Animal Adventures -
I’ve recently discovered these adorable Animal Adventures minifigures from Steamforged Games. I’ve been slowly acquiring them and the TTRPG game modules over the past few months because they are so incredibly cute! I’ve been looking forward to painting these models up and play the game modules using Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition (pre-2024 update). You don’t need the models to play the game, but I’ve been enjoying painting mini’s for my board games and wanted to continue the hobby.
These are the sets I’ve collected so far:
Secrets of Gullet Cove sourcebook
Free RPG day adventure of the Faraway Sea
Several of the free modules, sourcebooks and nearly everything that you would need to play the game is listed on their website which you can find here: https://steamforged.com/collections/animal-adventures-free-resource-vault (not sponsored, just enjoy the products so far!)
Cats & Catacombs: Questing Tooth & Claw Kickstarter figure set
Dungeons & Doggies: Adventurers Unleashed Kickstarter figure set
Dogs of the Faraway Sea figure set
Secrets of Gullet Cove Kickstarter figure sets
One set with the wereshark and goblin-esque creatures
One Kickstarter set that also included the incredibly hard to get a hold of Queenie and Warden of the Golden Collar!
Mutt & Bailey and the Golden Crab figure set
Mutt & Bailey, original Kickstarter version / add on
I’m super excited to have even found the exclusive Warden of the Golden Collar and Queenie Kickstarter Exclusive minifigures! I was hunting the main sites and eBay for the longest time until I found a bundle of a bunch of the Secrets of Gullet Cove figures and the sourcebook that I was looking for anyways. I feel so lucky to have stumbled across it!
I’m still looking for the Faraway Sea minifigure sets, sourcebook and the Dungeons & Doggies: Volume 3. So not too much more to find and all in due time. 😉 I believe these sets were originally released in 2022, so I’ve mostly been looking around on eBay for them.
It’s a game that’s originally meant for younger players that are new to the world of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPG’s) such as Dungeons & Dragons which is totally awesome!
All of the Animal Adventure model kits I have so far. Still missing quite a few!
First steps: Basing the Minifigures
I loved the designs, but not their incredibly blank bases. They needed more personality, some pizazz! Also, a little environmental context for each character that would add to the story they’re trying to tell.
This is my first time basing minifigures, so I didn’t want to remove them from the bases that they were attached to. Because of that, I had to come up with some solutions where I could work something around the incredibly small figures… Did I mention that these figures are to scale so that you can incorporate them into ANY Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinders, etc. campaign module?! You don’t notice how small a cat or dog is in comparison in those games until you’ve seen these guys!
I found the best two solutions for this project to be a textured mixture of Elmer’s glue (clear), baking soda and aquarium sand. To be honest, for the more sandy or watery looking bases, I used only Elmer’s glue and baking soda. I tried to work in some wall spackle, but the little bit I had leftover from my last project had already hardened up into a brick. I’m pretty sure it would’ve made for some epic waves for some of the bases, but c’est la vie.
To be honest, I’m pleasantly surprised with the results so far! Each one may look similar because of the unpainted state they are in right now, but I’ve been able to get a wide range of environments started with just texture alone. So far, there’s meadows, hillsides, deserts, snow and ice, snow, snow and mountains, stony rocks and even the minions appear to be more dungeon-y with dirt, dust and either tile or planks. At one point, I even used an old tissue box cardboard piece, cut it up and glued it to the base to create the broken tile / wooden plank look.
I don’t know how well these will hold up over time, but I’m pretty happy with the results right now.
Some of the models before I’ve applied any kind of basing mixture to them.
Another group shot before basing and priming
Based and ready to be primed!
About a third of the minis are all based and ready to go for priming! There’s some meadows, some sandy beaches, some dungeon floors and of course some snowy terrain. And some Flamecraft models are in the shot too, waiting to be primed!
Super proud with how the dungeon floor base came out with this rat enemy… I made the planks / stonework out of a cut up tissue box!
Snow cat is ready for that snowy adventure! I’ve forgotten the name and class of this lil adventurer, but I’ll update each one as I paint them.
If I remember correctly, this husky is Cassandra the Paladin. But I could be wrong! Either way, a husky had to go on top of the snowy terrain!
When basing the mini’s the main things I focus on is the story telling of the mini. What environment would this character be in? What helps to tell this character’s story and personality? What kind of monster or minion is it and what would they be protecting?
The next thing I focus on when actually basing is to remember that nature is organic and not always flat like a pancake. Sometimes, this is the case, but most of the time, I try to build up the mound or rocks on the base around the character to convey the hilltop, rocky mountain or piles of snow and ice. It can be tricky sometimes like with these figures when the characters come pre constructed and attached to the base.
My messy workstation with the baking soda and aquarium stone mixtures, the old paintbrush and of course Elmer’s Glue to hold it all together.
Unfortunately, there’s been a bit of a heat wave the past few weeks, and the rattle can primer I’ve got will only work in a max of 90F. I’m hoping that I can sneak in priming some of these guys in the early morning over the weekend, or in the evening after work. Crossing my fingers and toes!
As you can see below, I’ve finally finished applying the base texture to all of the minis I’ve acquired so far. A few Flamecraft models have snuck in as well, all queued up and waiting for that smooth coat of primer… Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
And it’s started to thunderstorm. Oh well~ The Animal Adventures minifigure saga continues!
All the minifigures ready to be primed! Took a while to apply texture to all the blank bases, but so fare it’s well worth it!
