Frostgrave: The Shonen Knives

Posted on 20/01/2016 by sho3box

ShonenKnivesWarmaxKoraggButcher2

I dont get involved with a lot of Fantasy projects, but this year Im jumping on board the Frostgrave bandwagon.

ShonenKnivesButcher

The Butcher

My gaming buddies like sci-fi and fantasy gaming.  I favour sci-fi to the more or less complete exclusion of fantasy – its just not really my bag baby.  But in the interest of broadening my horizons and a bit of give and take with mates I got behind Frostgrave and I have started to put together a warband.

These three old Citadel Chaos Warriors are the first finished members.

Koragg

Koragg

The theme that I am going for has a fantasy Asian feel to it.  Expect ninja and oni and the like (and maybe a dragon if I can manage it), but dont expect “historical” accuracy or anything. This will be a fantasy force, with Chinese, Korean, Russian, Indian… and any other influences real or imagined if I feel so inclined.

Although I like the characterful and snowbound look and feel to the Frostgrave setting, Im not prepared to build a snowy terrain set.  I need my terrain to be more flexible than that will allow, so expect a more jungle ruins sort of affair for these guys.  “Sweatgrave” if you will.

Warmax

Warmax

Im painting figures that I like and trying to mash them into the game system afterwards: the project is model driven.

With that in mind The Butcher (a bloodthirsty, homicidal killer) and Warmax (a silent samurai with a warped sense of honour) are pencilled in as “Templar” characters.  Koragg (an honour bound and therefore completely loyal servant of the forthcoming Lady Neurotica) is likely to serve as a knight.

ShonenKnivesWarmaxKoraggButcher1

With an organised event coming up in a few months there will be a fair bit of Frostgrave here for a while (I hope).  Hopefully you will check in to see how it develops.

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45 Responses

  1. shichitenhakki, on 20/01/2016 at 22:15 said:

    Sweatgrave. Love it. Mine is Sandtomb since I’m doing a Persian/Egyptian feel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 08:44 said:

      I spotted some of your Sandtomb terrain pieces a while back Andrew, but I got distracted for some reason or other. I must check them out again.

      I was more tempted by the beautiful snowy presentation or the Frostgrave publications than I expected to be, but in the end I had to be rational. Bulking out the terrain sets that I have makes a lot more sense.

      Thanks for the feedback Andrew 🙂

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  2. clovermilk01, on 20/01/2016 at 22:19 said:

    I was half expecting this!

    Just to add it in writing. 😉

    They look fabulous by the way. The warlock purplelesque is inspiring. My all time favourite colour.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 08:51 said:

      Im a relative newcomer to Warlock purple. Poor experiences painting that colour when I was kid left me without the patience to ever get it to even a passable level. I am using this project as a way to tune my purples a bit.

      Im glad that you like them clovermilk01 🙂

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  3. No Such Agency, on 20/01/2016 at 23:11 said:

    I love the purple on these. So rich!

    I also love that Shonen Knife are still around. Three hard working ladies…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 08:54 said:

      Shonen Knife formed in 1981 and I am planning to see them locally in a few months. Thats quite a lifespan for a band.

      Im working on my purples, they are getting a little better, step by step. Im glad that you approve NSA!

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      • No Such Agency, on 21/01/2016 at 16:40 said:

        Don’t be afraid to highlight it right up to white if needed. Purple is still way easier to do right than red is, IMO 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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        • sho3box, on 22/01/2016 at 10:35 said:

          I have been heading towards pink and toning it back with a purple glaze to take the edge off.

          I tend to just work red up from black these days. Im very wary of overdoing the edge highlights.

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  4. David Ackerman, on 20/01/2016 at 23:13 said:

    Sweatgrave? More of a southeast Asian theme, perhaps? Your silent samurai is wonderful. Great warband in general. Hope you have fun paying your groups fantasy piper so that you can get back to the dreaded future. 🙂 Splendid work all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 08:58 said:

      Thank you David.

