Death Match Exuvium and Scabendi Gladiators

Having introduced the Death Match sci-fi gladiatorial game to you last time I'm going to take a closer look at the figures used with this game. I'm starting with two sets of alien gladiators - the Exuvium and the Scabendi, simply because these are the two races that come with the two-player starter set deal.

The Exuvium are large, six-limbed insectoids from the planet Ectos. They are a peaceful race, who do not seek conflict or conquest. They are noted eco-warriors, sustaining their environment and using resources at a minimum. They are ruled by a queen in hive colonies and they live in huge skyscraper-like spires made of secreted resin and connected by walkways. Females are considerably larger than the males and they do not participate in the gladiator games. Despite their pacifistic nature, they decided to take part in the gladiator games to show the other races their deadly fighting skills. As a result, they have never been raided. The queen chooses which adult males will fight in the games and a select few are granted the Mark of the Queen to fight in her name for the good of the planet. The Exuvium are masters of bio-engineering and can craft living weapons.

These three male Exuvium insectoids stand roughly 50mm tall and are moulded onto 40mm diameter bases. Their arms are separate components that must be glued in place. At the far left is a gladiator with the Mark of the Queen (note his spiked carapace). He is armed with a Battle-blade and a Battle-shield. In the centre, this Exuvium is armed with a Heavy Battle-blade, which is a two-handed weapon. At the far right, this gladiator is armed with an Insectoid Whip (may also be used as a lasso) and an Insectoid Axe, which is a living weapon. In Death Match, Exuvium have the fewest hit points of any race - just 9, but they do have natural armoured exoskeletons, which can absorb a fair amount of damage. Their racial special ability reflects this - they have an intrinsic defence value of <2 blocks="">2 blocks. Also, in combat, they may re-roll one attack die (unless it is a fail) but the second roll must be accepted, even if it is worse than the original roll.
Note that I painted them using Foundry Forest Green 26 mixed with a small amount of Gold to give their carapaces that slightly metallic colouring. They were given a Citadel Coelia Greenshade ink wash, then dry-brushed with successively lighter shades of Foundry Forest Green mixed with Citadel Liberator Gold. Their weapons were painted with Foundry Boneyard 9, the shield with Foundry Ochre 4 and the living axe head with Foundry Nipple Pink 16.

The Scabendi are a reptilian race from the jungle planet, Scorullia, where they live in large tree houses. An aggressive race, the Scabendi seek out combat whenever they can. From the moment they hatch they learn how to fight. Each conclave of Scabendi is ruled by the Leader of the Hunt, who may be male or female. This position is always hotly contested. The longest known Leader of the Hunt maintained his position for four years and fought off 72 challenges before finally losing. When they were first encountered by human explorers, it was wrongly assumed that there were two species of Scabendi living together. This was because male and female Scabendi look so different. Males have spiky protrusions around their necks and squat faces. Females have no protrusions, slender faces and a crest upon the top of their head. The games are seen as a rite of passage to all Scabendi. Humans are considered to be the blight of the universe and the Scabendi relish fighting them in the games. It was the humans' mistake to underestimate the Scabendi when they originally entered the arena. Because of this, the Scabendi will head directly towards a human if they enter the arena together. No other race has been foolish enough to underestimate them since.

The figures are the same height as the Exuvium (50mm tall) but are sculpted onto smaller, 25mm diameter bases. I think Dave just likes sculpting tall figures! 😀 As with the Exuvium, these came with separate weapons and it is worth mentioning that both races have separate weapon packs, allowing you greater customisation for their choice of weapons. At the far left is a male Scabendi in Heavy Armour. He is armed with a Laser-blade and a Punch Pistol (may only fire once per round). The male gladiator in the centre is armed with a Heavy Battle-blade that looks a bit like a Klingon Bat'leth. The Scabendi at the far right is a female armed with a trident. The Scabendi have a decent amount of hit points - 12, which is the same as a human's. Their special ability is when making an action roll or a dodge roll, any stars rolled may be added to the total.
My colour schemes are similar to what Dave used but not an exact copy. The skin colours are almost identical but I have only painted the male heads red and not their upper bodies as well. Also, my armoured gladiator has Foundry Vivid Blue 22 armour instead of yellow armour, which I thought was too bright. Their blue skin is Foundry Sky Blue 21A with a Citadel Drakenhof Nightshade ink wash. The female head was painted with Foundry Yellow 2 and the male heads with Foundry Scarlet 38.
Next up will be the Ceratids and the humans.