The Alternative Armies Blog

Welcome to the Alternative Armies blog. This blog tells you all about what we are up to and it is where we post our latest tabletop gaming news and articles.
We cover Flintloque and Slaughterloo, High Fantasy, Other Ranges as well as our 15mm scale fantasy, science fiction and historical ranges.
Our game systems and free content such as PDF downloads and reading articles. Enjoy and do dig back in time to see what was going on before now.

Feel free to comment and ask questions. We are always happy to help gamers with their hobby.

Thursday 31 August 2017

TOR7 The Snake Pit version 2017 released!

The last release of the month at Alternative Armies is a classic updated.  Adding to the Torture Chamber 28mm range from the 1980's we have the seventh code in the line up.  It is not quite the original though as, due to mold loss, we did not have all the parts of the original model to re-master. So this new '2017' version is close to the original, fits in well, and is now in white metal and resin. Go HERE to see the whole range or read or for more.  Oh and it is censored so if you wish to see the original images please visit the website.


TOR7 The Snake Pit 2017
This pack contains the following pieces.  A resin stone pit which is about 30mm across and features chains and snakes.  A semi-nude female captive which can be used on its own or in the pit; fitting into the snakes and chains. This is not the original 1980's code but a close new sculpt in 2017 by Sam Croes which fits right into the range. 

The Pit on its own
Scale shot with FL13 and FL14 Adventurers
The Torture Chamber miniatures are not supplied with bases and are supplied unpainted. Select your choice from the product menu on our website's pages. Choose from a pack or three packs with a 10% saving applied. You can also choose to purchase poses or parts from the packs as shown on their own. Go HERE.


The Torture Chamber Collection.  This classic Asgard range from the 1980's is being brought back to the world at the rate of a code or two a month by Alternative Armies.  Excellent for roleplay, dungeon crawl, dioramas and wargaming you can purchase the packs or parts of them if you just want some of the furniture or the people from them.  We have so far the following.  The Whipping Beam, The Cage, The Rack, The Branding Iron and The High Inquisitor on Thone.  There will be more in September.  Excellent stuff.  Go HERE to see them all.


Remember to check out our Weekly Deals which are 20% off three different randomly selected codes. One Flintloque, one High Fantasy and one 15mm scale.  Twenty percent off for seven days of all options for that code.  The deals changed every Monday.  Have a look HERE.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Von Mohnblume Pug Dogmen released with free article for Flintloque!

Now on general release the Pug Dogmen of the Von Mohlblume Line!  All of the pre-orders are on their way around the world and thank you.  A brand new faction beginning in Flintloque and Slaughterloo.  Allies of the Ostarian Empire and enemies of the Elves of Mordred these diminutive soldiers are great alongside your other Dogmen or in the service of the Confederation of Finklestein. Go HERE to see them or continue on to see our studio painted set plus download the free Uniformation article with statistics and more for play.  This is our last release for the World of Valon this month.


56595 Von Mohlblume Line
This set contains 28mm white metal miniatures including an officer with Sword and Pistol, Musician with Drum, Sergeant with Pike, Standard Bearer and four different poses of Dogmen all with muskets.  Dwarf sized 'Pug' type Dogmen standing around 23mm tall.  A small dutchy within the Empire of Ostaria and in the service of the mad Emperor Klaffenhund.  Or you can use them to portray any one of the multitude of tiny stattes in the Confederation of Finklestein.  You can choose from a skirmish pack of ten miniatures (all eight poses with two additional random trooper poses), a unit of twenty miniatures (the skirmish pack with ten additional mixed trooper poses and a small saving) and single miniature choice booster for additional trooper poses.  Sculpted by Rob Alderman. Go HERE.


We have a free Uniformation article for you to download from our Dropbox by clicking HERE.  Enjoy the read and then use the given statistics to add the Von Mohlblume to your games.  Thanks!


Here is a scale shot alongside the Elf and Ogre from the beginner set for Flintloque the awesome 5024 Escape the Dark Czar.  As you can see the Elf is 28mm tall and the Ogre is 40mm tall with the Pug Dogman at about 23mm tall.










Above are more images of the eight new poses of 28mm scale miniatures which are from other angles.


