Unkerlant Travel Log: Nordland

Deep in the forests of the north lies Nordland. Like Hochland, Nordland lies across the widest part of the Oberphaltz river from the Great Forest, one of the many natural barriers isolating Unkerlant from the rest of the world. Staunch allies of Zlobenia, Nordlanders also consider themselves the protectors of Unkerlant. The Great Forest is most porous along their western border and these fishermen and trappers are ever vigilant for invaders.
Nordvald is the only town of significance, and home of the Cathedral of St. Dilbert the Unfortunate. Dilbert was one of the few people to oppose Unkar, the Magyar war-chief who eventually conquered what is modern Unkerlant, and such was martyred in some very unfortunate ways. The stained glass of the cathedral captures most of the gruesome action in all its gory detail.
The Lord Mayor of Nordvald, Lothar Luttelsbuch, currently administers the surrounding region. A small, bookish man, he is nonetheless like his people, a stalwart defender of the border and Unkerlant.

Draxus Klarn, Admiral of the Imperial Navy

Yet another villain for our hero, Dash Dixon, to face.

Unkerlant Travel Log: Thurnin

Thurnin is a quiet place, full of quiet people, who don’t like to be disturbed. Most of southern Unkerlant was ravaged during the last war, but Thurnin managed to escape most of the devastation by being exceptionally neutral. This attitude further cemented their belief that it’s best to stay out of the way and mind your own business. But, Thurniners should not be considered passive. They can be very forceful when it comes to keeping this peace and quiet. “Never wake a napping Thurniner” goes the saying.
The sleepy towns of Spetz and Bergsburg are where most of the populace lives. Bergsburg sits high in the foothills amidst the many goat herds. The milk from the goats heads north to Spetz the make a peculiar cheese native to the land. It takes a strong stomach or a complete lack of olfactory nerves to eat Spetzencheez. Natives love it and outsiders fear it. It has even been used in several border skirmishes as a type of chemical warfare.
The heavily mustached Graf Egbert Von Thurnin keeps the peace in Thurnin. While Unkerlant swims in almost constant turmoil, the old gentleman keeps Thurnin a island of calm.
When Thurniners are forced to battle, they tend to want to get the fight over quickly so they can return to their quiet lives.

The Greyhawk Project

Anybody who played D & D in the 80s has to remember one of the first complete worlds to game in, the World of Greyhawk. I lost more than a few characters to the lands of Oerth. I dug it up the book a few months back and found some inspiration to paint up all the extra fantasy/medieval figs I had lying about that were left over from larger units. The first unit had to be from the Free City of Greyhawk itself. Some Hundred Years War French pavasiers would fit nicely as Greyhawk guardsmen called to battle.
My ultimate is to do a few of these one offs a year till all the lands of Flanaess are represented.

Unkerlant Travel Log: the Drakwald

The Drakwald is place of dark mountains, and murky forest. A perpetual fog clings to the wooded areas, called the “dragons breath” by the local peasants because it seems to emanate from caves scattered about the forest floor. Over the years, many a “dragon-slayer” has disappeared into the woods, never to return. Most of these missing do-gooders most likely got lost in the vast forest and died of exposure, not felled by a mythical beast.
A few settlements have been carved out of the sprawling green vastness, among them Zwolen and Aversvald. Both places don’t have much in the way farmland so have survived by trading timber and furs for wheat and vegetables. This lack of nutrition has given Drakwalders a pallid, sickly complexion. Combine this with their rather somber outlook on life and penchant for dark clothes, and Drakwald doesn’t rise to most Unkerlanter’s lists of places to visit.
Baron Hugo Von Averswald, Order of St. George, holds the Drakwald for the king. Rarely at his castle, the baron prefers to roam the vast forest alone for long periods of time, some say in search for the dragons that give this land its name.

In the works...

Here's what's on the workbench for my ever expanding VSF armies. One is a big gun carrier (although the gun hasn't been added to the top) made from an old Indiana Jones toy, the other is a flyer (minus the propeller underneath and flight stand) made from all kinds of leftovers. I just have to get the big gun and make the flight stand for the other.

Sammies at Spring RECRUITS

Thought I'd post some pictures from the Basement General's Samurai game at Spring RECRUITS. The game was run and terrain done by Ken (Lead Addict) Boone and the pictures were taken by Ken Van Pelt. As you can see the table looked great and the game was a blast. I, as some humble Buddist monks managed to get away with one of the scared treasures, but alas, 2 other were stolen or destroyed. The rules were "Song of Baldes and Heroes", one of my favorites.
KB will probably be posting a real battle report sometime soon on his blog.

Unkerlant Travel Log: Nuln

Nuln is one of the smallest lands of Unkerlant, and as such suffers from a huge inferiority complex. They compensate for this by doing everything on a grander scale. The buildings are all just a bit taller, the churches just a bit grander, and fashions a bit gaudier than any of the surrounding countryside. This gives the main town of Nulndorf a very crowded appearance, despite its smallish population.
The Baron Rheinhard Von Niddelmyer’s labyrinthian castle sprawls over much of Nulndorf, winding in and out of the surrounding shops and homes. Each previous baron has added to it, each with his own style, giving it a somewhat bizarre appearance. As a fortress, its not very defensible do not only to its sheer size, but because some of the walls were built more for decoration than defense.
Nulnish troops themselves look quite smart in their tailored uniforms. After all, it’s not how well you fight, but good you look doing it.

Fantasy - SciFi reviews

Found a great site for reviews of Fantasy/SciFi books and added to links, Robin's Reviews on Good Reads.

In the mean time...

While I'm busy toiling away painting 10mm troops for the 2nd War of Unkerlant Succession, I thought it might be smart for the players of this campaign to get versed in the actual rules for fighting the battles. We'll be using Might and Reason, which uses two stands to represent a brigade. Unkerlantian brigades are actually regiment sized, but the rules will still work. So, in the mean time, I did these fake stands to use.