Retro Dungeon Real Estate.

Finally got round to cleaning up & dusting off the latest purchase and laying it out with what I already had.

There's eleven rooms from 2" square up to 8" square and 13' 6" of corridor which is enough set up a moderate sized dungeon level, in fact a quick glance at module B4 The Lost City would suggest that the first two levels would be do-able and as this is one of the possible candidates for old school gaming is very good news indeed.
Overall I'm quietly pleased with this Torchlight stuff. I've been lucky enough to assemble it at fairly reasonable cost and the overall simplicity of the rooms combined with the separate doors and accessories makes it very adaptable. You could argue that none of this is necessary for old school style play which should be achievable in the theatre of the mind, but I do like my toys ( its the wargamer in me showing through) and obviously someone thought there would be a market for this product when it first appeared in the mid eighties so it is at least contemporary with the other RPG stuff I'm using.

A Moderate Step in the Right Direction.

After what can only be described as a shit day at work I received a major shot in the arm, one that advances the Retro Dungeon considerably.

A cardboard package containing the above Torchlight Fantasy Products resin dungeon scenery was waiting for me. Sadly a more urgently required darning kit for my socks was not included, that really is very embarrassing!!!!.

Anyway perambulatory organs apart once this little lot is hosed out and re-painted the physical form of the Retro Dungeon will have reached a point where I can lay out fairly extensive levels ( roughly 4'x2') with enough corridors & rooms to make things interesting.
And now off to the dressing room for some new socks.

Skeleton King & Bearers.

Got round to painting the centrepiece from the Raiders of the Undead boxed set last night:

Very reminiscent of this I feel, the aptly named Vitalstatistix from the Asterix books.

Also completed one of the less well posed figures from the box:

The detail is as good as any of the other figures but the pose is a little ropey, he does look like he is scratching the back of his head with his sword.

A More Ancient Undead.

Work has begun on painting the more archaic skeletons from the Raiders of the Undead boxed set. First off the Workbench of Doom is this ossified warrior:

The kraken emblem on his diplon shield gives him, at least to my mind an Atlantean feel. Probably to do with all the octopus images you see on those Cretan & Theran pot shards from the early bronze age. What I really like though is the way the scorpions pincers form an eye guard on the helmet. Overall a very impressive sculpt and so far my favourite of this particular boxed set.

The More Recently Deceased.

I've finished off painting the more medieval looking skeleton figures from The Raiders of the Undead boxed set. These three will form a small encounter for the Retro Dungeon representing a previous explorer of the tomb and his two less well armoured retainers.

Not sure how efficacious that rusty crossbow will be but the axe & sword look lethal enough.

First Skeleton Raider Painted.

After a brief stint in the garden this afternoon I settled down to begin painting my newly acquired skeletons. Here is the first one off the production line:

I might add some scallop shell devices to the chevron on the shield to mirror the one on his right shoulder, more work perhaps but tidies things up from a heraldic perspective.

Skeletons: Raiders of the Undead.

Something nice turned up in the post today:

Yet another eBay purchase for very reasonable money and in absolutely mint condition, even the box insert was still present and unsullied.
Inside a selection of Andy Chernak's finest, better in so many ways than todays huge weapon wielding & generally OTT offerings:

Of particular note are the following three, firstly a skeletal knight in full plate:

A more ancient undead with a nicely embossed shield and scorpion crested helmet, I particularly like the way the pincers form an eye guard:

And finally an aggressive looking axeman:

In all fairness all of the figures are pretty good, I like these because they will fit nicely into the Retro Dungeon. The knight & axeman will serve as recently killed adventurers freshly risen by evil sorceries and the kraken shielded fellow looks like an archaic guardian for some ancient treasure.

The box insert included really does reflect the times this boxed set was produced in:

1982 was a fairly active time in the history of roleplaying, particularly D&D and the inclusion of a dungeon floor plan and description ( on the rear of the sheet) is a nice reminder of where things were at with fantasy miniatures then. Superficially this set is aimed at fantasy wargames but I think this box insert gives a truer picture of Grenadiers target market.