On Warbands

These days, I'm almost entirely a Fantasy wargamer, and that's largely down to the fact that I can build a warband exactly the way I want it. Well, that and I have far too many Fantasy figures to get through before I can justify buying anything else (War of Spanish Succession, you will be mine... one day).

When I say 'build a warband', I really just mean figure selection rather than creating a list in accordance with the rules I'm planning on using. That said, the freedom offered by many Fantasy games (e.g. Song of Blades and Heroes or Frostgrave) means that I can almost entirely ignore the rules and focus on the toys I want to use. There are so many Fantasy figures and ranges out there that you can find almost anything you're after, cherry-picking your purchases to create the exact warband or force you're after. This is especially (and increasingly) true of multi-part plastics, which I love combining to product just what I'm imagining (hands down my favourite part of the hobby...).

Anyway, I was reading an RPG book the other day, and spotted a piece of artwork that really struck me - it was a reflection of exactly what I want in a warband.

Art from RiotMinds' Lex Occultum

We have a leader (seated on throne), a magic-user (crouched in the bottom-left of the image), three soldiers with a mix of ranged and melee weapons (the two musketeers and the swordsman crouched in the bottom-right), a specialist or bodyguard type (the warrior in top-left), and a large creature and handler (right). For me, this is the perfect warband line-up, and what I attempt to represent when I'm mucking around with figures. Pulling together seven or eight figures (my big guys don't usually have handlers, but that said...) is achievable. It's (usually) affordable, but still offers plenty of kitbashing opportunities if I desire. I'm also unlikely to get bored working on several very similar figures, which increases my chances of finishing the project!

It's strange that a piece of art from an RPG should so perfectly encapsulate my preferences for wargaming - and that it should light a fire under me in terms of wanting to get some warbands built!

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Disclaimer: All links to third-party sites are solely for the purposes of sourcing the models/components I have used or discussed, if anyone is so inclined. I have simply linked to the original manufacturer (but feel free to shop around!) and make no money from people clicking through.