Sunday 6 September 2015

Rum and Bones - What I Got

There are days in a gamer's life that stand out as being truly memorable. For me, such days usually involve the arrival of a big parcel. Earlier this year (in March, in fact), I received my Kickstarter parcel of Zombicide Season 3 goodies (see here ). That was truly a red letter day. A few days ago I had another very special day when this huge box to the left of here arrived. The fact that it has "Rum & Bones - KS" printed on one side was a massive give away to what lay inside. It was my Kickstarter parcel for the Rum & Bones board-game. I backed this project in December of 2014 and have been waiting patiently for it to arrive ever since. To give you some idea of how big that box is, I placed a 12" ruler alongside it. The box was huge... and heavy! I couldn't wait to open it up and see what was inside, even though I knew what to expect. It is one thing to see a product on screen but quite different to see it in the flesh.
I had cleared my dining room table to give me plenty of space to lay out everything from inside the big box and it was just as well I had, as the table was covered with boxes and packages. This photo to the right shows everything I ordered and I just about ordered everything that was available for the game. The only items I missed out on were a few of the different coloured dice sets, but I didn't feel the need for lots more dice, so that was no big deal. Standing at the top of this photo is the main boxed set flanked on either side by the two expansion sets - Mazu's Dreadful Curse and La Brise Sanguine.
Rum & Bones involves a sea battle between a group of undead pirates known as the Bone Devils and a group of human pirates known as the Wellsport Brotherhood. The base set comes with two game boards showing a large galleon for each side along with 35mm scale figures of 5 heroes, 6 bosuns and 24 deckhands per side, plus cards, counters and full-colour rulebook. The photo to the left shows two boxes containing three figures of extra heroes for each of the Bone Devils and the Wellsport Brotherhood. The hero figures are colour-coded according to their role in the game - Brute (green), Captain (white), Gunner (purple), Quartermaster (red) or Swashbuckler (yellow). These roles confer differing abilities and special rules.
To the right of here are four small boxes, each containing figures of three heroes. Two of the boxes contain Mercenary heroes. Mercenaries can be hired by any of the four factions in the game. The other two boxes contain extra heroes for La Brise Sanguine (translation - the Bloody Breeze), a group of French pirates, and for Mazu's Dreadful Curse, a group of Chinese pirates. La Brise Sanguine pirates use two mid-sized galleons instead of the larger galleons used by the two main factions. However, the pirates of Mazu's Dreadful Curse use a trio of small junks for their raids on the other factions. Full rules, crew figures, cards, counters plus the game boards of their vessels are provided in the big expansion boxes for the two new factions.
To the left of here are three more boxes of Mercenary figures. The upper two contain five figures each and the one at centre right has three figures. Note that the Helrokkers are a Mercenary group of four musicians plus their manager. They are my least favourite set of figures but I still wanted them anyway. The box at centre left contains a figure of a Sea Dragon rising from the sea and nine tentacles that belong to the deadly Kraken. These two monsters  are a constant threat to all factions that can appear in the game at almost any time. At the bottom of the photo, from left to right, are a deck of cards to be used by a Mercenary faction, a set of 50 plastic gold coins to be used instead of, or as well as, the card coins that come with the basic set, and finally, a figure of Madeline Tyler, a Brute belonging to La Brise Sanguine, plus her ID card.
In the photo to the right of here are two more boxes of five Mercenary figures each. The top one is labelled Luck Goddesses and as their name suggests, they are all females. The idea of an all female pirate crew certainly appeals to me. The other Mercenary set are the Skull Kickers. They are a mixed sex group of adventurers from an action/comedy comic series produced by Image Comics. I'd never heard of them before but they look rather cool, so I ordered them. Below the two boxed sets are a figure of Nemo the Lost, a Quartermaster belonging to Mazu's Dreadful Curse, along with his ID card, a set of six black dice (to go with the eight black dice that come with the basic set), and finally, a pair of deck guns.

I'm sure you'll all agree that is quite a haul of treasure and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to play a few games. I'd love to be able to say that I'll be painting the figures very soon but sadly they must join a rather long queue of unpainted figures. They will get painted eventually, but don't ask me when. The fact that the figures in these sets are 35mm scale may put some of you off but for me size doesn't matter as I can't envisage myself using these figures in any other game. For many, many years I have wanted to own a set of pirate figures to use in a skirmish game. Rum & Bones satisfies that desire admirably and I know that I'll get many years of enjoyment from this swashbuckling game.

