really give you much to go on Stalker looks amazing actually - I'll have to see if I can dig out a (totally legal, obvs) copy online. (Also, your pic is still dead for me!)
@Chibi - I'll have to give it a look!
@Ragsta - Totally the closest guess! And really sorry bout the delay with the pics - really appreciate your offer, I just haven't had access to my bits box cause I'm stuck in a peripheral hospital atm :( Will get something to you as soon as I can!
I'm kind of gutted now that he's not controlling a miniscule riot with the world's smallest riot shield or murdering commisars in water stills now, but Lodge is coming along. The GS work is obviously sloppy and it's a very early WiP, but hopefully it's an idea of the direction he's taking. I was going for someone just interrupting him from his work, and a pose of frozen work / annoyance. Not sure it's coming across, but here goes:
And here's a (very early!) WiP of what he'll be tearing down:
Hope you like, and please, as always, let me know what you reckon, good or bad. Thanks so much for all the comments so far!
That is so (researches Thesaurus...) heteroclite! Very well done and it does tell the story. You are stuck with facial expressions on the model, but the rest of the pose conveys an annoying interruption for sure, and once you have paint on it you'll be able to express that idea all the more.
Thanks for the comment about my Cultists, I really enjoy that project a lot and it's cool to know other people are into it as well.
Good luck on the madness of your current schedule. Hopefully things will wind down a bit for you once it's done.
Oh that is good , not sure which is better the annoyed workman , (love the hood) , or the scenic basing. Your posing is getting ever more naturalistic.
Sounds like work life is hectic.. hope your not burning the candle too long, at both ends .
And you will never make the Vanus Temple initiation if you continue flapping your gums.
@Stormwell - Thanks a bunch, man! Love the look of your troops - have you by any chance seen these, from victoria miniatures? The gas masks and faces might not fit, but the kilts would be great if your piper needs some company!
@Skalk - Not going to lie, I had to look that up. But thank you! I'm really glad the pose is coming across - the IG parts are actually quite rigid, and it's really hard to get any kind of 'leaning' pose from them. On a side note, I have just seen your terrain blog - don't really have time to comment in full, but I hope a or two will suffice - amazing work! I'll have to steal some techniques when I have a little more time!
@monkeytroll - maybe on the next one Thanks for the kind words! And hopefully schedule'll be a little better soon - cannot WAIT for Thursday!
@Rogue wolves - Cheers buddy! Believe it or not it's one of those cotton bud stick things, cut lengthways and filed to shape. Used some grey stuff to smooth the surface, and hold it in place once it set! I'm a little too cheap for plasticard, you see
@neil - What's a Vanus temple? I think you have me confused with someone else. Who are you anyway?!
Thanks a ton for the compliments, and the well wishes. I'm really glad you like the hood! Was fiddling round with the way it flapped for ages, including looking up a bunch of reference pictures of various chavvy people looking well 'ard for the camera. And I'll get onto the story stuff soon, I promise - just need a few free moments!
@dsteingass - Thanks so much, man! And you should probs get a few for your own minis at the rate you're building amazing bridges and knocking up stunning buildings. Any chance you'll be in the UK for a game some time soon? p.s. Vik told me to tell you something about rivets - can't quite remember what. Maybe that you had too many? Does that seem like something he'd say? Ah well.
@PDH - Thank you! Soon, I hope!
@The Good Green - Thank you!
Rogue Wolves wrote:Hey Scarp any work on the project recently or is life getting in the way?
Hit the nail on the head, I'm afraid! Exam on Weds, then I should have a little free time for a day or two (hopefully!) In the mean time, here are some minor updates, in the "i'm still alive" category.
Remember Sidekick? Probably not, he was a while back now. I've found some legs that work for him (after multiple attempts at sculpting failed for various reasons ), and GSed up his joints. I think he'll be awaiting primer now:
(Apologies for the dark pic there, not sure what happened. Looked fine on the screen!)
I've also knocked together a stubby autogun to be Lodge's side arm, which will eventually be slung over his raised shoulder:
And a family photo of the whole Quadring Accord so far, in various stages of WiP. Just click to make it bigger!
Hope you like!
And, just because an entirely on-topic post would be blasphemy, I thought one or two of you would appreciate this:
Please let me know what you reckon, as always. Sorry for the slowness!
Beardslap is awesome! I showed it to my wife. She said it was creepy weird and walked away, but then came back and said he looked better w/ the beard. My wife is awesome.
Speaking of awesome...
I want like... 20 of those. No, wait! 50! Dude where did you get that and where can I get one (or 50?)
Of course i didnt forget him, maybie you have forgotten this is the post ive been waiting for some update on the Wardens Group, glad it came, Sidekick turned out very well
@The Good Green - Thanks a bunch! I'll be sure to get a shot of him based up with my next picture update
@Skalk - When I saw it, I knew it had to appear on this thread somewhere. Not enough facial hair since we hit p.28! The shotguns are from maxmini, they come in 3 (awesome!) designs, and I think they're usually ok with you specifying if you want all 10 to be a particular design. They also make great sawn-offs, if you use the barrels for something else
@Rogue Wolves - Thanks a ton! You've kind of been seeing them take shape for a while now I've got ideas for the other 4 members, which will hopefully be materialising soon, along with the finished fluff stuff. Hopefully!
