Who shall stem the tide of chaos?

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! For all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!

 (Quote attributed to some bloke in shiny armour on a horse)

The forces of chaos are gathering for the march on Nottingham this Summer, and if reports are to be believed in their wake come all manner of foulness; Dark Elf, Orc and Goblin. So who will stem this tide of evil...

The time of the Elves is over, my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They toil away in caverns, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others.

It is in Men that we must place our hope.

But where are the men? The real men? OK, perhaps not the real men, but at least they're 25/28mm equivalent? Remember those great table battle scenes of old, when it was the forces of men that held back the tide of chaos? In today's game we have the forces of Khorne allied to those of Slaanesh and I've even heard it said that elves can bind chaos demons to their will. What has the world come to? Let us dispense with this blasphemy and return to a golden age when it was clear where battle lines were drawn, and it was men that drew them! Some of my favourite battle scenes from old issues of White Dwarf and the early editions of Warhammer featured humans vs chaos:

OK on to some figures below (from Bryan's collection). LOOK AT ALL THE GORGEOUS SHIELDS! I dont know who painted these but they are luuvverly. And the figures themselves, which are 1980's sculpts - aren't the Perrys just brilliant? These figures can hold their own in any company today, and even better most of not all of them are still available to buy at Wargames Foundry. Perhaps these colour schemes may give you some inspiration for your own goodly men. I have to admit that I will be making chaos my priority for the Oldhammer Weekend, but if I get time I may stock up on a force of these for the day too. Anyone fancy a man-on-mutant punch-up?

The archers and cavalry ain't too shabby: