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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Devilry Afoot - Dramatis Personae

In a comment on a recent post on this blog, someone brought my attention to the fact that Nic Wright had a new set of rules out for solo/co-op monster and witch hunting in the 16th/17th Centuries... (I'm so sorry, I'm blanking on who it was or where the comment was... but THANK YOU!!!) Now, I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed EVERY game by Nic Wright that I've played... 

So, OBVIOUSLY, I HAD to pick it up!?

And over the last week or so, I've been rebasing and painting and organizing and making characters... and so, below, I present the first batch of Monster Hunters I've made up for Devilry afoot. 

Most of these were rebased and touched up to bring them up to more recent standards... 

Except this little pupper... I'm not entirely sure where it came from... but I found it in the Critters drawer while looking for a dog for my main character and this one was PERFECT and so I quickly painted it up! 

The whole crew. 

I'll admit, I got a little cheaty with some of the gear... I went ahead and equipped each character with what the miniature was holding or carrying - even though, in most cases, there was no way they would be able to afford it, even if they rolled 20 for starting shillings.... 

Doña Francesca Velázquez (and Milu!) 

Doña Francesca Velázquez is a woman of great passion. She was married at a rather young age to Don Pablo Velázquez. Her life in Don Velázquez's estates was a one of comfort. For long periods the Don was absent, along with Hernando and Fernando occasionally coming back injured. It was only years later she discovered he was a Monster Hunter! She asked many times if he would train her and take her along, but he insisted it was a Man's work... 

After he died, Doña Velázquez insisted that Hernando and Fernando train her to be a monster hunter. When they refused she threatened to dismiss them, denounce the Pope, and become a protestant - and to prove the point, took on a dour Puritan to teach her the ways of war. To make sure she stayed true to the faith, they acquiesced.  

Archetype: Gentlewoman

Resolve: 4+

Move: 4”

Attack: +1

Shoot: -

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 34

Experience: 0

Traits: (None)

Skills: (None) 

Secrets: Lustful

Lasting Injuries: (None) 

Equipment:

  • Sword (Hands: 1, Att: +1 , Sht: -, Rng: -, Notes:  )
  • Daggar (Hands: 1, Att: - , Sht: +1 , Rng: 2”, Notes:  )
  • Dog - pg. 45 

I absolutely LOVE this miniature, it is one of my favourite figures ever... 


Hob 

Hob is Francesca's Manservant. Not a full character, but a Follower, in game terms (as a Gentlewoman, Francesca starts the game with one follower). 

Archetype: Follower

Resolve: 5+

Move: 4” 

Attack: -

Shoot: -

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 0

Experience: 0

Traits: (None)

Skills: (None) 

Secrets: (None) 

Lasting Injuries: (None) 

Equipment:

  • Blunderbuss (Hands: 2, Att: -1, Sht: -1, Rng: 8”, Notes: +1 to wound, action to reload)


Isabella Velázquez

Isabella is Francesca's Sister-in-Law. For the longest time, Isabella despised Francesca, thinking her a brainless floozy only after her brother's money (nevermind that their entire marriage was arranged and Francesca had absolutely no say in the matter!) and made no effort to conceal her contempt! Recent events have made her reconsider. Shortly before his death, Don Pablo's had intimated that he had indulged Isabella for too long and upon his return, he would be finding her a proper husband! 

Isabella's only true love had ever been books! She feared upon inheriting all of Don Pablo's wealth and estates, Doña Francesca would put her out of the house and trade her off to a husband like an old horse... but when Doña Francesca did NOT do that... and instead asked if she would stay and aid in her training - of knowledge - she began to have a change of heart! 

She's not just a pretty face and brilliant mind, she's also packing some heat! 

Archetype: Scholar

Resolve: 4+

Move: 4”

Attack: -1

Shoot: -

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 0

Experience: 0

Traits: Erudite - may apply +1 or - 1 to all rolls related to Scholarly skill

Skills: Astrologer - roll 2d10 before game that may be substituted for any roll involving character - before roll made

Secrets: Doubting

Lasting Injuries: (None) 

Equipment

  • Pistol (Hands: 1, Att: -1  , Sht: +1, Rng: 6”, Notes: action to reload)


Hernando

Hernando (and his brother Fernando) were Monster Hunters along with Don Pablo. Hernando is a jolly fellow and much more forgiving and pleasant that most catholic monks. He secretly has wondered if Luther may have been right... 

