Last of the Woodland Animals & Creatures for Devilry Afoot

    Three 28mm wolves and a coyote skinwalker to bedevil my players in our new 'Devilry Afoot' games

I was in a bit of a hurry to get as many of the 28mm woodland animals done as I could before this past Sunday's game. In the end, I squeezed in only three wolves and a special monster that would appear in the scenario. The other ones (raccoons, badgers, foxes) are sitting on my desk with their base coat applied. No hurry to finish them, now. As it turned out, the shamans did not summon a single woodland animal! I ended up using only my previously painted deer figure as a spirit animal when one of the shamans rolled "Flee" on their action table. So, essentially, most of two week's worth of work for naught!

    I used Google Images to do my best to get the wolves coloring right, like this timberwolf

The wolves are -- I believe -- Ral Partha/Iron Wind Metals. If someone knows differently, please comment on my blog so that I can change the information here. I actually have more wolves in my unpainted drawers. Some are closer to 15mm scale while others are meant to be huge dire wolf types. These were the middle ones -- big enough to look scary next to 28mm miniatures!

    Pictures don't really bring out the contrast between the white, black & gray areas on this wolf

I chose three different colors -- a classic black and white wolf (almost Siberian Husky looking), a brown timber wolf style one, and a dark "black" wolf. The black and white wolf got a light gray base coat followed by very light gray highlighting. I then did white highlighting in the areas that looked white on the photograph of an appropriately colored wolf I was looking at. Last, I added in black patches where the photo showed. His claws and mouth was painted black with pale yellow teeth, while his eyes were done with a black oval filled in with light yellow. A dark brown eye filled the pupil, and he was done. 

The timber wolf had a light brown base coat with khaki dry brush. I then added white similarly to I had done above, and darker brown in the appropriate places. I think it is very useful to have a page of Google Images pulled up of the animal you're trying to paint. It helps you get the coloring done correctly and makes it look right in people's minds. 

    You've got to have at least 1 black wolf -- too iconic of an image to ignore...these pics came out nice

The black wolf was done with a very dark gray base coat and slightly lighter gray dry brush. I added in just a few patches of a medium or lighter gray in places that the photograph showed, mainly to give it contrast. This wolf probably went the fastest as he was mostly the dark gray color. As with the other two, he was given yellow eyes and a dark brown eyeball. All in all, I'm happy with how these three wolves came out, and I am sure I will be able to use them in a number of other games. Note to self: Don't sell these woodland animals! I don't want to have to do them again...haha!

    Painted this Brigade Games werewolf as a coyote skinwalker - really like how the coloring came out

The final figure mentioned above, but was a werewolf from the pack of two I bought from Brigade Games. (part of the Dracula's America line). Wolves look like coyotes, for the most part. The monster I imagined for this past Sunday's scenario would be a Coyote Skinwalker. I chose the leaner looking of the two from the pack and once again pulled up Google Images. He would look similar to the timber wolf, but more lightly colored. I began with a light tan base coat, dry brushed white, then started applying darker patches for the fur. It was a mix of a few different colors of dry brushing or direct brush strokes -- medium and dark brown.

At first, I wasn't sure if I liked how it was coming out. The further I got along with it, though, the more pleased I was. There was a lot of dry brushing and painting tiny strokes of darker fur on this model. Unlike the other animals, I did a dark brown vehicle wash over him and feel it really pulled the various colors together. Sometimes a darker wash can hide your dry brushing. Other times it does a good job of pulling various colors together into a smoother transition from one tone to the other. I painted his eyes and mouth similarly to the wolves. His claws were done first in black with a bone colored top coat. I really liked the way her turned out. Now, I just need to find figures for skinwalkers equivalent to other animal types! 

    One final look at danger running through the forests around Franklinton in frontier America

Other than the aforementioned abandoned animals like the raccoons, my painting desk was fairly clear once I finished off these four. Since then, I have pulled out another batch of goblin archers for my Dragon Rampant army. In addition, I am going into full assembly line mode on my bamboo patches for my Vietnam games. My first method was an abject failure and looked terrible. I finally came up with a new idea, and I like how it turns out. The prototype is mostly done, and is on a 1.5" wooden base. I'm satisfied it will look good, so just this morning started up another five bases of bamboo. I have a feeling this will take awhile, so don't expect a quick post of my bamboo anytime soon! The good news is that my recent progress means I am only 32 figures "in the hole" on Acquired vs. Painted for Miniatures. As long as I don't go crazy and buy a bunch of stuff, I think I will make it into the green this year, after all....

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 290
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 258

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 136
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 201

The Coming Storm - First Game of Devilry Afoot

    Mid-game view of our first Devilry Afoot game - you can see the circles of lantern light vs. shadows

For weeks, tribal drumming at night was heard from a nearby hill by the residents of Franklinton, a new settlement in the Ohio Territory. As the drumming built to a crescendo, each night storms of deep rolling thunder would roll in. Their thunder matched the drums' bass pulsation. Unnatural flickering lighting in brilliant colors would illuminate the night. Worried by the storms' growing intensity, the Marib and Enoch Domigan called together a meeting of their secret society of supernatural hunters. Something had to be done. Each storm was more violent than the last, and in the morning, livestock would often be found ripped apart. The Monsignor, visiting from the north, agreed and said the storms would only get worse until the town was torn apart by nature -- and the Devil's -- fury.

