In and around the mountains to the southeast of the Kingdom, about level with the border with Kerrat, reside the Bull Tribes. They are called so because they worship a Bull God and all of them wear his insignia on their shields and mostly also their chests when they enter combat. Because of these strange beliefs they are viewed as dangerous heretics by the Kingdom and transgressing tribes are always pushed back by the feudal forces of Sir Knight-Marshal Cales when they cross their borders, which obliges them to stay put in their barren lands, which are bordered by lands controlled by a necromancer and the territory of the vicious Orc Tribes. For these monsters, the Bull's people are always a target. Entering their dark lands to vanquish them is just as impossible as negotiating with them. This harsh life in the mountains has spurned forth hardy men that are more disciplined in battle than one would first expect them to be. Still several Bull Tribes may serve as mercenaries for either the Kingdom or Kerrat from time to time. War is the best trade they have to offer, and it may thus become their way of making a living when confronted with a proper offer. In the situation they are in they can only be truly loyal to themselves and, though they will stand together and there is a form of hierarchy between the tribes, they have no high chieftain to rule over them all (this would stroke with their beliefs). Still, the Bulls yearn for a better fate, and they are much willing to carve the path to it with steel. Despite their strong feelings of honour Bulls are liable to fall into the trap of taking the wrong path because of the despair their situation brings.
Bulls like to fight in tight formations to push the enemy off the field.
The axemen behind the main line are to either fill in where the lines are broken (should this happen) or charge through and finish off the enemy once the pikemen have left them in dissarray. There they also stand safe from cavalry assaults.
Each bull phalanx is lead by a central chief, well-recognizeable thanks to his shiny shield and different decorations. These men are most often grizzled veterans who have seen many battles.
Three heavy troopers form the crucial centre of the phalanx. They wield altered pikes and are not only better armoured, but also stronger than the standard warrior.
The banner on which he stands may never fall or the Bull God will be enraged. He is therefore guarded by a skilful sniper who also has an axe hanging by his saddle should someone get near enough to have a go at the flag. It is mounted upon a seldom white horse (seldom for the Bulls, at least) that is decorated and protected in typical Bull style. The guy to the left is the tribe leader. He's clad in heavy mail and thick armour and, like all tribe leaders, was once a chief in the front lines of his tribe's Phalanx. Should the flag be brought down the Bulls will either lose heart or abandon their formations and go into a frenzy to please the Bull God depending on the circumstances and most of all, luck. Bringing down the banner hurts their honour severely, but when it is near and alive they may fight better.
Bull Tribes field no melee cavalry but each tribe does have a group of mounted crossbowmen with them to harass the enemy and protect the flanks of the phalanx, or screen their advance. They are heavy and well-protected and thus not as fast in both firing as riding around as one would expect from typical ranged cavalry, but they make up for it in terms of firepower and protection. Riders can't fire in a 360 degree radius like the runner-mounted rangers the Dwellers have and they are also slower than those, but still fast enough to stay out of harm's way most of the time.
Yep, a lot of my saddles are toast, otherwise I would've liked to equip them with swords as well.
Creation
Ah, the Bulls. I remember me and my mates saw them as 'the weakest' in the days of KKI because they were the least 'rare' minifig for us at the time and we didn't think much of them, and I guess it made sense back then, but I've started to like them more and more. So much even, that I was dissapointed to find out I didn't have any more of them than this. They aren't too heavily customized but I changed their hands and hips to make them darker and used the feather-like things on the horses and their helmets. I always used to be at a loss on how to distribute their shiny shields, but I guess this system works just fine. You know I actually still have a vacant bull shield left after creating this army?
They're supposed to be a force that is rather easy to play as long as you keep the balance up in the army and are strong in melee. The Phalanx type can go into a formation with extended pikes for extra protection and immediate counterdamage against enemy impact at the cost of manoeuvrability and movement speed. They can also go into tustedo or ring formation for a greater bonus, but then they can't move. It takes one turn for them to move in or out of these formations so they can't be used constantly. Bulls have no healers or mages up till now and the main idea is that they are a force that may be fielded to create a balance between two other forces, though I have ideas for battles where they will be on their own in mind too.
Stats
29 minifigs total: 1 Tribe Leader, 1 banner carrier, 1 Bullbeast, 3 heavy Phalanx, 12 Phalanx, 6 axemen, 5 riders, . (6 horses)
Updates
9th August '09: I added a Bullbeast minifig to the ranks. It is a unique (I don't have more than 1 part of most things I used to make it) and powerful creature with a double attack, sent to succesful tribes as a reward for their endeavours by the Bull God, to aid them in battle.
Plans (in no particular order)
- New head and equip for the leader (must become more badass)
- (Perhaps) new fig for Tribe Leader
- Add 12 foot crossbowmen (without leader)
- Add 6 Phalanx (the axeman leader's shiny shield goes to leader of new Phalanx, as does the head and helmet of the current Tribe Leader)
- Add 6 axemen (leader included)
- Make minotaurs (inspired by OneEye589)
- Write out actual actual stats for them, of course.