Archetype: Religious

Resolve: 3+ 

Move: 4” 

Attack: -1

Shoot: -1

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 0

Experience: 0

Traits: Religious - Roll 2d10 when quoting scripture, take highest

Skills: Alchemist - +6” to range of Blackpowder weapons

Secrets: Backslider

Lasting Injuries:

Equipment:

  • Blunderbuss (Hands: 2, Att:  -1, Sht: -1, Rng: 14”, Notes:  +1 to wound, action to reload)


Fernando

Fernando (and his brother Hernando) were Monster Hunters along with Don Pablo. He is considerably the more serious of the two. He often pushes the group toward hunting vampires and other revenants. He secretly practices witchcraft! 

Archetype: Religious

Resolve: 3+ 

Move: 4” 

Attack: -1

Shoot: -1

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 0

Experience: 0

Traits: 

Religious - Roll 2d10 when quoting scripture, take highest

Devout - +1 to Resolved when Intimidated or Charmed

Skills:  (None) 

Secrets: Secret Witch!?

Lasting Injuries:  (None) 

Equipment:

  • Pistol (Hands: 1, Att: -1  , Sht: +1, Rng: 6”, Notes: action to reload)
  • Sword (Hands: 1, Att: +1 , Sht: -, Rng: -, Notes:  )


Thomas

Thomas is an English Mercenary of German descent. He has spent years battling back and forth across Europe and has seen many horrors, on and off the battlefield. He came into Doña Francesca service along with Jedediah. 

Archetype: Soldier 

Resolve: 4+

Move: 4”

Attack: +1

Shoot: +1

Wounds: 3

Shillings: 

Experience: 0

Traits: (None) 

Skills: Musketeer - When shoot, roll 2d10, use highest

Secrets: Slovenly -1” to first move action, each activation

Lasting Injuries: (None) 

Equipment

  • Matchlock (Hands: 2, Att: 0, Sht:  0/-1, Rng: 12"/24", Notes: action to reload)
  • Sword (Hands: 1, Att: +1 , Sht: - , Rng: -, Notes:  )


Jedediah

Jedediah is a dour puritanical Calvinist. Like Thomas, he has spent many years in battle across Europe, though Jedediah was a bit more selective when it came to whom he served. He is savage in despatching the monsters of Satan as well as his human servants. He does not like Hernando or Fernando at all and is highly suspicious of them... 

Archetype: Soldier 

Resolve: 4+

Move: 4”

Attack: +1

Shoot: +1

Wounds: 3

Shillings: )

Experience: 0

Traits: (None) 

Skills: Steady Aim - +1 to shoot if they do not move and shoot in same activation

Secrets: Sadist -2 to activation and resolve tests when in base contact with dead monster or out-of-action Human

Lasting Injuries: (None) 

Equipment:

  • Dragon (Hands: 1, Att: -1 , Sht: - , Rng: 6”, Notes: +1 to wound,  action to reload)
  • Sword (Hands: 1, Att: +1 , Sht: -, Rng: -, Notes: )
  • Helmet -1 to monsters attack from front, +1 from rear!
  • Buffcoat -1 to wound rolls
  • Cuirass +1 to be hit, but 2s10 to wound rake lower result, may not sneak, roll2d10 when climbing take lower


It's a start... I will probably develop these characters as I go... 

Now to play a GAME with them!!

(mind you, I'm still pretty excited about continuing the Five Men in Normandy campaign!? So I'm not quite sure what I will do next!?) 

Game Plan 2024 - Q4

We are three-quarters of the way through the year! Where did the time go!?

As with the last few Quarterly Plans, I'm not here to make any hard and fast PLANS, per se… Just set some general intentions which I will look back in 3 months, without judgement, and see what I DID manage to do! Did I do the things I said I would…? Did I do something completely different (but still SOMETHING!?) 

What DID I plan for this past quarter? What DID I end up doing? You can see the plan here:

Game Plan 2024 - Q3

As for what I did manage to get up to... 


GAMES

Things were a bit slower over the summer... I'd like to say it was because I was getting out lots and going for long rides and just generally enjoying the outdoors... instead it was HOT and SMOKEY and I didn't get out much at all... People were just busy with other things. 

Here is what I got to playing in the last three months... 