    Board after setup with the stone altar on the hilltop in the center & hunters arriving on the edges

The next night, six hunters gathered as the witching hour began -- when the drumming would usually start. The co-founder of the Society, Marib Domigan, her friend Sarah Starling, lawyer Orris Parish, the Monsignor, scholar Jacob Shade, and the former Indian captive Jeremiah Armstrong each brought a trusted man so their number would equal 12 -- same as the Apostles of Christ. Marib also brought her faithful English bulldog, Henry, who feared no night shadows. His throaty growls answered both the drums and thunder as they pulsated through the night in unholy rhythm. For some reason, the dog's growls brought both courage to the hunters and a thrill of anticipation. The time had arrived for the Society to act. Franklinton would strike back at the devils that had besieged their village in recent weeks. For the missing hunters, for the strangely torn apart livestock, and for the fearful, godly folk of the Ohio Territory's newest settlement, they would seek out the enemy tonight and attempt to destroy it.

    Old Grubb carrying a lantern, illuminating him & Jeremiah Armstrong, while Old Sarge advances

Unbeknownst to the brave hunters from the Society, three shamans drummed and dance furiously on the Cursed Hill less than a mile away. They danced around a stone altar surrounded by a ring of oddly shaped stones. Guarding their backs were three fanatically devoted Delaware braves, stripped to the waist and painted for war. Occasionally the three warriors would hear the echo of a howl in the woods, far away. The braves knew that the medicine men were summoning not only the forces of nature to send against the trespassers, but also those from the spirit world. The braves also knew their tribal chiefs had instructed them not to follow the way preached by Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa. All three felt Tenskwatawa was right, though. Only by summoning help from the spirit world would the tribes be powerful enough to drive the invaders away. The chiefs may have signed the Treaty of Greenville, but the braves believed its words did not bind the shamans nor the true believers of their religion. They would continue the fight and call upon the aid of the spirit world to regain the land that once theirs. 

    Advancing in the shadows, from left Jacob Shade, Marib Domigan & her dog Henry, and MacAfee

The society split into two groups to approach the cursed hill from different directions. Marib, her faithful servant MacAfee, and Henry padded silently through the trees. To their left, they saw the lantern glow of Mr. Shade and his man, Old Grub, as they advanced. Also illuminated by Old Grub's lantern were the young woodsman Jeremiah Armstrong, who had been kidnapped in his youth by Indians, and the gleaming halberd of his devoted, older friend nicknamed Old Sarge. As silently as they could, they moved forward, making out a ring of strange trees bare of any leaves, then the circle of stones, and finally the altar. Dark shapes cavorted around it.

    Shamans and Indian warriors on the hilltop react to the approach of the hunters from two sides

On the other side of the hill, Sarah Starling led a group that included her neighbor, John Huffman, village lawyer Orris Parish and his neighbor Arthur O'Harra, and dimly visible in the distance, the Monsignor. He was accompanied by Domigan family servant Hanby, who held aloft his lantern. These glowing yellow orbs of light alerted the shamans and Indian warriors to the approach of the society. Blue lightning crackled overhead, and suddenly, men and women were in motion all around the hill. One of the shamans strode purposefully down the hill towards Marib. The shadows seemed to make the masked Indian grow larger. At her side, Henry growled menacingly. MacAfee fired off a shot of his blunderbuss, but it appeared to miss. A crashing in the undergrowth to the shaman's right preceded a loud voice ringing through the woods. "Damn you, devil!" Old Sarge cursed as he charged. "This is for my cattle you and your demons have slaughtered!" The former Revolutionary War soldier swung his halberd, but it missed the shaman.

    Old Grubb charges a shaman stalking towards them, while Marib & her friends hurry to help

Suddenly, a flash and pistol shot boomed out from behind the shaman. The tongue of flame briefly illuminated Jacob Shade, who had crept behind the distracted shaman and fired upon him. The pistol ball took the shaman between the shoulders. His arms flew up, and he fell forward on his face and lay unmoving. "See you in Hell," Shade muttered. Soon, the woods were full of the flash and bang of musket and pistol shots. Lanterns waved wildly as the Indian braves fired at the advancing Society members, whose return fired crashed out in reply. Seeing his compatriot fall, one of the shamans raised his arms and screamed a long, ululating cry. Old Sarge's eyes grew wide and he turned and fell back through the trees. Seeing the society members wavering, the shaman dashed down the hill to his right towards Old Grubb's circle of light. Waiting for him, Jeremiah raised his musket and sighted down the barrel and whispered, "I see you, uncle, but I will not let you harm my friends." Another crash of musket fire. The shaman, who had just taken a swipe at Old Grub, missing, yelped as Jeremiah's musket ball struck him. 

