Warlords graphics. What the heck is that thing?

[RickR]

I'm talking about the thing inside each castle.  What exactly is it?

• A two-point flag?
• A dude sitting down?
• A knight from the torso up (the top part is his head with the face shield down, the bottom, his torso with a lance sticking out)? 
• WTF?

Here is the manuals description.  It's a "warlord". 

Help me solve this question that's been bothering me for 40 years.

 

 

[Justin]

@RickR GREAT POST, GREAT QUESTION!! I've been asking myself this for 30 years! What the heck? Once I played the original arcade version of Warlords I realized that what I had been playing all along was The Atari 2600 approximation of what was in the arcades. But still, what the heck is that thing? How is that supposed to be a "Warlord"? It looks like one of the cities from Missile Command toppled over on its side.

For a long time I accepted that it was supposed to be a crown, but I'm not so sure that it's not one half of the "Darth Vader Warlord" face from the arcades:

 

      

[RickR]

Carla Meninsky is the programmer.  There are a few interviews out there, but nothing about this specific question. 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by RickR

[TrekMD]

The are sideways, sitting warlords.  😁  Much easier to tell what they are on Medieval Mayhem...

Edited January 26, 2022 by TrekMD

[Scott Stilphen]

Sometimes with VCS graphics, it's.... whatever you imagine it to be :)

[CrossBow]

I'm going with knights with the top half being their face shield down and the long pointy bit is each Knight or Warlord sticking out a sword. At least, that is what I always thought when I was a boy.