'Crazily Religious' and 'Technologically Advanced'; An army of the Empire (Stirland)

[Warlord Ghazak Gazhkull]

Great stuff, keep it up. I'm also looking forward to your tought on the empire book.

[Boreas_NL]

Thanks for the load of feedback!

A 16th century 'greatsword' will weigh three to four kilograms in general. You can move them just as fast as a one handed sword. They do take skill to use but so does any hand weapon. I really like your pikemen, not sure I could be bothered converting the mfrom Greatswords myself though. Then again, they are so pretty...

Thanks for the elaboration. The Pikemen aren't that hard to convert and only require a modicum of cutting and drilling.

3 or 4 Kg are very wearying when most of those Kg are away from your body. Try and hold a 1.5 meter long bar of even 1 or two Kg by one of its tips for more than one minute They also suffer from important momentum, they're really not meant for the kind of fancy swordplay that mini does. But that's not the point, so who cares? The point in Warhammer is to follow the rule of cool

Well spoken!

I always go for the rule of cool when making stuff!

I like the rule of cool!

They aren't that tiring, I've been using a zweihander at reenactment (mild steel, 2mm edge so I don;t kill anyone, authentic weight, grip, construction techniques and balance point) since I was seventeen. Yes you need to train with it and actually have some muscle tone but you get used to it. Also the pose on that miniature is right out of one of the Talhoffer fencing manuals for zweihanders. Metal bars of one or two kilograms don't have a balance bought just beyond a well made leather or wood grip. You can do extremely fancy swordplay with them once you know how to use them.

Cool! That would indeed explain the pose of the Captain...

This is turning out to be educational!

Im now pretty curious about your halberdiers Boreas How do you normally support them? Do you give them detachments? What characters (if any) do you attach? And what targets do you send them at?

Ps.Boreas, about the cutting our legs off point. Yea... So would I

My Halberdiers used to be supported by a Warrior Priest and a Captain (or General if I could spare the points), both with pretty standard equipment (great weapon for both and a pistol for the Captain) and without any magic items... I don't think that will change much, as Captains and Warrior Priests are still pretty awesome.
I generally don't use detachments (though it could benefit the unit), for it makes deploymend much more of a hassle. The detachment rule has changed, and not all the changes are good, so don't think I'll be using them now either... Furthermore, I'd rather invest the points in another independent unit.
My Halberdiers are often used to kill enemy hordes or even monstrous infantry. With the Hatred from the Warrior Priest they can really put out a horrendous ammount of damage and due to their number can soak up considerable casualties before being reduced in effectiveness...

Great stuff, keep it up. I'm also looking forward to your tought on the empire book.

Thanks! Are you sure? My thoughts on the new Empire book aren't all that positive... In fact, I think the book is very, very disappointing (and a lot more which I wont type here)... Fortunately, that doesn't stop me collecting and, hopefully, playing. Worst case (or should that be best case) scenario, I can always continue using the 'old' book. Better yet, Stirland could declare itself independent (their claim backed up by force of arms) and I could write an army book of my own (just imagine: Warhammer Armies: Republic of Stirland)...

On a more serious note: I have found one big advantage of the new book... I used to have around 8000 points of Empire, thanks to the new book I now have well over 10.000 points (even though a substancial part of that is now totally useless)! And more is better, right? Right?!?

Anyway, I've gor an update for you...

My Halberdiers are finally finished! After more than a year and more battles than I care to count the unit is finally on full strength... The unit now totals 38 inebriated Halberdiers, accompanied by a Warrior Priest and a Captain/General (who is now armed in an illegal way, thanks to the new book)...




Ranking up those last few Halberdiers was quite a challenge, but well worth the effort... The more observant readers may have noticed the classic Halberdier Captain and his table have gone missing. Rest assured, he'll be showing up somewhere soon enough... The horde is immense, and I actually look forward to field them in battle once more.

With the completion of the Halberdiers I'm already looking forward to my next unit, or rather the expansion of my Swordsmen (who are now no longer dashing) with 18 new recrutes!

Here's a shot with my two Spearmen units.


Both units are roughly the same size (28 vs 30) and I'm curious which set-up will work best... Only one way to find out...

