Hyboria in Plastic


...or the plastic adventures of Conan the Barbarian!


(Updated July 2002)

I got a message from Mark Hackney (a recent convert to DBx/plastic's from GW's Warhammer), mentioning that he was interested in pulling together a Hyborian campaign with plastic figures along the same lines of an article from Practical Wargamer.

It got me thinking how this might be done. I have scanned the Hyborian army lists published in the HOTT rule book [edition 1] below, and I have simply added which figures I think could be used at the end of each list.



HYBORIAN ARMIES

Based on the Conan novels of Robert E. Howard and to a lesser extent on pastiches by several authors and the classic Hyborian postal campaign once run by Tony Bath. There is only one hero (Conan), who must be diced for each year of a campaign until he reaches Aquilonia.



  • Northern Barbarians

    These include red bearded Vanir and blonde bearded Aesir, both Viking equivalents, brown haired Hyperboreans dressed in white furs, and black haired bare chested Cimmerians.
    Stronghold: Pallisaded villages.

    • 1 - Blade General or Warband General @ 2 AP
    • 11 - Blades (Vanir or Aesir axemen in mail shirt and horned helmet) or Warband, @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: God (Crom for Cimmerians only) @ 4 AP or Riclers (Hyperboreans only) @ 2 AP

Vanir & Aesir would be best represented by Orion Vikings, or Revell Saxons (if you can get any). Hyperboreans would be your fur covered Esci Barbarians (being re-released by Italeri) and Revell Gauls (again, if you can get any), while the Cimmerians could well be Italeri's Gauls, or those Barbarians and [Revell] Gauls without tops.

  • Picts

    Small dark haired tattooed savages with feathers in their hair.
    Stronghold: Wood containing pallisaded village.

    • 1 - Magician General: Shaman @ 4 AP
    • 11 - Shooters (Picts with bow and tomahawk) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Sneaker (swamp devil) @ 3 AP, or Beasts (sabretooths, panthers or giant snake) @ 2 AP

Picts could be done with Imex Suiox Indians - you could convert the rifles to crossbows for more shooters. Simply cut down the rifle barrel and add a crosspiece to the existing stock. You could even plonk a few mounted Indians (you get 11 per pack) onto some tigers to make some Riders (LH?).

  • Medieval States

    These include Argos, Aquilonia, Brythunia, Corintia, Khauran, Khoraja, Koth, Nemedia, Ophir and Zamora.
    Stronghold: City gatehouse.

    • 1 - Knight General @ 2AP
    • 3 - Knights (plate-armoured) @ 2AP
    • 4 - Spears (uniformed foot with pole-arms) @ 2AP
    • 4 - Shooters (Bossonian longbows in Aquilonia, Shemite bows in Khauran, Khoraja, Koth and Zamora, crossbows elsewhere) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Hero or Hero General (Conan) @ 4 AP, Magician @ 4 AP, Sneakers (party of assassins) @ 3 AP, or Riders (Shemite horse archers in Khauran, Khoraja and Zamora, mercenarv cavalry elsewhere) @ 2 AP

These sound just like Italeri's 100 Years War English and French or those produced by Accurate/Revell, or, at a stretch, Italeri Crusaders.

  • Shem

    Civilised semitic nation described as swarthy, hook-nosed and with curled black beards.
    Stronghold: Eastern city gateway.

    • 1 - Rider General @ 2AP
    • 5 - Riders (with bow, spear, scale corslet, cylindrical helmet, bright housings) @ 2 AP
    • 6 - Shooters (with bow, spear and scale corslet) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Riders (Kushite or Hyrkanian mercenaries) @ 2 AP

Italeri Saracens, with perhaps some Italeri/Zvezda Persian infantry to fill out the Shooters, and perhaps some of their Persian Cavalry to mix in with the Riders. If you can't pull together enough archers you may have to convert some bowmen, along the same lines as Tony De Lyall's medieval crossbowmen.

  • Stygia

    The oldest, most magical and most evil nation of Hyboria, basically Egyptian.
    Stronghold: Age old tomb.

    • 1 - Magician General (often in magical chariot with strange driver) @ 4 AP
    • 4 - Knights (charioteers) @ 2 AP
    • 2 - Riders (light horsemen) @ 2 AP
    • 4 - Shooters (archers and pavise holders) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Magicians (acolytes) @ 4 AP, Sneakers (demon) @ 3 AP or Flyers (flock of demons or large flying reptile) @ 2 AP

Stygia are easily done using Nexus Egyptians (from old Atlantic moulds). Again, you may need to convert some bowmen to bulk up your shooters.

  • Black Nations

    These are south of Stygia and include Kush, Darfar, Keshan, Punt and Zembabwei.
    Stronghold: Kraal in Punt or Zembabwei, stone city gateway elsewhere.

    • 1 - Rider General @ 2 AP
    • 6 - Riders (light horsemen with lance, silver scale corslet, ostrich feathers) @ 2 AP
    • 5 - Warband (irregular warriors with spear and hide shield) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Hero General (Conan) @ 4 AP, Magician (shaman) @ 4 AP

The Black Nations would be easily represented by Esci's Zulu's (well, if you can get hold of any...).

  • Near Eastern Nations

    These include Turan (Hollywood Saracen), Hyrkania (Mongol), and Zuagir (Arab).
    Stronghold: Eastern city gateway for Turanians, nomad camp for Hyrkanians or Zuagir.

    • 1 - Rider General @ 2 AP
    • 11 - Riders (mailed cavalry with bow and lance) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Hero (Conan) @ 4 AP, or Magician @ 4 AP

Italeri's Mongols would fit the bill nicely for the Hyrkania, Saracens for the others.

  • Vendhya

    Indian nation ruled by a young queen and unreliable nobles.
    Stronghold: Indian city gateway.

    • 1 - Rider General @ 2 AP
    • 11 - Riders (mailed cavalry with bow and lance) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Hero (Conan) @ 4 AP, Behemoths (war elephants) @ 3 AP

Not real sure. Only ready made mailed cav I can think of are Hat's Gallic and [Polybian] Roman cavalry, or Italeri's [Marian] Roman cav, though they ain't got no bows, or lances for that matter. Easy enough to whip up though. Biggest problem might be their European features (!).

Alternativley, you could try Italeri's Mongols, though they're all in scale armour, rather than mail. Still, most have already got bow and lance, so...

As for the optional hefalump, HaT's War Elephants come to mind, though they're the smaller African elephant rather than the larger Indian variety. Zvezda are bringing out their own elephants, and they look like they may be the larger [Indian] armoured Macedonian (& Successor) chappies.

  • Khitai

    Chinese nation, the only major power not to employ Conan.
    Stronghold: Chinese city gateway.

    • 1 - Magician (resembling Chinese sage) @ 4 AP
    • 1 - Rider General @ 2 AP
    • 9 - Riders (mailed cavalry with bow and lance or halberd) @ 2 AP


    • Alternatives: Magician general @ 4 AP, Blades (halberdiers) @ 2 AP, Shooters (with bow or crossbow) @ 2 AP

Well, how about Zvezda Mongols? Zvezda are also planning to bring out some Samuri in the near future, but I have no idea how many mounted figures they are planning to do, if any. And I know, they aren't Chinese, but, well...

As for Conan himself, I would suggest using a 25mm metal figure, so that he can stand out from the crowd!


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