Sludge: A Grimdark Game of Fantasy Black Powder

I mentioned in my previous post that I've been working on some figures for a new game called Sludge. It's been a nice little creative outlet between cleaning, packing, work, etc. during this time. 

But what is Sludge about?

In short, it's an ahistorical game set in a doom age of black powder. It's all about "gore, horror, brutality, and faith" as the official website states. It's all very grimdark. There's a heavy emphasis on kitbashing to create unique armies using historical and/or fantasy miniatures. It really doesn't matter what figures you use for Sludge. For me, it's been a nice way to use up bits from my pile(s) of shame and bit boxes. I've been wanting to make up my own nations for wargaming for a while anyway, so this certainly scratches that itch!

The Kingdom of Marconia is made up of Victrix Napoleonic French Old Guard bodies and Perry Foot Knight heads (except for my lookalike leading the center infantry unit...I found that one in the bits box at Island Games years ago). The rules call for infantry units to be based in groups of three of a 40mm base, and Jägers and Shock Troopers to be placed on a 25mm base. To distinguish the various roles, I took a cue from the historic Grand Armée and gave them different colored epaulettes: orange for line infantry, green for Jägers, and red for Shock Troops. I feel that these guys look pretty cool with their purple coats and verdigris-covered bronze helmets. 

The Duchy of Lürren is made of Perry Napoleonic Austrian bodies and more Foot Knight heads. I was initially unsure of their colors, but I tried the yellow and green look on a whim and was pretty pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. Their steel helmets are slightly rusted, in contrast to the verdigris of the Marconians. My wife says that these guys have a look reminiscent of the Rebel Alliance in A New Hope and Rogue One and I have to agree. 

All told, I had a lot of fun working on these guys! They were also really simple to paint up too: just an undercoat of GW Dryad Bark over a black primer, the respective basic colors, a generous drybrush of GW Zandri Dust, and then a bath of GW Agrax Earthshade all over. After a few additional details, that was it! 

It always amazes me what a simple drybrush and wash can do!

The rules for Sludge are found in Blaster Volume 3, which is made to order and takes a little bit to ship. Considering that we're leaving for New Mexico late next week, it just makes sense to wait (yes, I could get a PDF version....but I like having something physical to look through).

And so, I've finished my last-ever figures in the DC area. I'll pick up this project again once we're settled in the Land of Enchantment, and also start working on terrain as well. But for now it's time to finally pack away the paints, brushes, bits, and whatnot for the next few weeks. I just hope none of these guys break in transit (the wargamer's ultimate fear!). 

Here's hoping that everyone (and everything) arrives to the new place intact!

UPDATE

Shortly after publishing this post, Guerilla Miniature Games posted a YouTube video on the basic gameplay and mechanics of Sludge. You can check it out below!

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about giving this game a try!