State of Leviathan and 2021 Hopes

 Hi!

Gosh, it's been another year and very little progress has been made on Leviathan which has been a bit of a disappointment for me as I had hoped to get myself moving with the success of the Dragonbane rider from April.

As always, Leviathan is that most elusive of hobby goals, one that I dearly wish to make a go of, but fall at the first hurdle. My previous attempts have always resulted in abject failure too and it has got me to thinking that maybe I have been approaching things the wrong way and instead of trying to collect a warband and paint it up, I should aim for something a bit more scattergun but fun.

With this in mind, I have decided to lower my aim and simply paint something Leviathan related every month from January to December and post my progress here once a week as I love the figures, the setting and even the rules but just cannot seem to get my head around army collecting and painting. Hopefully this way, I will have something interesting to post on a regular basis, be it a single figure, a monster or resin scenic item or heaven forfend, an actual unit!

For the most part I hope to use the original figures where possible but if I find a suitable proxy, I will use it as there are some gaps in the range that never got sculpted. It will also be fun to paint up some odds and ends that I have lying around and not feel the pressure that it doesn't fit in with the specific force I am supposed to be working on.

To date, I think this is the only blog that is dedicated to Leviathan and I don't want it to go quiet again so we shall see how I get on in my project and who knows, I may even make a bit more of a go of it this time around so watch this space!

Leviathan Project Log Part 1

Hi!

Well after a busy start to the year, I seem to have got distracted with other projects which is a bit of a shame as I have been pretty productive in the Leviathan department!

Interestingly I seem to be getting folks looking up Leviathan all of a sudden with a bit of a flurry of posts over on Facebook about it and it's got me to wondering how I can develop this blog. I had thought of setting myself a bit of a challenge but am notoriously rubbish when it comes to such things, especially if I have to paint a load of stuff.

An Elven Dragonbane Rider is confronted by a unit of Dwarven Troops

This got me to thinking about the possibilities of playing Leviathan and developing the setting in a more skirmish style approach. Think Gorkamorka but fantasy if you will, with small groups of warriors from the assorted races accompanied by one or two resin beasties and play out some heavily scenario based games with them.

With this in mind, I took a look at what I could do with approximately 250-300 points in the rules. On first glance, it wasn't too promising as it wouldn't give the supposed minimum requirements for a game. Typically this is a single character leading at least one, but often more units 5 models or more.

But what if I chucked out this and instead used the points given for individual models as the basis for smaller warbands?

After a bit of a rummage, I discovered that for just over 250 points, my Elves could have a champion mounted on an Earthbound Dragon, a single Dragonbane rider armed with a lance, two infantry with hand weapons and shields and a single powerlancer.

With a wee bit more tweaking to make things interesting, I decided to go for 300 points for a starting warband and if I feel brave, I will always have the option to paint up more to build a full sized force.

Half Orcs tangle with Tox Spirits

Looking at my bits box, I think I have enough Elves to make do for the time being as the Dragonbane rider is done already, I have the Earthbound based and ready to prime and I think I have some Elven infantry lying around somewhere which may need a bit of TLC but I think they should do for the time being.

Further rummaging amongst the armylists has given me the impression that each force should be able to manage a playable little warband with the exception of the Dwarves whose use of heavy tanks and artillery may make them a bit too powerful but I'll see what I can put together.

I'm also keen to add some new denizens to the mix with the Tox Spirits and Half Orcs being first in line so I shall have to put together a bit of background for each and some playtest rules for them to see how they perform in a skirmish!

Hopefully I'll get an update on soon with some more painted stuff and random ramblings so watch this space.

All the best!

Elven Dragonbane Rider

Hi!

I had intended to just start work on the Elven Earthbound but wanted to get a bit of practice in painting large resin models so settled on an Elven Dragonbane rider to get things going.

Elven Dragonbane

I was gifted some Leviathan gubbins a while back and amongst them were a pair of Dragonbane riders, the swift moving cavalry of the Elves. 

Catalogue Pic

The models themselves were, I always felt some of the worst from the Leviathan range, with the stange pot bellied lizards with their odd pose and the puny lances their riders came with but on closer inspection, I found them to be an absolute pleasure to work on.

The pair I have were missing their lances so I bodged one from plastic rod and an old Dark Elf speartip that I had lying around and the longer lance looks far better than the stubby ones that originally came with the pack.

Painting wise, I went for a dark red for the Dragonbane who are the mutated offspring of true dragons so I wanted to go for something a bit menacing. The rider ended up being gold and black which wasn't my original plan but it just looked right when I looked at it so I'll stick with it as it gives him a sense of sinister richness which works for the thrice cursed Elves of Aeroth!

The miniatures themselves are absolutely chock full of character with the Dragonbane having lovely scales and texture on it's skin and the rider looking suitably debauched and alien and there's some lovely little details such as grinning faces hidden about his armour that was loads of fun to paint!

