"Most Useful Generic Figure" Topic

I had to go with the "basic infantry" because (shockingly) I don't always have the right figure for a unit, so some other poor bunch of slobs get pressed into service.

The most useful figures I have are my hoard of hoplites. The cover a vast geographic area and centuries of time.

Got to be 'basic infantry'. Especially a guy in a tunic holding a spear!

For skirmish/roleplay there just isn't enough dead guys(not zombies) to loot or investigate or show a sprung trap etc.

For me it's command figures. I use them for all sorts of on table markers. Commands, morale, couriers with orders, objectives, etc.

I have horse archers that have made appearances over almost 2,000 years. They are actually Mongols but have been used for every kind of light cavalry horse archers from Skythians to early 16th century Transylvanians.

How are Carlists not on this list. You can use them for practically everything.

I have a hard time finding unarmed civilians for my rpg games. I find those ones useful for various scenes.

My French infantry in greatcoats have been French, Russian, British, Mexican and Imaginations

My Ancient Celts have been Celts, Germans, Roman auxilaries, generic Barbarians, Persian auxillaries, Cathaginian mercenaries, fantasy barbarians and Viking bondi

in 20mm 1:72 ancients or dark ages/medieval the most useful are exactly those still lacking above all in plastic!
i strongly need unarmoured/unsophisticated arab/muslim mounted archers; east steppes mounted archers; rough simple rab lightly equipped mongols and huns; very simple late germanics; unarmoured norman fuedal riders; almost unarmoured non elegant looking medieval mounted sergeants…ecc….