  • Warhammer Age Of Sigmar (Fourth Edition) x7
  • Warhammer Quest: Shadows Over Hammerhal x4
  • Warhammer Underworlds: Deathgorge x4
  • NMBR 9 x2
  • Betrayal at House on the Hill x1
  • Carcassonne x1
  • Dixit x1
  • Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal edition x1
  • Warhammer 40,000 (Tenth Edition) x1

Total: 22 games! 

Yiiiiiikes... that's like half the games I played in each of the other quarters so far... 

Here's what we've played so far this year:

  • Warhammer Underworlds: Deathgorge x75
  • Warhammer 40,000 (Tenth Edition) x7
  • Warhammer Age Of Sigmar (Fourth Edition): Core Rules x7
  • Splendor x4
  • Warhammer Quest: Shadows Over Hammerhal x4
  • NMBR 9 x2
  • Wingspan x2
  • Abyss x1
  • Betrayal at House on the Hill x1
  • Carcassonne x1
  • Castles of Mad King Ludwig x1
  • Century: Golem Edition x1
  • Dixit x1
  • Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal edition x1
  • The Hanging Gardens x1
  • Lacuna x1
  • Mysterium x1
  • RoboRally x1
  • SET 1
  • Stone Age x1
  • Tokaido x1
  • Wingspan Asia x1
  • Wyrmspan x1

Total: 117 games!? 

That's a little better... Hopefully Q4 will be better still! 


Role-Playing Games

STILL havent' managed to get a role-playing game going... maybe by the end of the year!? 

Solo/Co-op Games

We DID, finally, start playing Warhammer Quest! There have been some hiccups and a LOT of cancelled games... and we did not get nearly as far as I'd hoped... (I'd had this idea that we'd be DONE Shadows over Hammerhal and well into The Silver Tower by now...) It was all very disappointing. There has been noise about getting it going again in October... But Amanda will be out for the first two weeks as she's heading off to a course and a short vacation. 

Still have a LOT to do to finish up all the Cursed City miniatures (having been thoroughly distracted by Age of Sigmar 4th Edition and Spearhead!)... but it doesn't seem like there's much of a need to rush... Or... Maybe there is... Maybe I'm just going to have to play through that one on my own... 

I DID however pick up a new game from Nic Wright called Devilry Afoot that I've been getting things ready for... 

And I DID just start playing a little solo campaign of Five Men in Normandy! 

So... there's that... 


Board Games

There was a hiccup around the beginning of July and Board Game Night fell off my radar and no one else brought it up and it kind of died… 


Miniature Games

I bought Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide in July - my first ever core release of one of GW's Flagship games!? And I have been thoroughly distracted from all previous plans (Warhammer Underworlds, Warhammer Quest). I got VERY excited about the Spearhead format of play - smaller, fixed lists... there was an element of it that reminded me of DBA...  

I managed to paint THREE full Spearhead armies (Hedonites of Slaanesh, Blades of Khorne, and Sylvaneth) and played in the Spearhead at the local Warhammer Store (though that only amounted to six games... and I played one other at home with Orion one night...) 

Also... I managed to acquire FOUR MORE Spearhead armies, which I HAVEN'T finished painting (Skaven, Stormcast, Daughters of Khaine, and Soulblight Gravelords!?) 

(I had most of the Daughters of Khaine army already, I just needed two units... which I picked up in a deeply discounted battle box... along with a deeply discounted Starter box from 3rd Edition...)

Oh, and I picked up a Dark Oath Army box... 

And Hargax's Pit Beasts... 

Yeah, shit got a little out of control this past Quarter.


Warhammer Underworlds

I still played a few games of Warhammer Underworlds! Things have definitely slowed down though. Like, a LOT! Part of that is a general slow down in the community as everyone has been distracted by the new edition of Age of Sigmar and the new Spearhead format of play! I've played FOUR GAMES this past Quarter!? Compared to the SEVENTY-ONE games I'd played in the first half of the year!? 

Tournaments/Conventions

There was a small Warhammer Underworlds tournament at The Warhammer Store at the very beginning of the Quarter. Both Amanda and I went. 

Warhammer Underworlds: Rivals Event


MINIATURES

Acquisitions

In previous plans I'd done acquisitions as an afterthough... AFTER the section about what I actually got painted. This time around I've decided to do Acquisitions first... because... things went a little overboard... but then it gives me a chance, in the painting section, to go over what, of all that, I managed to actually PAINT!? 

