L4 Lawman
in metal and ready for Hammerhead
Now available to purchase, L4 Lawman is in production and will be enforcing galactic law all the way to Hammerhead 2019.
Widely believed to be an android, L4 shows a surprisingly human aspect to his job, aiding anyone – and anything – that needs help to stand up to criminals in any form.
Sculpted by Martin Baker and £4.00 – see HERE – Vox Populi
Becky Sharpe
in metal and ready for Hammerhead
Now available to purchase, Becky Sharpe is in production and will be making her society debut at Hammerhead 2019.
Trained for zombie hunting in the Regency period of British history, she will be useful for any period of the 19th century.
Sculpted by Martin Baker and £4.00 – see HERE – Vox Populi
Regency Gothic
from
Black Pyramid Gaming
Rebecca ‘Becky’ Sharp
Work in progress picture
When William Makepeace Thackeray included Becky in his serialised novel, Vanity Fair, released in nineteen monthly issues from 1847 to 1848, her portrayal was largely based on details provided by the woman herself.
Thackeray interviewed the then middle-aged Ms Sharp on several occasions during the course of 1846. Not only was she exceedingly rich but the gossip had her moving in all the highest circles of English high society during the War years, meaning that she could offer great insight for the setting of his story, a satirical look at society and social climbing. Unbeknownst to Thackeray, Becky manipulated his every thought, expectation and deed; the resultant story had Becky at its heart, and some details were, perhaps, truthful or close to it, yet the reader was no closer to knowing the real woman than he was.
And that was just how the Government wanted it.
The public could never be allowed to discover the truth about those terrible times, when the Unmentionables roamed that green and pleasant land, threatening to destroy Britain from within, even as her brave soldiery fought for freedom against Napoleon on the continent.
Becky Sharp, the real Becky Sharp, was a heroine of the Empire, both at home and in the battlefields of Europe. Speaking fluent French she used her skills in acting, mimicry, sketching, singing, dancing, piano and fashion to charm her way into the hearts of many French military commanders, learning many troop movements and enabling the allied coalitions to prepare for Napoleon’s tactics. The most important of her undercover missions took place through the early months of 1815, when her success enabled the Seventh Coalition to devise an elaborate series of battle strategies that came into their own at Ligny, Quatre Bras, Wavre and Waterloo. By secretly feigning defeat at the earlier battles, the Coalition was able to maintain two distinct armies with which to trap Napoleon’s forces at Waterloo. Never a decisive plan, it proved to be even more precarious than had been feared, though it succeeded at the last.
Years prior to this, Becky had come to the notice of the British Military Intelligence Services for her involvement with the Fencibles, even though she was still in her teens. Time spent under the tutelage of Lady Worsley honed her fighting skills, especially with twin pistols, but her specialist skills marked her for a life in espionage, a life that she enjoyed and excelled in. She married her husband in secret, at the behest of her superiors, to avoid public attention, sometime prior to 1805, and no official record of the union was made. Both benefitted from the secrecy.
Her husband, Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet, captaining HMS Blenheim, was lost in 1807, with the ship and all hands, as well as HMS Java, during a storm off the island of Rodrigues, east of Mauritius, as they sailed to India. Other vessels put the two ships nearer to Madagascar after the storm. No trace of the vessels or men has ever come to light and no records exist to explain their journey to India at that time. Troubridge had served with the late Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson as midshipmen on HMS Seahorse in the East Indies between late 1773 through to mid-1776. In July 1797 he assisted Nelson in the unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife and, in August 1798, when getting into position for the attack on the French fleet, his ship, HMS Culloden, ran aground on a shoal near the entrance to Aboukir Bay and was consequently unable to take any part in the Battle of the Nile. At Nelson's request, however, he was awarded the gold medal commemorating the victory. These details have led many modern-day conspiracy theorists at the Penny Cyclopaedia to claim that Troubridge was leading a top-secret mission, possibly begun on Nelson’s instruction before his death at Trafalgar, that would have had ramifications for the war against the Unmentionables.
