Character Models for 'Old Feud' Saga Battles

    8 characters I painted up for the 'Old Feud' Saga scenario -- all plastic, Reaper or WizKids

One of the three scenarios that I am using in the Saga Tournament I am running for the Advance the Colors is called "Old Feud." Each player is given an extra hero character that they must protect in the battle. Knowing that most players don't always paint up spare figures to represent the "Princess," "Counselor," "Mystic," etc. for their army, I wanted to have loaner ones available. So, I have been collecting these Reaper and WizKids figures over the last year for players to use.

I chose these miniatures not because I thought they were the best ones available, but because I like to support the local hobby stores where we hold our game days. So, these eight figures were purchased from both the Guardtower East in Columbus and the Dragons Guildhall in Beavercreek. Actually, I think one or two may even been purchased at Ravenstone Games, too. They are all plastic or resin - which is NOT my favorite material. I prefer metal miniatures. I think the detail on most non-metal miniatures can be "mushy" (not sharp and distinct). I think you can see that in these extreme closeups, below. Here the eight hero characters I painted up, in no particular order, along with who makes the figure in case you want them, too.

    'Hakon, Iconic Skald' from the Reaper Pathfinder Bones line of miniatures - one of my favorites

Hakon, Iconic Skald is a Reaper Bones figure from their Pathfinder line. This one is probably my favorite of all eight miniatures that I painted. Although he has a bit more equipment and weapons festooned all over his body than I would prefer, the pose is pretty cool. I love the axes in each hand and the enormous horn strapped to his back. I am happy with how the detail I painted on the horn came out. I think the face and hair came out great and the sculpting is about as precise as they get in this batch. I also liked how the bright colors came out - very Viking-like, with their love of finery. He could easily be used as "The Brute," "The Soldier," and even "The Counselor" or "Traitor."

    Although the photo is a tad blurry, this is my favorite of the two Muslim "Mystics" I painted up

I really like this figure's pose, though I think his head seems to be a bit undersized. Or maybe it is accurate to scale, but we are used to more big-headed, wargaming miniatures? Either way, I thought the darker colors that I used for his robe and tunic worked out really well. I also used some of my tricks from my Moorish army on this guy, such as the dark, blue-green turban with light blue pattern of dots. This figure is from WizKids' "Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures" line for D&D. He came in a pack of two with the other mystic you will see below. The black robe had nice folds that took the medium gray dry brushing over it to bring out the detail well. This will definitely be my choice of Old Feud character when I am playing in the scenario with my Moorish army. I wanted to paint up some characters that look obviously Muslim for Age of Crusades armies. Now that I think of it, a Christian army could use him as the "Traitor" character, too, couldn't they?

    Another WizKids figure from their D&D line, this axe wielding barbarian makes a great 'Brute'

Although just about every player will have an extra figure to use if they choose "The Soldier" or even "The Brute" option for their Old Feud character, I thought this WizKids "Human Barbarian" pack of two figures would work perfect if anyone did need a loaner for that hero. I painted him as a standard Dark Age axeman -- he could easily be a Viking or Saxon. You name it. His double-headed axe is a little more fantasy than historical, but Saga definitely veers in that direction, as well. This figure also illustrates the problem I see with plastic figures. Mushy detail. Look at his drybrushed leather kilt or skirt. It seems a little flat with shallow detail. And you can probably also see the mold line on the arm holding the axe. You may even be able to tell how the axe shaft itself is also bent from being inside the package. Though I don't mind using these Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures for special characters in an army, I would never use them to make up the bulk of an army.

    I re-purposed this Reaper Bones Black Dark Elf as the 'Princess' character for Saga's Old Feud

I was actually surprised by how few figures in the game stores I saw that would work as an appropriate "Princess" figure. Nearly every female figure either is tricked out as a warrior or they are an obvious sorceress. This figure from Reaper Bones Black line ("primed" black out of the box, supposedly) was about as close as I found. Although the figure is not supposed to be female, the clothes are obviously very regal and rich. The long hair was definitely very Princess-like. Yes, you can barely see the annoying pointed ears poking out of her strawberry blonde hair, I figured they would be hidden when I painted it up, though. In hindsight, I probably should have snipped or carved them off with an X-acto knife. I have a metal Foundry miniature already painted up that can be my primary princess, though, and this one can be the backup. I painted the skull and crossbones imagery in silvery metal so that it wouldn't stand out as much. I am moderately happy with the figure's blue-toned clothes. It's hard to tell in this image, but the cloak is a darker shade than the sky blue under-robes.

