"15mm FOG swifter than eagles army" Topic

OK, so i am looking for an army that is the opposite to my current projects, lots of flesh so i can base coat with a spray skin tone and then dip, lots of infantry instead of cavalry.

I am thinking either

Sea People
Troy period Greek
Hittites

Anyone got some experience of using any of these forces in the context of FOG, also anyone got any fave minis for the armies.

Any thoughts welcome, also if anyone has different suggestions from the above a quick explanation would be great. For example i am not specifically adverse to an Egyptian or Assyrian army, they just look to me like they will take longer to paint. If people have some spanko-quick way of painting one of these armies I am all ears.

Essentially i am looking for an army i can get on the table quickly and have fun with. I am keen to have a heavy infantry based force as an opposite of the other cavalry heavy armies i am building.

The only experience I've had is a solo play test of Egyptians and Hittites at 300 points. Both armies had large infantry centers but in the end the better training of the Egyptian charioteers allowed them to win on the flanks. The bow fire superiority of the Egyptian infantry made a difference in the infantry slog as well.

Oggie

If you're wanting an army that has little clothing and mainly infantry, then you should be looking at nubians or libyans. Most of the others armies were quite well dressed and equiped for the period.

Sea peoples might be another option.

Hittites and troy period greeks both used chariots and lots of them and would be no easier to paint then egyptians or assyrians.

The quickest army to paint in the way you describe would be libyan. Lots of naked javelin men without a shield. Not much competition though for armies like the egyptians.

I am not sure if any of these armies would work well as simple to paint candidates. That said they shouldn;t be that hard either.

Sea Peoples is an interesting army in period. Hittite is not a bad all rounder and the Greeks are distinctly different.

Libyan is not as bad as it first looks in FoG. It is not the easiest army to use but it is big and quantity has a quality all of its own in FoG.

Libyans have feathers and cloaks and penis sheaths. Nubians have feathers and animal skins and elaborate 'dos.

You want simple? Midianites and their ilk. Lose the camels. Just masses of Semitic raiders in plain kilts.

Allen

Ditto what Allen said. If you want a few chariots, you could morph your Midianite army into an Amorite force.

You could also go with a later Arab army – say, a Nabatean one. The Sea Peoples would have some patterned kilts, which you may want to avoid, though I personally enjoy painting them, and like that army a lot.

Saitic Egyptians. Chariots are on the wane but still used by all the powers. Lots of under clothed foot and some tough Greek mercenaries for variety. Best of all you can oppose the expansionist Babylonians and kick the Kushites.
picture
picture
picture
picture
picture
picture

that chariot is fantastic !

but not swifter than an eagle to paint, I suggest.

How about hebrew?

Couldn't everyone get away with a white undercoat, flesh, and a light brown wash (highlighting the undercoat for undyed linen tunics) – then just hair and weapon and a couple of horses?

and you can add a fringe for any elite unit tunics, if you find you finish in time

I must say sea peoples or troy greek are my current fave. Maybe i need to improve my production line painting techniques.

I am currently burned out on my Sasanids for various reasons (time being the main one, and child related fatigue), but lets face it, anything is going to be easier to paint than a "every one unique" Sasanid army, which is what i want from that force.

Have been production lining 40k stuff to use with my son, i reckon i can port a lot of this to 15mm biblicals.

You might also consider doing a New Kingdom Egyptian army with a maximum of Sea People mercenaries. This would give you a solid mass of protected impact foot which are good in period but give you drilled Egyptian foot and Chariots to complement them.

Chris

Stew – if it helps I'm currently painting a big batch of Peleset for a Sea People FoG army for Mark Rowsell at our club… these are quite a way from pure "skin & white clothes" with upper torso leather/bronze armour, striped/banded kilts & those fancy reed head-dresses. the minoan/trojan greeks might do better if you're after something less involved for painting; IIRC theres only a bit of lamellar armour on the charioteers and the cowhide shields of the rank & file once the flesh & linen is done (can't seem to find my Armies & Enemies of Ancient Near East, hope it hasnt gone walkies)

Phil

thanks Phil, long time no see. I think i can prob expect a little more work than i wanted generally, i always make things more complex than it needs to be. Hey ho, if mark is having one then maybe i will look at something else. Mind you as he has bloomin everything it might take a while to find something he does not have!!!

Current research suggests that Bronze Age armies wre all rather colourful, even gaudy by modern standards.

That said, I love my Sea Peoples. Lots of varieties of troops so I don't get bored painting the same thing over and over. Sea Peoples infantry is pretty quick to base paint, flesh, bronze, linen and leather. I mass produce most of my Bronze Age figures this way. Colourful patterns and details come later.

The great thing about the Sea Peoples is their sheer diversity. Depending on your tastes you can use Sherden, Peleset, Ekwesh, Mishwesh, Achaean, Haribu, and many other Late Bronze Age types.

Long slashing swords and new infantry tactics help these guys defeat most of the chariot lords armies of the day.

Just remember that those ox-carts are baggage, not proto-tanks. But every Sea Peoples army shoud have a couple just because they are so iconic.

"thanks Phil, long time no see. I think i can prob expect a little more work than i wanted generally, i always make things more complex than it needs to be. Hey ho, if mark is having one then maybe i will look at something else. Mind you as he has bloomin everything it might take a while to find something he does not have!!!"

Of course theres no predicting how long he keeps any one army! (managed to completely b***s up his pike phalanx on Saturday – & I was playing same side as him! – so no knowing how long his seleucids will stay for!!) Hope to see you some saturday soon

Phil

early assyrian should be good. i mean ashurnasirpal 2 -- the revenge! assyrians at the time were peasant warriors by and large, lots of foot in plain dress. you would have some chariots to paint though, maryannu types. cool army.