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Hello chaps, i have embarked on my first WFB army. On my round the world trip a visit to Warhammer world let me see the Dogs of War pikemen up close in the cabinets, it was there i decided that those were the models for me. I will be playing these chaps as an Empire army when their done unless GW gives us a new DOW army book.

Men and Artillery will be the order of the day, Dogs of War pikemen combined with various historical miniatures as well, i will be utilizing some Perry miniatures, Kingmaker and Crusader miniatures.

Currently i have a mere 40ish men and one artillery gun. But this will eventually and hopefully expand into some sort of enormous force with Pikes, Cannons, Mortars Crossbows and Pistoliers.

The colour scheme is black armour with silver trim and white and yellow leggings.

So unto some fluff and pictures.



The people that live in the mountains and foothills of Ost (East) Averland are free of the foppishness which is common in the rest of Averland, living in the foothills of the mountains leads to a more rugged existence. This does lead to a tendency towards roughness which is looked down upon by the rest of Averland; Although the men of the more rustic states find the Eastern Averlanders much closer to their ilk. The people are like much of the Empire, farming, logging and trading for their wealth. The far flung nature of the land results in a few less of the comforts that the central Empire has. The nobility of Ost Averland tends to have a desire to emulate their more wealthy lowland neighbours and will often be as garishly dressed as possible, although not always in the latest styles.

The terrain of the mountain foothills however means that their is a distinct lack of horses, as a result the forces from East of Averland tend to be lacking in cavalry. For the Garrisons of the mountains. this usually presents little problem as the mountains are unsuitable for horses. When required to take to a traditional battlefield lack of Heavy Cavalry has to be made up by units from other provinces, if they are available.

The Ost Averland Black Mountains Garrison is responsible for the defense of the Black Mountains smaller passes and mountains, not as famous as the men who defend the main route into the Empire the Black Fire pass defenders but fulfilling a vital defensive role. The defence of the smaller passes is a never ending job and the troops end up accruing a lot of combat experience in the mountains.

The garrison forces comprise of two major forces the main garrison forces who man the passes and Forts and the Alpenkorps who patrol the mountains themselves. The troops weapon of choice is the pike whose lack of maneuverability is not an issue in the narrow mountain passes and whose reach is vital when dealing with Trolls or other large beasts.

The men of the Garrison is well supplied with funds and armour from the Averland government; who understand the importance of maintaining the bulwark of the mountains. The Garrison maintains as much heavy and plate armour as possible in the fortresses, even though it has fallen out of favour amongst the Empire at large because armour is useless when fighting against blackpowder weapons the enemies that the garrison fights are rarely equipped with such.

The Garrison favours crossbows over handguns, this is due to the logistics problem of supplying gunpowder to the high mountain passes, fletchers have a permanent place in these forts manufacturing bolts from the mountain pines and the various birds of the region. The gunpowder that the forts keep on hand is reserved primarily for the cannons and mortars which are kept in large numbers in the fortifications, vital for defending the choke points in which the Forts are constructed.

Despite the lack of horses the Garrison does keep a small of cavalry on duty as scouting forces mounted on small agile horses. Either drawn from the minor nobility of Ost Averland and formed from men of Pistolier corps or common men of the garrison troops equipped in the same way.

Although not a glamorous military presence in the Empire, the Garrison does present a good level of training and fighting ability, in field battles they will perform un-remarkably but reliably. When fighting in the mountains and narrow passes the experience and tactics of the men does much to improve their effectiveness.

The colours of the Garrison are the Yellow of Averland and White, often locally used to represent Ost Averland. This is then combined with a halved flat red to represent all of the troops fighting for the Black Mountains Garrison.


Alpenkorps Pikeman

A soldier of the mountaineering forces known as the Alpenkorps, these troops spend their time mountaineering the high peaks, keeping watch, reporting and small scale skirmishes with the various monsters that inhabit the cliffs and peaks. Whilst in the mountains the troops use axes, shortened polearms or swords with shields, however when deployed in a conventional battle line they most often form a pike block. Their armour is much lighter then the men to facilitate their mountaineering role compared to the Garrison troops that defend the passes. The Alpenkrops most often wear furs made from bear or mountain lion skin. In battle however the furs are discarded and only the headpiece is retained. Note this soldier retains some of his mountaineering equipment in his pack.

