Spinespur is a ‘survival horror’ skirmish miniatures game
produced by Comfy Chair Games. The game passed under the radar, from what I can
tell, perhaps because the size of the company (tiny) or because it was designed
to be a fun, not super-competitive game. Who knows? I only wish that I had
found it sooner.
From what I’ve read the game seems based around ‘the evil
men do.’ The world of Spinespur is a kind of pocket dimension where some of the
sickest, vilest, bad-of-the-bad end up.
The models for the game come in three different types:
amazing (Hack), middle of the road (Sex Star Six) and disappointing (Aniel).
Assembling the models is also a bit frustrating, as most of them don’t have
sockets and tabs for easy alignment. If you have experience with pinning
models, this won’t present much of issue for you. I would also like to point
out that the Thugs for the game are surprising well made with a wealth of
details. They’re worth picking up if you need more bad guys for other games.
Reaper’s Chronoscope series is of compatible size, should you want to use
proxies or want to use some units that haven’t been modeled yet.
Forces can be built in one of three ways: Open build,
Philosophy build and Agenda (faction) build. This is cool, because it allows
you to buy what looks cool, and not have to care about Agendas if you don’t
want to.
Factions:
The world of Spinespur has several groups vying for power
and control. Many of these factions are lead by the notorious Spinespur
Senators and other power persons.
Major factions:
1. The Dark Faith
Lead by enigmatic and powerful Anti Pope, the Dark Faith is
the magical powerhouse of the factions. The Dark Faith also uses the horrifying
Torn; zombie-like creatures to bolster their ranks.
The DF model line is one of most complete ones, with every
single unit represented. If you want to play the evilest of evils, this is the
faction for you.
2. The Institution
The Institution is very much inspired by older tales of horror.
Just look at its leader, Dr. Akron; a man with a literal beast inside trying to
break free. The ‘good’ Doctor leads his minions and experiments to gather
resources for more foul and unspeakable experiments. The Institution also has
Hack, a giant chainsaw wielding monster to call upon.
The Institution has a complete model line with some close
combat beasts. If you want to deal with dark science and chop your enemy to
bits, look no further.
3. The Slaughterhouse
The men who work in the Slaughterhouse are some of the best
fed people in all of Spinespur. Sometime after Pigskin arrived in Spinespur, he
began a massive pig farm out in the Tainted Fields, where he has amassed a
large, strong force of men and their edible charges. When The Slaughterhouse
goes to war, both the men and pigs lead the charge.
The model line for this faction is almost complete, missing
only one unit. The Slaughterhouse is mostly close combat focused, but does have
a unit or two with some range.
4. Forces of G.O.D.
The Governmental Occult Directorate is one of the few ‘good’
factions in the twisted world of Spinespur. Having somehow teleported their
entire complex to the land of the wicked, they have begun a holy war upon the
denizens of the city. While assisted with their bizarre Sintech weapons and
devices, they lack the manpower needed to take down the major evils.
The Forces of G.O.D. are only missing three models for their
force. The Men of G.O.D. are mostly ranged combat focused.
Minor Factions:
The so-called minor factions are groups that only have a few
models in the line right now. Some of them are major players in the world of
Spinespur, but for some reason, didn’t get a full line of miniatures.
Indifferent:
Well, not really a faction in and of itself, this group can
be used to ‘fill out’ your forces or give them something they don’t normally
have access to, like cheap melee fighters. Doppelgangers seem to be useful for
players who want/need to hide their Central Characters. The Shattered seem to
be meat shields, I think. Thugs are the most versatile, being able to carry
blunt weapons, blades, chainsaws and Molotov Cocktails.
The Wilds:
With three models, the Wilds faction is one of the more
fleshed out ones in the minor category. The terrible Cerebeast, the disturbing
Handyman and wild dogs make up the forces the Wilds brings to bear.
The Orphanage:
Think about it: some kids are evil. Down right vile little
buggers. So, think about the kinds of children would wind up in a place like
SpineSpur? There’s only three models for the faction, with one missing his
stats in the book (but available on the company’s website).
Assassin’s Guild:
With exactly two models, this is one tiny guild. However,
Booth and Hidell are great for boosting a force’s ranged combat damage output.
Redemptionists:
The Redemptionists seem to be the only real ‘good’ people in
SpineSpur, trying to redeem themselves for the half-remembered sins that
brought them to this evil place. With only Greygun and Dante Hayte, the model
line is really limited, but these two are very powerful.
Carnalval:
When you think of some of the worst people in SpineSpur, Mr.
Jingles should be at the top of your list. He also has the worst model out
there. Not because it’s badly done, but because Mr. J is an over-weight man in
a G-Sting while carrying a baseball bat. In addition to Mr. Jingles, the other
Carnalval model is Snuffman.
Graveyard:
The Graveyard faction has two models in it, but you have to
take both of them together. If there’s any true good guys in the setting, the Caretaker
is one of them. With the Grave Golem, they weigh in at 50 points.
Church
of Metal:
This is the smallest faction with exactly one model: Sex
Star Six. And he is one very Metal dude. Using his ‘ax’ (with attached
flamethrower), he casts some bitchin’ spells.
Continue to the next part here.
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