"I ain't gonna promise you fortune an' glory kid. Tha's the kinda lies the press-gangers an' recruiters spin at th' cubs in the Steel'elms. Life's hard out here on the ragged edges o' civilisation, but we're harder and faster and twice as mean. We ain't stuck out here in th' wilds, everythin' else is stuck out here wi' us..."
Ahmadh Quorle, Wildercorps Warden
Back in the autumn, I picked up the Hunter and Hunted box set for Warcry because the Wildercorps had quickly jumped to the top of my list of 'coolest looking' warbands in the game. I've dabbled with others, including the Corvus Cabal, Jade Obelisk and Questor Soul-sworn, all of whom I like, but the Wildercorps felt like a warband that I'd not only have fun playing and painting, but that I could also build an interesting narrative around because they're regular mortals using all of their skill and tenacity to not only survive, but thrive on the bleeding frontiers of the Mortal Realms.
I got the kit built pretty quickly and the minis are an absolute treat to assemble, with most of the seams very well concealed and none of the parts being particularly tricky to put together but I knew that in order to get inspired to paint them I'd need to start playing some games using them. So just after Christmas, I started putting out feelers among the local gaming community so see if anyone else was interested in playing Warcry and happily there were a few folks who were keen to either dust of their old warbands, try out new ones, or give the game a go for the very first time. To add a little more flavour to the setting, we decided that we'd use the rules for fighting in The Sundered Scales that featured in the Scenarios of the Month section of White Dwarf issue 493 which provide alternative exploration, lesser artefact and encampment location tables to those in the Core Book.
To give everyone time to get ready, we decided to try and kick off playing around the end of January so I cracked on with getting some colour on the Wildercorps in earnest, and though it's taken a few weeks to get them done, I'm really pleased with how they've come out.
Who are the Wildercorps Hunters you might ask? They're a subdivision of the Sigmarite military that is dedicated entirely to pathfinding, skirmishing and reconnaissance operations. Moving fast and travelling light they trade the protection of plate and chain for stealth and agility.
Detachments of the Wildercorps are most frequently seen deployed as the eyes and ears of the Dawnbringer Crusades, ranging forward of the armoured columns as they advance but their skills are often sought for other purposes as well. Where discretion would be preferable to raw firepower, or vital intelligence must be obtained quickly, the Wildercorps will often be the best, or indeed only, choice to get the job done.
Quorle's Pathfinders
I built the warband straight out of the box - it might not be an 'optimal build' but I've gone for a balance of melee and missile weapons with a view to (hopefully) giving them a reasonable chance of success against most foes. One thing I did different to the assembly instructions though was to give my leader the axe instead of the pointing arm, this way I can use him as either the Trail Warden with grizzled trailhound or Trail Warden with double-bitted axe, though at present, he's 'equipped' with Dutchess and the axe is purely for show.
Ahmadh Quorle and Dutchess
Spears are always handy in Warcry because you don't need to be in engagement range to attack with them, so both Leatherhides are equipped with troggslayer spears.
L-R: Lancer, Foscar 'The Broad' and Ertann Vandyne
L-R: Shay Uldrenn, Therra Calderman and Cerberus
Finally, the Trailblazer totes a pair of crossbows which are as deadly up close as they are at range and the Arbalester might be slow, but after seeing the amount of damage its' monstrous bolts can do (4 damage on a normal hit, 8 on a critical hit), I don't think Ahmadh would take the Pathfinders into battle without it.
L-R: Wyll Morliss, Vyktir Altiis and Mayger
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Trailhounds, one of whom I inadvertently painted up very similarly to a pup from a series of children's picture books. Each one was painted with a different colour of fur to make them distinct.
L-R: Dusty, Lancer, Cerberus and Mayger
In painting up the Pioneers, I stuck to lots of browns and tans as their gear is all leather and fabric and I kept some elements of their kit, such as the belts, straps, pouches and packs the same colour to suggest they've been drawn from common stores. Similarly, hafts of the spears and furniture of all of the crossbows are also all painted as though they're fashioned from Ash, possibly even from the same source. Varying their skin tones and some of the other aspects of their garb has allowed me to ensure that they remain distinct from one another as well though.
"Those bastards smell like rhinoxen, drink like physh and fight like a corner'd skayven..."
Common Steelhelm saying of the Wildercorps
I've managed to get four games with Quorle's Pathfinders now, and although I've only won one of them, they're well on their path to glory as they've now completed two quests - liberating the Stalwart Helm (which grants +1 toughness to the bearer) from the clutches of the bounty they were tasked with bringing in Dead or Alive and most recently managing to Secure A Powerful Ally who might be a mighty Arch-Knight for a bit more melee punch, though a Fusil-Sergeant might complement the ranged capabilities of the Arbalester nicely too.
The Gargoylian on the left there is also built and ready for painting, just in case I manage to locate an Erstwhile Companion (an item which can prevent enemy fighters near the bearer using actions or reactions) or an Unhatched Egg (an item which allows you to add a fighter with the beast runemark to your warband when it hatches) in the Gnarlwood, both of which would be handy to have and offer some great narrative hooks to boot. I'm not entirely sure which task will be allocated to the Pathfinders next, although there are a couple of quests that look tempting as well as a quest chain which is enticing too, so there are definitely more games to be had, which will hopefully inspire me to get these extra models painted up as well. Until next time though, thanks for reading and happy hobbying.
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