I suspect the second rider will get a banner or possibly a powerlance to see how they work in the game. One of the most annoying things about Leviathan is that for the most part, the cavalry models all single poses and sometimes I wish the sculptors had given them separate heads so that they at least have a little bit of variation.

I plan on converting the second rider a wee bit to see if I can't give him a bit of variety so we shall see how he goes.

All in all, I really enjoyed working on the first of my Elves and really need to see if I can track down some suitable infantry for them.

I may have to try and track down some of the Tim Prow Heartbreaker Elves as they are really similar style wise and suitably chunky figures but are really hard to find these days as I don't think they were too popular back in the day.

Ideally I'd use some of the old Citadel Dark Elves but they are rather pricey to pick up second hand so I will need to have a bit of a ponder as to what I can do.

In the meantime, All the best!

Barbarian Earth Elemental

Hi!

I found myself an old soft plastic D&D Earth Elemental and figured it would be a nice addition to my Barbarians!

Earth Elemental

The detail is a wee bit soft in places but with a fair amount of drybrushing and washes it turned out rather nicely.

I'm finding myself drawn to the skirmish side of things in Leviathan so some of the larger Battle Elementals are maybe a bit big for my 3'x3' board but still wanted my Barbarians to get access to some Elemental support.

Game wise, I need to stat him up but will have him somewhat tougher than a cavalry miniature but not as powerful as a mighty Elemental!

My next update will be an update on my Earthbound Dragon so watch this space!

Earthbound Project Log Part 1

Hi!

Just a quick update this evening to show the work I've done on repairing the Earthbound Dragon!

I've got his head attached and filled in the air bubbles, sanded the base and given the whole model a really good was in soapy water to remove any release agent or dust.

 Earthbound WIP

I also thought that the front claws needed a wee bit of work to make them longer and more fierce so I lengthened them with greenstuff. The beast's head and neck has also been slightly reposed to give it a more satisfying look.

I've textured the neck with greenstuff and fixed the snout as well as well as reworking its chin to give it the sharp spur which makes it more closely resemble the concept art.

That's the Earthbound done for now and I'll be working on the rider next so hopefully I'll have a new post by the weekend!

Review: Elven Earthbound

Hi!

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!

 Catalogue Pic

In the fiction, Earthbound Dragons are mutated monstrosities who are corrupted offspring of the true dragons and are the preferred mount of Elven nobles. While not able to fly, they can breath fire and have ferocious jaws and talons which make them terrifying foes in combat. 

Rule wise, they are very fast and their riders can be equipped with Powerlances giving them ferocious long range firepower too. 

The miniature itself is a big beast and pretty close to the original artwork. The Earthbound itself comes in two pieces, the main body and head. The rider is separate with a cast on saddle/throne and has a lance cast in metal (alas mine was missing the lance but I have a GW plastic lance to replace it so no problem!)

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!

Mr Anderson!

The rider has a chunky resin shield cast on and is pretty large for 28mm but looks ace. Other than the replacement lance, I don't think I will be converting the beast and will keep him more or less stock.

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!

Painters Update

Hi!

I've been rather busy with work over the last couple of weeks but have managed to paint up some gubbins for my Leviathan project and take some slightly better pics of my existing stuff!

First up, here's an armoured Half Orc:

 Half Orc in plate

I had a few of the old Grenadier fantasy figures lying around so I painted this guy up as a Half Orc knight. Covered in sinister plate with a leering mask and big sword, he is just the thing to add a bit of a punch to my Half Orc warband.

Next up, a slightly less blurry Barbarian shot:

 Barbarian Leader and Skald

In my leadpile rummaging I also found a somewhat NSFW Blademaiden:

Skyclad Barbarian

I'm not sure how effective a layer of paint and unsuitable shoes are in combat but she works as one of the Earth Mothers chosen maidens.

Next up, a new addition to my Leviathan project, a pair of ghostly undead chaps:

 Tox Spirits

Fluff wise, these guys are the toxic spirits of those who died during The Death and can be found infesting the ruined megacities of Aeroth. Petty and spiteful, they are the bane of all living things.

Finally here's a sneak peek of my next to do:

Earthbound!

I am really excited to paint this guy and will enthuse about him during my next post which handily will be a review of the Elven Earthbound I've acquired but in the meantime, all the best!

Painter's Update

Hi!

As promised, I've got a few bits and bobs painted for my Leviathan project!

I've got a couple of Barbarians painted up who will form the basis for the first of my warbands.

 Barbarians vs Orc

Originally from Grenadier miniatures, I figured they are old school enough to act as good proxies for my barbarians as I must admit that I am not too keen on the original Leviathan figures.

 Barbarians

I've been working on my NMM style painting and while it takes quite a bit more effort to get the figures finished, I do like the effect.

