Narrative | Writing Prompts

Here at the Space Dinosaur Miniatures, I'm trying to grow a little bit, as an artist. Yes, I consider myself an artist, as I paint little figures to be prettier than they were. Art can be done in so many different ways, and I find that I can be pretty limiting in what I post and do. But this is my blog, and I make the rules. So let's get a little weird, a little... experimental. Try new things and see what sticks.

I've had half a mind to write a book...

Credit: The Space Dinosaur

Narrative: Court of the White Lady, Lore and Rules for Play (Spooktober)

The grand finale to this year's Spooktober event is here, and much like last year, I'll be covering the lore of one of my Age of Sigmar armies. This is now the third part in the series, which has thus far covered the kingdoms of Heldenmarch and Ravenmarch. 

Ravenmarch, the progenitor to Heldenmarch in the Silverlight Realm, is now a cursed land in conflict with the lands of the living. However, the country is not a monolithic entity, and there are conflicts and wars, even amongst the dead. This post will dive into the history, conflicts, and even rules for brining the foremost of these factions to life on the tabletop: The Court of the White Lady.

 

Tutorial: How to Make Swamp Terrain - Creating the Bogs of Darmstadht

Curious as to to how I build some of my Age of Sigmar terrain pieces, convert models, or how I plan armies and paint schemes? Then welcome to the Space Dinosaur Tutorials, where I teach you how I do what I do. This tutorial covers how I made swamp and bog terrain for my games of Age of Sigmar. 

Narrative: Understanding how the Mortal Realms Work in Age of Sigmar

Welcome to a Narrative post! Usually on these kinds of posts I'd talk about my own custom lore for the game, but I've noticed in a lot of online discussions that there's a lot of confusion when it comes to the Mortal Realms in Age of Sigmar and how they work. Of course there's excellent online resources for those who'd like something more in depth, but I've brought something new to the table: quickly drawn sketches comparing our Solar System to the Mortal Realms! 

Tutorial: Mixing Dungeons & Dragons with Age of Sigmar

The tabletop hobby is so wide and covers so many genres that I would be remiss in covering only fantasy wargames. I've covered nautical wargames in the Golden Age of Sail before, and now I'm turning to another of my favorite style of games: Role Playing Games. I've played with a few different systems now, and while none of them are perfect I quite enjoy Dungeons and Dragons. 

Narrative: The Tragedy of Old Ravenmarch, Lore and Rules for Play (Spooktober)

The grand finale to the Spooktober event is here, and is it a big one. This is the second part of a series diving into the lore of one of my Age of Sigmar armies. 

Ravenmarch, the progenitor to Heldenmarch in the Silverlight Realm, is now a cursed land, and this post will dive into its history, conflicts, and even rules for brining Ravenmarch to life on the tabletop. 

 

Hobby Table: Heldenmarch Wizard and Helstorm Rocket Battery

A few posts back I covered the over-arching lore of Heldenmarch, and as I paint more units for the army I will include some snippets of lore on how they fit into the larger tale. I eventually intend to cover all of my models this way, but the big lore posts take a bit of time since I have to make a coherent background, draw maps, design backdrops and take nice photos, on top of painting the miniatures themselves. 

Narrative: The Kingdom of Heldenmarch - Lore and Rules for Play

Today's post is the first in a new series that covers the lore of one of my armies that I use to play in Age of Sigmar. I have done something similar in the past, but much of that lore has been developed in the years since, so now I can do the concept justice.  

Although the models are from Age of Sigmar, the lore has taken on a life of its own, with some liberties taken here and there. You could always consider the Silverlight Region to be a pocket realm in the grander Age of Sigmar scheme, which would help explain why some names carried over (cough Heldenmarch cough). I want the feeling of the Old World mixed with Age of Sigmar, so this is the result. 

Narrative: Giants of Menhir

Today will be a quick post covering a nice little picture I was able to snap after a game with my brothers. The set-up was a 3-way battle for the tower, with Stormcast/Giants of Menhir vs Anvilgard/Amber Fiefdoms vs Slaves to Darkness/Skal Flats. 

Hobby Table: Battle Pilgrims of Arioch

Although I love Age of Sigmar dearly, there is one faction from Warhammer Fantasy that I miss dearly -- Bretonnia! There is just the wondrous sight of a wedge of knights with their bright heraldic colors charging headlong into an infantry formation to devastate it. Technically, there are war scrolls for Bretonnian units, so I use those for rules purposes. They are a bit outdated in the current competitive meta, but as a narrative player that doesn't worry me too much. 

The other issue is that all of the models are no longer in production. Now, I was able to get some second hand models, but as time goes on this option gets more and more cost prohibitive. But remember, Bretonnia is just a fantasy medieval faction. I bought a Fireforge starter set called Deus Vult, which came with knights, archers/crossbowmen, men-at-arms and foot sergeants. 

Narrative: Ambush in the Forest

A hiss of tortured metal tore through the evening air, its echoes lingering for longer than it should. Higgs knew, one of his men would not be returning. Not in any recognizable manner, at least. He risked a glance out into the void that was the coming night. Shapes fluttered in the periphery, restless shadows unnatural in their movements. A pale face blossomed from the night, its skin devoid of flesh. Witch light fluttered and danced amidst empty eye sockets. Clutched within skeletal hands was a cruel scythe, blade covered in the ichor of the recently departed. The creature's mouth opened, and silence overtook the forest. Then came the rest. 

Age of Sigmar Soulbound: What it Provides for Narrative Gaming

Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound, the new RPG set it in the mortal realms, is now out today as a PDF, or, if you want a hard copy, it is for pre-order. Link here. Although I don't really intend to use many of the combat mechanics, preferring to use the normal Age of Sigmar rules slightly modified, the wealth of lore and background material provided is a treasure trove for narrative gamers.

A Freeguild contingent races to fend off an invader. 

What Soulbound offers narrative gamers are stories to spice up a game and give it a reason for existing. All throughout the book are little hooks tied to a realm, an organization, or a deity that can easily be adapted from an RPG into a game of Age of Sigmar. 

Pictures throughout are there for visual interest, so enjoy!