Rum and Bones Wellsport Brotherhood Heroes

Last time I reviewed the Bone Devils undead faction of the Rum and Bones boardgame with miniatures. This time I'm highlighting the British pirate faction known as the Wellsport Brotherhood. Note that not all of the crew are British, but most are. Captain Pale and his Wellsport Brotherhood have sacked ports and ships from the Spanish Main to the far Mediterranean to the East Indies.They appear in an area, linger for a year, then vanish out into the blue. No one quite knows where "Wellsport" is, and none of the crews are talking. Theory has it that Wellsport captains can conjure their ship far across the waves to a magical island of piratical delights; ale, women (and men), song, and feasting... but it only works if you've got the coin. Either that or "Wellsport" is whatever local destination they've chosen as their home base. The magic one has a much better ring to it, eh?

The five Heroes shown directly above and below are part of the original boxed game. At the far left is Captain Daniel Pale the Bastard of Wellsport. He commands the Brotherhood with an iron fist and a velvet glove. He's tolerant of their excesses at port and utterly ruthless in his discipline at sea.
To his left is Brute "Stumper" Pete the Chief Wellsport Bosun. He earned his nickname "Stumper" in the Royal Navy after he lost his leg battling the Wellsport Brotherhood. He didn't take well to the constant jokes about his peg leg, so he deserted and sought down Captain Pale, who readily accepted him as a loyal crew member.

In the centre of the group is Gunner Blackout Bart the Drunken Marksman. He is another RN washout. Captain Pale recruited him when he witnessed Bart was just as accurate with his pistols and cannon when drunk as he was when sober. Alcohol has no affect on his aim!
Next in line is Quartermaster Margaret "Miss Mags" Hale the Wellsport Paymaster. She grew up as a seafarer and when she managed to find the semi-mythical island of Wellsport, Captain Pale recruited her on the spot. The two have an obvious affection for one another and as such she has become the de facto First Mate (and any new crewman making the obvious pun only does so once!).
Finally, is Swashbuckler "Mad Ivan" the Dervish of Wellsport. A former officer in the Bey of Algiers navy, Danar ibn Mohammed was forced to flee his post when the Captain-Bey was deposed in a bloody uprising. He soon found employment with Captain Pale and his crew. His nickname resulted from an encounter with Blackout Bart who, whilst drunk, slurred the name "ibn" into "Ivan" and the name stuck.

These five Heroes were all included as stretch goals during the initial Rum and Bones Kickstarter project. I start with Captain Anne Bonny the Ruthless Commander. By joining the Wellsport Brotherhood she was able to fulfil her lifelong dream - being able to command a ship of her own.
Next to her is Brute Baston the "Not So Noble". Twin brother to the French pirate Gaston Duchampe, Baston and his brother cut a dashing pair through the ranks at Parisian court. Where Gaston was lucky in love, Baston was lucky in cards (he was a brilliant cheat). Both brothers were forced to flee Paris by angry men for pursuing their wives and purses. Baston now travels with the Wellsport Brotherhood where his shocking talents with swords and cards earn him praise and renown.

In the centre of the group is Gunner Grace O'Malley the Sea Queen of Connaught. As a leading figure in the Irish resistance to English conquest in the late 1500's, it could be argued that she commanded the whole Irish naval forces at one time. Her skill with paired pistols is the wonder of Wellsport.
Second from the right is Quartermaster Theo the Terror of Nova. Theodore MacAdler was the bastard son of a long-dead captain's widow. He was press-ganged into the HMS Nova at age 17. He eventually jumped ship and found his freedom with the Wellsport Brotherhood.
Last in line is Swashbuckler Slevin the Lucky. Quick with a smile smile or joke, "Lucky" Slevin is renowned for his sunny disposition and brilliant swordsmanship. He's a welcome addition to the Wellsport Brotherhood and a boon to any ship as his luck seems to rub off on anyone he spends time around.
I like this faction very much. I think the three female pirates are just terrific. I love the idea of running an all-female pirate crew. The Wellsport Brotherhood are well matched against the Bone Devils. In the four games that I have played with these two factions, both sides have won twice and lost twice. I have yet to try them out using the new rules from Second Tide. So a rematch is definitely on the cards. I do plan on showcasing the game with a batrep in the near future, so most likely I'll use these two factions for it.

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.

