On Again Off Again

I originally purchased this piece to go with my other sea battles gear and I started painting this piece years ago. This was before I had a decent pair of glasses. It was all touch and go back then, but I am back and giving it another try...

I do a little painitng in-between the wait for the glue to dry on the other projects I am working on. Who knows how this monster sea turtle ended up on this set of sea boulders and who knows how long its carcass has been here. It might have been for centuries.

Sea Serpents

More from the Lost World of Dragons Exhibit. Sea serpents were reportingly prevalent at one time in the earths oceans or perhaps they are still prevalent.

Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Moby Dick Diorama Maquette!

You got to give to Adam to come up with something unique. Not that Moby Dick is all that unique of a novel, it is only one of a three texts that I never got through. However having seen three for the screen adaptations of the story I can say that the story is fascinating. So what a better theme for an "One day Build".

Smallest Diorama

Check is out. Guy creates a diorama in a thimble.

The Barman Continues

“Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green,
There hath he lain for age and will lie.
Battening upon huge sea worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by men and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise.”

A line from Lord Tennyson’s The Kraken; Only the End of the World Again, Neil Gaiman. As found in Lovecraft’s Monsters, edited by Ellen Datlow.

The Barmen Speaks

“Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepth…"

A line from Lord Tennyson’s The Kraken; Only the End of the World Again, Neil Gaiman. As found in Lovecraft’s Monsters, edited by Ellen Datlow.

Les Petits Pirates

One of the six maps

Les Petits Pirates was created by GGJ Games and was an entry in the 2016 PnP Game Design contest. This print and play board game is for one to four players. Players are pirates and command three ships. Their mission is gather resources and gold while trying to prevent their opponents from doing the same.

There are three distinct phases of the game, an Action Selection, Action Assignment, and Resolution phase. Players will continue to play until one player has collected and buried 20 Gold.

There six five by eight inch maps to choose from, including one that is space themed (perhaps you can come-up with something more suitable than gold for this game.)

You will need to supply four dice per player, three of which are used to represent three ships and tokens for gold pieces. I had actually considered using 1/2000 scale ships, which might be a little too large for the five by eight inch playing map. We will see!

Another Kraken Rule

Image of the Kraken from Wikipedia Commons

This Kraken rule comes from Precis Intermedia’s: S & S Monsters. “An assortment of monsters for pulp-fantasy games.”

“The Kraken has a lamprey-like mouth and 4 tentacles which it uses to handle its prey. These tentacles are 5 yards long apiece, and can be used for a special ‘grapple’ attacks.” Although this takes one combat action each tentacle can attack a separate target. That is four targets for the price of one, if I am interpreting the rule correctly.

	Mind	Reflexes	Move	Resist	Damage	Size
Kraken	14	14	10 yards/sec.	12	17(bite)	Huge

Warhammer Dreadfleet - Bone Hydra

This polystyrene miniature is from the Wargame Factories’, Dreadfleet board game, and it represents one the few monster adversaries.

In Greek Mythology, a hydra was a multi-headed creature; a cross between a dragon and a serpent. When a head was cut off, two would grow in its place, making this a worrisome adversary. What the Bone Hydra’s properties are in this game, I don’t know; best to give this creature a wide berth and stay out of its path.

Projects for June

After a long hiatus I am visiting my dungeon workshops once again, and I plan on getting some painting accomplished.

---

New Projects

• Warhammer Dreadfleet- Bone Hydra
• Kings Of War- Skeletal Dog
• Hordes O' Bits- Bomber Torch Runt

---

Old Projects

Warhammer Dreadfleet- Skull Island

---

Completed Projects

Reaper Miniatures
#03608: Aquatic Familiars II
Sea Monster (Aberration)
Mermaid
Octopus (Aberration) Warhammer Dreadfleet
Graveyard - Leech Wyrm
Warhammer Orc Arachnarok Spider – Trees
Bombshell Miniatures
Pumpkin Buddy

Other

Ristuls Market Halloween Basing Kit (10 resin miniatures)

Kraken, Kraken!

Original full size public domain image can be found here:

“Hunter went to the stern and looked down at the dreadful sight. The bulbous body of the creature was directly astern, and its many tentacles gripped the ship in a dozen places, whipping and snaking this way and that. The entire body of the animal was phosphorescent green in the growing darkness. The creature’s tentacles were snaking into windows of the aft cabins. Its bulbous body was at least twenty feet long, and trailing behind, a tangle of long tentacles, like Medusa’s head.”

Pirate Latitudes, Michael Crichton

And the Eyes Have it

The combined crew from the Chinese junk and Black Pearl went ashore for water and found a dead giant sea monster that had been washed up on shore. See the reflection of the sailor in the creature’s eye.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End

One of the first scenes from the fourth edition of Jurassic Park; a hatchling finding its way into its world.

The Indominus rex awaits its prey.

Another look from the hybrid Indominus rex. Another reflection in an eye. “Better to see you with, my dear.”

