"Looking for Black Company-ish figs" Topic

For those of you who have read the novels, you know what I am talking about but for the others –

Basically this world is like a middle ages fantasy world but pretty gritty. Not a lot of full plate armor hero guys, mostly leather with maybe some plates attached for the best dressed. Others may be in leather or maybe even nothing. Don't recall they mention a lot about chainmail but I think it would fit in. I think a historical range would be more likely to fit in as they need to have realistic swords and proportions.

So what's a good range to look at?

Edit: 28mm

A good question. They don't give you enough description in the stories for any particular period or nation to be an obvious choice to me.

GW Mordheim plastics would be an option.

I think a good range of guys who look like your typical ranger character from DnD might be appropriate. I just don't know of a good range of guys with swords who wear semi-heavy leather armor. What I want to stay away from is a lot of guys with axes and spears as the Company seemed to be well armed with swords.

Swords, bows, leathers – GW LOTR Rangers?

GW Mordheim plastics would be an option.

That's what I was working on, before I gave up on GW and sold it all off. Of course, I used the repackaged version of those sprues, the Empire Militia box.

It was actually a scary idea for an Empire army, since I had no gunpowder. lots of guys with spears, backed by detachments of swords and bowmen.

Though I did include a couple entertaining ideas. One guy had 'Croakers Bow' (Dragonbow?), the army Standard Bearer had a nasty magical lance/spear…

If I was going to do it again, I'd do it in 15mm.

Years ago, when I thought of doing a unit or two of Black Company fellers, I though that classic, mid-level AD&D thieves fit the profile best. Lots of swords, lots of leather. Ral Partha's AD&D minis were still being produced, so that's where I turned first.

Subsequently, I bought 12 packs each of 11-005, Male and Female Thieves with Shortsword and Sling:

And 11-016, Male and Female Rogues:



And 11-023, Male and Female Bounty Hunters:



They aren't perfect, and they're noticeably smaller than most of today's minis, but they come the closest to my mental image of the Black Company.

Perhaps figures from the Spanish Reconquista would work?

You know the thief idea has a lot of merit as I see them a lot like that too.

Thanks for all the opinions.

IMHO the Black Company in the first several books is set pretty firmly in an early Middle Ages/late Dark Ages tech setting. When they go south to retire the company, they essentially evolve into a medieval Khmer style army (Cambodia) with lammelar, some metal armor for elite troops. IIRC they also end up mixing in a medieval Indian element as well.

SB Minis makes a good point. Do you want to depict them when they are fighting in the north or the south?

No plate armor to speak of, seemingly; mail and leather… Early medieval -well, it's Fantasy, so maybe of the 'Prince Valiant' technological level# 1st Crusade? Or Late Carolingian / converted Arthurian types? Or, what about filling down the ears of Wood Elves?

In the 1st book halberdiers and crossbowmen are deployed to hunt down the forvalka.

In the latest books the troops recruited in that other world have a Japanese 'feel' -painted armor, back banners… The Privateer Press Skorne look quite appropriate link

And what about the Lady, once she joined the Company?
"A stunningly beautiful woman, about 5'5" and 110 "perfectly distributed" pounds, with very pale skin, dark black hair, and blue eyes; looks 19 old."

To turn this image into a vignette, an Australian fellow link
planned to use for the basis of the Lady a Dark Elfette from

Glenn Cook does not provide much details, and sometimes distrurbing [I remember a single mention of boots, and never understood why Soulcatcher's helmet is described as a 'morion'], so it's largely a matter of 'educated' (?) guesswork.
When the Company leaves Beryl, and in the North.
Chainmail? Yes. The Company is an elite professional unit; not the kind to bury a fallen brother with his armor and weapons, rather to re-use them. And to strip an enemy corpse of everything of use, specially armor and weapons if better than those currently owned. At this time all are veterans -Raven is the first recruit for years- so are well equipped. Of course, specially under extreme weathers, the mail shirt can be concealed under a fabric overgarnment. Helmet, except for the wizards.

