What The Dickens!

Hello again.

One of the great things I like about "Burrows & Badgers" is that it has inspired to come up with all sorts of ideas for scenarios, campaigns, characters both nefarious and otherwise and various warband ideas. This is not just a wizard and his followers or a knight and his retinue, but a more rounded, every has a name sort of thing. My latest is inspired by a couple of of the Oathsworn Miniatures range of figures for the game, two figures I bought in my first ever order to them and, in truth, two figures I was unsure what to do with until that inspiration broke through.

The first figure is the wildcat with the axe and battered top hat. It is not a soldier, nor a magician. It is clearly a civilian with an axe, a top hat, a waistcoat and overcoat. The second figure is a Siamese Cat, dressed in oriental robes, with a fan and a little, pillbox-style hat. Again, not a soldier, she is a magician. In my thoughts about pirates, Military Orders, Witch Hunters and similar bands, these two just did not feature.

Then, the light bulb came on!

Oliver Reed and Shani Wallace!!! Sorry, (Bill) Sykes and Nancy!

My acquaintance with Charles Dickens' works is minimal at best, but surely everyone has seen "Oliver!" or knows the Oliver Twist story. Others will also know of "A Christmas Carol" and possibly even "Great Expectations". Some of us may have sat through one or other of Dickens' works at school, college or university. All I know is that, for me, Oliver Twist features some of the finest villains and other characters in Victorian literature and, Dickens created quite a few others I gather in his wider works.

So, I had a fit for my two figures and they are the basis of my Dickens Street Runners criminal gang. For the record, I now have Sykes the Wildcat, Nan-Si the Siamese Cat and Fagin has become a Fox Rogue. Dodger is not far from being finished either, in the form of a Weasel Rogue. I will need a few more to fill out the group, so am forced into some research into Dickensian villains, but that chore will be all the more welcome and less onerous by the conclusion of the idea.

Sykes the Wildcat. You see where I got the Dickensian vibe from?

That heavy moleskin or leather coat is surely worth claiming light armour for.



That axe will need no further claims made for it however!



Nan-Si in all her mysterious glory. She could not be just plain, old Nancy from Whitechapel now could she?

My attempt at an embroidered dragon on her robe looks a bit more like a lizard or dinosaur, but I think at least helps with the oriental theme.

And there is a dragon chasing a ball on her fan. What? The dragon is eating the sun?! Oh...

And piercing blue eyes to add to the Siamese Cat vibe. I see a lot of use made of poisons as well as magic when she finally hits the tabletop.

 

Fagin was a wily, old fox in the book, so becomes a wily, old fox in the game too.

Skulking around looking for an easy shot, this pose I think epitomises what I want from my East London villain.

And the contents of many a picked pocket will fit nicely into that pack.



And the three of them together will make a fine addition to my collection to date and the foundation for the "Dickens Street Runners".

I mentioned the B&B game promoting my campaign and character ideas and Nan-Si is no exception. I see her too becoming the mistress of a dark, criminal underworld of rats and other ne'er-do'wells, but think, when that day comes, she will become Su Manchu, arch-enemy of the Royalist cause in Northymbra. When that day comes, that is.

G