With Emperor Napoleon featuring as last month’s Soldier of Fortune miniature, we (being a British company, after all!) felt it only correct that we should also bestow the Soldier of Fortune badge on his most famous foe too, albeit in a somewhat less well-known guise. This month’s Soldier of Fortune is ‘Old Nosey’, also known as Sir Arthur Wellesley, not yet the Duke of Wellington, but as a Major-General at the Battle of Assaye in September 1803, his first major victory and one he would describe later in life as his finest accomplishment on the battlefield – no small statement, coming from the victor of Waterloo!
Napoleon was often scathing of his British foe, calling him the ‘sepoy general’, referring to Wellesley’s time in India. Sepoy is derived from the term “sipahi”, meaning a professional Indian infantryman, usually armed with a musket – a term still in use to this day to denote a rank equivalent to private in the modern Indian army.
This fantastic miniature depicts Wellesley mounted astride his faithful horse Diomed (who would be sorely wounded at Assaye but later recover), in his Major-General’s uniform, complete with a rather snappy-looking sunhat to keep the fierce Indian heat at bay. Design Studio Painter Kirsten Williams has brought Wellesley and Diomed to life with amazing skill, and he will make a fantastic commander for any ‘British in India’ Black Powder force, whether as the man himself or a stand-in for a less famous figure. The wars fought by the British in India are oft-underappreciated but can make for some fascinating games of Black Powder, and there really is no substitute for Wellesley as a commander there!
Alternatively, the figure could also be used as a generic spymaster or intelligence officer in the Peninsular campaign of the Napoleonic Wars.
Pressing engagements in the Peninsular mean that Wellesley cannot remain long – he’ll only be available during December 2023, after which time he’ll be a very busy man indeed and unavailable for purchase, with a fresh Soldier of Fortune set to take his place.
Each month, a different, unique special figure is available to purchase exclusively through The Warlord Games Webstore, for that month only. At the end of the month, a new special figure takes its place. Once gone, those figures will be unavailable for a minimum of two years thereafter, by any means.
Numbered sequentially, it’s easy to keep track of your whole collection of these Warlord Webstore-exclusive figures. Remember that each figure will only be around for a month; don’t miss out on getting hold of the complete collection of Soldiers of Fortune.
