28mm Wargames Atlantic Lizardmen

[anton ryzbak]

Another great product from the energetic folks at Wargames Atlantic, nicely cast with loads of options. More photos here   https://antonswargame.blogspot.com/2021/04/wargames-atlantic-lizardmen-in-28mm.html

[Hobgoblin]

They do look pretty much the best lizardmen ever made. I've got a couple of sprues on order.

[BZ]

The lizarmen look great, but the weapon options are a bit strange in my opinion... Not really fantasy, not really sci-fi. I love Wargames Atlantic sets, but here I dont know what I could make out of it...

[Elbows]

Yeah, I was interested until I saw the sprues.  Does not look useful for fantasy much at all.  Very weird choice of weaponry.

[Hobgoblin]

I think the idea is that they can be assembled with low-tech or high-tech gear as required. With the rifles, they look perfect for the sort of primitives we used lizardmen for in 40K as kids. With the spears, etc., they'll be great as standard primitive lizardmen (I might cover some of the buckles with some sort of primitive gewgaw). It's the sheer lizardiness of them that stands out for me.

[Mr. White]

Initially, I too thought their lack of fantasy weapons was a turn-off as they didn't fit the idea I had of lizardmen soldiers, but that was based on decades of the Old World. With their machetes, javlines, and little blow pipe/music instrument things, a unit of 6 of these will be perfect as a SCOUT unit in Dragon Rampage.

[Hobgoblin]

Yeah, I was interested until I saw the sprues.  Does not look useful for fantasy much at all.  Very weird choice of weaponry.

As far as I can see, you get enough spears and swords for the entire sprue. No shields, but those could easily be added from the bits box, and the strap across the chest would allow them to be carried convincingly on the back. And they'd be fine without shields for D&D or whatever.

It looks like you get enough heads to build each sprue as three different species: 'chameleon', 'iguana' and 'common lizard'. That's a great touch.

[Abbner Home]

Good set, maybe their best in terms of detail of the several I've collected. I was disappointed by the limited weapon choices. The long guns are a cool style even if it doesn't fit my exact fantasy esthetic. I would have liked a better selection of melee weapons.

This is partially made up for by the excellent selection of head options.

The set is perfect for something like a VSF Lemurian tribe

[BZ]

Yes, the heads and bodies are awesome, but I cant understand the weapons... For 3 bodies, there are 4 muskets (for a specific sci-fi or some wierd stuff ok, but neither usable for classic fantasy or classic sci-fi), 2 modern firearms (obviously not for fantasy, but for sci-fi also limited, as they arent lasers or something hi-tech, so again limited use), 2 spear-things (which could be ok for fantasy, but are still awkwardly looking short) and 1 sword (which is really good for every use). So honestly, I dont see the goal there...

[Hobgoblin]

I think the spears are the kind of thing you'd expect D&D lizardmen to be carrying in a swamp encounter - both weapons and hunting implements. A lot of game systems assume lizardmen will be using natural weapons (teeth, claws, even tails) as much as hand-held items.

For classic sci-fi, isn't there always an assumption that there will be lower-tech primitives on some planets with breech-loading rifles or whatever? I think these are perfect for "hostile natives" on some unexplored planet.

In tabletop game terms, you don't get much more "classic sci-fi" than Traveller, where those assault rifles would fit right in! They're auto-guns in 40K terms, no?

And then there's all the pulp/Victorian sci-fi stuff. Lizardmen are essentially a pulp monster, and it's from the pulps that they come into D&D and fantasy gaming. These are just perfect for anything pulpy!

[BZ]

I think the spears are the kind of thing you'd expect D&D lizardmen to be carrying in a swamp encounter - both weapons and hunting implements. A lot of game systems assume lizardmen will be using natural weapons (teeth, claws, even tails) as much as hand-held items.

For classic sci-fi, isn't there always an assumption that there will be lower-tech primitives on some planets with breech-loading rifles or whatever? I think these are perfect for "hostile natives" on some unexplored planet.

In tabletop game terms, you don't get much more "classic sci-fi" than Traveller, where those assault rifles would fit right in! They're auto-guns in 40K terms, no?

And then there's all the pulp/Victorian sci-fi stuff. Lizardmen are essentially a pulp monster, and it's from the pulps that they come into D&D and fantasy gaming. These are just perfect for anything pulpy!

Then I guess, I had wrong expectations. And the big "CLASSIC FANTASY" text on the box is maybe a bit guilty in it too...

[Grumpy Gnome]

I really like what they did with these, a very broad selection of bits making them out of the box very multi-purpose but also adding new bits to my ever growing bits box.

If folks are not keen on the weapons in the box, surely they can use spares from their bits box. I have not gotten this box yet but I intend to, and I will likely use spare GW Seraphon weapons... or perhaps Northstar tribal weapons.

Of course I am lucky in that the firearms, even if a bit later period, will work for my Tarnished Splendor Napoleonic Horror project. And I think the sculpts look even better than the concept art.

Speaking of Northstar I wish there were extra tails so I could add tails to the Northstar/Osprey snake men though.

[Chief Lackey Rich]

People grousing about the weapon mix must be unfamiliar with Victorian scifi norms, particularly Space 1889.  Venusian lizard men have been a thing in gaming since the 80s, and both the spears and muskets are perfect for native lizardman militia (or rebels being supplied by gun runners, probably some seedy Yank).  The assault rifles are a bit of a stretch for that setting but not wholly implausible, there's worse places to spend invention dice than on better personal weapons.

People looking for more primitive weaponry could probably swap on spare arms from GW's lizardman range.  The plastics from there are some of the only things the Evil Empire makes that could be called reasonably priced, and buying bits on the secondary market's easy enough too.  Or you could try the parts from the Ghost Archipelago snakemen, they probably fit at least as well, maybe better.

Nice to see them going with more "multi-genre" kits that feed both scifi and fantasy and in-between.  The spider kits had a few options in that direction, but this kit goes a step beyond.



 

[dwbullock]

Personally, I was bummed by the automatic rifles.  I was hoping for primitive weapons (check), some kind of musket for VSF (check), and a laser/future type gun (uh ... an AK-47 looking weapon?).  Something future-ish that would mesh more with the sci-fi options on the spiders, not something that looks vaguely modernish.

Having said that, will still pick them up eventually, as I really like WGA and the stuff they put out.  Might be able to kitbash some more sci-fi weapons, but was hoping I wouldn't have to do it.

[fastolfrus]

For Sci-fi if they had technology for more advanced weaponry wouldn't they probably also have technology for something like body-armour rather than just a loin-cloth?

As an alternative, I'm fairly sure I saw an old SF film where the laser weapons looked like spears (the beam came out of the spear-tip).


For fantasy, short spears are probably easier to use in either a swamp setting or a dungeon - after all, the Zulus did pretty well with short spears