Breaking News! Bones Are Here!

Sing the praises to the Overmind!  I just received a Vampire pledge box from Reaper's Bones Kickstarter.

Most of you are probably aware of the kickstarter that ran last year to expand Reaper's Bones line, and of the insane values that were to be had during it.  So it will not come as a surprise when I tell you I was thrilled to have them arrive.

Seriously, a LOT of minis.

The vast bulk of the minis in the set are fantasy, but there are a bunch that fit the mandate of this blog, namely modern and post apocalyptic minis.

Reaper has the Chronoscope line, which features minis from a wide array of settings and time periods, outside of fantasy (which is their bread and butter.)  They have historical figures, mostly Western and steampunk settings, modern civilians, and futuristic minis as well in this line.

The kickstarted came with a number of examples of the line, which I will describe below.

Let's begin with the obvious.  Reaper made sure to throw in some of their Chronoscope minis to whet the appetites of gamers.  These run the gamut of eras, but nearly all are useful for modern gamers.

These four were described as "zombie hunters."  I believe they were meant to be a reference to characters from the Walking Dead (I don't watch the show, so I couldn't tell you.)  But you have a Sheriff's deputy (great for small town adventures, and a magnificently afro'd disco warrior (he'll be a vampire pimp in my campaign.)  There are also two females, one with a pair of SMG's and another with a chainsaw, both in modern clothes.  Not too bad, and certainly something I can put to use.

Here are a couple of cowboys (cowpersons?) for a Western setting.  They could also easily fit into a Fallout campaign as well.

Speaking of Fallout, here is Mad Max, right down to the pose and the missing sleeve on the jacket.  I threw in two of the scorpions that are part of the set as well.  I think you can guess how I'll be painting mine...

These two are described as time travellers, but pretty much look cool and futuristic with a splash of steampunk.  Could be smugglers in a Star Wars or other sci fi game, or scavengers in Fallout (that guy is wearing what looks like a power fist, and his pistol could be cobbled together from a paint gun.)

More steam-powered weirdness.  The techno witch on the left is admittedly a bit of a niche figure, but "Kaylee" on the right fits in well in a multitude of settings (shame thy chose the gun rather than the wrench option from the original metal mold.)

Now some of the weirder ones from the Chronos scope line, which as you can see, includes superhero minis.  Here we have the Shadow on the right, which can be modified into many colorful characters (imagine swapping the .45's for rapiers.)  And on the left is a huge cybernetic gorilla with a minigun for a hand.  Man, if you can't create a scenario around that, I just can't help you.

These fellows are part of their IMEF troops line.  I'm really not sure what they are supposed to be, other than trying to capture the feel of Gears of War (they even have cogs on their chests.)  But they are beefy guys in armor, so most will be able to find a home for them.  It's a shame that their guns are so goofy big.

Two more IMEF guys, these ones with heavy weapons.  I am going to swap their heads and use them as Enclave troops myself, but they should work admirably any time you need a guy with a minigun or a flame thrower.  I forgot to take a picture of the chick with the massive "anti tank sniper rifle" that is as tall as she is, but the pics are out there if you want a peek.

Now we're talking!  These are the Nova Security guys, and they can be painted as corporate security guards (Shadowrun anyone?) or fully kitted out as heavy troops.  I will be changing their helmets and shoulder pads and using them as Brotherhood of Steel power armor.  They are a little slight compared to other minis, but it keeps me from having to just use space marines like everyone else.

Those are the modern minis, and the rest are fantasy themed.  But even some of those could be adapted to a modern game with a little creativity (and/or a little putty.)

Here are some of the generic townsfolk you get.  The innkeeper especially is universal; he could be tending bar at the Prancing Pony in Bree, watching for trouble at the local biker bar, or kicking droid's out of the Cantina at Mos Eisley Spaceport.  The others could also find a place in other times, simply as people doing their jobs.

The bard on the left is armed with a sword and equipped with scrolls and vial potions on her belt, but if you trimmed them off, her guitar looks suitably modern to mark her as a rock star, which would make the skin tight leather outfit perfectly acceptable.  The alchemist on the right could be a wandering merchant in a post apocalyptic game, or a snake oil salesman in the old West (he reminds me of Vash the Stampede, myself.)

These are half demon characters, but could be creepy gang members or raiders in a more creative campaign.  You'd have to trim off their tails and horns though, unless you are running a supernatural campaign.

I add these two because I have been woking with Fallout minis a lot lately.  The ghoul to the left is a bit beefier than Fallout ghouls tend to be, but he's got the face and body language for it.  The clay golem on the right just screams super mutant however, and could easily be modified to carry a suitable weapon

These are just a few ideas.  If you are running a modern campaign with supernatural elements, there are also figures for ghosts, spell effects, giants, monstrous vermin and critters, and undead.

So if you picked up the Vampire box for fantasy gaming, consider some other uses for the minis.

But even if you never got in on the kickstarter at all, the good news is that all of these minis will soon be available for general purchase at your FLGS, so you can go pick up any that you want (and at good prices too, since they are bones.)

I know I myself will be buying at least a few blisters of the scorpions, not only for use in the irradiated wastelands, but because anyone who has played a conjuration based character knows you can never have enough scorpions...