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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Irish warlord & champions

In Saga, the Irish can take up to 2 champions (Curaidh).  They have better armor, more attack dice in shooting and melee, and ignore the first non-cancelled hit.  They're a must have for the faction and I do like the way Gripping Beast modeled them with their uberspears.

Our special guest today is a traveling bard.  As you can see, he got lost in the dark forests of Killkenny. Luckily, he found two local boys to point him the way back!


The Irish were primed white and washed with Daler Rowney's Burnt Umber acrylic ink.  Basing was a blend of Woodland Scenic fine and medium ballast topped with Americana craft paint Milk Chocolate. Once dry, the bases got a Burnt Umber ink wash and highlights. I'm going to use this for basing my future Saga warbands.  With this, the Irish warband is complete.  These are going to a local friend so I look forward to seeing them in our Saga matches as well as Dux Britanniarum once they release the next supplement.  

I've been scrounging for quality military history podcasts to listen to lately. Last week, I signed up at audible.com for a free audiobook. Since Byzantines are up in the painting queue, I chose Lars Brownworth's "Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization." Painting to a quality audiobook is a treat. If you can afford the monthly fee, I highly recommend it.  Their military history selection is huge and the hardest part for me will be to limit myself to just one book a month.  

45 comments:

  1. I would add for my part excellent flag...once again, stunning work Monty, so beautiful that the bard is coming to life before our eyes...

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    1. Phil, you are the master of bringing minis to life , so I appreciate your comments. I did like how the bard bit went!

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  2. Nice work Monty, the forests in Kilkenny can de scary!

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    1. Hey Fran, I sure would like to see them in person one day!

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  3. Nice Irish, Monty. I've been thinking about picking up a hard copy of the "Lost" book; you'll need to let us know what you think of it.

    FMB

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    1. Marcus! It's the kind of book I love. It's tricky to cover 1000 year empire in a single volume but he zooms down into key points in Byzantine history. Kind of a Great Man methodology. A few of the stories I was familiar with but most, I was not. I'd recommend grabbing it as I now want to read more.

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  4. Sensational Monty! More lovely work.

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    1. Thanks Michael, and when I saw some crawlers in the first episode of the new Walking Dead series, I was thinking of your work!

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  5. Greate work on your Irish Warband !!!

    Love to see their first action now:9

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Thanks Michael! Shooty factions are tough (in my opinion) in Saga.

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  6. Splendid additions to the excellent Irish warband! I think all the colours work very well together. Very nice!

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  7. Looking lovely (as usual). I have to say I always found the Irish highly interesting due to their champions. I will be looking forward to hearing how they play!

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    1. Burkhard! Yea, the champions are tough, tough tough. From one dog owner to another, congrats again your new family member!

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  8. Hi Monty,

    great work! as always I should say.

    the bard is excellent! I don''t understand why the Irish don't want to have him with them around a good fire, they seem to prefer the songs of the Pogues ;-)

    Cheers

    thefrenchjester

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    1. Gillies! I suppose if he's going to be an Irish bard, he'd need to pepper his songs with a lot of "F" bombs. With Shane's singing, it took my kids a few years to catch on to what he's actually saying. ;-)

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  9. Your Irish are a treat! Your friend is a lucky guy. Hope you don't give away the bard, he's my favourite so far.

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    1. Thanks Moiterei! I am happy with how he turned out. Simple, but good!

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  10. Quite a force you have there now. I love the pose on the warlord figure. Cracking stuff!

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    1. Millsy, thanks! Looks like he's not one for negotiations!

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  11. Wow! Nice job! The fella sporting the animal hide is striking.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan! The scuplting really helped on that one.

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  12. Great painting again Monty and that flag looks great too!

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks Christopher. I'm still thinking about poor Barksdale and all of the lead he took at the finish line.

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  13. Lovely Irish Warlord and Champions!

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    1. Thanks Cyrus! I bet your Steppe tribe is going to be a beast in Saga!

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  14. "There once was a bard named McKenny,
    Who'd make scurrilous verse for a penny.
    But the critics showed spite,
    Said 'yer poetry's shite!',
    So he fled to the woods of Kilkenny."

    Which is where we find our despondent versifier at this moment...
    ; )

    Lovely work on the Champions and Warlord, Monty - did the warlord go with the traditional inauguration ceremony of Irish kings, I wonder...? Ewwww...!

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    1. Very big LOL on this one! Fabulous! And with this, you win the internet for the day. If only there were a prize more substantial than my comment in blogspot. :-)

      I don't know what the traditional inauguration ceremony is for Irish kings. It must be something worse than drinking. Off to look that up.

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    2. Let's just say that PETA wouldn't approve - nor would anyone else for that matter!

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  15. Great looking troops, Monty. You've reminded me of the wonderful qualities of Saga. Best, Dean

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    1. Thanks Dean! I am hooked on skirmish gaming!

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  16. Hi Monty. Nice job on the Irish. I look forward to meeting them on the field, and experiencing the carnage!

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    1. Brent, thanks & we have to get a game in one day!

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  17. Fantastic painted Irish army! I also love that bard, great pose for a rider and usefull for other things, like a messenger.

    Greetings
    Peter

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    1. Thanks Peter! I appreciate it. I know the Bard has some role in Saga but I've already forgotten! Maybe songs to lift the spirits of the men?

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  18. Monty,

    Think LOTR - Wait for it: ...Dunland!

    Looking forward to some Saga. The hounds are a very cool fun addition to the force.

    David S.

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    1. David! I do think LoTR Saga would rock. In fact, I've been prowling for some LOTR figs at BT but no luck so far. Soon!

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