    First shaman down! Scholar Jacob Shade sneaks behind him and fells him with a pistol shot

"Mother of God," Old Grubb gasped. Before his eyes, the shaman's form wavered and a towering buck stood in its place. The deer glanced once in Jeremiah's direction and then crashed away back up the hill, gathering speed as it raced past the stones. It stopped just outside of the circle of light thrown by Orris Parish's lantern. Realizing a real deer would be nowhere near the chaos on the hilltop, Parish fired his pistol into the deer's bulk. He then backed away slowly from the unnatural animal. 

    One shaman howls in response from the hilltop, causing some hunters to back off in fear

Not far away, one of the Indian braves charged down the hill towards Sarah, where she stood holding her lantern aloft. She held her dagger, pointing it at the Indian's painted face in her other hand. Feet pounded through the undergrowth and both Arthur O'Harra and John Huffman raced to her side. Furious fighting ensued, and soon the Indian brave lay dead at their feet. Sarah automatically reached for her medicine bag and began to kneel to check his wounds. "My lady," John said reaching out to her shoulder, "you can treat him later. For now, the fight is still afoot..." Sarah closed the flap and followed John and Arthur up the hill. 

    Wounded Indian warrior charges toward physician Sarah Starling as fights break out across the hill

On the other side of the hill, another Indian warrior was engaged in melee with Marib and Henry. Orris Parish raced to her aid, also, as the giant deer ran off. Blood was spilled amongst all the combatants, until finally the Indian lay dead at their feet. All across the hilltop, the Society's hunters were gaining the upper hand. Just then, a terrifying howl erupted from the woods behind Marib. A coyote skinwalker appeared at the end of the trees -- more than man height, covered in fur, and stalking erect on its hind legs. Several society members edge backwards. Indian shamans and warriors were one thing, but here was truly a demon from Hell! One man stood firm, though. Jacob Shade muttered a term in the tribal tongue, recognizing the form of the creature from one of his books on the supernatural. "Yee Naaldlooshii -- I do not fear you!" The creature turned its head and charged at Shade who slashed at it eyes with his dagger. The two fought, Shade pulling his reloaded pistol out and firing it. The skinwalker howled in pain. Shade grunted as one of its slashes drew blood from his shoulder.

    One of the shamans stalk towards Old Grubb as Jeremiah Armstrong prepares to fire at him

Old Grubb, seeing his young friend in danger, charged into the fray. He slashed wildly with his dagger as the lantern swung in his grasp. The flickering yellow light seemed to affect the skinwalker more than his dagger thrusts, though. The melee continued as thunder boomed out, again, and all could smell the approach of the rain on the gusting wind. All around the hilltop, the hunters of Franklinton had gained the upper hand. All three shamans and Indian braves lay motionless in the grass As they looked up to where Grubb and Shade fought with the nightmare coyote-man, the skies opened up. Drenching sheets of rain crashed down on the hilltop like a wave on the shore. Marib reached out to Henry who she could not see, though he stood next to her. She clutched his collar and shouted, "Home, Henry!" The dog began to tug her in the proper direction, downhill. She called out to MacAfee, reaching her hand out into the rain. She felt the Scotsman grab it, and fall into step beside her.

    Marib, Henry, & MacAfee close in on the hilltop guarded by an Indian brave with musket

Shade called to Grubb, whose lantern had become extinguished in the torrent of rain. He heard no answer, and warily felt around till he stumbled over a crumpled form at his feet. It was Grubb, curled into a ball and shuddering in pain. He looked around for the skinwalker, but no attack came. Apparently, the wounded horror had withdrawn into the trees. Shade scooped up his neighbor in his arms and began stumbling towards where he thought Franklinton lay. Unseen in the torrents of rain, the Society's other hunters did the same. 

    The Coyote Skinwalker has charged Shade at left, while Marib, Henry & a shaman melee in center

As the rain slowly let up, and the thunder rolled away into the distance, the society's hunters finally looked up. They could dimly see the outline of Franklinton's homes in the clouded moonlight. Sarah raced to her side, already unshouldering her medical bag. "Grubb...is he...?" Shade set him down, reassuring her that he was still alive. The young physician began treating his wounds. Others who had been injured walked over and stood, waiting for her attention, as well. The Monsignor arrived, and taking bandages from Sarah's pouch, began to treat those who were bleeding. After each wound he bandaged, the Catholic priest muttered in Latin, saying a blessing on it to help ensure the healing. 

    In a bloody melee, the final shaman falls to the combined blows of Marib, Henry, & Orris Parish

 "Marib...?" A voice called out from the direction of Franklinton. It was her brother Enoch, racing to the small group of hunters. "Mr. Culbertson and I kept an eye out on the town -- nothing approached. Is everyone okay?"

