IHMN: In the Company of Sir Rupert Utterley-Barkinge

The Utterley-Barkinge Expeditionary Company
The Private Company of Sir Rupert Utterley-Barkinge of Aethelweard Hall,
Author of the equally lauded and ridiculed memoir “With Steamboat and Rifle in the Mesozoic”
A 309 Point Company for In Her Majesty's Name

Sir Rupert Utterley-Barkinge, 93 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Sir Rupert
2+
+4
+5
+0
Leadership +2, Fearless, Hunter, Marksman, Tough
Hunting Rifle, Bowie Knife,
Brigandine

With unerring accuracy to rival that of Alan Quartermaine himself, Sir Rupert is always ready to take a shot at pretty much anything that moves.  Perhaps best known as the instigator of the (in)famous expedition into the interior of the darkest heart of Africa, Sir Rupert discovered The Lost World.  This not only got Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's proverbial goat up (which didn't bother him one jot), it also created some ill will at The Explorer’s Club (which, to be perfectly honest did cause his usually reliable stiff upper lip to quiver momentarily). The scorn placed on Sir Rupert's memoirs is perhaps all the more remarkable considering their recent involvements.  However, Sir Rupert has put that incident firmly behind him and takes some comfort, and not a small amount of smugness, in that fact that he now finds himself in the unenviable position of being considered even more untrustworthy than Lord Curr’s Incorrigibles. What he does next may appear uncertain, but you can be sure of two things. First, that we'll soon find out as we begin gaming In Her Majesty's Name, and second, that he will have these trusted friends by his side...


Goonda, Sir Rupert’s faithful manservant, 52 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Goonda
3+
+2
+2
+2
Erudite Wit, Medic
Carbine, Brigandine

As always, Sir Rupert retains the services of Goonda, his faithful manservant of many years.  Goonda has always had the uncanny ability to rescue his master from whatever peril may come his way, which is good because he finds himself in them a lot.  What no one has been able to fathom is why he always seems to be waving farewell to everyone he meets...

Major Payne, 49 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Major Payne
3+
+4
+4
+0
Leadership +1,  Marksman,
Military Rifle, Pistol, Brigandine

Major Payne has had a chequered history. On the one hand, his refusal to follow commands has seen him face court marshall on more than one occasion.  On the other hand, he's adored by the men who serve under him, mainly for keeping them alive and refusing to throw them into the breach with no thought for tactical objectives, which has sadly become the norm for Victorian tactics at Horse Guards.  He met Sir Rupert and Count Otto years ago when they were in a bit of a pickle with some angry Fuzzy Wuzzies.  Since then he has become a trusted friend and companion.

Lady Constant Anne Oyannce-Payne, 12 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Lady Constant
5+
+1
+0
+1
Medic
Pistol

The major's wife, Lady Constant Anne Oyannce-Payne, can often be heard long before she's seen. This is because she's easily alarmed, and being alarmed is a daily occupational hazard when you're in Sir Rupert's company.  But as she still can't tell the difference between a Compsognathus and T-Rex, this is perhaps best to be taken as a given. Goonda simply refers to her as his early morning alarm... 

Count Otto Von Wahnbildt, 48 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Count Otto
4+
+3
+4
+0
Hunter, Marksman,
Hunting Rifle, Bowie Knife, Brigandine

Sir Rupert's great hunting partner Count Otto Von Wahnbildt assists in the financing of their expeditions.  There exists between them a gentlemanly rivalry, for they take every opportunity to brag about the various game they have shot. 

Sergeant Reynolds, 33 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Sergeant
4+
+3
+3
+0
Marksman, Bayonet Drill
Military Rifle, Bayonet, Brigandine

Sergeant Reynolds distinguished himself first in Zululand and latterly in Sudan when he came into Major Payne's service.  Since then he has become a valued member of Sir Rupert's Company. a stalwart and thoroughly dependable chap, as trusty with his marksmanship as with giving the enemy a touch of cold steel, whether that be a man or prehistoric beast!

Private Gathering, 22 points
Type
Pluck
FV
SV
Speed
Talents & Powers
Basic Equipment
Rifleman
5+
+2
+2
+0
Bayonet Drill
Military Rifle, Bayonet, Brigandine

And to complete the company, we have Private Gathering, who has also proven himself to be mighty handy in a fight.  Private Gathering's most famous moment remains the time he felled a mighty T-Rex with a single shot.  Not that The Times would run with the story, mind you, despite the moment being later immortalised later by the brilliant Sidney Paget. Honestly, sometimes you have to wonder if we have a free press or not...!


And there you have my company for In Her Majesty's Name.  Of course, full credit for the creation of Sir Rupert, Goonda and Count Otto must go to Christ Peers, author of the simply brilliant Saurian Safari, Mammalian Mayhem and Tooth and Claw rulebooks.  I heartily recommend them all. However, their additional backstory and the other members of this fine Company are entirely my fault, save for those moments where their history strays into the excellent ruminations of Messrs Cartmell and Murton.  Thanks too must go to Osprey Games who had the good sense to recognize a brilliant set of rules when they saw them.  

Finally, I should mention that I posted an earlier draft of this company on my blog two years ago.  Having revisited it over the last couple of days, I have updated it significantly to fit the narratives of the many games of Saurian Safari that have been thoroughly enjoyed in the intervening years.  Doing so has, of course, resulted in the wonderfully well-rounded points total you can see at the top of this post!  

The models shown here are all from Redoubt Enterprises painted and photographed by myself.  Bases were from Privateer Press many moons ago...

Thanks for stopping by!




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