Weapons? No specialized sub-unit, each member seems able to use a wide diversity of weapons according to circumstances, though each is probably more skilled in a single type.
Everyone knows how to use a bow, but probably only those skilled enough carry one permanently. Crossbows and halberds are mentioned in Beryl, but don't appear to be widespread. Spear? Certainly for most of them: only in cheap 'sword and sandal' movies warriors carry only a sword. Not a long thrusting spear hoplite-fashion, rather a boarspear; an interesting possibility would be to allow the spear, if wished (charging close order infantry?) to be thrown just before impact, like the Roman pilum (HOTT classes the Company as 'Blades', like Roman legionaries) or the Frank hangon.
Shield? Certainly the Company is able to form a shield wall, or even a testudo. A possibility -given the fictional nature of the unit- could be to give the majority a scutum -not the Imperial Roman rectangular tile-shaped type, but the oblong of Roman Republic. Soldiers favoring the bow, or a weapon requiring two hands (halberd, huge 'Saxon' ax…) would have a smaller shield.

Note that while the whole Company moves as mounted infantry, certainly only a small minority masters horsemanship enough to be able to fight as cavalry (or shoot from the saddle while moving; horse archery is an art in itself; light crossbows would be easier to use while riding).

So, regardless of the minis used as bases, conversions (additions) will probably be necessary to most. Additionally, headswappings to combine helmets with body armors of different historical origin would make the Company more original, as befits a famous fictional unit.
What minis? Many warriors in not too heavy mail existed from the Late Roman Empire to, say, Hastings.
Beryl on the Mediterranean shore under another name may be an echo of Byzantium (but Byzantine soldiers in scale armor are better kept for the Urban cohorts, or perhaps the Guard of the Tower of Charm: use Byzantine in mail). Otherwise, what about Vikings ((historical' ones, not the fur-clad wagnerian type with horned or winged helmets!). Saxons (and Normands for the 'heavier' specialists of hand-to-hand comabt) of Hastings can also be used. The Company does not seem to have issued 'standard' kits of armor, so a 'mix' seems appropriate.
Uniform? A delicate question. No express mention, except for Soulcatcher's badge. But one has to identify friend from foe in a frantic melee; mercenary captains often bought cloth at bulk price; befor the introduction of uniforms in military navies, the crew of a given ship showed some homogeneity, since the sailors could buy pieces of clothes at reduced price from the ship's clerk. Besides, a wargaming unit has to *show* its nature, and the Company is a *regular* unit. Some maybe a dark brow tunic would provide enough visual homogeneity?

Later? Mercenaries replace their clothes (and, more slowly, their armor and weapons) *locally*. So after some time in the North some early Scandinavian (does know if available in minis) and Rus (again, avoid scale armor).

In the South the Company settles (for decades) in a country clearly copied on India. But not Renaissance Moghul one -the country was peaceful before the Shadowlords aggression, so -initially at least- no elaborate jazeran, no vambraces and greaves of plate. An armor-manufacturing industry cannot appear and develop so fast. Mail again for the Company and perhaps some nobles, padded armor for the mass of the recruits. A turban around the helmet, for those having one?

Actress Bridget Regan as Confessor Kahlan Amnell in the 'Legend of the Seeker' TV series link
Visually, the best approximation I know of 'Lady' (when she was no longer THE Lady).

Though I suspect that with the same dresses and haircut Kate Beckinsale would be a top competitor.

I would make a nice big banner of Soulcatcher's badge (silver skull surrounded by flames, on a black field, iirc) and plant that in the center of the best-equipped unit. Those that know the badge will fear it already, those that don't will think it looks evil (and be more right than not).

Mmmmmmm!

Kate Beckinsale…. Yum

link

I'd quite like some earlier Company models myself, I was thinking of weaving a pastiche of them into one of my own campaign worlds.

Croaker expresses sound reserves about who is, and who is not, 'evil'. Soulcatcher was childish to madness, but the most 'human' (and sensible) of the Taken, and in the end even Lady discovers she's fond of her sister.

The Black Company did not seem to wear a real uniform -except for Soulcatcher's badge- but it would be fitting, and not a sacrilegious breach of the 'canon', to paint the shields plain black: sober, grim, impressive.

Widowmaker
Generally depicted on book covers in some form of plate armor, while a very convoluted 'Oriental' (Indian / Chinese type) armor would probably be more appropriate?

Soulcatcher's badge:

Unfortunately, Glen Cook's own site glencook.org seems to be down?

Btw, Winnowill from 'Elquest' elfquest.com/index.php looks like a good visual erzatz of (The) Lady 'dressed to the kill':

@ Elohim: are you thinling of this (rare) kind of morion with cheekpieces?

Then to support a mask a bourguignotte would be more appropriate:

Some indeed received a ventail:

Btw, while reproduced on the flag on the book cover above, the silver circle surrounding the flaming skull is probably a feature of only the metallic breast badge: the flaming skull is described as directly on the general black field of Soulcatcher's ship.