Confederate (Army of Northern Virginia)Being a re-enactor, & a raggedy Rebel to boot, it was a must to have a Confederate army. Obviously Robert E. Lee was a Hero General. 'Stonewall' Jackson could only be a Hero as he was not liked by many & seemed to like court marshaling those beneath him. The renown J. E. B. Stuart was revered & just had be a Paladin. The shooters are the Stonewall Brigade or similar. The Partisan Rangers are one of the rebel raider groups like Mosby, Gilmor, White, Ashby or McNeill.
1x Hero General (Robert E. Lee) @ 4 AP
1x Hero (Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson) @ 4 AP
1x Paladin (J. E. B. Stuart) @ 4 AP
2x Riders (Cavalrymen) @ 2 AP
4x Shooters (musket armed foot) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Artillery @ 3 AP; Hordes (poorly armed foot) @ 1 AP: Lurkers (partisan rangers) @ 1 AP.
Generic UndeadNot having much to paint I sent off to Irregular Miniatures for a few sample figures, liking them, and knowing that Irregular are red hot with their delivery times, I got on the phone at 1600 that day. At 0800 the next day knock on the door. The postman with a parcel inside the Undead. I just bought a bit of everything with plenty of Hordes as that seemed to be the right thing. I never like Magicians much, possibly as I throw poor movement die, so most times I use a Hero General.
1x Hero General (Revived Hero) @ 4 AP
2x Knights (Charioteers) @ 2 AP
2x Riders (Skeletal Cavalrymen) @ 2 AP
10x Hordes (Skeletal Warriors) @ 1 AP
2x Lurkers (Corpses) @ 1 AP
Alternatives: Magician (Necromancer who raised the army) @ 4 AP; Heroes (Revived Heroes) @ 4 AP; Behemoths (Skeletal one horned Elephants) @ 4 AP; Flyers (Skeletal Flyers) @ 2 AP; Sneakers (Wraiths) @ 3 AP.
Eagle RidersWell here's a silly one. A friend bought it realized flying Hero Generals were expensive, not to say the 4 other flyers that are with the army, offered it for sale half painted & half price. Well that was to good a bargain to miss. Knowing the problems with the army I chatted to Martin Goddard, of Peter Pig, about the army. Being told that the whole idea was based on a silly Arab type army he suggested that a few Blades, Spears, & Hordes would not exceed the army idea. I have been known to field all the flyers in one 'wing' if this gets on your flank & you are short of Hero's, or similar, & shooters it can be quite good but otherwise its a bit vulnerable.
1x Hero General (Hero on Eagle) @ 6 AP
4x Flyers (Eagle Riders) @ 2 AP
1x Beasts (Hunting Dogs) @ 2 AP
2x Spears (Arab Bodyguards) @ 2 AP
4x Hordes (Arab Townsmen) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Magician (Grand Vizier) @ 4 AP; Blades (Arab Fanatics) @ 2 AP 2.
Techno DwarfsWanting something cheap & cheerful I purchased a Peter Pig boxed army. Not just wanting Blades, Blades, Blades, Blades I turned my mind to a few ideas. I ended up buying 2 Bombards, with crew, saw this lively idea with a Wear Bear being held back by 4 Dwarves, so built it with chains around the neck and the Dwarves trying to hold it back. The next thing I built, with some bamboo, cut up drinking straws, with lead surrounding the straw ends, was rocket planes. Cutting a hole near the front a Dwarf was cut down and inserted & low & behold we were up and flying.
1x Hero General (Dwarf King) @ 4 AP
9x Blades (Dwarfs with axe or warhammer) @ 2 AP
1x Shooters (Dwarfs with bow or Crossbow) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Hero (Dwarf Prince) @ 4 AP; Behemoth (Were bear chained to 4 Dwarf keepers @ 4 AP; Flyers (Dwarf rocket planes) @ 2 AP; Artillery (Bombards) @ 3 AP; Sneakers (Dwarf dungeon party) @ 3 AP.
