Hole Beast

The Hole Beast

From the Scrolls of Eos: The Hole Beast

The Hole Beast is recognized by its mouth parts and grasping tentacles that emerge from the ground. What few know is that the Hole Beast is actually the largest creature ever recorded in Nowhere. Its mouth parts are only one one-hundredth of the creature’s total size. The vast bulk of the Hole Beast lives underground, sending out tendrils that break through various parts of the surface over an area of several miles. While the mouth can be destroyed with hard fighting and fire, the Hole Beast really just withdraws it under the ground, only for it to grow back and reemerge elsewhere. The eyes of the Hole Beast are a particularly nasty feature and it’s been reported their hypnotic stare can see the smallest bird in flight from a mile away. It is those very eyes that often enthrall its victims and draw them in to be eaten. It is told that the Shamans of the Liberi of the Swarth can cast enchantments and “seeds” that can make a Hole Beast mouth emerge in the spot they select. Many Liberi villages are surrounded and protected by these dread creatures.

The Kit: This model is approximately three inches in diameter. It consists of a finely cast resin base with accompanying metal arms and an eyestalk.

Gaming Ideas: The Hole Beast can be used for Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Adventure games. It’s perfect as a monster to protect an important objective or as a deadly obstacle on the path to get to a location. Using several kits can create a mighty defensive perimeter as well.

Price-$14

The Hag Stone

Our Hag Stone model is finished and will be available at Cold Wars.

Retail Price is $14.00

The Blood Tree

The Blood Tree

Here are some Pictures of the new Blood Tree, part of our forthcoming Frightmares line of Fantasy terrain.

The Blood Tree

From the Scrolls of Eos: The Blood Tree

One of the most feared of the Nowhere Colossi, the Blood Tree is a horrendous beast lying deep within many of the dangerous forests across the land. Using the smell of its sickly sap and an unknown form of magical bewilderment, the Blood Tree has the ability to draw creatures from miles away. Once they are close enough, the Blood Tree seizes its entranced victims with its grasping limb, removes their head with a huge razor sharp thorn arm, and then proceeds to squeeze every drop of liquid from the victim’s body. This liquid collects in the Blood Pool at the monster’s feet and is ultimately converted into its sickly sap.

As if all this wasn’t horrific enough, the Blood Tree is usually infested with Blood Blister Fungus, a nasty growth that can only be found on Blood Tree bark. These Blisters commonly pop open when a warm blooded creature is close by. For the very few victims that escape the grasp of the Blood Tree, death comes in a more insidious form. The spoors given off by the fungus grow in the victim’s body, eventually killing it. It is not uncommon for the spores to also carry the seed of the Blood Tree itself, and the location of the victim’s death sprouts a Blood Tree sapling.  It is rumored by some that Blood Trees ultimately become the extremely rare Vampiric Giants of legend than roam from place to place consuming all living things.  None of these giants have been reported for many centuries however, and most scholars believe they are simply a myth.

Blood Trees are tremendously strong and never stop growing until dead. From the lowly squirrels to the mightiest dragons, the Blood Tree is quite capable of draining them all.

The Kit: This model is very large at just under ten inches in height, appropriate to its overwhelming menace. The model is composed of a one piece resin trunk and base, metal grasping limb and thorn arm, some metal mushrooms for decorating the base, and three Woodland Scenics Ready Made trees to complete the model. The Blood Tree Model goes together quite readily and is easy to paint.

Gaming Ideas: The Blood Tree can be the ultimate Giant Monster for all genres of Fantasy and Adventure games and could even be justified for certain Sci-Fi scenarios. We give the Blood Tree a 24 inch Sphere of influence to “trap” its victims and have them start moving toward it. Just make them take a modified morale test. It is very hard to kill, but fire, fire spells, and even flame throwers should do it significant damage in time. Give this beast a lot of Hit or Life points though – it’s big and nasty enough to deserve them!

Price: $31.00

One Small Step For Man...

Laser Troopers (left), Deck Officers (right), Hostile Environment Suit (front)
Miniatures Painted by Ernie Baker

I wanted to take a moment and introduce you all to the latest products we are carrying - Woodbine Design Company's Sci-Fi miniatures. This company is an subdivision of Gripping Beast Miniatures that specializes in various other ranges that don't necessarily fit with Gripping Beast's other historical lines. We just received our first order of these models and we are excited to show them to you.

The models above are part of the "Soapy's" Line. These were models specially made by one of the sculptors who liked them so much he made them available to everyone! The packs available in this line are:

Left Side - Laser Troopers

Right Side - Deck Officers

Forefront - Hostile Environment Suit

A key element of these models is that they maintain a hard sci-fi look and feel. These figures look like something from a near future timeline where humanity has expanded to the stars and is exploring the new worlds they discover. This is not the science fiction of the far future filled with psykers and other things, this is more akin to Original Series Star Trek. This is about exploration and strange new worlds and aliens to investigate!