Jurassic Park 4

A Kraken Attacks the Nautilus

Disney’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Having to travel through the area of the ocean where the mighty kraken existed the Nautilus was inadvertently attacked by a kraken. The kraken presumably mistook the Nautilus to be a whale of the species that it would typically assail.

Disney’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Discharging an electrical current to the outside of the submarine only temporally deterred the kraken’s attack on the Nautilus and it was back on the Nautilus with multiple tentacles. Having burned out the electrical discharge circuit the Nautilus comes to the surface of the ocean during a tempest, to battle the monster with axes and grappling hooks.

Disney’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Several men were either injured or lost during the battle that ensued. It wasn’t until Ned Land the renowned harpooner hit the kraken in one of its eyes did the kraken withdraw.

An Encounter with a Sea Monster

Sea monster or sea dragon, call it what you will; coming in close proximity with a creature like this on the high seas is enough to unnerve even the most resolute of men. The sea monster and the ship traveled parallel of one another for a good league or two in the pre-dawn hours without the other the wiser.

At dawns first light the ships lookout noticed the object and called for the mate on duty. The mate took out his telescope and took note that it was a sea creature of the sort, which is best to keep your distance from. Not wanting to draw attention to the ship, a more experienced officer would have veered off a few degrees at a time, but the mate ordered” hard to port”. The creature took notice of the abrupt movement and lunged toward the ship.

Whether the creature looked at the ship as challenger or a possible meal, the crew of the ship put all the sail they had to the wind and broke out the oars to gain as much distance from the creature. At this point the creature is very close and the ships only chance is to, after swinging to port, to face the sea dragon and fire its four port side cannon in hopes to decapitate the creature.

The Kraken Adventure Card

With its large and powerful tentacles it can crush smaller craft and easily capsize a ship. Any men who might fall overboard are fair game for the mighty Kraken.

There are two Kraken adventure cards included in the Pirates of the Spanish Main card game.

The Monsters mentioned in The Boats of the Glen-Carrig

I believe that the Boats of the Glen-Carrig would make a great plot for some type of game. There times of high adventure and horror. The monsters and aberrations mentioned there were encountered during three unique phases of the crew’s travels.

Land of Lonesomeness

In the Land of Lonesomeness there are the wailing trees and an unidentified monster that is said to shuffle along and be red like the color of beef. The trees seem to have the ability to reach out and grab and entangle their victims. The red creature seems to be about the height of a tall human, in that it was able to suck at an open port in the ship. The wailing trees seemed to contain the souls of men.

Silent Seas

One of the distinguishing features of these seas was the abundance of reeds that were big enough to entrap ships by their running aground on them. “Three separate times we saw hulks of rotting vessels, some of them having the appearance of a previous age, so ancient they seem.” The author refers to this region as the reed continent. The reed continent was home to a number or creatures including giant crabs, the Kraken, and the devil fish. All three of these creatures gave the crew of boat a start at one time or another.

The Island in the Weed

Having passed through the silent seas with their horrors and privations and having spied another island up at head the crew rowed to it. It was on this island that the crew of the boat encountered what was first described as reed men. Not that they looked like a reed, but they had come out of the reed by the hundreds. These creatures moved like monstrous slugs. They were in deed squid men and had many tentacles. They were described as such for they had “great eyes, so big as crown pieces, the bill like to an inverted parrot’s, and moved like a slug-like with undulating white and slimy body”.

The crew fought frantically through the night and it wasn’t until the morning that they realized that one of their number was missing. The story goes on, and the crew of Glen-Carrig were able to help the crew of an English ship grounded on the reeds to free itself and sail for home.

The Impetus for H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu?

It is said that the stimulus for Lovercraft’s The Call of Cthulhu was found in Lord Tennyson’s 1830 poem The Kraken. He might have also been influenced by William Hope Hodgson’s The Boats of the Glen-Carrig, where a creature having some of the same characteristics as the Cthulhu creature is described. In deed Lovercraft even mentioned that he had read the work of Hodgson, although Lovercraft went a lot further in the description of his creature and even added associative mysticisms.
"The Kraken" (1830)
Alfred Lord Tennyson

Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides: above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages and will lie
Battening upon huge sea-worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

Attributes for the Leech Wyrm Sea Monster

I found this miniature at Hoards O’ Bits; it is from their Games Workshop Dreadfleet collection. This miniature will eventually be coupled with the set of Cogs and other ships, also from Hoards O’ Bits Dreadfleet collection. It might also be pressed into service with my Pirates of the Curse of Davy Jones game.

The Leech Wyrm has the following attributes:

The Leech Wyrm can move 3 if under water and 2 if on top. When resolving a Move action the controller of this piece must roll a die. On the die roll of a 1 or 3 the sea monster is assumed to be moving under water, while on a roll of anything else it is assumed to be moving on top of the sea.

