Shadows of Brimstone Void Hounds and Void Sorcerers

The first Deluxe Enemy Pack that I bought for Shadows of Brimstone was the Masters of the Void set, which contained plastic 30mm scale figures of three Void Hounds and three Void Sorcerers, along with a deck of cards, which includes new Artefacts, Encounters, Threat cards and a new card deck - Void Magik.

In the Void between worlds, outside of space and time, eldritch horrors beyond fear or imagination reside. These ancient beings come in many forms, from malign entities of hate and rage, to writhing masses of tentacles, to fiendish sorcerers, locked in towers of knowledge and madness. These masters of the Void extend their tendrils of influence through the cracks in reality that bridge countless worlds across existence! Of all these dreaded beings, Void Hounds and Void Sorcerers are some of the most frightening. Void Hounds are beastly creatures that stalk their prey from beyond the veil, hunting in packs and phasing through the barriers of reality to strike.

The Void Hounds were cast in two halves and come in two poses. the Void Hounds at the left and right of my photos are the same sculpt, but I slightly altered the pose of the tails on the one at the right. They are glued onto 30mm diameter bases and are roughly the same size as a similarly scaled horse. Savage beasts, Void Hounds lay in wait within the Void, choosing just the right time to strike! Attacking as a pack, Void Hounds phase in and out of reality as they move. This results in them having a variable Defence value that is equal to the current initiative Level in that turn order. For example, if a Saloon Girl that Activates at Initiative 5 attacks a Void Hound, the Void Hound's Defence counts as 5 for those attacks. Void Hounds are not generally immune to Critical Hits though, which can bypass the effectiveness of their Void Phasing, by hitting them at just the right moment.

Void Sorcerers are nefarious mages that use dark and powerful magik, seeking out occult knowledge and collecting arcane tomes and artefacts to add to their vaunted vaults of Valitore. To fight these fiends is to stare into the abyss. These ancient and dreaded sorcerers prefer to fight at a distance, slinging Void Bolts at their opponents and ominously chanting in alien tongues as they cast their foul spells. Their powerful magik both protects them and allows them to rain down destruction on their foes.

These figures were also two part castings, with the heads being a separate part. They stand 42mm tall and come with 30mm diameter bases. All three are identically sculpted but I have slightly repositioned the arms of the two blue-robed Void Sorcerers. I painted one of them differently, in the purple robes, so I could use him as a more powerful Void Magus, who can appear as an Epic Threat, with enhanced stats and abilities.
It has been noted that some of the monsters from this game would fit in well in a Call of the Cthulhu setting. This is certainly the case with these Void monsters. With their tentacled faces, the Void Sorcerers could stand in for Avatars of Cthulhu, and the Void Hounds with their ability to phase in and out of reality remind me of the Hounds of Tindalos.

Shadows of Brimstone Goliath and Harbinger

Last time I showed you the smallest monsters from the Shadows of Brimstone game - the Void Spiders. This time I'm going to the opposite end of the scale and reviewing the two largest monsters from the core sets of City of the Ancients and Swamps of Death - the Goliath and the Harbinger. Most monsters encountered in Shadows of Brimstone conform to one of three Threat Levels - Low, Medium or High, depending upon the size of the Hero party - the bigger the party, the greater the Threat Level. However, depending upon the scenario being played, there is also an end-of-game threat that may be encountered and it is known as an Epic Threat. The Goliath and the Harbinger can only be encountered as Epic Threats.

"Hunched and lumbering, this towering behemoth dwarfed all other creatures my expedition had encountered. Its large head covered in soulless black eyes with a wide, round mouth surrounded by an array of sharp teeth, A dozen long tongues erupted from its face and writhed in a hypnotic dance."
An excerpt taken from the journals of Dr. Tobias Hedgebrook.

With a gigantic muscular body and horrendously long, flailing tentacle arms, the Goliath is an unspeakable horror like no other. Its bellowing roar and dripping mass of tentacle tongues consume all that stray within reach, smashing, crushing and devouring the souls of those who would dare to stand before it. But perhaps the most frightening aspect of the Goliath is the cold intelligence clearly visible behind its multitude of soulless, black eyes. It knows you're here... it knows why you've come... and it knows you have made a terrible mistake.

As you can see from the figure of the saloon girl I have placed alongside the Goliath in the first photo, this is a massive monster. It stands 65mm tall and measures 130mm from the tip of its tentacle tongues to the tip of its tentacle arms. It stands on a 60mm diameter base. I decorated the base with half of a plastic barrel taken from a Renedra pack of wooden barrels. This useful scenery set contains five large barrels measuring 15mm tall and five small barrels measuring 10mm tall. The barrels come in two halves, so I used one half here and the other half on the base of my Harbinger (see photos below). I used the large barrel for my bases. I also added a few pieces of cork bark to the base and a smashed wooden plank.

For the paint scheme I simply copied that found on page 49 of the City of the Ancients Adventure Book. The idea of adding the extra scenery items to the base came from a painted example of the creature found on page 45 of the same book. Its paint scheme is very similar to my own. A Goliath is potentially a party killer and must be treated with utmost respect, caution and extreme prejudice.

