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Saga - What figs to use?


JMGraham

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Got a couple of demo games in the other day - what a fun game! Simple rules, quick play, good basic strategy in regards to movement and counter-punching, and some interesting combos with the battle boards. The fatigue system is really great, as well.

 

I'm looking to build a generic band that can work as Vikings, Anglo-Danes, Pagan Rus, and Norse-Gaels. Maybe Jomsvikings, though folks tell me they are truly terrible. I'm looking at Wargames Factory plastics and Gripping Beasts plastics as possibilities. I think I like the thicker weapons and more solid poses of the Gripping Beasts, though the price of the Wargames Factory is attractive.

 

So, what armaments do you look for to represent the different model types? My current thoughts are as follows, but I'm not really sure if there are any pre-existing standards here:

 

Hearthguard - Armoured, Helmeted, Swords and Shields (with Dane Axes for the Anglo-Danes)

 

Warriors - Combo of armoured and unarmoured, armed with shields and axes or spears

 

Levy - Unarmoured, few (or no) shields, axes, spears, slings/bows

 

Does that sound right? WHat armament combinations do you use to represent the different troop types?

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All of that sounds about right. Though even a bunch of factions warriors don't really have much armor other than maybe a few bits of leather here and there. The dark age warriors plastics from gripping beast are pretty solid models that might cover your warrior models pretty well with a few conversions here and there as well as levies. Wargames factory are also solid models but when compared to things like the gripping beast metals they seem a tad on the short side. It is kind of funny when my Scots take on Sherberts vikings and dwarf them. They still look fine just a little off. I personally think that the gripping beast metals are some of the best looking historical models on the market but if a bargain is what you are looking for I might suggest wargames factory.

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I'm doing Byzantines and having fun converting them up. I'm also crazy cheap. War games Factory had a great sale so I got a bunch of Persians. They are basically dudes in light, layered robes. For warriors I'm adding chainmail sleeves, leggings and mask. The chainmail mask is pretty iconic for them so it works and ends up looking like a light suit with clothes on top. For Hearthguard it's scale plate on the chest, shoulders and thighs. I get two distinct looks from one kit and am loving the challenge!

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Cool, thanks. I'm thinking about one box of GBP Dark Age Warriors and one box of GBP Viking Hirdmen. I'll end up with more armored torsos than I need, but maybe I can do helmeted and armored models with swords for Hearthguard, and do the warriors with a mix of unarmoured+helmets with a few armoured+no helmets to distinguish them. Mine will just be a really wealthy warband, with lots of armour. The only thing I'd need would be something to represent Berserkers.

 

The GB metals are attractive, however, and reasonably priced for metal models. Might price out a large warband with some flexibility in options. The upside of going plastic is that I'd have plenty of models with a variety of armaments.

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here is a list of historical miniatures that Koyote put together.

 

 Artizan Designs

Conquest Games
Crusader Miniatures
Drabant Miniatures
Ebob Minatures
Fireforge Games
Footsore Miniatures
Musketeer Miniatures (now part of Footsore Miniatures)
Saxon Miniatures
Steve Barber Models
Wargames Factory
Wargames Foundry
Warlord Games
Westwind Productions

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Bah! I wouldn't read my posts either! Base colors are not a bad idea. May stymie one's ability to mix models up every now and then, but definitely no confusion.

 

Picked up and stained some thin birch plywood today to make some battle boards, and placed an order at Dark Tower for a box each of the Gripping Beast Plastics Dark Age Warriors and Viking Hirdmen. Hope they don't take too long to get in!

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I used those two sets to build my Viking warband. I used a very simple system to differentiate them. Dark Age Warriors box set bodies do not have armor. The Hirdmen bodies do. So, my levy came from Dark Age Warriors, so no body armor. They got bows only, and mostly heads without helmets. For my warriors (since they are better armored than levy), I used the Dark Age Warriors set bodies and gave them a hand weapon and a shield and heads with helmets (for the most part). For my hearthguard, they got bodies from the Hirdmen box (they have chainmail), a hand weapon, a shield, and a helmeted head.

 

So, i can look at any model and tell what it is at a glance. Chan mail & shield? that is a hearth guard. Shield but no chain mail? warrior. Bow and no armor or shield, that is a levy.

 

I also made a unit of berserkers by using the Dark Age Warrior body and gave them two axes each. they look a little silly, but easy to tell that they are special.

 

Here is the only problem you will run into: The Dark Age Warrior box only comes with 8 bows and the hirdmen box comes with none. So, you aren't going to have enough bows to make a 12 man levy.

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I'm of the same mind in how to distinguish units. My thoughts were to have some generic levy with a hand weapon (axe) only. I could mix them with the sling levy for a sling unit or mix them with some levy with spears only for javelin levy.

 

Got some wood battleboards made up over the weekend. Pretty happy with how they turned out!

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Started assembling models last night. I have a bunch of washers that are a hair smaller than an inch, probably something like 22 or 23 mm or something. OK for bases, or should I find something closer to a 25mm standard? It looks like they standardized how many ranks of models can fight, so it shouldn't be an advantage to have a smaller base, correct?

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Assembled a gazillion Vikings the past couple of days. Out of $70 worth of kits, I ended up with:

 

1 Warlord

1 Dane-axe Warlord

8 Dane-axe Hearth Guard

16 Hearth Guard

24 Warriors (with spears)

6 Javelin Levy

6 Sling Levy

6 Axe Levy (for mixing with the others, depending on whether my faction requires javelins or slings/bows

 

I've also got enough other models left that I think I'll make another 8 warriors, some standard bearers, and 4 "berserkers" (mail-wearing, bare-headed, two hand weapon Hearth Guard).

 

More than enough to run a huge variety of army builds. I'm limited to 1 group of Levies, but I could never see myself needing more.

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I assembled a bunch of models today too! I wasn't quite as ambitious and just did:

 

1 Warlord

4 Berserkers

(both rebased Warhammer Marauders)

8 Hearthguard

24 Warriors

(both of these units are Wargames Factory)

 

This is the first time I've done any hobby stuff in a really long time, so that was cool (and painful for the tips of my fingers) Also, since I'm cooler than Jim, I'll one-up him by posting a [big bad swear word]ty picture!

 

ZYJ6VoA.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

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