Guardian of the Fungi Forest

I completed the final troll and fungi for my Doom Goblins with these impressive specimen from Knightmare Miniatures.

A troll champion guards the sacred mushroom grove

The mushrooms have grown to truly giant proportions and are probably worshipped by the Doom Goblins or consulted as deranged oracles. The cave troll must be a champion of its kind, gifted with an unusual intelligence and cunning that let’s him appreciate the benefits of metal armour and bladed weapons.

This sentient mushroom is infused with chaotic energy

The giant fungus sways in the currents of raw magic

A determined troll with a sense of purpose is a frightening opponent

My plan was to complete 18 point forces for Dragon Rampant, but since I have enough miniatures already to muster 24 points for Hill Goblins and Steppe Goblins, I might extend the Doom Goblins as well. Also, I have a few spare guys with spears now since I placed another order from Knightmare Miniatures for a set that wasn’t included in the Kickstarter. So I am thinking, maybe add some squig herders?

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Dwellers in the Dark

I finished the second Cave Troll from the Knightmare Miniatures Green Skin Wars range to bolster my Night Goblin raiding party for Dragon Rampant. Once the third troll is finished, I’ll probably field them as a reduced model count unit of Bellicose Foot with Mystical Armour, to represent their regenerative abilities.

The troll doesn’t tolerate intruders in its cave

The Kickstarter campaign also included a bunch of… sentient mushrooms I guess? As anyone knows, Night Goblins and mushrooms go together perfectly, so I am painting them up as themed terrain, or maybe even a playable unit in their own right.

Strange magical energies have brought the cave fungus to life

The sculpting on the troll is once again excellent, and its facial expression one of the most characterful I have ever seen on a miniature.

Living in a dark, dank cave doesn’t encourage a sunny disposition

Better sneak out while he’s not looking

Missiles, Monsters and Mages

The second half of the Doom Goblin tribe I am painting for Dragon Rampant consists of some archers, a shaman and a trio of cave trolls.

Since I was one bowman short of a six strong unit of scouts I added a plastic Night Goblin from the Warhammer 4th Edition box set. Unfortunately the Army Painter anti-shine spray applied over Citadel gloss varnish looks like a layer of dust on all the miniatures in the photos – might have to switch to another supplier.

Sticking two fingers up to civilisation

Goblin archers raiding a hamlet

The shaman with his mushroom staff is another characterful figure from the hands of Goblinmaster Kev Adams.

The shaman draws supernatural powers from shrooms

The first of the cave trolls I finished is a sculpt by Diego Serrata Pinilla, the owner of Knightmare Miniatures.

Cave trolls often follow Doom Goblins on their raids

Now I am just missing two trolls, and a bunch of mushrooms as a bonus, which I’ll either use as terrain or to accompany the shaman in a unit.

Doom Goblins only venture overground to pillage and plunder

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Doom Goblin Dozen

The first dozen Doom Goblins by Knightmare Miniatures is finished. Using Dragon Rampant, they’ll be fielded as a unit of Light Foot with the Offensive rule. They are all great individual sculpts, and I could well see them in some dungeon crawling too.

The tribe’s leader with his retinue

The second lot I painted contains a standard bearer and some more fighters, with hoods up and down and a variety of weapons, giving the group a lot of variety.

The Banner of Doom

The tribe’s fighters are vicious

The facial expressions of these little blighters are classic Kev Adams, and it’s still as much fun painting them as it was 25 years ago.

The tribe’s banner inspires fanatical devotion

Heavy maces are popular with the strongest goblins

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Rampant Night Goblins

Since Night Goblins became a distinct range around Warhammer 4th Edition they’ve been favourites of mine. My formative years were spent playing with Kev Adams sculpted goblinoids, and I’d always been tempted by his later Crooked Claw range of miniatures. When this was picked up and expanded by Knightmare Miniatures via the Greenskin Wars Kickstarter campaign I went all in, overcome by an unstoppable wave of Waaagh energy.

Now I already have several Orc & Goblin armies in the works that don’t really need further reinforcements, so I will use these new tribes for skirmish games with the Dragon Rampant ruleset by Osprey. Apparently Knightmare Miniatures are working on a supplement for the Goblin Wars specifically tailored for their range, but in the meantime I am putting together 18 points forces using the open army creation system that Dragon Rampant is designed for.

Plotting the next raid

The first six of a unit of twelve light foot infantry are now finished. I am going for my usual dark blue hoods, but chose to stay away from any contrast colours. Instead, I’ll use browns and greys for other items of clothing and equipment, and dull steel and tarnished bronze for weapons and armour.

Fighter, boss and musician

Morning stars are the popular choice

For anyone thinking about mixing these miniatures with their existing Night Goblins, here is a bit of a comparison of size and sculpting style. Overall the figures are taller and lankier than older Citadel sculpts and the latest plastics. However, there is also some variation within the range itself. The poses and size would probably make it a bit tricky to rank them up on 20mm bases, so another good argument for using them in a skirmish game setting.

Citadel Night Goblin Bosses in metal (left) and plastic (right)

Once I have the other half of the unit finished, there’ll be some archers, trolls and a shaman to complete the Night Goblin tribe.

Settling a dispute the goblin way

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