      This will be a side project for certain – I am child of Star Wars, Battle of the Planets, 2000AD, Ulysses 31 and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and thats not going to change too drastically any time soon.

      I am enjoying working on these guys now though. A number of the models will span genres too: ninja and demons fit into a lot of the settings that I am interested in for example.

      As for Sweatgrave, Im not necessarily assuming that the Shonen Knives are fighting on home turf. They might be, but they also may not be. They might be on some sort of sinister crusade or relic hunt in a far off land.

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  5. Panama, on 20/01/2016 at 23:27 said:

    As I’ve come to expect a great paint job Paul, like your good self fantasy is not my thing but I played Frostgrave in an event in the warroom in Wicklow last weekend & I have to say it was good fun & it’s a very enjoyable game.

    Off track I really hope you can make it to Warpcon for some INQ28 it would be get to get to meat you & what better way to do it then across the table.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 09:29 said:

      I was interested in that event in Wicklow Frank, but I was away for the weekend, so I was never going to make it. The photos look good though. Im uncertain as to how well the Frostgrave rules will stand up to the sort of gaming that I am looking for, but its going to be fun finding out.

      I should be at Warpcon, although I wont be playing INQ28 unfortunately. What day(s) are you playing that? I will pop over to say “Hi” if you are around 🙂

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  6. Captain Crooks, on 21/01/2016 at 00:11 said:

    They turned out great, ripe and ready to go sweat on someone’s grave. Now, let’s get you that d-d-d-dragon! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Daveb, on 21/01/2016 at 00:58 said:

    Love the butcher model. You do have a lovely collection of figures, and great paint jobs to compliment them.

    My friends have been playing in ‘Thaw-grave’. Perhaps it’s located nearby….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 10:54 said:

      Its only in the last few years that I feel like my selection of painted models has really taken on a partially comprehensive vibe. It used to comprise of armies and forces for various systems, whereas these days I have more variety, including some civilian types. Ditto for the terrain really.

      The butcher model is particularly nice. I like all three, I cant decide on a favourite, each one is brimming with character.

      A less Arctic setting for Frostgrave is pretty common I think. Snow terrain is nice, and it gives the game its own inherent branding, but its not multi-purpose enough for my tastes.

      Thanks for the feedback Daveb.

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  8. hosercanadian, on 21/01/2016 at 02:05 said:

    If you want some characterful asian inspired figs see if you can track down any Rackham goblins. They are 35mm scale so would be man-sized…although their ogre types were huge. A female goblin with fan and kimono was my favorite from te line.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Warburton, on 21/01/2016 at 02:37 said:

    Great work and nice colours…. I particularly like Koragg model. That should be a pretty cool warband when done by the sounds of it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 11:22 said:

      None of the three seems to be taking the lead in popularity stakes: I reckon that has to be a good thing. They are a very appealing set of sculpts.

      Thanks Warburton.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  10. Dallas, on 21/01/2016 at 04:18 said:

    Great work, all I can say is… LET’S KNIFE!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Alex, on 21/01/2016 at 07:51 said:

    They are cracking mate, and I’m in exactly the same boat as you – I’m working on ideas for a Rogue Trader techno-barbarian Frostgrave warband 🙂 Loving these guys btw, the purple is delicious, as is the model choice – Koragg is particularly stunning! I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on the game…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 14:21 said:

      I have played a single getting-to-know-you game of Frostgrave Alex. Its pretty simple and geared around fast play. I am hopeful that it will scratch the fantasy skirmish itch as and when required.

      I considered making these figures cross compatible with a sci-fi setting, but I decided that I would rather make the main protagonists unquestionably fantasy figures. The various wandering monster types will segue into my RT flora and fauna project however.

