OWAC VI - Introduction

The third edition of the Old World Army Challenge was the opportunity to use some of the Empire models I couln't paint for the free city of Pfeildorf. Unfortunately and quite inevitably, OWAC III was also the opportunity to buy more Empire models. So... here we are with OWAC VI 😝

After the Lost Crusade of Pieter the Pious, based on a few words picked in Blood on the Reik, I willl use this time the Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play scenario Death on the Reik to build a new Empire army, defending Castle Wittgenstein.

Ian Miller's cover of Death on the Reik

This place has been the residence of the von Wittgenstein family for centuries, as a reward for services rendered to the elected Empress of Nuln during the Dark Ages.

Once a rich and fertile country, the decline of the barony started shortly after 2412, when Dagmar von Wittgenstein, a dilettante astronomer, returned to the family castle with a warpstone meteorit discovered in the Barren Hills. Slowly, under the influence of the warpstone, fields and vineyards have withered away, the inhabitants of Wittgendorf have slipped into poverty, and the castle has sunken into madness and corruption. But this is Lady Margritte, Dagmar's great-great-granddaughter, who delivered the final blow to the barony: during one of her insane experiments, she triggered a storm that dispersed warpstone dust all around the castle, and polluted the land and all living things.

Since then, Wittgendorf is a ghost town, haunted by scared villagers and starving beggars, the hungriest ones turning to cannibalism. The situation is even more dramatic behind the walls of castle: mutant beggars and servants, guards so corrupted by the warpstone that they have to wear full-face helmets, and the remnants of Lady Margritte's necromantic experiments.

Come and visit Castle Wittgenstein for a joyful day!

In terms of miniatures, the clumsy and odd-looking C46 miniatures designed by Trish Morrison will make perfect ghoulish villagers, complemented by some of the F4 Mercenaries designed by the Perry Twins. They've been converted using bits from ghouls and various undeads. I will count them as Fleglers. The plan is to paint 16 of them, including one standard bearer and one musician.

Same range, different use: 15 Wittgendorfers (or Ersatzsolder at 5 points each) armed with spears. With the standard bearer and a musician, we should reach 17 x 6 = 102 points.

Originally all equipped with swords and crossbows, I have split the castle guards into two groups, to better match the Warhammer Armies list: one regiment of 12 Helblitzen and one regiment of 10 Armbrustschutzen. I will use the Citadel F2 fighters and C26 Men At Arms, plus the early 90s Empire halberdiers designed by the Perry twins, most of them modified to give them full-face helmets.

In terms of characters, the villagers and the guards will be led by two sergeants (Lvl 5 champions), and Shif Doppler, lieutnant of the Guard (Lvl 10 hero), all heavily armoured.

The Wittgendorfers will also be supported by the village physician, the good doctor Jean Rousseaux (a true charlatan developing a taste for human flesh, but a Lvl 5 wizard in terms of game). And of course, Lady Margritte von Wittgenstein will be the general of this glorious army.

Still looking for the proper miniature for the final boss 💀

Finally, as an offering to the OWAC Overlord, I bring the two-headed sheep of the original WFRP scenario (conversion using two Wargames Foundry miniatures).

See you next year!

Cadwallon Gladiator

Another design by Yannick Fusier, based on a concept signed by Gary Chalk, and sold by Temple of the West. Mixed feelings about the final result, as often. I still don't see how I could have made the face more "readable".

 The next posts should be on Keltois miniatures.

The ducal guards

Two miniatures from Temple of the West, both designed by Denis Gonella, based on Gary Chalk's concepts.

The models are quite easy to paint, except the halberds maybe. 

I should paint their colleague as soon as I receive the model.

Chastel the Devious and Kelaz the Brutal

After 10 years dedicated to the painting of Warhammer armies with old Citadel modes, I have decided to have a break, and paint some miniatures released by Temple of the West, based on the Confrontation universe. The two models painted here have been sculpted by Yannick Fusier, designer of some iconic miniatures for Rackham (his dwarves 😍). 

Chastel the Devious is not his best work, but I wanted to paint the couple, as illustrated by Gary Chalk.

I have slightly modified the model of Chastel, by removing the club glued in the back of his coat, and replacing it by a piece of brass wire.

 

Kelaz the Brutal is more rewarding to paint, but I have to admit that the final result is below my expectations. Blame the years spent painting small Citadel dwarves 😋

Post-OWAC paintum. The Swivel Gun

I couldn't conclude the OWAC V with only 98 dwarfs painted (plus the gnome, the hobbits, the giant, the bear and the mule). So, here is a MM14 swivel gun and his two servants. 

 

There. Now that I have reached 100 miniatures, I feel better 😁 

I should be back end August with new models. No dwarves, no squats. Surprise!

OWAC V - Conclusion

Well, now that I'm close to the 100 painted Marauder Dwarfs, maybe it's time for a few pictures of the mercenary forces collected so far. 

With 40 dwarfs warriors (pikemen and halberdiers) and 20 quarellers, the mandatory troops are done. Regarding the thunderers, I have reached the maximum allowed by the 3rd edition Warhammer Armies book. Two wizards seem more than enough for a dwarf army, and all the hammerers I had are now painted. And of course, any decent mercenary army cannot go out without his paymaster 😎

So, what's left? 

• Warmachines for sure, and their design easily fits with the Swiss flavour of the army
• the army general on his fracking poney. One day I will paint him, I swear 😖
• More wild dwarfs would be nice if I could convert some slayers
• 10 Iron breakers should be OK too if I find the courage (NMM plus shields, double pain)
• More than enough models to align a third regiment of pikemen or a regiment of sworsdmen
  
• Last but not least... Longbeards! The only (but major) problem is that they do not fit at all with their budies. I have a couple of ideas, but it will require time and conversions. We'll see...
  

In the meantime:

OWAC V - The Priest of Grungni

Last model painted for the OWAC V: the Priest of Grungni, a MM10 Marauder wizard, with the mitre and the crozier from an old Bishop in the Citadel C46 Villagers range. 

Pictures are a little bit blurry, but you have the idea.

There is still a plan to give him a wagon, but I have to admit that my momentum for this army is a little bit lost.

OWAC V - The Wild Dwarves

Using all the dwarfs released by Marauder Miniatures in a single army can be difficult, as the style of the Longbeards, the Slayers and some Clasnmen does not fit at all with the Renaissance flavor of the other models. But I realized last year that I could at least use the woodwose figure, often depicted in Middle-Age and Renaissance paintings bearing coats of arms, to transform my slayers into a band of Wild Dwarves, coming from the most remote valleys of the Grey Mountains.

Two wild men as shield holders (The Chaff Bridge, Lucerne)

Some basic conversions on MM10 or MM16 models (plus a later giant slayer), with weapon swaps, fancy details filing, and a few shields glued in place. In terms of painting, I did my best to suggest a limited hygiene 😬

Beware the wild bunch!