Start The Barons' War for Under $70 — Two Ways

You want to play The Barons' War. Good call — sharp ruleset, gorgeous range, and there's nothing quite like watching a unit of crossbowmen ruin a knight's afternoon.

Then you price out a starter force.

Footsore's own metals run $4 to $6 per figure for rank and file, with character models climbing higher. A 26-model retinue in metal lands you well over $100 before you've primed a single shield. Yes, Footsore runs the occasional starter deal that drops a metal retinue under $80 — on sale, not the regular shelf price. Or you go the plastic box route — $40-something per box of 30, three or four boxes deep to cover the troop types these lists call for, and you'll put most of what's in those boxes on your shame pile.

There's a third way. Buy the sprues you actually need, one at a time. Build a complete 500pt retinue for under $70. End up with enough leftover weapons, shields, and bodies that lets you kitbash a force nobody else at the table will have. Available every day, not just when something's on sale.

A unique 500 point army. On the table. For under 70 bucks. We've got two starter retinues to prove it.

Retinue One: Mounted Command

A balanced 500pt force with the leadership on horseback. Philip Druvins put this one together as either a complete starter or the spine of something bigger. 26 figures total:

Veteran Commander, Bannerman, and 2 Knights

6 Sergeants with hand weapons (foot)

8 Bowmen (foot)

8 Spearmen (foot)

The Shopping List

1x Mounted Knight sprue set — $17.99 4 riders and mounts — exactly the number you need for your Commander, Bannerman, and two Knights. One purchase, command element done. Comes loaded with lances, spears, and hand weapons, so you'll have a pile of leftover bits for kitbashing the next round of characters.

1x Foot Sergeants sprue — $11.99 6 models, perfect for the list. Build all six with hand weapons — pocket the spare crossbows and spear as free upgrades for your next expansion.

3x Levy sprue — $26.97 6 figures and 5 bow arms per sprue. Build your 8 Bowmen from the bow-armed bodies, then use the leftover Levy bodies as your Spearmen.

1x Long Weapon sprue — $4.99 The Levy don't come with enough spears. This sprue does. A lot of them.

Total: $61.94 for 26 figures, fully mounted command, with bits already banked toward your next units.

Retinue Two: All Foot

Same point cost (499pts to be exact), built for the second edition rules, all on foot. A different flavor — heavier on missile troops, with a Baron leading from the line instead of the saddle. 29 figures total:

Regular Baron with sword, mail & medium shield

1 Knight as Bannerman with sword, mail & medium shield

3 Knights with sword, mail & medium shield

6 Green Levy with hand weapons

6 Veteran Sergeant Marksmen with crossbows and padded armour

2 units of 6 Regular Spearmen

The Shopping List

1x Foot Knight sprue — $11.99 6 models, mixed weapons. Five become your Baron, Bannerman, and three Knights. One spare knight goes in the bits box for a future character build.

2x Foot Serjeants sprue — $23.98 You need 6 crossbow arms for your Veteran Sergeant Marksmen, and each Serjeants sprue carries 3 crossbow arms — so two sprues do the job. You'll have a stack of leftover sergeant bodies and a couple of spear/hand weapon arms banked for the next round of recruiting.

1x Levy sprue — $8.99 6 figures with assorted hand weapons. Your Green Levy unit, sorted in one sprue.

2x Levy sprue (for the Spearmen) — $17.98 12 figures across two sprues to make your two units of six Spearmen.

1x Long Weapon sprue — $4.99 Spears for the Spearmen. Plenty left over.

Total: $67.93 for 29 figures, with spare knight, sergeant bodies, spear arms, and bits banked for whatever comes next.

You're not paying for entire boxes of figures you don't need yet. You're not paying for sale-price mono-pose metal.

You're paying for the figures the list actually calls for, in the quantities it actually wants. Both retinues come in under $70. Add a can of primer, some tufts, and a few bases and you're still south of $100 — fully equipped, on the table, playing the game.

And here's the part nothing else can touch: every sprue you buy comes loaded with extra weapons, shields, heads, and arms. A metal figure is one pose forever. A sprue is a parts bin with intent — exactly what you need, plus a working kitbash kit. Those leftover lances, spare crossbows, extra hand weapons, and unused bodies aren't waste — they're your next character conversion, your unit champion with the fancy helmet, your Bannerman holding a captured enemy standard (or head), the one-off conversion that makes your force look like yours instead of everyone else's. And, there's nothing stopping you from adding parts from the WA Guards sprue or the Oathmark Human sprues, for truly unique kitbashes.

That's the real value. You're not just buying a stack of figures. You're buying a starter force, a kitbashing kit, and a unique army — for less than a $70.

Two lists. Two flavors. Both ready to fight. Both leaving you with bits banked for whatever comes next.

Skip the box. Buy the sprue.