We got another special Blood & Plunder character model to show off! The Pirate Fiddler sculpt was part of the this year’s Summer of Plunder Organized Play Kit. I finally quit “monkeying around” got this model painted and wanted to share it here on the blog.
This article is part of a series showcasing several of the new Character models released by Firelock Games over the course of 2025. You can check out the Sharp-Eyed Lookout, Bosun, Sailing Master, Drunk Pirate model, and the Cook miniature.
Blood & Plunder Pirate Musician Model
This musical pirate is a delightful and light hearted mini, produced as a 3d printed mini in highly detailed resin from Firelock Games.
The detail is great, down to the missing teeth on the pirate!
I was hoping the fancy lion’s head on the violin would come out clearer but my copy didn’t print it very clean. Or it was simplified before printing.
This is a two-for-one mini with the little monkey dancing on the pirate’s shoulder.
The violin is well detailed with a decent looking bow! (I’m a musician so I feel strongly about such things!)
Painting the Pirate Musician Model
I went with the “popular pirate” vibe on this guy with the black vest, red bandana and bright blue sash. Sometimes you just lean into the pop pirate look. I’m pretty sure I can order this outfit on Amazon.com for $24.99!
I used paints primarily from the Monument Hobbies paint set for Blood & Plunder for this model, along with washes from the Citadel line. For the metals I used Vallejo which I find to be far and away the best metallics.
Hair takes Contrast/Speed Paints really well, so I used Citadel Snakebit Leather for the hair and beard. I used it for the monkey as well, but that turned out poorly. I should have done it the slow and good way!
The eyes look crappy up close, but ok from a decent distance. I always see how messy things are with my macro lens!
Gallery
Using the Pirate Musician in Blood & Plunder
The Pirate Musician can be used as a standard Musician Character, found in No Peace Beyond the Line. This Character is a very strong utility character that can be added to any force. It must be added to the Commander’s unit and the model can’t use any weapons besides the Standard Melee Weapon. This makes the cost for the Musician pretty high at 5pts plus the cost of the model and the loss of the range weapon. But the abilities are really strong!
The Musician comes with the Inspiring Special Rule which is one of the most sought after rules in the game. Keeping that Fatigue off your units is vital. Most of the new Standard Commanders have the option of taking the Inspiring rule, but this is a great way to add a second or even third rule to your Commander.
The other thing the Musician does is strike terror into your enemies’ hearts! At the start of the game, each enemy unit must make a Fatigue test with 1d10. It’s always good to have your enemy start the game with Fatigue, especially if you need it to trigger something like Ruthless. The Musician’s ability to help keep Fatigue off you units and put Fatigue on the enemy can really change the game and let you control the battlefield.
Pirates love the drama and spectacle of music around them. Laurens de Graaf is recorded by Exquemelin as being accompanied by violins and trumpets when ashore.
I’m holding out for at some point!
How Can You Get a Pirate Fiddler Model?
You can’t. Right now at least… This model was released as part of the 2025 Summer of Plunder Organized Play Kit, and while it will certainly be available at some point, it is not currently for sale on Firelock Games’ website. I’ve seen a few go up for sale on eBay, but as of writing this, I didn’t see any listed.
Firelock Games has a large Kickstarter project scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, and I would be surprised if this mini wasn’t part of that project! It’s fun to have is a special mini from the OP Kit, but it needs to be available for everyone!
Blood & Plunder Musician Photo Gallery
I wasn’t able to get my hands on many more images of the Pirate Fiddler, but there are some other Musician minis built from the Plunder sprue from the Raise the Black Kickstarter!
Final Thoughts
The Pirate Musician is a fun addition to the line of Character Firelock Games has been building for Blood & Plunder. The Musician Character is very useful and commonly used and this version is much more appropriate for any Pirate or Buccaneer crew than the standard Drummer model that is currently available.
You could use the drummer and fiddler together and have a bit of a band traveling around with your Commander (as long as you count them as one model).
Article and paint job by Joseph Forster
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