Vampifan's Views 90 - Monthly Musings 64

This month's Vampirella illustration was drawn by comics artist, Jae Lee, and shows Vampirella with Dracula and two of his concubines. Vampirella is not actually present in the room - that is just an image of her that Dracula has conjured, which is why her head is slightly translucent.

Well, once again, I have had an incredibly busy month. I have finished painting the heroes from the first two factions for my Rum and Bones game - the undead Bone Devils and the English pirates, the Wellsport Brotherhood. I hope to review them soon. They were a lot of fun to paint and very different from what I normally paint.

I've been buying some more figures for Shadows of Brimstone - heroes and monsters and I have a bunch of them on my painting desk right now. With me concentrating so heavily on my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign, Shadows of Brimstone has taken a back seat for the moment but it is not totally forgotten about.

Speaking of JDMG, I have finally managed to buy all of the figures for this range that Warlord Games had on general sale. eBay has been a huge help, and I certainly haven't paid over the odds for any of the figures I have bought from there. Indeed, many of them were cheaper than Warlord Games' recommended retail prices. The last set that completed my collection was the boxed set of 5 Judda, which I got for under £20, making it much cheaper than the RRP. It feels really amazing to have such a complete collection. Coupled with my already existing huge collection of sci-fi figures, the sky is the limit for what I can do in my JDMG campaign. A new batrep is in the offing, which will see the introduction of a new member to Judge Scott's team - PSI Judge Justine Devereux. I have had a few requests to add a female PSI Judge to the team, so I hope she'll prove a worthy asset. Judge Scott will be assessing her performance.

One game in particular has really captured my imagination this past month and that is N.E.W. the sci-fi role-playing game by EN Publishing that uses the What's Old Is New rules. I bought it mainly to check out the rules prior to the launch of the Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 AD Tabletop Adventure Game. But I became so enamoured with N.E.W. that I have decided to start a new sci-fi campaign using many of the player characters from my old and very long-running Space Opera campaign. I have converted the stats for the all female crew of the scout-ship The Ace of Spades and also created some new ones. I have charted out the star system the game will start off in - it's centred around our planet Earth. What I particularly love about this game is that it shares the complexity of GURPS but the rules are much more simplified. It very much focuses on character development, giving each PC a living story that makes them jump off the page. These heroes are far more than a set of numbers and stats. They live, they breathe and they have backstories. I love it! Indeed, I can foresee WOIN becoming my all time favourite role playing game and my "go to" set of rules for any RPG campaign I run in the future.

The game has also had me doing two things I never thought would happen to me. First up, I have actually sculpted some new 28mm scale figures this month. Unbelievable! I thought my sculpting days were long gone, but sometimes you need a certain figure that no-one else sells. Sure, I still do lots of converting, but that is not the same as sculpting a figure from scratch. The figures are finished but not yet painted. I'll review them later.
Secondly, I have started collecting miniature starships to use in small scale ship to ship combats. I have started with the excellent, and very cheap, set of 12 plastic starships sold by EM4 Miniatures. Twelve ships for just £2.55 seemed like a great place to start, and best of all, they're all different. That's them to the right, and I've circled the ship I'm using for The Ace of Spades in red.
For those of you wondering (Simon, I'm particularly thinking of you!) I do not plan on collecting any Star Trek ships, or any Star Wars ships, or rules sets for either franchise. The ship to ship combat rules in N.E.W. are simple enough for my needs and what I especially like about them is that most PCs on a ship has a role to play in the combat.

However, I did succumb to a new Kickstarter that opened earlier this month - Stars Reach pewter starship miniatures by Twilight Game Designs. Here's the link to it -  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twilightgamedesigns/stars-reach-space-ship-miniatures/description The ships in all three factions, but in particular, the Human Commonwealth ships, greatly appeal to me and fit in well with my plans for my N.E.W. campaign. Check out the pictures below if you don't want to click on the link.

An unexpected bonus for backing this Kickstarter is that Ed, from Two Hours Wargames, is offering a free PDF of the 5150: Star Navy rules to anyone who makes a pledge for all three factions. I did and Ed has already honoured his promise. THW is one of four companies actively supporting this project, although the factions will be renamed for use in 5150. I will actually be renaming the factions for my own upcoming campaign.
I have never played any starship combat games before, so this is something I am very much looking forward to but I suspect in my N.E.W. campaign The Ace of Spades will do more running and hiding than actual fighting. That said, for its size, it is well armed, well armoured and has a cloaking device fitted, which will prove extremely useful in keeping it hidden.
I suspect that May is going to be an even busier month for me. I hope so because I'm feeling incredibly well right now. If I could bottle my mojo I'd make a fortune! Thanks for reading and take care.

