Today we get to look at a new Blood & Plunder miniature from Firelock Games! While the multi-part, hard plastic miniatures from the Raise the Black Kickstarter project are still hitting the market, Firelock Games has been hard at work getting their in-house Siocast manufacturing system up and running. This new Legendary Sculpt, along with an additional French unit, are some of the first models they will be releasing using these machines. Let’s look at the Pierre Lemoyne d’Iberville miniaiture!

This Legendary Commander sculpt will release with the Compagnies Franches de la Marine models as a compliment to the Fire on the Frontier expansion Book. The Native Americans and English already recieved King Philip and Benjamin Church as their Legendary sculpts. The French are finally catching up!

Pierre Lemoyne d’Iberville

Iberville was introduced to the game in No Peace Beyond the Line, but his presence is even more important in Fire on the Frontier and his career even spans into Raise the Black! The Fire on the Frontier expansion “promotes” him to a Legendary Commander and he’s just now getting his custom sculpt!

Short Bio of Pierre Lemoyne d’Iberville

Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville was a French-Canadian explorer and naval officer who played a prominent role the early colonial history of North America. Born in Ville-Marie (present-day Montreal) in 1661, Iberville grew up as one of many sons in a prominent family of fur traders and was exposed to the harsh living of the wilderness from a young age. After spending several years as a sailor and soldier in the French navy, Iberville returned to North America in the late 1680s to explore and map the Gulf of Mexico.

Over the course of his career, Iberville made numerous expeditions to the Gulf Coast region, proving essential to establishing relations with Native tribes and founding French settlements and trading posts along the way. In 1699, he led an expedition that founded the settlement of Biloxi in present-day Mississippi, and later established the colony of Louisiana in 1702. Iberville’s military prowess was also on display during the War of the Spanish Succession, during which he played a key role in the capture of the English colony of St. John’s in Newfoundland.

Despite his many accomplishments, Iberville’s life was not without tragedy. His wife died in 1699, and several of his siblings were killed during conflicts with Native American tribes. Iberville himself died in 1706, at the relatively young age of 45, due to complications from yellow fever. Nevertheless, his legacy lived on, as the colony he founded in Louisiana grew and prospered in the centuries that followed. Today, Iberville is remembered as one of the most important figures in the early history of French North America, and his name is immortalized in the many towns, cities, and landmarks that bear it.

Iberville’s legacy also extended beyond the realm of exploration and colonialism. He was known for his remarkable leadership skills and his ability to establish positive relationships with the Native American tribes he encountered. His diplomatic efforts helped to foster important peace treaties between the French and the tribes of the Gulf Coast region, which in turn facilitated the growth and prosperity of French settlements in the area. Iberville’s reputation as a skilled negotiator and mediator continued to be recognized long after his death, and he is remembered as a important figure who bridged the gap between European colonizers and the indigenous peoples of North America.

Iberville in Blood & Plunder

Iberville might win the prize for being able to lead the most factions of any historical commander in Blood & Plunder. He’s also the only commander to appear in all three Blood & Plunder expansions!

Here are Iberville’s game stats in Blood & Plunder:

As a well rounded sailor, seaman and explorer, Iberville has a wide variety of rules. His Broadside! and Commodore rules make him effective at sea, especially with cannons or a larger fleet of ships. Elan makes him a solid leader when it comes to boarding the enemy’s ship (he may use his Command Points more easily while he is engaged in melee). He can effectively boost musketry or melee effectiveness with his Cold Blooded rule. Scouts lets him effectively lead his unit through rough terrain without the normal movement penalty. And on top of all those diverse abilities, he has the ever-useful Inspiring rule that helps manage fatigue in his force. In Fire on the Frontier he also gains the Unorthodox Force rule that allows him to bring Braves as core units in his forces.

With three Command Points, a 12″ Command Range and 7 Special Rules, Ibverille is a good bargain at 30 points.

Iberville’s Factions

In No Peace Beyond the Line, Iberville can lead:

• French Expeditionary Force
• French Royal Navy
• French Canadian Privateers
• French Canadian Militia

Fire on the Frontier gives him two new factions:

• French Canadian Privateers (new version)
• Iberville’s Expeditionary Force

And in Raise the Black he can lead:

• Franco-Spanish Expeditionary Force

His personal Legendary Faction reflects his “renaissance man” flavor, combining elements of the other various factions he can lead.

With many unit options, appropriate to both land and sea, his force is very flexible. You get the Buccaneer’s activation card mulligan, the +2 to Attacker role, and a nice boost to your Lucky/Critical Hits when attacking enemy ships.

Iberville Blood & Plunder Miniature

This new sculpt of Iberville dispenses with the formal wigs and armor of the commonly seen portraits. Instead, itportrays him in the more practical garb (as practical as the French get) of battle, diplomacy, and exploration.

There are statues of Iberville spread across North America portraying in various ways. The statue below is in Quebec.

Firelock Games sent me an early copy of the miniature, printed on a high quality 3D Printer.

The pose seems to emphasize the “explorer” part of Iberville’s career. It looks likes he’s standing on a high bluff looking out over territory to be added to the French empire! While not as dramatic a pose when compared with L’Olonnais or De Graff, I think it reflects reflects d’Iberville’s consistent skill and competence in all that he did.

He’s got his brace of pistols, fancy feathery French hat, but more practical clothes and hair.

Detail on this print was very good with no printing lines. The retail mini will be produced with the Siocast system.

After working closely with the model while painting, I was able to offer a bit of feedback. Some final tweaks were made, but nothing huge (adjusting hands, cuffs, and hat sizes).

Conclusion

It’s exciting to have another Legendary French Commander sculpt on the horizon! Ibverille has been available to play for a long time, but getting a new model always breathes new life into a commander. At 30 points, Iberville is a big commander which isn’t great for smaller games. But he’s a good bargain for what you get. The trick is getting value out of all his rules! He can do everything well, but he isn’t a “focused commander.”

This model is scheduled to release “soon.” I know the Firelock crew is working hard at perfecting their Siocast manufacturing skills at the moment,. Then we’ll be seeing several new minis, and old miniatures being updated for the new casting system (we should get the Young Warriors and Pnieses back!). With Fire on the Frontier just passing it’s one year release anniversary, it’s time Iberville had his own sculpt!

Keep your eyes peeled for Iberville releasing on Firelock’s website “soon”!

Additional Recommended Reading

• Fire on the Frontier book review by Guy Rheuark
• Benjamin Church and King Philip Legendary mini showcase articles.
• Laurens de Graff video

Recommended Products

• Blood & Plunder: Fire on the Frontier expansion book, containing Iberville’s Legendary Faction
• Iberville’s Gulf Journals from Amazon.com
• Lemoyne d’Iberville: Soldier of New France – Very expensive biography of Iberville