The reason I've gone for Brets is that I have a lifelong love for Robin Hood, King Arthur, Ivanhoe, Prince Valiant, toy knights, Lego castles, Excalibur, Robin of Sherwood, Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, Covington Cross (10 house points if you remember THAT one) and anything of that ilk. A proper army of knights, yeomanry and peasants is long overdue. Also a Bretonnian army will work for different games. In particular, I'm going to build the army so it can break down into the lion's share of two opposing Lion Rampant retinues- so my units will all be 6s and 12s.
Stylistically, I want this army to look mostly historical medieval, but with a certain amount of 80s warhammer wonky weirdness in there, and a good helping of dirt and gloom. As much as I like the bright clarity associated with Bretonnia later on, I'm aiming for something odder and darker here, with touches of Gilliamesque grotesquerie. I don't really care about keeping the army within a particular historical timeframe- I like to see a peculiar mixture of Norman mail and Burgundian plate and everything in between!
Here's my test mini- I think it's a Foundry ex-Citadel knight. This army will be a test of my freehand skills- this is about as sharp as my eyesight and steadiness of hand will allow.
I'm not going to worry too much about stylistic consistency though. Although the basing will be standardised across the army and should help pull everything together visually, I'd quite like the army to look as if it's been built organically over time, throughout the 80s and early 90s. To this end, I've got an idea for using Letraset on a couple of banners, which is something I recall a few people doing in Ye Olden days but which doesn't seem to be remembered now.
My provisonal army list is as follows. I'm hoping to find the time to exceed this points count, but we'll see- no point in setting myself up for failure!
- Duc Giscard de Rainault: Level 25 Duc, mounted on barded warhorse with hand weapon and heavy armour : 143 points
- The Wizard Gibelin, riding the dragon Beatrice: Level 20 Wizard on a winged dragon: 540 points
- The Compact of Gisoreux: 12 Foot Knights with shields and banner: 129 points
- Les Copains de Pireux: 6 Chevaliers de Notre Dame de Bataille with barding, shields and banner: 263 points.
- Les Grand-Mères de Parravon: 6 Chevaliers d'Honneur with barding, shields and banner: 277 points
- The Seamstresses of Clochemerle: 12 Brigands with bows and banner: 115 points
- The Hornets of Hyères: 12 Brigands with Crossbows and banner: 127 points
- La Coquette et L'Enquiquineuse: Two cannon with three crew each: 480 points
Overlord note : Joe will donate a prize at the end of the challenge for a lucky challenger, hence the absence of an offering.
I love these names, especially the Grandmothers! A wonderful change from the usual Bretonnian write-ups! Can't wait to see them!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
DeleteI'm excited for these - a Bretonnian force is something I was toying with for OWAC VII, and was surprised to have seen so few in the history of the OWAC.
ReplyDeleteYep it's odd isn't it. Brets are really interesting to me- they always captured my imagination.
DeleteLovely army list and models - I'm looking forward to seeing how the banners come out 👀. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteTa very much!
DeleteLovely to see that Grenadier Copper Dragon getting used in an army :) I also envy your restraint, I wish I could pick out a compact force like that and say "that's enough" but nooooooo.... and I haven't seen anyone use Letraset for anything at all since 1992 so that'd be interesting to see
ReplyDeleteI'd love to build a bigger army, but I know from bitter experience that if I overpromise I'm far more likely to jack it in and produce nothing at all! The copper dragon was an eBay bargain a while back- I always loved it. It won't be copper in this army though!
DeleteRare to see Bretonnians with cannons.
ReplyDeleteYep, they really cemented the idea of Brets being pre-gunpowder later on. I might replace one of them with a scratchbuilt 'pot de feu', if my plan works.
DeleteI've always loved the idea of a Bretonnian army but I've never been able to face painting them. Best of luck with the challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Let's hope I don't live to regret it!
DeleteLovely looking force! Can't wait to see the final result! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLovely project! Would love to collect a Bretonnian army too (If nothing more than to name the heroes and call myself a pretender to the throne)
ReplyDeleteCheers!
DeleteI'm really excited for this - that dragon sculpt looks so fun.
ReplyDeleteOldhammer Brets right out of the pages of the Warhammer Armies book. Great idea and lovely selection of models to get that Oldhammer vibe.
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ReplyDeleteGreat project, very nice force and I too love those names 😁 ('la coquette' cannon!!). I am partial to Bretonnians and my small force is also built of historical minis. Very brave of you to aim for a small army in OWAC - what is always daunting for me is doing heraldry in large numbers. Looking forward to seeing them painted! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic set of influences for a Bret army - I really like your retro style (I remember that fab high gloss Alternate Ultramarine force from a few years back) and this promises to be great!
ReplyDeleteLove the Essex knights
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