Thanks for watching! More updates coming soon! As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think, and, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to rate my thread...

[gonzosbignose]

Hey Boreas...

As always looking fabulous. I bet you were a bit annoyed when you saw the change in kit out for your halbadier captain!

Either way, the units are all looking tip top!

regards

My name is Daniel and I am a wargamer

[Boreas_NL]

Hey Boreas...

As always looking fabulous. I bet you were a bit annoyed when you saw the change in kit out for your halbadier captain!

Either way, the units are all looking tip top!

Thanks! A bit annoyed is something of an understatement... There are a lot more of similar 'little changes', eliminating a lot of options and flavour from the book...

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Hordes are the way to go! They look realistic and cool to boot. Now paint 'em up for Sigmar and Stirland.

[Astraeos]

It is, but I'll concede and stop the OT here

That's a shame, I was enjoying hearing about using zweihanders!

More points means more bragging rights dude.
Nice to see your Halberdiers done Boreas and I look forward to seeing those swordsmen. Funny, I've been adding to my own swordsmen today!

[Demoulius]

I have to admit, I was somewhat annoyed by the loss of the halberd for the captains kit to.... How are we supposed to make a halberdier captain now? ive even got a model with halberd and handgun which is (like Boreas' models) now illegal I guess magic weapons are a work around but 20 points for the effect of an halberd is, to be fair, ******* *******.....

[Boreas_NL]

Thanks for the feedback!

Hordes are the way to go! They look realistic and cool to boot. Now paint 'em up for Sigmar and Stirland.

Thanks! Hordes are indeed the way to go. These guys have already fought countless battles and they never failed to impress me... Sigmar will have to wait a bit before these guys see some paint. The may get undercoated soon though...

That's a shame, I was enjoying hearing about using zweihanders!

More points means more bragging rights dude.
Nice to see your Halberdiers done Boreas and I look forward to seeing those swordsmen. Funny, I've been adding to my own swordsmen today!

Thanks! My Swordsmen arrived, too! See the pic below...

I have to admit, I was somewhat annoyed by the loss of the halberd for the captains kit to.... How are we supposed to make a halberdier captain now? ive even got a model with halberd and handgun which is (like Boreas' models) now illegal I guess magic weapons are a work around but 20 points for the effect of an halberd is, to be fair, ******* *******.....

They aren't even allowed a Halberd (runs of to check the army book)??? Why, because the +1S would make them too powerfull, unbalanced even? Another change for the sake of bland army books, I guess...

Anyway, my new recruits have arrived...


They are classic, they are made of metal, they are pretty damn awesome and there are 18 of them! These Reiksguard on foot models will be used to boost my Swordsmen unit up to 30. In friendly games I would very much like to field them as what the are (Dismounted Reiksguard).

Here's a pic of the unit they will be joining...


As you can see I already have a unit of 20 Swordsmen, painted and all (finished sometime last year)... Sadly, the banner got damaged after being dropped on the floor so that will have to be repaired. The unit-filler will most likely be removed (I will only use unit-fillers in hordes) but I will have to wait and see how that looks...

Thanks for watching! More updates coming soon! As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think, and, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to rate my thread...

[Astraeos]

Those foot reiksguard still stand up pretty well, it's a shame they're OOP now. I'd love to see the full unit when it's done mate!

[Boreas_NL]

Those foot reiksguard still stand up pretty well, it's a shame they're OOP now. I'd love to see the full unit when it's done mate!

Thanks! The models are over 20 years of age, and can still be mixed with the current Empire range without any issues (furthermore, they are very, very cool mini's)... It's a pity they aren't included in the official rules anymore (5th edition was the last time, if I'm not mistaken), but they can also be used as pretty bad-ass Swordsmen. I have been using these guys as Swordsmen for quite some time now, but the existing unit of 20 just wasn't big enough. I was very lucky to come across this set as it gives me just enough models to expand the unit to 30...

