Any thoughts on suitable figures for the Drenai Novels by David Gemmell?

[Mason]

Not something that I intend to do with any urgency, but I wondered if anyone had ever given any thought as to figures to use for the various main characters, ie Druss, Waylander, The Thirty, Ulric etc etc

Also what your imagination conjured as a 'look' for the various races, Drenai, Sathuli, Nadir, etc....

I have my own vision of what these various characters and races should look like would like to see what others think and what figures would represent them best.

[Mitch K]

Wow, just what I need, another project I probably can't resist the thought of!

I think it depends how close to the books you want to be.

Any fully armoured plate and mail types would suit as the Thirty - the brighter the better, with plenty of variation in weapons, and your own design for the "Elder Rune" numbers on the helmets - lovely!

For Druss the Legend, check our Gripping Beast's Heroes of the Viking Age - loads of grim looking blokes with big axes! I think the Skarphedin figure would go well as Druss "on the march".

Gemmell based the Nadir on Hun/Mongol steppe raider types, so in theory any of these ought to be suitable. In the books, the Nadir were materially poor people, and the vast majority of warriors fought with small round leather shields, with leather or wooden breastplates.

Kiatze were obviously Chinese derived - lamellar armour and long swords.

The Sathuli ought to be reasonably simple - white robes, worn over armour for the nobles like Joachim, with curved swords. Any sort of stylised middle eastern types!

I felt the Vagrians were based on a kind of Norse or Kievan Rus sort of feel - it would work for me anyway.

Ventrians were kind of Greek/Italianate merchant empire, so Byzantine or Venetian types?

As for the Drenai, they were a sort of northern European "everyman", weren't they? Apart from the Legion, I don't recall there being much that identified them specifically.

[Christian]

Wow, i haven't read those books in a long time. Following this with interest!

[Quendil]

Definately will follow this. I can't think on any mini suggestions as its been years since I read the books. I must get them again.

[Red Orc]

In my mind (because I haven't really done this since about 1985) the Dark Templars in... Waylander? That was the one set 500 years before Legend, right? Anyway, I think it was whichever book it was where the 30 were founded that had some Dark Templars who were like the psychic Gestapo of the main bad dude. I was planning to get some of the Citadel 'Knights of Origo' and paint them with black armour and dark blue surcoats. I was also planning to use 'Mad Mullah Ackland's Death Commandos' from the same period as Sathuli, but they were maybe a bit heavily armoured. Needless to say, I never did.

[Gibby]

The Drenai were a bit vague in terms of what culture David Gemmell based them off. I have often pictured them as Norman types but with some units having better technology like breastplates, bastard swords etc. The mixture of weapon and armour technology that the world of the Drenai has doesn't really allow any faction to fit perfectly with any historical culture, but Mitch K has nailed most of them I think. Remember it is also very possible to add beasts like the Joinings into the fray for the Nadir, was it?

[Red Orc]

I think the Joinings were in the King Beyond the Gate, they were the sorcerous/technological (fudge) mutants that the bad dude used to try to put down the rebellion in that foresty mountain bit. Skoda Mountains was it? It's a long while since I read them.

For the Drenai I tend to think 'Robin Hood-ish' for the peasanty people with a bit more plate mail for the top nobs. Sort of late 12th-early 14th centuries, in terms of historical figures that might work.

[JollyBob]

Well there's always Hasslefree's Ferrus to get you started...



http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=ferrus~hfh057&category=miniatures~fantasy-humans

[white knight]

I think the Joinings were in the King Beyond the Gate, they were the sorcerous/technological (fudge) mutants that the bad dude used to try to put down the rebellion in that foresty mountain bit. Skoda Mountains was it? It's a long while since I read them.

They returned in some other books, including as magically created Nadir creatures and as a new breed of sorcerous/technological Joinings in the Skilgannon novels.

[Gibby]

Well there's always Hasslefree's Ferrus to get you started...



http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=ferrus~hfh057&category=miniatures~fantasy-humans

Perfect for Druss! It's exactly how I pictured him!

[DeafNala]

Now this should be an UBERCOOL thread to follow. David Gemmell & his tales are favorites with moi.

Aside from a bit too much armor, the Ferrus mini looks good for Druss.

[Red Orc]

They returned in some other books, including as magically created Nadir creatures and as a new breed of sorcerous/technological Joinings in the Skilgannon novels.

Sorry, I don't even know what the Skilgannon novels are - I read Legend, King Beyond the Gate and Waylander when I was a teenager in the '80s (and the short story of 'Druss the Legend'), and many years later read another one called Deathwalker I think. Not aware of any others, I got bored with Gemmell when he was writing all that Sipstrassi stuff, Knights of Dark Renown and Ghost King and all that. I thought they were awful. I wasn't aware he'd really done any more Drenai tales, I think I saw Deathwalker in a second-hand bookshop and bought it in a fit of nostalgia. Definitely, Drenan was my favourite of his settings!

[meninobesta]

I've always pictured Druss as Lucius from the Bones comic book (just add an axe to the picture)


Never read any story from young Druss.... 

[Mason]

Thanks for all the replies, chaps.
I really was not sure if this subject would grab the imagination, but it is something I have considered for a loooong time (20+ years, at least).

It is the mergence of so many SAGA/Dux Brit warbands lately that has gotten me thinking about it again, as I think the size of warband in those systems would be perfect for this type of project, although the LotR features for heroes may be useful.

I am going to do this in the future some time and was wondering if people had the same take on the races as I did.
On the whole it seems most do, but they are fairly stereotypical so should not be too surprised.

It is the less typical races I was struggling with, Lentria, Vagria, Ventria, but Mitch K has some great suggestions.
The Drenai themselves I see as fairly standard medieval types, certainly not the landsknecht-types that are becoming increasingly popular nowadays, but you may disagree.


Thanks to Gibby and Red Orc for reminding me that the Dark Templars and Joinings need to be considered too. They will certainly be amongst the more 'fantasy' elements. The Joinings would be of various types as well, as the Nadir Joinings were based on Wolves, while Ceska's Joinings wre a wider variety of creatures.
The possibilities.....

Jollybob: That fella would certainly fit the bill as Druss, but I have to agree with DeafNala that the armour is too much. Facially and build-wise, I think he is perfect, as is the axe.
As for that picture, meninobesta: That is pretty much how a lot of people see Druss, too, I imagine. More of a Popeye build. Top heavy with massive shoulders.

You have given me plenty to think about, fellas, so thank you.
If it makes you read the books again, I think you will be thanking me, though!

One small thing, though: No-one has mentioned Waylander, Ulric or Tenaka Khan.
Any suggestions for miniatures to represent these key characters...?

[Gibby]

Bit of a weird suggestion for Waylander perhaps, but what about a human-skin-painted version of the Drow on the far right here:



It might be that his face is a bit too "elvish" and the style of Otherworld may not match the look of the rest of your figures, but he certainly has the gear and the hair for Waylander!