GW Necromancer (2010)

Like the Evil Warrior, the Necromancer is another of the archetypes of Fantasy. Pale, sickly, old, disgusting and hateful, he is one of the evillest characters. Some authors have given him a twist by linking him with the Mad Scientist and namely with Dr. Frankenstein: he may be an unappreciated genius, and may be driven by noble motives. But still, he's unquestionably evil.

Gamew Workshop has had a long love affair with Necromancers since the days of Heinrich Kemmler, but in 2010 they came out with this piece, whose author is unknown to me but deserves all praise, because he has done an excellent job. This is possibly one of the best and most iconic miniatures ever sold by GW.

Its dynamism is perfect: the hunched back, the tattered robes pulled by a wind, the sword at the waits, coming out of the robes, the book hanging from the shoulder. And then the symbols: the staff shaped like a pastoral, but with skulls and fetishes hanging from it; the broken teeth; the skull in the hand. And the simplicity: just remove the silly collar (like I did) and the figure could pass for a classic one, and not a bit over the top like so many other sculpts from the period.

What more can I say? This is going to be a nice leader for any Undead army or warband in my future games. Lovely piece!