Rangers of Shadow Deep - Captain Fletcher

I started to flesh out the characters of the companions in my head. I started thinking on the two shields I would need to make two of my Wargames Foundry minis carry, to be more specific to Rangers of Shadow Deep.

But one guy with a sword and shield looks much like another and even though I knew one would have a breast plate, I wanted more distinction.

So I was thinking of bucklers and shield types but I opened my mind to other objects. I wanted to show the Barbarian’s strength and berserker spirit. I thought that carrying a gun port cover would look cool and thematic at first, but realised even a small one would look odd. If I made it too small you wouldn’t recognise what it’s meant to represent, but make it too big and it would topple the mini and look like a walking door.

Then I settled on him wielding a chain. I had picked up a roll of hobby chain really cheaply online.

Even though there’s some chain draped hanging over his forearm I never really saw him wielding it like a whip, but more as a shield to fend off blows with the thick metal protection to his fist and forearm.

I know the chain would be unfeasibly heavy, but giving classic fantasy barbarians gigantic swords that would weigh as much as the holder or sporting nothing but a loin cloth is also unrealistic. The chain as a shield gives the mad strength aspect of classic barbarians a nod.

“Black Pate” gives this eye patch wearing, battle scarred veteran, blunt instrument of war… a sinister air that I think works for him. Black of thought and deed, grim faced and hearted but you’re glad he is on your side.

He once smiled at you, but he was gutting an enemy marine at the time and you don’t like to dwell on it.

The eye patch was actually only incorporated because there was a nasty piece of mold flashing that covered his eye and I just embraced it rather than remove it and have an ugly eye as a feature that screamed bad prep work.

I heard the name Black Pate from the Royalist forces in the English Civil War. Patrick Graeme of Inchbrakie marching with Montrose in Scotland. (ECW, often gets called War of the three kingdoms now, if you’re down with the kids. )