After 1815, Becky continued her work against the plague that gripped Britain, though in a much more martial manner, dispatching countless shambling undead whilst training a new generation of Fencibles.
Middlemarch Fencibles Artillery Crew
Middlemarch Fencibles Militia 1
Middlemarch Fencibles Committee 1
See the Regency Gothic and full Vox Populi range at www.blackpyramid.co.uk
Black Pyramid Gaming release more Vox Populi figures in 2018
We have had a great response from our customer base over recent months and now have a backlog of ideas to work through. We are still interested in more fictional and historical personages to tinker with, so let us know your thoughts at:
Here are some of our current releases, available now from www.blackpyramid.co.uk – all in 28mm scale, single figures are £4 each and the multi-packs are £10 each for either four or five figures.
The Great Beast – Aleister Crowley (sculpt by Martin Baker)
Infamous sorcerer and lore-keeper of ancient secrets, Crowley was adored, feared and hated in almost equal measure. Whether you choose to cast him as a guardian against evil or as a madman bent on releasing the Elder Gods into our plane of existence, this pose in ceremonial robes will make a fine addition to your collection.
The Little Beast – Lola Zaza Crowley (sculpt by Martin Baker)
A child of Aleister Crowley, this sculpt of Lola is based on a photograph of her in ceremonial garb with what we think is a deer’s head as a skullcap.
Interdimensional Hero – Idris Barker (sculpt by Martin Baker)
A character of heroic ideals and amazing talents, Idris safeguards the multiverse from threats beyond our understanding.
Visit www.blackpyramid.co.uk for more great figures.
“Vox Populi” from Black Pyramid Gaming
The first figures from our new “voice of the people” range are now available, and a jolly nice mix of the real and the fictional they are, too!
VOX001 is the “Scandalous Lady W” £4.00
Lady Worsley may not have involved herself in matters military during her lifetime (well, not outside of the bedroom, anyway), but that didn’t stop us from seeing her potential – the period weaponry portrays her as a woman of more-than-capable means.
Seymour Dorothy Fleming (5 October 1758 – 9 September 1818) was a British noblewoman who, at the age of 17, married Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet of Appuldurcombe House, Isle of Wight, and although the marriage ended badly with a now-famous criminal conversation trial, she was styled Lady Worsley until his death.
Our sculpt utilises the portrait shown here, from 1775/6 by Joshua Reynolds, of Lady Worsley in a riding habit adapted from the uniform of her husband's regiment.
Her later life sees her in France during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, where she may well have been rescued by, or involved with, the Scarlet Pimpernel; and back in England during the period defined by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, where she would certainly have instructed younger ladies-of-note in the finer art of self-survival.
VOX002 is “Old Thunderer” £4.00
Old Thunderer is 58, born to a New England Quaker family in 1792. He first went to sea forty years ago; in his time, he has fought the Spanish and survived being shipwrecked; but he is now a wealthy man, captain of his own whaler, and the finest harpooneer of his time.
However, he is a man obsessed. Many years ago, he lost a leg during an attempt to kill a great white whale. The pain from the ivory stump is now a constant reminder of his loss and a goad, driving him towards revenge, whatever the cost.
Old Thunderer was famously fictionalised by Herbert Melville in his book, Moby Dick, where the character Captain Ahab is given many of the same characteristics and even the same nickname. However, we know that he is still out there, searching for the whale and that at times of great peril he has been known to come to the aid of his long-term friend Captain Nemo, especially if there is a danger to his beloved oceans.
A stunning sculpt, Old Thunderer is perfect for early-to-mid Victorian game settings, or any Victoriana gaming if you are not bothered by such boring things as “time-frames”. He would certainly make for an interesting vampire slayer in Empire of the Dead, or an enigmatic faction leader for
In Her Majesty’s Name.
