I’ve had the itch to start a Soulblight Gravelords army for ages (honestly), and it turns out the undead are very patient. While I’m more of a painter than a player, this time I’m looking to change that. My goal is to raise not just beautifully (hopefully) painted miniatures from the dead, but also my gaming skills. From Grave to Glory, this series will follow my journey from the humble beginnings of a Spearhead box to a fully fledged Soulblight force, and maybe even a few victories along the way (I can dream).

I’ve decided to start with the older Soulblight Gravelords Spearhead box. Yes, the one that’s vanished from the Games Workshop store like a vampire at dawn but still lurks on various third-party sites. I chose it over the newer box because, quite simply, it offers more bite for your buck.

Here’s what’s inside:

• 1x Vampire Lord
• 20x Deathrattle Skeletons – The backbone (literally) of the force.
• 5x Blood Knights
• 3x Vargheists

Theme: “Death’s Season”

This army will be steeped in the decay of autumn, when the leaves fall, and the dead rise. Think dusty orange-browns for cloaks, dark mouldy green for armour, sickly yellows for banners, and green magical glow effects. The bases will be littered with autumnal detritus: leaves, browns, ochres, and just a touch of rot.

Bits & Bones

I’ve not actually got had the opportunity to paint minis yet, but I’ve used dreaded AI to come up with a few possible themes that may work.

The one that really caught my eye, but perhaps with more a green tint to the armour.

The tunic is a 1:1 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Wild Rider Red, aiming for a worn, autumnal orange-brown. The armour started with Castellan Green and was drybrushed with Runelord Brass to give it a weathered, aged-metal look. The banner is a 50/50 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Fire Dragon Bright. I’ll be adding a design and some glow effects to the eyes next. All the wood and leather were done in Rhinox Hide for that deep, earthy tone. I hope this all comes together for a rich, autumn-season vibe. Though I think the tunic could be a little darker.

Next Steps:

Over the next month, my plan is:

• Paint the entire Spearhead to tabletop standard (or better, depending on how much the vampires drain me).
• Get some games in, hopefully with actual living opponents.
• Reflect on gameplay and look at which models (or playstyles) I might want to expand into as I build towards a 1,000-point list.

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