A suitable proxy
I’ve used proxies, using one troop type to represent another, in my games for years. My most prolific stand-in must be a unit painted as Numidians which has served as light cavalry for every army from Carthage to El Cid (where they were Jinetes for my Christian Spanish). I’m sure they’ve appeared in some Dark Age games too and might even turn up in the Sudan if I’m short a model or two.
As some of you may know, I’ve been quite taken with the Gates of Antares rules from Warlord Games. We’ve played a few games and the rules have made me think about gaming Sci Fi, something I’ve not done in a long, long time. The game is still in its beginnings, but there’s a growing amount of models for each side - certainly enough for the basic infantry plus support, even the odd vehicle. I really fancy trying out the new vehicle rules, seeing how they play (say, compared with those in Bolt Action), which means I’m going to need to use some proxies - at least until more of the ‘official’ models come out. I am also interested to see how the game would handle at greater numbers of figures and vehicles.
In recent games, the Ghar seem to have had the upper hand, although the arrival of the C3M4 drone has leveled the playing field. It has given the Concord C3 forces something that the Ghar should be wary of. In our latest test game the C3M4 took a lot of fire from the Ghar but while it wasn’t damaged, it didn’t do much damage in return. Trying out a Concord troop carrier in the game would be cool too.
My proxy ‘troop carrier’ is an inexpensive diecast model from the Disney Force Awakens range - a First Order speeder. I’d seen posts on the Lead Adventure forum about the model and thought I’d pick up two. Converting crew for the vehicle would be tricky, but I’m looking at the Concord C3 plastics and some ideas started forming in my head. I’ll do a further blog on how I get on.
Meanwhile, I suppose the moral of this story is: don’t let a lack of the exactly-right models stop you from playing games. Try some proxies and see what works. If you decide you really need that unit, you can always add it to your collection later.