@PDH - Thanks, man Originally they were all going to fit into a mini diorama, scavenging a ruined convoy. Think that might have been a bit ambitious though, so I'll have to see how it goes. Glad I'm getting a theme across though!
Final bit, have a quick look at this thread!
Omgitsduane is producing some really original sculpting and plasticard work, unique terrain, and general awesome characterful stuff. Thought some of you lot might be interested
Thanks for the link to the shotguns. I was wicked excited until I did the € to $ conversion. It came out to almost $10 for 10 shotguns. I'm not so in love w/ them that I'm going to be snatching those up anytime soon, but it is on my list.
Wicked super uber huge THANK YOU for the link to omgitsduane's blog, it is awesome!!! He's doing a bunch of stuff similar to what I'm working on at the same time! Also love "Guard gone wrong" projects. His Undead Guard are so perfect. Thanks for linking that.
beardslap...lol. nice to see side kick again ,good work on his legs. thanks for the groupshot, my son bailey said it was unusual to see resting poses of gw miniatures. i have to agree that its a real pleasure seeing your work on here scarps.
Scarper, PM me an address I can send this package of bits to for ya. Do it now.
I like Sidekick - he looks like he's clutching a canister of petrol though... For some reason I find this rather unsettling...
If I remember rightly your first references to the QA had them down as rather nasty little b*stards, will you still be taking that angle?
Also, I like the painted guys for the new gang very much. I feel they could use one more colour to go with the blue overalls though... perhaps you could make their respirators yellowish? Not a bright yellow but maybe something to offset the grey/ blue?
hey scarp just saying while figuring out the naming for my IG i ran out of names so i hope you dont mind that Scarper will be a Platoon commander, since alot of this thread inspired my ideas
@dstein - They're awesome, aren't they? And if you look at her thread, I believe Victoria is modelling such a trooper as we speak
@Skalk - Aye, they're not cheap :( That's the beauty of working mainly in necromunda though - one off purchases like that aren't so bad when you don't have 200 models to arm! Don't thank me for the link! I'm happy to pass on stuff that I reckon people would find interesting (I did have you in particular in mind actually!), and omgitduane deserves the recognition. Glad you liked it though
@Neil - Aww, thanks so much, and say thanks to Bailey for me too! You're way too nice to me, I'm going to get an inflated ego at this rate
@Scrazza - Cheers, buddy! I'm glad you approve!
@The Good Green - No worries, glad you liked it! And I'm especially happy that the thread's getting a bit more of the recognition it deserves.
@Ragsta - On it! And funny you should ask about the QA stuff - finished up their backstory this afternoon. I tried to keep the 'mean sons of bitches' part balanced - no one is a saint in the new world... I do the like the implications of the fuel can though - is he collecting more, or disposing of some?
Cheers for the tips on the yellow too - already said this in PM, but I really like the idea, and I'll do my best to incorporate it.
p.s. Your package shipped today!
@Rogue wolves - Not at all, mate, it's an honour! Really appreciate the gesture!
Today's update is a bit wordy - backstory for the QA, the Warden's faction. I knocked this out quickly, without paying much attention to form, so it might be a little chewy, prose-wise. Hope you enjoy anyway!
The QA, or Quadring Accord, are a loose band of ex-convicts, penal legionnaires, miners and manufactorum workers, working under a vague common goal. They emerged from, and are still based in, the Quadring Penitentiary, a detention camp North of Rookpoint Spire where prisoners were held before their assignment to a legion or labour duty. The exact details of how the group came to be are unclear, though their founder, a man calling himself “The Warden”, was widely believed to be Colonel Lockwood, an officer of the PDF awaiting sentencing for insubordination at the time of the evacuation. Not all of the inmates in such facilities were dangerous, or even guilty – as the Revolution dragged on and governmental forces found their numbers dwindling, penal legions proved invaluable as disposable assets to take entrenched positions or provide a distraction. When numbers fell low, governmental forces were known to arrest large numbers of citizens for arbitrary crimes, filling out their ranks once again. Colonel Lockwood was rumoured to have been imprisoned for refusing to carry out such arrests.
Many loyalist penitentiaries were found to have massacred their inmates as the shuttles left the planet, but the denizens of Quadring had overthrown their guards in an armed uprising a few days previously, leaving them in control of the facility when the PDF arrived to dispose of them. It is more than likely that a bloody power struggle took place within the walls of the detention centre, but no one outside of the complex will ever really know how The Warden took control.
It was several months before anyone emerged from the complex, and the extensive underground network of cell blocks is understood to have protected the inmates from the worst of the rusinate storms and radiation that plagued the surface in the months following the Easthollow event. To the surprise of the surrounding settlements, who had been dreading the day that the prison doors would open, the initial emissaries from the penitentiary were friendly, and keen to establish trade. The ‘Quadring Accord’, they told them, had been created as a place for the downtrodden – the jumpsuits that had marked out poorer manual labourers and prisoners were now a badge of honour. For several years, peaceful contact existed between those in the prison and the outside world, and many flocked to Quadring itself as a sheltered and safe settlement. Small contingents of QA soldiers, armed with the weapons of their former guards and whatever could be manufactured within the facility, were eventually hired to protect the smaller satellite settlements around the prison. The Warden himself even introduced a rudimentary system of law – any who stole or killed were forced into labour for a set term, constructing new housing around Quadring, or working the nearby mines to provide Quadring with a resource for trade.