Vampifan's Views 89 - Monthly Musings 63

I start off this month's musings post with the cover of Vampirella magazine #1 published in September 1969. I have shown this illustration, painted by Frank Frazetta, on my blog before but without the writing. The reason why I am showing this picture again is because of a new Kickstarter project I'm backing. It is called Frazetta Miniatures by Killbox Games and you can check it out here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/killboxgames/frazetta-miniatures
There is a very obvious reason why I am backing this Kickstarter - Vampirella. One of the three 35mm scale miniatures they are producing as starter sets is The Vampire Queen, which is based on this painting by Frank. The figure comes in three versions. The cheapest version is the Portrait Edition version of Vampirella, a resin cast figure on a 50mm diameter base. This version costs $7.50. I am buying this version to use the figure in upcoming games and batreps, although I'll probably glue her to a smaller diameter base. Check her out in this picture below.

Next up is the Vignette Edition version, which is the same resin cast figure but mounted on a custom scenic base. This figure and base costs $15.00.  I have ordered one of these, just to use a display piece to keep on my painting desk.

The third and most expensive version is the Gallery Edition version, which is made of high quality pewter and comes with a polished finish, soldered, fully assembled and with a Certificate of Authenticity. It is a beautiful figure but I won't be buying her. This version costs $45.00.

Other figures based on paintings by Frank Frazetta are available. I may get the Werewolf and Death Dealer but I'm undecided at the moment. What does excite me greatly is the Vampirella figure, which I believe to be the finest sculpted miniature figure of her. Painting her is going to a be a real labour of love. 😍

Moving on, having finished the last batch of figures I had on my painting desk, I was in a quandary over what to paint next. My choices were, paint some more Judge Dredd miniatures (still lots to do, but the pile is decreasing), start work on my Mantic The Walking Dead figures (I'm looking forward to painting them), paint my Shadows of Brimstone zombies and corpse piles (I don't know why I've kept them to last) or make a start on my Rum and Bones figures (they've been neglected far too long). After sleeping on it I decided to make a start on my Rum and Bones figures. I had played my first game of Rum and Bones: Second Tide and absolutely thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a very closely fought battle between the Deep Lords and the Marea de la Muerte. The Deep Lords got off to a great start. In their first action, Captain Carcharius of the Deep Lords swung onto his opponent's ship and sent their captain flying off into the sea! She recovered but had to miss a turn. Don Santiago, the Maria de la Muerte's Brute avenged Viana's loss of face by knocking out Carcharius. The game swung to and fro. The first to reach 8 Victory Points would win. On the last turn the Deep Lords were winning 7-6 but Captain Viana snatched victory from them by destroying the Deep Lords' Rigging, thus securing 2 Victory Points. Exciting stuff!
This fired up my enthusiasm for painting some figures for the game, but once again, I was faced with a dilemma. Should I paint my newest Heroes first, those of the Deep Lords and the Marea de la Muerte, simply because I had the most up to date stat cards for them, or should I start at the beginning with the Heroes of the two factions who came with the original boxed set - the Bone Devils and the Wellsport Brotherhood? Actually, it was a no-brainer. It had to be the two original starter sets. Why? Because the Bone Devils are made up of the undead and they are my favourite faction. It proved to be a fortuitous decision, because just over a week later I received this bunch of goodies.

And these as well.

Yes, Wave 2 of my Rum and Bones: Second Tide goodies landed on my doorstep in a huge box. I had bought every expansion set of figures for it as well as a set of 50 plastic coins and the all important Season One Upgrade Kit, which has the stat cards for converting the Season One factions over to Season Two. I was such a happy bunny! 😄
This brings my number of factions up to eight. They are as follows, listed alphabetically -
Blutrausch Legion - Orcs, goblins and ogres who use three small junks.
Bone Devils - Undead pirates who use one large galleon.
Deep Lords - Sea creatures and monsters who use one large galleon.
Iron Inquisition - Spanish religious zealots who use one large galleon.
La Brise Sanguine (The Cold Bloody Wind) - French pirates who use two long ships.
Marea de la Muerte - Spanish pirates who use two long ships.
Mazu's Dreadful Curse - Chinese pirates who use three small junks.
Wellsport Brotherhood - English pirates who use one large galleon.
In addition, there are lots of Mercenary Heroes, who can be used by any faction but who do not have access to their own crew or ship. Rum and Bones may not be everyone's cup of tea grog, but I like it immensely. I have to admit that the figures are such a joy to paint. Being 35mm scale, they are so full of detail and character.

