Rafe Donovan - 17th Century Star for By Savvy and Steel (Two Hour Wargames)

I've had "By Savvy and Steel" for some time now.  Read through it a few times but never got around to starting a Star character for the game.   I recently re-read "The Three Musketeers" by Alexander Dumas.  This along with watching "Black Sails" on Starz has gotten me back into the mood for some swashbuckling adventures.  What I like about BSS is the "imagi-nation" of the fictional nation of Edenstein.  This, along with "And a Bottle of Rum" and the recent release of "Free Ports" now rounds out a (hopefully) ongoing campaign following my star character, Raphael "Rafe" Donovan.

Aaron Stack HeroClix figure

Rafe Donovan - Work In Progress

One of the things that has kept me from gaming this period has been my lack of swashbuckler and pirate figures.  Enter some cheap Heroclix figures that I picked up on-line at Miniature Market.  I was able to troll their Heroclix section and find some extremely inexpensive figures that I envisioned converting into swashbucklers and pirates.   So here is Rafe Donovan before he gets a make over.   I started with the Aaron Stack figure.    Not much of a swashbuckling figure you say?   I have to agree.

However, pop him off his base, attach to a 1" fender washer, cut off his mechanical attachment on his right arm, add a spare sword from the bit box and we have a start.   Still need to finish up the base and give him a touch up paint job.


Rafe is the third child of a gentleman from the North Central region.  His older brother, Gabriel,  has inherited the property in Saintsbury after his father's recent passing.  His older sister,  Lillie, has married and moved to Hawkesport in the Northwest Coast region.  On his 21st birthday Rafe asked Gabriel for his inheritance in order to make his way in the world.  After celebrating Christmas and New Years with his brother at the family estate, Rafe makes his way to Hawkesport to visit his sister.

Traveling from Saintbury to Hawkesport should not have been too dangerous.  However, having never been to Hawkesport before, Rafe turned off the main road to the ruined watch tower on the hill overlooking the city.  He stood admiring the view of the city and the harbor beyond.  The smell of the ocean, the sight of the ships anchored in the harbor and the sun setting on the ocean beyond stirred Rafe's blood like never before.   Then he heard the sound of boots on the broken gravel and a voice say "Only a fool comes up here alone.  And they say a fool and his money are soon parted"...

Game notes:  January 1625 - Rafe travels from North Central Edenstein to the Northwest Coast.  I rolled double 4s resulting in a Robbery.   Next time, the results of the robbery.