Sea monsters cannot attack while under water except when they are ramming a ship from underneath the water. If the controlling player is going to attempt a ram the creature must be moving under the water and be in the same space as the ship. The player will announce his intention and then roll a dice. If they roll a 6 the ship is sunk.

While on top the water and in the same spot as the ship the Leech Wyrm may attempt one of the following attack methods:

• It may snatch a crew member from the ship
• It may attempt to destroy the spars, rigging, or superstructure of the ship

These actions will be resolved using the following die rolls:

• Snatch a crew member from the ship- 1.
• Destroy the spars, rigging, or superstructure of the ship (one per turn) 3 or a 6. Any damage to the ship will hinder the ship from moving her basic movement action.

Whenever Leech Wyrm is attacking on the surface the defender gets to fire its cannon and any other ordnance it may have before the creature retires.

The defender will use their normal cannon die rolls, however they will have to have at least two successful shots to kill the Leech Wyrm.

House Rules for the Monsters Found in my Pirate Games

Like I mentioned in an earlier post sea monsters every description can be found in Whizkids Pirates of Davy Jones Curse and Pirates on Ocean Edge, as well as other editions. These monsters are typically grouped with the Cursed. What I was thinking was letting someone control these creatures as you would a fleet of ships.

The monsters have special abilities just like many of the ships and crewmembers. This collection of monsters would go about making life a bit more interesting for the other players. Not only would player have to deal with each other, but now would have to deal with these sea monsters.

The monsters already have set movements and even cannon fire, but when did monsters have the ability to inflict damage from firing a cannon? What abilities would creatures like these normally have?

• A sea serpent might wrap itself around a ship and try to crush it (smaller ships might be more susceptible to this than a larger ship).
• It might try to pick off a crewmember.
• It might come up from the deep and capsize a ship
• The creature might use its tail or body to de-mast or to remove other structures off of the ship.
• The creature, once it has totally smashed the ship, might notice glittery treasure and pick-up these gold pieces( only to the their capacity).
• Depending on the creature, it might have the ability to pull the ship under.

These abilities would be tied to dice rolls or whether or not the creature was submerged or not. A coin would be rolled at the beginning of the monsters turn to see whether they will make their movement submerged or on the surface. Of cause if moving on the surface they would be susceptible to cannon fire.

The Monsters of the Pirates of the Curse of Davy Jones and On Oceans Edge

There are reportedly many monsters included in Whizkids Pirates of the Curse of Davy Jones and On Oceans Edge, from sea serpents, fire breathing dragons, and giant crabs. I have yet to receive the later, but have received the following four monsters.

These monsters act like ships. They can fire cannon and their segments, wings, and other body parts act like masts and are removed on successful cannon shots. I am not all that crazy about these official rules and I am working on some house rules for these pieces. More to follow.

Jormungander can be found in Old Norse mythology. Jormungander is a sea serpent and within Pirates of Curse of Davey Jones has the following attributes:
Point Cost:	17
Nation:	Curse
Masts:	4 (on a sea monster the serpents segments are considered masts)
Cargo Capacity:	4
Movement:	L
Cannon:	S2, S3, S3, L4
Special Abilities:	If this sea monster succeeds at a boarding attempt, it eliminates one mast, and can take one unique treasure. The treasure is eliminated from the game. Before each turn the controller of this sea monster must declare whether the sea serpent is submerged or is on the surface. If submerged it cannot be shot at. It can pin or ram a ship, but cannot be pinned. A sea monster cannot carry a crew, and cannot tow.
Maxehebel is the great granddaughter of Jormungander and has the following attributes:
Point Cost:	15
Nation:	Cursed
Masts:	4 (on a sea monster the serpents segments are considered masts)
Cargo Capacity:	0
Movement:	L
Cannon:	L2, S2, S2, S3
Special Abilities:	After resolving a Shoot Action this sea serpent may move as a free action If this sea monster succeeds at a boarding attempt, it eliminates one mast, and can take one unique treasure. The treasure is eliminated from the game Before each turn the controller of this sea monster must declare whether the sea serpent is submerged or is on the surface. If submerged it cannot be shot at. It can pin or ram a ship, but cannot be pinned A sea monster cannot carry a crew, and cannot tow
Shal-Bala is a Sea Dragon a flying creature and is most feared by seamen from every nation.
Point Cost:	20
Nation:	Cursed
Masts:	4 (on a sea monster the serpents segments are considered masts)
Cargo Capacity:	0
Movement:	D (since she can fly Shal-Bala has unlimited movement)
Cannon:	L2, L3, L3, S2
Special Abilities:	A Sea Dragon can be given two distinct shoot actions: A normal shoot action A swoop shoot action
Lusca: Although this sea monster has been seen by many a seafarer, this monster seems to be mechanical in nature. Did you notice the three green and what looks like portholes? In addition, this monster is flagged with a British flag.
Point Cost:
Nation:	England
Masts:	4 (on a sea monster the serpents segments are considered masts)
Cargo Capacity:	0
Movement:	L
Cannon:
Special Abilities: