Some treasure scatter pieces from Bad Squiddo.

I bought these a couple of years ago but somehow managed to mislay them until about six weeks ago. I know that I had them with other scenic pieces to be painted and then, POUF! they were gone, as though some evil wizard had spirited them away. Somehow, they ended up in a box full of non-gaming stuff and I only found them while looking for something else.

You can find them on the Bad Squiddo website under the Bad Squiddo Terrain menu. Annie notes that;

"These sculpts were originally part of Ristul's Extraordinary Market and purchased by Bad Squiddo in 2018. We still work with Ristul to add new goodness to the range.". 

They were still Ristul items when I bought them, and I have to say that they are the best resin pieces that I have ever bought in terms of crisp detail, casting and general cleanliness. I have no reason to doubt that they are still of this first-rate quality.

First up are some treasure chests, in varying sizes and styles, all perfect for Frostgrave and pretty much anywhere else you might needs a chest or two.

Next are some lovely piles of treasure, just like you would expect to find in a dragon's horde or in a previously-undisturbed treasure chamber in Felstad or pretty much anywhere else you might stumble over skeletons in armour, heaps of gold coins, enchanted weapons and arcane artefacts.

These were a lot of fun to paint and so easy. I undercoated them in Halford's Matt Black spray paint, which covers perfectly and then built up the colours by dry-brushing, picking out details with a smaller brush.

I really need to show you the reverse view of the seated figure, because it is a beautiful piece of work;

Isn't that absolutely fantastic sculpting and casting? A real joy to paint. Mind you, with casts this good, the painting becomes so easy.

  

I've been away for a week, but now I'm back

I was away on a short break to Italy, Bologna and Ravenna to be precise, but now I'm back and I've got to restart my painting mojo. Before I went away, I completed some plastic 28mm scenic pieces that the club bought as part of a Kickstarter, Mantic's TerrainCrate one, unfortunately. Anyway, the pieces are all on a dungeon and fantasy theme, so great for a lot of different games, Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago etc. There are a couple of us painting things up, and this is how I approached my share (note that the figure is mine, and shown for scale purposes only). First, we have some piles of treasure, the kind of thing that no self-respecting dungeon, cavern system or ancient ruined city can afford to be without;

Next, some distinctly martial pieces, including a sword in a stone for aspiring Once And Future Kings to have a go at;

Various scatter pieces, including a treasure map for a lost treasure island, and a crown on a cushion on the bedside table. Surely we've all got one of those at home?

Finally, more scatter, useful for hiding behind when the sound of "Fee Fi Fo Fum" starts echoing around the place.

These were all pretty straightforward to paint. A case of spray undercoat, touch up with paint where necessary, paint in the metallic bits, dry-brush and ink to bring out the textures. Quite nice pieces, and very useful. 

By the by, when I was in Ravenna, somewhere I totally recommend visiting, I had a look around the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, the House of Stone Carpets. The stone carpets are, of course mosaic floors. These date from between the 1st and 6th centuries CE, and for the purposes of this comment, I want to show you these two. The upper one is the Dance of The Seasons and the lower one a representation of the Good Shepherd, a pagan image which was adopted by early Christians to represent Christ. The thing I want to point out is the tunic decoration. In both mosaics, you can see decorations (e.g. disc-shaped patches and shoulder markings) on the tunics which are often claimed to be "military" in wargaming and re-enactment circles, but which were actually commonly used by everyone across the empire of Late Antiquity and the Early Mediaeval period. It is more likely that soldiers adopted what was a common style rather than the reverse, but perhaps we shall never know definitively. It does seem unlikely, though, that a representation of Christ as Good Shepherd would be shown wearing an item of military appearance.