Garrison Pikeman

A Pikeman of the Garrison forces, responsible for defence of the forts and passes. Equipped with a pike and heavy armour, this is less of a burden on a force deployed primarily defensively, as they aren't often required to march on long campaigns with it. The heavy armour proves invaluable fighting the various Orc, Goblin, Troll and other enemies that are encountered in the passes. The bandannas and cloths are decorated with the colours of the Black Mountains garrison.

Garrison Pikeman with Pavise

A Pikeman with a Pavise shield. Pavise shields are often employed by the Garrison for their pike blocks in static positions and their Crossbowmen. The shields provided an extra level of protection from thrown or fired missiles and are often gaudily decorated.

Looking good. The pavisse in particular looks very authentic.

I really like the look of them. Consider me subscribed.

Thank you chaps, i plan on updating my painting as it goes and bits and pieces of fluff, as i've always enjoyed when other people do that.

Here is all the pavises i have at the moment all finished.



If only i had hand painted these! I'd be entering some Golden Demon but i'm not that talented, they are pavises by Kingmaker miniatures and decals made specifically for them by LittleBigMen in the UK, i liked them particulary because they do look hand painted which is very nice.

Get painting!

...those shields are AMAZING! I love the individuality of them, because that is way more realistic than the rank-and-file all-the-same crap! Good work and as a fellow Averlander, I will be watching this thread for sure!

I have annexed part of Averland for myself

Map of Ost Averland

A map showing the rough sphere of Eastern Averland, although not an officialy recognized division within Averland the population has it's own Reikspiel dialect and customs, as can be seen the major cities of the region encompass the massive Garrison and fortifications of Grenzstadt, this is a major conurbation, after it in population comes the cities of Hochsleben and Merfeld. With the rest of the population being dispersed in the foothills in smaller villages.

Although the people have to contend with the monsters of the mountains who manage to get through the Garrison troops the land is mercifully free of Beastmen infestation, due to a much smaller area of forests then in the Central Empire


Garrison Pikemen rank up

The key to pike fighting is discipline and trust. The soldiers are heavily drilled to ensure they hold their ranks and fill any gaps left by killed or wounded comrades. They know that to prevent their ranks being broken they must have implicit faith in the man to their side and behind them.

Alpenkorps Pikemen, Christian and Johann

These two Alpenkorps men display their armour and equipment, including their bearskin headpieces. Christians rucksack features a sewn patch incorporating the Imperial Cross, stiched by his wife. Although officially discouraged many of the soldiers wives and girlfriends live and work in the forts. Providing invaluable service repairing, washing clothes and [reparing meals for the soldiers.


Here is my artillery piece project, my Howitzer which will count as a Mortar. It is from the Kingmaker range again their hussite artillery piece. Mounted on a chariot base with a barricade made from pieces of sprue with Green stuff on the top and a few cocktail sticks pushed in. The trail hook i drilled out with a pinvoice and put in a stake to help compensate for the recoil.

I agree emenohpee, they should produce some more, but the number i have should be ok for now.

Looking very good. Plus I'm loving the fluff.

Keep it up!

Ga.

Hullo chaps, the Howitzer is now complete, with crew all glued down and all, pretty pleased with how it came out. this will be how i do the rest of the bases i imagine. I will be using it in my army as a counts as mortar (or perhaps cannon if i need an extra one ).

The crew are glued down and covered in a bit of soot. But the cannon is not glued so i can put it up in a tower or somewhere precarious.

Also you can spot Bertie on a rock there.

A Howitzer of the Garrison

A howitzer of the garrison troops, the howitzer is a weapon that is gaining popularity in the Empire, capable of firing explosive shells with a higher level of accuracy than a mortar although with a lower trajectory whilst retaining the abililty to fire canister shot like a cannon. The garrison maintains as many guns as possible in the fortresses, mounted on the battlements, plus a number kept limbered up for sallies or field work.

A Howitzer of the Garrison

This howitzer is dug in to a small revetment made from earth and fitted with stakes. This is a common precaution and helps protect against enemy shot and to force cavalry to move around the side, hopefully buying the crew some time to escape.

Howitzer Crew

The garrison maintains a high standard of training for the crew, however in battle things still happen, young Karl the loader had to bite open a bag of powder when he dropped his knife during the battle, resulting in him getting a mouthfull of blackpowder, he is now eyeing the howitzer with some suspicion. The crew wears various levels of armour depending on how close they need to be to the cannon during firing. Inevitably their uniforms end up covered in soot from the powder.

