"Dogs of War? Companions!" Topic

When asked "Do you have and game with canine miniatures?", you responded: TMP link

#1 – Some companion dogs on bases with other figures (13%)
#2 – Stand alone domesticated breeds (13%)
#3 – Stand alone work dogs (10%)
#4 – Chaos/evil hounds (7%)
#5 – Stand alone wild dogs (5%)

(I know I have a bunch of skeletal dogs around here somewhere…)

The "winner" had 13%?

Perfectly valid!

Totally missed the original topic discussion, and the poll… I have War Dog figures which I use in my RPG games, as meat shields for wizard PC's, and NPC's. I also have skeletal Dogs I use in my 2e BattleSystem games. I have a number of zombie dogs in the painting queue, for my 2e BS games, as well. I have Hell Hounds for my RPG and BS games. So, sorry I missed this. Cheers!

Perfectly valid!

Not sure where that's going. As a poll, something posted here has none of the scientific and statistical rigor that goes into validity. Even when you do have that type of rigor, it is based on assumptions that do not have proportional correlative variation (small changes in assumptions can lead to big changes in outcomes, and there's no way to tell).

But, really, this isn't a "winner" type poll. Nobody was asked to select a "best" or "preferred" option. It is a descriptive poll.

Within the bounds of what the data call is useful for, you can see a high proportion of "real" (blue), and decent percentages of "fantasy" (green) and "scifi" (orange) dogs.

Dogs for visual effect are okay, dogs that have combat effects (utility) even better.

Elheim, Force20 and Sgt Major all have 20mm dogs with handlers, WWII or Modern, that can actually be worked in against the enemy. I saw a game played with Elhiem and Force20 dog teams in use against zombies.

I recall some Mastiffs in the 28mm Vendel range of animals. Imagine they could also have some game utility. Its easy to envision dogs in use with Colonial Explorers, Border Reivers or on Safari.

Many years ago while traveling in Utah we came across an obscure battle site for Indians versus US Cavalry. The troopers were trapped with their backs to a sheer cliff hundreds of feet deep and the Park Service sign said the Indians (I think they were Utes) sent in their "war dogs" to attack in the night. First, and last, time I read of such a thing for American Indians. Would make for an interesting game though.

In my fantasy game world, everybody burns their dead, to prevent them from coming back as Undead. What is a poor Necromancer to do?…

Breed dogs, and turn them into zombie and skeletal cannon fodder troops, of course! [Chill out PETA fans, this is pure fantasy; no real animals were harmed in this posting… In the real world, I am a dog lover, and I would never harm one, except in self-defense.] In a medieval fantasy world, no one cares much about, nor do they pay much attention to, dogs, as only the wealthy can afford such a luxory as a pet dog. Until a Necromancer unleashes such a horde upon enemies, they won't give it a second thought.

With that in mind, I purchased a number of skeletal and zombie dog figures. I've used the skeletal dogs, a couple of times. Being Undead, they cause a moral check each time they approach an enemy unit of living soldiers. That makes them somewhat useful, as they have a chance to break the enemy unit's morale, without ever biting anyone! Unfortunately, Undead units are incapable of charging, so they're limited.

With skeletons taking half damage from edged weapons, they have another plus to them, but they're weak, so they disappear fairly quickly. Over all, they are a mixed bag, but they can prove quite useful, depending upon the die rolls. Cheers!