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Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => In Her Majesty's Name => Topic started by: oabee on September 19, 2013, 04:33:27 AM
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While researching Victorian London, I came across the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and decided that it would make a good Company for In Her Majesty's Name. There is a great deal out there about the Golden Dawn, although my research was limited to the internet. Many intellectuals, writers, poets, and artists of the day were attracted to the Order. I have selected a handful of them, including the poet W. B. Yeats and actress Florence Farr (who actually headed the order for a time) and assembled a group that, while perhaps sub-par in the fighting and shooting categories (they are a bunch of pansy intellectuals, after all), can sling a lot of Mystical Power. The Order had four Elemental Weapons, and I have imbued those with four new Mystical Powers (although you may recognize one of the new Powers from an earlier post).
The PDF runs six pages: I guess I grew somewhat obsessed with the project, just as my fictional version of Florence Farr became obsessed---possessed would be more like it---with the goddess Isis.
You can find it here:
http://wrgmr.com/goldendawn.pdf
IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE PDF FILE, THIS LINK WILL DOWNLOAD THE COMPANY IN MICROSOFT WORD:
http://wrgmr.com/goldendawn.docx
Sorry to everyone who had troubles with the PDF. I have no idea what happened!
Enjoy.
Mike O.
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I couldn't access the pdf (404 error). Bad url?
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Ditto. Can't access it.
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Me too. It sounds good too!
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I don't know what to say: I checked the link after I posted, and it was, and is now, working fine for me. I re-uploaded the file just in case, and it still seems to be working. Is anyone else having problems?
Mike O
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If you're having problems with the PDF, download this Microsoft Word file:
http://wrgmr.com/goldendawn.docx
Hope that works for you.
Mike O
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Interesting force - I may have to steal some of your ideas.
I suggest you lose the options for grenades, carbines and military rifles as it makes this group intellectuals with no military background more heavily armed than the police and a match for the rank and file in Lord Curr's company for firepower.
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Trust the force Luke ;D
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I suggest you lose the options for grenades, carbines and military rifles as it makes this group intellectuals with no military background more heavily armed than the police and a match for the rank and file in Lord Curr's company for firepower.
I originally did not include the rifle for the Neophytes: running around in public in hooded robes would attract a certain amount of attention, but at least pistols/shotguns/carbines could be easily concealed under the robes. But I threw it in at the last minute to give the Company some kind of firepower other than Mystic Powers.
After all, the Neophytes are not exactly the wretched poor and could easily obtain, say, a Mauser C96, or just about any weapon they chose. And secondly, they are lousy shooters/fighters with FV/SV of zero, unlike the Incorriglbles' +1/+2 (plus Brigandine armor). Whatever weapons they have, they're not very good with them. It did occur to me also to differentiate the Neophytes from the Servants of Ra cultists, and making them more, well, “civilized.” Akhenaton’s bunch, if able to close, have some characters with devastating FV, something notably missing from the Golden Dawn, so my thought was to give the Company some firepower that would help correct that deficiency. The aim of this Company is to thwart the Servants of Ra and obtain the necessary mystic artifacts to return Isis to the Physical Plane. They are charged only to deal force against those Outsiders who "get in the way." This is not the type of group to get into a slugfest; they, given the proper collection of Mystic Powers, want to hit hard, and get out fast.
Plus, I admit, the idea of a ragtag collection of poets and actors charging the enemy point-blank to hurl grenades—-badly---had a certain appeal.
Anyway, if you're running a 250-point company, buy all the characters, and somehow use the maximum points for Mystic Powers, you won't have anything left to buy Neophytes, making it a moot point.
And Craig, a quote from that noted Mystic Luke Skywalker: "I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." Wonder what his SV is?
Good points, gentlemen, well taken. Removing the rifles and grenades from my poor Neophytes is perfectly acceptable.
I was rather hoping, however that someone would give me more ideas about suitable miniatures for the lovely Florence Farr. Ah, well…..
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Take a look at the dark sword website. They have a lot of very well sculpted female mage figures - use their miniature finder to pull up related figure types. These two are rather nice and still mostly clothed.
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/female-mage-with-staff.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/featured/wood-elf-goddess-avatar-form.html
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One of Dashiel Hammet's short novels (name forgotten), involved a group that was based on The Order of The Golden Dawn.
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Take a look at the dark sword website. They have a lot of very well sculpted female mage figures.
Amazingly enough, I was just perusing the Dark Sword ladies when I checked the Forum and saw your post!
Here's a few more besides the two you shared:
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/miniatures/george-r-r-martin-masterworks/melisandre-priestess-of-r-hllor.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/evil-female-sorceress.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/female-mage-779.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/early-snow-female-witch.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/evil-female-mage.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/the-last-dragon-female-mage.html
http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/index.php/female-magic-user.html
From Crocodile Games:
https://www.crocodilegames.com/store/itemDetail.cfm?prodID=176&catID=22
https://www.crocodilegames.com/store/itemDetail.cfm?prodID=97&catID=20
https://www.crocodilegames.com/store/itemDetail.cfm?prodID=92&catID=20
and Reaper:
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/female%20mage/sku-down/60136
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/female%20mage/sku-down/60138
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/female%20mage/sku-down/60129#detail/60129_p_1_mj
Kind of an embarrassment of riches....
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Yeah. I picked up quite a few of their figures at GenCon. Jim & staff were really friendly and they have some wonderfully sculpted figures. Really great work by their painters too. Hopefully one of them can earn a spot in your new Order. :)
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And Craig, a quote from that noted Mystic Luke Skywalker: "I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." Wonder what his SV is?
