IHMN: Some thoughts for the Beginner in Designing an Adventuring Company, Part 11 (Official Adventuring Companies I have used)

If you want to look at some ideas on how to design your own Adventuring Company, you can't go wrong by using or looking at the Companies that are published in In Her Majesty's Name, Heroes, Villains and Fiends, Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun, and IHMN: Gothic, and the official IHMN Blog page. Having read every story and novel that Sir Arthur Conan (the barbarian) Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes, what better Company to start with than Scotland Yard from IHMN?

Sherlock Holmes (The Consulting Detective), Dr. Watson (The Good Doctor), and the men of the Metropolitan Police force.

This is probably a good time to say it, especially with a force like Scotland Yard: YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR TALENTS IF YOU WANT TO WIN! I am so bad at forgetting to use my Talents that I now have little markers off to the side of the table to remind me. My Five Honorable Sons think it's hilarious.

Up next, the 14th Sikhs from IHMN but more specifically from Sleeping Dragon, Rising Sun.

 You have troglodytes? We have a Maxim.

Those of you that have followed this blog know that in addition to my ruggedly good looks, I am also a military historian. And oh how I love my Sikhs! This company has loyalty, good fighters, fire power and they just plain look cool.

We have a mountain gun too for those big monsters!

Okay, if you are keeping up I am: ruggedly good looking, a military historian . . . and a retired Infantry Colonel. Time for some more infantry! None of that wimpy mysticism for me (except for Amelie).

If you want some elite infantry that never surrender, the French Foreign Legion is for you. To add color you can have Zouaves, Chasseurs, Bedouin Tribesman, etc. In the official list, Professor Moebius (wearing the glasses) has potions that can give talents to the legionnaires. The trick is getting him in base to base contact with a legionnaire.

Tirailleur Senegala with Amelie

 Zouaves.

 Bedouin Tribesman

Maybe you want to go Medieval all over someone . . . but still carry a Winchester. How about the Knights Templar? 

 As you can see I started to get America into the fight so why not The Wild West Show? Any resemblance to the Magnificent Seven, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood is purely coincidental.

 Then I decided to get high tech and utilize some of that weird science with some of the most talented and dangerous men and women in the world: The United States Secret Service. High point cost so be prepared for a small Adventuring Company that needs to take advantage of their Talents and gadgets.

 The United States Secret Service.

If you are going to do Victorian Science Fiction, you might as well have one Victorian Science Fiction Adventuring Company. Here are my Sky Pirates of the former USS Audacity. 

The crew of the Audacity under Captain J. T. Kirk.

Do you want to go low tech with one of the greatest heroes of all time. Then try the Lord Greystoke (Tarzan) Adventuring Company from the IHMN blog. Plus, who doesn't love having a Mangani (Great Ape) and Elephant along for the ride?

Speaking of fighters in Africa, how about The Queens Own African Rifles . . . with a Congreve Rocket Launcher?

 And Quartermain (The Hunting Party).

 And who doesn't like men in skirts: The Gordan Highlanders. Bydand! (from Doric and means "to stand fast and endure").

 Okay . . . I did one official bad guy Company: Thugs and Dacoits.

Speaking of China . . . okay, I did not have a good segue way . . . The Martial Monks! The only company I ever did without a single gunpowder or weird science piece of equipment - but they are oh so fun to field.

From the Halls of Montezuma . . . How about some tough, ferocious U.S. Marines? Okay, I admit it, I did this Company because I loved the figures from Pulp Figures. Eventually they will join the contingent of the new recommissioned USS Audacity as their Marine Contingent.

 Last but not least, the United States Marshals.

Next: Adventuring Companies I designed.

IHMN: Some thoughts for the Beginner in Designing an Adventuring Company, Part 10b (Location, Location, Location)

The Lost City of Opar.

Finding a locale to have an adventure with In Her Majesty's Name is not difficult. When I started playing I just used the terrain I had. In the picture above, before I purchased "the ruins" from a pet store, you can see palm trees from a dinosaur children's play set, a statue from GW's The Lord of the Rings Strategy game, a stone wall from Warhammer, a stone bridge from Gale Force 9's river "Battlefield in a Box", and cobblestones from my Christmas Village layout!

