Chicago Skirmish Wargames

One of the things I was able to pick up at Adepticon was this laser cut dice tower made by Ironheart Artisans.  It is a wooden reproduction of a fifth century original made of copper alloy sheet.  From my limited reading on the topic, the original is the most complete of a very few roman era dice towers that have been found.  It has its own wikipedia article, if you want to read a little more about the original.

I started the paint job with a base coat of silver mottled with black, white, and raw umber.

Next was a wash of dark blue-brown ink, then I dry brushed a little copper in places.  This was finished off with a few coats of gloss varnish and the bells that are provided in the kit.

Ironheart Artisans reproduced the hand cut and slightly battered edges, decoration, and text that appear on the original.  There are also pine cones at the top, dolphins at the bottom, and other details etched into the tower.  It even comes with real bells to attach at the opening on the bottom, for the dice to hit on their way out.

There is also a removable tray to catch the dice.  As the kit comes, this tray fits perfectly into place around the Dolphins.  I sanded it down a little to give room for the layers of paint and varnish.