Vikings as Heroes in the Modern Age

[Bill Hupp]

In a somewhat recent Medieval Warfare magasine (VII,2) there is an article that a researcher from a German University has seen the rise of the Vikings as modern heroes. They have gone from primitive warriors to now standing for "courage, adventure, revolution and strong women....This global enthusiasm is unique--neither the Romans nor medieval knights can compare with it."

I have noted that there is a glut of Viking related trading and roving games in the board game market. We have played some of them and they have been fun.

Just wondering how popular Vikings are with this group.

Who in the Triumph! world has a Viking Army and do you like to play it? My answers are both Yes. I would say I have not won very often with Vikings.

Bill

[jdesmond]

Salutations !

One of the foothills of my lead mountain is 'miscellaneous figures from Dark Ages to the First Crusade', and oneovdezedaze will paint up a Viking army therefrom.

A good friend of mine is interested in historical recreation of Viking-era clothing, food and cooking, mayhaps you'll find her blogs interesting:
http://cathyscostumeblog.blogspot.com/
http://cathyshistoricfood.blogspot.com/

Yours, John

[David Kuijt]

re: Popularity, the two questions I have for people who respond to Bill's question are:

1. Which Viking Army? (Viking Raiders or Viking). They are very different.

2. Playing Historical Matchups or in General? Vikings being very non-mounted play very differently in period matchups than they do in Open play.

For me personally, I love Vikings (both the Raiders and the normal army), but I mostly play historical matchups.

[Deuce]

I'm new to Triumph, but my first battle is going to be Vikings vs Vikings.

Mostly because all I have in 15mm is Vikings and Mongols. Viking vs Viking looks more interesting than Mongol vs Mongol.

I might call one of them Leidang for variety.

[Andreas Johansson]

As a historically-interested Scandinavian, I'm somewhat miffed by the appropriation of vikings as symbols for everything from feminism to white supremacy.

I don't have a viking army, but I have Orcadian allies for my Scots. The period isn't my favorite to wargame but it's popular locally, perhaps third after Classical Mediterranean and Late Medieval.

I generally prefer historical matchups, but a lot of what I play tends to be "near-historical" - armies that aren't historical enemies but were reasonably close in time and space. It's long since I played much in the way of wildly a-historical matchups, like Teutonic Knights v. New Kingdom Egyptians.

[Rod]

It was interesting at Historicon, the most popular demo board was the Viking Vs. Saxon Shieldwall battle.

I think their were people playing it pretty much all weekend.

[markleslie4]

It's the horns, everyone likes horns on their Chaos Warriors ...er... Vikings.