These guys look great. I like the soot on them, they're even cleaner on the back. Great attention to detail. I love the snail too. What a goffy bit that is... might you have plans for a crewman to be hunting some escargot? `,:~)

the gun looks great. The soot, is that just a drywash of some black mixed with a tad of brown, or just a black wah?

Hah my crewmen aren't snotty Brettonians No snail for them! Would be quite cute to have someone eyeing it off for lunch though.

The soot is a Tamiya weathering powder, just like make up really.

Really nice and the snail was a great addition.

The horde grows.

More pikes painted, some other projects have been distracting me but these are coming along at a reasonable rate, got the bases done, want to put a few more stones down though.

I have some awesome historical models lined up and ordered that i'm looking forward to receiving, they will fit in perfectly with the lads i've got so far as well.

Garrison Pikemen Form Rank

Standing together in tight formation allows the overlapping pikes to support each other, giving anything that attempts to get close a good stabbing.

Musiker Emmerich

As with any regiment in the Empire the musician plays a useful role. The notes of the trumpet playing specific tunes is distinct and clear over the noise of the battlefield. Commands for Advance, Retreat, Form Rank and more are all learnt by the pikemen as part of their basic training. Musiker Emmerich's Trumpet is adorned with a hand stitched tabard displaying the Imperial Cross.

Here is a photo I took outside in the natural light for a bit of an experiment, made the drum and his knuckles quite shiny but came out ok. Normally when i take my photos it's in the middle of the night after some mad painting session.

Musiker Hausmann

The Alpenkorps traditionally uses a trumpet whilst mountaineering simply for the convenience whilst mountaineering, however drums are favoured whilst on campaign, as they can also be used to keep the cadance of the march whilst not in combat. Musiker Hausmann's tunic displays the ubiqutious Imperial Cross on his left sleeve, a common device that the men like to have embroidered on articles of their white clothing.

Those models look really well. Good job on those.

I have painted up all my Republican Guard, oh daylight photography be a cruel mistress. This is all the Republican Guard i have at the moment, anyone got some they want to get rid of! Want to get the block up to 40 in the future.

Set Pikes!

The Black Mountain garrison forces were present in the campaign against Grom the Paunch in the Imperial year of 2040-2042. Fighting under Prince Wilhelm of Reikland the Ost Averland pikes took heavy losses in the Battle of Bloody gorge.

Garrison Pikemen

As a result of this campaign the Black Garrison forces was significantly reinforced into a heavier permanent armed force to form an increased presence in the mountains. The result of this is an greater ability to provide greater warning for future incursions and a better bulwark against Orcish and other aggression.

Horde in the making

Despite being heavy the Pavise provides excellent protection against incoming missle fire

These look great! Definitely and intimidating sight when all ranked up.

Been a bit distracted with my Aeronautica Painting but the Garrison is still getting some love, going to put up some more pics of them as well, absolutely love these archer models, reminded me of the fun of multi-part plastic models (if a bit more hassle!)

Alpenkrieg Jäger Schule

The Mountain Warfare Huntsmen School is an institution run and organized by the professional soldiers and huntsmen of Ost Averland. Due to it's location in the dangerous Black Mountains the Garrison is the perfect location to provide a unique training experience.

Taking trained huntsmen and archers from across the provinces of the Empire the Schule trains the men in the stalking, hunting, tracking and despatching of monsters and creatures rarer in other parts of the Empire, nearly all huntsmen are experts in dealing with the common beastmen that plague the forests, but the mountains are host to Orcs, Goblins, Trolls and other beasts rarer in the heartland.

It is no place for beginners however, the mountains are a dangerous place. In addition to teaching the Jäger provided a very active role as scouts and lookouts for the Garrison forces, often accompanying the Alpenkorps on it's patrols. In field engagements and campaigns the Jäger continue their role as scouts, provide much desired supplements to rations and form a skirmish line in battle.

My next unit teaser:

Nice, love the archers. I haven't seen that metal cavalryman before, though. I wonder what is would be.

Well he isn't a GW model

Hauptmann Hans Ritter von Althaus

One of the senior teachers at the school is Hans Ritter von Althaus is a central Averland Captain with a great amount of experience. Formally a leader of a Jäger group in the central forests of the Empire von Althaus was Knighted for his continued service in Beastman eradication. Upon this he was transferred to the Alpenkrieg Schule to lend his experience to the soldiers there. Unlike the more utilitarian dress of the Ost Averland von Althaus wears the typical flamboyant clothing and feathered cap typical of Averland.

