Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: NickNascati on March 01, 2024, 12:33:31 AM
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All,
I’m getting the itch to do Prehistoric games again. I see three major ranges, Lucid Eye (expensive), Copplestone and the new Northstar Tribal range. The last two are certainly more reasonably priced. How do they compare to each other? Also, who does cheap Prehistoric mammals?
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If you are open to 15 mm, take a look at Khurasan Miniatures - they have a range of cavemen with a few women sprinkled in, saber tigers, wooly rhinos, and wooly mammoths (may get riders with the last one or two but they are separate). Acheson used to have 15 mm animals but not sure status. Irregular also has some to go with their Tusk rules. MY (Mick Yarrow) makes a bunch of prehistoric animals - though they look rather crude to my eye, not seen in person. Some items in Copplestone ranges. Hardest to find in 15 mm are female cave women that don't look like escapees from One Million BC movie (bikinis). Here is a link to Khurasan: https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/15mmfantasy.html (https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/15mmfantasy.html). Scroll down the page for the cavemen offerings and all the way down for some animals. If you want dinosaurs, look at their Prehistoric range.
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The Khurasan minis are nice, but these days I’m more into larger minis.
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Fifteens,
I’m actually having second thoughts. This is one case where I do in fact have the appropriate terrain in 15mm.
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Let us know what you decide, not at the top of the heap yet, but I've got a bunch of 15 mm stuff for when I get there. Check out CP Models Crom's Anvil scenery, some cool huts that can be used for Cavemen - at least I think so.
I still haven't finalized rules I will use but might just stick with Fistful of Lead with some tweaking. Have several other sets but none 'cheer me up' much. I like simple and quick - FFOL is both and can be used for just about anything.
Not sure current status of Magister Militum but they have a bunch of 10 mm animals that might work, just think of them as dwarfed versions of their bigger cousins. If still available, any way. Oh, and Acheson had at least one set of cool 15 mm cavemen if still available.
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Rules, yeah likely Fisful of Lead and maybe One Hour Skirmish for larger encounters. Huts, small styrofoam balls cut in half. I never buy terrain if I can help it. But I’ve got a lot of stuff to sell first.
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I can't comment on the comparison, but I've had the rules in my library and my eye for some time on Steve Barber's 28mm Prehistoric Settlement range of figures.
https://www.stevebarbermodels.com/store/-c36737745
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Nick,
I found this site really helpful when it came to making some huts for my 15mm cavemen and women.
https://carmensminiaturepainting.blogspot.com/2008/12/
It's well worth a scroll through. I used several ideas and downscaled them for my 15mm Prehistoric project.
Below are some huts I made using the techniques described.
(https://thumbs-us-east-1.myalbum.io/photo/540/66ae51c2-9ecd-49ad-b2e5-e5dd0afe89ed.jpg)
I've also made some idols and stone cairns for objective points and points of interest for my games.
(https://thumbs-us-east-1.myalbum.io/photo/540/1e7043c1-58f7-428f-83ac-049752647b0b.jpg)
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The Prehistoric Settlement rules are good, played them many years ago, part of what lead me to collecting Stone Age items. But Far Too expensive for my tastes - especially if you add in the beastie compendium, 45 pounds or around $50 US dollars.
Barry S., thanks for posting your little projects and the link, took a quick peek. Sculpey is a great tool, easy to work with, bake it up, and paint it. Only challenge is it can be a bit fragile with smaller parts. I am going to have to check out the "making" "women" portion of the blog. My biggest disappointment has been not finding appropriate figures for women and children - and old and infirm. Berry pickers and flint knappers, as I recall - been quite a few years, are important in Prehistoric Settlement rules, berry pickers for certain.
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I use the Primeval expansion for the Tribal rules when I scratch my prehistoric gaming itch.
I use 15mm figures.
Copplestone's Picts and some Crom's Anvil look-alikes are my Homo Heidelbergensis. Eureka's Hawaiians are my Denisovans. I have Acheson Neanderthals. My Homo Sapiens are a mix of Copplestone (his shapeshifters not only gave me three heroes but a couple of Cave Bears too, for example), Khurasan and a few bought from EBay that I've never bothered to track down the source of (possibly Splintered Light from the sculpting style). Finally Magister Militum's 10mm cavemen gave my my Homo Floresiensis/ Homo Naledi.
Most are still shamefully unpainted, as are the many beasties to go with them, but they hit the table blu-tacked to bases from time to time anyway.
For huts I use Alternative Armies' Orc huts and also huts and other camp types from the Crom's Anvil range from C. P. Models. Careful placement of bushes will obscure the obviously anachronistic elements.
