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I don't currently have a WFB army (Well, I have some Chaos, Dark Elves and even some Orcs & Goblins all from circa 1992, but that is all buried in my parents' loft) and I don't see WFB as being my main interest. I don't even want to buy the rule books...

However, pirates are awesome and I want some.

I want to make a fairly small WFB army, using predominantly GW models, though I am not averse to converting using non-GW parts. I would probably use the Empire army book, though I am not locked into that idea completely. I considered an undead pirate army, which would be awesomer still, but I am not sure I could handle that much awesome, and it would need more conversion too.

So far, I have identified the Empire Free Company as the ideal base unit to work from, whatever actual core unit type I decide to construct them as. I want to use the collectors range Pirate Captain of Sartosa as my general, although I will convert his undead-looking leg to simply be a peg leg instead. I will probably use some Empire Hand Gunners in some way, though I think I would like to convert them as they do not look very piratey at all. I love the upper bodies of Empire Flagellants as they look well and truly piratey and some of the heads are awesome too. It would be insane to not include a big-arse cannon hauled off of the pirate ship using the Empire Great Cannon model.

From other army lists, the Bretonnians don't seem to offer much. Their troops do not look very piratey to me. From Ogre Kingdoms, I'd love to find a way to include the Pirate Maneater and maybe one or two of the other Maneaters, though what I'd count them as from the Imperial list, I do not know. Does WFB have any ally rules? From Chaos, I see some use for the Chaos Marauder plastic set, though I am not sure they offer enough to be worth paying out for.

I don't really see how I could shoe-horn cavalry into a ship-themed army, so I should perhaps include some flyers, but I am not sure what I could include there. I don't like Empire Pistoliers, Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen or Chaos Marauder Horsemen, so is it possible to build a decent army without cavalry? Not that being competetive is my main aim here.

From 40K, Catachan Jungle Fighters offer something, but I am not sure it is enough. If I could buy the Witch Hunter without his retinue, there might have been potential there, but at £20, no way.

From LotR, I see nothing I like, not even the actual Corsairs they have there.

From Mordheim, Ulli and Marquand could be great heroes. Johann the Knife might squeeze in. The Kislev Hunter just sneaks onto the maybe list but would need conversion, as does the Highwayman. Although he is too well armoured, I love the Reiklander Captain. The Undead Warband offers one cool undead pirate, but for one model from a set of eight, the price is too high. The Witch Hunter set offers some potential champions and the Witch Hunter Zealots have a guy carrying a fish! You just can't top that. The Frenzied Mob offers some of the comedy elements essential for a pirate raid, including a potential ship's surgeon, man carrying grog bottles, man with missing leg and man having head eaten by a fish.

From Blood Bowl, The Mighty Zug offers a fantastic hero. Only his armoured shins worry me. Imagine him with a pair of cutlasses or cleavers... instant pirate.

From Necromunda, only Kal Jericho & Scabbs offer anything, though the Scavvy Zombies would work if I ever decided to include a few undead pirates somehow... perhaps a detachment of undead alongside a living unit...

So, does anyone have more modelling suggestions for me?

Ever thought of doing Norse Vikings plenty of models there for that.

Could watch the rather pants Pathfinder for inspiration

I buddy of mine from a while back had a Zombie Pirate army. It did not look too hard to convert up, just get a couple of zombie boxes, a couple empire boxes, mash the parts up, make greenstuff eyepatches, use toothpicks to make peglegs, tricorner hats from greenstuff etc.

then just find a couple of suitable pirate-heros, zombiefy them, and blammo, your done.

---doublepost---

For ally rules you are sorted. Maneaters have the mercenary rule so can be taken in an Empire army anyway.

For extra bits you should check out Black Cat Bases and Black Scorpion Miniatures who both have excellent pirate ranges (and are the correct scale).

Yep, like I said, that'll be my general!

Awesome model.

Yaaargh!

Go watch Treasure Planet, then go 40k. Everyone knows Space Zombie Pirates are the way to go.

I agree, with the guy who mentioned the bases. Though if you can get your hands on some cheap balsa wood (it should be cheap anyway), you can make planked bases dirt cheap.

I love the fact that Black Scorpion Miniatures have non-human pirates... Orc & Gobbo pirates interspersed in the ranks for the win!

You should definetly use Kaptin Badrukk from the ork range.