Mordheim: come for the warbands, stay for the battle reports.
Norse Explorers
Middenheimers, yes they’re fine.
But I fancied something different (again).
Looking through the lists on Mordheimer Norse Explorers jumped out. Who doesn’t love a werewolf?
Looking at my minis I decided to use the single sprues of ‘Soldiers 2’ and ‘Barbarians 2’ that I had picked up, along with some Bad Squiddo shield maidens to make up the all women force.
The heroes Brunhild, in the centre, is my Jarl. She is heavily inspired by Ursa, from “Killer of Killers”.
She is flanked by the berserkers Shani ands Kalyna.
Behind them come the Bondsmen Sigrid and Freya.
Ylva the wulfen, with her 3 wolves (OK, 2 are war dogs)
3 Hunters
3 marauders. In their first outing the Norse Explorers were up against the Kislevites who had torn apart my Middenheimers last time out…
The air hung heavy with the stench of ruin as the Shieldmaidens approached Mordheim’s gates. A bedraggled band of Middenheimers limped forth, their grim faces and the corpse they carried speaking volumes of a recent, brutal defeat. No threat to the Norse, Freya hailed them, hoping for scraps of knowledge. They spoke of a savage ambush by Kislevites, a fearsome bear among their number, and a leader fallen. Kislevites? They held no terror for the Shieldmaidens.
Without hesitation, the Norse warriors plunged deeper into the cursed city, following the Middenheimers’ directions. Soon enough, the Kislevites were spotted, a mere few houses away. Ylva, with her ravenous wolf pack, surged forward, the werewolf eager for the fray. Sigrid scaled the nearest rooftop, seeking a vantage point, while the archers swept right and the main force pressed left.
Sigrid, however, found herself immediately pinned by a hail of crossbow bolts and arrows. Dropping to the floor below to escape, she slipped, the unforgiving stone claiming her with a sickening thud—knocked unconscious.
Meanwhile, the berserker sisters, Shani and Kalyna, met the Kislevite bear head-on. Kalyna was quickly laid low, removed from the battle in a brutal display of the bear’s power. But Shani, fueled by rage, exacted a swift and bloody revenge, slaying the beast. Seeing Shani isolated, Ylva dispatched one of her pack to aid the lone berserker, for the pack always sticks together.
As Brunhilde attempted to reach Shani, a Kislevite war dog burst from around a corner, its snarling maw finding its mark and knocking her out cold.
Witnessing enough, Ylva roared and charged the pit fighter who had allied himself with the enemy. It was a trap; three more Kislevites swarmed in. But it was not enough. Ylva and her two swift wolves tore through their ranks, sending them scattering, tails tucked. The remaining Kislevites broke and ran. Victory was ours!
The Pit: Brunhilde’s Ordeal
But what of Brunhilde? She awoke, her vision blurred, the acrid reek of sweat and blood filling her nostrils. The Pit. Before she could comprehend her surroundings, she faced a new opponent amidst the baying, bloodthirsty crowd. To her own surprise, she managed to fell the pit fighter. Yet, in one fluid motion, he was back on his feet, his morning star smashing into her stomach. Defeated, stripped of her weapons and shield, she was unceremoniously ejected into the grim streets. Slowly, painfully, she limped her way back to her victorious, yet now diminished, comrades.
Nice work ! I really need to share my own terrain on here. I think its cool to make your own warbands given that the city would attract all sorts of people.
One idea I have is to have Mordheim surviviors, They would appear midway a game, intercepting the warband that, unfortunately, dared to enter their neighbourhood.
This mob would be based upon the Clubmen, the neutral militia force in the English Civil War, with a flag based upon the one they used “Steal from our city and we will give you no pity” (Steal from our cattle and we will give you battle”.