Huntsmen of the Scuhle

On the left can be seen two Ost Averland Jäger, showing the typical predeliction towards practicality, leather sleeves and steel helmets are untypical of Huntsmen in the Empire but the Ost Averlanders are firm believers in protection over flamboyance. The huntsmen from Wissenland and Ostermark are distinguished by their State colours feathering and their slash and puff sleeves.

Jäger

Second from the left are Georg the Ostland huntsmen and his Terrier, Rex. An experienced hunter from the Northern province of Ostland, Georg is always accompanied by his small terrier, who's keen nose is trained to sniff out Greenskins, an invaluable aid.

Second form the right is Pieter from Stirland, the rustic red-headed Pieter is a little eccentric by the standards of the other Jäger, his rustic upbringing means he is never more happy then when he has a delicious turnip to eat. Despite this he is an excellent marksman and a valuable addition to the Jäger troop.

It's not a GW model

Equipment

All Jäger in the Empire learn to live off the land and the men of the Schule are no exception, they carry with them all the tools and equipment needed to survive in the field, mallets, hatchets, and knives are common accoutrements, you can also see the soldiers carrying supplemental rations slung from their belts. On the left the Ost Averland huntsmen is carrying a large Fascinemesser, a large cleaver designed for cutting branches and under-brush.

Hey chaps, i tend to finish painting one of my men before all the rest when doing a new unit in a more production line style, find it keeps me motivated So here is the first of my new unit the outstanding Pery Scurriers from the WOTR range who will be playing the part of Pistoliers in my army. I am waiting for some pistols and carbines to be delivered so he is currently rather lacking in firepower!

Dragoner Solveg

Riding the small horses typical ofthe Ost Dragoner Regiment, Trooper Solveg is equipped in the typical style of the Regiment in a chainmail shirt and steel helmet, supplemented in his case with a cuirass and a leather bracer. Although some troopers ride into battle wearing armoured leggings Solveg has eschewed this in favour of more comfortable and mobile riding boots. Just behind his leg embroidered on his horse blanket an Imperial Cross can be seen.

Hello chaps, had these guys finished up last week but didn't post them because i didn't get the pistols in the post today. Perry WOTR Scurriers and Assault Group pistols. Was fun to paint horses since I have only painted up 2 before. I will also post up comparison pics for the sizes to some GW stuff soon.

Ost Averland Dragoner Regiment

The Eastern Averland Dragoon Regiment is a relatively new unit, having only been formed in the past 10 years. The Dragoner are unlike the Pistolkorps in that they are formed from State Troops and equipped by the Province rather then the nobility. Being formed from commoners the Dragoner Regiment takes a more disciplined approach to warfare drilling the soldiers and with a heavy emphasis on training rather then relying on pluck and and verve.

Despite this some members of the Averland nobility do join the Dragoons rather then the pistolkorps, nobles who are destined or desirous of military rank and postings rather then positions within the Knightly orders. As such the Dragoner regiment is fast growing and has even begun to spread as neighbouring provinces have begun recruitment for their own Dragoner units.

The Dragoner regiment is equipped with both wheel-lock pistols and carbines. The pistols are much the same as the ones carried by the Pistolkorps, whilst the Carbine is a shortened Musket as used by the Empires Handgunners. This shortened carbine provides gives a greater reach and accuracy than a pistol whilst providing a much greater manageability then the full length Muskets.


On campaign the Dragoner regiment fights mostly from horseback, and along with the huntsmen provide valuable scouting and reconnasiance work as well as acting as light cavalry on the field. When the situation requires the Dragoon's will also dismount to fight on foot, in this way they can be used as a very mobile infantry unit able to rush to re-enforce points of a weakened line or take key objectives.

The Ost Averland Mountain Garrison maintains a permanent force of the Dragoner Regiment, the mountainous terrain is mostly impractical to horses and renders heavy cavalry useless, but the light horses of the Regiment provide valuable service as scouts and skirmishers. In the mountains the troops will travel mounted and then dismount to investigate crags, slopes, caves or ridges with their horses positioned nearby in order to facilitate a quick retreat if necessary. Which as can be imagined infuriates the un-mounted monsters that dwell in the mountains.

Loving the backround on this army.

And yes, those shields are amazing.

It's looking nice. Good background, as well.

21 Little men finished, Back in the old days this would have been a finished unit! A few more men were delivered so i shall work on those soon to get this unit up to 8th edition size.

