Viking Army

Viking Host

The Vikings were the 3rd army I made for AoA; about the same time as the giants. I had been playing elves for a while and wanted to do something a little different, a little more “hoardish.” Being the cheap SOB that I am, I also didn’t want to spend too much money on my new hoard. Well for a hoard army buyer on a budget, there is no better option than Old Glory 15s. I like the dark age, and the Vikings sounded neat, with lots of berserkers and the warrior ethos and the rest … is history.

I bought a lot of guys and prepared them for painting. It was A LOT of infantry, and it might still be raw lead today if not for a 1 month trip I had to take to North Carolina. Away from my family and with evenings free, I took them all along with me (along with various paints I had picked out as well) and painted the army over the next 4 weeks. The only tricky part was getting it home. It couldn’t come on the airplane, so after sealing them, I bought a rifle case, packed them in as good as I could and shipped it UPS back to my house. They actually moved around quite a bit (pistol cases work much better as I would later find out) but they arrived with very few casualties anyway.

This was my first attempt at a custom army. The army list is now in it’s 8^th or 9^th iteration after playing several games. The Vikings are primarily skill 2, with a couple of flavour elements. First, many of the infantry units have a str (0) ram attack. This is to simulate the effect of throwing axes, rocks, knives,etc… as they charge into combat. Then you have some mythical type units like the acolytes of Thor and the valkyries. Finally, some units get the infiltrate ability which helps make up for lack of cav and works with the raider (sneak into the village and steal all the women) lifestyle they used.

Vew a DRAFT VIKING ARMY LIST HERE (you should open this link in a new tab/window)
Download viking_list_v5.htm

The army as it currently stands measures out to the following strength.

75 Berserkers

25 Archers

50 Bondi with hand weapon

75 Warriors with hand weapon

50 Huscarl

50 Skirmishers

69 Warriors with Spear

25 Acolytes of Thor

12 Valkyrie

12 Bears

16 Wolves

16 Winter Wolves

That gives me about 10000 points in core troops. This is not counting any characters or monsters.

Almost all the models are from Old Glory 15s. They are from various ranges though, not just the Viking range.

Infantry

Berserkers: This is what I think of when I think of Vikings. Wave after wave of frenzied berserkers. That’s why I have 75 of them. There probably not the best choice in an army that is already limited in mobility due to the lack of cav, but they are fun when they hit. I field them in units of 15-29.

The models are all Old Glory 15s. There are some from the Viking range, some from the Gaul range and one other range I can’t remember.

Bondi with hand Weapon: The lower class warrior. What that meant was less armor and whatever weapon they could scrounge up. These are typical skill 2 grunts. Use them in the 25 man block or larger formations with a leader.

These are mix of Vikings and other dark age ranges from Old Glory 15s.

Warriors with hand weapon: Now you’re moving up the food chain. These guys get better armor and a better weapon. These are the core troops to build a battle line around. Use in 25 or 29 man blocks including a leader or two.

These are mix of Vikings and other dark age ranges from Old Glory 15s.

Warriors with Spear: The core warriors get long weapons. This unit can deal a little more damage with the second rank of attacks. Use to bolster the key parts of your batteline. Recommend a 7x3 or 8x3 formation.

These are mix of Vikings and other dark age ranges from Old Glory 15s.

Skirmishers: Used to harass the enemy and keep routed units running. Smaller units (12-16 man) should work if you can keep them from getting pounced on.

These are Armenians from old Glory 15s.

Huscarl: The ultimate Viking warriors who have advanced up the ranks by the proficiency in battle. The only skill 3 infantry unit in the army. Another solid infantry unit to hold the enemy and cause tests through mass.

These are Byzantine guardsmen from Old Glory 15s.

Missile Troops

Archers: The Vikings are not known for having mighty archers, but they did have some missile troops. Main use will be to wittle down key units or harass flyers.

These are Viking archers from Old Glory 15s.

Followers of Thor: Sort of a poor man’s high elf acolytes. Use against low magic opponents or missile immune opponents, but keep them out of combat and missile range or their lack of armor will be problematic.

These are from one of the ancients lines of Old Glory 15s.

Support

Valkyrie: A great flying unit. These gals pack a punch. Their evasion and fixed armor will also increase staying power.

These are from Chariot Miniatures. I had to make the bases and flight sticks from a washer and some metal rods.

Bears: A mobile but vulnerable cavalry force.

These are from Chariot Miniatures.

Wolves: A mobile but even more vulnerable cavalry force.

These are from Reaper Miniatures (old familiar pack, I think).

Winter Wolves: A mobile but even more vulnerable cavalry force.

These are from Reaper Miniatures (old familiar pack, I think).

Command

These are from the Old Glory 15s viking command pack and the BRF heroes and wizards packs.

Some Complimenting Monsters: Here are some typical monsters that get fielded as Viking Allies. The Vikings need some monsters to help with their lack of cavalry.

Dragons

Drakes

Air Elemental

Water Elemental

Wyverns

Roc

Minotaurs

Kobolds

Spiders

Lions

Ettin

Giant Ice Trolls

Manticores

Trolls