Probably pretty crap without the Force lol
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Did you consciously choose to omit Aleister Crowley from your list of Golden Dawn members? The self-proclaimed most evil man in the world would make a great bad guy. Of course, it would skew your whole Isis theme you've got going.
(OK, admittedly Crowley didn't join the Golden Dawn until 1898, but still.)
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OK, my rationale for choosing characters:
Florence Farr: age is right, did ascend to be head adept in Britain, beautiful, lover of Yeats
W. B. Yeats: Age is right, long-time Order member, lover of Farr, literary giant, lover of Farr and Gonne (nothing like a love triangle to heat things up)
Maude Gonne: Age is right, Irish revolutionary (I freely admit my Irish ancestory), lover of Yeats, another attractive female
Bram Stoker: a little old (48), but in the ballpark, and even though he never (apparently) was a major member of the Order, you just gotta include the author of Dracula!
Edward Berridge: Needed a medic; of doctors listed as Order members, he was the best choice.
Crowley was only 20 in 1895, didn't join the Order until 1898, and was never popular with most members (possibly because of his bisexuality and libertine ways). He feuded with many, most notably Yeats; was denied entry into the Second Order by the London members; then went to Paris to be upgraded by Samuel Mathers, who headed the Order after Wescott resigned. This infuriated the London members, who called for investigations into Mathers. Mathers then fired Florence Farr, after which the London members called a general meeting on March 29, 1900 to remove Mathers and expel him from the Order. Plus, two of Crowley's biographers claim that he was recruited by British secret services to join the Order to keep an eye on Mathers, whom was known to be a Carlist.
I suppose Crowley could be included, but I just found the others more compelling. Nobody else I found who was in the Order had quite the story, or the look and feel, of the characters I chose.
Actually, I could have used the basic Golden Dawn structure and created a fictional version, but I found the history too fascinating to resist. I found Florence Farr especially hard to resist.
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You could say that your were enchanted by her... ;)
I continue to applaud your devotion to theme.
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Perfectly sensible choices, those. Kudos on your excellent work.
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You could say that your were enchanted by her... ;)
Two guys walk into a bar and spot Florence Farr. One says to the other, "Hey, check out the set of Mystic Powers on that one over there!"
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Craig: I know you're lurking out there, somewhere. I saw your post on player-authored material, and had not considered copyrights before. Is there any way I can send revised materials directly to you fine fellows, or should I continue to post them on the blogs?
Also, do you think it advisable to contact authors about using their copyrighted characters? I am thinking specifically about my Dresden Files Company.
Thanks.
Mike O
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Hi Mike,
Craig: I know you're lurking out there, somewhere. I saw your post on player-authored material, and had not considered copyrights before. Is there any way I can send revised materials directly to you fine fellows, or should I continue to post them on the blogs?
Feel free to send it to me if you wish to share it on the IHMN blog.
Also, do you think it advisable to contact authors about using their copyrighted characters? I am thinking specifically about my Dresden Files Company.
For a little amateur thing like what we do we should fly well under the radar. But you may wish to put a sentence in the company to the effect that: Copyright of the Dresden Files characters remains with ... etc.
Anyone else have any experience of this?
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For a little amateur thing like what we do we should fly well under the radar.
My fear was that if I contacted Jim Butcher's lawyer (I have her email) about using the Dresden Files characters for the IHMN blog, that could put us ON the radar. I will hold off for now.
You're right: a little legal guidance would be helpful. Is there a lawyer in the house?
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My fear was that if I contacted Jim Butcher's lawyer (I have her email) ...
Is that pesky restraining order still in force? Honestly these damned authors are so touchy lol
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My fear was that if I contacted Jim Butcher's lawyer (I have her email) about using the Dresden Files characters for the IHMN blog, that could put us ON the radar. I will hold off for now.
You're right: a little legal guidance would be helpful. Is there a lawyer in the house?
PM me at your convenience.
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Please note that a version of this Company has been posted on the Player-Authored page of the IHMN blog, renamed the Temple of Isis, but with the same characters, items, and stats.
http://inhermajestysname.wordpress.com/player-authored-material/
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My fear was that if I contacted Jim Butcher's lawyer (I have her email) about using the Dresden Files characters for the IHMN blog, that could put us ON the radar. I will hold off for now.
I've contact with his agent, too.
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Did you consciously choose to omit Aleister Crowley from your list of Golden Dawn members? The self-proclaimed most evil man in the world would make a great bad guy. Of course, it would skew your whole Isis theme you've got going.
(OK, admittedly Crowley didn't join the Golden Dawn until 1898, but still.)
Sorry, felt it worthwhile to repeat part of the conversation on TMP:
TheBeast 24 Sep 2013 8:37 a.m. PST
-No argument! His is the name that just popped into my mind.
-Wouldn't mind Crowley showing up as a spoiler, perhaps in the pay of another company; he always seemed cast as the darker side of the group.
-Or, I'm just thinking of some fiction, perhaps Robert Anton Wilson's. ;->=
-Seriously, about the Theosophical Society, which still lives, who could resist a name like Madame Blavatsky?
-Doug
oabee51 24 Sep 2013 10:16 a.m. PST
-The idea of Crowley as a spoiler is great---his story is certainly intriguing. Better yet, he could head his own rival mystical company, with his own agenda. Revenge? Wealth? Power?
TheBeast 25 Sep 2013 12:43 p.m. PST
-Really? Does he HAVE to chose one? ;->=
-Doug