Warhammer Age of Sigmar Vanguard: Seraphon
review by Sergio Almonte
The ground trembles before our step. The light of mighty Chotec shines upon our scaled backs. We walk through paths unseen. We are the truest champions of Order, and the jungle will heed our call.
Welcome my fellow coldblooded servants of the Great Plan! This is Starmaster Sergio speaking, hoping to court the favor of the Old Ones by reviewing the primordial Vanguard: Seraphon! Over the course of this review, I hope to illuminate the various aspects that make this box a vital addition to any Seraphon army and a great choice for any hobbyist interested in challenging themselves with a fun and unique painting experience!
Contents
Bundled together in this box are…
- A Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur (who can be built as either a Scar-Veteran on Carnosaur, or as a Skink Oracle on Troglodon plus a Saurus Oldblood on foot.)
- Three Kroxigors (who can alternatively be built as Kroxigor Warspawned.)
- Ten Saurus Warriors
As with all Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Vanguard boxes, purchasing Vanguard: Seraphon offers a bulk discount compared to picking up each kit individually. Indeed, thanks to the selection of units within the box, Vanguard: Seraphon slots perfectly into any existing collection of Seraphon, while serving as a strong foundation for any enterprising hobbyist interested in starting a Seraphon army. But what can one expect from collecting the lizardmen and their coterie of vicious warmounts? Well, first we need to speak of…
The Models
Within Vanguard: Seraphon is a collection of fourteen miniatures, all of which are rendered in grey plastic with immaculate detail. From the Carnosaur’s spectacular model, taking design cues from prowling felines and dinosaurs alike, to the hulking Kroxigors, hefting maces and warpicks that dwarf infantry with their sheer size alone, every single sculpt within this box is a joy to behold.
Of particular note are the Saurus Warriors, released earlier in 2023 but included in a squad of ten within Vanguard: Seraphon. Redesigned completely from their squished and often diminutive previous iterations, these coldblooded warriors stand shoulder to shoulder with Stormcast Eternals, their enormous bodies towering over the line-infantry of other factions to an impressive degree. Given the choice between massive spears or skullcrushing clubs, as well as a variety of head options during construction, Saurus Warriors are surprisingly easy to assemble for models of their size, making them an ideal choice for beginners who wish to avoid the hassle of complicated assembly for their infantry units.
In terms of design, each unit within Vanguard: Seraphon provides an interesting combination of visual influences and design inspirations that meld together in a strong, cohesive manner across the entire army. The arms and armor of the Seraphon are brutal and simplistic, with no mechanical implements to speak of. Indeed, the Saurus Warriors and the towering Kroxigors wear little, if any armor, each one protected by hardened scales and sheer muscle mass rather than by chainmail and tempered plate. Even the armor worn by the Saurus Oldblood appears more a symbol of status than a matter of protection. But if one is to inspect the Seraphon a bit further, the intricacies of their coldblooded, almost alien culture begins to emerge. The Saurus Warriors wear metallic caps on the spines that emerge from their backs, with higher ranking Saurus afforded the privilege of donning warmasks lined with sacred technology of the Old Ones. The Kroxigors are adorned in lavish arm rings and feathered necklaces, while their clubbed tails and massive hammers appear most ornate of all, a dichotomy highlighting that the Kroxigors are spawned for the sole purpose of crushing any enemy of the Seraphon into a fine, meaty paste. Best of all, these highly distinct designs lend themselves perfectly to…
Painting
Vanguard: Seraphon is a great choice for any painter, beginner or otherwise, to test out new techniques and create vibrant, unique color schemes for the tabletop. The Saurus Warriors and Kroxigors lend themselves well to earthy, grounded tones as well as ethereal hues, their large chests and protruding tails allowing for ample drybrushing opportunities. The decorative necklaces and baubles adorning the models break up the canvas of primary colors that fit Seraphon best, with strong emphasis placed on the mouths of the sculpts for potential blood effects or saliva-slick tongues. More than anything, Vanguard: Seraphon allows an enterprising painter to put in as much effort as they please to achieve a great result. A Saurus Warrior can easily be fully painted in fifteen minutes, or the same Saurus Warrior can take hours should one wish to highlight every small corner and detail of their immaculate sculpts.
Personally, I followed a celestial Starborne scheme for my Seraphon collection, with a drybrush of dark blue over black scales accented by a pale, ancient looking gold achieved with a simple contrast wash over Canoptek Alloy layer paint. I added a rich jade color to any portion of armor, decoration or weaponry that I felt was lacking focus, with a simple highlight of desaturated blue-green to outline the edges and draw attention to the bladed edges of the Seraphon’s weaponry. Most notably of all, I added a simple but striking blue glow to the mouths and eyes of my Lizardmen, hoping to give them the appearance of bursting with cosmic energy from the heavens. This was achieved through a deceptively simple application of a white undercoat followed by slightly thinned Tallasar Blue contrast, with a bright blue + white highlight accenting any raised details within the mouth and the pupils.
Regardless of how you paint Vanguard: Seraphon, some of the most exciting features about the box are how each model slots into your greater army in the tabletop game, leading us to discuss…
Playing
With regards to the two main subfactions of Seraphon: the spell-focused Starborne and the melee attuned Coalesced, Vanguard: Seraphon slots nicely into either subfaction, with strong synergies between units regardless of how you decide to play them.
If one wishes to field a constellation of spell slinging lizards, it is best to build your Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur as a Skink Oracle on Troglodon, a one spell mounted wizard with an emphasis on ranged damage and support spells. The Saurus Warriors and Kroxigors function as bodyguards in a Starborne list, capable of soaking up wounds and acting as a screen to protect your wizards from incoming charges. Indeed, Kroxigor Warspawned are a wonderful choice to include in this specific configuration, as they have an ability to gain an attack whenever a skink model dies within 12” of their unit. This can come as a nasty last surprise for any opponent who believes killing your Skink Oracle will cripple your Starborne army as their multi-wound infantry and leaders are bludgeoned upon the War-picks of your Kroxigors.
For Coalesced lists, few boxes adhere better to their Saurus and Kroxigor centric playstyle as Vanguard: Seraphon does. By building your leader as a Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur, your Saurus Warriors become a frighteningly powerful infantry unit few can bear to ignore, with the Oldblood capable of issuing the same command twice in one phase and ignoring the cost of issuing the second command. This can allow your blocks of Saurus to boost their saves to an eye-watering 3+ if they are issued the All-Out Defence command, or boosting their to hit characteristic to 2+ with an All-Out Attack. This allows any enterprising Seraphon player to establish strong anvils on chokepoints and objectives using your extremely durable Saurus Warriors before your Saurus Oldblood and Kroxigors hammer down upon any unit unfortunate enough to be caught between their crushing jaws and fearsome weapons.
Conclusion
Regardless of the paint scheme or playstyle you choose, Vanguard: Seraphon will prove itself invaluable to any tabletop enthusiast interested in collecting Seraphon and fielding them on the tabletop. Just remember, the Great Enemy must be stricken from the cosmic order, and none may stand in the way of the Great Plan!
Warhammer Age of Sigmar Vanguard: Seraphon is available now from our webstore.
