5 More Superhero Wargames Armies Ideas

Given that absolutely no one seemed interested in my last article about building superhero-themed miniature wargames armies, I decided I just had to do another one. Seriously, that article is probably one of my least viewed, it's crazy. The lack of interest, however, hasn't stopped my brain from coming up with more and more ideas for wargames armies inspired by superhero media, hell, I even built a Warhammer 40,000 Deathwatch army based on the Asgardians from Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anyway, if you're superhero inclined and wargames inclined, here are some more ideas on combining the two in games other than SuperSystem and the like.

Wilderbots (Marvel)

(really wanted a better picture, sorry) 

Concept: On the distant planet of Sakaar, technology has regressed and society is slipping backwards into feudalism. Out in the wastelands, the dread "Wilderbots" roam free, terrorising the natives, destroying crops and raising villages. The Wilderbots are malfunctioning and broken robots that have gotten loose and exist only to destroy, a great wargames army concept if ever I heard one. Seriously, I've been tempted to build this army since I first read Planet Hulk. 

Army Building: What immediately springs to mind for me is that the Wilderbots would make a great "counts as" army for Tyranids for 40K. The army would be made up of rampaging robots off all shapes and sizes, so something that lets you build in more than just "standard infantry size" is a must. An alternative would be something like Chaos Daemons or even an army with plenty of cavalry and tanks. 

Models: There is such a wealth of robot, android and cyborg miniatures available that I would be doing a disservice to try and list them all. Add the number of toys and models that also fit the bill and you'll be spoiled for choice. If it were my army, I'd be looking at Star Wars, Heroclix and Horrorclix to fill out the bulk, as they're the only ranges in plastic that aren't GW Necrons.

GCPD (DC)

Concept: Making a wargames army of police may seem a little odd, but a quick look at Batman No Man's Land or Battle for Bludhaven and you'll see that Gotham PD is a force to be reckoned with. This isn't something that would be a huge army, but more of a platoon at most, with more of a focus on characters and interesting army building than ranks of troops. Sure, Jim Godon is your "General", but don't forget elite SWAT teams lead by Brandon or Petit, "scout squads" of tertiary Batman allies like Huntress and Spolier and, of course, Batman as your elite assassin or maybe orbital bombardment token. 

Army Building: I've covered this a bit above, but there really is no limit to this if you think about it a bit. I'm not going to make a political comment on militarised police forces (much), but surely Gotham has been issued with APCs and sonic canons from the Wayne Foundation, and we know that Gordon is happy to use the myth of Batman to his advantage, which could translate to the tabletop as some kind of punji pit or minefield thinning out the thugs. Hell, Clayface joins the force in one continuity! There's your Dreadnought/Giant/Mech right there! 

Miniatures: There is plenty available in the Knight Models range, but cost may be prohibitive, for a cheaper alternative, Heroclix and Modern Police are pretty widely available. Most of the characters (Gordon, Montoya, Bullock etc) are in the Heroclix range, not to mention there are plenty of great APCs, police vans and cars around in toy lines and even 3D prints. 


Africans (Tarzan)

Concept: Basically, what if The Legend of Tarzan had ended with a proper battle and not the cop-out we got? Seriously, that still bugs me. Natives, apes, lions, wildebeest, crocodiles and snakes, all led by Tarzan himself, that's a heck of a force to put on the table. I've already made something like this for Empire of the Dead, but there is plenty of scope for larger armies in games like GASLIGHT or Dragon Rampant.

Army Building: Obviously, Tarzan will be a combat-based leader, like a Space Marine Captain or Ork Warboss, but the rest of the army should be close-combat heavy as well, though the native tribes could have some mild ranged attacks to represent spears and bows. Large apes could form units of fast-moving shock troops, with crocodiles and snakes forming ambush units or trap counters. 

Miniatures: Plenty of companies make Tarzan, I bought the Tin Man one because it has a good size and presence, but the Reaper version is also pretty nice. When it comes to animals, I tend to shop at Eureka, because of the price and range, and also because I can drive there in around half an hour. Once again, Reaper and Wizkids do a decent range of affordable animals. 


Space Knights (Marvel/IDW)

Concept: Rom has a complex history between the Marvel and IDW runs, but basically, the Space Knights are an alien race who have sacrificed their bodies to become the ultimate cyborg warriors to battle the Dire Wraith menace. Each Space Knight is the master of a particular martial skill or weapon, making them individually formidable and almost unstoppable en masse. Sent across the galaxy to hunt down and eliminate Dire Wraith Infiltrators, the Space Knights are a law unto themselves. 

Army Building: The Space Knights would be an ideal basis for any gaming army that focuses on a small number of elite troops, like Grey Knights, Deathwatch or Enforcers. There are characters like Rom, Starshine and Terminator for leadership roles, plus plenty of disposable background Space Knights to fill out your squads. One of the best parts of this concept is that each Space Knight is unique, so "counts as" weapons need not really be an issue, who's to say one can't have a Plasma Gun or Assault Canon? 

Miniatures: There are actually a few Space Knights in the Heroclix range to get you started as well as a few good "not-Roms" if you look around. More so than other armies on this list, Space Knights will require some conversion, fortunately the "generic" Space Knights in the Heroclix range are pretty easy to work with, especially if you have some plastic GW Eldar arms lying around. Space Knights tend not to use vehicles, but any suitably Kirby-esque space craft will probably suit the look just fine. 


Monster Society (One Punch Man)

Concept: Admittedly, this one isn't too different from either the Wilderbots above or the Abomi-Nation from last time, however, the visual aesthetic would be vastly different. A hidden collective of monsters set on eradicating humanity, the Monster Society operates on a brutal system of "survival of the strongest", with those who fail or get injured becoming food for the others. If you like big nasties and being evil, the Monster Society is right down your alley. 

Army Building: Again, the Monster Society offers a great deal of flexibility for a wide variety of games. From 40K Tyranids, to Warpath Plague and even Horizon Wars, just about any army with more of a close combat bent to it would work fine with this theme. I could honestly see it working brilliantly as an Age of Sigmar Gloomspire Gitz force if you have the player group that would let you get away with it. So long as there's a vague Anime vibe, just about any monster will fit this army pretty well. 

Miniatures: There are plenty of monsters around in a variety of scales, but I'm actually thinking of a toy line from another Manga series, MUSCLE. A little big for 28mm, but perfect for heroic scale games, MUSCLE are a hard rubber figurine line that features anime styled monsters and aliens. For bigger units, take a look at model ranges from Ban Dai and the like, there is a wealth of stuff available. 

Hope that gets you started, I know I'm trying to resist making more armies along superhero lines, but then, it's kind of a problem for me...