Eventually, however, the Warden changed. Those within the inner workings of the QA would swear blind that the man leading them was their founder, but it was fairly clear to all that the reins of power had changed hands. The new Warden’s policies were rather different than his forebear’s, and it became quickly apparent that those who had not served within a legion or labour team were second class citizens. Murder and theft by the ‘protection’ teams became commonplace in the surrounding settlements, and crimes committed by the former prisoners went unpunished. As there was never any substantial proof, QA teams would often drag away individual citizens and travellers for crimes that they themselves had committed, and few survived the labour sentences they received.
As the profit from mining increased, so too did the number of ‘arrests’. Eventually, the soldiers of the QA dropped the pretence and dragged away any remaining citizens of the surrounding wasteland at gunpoint, killing those too weak or old to work. The shanties that had formed around the complex were put to the torch. Discipline among the newly captured slaves was by brutal example, and the QA developed a vicious reputation for sadism and cruelty among the settlers of former-Eulymnica. Whilst not all members of the QA were involved in the atrocities committed in its name, it is rare for an outsider to greet them with anything but fear and hostility - Most denizens of the wastelands will shoot a man dressed in blue fatigues on sight.
The title of ‘Warden’ changes hands regularly in a society of cut-throats and thieves. Whilst the face of their leader changed regularly and the uniform that marked him out acquired more holes, the attitude of the QA remained relatively stable for many years. Settlements further and further from Quadring were raided and enslaved, and it was only with a drying up of resources that the hostile advances of the former convicts seemed to slow. Those trading on the surface have little opportunity for making moral judgements on their customers, but even the most amoral trade caravan will consider their own safety first. Attacks on caravan routes through QA territory became more and more commonplace as The Warden’s influence over his hungry citizens waned, leaving very few settlements willing to trade. The situation was dire - The area surrounding Quadring itself was hit hard by toxic runoff, leaving very little arable land, and the penitentiary was dependent on outside trade for supplies of food and clean water. It seemed that the QA had burned itself out. For several years, the compound has been quiet, and ex-QA defectors have become a more and more common sight.
The man holding the title of ‘Warden’ today is attempting to move away from his group’s violent past. QA envoys dressed in civilian clothes have made contact with settlements throughout former-Eulymnica, offering protection for trade routes and free shelter and work for any who come to Quadring. Many such envoys were lynched by the settlements before they could get their message across. QA scavenger teams have been sighted – groups of men out salvaging the old cities, interacting (relatively) peacefully with other prospectors. Cynics would say that the new behaviour of the QA is a desperation measure – a forced civility with nowhere else to turn. Others, perhaps naively, believe this may represent a change in the group, a rise in influence of the less violent political prisoners held within the prison walls. The new Warden himself is somewhat of an unknown. He is not a wicked man, in wasteland terms. His hands are not clean, by any means - Perhaps some innocents have died under his orders. Perhaps he has killed a man for the equipment he carried. There are few on the surface who could plead innocent to such claims. But he is not a wicked man.
It will take a lot to erase the legacy of the years of murder and violence, but new caravans have been sighted within QA territory, and Quadring-produced munitions have begun to appear in the stocks of merchants as far afield as Roth. Whether this marks a new chapter in the history of Quadring, or simply a blip before the inevitable assassination and rise of another Warden remains to be seen.
As always, please please let me know what you reckon, good or bad. I'm not 100% on this backstory yet, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, please throw them at me. Thanks a ton for following!
That was a good read and a solid premise to set against. I'd have to read it a few more times to check tense agreement, etc, but on an initial read it went well and I enjoyed it.
Nice. I like the open ended, air of mystery that you give in these background stories. It leaves a lot of scope for discovering more when you use the gangs in game and future background ideas. Your world seems full of very real characters to match the naturaly posed conversions. It's a real pleasure to sit down and read through this thread as I wind down after work.
Another interesting read Scarp, they QA remind me of the Dynamite gang ? from fallout, really nice to fill in some more gaps to all your fluff, I suggest you put it all together in the dakka fiction section so we can read it all in one go if so inclined. my only crit is that you dont need the " he is not a wicked man " sentance twice.
That beardslap demands some ..... bearded justice !
Scarper wrote: @Stormwell - Thanks a bunch, man! Love the look of your troops - have you by any chance seen these, from victoria miniatures? The gas masks and faces might not fit, but the kilts would be great if your piper needs some company!
I have, though they're bit pricey for my liking and I really dislike the shoulder pads on the plastic Cadians....though nothing a bit of filing and careful cutting can't sort out though.
The Westwind models I'm using suit my purposes well and are within my budget.
But still, liking your latest stuff....keep up the good work!
welp i know now exactly what im going to do for scarper! hahahahaaaa... btw i loved the story, mainly cause im biased and love the QA models although it was a nice story as well btw hows your weilder coming along?
