Welcome to my latest painting project – the Old Dominion from Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings, reimagined in a grimdark style . This army was a great opportunity to push texture, mood, and weathering to the forefront, and I leaned heavily into that gritty, decayed aesthetic throughout the entire process. The models were painted to a Tabletop Plus level – a quality level aimed at looking great on the gaming table, with clean details, strong contrast, and enough weathering and effects to make the army pop as a whole, while not pushing into ultra-fine display detail territory.

For those new to the hobby: tabletop miniature painting is the process of bringing plastic, resin, or metal models to life with colour, shading, and texture. These models are then used in tabletop wargames, where painted armies clash in narrative or competitive battles. Painting to a Tabletop Plus level means prioritising visual impact from a distance while still adding key highlights, shadows, and effects for up-close interest – the sweet spot between speed and visual payoff.

The project began with airbrush base layers to quickly lay down the foundational tones across the army. From there, I used a mix of true metallic metal (TMM) techniques for the bulk of the infantry – giving their armour a realistic, battle-worn sheen – and experimented with some non-metallic metal (NMM) on a few of the hero models for more painterly contrast and visual interest.

The colour scheme is built around old, dusty, ancient tones – with rust and verdigris effects playing a central vital role. For this, I used mixed oil paints, which offered a lot of flexibility and speed, perfect for working with large armies like the in this project. I complemented this with rust and moss weathering, using Dirty Down’s technical paints to give that extra layer of age and decay. These effects really helped bring the Old Dominion to life, grounding them in that haunting, forgotten-world feel.

To tie the bases visually into the models, I applied Brown Iron Oxide dry pigment. This not only gave the ground texture a rich, earthy finish, but also helped harmonise the colours between the figures and the terrain they stand on. The pigment added a subtle, dusty feel that fits the ruined, ancient vibe of the army perfectly.

In terms of basing and practicality for gaming, I magnetised all of the model bases and paired them with magnetised movement trays, reinforced with thin round steel sheets. This setup makes the army stable, secure, and very easy to transport and handle during games – especially useful for larger Conquest forces.

The following gallery shows a mix of unit shots and some close-ups, so you can get a feel for the army as a whole as well as the individual detailing and texturing work. I was toying with a though of making a one big shot of the whole army, but there was just too many models altogether to fit into one frame.

Hope you enjoy the photos – feel free to contact if you have any questions about the techniques or tools used!