Jaeckel's Castle Wittgenstein - Introduction

The third edition of the OWAC 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, this new Empire army will be tainted by Chaos, as they are the defenders of... Castle Wittgenstein! 

Ian Miller's cover of Death on the Reik

For those who are not familiar with The Enemy Within campaign, Castle Wittgenstein is the conclusion of its second part: 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.

 

Wittgenstein's coats of arms

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, I plan to use a few miniatures of the Death on the Reik scenario pack. But not only.

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. I will count them as Fleglers. The plan is to paint 16 of them, including one standard bearer and one musician, for a total of 18 x 8 = 144 points.

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 (below) and one regiment of 10 Armbrustschutzen (above). I will use the Citadel F2 fighters and C26 Men At Arms, plus the early 90s Empire halberdiers designed by the Perry twins. Giving the Helblitzen a musician and a standard bearer, it makes a total of 14 x 9 + 10 x 10 = 226 points.

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, with flail and shield: 35 x 2 + 60 = 130 points.

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 (Lvl 25 wizard): 60 + 340 = 400 points. As you can see, the choice and preparation of the miniatures is not done yet.

TOTAL: 1002 points. 

Finally, as an offering to our benevolent Overlord, I bring the two-headed sheep of the original WFRP scenario. Double meeh for Iannick!

(I hope this is creepy enough 🐑🐑)