Comrade's Wargames

I got in a game of Saga: Age of Magic last weekend, and as often happens in the aftermath of a game, I found myself evaluating my army (undead, in this case) to figure out what I’m missing.

For Saga, I determined that I needed more basic warrior units. These are the core of the Undead Legions army and figure prominently into several of the most potent Saga abilities on the battle board. They’re commonly represented by skeletons with hand weapons or spears. I’ve got 25 or so skeletons in my army already, but I wanted more, to give myself some additional flexibility when building an army.

So I set about rescuing a batch of 10 plastic skeletons I had acquired secondhand from Mindtaker Miniatures a few months ago. I got them unpainted and poorly assembled for a real bargain. After a little cleanup, I gave them a quick, cohesive paintjob. For the bone bits, I used the new Skeleton Horde contrast paint, and I was really pleased with how it turned out. I’ll be using contrast paint again on my next batch of skeletons, for sure!

I painted up another new model for my undead army this month as well. Or maybe I should say “old model” — it’s an ancient metal wight lord on a skeletal steed from the glory days of the Middlehammer era.

I remember seeing this figure in someone’s army back in 1997, when I made my first visit to a game store to watch a game of Warhammer in action. The figure was fantastic and grim and iconic, and I resolved that one day I would own it. THAT DAY IS TODAY!

This guy will be a mounted warlord for Saga, though I should admit that I think warlords are better on foot for the Undead Legions army. So this guy may instead see action as my lieutenant (or black knight, in the parlance of Age of Magic). Either way, he’ll hit the battlefield soon!

The steed is actually a metal model from Reaper’s Warlord model line. He’s a bit more dynamic and detailed than the basic plastic horse that the Wight Lord typically uses. Here again I used the Skeleton Horde contrast paint on the steed, to great effect.

Lastly, a word on the basing on the skeletons and the wight lord. I have found that I just love a nicely flocked base, with turf and clump foliage and maybe a few tufts of fake grass. I know the current hotness is focused on basing with technical paints, and/or plastic bases with molded scenic items, but the nostalgic wargamer in me just loves to sprinkle on some flock and bring your vision to life.

We’ve got another big Saga: Age of Magic game coming up later this month, so I’ll be sure to use these two units in the game. Stay tuned for more!