Marib nodded. "We have won. Sarah says Old Grubb will be fine, and the rest of us, myself included, will also survive our wounds. The Society has won, and driven the devil drummers from the Cursed Hill..."

    Shaman lies in the grass, felled by the Society, as Hanby & the Monsignor investigate the hill

We played our first game of Devilry Afoot last night. We had six players, each of whom controlled a character and a follower. Opposing them were three shamans (witches), three braves (outlaws), and one Coyote Skinwalker that would appear on turn 3. The board was the recommended 2'x2' square, but all six of my players felt it was a tad small for so many figures. I agreed, and will likely enlarge it to 3'x3' for the next game. I wasn't exactly sure how to balance out the forces of hunters and horrors. I decided to err on the side of caution and make the enemy force a bit weaker. I certainly succeeded in that, as only one Follower was taken out of action, Old Grubb, and none of the characters. All of the shamans and Indian braves were taken out of action. The skinwalker had taken two of its three wounds when Turn 5 arrived and the first roll to end the game was a "10," which brought the rain and closed the struggle. 

Although Devilry Afoot has "bounties" for each monster in the game, it does not have a corresponding points system for the players to balance things out. Each scenario lists a recommended number of characters to oppose the monsters in it, but I'm sure it will take some tweaking to figure out how to make a balanced game. The players learned the fairly simple rules easily enough. The only mistakes were things I forgot. I did not remember to do the Opportunity Attacks for the defender when the attacker misses until turn two or so. Once everyone knew about it, we remembered it easily enough. 

    Old Sarge helps Marib & Henry finish off an Indian warrior during the end stages of the game

I was disappointed that the shamans did not summon any woodland animals to their aid on their action rolls. There was only one attempt and it failed. All of those 28mm animals I painted up...haha! I did forget until about turn 2 that when a shaman flees or hides it changes into spirit animal form. I remembered it after that, though. All in all, things progressed easily enough. The game took only about two hours to play, despite having 12 chits in the bag for the hunter side (one for each of six characters and followers), and 5-8 for the monsters (the three for the skinwalker not being put in till turn 3). So, it moved along quickly enough.

My biggest question is if my decision to give each player a character AND a follower was truly necessary? I will ask my players about it. Would they have been fine controlling just one hunter -- their character? I was worried that they wouldn't get to do much with only one figure under their control. Unfortunately, one of my player's character and follower really didn't get a chance to do much. I think that was more a function of his starting location being fairly far away and also that the others polished off the bad guys before he could get in range to do much. If the players are willing to try it with no followers and just their main characters, I will do that for the second game.  

I think the Devilry Afoot combat and movement system works fine. The QRS I had designed helped players and myself adjudicate the shooting and combat quickly enough. I was worried about the randomness of the separate roll to wound, but I think it added a nice touch of uncertainty. The players picked up on how to use the 4" circle of lantern light to their advantage. Groups of characters and followers tended to cluster around the light, which not only made their activations a higher percentage of success, it also helped them in combat or shooting. Same with the player controlling Marib who had a dog. Dogs are a pain in the butt for the monsters, and Mike S used Henry the bulldog well. The stout old canine did suffer one wound, but will be back for more devil-hunting action next time!

I asked the players if they enjoyed the game enough for me to run it again, and they said yes (in varying degrees of enthusiasm). No one seemed to hate it, which is a good thing -- considering all the time I've spent painting up stuff for it! So, hopefully, stay tuned for more Devilry Afoot in Franklinton in 1797 Ohio...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 290
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 254

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 136
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 201  

Native American Shamans & Their Spirit Animals for Devilry Afoot

    First enemies for my players in my Devilry Afoot games -- Native American shamans ("witches")

Once I decided that I was indeed going to run my first game of Devilry Afoot for the guys on Sunday, I sat down and began to make out the player aids. Upon creating them, I realized that I had more figures to paint than I thought I did -- uh-oh! I knew I had to get at least two more shamans painted up. They would be stand-ins for witches in my frontier America Franklinton setting for my campaign. No problem -- they were already in the pipeline! What wasn't in the pipeline were all the woodland animals that I would need to paint up. 

    Two 28mm bears - one from Ral Partha on left and the other from Reaper Miniatures on right

Long ago, I used to have a lot of woodland animals painted up as part of my 15mm Fantasy armies. I used Ral Partha/Iron Wind 25mm figures for them, so all I would have to do would be pop them off their multi-bases, right? Um, except...well, I sold all my 15mm Hordes of the Things armies! No problem, I have plenty of 25mm/28mm animals in my unpainted collection. When I am at conventions and I see some that strike my fancy, I pick them up (even though I may not currently have a use for them). Ahem, I am looking at your Badger Games with the Bad Squiddo line you carry! So, I'll just paint some of them up...except there is less than a week before the game. "Houston, er Franklinton, we have a problem...!"

    Three 28mm Beavers from Bad Squiddo games -- these woodland animals painted up very quickly!

