By Joseph Forster
At Adepticon 2026, I was surprised and honored with a custom miniature presented to me by Dr. D and friends. Niguel, Dr. D, and Daniel (sculptor at Firelock Games), Jason, and some others had plotted a bit and had a miniature of me sculpted, printed, and painted! In fact, they overachieved, making two variations on the mini! One is now a stretch goal in the current Decade of Plunder Blood & Plunder Kickstarter!
The miniature was sculpted to represent the French Jesuit Priest character found in the Fire on the Frontier expansion for Blood & Plunder.
Padre Jose Sculpt
Apparently, Dr. D did some Facebook profile stalking to get some pictures for Daniel, the sculptor, to work with. Nailed the eyebrows!
Jesuit Priests were extremely important contacts with the Native American tribes throughout New France during the 17th and 18th centuries. This model has the signature wide-brimmed hat and long robes that are typical of a zealous Jesuit.
Below is a 19th-century dramatic portrait of “Pere Marquette,” an important Jesuit in Canada during the mid 17th-century.
And Dr. D painted the model up beautifully! That guy knows what he’s doing.
The rosary cross and Bible are great accessories for this character.
And we got the hat!
The current Spiritual Leader you can purchase from Firelock Games is modeled after a monk from the Dominican or Franciscan orders, appropriate for Spanish and some French, but this model is really perfect for a Spiritual Leader, a Jesuit Priest, or Father Thury that can be attached for units in the French Canadian forces in Blood & Plunder.
New England “Preacher Forster” Alternate Sculpt
Not only did they make a fun mini for me, but these guys also went one step further and made a New England-style variation! The eyebrows and hair haven’t changed, but this version has a more “modest” Puritanical outfit and accessories.
Jason Klotz 3d printed them just the week before the con, and Dr. D painted both of them for me in the days right up to Adepticon!
Apparently Dylan took note of the increasing amount of grey in my hair…
Padre Jose at Adepticon
Dylan Dyer gave me the minis at the start of the Land Tournament on Friday at Adepticon, and I was able to put him on the table with my Spanish Mission Garrison force.
Padre Jose led me up to 5th place!
I used the Protestant version of mini for the Captured Merchant objective in the final round of the Sea Tournament at Adepticon as well.
As Blackbeard’s personal spiritual leader, I’m sure he has some tales to tell… Especially considering how Blackbeard was Drunk for that game.
Kickstarter Stretch Goal
The miniature was brought to life through the kindness of friends, and I’m humbled and thankful. Thank you, all who helped make and paint this! While it was not the original goal, the miniature is now available as a Stretch Goal on the ongoing Decade of Plunder Kickstarter for Blood & Plunder (Mike thoughtfully asked if I was ok with it). You get this mini on your table, and I’ll have eyes on your games not only through pictures from Summer of Plunder entries, but all the time! Whuahaha!
The mini could be used as a Spanish Mission Priest Character as well, but Spanish Jesuits were pretty rare in the New World after the late 16th century (with the exception of California).
Anyone backing at the Crew level ($139) and above will be getting a bunch of free minis in this Kickstarter, including the Jesuit version above. Currently, the free Stretch Goal minis include:
- Updated/improved Howard Pyle pirate
- Updated dual pistol Pardal mini
- Alternative Musket version of the new Young Morgan mini
- Updated/improved Lady Pirate mini
- Padre Jose mini
- Updated/improved Old Henry Morgan with Morian Helmet
- (also FotF pdf, and additional free unit cards in the card pack)
That’s a good $50 is free minis, and about $40 is additional value with the expansion and extra cards. That makes the 25 minis, the Rise of the Buccaneers: Jamaica book, and the stat cards included in the Crew Pledge pretty affordable!
And there are more Stretch Goals coming! This may or may not be purely speculation, but do you think Mike will crack and authorize a miniature of himself, or a monkey miniature first? I know the sculptors are eager to do either/both!
Final Thoughts
Another Thank You to all who instigated and executed a very thoughtful gift and presentation to me at Adepticon this year. It meant a lot, and I felt very honored (and flattered). Thank you, Niguel, Dylan, Daniel, Jason, Mike, and anyone else who was involved!
It was my honor to get it all going and paint it for you buddy! With all the hard work you do for the blog, podcast, and community, it was a gift worth giving!