Cathayan Border Patrol

Today's post is a bit different from the others, showcasing an idea and some interesting models rather than intensive conversion work (which isn't to say I haven't done a little conversion with this group).

The full starting warband

I developed a mild obsession with Border Town Burning over the summer. I think it sets a gold standard for fan-made Mordheim content, and fan-made content in general, through the sheer level of care and detail put into the project. The writing is fantastic and well-proofread, the warbands are flavourful, and the campaign, random elements, bestiary, and so many other peripheral factors elevate it even further. I've been reading Mutiny in Marienburg lately, another excellent supplement that has the marks of BtB all over it, though it hasn't yet managed to "wow" me in the same way.

The Emissary, front view

But I digress. I'm not as hooked on BTB now, but it did lead me to setting a (pretty lofty, if I'm honest) hobby goal for this year: to build at least one warband for each of the campaign objectives introduced in BTB. After doing some theorycrafting and planning, I came out with _ planned bands: Witch Hunters, a Merchant Caravan, Maneaters, Chaos Marauders, Beastmen (who will compete with the Marauders), the Restless Dead, and of course, Battle Monks of Cathay. This last warband is the focus of this post, in case the title didn't give it away.

The Emissary, rear view

The Battle Monks are an interesting warband, described somewhere (I can't remember where, probably in BTB itself or on the site) as playing like two warbands in one: the fast, agile monks, and the more plodding, but more heavily-armed, soldiers. In between them is the Emissary, a light cavalry hero, and his complement of raging peasants who fill the role that warhounds might in another warband, albeit more expendable.

Soldiers with bows

The challenge of creating this warband will be obvious to anyone familiar with Games Workshop: GW does not currently have a line of Cathayan miniatures. It's important to note that "currently" doesn't mean I expect them to produce them at any point in the future, but they did make a handful of passable ones way back when. Not wanting to break the bank on old, obscure sculpts just for the sake of irrational GW purism though, I decided to take a different route: "third-party" manufacturers.

Soldiers with swords (left is converted from a Free Company greatsword)

It feels wrong to equate "non-GW" and "third-party", but what can I say, I've grown up buying, building, painting, and playing with one company's miniatures specifically. Say what you will about GW (and it's mostly justified, I'm sure), they make a great product and they've only been improving in production quality over the years. This isn't to say everything they make is great, but they hit more than they miss. I don't feel the same excitement about other manufacturers, or so I thought until I began looking for my Cathayans and came across Watchful I Studio. They ran a Kickstarter not long ago that I wasn't involved in, and from it came exactly what I was looking for: a line of historical Chinese military and fantasy miniatures. The soldiers, Emissary, and Military Officer all come from a significant haul I picked up over the summer. The kits are fairly interchangeable, and while the poses are pretty uniform, I think that's fitting for a column of soldiers.

Military Officer, front view

The main conversion work is on the Officer's mounted model. I'm very happy with the trail of his robe; I was trying to maintain some continuity between his foot and mounted models. The armour on his back is another story, however. The plan was to make a pattern using the handle of one of my sculpting tools, but the execution was a little messy. I would redo it, but it's good enough as is, and I'm not confident I could make something better. While I usually prefer to "cheat" mounted versions using magnets, it just wasn't practical with these sculpts, and I ended up being more satisfied with dedicated foot and mounted versions for each character.

Military Officer, rear view

Next came the peasants, this time from Perry Miniatures. If you want to get really technical, these are from the Japanese line and not Chinese, but they look the part and fit in well with the rest of the warband.

Raging peasants (far left might be used as a Swordsmith Hired Sword)

Last are the Battle Monks, an eclectic mix of Reaper figures from different lines. I basically searched "monk" and "martial artist" and picked out eight that were both thematically appropriate and within my price range. Not a lot to say about them; the photos speak for themselves.

All the Dragon and Warrior Monks I'll ever need

That wraps up the warband itself, all set to be painted (if/when I ever get around to it). While I was browsing Watchful I though, a few other items caught my attention from their fantasy line. Pictured here are Fu Lions (which will serve as Temple Dogs and can actually hold a mounted monk), and a small horde of zombies with a distinct Chinese theme. I'm not a huge fan of GW's dated zombie kit, but these should make for a thematic substitution as I build the Restless Dead.

Temple Dogs, with Temple Pup (or maybe Cub)

Some unlucky Cathayans

That's all for today. Nothing wild and wonderful, but I hope it can still serve as inspiration for those who want to try a similar project, or just explore what's on offer outside the realm of GW.