The Gang's all Here

The final post in the Gangs of Rome series concludes as it began, with some shots of the "Mobs", which were mostly painted with the Mig Ammo OilBrushers.

Here's a link to a previous post showing how the mosaic tile bases were made:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

Also, we have one more 'character' figure, who must be a sandal maker or something like that.  He seems to be a little shifty to me though ;-)

Using the oils on large batches of figures like these can make painting mass amounts of skin tones much easier.  Being able to blend on the fly hours after applying those first layers can be so handy!

One last look at the Gangs of Rome!!

Gladiators of Rome

Now it is time to see the entire collection of Gladiators!  

I don't have the identification or wound markers included with the bases, so that's why you see those little gaps in the mosaic tile.

Each one can be assembled with a few different weapon options for each arm.  There was a shield, a bow, a sling, and a variety of swords/daggers.

I have not played the game myself, so I don't know what the significance of any stats are, or the mechanics.  These were painted up for a Warlord Games convention a few months ago in Oklahoma.

The majority of the painting was done using oils, as I was working on large numbers of figures all at once.  It was very handy to be able to blend those skin tones even a few hours after the original layers were applied!

In case you have not already seen it, here is a step by step article that I created to show how I approach the mosaic tile bases:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

The final post in the series will show the group shots of all the mobs together!  Stay tuned...

The Dogs of Rome

While the original posts in this Gangs of Rome series focused more on the mobs and the larger mosaic tile bases, I didn't want to forget the most important aspect of the game... and that is the Gladiators!

Here's a few more, and this time you get a better sense of how the ID number and wound counters fit into the bases.

The majority of these characters have bases that match those larger versions that were made for the mobs.  Here's a link to one step by step post:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

Most of the figures were painted with oils, part of a huge batch that I was working on along with a number of other figures.

I have discussed the value of oil paints when tackling huge batches of figures, where the extended drying times make it easier to carry out blends on a large number of figures all at once.  It is almost like having a wet palette for your miniatures!

Finally, we end up with the Mastiff, who is one big puppy!!!

The Butcher of Rome

Not all of the street violence in Rome is caused by rampaging Gladiators.  Some of it is caused by the residents as well... like The Butcher!

He is one of the character figures from Gangs of Rome, an interesting new skirmish game from Warlord Games.  As you already know, I painted up a large batch of these figures for the big convention in Oklahoma City recently.

Since then, a host of new characters have been added for both the Gladiators and the Mobs.

As I painting this character, I chose to make the tunic look almost more like leather or some other heavy material, as opposed to the more delicate patterned cloth.  I tried to work in some greens and purples as well in the shadows, to indicate a bit of staining.

Of course it was very fun to do the blood effects on the mosaic bases!

Here's a link to the original step by step on the mosaic tile bases:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

There you have it... someone whom you should not cross on the mean streets of Rome!  I will be making new step by step videos soon on Mosaic tile bases that will be available to my patrons.  The original Mosaic tile video is already available to those who do the $5 pledge:

www.patreon.com/JamesWappel

Mob Violence

We return to the mean streets of Rome once more to show the last of the mobs, part of the new Gangs of Rome set by Warlord Games.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the most interesting aspect of the game for me is the random ways in which the mobs will react to the fighting going on around them.

They might run away, they might assist their favorite gladiator... or they may just try to kill him!  One never quite knows how the crowd will react.

For those who did not see the step by step post on the mosaic tile bases, here is a link to that article:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

As you can see, each mob has a very interesting characteristic.  They really did manage to capture all manner of citizens, slaves, and passers by.

Let's not forget the individual figures!  I think these guys aren't sure if they should drop what they are carrying and run away, or if they should bash someone on the head!

I do have another set of these, which I was thinking of using for a series of tutorial videos.  

These would go into much more depth, showing how I did the skin tones on the individual figures as well as the clothing.

There is already a Painting Pyramid Mosaic Tile basing video available for the Patrons who have pledged $5 to the Patreon Page:

www.patreon.com/JamesWappel

Gangs of Rome

Here's another round of gladiators from Gangs of Rome.  Just as I did with the mobs, I painted the mosaic tile patterns onto the bases.  In that case of this guy, I matched the design from one of those larger multibases, so they would appear as if they were walking on the same floor.