Next month, expect lots more Judge Dredd stuff. Thanks for reading.

Vampifan's Views 88 - Monthly Musings 62

I begin as always with a picture of my favourite comic superhero - Vampirella. This piece of artwork was pencilled by Amanda Connor, an artist whose work I have always admired. You can tell this is an old picture by the Harris Comics logo in the bottom right corner. Vampi looks like she's about to cause someone some serious hurt.

On the hobby front, February has been another very busy month. Work continues on my Judge Dredd Miniatures Game campaign with new scenery items, vehicles and figures made and painted, most of which will hopefully appear in posts during March. I'm particularly keen to show you my scratch-built Boingers. In addition to working on my JDMG stuff I have been painting a lot of contemporary 28mm scale figures - Goths by Slow Death Games, Wargames Foundry leather clad gangers and a Wargames Foundry TV crew to use in the 7TV2e game. They're just about finished.

In 2016 I played just three games that appeared as batreps on my blog. One was for 7TV2e and the other two were for Zombicide. That was pitiful! Now, with just two months of the year gone, I have played four JDMG scenarios that have featured on my blog. I didn't make any New Year's resolutions but if I had I would certainly have expressed a desire to do more batreps on my blog. This, I have achieved... easily! Best of all, I have loads more planned. My enthusiasm for Judge Dredd is as high as ever. There will definitely be at least one JDMG batrep appearing next month - my biggest one yet as all seven of the Judges who have appeared and survived in my previous batreps work together to take out a very dangerous and powerful gang of perps. Who knows, it could be a two-parter depending on how things turn out.

The components for the Rum and Bones: Second Tide boardgame.

I was very pleased to receive my Wave 1 parcel of the Rum and Bones: Second Tide boardgame with miniatures from Cool Mini Or Not earlier this month. This is more than just an expansion to the original set. The rules have undergone a few changes, not many, but enough to make this a very different game to the original. The biggest change is to do with the character cards, which are drastically different to the original ones. Heroes can now buy their skills and/or upgrade them during the course of the game. I like this new rule but the downside is that until the upgrade cards for the original forces are released in Wave 2, I can only play this new version with the two forces that come in this boxed set. The following info and pictures were taken directly from the Kickstarter page but give you a good overview of the game.

"In Rum and Bones: Second Tide, 2 to 6 players will take control of one of two deadly pirate crews: the mysterious and monstrous Deep Lords, who seek to claim Davy Jones’ treasure in an effort to flood the world and reshape it to their liking, or the Marea de la Muerte¸ a crew of ruthless gold-seeking Spanish cut-throats who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure for their own greed!
Players control teams of three to five heroes, depending on the number of players, each with various and unique powers and abilities. These Heroes are drawn from five different classes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses:

• Captains: Jack-of-all-Trade Heroes who specialize in buffing other Heroes.
• Brutes: The toughest of the tough, Brutes can take a ton of punishment and only get stronger for doing so!
• Gunner: Ranged damage dealers, Gunners have the lowest HP of all classes, but can also dish out the most hurt.
• Swashbucklers: Like Gunners, Swashbucklers specialize in dealing damage, but prefer the up-close-and-personal approach.
• Quartermaster: While they don't deal the most damage, Quartermasters make up for it in raw utility: specializing in healing and buffing Heroes, and also enhancing your Deckhands and Bosuns!

The Deep Lords seek the power of the locker, and with it, to flood the world!

Left to Right: Carcharius [Captain], Ishmael [Brute], Kyria and Karl [Gunner], Waldorf [Quartermaster], Snapjaw [Swashbuckler]

The crew of Marea de la Muerta are motivated by power and greed!

