It’s now an annual tradition on Warhammer+ for the Battle Report crew to get together for a special, one-off game with a festive twist. This time around, Da Red Gobbo and his most favourite Squigs, Gnasha, Stompa, and Sniffa, are invading a mansion in Hammerhal on Squigmas Eve to steal all the presents. Gaming Presenter Nick caught up with Warhammer+ Army Painters Andy and James to tell us how this most epic adventure came about.
Nick: We love the holiday period here on Battle Report as it’s our chance to really go to town and do something crazy. When we heard Da Red Gobbo and Grotmas Gitz were comin’ to town, we knew we had to do a showdown between them. The idea was simple; a game of Warhammer Quest set in a huge mansion in Hammerhal in the dead of night on Squigmas Eve. Da Red Gobbo and his Squigs were to be the heroes, and a host of horrible festive gitz to be the hostiles.
Andy: First, we decided upon a map layout for the game. We took reference from Cursed City here and found a layout that worked called the Alleyways. We then went about translating that map into a mansion in Hammerhal, with all the rooms you might expect to see, like a kitchen, study, dining room, hallway, and the like. We searched through the range of Warhammer Age of Sigmar miniatures and found loads of great bits to help us decide which rooms to include. For example, the Celestial Hurricanum formed the basis of the Observatory, and suits of armour and weapons to form the armoury!
James: As we designed it, we needed to keep two things in mind. First, it was a game board to play Warhammer Quest on, so the floor had to have squares clearly marked on it, which led to some really interesting ways of forming flooring based on references from real mansions. Second, we wanted to make sure we really defined this as a house, and not just the map of one, so we built up the walls of the house and rooms to give it a three-dimensional look.
Andy: The walls, tiles, and furniture were all built using expanded PVC – a craft material that is really easy to use and shape, but also holds up to being used for gaming too. The mansion map board was created over about a month here in the Warhammer Community office, with loads of people coming over and taking a look as we created new bits for it!
Some of my favourite pieces involved using Warhammer Age of Sigmar components to really tie it into the universe, such as the backs of the dining chairs – they are made from helmets of Freeguild Cavaliers. The pots in the pantry are made from various weapons, and the telescope in the study, as we’ve touched upon, is from the Hurricanum.
James: The game required a host of festive meanies to form the Grotmas Gitz gang, which meant I got to really flex my imagination. I knew we needed loads of Squigs, but I wanted the “hero” squigs Gnasha, Sniffa, and Stompa to be distinct from the evil ones, so they were made with the Squig Hopperz kit, while the evil pets were made from the Sneaky Snufflers.
James: I wanted there to be evil grots in there too, so I thought – what would an evil festive grot do? Well… deliver coal, of course! So I took the handlers from the Sneaky Snufflers kit, fashioned sacks and festive hats from modelling putty and the Coal Grots were born!
James: Nick asked us for some Festive Critters too, and well… we just let our imaginations go wild. What magical, evil festive creatures could we come up with? This is our third festive game on Battle Report, so I’ve become quite practised at making presents and Santa hats on models, so we started there. We have presents coming alive, evil gifts bursting from their boxes, the snowman has also come to life, as has the Squigmas tree, and a whole host of things you might find around the house in the dead of night!
James: When it came to painting everything, we knew we wanted it all to be bright and very festive, so I used Contrast paints, followed by highlights when needed, on everything, which really made everything just so bright and magical.
Andy: It was such good fun to really let loose on such an out-of-the-box project, I really enjoyed it!
James: Warhammer can be just so fun when you let your imagination go crazy, and this board and these miniatures really let us do that. Same again next year then!
Nick: With the board and miniatures complete, we asked John in the Warhammer Design Studio to write us some custom rules, and he went to town – thank you, John! We had an absolute blast playing this game, and if you fancy playing it yourself, well, you can! Download the Warhammer Quest scenario “A Most Un-Silent Night” below to play at home. Happy holidays, everyone!
But that’s not all from Warhammer+ this week as we give you a whole host of festive goodies to fill your stocking. Join Alex on Loremasters as he takes a deep dive into the history of Da Red Gobbo, from his revolutionary origins to his more recent festive adventures. It’s the perfect thing to listen to while you’re painting up Da Red Gobbo’s Surprise!
If you’re painting Grotsmas Gitz this holiday period, why not catch up with Ed on Citadel Colour Masterclass with his guide on painting Squigs? Just make sure you bring your Large Squig Brush and your pot of Squig Orange!
Thanks guys! To catch up on all the holiday goings-on on Warhammer+, subscribe today!
