A very strange and unsettling graveyard

This is a project I started about 18 months ago, although I'd bought the various bits and pieces months before I started work on it. I finally completed it last week. Here is the overall piece, looking down from above;

 The model is around 40cm by 30cm, based on a sheet of MDF. The perimeter is made of Renedra railings and gate pieces and the pieces inside are all from Fenris Games with a couple of extra gravestones from Bad Squiddo. Below are some closer views of the graveyard, with Jon Hodgson backgrounds.

Now, this is clearly not your common or garden graveyard and who knows what kind of people, if people they are, might lie under the ground in such a place? Those gravestones seem to be slowly sinking into the ground and some of them a clearly very old indeed.

The various obelisks and columns hint at some very unusual religious practices and one really has to ask "Why is the water in the pool bubbling?". Of course, another relevant question might be "Who lies here and why are all the interments carried out at night under the baleful light of a gibbous moon?".

I'm really happy with how this piece has turned out. I think it is the perfect place to carry out some investigations into the practices of the locals and examine the sacred books kept under lock and key in the crypt of the local church.

Two Determined Young Ladies for Victorian Sci Fi games

 Here are two more additions to my VSF collection, once again from Ironclad Miniatures.

These two Determined Young Ladies are Miss Dorothea Huntley-Palmer (on the left) and her cousin Miss Emily Ward.

Dorothea is the daughter of Sir Arthur and Lady Caroline Huntley-Palmer, and therefor the niece of Sir Henry. Since her travels in Syldavia a few years ago, she has become a formidable swordswoman, an excellent horsewoman and a passable shot with the pistol. She has also earned herself a reputation as a scholar of certain arcane areas of what we might call the Dark Arts.

Emily is the younger daughter of Jacquetta, the sister of Lady Caroline, who is married to a prominent American archaeologist and scholar, Professor Charles Phillips Ward of Miskatonic University, Arkham, Massachusetts. Emily is an excellent shot with all manner of firearms and is a noted investigator of the Occult. She has accompanied her father of an number of archaeological expeditions to the Middle East, Central America and the Caucasus.

The Shooting Party

Four more nice figures from the excellent Ironclad Miniatures Victorian Science Fiction range, described on the website as "Victorians armed with sporting guns".

I have decided that these are four associates of Sir Henry Huntley-Palmer, old friends, drinking and shooting partners and also stout chaps who can always be relied upon to accompany him on his occasionally dangerous missions and exploits, which are sometimes sanctioned by a Mysterious Government Agency but might also be unsanctioned freelance operations.

From left to right they are George Davenport, a retired Metropolitan Police Officer, "Gentleman" Jim Mason, a bon viveur and alleged cracksman, Sir Arthur "Binkie" Beaumont QC, a former criminal barrister and Percy "Nobby" Nobbs, Sir Arthur's gamekeeper.

When Sir Henry requires their services they are always available and collectively they are known as "The Shooting Party".

In Her Majesty's Name is clearly where they are going to see most use, but they should also be useful where tentacled unpleasantness and eldritch goings-on are likely to happen.

The rest of the Syldavian Königliche Gendarmerie

Here are the remaining five members of my Königliche Gendarmerie. They are in two pictures, so you'll need to scroll down.

Above are a Feldwebel (sergeant), a senior NCO, in his distinctive red uniform trousers with a Gendarm, that is the basic rank in the Gendarmerie, equivalent to a Soldat (private) in Infantry regiments. Below are three more members of the Gendarmerie, two Gendarms and a junior NCO, a Gefreiter (corporal) on the right. In the Gendarmerie, junior NCOs are only distinguished from rankers by a brass button on each of their shoulder tabs (not visible in the photo).

So, these are the last of my figures for my Syldavian and Bordurian companies for  In Her Majesty's Name . 

I need a new project now.

Some Syldavian troops of the Königliche Gendarmerie

I mentioned in an earlier post that the plainclothes Syldavian secret police, the Vohunska, often call upon support from the Königliche Gendarmerie. Here is an officer and two gendarmes from that fine service.