Left to Right: Viana [Captain], Don Santiago [Brute], Gabriela [Gunner, El Latigo [Quartermaster], DeMarco [Swashbuckler]

In addition to your Heroes, your team will also control your ships' Deckhands and Bosuns, which collectively make up the ships' "Crew". The Crew make up the "background" characters of the fight, much like you'd see in traditional pirate movies - they follow a simple A.I. and path - so it'll be up to your Heroes to do most of the game-changing plays and moves. But don't think they're useless, however, many Hero abilities and effects manipulate your Crew (notably Quartermasters) and can turn these unsung sailors into a truly game-winning force to be reckoned with!

The Crew of the Deep Lords: Bosun [shown on round base- 6 in the Core Box], and 3 Deckhands [on square bases- 8 of each sculpt in Core Box!]

The Crew of Marea de la Muerte: Bosun [shown on round base- 6 in the Core Box], and 3 Deckhands [on square bases- 8 of each sculpt in Core Box!]

Second Tide is no mere expansion, however, there have been numerous upgrades and changes made to enhance gameplay and your pirate experience!  The most notable of such is our new dynamic Levelling System!

Each Hero has its own unique Dashboard, where its Coin, Damage, and Skills will be tracked.

Each Hero begins the game with their Basic Attack skill card. As they gain Coins, which are obtained from KO'ing enemies and Objectives, they can use those Coins to buy new skills, as well as level up existing skills!

Each Hero has a set of three Skill Cards, which display their unique powers and abilities.

Each skill flips over to reveal its Level 2 version.

In addition to the Heroes and Crew, however, each faction has access to their own  Tide Deck -a deck of 30 cards, 20 of which are unique to that Crew, featuring faction-specific powers and effects. These Tide Cards can turn the Tide (Yarg!) of battle at a moment's notice - but be warned! Utilizing this power can draw the ire of The Kraken, and if it appears it can spell doom for your entire Crew! Slay him, however, and you'll gain the full might of his power, and come all the closer to total victory over your opponent! Each Crew has their own unique, 30 card, Tide Deck!

Each Crew has their own unique, 30 card, Tide Deck!

But that's not all! To round out all the changes listed above, we've also introduced a new Alternating Activation method of play! With this new system players will take turns activating 1 Hero (or their Crew), and then their opponent will do the same, continuing back and forth until everyone has gone. With this method you can better react to your opponent's actions, as well as change your own strategies on the fly! This new system is sure to create some dynamic and memorable moments as the balance of the fight sways back and forth-just like the Tide!"

A game in progress with the two smaller Marea de la Muerte ships flanking the larger Deep Lords galleon.

I am a big fan of Rum and Bones and I greatly enjoyed playing the original game. This new version looks even better. The figures are over-scaled, being roughly 32-35mm in size, but I don't mind this. They have a slightly comic style to them but seeing as I'm unlikely to use any of them in other games that really is not an issue. I can't wait for my Wave 2 parcel to arrive; hopefully next month or the month after. Oh, and I really should make a start on painting the figures. I'm sure Simon will keep nagging me to get them done, which is ironic, really, as he hasn't even opened the original box he bought! :-)

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.

