Nerd Factory Update: Pirate Ship Map

To get the most out of my pirate miniatures, I decided that a multi-level ship map would come in very handy for a more 'dungeon-crawl' style game when they are away from Pirate Town. Enter Heroic Maps once again!

The as-yet-unnamed pirate vessel...

Rather than the standard flat map layout, I am pasting each layer onto mount board to add depth and have made extra copies of the fore and aft decks so play can take place on multiple levels (essentially creating a '2.5D' layout).

Barrels and crates will be added to the different areas as the game progresses and the pirates search the ship.

Photos of the completed board to follow...

The Heroic Maps set is titled 'The Auspice' and is available to purchase and download here.

Nerd Factory Update: Pirate Ship

Decided to try my hand at a bit of transportation for the pirates:

The new ride

This is the excellent Patrol Boat from Dave Graffam Models. Just download the file, choose which colours, livery etc you want from the multiple layers available and print. I used 150gsm card to print on, and cut out the pieces with a craft knife before edging them with a brown Sharpie. It was then a simple matter of following the clear and concise instructions; 30 minutes or so later the Pirates were ready to plunder the high seas!

Nerd Factory Update: Pirate Captain Edward Kenway

My wife is a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed game series, so when it came to her Pirate Captain he could only be called one thing; Captain Edward Kenway.

Silent Assassin

Another great miniature from Black Scorpion Miniatures' Pirates range, he came from the same pack as Captain Freeman (Pirates 3).

A resin miniature like the other three in the pack,he was quick to prep and great to paint, with lots of great details that really add to the character.

Mounted on an MDF base, he doesn't quite have the heft I prefer in my minis, but I am sure he will be resilient enough for casual gaming! 

Nerd Factory Update: Pirate Captain William Freeman

The pirate project continues with the first painted miniature, Captain William Freeman:

Captain Freeman

This characterful chap is from Black Scorpion Miniatures' Pirates range, and comes in the Pirates 3 pack with three other scurvy dogs.

All four are resin miniatures which I found pretty easy to clean up; little to no flash, easily removed from their base tabs and quick to wash down with a bit of dish soap and warm water. After an undercoat he was a pleasure to paint, with nice crisp detail and an expressive face.

Mounted on an MDF base, he doesn't quite have the heft I prefer in my minis, but I am sure he will be resilient enough for casual gaming! 

Nerd Factory Update: Pirate Town

A little while ago we tried out the Carnivale rules with some pirate minis I had acquired, but my gaming group wasn't keen on the complexity for casual gaming (personally I think the rules are great; very cinematic and the best Assassin's Creed rules never made!)

This subsequently led to another mod of the Survival Horror Tabletop Game rules, and a number of new pirate related projects, first of which was Pirate Town!

Pirate Town taking shape

This is a 2 foot by 2 foot map based on a foam floor mat and trimmed to size (map tiles from the Heroic Maps Wardenhale Docks set).

The current centrepiece is the Hangman's Gallows set from TT Combat; I also have the Guillotine set so I can switch them out as the scenario may dictate. Very good quality, simple MDF kits.

The buildings are from the modular buildings range by Warbases; again, nice simple MDF sets with a lot of potential for mods. Rather than painting I finished these with printed wall textures I created and roof textures from one of the fantastic Dave Graffam sets.

A good general purpose skirmish board is the result! Looking forward to finishing the pirate crews and unleashing them upon it.

Nerd Factory Update: The Mummy!

Another villain for the Pulp Adventurers to face; The Undead Mummy by North Star Military Figures.

Another shambling horror for the adventurers to face...

I love this figure! Probably one of the best mummies out there for Pulp gaming in my opinion. From his outstretched hand to the amulet on his chest, he screams unstoppable vengeance for disturbing his eternal slumber!

Painting was a base coat of off white, a brown wash, then dry-brushing up with white. The medallion was painted orange then washed in brown and dry-brushed in yellow, finishing with very light white highlights.

Skin was painted grey, washed with black they highlighted green/grey. The eyes were then finished in blood red!

The base is a 25mm x 2mm mdf disc from ebay, with a Heroic Maps floor tile texture printed off and glued to the top.

Nerd Factory Update: Banshee!

Completed Banshee by North Star Military Figures. She will also be doubling as a vampire/ghost depending on the scenario for my SHTG Pulp Adventures games.

Banshees; more versatile than you may think!

I tried to make her a little ethereal looking, and am fairly pleased with the result.
Painting was a green base coat followed with a black wash then dry-brushed with progressively lighter shades of green. Quick spot wash here and there and some blood red eyes finished the job!
The base is a 25mm x 2mm mdf disc from ebay, with a Heroic Maps floor tile texture printed off and glued to the top.

Nerd Factory Update: SHTG Pulp Adventures!

Work has begun on the Survival Horror Tabletop Game Pulp Adventures game! Not sure if this will be put into production over at Darkmook Paper Miniatures, but it's turning out to be a nifty mod for use with the Pulp Miniatures I have been painting up recently.

The basic rules and counters first draft!

I will be mainly using the excellent maps and tiles from Heroic Maps for our games; you can check them out on their page at RPGNow!

Nerd Factory Intro!

Welcome to Tales from the Nerd Factory! I will be posting the various tabletop and RPG related gaming projects I have sitting on the workbench. Enjoy!