The general online consensus seems to be that putting in an hour a day painting really adds up quickly. I had hoped to make up for my lost time by getting in a full day over this weekend. Reality intruded and I didn't even get the paints out yesterday. I know that I'm not going to be able to put eight hours in today. But as soon as I finish this post I'm making my run to the store and sitting down to paint! No ifs ands or buts.
I hope to take some before and after photos to help record my progress here. For now though, I leave you with some older photos. The first is from our "In the Cardinal's Garden" skirmish game.
I am truly blessed by having some very good friends to game with! And each and every one is talented in many different ways. Tim the Younger designed a brillant set of Three Musketeers skirmish rules that are card driven and a real hoot to play. For once all four of us can play on the same side, as the King's Musketeers against, of course, the Cardinal's Guards. Being Gentlemen the idea is to wound and incapacitate your opponants rather than simply kill them. (After all, when duelling is illegal why add murder to your problems?)
We had a great time playing and giggling. Unfortunately I only have a couple of photographs. The two Tims supplied the figures, which are pre-painted "toys". We played on my 2' by 3' foot mini-table. I made all of the terrain the week before. Determined to surprise Tim the Younger I busted my butt and ended up staying up most of the night finishing everything before they came. It was worth it!
The flower beds are flocked bases, with craft store flowers glued on very early that morning. The bench is constructed of foam core board. The statue is a knight from my chess set ~ otherwise I would have painted it too. The statue's base is a craft store wooden plaque painted as stone. Unfortunately the fountain I made is just out of sight behind the statue and figures. The trees are smaller scale ones that I use with our 15 and 5 mm games. The pots are craft shop candle holders spray painted red.
This photo was taken on June the 10th of 2005. The last of the Cardinal's Guards has just been driven from the field!In August of 2006 Tim the Elder came up for a visit and to (drum roll!) unveil his Chateau d'Vin!
We had been talking about it and emailing information to each other for a long time. Tim had worked on it off and on for, I think he said, about thirty-some years . . . Through every move and change in his life he held on to his idea to make a modular castle for 25 mm gaming. No one had ever seen it until that day. He brought along the first version of his De Bellus Skirmishus rules for the two of us to test play.
No, he wouldn't let me into the room until he had set everything up. When I opened the door this is what I saw!
For now, this is the aerial view of the Chateau d'Vin! Tim actually designed it to fit on my table. This first set up is just a rough overview as we tested his rules. Things got much more finished and elaborate in later games and the Chateau de'Vin is now Castle Devin.
The rules work and we have held a number of great games using his castle in the last couple of years. More photos to follow.
Now, just as I am finishing this and about to go to the store so I have the whole day free and ahead of myself for painting . . . Some of our very best friends called asking if we wanted to go to lunch and spend some time together this afternoon . . .
We have eat so this will be a very nice bonus! When we get home I am painting some AElves !!!
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