Remember to check out our Weekly Deals which are 20% off three different randomly selected codes. One Flintloque, one High Fantasy and one 15mm scale.  Twenty percent off for seven days of all options for that code.  The deals changed every Monday.  Have a look HERE.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Friday 25 August 2017

Further Reinforcements in the Witchlands by Andy Jefcoate

By Gads! The third in a series of linked Flintloque articles by Andy Jefcoate about his new forays in the Witchlands. If you missed the first and second articles where he got his starter set and then tried it out then you can read them on our blog HERE. In this article he takes to the frozen retreat and seeks out adventure. With pictures of his own painted collection. Read on and enjoy! GBS

Further Reinforcements in the Witchlands
(A Starter Scenario for Flintloque)


As mentioned in my last article I decided to buy the 'Death In The Snow' game book and purchased it as part of the Shilling Service Pack (set 5026). This is great value and although I was happy to continue to play Flintloque Light in the short term I wanted to know more about the other units and races that form the Grande Armee Du Norde and the Dark Czar's Forces. Although my bands had already received their first reinforcements in the form of 2 Dogmen for the Ferach force and 4 Cossacks on foot for their pursuers, I could now give these miniatures their own stats from the main game book!

Having looked at the force lists there are a fantastic number of troops to add to both sides and being someone who likes to plan ahead, I decided to make it easy for myself and just buy all of them! For now though the figures that you get in the Shilling Service pack gave me the additional reinforcements that I needed in the form of a small band of 6 Ferach Elf elite troops (Carabiniers) with their leader Colonel Gelure, and a section of 7 Little Werewolf Licantzrop Jagers plus their leader, the Vampyre Count Grimalov in the service of the Dark Czar. 


Straight away the next scenario came to mind. The Elf Carabiniers have been sent out to rescue Saindoux as it would be embarrassing to lose the General De Brigade (or are they more interested in recovering the Eagle Standard!). At the same time a section of Little Werewolves have joined the Savant Zombies as they are experts at tracking and bringing down their prey. The Vampyre has been sent to take over command of the pursuit due to the failures so far! 


The game was played on a 6' x 4' table with a light dusting of snow which isn't enough to affect movement. A track runs down the middle of the table from short edge to short edge, with trees, hills and some walls scattered about either side of the road. Saindoux's party enter play on the track at one short edge at the start of turn 1. They are allowed to move normally in that turn. The Carabiniers enter play from anywhere along the opposite short edge at the start of turn 2 and can also move as normal. Then in turn 3 the Savant zombies of Captain Preserovitch enter play at the some point that Saindoux's party entered play, and the Little Werewolves and Vampyre enter play mid way down one long table edge (whichever is furthest from Saindoux's party, or as chosen by the Witchlands player if the distance is the same). These can all move as normal too. 


The game continues for 15 turns or until the objectives are reached. The objective of the Ferach player is for Saindoux and Ayers (carrying the eagle standard) to exit off of any point along the opposite short table edge to the one they entered. The objective of the Witchlands player is to stop them and take them out of play if possible. If both exit the table as stated the Ferach player wins, if neither do the Witchlands player wins, and if one does and one doesn't it is a draw. All other casualties do not affect the result so expect the game to be bloody! 



I played the scenario a couple of times and it was a close run thing both times. It is important for Saindoux and Ayers to keep moving! You could try the scenario with other forces but while I'm no expert I imagine that cavalry figures should be limited and also be on both sides if you want to use them due to their greater movement rate. You could also decrease the number of turns if you want to force the characters to move faster. 

So in conclusion, my two forces have grown nicely to make them more resilient and give them more tactical options but they are still relatively small and composed of a very mixed bag of troops and races.  I began with 5024 Escape the Dark Czar. Although this fits the narrative it can make them more difficult to use as especially on the Ferach force, each figure has different stats in the game. I therefore decided that I needed to consolidate my current troops and look to form units. As more join both sides this is what would logically happen and makes them look more like an army. It's time to place another order and I'll let you know how I got on in my next article!

Thank you for reading. 

Andy

Tuesday 22 August 2017

Pre-Order the Von Mohnblume Dogman Pug line for Flintloque!

