Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Terror of the Lichemaster: Archers of Frugelhofen




Terror of the Lichemaster: Part 9

When the Lichemaster attacks the village of Frugelhofen, the best hope of the village lies with its archers. We have already met the militia, and they are not impressive: toothless hicks, lame ex-soldiers and lepers. But the bowmen are a different breed: sturdy hunters, silent trappers and poachers. Assembled and led by the marksman Riolta Snow, these mountain men just may be able to hold the line.

Once again, there are no "official" miniatures for the archers of Frugelhofen. Some guidance of what miniatures to use comes from the paper counters in the Terror of the Lichemaster boxed set. There we see what the game designers had in mind...




The counters depict one of the C26 Men at Arms sculpted by the Perry Brothers in 1984. This is an underappreciated range -- overlooked these days most likely because they are chiefly preslotta miniatures and originated as historical figures. But they are a great resource for anyone trying to assemble an army for the Empire or Bretonnia with an Oldhammer feel.





Thankfully, Wargames Foundry has re-released these classic miniatures in their Ex Citadel range. Above we see the picture of the MED122 figure pack from Foundry's catalogue. 

Longbowman, Citadel C26 Men at Arms (Michael and Alan Perry, 1984)


I found one of the original C26 Longbowmen on eBay and painted him up as a test figure for my Frugelhofen archers. I really liked this bowman, but I realized that the militia would look too professional if every archer was cut from this sort of cloth. I wanted rugged survivalists, not a drilled garrison. And so, I turned back to Citadel's Blood on the Streets range and other sources of wilderness adventurers. Here are some of the miniatures I chose...


Trapper John, Citadel C07 (Michael and Alan Perry, 1985)


Above we have "John the Trapper" beautifully sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry in 1985 for Citadel's C07 Rangers range (and for Blood on the Streets). His name is a none-too-subtle reference to Trapper John, a character from M*A*S*H*. Just to hammer home this point, in Blood on the Streets, we're told that his best friend is another hunter called "Hawkeye".


Arathon the Ranger, Citadel C07 (Michael and Alan Perry, 1985)


This is "Arathon the Ranger", also known as "Longbow" from Citadel's C07 Rangers (Michael and Alan Perry, 1985). If his name seems to ring a bell, perhaps you will enjoy his description from Blood on the Streets: "Arathon is usually to be found in the Green King Inn in the shadiest corner he can find. Ever since he accidentally broke his sword, he has been pursued by a gaggle of Halflings. They claim he is the long lost King of Gonad... He just wants peace and quiet to do what rangers do, and is hiding from his pursuers."


Targeteer, Citadel C07 (Michael and Alan Perry, 1985)


Here is "The Targeteer" sculpted by the Perry Twins in 1985 for the C07 Rangers. Fans of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (1986) will remember this miniature because (like several others in this range) it was used as the model for Tony Ackland's illustrations of various careers...




The miniature and the picture are an excellent likeness of Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.



Poacher, Citadel C07 (Michael and Alan Perry, 1985)


For a less dashing figure, above we have the "Poacher" from C07 (Perry Bros, 1985). His bare feet and felt hat give him a sort of Huck Finn appearance. I particularly like the rabbit popping out of his sack. Like Arathon and the Targeteer, the Poacher was reused in 1987 as part of the suite of miniatures for Death on the Reik.


Scout, Talisman Dungeon, Citadel (sculpted by Aly Morrison, 1987)


I also threw in one of my many, many Talisman miniatures. I worked on Talisman partly out of love for the game, but also because I thought the miniatures would be useful in all sorts of other games like Advanced Heroquest, Saga, Descent and - of course - Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Here we have the "Scout" from the Talisman Dungeon.


Thief, Citadel C10 Half Orcs (1985)


For something a little different, I threw in this preslotta "Thief" from Citadel's C10 Half Orcs (1984). Half Orcs are found throughout the Old World and the Frugelhorn Valley is no different -- they skulk around the edges of society, subsisting as mercenaries, poachers and bandits. But even a Half Orc knows that if Frugelhofen falls, there will be no escape...






That's it for the miniatures of Terror of the Lichemaster. Next week, we'll reflect on what it's like to play out the campaign... I hope you'll join me!


32 comments:

  1. Wonderful merry bands of archers! I quite like the muted colours and the base are, while subtle, very nicely done. Always a fan of the Old School red mushrooms. Love the targeteer especially. I played one in a WFRP campaign a long time ago! And I have to admit I didn't know the figure existed.

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    1. The Targeteer kicked ass. He was the only way to get +40 to BS.
      (The fact that I still remember is what my step-mum would call "The sign of a wasted youth")

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  2. Wonderful minis, faces are so expressive and bases outstanding! Merry Christmas to you to, from France!

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  3. Wonderful figures filled with character and fab painting!
    Alan

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  4. Excellent once again! and no Trish's miniature this time :)

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  5. ohhhhhh.... I'm in miniatures heaven! Masterclass sir!

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    1. Thanks Michał! I'm enjoying your Mirkwood elves right now very much.

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  6. Another excellent batch! You are running this at next year's North American Oldhammer day, right? 😁

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    1. I feel under more pressure (a good kind of pressure) to do so - after getting so much great feedback on this series.

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  7. So beautiful. I'm discovering minis each post of yours and all of them are lovely. Great work!

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    1. Nothing could make me happier than introducing a painter like you to some of these old classics.

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  8. Wonder what makes him "Half-orc" exactly? Doesn't really look at all orcy to me.

    Beautiful work as usual sir. Thanks!

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    1. I suppose its only the base that (literally) says "half orc".
      But it's also his mean disposition. I saw him kick a puppy.

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  9. This is a masterclass in how to bring one of these old scenarios to life. Keep going, we are all enjoying the output.

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    1. That is a very kind thing to say. Merry Christmas, Scalene!

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  10. Replies
    1. I'm glad you liked the write-up. It probably takes me about as long as the painting.

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  11. Another great post. I love the paint jobs and the little touches on the bases. One day I will return to my Brettonians and place an order with Foundry.

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    1. We are so lucky that Foundry has all those old molds.

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  12. Just realized that I have never bothered to leave you a comment before. Love your blog and I adored this article!

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    1. Thanks so much for leaving the comment. I'm always happy to hear that someone is enjoying the ramblings.

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  13. Lovely stuff as ever. Good call on drafting in a Half Orc. Very right for an old school village to have one or two borderline cases of goblin in the mix. Well spotted on the M*A*S*H reference too, wonder if there's a secret distillery out in their camp. I'll swap you that gem for the Witch and her Cat from Blood on the Streets being Huntley and Parma.

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    1. What Blood on the Streets (and the Townsfolk range in general) is lacking (unlike M*A*S*H) is a dentist.
      Pre-modern dentistry was so much fun, I don't know how the boys at GW missed it! Didn't they know that Suicide is Painless?

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  14. Great looking group. especially like the poacher.

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    1. I'm glad you like him. I painted him when I was very tired, and was never sure about how well he turned out.

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