The Temple of Ro-Kan - initial models

Hi all

Bushido has been getting a lot of attention from me recently, which is a bit surprising as I currently don't have anyone interested in playing it in our local group.  what I am hoping is that if i produce some good terrain and paint the already stunning miniatures well then I will lure Chris, Rich or Damon into getting a faction or two....

For those of you who don't know it, Bushido is a game by GCT Studios.  I lifted this blurb straight from their website, which is excellent btw.

Bushido is a game of savage battles, of cunning stratagems and last-ditch defences, and where debts of honour are paid in blood. In Bushido, the fate of the world hangs not on armies but on individual heroes, men and women of extraordinary capacity, attuned to the all-permeating life force known as Ki. This force is the very fabric of the universe, and those with the appropriate training or natural talent can tap into this energy source and gain seemingly superhuman powers. In the world of Bushido, the delicate tapestry of Ki – and thus the universe itself –is threatened by the forces of imbalance, and it is up to you to protect it – or help rip it apart. In a game of Bushido, nothing less than the universe itself is at stake. Are you ready for the challenge of the Way of the Warrior?

Bushido is an oriental fantasy tabletop miniature battle game for two players. Each player commands a force of no more than a handful of individuals, represented by 32mm metal miniatures. These forces meet on the battlefield and the commanders (the players, that is) try to outwit, outfight and outlive the opposing force and fulfil their battle objectives while denying the enemy theirs. If you have played tabletop miniature games before, Bushido falls into the ‘skirmish game’ category: all miniatures represent individuals and your force consists of a small group of unique characters rather than a big faceless army. A game of Bushido is fast-moving, flexible and filled with strategizing, counter-strategizing and counter-counter-strategizing. Your tactical acumen is important, but as dice add an element of randomness, so too is your ability to think on your feet. A typical game of Bushido takes between one and two hours to play – more if you are new to the game, less if you are a seasoned veteran.

Could not have said it better!!

I only have the free downloaded rules off of their website although I will probably splash the gaming tokens on the full rule book if I can persuade some additional nerds into playing.  That was enough though to convince me that the game was worthy of a play and to collect a faction (although the 60% reduction for Black Friday helped too!) and the faction I got was the Temple of Ro-Kan.  Now a couple of reasons helped me form the decision on which faction to collect, let me start by saying all of the GCT miniatures for this game look amazing, literally ALL of them!! so there was no help there in making a decision.  I hadn't played the game so tactically I didn't have a clue which faction suited my game play or temperament - that will come later I guess. So it was down to two things really, price - Wayland Games were offering varying discounts and Temple were consistently high and I liked the idea of a bunch of mystical monks kicking some Oni (demon) ass!  The temple has high kicking monks who can manipulate the very elements, Kitsune (fox type spirits), kami (elementals) and even a Gorilla!  this is very me indeed!  Each figure comes with a card with all of it's statistics and special skills so all your info is to hand.

Anyway, to the first of the models off of the production line.  I wanted a consistent paint scheme that would tie the eclectic look of the models together, to that end I plumped for a traditional orange for the robes/kimonos/battle dress. Some of the models wouldn't get to wear monks clothing so this would be challenging so if they were to have orange somewhere about their person that would be job done for me!

First of all we have Seiji, here is his blurb straight off the website - 

Like all monks of the Temple of Ro-Kan, Seiji is following a path and element that he was always destined to. Still in the early years of his training this calm and relaxed monk is already showing signs that he will become a great defender of the Jwar Isles, and an asset in the struggle against the chaos. It is told that Seiji sat under the Grand Father tree for a full cycle in meditation, quietly becoming as one with the forest around him and in a deep communion with the sacred Kami. 

Seiji was painted in a slightly lighter flesh tone than I normally use to represent his Asiatic heritage, but I still used citadel's Tallarn flesh and shaded it with Reikland Flesh, just adding more highlights. His breeches were painted in Vallejo Orange Brown and shade with Carroburg Crimson and the sash was Citadel Iyanden Darksun shaded with Seraphim Sepia. To the base I painted some white lines to help in the game determine facings (its obvious with Seiji but not others, so i thought I would be consistent) I also added some small rocks and sand to represent a Zen Garden, which I will be building at some point. I then added bamboo shoots just for fun...

Seiji will be used as a good all rounder, fending off dangerous characters and taking out weaker opponents.

Next up we have the Minor Kami of Fire and Water - 

The extent of the unbalance facing the world is highlighted by the emergence of these minor Kamis. While they are a mere shadow in comparison to their godlike brethren they nevertheless have brought their not insignificant powers to bear in the name of the Temple of Ro-Kan. They allow the monks to do what they do best

Kami of the Morning Dew is not my best ever painted figure but there is only so many times you can repaint a blasted model.  I just could not seem to get him how I pictured him in my head!  Essentially he is Citadel Mordian Blue with Drakenhoff Nightshade and then highlighted, I used Citadel Hawk Turquoise for the Kami's eyes.  I wish I could say I was totally satisfied with him but never mind. The only thing I couldn't do was get some orange on this model.

Kami of the Evening Flame however, I am satisfied with!  I have never painted so much flame before so decided to look up how to on t'internet.  I found a cracking tutorial by Laszlo Jakusovszky  here with a brilliant explanation of how fire looks and then his step by step guide. Now I will say I don't have the paints he uses so had to rely on what I've got and adapt so my apologies to Laszlo for this interpretation.  the paints I used are Citadel White Scar, Vallejo Sand, Vallejo Orange Brown, Citadel Seraphim Sepia and Carroburg Crimson.  For the base I tried to make it look like coals/embers with a couple of hotglue spikes as flames (not as happy as I could be with those).

The Kamis will be good for holding objectives and lapping up the VPs

Here are some group shots, the first is the base coats.

The beginnings of my Temple faction around....a temple!

hope you enjoy

dGG

16:39 (+23)

figs bought:painted (difference)