24 comments:

  1. What a cracking haul, me ole shipmate. Aye there be plenty of shine within that there treasure chest. I'll be a keepin' an eye out for that Kraken of yours, and prayin' to Davy Jones that it'll not be too long 'fore his tentacles grace yer tabletop. Arhhh...

    Ahem. Wonderful stuff Bryan, and I was equally as in awe of mine. I may well bump a couple of the figures up my painting queue, just to see how they paint, so I'll let you know how I get on - certainly I fancy the sea monster as that has loads of possibilities for many a game. I just need to make sure I don;t muck up the game by basing them inappropriately.

    Many thanks for recommending this KS to me, my friend, though it would have been nice if you;d contributed to the final bill ;-) Hopefully you'll be buying plenty of tpb's so I can have my revenge. Avast ye landlubber :-)

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    1. Thankee kindly, good sir! It certainly was a cracking haul. I'll be playing Rum & Bones very soon, albeit (horror of horrors) with unpainted figures. I will, of course, let you know how I get on.

      There really are some fantastically sculpted figures in this set. I just know I'm going to enjoy painting them so much. Want to take a guess who my favourite figure is? It should be pretty obvious if you know me well. It is, of course, Captain Dracula for the Bone Devils. I can guarantee that he and his crew will be the first to get painted.

      I look forward to seeing your own take on both the game and the painting of the figures. Once again, apologies for "forcing" you to spend so much, but yes, I do plan on buying quite a few TPBs purely based upon your reviews and recommendations.
      Avast, me hearty! :-)

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    1. It most certainly was, Bob. Days like this stay long in the memory.

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  3. Wow Bryan, today you must be over the moon with happiness and delight. I`m glad for you mate. Enjoy and savour every moment.

    For me, Rum and Bones simply.... isn`t my thing. I do very much like the idea of pirates and stuff, but I think I`d be looking much more for a game that could recreate Robert Louis Stevenson`s Treasure Island or Kidnapped... or even a Poldark (Cornwall`s Nampara Cove) style smugglers and cut-throats type game. But I would parrot a classic quote from one of my all time favourite films of old (A Breed Apart) “I, personally, do not understand your fascination with mountaineering. To me a similar thrill comes in the form of attaining (bird) eggs... precious and rare, to add to my very unique and fine collection. Yet, I would defend, unto death itself, your right to pursue your hobby to the fullest extent of your measure.”

    Looks amazing Bryan, and I can well understand how euphoric you must feel right now. I know I would be, if it were... say... everything from Last Night on Earth (all the stuff I haven’t got for that game, and all arrived in one go: mmmm lovely). So woooohoooo Christmas has come early for you my friend. Enjoy every moment.

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    1. Many, many thanks, Steve. Yes, I am in a state of euphoria. I love my treasure chest of goodies.

      I hear what you're saying about Rum & Bones not being your thing and that's fine. Believe me, I have looked long and hard for a decent set of pirate skirmish rules and figures. When Rum & Bones was launched last December I knew my search was over. It had everything I wanted from a pirate game. Not only did it have traditional human pirates but also an undead faction. As a fan of all things undead and the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film (I do not rate the sequels), this was a very important factor for me. Now it would be nice to have 3D models of the galleons but they would take up a lot of storage space, so I was more than happy to make do with a board-game instead. Everything I need to play fits in one handy-sized box. You mention "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" and "Poldark", all books that I love. It would be nice to recreate the stories from those classics but it is not such a high priority for me. With the four factions from the game (five, if you count the Mercenaries as a separate faction) then I have enough to satisfy my gaming needs for many a year.

      Sigh! Why did you have to mention "Last night on Earth"? To my eternal shame I have yet to play it, despite owning it and a lot of its expansion sets for many years now. That said, I am still missing three of the big box expansion sets so I can understand your desire for wanting everything in one go. I hope your dream comes true. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy my early birthday and Christmas present from myself.

      All the best, mate.