      Thanks for the feedback.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. Asslessman, on 21/01/2016 at 08:07 said:

    You already know I’m a fan but you can’t hear it too often. I love the “more evil than chaotic” look of them, like a sort of noble malevolence if that makes any sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 15:09 said:

      Noble, anti-hero bad guys regularly steal the show in a story and thats precisely the sort of feel that I want from these guys. They may be bloodthirsty and capable of committing appalling acts, but they are not unpredictable, untrustworty maniacs.

      Cold, professional and dangerous are what I am after. Noble malevolence is pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear Asslessman 🙂

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  13. Just John, on 21/01/2016 at 08:32 said:

    Great stuff as usual. Looking forward to meeting and beating them in Sweatgrave 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. mrsaturdays, on 21/01/2016 at 09:34 said:

    A great paintjob on three really characterful minis. As I’ve mentioned, the masked samurai is my favourite, but they are all the business. Just like John, I look forward to carving them into chunky bits.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 15:45 said:

      I am pleased with how they turned out, and I am excited to see how the force gels visually as I go on. Fingers crossed that I can bring it together.

      We will have to get together for a practice session or three before the big day. Im looking forward to it.

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  15. daggerandbrush, on 21/01/2016 at 10:21 said:

    I second the other gentlemen. Excellent purples and in general a beautiful warband. I am pleased to see more and more people getting into Frostgrave. I am currently using some of my Bones to assemble two warbsnds and the rulebooks are order, too. Maybe I even make a frosty gaming table. I envision Skyrim style ruins and ice caves. Your Asian take is a wonderful idea. You could make some Asian style terrain, maybe a bit like the deserted village in the first new Tomb Raider game.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 16:02 said:

      I have some plans for terrain, but I wont talk about those until I have some progress.

      I havent played enough FG to know if its really what I am looking for, but I think that I will have fun finding out. Regardless, it gives me a nice framework to prepare a group of fantasy figures to fit. Its an enjoyably different project for me.

      Thanks for the feedback daggerandbrush!

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      Reply
  16. Prof.Witchheimer, on 21/01/2016 at 13:46 said:

    Lovely paintwork as usual, Paul. Great to see you doing something fanatsy, I was wating for that 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 21/01/2016 at 16:13 said:

      Thanks Alex! I havent properly painted a 28mm fantasy figure for a very long time, so it was quite a kick to get these guys finished.

      Im not sure how long it will last before sci-fi piulls me back, but I will try to get as much as possible painted in the meantime 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Prof.Witchheimer, on 21/01/2016 at 16:18 said:

        keep it coming, Paul! Btw, what colour did you use for this beautiful purple? I’ve got a lor of purple colours but yours has this lovely magenta touch..

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • sho3box, on 22/01/2016 at 10:55 said:

          Im glad that you like it. Im still experimenting – Im deliberately using this project as a way to get better at painting purples. The method that I am using varies a little depending in the texture and size of the area, but it is currently as follows:

          Black undercoat
          GW Naggaroth Night
          Army Painter Dark Tone (either all over or else just into the recesses depending on the area)
          GW Naggaroth Night layer
          GW (old) Liche Purple layer
          AP Purple tone
          GW (old) Liche Purple Layer
          GW (old) Warlock Purple edge
          GW Fulgrim Pink extreme edge
          AP Purple Tone/ GW Lahmian medium glaze.

          The magenta comes from the Warlock purple layer. Im still not 100% convinced that it works as a perfect highlight colour, but it does give some vibrant visual interest. I think that technique worked best on the armour on the samurai chaos warrior on the left.

          I hope that helps.

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  17. mcdwarf, on 21/01/2016 at 19:35 said:

    Great painting and extra points for providing a John Peel flashback with the unit name!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. curiso, on 22/01/2016 at 13:02 said:

    And that’s what the sex toy horns ended up as instead. Great stuff.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • sho3box, on 22/01/2016 at 13:39 said:

      Yes, The original take on the horns looked a bit too much like the other sort of horn in pulsating purple. Like if Ann Summers was a Power Rangers villain.

      Thanks for the feedback 🙂

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