The Syldavian Königliche Gendarmerie was created in 1855 as part of the reorganisation of the existing regional militia battalions, to serve as both a Police force and a military reserve. In 1871, a separate National Reserve was created, leaving the Gendarmerie as a specialist national Police Force and Border Service. The Gendarmerie is part of the Syldavian army, and uses army ranks, except that the lowest rank is Gendarm instead of Soldat. Senior NCOs hold the rank of Wachtmeister.

The Gendarmerie wears the blue/grey army uniform, first introduced in 1822 (to replace the previous light grey uniforms worn since the end of the 17th century) as modified in 1849 when the kepi replaced the shako. Senior NCOs and officers wear red trousers and officers wear the 1867 pattern officers's kepi with a black leather peak. Other ranks wear grey gaiters with the trousers. Leather is brown for all ranks. The top part of the kepi is in the Gendarmerie's pale blue arm of service colour, as is the crown of the officer's kepi. 

Uniforms are cut in a French pattern and there is a white French-pattern "salacot" helmet, which is often worn on parade or by gendarmes guarding official buildings. In these situations, white gaiters are also worn. Where using a rifle is inappropriate, all ranks wear sidearms and will also be equipped with batons (swords for officers).

These figures are from North Star and are actually Artizan Designs French Foreign Legion ones. Obviously I will be using these figures in games of  In Her Majesty's Name and also in other pulp and Cthulhu Mythos games. 

I think that these will be worthy opponents of the Bordurians I have already painted. I will post the rest of them in future posts.

The final plainclothes Syldavian agents

Well, here are the two final plainclothes members of my Syldavian secret policemen. As previously, they are from the North Star Steampunk range. 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will note that they are duplicate poses to two of the others. I don't see this as any kind of a problem, because they have been painted in different colours. I think that the chap on the left looks a bit like Neville Chamberlain. I expect that he takes a much firmer line with miscreants and ne'er-do-wells though.

I can see these figures in all manner of settings. Blasting away fruitlessly at Shoggoths in Cthulhu-based games is a distinct possibility, as are supporting roles on Pulp games too.

So, now I have to paint up some uniformed members of the Königliche Gendarmerie. That should be fun. When they are done, that will mean that my Syldavian company for  In Her Majesty's Name is complete.

More Syldavian Secret police

Following on from my previous post, here are three more members of the Syldavian Security and Intelligence Service, the Vohunska.

You will note that the left-hand figure is the same pose as in the previous post. It isn't really an issue and, in any case I have painted him differently.

The middle figure is a second character, an assistant to Inspektor Eugen Jaegermann. He is Detektiv Samuel Tylenburger. Unlike his blunt and plain-speaking boss, Detektiv Tylenburger likes to think of himself as a man of the future and, as a graduate of the Institut der Wissenschaft in Klow takes a scientific approach to his work. A younger man, the Detektiv comes from the coastal city of Douma, where his family has roots going back to the early 18th century. His father, a leading merchant is currently the Bürgermeister of Douma and has been a member of the city council, the Stadtverwaltung for around 20 years.

Like the first three, these are also from the North Star Steampunk range and will serve as other things than just Syldavian agents. I will use them as Scotland Yard detectives and anywhere else where I need some chaps in plainclothes. I will use them for games of  In Her Majesty's Name and pulp and Cthulhu Mythos games.

The first of the Syldavian Secret Police

In a previous post, I talked about the Syldavian Security and Intelligence Service, officially the Varnosti Policija but popularly called the Vohunska i.e. "the Spies". Here is the start of my company of Vohunska agents and their uniformed assistants in the Königliche Gendarmerie.

Represented here is a senior agent of the Vohunska, Inspektor Eugen Jaegermann flanked by two of his agents. The Inspektor is a feared figure amongst the Syldavian Underworld, both with normal criminals who remember him from his days as a detective in the Königliche Gendarmerie and also with subversives in anarchist and other political groups. He is hated by the Bordurian Informat, who have put a price on his head because of his work exposing and eliminating clandestine operatives and saboteurs in Bordurian emigré communities. Jaegermann comes from the city of Travunje, south of the capital, Klow and joined the Gendarmerie after his mandatory period of conscription in the Syldavian Army. He is known for his blunt manner and his ability to get results where others have failed.

