Zomtober: It's not easy being Greenes

Zomtober continues to push me to complete the remaining unpainted miniatures I have for The Walking Dead: All Out War from Mantic Games.

Most of these miniatures relate to the Miles Behind Us expansion, which focuses on the adventures of Rick's group of survivors after they leave Atlanta but before they get to the prison.

Last week I focused on Tyreese and his family who joined the group before their ill-fated arrival at Wiltshire Estates. This week we encounter another group of survivors: the Greene family.

Prior to the arrival of the Atlanta survivors, the inhabitants of the Greene Family Farm seem to be coping with the apocalypse fairly well. Admittedly, Shawn Greene (who you get to meet in the Tell Tale Games mobile game, which is really good) had been bitten and was currently locked in the barn with other passing zombies, but the Greenes had a system and were surviving.

Until Rick and friends arrive...

Lacey and Arnold Greene are the eldest children of the family and are both sceptical about the wisdom of letting Rick's group stay and are fairly hostile to the Atlanta survivors.

This hostility seems to be justified as the accidental release of the zombies in the barn, caused by the Atlanta groups target practice, cost both of them their lives.

Otis and Patricia are farmhands who sought refuge with the Greenes and turn out to be problematic characters.

Otis accidentally shoots Carl, which is how the group find the farm, and turns out to be more than a little racist. However, he is also the cause of Michonne joining the group.

Patricia, Otis's ex, seems to have a thing for prisoners and ends up siding with them twice, once in really bizarre circumstances where she releases a known killer who has BEHEADED members of the group (more on that later) to stop the group from killing him.

Neither Otis nor Patricia survive the fight with the Woodbury militia when the Governor attacks the prison.

Billy, Rachel and Susie are the youngest members of the family and like Otis and Patricia, meet their ends in the prison, although in very different manners.

Billy turns out to be a very useful and helpful member of the group. He's a very good shot and acts as a sniper in the battle with the Governor, where he is killed.

Susie and Rachel are fairly ancillary to the story until their deaths. You remember I mentioned some members of the group being beheaded?

Yeah...

The decision by Mantic to make them into one model is an interesting one. They are never seen apart in the comic and it seems a good way to include them for completeness without wasting two sculpts on characters who can't do much. It does, however, prevent them being used in many other games.

Maggie and Herschel are they two best known characters from the Greene family.

Herschel is a vet and so has medical knowledge that proves essential in saving Carl's life. He also presents an interesting ideological counter to Rick and the Atlanta group's philosophy. I preferred the version of him in the TV show, but neither version makes it out of the prison, both killed by the Governor.

Maggie is the true survivor of the group and was still alive when I gave up on both the comic and the TV show. She has a genuine character arc and I think qualifies as one of the most significant characters in the franchise.

Now that I've painted the Greenes, I think I might go back to the Miles Behind Us scenarios and play through them as The Walking Dead: All Out War is one of the best solo games I've played.

I've not mentioned how I painted them as it's all pretty much contrast and washes doing the work. Not my best work but I'm just pleased to be getting through a good chunk this week - especially as I've been buying stuff for the next leg of the Quest of the Ringbearer campaign.

Acquired: 86
Painted: 248
Lead Mountain: 439