Consolidating my forces in the Witchlands by Andy Jefcoate

Gadzooks! The fourth in a series of linked Flintloque articles by Andy Jefcoate about his forays in the Witchlands. If you missed the first to third articles where he got his starter set and then tried it out followed by a nail biter of a scenario then you can read them on our blog HERE. In this article he adds to his collection with a purpose. With pictures of his own painted collection. Read on and enjoy! GBS 

Consolidating my forces in the Witchlands 

As mentioned in my earlier articles my two forces for the Witchlands Campaign have grown nicely as the fleeing Ferach forces group together for defence and as more of the Dark Czars troops join the pursuit. As I have used the 'Escape from the Dark Czar' starter set and the 'Death in the Snow' Shilling Service Pack as the basis for my initial forces they are a very mixed bag of troops and races. 

While this is great fun and fits the narrative very well, pretty much every individual (especially in the Ferach force) has different statistics and skills. I therefore decided to expand some of the troop types I already had into units which will make them easier to use in the game and make the forces look more like an army. This meant that while I would like to add some cavalry I would stick with infantry for the time being. 

The Ferach Force 

With the Witchlands Dogmen figures it was love at first sight. They are fantastic figures, they are very characterful and their irregular look fits the narrative of an 'army on the run' perfectly. I already had Hulmutt Jucken and 2 troopers so I decided to buy another 9 to give a unit of 12. These consisted of 8 from the Witchlands Dogmen pack 56594 including an officer, sergeant, standard bearer and drummer, and the ninth figure was the Dogman with Blunderbuss from the Valon Civilians pack 54050. Being Witchlands figures they have a varied range of clothing and equipment and look great. In the game they are solid troops and will make a good core for my Ferach force. 

As I already had Colonel Gelure and his 5 Carabinier from the Shilling Service Pack, I decided to add another 4 ordinary troopers to make a section of 10. As they are Ferach Elves they are not the toughest troops but as elite light troops they are fast and good shots, able to snipe at the enemy and take some down from a distance. 

The Dark Czar's Force 

I've found the Werewolf Licantzrop Jagers to be a very useful unit. They are fast moving (as fast as a Ferach Elf) and a mortal unit too, so don't need a Liche. They are great for sweeping round flanks or taking an objective. I already had 7 so bought another 4. With their Vampyre leader this gives a unit of 12 which is much more resilient. 

Captain Preserovitch has already had 4 dismounted Zombiski Cossacks join his troop of Savant Zombies,but I bought another 4 to take this unit up to 14 individuals. All Zombies, even Savant Zombies are better in larger numbers as they can soak up damage and keep on coming. 

Although I already have a Vampyre in the force, I decided to add another from code 55005 the Latrinislav Command pack, and despite not needing one yet I had to add a KGB Liche from pack 55521 as they are integral to the Dark Czars army (and just cool!). 

The Continuing Narrative 

Captain Ludwig Schwarzenbarch is a nephew of Prince Yeltie Schwarzenbarch and wants to make a name for himself in the Witchlands. With the redoutable Sergeant Fetcher he has taken a small section of troopers out from the rearguard to try to find some of his missing troopers but he has also heard there are some Werewolves in the area and wants to face the old foe. He has met with Saindoux many miles from the army rearguard recovering 2 of his troopers who had joined the general, as well as letting Jucken join his section. He has agreed to escort Saindoux back to safety or die trying. 

As elite light troops, sections of Carabinier have also been sent back from the army rearguard to try to stop harassing attacks by Zombiski Cossacks by ambushing them when they least expect it. This has taken its toll on thier numbers which is why only 4 of them have joined Gelure's section but this is also why so many Zombiski Cossacks are in the area on foot as their mounts have been shot from under them. 

The howls of the Werewolves have brought more of their kind into the pursuit, especially as they can sense that Dogmen are near! 

As the number of pursuers grows a further Vampyre has been sent to lead them along with a KGB Liche to insure that the will of the Dark Czar is carried out effectively. As the attacks on the fleeing Ferach Army continue the number of Zombies is growing rapidly as more and more new recruits become available............ 

Next reinforcements 

I've ordered 5 mounted Zombiski Cossacks from pack 55503 and 5 Ferach Elf Witchlands Cavalry from pack 51509 as I feel that both forces need some cavalry. The infantry forces also need to grow with some more regular line infantry on both sides. There are lots of special characters available with Flintloque and I feel that a couple more may soon be involved in my games. 

As always I'll let you know how I get on. 

Thank you for reading. 

Andy