Something more Forest-y this way comes - SAGA AoM Lords of the Wild

 Things have... not quite gone according to plan, but at long last, I've managed to finish one more project. Atlantis Miniatures managed to undergo a name change, and are now Blue Giant Studios, in the meanwhile, but I've finally finished all their Wood Elves (or at least, all the ones I've got). The base idea is to run these as Lords of the Wild, for SAGA: Age of Magic.

First, and most important for elves, are of course Archers. 12 Warriors in SAGA terms, a decent bunch, packing a punch at a distance, and also in melee if things get worrisome.

And then, of course, some warriors armed only with melee weapons, as well, because going without is usually a bad idea.

And then, there's the cavalry. They may not use horses like most "civilised" folks, but do not underestimate the power of a charge from these, it may cost you deer-ly. Most likely, these will be run as Hearthguard in SAGA terms, both to conserve figures, and to provide a compact counter-punch.

Now, the fun thing with SAGA: Age of Magic, is the availability of extra heroes, in each factions Lieutenant. You may only be able to get one, but I'll have plenty of options for who to field as one. The other two can fill out the warrior units, I guess...

Similarly, more than one Spellcaster is probably extravagant (although I've seen a few people do decently with 2), but it never hurts to have options. And more lovely figures to paint was of course also greatly appreciated.

For Warlords, you are definitely limited to one, but options are good. Certainly helps that there's a choice between fielding them Mounted, on Foot, or on a "Beast" (and the black fellow certainly deserves to be considered a Beast).

Last among the Blue Giant Studio Wood Elves, are this young Archer, whom I consider absolutely adorable, and will include one way or another, pretty much whenever I can, just because she's so wonderfully sculpted.

 

The only thing missing, is some bigger fellows. Reaper to the rescue, if I remember correctly, and we've got two, frankly massive, bears to serve as Creatures and general heavy hitters.

But the bears are not the heaviest hitters. No for that, we have a Nature Elemental (from always awesome Bad Squiddo Games). In AoM terms, it'll be a Titan, slow, but nigh on impossible to kill.

Make that two Titans, with a Wizkids Treant. In case one wants two monsters, or need to raise a forest to fight for you, for some reason (yes, that is something the Lords of the Wild can do, in fact).

And for games other than SAGA (primarily Frostgrave), I have some smaller animals as well. First out, two panthers (perhaps younger kin to the one my Warlord might ride), from Wizkids.

And then, a most deligthful Wolf, once again from Blue Giant Studios (not sure if this one was a kickstarter exclusive or not, I'm failing to find it on their homepage...)

Finally, in case I need some kind of markers. A mix of basing kits and Forest Critters, can serve as treasures in Frostgrave, or objectives in most games, really.

All in all, it makes for one quite impressive force.It should be enough to let me field an 8 point warband, with some options. All in all, I love all of these, very full of character, and a joy to paint, with only a bare minimum of things that I didn't find 100% perfect.

Now I just need to figure out who to bribe to get some deer-mounted archers...

/Fool Out

Oh, and just for fun, here's the figures divided up according to how Blue Giant Studis sells them, in case anyone was curious ;)

Elf Archer

Elf Archers (F)

Elf Archers (M)

Elf Deer Riders (F)

Elf Druid

Elk War Lord Mount

Elf Mage

Elf Prince

Elf Princess

Elf Rogue (F)

Elf Rogue (M)

Elf Spellcaster (M)

Elf Stag Riders (M)

Elf Warriors (F)

Elf Warriors (M)

Elf Warriors 2 (F)

Elf Archer (Young Female)

Not quite sure where my "Elf Warriors 2 (M)" went, but there's been a few reorganisations since I got them so probably in one of my (many) piles of shame. But I'll finish of with what I'm starting to suspect is another Kickstarter special, the Elf Princess on Big Kitty.

Something forest-y this way comes - Wood Elves

 Not quite dead, but new work in combination with the usual gamers ADHD means I've mostly done small parts on large projects this year. Hopefully, soon some of them will come into completion, and we'll get more blog posts.

But meanwhile, Frostgrave to the rescue, since you "only need 10 models" (we all know this is a lie, but it means you can paint a starter band in one go, so good enough). First, I recieved my Wood Elves from Atlantis Games kickstarter (from back before the pandemic, but got delayed by it). Then my friend decided to forest-ify his frostgrave terrain, so I needed a more wooded warband. Two things that solve each other, excellent.

 First out, is Good Mistress Spellweaver. Master mage, and one of the leaders of the Wood Elf community. And someone carrying that big a staff, also packs a mean whallop, do not underestimate her.

 

And next to her, her apprentice. A bit more rough around the edges, but he's got a good heart, and is willing to give it his all.

The other leader among the Wood Elves, the Prince. Wood Elves are usually confused by human notions of nobility and command, but he's a master of applying force at a point, be it by himself, or with his warriors, and that seems to be more or less what human princes are for, so the title fits.

The Ranger has no official position of power, but she knows the forests like her own boots (or possibly even better), so often runs before the warbands when they go out to do their business. She's fast, she's sneaky, she's able to shimmy up a tree and rain down arrows from above before her enemies (or the small, fuzzy creatures of the forest that she's friends with) even know she's there.

The Archer is an uncomplicated soul. He's strong, and can thus pull a worryingly strong bow, launching arrows a tremendous distance and with a hard punch. Useful both when hunting for venison, and when there's intruders in need of correction.

While the Ranger prefers to fight from a distance, her good friend the Pathfinder instead use the trees mostly as an advantage point from which to jump down behind her chosen prey.

The Scout, and his hawkish buddy, watch as things happen, and then report to the village leaders, going and leaving while remaining unseen.

There is very little differentiating the veteran Wood Elf Warriors from their less experienced fellows, other than a certain willingness to rush into the fray in a berserker fury, trusting their compatriots, their leaders, and their mages to have their back.

The less experienced Warriors, are more likely to hang back and fight defensively, using the reach advantage of their weapons to its full potential (even if it means less flinging of enemies in all directions).

 Of course, the long glaives are not always the optimal weapons. Sometimes, the forest grows thick, or you're needed to carry other, heavy, stuff. In those cases, a solid long knife will make do.

Last, but certainly not least, there is their furry companion. A suspiciously wolf-y dog? A curiously doggy wolf? We only know that he's called Kitten.

All in all, a nice little starting Warband, with Wizard and Apprentice, 2 Archers, 3 Infantryelves, 2 thieves, and a thug. With Kitten available, in case one of the spellcasters summon an Animal Companion. Also, plenty of upgrade options, with infantryelves becoming Barbarians, and Archers becoming Trackers and Rangers.

The observant will have noted that I painted a bit more than the 10 figures (11 if you count Kitten) necessary for a Forestgrave warband. They can also trivially be repurposed for Ghost Archipelago, with Heritor and Warden (probably a Vine Warden), 2 Treasure Hunters, 2 Archers, and 4 crewelves with two-handed weapons.

All in all, these models are absolutely gorgeous one and all. I am very happy that I got these, as well as their friends (whom I doubt will remain unpainted for long). Just need to get some bears or similar, for when the spellcasters want animal companions not able to fit in the doghouse. And some treasures, of course.

/Fool Out