Automatically Appended Next Post: btw i loved the beard slap
Alright, everyone! Just a quick update on why I'm a little quiet at the moment - I'm in lovely Tasmania right now, working in an A&E department for a few months on medical elective. Really exciting stuff, but means the updates might be a little low on the ground for a while, so sorry about that. I do have my sculpting gear with me and a small stash of green and grey stuff, which I'm planning on building up some armatures with, but I'll post all that in a different thread when I get round to it. So this is a mini hiatus, I guess, and I'll see you all in January. Thank you so much for following so far, and all the amazing input you guys have provided. I'll try to keep an eye on your projects when I get a chance!
Keep an eye out for the sculpting thread, if you're interested in that kind of thing, and I'll post here again in a few months. Have a good Christmas / New Year, everyone!
Skalk - Thank you! It was the kind of thing where I just wanted to get some words down on paper, to solidify ideas a bit. I'm fairly happy with it in the end!
@Rabies - Thank you so much! Those are some really kind words. I always tend to prefer reading stories with a little mystery - characters with questionable motivation are just more interesting, I find. And it is always handy to leave a little wiggle room with a constantly evolving story like a Necro campaign. Really glad you're enjoying them though!
@Neil - Ok, that made me laugh. A lot. How did they not know about Darwin's ice vision? I never really interacted much with the dynamite gang from fallout - they hated my character from pretty early on, so I never really saw where they went. I did really like the concept though, and there probably is a little of them in there. I've also always wanted to do a Savlar army, so I'm sure there's a ton of their background mixed in too. I'll try to get everything in one place at some point, and thanks for the spot on the repeat, I'll take that out
@stormwell - No worries, just thought you might not have seen them. I do love the stuff you're using!
@Rogue Wolves - Thanks, man! And you're being very mysterious...
Sounds like a very cool trip! That fluff is excellent. Your work is a real inspiration. I read the character bios that you and Migs consolidated on his blog. Really amazing work. I'm still a bit uneasy about cutting up "finished" minis (not that I have any finished minis) to change them, but it's still so cool. I'll get there soon enough, thanks to folks like you and Migs.
Like Rogue Wolves wrote, I'll be waiting... is the an update yet?
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the kind words and well wishes! I actually feel pretty bad about my forced break - I'll be sure to get started again as soon as I'm back
Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless. My sculpting stuff has still not arrived (curse you Aussie postal system!), but I'm a little short on cash this week, so I've had some extra time sitting around in parks / woods to sketch and write! Nothing particularly exciting, but the first character bios for the QA - two that you haven't seen models for yet (mainly as I've barely started them). They are known to the rest of the gang as Tracker and Latchkey, and they come from Grangelow, an area that retains it's original language. Hope you enjoy!
Branan understood his brother. He didn’t condone his actions, didn’t support them by any stretch, but he understood them. Travelling with Caleb was difficult – he was intelligent and articulate, but unpredictable. People around him got hurt.
Caleb was a psychopath. Not in the emotionally charged, pejorative sense, but in the medical sense. The part of his brain that dealt with empathy, understanding that others experience their own lives, had simply never developed. Branan pitied him. He wasn’t a gibbering maniac, not a sadistic killer, but merely someone whose brain did not function in the way it should. He killed because he didn’t understand why you wouldn’t – If a person had something you needed, and you had the means to take it, why would you not? It seemed wrong to call him remorseless, when the concept of remorse itself was entirely alien to him.
Branan was no fool. He understood that Caleb’s actions were unspeakable, and he understood too that in protecting him from persecution, Branan's own soul was little better in the eyes of the Emperor than his brother’s. He knew, deep down, that Caitiff would be a better place if Caleb was dead, and perhaps if he were too. But Caleb was family, and now the only family he had. On many occasions as his brother slept, he had considered the pistol in his pack. He had thought of turning themselves in, but he knew from childhood what happened to the mentally ill on Caitiff, or worse, what would happen to his brother if his ‘skills’ were considered valuable to a penal unit. Besides, staying on the move was easier since the Evac, and they had traversed continents in their time together. Even Caleb’s tendencies toward aggression were perhaps less conspicuous – it was the only way that many men had to negotiate in the wilderness, and they stuck to the wilderness wherever possible. By staying with him, Branan knew that at least his influence could reduce the threat that Caleb represented to the world. And if they were both killed in the process of wandering, perhaps that was for the best.
Branan was not a sentimental man, and he understood that his brother was incapable of being one. Should he pose a barrier to something that Caleb wanted, or simply no longer serve a purpose, his brother would happily abandon him, or worse. His solution came through a lucky accident - The pair were fitted with explosive collars following their one and only capture at the hands of PDF loyalists. When a rebel cell attacked the convoy taking their captives to their fate, they were freed with the rest of the revolutionary captives. Rather than removing the collars, Branan doctored them both – implanted sensors that will detonate both collars should either wearer’s life signs fail. He described it to his brother as a motivator, but to Branan, it formed a secret insurance policy. Should he die, his brother would no longer be free to roam the Wastes alone, with no positive influence on his amoral actions. Should his brother die, Branan would receive the fate that he deserves for his crimes, with no need for the moral courage of suicide. For his part, Caleb was quietly impressed by his brother’s apparent ruthlessness. A messy solution, but an effective one.