Vampifan's Views 59 - Monthly Musings 37

Vampirella by Dan Brereton

It's the last day of 2014 and time for my annual look back at the past year as well as looking forward to 2015. I did very well for gaming related Christmas presents this year thanks to my mum giving me a big cheque to spend as I wish. I bought the new Judge Dredd Miniatures Game supplement "Blood on the Street" along with two boxes of 28mm scale figures - Heroes of Mega City One and Mega City One Judges. For Super Dungeon Explore I managed to buy two very rare figures from e-Bay - Nyan Nyan the Freyjan Hero and Vandella the Succubus. They are so cute! I also bought two books - The Art of Vampirella: the Dynamite Years (just full of gorgeous illustrations) and a new Durham Red graphic novel called Bitch. Durham Red is my second favourite comic book vampire after Vampirella.
In addition, I received a lovely surprise from Steve, a good friend of mine. He got me the Arkham Horror: Call of Cthulhu  board-game by Fantasy Flight Games. It can be played by 1-8 players and that 1 is very important to me, seeing as I'm usually a solo gamer. Steve described the game as "the best solo game he has ever played." Seeing as he introduced me to Super Dungeon Explore and we both love solo games I respect his opinion and I look forward to playing the game in the new year. On the plus side, this is a game that can easily be played without miniature figures (thank God!), although I do possess a lot of Cthulhu monster figures and 1920's human figures. On the downside, if I do enjoy this game as much as I suspect I will (I've already read the rulebook and it looks awesome!) then I'll probably end up buying numerous supplements for it. There are a lot available.
Looking back on 2014, on the whole I have to say it was a good year for me. Far and away the best thing that happened to me was having my cataracts removed, which fully restored my eyesight. This made a huge difference to my life. Other highlights of the year were meeting up with fellow bloggers Joe and Mathyoo in the summer and playing a few games of ATZ with Joe at his home. Great fun! I also became very close friends with author and games designer, Steve Gilbert (as mentioned above), and I think we'll be friends for life. I introduced Steve to Zombicide and in return, he introduced me to Super Dungeon Explore. We are so full of enthusiasm for both games and chat about them almost everyday. It is always nice to meet someone who is as passionate about the gaming with miniatures hobby as I am.
Earlier this year I ran a competition to celebrate 500 posts of my blog. That proved to be very successful and already I have plans for more competitions. And, yes, there will be prize give-aways.
Kickstarter proved to be very popular (and hurtful to my bank account!) in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015. For me, the big Kickstarter events of 2014 were backing Zombicide season 3 and receiving a pile of goodies for Zombicide season 2. I backed the Mars Attacks Kickstarter project in 2013 and I finally received a huge parcel for this game late in 2014. In December 2014 I backed the Rum and Bones Kickstarter project and I'm very excited about this game. The fact that it features undead pirates was a big clincher for me. Plus, it just looks like a whole load of fun, and to be honest, that is what gaming should be about.
So, what are my plans for 2015? It is traditional at this time to make New Year's resolutions. Normally, I just can't be arsed! This year, however, I will make one. And that is to play more games. I don't just mean my ATZ-FFO campaign, although I do want to continue that. I want to play more of the things that interest me and not just zombie gaming. Mind you, zombies will feature heavily in Zombicide (naturally) and will turn up in the likes of Rum and Bones and Super Dungeon Explore. I have developed a keen interest in boardgames played with miniatures, so hopefully, I'll get to play at least some games of Zombicide, Rum and Bones and Super Dungeon Explore next year. I'm also looking forward to playing Arkham Horror as I've always liked Call of Cthulhu. If I could fit in a bit of Judge Dredd and a bit of Wild West skirmish gaming that would be great but quite frankly, I doubt if I'll have time to fit either in.
Blogging, figure painting and card modelling will continue as normal although my figure painting will diversify to cover various genres besides zombies. I'll continue posting reviews of my werewolf figures for the next two weeks and then I'll start posting reviews of Super Dungeon Explore. All of the figures from the basic boxed set have been painted and photographed. I am now painting the figures from the two big expansion sets - Caverns of Roxor and Van Drakk Manor.
In closing, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy New Year. Peace, good will, good health and prosperity to you all.

Rum and Bones Kickstarter game

I interrupt my reviews of werewolf figures to bring to your attention a new miniatures-based board-game produced by Cool Mini Or Not called Rum and Bones. This is being launched as a Kickstarter project this month and is proving to be VERY popular. It was fully funded on day one of its launch. You may well bemoan the fact that it is yet another Kickstarter project and that its launch is far too close to Christmas for you to be able to afford to back it. Plus, unlike most Kickstarter projects this only has one pledge level. $100 is the price to pay if you want it. Too dear, do I hear you say? Your arguments are valid and not unreasonable. But I have fallen hook, line and sinker for this game and so I'd like to show you why this is such a perfect game for me.

The above photo shows you everything you get in the basic boxed set... and its a lot! First up, are map boards for two pirate galleons - one crewed by humans and the other by assorted undead. Ah, undead - that had me hooked from the start! The figures consist of 70 plastic 32mm scale figures made up of 48 deck hands, 12 bosuns and 10 heroes. In addition, you get 8 six-sided dice, 10 hero stat cards, 2 sea creature cards (a Sea Dragon and a Kraken), 60 Tide cards, 113 tokens, 15 tiles and the rulebook.

To the right are the game boards featuring the two galleons. At the top of the picture is the ship crewed by the human Wellsport Brotherhood. Below them is the ship crewed by the undead Bone Devils. The objective of the game is to destroy three of the five targets that line the centre of each ship (deck gun, ship's wheel, main mast, rigging and armoury). Next to the central three targets are spawning points where you bring on new crew each turn. Crews board the opposing ship via any of the three gangplanks. Heroes can also swing from ropes but risk missing and falling in the sea. Embarrassing!

