Pimp my Game - Stronghold 2nd Edition

I can see a pattern forming ... Ignacy Trzewiczek designed board games, and me pimping them out. First it was his fabulous Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island, and now this ... Stronghold 2nd Edition. They just really lend themselves to a good make-over.

To keep it brief: Stronghold's a game where trolls, orcs and goblins relentlessly try to break through the walls and invade a 'stronghold', while the residents desperately try to prevent this from happening.

It really is a fun game ... each side trying to outwit the other; one with devious plans of destruction and mayhem surging up from below, and the other frantically building, rebuilding and pouring death from above onto the invading hoards.
Such fun.

To tell the truth, I didn't actually have a copy until recently. I had seen the earlier edition, thought it looked like an interesting piece of work, but hadn't picked it up, for unknown reasons. I was approached though, by a gamer of apparent fine taste (in games that is), who enquired as to whether I would pimp his copy out. I immediately thought this would be a great project and summarily agreed ... but to pimp out a board game, it really is a boon to actually have it before you. So, as it turned out, a copy of Stronghold 2nd Edition became a down payment.

I must say I am pretty pleased I was asked to take on this project, otherwise it may have been some time before I got to experience this fine title.

The basic game, in action.
Original game onager and siege tower tiles showing,

and the out-of-the-box wooden wall sections.

After pouring over the board (and having a game ...or 2) I started upon the sculpts ...and after an ahem, meagre, 60 plus hours or so, spread over a few weeks, the set was complete: 2 trebuchets (a sling-arm type catapult), 3 onagers (the classic spoon-arm type catapult), 3 ballistas (giant crossbows), 3 mantlets (movable walls providing cover for your troops), 3 siege towers (well, as you'd imagine), 9 cauldrons (for pouring scalding oils upon your enemies) and 23 wall sections had been created. All made in polymer clay; the occasional element of wire pinning was employed in a couple of the pieces, but overall, 100% coloured clay was used - no painting involved.
And I won't lie; I was pretty happy with the results...

Fresh new trebuchets.

The 2 trebs, along with 3 orcish onagers.

The beginnings.

Trebuchets under construction.

A bit of tricky pinning.

The 23 wall sections.

No 2 sections with the same stone layout.

The onagers.

Before starting the real pieces, a maquette would always be created first.

Carefully wound.

Onagers in progress.

Just the bases to go.

The three mantlets.

Great for cover from those deadly arrows
launched down over the battlements.

Mantlets underway.

A trio of ballistas.

Ready to launch their monstrous bolts.

A taste of things to come.

Ballistas under wraps ...settling dust is a menace.

The three siege towers.

It almost looks like chocolate ...mmmm.

Siege towers ... almost halfway to completion.

The deadly cauldrons...
Green for cookin' orcs,
White for boiling those pesky goblins,

and red, extra hot, for giving the trolls a taste of el fuego.

Cauldrons on the wall, ready to pour.

Certainly some very tricky sculpts...

...But I really enjoyed creating each and every piece.

I hope the new owner gets as much enjoyment out of using them,
as I did in creating them.

Come at me foul goblin!
Playing Stronghold 2nd Edition
-out of the box-
with my son :)

For those interested, more of my work in pimping board games can be seen on the pimp my Robinson Crusoe, and pimp my Mice and Mystics pages.

For anyone who wishes to, I can be reached regarding my sculpts via the 'contact form' above.

Note: My Stronghold sculpts are currently only on offer to residents of New Zealand - due to the value of the set and the pieces being considered artworks - there are too many hoops to have to jump through to send internationally. My apologies.

Happy gaming!
Cheers
Rom
:)