Fred's Empire Retinue

If you are here then it’s likely you’re an enthusiast of classic miniatures, tabletop games, and fantasy in general (or at least you’re curious). The question I’ll try to answer is ‘how I got here’. My name is Fred Rose and to give an answer I first have to make a confession. I have a minor obsession with making and having pretty miniatures. OK, not a minor one, it’s a 38 year old one and counting that started the minute I skipped out of art class and got off the Lake St. bus one snowy January day in 1979 in Minneapolis, MN to see what this curious hobby shop was that I passed everyday on my bus ride. When I stepped through the door of “The Little Tin Soldier Shop” that day, I didn’t know it at the time but the ‘Tin Soldier’ happened to be one of the epicenters of the nascent RPG and table top gaming hobby in the U.S.

What I saw as a 12 year old, already addicted modeler, when I pulled open the steamed up door of the old storefront was truly a spectacle. The back half of the store featured a ‘War of the Ring’ battle using a mash-up of Chainmail and some home brew charts, a dozen players, at least 2 referee/game masters, a colorful battlefield spanning 8 cafeteria tables, and legion after legion of wonderful, strange, painted lead miniatures. All the hero’s and monsters of my favorite JRR Tolkien stories were maneuvering for a grand showdown. This was something I had to be a part of and so my $3 a week allowance was enough to by me a pack of 6 Ral Partha dwarves. After a few weeks I had enough painted troops for a small regiment and was able to participate in my first game as a junior commander. My addiction has nothing if not grown, and wandered into many genres both historical and fantastic, but in the ensuing 38 years I always have maintained a soft spot for the sort of high fantasy I saw that first time as a child and the sort that Warhammer Fantasy Battle brought to us in such a creative and polished fashion in the late 1980s.

My first Warhammer army in the early 90s was Orcs and Goblins, the classic “baddie” army, but they needed the forces of order to oppose them and I had set my sights on a proper army of the Empire. Like so many other gamer/collector/ modelers I got distracted easily. A decade long foray into Bretonnians through to medieval Warhammer Ancients armies left my desire for a classic Empire Army sculpted by the Perry twins unfulfilled. At one point I quickly slapped together some old Battle Masters models for a quick game but it left me deeply unsatisfied from an aesthetic point of view. So I collected (and collected) until I now have nearly a regiment in lead for every unit it that first Empire codex. Now here we are and here is the Empire host of Magnus the Pius I wish to create this winter!

Magnus the Pius: 113pts. (In order to maximize models in this army we're gonna go with base army general rather than the special character )

Magnus's faithful standard bearer Roland of Talabecland : 93pts

Ezra of Eisenheim is Magnus's 1st Level Mage: 62pts

Magnus is escorted by a personal 5 Reiksguard retinue: 195pts

The municipal troops of Talabecland. 20 spears anchor the battle line: 126pts

8 Crossbowmen in support: 56pt

8 Greatswordsmen anchor the other flank: 56pt

A squadron of 8 Kislevite Winged Lancers accompany Magnus in his effort to raise the siege of Kislev's capital by the forces of Chaos: 200pt

20 fearless Halfings of the Moot undertake the great crusade against the dark forces: 99pt

Army total: 1000pt