Friday, 27 September 2024
Friday, 20 September 2024
Leviathan: Lords of Havok
Hi!
So I've decided to pull the trigger on the new Seb Games Leviathan 10mm game Lords of Havok.
As of time of writing, all thats currently available is the Battle Vanguard Set which comes with a few units of 10mm infantry representing Orcs and Dwarves.
It's a small set that's intended to aid with playtesting which I'm keen to try but I do think that its also a great opportunity to use it for classic Leviathan too!
Having seen some of the 10mm scale infantry painted, I must admit that I'm rather impressed by the quality:
As I've currently got my 28mm scale Leviathan stuff in storage somewhere, I look forward to putting together a couple of small starter units and seeing how things go. I may even sculpt some proxy vehicles and warbeasts to play some awesome old school Leviathan!
Once the set arrives, I'll post a review up along with a painting log recording my progress but it's going to take a bit longer to arrive as it's being cast to order but I'm rather excited to get my hands on some new tiny Leviathan goodies!
In the meantime, I think I'll have a rummage and see if I can find some classic bits and bobs to paint and will continue trawling through the old articles here and will post up some more revamped and refreshed stuff soon.
In the meantime, All the best!
Monday, 9 September 2024
The Forces of Leviathan Part 1: Introduction
Hi!
As I dive back into Leviathan, I thought I'd reacquaint myself with the forces from the game and it might be a good idea to post my exploration here too so anyone interested in the game or setting can peruse my findings.
The core game states that it covers background and rules on the Elves, Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves and Human Barbarians, each with a different style of play with their own strengths and weaknesses which make for a very dynamic sort of a game as a Dwarf force will play very differently from a Barbarian one for example.
With this in mind, I thought I'd post an initial overview of the forces and then individual articles on each which will delve into the individual units and playstyle.
Barbarians
Thursday, 5 September 2024
So What is Leviathan?
Hi!
I thought it might be worth posting a bit about what Leviathan is and why it attracted me back in the day and why it still holds such a fascination for me.
Originally published back in the heady days of 1995, Leviathan is quote:
''A fast paced 25mm tabletop fantasy battle system, set in a world on the eve of destruction!"
For me, this title, combined with the iconic imagery from Adrian Smith and background by Bill King and chunky monstrous miniatures from GW Alumni such as Kev Adams, Tim Prow and Peter Flannery really grabbed my attention as a callow teenager who had just left the Games Workshop hobby and discovered that there were actually other games out there.
Barbarian Clans |
Elven Warhost |
Orc and Elf Cavalry |
The rules are freely available as a pdf download and I highly recommend folks take a peek, if for no other reason than to read the fantastic background writing by none other than William King, the creator of Felix and Gotrek and the compelling artwork of Adrian Smith who so vividly brought this ruinous world to life.
With all this in mind, I'll be posting more details on the world, its denizens and history over the coming weeks as well as delving into some of the articles that I've dug up over the years that shows what might have been.
Hopefully my posts will tempt others to dip their toe into the world of Aeroth or Theia as the new game has renamed it. Leviathan has a real Oldhammer vibe with a range of figures which are readily available and proxies for infantry are pretty easy to find and I am really excited to once again venture into the wastes in search of adventure!
All the best!
Tuesday, 3 September 2024
Welcome to the End Times!
Hi!
I'd started this blog back in 2009 to chronicle my ongoing obsession with an old wargame called Leviathan that has consumed much of my hobbytime on and off since its release back in 1995.
In 1996 I'd left the Games Workshop hobby but still wanted to continue in my brewing wargame obsession and I wandered into Macs Models on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and saw the rulebook and a host of original art on the wall from Adrian Smith who developed this amazing visualisation of a game and world unlike anything I'd seen before.
Sadly by 2015, I burned out and was forced to clear out the massive amount of resin and lead I'd collected and once again Leviathan kind of went on the backburner as a game I loved but didn't do anything with. From time to time I'd dip back in and paint the odd figure or try to do something with the game in 15mm or smaller scale but it always stalled out almost immediately.
My Leviathan blog was getting pretty heavily spammed and I decided to mothball it, its posts reverted to drafts in the hope that at some point in the future, I'd come back to it and finally do it justice.
Now here we are in 2024, 29 years after Leviathan's first release and Seb Games has taken up the mantle of Leviathan and is re-releasing all the classic sculpts and even bringing the game into a new 10mm scale that is looking very promising.
Orc Titanosaur |
So what do I do with this blog? Leviathan has been central to my Wargaming experience on and off for nearly 30 years now and I feel the stirrings of the post apocalyptic wasteland of Aeroth once again.
Now we're already in September (where's the year gone!) and I think its far too late in the year to be trying some massive and possibly mad project but as 2025 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of Leviathan, I'm going to try and do something with it, if for no other reason than to finally get it out of my system!
The remainder of this year will be spent reacquainting myself with the setting, rules and massive amounts of notes, background and whatnot that I've put together over the years which I'll be posting up here as a bit of a love letter to the game.
The plan for 2025 is to collect and paint a warband for each of the forces in the original game and to then play out a mini campaign. This is pretty ambitious but I am desperately keen on actually making a go of it and I'll be using a mixture of the original sculpts and period suitable figures to bring the game fully to life.
I'll also be following the development of Seb Games' 10mm and possible 2nd edition of Leviathan with interest and will try to record it here too (who knows, I may end up collecting some of the 10mm stuff too!).
Hopefully I'll be updating this blog with a weekly post with all manner of Leviathan musings, ramblings and hopefully the odd miniature too but in the meantime, All the best!
Monday, 17 February 2020
Review: Elven Earthbound
I was recently fortunate enough to be donated a rather spiffy Earthbound Dragon!
This badboy is one of the iconic figures from the Leviathan range and I am really pleased to actually have one added to my collection. I've decided to celebrate the fact by posting a review of the beast!
The cast itself is pretty clean but there are a few air bubbles to be found on the extremities, especially the head which will need a bit of filler to smooth out but nothing that can't be repaired without much difficulty.
The body itself is in quite a dynamic pose for a single piece casting with the dragon having plenty of texture which bodes well for painting him! I do like the fact that there is a suitably Grimdark base to the howdah with skulls and scalps hanging off it!
The Earthbound's head is wonderfully gribbly with sweeping horns, a crocodile like jaw and oozes character. Sadly the tip of the nose is missing and as already mentioned, I'll need to do a wee bit of repair work to him to get him into fighting form but I'm rather looking forward to starting work on it!
I had considered replacing the rider with a plastic or metal replacement but I think I'm going to stick with him as he is rather characterful. He does remind me of Hugo Weaving with the long face and his armour is in the style of the older GW Dark Elves which is quite pleasing. The throne is covered in great wee details such as esoteric jewellery, skulls and carvings and really gives a feel of post apocalyptic style!
I'm really pleased with the addition and many thanks to Jambo1 aka Donnie for sending me him! I plan on posting a bit of a painting log on the big guy so watch this space for updates as I go about repairing, constructing, painting and basing him!
In the meantime, All the best!