Order in the Sunset Lands

For the first time, the band is all together!!  Or at least most of it.

This is my Holy Order of Man posse as it stands right now.  There are some new characters being cast which will join them soon enough.

I have also added a second Tumbler, which is featured in this image.  For its point value and what it does, I see it as absolutely vital for Holy Order.  If this can go through the upcoming portals, so much the better!!

We have some of the "Brain Trust" of the Holy Orders, with Sircan Abner as the boss, and some key underbosses.

These folks are important, because their combined 'buffs' make those Spica hired hands that you see as powerful as many characters.

You are seeing quite a few points right here, so these folks are going to be outnumbered, sometimes 3 to 1.  It will be a real challenge to play them.

Use of cover and terrain will be vital, utilizing their Spirit Aim.

I am also considering adding some of the Wayward Eight mercenaries to this posse, as they are among the only mercs to stand alongside this ancient Order.

I have a few additional versions of those Wayward Eight, so I will base and paint them very differently from the 'usual' versions.  Based on the temple style you see here, and with white clothing.

Sneaky Spica

 

Day one is complete!!!!  It was a nice average day... seven to seven.

 

Lots of folks came by the booth, which was great!  Each time I asked what the time was, it was way later than I expected.  I had a blast seeing friends, fellow Wappellians, and fellow Weird West fans!

 

I had a lot of fun talking about the finer points of the game, army building, and more.  Seeing all my painted figures spread across the table was rather shocking!  I didn't realize just how extensive that had become.

 

Of course, there was also the opportunity to show off the freshly painted Holy Order of Man posse!  Yay!  Now I just gotta play some games with these guys!

Speedy Spica

Well, the Spica are not exactly fast, but one of the 'buffing' characters can give them an extra action point to spend on shooting.  This can be very helpful!

They also will be getting some serious movement potential when the Portal character is released.  She will allow these guys to zip around the board right quick.

The Dog Pound

Send in the robots!!

These shots feature the more mechanical side of the Lawmen.  We have some UR Lawbots, along with a host of hounds!!

This is a combination of regular Mercenary K-9's along with the new, very powerful versions.

I think this group would be very deadly in a fight.  There are a ton of action points here, with everything essentially have three each.

When you couple that with the speed of the K-9's, this small number of figures acts as if it were almost half again as numerous.

The range of the firepower is also enhanced by the mobility of the large dogs, and Legendary Wyatt's powerful gun.

Even the smallest of K-9's is lethal in combat.  They are also blurred targets, so a great number of shots will go astray.

The K-9's have been the most consistent performers in close combat.  While the fighting skill level is not high, there are many attacks and strikes to compensate.

This is also a very heavily armed posse!  I believe that with forward eschelon, the large K-9's have armor 6!

Things are gonna get hot in Wappelville... it's going to the dogs!

We anticipate that legendary figures like Wyatt will only come around for special story based scenarios... most likely facing each other.

Let the Showdown begin!!!

Fun with skintone shadows

Another barbarian for you today!  As with all the other figures of this type, I get to play around with skin tones, and the shadow areas in particular.

 

Painting the flesh tones on these figures is always interesting, since the crevices are somewhat deep.  By filling that in with a semi-translucent tannish green, it provides some color depth in an area that could become too dark otherwise.

 

It is so similar to how I used to paint skin color in oil painting, it makes me fondly recall those days. :-)

 

In terms of value, this greyed down green is much lighter than the original shadows which were glazed in originally.  The semi-translucent nature of the greenish layer does allow for some of that original red/brown shadow to come through.

 

That tones down the green by default, as letting the underpainting show through is tantamount to blending.  However, this is "auto blending", which saves a lot of time, and makes it more fun!

Guardian of the Relics

Thus far you have seen some of the characters and leaders of the Holy Order of Man.

I have a series of posts showing the core of the Order, its Spica Hired Hands.

They undergo a brutal (and sometimes deadly) training regimen, which only a tiny few endure to become a Spica.  They are trained in clandestine warfare, hiding in plain sight, much like Special Forces.

They will even restrict the use of their powerful Relic Weapons, so as not to alert the Enemy to their presence.

Bow and axe

I think this character could find a role in a lot of different systems.

It certainly would be an outstanding D & D figure!!

I suppose there are plenty of other RPG systems that come to mind for people. :-)

This old man

This "Old Timer" is not your average Senior Citizen.

He is Sircan Abner, a boss in the Holy Order of Man posse.

In addition to providing buffs to the rest of the posse's abilities, he is a guardian of Relics.

This means that you have a much better chance of gaining the initiative, especially if you also have a few other Holy Order characters chipping in.

Gaining the initiative is normally important, but when you are as outnumbered as Holy Orders will be, being able to get the jump on your enemy is crucial!

Going first can help keep you alive, obviously.  It's even more important, because you will likely have to take a lot of chances in positioning your forces.  Holy Order don't have a lot of long range options, forcing them to be more stealthy.

After GenCon, I hope to try out a number of different posse builds.  I am also working on one that includes several members of the Wayward Eight.

Burning up the Barnyard

Here's something that no western themed table should be without!  Yes, another fantastic kit from Burn In Designs.

As always, Lathan make sure that the interior has lots of fun spaces for the figures to move about.  Each level also has multiple ways to access them, so you don't have to make too many of those climbing rolls.

Hiding and shooting is a classic barn activity in Wappelville these days.

A handy staircase to get you up there...

This awning looks great, but also offers some cover from snipers in high perches!

Or you could just box it in and stay warm!

Gotta have one of these!!