Vohunska agents work in plainclothes and officially they are part of the Syldavian Ministry of Justice, unlike the Gendarmerie who are part of the Army. They have a wide-ranging brief, which encompasses internal security and intelligence-gathering, as well as operating as intelligence agents in other countries. They may also, under certain circumstances work with the Gendarmerie's Bureau of Investigations, the Untersuchungsbüro. 

In many operations, the Vohunska will call upon support from the uniformed Gendarmerie when extra manpower is required.

These figures are from the North Star Steampunk range and will serve as other things than just Syldavian agents. I will use them as Scotland Yard detectives and anywhere else where I need some chaps in plainclothes. I will use them for games of  In Her Majesty's Name and pulp and Cthulhu Mythos games.

n.b. Eugen Jaegermann is a sort of Germanised version of Gene Hunt from the TV series "Life On Mars"

Crooked Dice heroic characters

As the lockdown continues, perhaps we all need heroes to look up to? Apart from the real-life ones working in the health service, emergency services, the food supply chain and the essential retail sector, who else is there? In the miniature world how about four heroic stars for 7TV and 7TV Pulp games?

First up, here is a robust no-nonsense chap who sorts problems out by direct means, and his equally no-nonsense female companion. Is there a problem with Nazi treasure hunters seeking out occult objects? These two will soon put a stop to that sort of thing.

Next, a couple of more exotic heroes. An occult investigator and a masked crime-fighter with technology on his side. Step up and take a bow, Dexter Ward Phillips and Captain Infinity.

Here they are from behind, which is clearly the view most commonly seen by the Gribblies. "Behind you!" "Oh, no, they aren't." "Oh, yes they are!"

And two more shots of our intrepid crusaders for justice and a universe free from tentacled horrors from another dimension.

"Did you hear something, Captain?" "Yes, if was coming from behind you!"

"Oh my God, Dr. Phillips! What is that?" "I dare not utter its name, Captain, but I have seen a picture of it in the Book of Abdul Alhazred!"

"

Wargames Foundry "Lord Of Chaos"

I bought the Wargames Foundry "Lord Of Chaos" figure at Colours in Newbury last year, undercoated it and promptly left it sitting around for months and months as other things leapfrogged up the painting list. Also, I really had no idea how I wanted to paint it. I simply couldn't think of a colour palette that worked for me.

However, I really wanted to get it finished off, because it is an amazing piece of work. I am thinking that I might use it as a Major Demon in Frostgrave, but it will just as easily work in Cthulhu games. I mean, all those tentacles! I can see it working in 7TV games too, and there must be other ways of getting it onto the table. 

I think that this colour scheme works OK. I'm not sure if it is 100% perfect, but it has turned out better than my original idea, which had to be painted over because it was just too garish.

Possible Infantry for VBCW.

A few days ago, I posted about the Tabletop Sale at the club, ending the post with a picture of the odds and ends that I picked up.

So far, I've only assembled the plastic figures and undercoated them, because I have been working on the ten metal ones, the Renegade Miniatures WW1 Scottish infantry.

As I wrote previously, I don't intend them to be used as WW1 Scots at all. My idea is to use them for VBCW and other games, such as Call of Cthulhu and 7TV.

To make them look a bit more not-Scottish, I decided to give them green bands on their Glengarry bonnets, but apart from that, they have been given fairly standard-looking uniforms and equipment. As well as the green trim on the Glengarries, I've also given the troops green shoulder tabs. The squad leader actually has a slightly different appearance to the rest of the squad, his bonnet is of a more formal style, with a cap badge and longer tails, so, I painted it completely green. I've also given him green and yellow collar tabs. I intend these to look like rank markings, rather than just give him standard stripes on the arms of his service tunic. After all, this is some faction's private army, not a squad of regulars.

Anyway, I think that they have come up rather nicely and I might have to think about some more senior chaps and maybe a Lewis Gun team, but these will do for now.