John Blanche’s En Garde: Previews

Heute schauen wir mal wieder wie es bei John Blanche’s En Garde weitergeht.

John Blanche’s En Garde is a tabletop miniatures game of fast paced and dynamic duels set in a low fantasy world.

AUREAN PIRATE Cap’n Rodolphus Noble

“Come forth, and face me so I may earn mi coin! For the only thing that separates a Prince of Thrae from a blackguard pirate is the amount of gold their strongbox holds.”

Height: 6’5” with tricorne

Age: 48 years

Weight: 233 lbs

Favourite weapon: Cutlass and a musket

There are many reasons why famed warriors come to Therae and write their names to the Book of Swords: some seek fame, others revenge, while some simply want to test their hard-won skills with the blade. Many are proud, others driven, some are devout. The dread pirate Rodolphus Noble is none of those things. He fights for profit alone. Even his nom de guerre, “Cap’n Noble” is a cruel jest: there is not one shred of nobility in his black heart. It is cold and unmoving as the one real love of his life: gold.

Though city of Therae strictly forbids bidding and gambling on duelling (so as the results would not be manipulated for profit), Captain Noble has deep connections to the underworld moneylenders, fences and corrupt merchants. He wages enormous sums on his own duels through front men, manipulating their results to line his own pockets, bringing the Code of Swords to ill-repute in the process.

For a lesser swordsman such manipulations would be too risky, as but not so for Captain Noble. He is a master of survival: not only is he deadly with cutlass and pistol, but his body is crisscrossed with scars, and cunning gleaned from a hundred duels. He consumes enormous quantities of rum which inures him to pain, and yet does not seem to hinder his snake-like speed in the slightest. It is rumoured that he once captured the Queen of Mermaids and taken into her underwater palace for a year and a day, and now uses mystic powers gleaned from her to curse his opponents and save himself from certain death.

During the Month of Duels Cap’n Noble stalks the plazas and taverns in disguise, looking for young and inexperienced duellists to challenge, seeking easy prey for his hungry blade Sea Wolf, and his musket Leadspitter. This is only a ruthless tactic, not a mark of cowardice: he is not afraid to challenge the mightiest champions either, putting his trust in the magical talisman of the Mermaid he always carries with him.

It is time to start introducing our next duellist! Please welcome dread lord Geminiano Caravello to En Garde!

The model is sculpted by Patrick Masson.
Painting and photography by Dark Ages Workshop.
Based on art by John Blanche.

VAMPYR LORD Geminiano Caravello

“You have come to my city to spill the blood of its valiant people. In a twist of irony, yours will feed the blade that defends it. En garde!”

Height: 6’1” Age: 232 years

Weight: 180 lbs Favourite weapon: Rapier and wheellock pistol

Geminiano Caravello was once a great lord of Therae, who came from amongst the equestrian class nobles of the ruling council. Though a devotee of the Code of Swords and a famed duellist himself, over the years Geminiano grew more and more agitated by those who took the advantage of the laws of the city, using the legal challenges to duels to avoid debts, blackmail merchants or kill rivals in trade or love.

One day some two hundred years ago he could not endure the corruption and undignified violence, and willingly drank from the Red Goblet, relinquished his titles as one of the High Lords of the City as he entered the ranks of the Undead. In his family crypt he took binding vows to challenge any duellist who would misuse the Code of Swords for dishounourable purposes.

Now he is the Eternal Blade, the undying swordsman and the Champion of the city, forever bound to his crypt and never able to see his beloved city bathing in the rays of the sun. His citizens would willingly offer their blood for him, but the Vampyr suffers his terrible undead appetite in stoic silence and darkness of the undercity, unwilling to take one drop of innocent vitae. Thanks to the throngs of duellists drawn to the city, he rarely has to wait for long.

Thus when an arrogant blademaster swaggers into Therae and breaches the Code of Swords, they may find a fine silken glove sent to them upon a silver plate, born by a pale orderly with eyes that glow red in the dark. Then they must prepare for a fight of their life, for Geminiano Caravello, the Vampyr Lord has come to test their mettle and feed his eternal thirst for blood. At such times the dread swordsman becomes a visage of horror, unleashing his full vampiric powers upon his foe: he can assume a shape of mist, his eyes burn with authority few can resist, and no blade seems to be able to harm him. Only the foolish seek his displeasure, and few of those live to tell the tale.

Welcome to John Blanche’s En Garde, a tabletop miniatures game of fast paced and dynamic duels set in a low fantasy world!

The game was conceived by John Blanche, in conjunction with Nigel Wood, Ronan Duggan and Tuomas Pirinen. John Blanche hardly needs an introduction, but he is widely considered the founder of the Grimdark Art movement and he served for decades as lead art director for Games Workshop. His global influence on science fiction and fantasy art has been immense and he continues to show us new and unforgettable worlds.

The game rules have been designed and written by Tuomas Pirinen. Tuomas is arguably one of the World’s leading wargame designers, responsible for the creation of such classics as Mordheim and the 6th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and more recently, Trench Crusade.

John Blanche’s En Garde is designed to be played with 54mm scale miniatures, a scale that is a favourite of John’s and which best represents the one versus one player nature of the game.

Initially, a small collection of beautiful hand sculpted miniatures will be released through a crowdfunding campaign called VANGUARD, to allow players to ready their combatants and for the miniature hobbyists to paint in preparation for the dueling trials to come. These first fighters have been meticulously sculpted by the exceptionally talented pair of Paul Hicks and Patrick Masson, based primarily on the concept art of John himself.

The first release of duelists will then be followed by a full blown tabletop game, with additional fighters and components fleshing out the experience.

So draw your blade, assume the fighting stance, and prepare to duel!

Quelle: John Blanche’s En Garde bei Facebook