[Astraeos]

They were in the original Empire army book if I recall correctly. The one with the war wagon, Halflings, Kislevites, Ogres, Imperial Dwarves and more than two Elector counts playable (by two I'm referring to Karl Franz and Marius Leitdorf).
While I like the new stuff in the book and am happy I can now field a Witch Hunter, I would loved to have seen lots of old stuff bought back. Or at least the other three Elector Counts if there wasn't room for old units.

[Boreas_NL]

They were in the original Empire army book if I recall correctly. The one with the war wagon, Halflings, Kislevites, Ogres, Imperial Dwarves and more than two Elector counts playable (by two I'm referring to Karl Franz and Marius Leitdorf).
While I like the new stuff in the book and am happy I can now field a Witch Hunter, I would loved to have seen lots of old stuff bought back. Or at least the other three Elector Counts if there wasn't room for old units.

Maybe ForgeWorld will release more Empire models and/or rules like they did with the Tamurkhan book (which is great). If I'm not mistaken they have several more projects in line, bound to include Empire related stuff... I would really like to see ForgeWorld's vision on the Empire War Wagon!

Witch Hunters are cool! I used them in my last skirmish game and they didn't disapoint me. Yes, they died, but not without causing some damage... Furtermore, they are cool (or did I already say that?)... Now where did I leave my Witch Hunters Manual...

[Astraeos]

While a Forge World one would undoubtedly be cool, I'd much prefer a plastic one made by Games Workshop. I'm not against Forgeworld, I'm just more comfortable working with plastic.

[Boreas_NL]

While a Forge World one would undoubtedly be cool, I'd much prefer a plastic one made by Games Workshop. I'm not against Forgeworld, I'm just more comfortable working with plastic.

I can relate with that... Although a plastic kit would seem highly unlikely as there is no entry for a War Wagon in the current book (and has not been for several editions). So I'll keep my fingers crossed for a ForgeWorld model...

Update time...

A couple of days ago I posted this model.


A simple conversion based on a classic DoW model... I fully intended to use him as Sergeant for a new Core unit. However, plans change and I had to find another use for him.




I removed his axe and equipped him with one of my cast plaster shields. I also swapped his pointing arm/hand (which seemed a bit too long for the size of the model, making him look a little apish) with a kit-bashed halberd (top from a plastic halberd, the shaft from the bannerpole from the Greatswords and the tassel is from an old plastic Spearman).




He'll be joining my regiment of Free Company: Liebert's Looters (named after their 'Captain':Liebert)... This unit mainly consists of my original Stirland Warband for Mordheim, supplemented with several metal and plastic mini's that I couldn't fit in anywhere else (some also from my Mordheim Warband, others just out of the bitsbox or aquired by trade). I have plans to expand the unit, but I only want to include 'special' models so that process may take some time. As for now, the unit is ready for battle (and has been since the very start of this project)!

Furthermore, inspired by the old (5th edition Chaos?) system of using characters and their retinue I decided to follow this same system with my Stirlanders. All my units and War Machines will now be part of a Character's retinue (or possé if you will). I have spent some time thinking about the Looters and ultimately decided that one of my new Witch Hunters would be perfect to lead this rabble into battle. Adding a Captain would have been silly as Liebert already styles himself as Captain... For my other units I have similar plans, adding Captains or Generals to my regiments of fighting Infantry and issue Engieers with their own War Machines. For example, my Halberdiers will be led into battle by a Captain (or General), who's retinue will also include a unit of Handgunners. On the battlefield I will keep these units together as much as possible. Furthermore, I intend to name all my unit's and Characters, and also write up some background for my army...

Warrior Priests will be the exception to this (self imposed) rule as I view them as individualistic (and maybe travelling) characters rather than leaders of men... It seems more appropriate to have them join regiments rather than leading them into battle.

I would like to conclude with this...


After receiving my latest reïnforcements from Ebay I have these three models to spare (complete, undamaged and undercoated)... Rather of condemning them to a gloomy fate (being forgotten in my bitsbox isn't a picknick, you know) I would like to see them in action in another Empire army... If anyone is interested, hit me with a PM!

Thanks for watching! More updates coming soon! As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think, and, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to rate my thread...