Initially I’d thought I’d get the Skaventide box and sell off the Stormcast AND Skaven and just keep the rules and board and cards and terrain for spearhead… but by the time it was actually released I’d decided that Spearhead was going to be super fun and I was cranking through models very quickly and it was decided I’d at least keep the Spearhead forces of both Stormcast and Skaven and maybe sell off or trade away the extras… But so far I’ve not done that either. I’ve assembled most/all of the Stormcast... I have wavered on whether or not to keep Skaven.

THEN I bought a Soulblight Gravelords box (telling myself that I needed the Vampire Lord for Cursed City anyway)… 

(adding to the Soulblight army box that I'd bought a few weeks earlier at the end of June -because I had a Soulblight army now… and the bats were needed for Cursed City)… 

And then Hargax's Pit-Beasts... for... REASONS!? 

and then MORE BOXES that were deeply discounted and gave me MORE terrain and the models I needed to finish up a Daughters of Khaine Spearhead force… 

and then the Darkoath Army Set… 

Also, in the middle of all that nonsense, I made a MAJOR trade - I gave away my three 40K Knights in trade for an entire Blades of Khorne Age of Sigmar army!? 


In total I acquired:

28mm Foot Figures

Total: 282 x28mm miniatures and 

Yeah.. that was a bit much… But also...

28mm Mounted or Smaller Beasties!

Total: 32 x 28mm Mounted miniatures or Smaller Beasties 

28mm BIG Beasties/Vehicles

Terrain

Little Bits/Markers/Tokens

Medium Terrain Bits

Total: 10

Painting

The Plan was to finish painting the Hedonites of Slaanesh Vanguared Box, so I'd be ready to play Spearhead when the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar was released... 

...and I DID do that!!

Beyond that, the plan was to just carry on painting up Warhammer Underworlds warbands and Warhammer Quest stuff - and mix in some more of the other Warhammer Age of Sigmar models that I had (Daemons of Slaanesh and Daughters of Khaine). 

That changed quickly with the news of the new mode of play for the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar - SPEARHEAD. I got a little TOO excited about that and Age of Sigmar in general and ended up acquiring a LOT of new minis - as detailed above... mostly purchased, but a good chunk just through trade... 

Here is what I DID get to painting this past Quarter:

28mm Foot

Total: 88 x 28mm Foot

28mm Mounted/Smaller Beasties

Total; 13 x Mounted/Smaller Beasties

28mm BIG Beasties/Vehicles

Total: 1x Vehicles/ BIG Beasties

Little Bits/Markers/Tokens

Total: 4 x Little Bits/Markers/Tokens

Medium Terrain Bits

So... that's ONE Warhammer Underworlds warbands (totalling 5 minatures)...

But... I completed THREE spearhead armies completed totalling 54 miniatures (including eight mounted, and a GIGANTIC Treelord!?) 

Miniature painting production Continues to pick up momentum this quarter! In the first quarter I only managed to paint 38 x28mm foot miniatures, Second Quarter I painted 76 x28mm foot miniatures, this Quarter I painted x28mm foot miniatures! So far this year, that's xx x28mm foot miniatures. In 2023 I painted only 66 x28mm foot miniatures in the entire year... In 2022, only 57 x28mm foot miniatures!? 

So I DID get a Blades of Khorne Spearhead Army done (though there are still a LOT of Khorne Bloodbound to paint!) 

I DID paint all of Hargax's Pit Beasts... 

The Sylvaneth Spearhead Army


Disposals

I traded away three 40K knights - one completely painted, one mostly painted, one unassembled and on the sprue... 

I traded/gave away a few other unpainted 28mm foot miniatures


GAME PLAN 2024 - Q3 


GAMES

Well... things have slowed down over the summer, but there is no need for that trend to continue!!!

Using a lot of the same categories as previous Game Plans... 


Solo/Co-op Games 

This is one area that I'm hoping will take off this fall... 

I hope we do get back to playing Warhammer Quest: Shadows Over Hammerhal... 

I am DETERMINED to start Cursed City by the end of the year if I have to just start playing through it myself!? (Though it would be nice if I could at least get Amanda and/or Finnegan to play!?) 

I don't know about Silver Tower... Maybe I'll get to that one next year...?