Generic CeltsFeeling the need to have a Warband based army I went for Generic Barbarian (Celts) knowing that Donnington Miniatures made some nice naked Gaesati figures, you know sword, shield, and B all else. To use these I made them Lurkers. Then decided that I needed a Cleric for when they turn Christian. Now if you've got yourself a Druid who does he sacrifice? You guessed right I went & got myself a naughty lady, no clothes on, & tied to a stake. A bit of research found myself a God, he regularly arrives for a look at the proceedings & then promptly goes back whence he came.
1x Hero General (King) @ 4 AP
1x Magician (Druid with female sacrifice) @ 4 AP
1x Riders (Pony riders with javelin) @ 2 AP
6x Warbands (Mixed foot warriors) @ 2 AP
1x Shooters (Archers) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: God (Two face man) @ 2 AP; Cleric (Ethical Druid) @ 3 AP; Knights (Charioteers) @ 2 AP; Lurkers (Ambush parties) @ 1 AP.
St George and the DragonHaving the fancy for a knightly army I cast around for ideas & not wishing to copy others ideas came up with George & the Dragon. As Irregular Miniatures produce some nice knights they were duly purchased. I then cast around for a dragon, now if you want a dragon get a dragon not some silly little thing. All my HOTT armies are 15mm so I duly went out and purchased one large 25mm Dragon. St George just has to be a Paladin. Needless to say they are both in the same army not as in the legend deadly enemies.
1x Hero General (King) @ 4 AP
6x Knights (Lance armed) @ 2 AP
4x Shooters (Archers) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Paladin (St George) @ 4 AP; Dragon (Fire breathing large winged monster) @ 4 AP.
Chinese Semi-HistoricalHaving a Chinese ancients army this was an obvious choice to extend into a Hordes army. Being silly and having lots of infantry, & remembering the Chinese were into lots of conscripts I have fielded up to 16 Hordes. Research found the Chinese at one time had numerous gods i.e.: Nan Chi Hsien-weng (Old Man of the South Pole); Yen-lo Wang (Ruler of the Dead); Ti-ts'ang Wang ( Authority of the Underworld); Chou Wang (God of Sodomy!); as well as gods of earth, wind, fire, hearth, & Uncle Tom Cobbley & all. Many seemed to be demon's. So into the army went 2 demon's (Flyers) & a God. The choice for the God being Yen-lo Wang as he was coloured green & in red robes, this seemed to be the right colours for a Hordes army.
1x Hero General (Emperor) @ 4 AP
1xMagician (Sage) @ 4 AP
2x Knights (Charioteers) @ 2 AP
2x Riders (Pony riders with javelin) @ 2 AP
2x Blades (Elite halberdiers) @ 2 AP
2x Shooters (Bow or crossbow) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: God (Yen-lo Wang, Ruler of the Dead) @ 4 AP; Dragons (2 wingless Chinese version) @ 4 AP; Flyers (Minor Demons) @ 2 AP; Hordes (Conscript spearmen, vast numbers) @ 1 AP.
Generic Nomad(Huns) Having fielded Huns for more years than I can remember, the name of this site after all being named after my Hunnic armies grandfather, this was an obvious one for Generic Nomads. I then bought a couple of woolly mammoths & Gazkhan rides again. Mind you I'm not sure he's to happy with the mammoths as there is the odd time or two when they have trampled him to death.
1x Hero General (Khan) @ 4 AP
10x Riders (Irregular horse archers) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Magician (Shaman and apprentice) @ 4 AP; Behemoths (Woolly mammoths) @ 4 AP; Knight General (Khan) @ 2 AP; Knights (Lance armed) @ 2 AP.