    The second figure from the WizKids D&D 'Human Wizard' pack painted up as a Mystic for Saga

This was the only figure I actually modified of these eight character models. His staff actually had a cross atop it. I thought that was very odd for an obviously Muslim or Arab-looking model. So, I snipped it off and left the rest of his strangely-shaped staff in place. Since I went for a dark look on the previous Muslim mystic, this one went with a lighter look. His robe is white, while his cloak, sash, and undershirt were blue to contrast. I like how the pattern I painted on the robe's hem came out, but I was less than happy with how the white looked after I washed it with my standard brown wash. I assume the sphere he is holding was supposed to be a crystal ball, but I painted it a gunmetal, steel color instead. I was hoping that would look suitably "mystical" enough, but I think it kind of gets lost now that I see it finished. In hindsight, I should probably have given him a patterned turban, too, to give him more splash. 

    This WizKids "Vampire" figure worked suitably well for a "Counselor," I thought

As surprised as I was at the difficulty in finding suitable Princess miniatures, I thought it was equally hard to find one to use as the Counselor. I was just searching for a figure in medieval noble-looking clothes -- not armored for battle. I finally stumbled upon this pack of two WizKids "Vampires" from their D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line. He had everything I wanted -- noble attire, a somewhat ceremonial looking sword, and a rich, flowing cloak. His head strikes me as out of scale undersized, though. Since I'd just finished painting my Carolingians in a green and red theme, I decided to echo it on this figure in case I use the warband for the Old Feud scenario. I added the hem pattern on the tunic and cloak to make his clothes look more fancy and wealthy. I don't see his high forehead as looking vampire-ish, so am fairly happy with the functionality of this miniature.

    This WizKids barbarian figure could easily double as a Viking berserker with his bearskin cloak

Although the elements of this pose are classic -- huge, double-bladed axe and bearskin cloak -- I think the casting of the miniature shows the flaws of soft, plastic figures. The detail is shallow, I feel, and doesn't stand out sharply. The mold line going across his left hand is annoying and accentuated by any washes you may do. This was the second figure in the "Human Barbarian" pack from WizKids' D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line. He is huge, and the axe being held aloft makes him look even bigger. However, you can't a more appropriate looking miniature for the "Brute" character in Old Feud! I probably should have spent more time on the bear cloak and made it look even more realistic. All in all, he came out acceptably enough for a loaner figure.

    Although this miniature looks more like a vampire than the other in the pack, he also looks sinister

One of the characters players can choose in the Old Feud scenario is called "The Traitor." So, I was looking for something sinister when I was perusing the packs of miniatures at the game store. This was the second figure in the Vampire pack from WizKids Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures. I decided to go with a dark purple and black them for this figure. Those are stereotypical "villainous" colors in Hollywood and I thought the color scheme came out great. I have to admit, though, I am not happy with the detail or sculpting. His hands are very awkward, and it is hard to tell where his sleeves begin and end. I did like that he had a sword -- we don't normally think of sword-wielding vampires. The weapon is long, curved, and relatively thin, so I think that works for a traitorous backstabber. The detail on the face isn't very good, I felt. He could use a more defined nose. Still, the colors and stalking pose will make him stand out very well on the tabletop. So, he will do.

What's next on my painting desk? Well, I am working on special "Saga Ohio" measuring sticks to add to the prize pool in the ATC tournament. I created some about a year ago for my Moors and Jenny's Vikings. Everyone commented how they liked them. So, I will do something similar for my players in the tourney. The original plan was to make a set for everyone who entered the tournament. However, the Advance the Colors convention director has given me the go-ahead to exceed 16 players. So, I will likely not get many more done than the 11 that I am working on now. Plus, school starts Monday, so hobby time is likely to be more scarce than this summer. Stay tuned to see, though!