The day I realized that I pulled out all of my 28mm animals and set aside ones that will be useful in Devilry Afoot. In the rules, witches -- shamans, that is -- switch back and forth between an animal form and human form. That works perfect for the Native American theme with spirit animals and all that. Witches can also summon "Imps" in the rules. I decided to switch that out to woodland animals who answer the shamans call for help. Each shaman can have up to two woodland animals on the table at one time. Suddenly, I need three spirit form animals and six woodland animals. I went downstairs into my fantasy figures box and found a depressingly small amount already painted up. One bear, a handful of deer, some snakes, a few pumas, and a boar. Yikes! I need to get painting!!

    I used the photo on the blister pack of 'Freyja's Wildcats' from Bad Squiddo as inspiration for these

In the end, I pulled out quite a few figures to paint up. The larger ones were two more bears (one Reaper and one Iron Wind), three 28mm wolves (not sure of the manufacturer, three Bad Squiddo beavers, and two Bad Squiddo wildcats. The smaller creatures were two badgers (Iron Wind), two raccoons (Primaevel Designs line from Acheson Creations), and two foxes (Iron Wind). I based them up first, epoxying them onto likely size bases of MDF or plastic. Once dry, I quickly brush primed them with Liquitex White Gesso. And the next morning, I went downstairs and saw 16 white animals looking at me. No kindly brownies had painted them up overnight -- drat! So, I had to figure out how I was going to do this. I decided to split them into two batches.

    My favorite of the three 28mm Native American shamans that I painted up for my first scenario

First, though, I would do the base coat on all 16 of them (15 actually, one fox sat on the sidelines because I counted wrong and didn't pull out a base for him). Yes, that's how much of a hurry I was in! Once they were all base coated, I decided to finish each animal species before moving on to the next. The bears were first. I had done a dark brown base coat, so next I did a Camo Brown dry brush. A little bit of black around their eyes, a little khaki highlight here and there, and they were mostly done. I did the detail work on their mouths and claws and was able to set them aside as complete. These aren't Splintered Light Miniatures animals, so they're not wearing any equipment -- no swords or shields, here!

  Very interesting kneeling and masked pose for this shaman - I tried to decorate each article of clothing

The beavers were next. Dark brown base coat, Camo brown dry brush, and then some orange-brown highlights here and there. I had Google Image pages of each species pulled up and referred to them as I was painting. They also received some khaki highlighting. Eyes and hands were black, and the tail got a dark gray dry brush over the dark brown base. Woo-hoo! Two species down!! This could work. On to the wildcats! 

  Last of the 3 shamans that I painted up - I wasn't ecstatic about the decorations, but they were okay

One nice thing about buying animal miniatures from Bad Squiddo is there is typically a color image of what the miniatures should like fully painted on the front of the blister pack. This was the Freyja's Wildcats pack, and I have to admit that is not how I have seen wildcats depicted before. Nevertheless, they did look really cool. Maybe they are Freyja's really large house cats? I did my best to follow the photograph and did a fair job of it, I think. I did change the eye color to yellow. There are some cats that have blue eyes, but I felt that would be a little jarring for most people. I mixed dry brushing with painting individual streaks of darker or lighter colored fur. I'm really happy with how they came out, though doubtless my friend Keith will look at me, deadpan, and say, "No, those aren't wildcats."

I'm saving the last for the figures that were painted up first, I guess. These three Native American shamans were bought a long time ago from Conquest Miniatures, now carried by Warlord Games. I couldn't find these particular figures on their website, though, but I'm pretty sure that's where I got them from. I painted one from the pack up long ago, and the three remaining sat untouched in my unpainted lead drawer for close to a decade. The first scenario of Devilry Afoot calls for three witches, er shamans, and I had only one. Heck with it! I decided to paint up all three. They came out fairly good, and it gave me a chance to relive my days of painting Indian tribesmen with lots of bead work and patterns.

    The rules we will be using for my 'Franklinton 1797' frontier America horror campaign

I hurried these figures through the basing process so that they actually caught up with the latest batch of finished orcs. I tossed in a few flower tufts on the animal and shaman bases just to make them pop a bit, but otherwise I used my standard flocking system for these figures. The more astute of you are asking, "But what about the wolves, badgers, raccoons, and fox?" They were still sitting base coated on my desk, patiently waiting their turn. I really don't need ALL of them done in time for the game. There is one more figure in that second batch that DOES need to get completed. So, stay tuned for another post hopefully soon!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 290
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 254

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 136
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 201

Devilry Afoot Followers & More

    'It's behind you!' My next batch of Devilry Afoot figures stalked by the mythical Nyah-Gwaheh

It's kind of appropriate that I'm painting figures up for games of Devilry Afoot so close to Halloween. When I slid the second batch over onto the main area of my painting desk, I decided to toss in an extra miniature. I bought it awhile back at the Guardtower local game shop and that I thought would work for the Iroquoian mythical creature Nyah-Gwaheh. Often nicknamed the naked bear, this fierce creature supposedly has a large upper torso and a slender lower body. I actually have forgotten what Reaper calls this miniature, but for me, it's the naked bear!