These figures will be on display at Cold Wars 2012 at our booth and will also be available for purchase. If you would like to see more of the Woodbine Design Company figures, please head over to their website for a preview.

We look forward to showing you a lot more offerings in our expanding science-fiction and fantasy ranges soon. Please keep checking out the blog for updates.

Until next time,

Jeff

The Tip of a Mighty Iceberg...

We have been unusually quiet since the holidays because this year we are getting set for some really exciting changes.  Architects of War is being folded into an even bigger endeavor. We will have more on that next month. Rest assured it will still be the focus of Architects of War to bring you the very best in 28mm terrain, figures, and service for your favorite Historical periods. However, the new company that will be its partner is a gathering of some of the best design talent in the miniature gaming industry and some incredible talent from the entertainment industry too. We cannot wait to officially announce what we have in the works. You are sure to be blown away! Just be patient for a bit longer, it will be worth the wait.

Here is just a tiny, crude glimpse of what’s going on at Alien Dungeon, my new company. It’s part of the forthcoming Frightmares brand of adult miniature gaming products. Alien Dungeon will be to Sci-Fi and Fantasy gaming what Architects of War is to Historical gaming. We will be launching terrain lines, miniature lines, and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

 

From The Scrolls of Eos: The Hag Stone

Usually found deep inside foreboding forested areas, Hag Stones are the ritual sacrifice altars for the Hag Queen Cult.  This ancient cult has been abducting wayward warriors and travelers for hundreds of years and offering them in sacrifice in dark ceremonies marked by the spilling of much blood from living victims. The Cult considers each component of a sacrifice to be an individualized offering to their Hag Queen Goddess. The ritual is carried out by removing the various tissues and organs of the victim through elaborate surgeries coupled with dancing and incantation. Horrifically, this is done while the victim is still alive. While no living soul has ever reported being an eyewitness to this process, the Tome of Badcaraba writes that the altar and stone itself are imbued with magic that keeps the victim alive (though in horrible pain) until the victim’s bones are individually pulverized after being stripped of all flesh. Hag Stones are often sought out by adventurous fools to be robbed, as all of the weapons, clothing, and whatever else the victim is caring are left around the Altar as part of the offering. While rumors abound that great treasure has been found this way, it’s doubtful anyone finding such a stone can escape the clutches of the Cult members that constantly guard it.

Gaming Suggestions: The Hag Stone is designed for 28mm miniatures and can be used as an objective to be seized in large army and skirmish games. For role-playing games, the Hag Stone is an excellent side treasure area or perhaps the resting place of a fabled magic item once carried by one of the cult’s victims. We just recently used our Hag Stone Model in a thirties adventure game as the centerpiece of a Cult Tribe in Africa. You can give the Stone an Area Effect (maybe it negates all magic items or perhaps it causes morale or leadership tests within a certain area).

Please stay tuned for some really big announcements over the coming weeks.

Yours,

Ernie

Blast From The Past

 

Saturday afternoon  we drove to Baltimore to rescue my grandson from the waiting room at the hospital where his other grandpa was( he’s fine now). Sunday, we helped my son-in-law with his broken down car. Very busy and crazy. Anyway, in sticking with our new “let’s take Sunday off policy,” I made it all the way to Sunday off number three this past weekend. However I couldn’t relax, go figure, so what did I do? I ended up painting more bloody figures…

In the US during the 1970’s there was a company called Heritage Miniatures. They truly were the “GW” of their day. Their stuff was everywhere, and in 1972 they made the very first metal wargaming figures I ever saw.

So Sunday comes and I try to watch ye olde telly and ended up seeing an old episode of Star Trek.  This reminded me - I bought some Star Trek figures once…in 1978 in fact!

 

 

I found them and painted them, 34 bloody years later. I have lots more and I am currently tracking a shuttle craft on eBay.  Who says you can’t finish your lead mountain?

This project also stirred up the memory of the Giant Brand Hong Kong figures you could buy here in the States from drug stores and the back of comic books. Imagine being 9 years old and having two .25 cent pieces in front  of the small selection of toys at the corner druggist. Can you then imagine going to a toy store today and buying a bag of 1/72 figures called “Mongolians and Castle” for .39 cents? Ah, 1969 was a good year!

I just found some for sale on eBay Sunday too, in the original package no less, but I didn’t buy them.  I also confess that the astronauts and aliens were my favorites. Maybe it was those latent memories that made me dig out those old, horrid Star Trek figures. Or perhaps I have truly gone mad.

Anyway, I did relax on Sunday in the end. The inner child was satisfied!!!

Ernie