Leader of the Band

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The Sons of Kronos are Chronopia's version of hairy northern barbarians, and the most basic component of that army is the tribal warband. If you're playing Firstborn, then you can add the Sons of Kronos Warband to your forces; if you have the Sons of Kronos supplement, then you can have a Tribal Warriors Warband in a Sons of Kronos force.

In either case, the warband requires a leader figure. There used to be a figure in the Firstborn army range called the Sons of Kronos Chieftain, but that figure has officially been retired (though you may still find it in stores). The replacement is the new Tribal Warrior Leader.

The Sons of Kronos "wear little in the way of armour," and the Leader is no exception. He wears a bronze girdle with a central knob (jewel?), from which hangs a ground-length modesty flap and a large tassel. His bare chest is crossed by two straps, incised with a decorative pattern. The knees are protected by large, faceted "pads" from which project ridges or claws (might be decorations, or might be combat devices). The kneepads seem to attach to the boots, which feature "puffy" fringed tops.

The Leader wears a cloth cape which drapes dramatically down his back. It is topped with a fur stole that wraps around the shoulders and descends down the front sides, ending in a pair of claws. The arms are bare except for large bracers decorated with a line of disks; the hands are bare.

He is protected by the traditional "helmet of steel, inset with silver or gold." This appears to be a one-piece helm with cheek plates leaving only a small opening through which the eyes, nose and mouth can be seen. It is crowned with a small knob, and two grooved, curved horns extend to the sides.

His equipment matches that of his warband: a barbed spear and a straightsword. (Note that the stats vary: In the basic rules, these are credited as a Throwing Spear and Straightsword; in the supplemental rules, these are a Barbed Spear and a Sword. The Barbed Spear is better than the Throwing Spear, but the Sword is inferior to the Straightsword.) As suits a Leader, his weapons are finer than his followers. His spear comes to a sharper point with more barbs, and his sword is notched and has some hilt decoration.

There are two striking things about this model. First is the pose, which manages to be dramatic without becoming silly or looking inappropriate on a battlefield. His posture suggests a massively built warrior raising his weapons high, but his face is cast slightly downward in an almost reflective attitude.

When you reach down to move this figure is when you notice his other striking characteristic - his weight. For a human figure, the Leader is a heavy piece that brings a smile to the face as you move him to the forefront of the battleline. The weight is due to the fur-and-cape which projects behind the figure and then flows so vigorously to the ground. This gives a bold impression (though there's probably room for two people beneath it...).

The photo below shows both the Leader and an ordinary tribal warrior in profile, illustrating the size difference.

The figure has few flaws. Our sample had a visible seam across the top, under the arms, and down the boot sides, which could take a little effort to clean up. The spear shaft could also use some clean-up, and be sure to remove the taps. Ambitious gamers could try "sharpening" the blunt weapon edges. The figure is slightly front-heavy. In a break from the usual style, this Leader is slightly shorter than some of his followers.