This time some Buffalo Soldiers. I have been slowly building up a force of soldiers and Plains Indians to oppose them. The first of these was this group of Buffalo Soldiers and their white captain.

Even though they are officially commanded by Captain H.T. Davis, they are really led by their NCO, Sergeant John Shaft. He’s the cat who won’t cop out, when there’s danger all about.  Can you dig it?

On the horn is Bugler Clifford “Sweet Tone” Brown. He has them jumping when he blows eight to the bar.

Outside the Assay Office is Trooper George Washington Greene. A dab hand with pistol and carbine.

The other two members of the squad are Troopers Curtley Aimes and Richard Blackley.

I have a custom Bystander Event Card for these guys.

Apart from the regular gangs of assorted thugs, lawmen, foreigners, cowboys, Pinkertons, Indians and so forth, there are a few family groups who appear in games in my Wild West town.

The first is a local ranching family. They live on a big spread out of town known  but seem to show up in town an awful lot. Known for their hospitality to strangers and for always being on the side of the good guys, I present “The Wainwrights“.

The Patriarch is Lorne Wainwright.  A widower three times over, he has not remarried a fourth time. Every time he meets a woman she either catches some deadly sickness, is killed by a bad guy or leaves to go back East.

His eldest son is the educated and world-wise Pernell Wainwright. He is also a dab hand with a gun.  He is level headed and does not get flustered.

 The middle son is the lovable and friendly Dan ‘Hoss’ Wainwright. He is slow to anger but when he does he often lets his fists do the talking.

The youngest of the Wainwright boys is the hot-headed Michael ‘Little Mike’ Wainwright. A feisty and independent character he is always getting into trouble from which his Pa and older brothers have to extricate him.

The menfolk of the ranch all together.

Every dynasty needs some trusty family retainers. The Wainwrights have one in their Chinese cook, Vic Sing.

In recent times, a new face has been seen at the Wainwright’s ranch. Bonnie Harper-Wainwright is Little Mike’s new wife. Given the fatality rate amongst Wainwright womenfolk how long she remains at the ranch is anybody’s guess.

The whole clan together.

Models:

Wainwrights are West Wind Cowboy Wars figures (Sets The Friendly Rancher#1 and #2). There are mounted versions of characters on foot but I have not got them painted as yet.

Little Mike’s wife Bonnie Harper-Wainwright is a Shadowforge Miniatures “Wild West Woman”.

It is understandable when people with a shared cultural and linguistic heritage band together for mutual protection and to form a sense of community in an otherwise hostile environment.  Then there are these guys.

Meet the “Europeans”. These chaps are on the Grand Tour of the Old West. Taking in the local sights, perhaps engaging in a spot of buffalo hunting before they are all shot. Putting aside their difference, they are united in their sure knowledge that the Americans are all a bunch of savages.

Mad Jock McHooligan (aka The Tartan Terror), Maj. Baron von Klingerhof and Col. Philippe Dreyfus

They are sometimes joined in their depredations of local fauna by some colleagues from other European powers.

Count Alexi Orloff, Maj. Uri Potemkin and Capt. Charles Anderson

Finally a shot of the whole European Contingent as it currently stands.

From places closer to home, the town of Serenity also sees plenty of people from South of the Border. They are under the control of the mysterious Masked Bandido.  Some say he is a renegade American, others that he is a half Mexican, half Apache renegade. Either way, his gang is a constant threat to the good folk of the town.

The whole gang.

The three most dangerous members of the gang are El Montana, The evil Lobo Sanchez and Pedro, El Gordo.

Rumours of gold have brought people from far and wide to town. Proving that you need a criminal record to get of, and not just into Australia, this dangerous group of Aussies has made their way to the Wild West.

Bushrangers Ben Hall, Harry Powers, Mad Dog Morgan and Ned Kelly bring their own particular style of thuggery and mayhem.

Models.

The Europeans are a mixture of West Wind and Crusader.

The Mexicans are Blue Moon, Reaper and Knuckleduster

The Australians are Blaze Away Miniatures.