Thursday 11 May 2017

Rum and Bones - Bone Devils Heroes

Last month I finally got round to painting the first of my Rum and Bones 35mm scale figures. I chose the two sets of Heroes from the original boxed game - The Bone Devils and the Wellsport Brotherhood. I'm highlighting the Bone Devils in this post and I'll showcase the Wellsport Brotherhood next post. The Bone Devils are the undead faction and are, without doubt, my favourite faction.
The Bone Devils are an accursed lot. In life they committed crimes so horrible that even Davy Jones wouldn't have them in the Locker. But rather than bemoan their fate, Captain Albrecht and his fellow undead pirate lords are doing one better: now that Jones has gone down to meet Old Scratch, they're gonna take his treasure, claim his power, and expel everyone from the Locker! Death among sailors will be a thing of the past, and they'll be forever free to comb the waves in search of plunder!
From left to right are the Bone Devils "A Team" starting with Captain Albrecht the Thrice Damned. It is said that even the Devil wouldn't cross him. Next up is Brute Little Tom the Undead Juggernaut. Note that Little Tom is the midget in the stomach cavity of the giant skeleton he controls. Little Tom has no legs! In the centre is Gunner Ghost-eye Gunther the Witchlock Duellist. He was a German pirate who was killed by a lightning strike before he was raised by Captain Albrecht. Next in line is Quartermaster Patchwork Porter the Soul of the Ship. He is a sea creature who regularly misplaces stuff. Finally, is Swashbuckler The Spectre aka the Avatar of the Reaper. He is bound to Captain Albrecht by an unholy pact of revenge against Davy Jones for slights both real and imagined.
These next five Heroes were all stretch goals offered in the initial Rum and Bones Kickstarter project. At the far left is Captain Dracula the Prince of Darkness. A long-time associate of Captain Albrecht's, he was intrigued to learn of the troubles in the Locker and the appearance of Davy Jones's treasure in the living world. Since then he has taken up service with the Bone Devils and often commands his own ship and crew. To his right is Brute Eric the Dead, a Cursed Norseman. One of the most famous Viking sailors from out of time, Eric the Dead (as he is now called) is one of the most feared Bone Devils afloat.
In the centre of this group is Gunner Mr. Smith the Dark Manipulator. He's no captain but rumour has it that his crimes rival those of Captain Albrecht himself. The two of them have a chilly accord built around them, which makes the crew wonder just how they knew each other. Mr. Smith's distinctly German accent is a near match for Captain Albrecht's, which stokes speculation. Next in line is Quartermaster Daedalus the Soul Herald. He was once a disciple of the Ferryman himself, and would light the way to the river Styx for souls lost in Limbo. But the Ferryman is a stingy boss, and Captain Albrecht offers far better pay. Lastly, is Swashbuckler Renfield the Blood-crazed. A long-time disciple of captain Dracula's, Renfield is incurably insane. Most recently, he has decided he is also a vampire.
I absolutely love these figures and this game. For a very long time I have had a hankering for playing a pirate skirmish game. There are numerous rules sets to choose from but none appealed to me as much as Rum and Bones did. It ticked all the boxes I was looking for and it is now one of my top ten favourite games. These figures are a lot taller than most pirate miniatures available on the market but I don't mind that at all. I will only be using these figures in Rum and Bones, so won't be mixing any of them with my other figure ranges. They are exquisitely sculpted, with a certain cartoon-like quality to them, which I find so endearing. They were an absolute joy to paint. Note that I painted their bases to match the planking of their ship. I deliberately left the sides of the bases unpainted so that I could readily match their plastic colouring with their respective crew position - white for Captains, green for Brutes, purple for Gunners, orange for Quartermasters and yellow for Swashbucklers.

15 comments:

  1. Very nice Bryan, was wondering about the edges of the bases, but makes sense now. Great work as always

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    1. Thanks, Dave. Leaving the edges of the bases unpainted helps identify the role each character is meant to be. The planking on the bases will be painted different colours to help distinguish one faction from another.

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  2. Glad you explained the bases I was wondering. Nothing wrong with the figures at all. Not sure it is my cup of tea though I will need to look into it further. I am told it plays well so that is always a good thing.

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    1. Cheers, Clint. I know this game and these figures won't be to everyone's liking. All I can say is that I am very impressed with the figures and the rules are simple and fun.

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    2. Sorry to hijack your thread Bryan, just need to thank Clint for his help getting me back in touch with one of my trade accounts. Tried sending you an email direct Clint but may have ended up in your spam box. Drop me an email back with your address as I have a thank you for you

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  3. Great stuff Bryan and a posting I've long been waiting for. Nice and colourful painting, just as pirates should be imho. S'funny you liking the Undead faction the most ;-)

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    1. Many thanks, Simon. I'm really glad you liked my painting of these fun miniatures. Yes, who'd have imagined someone whose blog is called "Vampifan's World of the Undead" would like the undead pirate faction the most? LOL!

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  4. A good looking game, I'll be interested in reading your first batrep ;-P

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    1. Thanks, Andy. A batrep is high on my "to do" list. :-)

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  5. The figures looked lovely unpainted, they look even better now.

    Great stuff, cheers Roger.

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    1. You're so right, Roger. A lick of paint sure does transform a figure and can elevate it to a new level.

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  6. Fab looking undead pirates. Especially love little Tom very clever sculpts and beautifully painted and brought to life by your good self.

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    1. Much appreciated, Simon. They are great sculpts and they were a labour of love to paint.

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