The big release for the World of Valon this month is the Von Mohnblume Line sculpted by the talented Rob Alderman.  A new species of Dogman in the service of the Empire of Ostaria...Pugs! Dwarf sized Dogmen which we are offering on pre-order at 15% off the release prices for a week before the full release. Choose from single poses, a skirmish pack or a full unit.  For Flintloque and Slaughterloo. General release is on Tuesday 29th August 2017 and all orders will ship then worldwide. When full release occurs we will have a Uniformation article and more to show you. Go HERE or read on for more.


The idea for this new species of Dogman came from a conversation with their designer earlier this year and we both thought it would be an excellent idea to put these little terrors into the World of Valon.  Mr Alderman has a real Pug of his own which was a great influence upon the style and look of these eight new poses.  If the Von Mohnblume Line proves to be a success and interest is there who knows where it will lead.  An artillery crew, a command set and perhaps even in time a full Slaughterloo division of Pug Dogmen.



56595 Von Monhblume Line
This set contains 28mm white metal miniatures including an officer with Sword and Pistol, Musician with Drum, Sergeant with Pike, Standard Bearer and four different poses of Dogmen all with muskets.  Dwarf sized 'Pug' type Dogmen standing around 23mm tall.  A small dutchy within the Empire of Ostaria and in the service of the mad Emperor Klaffenhund.  Or you can use them to portray any one of the multitude of tiny stattes in the Confederation of Finklestein.  You can choose from a skirmish pack of ten miniatures (all eight poses with two additional random trooper poses), a unit of twenty miniatures (the skirmish pack with ten additional mixed trooper poses and a small saving) and single miniature choice booster for additional trooper poses.  Sculpted by Rob Alderman. Supplied with Bases. Go HERE.


The image above shows a scale shot of a Pug Dogman next to an Elf taken from 5024 Escape from the Dark Czar beginners set for Flintloque.


Next week we will be putting up a full and free Uniformation article for use in Flintloque and Slaughterloo which will give background along with statistics and more for this small dutchy so that you can use them in play.  This will be homed on the blog here and linked up to our dropbox.  It goes live the day all the pre-orders ship out.


Chris Walkley is a long time impartial fan of Alternative Armies and was sent a sneak peek set of the Von Monhblume Line.  He has posted his thoughts along with his own now painted set on his Conflict Cornucopia blog.  You can go and read it HERE.  A real and honest review which I enjoyed a lot.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Thursday 17 August 2017

HOT113 Skeletal Artillery now released!

“The Necromancer stood tall atop a throne of skulls carried by a dozen long dead minions who shuffle forward at his command.  Ahead the last citadel of the Elves resists the remorseless advance of his army.  Its walls are thick and strong no number of Zombies and Skeletons can ascend it to slaughter all within.  They feel safe those lithe mortals but they are not.  Booming retorts announce the arrival of the artillery of the damned.  A line of cannons belching jets of grey smoke as their iron shots hammer the citadel.  Soon, soon.  Soon the Elves will be dead and the army will grow larger once more.” 


Now released at Alternative Armies into the HOT 15mm Fantasy Range is the one hundred and thirteenth pack and it is for the forces of the Undead.  This adds to all the other packs for the Undead for use in any 15mm wargame system and gives you some long range firepower!  Go HERE or read on for more.



HOT113 Skeletal Artillery
15mm Scale Miniatures. Great for any Undead Army which has need of artillery in the form of a Cannon with Skeletal Crew.  Goes great with our other Undead codes such as HOT99 Eternal Guard, HOT40 Skeleton Archers, HOT41 Skeleton Spears or HOT14 Hordes of the Dead. This code contains three 15mm scale Skeleton gunners in three poses plus a cannon kit with heavy barrel and large wheels. All miniatures are supplied unpainted and without bases. Some Assembly may be required with miniatures. Shown on 59020 20mm square bases. Go HERE.


Undead Codes in the HOT Range
We have other packs which can field you a fantastic force of 15mm Skeletons, Zombies, Ghouls, Ghosts and more.  Click HERE to go to the website and then see all of the codes below.

