The Black River Rapscallions

 Scattered throughout the little frontier realm of the Baron Von Refn are many tiny farms and hamlets.  This decentralized pattern of settlement grew up out of necessity, for the Black River country is hard, and settlers must cleave to good soil and water where ever they can find it.  In these little communities, exposed to all manner of dangers, there is a common saying:  "When minutes matter, the Baron's men are hours away."

Though they are dependent on the army of the Baron for protection against invasion, the people of the Black River country, whether tenant farmers or free-holders, know that they must often be the first line of their own defense against Goblinoid or Chaos raids, Snotling infestations, random terrifying undead incursions, or the unexpected depredations of solitary wandering monsters.    

 Although the Baron posts small garrisons throughout the land, and though his Sheriffs and Rangers are always on patrol, the Black River country is wild and dangerous in the extreme, and farmers, drovers and woodcutters must always be prepared to hold their own until help arrives.

Though not professional fighters, the "Rapscallions" have learned to turn their homesteads into sturdy forts manned by determined, if not particularly skilled, archers and slingers...and so, thus far, the realm has survived.

 "Come on, Lads!!  We can do it..."

"...Dang!  How do ya get the string on this thing, again?!"


This was another unit that was long in the making.  About half the models are Black Tree/Harlequin figures I found in a bargain bin at GAMESCAPE when I lived in San Francisco about a hundred years ago.  Somewhere along the line  picked up  5 old Glory barbarian archers that got added to the mix, and there is also a Saxon archer from God knows what historical line. Just this year, I rounded the unit out to 20 models with the addition of some nice old Perry Brothers Medievals. 


Warhammer Armies  only allows the use of peasant levy archers in the Bretonnian army list.  They do not appear in the Empire list, which may be just as well, since, with a Ballistic skill of 2 and a leadership of 6, they are next to useless.  I think they may be fun for use with scenarios, however, and may even be a good investment for city fighting or sieges.  

We shall most assuredly see when I get enough finished figures together to start doing some battle reports.