Being from Grangelow, both Caleb and Branan have a poor understanding of Low Gothic. Despite this, they understand well enough the identity of the men in whose company they reside – every local tells fearful stories of the atrocities committed by the jump-suited men of the QA . The pair had spent several months living rough around the ruins of Crockfall, and had moved from place to place as they picked areas clean. They had been settled overnight in Thane to trade salvage and buy supplies when the QA raided, and were carried off with the rest of the slaves. It was only the reams of hand drawn maps in Branan's pack that had spared them the fate of the rest of the village in the mines – from what he could gather, it seemed that the men believed them some species of guide, well-versed in the local area. He supposed that this assessment was not that far from the truth. Though it took some months for Caleb and Branan to pick up enough low gothic for their beatings to stop, it seemed to Branan that work in the scavenging team was… acceptable. Their treatment was brutal at the hands of both their compatriots and the QA’s many enemies, and what better means to seek death than to wander the streets wearing the uniform of a devil? Caleb was among kindred spirits, so should his impulses overcome him, the wastes would not miss another raider. Even their work with the QA was perhaps less immoral than the banditry they had been forced into to survive in the wastes alone. It offered everything that Branan was looking for: A comfortable living and the prospect of a quick and violent death. An elegant solution.
I've also got a few holiday snaps that I thought would be useful reference. Taken from an abandoned mine we found in a place called Beaconsfield. Thought maybe some other people could use them too!
Spoiler:
Rust runoff from some rivets
Rubble buried into mud - people use this all the time for basing, but I'd never actually seen it in person before!
Exposed metalwork on a damaged building
Plant overgrowth on an abandoned structure
A sunken mineshaft
Hope they're useful to someone! Please let me know what you reckon, and I'll see what I can do about more updates. Maybe not too soon though - Work this afternoon, then I'm hiking for the weekend round Cradle Mountain. Exciting!
firstly MAN that seems like an exelent place to take pictures! very nice work there. And of course you would reveal some new guys to the QA without models CURSE YOU!!! But 1 thing i know for sure is that when you cant work on minis for a while you end up narrowing down your ideas to something awsome, for example its been nearly a year since my last mini's its just recently that i am able to get back into it and throught all that time i went through MANY different ideas for my IG untill i finaly chose the one i wanted. Looking foward to seeing your models when your back Scarp. have nice trip
Cool pictures, pretty sure they will come in handy , thanks for sharing . The brothers sound like those two from Dusk till Dawn. Excellent idea , should make for afun build. Life sounds pretty adyllic down under ;-)
Hope you all had fantastic new years, and whatever holiday you choose to celebrate in December. I'm finally back in the home territories, jetlagged, knackered and broke beyond anything I have previously experienced. BUT I had an awesome time, learned a ton of new medicine, and it was totally worth it
Had a few days to unpack and do some model stuff before I get back to work, and I thought I'd show you a few things I've knocked together. Hope you like em!
First up is a WiP of Tracker, (or Branan from the story above). Once I'm done, he'll have a kind of hammock set up going on (map making is hard work!), and that'll be a completed map in his arms and a pen in his mouth.
Next is the completed loot marker that I first showed off a few months ago:
And finally a few teasers on other stuff I'm working on:
I've also got to say a HUGE thanks to Jihad_ragsta for an awesome care package he sent - more on that as I use it
Thanks a ton for following, and please let me know what you reckon of the new stuff!
@Rogue Wolves - Hahaha, thanks! I'm really glad you like the QA, even if that is conveyed through cursing my name I totally understand what you mean - being seperated from all my stuff really let me focus my energy into fleshing out the QA, and Caitiff itself. I've written a fair bit while I've been away, and hopefully made the campaign world a much deeper place than it was before. More to come when I finish it all
@Neil - I haven't actually seen that movie! I wikipediad it, and it looks quite good - will have to add it to my 'to watch' list. Cheers for the kind words!
@Cpt. R - Helloo! Cheers for the compliments as always - always great to hear from you, buddy!
@Skalk - Thanks! I'm really glad you like them. And there's grimdark everywhere, if you look hard enough
@PDH - It looked even better in person - Can never get the colour balance quite right on my camera. Would love to see what you do with it though! I'm actually a little glad to be back in the negative temperatures, sun's alright for all those fancy people down South, but gray skies and frost in your lungs is home to me
@dsteingass - I almost posted that pic specifically on your thread Hope you can use the reference!
@monkeytroll - Well, I had others, but I thought this was probably the wrong crowd for snaps of my hiking! Thanks a ton for the well wishes.
Welcome back mate , and pretty pics too, the tracker is wicked , and the object marker turned out nice and clear. look forward to seeing your progression again.
Liking the gas mask and the under-slung flamer....one model I'm really looking forward to.
Branan is off to a great start....though I'm a little lost in imagining the hammock set up....which means I'll just have to check in here regularly. Oh it is such a hard life.
Love the firebat flamer attachment, and what did you use for that map? it looks perfect. Looking forward to more creative joys, and glad your placement went well - got a lot of mates in the medical profession, placements can be very hit and miss, then actual work even moreso, but hey the money's good and job security's a definite even in this day and age
Oh MAN! hat flamer handle is INGENIOUS! You think maybe the barrel pipes might need to be a bit longer though? I am thinking the same length as the Ork Burnas maybe?
