The “Blunder Monkey” holds a special place in the Blood & Plunder legendarium. First produced in very limited numbers during the second Blood & Plunder Kickstarter campaign in 2017, the famed Blunder Monkey has since been highly sought after by Blood & Plunder players around the world. Now, for a limited time, the original, the legendary, the unsurpassable, the glorious Blunder Monkey miniature is now once again available from Firelock Games!
DISCLAIMER: As with any great tale, fact and legend can become intertwined and hard to untangle. Source documents are now hard to secure and we rely on the writings of a few mysterious authors for the story told below.
The Origin of the Blunder Monkey
The tale begins in 2017. Blood & Plunder had been published the year prior and the second Kickstarter campaign, which would fund the No Peace Beyond the Line expansion along with tons of new minis and ships, was ongoing. The campaign included several stretch goals, which were met at a steady rate.
But then there arose an idea. No one knows where the idea was spawned. Rumors credit the idea to Alex A., many blame Neil Amswych, some folks say it was an attempt to one-up a monkey with a pistol from another game. Regardless, the momentum continued to grow and corrupt all those who heard it. The words Blunder Monkey started to dominate the community’s Facebook page. The flame was fanned by a certain Mr. Amswych and many were seduced by his charismatic leadership! So much so that songs and ballads were composed, sung, recorded, and circulated!
Mike Tuñez’s, faithful to the realities of history, and steadfast in his commitment to produce a quality game, was determined to NOT bow the knee to the growing demand for, “a monkey with a blunderbuss.”
The Howler Monkey Statue
The power of the Blunder Monkey Movement continued to wax, and eventually, the will of Lord Tuñez was finally broken. In a desperate effort to maintain historical integrity, and still pacify the growing horde of rabid Blunder Monkey-ites, the decision was made to make a model that included a Monkey and a Blunderbuss. BUT THEY SHOULD NOT TOUCH!
The great compromise was a Howler Monkey statue. The Howler Monkey is an important figure to Central and South American Native cultures of the era. In fact, there is even a Mayan gods dedicated to the creature. This a sculpture in Copán, in western Honduras.
With this statue as a reference, a true Blunkder Monkey miniature began to become a reality. Concept art was developed as a compromise as the sculpture was converted to a freestanding statue with a live Howler Monkey astride the statue’s shoulder. As a finishing touch, a blunderbuss was added, though incidental, as it leaned against the side of the statue.
Soon after the Monkey Statue was added to as the final (and greatest) stretch goal for the No Peace Beyond the Line campaign. Unlocking at $220,000, the community rallied behind the goal and it became a fan favorite. For all the bluster against the model, it likely led to a good bit of talk in the wargaming community and spreading news of the game while was still relatively young.
The Blunder Monkey’s Rise to Power
But even after the model was added, there was no rest. No goal was met with such enthusiasm, nay, with such fervor, that it inexplicably caused otherwise rational gamers to open their wallets and bury Firelock’s Miami headquarters with cash. The spell of the Blunder Monkey continued to increase, eventually eclipsing the glory of the mighty Galleon itself! It increased to such power that the esteemed community member (we will call him LT), a historical consultant, ship expert, and associate designer, was forced to post this cheerful command to the enthusiastic hordes of Blunder Monkey fans:
Unfortunately, even these stern words did little to slow the growth of the Blunder Monkey Cult (it can be called nothing else). Soon the Blunder Monkey was considered a “public figure” and had its own Facebook page with thousands of followers.
Still filled with regret and riddled with guilt, Mike Tuñez wrote a thoughtful review the BlunderMonkey fan page as a public reminder of his compromise:
The Blunder Monkey’s power peaked soon after the backers of the No Peace Beyond the Line campaign started receiving their pledges. Boxes full of historically satisfying greatness were frantically rifled through and set aside after the Blunder Monkey was secured! The revered Blunder Monkey model was among the first to hit the painting desk. They were painted in batches and carefully highlighted and varnished, protecting the precious model forever.
The Blunder Monkey Enters the Game
Then, in another monumental moment, the Blunder Monkey entered the game as an official, playable unit! This could only have been the work of a treacherous underling at Firelock Games. Great was the treachery! Mike Tuñez would have never let such frivolity and fun actually become a reality.
Thus started the “Blunder Monkey Meta,” with tournaments dominated by squads of fast-moving Blunder Monkeys dashing this way and that. But with exclusive models not readily available, soon prices on the secondary market were simply unsustainable. It was underpriced in terms of points and it was clearly busted. It was the classic “pay to win” situation and the simian was permabanned from the tournament scene.
The Second Rise of the Blunder Monkey – Raise the Black
For a while, the memory of the once great Blunder Monkey faded from the minds of Blood & Plunder players. Soon, new discussions rose to prominence and dominated the public forums. Swivel Guns became the hotness, Iron Arm was exploited, and the OVERPOWERED FRENCH rose to dominance. But even during these years, the flame of love and devotion for the Blunder Monkey never fully died out in the hearts of the devoted.
