Devilry Afoot - 16th-17th century monster hunting

[Irregular Wars Nic]

We were badly battered by Storm Isha at the start of the week and have a lot of work ahead of us clearing fallen trees. So that is probably my hobby time gone this weekend, but we'll see what I can do getting some more done. Maybe some innocent civilians...?r

[has.been]

All lovely stuff, but I am very impressed with your OSL effect. I must give it a go.
Good luck with this project.

[Irregular Wars Nic]

I managed a quick paintjob on some innocent villagers this week.

There are three different types of model used in games of Devilry Afoot - monsters, hunters, and innocents. The innocent represent all those humans on the table who are not hunters. They serve as secanrio objectives and complications and are not directly controlled by players. Instead, they take automatic actions depending on whether they are aware or unaware of the monster threat.

All four of these innocents are from the Flint and Feather range by Crucible Crush Productions. Sold as New World puritan settler types, they are pretty universal except for the tobacco leaves. Or could they just be really large silverbeet...?

[Irregular Wars Nic]

Boo!

Bogeymen are literally walking nightmares. These elusive and malevolent figures can appear in various guises, from a spectral entity, or shape-shifting monster, to a wicked old woman or living scarecrow. Conjured by parents as a tool to foster obedience in their children, it is unclear whether their manifest form is the result of demonic possession, a witch’s projection or the physical embodiment of collective fear. Their unknowable motivation and the unpredictability of their actions make them something worthy of their reputation.

These two 28mm bagheads/living scarecrows are from Crooked Dice. They are not entirely period  accurate - what 17th century gentleman would be caught dead in such long trousers? But at the end of the day, these are nice sculpts and any 17th century gentleman caught, may well end up dead.

[OSHIROmodels]

Excellent additions 

[Elk101]

Great paintwork again!

[Irregular Wars Nic]

Thanks folks.

I finally got around to writing up a quick AAR of one of our small games - playing the 'Lost in the Woods' scenario (or an early version of it). https://irregularwars.blogspot.com/2024/02/into-woods-with-devilry-afoot.html



They knew that they should not have been awake at such an hour, let alone out of doors, but neither child could sleep. It was as if something called to them through the woods which seemed, at this hour, so alive; something irresistible. When the children’s absence was noticed, the alarm was raised and a search party set out in their wake.

[Elk101]

That looks good, it's nice to see a different approach and I think it looks like it works well for the subject. You mentioned you have 11 scenarios and are looking to add one more? Surely you need 13?

[MaleGriffin]

WOW! The Bogeymen are a delight!

[Irregular Wars Nic]

That looks good, it's nice to see a different approach and I think it looks like it works well for the subject. You mentioned you have 11 scenarios and are looking to add one more? Surely you need 13?

Challenge accepted! 

[Wirelizard]

Oh very nice, had missed this when the thread started but as yet another LAFer who has a 16th C gunpowder fantasy/horror thing going on, I'm intrigued and happy to be catching up on this project!

[Elk101]

Challenge accepted! 

Nice one!

[Irregular Wars Nic]

When it came to adding a North American monster to Devilry Afoot's book of monsters, there was only ever one obvious choice; the wendigo. The big question, was how to represent one on the table.

Wendigos, also known as windikouk, atchen and kewok among other names, are cursed, cannibalistic revenants found among the Algonquin nations. Their badly-lived lives have left them tormented in death with a hunger that can never be fulfilled. Although they are able to take on many forms, a wendigo is forever emaciated; standing grotesquely tall, its frame is draped in tattered, frost-covered skin They stalk their human prey consumed with ravenous appetite, however, with each meal their frame grows larger forcing them to hunt and feed again.

The standard wargaming trope is to have a creature with a deer or moose head. While the look is quite iconic, as far as I can tell it seems to be based on a Hollywood manifestation of a wendigo rather than anything coming from traditional beliefs.



Wanting to be as 17th century accurate as I could be, I opted for this oversized ghoul from Heresy Miniatures. Admittedly he doesn't look huge next to the Bloody Miniatures figure in the top picture, but Bloody Miniatures are big boys themselves. He should probably be bigger and more rangy; maybe he hasn't been feeding much recently? The feral pointed years and sinewy body go some way to fitting the bill though.

I tried to paint him as sympathetically as possible, with a warmer than usual skin tone (a curious choice for a frozen wendigo?), Algonquin inspired warpaint, and scraps of buckskin clothing. Presumably he's wielding a moose femur as a war club, because that bone is massive!

[Irregular Wars Nic]

And now time to unleash the hounds!


In Devilry Afoot, dogs are intended to be useful aids to a hunting party, but not necessarily savage war dogs, slabbering to tear monsters limb from limb. Hunting parties are designed to be made up of members of a normal community, not elite monster-hunters belonging to a secret society. They are unlikely to own dogs trained for hunting anything larger than a wolf and so dogs should not be intended to close with a monster. Think of them more as advanced warning systems that help the hunters to locate their monstrous foes. This perky wee fellow is from Magister Militum (now presumably OOP?).


The opposite extreme is the barghest. Sometimes known as Black Shuck, the barghest is a hellhound, summoned from the otherworld to wrack the Devil’s vengeance on man. Known for its giant black dog-like frame, and fiery red eyes, the baying calls of the barghest haunts the moors and boglands, serving as an omen of death and doggedly stalking its prey. Its ghastly appearance and ominous presence evoke a heightened fear matched only be the curse of its bite – the wounds of which are rumoured never to fully heal. The model is from Heresy Miniatures and is a truly hulking beasty.

[Codsticker]

Fantastic painting.