I have never played Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and it has been only two years since I play Warhammer
40k, with vanilla Space Marines (my own chapter). However, thanks to my university colleagues, and to break the monotony of space marines, I have painted a Mordheim Warband in order to use it in campaigns and short games when there is no time for a full
40k game.
Among the many WFB armies, Skaven and lizardmen have always atracted me. Their miniatures have always looked horrible to me, however, specially skaven ones. And I have always refrained from buying any metal miniature. The new plastic miniatures, however, which are more "streamlined" and "cartoony" in a good way look great, so using these new sprues and ignoring any previous miniature, I have built a Skaven Warband.
My philosophy regarding the hobby is simple. If one of my miniatures is not painted and sealed, that model will not be put on a game table. Period. Due to that, I have built and painted a full skaven warband with six heroes, rat-ogre and thirteen henchmen. I have also sculpted three giant rats on my own, as I could need them for a spell, and two objective markers.
Let's start with my Adept Assassin: Tyrolean Grey.
As you can see, it is the warlord from the Island of Blood set. I intend to have his weapons count as weeping blades, so I have sculpted drops in his weapons, and painted the blade itself with a greenish metallic tone. He wears a wyrdstone medallion too, and his standard has been substituted with a shield. I also eliminated the elven ruins he was standing on, giving him both a lower profile and a more aggressive look, as he is now rushing forward instead of upwards.
I forgot to paint the chain supporting the wyrdstone medallion, unfortunately, and only noticed that after sealing the model. This one was the last model of the warband to be painted.
Lore:
Tyrolean Grey is a decent warrior but horrible strategist from clan Skab. He was sent to lead a small force in an incursion to get food in the famous Cheese Festival of Krugenheim, but his incompetence caused his scavenger group to be decimated, and only a few rats escaped alive. Obviously, as a proper Skaven, Tyrolean Grey is sure that everything that happened is not his fault, but his superior is to blame, as the information on the target he gave him was not perfectly accurate. And it is also fault of his henchmen, since they remained dead after being hit no more than a dozen times with crossbow bolts. Damned Weaklings! Tyrolean Grey himself would have given up by the third hit, but he has only his silly and pompous overlord to fight for! those dead henchmen were fighting for HIM! They surely had to be inspired enough by his charismatic lead to stand upright for thirty or fourty bolts, no less! (Maybe this is also his superior’s fault, as he clearly gave him poor quality slaves to command. This is just another reason to backstab him in the future...)
As he is not stupid, Tyrolean Grey knows getting back to Nuln with empty hands would be a suicide, as his overlord would hang him, or sell him as a slave to another clan. Fortunately, the rats under his command are as scared of returning to their nest as he is, and one of his night runners has heard rumours, secrets of clan Eshin, which tell of a huge wyrdstone fortune which is hidden in the city of Mordheim.
After soaking their robes in the blood of the fallen rats to disguise themselves and infuse fear in their enemies, the warband leader is now taking his small warband into Mordheim, to get as much wyrdstone as they can bring back. Maybe if he brings enough wyrdstone to Nuln he can avoid being sacrificed. He might even get a promotion! And maybe in the promotion ceremony, he can get a chance of stabbing his overlord... a double promotion... That sounds GREAT...
