Bull in the Heather

A fun part of painting is finding the touches that convey the character of the figures you're painting. For the Scots warlord, the elevated basing reflected a Highlands heritage, as does the heather tufts.

This was my 2nd attempt at a watercolor-based background.  In this version, I got a lighter and smoother gradient Michael of the Dalauppror blog recommended. I love how bloggers share tips, tricks and recommendations. So thanks, Michael, and everyone else I've ever leaned on as well. I must remember it's ok to ask for help rather than rely on trial and error.

Here's the rest of the Scots warriors, the hearthguard, and the warlord in for another shot. The fellow with both hands in the air is giving off a "Braveheart" vibe and I can almost hear him yelling "FREEDOM!"

The Scots are done and off to a new home. That makes 7 factions painted out of 17 in SAGA.  If paint 10 factions, I hear Studio Tomahawk offers the 11th free, just like Subway sandwiches!

+5 points if you can identify the musical shout-out in the post's title without Google.   

Don't lose your head!

The Scots warriors continue the dark, earthen palette I plotted for the warband. I did sneak in some flourishes for the dandies in the bunch. These figures are on par with Gripping Beast's superb Welsh and Jomsvikings.

So, about the head on a pike. I found two bannermen in this set and one banner, so it was time to improv.  One of the two bannermen was channeling the Dead Rabbit gang to me.  I dug up a head, drilled it and presto, the "Don't lose your head" gang is born.   The Scots are a blast to paint and they're - wait for it - my favorite warband to date.  I do seem to get my head turned by each new faction that comes down the pike.

For SAGA players, the Scots battleboard emphasizes defensive abilities while allowing for a counterpunch.  Some of their standout abilities are:

Give Ground gives you the chance to reduce your opponent's attack dice. Ouch!  

Hold the Ground adds 2 or 4 defensive dice.
Keeping the Distance: Allows a unit the benefit of being treated as in heavy cover for the turn.  

Reach actives a movement and turns a unit (or 2) into javelin armed for the turn.  Shooting up your opponent is a great way to goad them into a charge.  

Tireless allows you to reduce fatigue by 1 at the end of the melee. Great for stacking 2 attacks in a turn.

They look to be another tough faction and it'll be interesting to see them out on the tabletop.  

Of Javelins and heather - a Scots warband

After the departure of the Romans, the Dal-Riada Scots fought and then formed a kingdom with the Picts in 846. Kingship at that time was multilayered, with kings using their war bands for raiding and the occasional campaign. With a patchwork of clans and lordships, the Scots stood fast against the Normans during the conquest of England. Their armies were mostly unarmored spearmen fighting in closed ranks.  The body of spearmen would generally be flanked or preceded by bow or javelin skirmishers. Warriors were barelegged and poorly clad.  By the 10th century, they were fighting in shield wall like the Vikings. Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery!

I find that levy figures are a great warm up for painting a warband.  These Scots levies were likely slaves and thus, a simple palette with no flourishes.  In SAGA, these Dark Age Expendables are used to shield the rest of the warband from missile fire and to hurl javelins at the enemy. All Gripping Beast and once again, really nice scuplts.

Speaking of really nice, it's great to be back painting 28mm after a long run of 15mm.  I hope you fared well over the Holiday, with plenty of laughter and love from the people who mean the most to you.  My son is back from college and it's great to all be together again!