No banner yet, will have to figure out something for that.

Alpenkorps Pikemen

The Black Mountains are riddled with crude Goblin tunnels, and the suppression and destruction of these holes and tunnels gives the Alpenkorps a never-ending job. This has given the men a great deal of experience in dealing with the diminutive green-skins. The Captain of the Alpenkorps can be seen wearing a wheelock pistol, whose main function is putting down any Night Goblin enraged by madcap mushrooms.

Alpenkorps Pikemen

One technique innovated by the Alpenkorps troopers is the use of a black-powder charge to clear tunnels. It is popular amongst the troopers although impossible to employ all the time due to the lack of black-powder in the mountain garrison. The method involves an oil soaked barrel of black-powder, set on fire and dropped or rolled into a Goblin tunnel, on fire the charge is impossible to throw out and when the charge goes up it more often than not collapses the tunnel.

A rather quick update been quite motivated about painting these dudes right now

Double-Arc Breech-Loading Rifled Cannon

A fortress gun of the garrison deployed behind a protective Gabion made of wicker filled with packed earth for field use, these deviate from the standard field cannons normally seen. The Rifled Cannons of the Garrison are of a smaller than usual calibre then the Great Cannons seen in the Empire, they require less powder to operate and the balls are of a smaller size. To make up for the smaller size the barrels are rifled, cut with helical grooves in order to impart spin on the ball. The result of this is a far more accurate cannonball.

The guns are breech loaded, rather then being loaded from the muzzle they open at the rear of the gun. This gives a couple of advantages, firstly it means the guns can be more easily loaded within the confines of a fortress. Furthermore it makes a rifled gun easier to operate, as the balls don't have to be forced down a rifled barrel but instead just have to be pushed into the breach, meaning there is no loss in the rate of fire.


Cannon in field use, with protective Gabion

The aiming arcs of the cannon are designed to maximise the effectiveness of the rifled gun. They enable a very fine degree of control over the azimuth and elevation of the gun. In the hands of an experienced gunner a great deal of accuracy can be garnered from the rifled barrel. When deployed in the fortresses the guns are often used on fixed angles along paths frequently travelled by the various beasties of the mountains. Kept loaded a gunner on standby can rapidly fire a shot at anything seen travelling within his firing arc.

Alright now a little shot of the army So you can see what's done so far. Now I am not sure what's next, some more Pikes or some Crossbowmen, I want to paint some more Perry mini's but i also want to do a shooty unit.

Looking great! What will the general look like, I wonder?

fantastic work,it all looks brilliant to me.im loving the bearpelts on the troops and the shields rock.

I like...
I like all of it...
It's shiny.

Thank you chaps

Hello chaps, 10 Crossbowmen are done in-game these will be used just without upgrades or a Sergeant, hence his position on the end rather then the usual middle. Next up finishing my first pike block completely. Then some Perry infantry. You'll notice I have a bit of a rank and file obsession, hence the lack of any characters yet. Must be the common man in me

Mountain Garrison Armbrustschütze

The Mountain Garrison Crossbowmen are the best equipped marksmen in Ost Averland. The Armoured Crossbowmen of the regiment are used extensively both for garrison work, patrols and any campaigning that is required. The soldiers equipped with platemail are often found on the battlefields instead of the keeps and fortresses as their heavy armour keeps them well protected against the weapons typically encountered in the Mountain ranges. The crossbow used by these troops is a smaller pull-lever style, without a ratchet, this allows them to stay mobile and keep up an impressive rate of fire, despite the reduced power compared to a Windlass crossbow.

Hauptmann Ludwig Seitz

Captain Ludwig is a competent officer and leader, although only an average shot himself. A minor noble of Ost Averland, Seitz shares a typical foible of the less affluent lords of East Averland, feeling embittered about being looked down upon by the trade-enriched nobles of the plains. As a result he often wears a large plumed feather in his helmet and a large impressive, if slightly impractical cape. Despite this he puts his concerns aside when on duty or on campaign as Ludwig is a consummate professional when it comes to soldiering. He is Equipped with a crossbow and a wheel-lock pistol; typical of the Garrison officers for dealing with frenzied goblins encroaching onto the unit.

Behind the Pavise

The Pavise is only used by the Armbrustschütze when deployed in entrenched defensive positions or in siege situations. Most of the time the Pavises are left behind in the baggage by the crossbowmen, mostly un-needed given their Plate armour.