Forging a Warband- What's your style?

Recently I have been drawn to the Reaper Bones minis. A selection of their lovely metal sculpts and a whole host of new minis all done up in very reasonably-priced plastic. Having had some Bones rats I am aware of the limitations and particular traits of the plastics, this is about something different.

We are going to be playing some Mordheim on the run through Christmas, a pick-up to a degree of last years' Heroquest campaign. To that end I have been toying with warband ideas. I've got some nice metal Pirate Orcs who have just been joined by an Ogre Shaman (thanks to JJ!) which are going to be my number 1 warband, marauding around the city in their airship. I was hoping Treps' goblins would also be joining the crew, but the less said about that probably the better. It's always nice to have a couple of warbands for these things though so we can invite newcomers to play and to this end I was browsing the Bones minis for some tasty characters and have settled on a Witch Hunter list.

Now the point of the post is this, I chose juicy models and then fitted them into the Mordheim roster, arming them as depicted on the model without any real thought to tactics. To my surprise the figures I wanted in the configurations of the miniatures came to almost exactly 500gc, just a dagger tot rhow in to make up numbers! Having then read a bit on Witch Hunter tactics if I were starting from the list/rules I would probably not have ended up with the combination I now have, but as I was compiling the list all kinds of back stories and plots began to creep into my mind so that even before the minis arrive I have a good sense of how this warband will play out. Not a way I've built a warband before, but one I've really enjoyed.

So what's your preference for picking small skirmish bands? Do you agonise over the rules and lists picking strategic options? Do you work out the back story first and pick models for flavour? Do you let RoC dictate your band for you on a roll of the dice? Work with what you have? Theme it? So many ways and all with their strengths and weaknesses. All I can say is I've really enjoyed picking the models I like the look of and crowbarring them into the most appropriate list!

This sounds like a very intersting campaign, You know you'll have to post pic sof Battle now don't you?

I've done excatly the same for my confrontations gangs.
I got a whole lot of adventurers, gangers to chosse from and then I decided the type of gangs I wanted. I then picked the leaders for each and then the hecnhman. The rest was just about dividing the crew men amongst all the bands but since I had a clear vision of each band's background the choice was almost obvious and some of them are really well suited together (pics soon btw).
Then I have gangs + background + suited models. I just hae to give what they bear and the related skills where need be.
I adjusted all of this with the models with no arms by giving them the weapons that would make the band the most balanced possible.

I also love building armies or warbands around a strong theme and choose the entries (hence the models) on that criteria.

Anyway, I really love your approach and I will always choose models over rules. I remember a time when people when armies were divided between "soft" and "hard" (maybe it still is the case) but I know I never could care less about such considerations be in when i choose my models or their equipment.

With Warbands I buy/trade for random figures then shoehorn them all in the Warband heh. That being said i haven't played a Skirmish game is many a year.

I think finding the figure first and then kitting them removes a lot of the power play aspect. Anyway you're more likely to get them painted if you actually like the figure and don't have to convert them to suit your stat line. Are you doingese before or after you've painted 1000 snotlings?

Oh in between the snots. Gotta do something to break them up a bit! Then there's the Space Crusade figures to get done, the Mechanicus to finish, some High Elves to paint, my Combat Card Goblinoids to start, a couple of dioramas to paint, my pony Halfling Knight, the Chaos Dwarves to dig out again....

But you know how it is when a figure grabs your attention, suddenly that project's all you want to do! At least these guys have to come from the States and won't be here for at least a month so plenty of time to get Halloween project Snot done!

Being a bit of a lead fanatic I tend to take a different approach..
I usually buy every option and then let chance choose the warband for me then at a later date when I do another I will have everything I need still.
I can't help it I like the lead too much and when I see so many options I just go mad and start a collection.
I have a near complete collection of necromunda miniatures because we started a campaign in January. Now its stopped for a bit so the lot is stored in 2 cases ready for when it kicks off again.

MD
(Leadhead)

Wow, that much 'munda must have set you back a small fortune, it ain't cheap that stuff. Makes me wish I'd bought more back in the day.

Picked most of it up dirt cheap on forums before GW ditched the line. I bought a big stack off GW direct too as it was still metal at the time.
Stuff off ebay was always bought in painted lots so that was also dirt cheap. Made my money back by stripping and reselling the doubles.
I am still missing a few here and there but I have overall costs of under £150 for about 95% of them all and I am only missing 1 of the rare minis (goliath bounty hunter).

Anyway on with the warband chatter

MD

Here's what I picked. A rag-tag, mismatched bunch which I imagine being an uneasy and needs-must collection of varying doctrines and approaches gathered under the iron leadership of their witchfinder general. There are going to be some differences of opinion among this lot all right!