After finishing the Chain of Command campaign "Storming the Citadel" (Kursk) my buddy asked if I was interested in the Part 2 campaign continuation. CoC is a great game and their campaigns make the game shine more brilliantly. There was the time my Soviet flamethrower popped an ambush on a Tiger tank to break Grossdeutschland's platoon force morale and save the day. Or the prolonged duel between my dug in ZiS-3 and another Tiger tank. So many Tigers at Kursk and yes, some were burning. So, of course, I said yes to part 2, "Citadel, the Breakthrough."
I ordered the Warlord Games T-34/76 platoon and hustled them through my painting queue along with a Warlord Games resin KV-2. At the finish line, not bad! I can't wait to run 4 T-34s in a 28mm game. I'm sure getting the right command dice will be a struggle but still...
In October, I've got a Bolt Action 1,250 point event. It's just the excuse I need to put my newly painted KV-2 out on the table!
Thanks to a persistent bout of bursitis, my hours at the painting table are way down this year. Lemons to lemonade, this is a good thing as I now pay attention to how long I sit and avoid it as much as possible. I've got a standing desk at work and another to replace my painting table. Being an "iron ass" and sitting for 6-8 hours in a stretch is not good for me, no matter how much I enjoy painting.
This project is a bit of a lark. When I saw the new Anglo-Saxon battle board for Saga, I realized an all levy warband could work. I went to Footsore and picked out 48 shield & spear levy along with 24 archers. Along with great sculpts, Footsore offers a massive variety of poses and figures. You can pick through this rabble and only occasionally find doubles. It's another reason why Footsore is my fav!
Most of these lads were painted with inks and washes over zenithal priming. I added a white drybrush over the zenithal to make my highlights pop. It is a speedy but nice effect and finished with the standard Foundry flesh 5A, B and C highlights. I mixed custom washes and inks to get more variety in this band.
The King is by Crusader Miniatures and from their El Cid line. I've had him for years and realized it might be clever to have a King leading an army made up of only farmers. All in all, I'm happy to now have a 2nd Age of Viking warband and they're quite fun to play!
Today I want to share my two favorite Saga shows. Whether you're just starting out or you've been playing SAGA for years, you'll learn loads from both of these.
Joe Rogers produces and hosts Saga Thorsday, a weekly Youtube show of all things Saga. Joe has a great wit and a deep love & knowledge of the game. He brings in a new guest each week to talk about the boards and game. You'll learn quite a lot by listening to how other people play the game. Check it out and subscribe! Shameless plug, I'm the guest for this week's show about the Welsh.
Joe, Jim and Chris produce the superb Northern Tempest podcast. You can access the shows via their FaceBook page here or the archives here. These lads are passionate about the game and very active in UK Saga community. I keep these queued up for my painting sessions and car trips. While listening to their show on my long drive back from the US Grand Melee, they persuaded me to paint and play Vikings for a time. Well done!
Both Northern Tempest and Saga Thorsday are great inspiration for planning and painting your warbands. And playing the game too. Check them out!
To wrap up, here's my current Saga project. 72 Anglo Saxon levy in the zenithal highlight phase. Now to put some paint on them.