HOT100 Ghoul Dragon (1 Monster)
HOT55 Cadaver Giant (1 Monster)
HOT22 Plague of Bats (18 Miniatures)
HOT67 Were Monsters (2 Creatures)

HOT21 Zombie Horde (16 Miniatures)
HOT98 Skeltaur Cavalry (6 Miniatures)
HOT99 Eternal Guard (16 Miniatures) (Pictured above)
HOT41 Skeleton Spears (16 Miniatures)
HOT40 Skeleton Archers (16 Miniatures)
HOT95 Ghosts (10 Miniatures)
HOT83 Undead Command (16 Pieces)
HOT74 Wraith Lord
HOT12 Ghoul, Wraith and Skeleton Knight (16 Miniatures)
HOT13 Undead Chariot (1 Vehicle)
HOT14 Hordes of the Dead (16 Pieces)
HOT24 Undead Cavalry (6 Miniatures)
HOT36 Wraith Cavalry (6 Miniatures)
HOT64 Cadaver Zombie (10 Miniatures)
HOT63 Catapult with Undead Crew (1 Kit)
HOT111 Dem Bones (10 Pieces mixed Skeletons, Skulls and more)


HOTT 24AP Armies for the Undead
We have three ready made army packs for the Undead which come with all the needed miniatures and element bases included.  They offer a small saving and they can be purchased painted and based for immediate play if you wish on the page.  Click on the army to go to the website.


This HOTT Army Pack contains an entire Undead Army.  Miniatures taken from the HOT Range and are 15mm scale and white metal. This code contains the following miniatures: 1 Mounted Necromancer (HOT74), 3 Wraiths (HOT12), 3 Ghouls (HOT12), 6 Undead Cavalry (HOT36), 35 Skeleton Warriors (HOT14).


This HOTT Army Pack contains an entire Undead Army.  Miniatures taken from the HOT Range and are 15mm scale and white metal. This code contains the following miniatures: 1 Mounted Necromancer (HOT24), 3 Wraiths (HOT11), 6 Bats (HOT22), 6 Undead Knights (HOT12), 25 Shambling Zombies HOT21), 1 Cadaver Giant (HOT55).


This HOTT Army Pack contains an entire Undead army.  Miniatures taken from the HOT Range and are 15mm scale and white metal. This code contains the following miniatures: 1 Undead General on Horse (HOT83), 1 Undead Mage on Horse with Zombie Vulture (HOT83), 2 Undead Chariots with Drivers (HOT13), 8 Skeletons with Bows (HOT40), 16 Skeletons with Spears, Standards, Musicians (HOT41, HOT83).

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Friday 4 August 2017

Free Worldwide Shipping until Friday 11th August 2017!

It is the peak of summer (in Scotland the rain is now warm!) and as the final stage of the merger of 15mmcouk back into Alternative Armies we are holding a free worldwide event for a week.  Now on!  Just add to cart.  This event includes The Ion Age.  Once ended we will be shutting down the 15mmcouk website and re-directing the domain to Alternative Armies.  All orders for any of our miniatures, books, wargaming supplies and more (including our digital downloads) of 15GBP or more are free shipping worldwide.  Go HERE or HERE and have a browse or read on for more details.



From now until 9am GMT Saturday 12th August 2017 we are having a free worldwide postage on all orders over 15.00GBP in product value!  This applies to our two websites and all our 6mm, 15mm and 28mm miniatures and game systems in fact everything on our websites you can put in your cart.  All you need to do is add to the cart and the website will do the rest.  Click on the links to go to each site.  As many orders as you like to anywhere in the world.  Remember that any special offers that are currently running are included in this promotion!



So if you like Flintloque, High Fantasy, Ganesha Games and other 28mm scale ranges such as Grinning Skull and Asgard check out Alternative Armies and use the links along the top of the site to browse the massive choice that there is.  Oh and check out our weekly deals too with 20% off plus our Collected Bundles which have the biggest saving and a great way to get everything in one click.

If you like 15mm scale including HOT Fantasy, HOB 15mm Fantasy Buildings, Sengoku Japanese Fantasy, TTF Fantasy, HOF Science Fiction, Asgard and SHM, Laserburn, Loud Ninja Games, Altuos Renaissance, Pony Wars and ACW, Isarus Dark Age, Medus Medieval along with 6mm sci-fi and a lot more go to their links on the Alternative Armies website through the drop down menu "Our 15mm Scale Ranges".

