Project "el Dorado", Empire / DoW for WFB (now some knights)

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Hi,

as if I hadn't way too many ongoing hobby projects already I started yet another one.

Planning on doing a some sort of Conquistador & Swashbuckler -themed army for the WFB, either using the Empire army book or then Dogs of War list. At this very moment I don't have the Empire army book, will buy it tomorrow though and dunno if the DoW list is any more usable but anyways, those minor things can't stop a start of something nice and beatiful, right?

Anyways, managed to get some nice Wargames Foundry miniatures, these will form my 15 men strong swordsmen block. Amongst the ranks, actually in the first rank, one can spot the Chef of the army, eager to get his share of fame and fortune:


And same guys from different angle:


Then some handgunners, or rather arquebusiers (once again Foundry range):


Then to accompany the above, some GW's Pirazzo's men with Foundry drummer (don't know if I should make crossbowmen or spear/pikemen out of them? Definately need some more of them anyways):


Then few characters/heroes. The priest will accompany soon arriving two-hand-weapon wielding chaps from Hungary and the engineer will find a place next to my artillery:


I am thinking to order this from the Warlord Games to be used as the hellblaster:
http://shop.warlordgames.co.uk/ekmps/shops...s_frame_gun.jpg

And another from Warlord Games to replace GW cannon:
http://shop.warlordgames.co.uk/ekmps/shops...d_front_(2).jpg

Then maybe getting another cannon from Wargames Foundry:
http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/SB/1/8b.jpg

I will post a list of some sorts as soon as I get more planned. It has been many years I have played WFB so don't know anything about honing the list etc but I guess it would be good to include a wizard or even two, what do you guys think?

Cavalrywise I have six of the Venators and they will form the heavy cavalry part of the army.

Then, since this is going to be themed along the Conquistador line, should I get some, ahem, "natives" and use them as archers and militia troops?

And since this is also Fantasy, should I get some character with a flying mount?

Cheers for C&C,

LvK

[Ysengrin]

Wow, I really like your army. I hope your minis arrive on monday or tuesday...

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Heh, thanks Ysengrin Feel free to post a pic of those nice 2-handed-weapon wielders if you like.

Any comments what kind of list I should/could do?

LvK

edit: oh, just for the sake of curiosity, the sand I used is mixture of GW sand and sand collected from Galicia, Spain when I was there back in 2004 so kinda a long term project here...

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Here's a some sort of list what I am going to include without points cost as per forum rules. Don't know yet about the detachments nor magical items yet.

heroes:

warrior priest with two-handed great hammer, heavy armour

captain of the empire with full-plate armour, shield, pistol, imperial pegasus

troops:

15 Swordsmen incl. Musician, Standard Bearer and Duellist

10 Huntsmen incl. Marksman

special units:

great cannon

great cannon

11 greatswords incl. Musician, Standard Bearer and Count's Champion

rare units:

hellblaster volley gun

hellblaster volley gun

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Another project revival after a long hiatus.

I recently ordered 20 Spanish pikemen from the Assault Group's Renassaince range to bolster the non-existing ranks of my first pike unit that had only six soldiers before. Just glued and greenstuffed them to their bases, will do rest of the basing later but now the unit numbers 26! (Have to order pikes for them... small minor detail there)



The sword unit got a new champion, good old mercenary from the Mordheim range.



Then beginnings of the "great-sworder" unit (will mix two-handed weapons and prolly add the warrior priest to accompany them)



The arquebusiers also got champion/leader from Mordheim range, might use him somewhere else though later.



And here's the grizzled old veteran, captain on pegasus:



Found also five Venators so they will form small heavy cavalry unit (need to come up with lance arms for them, those were nowhere to be seen ).

Next step artillery, "great-sworders" and maybe pistoliers unit, they look very fitting, I think.


C&C welcome.

LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

Looking very promising so far Lucius.

I'm quite pleased with the Dogs of War minis I've got but seeing your Lost Legionnaires I'm tempted to buy another box of them.