There are a number of other Solo/Co-op games I'd like to toy around with this fall/winter...

I'd love to pick up the Five Parsecs from Home campaign I'd started... AGES ago... 

I'd like to continue the Five Men in Normandy campaign I just started. 

I would REALLY LOVE to try out Devilry Afoot and maybe run a short campaign of that as well! 

Or any of the other games from Nordic Weasel or Modiphius that I've picked up (Five Kilometres From Leipzig or Five Leagues from the Botherlands, etc) 


Warhammer Underworlds

Interest in this has flagged a bit... maybe we'll get it going again in the fall... 

It's surprising there hasn't been two more warbands for Wintermaw!? October is usually when the new "season" core release takes place?!


Age of Sigmar

There is talk of a Paths to Glory campaign at the Warhammer Store this fall... I am considering joining in on it... I am a little underwhelmed by the Paths to Glory system included in the Core Rules of Age of Sigmar 4th Edition (compared to the ones included in 3rd Edition...) but I'll give it a try. 

Part of me has thought about coming up with something of my own to run... more like 3rd... or a Map campaign... but I've decided I should focus my own energies elsewhere. 

Will there be more Spearhead...? I don't know... We'll see... Despite my initial excitement, I have to admit, I do not LOVE the game. I don't hate it... but it has a lot of the same problems a LOT of GW games have these days - the games feel more like a sporting event than any sort of combat simulation - having to constantly react to ever-changing nonsensical objectives each round... ugh... 


Other Board Games

Wow... we have really not been playing board games much... 

It would be nice to get some regular board game night going again... but I'm not holding my breath. 


Other Miniature Games

Well I got a lot of solo and co-op miniature games planned... I'm not sure if I'll get to any others... 

I guess I am interested in exploring options with games by Dan Mercy (Dragon Rampant, etc) and One Hour Wargames... but that may very likely be played solo... 

I'd also love to return to Song of Blades and Heroes... but it's entirely likely that those games would be played as co-op or GM (me) versus players... 


Role-Playing Games


Will THIS be the quarter that I FINALLY get a game of Soulbound going on...? I don't know... I sure hope so!


Tournaments/Conventions

I don't know of any coming up in Q4... not sure I'm interested in any. 


Game Weekend 

There was some brief chat about hosting a Game Weekend this fall... but that's all fallen by the wayside as no one in interested enough to actually commit to showing up any particular weekend. 



MINIATURES

On the plus side, the miniature painting has drasticall increased over the year... unfortunately not as much as the miniature PURCHASING has increased... If I managed to keep pace with what i've painted this past quarter or two... I totally won't even be close to painting more than I've purchased... ah well, maybe next year!? 

Painting

I will probably paint miniatures. 

It feel foolhardy to try and decide, NOW, what I might paint over the next few months. 

GENERALLY SPEAKING

I will probably paint stuff for Age of Sigmar - whether that is the fantasy battle game (either Spearhead OR Paths to Glory), or Warhammer Underworlds, or Warhammer Quest (Cursed City) or characters and encounters for the Soulbound role-playing game... there will be some stuff for that setting... 

I have a feeling I'll paint some other stuff, too, though... whether for Devilry Afoot or any of those other solo games... 

I also have a LOT of stuff I'm still slowly rebasing. It takes time - time away from painting NEW things (which is the main metric I seem to use to track "progress") but will ultimately make more miniatures available for games I might actually PLAY...!?



Acquisitions

There will likely be a few new things released for Warhammer Underworlds. If the pattern of the last few years is any indication, there should still be two expansion warbands for Wintermaw and a pair of rivals decks.... I may or may not pick the warbands up. I will probably pick up the decks. 

The new starter box (which will be in a whole new setting - Mosscairn, in Ghyran - if the rumours are to be believed!) would normally be expected in October... but as we haven't seen the last of Wintermaw, it could be later in November... 

I don't really NEED anything else... 

There are a few things I've thought about as possible additions to Age of Sigmar armies I have that I could use in a Paths to Glory campaign... I should probably just do something SENSIBLE and run an army that I already HAVE loads of stuff for... like Blades of Khorne... I easily have over fifteen hundred points of stuff painted for that... maybe eighteen...? 

If anything, I'd like to get a bit of terrain... maybe some cheap simple laser-cut stuff - Generic European row houses for urban combat... or maybe I'll just build it myself.