Wow, thanks for all the responses everyone! Glad you haven't forgotten me
@neil - Thanks a lot, man, it's good to be back! I'm really happy with how the marker turned out - maybe 2 months is just the appropriate time to leave a water effect for before messing with it
@PDH - Thank you for the welcome and the kind words! I actually changed my mind about the hammock in the end - It was actually quite easy to make, but as Branan is pretty low ranking in the gang I couldn't picture him setting it up while the rest of the gang looted their spoils. Not without risking a beating, anyway! Hopefully you'll like the new set-up, anyway.
@monkeytroll - Thanks a ton, and I'm really glad you like the objective, it turned out to be a lot more work than i originally anticipated!
@Baiyuan - Thanks so much, Baiyuan! Hope it'll be worth the wait
@Rogue Wolves - Thanks, buddy! More will be revealed over the next few days...
@Cap'n R - That's high praise! Thank you! The map is just really thin paper (I think it was from the little booklet you get in a box of painkillers) folded multiple times - couldn't be easier to make. And I totally know what you mean about the placements - they're so hit and miss that I was a little loathe to max out my loan for something that might have been disasterous. Still - you're dead on about the jobs, and I get the results of my application in a couple of weeks, so fingers crossed I can actually pay back the bank in 10 years or so! Hope things are going well at your end, mate.
@dsteingass - Cheers, that's really kind! I actually cut the pipes down a bit (the DKoK flamers are really long to start with) - a lot of this gang's weaponry is looted from prison guards, and I imagined that they would want to keep their gear as compact as possible for tight corridors. Point taken though, and if I'm not happy when it's all put together, I'll have a bash at stretching it out again.
(p.s. haven't really had time to comment on other people's blogs recently [totally going to get on that soon!], but that vending machine you did was absolutely stunning - by far the most characterful piece of terrain I've seen. All your terrain is pretty mind blowing at the mo [far better than the stuff in the necro rule books, so kudos for that], and you've inspired me to start putting together some of my own. So thank you!)
@Skalk - Thank you! That's absolutely what I'm going for in a nutshell, so you just made my day a little bit Very kind.
@MauS - Welcome, and thank you! Hope you see some stuff you enjoy
Been working a lot on story stuff tonight, but I've painted up a few bases and put together Branan's. Hopefully can get him painted up tomorrow or Sunday! He's basically been left to guard the spoils, an easy enough job for the new guy. Hope you like, and thanks for all the support!
He's looking way too relaxed... A disaster waiting to happen.
Are you sure you want him guarding the stash? He looks like he'll see nothing but his maps. Only thing missing is reading glasses...
Seven-Dwarf prey I'd say...
Make sure that, once you paint it, the pen is in a distinctive colour. Otherwise people will take it for a cigarette and you already have a few gangers smoking those
@dsteingass - Cheers, man! Really glad you like him. Not 100% I've got the skills to make eyeglasses in 28mm scale though - might have a bash on a different model though, it's a challenge now!
@MauS - Haha, yeah, I know what you mean! The hard work is done now though, just the wreckage of a convoy to hunt through, and that's someone else's job Not 100% what seven-dwarf prey means, but thanks for the kind words!
@Rogue wolves & Cap'n R - Lol, nice idea! Might have a play round with that and see what I can do. Don't think Branan would get much of a look in on their booze supplies though...
@Ragsta - It is nice, isn't it? Someone really awesome must have given it to me... (thanks again!). Cheers for the tip on the pen - I was thinking something like a dark green, nothing you could mistake for a smoke.
@Lonedrow - Thanks so much, man, that's really kind to say. Glad you like it!
Today's update, rather than some painting (sorry!) is another new ganger. This is Colm, one of the heavies. He's the son of factory workers killed during the rebellion, leaving him homeless. Living rough in Ruckarnlan, he developed a tendency for firestarting. Wracked with guilt after accidentally killing a refugee family in a building he believed to be empty, Colm handed himself to the authorities for punishment. Assigned to a penal legion, the impulses that Colm had wanted to supress were actively encouraged, and he served for many years as a specialist. After the evac, the survivors of Colm's unit carved out a place for themselves in the Skew Spire, before eventually following a vox transmission to Quadring. I'll write up some proper fluff for him eventually, but that'll cover basics for now!
Hope you like him, and please let me know what you reckon.
And of course, I can't leave you teaser-free, so here's a very early WiP on a different ganger's base.
Enjoy!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oooh, and I meant to ask -
Does anyone know of a model or part featuring a skinny male shirtless torso? Doesn't have to be GW or anything - I just need a bare chest part that isn't the kind of roid-rage catachan / marauder style. Would be majorly grateful if anyone could help me out!
Ah, so now you're using the high land guard heads from Victoria Lamb, I like that. I bought a set of those too and there are some nice looking ones, but I hadn't had the balls/chance to use one yet, I'm still not sure about the egg-like shape of the heads.
Good new stuff, but I didn't expect anything else from you mate!
Hey all! Thanks a ton for the comments - will try to reply properly this eve or tomorrow. I'm off to a peripheral attachment in an hour or so, and won't get a chance to do anything til the weekend, so to tide you over, here's a group shot so far
Obviously, feel free to click the image for a bit of a scope.
From left to right: The Warden, Raston, Lodge, Colm, Sidekick, Tollen (currently just a pair of legs and some books!), Branon / Tracker, Caleb / Latchkey, Magpie.