The massive, demonic Harbinger is one of the most fearsome creatures yet encountered by those that delve down into the cursed mines near Brimstone. With sprawling bat-like wings and long, sinewy limbs, nothing can escape the Harbinger's foul reach. Its bony, horned skull-head holds no eyes but rather two rows of pitted nostrils to sniff out its prey in the dark, and consume the flesh of the unwary explorers with its vicious maw of razor sharp teeth. Often accompanied by a swarm of slithering Hellbats, the Harbinger brings doom to all who gaze upon him and despair to those that hear his name.

The Goliath was a huge monster but the Harbinger is even bigger! Because it is crouched down, it is only 55mm tall from the soles of its feet to the top of its horns but its wings make it even bigger. The top of its left wing reaches 140mm above the ground and its wingspan is an impressive 230mm. Like the Goliath, it is glued to a 60mm diameter base, which I decorated in a similar manner to the Goliath. The Harbinger was amongst the first batch of figures I painted for this game, closely followed by the Goliath. These two figures are stunning, show-piece models that never fail to grab your attention when they make an appearance in a game. 

Shadows of Brimstone Void Spiders

I have just the one creature type to review this time but there are a lot of them. These are the Void Spiders from the Shadows of Brimstone core set - City of the Ancients.

Inhabitating the space between the Void and reality, these scurrying beast infest virtually every world their portals open into. With six segmented spiny legs and two large mandible claw arms, Void Spiders can scale any surface and are often found nesting on the walls and ceilings as well as the floor. On the underside of the creature is a large mouth, lined with jagged teeth and articulated jaws within the body of the beast. Void Spiders' primary form of attack is to lunge at their prey and get on top of them, using these under mouths to chomp and tear at their victims. Many Void Spiders secrete a Void Venom, paralysing their target before cocooning them in sticky webs to feed upon slowly.

The first photo shows them from the front, which is where their mandible arms are located. This photo shows them from behind. These figures are one-piece castings and come without bases. I did consider gluing them to bases but then decided they were better left as is. They are roughly 40mm in diameter and are 15mm tall.

Here is a group shot showing all twelve Void Spiders. Their pale grey colouration is great camouflage on the arctic world of Targa. I leave you with this cool piece of artwork taken from the City of the Ancients adventure book.

Shadows of Brimstone Night Terrors and Slashers

I return to my reviews of the Weird West figures from Flying Frog Productions' Shadows of Brimstone game. This time I'm featuring the Night Terrors from the City of the Ancients core set and the Slashers from the Swamps of Death core set.

Standing nearly ten feet tall, the Night Terror is a hideous demon with sunken glowing eyes, a grotesquely wide mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth, and covered in dark blue fur and rocky skin. Often found roaming the icy halls of the long dead cities of the Targa Plateau, the Night Terror's dark and thick fur allows it to move unseen in the shadows. Its clawed hands can rend a man limb from limb in a single sweep of its mighty arms, yet it often prefers to grab hold of unwary explorers and steal away with them into the dark night. Where it takes the unlucky victims is unknown, but it is rare that any have escaped the clutches and lived to tell the tale. Many times the only indication of the presence of a Night Terror is the faint menace of its gurgling and hissing in the dark, the likes of which will cause a chill to the bone on a primitive level of sheer terror.

These three multi-part plastic figures stand about 50mm tall and come with 40mm diameter bases. The Night Terror at the far left is unconverted. Just to add some variety to their poses I converted the other two by altering the position of their arms. The one in the middle of the group had his left arm repositioned at the elbow so it bent closer to its body. For the one at the far right, I repositioned both arms, again by making cuts to the elbow joints and filling in the gaps with Milliput. Painting them was a very easy task.

Large beasts with thick chitinous shells, Slashers are insectoid creatures with brutally efficient slashing claws. Burrowing through rock and stone with their powerful hooked arms, they greedily search for Dark Stone to feed on. Two pairs of heavy mandibles surround their mouth, used mainly to hold their prey and pull it closer so their powerful jaws can crush and devour. A pair of large, black and soulless bug eyes belie their cold dispassionate hunger, and the hateful chittering sound they make would chill all but the most stalwart to the bone. Just one of these creatures is difficult to overcome but they most often travel in small packs of two or three, scouting ahead of a larger Slasher hive and searching for their next source of food, be it Dark Stone or humans.

These three multi-part plastic figures are roughly 40mm tall and come with 40mm diameter bases. Because their arms were separate components it was easy for me to convert two of them simply by glueing the arms in different positions. The Slasher at the far left has not been converted - the other two have. I must admit that when I first saw their colour scheme I knew it would be quite a challenge for me to replicate it but in truth, it was not as hard as I feared. The hardest part was the blending between the black, red and orange. I'm very happy with how they have turned out.

