History of the spear (really really abridged): One of the most common weapons of war and one used by the cultures far and wide, its one that has been on battleffeilds the longest. Essentialy a stick with a pointy bit, this simplicity allowed lord and comoner alike to fight.
The typicle spear was about the user's height if not longer, with longer being prefered as it gave you range to work with on the open battlefeild. Its simplistic design also left it plenty of room for a variety oof tactics based on length. Need something up close and personal? Make it really small and fight your enemies up close and personal like the Zulu. Need a range weapon? Make it lighter and now you have a javlin. Need more punch for your cavalry? Make it longer and now you have a lance. Still not long enough? Well prove to the world you are overcompensating forsomething by making it 20-30 feet and have a block of a hundred men move slowy towards you while this is pointed at your face, and you have a phalanx of pikes.
Even when guns were the dominent weapons of war, what is a bayonete if not a tool to make your musket or riffle into a spear?
By and large its not common weapon today outside of larps and primitive tribes in the South American rainforests or tribes that still prefer traditional hunting tools and methods in Africa, it is one that has done more to shape the battlefeid then the sword or ax.
In game history (and prior to 6th ed, you can take over). One of the oldest units in the game, it was also one of the earliest plastic kits. The minies in question came in packs of 16, and go back when you just needed 4 minis wide to have a full rank. While the ranks grew to 5 for 6th, 7th, and 8th ed, this pack still allowed one to get alot of troops in, with this being the cheapest unit monitarily (even with inflashion with the next ten years) and point wise when everything was limited to the points one could muster.
For much of its history it was a defencive unit, getting extra attacks for the spears if it didn't charge that turn. However it still provided alot of attacks, and being the cheap unit, you probably had quite a few of these guys.
However 8th edd changed that by having 2 ranks attacking (the first rank all available attaks, second rank by and large 1 unless you were an ogre, then you got a lot more; and 1 attack in the second rank). Spears added a 3rd rank of attacks. Make the unit a hoarde by having ranks that were 10 wide, and another rank could attack, and this was stackable with the spears and vice versa.
Now they are more a defencive unit but with a storn hitting power. They have 20+ modles: +1 to hit. THey didn't move this turn, another +1 to hit. Got shield: Improve your defenses! Have spears? You can hit things 2" away from you so lots of attacks from the guys in back.
And this is one I can see the veteran players taking alot of as they probably had alot of them to beguine with.
Also up until 8th unit the kit for them had a few things going for it.
For starters you could make spearmen out of them so you had plenty of spar parts if you mostly used them for one or the other. The other big thing was while small in number, about 1 in 6 or 7 bust was clearly female. This made us fairly unique as with the exception of wood elves, or a daemonette heavy chaos army, we lacked that with every other army, and to be honest, most of the units.
The unit had its downsides too. the hands holding the spear or banner were often cartoonishly large, and the banner was basicly a pike with a crosscard, and a couple of streamers hanging from it. You could add skulls on chains and a skull icon, but that was abut it. THe actual spears, I will get to them in detail when I do the pictures, but for the most part they were split between one of 3 types: Heavy Chopping Bade, something with hooks and almost slame shaped, and something that actualy looks like it was made for stabbing. Regardless I found some of them hard to work with as it made putting the unt as tightly as possible difficult, but that is not a problem now.
8th edd had a more streamline look and one that I like overal. You also had the addition of the Bleak Swords so more sword bits. The problem is now they were in units of 10, yet had the same price as the 16 pack. THis was odd to me as this was going to be the main units in the game. This was probably a sign of things to come in the coming Age of Sigmar, but I found it bothersome that I didn't find Corsairs as that unit was always going to be that way (it was previously pewter).
Stratagy: THere are 2 main ones I see, and the second could easily be split in 2 so I will call it 3.
