In a previous article, I highlighted a few companies that made miniature figures that I had recommended to gamers. One such company that really stuck out was Footsore Miniatures, a company I first bought 28mm figures for wargaming Viking Age Europe. Let me say that I do not regret buying from these chaps, as they make wonderful metal miniatures for wargamers and hobbyist to collect. The first miniatures that I had collected were a six-point Scots starter warband. I have always had a fascination with Viking Age Britain for many years. After watching the television series, The Last Kingdom, I was eager to start collecting models for a new wargame.
After perusing the models, I decided on going with the Scots warband, as it would be something unique to play on the table. I liked the Scots warband for a few reasons. I love painting the strange Celtic swirls and animal symbols on their shields. The standards that you can order on their website are visually stunning. It is a bit of challenging painting the symbols on the small shields, but with the right brushes, you can bring some beauty to the mundane. I would suggest going to your local hobby shop and order some good brushes that are good with detail.
Another reason is that you can play a dual function with the Scots warband. You can create the Gaelic speaking Scottish tribes against the indigenous Pictish tribes by adding the Pictish standards and using the square shields. You can also put the two together and have a hodgepodge of Pict and Scot together and fight other adversaries.
It is worth mentioning that around this time that the alliances and intermarriages between the Scots and Picts created a blending of different cultures between the two. They are also perfect as a barbarian raiding party or might serve as character miniatures for other games, including table-top role-playing.
I got together with a gaming group near my hometown of Manchester and played a small game of Rangers of Shadow Deep using my Scots as local peasants defending their small village from the creatures of the night. The miniatures captured that dark medieval mood when playing the game with friends.
When it comes to the historical accuracy of how the figures are represented, we have to take into account that the Picts left very little behind for historians and archaeologists to gain a strong perspective on these people. What has been found through chronicles penned by monks, stone carvings, and small archaeological finds gives us only a small picture of who the Picts were. The Pictish people and culture eventually vanished from history through the Gaelic influence, culturally and through conquest.
As to how these miniatures are represented, I feel that the company captures what would be a good interpretation of a Scottish/ Pictish warband. Out of all the models from Footsore Miniatures, I would consider the Scots warband to be a favorite in my collection. They are fun to collect, paint, and can be used for different types of games besides historical. I would recommend checking out the Scots warband next time you want to play a Viking Age skirmish, or just need some barbarians to have your heroes to fight in your next game. Happy gaming!
Notes:
BBC History: Scottish History. (02/12/2020) Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/darkages/intro_darkages.shtml
Gunn, Robert M. “Story of Scotland”. (02/12/2020) Retrieved from
http://skyelander.orgfree.com/scot3.html
Footsore Miniatures company page
https://footsoreminiatures.co.uk/
