The Occult & Science Reserve

In the Lurkers from the Deep feature pack for 7TV Pulp, the forces of law and order are led by agents from the Occult and Science Reserve. They operate in in a strategic way to shield the public from the eldritch marvels that have been unearthed in the New England town of Marshport.

I know what you are thinking. Some of those agents look familiar. Well it's true. One or two of them were created prior to the release of Lurkers from the Deep and were part of the earlier pulp heroes Kickstarter from 7TV.

The others are all totally original characters...

First up we have the more generic characters in the group who might grace any occult themed pulp game in the vein of Call of Cthulhu: an Occult Investigator, a News Hound and Professor Jemima Whitwood.

The Occult Investigator is a character from the original Pulp Heroes and Villains Kickstarter. I only picked up the villains at the time (two of which still remain unpainted) and therefore was pleased to get my hands on this chap as a stretch goal with Lurkers from the Deep.

As it happens, I've actually picked up three of the six heroes since then, so I probably should have just bought them at the time.

This chap is destined to feature as one of the OSR Agents in the final scenario of the feature pack, and then after that, I'm not sure. I am musing on doing some more Lovecraft themed stuff, so he'll more than likely pop up then.

Professor Jemima Whitwood is the leader of the OSR raid on Marshport, and so this dynamic pose is more than suitable. I am slightly concerned that she seems to be expecting vampires rather than fish-demon hybrids, but I'm pretty sure a stake through the heart works on most things.

The News Hound is probably the most versatile of the miniatures in this batch and could conceivably pop up in all sorts of scenarios, especially superhero themed stuff with a pulp vibe like Freedom Force or Pulp City. I feel like she'd really benefit from a street base, and so that might be a change I make when I get my hands on more resin bases.

She will also feature in Lurkers from the Deep as an OSR Agent.

The four Esoteric Agents models are a marvellous bunch who add variety and character to the OSR's ranks. I am slightly concerned that these models might not get used in scenarios outside of Lurkers from the Deep given that I can't imagine what else they might be used as. 

If there's something strange going on, this OSR Agent is who you'd call. As a master of the mystic arts he'll cure whatever ails the town of Marshport...sort of like a doctor.

I've given him a cape cloak from a Heroclix Robin model because...well...he looked cold. That's the only reason.

Howard Ashton, a Gadgeteer, is a stark contrast to the occult investigators, providing a cutting edge technological response to the problems faced by the OSR. Obviously, not everything he creates is perfect and he will often need to iron out some issues.

Of all the models in this group, I'm probably most pleased with this one, not because it's particularly amazing, but simply because I did the pale grey suit first, and managed to do the rest of the model without having to go back and redo any sections where I'd messed up.

I also like the contrast of the blue with the coppery-brass.

Agent Maggie Stone is a British Agent assigned the OSR and uses the Rugged Veteran profile card. She will fit well with the American Soldiers that I painted to accompany Captain America a few years ago, although I can't see a situation where I'd put him and her together. Not without going back in time, anyway.

Finally we have Colonel Julius Roth. When you absolutely have to kill every brother cultist in the room, accept no substitutes. Colonel Roth leads the military arm of the secret invasion of Marshport and appears in scenario three: the Battle of Marshport.

I will probably have to paint some more US soldiers before I get to that one, as it's a big scrap.

So that's seven more miniatures painted (and one broken Heroclix miniature disposed of), making for a bit more progress.

However, a trip to Vapnartak in York today saw me in an unusually spendy mood. From Wargames Foundry I picked up some more Victorian Police to complete that unit and some Home Guard to fill out my numbers for when I play the Vlad's Army feature pack, although they will also add to my Operation Sea Lion/VBCW force.

I also grabbed a few paints and a 2'x2' gaming mat from Crooked Dice simply because I wanted it, and not pictured above is a second hand dreadnought that is destined for my 40k/Horus Heresy army, which I grabbed for a fiver. Bargain.

Therefore today has actually been a little bit of a step backwards in terms of the Lead Mountain, but I'm quite keen to get the new models done and I have no plans to buy anything else in the near future, and so things should be moving in the right direction again fairly quickly.

Acquired: -12
Painted: 47
Lead Mountain: 525