1. Moderate sized units of 20-25. Can take a beating but can beat your enemy back.
2. Come in mass: Pretty much what I did as of 8th edd with the hoard formation. I combined my 2 spear units, added a few more and called it a day. While this makes the unit a nice juicy target, espesialy as some weapons and abilities get better when faceing large units, this provides a bit of shock and aw as you have alot of attacks coming your way. As its also a large unit, the unit can also loose alot of guys and still be kicking. Speaking of loosing alot of guys:
3. As of 7th edd, the Sacraficial Dagger was in use, and this being the cheap unit at the time, was the go to unit to die for your magic. I do not see that not happeneing now that the dagger is standard equipment for sorceressess. SO having these guys come in mass will definitly make it an all you can eat buffett for your spellcasters.
So to recap stratagy: 1. Moderat to large 20-25. 2. Com in mass, and give goblins a run for their money for coming in mass. 3. Come in mass to die for the sorceress that needs a few more dice for her spells.
Game Fluff: This changes back and forth over the edditions, but up until 8th ed, this was basicly a chaoticly evil army and one that was more prone to chronic backstabbing then a wedding in The Game of Thrones. In the 7th ed book, it said it wasn't unheard of for a DE army to change sides multiple times in a single battle. Often led by a Lordling that was of low standing of the Nobility, they were still Druchii and so feirce warriors through and through.Al edditions made them the common elf in DE society.
8th ed, they became more of a military unit through and through and there is a three way pissing contest between them (they see themselves as true soldiers through and through), Dark Shards (wimps for choosing a long range weapon), and Bleak Swords (spoild rich kids playing soldier). The Feelings are usualy mutual.
Pictures:
Not many of these were early ones so you are basicly seeing my evelution, or de-evelutuon, as a painter, and all but one are the old type.
I also have about 60 of these elves.
The reason for the different collors was partialy for my army fluff as its largly made up of the troops n one else wants, so a mix of Dirty Dozzen and Red Vs Blue, so they co form all parts. But there is also the fact I combined 2 seperate units then kept adding guys.
Comand Options: Lordling, Standard Bearer, and Musician (a horn blower).
The Champion I wanted to do something a little different with, and cut the sword hand so it looked like she was pointing at you. Moreover I added a greenstuff cloak for flair.
Some unique ones, and a normal one for comparisons, either in what I did or experimented with colors. This is also a good shot of the different spear types. ANd here is a comparison to a modern unit
I just wanted to add some gold to this one to see what would happen. May make her a champion if I split this unit up.
I was short on sheilds and a pice from 50 cd pack broke and looked too perfectly like a shield. It was also the right size.
Not sure why I changed the arm like this, but probably either for effect, it broke, or wanted it to fit in better. Was also a musician when the unit was 2 units of 20-25
By and large I had some spar parts from when I did a highelf chariot as a roman charioteer for my Mom's Little Town of Bethlahem set. SO I gave hi a DE arm and head,na da spare ogre gut plate, and made himm look like her was splattered with blood. He's Har Gathen.
Spear Type 1: This one looks like it would work best with a unit like this, and meant for stabbing. I don't have much of an oppinion of it other then they were the fairly easy to get minies next to eachother.
SPear type 2. The thick bladed glaive, a go to repair blade for when the Har Ganeth Executioner's swords inevitably broke off, and my favorite of the three. But this does seem like something a general or champion or an eleite uit would weild, not the basic troops.
Type 3. My least favorite adn the oddest looking of the group. Granted all the hooks look like something that could dismount a cavalry soldier, and the flame design such as found on Kriss style daggers in the philipines and on Celt spears make casuing damage even easier to do. They are also the hardest to fit in, so I ended up having them on the end left flank of the unit whenever possible. THe last guy is something you will see more often in my crossbow units, but I have a couple minies here withthe sheild hanging on their back
Pikemen. The pikes are tyicly used for banners in this unit, but the spurs have multiples of the so I used a few. The one in blue is one of the ones I did my simple green experiment on and was also a standard bearer. I remember doing him and the one musician to look like they were trying to pick a fight with eachother.
Some spearmen to better showcase the breastplates, but I suspect when I do "Show us Your Crossbows" you'll get a better view of it.
Female Torso.
I partiularly like this one. Its almost like German armor with the flanges.
And now for the heads (calm, screaming, and grim.
