The Crusaders - Getting Started

Just like with my Broken Legions stuff, Outremer: Faith and Blood (again from Osprey's blue series) offers me a chance to enjoy a different game, exploring a different era, with different styles of model in a very affordable way. Of course, in a game ultimately about the Crusades, it would be a bit weird if I didn't have a Crusader warband!  So, picking up a few sprues and some metal minis I put together a warband of Frankish zealots.

Of course, every warband needs a leader and in this case it is a Knight who I have named Adelbert de Stavelot (centre).  He is joined by his loyal, but possibly psychotic squire Bernard de Stavelot (left) and the ranting preacher Farther Norbert (right):

Adelbert and Bernard are from Crusader Miniatures (their Later Crusades range) and the priest model is from the always-superb Perry Miniatures (Crusaders range).

The next tier of fighters are the men-at-arms type; I've gone for one ranged specialist and one melee focussed chap.  Here's Médard (left) and Letard (right):

Médard is another Crusader Miniatures model with an added shield from a Fireforge sprue for some added survivability.  Letard is made from a Fireforge Foot Sergeants sprue and carries a rather wicked mace.

Further down the chain we have a couple of hairy pilgrim types.  These are Poppo (left) and Ebbo (right):

These guys were made from a Gripping Beast Dark Ages Warrior sprue.  Nothing fancy, but give me some low-cost melee support options.

Of course, it'd be a bit silly not to have some ranged options, so some bow armed pilgrim types were in order.  L-R we have Dudon, Fulk and Brice (not of Nice):

Again these are Gripping Beast minis, this time from a Dark Ages Archer sprue.

Finally I thought it made sense to have some low-tier fodder - over the course of a campaign these guys (if they survive) can specialise into tradespeople giving all sorts of useful skills.  L-R we have Abbo, Odger, Pepin:

Handsome chaps aren't they?! Handily, these nicely used up the remainder of the Gripping Beast Dark Ages Warrior sprue.

I'm aiming to give these guys a colour scheme tied to one of the coats of arms associated with my family name - no way I could recreate the real coat of arms though!