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Noodler assembly guide

The Noodler is a 5-piece resin model, comprising of the main body and 4 tentacles. if you turn the model over, it has 4 visible holes for tentacles.

The tentacles can be cleaned up and glued into these 4 holes, but take a moment to consider posing them. If you place the tentacles in hot water, they become soft and temporarily potable, allowing you to bend them into a shape.

There isn’t a hole for inserting a flying base, but a simple twist of a scalpel or pin drill should resolve this.

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Assembling the Overlords Kraken

The Overlords range was built upon the pose-ability of resin tentacles. Applying heat (hot water or hair dryer) to our chosen resin material allows the item to be safely bent into new a shape, which it will hold once cooled. As such, a few straight tentacles can be bent into all sorts of dynamic poses and then be attached to the main body.

Here are the components for the Kraken:

Chucking all the tentacles into some hot water, they can be retrieved one at a time with tweezers and bent into a pose.

Hold the tentacle in place until it is cooled and it will keep the new pose (unless heated again). Repeat this for all tentacles.

Then with a little putty and super glue, the tentacles can be attached to the sockets on the body.

Grab yourself a Kraken.

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Gnomes

For those of you who frequent Facebook, it will come as no surprise that we will be launching a small project on Kickstarter to produce some metal Gnome models. If you attended ROBIN, you got to see the first resin casts of the models. Here’s our fledgling display table from ROBIN:


No, not us! My brother is 6 foot tall. Right at the front there, those tiny grey things.


No, not the Overlords. Those.

See, they’re tiny!

I spent some time this week painting up the thumbnail-sized earth men.

They scrub up quite nicely, and being so small, quite quickly too. Here’s a scale shot next to an old drinking buddy of theirs.

Gnomes will be heading to Kickstarter this weekend – like tomorrow. So, stay tuned.

 

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ROBIN complete

This weekend Krakon Games attended its first proper trade show. Krakon Games is normally a one-man show (Ross), but my brother (Neil) supports me through suggestions, painting and this year he is helping out with trade shows while I find my feet doing so. Considering he has painted almost my entire range (while I’ve painted next to none of it), this is a huge help. Painted examples of my sculpts look a lot nicer than green sculpts or grey resin casts.

ROBIN was a fun experience – meeting customers in person, seeing their reactions, ideas behind their purchases and best of all, their recognition of what I am “doing.” What I am doing is creating models to fill niche gaps in the market.

The show was very positive. I was worried my ranges wouldn’t be that well received, but I chatted with so many visitors, my throat is now sore! It was a great feeling to see people’s faces brighten up when the identified what my models are.

This year, I am pushing my Online presence and general exposure to the miniature-buying world. You could simply say I am trying to market my product more, which is correct, but I also want to engage with the customers. A lot of what I produce is inspired by ideas from the community. Some models are direct sculpts from submitted concepts. That is something I plan to continue, so please keep engaging with me. Here is one example – the female sump beetle, submitted by Rochie Rochfort.

Also, as you can see right now, I am going to try and blog more. Rather than say everything in my head all at once though, this will be the first of a regular blog update for Krakon Games. Stay tuned!

 

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Scum & Smugglers metals will arrive soon

I was sent a few pictures from our caster, Hysterical Games, this week, showing the first spin of S&S characters. Since I’ve been negligent in posting on this blog, here’s a quick recap.

In January, KG ran a Kickstarter to put out a selection of character models for Stargrind under the project name of Scum & Smugglers. I like alliteration, so this has been a trend for project names.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1328919671/scum-and-smugglers-miniatures

The models were first mastered in resin (which you can buy soon too) and then put into metal moulds. Here’s the results of said process:

 

These models will soon be made available on the webstore, but only once I have allocated all required stock for the Kickstarter backers. I won’t ever make models avilable for sale before backers are first sent theirs for pledges.

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Assembling Morrighu – Formorian Witch

Morrighu is cast in a mighty fine resin by Hysterical Games. This resin is strong, but able to allow a slight bending, rather than breaking from pressure. More importantly, it is malleable once subjected to hot water and will retain a new form if held in place while cooled.

This is how Morrighu will arrive in your hands.