Where are the resinous looking models in the burgeoning Greatsword unit from? They look like some of the Mordheim Empire but looking like resin confuses me.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Hi,

yes, the Lost Legionaires are one of my favourite minis on GW's fantasy range. Too bad GW hasn't been producing similar type of miniatures that much.

The resinous miniatures are infact, resin I bought them from a Hungarian member of this forum. Don't know where he got them from. I will use those three which leaves me with another five or six similar miniatures (which I won't be using) with the two on the right hand side in that pic.

One (of the many) next steps is also figure out a suitable and charismatic wizard model. Oh, and of course come up with a proper unit name for these lads and maybe a bit of good old fluff, too.

LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

I think those resin minis might be a little hinky, as I've explained in that PM.

It is a shame GW don't produce more models in the Conquistador style but then I suppose the Lost Legion are the only Conquistador inspired unit in the game. Empire Pistoliers with those helmets would look damn cool though.

If you're struggling for a wizard for them I've got a spare Nicodemus from the Mordheim range if you'd like him. He basically looks like Gandalf the Grey, but with a feather in his cap.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Found some oop estalians on ebay, problem being that those are located in Canada and seller seems to post only Canada, US and UK. But lets see if I manage to convince him to send also to EU Of course need to win the bids after that

Nicodemus is fine looking wizard but I will first look if I manage to come up with bit more sinister (merc wizard) looking chap from the bits I have. Kind thanks for the offer, I will surely keep it in mind.

Weekend shift coming at work so it means I have some time to build some minis, I might need to visit my LGS and get a box of "greatsworders" or those pistoliers.

I think easy step would be steer this project from pure Estalian type of force to more mercenary oriented force and make those "greatsworders" hailing from Empire? Then I could add also mercenary ogres as I seem to have nine of the Golfag's Ogres (:

http://www.solegends.com/citrr/rr08golgfagsm12.htm

Oh, decisions, decisions...

LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

Ooh, you have some of the oooold Golfag's. Very jealous of that. I'd love to get my hands on all the Regiments of Renown. I've got a couple of them and all but the Ogres, Giants and a couple of others are still available from GW.

If the guy isn't happy to ship to the EU I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.

As for making it a more general mercenary army I think that sounds like a good idea. It lets you use models from a lot of the different Fantasy armies, leading to a very cool and indvidual army.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Thanks for the encouragement Vredesbyrd! Here are the oooold Golfag's that I have:



I will try to base them asap and then come up with one more... prolly a base with gnoblar or two, barrels, treasure chest etc... so an unit filler as a matter of fact. Now, I just don't know where to get mercenary ogres stats and points cost. GW doesn't have an official DoW list atm IIRC.

Also bought a box of greatsworders, will start building them tomorrow... at work!

LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

You've two options for using them - the Ogre Kingdoms book has rules for fielding units from it as Dogs of War in other armies, or you can check your PMs.

Nine Ogres is a good number actually, gives you three ranks of them to run around with. Looking forward to seeing them with some colour on them, they're lovely old models.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Haven't based them yet but "tried out" to check how it looks... 3 x 3 big bases, quite a square and quite hefty unit, pointswise too!

Well managed to at least build greatswords unit... as it now turns out, it's actually two-handed weapons unit rather than just greatswords.



Notice young Raoul, le Breton, as others call him? He appeared one late evening to the company's camp site, carrying only that bit old-fashioned helmet he insists to wear in combat and old, already now replaced glaive. After few training sessions it was obvious that the Breton boy had serious fighting spirit driving him and after few skirmishes he has earned his place in the second rank of this prestigious unit. Some say that Rauol is a questing knight from Bretonnia who maybe just has unfortunately lost his horse during his quests and now has to redeem himself in foot battle. While others say that the young lad is a run-away serf and that's why he ended up seeking shelter among the sell-swords...

Still need to give these lads extra gear, hand weapons and such.