Hope you enjoy!Please let me know what you think, and I'll get back to all the kind people who commented tonight. Thanks again!
Skinny torso... hrm... You could try to use an eldar torso and buff the wais with a bit of GS. Thats what I'd do. Another possibility is coating a standard roid-rage torso with liquid GS to fill out the distinctive muscle lines. That way you can make it less buff, but i'd would still be a barrle chest Why not go for a beerbelly??
When do you need that torso? I could always see if I can cook something up for you...
man scarp, you really want me to have a heart attack dont you! im sure you already forgotten which models are my favorite of yours... anyway a much needed team shot, and i will be sure to stare at them for a few more hours before i blink a few times.. then stare some more
@Monkeytroll - Thank you! And no, only bits of it. You've actually seen it before - it belonged to twitch before he caught a hand wound and landed a bionic. Maybe one of the docs in the Spire isn't as reputable with spare parts as he makes himself out to be
@Baiyuan - I had similar reservations as well. They're a little strange, like someone's left them out in the sun and they've melted a little. I think they'll be fine with some careful selection of which model to use them with, but I was kind of disappointed. They've got such great potential, it just seems a shame for them to be limited!Cheers for the kind words, and I'd be really interested to see what you do with them! Hope you get a bit more hobbying time - sounds like you've been rushed off your feet lately!
@dsteingass - Thanks, man!
@Weety - It is a little... unsavoury, isn't it? Thanks a ton for the tip though - I'm bidding on one on eBay right now, so hopefully I'll get a chance to test it out.
@Capitansolstice - Thanks a bunch, glad you're enjoying!
@Rogue - Good idea, I'll have to try it out. The flamer's not too complicated, really: It's one of the DKoK ones from FW with a few modifications. I cut down the barrels, flipped the nozzle, cut away a lot of the trigger mechanism, used a cadian knife handle as a new grip where the fuel intake usually goes, along with a cut down cadian special weapon hand, then sculpted a new fuel intake on the back, and finally sculpted a strap. It sounds kinda complicated when you write it down like that, but it's really easy to do, honest! I do know you've got a bit of a soft spot for the QA, I was actually posting cause you asked for a group shot a fair few pages back! Thanks so much for the kind words though - it's a massive motivator.
@MauS - Hmmm, the eldar one could work, I think. I'll see if I can score a part off a friend who collects, just to try and dry fit, at least. The catachan chest I think would be even more bulked up if you got rid of the muscle definition - they'd have a chest like a gorilla! Well, even more like a gorilla I guess. Thanks a lot for the tips though, I'll try em out
@Neil - Thanks a lot, that's really kind to say! The bottle is mostly grey stuff, with the fuel nozzle off a spare bottle from the DKoK flamethrower. Wish I could say it's some ingenious kitbash, but this is pretty much it's intended use
@Skalk - Thanks a bunch, Skalk! With the 1 a year rate I seem to put things out, I really have time for it
In case anyone was planning a holiday, I would recommend ruling out Kirkcauldy - there is arse all to do here! Hannah and I have managed to catch completely opposite shifts (I'm on 12h nights, she's on 12h days - D'oh!), and I'm considering bringing my sculpting stuff along next week just to kill time til my shifts start Still - hopefully I'll get a chance to update this weekend, once I'm done essay-writing. Wish me luck!
see, now with the QA, i couldnt tell you who my favorite is, i just love em alot! although i might have to say the warden, only because he was the first, and i remember him from a while ago!
@Rogue - Ah, that was what I thought. I'll have to see if I can get him a cameo in more shots!
Not much of an update today, weekend turned out to be a lot busier than I planned :( Still, here's what I've got:
Very early WiP of Caleb / Latchkey. The sign will be different (it's an entry point for a QA protectorate, and the reason they were raiding a caravan in the first place), this one's just a placeholder. He's mostly blu-tack at the moment, but hopefully you'll get an idea of the body language - I was going for pain. His left arm will be clutching his abdomen. In the QA's very first outing on the tabletop, Caleb was doing ace for a juve before he caught a wrench to the gut and went out of action. He made a 'full recovery', but I thought even the QA wouldn't make someone in such a condition join in the post-fight mop up I also thought the furrowed brow on the head I used would be excellent for conveying pain, I haven't seen it done very often in models before, and I wanted to do some vaguely tricky posing that I haven't attempted before. Hope you like him!
Remember this?
I've been playing a few more 40k games than usual, and I could really use some transport for my boys - footslogger guard tend to get minced. BUT I don't think chimeras fit the remnant feel at all, so I figured it's time to get a few more trucks on the go! Ideally I'll get some work done on this, then paint it at the same time as the Jackal truck. Maybe some day!
Only fair to say, I stole this design so far pretty much verbatim from the trucks on the front page of gorgon's awesome blog. There's a lot of really cool vehicle modding in there, so go have a look!
Finally, a little progress on Raston's base. Not my best work, but a quick paint job, and I'm happy with it for a base.
Hope you like, and please please please let me know what you think. Would love any advice, tips or comments, good or bad, so be as mean as you like. More to come soon!
welp scarp, looks like im going to have to scower through ALL of your writings, my Black Crusade groups dm is rewarding XP this week for nicely written backrounds..
