Sir Bashalot

I played my first game of Warhammer: The Old World last week. My opponent said it felt more like a psychology test than a game! 

It was a bit dense, but we got through it and all jokes aside actually had fun. One set of miniatures I’ve always been enamored with are the Questing Knights—noble warriors who have renounced their titles and lances to undertake the Grail Quest. Many don’t return, but those few who do have drank the grail of the Lady of the Lake, and are essentially super heroes.

(The official models, for reference, pulled from a quick image search and very beautifully painted)

(Another photo pulled straight from GW’s website)

The only problem is…they are just not worth the cost. Absolutely some of my favorite modes, specifically that chap with the Norman haircut hugging his greatsword; but they are $60 for 3 minis!!! And they are made to order, so you are waiting 6 months to get them. 

Conveniently, you also need at least 5 to form a unit in your list, and 6 if you want to utilize the Lance Formation (which is the Bretonnians’ gimmick, think Frankish Crusaders). So for a pittance of $180 and 6 months of waiting, you too can be consumed by the overwhelming fear that you might drop one—or worse, do a bad job painting them!

In light of this cost-to-value conundrum that is reminiscent of every 80’s dystopian flick about giant corporations leeching the simple man dry, I’ve chosen to build my own. I already completed one months ago as a tester, and now I’m going full tilt at the goal!

For the knight pictures first in this post, I started with base pieces from the Knights of the Realm box. The horses are exactly the same, I’m pretty sure, so we’re off to a good start.

Next up, the torso/left arm, and legs are from the very same kit. By turning the first just a bit off center, Sir Bashalot is holding the reins of his noble steed, which really matches the character of the horse’s neck and head sculpt.

The knight’s right arm is a shouldered greatsword bit from the Frostgrave Soldiers kit. A friend at my game shop gave it to me, and I used it on another project that didn’t pan out perfectly. So it got repurposed. 

His head is from the Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen kit, I’m going to paint the hood up to look like a weathered arming cap, and I love the eye patch. This brings us to another aside about these questing knights (I’ve spent a lot of time pondering prior to action, you see): they’ve taken vows of errant heroism that only end if Lady of the Lake deems them worthy of the Grail.

According to the all encompassing lore, the Grail blessing is very rarely bestowed, and the knights who go questing often die without ever achieving their goal. This means that these knights ought to be the most grizzled monster-hunting action heroes in the army. And since they’ve essentially renounced any property other than what they carry on their horse, they should be looking pretty weathered.

So…yeah. He’s got an eye patch and a beat up arming cap.

I chipped up his shield and then attempted to make a bundle of goodies like on the official models. This is honestly the hardest part. He’s got a chest for coins, a warhorn, a weird little heart-in-a-box that looks like a valentines gift, and his helm dangling on the left side of the horse.

A Bretonnian shield  pauldron has been added to his sword arm to cover up the general differences between it and the rest of him, and he’s ready to paint.

I’ve ordered a Frostgrave Soldiers kit with a conveniently timed gift card I received, and once it arrives I’ll set to the others. I’m hoping the kit will also help me bolster my general forces of peasants and allow me to really bring some character to the tabletop.