Space Opera science fiction wargamers should look to the unique range and setting of The Ion Age for excellent miniatures, vehicles and rule systems by Gavin Syme (GBS) and Sam Croes.


Combining Orders
Our two websites are having a free postage event.  If you place an order for more then fifteen pounds (15.00GBP) the shopping cart will automatically give you free shipping worldwide. While the vast majority of wargamers are happy to place orders in this way we know that some of you would like to place a combined order by email and receive a paypal invoice to pay.  This is totally fine with us and here is what to do for a combined order by email.  Firstly choose your point of contact.  Is it Alternative Armies or The Ion Age?  Choose one and email us on sales@alternative-armies.com or info@theionage.com.  Make your email title 'combined order' and give us your name, your shipping address, your paypal email address and a list of codes and quantities that you want to order from across our ranges.  We will then reply with a total and a paypal invoice.  You will get the last free monthly miniature IMP48 if you have Ion Age codes and you will get any other items offered free if applicable from the other websites if you have codes from its ranges in your order.  

We typically reply quickly but be assured you WILL NOT miss the free postage on your combined order as we will honour it as long as your email comes in to us before the offer ends. 

Thanks and enjoy the event!

Gavin Syme (GBS)

Wednesday 2 August 2017

TOR6 The High Inquisitor on Throne released

This week we release the six re-molded set in the classic Torture Chamber Collection 25mm / 28mm scale back from the dawning days of the 1980's.  A range of high quality white metal and resin dungeon, wargame and collector scenics and characters.  Adding to the the Rack, the Cage, Branding Iron and the Whipping Beam we present The High Inquisitor!  Go HERE for the Torture Chamber Collection page or read on.  Note this collection contains adult themes and the images on our blog and social media are censored with our website showing the original images.

"Bring him before me.  Kneel before the Inquisitor on high!"


The Torture Chamber Collection was originally seen in the early 1980's from Tabletop Miniatures and there are many more sets from it to come from us when they are back in production.  We aim to get them out regularly as this task continues.  The Torture Chamber miniatures are not supplied with bases and are supplied unpainted. Select your choice from the product menu on our website's pages. Choose from a pack or three packs with a 10% saving applied. You can also choose to purchase poses or parts from the packs as shown on their own.  Go HERE.


TOR6 The High Inquisitor on Throne
This diorama set is composed of four white metal and resin 25mm scale parts.  These are the stone platform, the throne chair, the Inquisitor and the arm of the Inquisitor.  Excellent for dungeon crawl or diorama use.  



Here are the other codes in TOR which are on the website right now:


TOR4 The Branding Iron
This diorama set is composed of four white metal 25mm scale parts. These are the table of implements, the burning coal brazier, the Female Torturer with hot poker and length of chain and lastly semi nude Female prisoner in rags with manacle on wrist (chain and manacle join up as shown if wished). 


TOR3 The Rack
This diorama set is composed of seven white metal 25mm scale parts. These are the rack body which features a semi-nude female victim, rack front legs, rack rear legs, crank wheels on either side as well as the Torturer and the Inquisitor. 


TOR2 The Cage Set
This diorama set is composed of ten white metal 25mm scale parts.  These parts are the pillar, the rope, the clamp, cage top, cage bottom, four cage sides and the prisoner in the cage.  


TOR1 The Whipping Beam
This diorama set is composed of seven white metal 25mm scale parts. These are the pillar, the pillar base, the restraining rope, the hook mount, the hand restraints the Captive Nude Woman and the Whipmaster..


We have a trio of Weekly Deals which run Monday to Sunday each week.  Each week three different offers all at 20% off normal price for a code in that range on all of its options including painted and ready for play as well as whole units if applicable.  We have a Flintloque code deal, a High Fantasy code deal and a 15mm scale code deal.  Get something for your wargaming and check them out every Monday when they change.  HERE.  We also have a Latest Releases page where all of our codes from about the last six to ten weeks of releases are sited as well as in their own pages.  If you want to see what Alternative Armies has been doing it is a great place to start.  All of our ranges, all our game systems, 28mm and 15mm.  All HERE.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS