Welcome to the KINGDOM of halfMEN.
Let’s start this month by introducing the newest recruits to the Army of Fordern.
Spectis Bluelake, Army Standard Bearer, Mounted (65 points)
Spectis Bluelake was raised in a small lake town on the Ardovikian plains. His father was an exceptional farmer who masterly tilled the fertile lands of Rhorida while his mother was a budding alchemist providing her unique wares for trade. His life was that of any other halfing in the League; comfortable, safe and secure. However, his idyllic world came to an abrupt end with a catastrophic experiment that took the lives of his parents. Initial anger towards the Celestians for allowing this to happen was gradually replaced by the disillusionment of his predicament. Spectis looked up to the sky for relief but the only thing in his vision was the mountains. Fortunately, in Fordern he not only found common ally that understood his plight but also shared his newly found disdain for the life he once cherished. He now proudly carries the Fordern army banner to war mounted atop his fearsome battle goat, Bouquetin.
Technically Spectis isn’t a new recruit since he he was mostly painted last month. But since I didn’t finish him until this month we’ll add him and his points to February’s roster.
Barorin Hilltopple, Captain, Mounted (125 points)
Ensuring the security and long term stability of Fordern can be a difficult job at times. But being the Head Paymaster also yields Barorin Hilltopple certain perks and a whole lot of interesting friends that a halfling of his stature couldn’t dream of. He is a halfling of self-made means which insultates him well from the normal trappings of positional wealth that ruin most people. But even Barorin would admit he covets his power and appreciates the wide latitude he’s afforded. Fortunately Bregork, his Ogre bodyguard and friend, is ever present and quick to put him back on track should he stray from course.
This model came out better than my wildest expectations. It’s a really great sculpt full of personality that was a pleasure to paint.
Gnights, Troop of Knights (125 points)
Terrible is the sight of an enraged Goat barreling forward down the mountain side into your ranks. There is no more nimble a beast of burden to be found in all of Mantica. It’s made all the worse for the enemy when there is a fully armored Halfling atop it’s back.
These little buggers were amazingly fun to paint. The fact that only a tiny portion of their feet is the only exposed skin on the model is very comical. I’m particularly pleased with how the shields came out.
Looking back on February I’m super happy that I was able to complete my commitment and add 3 more amazing units to my burgeoning army of halfMEN. This brings my total to 5 units and 520 points completed However, one thing that I’ve been thinking about was finding a way to make my basing bigger and even more over the top. Also, I wondered if I could push the narrative of each base a little further. With that in mind I dove in head first on a new infantry regiment base. While it’s made in a similar fashion to my previous basing I’d point to the increased scale of the rock formation as an improvement. Also, the large wooden support in the rock facing conveys that this is a well maintained and guarded passageway used by the the inhabitants of the region.
One thing that I always enjoyed when looking at an army, terrain or a gaming table were the small, hidden things that you may not see at first pass. These little touches are a gift from the hobbyist to the person taking the time to appreciate their work. For this base I decided to add a little something extra that you wouldn’t notice from looking at this army across the table. On the backside of the rock formation I created a small mineshaft. My plan is to create some halfmen miners using the halfmen peasants from Westfalia. I’m not settled on whether I want the miners actively working or whether to have them in a state of rest. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!
With this base completed, it got me thinking, what if I wanted to take a horde? Well, the obvious answer is that I would need a base which could scenically hook to the first base. In the picture below you will see my work in process of this second base. I’ve still got a ways to go but it does show how the two bases will link up to make one large horde base.
With several bases in hand it is high time I share what models I’ll be painting for March.
Giant (190 points)
This is the first model in the army that falls out of the Westfalia range. I purchased the War Bear from Atlantis Miniatures on Black Friday last year and have been anxious to find a project for him. Originally I was thinking of turning him into a Beast of War, but I think he’d would have looked a bit silly on a 50mm x 100mm base. Plus the Beast of War is ripe for a really neat conversion, maybe a cable car traversing down the mountain? Fortunately, club mate and hobby mojo master Billy Smith prevented my from wracking my brain for too long by pointing out that the Giant is now included in the Kingdoms of halfMEN list for Clash of Kings 2019. With the destination in hand I set to work making a base that would increase the stature and majesty of this incredible model.
Regiment of Spear Phalanx (120 points)
For my second unit for March I knew that I wanted to get some more infantry to the table and I knew that I eventually wanted both spear and pike units. So this time I decided to go with a unit of Spears using the Spear Knechts from Westfalias’ Halfknecht range. As there are only 3 sculpts, similar to the Bihanders, these would work well for a regiment of spears. This also means that I can use the standard halfling spears, for which there are 6 sculpts and much longer spears, to make my horde of pike in the future.
March has me committing to just a couple of new units but they are coming in at a whopping 310 points. This is a good thing as Adepticon will significantly impact my available paint time. Enough rambling, I’ve got models to paint.