VOX003 is Lady Jane Digby, Queen of the Mezrab Bedouin £4.00
Jane Elizabeth Digby, Lady Ellenborough (3 April 1807 – 11 August 1881), was born to a very wealthy, although not noble, family. Her grandfather was known as King Coke and was considered one of the most influential men in England; he had refused a peerage to keep his seat in the House of Commons. Her father was Rear Admiral Henry Digby, a decorated war hero who had commanded HMS Africa at Trafalgar.
Jane was considered one of the most beautiful women in the country and at 18 caused quite a stir when she married the 34-year old widower Lord Ellenborough. Unfortunately, this did not go well and seven years later there was a huge scandal; a divorce and an elopement, with our heroine running off to the continent with her lover.
Over the next twenty years Jane basically worked her way down through Bavaria, Greece, and the Balkans. She had four husbands and many lovers, including King Ludwig I of Bavaria, his son King Otto of Greece, statesman Felix Schwarzenberg, and a Greek general (Christodoulos Hatzipetros). Oh, and a duel!
In the early 1850s’ she found herself in Syria, initially on a mission to buy horses for the Greeks; however, another lover later, she met Medjuel al Mezrab, who acted as a guide for a caravan she was travelling in. During an attack by bandits Jane pulled a gun to help defend the caravan and the rest, as they say, is history. They married, and Jane was adopted by the Mezrab, becoming Queen of the Bedouin tribe. She was twenty years his senior, but she was his faithful wife until her death in Damascus.
She spent the next nearly twenty years dividing her time between the desert and Damascus, where she was known for her bravery during the anti-Christian riots and subsequent massacres in 1860.
When her husband was away Jane was left in charge and more than once is reputed to have taken up arms when the tribe was threatened.
So, with this sculpt, we have Jane in her prime (she was still considered a great beauty in her fifties); tooled up and ready to defend her husband’s tribe or perhaps guide her friends the Burtons through dangerous desert to a lost city. It is also worth remembering that although Jane loved the desert and her husband’s tribe, she was always at heart an English woman, so who knows what favours or pleas for assistance may have been forthcoming from the local diplomats on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government. These, of course, would never be recorded; but then, we’re sure you can use your imagination.
Perfect for Middle East pulp-adventure Victorian-era games.
VOX004 is the Middlemarch Fencibles Committee £10.00
VOX005 is the Middlemarch Fencibles Militia £10.00
The Middlemarch Fencibles
Following the declaration of war with France in 1793, it was decided that there was a need to re-raise the “Fencible Regiments” of militia that had been part of the English social landscape during the Seven Years War and American War of Independence.
At first, these regiments were the sole preserve of men, as they had always been. However, with the arrival of the unmentionable plague, the authorities soon realised that things would need to change. The available pool of manpower was just not sufficient to support the ongoing wars against both France and America, along with the seemingly never-ending threat of the undead, and the strain was starting to show.
However, while Whitehall prevaricated, the great ladies of the “ton” (the nickname for England’s greatest and wealthiest families) remembered the glory days of the great militia camp at Coxheath and decided to act themselves before it was too late.
They began to raise militia regiments comprising solely of woman; the ladies themselves, along with their daughters and female relatives, provided the officer corps; the solid and respectable wives of the local middle-class provided the backbone of the NCOs’, with the rank and file coming from the local farms, shops and factories.
Originally frowned upon in certain quarters as dens of vice and iniquity, their cause was not helped when Jane Monrieth Countess Gordon repeated her rather successful recruiting ploy of holding the King’s shilling in her mouth and passing it to recruits via a kiss; but, as she said later, “it had worked the first time and her husband was not complaining.”
Now, after proving themselves at the successful defeat of the French landings at Fishguard, and in many subsequent actions, both small and large, against human and inhuman opponents, the Fencibles are an accepted part of the military establishment and have even been known to take part in overseas raids if required.
There is even a rumour that the Pemberley Rifles have been co-opted with a section of the 95th specially recalled from Spain to assist Exploring Officers with “special duties” unsuited for more regular units.
Perfect for the Regency period, with all its pride, prejudice, and zombies!
See our Black Pyramid Gaming Facebook page for more details and news, and check-in at www.blackpyramid.co.uk to buy the miniatures.