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  4. I`m so sorry Bryan, *sighs* I know I know, I did it to myself too. LNoE is a simply fantastic game which, sadly, got swept away by the irresistible tide of the Zombicide Zompocalypse. Pushed to one side and forgotten; which truly is a terrible shame, as it is without doubt one of the most thematic and exciting zombie games out there on the market at present.

    Talking about it just now, to you, reminded me that I have it, that I love it... that it still sits uncared for on the shelf and NEEDS to come out and be enjoyed. But most of all... I reminded myself that there is still a ton of stuff for this game that I need to purchase.

    Oh Woe is meeeeeeee!!!!



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    1. I think we can both agree, Steve, that "Last Night on Earth" needs more love and attention. I'm going to make it happen. For sure, I have new stuff like Castle Ravenloft and Rum & Bones, plus older games that I have played but LNOE needs to be played. You are so right - it NEEDS to come out and be enjoyed. Let's do it!

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  5. I hope it lives up to your expectations and you get many many games from it..

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    1. Clint, I can tell you in all honesty that it has met my expectations... and more.

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  6. Wow, that is a *lot* of stuff! I really hope that the game lives up to your expectations - though I suppose that the miniatures could always be used for a different purpose if the rules don't work well.

    Hmm, the figures would doubtless look better when painted, but I know all too well what a long painting queue is like! It's odd that some of us (me, for one) wouldn't dream of playing a *tabletop* game with unpainted models but somehow it's OK if it's a *board* game. I've never even considered painting the models in my Axis & Allies or Risk sets...

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    1. Oh, I totally agree, Hugh. I have always had an aversion to playing ANY game with unpainted figures. But, with so many unpainted figures in my collection, it feels like such a waste to wait until I paint enough figures to play the game. Yes, it is just a board game so that doesn't matter quite as much as if it were a proper skirmish game. I think in this instance, it is better to play the game and see how it works with unpainted minis as soon as possible. Otherwise the game will sit on my shelf for far too long and that just doesn't make sense.

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  7. That be a fine haul of booty Capt' Vampi, enough to sink a galleon methinks! Many years of pillaging to be sure. Now you just need a parrot and a wooden leg. Aaarrrgggghhhhh!

    Have fun Dude!

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    1. Ha, ha, many thanks, Bob. Captain Vampi surely appreciates your comment.

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  8. Best you get painting old son !!!!

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  9. Quote: {{it NEEDS to come out and be enjoyed. Let's do it!}}

    ROCK ON Bro!!!!!!

    Though R&B is a game I wont be buying for myself, I`m still r-e-a-l-l-y looking forward to reading your thoughts on game, batreps, and enjoying the photos of your minis.

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    1. I'll be more than happy to oblige on both counts, Steve. You'd think that Rum & Bones would jump to the front of my queue of games to be played but it won't. The reason why not is that I need to order a storage box to keep the counters and dice in. Until that arrives I won't be playing it. So what will I playing in the meantime? Well, there's a pesky vampire terrorising the good folk of Barovia who needs dealing with. I'm off to Castle Ravenloft.

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  10. WOooohooooooo!!!!!!!! yeah yeah yeah Go Sir Bryan Go Go GO!!!!!!

    Interestinbgly, me too.... I`m off to Castle Ravenloft (with all games combined) on an uber hunt to go stake me some vampires as well. If I can live long enough to delve that deep of course, and if I can find the lair. I`m taking a pretty motely crew into the deeps with me, so fingers crossed, we should swiftly get some kind of a result. I`ve promised the gang a %25 equal cut of all treasure found, so if we can all get out alive, and I can only bring fresh news and perhaps some solid evidence that Strahd has indeed returned to trouble the unhappy world.... I will bring this information to the Most Holy Reverand Mother at Red Larch: and I will thus consider my current arduous task to have been a success (my cut of any treasure taken out of that unholy hell hole will, of course, be placed on The Amber Altar as an offering to the coffers of my Holy Order).

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    1. Now that sounds like my kind of quest, good sir! I wish I could join you on your mighty venture. Perhaps an assault on Strahd's lair from two directions at once might weaken his defences enough for both of us to succeed. To arms, my friend, and may your God bless you!

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    1. Axe High, or as Slaine the Barbarian would say, "kiss my axe!"

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