Sunday, March 8, 2015

Crusader Minis Retiarii & Laquearius

A couple of Retiarii and a Laqueasius - or "net men" and "snarer."
The Retiarius normally fought against the Secutor - whose helmet lacked any crest which supposedly deterred capture by the net.
The Laquearius is a somewhat obscure figure, and may have been a variation of the Retiarius. He may also have been an official used to catch fleeing noxii (condemned prisoners).
There is another Retiari from the set, but he'll be painted later as he is an African and the skin color necessitates a separate color palette. I also have the Arena Officials pack which will be more of an aesthetic part of the game - or may be adapted with some type of movement inhibitor for the actual combatants.
The Arena Games rule set has special entanglement rules for the net and lasso, which should add some variety to the game. A play-test will follow soon.

37 comments:

  1. Wonderful miniatures, Dean, so expressive! The word "rete" - meaning "net" - originated "rede", in Portuguese :) Warm regards!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the nice comment and information - it makes sense coming from a nation of seafarers. Regards, Dean

      Delete
  2. Very nice! I like the miniatures from Crusader!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Alex. Agreed - Crusader makes some great figures, and this range is surely one of the best from them. Regards, Dean

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks! Appreciate the kind words and visit. Best, Dean

      Delete
  4. Very impressive minis and paint brush! So many details on each figure...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Phil. These are very nicely detailed, so very nice to paint up. Regards, Dean

      Delete
  5. They look great Dean.
    Really nice job here!

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jimmy. Appreciate the kind words. Regards, Dean

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Thanks, Michael! Your work has inspired me to try and label the bases for these figures too. Warm regards, Dean

      Delete
  7. Excellent painting Dean, skin is not that easy, but you've got it down to perfection here! What's your combination of colors/washes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Soren! I use Vallejo Flat Flesh - the lighter one (although I used to use the Medium tone). Over this a wash of Vallejo Red Brown Ink/Stain. Then highlight again with the Flat Flesh. It might appear a bit light, but the ink wash darkens it overall. When I used the Medium tone, it would end up almost too dark. Hope that helps ;) Warm regards, Dean

      Delete
  8. Wonderful work Dean. I have the same miniatures and it is amazing to see the difference in how people imagine things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Michael. You know, looking at the guy in the "hot pink" shorts, I may have to repaint it green :) Regards, Dean

      Delete
  9. They look really nice Dean and ready to win glory in arena!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Christopher! Yes, I'm glad I finally got these net men - earlier I had shunned them for their lack of armor, but I see now they have even more character than the armored fellows. Best, Dean

      Delete
  10. Great work Dean!
    Looking forward to see that play-test... I´m still looking for a gladiator ruleset.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! This is supposedly more of a "Beer & Pretzels" kind of rule set, which I what I wanted - particularly for a convention game. Plus I do like beer and pretzels :) Best, Dean

      Delete
  11. Great work. Look forwards to seeing some battle reports. I have probably a dozen Foundry Gladiators sat in the pile of shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paul. Seems a lot of folks are still searching for that "perfect" set of rules for Gladiators :) Regards, Dean

      Delete
  12. Lovely work! Your work on the skin tones is great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you kindly! Looking forward to working on the African - as I've never painted dark skin tones before. Best, Dean

      Delete
  13. Lovely gladiators Dean, I think Crusader has the best 28mm range.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Really nice work Dean. They look a tough bunch to face in the arena! Your use of skin tones and washes is superb.
    Best wishes,
    Jason

    ReplyDelete
  15. These are great sculpts, Dean, and you've certainly done them justice. Like Millsy, I too have some Crusader gladiators; unlike Millsy, mine remain unpainted...

    Well done there!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you all very kindly, Gentlemen. I appreciate the visit and comments. I hope to start on the rest of the figs - Arena Officials and last Retiari this weekend. Warm Regards, Dean

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looking nice... although I find the poses a little to relaxed for my taste!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Burkhard. I do agree with the poses - I wonder why they make Gladiator poses static, when the likely use for the game is one-on-one combat. Only two of the four Retiarii have "action" poses.

      Delete
  18. Nice work on the gladiators. I have had many a great game with TAHGC's Gladiator game. I bet it would still be fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jonathan. Gladiators are cool figures, but finding a suitable rule set can be elusive ;)!

      Delete
  19. Lovely Paintjobs on them all. I may have to snag some of these for some post apoc conversions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you could do the conversions really well, Simon!

      Delete