[Superdan21]

Very cool unit, i love that dow model with the eye patch, may see if i can find one on ebay, the whole unit looks ace tempted to do something similar if i add militia a unit of characterful mercenaries would be fun, wish i had a use for the reiksguard command such cool models

I like the idea of the retinue etc and named units, i already have something similar currently i have enough captains for each of my big units and i use the mounted general for all my knight units and i also name them all :P i like the idea of writing individual unit background though i'd only done that for my greatswords but a very good idea, just adds a bit of character to units, though i may have gone a step to far as i have enough WP's, Captains and wizards to have one in every unit together xD

i really love your war machines think i may try and do something to add more character to mine convert up some engineers or something, your conversions make me think of more and more things i want to do with my army

[Astraeos]

I like that kit bash you did with the DoW fella (Alcatani wasn't it?). Interetsing idea for your army, I remember I used to love writing army lists using that old war band system even though I didn't collect any Chaos armies at the time!

[Boreas_NL]

Thanks for the feedback!

Very cool unit, i love that dow model with the eye patch, may see if i can find one on ebay, the whole unit looks ace tempted to do something similar if i add militia a unit of characterful mercenaries would be fun, wish i had a use for the reiksguard command such cool models

I like the idea of the retinue etc and named units, i already have something similar currently i have enough captains for each of my big units and i use the mounted general for all my knight units and i also name them all :P i like the idea of writing individual unit background though i'd only done that for my greatswords but a very good idea, just adds a bit of character to units, though i may have gone a step to far as i have enough WP's, Captains and wizards to have one in every unit together xD

i really love your war machines think i may try and do something to add more character to mine convert up some engineers or something, your conversions make me think of more and more things i want to do with my army

Thanks! I must admit that I, too, have enough Characters (Captains, Generals and Witch Hunters) to put one in every unit (and even a second one in the most important regiments) and enough Engineers and War Machines to team them up one on one... I used to give each Engineer two War Machines (a Cannon and a Mortar each, they used to keep a kill count and compare scores after the battle, loser paying for the hot ale), but since the new book I don't think I'll be fielding much Mortars (and no Helstorms either)... I'm not saying they won't be fielded at all, but I can predict them to see a lot less action... It's a shame, I just finished my Grand Battery

Regiments of Renown are a big inspiration, as is the Uniforms and Heraldry of The Empire book... Giving Characters and units names and background is part of the fun. Adding battlefield exploits to their background is especially nice if you're regularly facing the same opponents...

I like that kit bash you did with the DoW fella (Alcatani wasn't it?). Interetsing idea for your army, I remember I used to love writing army lists using that old war band system even though I didn't collect any Chaos armies at the time!

Thanks! I think he's indeed from the Alcatani Fellowship, so this must once have been Roderigo Delmonte... Now he's Hanz Pretzl (or something like that, I'm not going to name every individual trooper, or am I)... He looks much better now he's armed with that halberd.
Chaos was my first army when I started Warhammer all those years ago and those rules for army selection always seemed very logical to me... Applying them to my Stirlanders shouldn't be much of a problem as I have plenty of Characters and regiments to link together.

This afternoon I've spent some time allocating my regiments to my Characters...

One of the first units that will get some background will be my horde of Greatswords (the first one, the horde with the classic models will have to wait a bit). They will form the retinue for my General (which seems only fitting). The BSB will also be included in the General's retinue, as I see him as a representitive of the General rather than a separate Captain. I'm still undecided if I should add a smaller unit equipped with missile weapons (Archers or Handgunners), but I figure I can always add them later on...

Thanks for watching! More updates coming soon! As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think, and, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to rate my thread...

[Astraeos]

Pretzl, as in the twisted snack? Reminds me of that Night Elf warrior I named Strudel on WoW!
I've been naming my units too, and eventually the champions will all get names and a nugget or two of backstory!

[DapperAnarchist]

if you name all your models, have a unit all called Schmidt. Johannes Schmidt, Hans Schmidt, Gunther Schmidt, etc... In WWI, Robert Graves noted that his easiest job was doing roll call for his Welch Fusiliers, as over half were called Jones, and most of the rest were called Davies. "Jones, Jones, Jones, Jones" etc...

[Astraeos]

LOL, one of those is my surname DapperAnarchist! Yeah, Welshman here!