Stormin' Normans

This is another old article previously posted on Scary Biscuits Studios.  Posted here for searchability & Posterity!

So, I'm taking a break from Flames Of War for the moment, mainly because I don't really have the time to put into quality painting and article writing. The reason for that is quite amazing! My wife, Caroline, and I have received the best gift ever in our little Theodore David Allen Haught, born 2 April 2012. So between feeds (that word sounds so "Stargate Atlantis") and getting shot-gunned by thunder poops, I can only really concentrate on small painting projects. In steps SAGA!

With all the discussion on the WWPD forums and having my Normans staring me in the face for the past few months on the painting queue shelf, I decided to power through my SAGA stuff. So far I have several figures done and I'm not far off from completing my Normans. Using the Bayeux Tapestry as my painting guide, this has been a fun and educational project to work on.



Here's what I have so far for my Normans:

In SAGA, you field your army with a few points, in this case above four points. You get your Warlord commander dude for free, he's out front there. Then for one point you can get one of the following:
- 4x Hearthguard (elite)
- 8x Warriors (normal)
- 12x Levies (pretty shit)
Once you have purchased all of your units, you can mix and match your figures to the unit size you prefer (minimum 4 figures, maximum 12, and must all be of the same quality).

So, my army above has four points, making four units of Hearthguard. In my games I tend to group the two units of four spearmen in the back into one glorious unit for shock/assault tactics. The other two are free to move and exploit their fast move (mounted troops move 12" rather than the usual 6" for foot infantry).

I have about a half dozen more mounted Normans to put together and bolster their numbers, plus I'm going to grab a unit of 8x Crossbow troops in the near future and perhaps some dismounted knights as well.

Here's my spearmen. In the game it usually doesn't matter what type of weapon you've got unless its a crossbow or a Danish double-handed axe. In my case, Norman knights don't have any unique melee weapons so I've modelled the figures in a unit with similar weapon types so I can easily spot them on the battlefield.

Obviously the one on the left is unfinished. That is because I've been painting them in batches of four, with each batch receiving a different horse color.

The grey horses are still in the process of painting, hence the boring white shield :)

And here's my swordsmen, again the greys are a WIP:

Here is what I'm calling the Household Guard unit. They've got a bit of work left in them:

And the man himself, which I am saving to the last:

Then once I'm done with these guys, its on to my Vikings!

The army is once again four points, with two units of 4x Hearthguard (one upgraded to Berserkers) and two units of 8x Warriors.

 First unit of Hearthguard

The warlord and friend. I think I am going to base these guys on 30mm round Warmachine bases (on the right, I don't like the GW-style 25mm bases on the left), with the exception of the warlord and retainer which I'll base together on a 40mm or 50mm round Warmachine base.

Warrior group "A" for "Axe"

Warrior Group "S" for "Spears"

Hearthguard Unit 2 (Berserkers). These are a kit bash of Warlord's Celts (bodies and heads) and a few extra pieces from Gripping Beast's Hirdmen (weapons and some heads).

So, hopefully amid my breaks here and there I should be able to get some SAGA guys done!

Also, I found a good source for 'display bases' aka 'Warmachine bases': http://www.heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5 ...

With the exchange rate the way it is, its a pretty good buy, even with shipping charges.

Regards,
Mike