Next stop the ogres!

LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

Very nice looking unit LvK, the variety of models really distinguishes them from other Greatsword units. I really like Raoul and the little bit of fluff, things like that really add to an army.

What do you use in your basing mix by the way? It looks like a nice mix of coarse and fine pieces.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Ah, Monday, free day from work.

Thanks for the feedback Vredesbyrd. I like writing fluff so there will be still some more coming on in this thread and in this very post.

The basing mix is Citadel sand, the kind that has some bigger pebbles in it too. The other ingredient is actually sand from a dune beach from Galicia, Spain. I was there as an exchange student years ago and I took few empty soda bottles worth of it back home. It kinda fits the partly Estalian theme of this army

Speaking of which, here's the mandatory army in progress pic, sorry for the bad quality:


Then introducing the Swordsmen unit:

The swordsmen are lead by Piet de Wolf, a veteran of many battles, who has a habit of taking better care of his moustache than his fighting gear. But he gets the job done and even better, always makes sure that his unit gets its fair share of the loot after the battle is fought and won. Another notable person in this unit is Pedro, "el Cocinero" (the Cook). He has demanded a place among the swordsmen to earn a bigger share of the possible loot than he would earn guarding the baggage train. Often he can be seen playing dice and too often he seems to loose. Thus, he always has to return to the fighting ranks.



And then the true strong arm(s) of the mercenary company, the Ogres:



LvK

[Vredesbyrd]

Hmm, I think Galician sand is a little out of my reach. Aberdonian sand is possible, but I don't know if I'd want it on my models.

The Ogres look better based, without them they were looking quite small, but next to the humans they look much better proportioned now.

Swordsmen are looking good too, do you intend on using printed paper banners for your units or are you going to fabricate something out of greenstuff/plasticard?

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

I still have half a littre soda bottle left of the Galician sand... all good things come to an end *sniff*

Oh well, with the Ogres the basing sand is actually different brand, called "decorative sand", bought from a handicraft store. Those bases still need some bigger grained sand I think. And yes, those older Ogres are still quite tiny but at least bigger than humans. I thought about green stuffing sideburns, mohawks etc to normal Ogres so they wouldn't be all four similar ones. Then again, these are ancient models and maybe I should leave them be, out of respect and all

Banners.. haven't give them much thought yet but prolly plasticard, then paint it and maybe use transfers/paper glued on the plasticard. Should be sturdy enough like that.

I haven't got a clue about the general for this army. What would be sensible gamewise, a single hero or a leader that attached to an unit is more useful?

LvK

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Confession: I don't have 8ed rules yet and I have heard that nowadays it would be advisable play with 2500pts list? Is it really so, I guess the horde unit(s) do take up more points and to be able to wield them one can always use more than the 2000pts that I'm used to.

Anyways, made some sort of calculations of what I have and how many points that would eat up:

rare: Golfags Mercenary Ogres, 9 in total

rare: 26 Pikemen (using the Republican Guard stats from DoW list)

special: cannon

special: mortar

special: 5 Pistoliers

special: 15 Greatswords

core: 10 Arquebusiers (Handgunners)

core: 5 Knightly Orders

core: 16 Swordsmen

hero: Captain on Pegasus

depending on some extra gear, standard bearers & musicians for some of those units and that leaves me some 100-250 pts (depending if I take warrior priest or just put the model in greatsword unit as one the lads) short of 2000 pts! And there's no wizard nor general included yet.

Core units look quite weak, most points are used (=wasted?) in Ogres, then the pikemen. Bad way to go perhaps?

Opinions, suggestions etc welcomed,

LvK

[vinkio]

Very good looking army. I like the theme specially, since I have been lately playing Empire TW
You just need one outrageous looking General in the force to seal everything up.
Keep up the good work!:)

-Vinkio

[Vredesbyrd]

Main thing about 8th Ed. is that large blocks of infantry are the core of the game now, and you now take things based on percentages. Things have changed quite a bit, but not too dramatically.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

@vinkio: thanks for feedback, glad you like the project. It seems that there's still some honing to do... and of course, lots of painting!

