The enduring fascination of berserkers

[Erpingham]

Recently Chris Hahn has posted elsewhere on the forum a link to one of his battle reports on Vikings v Hoplites.  As befits an a-historical match up, Chris' Viking force isn't drawn from a particular historical prototype but a generic army list.  His force contains two units of berserkers.

Now, in non-wargamer world, hordes of berserkers were probably never an accepted thing.  You could argue for the odd maniac here or there maybe but not big numbers.  Yet, as long as I can remember, figure makers have made berserkers and wargamers have put units of them on the table.  Historians over the years have probably got tougher on the idea of berserkers and many would doubt whether they were ever more than a legend or a literary figment.  Yet they remain stubbornly there in wargames.  Since reading Chris' piece, I've been wondering why they remain so popular.  I've come up with a few thoughts.

   1. They remain in army lists so people include them in armies.  This doesn't explain why they stay in army lists, mind.
   2. Viking armies without berserkers are like sausages without mustard (to paraphrase a famous monarch).  Rather dull and samey and needing a bit of zing to make them interesting
   3. Rules tend to favour wild fanatics and this makes them worth having, if permitted by the army list

It is possible 1 is a response to 2 & 3.

So, those are my thoughts so far.  Others' thoughts welcome, especially from those who use berserkers in their Viking armies.

[Andreas Johansson]

Well, units of berserkers have become xpected in Norse/Viking/Scandinavian army lists. A list writer who excludes them risks a backlash from disappointed would-be players. Making them optional allows the writer to delegate the decision whether to include them to players.

Making an otherwise rather samey lists a bit more varied may play a role too, but there are clearly list writers out there who don't fear to write samey lists (take a look at any DBX Maori list!) yet include berserkers in their Norse one.

I have quite few viking figures lying about, but few painted. Only two berserkers, both unpainted. But as far as implausibilities go, I have a few units of shieldmaidens.

[Erpingham]

I have quite few viking figures lying about, but few painted. Only two berserkers, both unpainted. But as far as implausibilities go, I have a few units of shieldmaidens.

If you were to claim you were creating a "legendary era" Scandinavian army, I'm sure you could fit them in   I also have a couple of berserkers as single figures (technically, one is an ulfhednar but, hey) who can be characters in skirmishes which I could make an historical argument for.  Indeed, big battle rules that allow characters could do the same.  Likewise, the odd shieldmaiden character figure - maybe even a general - could be argued for on archaeological grounds.

[Imperial Dave]

Wrg 6th irreg a shield munchers 

[Nick Harbud]

I blame Fred Saberhagen.

[Denis Grey]

It's not just wargamers - although perhaps that depends on how one views chess.  The Isle of Lewis set has a shield chomper.

My 15mm DBA Viking army has the option of one berserker element; fast Warband in an army which is otherwise solid, i.e. slower moving, Blade.  I have yet to use it on the table.

[Imperial Dave]

stepping into reminiscence for a moment, my berserkers under 6th had some glorious moments but normally died to a man

[Erpingham]

stepping into reminiscence for a moment, my berserkers under 6th had some glorious moments but normally died to a man

So, you would include berserkers in a Viking army in the hope of reliving the glory days? 

[Imperial Dave]

possibly 

although my Viking army under 6th didnt do very well at all

[RichT]

A unit of berserkers is a bizarre idea - almost an oxymoron.

So far as reasons go, I would add:

- exotica are part of the appeal of ancients generally
- in the same vein, one-offs (or arguable never-offs) often find their way into wargamer history, rules and army lists. Just look at flaming pigs - one stratagem in Polyaenus, yet considered deserving of their own special WRG rules (why not all the other stratagems in Polyaenus? I suppose quite a few do crop up as stratagems in rules with stratagems in them)
- and relatedly, much of the writing of ancient military history (especially popular anc mil hist) involves taking the particular and presenting it as the commonplace. Given the state of the sources (fragmentary) and the gaps in our knowledge (gaping) this is inevitable. So anything seemingly concrete gets itself written about, classified and ruled.

[Imperial Dave]

like incendiary pigs 

[Erpingham]

Why certain exotica get into army lists and how they stay there in the absence of firm evidence is an interesting question in itself.  I'm sure we can all think of other examples.  I believe archer towers from the Cyropaedia made it into some DBx army lists, for example.

[Imperial Dave]

Why certain exotica get into army lists and how they stay there in the absence of firm evidence is an interesting question in itself.  I'm sure we can all think of other examples.  I believe archer towers from the Cyropaedia made it into some DBx army lists, for example.

more than a few. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head 

[Nick Harbud]

To find esoterica, one merely has to peruse the Exception (X) classifications in DBM(M).  These include:

El(X)	-	Elephant artillery.  Bang!
Kn(X)	-	Fully armoured cataphracts on fully armoured horses wielding kontos two-handed.
Cm(X)	-	Camels trying to look like elephants or Chinese paper tigers.
Pk(X)	-	Sumerian, Minoan or Mycenaean spearmen, who are apparently like lowland Scots, but carrying large pavises.
Bd(X)	-	Sundry club-wielding wierdos, but not berserkers, who instead become Wb(S).
Bw(X)	-	The front rank have spears instead of bows.
Ps(X)	-	All those really cool guys armed with fire siphons, naphtha bombs, fire lances, quicklime or hornets nests.
WWg(X)	-	Roman anti-elephant carts.  Just the thing to see off those pesky El(X).
Shp(X)	-	All those big boats lashed together and adorned with siege towers.
Bt(X)	-	Rowing boats with artillery in a mini siege tower.

There are other interesting troop classifications.  For example, all those loose-order North Welsh pikemen who were once Ax(X) become Pk(F) due to their habit of quickly scampering over hills.  War dogs are Wb(F), like Galwegians.

Truly, wonders abound... 

[Andreas Johansson]

Kn (X), Pk (X), and Bw (X) aren't really "exotica", they're tolerably common troop-types.

El (X), OTOH, occur in one (1) army list. If you build every variant of every list, you need a grand total of three of them.

There's also Art (X) - incendiary pigs and oxen carrying bombs. Not sure why they need a separate classification when oxen with burning brands are Exp (O) like non-fiery stampeding animals.