Next up, here's a half Orc:

 Half Orc

He's another ex Grenadier miniature and I have a few of them lying around who will be leading a renegade scavenger warband that I've had floating around in my head for a while now.

Finally I've managed to get a decent pic of my Orc cavalry:

Orc Necrodon

I'm hoping to finish off a couple more bits and bobs over the next few weeks. as I'm rather enjoying myself with the project which almost surprises me following my burnout last time I tried it.

We shall see how I get on so watch this space!

Leviathan in Action

Hi!

I recently got sent some pics of Leviathan actually being played back in 1998 at a demo run at Gen Con!

It was during the brief appearance of Leviathan 2nd edition which saw a new rulebook with spiral binding and metal tokens. I have fuzzy memories of there being a box set released for it with some resin and metal figures.

Sadly one of the boxes went up for sale in the late 90's but I didn't buy it and I've never seen it since but if anyone has a copy of the spiral bound 2nd edition, I'd love to get my hands on it!

A mighty thank you to David Drage for sending the pics of the epic looking game! The project was originally organised by Mike McLean of Asylum Books and Games in Aberdeen and I'd love to speak to anyone else who remembers it.

Hopefully my next update will include some pics of my painting progress too so watch this space!

In the meantime, All the best!

Leviathan Weekly Update 1

Hi!

As promised, I'm posting the first update on my 2020 Leviathan project!

Barbarian King

I've had a rummage through my much depleted leadpile and have discovered a smattering of Barbarians from the old Grenadier range sculpted by Mark Copplestone and handily still available from EM-4 Miniatures.

I painted up this chap several years ago with vague ideas of fleshing out a warband:

Barbarian Berzerker

I have got a few more in the works at the moment and hope to get a picture of the fledgeling warband on my next update. I'm reworking this chap a little bit as I am going for a NMM finish which fits the Orcs and Dwarves I previously finished:

Dwarves

Speaking of Dwarves, I have quite a few of the stunties sat waiting to get painted and I suspect that they will be the quickest of my warbands to reach complete status.

Orc Carnosaur

Of the other forces, my Orcs have quite a few odds and ends, especially resin cavalry but are currently lacking infantry and at present I am utterly bereft of suitable Elves and am hoping to source some suitable proxies soon!

Hopefully my next update will have new pics to show, at the least of my work in progress. In the meantime, All the best!

Earthpower

Hi!

Just a quick update this evening with a picture of all that remains of Earthpower, the supplement for Leviathan that never was!

I've spoken to everyone I could who was originally involved with Leviathan and Earthpower and other than vague memories of the magic system involving use of Ley Lines, the entirety of the rules were lost when an old PC crashed, taking the only copy with it.

Handily though, all is not lost as I managed to get this rather good header from Neil Dunlop, one of the original creative team behind Leviathan. It's a bit glitchy but has an awesome 80's computer game vibe to it.

I'm not sure if I have enough crumbs to put together the magic system as it was but I am keen to get some sort of workable completion to the game that will allow me to play out games as they were originally intended.

With that in mind, I will be taking a peek at Chronopia, the spiritual successor to Leviathan as many of the same team worked on it and I hope some of the original elements of Earthpower could have sneaked into the better known game.

Vortex Spelleater 

We shall have to see what I can put together but I'd love to be able to put the Vortex Spell Eating Machine into use!

Leviathan Lurches to Life?

Hi!

I've been thrashing about with Leviathan over the last decade or so but never really getting anywhere with it and after repeated failures, I had left the blog pretty much mothballed as I moved onto other random projects.

Titanosaur

The problem is that I still obsess over the game. I don't know why but I got to thinking that maybe I should have one last bash at making a go of it so here I am in January 2020 with only the vaguest idea as to what I am going to do but my plan is as follows:

Elven Earthbound 

Collect and paint a small force of Dwarves, Elves, Barbarians and Orcs over the course of the year and blog my progress. I plan on using vintage resin and lead for the most part with the odd plastic or sculpted conversion to represent stuff that isn't currently available or the original model is just not up to spec.

Wargolem

My budget for said project is pretty puny but I do feel that I need to do it as I will never get it out of my system otherwise and who knows, I may end up with an army or two...

Now I don't really want to go spending ages trying to build armylists or anything so organised. Rather I want to paint stuff that I find interesting and that really showcases just how amazing the game could have been.

Stone Elemental

The first aim will be to paint a warbeast, a unit and a character for each of the four races so watch this space for updates and I will hopefully be giving the assorted forces a bit of gaming time too as I progress as I am keen to see how well the game plays in smaller scale with only a handful of miniatures a side and up to a smallish force of 1-1500 points. This will give me the opportunity to see if I can make a success of playing the game with the figures and hopefully putting to rest the madness of the project that I just couldn't complete!

I will aim to post an update once a week with progress, or lack thereof and we shall see what we can do.