Another look at my 2nd batch of Hunters & Followers for Devilry Afoot unaware of their deadly peril

All but one of the human figures in this batch are meant for Followers rather than Hunters. I modified two of them so they would be holding lanterns. The third figure that I modified is for Enoch Domigan, the brother from the sibling pair who founded the supernatural hunting society in 1797 in Franklinton, Ohio. I took one of the servants from the Brigade Games pack, Milady and Household Staff. The "servant" holding his hands behind his back as he strode forward purposefully was well-dressed and seemed to have a noble air about him. I slid a sword in his hands that are held behind his back and painted him up as a Gentleman archetype for the game. The similarly attired servant hold his hand outstretched was given a lantern and became a Follower. The other four figures came from a massive bag of 28mm figures my friend Mike S lent me. He knew I was looking for some that would work for the early frontier America period, when colonists were still using matchlocks and the occasional suit of armor. I picked out four of them (Dixon? Essex? Anyone know??) that I thought would make great Followers for Devilry Afoot, and included them in this batch.

    Enoch Domigan in jacket on the right, with a servant holding a lantern as they explore the woods

I didn't want Enoch to be "twinning" with his sister, who I'd painted dark green. So, I gave him a fairly standard dark blue coat with red trim. The lace on the facings was done in white, while that around the pockets was red. His neck scarf is in the hunting society's trademark blood red, while his vest is pale yellow and trousers are tan. I gave him a powdered wig and black boots with silver buckles. His servant has a dark blue vest, gray shirt, and faded blue pants. His wide boots are a worn leather, while his hat is a faded black. I like his puffy cheeks and bulbous nose, and the way he grips his knife scanning the area around him for dangers. I gave him gray feathers in his hat because he's a servant, after all -- he can't be outfancying his social betters!

    A woodsman Follower carries his trusty axe, while MacAfee holds his blunderbuss to defend himself

I really liked these next two figures for Followers. The masked and hooded man carrying an axe seemed perfect for a Woodsman hired by one of the wealthier inhabitants of Franklin to bring back game for the table. I painted him in green and brown tones to blend in with the trees as he hunts in the area around the town. The baggy trousers might be a tad out of style for 1797, but they would be cooler in the humidity beneath the trees. The mask gives him an almost Dread Pirate Roberts look, which only adds to the the stylish nature of the pose. Equally stylish is MacAfee, the very Scottish looking Follower in the plaid kilt and dark blue tam. I really like the way the tartan pattern came out. I painted it a red-brown with a dark cherry brown "grid" of horizontal and vertical stripes. To make the pattern pop, so to speak, I added a faded yellow dot at the intersections of the dark brown lines. MacAfee was given a brown vest jacket with wide, than cuffs. His undershirt is pale yellow and his cap is the traditional dark blue. The blunderbuss is a cool addition to the figure, and looks like it could give the supernatural creatures prowling the woods a painful surprise!

    Marib Domigan's servant Hanby, helpful holds a lantern, while Old Sarge carries a trusty halberd

Also from the servants in the Brigade Games pack is Hanby, helpfully holding aloft a lantern. Characters in light activate easier than those in shadow in the Devilry Afoot rules. So, some figures in a party are going to need to carry a lantern or torch (or perhaps "flaming brand" for the Brits, who think a torch is a flashlight? Haha). I gave him a matching jacket to Milady Marib from the first batch of hunters, and pale yellow trim with white lace. As a proper household servant, he wears a powdered wig and stoic expression, which may or may not crack when he spots one of the horrors that his lady is pursuing in the woods! Old Sarge is a retired soldier from the Revolutionary War. Since no one seemed to mind, he took his halberd pikestaff, which he'd carried for more than a decade, with him when he retired from the colors. Its wicked point might give even the angriest Nayh-Gwaheh a second thought when they see its gleaming at eye level! I painted Old Sarge in faded colors, tans and greys. I love the fact that he is barefoot and his bent floppy hat almost falls over his eyes. Marib gave him his blood reck scarf to show that he belongs amongst the society's followers. Doubtless, the retired soldier will prove useful in defending the people of Franklinton from the unspeakable terrors prowling the woods!

    I felt I was off to a good start in painting mythical Native American creatures with this 'naked bear'

Speaking of terrors, here is the first that I painted up for my Native American mythical creatures. It is from WizKids and is apparently something called an Aerorian Reverser. It is a white plastic figure that feels similar to the Reaper Bones line. I gave him a first coat of Liquitex White Gesso. Since he showed up on my table about the same time as I was working on a batch of orcs, I decided to give his skin the same treatment, for the most part. It looked really good on the orcs and goblins. He received a walnut brown base coat, raw sienna dry brush, and very sparing khaki highlights. There are some many Incredible Hulk-like folds and "cuts" in his muscles that I wanted a flesh that I knew would look good but also looked brown and bear-like. His head and ears are not so bear like, but I am reasoning that it was more on account of his size and bipedal nature that the tribes called his kin "bears." I really like how his roaring mouth came out. The interior of his mouth is painted blood red with cardinal red highlights. The teeth were painted black first, then picked out in pale yellow. I did the same for the nails on his feet. I used the same pale yellow for the "whites" of his eyes, and a did a dark red-brown do for his eyes. At the last moment, I decided to use my narrowest nib black Micron pen and gave him a pupil, too. I really like how it made the eyes pop more!

