Balthasar Gelt

 

For the local Old World campaign I needed a wizard on pegasus and who better than the supreme patriarch of the colleges of magic: Balthasar Gelt. I never had him back in the day, but thanks to Highland Miniatures I got this nifty wizard model to cast all manner of fireballs and spell on the enemies of the Empire!

Carroburg greatswords

 

One imperial unit that has always had a place in my hear have been the greatswords, what's not to love about some big burly men wielding massive zweihanders after all! These soldiers are recruited by merit from the common rank and file, and serve as the personal guard of the elector counts guarding their persons and garrisoning castles and palaces. For my Altdorf army I went with the Carrobrug Greatswords, a storied regiment that adopted a red uniform after slaughtering a ton of middenlanders during a siege, and who have Karl Franz as their lord and liege.

While not the first time that I paint these guys, I went now for a more canon uniform, taking inspiration from the uniforms & heraldry book both for the paint scheme and the banner design

As with most of my latest empire models these are 3D prints from highland miniatures, namely from the set released this summer and based on the old 6th edition greatswords (my favorite!)

The siege of Iron Rock

Known for its fractious micro states the Border Princes is home to many bellicose principalities such as the Duchy of Ibar, who in our campaign has marched against its dwarf neighbors laying siege to the Iron Rock fortress, a once dwarf hold in the World's Edge Mountains

Behind their walls the stout warriors of Karaz a Karak await the onslaught

looking stoically as waves of human mercenaries march into view

Over the advancing army all kind of warmachines trade shots, including a delicious halfling hot pot!

Joined by quarellers and handgunners on both sides of the wall

At last concentrated fire destroys a dwarven catapult, mortar shells and soup cauldrons taking care of the organ gun too

The humans reach the wall and up they go, only to be routed by the hammerers manning the ramparts

While on the blown up doors a small group of humans makes a suicidal charge against a resolute block of elite warriors

Thing go for bad to worse for the besieger when his grand cannon blows up 

And the mortar gets a bullseye on top of the pikemen block

Finally the duke of Ibar manages to open the gates

Joined in the fight by some elite greatswords

But too few in number and facing an impenetrable defenece the humans break ranks and escape back to friendlier lands

For their part the dwarves inverted their time into attacking the imperials on the Badlands, an unprovoked aggression which is sure to stir Karl Franz to war

August Karlsbach, imperial engineer

Second son of  a middle class family from Altdorf August was enrolled in the imperial college of engineering at an early age by  his family as a way to find him a future in life. The young altdorfer might not have excelled at first in his studies, but his unerring aim soon saw him promoted to elite marksman in the Emperor's armies, where he now directs the barrages of artillery longrifle in hand

The battle of Arnalos

 

The Border Princes campaign marches on and it's the slayer's turn to shine, who make a bold march north conquering some land and attacking the Empire on the village of Arnalos

With both sides deployed for a meeting engagement it's the crazed dwarfs who seize the initiative and charge forwards to glory or death

The imperials answer with the usual barrage of shell and shot, but among the chaos disaster strikes when the hellblaster gun blows up during its first salvo

Don't fear though, as a cannon and the steam tank wipe out the three deathseekers trying to sneak by

In the center meanwhile two big regiments of dwarves march stoically under a storm of lead

While on the right the emperor charges Long Drong's slayers

With the enemy within charge range, the imperials attack, knights and spearmen taking care of one unit while the steam tank smashes into the rest

Gotrek and Felix come to the rescue, but their usually lethal weapons prove lacking against the ironclad behemoth, chipping away only a few wounds

With all his comrades slaughtered, the slayer general refuses stubbornly to die

But ultimately it's the power of science and industry who will prevail today, and the slayers die in droves to canister and arquebus shot

Even the ingenious goblin hewer falls victim to the imperial artillery, blown up by a precise cannonball

The only remarkable loss for the Empire is the griffon, killed by the pistols of the slayer pirates

By the fourth turn only a handful of slayers remain

But they fall one by one

Leaving Arnalos firmly in the hands of the Empire

Prince Asarnil

 

And here's the end the final model of the high elf army, prince Asarnil. Exiled by the phoenix king for disobeying his orders he left Ulthuan behind with his dragon Deathfang and embarked on a life of adventure as a sellsword in the land of Tilea. Now for hire all over the Old World and beyond, the prince and his followers gather fame and riches, dreaming of one day returning to his beloved Caledor.

The dragon was painted first, a quick job of watered down greens followed by highlighted bone and small details like the mouth and the eyes. The prince came next, done in purple and gold to contrast with the green tones of his mount and give him a flashy look befitting a prince of Ulthuan

Without all the lead bits of Imrik this model was far lighter, so no support work was necessary in the base. He's just the regular 5th ed dragon with an exiled elf on top after all!