I've been considering what figures to use.
- Maoris - too expensive to source.
- Aztecs - too fiddly to paint
- Inca - Foundry's Inca are nice and aren't too complex in dress
- Native Americans - some nice ones about, but most include firearms
- HYW troops. A real possibility.
- Cavemen - I do need to get me some cavemen!
But we have a winner. Vikings! Why? Well, for several reasons...
- Well durr! Vikings!!!
- Easy to source - my Friendly Local Hobby Store stocks Gripping Beast
- Cheap to source (ie, there are plastics)
- The Wife and I are both interested in the period
- They will cross-over into other games (in particular Frostgrave, for which I am still building up a pool of fighters).
- Ernest Borgnine!
Now for various reasons I can't just nip out to the shops and buy said Vikings. So what do I do while I'm saving up? Well, a rummage in the Shed of Delights has resulted in the discover that I have almost three quarters of a box of Perry's Ansars still on their sprues and that I haven't even touched my box of Frostgrave Cultists! I'm sure I can bash some warbands out of those...
Anyone got any other suggestions of cheapish pre-gunpowder troops? I'd need about forty or so, including chiefs and heroes armed with a mix of short- and long-arms. Potential cross-over into Frostgrave would be a big plus.
I shall be following your Tribal exploits with interest!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great plan Edwin! I have had good success with multipart plastics. The GB Arabs look nice as do their late Romans, useful as generic dark age types.
ReplyDeleteCheers PD
Yes, the flexibility (no pun intended) of these plastics and their cost are the main selling points for me.
DeleteI actually enjoyed putting the Frostgrave soldiers together - the decisions about what elements to include on each figure brought them to life as characters.
Or Viking versus Cavemen; sounds like an absolutely blast!
ReplyDeleteAnd lets's not forget that everything's more fun with dinosaurs!
DeleteWell it must be remembered that while they can coexist in captivity, they are natural enemies in the wild.
ReplyDeleteI think the Copplestone Amazonian indians are worth a look. The body paint is a whole new language in itself. A real post-apocalyptic society as well, the descendants of those who fled into the forest when European diseases wiped out their civilisation. Then you can go Apocalypto on them if you do go for those gorgeous Gringo 40 mesoamericans.
ReplyDeleteBig a fan as I am of Copplestone, I think I'll stick with the idea of getting a box of plastics for cost and convenience sake.
DeleteNice project plan Edwin :)
ReplyDeleteAztecs aren't that fiddly to paint really. If my understanding of "Tribal" is right you have a handful of leader/hero types and the bulk of the force is basic "grunts". You can make the painting a bit easier on yourself by having the leader as a Jaguar warrior (blue, green, white, red or yellow feather suits with black blobs) and the heroes as Huaxtec suit wearers (blue, red, white or green suits with black stripes). the grunts are either in loincloth only or with a padded cotton vest armour. The only fiddly shield would be for the Jaguar - the Huaxtec shield is a simple design and those of the lowly warriors was plain white or yellow.
I like your assumption that I can paint stripes! ;)
DeleteBut cunning arrangements for the supply of a box of Hirdmen and a pack of Berserkers have been made...