Note the terrain in our very first game: Same palm trees, a rock formation from the same dinosaur set, wood bridge and river from "Battlefield in a Box" (purchased for WW II 15mm gaming), WH40K ruins, a WH40K cardstock obelisk, a water dish for a turtle, more LOTR terrain and a Play Mobile mine/rock formation.  The green felt outlined the trees - be creative.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I have not done any Victorian urban settings, but the kits and accessories that are out there are amazing. Jim Bob graciously allowed me to use his pictures and he did these figures, buildings and accessories and it gives you a great idea what can be done. Simply amazing work.

So where do my games take place?

1. Deepest Darkest Africa. Lost cities, jungle tribes, lost civilizations, evil slavers, and the Lord of Jungle. What more can you ask for. Here are some of the setups we did:

The Mission Station.

Deep in the Jungle.

 Lost Cities!

 Highlanders vs. the Imperial Chinese Army in a lost city in Africa?

 North Africa.

 Lost Worlds!

2. The Wild, Wild, West.

Add a Warhammer cardstock building, an old HO train, and boom! You are now in the Wild, Wild, West baby!

Burlap is great for arid terrain. Here I have used some scatter terrain, hills from "Battlefield in a Box", some old HO railroad accessories, and that ole standby the card stock Warhammer cottage.

Game in progress. Dang gum flying mechanical monkeys.

The Wild West is easy to do.

3. North Piddle (snicker), England. North Piddle (snicker) is a real, small civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. It is located at Piddle (snicker) Brook. North Piddle (snicker) is the location of the British Museum storage annex, some famous manor ruins, and just some strange goings on. Mr. Sherlock Holmes has been there more than once on a case.

On December 17, 1890 there was an earthquake in the region that "exceeded in violence any previous instance of seismic energy there within the present century".  The earthquake was preceded by a loud roar "as of thunder" or "a rushing mighty wind", and residents whose windows were facing north saw a "great light", which some attributed to a large meteor. The meteorite was carefully analyzed by both British and French authorities and they concluded that an extraterrestrial origin was likely. 

 The ruins of the the ancestral home of the Nightengale Family near North Piddle (snicker). Note the WH40K terrain pieces, Warhammer card stock ruined building, and the board from Hero Quest with accessories. The square grids on the Hero Quest board are 1 inch making movement easy.

The outskirts of North Piddle (snicker). Wait a minute is that a  . . . 

 What the . . . ?"  Yi Niu, greatest swords woman of China, discovers a strange structure as she races ahead as the vanguard of General Raglan's company in North Piddle (snicker).

The British Museum Warehouse Annex under the care of the "Caretaker".

Game in progress. The blocks are from a Build it yourself house kit my kids had.

The Caretaker.

The Cult of Doom (!) up to no good in the ruined cathedral outside of North Piddle (snicker).

4. India. When working on my second thesis for my MMAS I chose a subject pertaining to the Second Afghan War. Yep, I was hooked.

Ridges, scrub brush and the occasional Warhammer card stock castle tower.

 Elephants!

More lost cities and temples! (Yes I use a lot of the same terrain throughout the world.)

 The Secret Temple of the Mad Guru (that's another aquarium piece in the background).

Another picture of the Aquarium piece.

5. Miscellaneous:

 The Wonderful Land of Oz.

 The Smithsonian Institute.

The Secret Underground Headquarters in an abandoned Underground Station of Dr. Fu Manchu. 

 Barsoom (Mars). Scrub brush scatter terrain, rocks and city ruins from "Battlefield in a Box." Desert "fungi" on the bases of the warriors and on some of the scatter terrain.

Remember, most 250 point games will take place on a 4 foot x 4 foot playing surface and you can probably use whatever you have available. Old trains, terrain from other games and that oh so valuable pet store. The only thing holding you back is your own imagination.

Next: Official Adventuring Companies I have used (and maybe some commentary!).