Collecting and Building An Army

SLUDGE is more of a hobby game than Relicblade or Warhammer 40,000 for example. Players have more agency when it comes to what figures they will use and what sort of setting they want to explore. The core rules are flavorful and specific, but the way you interpret them into your own armies, tables, and battles will be uniquely your own.

Introduction

I love studying history and I love wargaming. But I have often found that historical wargaming can feel a little stifling. I want to enjoy creative freedom as I explore strange and wondrous settings from history. I also want to separate my grim yet playful imagination from the real atrocities and horrors of our world. The semi-historical wargame “SAGA” comes to mind. What a wonderful game. They explore various ages of history and offer an opportunity to play. But there is an explicit playfulness. Sludge takes that concept one step further, in that the armies and nations do not represent our world. Themes of violence and warfare, greed and hubris, valor and bravery are all present, but you wont find a map of western Europe. It is a fantasy world, and the parallel to our world are up to your interpretation.

For my first three Sludge armies I used Perry Miniatures plastic kits. I adore their sculpts and I’ve been passively searching for an excuse to buy their minis for at least ten years. It turns out all I needed to do was write a game that used their figures exactly as I wanted. In the past year that I spent writing Sludge, I have purchased TONS of their kits. And they are all incredible. I can’t recommend them enough. That said. You can use any minis you want. I produce resin heads to convert the Perry kits into sludge armies. Those heads will work on whatever kits you want to use them with, but they are scaled with Perry.

Collecting: Choose your favorite kits!

The best SLUDGE miniatures are the ones I sculpted to directly reflect the lore, setting, and rules. If you are interested in kitbashing your own army, you can track down various model kits from across our diverse hobby. Looking at historical kits with an eye toward conversion is an interesting endeavor. Certain uniforms, hats, and weapons evoke a specific historical impression. Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes it isn’t. I personally hate the American Civil War. But while looking for the right figures for my “Imperial” themed army, I noticed how brutal and utilitarian the ACW uniforms were. The sack coats and limited equipment really evoke a brutal pragmatism. Which was perfect for how I imagine the Basilisk Empire!

All I had to do was replace the iconic forage caps with SLUDGE Imperial bascinets to immediately remove the figures from the American Civil War and place them firmly in grim fantasy frontiers.

SLUDGE conversion bits are available as digital downloads to allow players to 3D print as many heads as they need for their projects.