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After careful clipping and scalpel work to remove feeder lines, any flash and mold lines (which should be minimal), you will have 4 components.

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I highly recommend you pin the pieces. This is easily achieved as the resin is quick to drill.

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Once drilled and pinned, the parts will go together with a stronger connection.

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Normally, the model will look something like this once assembled.

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However, if you take advantage of hot water, you can repose the arms easily. Also, if any part appears bent, you can straighten it just as easily.

Please note that I haven’t seen any bentstaves on casts to date, so I bent this as an example using hot water.

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By doing this to the arms, you can quickly repose the model and with the head and neck being seperate, you can have her facing any direction.

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Here’s how I resposed my example copy.

20160401_143445-1Enjoy your model and please share your pictures with us!

 

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Future projects

It’s easy to get yourself lost in a bundle of projects. It’s been almost year since I’ve posted anything on the website and I have clearly been neglecting Krakon and the product range. There hasn’t been much interest, which is a definite factor in curbing enthusiasm.

I would like to start a regular progress and idea blog on here to help get back into the swing of plans and ambitions. Krakon Games is a bit of am umbrella name for all my projects that I wish to release in some form to the public, rather than my personal pieces, so I will make every effort to keep anything you will be able to get hold of within this realm.

Plans ahead:

  1. Expand the base ranges into relevant new base sizes. In regards to Sci-fi, this will be 50mm round and small oval for the Xenos range and 32mm round and small oval for the more industrial styles.
  2. Explore potential for fantasy round bases – whether to expand on bevel skirmish base ranges, or a new chamfer round range with fantasy theme(s).
  3. Design small map-style structures for using with campaign maps and board games. This will include features such as wizard towers, towns, bridges and mines.
  4. Plan a base accessory range, including the likes of small familiars, animals, debris and props.

The challenge to myself is to look into or work on one of these 4 points each week.

Watch this space!

 

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Salisbury Area Wargame Show

In you happen to be local to Salisbury today, make sure you check out the Salisbury Area Wargame Show.

10157232_1569661599925706_2096620079_nThe first of its kind in Salisbury, SAWS aims to open up the Wargaming hobby to the community with a good number of display games and sponsor companies offering sample products and promotional codes. We are sponsoring the event, with my brother on hand showing off some of the releases and unrealeased models created by Krakon Games.

 

 

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Fortifications – coming soon

My first foray into home casting was an effort to save money on scenery. With a Big Cap Battle due in May, I decided to create my own wall section to replicate and then expand from there.

Here’s the initial wall section, with one of my Iron Hands marines and a GW building for scale.

wall_marine_buildingThe model is just layers of plasticard and some metal ball bearings. I designed a floor jigsaw that would pair up with the opposite part to slide together. Here’s the original next to a cast piece.

2014-02-25 19.13.12And the two connected:

2014-02-25 19.13.22I was pretty chuffed it slid together well. I intentionally left cut outs on the ends so that they slide neatly up against the steps on various buildings. Then it just needs a walkway slice placed on top. I intend to design a couple of texture for these, but any old plasticard or debris will also suffice.

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However. the under layer may cause some issues with my limited casting equipment. So, I’ve decided to remove it for some of the pieces. The advantage here is fairly obvious. You can use it as a wall, rather than a pair of parallel walls. It offers more options.

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More importantly, it doesn’t really impede the original intention, with walkways still fitting snugly on the two sections.

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The occasional miscast piece is great for creating alternative walls… damaged in this case:

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The walls have come out nicely and I am working on all sorts of alternatives. I’ve made a section with firing slots and am working on corners as next priority. From there I hope to add upper wall sections that will sit on top and allow a roofto be added.

2014-01-06 22.53.06 I even painted some:

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These will be for sale! Send me your ideas and show me your interest. It’ll make me get them in the store faster.

 

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Using custom bases

Basing your miniatures on custom models could not be easier. In many cases, models can simply be attache to the base by gluing the feet, or whatever part of the model is intended to interact with the ground. However, a lot of models come attached to a stub which needs to be removed.

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A good pair of clippers will cut through the stop, usually quite cleanly.
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Sometimes you may need to create a flat surface under the foot by using a file or knife.
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At this stage, the model can be glued to the base. It’s usually worth waiting until after both the model and base are painted, so make it easier to paint them.
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Superglue should create a string bond that will hold the model and base together. A stronger join can be achieved by pinning the model to the base – something I will cover in a future mini tutorial.

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Creatures of the Night

avaTo clear up any confusion (if you have actually read any information here!):

I am working on 2/3 games simultaneously that all exist in the same fantasy world (Creatures of the Night) and share the same background and characters. The difference between each game type is format. I work on them all at once in some ways (the background) and seperately in others, depending on where I am sitting (sculpting desk, computer desk, toilet). I can’t always sculpt as I work full time elsewhere, so I spend any free time at work (or the pub) to work on ideas and rules.

Why 2/3? Well I am working on a miniature-based game for the tabletop and I am working on a board game. I am very tempted to split off part of the board game into a simple ‘introdutory’ game that plays differently but introduces the characters and concepts of the CotN world. These two non-miniature designs keep evolving into and out of each other as I progress.

Working on a full-on miniature game alone is a big undertaking, but the project is, foremost, for myself. I am the motivation, I am making it for me first. It is my time and my money being invested into something I enjoy.

That said, I am not developing it in a void. I am reaching out to players, rules persons, artists for ideas and feedback at every stage. Like my models? I’ll sell them as product. Like the games? Play with me, help improve the system.

So, welcome aboard and please feel free to say something!

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Introducing: Krakonoš

Introduction

The name Krakonoš is the Czech version for Rübezahl, a  folklore mountain spirit/giant of the Krkonoše Mountains.

Krakonoš, the game, poses the players as giants from mythology, seeking to guide or force the lesser species of the world to their agenda in a series of encounters.

Creatures of the Night is a greater game world in which Krakonoš takes place. One of the purposes of this game is to introduce new players to the CotN world, so that they will better understand the background and creatures involved when they try out other games.

Krakonoš is a card game. It is self-supporting. You can play any version of the game, each expansion being a stand-alone game with the option to combine two or more together for variation or bigger games.

Gameplay

Players set up the game by generating a character from a selection of race, agenda and minions cards. These three card types allow for a lot of variation through differing combinations, providing a different experience each time it is played. It also allows players to break the mold of classic archetypes – play as a villainous Treeman, or a guardian fire elemental as you try to establish your control over the realm.

A game, or campaign, is played using a number of generated encounters. Each encounter is also built using encounter, species and item cards, providing more variation to the play experience. One or more encounters are active during the game simultaneously, allowing players to choose where to focus their efforts. As encounters are struggled for, some will be concluded, either won by a victorious player, or ruined through heavy conflict. New encounters are generated throughout a campaign until one player stands victor through his win conditions.

Alternative game modes are available, allowing players to try out team fights, a nemesis (all vs one) or scenario encounters. A campaign system allows players to take their favourite characters through more than one game, gaining bonuses as they advance.

 

 

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Krakon Games is born!

In an effort to prove my seriousness about bringing Creatures of the Night to life, I have founded a suitable  company and website name – Krakon Games! The name came to me pretty quickly. I am hugely inspired by Lovecraft art and background. In fact anything involving tentacles is pretty cool in my book. Combine that with the Slavic-heavy inspiration behind my in-development card game, Krakonoš, and you can see how I got to the name.

So, what’s in store? Nothing yet (get it?). I am working on two projects for Creatures of the Night:

Krakonoš is a card game set in the same universe as Creatures of the Night. I see this as an introduction to my game world, making use of the same environments, creatures and mechanics that exist in the greater world of CotN. My aim is to put out this game, perhaps through a funding platform if it goes well, and get the CotN concept out there. I am not the greatest or fastest sculptor, so planning an entire miniature range to do by myself is bordering upon crazy. However, the other project is actually the miniature range. I work on this when I get chance, but I do hope to eventually hire out other sculptors to help bulk out the range once I have a ruleset in place.

My primary objective is Krakonoš for now. I am able to work on this a lot as it’s mostly document editing that can be done anywhere (thanks to my phone!). I am hoping to put together a rough prototype and begin playtesting in September. This is the first big step should help steer and fine tune the card game.