Planning Rangers of Shadow Deep for the Paint What You Got Challenge

Recently I mentioned that I'm entering Dave Stone's Paint What You Got challenge. While literally anything completed in the time slot could count, I've decided to use it as an opportunity to get some minis ready for Rangers of Shadow Deep (and many other fantasy skirmish and roleplaying games). 

The Creatures

The game plays through a series of missions, split into scenarios, so lets see what creatures I want for the first mission, The Missing.

Scenario 1, The Deserted Village, calls for zombies and giant rats. Initially there are 4 zombies and 2 rats, but more arrive throughout the game both as a result of Events and investigating Clues. If the heroes do nothing, there'll be a maximum of 14 zombies and 5 rats, but I don't think I'll need that many. There's also the chance of finding a survivor.

Scenario 2, The Infected Trees, starts with 5 giant spiders, with the chance of encountering a couple more, and searching can reveal up to 5 zombies, up to 5 survivors or perhaps nothing significant. 

Now I doubt I'll need 14 zombies, I'm planning on 8. Similarly, 3 or 4 rats should be sufficient, and 6 giant spiders.  As for the survivors, I suppose 5 would be playing safe.

I've put aside most of the minis, all Reaper Bones.

Future painting.  Rats, zombies and villagers, plus some Frostgrave etc bits for a possible Ranger

I've already painted one of the Townsfolk, 4 more using the Slapchop method should be fairly quick to do. I'm also well on with the zombies and I finished 4 spiders recently (well within the challenge window) but I'm waiting for an order for another pack.

Previously I used the old giant rats, but there are some much better looking ones that I hope to get on to soon.

The Heroes 

Of course, we don't just need creatures, we need heroes. Like it's predecessor Frostgrave, Rangers of Shadow Deep focuses on particular characters. Frostgrave had it's wizards, Rangers has, well, it's rangers. But they all have their retinue of companions.

As RoSD is a cooperative game for 1-4 players, the number and relative power of the companions varies with the number of Rangers.

One ranger can have up to 7 companions, and they have 100 points to spend*, two rangers get up to 3 companions each, and they each have 40 points to spend.

Three rangers get up to 2 companions and can spend 30 points, while four rangers can only have 1 companion each, costing no more than 10 points.

Now archers, men at arms and guardsmen all cost 20 points, recruits only cost 10 points. There are more expensive companions, such as conjurers, knights and templars, and a few more cheap companions, such as war hounds and birds of prey, but I think they are less likely to be chosen, at least to begin with.

It's clear that archers (bows and crossbows), men at arms and guardsmen (basically men at arms with a two handed weapon rather than a hand weapon and shield) are going to be needed, as are recruits. 

So I'm going for four recruits, being the most likely choice if four of us are playing, plus a selection of guardsmen, men at arms and archers, some of which I built in December. If I have time, and if I see something that I like, then I might add to this.

Finally, there's the rangers themselves. I've got 3 rangers finished, and some ideas for building a fourth (in the little bag in the photo). As with the companions, I may add to them as and when.

And Then?

Once I've painted the above, I've got a decision to make. More minis for the next mission, or terrain for the first one? 

I've already done some terrain for The Infected Trees (which will get it's own post soon) and I've got the Frostgrave gnoll kit, which will be very useful for Mission 2. I've even got a couple of minis I painted years ago that will come in very useful for that one. They won't count for the challenge of course, but I'll definitely be using them for the game.

*There are ways to boost this slightly at the character generation stage, and it eventually increases as the rangers improve in level, but this is the norm.