Not quite dead, but new work in combination with the usual gamers ADHD means I've mostly done small parts on large projects this year. Hopefully, soon some of them will come into completion, and we'll get more blog posts.
But meanwhile, Frostgrave to the rescue, since you "only need 10 models" (we all know this is a lie, but it means you can paint a starter band in one go, so good enough). First, I recieved my Wood Elves from Atlantis Games kickstarter (from back before the pandemic, but got delayed by it). Then my friend decided to forest-ify his frostgrave terrain, so I needed a more wooded warband. Two things that solve each other, excellent.
First out, is Good Mistress Spellweaver. Master mage, and one of the leaders of the Wood Elf community. And someone carrying that big a staff, also packs a mean whallop, do not underestimate her.
And next to her, her apprentice. A bit more rough around the edges, but he's got a good heart, and is willing to give it his all.
The other leader among the Wood Elves, the Prince. Wood Elves are usually confused by human notions of nobility and command, but he's a master of applying force at a point, be it by himself, or with his warriors, and that seems to be more or less what human princes are for, so the title fits.
The Ranger has no official position of power, but she knows the forests like her own boots (or possibly even better), so often runs before the warbands when they go out to do their business. She's fast, she's sneaky, she's able to shimmy up a tree and rain down arrows from above before her enemies (or the small, fuzzy creatures of the forest that she's friends with) even know she's there.
The Archer is an uncomplicated soul. He's strong, and can thus pull a worryingly strong bow, launching arrows a tremendous distance and with a hard punch. Useful both when hunting for venison, and when there's intruders in need of correction.
While the Ranger prefers to fight from a distance, her good friend the Pathfinder instead use the trees mostly as an advantage point from which to jump down behind her chosen prey.
The Scout, and his hawkish buddy, watch as things happen, and then report to the village leaders, going and leaving while remaining unseen.
There is very little differentiating the veteran Wood Elf Warriors from their less experienced fellows, other than a certain willingness to rush into the fray in a berserker fury, trusting their compatriots, their leaders, and their mages to have their back.
The less experienced Warriors, are more likely to hang back and fight defensively, using the reach advantage of their weapons to its full potential (even if it means less flinging of enemies in all directions).
Of course, the long glaives are not always the optimal weapons. Sometimes, the forest grows thick, or you're needed to carry other, heavy, stuff. In those cases, a solid long knife will make do.
Last, but certainly not least, there is their furry companion. A suspiciously wolf-y dog? A curiously doggy wolf? We only know that he's called Kitten.
All in all, a nice little starting Warband, with Wizard and Apprentice, 2 Archers, 3 Infantryelves, 2 thieves, and a thug. With Kitten available, in case one of the spellcasters summon an Animal Companion. Also, plenty of upgrade options, with infantryelves becoming Barbarians, and Archers becoming Trackers and Rangers.
The observant will have noted that I painted a bit more than the 10 figures (11 if you count Kitten) necessary for a Forestgrave warband. They can also trivially be repurposed for Ghost Archipelago, with Heritor and Warden (probably a Vine Warden), 2 Treasure Hunters, 2 Archers, and 4 crewelves with two-handed weapons.
All in all, these models are absolutely gorgeous one and all. I am very happy that I got these, as well as their friends (whom I doubt will remain unpainted for long). Just need to get some bears or similar, for when the spellcasters want animal companions not able to fit in the doghouse. And some treasures, of course.
/Fool Out