Then a new Kickstarter arose. the Raise the Black expansion began to raise funds, but no sooner had the campaign started than a new call rose for a return of the Blunder Monkey! The old songs were sung again, the old models were brought out, and new players were drawn to the flame. But the supply of the exclusive mini had long dried up! There were no models left on the secondary market and Firelock Games would no longer produce this coveted model. Something had to be done. The people had to be pacified once again.
Firelock Games invested vast sums of plunder into creating metal molds for hard plastic, multipart miniatures for the campaign. With each mold costing a small chest of treasure, every piece included in a sprue was not taken lightly. As fortune would have it, a Monkey and a blunderbuss were included in the Kickstarter exclusive “Box of Plunder” sprue. Nowhere was it explicitly said in the campaign that these two were related, but the people knew what to do. A new generation of Blunder Monkeys was born.
The Exclusive Deluxe Activation deck
As another highlight of the campaign, the original concept art was included in the campaign’s exclusive deluxe activation deck. Now the great Blunder Monkey is the portent of doom in every game I play.
At sea he announces the Unseen Hazard and howls in perverse pleasure as my Galleon’s hull crunches against the sharp coral. In my land games, he summons the angry locals who somehow have pinpoint accuracy with their antique arquebuses, killing half my gun crew and routing the rest before the first turn of the game! It seems I need to once again take out my model and restore it to the place of honor on my game table. There is no escape and the great Blunder Monkey brooks no neglect!
Limited Time Exclusive Blunder Monkey – Available Now!
Now, in 2024, the Blunder Monkey has suddenly, without warning, risen again like a phoenix from legend! The original Monkey Statue model is again within your grasp! Do not spurn this opportunity to become part of this tale, and join the great legend of the Blunder Monkey! With an order of $100+ of any product from Firelock Games, you will receive a free Blunder Monkey Statue miniature. This time the model has been reincarnated in a more glorious form – highly detailed resin.
The choice is clear. One can not say “no” to the Blunder Monkey. Make your order today! Firelock Games has recently released nearly all of the “metal line” of minis in high quality resin, making these great sculpts more affordable and more detailed and lifelike! The Spanish, English, Dutch, French and Natives have all been released in resin now! The last “unaligned” and more generic models are expected to be released in resin soon. There is currently no dates listed for how long this Blunder Monkey deal will last, so seize the opportunity before the capricious howler monkey disappears again! $100 for the Blunder Monkey is a no brainer! Anything your actually receive with the Monkey is just incidental.
(DISCLAIMER: Blunder Monkeys are sold for entertainment purposes only and should not be bought as an investment.)
The Legend Continues
Blunder Monkey Real Talk
The Monkey Statue model is a great little objective marker or just fun, flavor for your Blood & Plunder board. It’s great to see it available again! Please forgive our ridiculous storytelling!
Painting the Blunder Monkey Statue
If you’re able to pick up a Monkey Statue this month, you may want some inspiration for painting your epic new mini! The statue is inspired by surviving stone carvings from Honduras. Light stone with weathering effects would be appropriate, but remember, the stone wouldn’t have been as old and weathered in 1680 as it appears today!
Painting the Monkey Portion of the Miniature
For the monkey itself, you have a variety of options. The Black Howler Monkey is the most common in Central America, particularly Mexico and the Yucatan. The female is a warm golden honey akin to some labradors. The Ursine Howler that lives in the northern regions of South America has a rich reddish brown coat like that of an orangutan. There are a wide variety of species of red and brown howlers in Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, French Guiana, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. . Brown For the live monkey, you have a couple of options as it appears Howler Monkeys have a variety of coloring ranging from black, brown, to red and light brown. Th
And the blunderbuss can be a “standard” color scheme of wood and a steel color, or you can make it a fancy blunder with some brass bits to make it pop.
Blunder Monkey Photo Gallery
Here are a few other painted minis from community members you can use for inspiration in painting your own exclusive miniature.
Using the Blunder Monkey in Blood & PLunder
The Blunder Monkey model is best used as an objective token, specifically in scenarios that require players to control but not claim and move an objective. Take and Hold and Control the Field are both great scenarios that can utilize a model like this.
And if you need something different to spice up your Blood & Plunder game night, try using the April 1st “Monkey with a Blunderbuss” stat card using the Raise the Black Blunder Monkey miniature. You can kitbash that monkey to be a lot more aggressive than I did!
Conclusion
The Blunder Monkey has been a “special” part of Blood & Plunder for a long time. It’s silly, but fun and it’s great to see the original miniature available in some way again. Thanks to Firelock Games for good monkey times over the years for bringing back a fun mini. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this legend. The exclusive resin mini is only hear for a short time so get your $100 orders in soon!
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