    Close up of the roaring mouth of the Nyah-Gwaheh -- I thought the mouth and eyes came out nice

I don't know if the naked bear will show up in the first scenario I run of Devilry Afoot. I was originally planning on the hunters facing off against Native American shamans, their followers, and perhaps a skinwalker. This guy seems like overkill in that first mission -- I don't want to kill all of them off in the first game! Still, he is a terrifying looking creature, and perfect for horror skirmish gaming! I am exactly one week away from perhaps running that first game, so I'm not sure if I have time to get any skinwalkers done. I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see if I get some more monsters painted up quickly for the upcoming game (or if I don't get everything ready and back off and run something else).

    The back of the creature is also thickly muscled and cut deeply -- perfect for drybrushing!

What else is on my tabletop? Well, of course, another batch of six orcs from Gripping Beast. I also have three shamans fairly far long -- they should definitely be ready in time. Otherwise, I've stalled on scratch-building my stands of bamboo. I wasn't crazy with how my first idea was looking. So, I'm trying a second idea out to see if it looks more like what I want. I do have three rice paddies done, though, and will post pictures of them as soon as I get around to that. More to come!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 290
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 238

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 136
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 201

Devilry Afoot: First Figures for a New Project

 

    My first group of six 'Hunters' for Devilry Afoot -- a cooperative supernatural monster hunting game

There's an outside chance I may squeeze in my first game of Devilry Afoot in honor of Halloween this month. Just in case that happens, I wanted to get a batch or two of miniatures done for the main characters and their followers. I've decided that each of my players will control one Hunter and one Follower. In these rules, Hunters are divided into five different Archetypes:

• Gentleman
• Goodman or Goodwife
• Religious
• Scholar
• Soldier

    I went back and forth between several rules & eventually decided on trying these cooperative ones

I am setting my games in the tiny, new settlement of Franklinton in the Ohio territory of frontier America. The games will take place in the late 1700s and early 1800s, prior to the War of 1812. As such, I have plenty of appropriate figures for the "Soldier" archetype (and probably followers, too). I think my French & Indian War armed civilians will also work for a "Goodman" (or Goodwife), as well. The nicer dressed leader types could be Gentlemen, too, I guess. However, when it comes to Religious or Scholarly types, I had very few figures. Thus, my purchase at Historicon this summer to enable me to field those archetypes.

    I'm calling him the 'Monsignor' - on the Brigade Games site he is in the 'Cardinal & M'Lady' pack

As such, this first batch is fairly heavy in Religious and Scholarly types. I have another batch of six primed and with the flesh done waiting in the wings, too. Those come later, though. Let's talk about these first six miniatures I just finished! They are all 28mm metal and from a variety of sources. My favorite miniature of this crew, so far, is one that I am calling the "Monsignor." He is from a Brigade Games two-figure pack called, "Cardinal and Milady." The lady I will discuss in a moment. She is also part of the first batch of six. Anyway, the Monsignor (or Cardinal) is wearing a cool robe, sash, and mantle, along with a "beanie" type cloth cap. Very appropriately for the game, he holds a nasty looking spike dagger behind his back in one hand while raising the other in a benediction or blessing. I love the folds and drape of his clothing, and I think the blood red and black color scheme works really well for this figure. You may ask what is a cardinal doing on the rough frontier of America? In my story, he is a visiting Catholic priest ministering to the needs of some converted native Americans who live near Franklinton (which is early Columbus, Ohio, where I live). More on the story below of the how Hunters came to be in this small, frontier village!

    One of my favorites from this batch, he is a Crucible Crush Puritan who I added a lantern to

The other religious type is from Crucible Crush. His outfit is a century or so out of date, but I think he still has that frontier preacher look about him. Yes, he is from the English Puritans pack, but just look at him! He is clutching his holy book to his chest, his arm is raised in calling down God's fury on the heathen demons of the frontier. Can he be more perfect for a game of Devilry Afoot? I painted him pretty much identically to the picture on the Crucible Crush website. The severe black and white color scheme just screams frontier preacher to me. I am envisioning him representing the Franklinton's local Protestant deacon or preacher. He is obviously filled with God's righteous anger and bravely steps forward to hunt down the servants of the Devil prowling around the village!

    Sarah Starling, wife of Franklinton founder Lucas Sullivant, was a skilled nurse - a perfect Scholar!