Scarper wrote:
Very early WiP of Caleb / Latchkey. The sign will be different (it's an entry point for a QA protectorate, and the reason they were raiding a caravan in the first place), this one's just a placeholder. He's mostly blu-tack at the moment, but hopefully you'll get an idea of the body language - I was going for pain. His left arm will be clutching his abdomen. In the QA's very first outing on the tabletop, Caleb was doing ace for a juve before he caught a wrench to the gut and went out of action. He made a 'full recovery', but I thought even the QA wouldn't make someone in such a condition join in the post-fight mop up I also thought the furrowed brow on the head I used would be excellent for conveying pain, I haven't seen it done very often in models before, and I wanted to do some vaguely tricky posing that I haven't attempted before. Hope you like him!
Great start! You're amassing a very characterful unit there, Scarp! Hmm, right hand on the sign, left hand holding his stomach. Will he have some weaponry?
Scarper wrote:I've been playing a few more 40k games than usual, and I could really use some transport for my boys - footslogger guard tend to get minced. BUT I don't think chimeras fit the remnant feel at all, so I figured it's time to get a few more trucks on the go!
So the remnant are being fielded as a guard army? I must have missed that somewhere...
Beautiful work again, your minis have soul , i have been playing rage , just completed it , and all the way through i kept thinking this is the QA lol i expected to see your characters around every corner. Keep it up , so inspiring .
Hmm, some interesting stuff there Baiyuan, thanks for the link.
And yes, those are from a little fluff section on Logan's World (back when the Eye of Terror 'blinked' every ten years to allow Imperial access to The Lost Worlds) in the RT book.
Hey all! Thanks so much for all the responses! I don't really have time to respond right now, but I promise I will when I get a chance tomorrow. They are really appreciated!
Wasn't actually planning an update today, but a bit of a bug made me cancel my plans, so I had more time than I was expecting. Nothing too exciting, and not particularly well done, but a couple of NPC-type models I just knocked together. They'll be arbitrator-controlled in scenarios, that kind of thing. Really simple conversions - one's based off a Valhallan, the other is half an empire archer with some Cadian and FW parts.
####crappyphotosredactedbytheinquisition####
I also made some progress with basic shapes for the truck! Hoping to pick up some of that new liquid green stuff for gap filling.
Apologies for the small update, but it's been busy at this end. Thanks so much again for all the comments - will reply tomorrow! Have a good weekend
Ok, so I promised replies yesterday, but this weekend has turned out to be incredibly busy, for good reasons and bad, so sorry about that! Hope this picture of a terrain piece I'm almost done with makes up for the tardiness
(Morrigan was displeased about modelling)
I've also got some better pics of the quick NPCs from the last update, as the last ones were pretty awful. Hope you like them, and please let me know what you reckon!
@Rogue - Thanks for the compliment! Feel free to borrow whatever you like from the stories, my ideas are hardly the most original anyway I'd love to see anything you come up with though!
@prototype_x - I SO nearly made that joke, but I've seen a fair few blogs do it already. Totally made me laugh when I read it though.
@Rawson - Thanks a ton, man! That's really kind to say. He's got a big rucksack on that you can't see in that particular shot, and a knife/hopefully power knife eventually is hanging off the side of it. He's pretty underequipped though - two knives and nothing else til he makes ganger!
I'm a necro player through and through, but not many of my mates play. The Remnants (the guys protecting Pinepoint, with ex-PDF gear and rudimentary training) sometimes see an outing as a small guard army, and I've got quite a few of my early models from a couple of years ago who come out to play. I try to keep it in character with the Caitiff story, and they've got no heavy armour and few heavy weapons, but I'm not a big fan of the large scale stuff.
The Jackal cells / QA group are my main focus, and I'll just post a few guard things if I happen to be especially proud of something
@Neil - You have a serious talent for saying things that make me smile for ages. Thank you so much!
I've been wanting to play RAGE for aaaaages - I'm trying to resist it because it's exactly the kind of game I always get sucked into and spend hours and hours on, and I do NOT have time for that and my work right now. You're not helping me stay strong! Thanks a ton for the RT pics too - I'm not too experience with some of the older GW art, but I think I prefer it to the modern stuff. It's pretty silly and a little rough around the edges, but it's got so much more character than the stuff you get in codexes and the like today. I can easily imagine exactly how that merc would act, for example, which I think is pretty amazing. Thanks a bunch!
@monkeytroll / Skalk - Thanks! I'd love to use some of the other truck wheels, but I'm actually out of them. I'll try and de-orkify these ones a little, but I think for a well-loved and used wasteland truck, the armour plated ones aren't that far off I think Baiyuan might be right for the original source of the signs, but I got 'em here, from hasslefree's etched brass architectural section. Tons of cool stuff in there, take a look!
Sorry for the delay on replies, hope you like the meagre amount of new stuff
I've not actually read 'The Dark Tower', though I do like a lot of Steven King - I'll have to give it a look if I get a chance!
i agree with both you and pdh aboutr the newer one , sometimes you just need to know when to stop 
I'd have loved to see this stuff up close, all the work you put into each one really is something. It would drive me mad I think. But then again I am trying to do something similar for a small band of zombie apocalypse survivors I have. Wibble wibble wibble.
Thanks a bunch for the kind words though.
or two will suffice - amazing work! I'll have to steal some techniques when I have a little more time!