Little Bow PeepDuring my thirty odd years as a wargamer I have run many a campaign & quest due to this I have ended up with lots of bits. Some of these bits were a lot of sheep & goats. So cut the horns of the goats repaint them like sheep, chuck in some wolves, add a female with shepherds crook & what have you got Little Bow Peep.
1x Cleric General (Little Bow Peep) @ 3 AP
1x Sneakers (Wolves, in sheep's clothing) @ 3 AP
9x Beasts (Sheep) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Hordes (Of spring lambs).
Gnomes of the Pond (Hated enemies of Gnomes of the Patio & Gnomes of the Compost Heap. I'm trying to get these army lists from their owners) Purchasing another boxed army from Peter Pig, & not wishing to be boring & field it as it is, ideas were needed. So building some silly slugs, plus Gnomes, they became riders. The snails not being big enough to be behemoths they were renamed Knights. During the winter months various Gnomes were modified to produce a Gnome band, party, gardeners, & the odds which fitted neither of the aforementioned were based together. What did they become well Hordes. Seeing some large plastic insects in the Early Learning Center I produced another silly army, gone now, but the dragonflies were kept to give me flyers. Various Roman & Late Roman standard bearers were cannibalized to give me the dracos & I had Goldfish (Water Lurkers). Now a few Toads & I could lurk anywhere.
1x Hero General (Chief debater) @ 4 AP
2x Flyers (Dragonflies) @ 2 AP
2x Knights (Gnomes riding snails) @ 2 AP
2x Riders (Gnomes riding slugs) @ 2 AP
2x Shooters (Gnomes throwing rocks) @ 2 AP
2x Spears (Gnomes with fishing rods) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Magician (Illusionist on toadstool) @ 4 AP; Hordes (A myriad of garden gnomes); Lurkers (Toads) @ 1 AP; Water lurkers (Goldfish) @ 1 AP.
Later PhugLiking the look of some of the Phug's, & not having any Airboats, there had to be some excuse to have them nothing sensible came up so I just called them Later Phug bought the Bomag drop ships, some combat robots, & called these captured. As the eggs, sold with the Queen, painted up quite nice I decided to call them Sneakers
1x Behemoth General (Phug Queen) @ 4 AP
1x Hero (Phug King) @ 4 AP
3x Beasts (Phug diggers) @ 2 AP
2x Riders (Captured combat robots) @ 2 AP
6x Hordes (Activated Flora and Fauna) @ 2 AP
Alternatives; Behemoths (Large warriors) @ 4 AP; Airboats (Captured drop ships) @ 3 AP; Sneakers (Phug eggs) @ 3 AP.
Planned armies & alterations. I have purchased some Orc's from Irregular Miniatures. Having been an Orc in 'Monster Monster' so many time I just had to have some. I have no spear based army so the Hordes are out & Spears are in. Orc City States1x Spear General (Antigonus 'Knock Knees') @ 2 AP
1x Hero (Demetrios) @ 4 AP
7x Spears (Citizen Militia) @ 2 AP
2x Riders/Knights (Nobles mounted on wolves) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Behemoth (Benni & Bjorn) @ 4 AP; Beasts (Wolves) @ 2 AP.
Already having a Confederate army it was felt that its rival should also be built, but as yet only the composition has been decided. Federal (Army of the Potomac)1x Rider General (George G. Meade) @ 2 AP
1x Hero (Winfield S. Hancock) @ 4 AP
1x Wizard (Abraham Lincoln) @ 4 AP
2x Riders (Cavalrymen) @ 2 AP
5x Shooters (Musket armed foot) @ 2 AP
Alternatives: Artillery @ 3 AP, Hordes (poorly led foot) @ 1 AP.
I have bought and started to paint some Knights to change my Generic Nomads, Huns, so they can be Mongols as well. The last thing in the planning stage is looking at Peter Pig's Science Fiction range as I like the sound of Troopers in full kit, Security Troopers, Law Troopers, Buccaneer Troopers. There must be something I can call them to give me an excuse to buy some.
