I've been hearing good things about Frostgrave...

...so maybe someday I'll buy the rules and try them out with my historical collection, as an alternative to Mordheim.

Apparently the distinguishing feature of Frostgrave is that each warband is build around a wizard and an apprentice. So I've started converting leftover miniatures into 17th-century spellcasters.

The generic duo is entirely Warlord Games plastics, except for the greenstuff and red beads. The Scotsmen are also Warlord-based, but with Gripping Beast spear arms and I think one Perry Zouave arm. The Cossack apprentice is a Zouave with a GB spear arm, and the older Cossack is a Fireforge Mongol with Warlord pike arms and a cut-down GW spearhead.

an anachronistic gentleman

Here's a dude with no particular purpose. Maybe he could be a character in a loosely historical RPG? The legs are Fireforge steppe infantry, the torso (including the sash) is Wargames Factory WSS, the hat and arms are from the Warlord firelocks, and the head is from Gripping Beast's dark age warriors.

Oh dear.

No. Please no. I can't afford a new project, I can't spare the money, the time, or even the space. This is extremely unfortunate.

Even if they'd make great foes for my Vikings.

Filling in the corners

I finally replenished my greenstuff stash with a trip to the Compleat Strategist in Manhattan (strange that it's more convenient for me to take the train to another state than to get to any of the closer hobby stores, but that's carless life for you). Given my idiosyncratic style, my hobby progress was pretty much paralyzed without it. Here are a motley bunch of rebels to get my units up to full strength with no overflow.

To start, some plain Cossack moloitsy. Two from Perry zouaves, one from Gripping Beast dark ages warriors. GB head on the left, other two have Fireforge Mongol heads, all with greenstuffed hat/hair.

Mostly GB Arab bodies with Zouave arms and heads. The tall one is Wargames Factory WSS with a Mongol head, and the officer has Wargames Factory WSS arms.

GB dark ages with a few GB Arab bits. And a short length of wire for the nailbat.

Ditto here.

a whole mess o' moloitsy!

More kitbashing with the same sets as last time. These are all the guys I need to bring my moloitsy (non-registered Cossack infantry) up to six units. The first picture has musketeers and one spearman. The second is all the standard bearers I will be distributing among my regiments. Sorry it's so blurry, but you get the idea.

Kitbashing szlachcic, strelets, azaps, and serfs

Man, spellchecker hates that post title.

So I broke down and bought some of the newer plastics that weren't around back when I was building my armies. I got the Gripping Beast Arabs and their Dark Age Warriors, and also the Fireforge Mongol infantry. Seriously good stuff.

The simplest and most immediately useful application is using the Dark Ages minis as peasant rebels. Just give 'em furry hats and even worse weapons.

Next up, also easy but less relevant to my immediate projects, azaps made from medieval Arabs. Muskets taken from both Warlord's storming party and Perry zouaves, because they're a ramshackle bunch. More variety on the command, ask if you have questions about specific bitz. Even though I don't have plans for an ottoman army any time soon, these guys may come in handy for skirmish stuff.

Finally, two moderately difficult conversions. A szlachcic (singular of szlachta) and a strelets (singular of streltsy). The first is for skirmish gaming (or possibly a dismounted cavalry storming party), and the second is the first of an intended unit. Both are a bit involved, primarily because of the fiddly embroidery on their chests.