Celebrating 2000 Issues of 2000AD Comic

Last week saw the publication of issue 2000 of one of my all time favourite comics - 2000AD. I have been collecting this weekly anthology ever since it first launched in 1977. Yes, I do have all 2000 issues of it! I wouldn't normally write a post about a comic I like but this is a very special occasion and it warrants both a mention and a celebration. I have grown up with this comic. I have watched it grow and evolve. Originally produced as a children's comic, it has now matured and has a more adult outlook. We have grown up together and 2000AD is very much a part of my life. I look forward to getting my thrill power fix every week. I have remained loyal to it throughout its chequered history. It has had some low points and frankly, dire stories, but they are vastly outnumbered by its hits and successes.
This quote taken from the comic's Betelgeusian alien editor, Tharg the Mighty One, in the editorial of issue #2000  sums up why the comic has endured. "How has my illustrious organ managed to keep going for so long, in an industry marked by multiple reboots and retcons? Because we all - I, my meks, and you, my Squaxx dek Thargo - believe in it. We invest in it. And we know that 2000AD and its spirit of independence and rebellion, and all that it represents, is too important to lose."
Issue #2000 comes with a bigger page count than normal and contains six new stories featuring many old favourites and one brand new series. Each story is preceded by a one page introduction from Tharg, printed in black and white and illustrated by different artists. First up is the comic's greatest hero, and longest lasting character - Judge Dredd. This one-off story gets the comic off to a great start with artwork by the brilliant Carlos Ezquerra, an introduction from the legendary artist, Brian Bolland and script by John Wagner. The story sees Judge Dredd once again teaming up with Johnny Alpha in a time-travelling adventure that is a load of fun. (If you're reading this, Simon, Johnny Alpha is back from the dead!)
Nemesis the Warlock was always another favourite of mine but in this one-off story I found both the artwork by Kevin O'Neill and story by Pat Mills to be rather lacklustre. This was my least favourite story of the comic.
Next up, comes another return of an old favourite - Rogue Trooper. Scripted by Gordon Rennie with artwork by Richard Elson, this was a nice reminder of why Rogue was so popular, although the story goes over far too quickly and we don't see enough of Rogue himself.
The next story, Psi Judge Anderson, features stunning artwork by David Roach and an excellent script by Alan Grant. Anderson's long time nemesis, Judge Death, returns to haunt her once more. This was my favourite story in the comic although, Judge Dredd comes a close second.
Next up is the return of Downlode's lovable hit-men duo, Finnigan Sinister and Ramone Dexter. The story, scripted by Dan Abnett and drawn by Mark Sexton, sets up the next arc of their ongoing adventures and made me wishing for more. I have always been a fan of the Sinister Dexter stories.
Finally, is the comic's one totally new series - Counterfeit Girl. This cyberpunk yarn was written by Peter Milligan and artwork was assigned to Rufus Dayglo. The basic premise of the story is to do with identity theft and it certainly gets off to a promising start.
All this, plus a free poster, drawn by Cliff Robinson, showing many of the comic's favourite characters, makes this a must have edition. 2000AD goes from strength to strength and shows no sign of ever stopping. Long may it continue, I say. It is certainly far superior to anything produced by the big name American publishers like Dark Horse, DC, Image or Marvel. It is such a shame it isn't more popular in the U.S.A.
Anyway, to help celebrate this landmark event I want to offer a prize giveaway. To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment stating what you like the most about the comic. Make your answer as long or as short as you want - amusing or serious.  I'll announce the name of the winner in my next Monthly Musings post on Halloween (Monday 31st of October). So what's the prize? It's a bundle of 28mm scale 2000AD figures.

First up is this rather over-scale figure of Hammerstein from the ABC Warriors. He was produced by Wargames Foundry. He stands roughly 55mm tall but for a combat droid that doesn't bother me too much.

Next up is this Warlord Games figure of a Mega City One Street Judge. He is nicely sculpted although his shoulder pads look a bit odd. They appear to be standing too high on his shoulders. He would make a good figure for a player character.

Also from Warlord Games is a Cursed Earth Desperado with Dual Weapons (Spit Gun and Sawed Off Stump Gun). He makes a great gang leader. I have mine leading a street gang known as the Apathetic Anarchists. I called him Major Apathy. You'll be seeing him and his gang in my upcoming Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign.

These seven figures from Warlord Games make up an Ape Gang for use in Judge Dredd. They consist of three Chimp Punks, three Gorilla Enforcers and an Orang Utan Sniper. I ended up with them when I ordered the Orang Utan Gang Leader (not shown) and rather generously received the whole gang instead. So these guys are surplus to my requirements. If anyone plays 5150 by Two Hour Wargames, they will make great figures for Zhuh-Zhuhs.
Finally, I'll add a selection of 8 Indy Heroclix 2000AD characters (Judge Dredd, Judge Hershey, Judge Fear, Judge Fire, Judge Mortis, a Brit-City Judge, Johnny Alpha and Torquemada). Please note that the metal figures are all unpainted and the Heroclix figures have their basic paint jobs. I may well add a few other figures to the mix before announcing the winner. Best of luck!