A female scholar is probably a rarity in frontier America, but I figured it would make for an interesting character. I may make her a healer or herbalist, or some sort of doctor. I figure that the chauvinism of frontier America might be overcome if the woman has badly needed medical skills. Those in need might just look the other way at the impropriety of a woman openly practicing her craft! You know - necessity and all that!! This would be even more likely if said female doctor is relatively high up in the social standing of the town. In my research, I discovered that the wife of the village founder, Lucas Sullivant, was devoted to nursing the needs of the sick in the village. She even lost her life during the War of 1812 taking care of the sick soldiers stationed in Franklinton during a Typhus epidemic. So, perhaps she is Sarah Anne Sullivant, wife of the village mayor? The figure is from the Bad Squiddo Games pack, Beer Maiden and Scholar (she's the scholar, of course!).

    One of the founders of the Franklinton society of supernatural hunters - young lady Marib Domigan

The other female character is the aforementioned Milady. Wearing a voluminous hoop dress, bewigged, and carrying a Carnival mask on a stick, you may wonder how she could ever belong with a group of hunters of supernatural monsters! Right?? Well, if you look at the way she is holding that rapier, you would realize this is no idle patroness of dance balls. She is nobility, for sure! How else would she have had the leisure time to be trained in the art of the sword? In fact, she is actually one of the founders of the club of Franklinton men and women who hunt the horrors of the frontier. To them, it began as a game. She and her male cousin (next batch of figures) read about supernatural hunters in Europe. They decided to mimic the fun by collecting stories of supernatural occurrences here in the Ohio Territory. They were delighted when they discovered the first account of a mangled farm animal on the night of a full moon. And they giggled as neighbors reported drumming and strange animal cries on dark nights. And then suddenly...it wasn't a game, anymore. They were on to something!! I painted her in a dark green outer dress with pale yellow inner skirts. The white wig and mask is concealment, keeping her identity safe from those outside of their secret society. I like how she came out, and even if none of my players choose her as their Hunter, she will be an important part behind the scenes!

    Lawyer and hobby naturalist, Orris Parish, is skeptical of the whole supernatural angle

The two male scholars are both from the same pack from Brigade Games. Owner Lon Weiss very helpfully found this pack for me in the Napoleonics section when I described what I was looking for. It is the French Scientists/Savants pack of four miniatures. I picked out my two favorites from among them and included them in this first batch of six. If you click on any my above links for the half dozen figs in this batch, you'll notice something different. Lanterns! At Historicon, I also picked up a pack of 28mm lanterns made by Bad Squiddo Games when I was shopping at the Badger Games booth. They appear to be made from 3-D printed material, as the thinner parts are fairly brittle. Otherwise, they're perfect for Hunters or Followers to be holding aloft. Whether a character (or monster) is in the dark or light is important for Devilry Afoot. As you can see, three of these figures have a lantern added to their raised hand. I used superglue to attach it, and then added a thin streak of epoxy to it once the glue dried. The bond between the lanterns and their hands seem to be fairly sturdy (with the primer and paint on top of it), so hopefully none will pop off when playing!

    An occultist is key to a group of supernatural hunters, and Scholar Jacob Shade fulfills that role

These scholar figures are obviously at the later end, time-wise, of the figures I'm painting up for this project. The Protestant preacher above is at the early end. I tried to mix up the colors of the Hunters, but keep them in a darker tone. I also tried to mix in something on each that has the Iron Wind Metals Blood Red color that you see on the Monsignor's robe. It's not exactly a sinister color, but suggests something darker and more secret. For some, their sash is in blood red. For others, it might be a simple accent on an article of clothing (the band in the preacher's hat). I like how all of these came out, though, and am very happy with this batch of six. I kept going back and forth on which figure was my favorite. The Monsignor was my early favorite, and may still be the one I like best. However, I also really like the female scholar. And what's not to like about the fire and brimstone Protestant preacher? I'd be curious to hear from my readers which ones they like best...

    A final look at the first group of six Hunters (from a variety of sources) that I painted up

The lanterns were painted bronze and then highlighted with gold. After that was done, a dark black vehicle wash was added to give the lanterns an old and well-used look. Finally, I did the glass. I used a dull yellow on most of the glass, with a watered down pale yellow in the center. Once spray coated, I added in a clear gloss over the glass. Hopefully, this makes it look like it is shining more than if it were matte. I have the next batch of six figures waiting in the wings, too. One of them is a young nobleman, but most of the others are meant to be armed Followers. I chose rather rustic looking ones for them, except for one servant in fancy livery. More about those in a future post, though, as I have a batch of Gripping Beast goblins in front of them.

    I love the look of these 3-D printed lanterns from Bad Squiddo Games

Also, I decided to use my "standard" flocking system for the Devilry Afoot figures. I am trying to limit any unique period or location-specific flocking, nowadays. I want to be able to use figures together that were ostensibly painted for different projects as much as possible. So, stay tuned to see if I actually do run that first game of Devilry Afoot around Halloween or not. Sorry for this past week's break in posts -- Jenny and I went to visit friends on Long Beach Island in New Jersey for a few days. Now that I am back, hopefully the pace of production will resume!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 214

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 40
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 200