The five heroes of the Wellsport Brotherhood are from left to right, Captain Daniel Pale, Quartermaster Margaret "Miss Mags" Hale, Swashbuckler Mad Ivan, Gunner "Blackout" Bart and Brute "Stumper" Pete. All have three unique abilities they can use. Some cost nothing to use, whilst others (usually more powerful) cost a certain amount of gold coins to use. Gold coins are distributed at the start of each turn and can be collected by defeating enemy crew members.

The five heroes of the Bone Devils are from left to right, Captain Albrecht the Thrice Damned, Gunner Ghosteye Gunther, Brute Little Tom (Tom resides in the chest cavity of the pirate he has possessed), Quartermaster Patchwork Porter and Swashbuckler The Spectre. These also have three unique abilities each. Both sides have access to their own Tide deck of 30 cards which can either help them or hinder their opponent.

The Helrokker gang are a group of mercenaries and may be used by either side. From left to right are Gunner Alex of Pain, Quartermaster The Killmaster, Brute Thunder Lars, Captain Napoleon and Swashbuckler The Slasher. I'm not overly impressed with this group but they come free with the game, so who am I to complain?

At the time of writing there are four optional extras you can buy for the game. I want all of them! This set provides you with three more Wellsport Brotherhood Heroes. They are from left to right, Quartermaster Theo the Terror of Nova, Captain "Bloody" Anne Bonny and Gunner Grace O'Malley. The idea of having a pirate ship with an all-female crew certainly appeals to me. A lot of fans have asked for this and it may yet happen. Note that each side have five heroes consisting of a Brute, a Captain, a Gunner, a Quartermaster and a Swashbuckler. They all have their own special abilities, strengths and weaknesses and all are unique.

If there was ever any doubt that I'd be interested in this game then this optional set would have sealed my fate and sucked me in. This set offers up three more heroes to use with the Bone Devils. From left to right they are, Quartermaster Daedalus the Soul Herald, Captain Dracula and Swashbuckler Renfield the Blood Crazed. Oh, joy! Captain Dracula! Who better to lead a gang of undead pirates than the infamous Dracula? He is such a cool figure and a must have for me.

The third optional buy is a full expansion set and it costs $40. Two ships were never going to be enough. Mazu's Dreadful Curse offers 3 Chinese junks (much smaller than the two galleons but collectively, just as strong), 24 deckhand figures, 6 bosun figures, 5 hero figures, 30 Tide cards, 3 Objective tiles, 3 Deployment Point tiles, and 3 Windgate tokens (this blessing of Mazu allows the pirates to quickly move between the different ships! They're like a teleport spell.)

From left to right the Mazu's Dreadful Curse heroes are Captain Shen Wei and Shen Yong, Gunner Mister Koga the Many-Fingered, Quartermaster Lo Fang the Demon Serpent, Swashbuckler Xia the Red Mist and Brute Lang, Lord of Lang (er, Kung Fu Panda, anyone?). This is another must have expansion set. I'd buy it just to get the not-Kung Fu Panda figure. He is so cool!

It did not take long for the makers to bring out an optional set of Heroes to use with Mazu's Dreadful Curse. Once again, this set consists of three heroes and they are from left to right, Swashbuckler Lien Hua the Flower of Death, Brute Ai Fei the Favoured of Mazu and Captain Shu Ming the Merciless. These are very nice sculpts and I was very pleased to see that they are all female, although I wish they had not made a second female Swashbuckler because Xia the Red Mist from above is just as good. I'd have much preferred to see a female Gunner or Quartermaster instead.

For many years now I have wanted to play a pirate skirmish game. What held me back was I was just waiting for the right set of figures and rules to come along. For me, the timing of the release of Rum and Bones couldn't be better. Now that I am quite happy to embrace change in my gaming hobby I had no hesitation in backing this project. I have seen online demos of the game being played and it certainly does appeal to me. It is not a game that should be taken too seriously. Just look at the figures. Some have a very cartoon-like feel to them. In my opinion, this is a good thing. It makes the figures unique and gives them their own identity. This game is going to be a LOT OF FUN to play. It's due for release in July 2015 and I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on it.
You can read a lot more about this game  at the official website here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/rum-and-bones