@Vredesbyrd: seems I need to get that 8ed rulebook then, migjt prove useful in the end

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

So after over three months hiatus there's finally something to show you folks. Nothing painted yet, of course but two more units to be included amongst the other mercenaries.

If one believes the words of its company leader Maurizio Tillman, the Steingart Sharpshooters, hailing originally from Wissenland, were nearly half as famous as the Marksmen of Miragliano. One could argue that it might have been so, at least back in the day when the company numbered nearly eight time its current numbers of five men. It all began some year ago when the brave crossbowmen received a charge by the Chaos worshipping marauders from the North in a defense of small hamlet on the northern borderlands of the Empire. The unit held the line but lost nearly half of its numbers. After that, in each small battle and skirmish the numbers have been dwindled down, little by little. Now there are only five of them left, led by Maurizio Tillmann, self-titulated small noble from north of Tilea. Since there are only five them their role on the battlefield has been reverted to a supportive role on the flank of the pikemen unit.



The Forthenhaf Hunters hail from the very roots of the famous Upper Talabec river, border of Ostermark and Kislev. They are all expert trackers and hunters, thus having not only earned their reputation on the battlefield but on the campaign marches as well, providing the cooks of the mercenary company with fresh game meat. The leadership of the Hunters is evenly divided to two men, Helmut Wildmann and Vitaly, a Kislevite whose looks alone guarantee him to be a talk of every village and town the company stops to rest. On the battlefield Helmut has the final say but in the woods, tracking and scouting, Vitaly is the unopposed leader. His skills have brought the company even more renown, a thing that irritates Maurizio Tillmann.



Still gotta base the figures and add few pouches etc. Then next unit will be Pistoliers and after that... heavy cavalry.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Sorry for the double post. Pistoliers somewhat ready, will load them with extra pistols, pouches and gear.

They call themselves Cavaliers de Cantabrio (after the coastline in northern Estalia) but they are as chivalric as any common highway robber one could encounter on the roads of the Old World. Actually, none of them are even Estalians! But what they lack in a truthful name they make up in their will to fight any foe, and loot their camp afterwards. The Cavaliers number only five men and their steeds but their fighting prowess using their famous tactic of caracole has ensured them rich winnings and fame from many battles so far.



edit:

Next week will hopefully get some plastic Empire knights. I need their horses and lance arms to be able to get my Venators in shape. Also waiting for Avatars of War Dwarf Berserkers! With them will be making 2500pts list so with Ogres and Dwarf Berserkers I should have enough punch in my list.

[Lucius von Kalteisen]

Currently they call themselves the Black Five but they have been known with several other names, names such as the Knights of the Ivory Skull and the Knights of the Black Banner. Nevertheless their current name, this small company of knights form the heavy cavalry force of this mercenary force. It has been many a battle that they have formed the deciding factor, the iron gauntlet smashing through the opposing forces, running down ruthlessly all those fleeing before them.

Yes, the plan is to give them black armour and ivory skull on top of black banner Then need to come up with something to tie them with the rest of the army. Bases of course, but something else should be needed as well.

[T.C.]

Ooooo yes. Lots of metal

I can't believe I've only just seen this thread. I have a similar project on the go at the moment (lots of DoW, which I may even upload some pics of some time) so I'll be following closely. I may have to ask you for some scale shots or two aswell!

In fact, lets get this ball rolling: How do you find Voland's Ventators compare to the rest of the DoW range in scale? I bought some of the old metal Pistoliers recently only to discover they're about a foot taller than an Alcatani Pikeman you see. Was rather dismaying, in fact I'm seriously considering having no cavalry at all in my army now.

Also, I rather like those Foundry models, in fact at first I thought they were Perry miniatures which, if you haven't seen them yet, I suspect you'll like. The 'War of the Roses' line are particularly good.