These are the original bases, with the little cut outs for the wound counters and the identification numbers. I had a bit of fun with the shield design, playing the colors off the blueish grays of the mosaic tile floor.

I have a step by step guide to the mosaic tile painting here:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

Call your Shot

While I have been showing you the completed images of the mobs from Gangs of Rome, there are other figures central to the game.  This would be the gladiators and fighters themselves!

Again, I have not played the game at this point, but I do know that these numbers you see on the red pieces are meant to identify the character and keep track of wounds.

I think you can equip each of your fighters how you wish, and then you keep track of them with a 'roster', matching them up to the number on the left.  The bases have these cutouts already, and the little counters are included in the blister, as well as the cards, dice, and so on.

As I show these various fighters, you will see small portions of those larger mosaics which I profiled in the step by step articles!

Stay tuned...

Ruling the Mob

This is the second mob painted for the Gangs of Rome game.  These are groups of five figures that can react in various random ways to the mortal combat going on in the streets around them.

When you look at the individual figures in each of these mobs, you start to see some interesting characters.

I did some Google image searches on Roman fashions and mosaics.  You have already seen the previous posts regarding the bases.  In the same way I had to guard against getting too elaborate with the mosaic patterns, I could not get too "busy" with the figures themselves.

Without even realizing it, this became the green mob.  This allowed me to make the Senator stand out even more, despite how mostly white robes.  That bit of red could contrast with all of those shades of green, while the occasional tan colors would tie in to those on the base.

The veil of the lady with the jar was made light blue to do the same thing... tie into the blue wave of the base.

For those of you who may not have seen the step by step post, here's a link for you:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

In future posts you will recognize bits and pieces of these overall patterns on the gladiator bases.  After all, they are supposed to be walking down the same hallways and streets!

The first time I saw these "street level" views I noticed the individual character of the figures much more than when I was painting them!  You can tell that a few of the citizens are less than pleased with the mayhem taking place.

When I looked for the various Roman fashions, there was a lot of 'trim' on the edges, in a few repeated patterns.  They were quite a bit more colorful than I originally anticipated.  The temptation to go wild with all kinds of colors and patterns had to be resisted, since there was already a great potential for visual frenzy.

I also did not want the expressions of the figures to become secondary.  Keep in mind as well that most of the skin tones were painted in oils.  That was the easiest way to do that on 24 figures all at the same time!

This lady in particular seems to be someone that not even a gladiator should cross.

Meanwhile, a hapless Senator appears to have lost all control of the situation!  Stay tuned for much more from the latest new game from Warlord Games.  You can check out the Gangs of Rome Facebook group to see more info, and check out the nifty terrain that they are creating too.

Mob Rules

Time to see some finished images of the Gangs of Rome figures!  This is one of the "mobs" which is part of the game.  It seems that these folks can influence what is going on quite a bit, as they have random reactions to the street combat going on around them.

These will be on display at the Warlord Games convention going on this weekend in Oklahoma City... all three mobs and all of the gladiators as well.

Here is a link to a step by step that I made a few days ago for those who missed it:

http://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/05/mosaic-tile-basing.html

I also have a mosaic tile basing video that was made during the Painting Pyramid tutorial series.  The folks who are part of my Patreon Page (with a $5 pledge) have been checking that out this month.  I really love basing, as it tells a story about each miniature.

Normally I don't get to create little dioramas like this, so I thought it would be fun to take advantage of the opportunity these unique "units" provided!

On to the individual minis...

As you can see, the trickiest part of the mosaic design on a "multibase" set such as this would be making sure the individual bases still have enough of an interesting design on them.

This influenced the overall designs a great deal.

I had to make a lot of adjustments here and there to be sure that each figure had a decent chunk of the design... and that it didn't detract too much from the actual figures.

It was really neat to see these guys off the multiple base design.  I was very pleased to see that each one had just enough of the design to make the figure look like it was on a mosaic floor!

I will try to do more tutorials on mosaic tiles in a facebook live session, and eventually another round of recorded videos for the Patreon supporters.  Here's a link to the page to get in on the action!

www.patreon.com/JamesWappel