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For a slightly different take on on pre-historic figures you have Eureka's Denisovians. Not the classic Hollywood look but variety is the spice of life.
https://www.eurekamin.com.au/news.php?newsid=EVFklFEZyVqGwltveU
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Not sure if they are still available but HLBS cavemen would go with Copplestone. Thinner legs but just as much fun. ;) LINK (https://www.hlbs-redux.co.uk/store/p62/Cavemen_x8_-DI51.html#/)
Some in my gallery LINK (https://www.orctrader.co.uk/LWTribes.html) The Cavewomen are Copplestone and one Antediluvian Miniatures
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Looking at Essex for something unrelated and came across the medieval Aztec in 15 mm, looks like a few packs would be easy conversions to cavemen: bowman, spearman, and slingers: https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/15mm-medieval-aztec (https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/15mm-medieval-aztec)
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Yes, Aztecs would be a very fun choice, and decorated with dinosaur feathers!
: 3
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I've used the Copplestone and other 28mm Cavepeople in some fun games with the grandchildren
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=128131.msg1620406#msg1620406 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=128131.msg1620406#msg1620406)
(https://i.imgur.com/dr26GqI.jpg)
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Shades of the Flintstones! Fun.
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Actually, Cat, the Aztecs I was looking at are without feathers - more or less "naked" except for breechclouts but the hair shouted caveman to me:
(https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/az17_medium.jpg?v=1571441498)
(https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/az18_medium.jpg?v=1571441498)
(https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/az19_medium.jpg?v=1571441498)
Of course, feathered cavemen could be fun - there is SO much we don't know about our pre-history.
Ithoriel, can we get can some photos of your work in 15 mm Caveman and terrain, etc., please?
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My own collection is a) largely unpainted and b) buried behind a pile of stuff while my kitchen is being revamped.
However, the following are images of most of the stuff I'm using for the tribes.
Homo Heidelbergensis
(https://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/images/img152.jpg)(https://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/images/img471.jpg)(https://www.checkpointminiatures.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tribesmen-1.1.png)(https://www.checkpointminiatures.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tribal-Shaman-1.1.png)Homo Sapiens (Khurasan)(https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/cave-headhunters.jpg)(https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/cave-command.jpg)(https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/cave-spears.jpg)(https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/cave-youths.jpg)Homo Sapiens (Copplestone)(https://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/images/img153.jpg)(https://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/images/img352.jpg)
First four top row only
And some huts for the Homo Sapiens tribe (Alternative Armies)
(https://www.alternative-armies.com/cdn/shop/products/hob02_set_composite_600pix_1024x1024.jpg?v=1571439122)
Skirmishers from Ancient armies (especially Near Eastern ones) and those from South and Meso American armies are options for Homo Sapiens tribes
Homo Denisova
(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW01_1024x1024.jpg?v=1577738106)(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW02_1024x1024.jpg?v=1577738155)(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW03_1024x.jpg?v=1577738191)(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW05_1024x1024.jpg?v=1577738310)(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW06_1024x.jpg?v=1577744518)(https://eurekaminuk.com/cdn/shop/products/300HAW07_1024x1024.jpg?v=1577744568)
Denisovan Camp (CP Models) - boxes covered with flock to resemble bushes, stakes are not included and my first attempt at painting the tents as natural fibres rather than cloth were not a stunning success!
(https://www.checkpointminiatures.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Large-Campsite-1.1.png)
Other Species
Acheson's Neanderthals and Magister Militum's 10mm cavemen don't seem to be available any more.
Those wanting to push things even further into hominid ancestry might wish to use Khurusan's Wildmen of the Savannah as Australpithecines, possibly with wingless Savage Forest Witch Winged Apes (minus wings) as heroes and the Brutal Ape Man Alpha Male as tribal leader!
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Of course, feathered cavemen could be fun - there is SO much we don't know about our pre-history.
There is nothing in the archaeological record that contradicts feathers.
=^,^=
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There is nothing in the archaeological record that contradicts feathers.
=^,^=
Actually, there's some evidence to suggest Neanderthals used raptor and corvid feathers for personal ornamentation.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045927 (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045927)
It would seem likely in that case that Homo Sapiens may have done the same.
Not necessarily all Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens everywhere but at least some, some of the time. Maybe Denisovans too.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" :D
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Given the widespread use of feather decorations across so many "primitive" societies known in the recent historical record - including people alive today, it seems considerably more than plausible that our more distant ancestors did the same in some fashion. While I certainly understand the need for appropriate rigorous attention to hard evidence in archeological endeavors, sometimes just plain common sense is more useful.
(My favorite 'case in point' is all those many stone circles with solar and/or lunar orientations - and other ancient builds than the cirlces. It seems beyond obvious to me that they were 'research sites' being used to build what became 'modern' calendars, Old World and New. Not only did they assist with agriculture, probably the impetus, but the knowledge gained could certainly be used and abused by people seeking power. Foretelling an eclipse might imbue someone with Great Power in the eyes of 'primitive ignorance' and thus be feared/respected. Can I prove my point? Not really. But I can believe it to be true. Just makes so much more sense than worship sites. Though they may have eventually evolved into such even if the original intent was entirely different. It also helps explain why so many- if not all - sites were abandoned. Once the calendar was well established with few if any new observations, there was no further need to maintain them. But for some reason, there is almost invariably 'religious' connotations assigned with zero evidence to support it. Some of the sites might have been in use longer than we now have as recorded history so perhaps literally thousands of years of observations. We just don't know.)