Thunder Riders! Andy Jefcoate brings in the heavies in his eleventh article for his games of Flintloque in the Witchlands. If you want to catch up with the previous ten articles you can do so by clicking HERE for Andy's tag on the blog. In this article he wants to add another nation within the Grande Armee and it is some of the biggest soldiers of Mordred..the Ogres. With pictures of his own painted collection. Read on and enjoy. GBS
Ogre Guard Cavalry
As promised in my last few articles I finally have some heavy cavalry completed for my Ferach force. As ever, this was a difficult choice as there are so many great Flintloque figures that I could have used.
My first thought was to have some of the iconic L'Esprit du Garde but I decided early on that although they are on my wish list I'd like a non-Elven unit to match the diversity of my current Grande Armee force. I then considered Dogmen Cuirassiers as I like the character of the models, but although my Dogmen contingent is growing and I enjoy painting them, I wanted something that really stood out as different on the tabletop.
That was when I saw pack 56114 Hunvarian Guard Ogre Cavalry. Lets just stop to think about this for a minute, Ogres...mounted on rhinos.....what a combination. How could I not buy some! They can be used as Guard cavalry or as Hussars, and count as heavy cavalry for Slaughterloo. How could Ogres mounted on Rhinos be anything but heavy cavalry!
What did I get?
I purchased 5 trooper figures with swords, with the plan to paint one as an officer to lead the unit. Although they are big figures that dwarf most other cavalry both rider and mount are in resin in this set so they are very light. They are also of high quality and with the great detail you can always expect and receive from Alternative Armies.
As it's inevitable that some figures will end up on foot in Flintloque games (despite how tough a Rhino is), I also bought some Hunvarian Legion Voltiguers to use as dismounted cavalry. Initially I purchased pack 56093 which is a great officer figure, but I also got pack 56095 which is a sergeant with a pole arm.
How did I paint them?
There is a high level of detail on these figures and unlike the wolves in my last article they are not quick to paint, but that's a good thing as you want them to stand out of the tabletop. I also wanted a bright colour scheme to stand out against the snow.
Hussars wear a short embroidered jacket called a Dolman so I painted these a bright yellow colour with red decoration. They also wear a fur lined Pelisse which is another embroidered jacket but worn over the left shoulder only and these I painted in a bright red with yellow decoration. For the figure I chose as the officer these colours were all reversed to make him stand out.
I painted the foot figures to match with one painted as an officer and one as a trooper. Facings were then painted in blue and the trousers were painted white with a red stripe on all figures.
The Rhino's were painted the standard grey with a lighter coloured horn, but with red eyes. The saddle cloth was painted blue to show their Ferach allegiance with the bridle in red and the various equipment attached with yellow straps, all of which ties them to the colours on their riders.
The continuing narrative
Saindoux's force is under pressure and continually battling to not be overwhelmed by the Dark Czar's servants. Scouts have informed the general that they are approaching a frozen river for which the only crossing for miles around is an old stone bridge that only one individual can cross at a time.
Saindoux realises that to have any chance of getting across the river the Witchlands Army has to be dealt a blow that will leave it reeling and in disarray giving the vital few hours that the Ferach forces need.
Sargeant Klaus Krushmeister has recently joined Saindoux with the remnants of his Veteran Guard Ogre cavalry unit. He immediately volunteers for his men to spearhead an attack to push back their pursuers and create the valuable time they need! Hopefully they can do this and still manage to retreat to safety.
How have I used them in my narrative game
For my narrative battle the objective was to stop the enemy from crossing the table and leaving it from the Ogre side for 12 turns, after which time the Ogres could leave the table from their own table edge. I used the free Uniformation article for the Guard Ogres which you can get for free from Alternative Armies.
A points value was calculated for the 5 Ogres and double this number of points used to create the Witchlands force but only one Vampyre was allowed. The two forces were then set up on opposite table edges of a 4' x 4' table with a scatter of trees across the playing surface.
Victory points were calculated by using the points value of casualties caused by the Ogres for the Ferach force and by the points value of Witchlands figures crossing the table and leaving by the Ogre table edge for the Witchlands force. After 12 turns the remaining Ogres can leave the table from their starting edge and the game ends when the last Ogre leaves the table. At this time the side with the highest number of points wins.
As an extra element the Witchlands figures can be recycled if you wish, so that if they cross the table successfully or are killed they reappear as another individual on their own table edge. This is a good way of representing the inexorable advance of the dead!
The Ogres are expendable as neither side gains points for their survival or their being taken out, but only the harshest Ferach Commander wouldn't want as many as possible to survive. Think of the ongoing narrative! Ogre cavalry are great for spearheading an attack as they can smash most enemy figures on the charge but don't let them get overwhelmed as even Ogres can struggle when they are charged and outnumbered in combat. To win this game they need to stay on the table as long as possible in order to destroy as many of the enemy as possible.
What's next
I have several plans for increasing my forces and a huge wish list of figures to purchase. I would like a named character to lead my Witchlands army as it increases in size, but I also have ideas for scenarios using specific figures like I did with the Wolf Pack from my last article.
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| I was lucky enough to get a test casting of a new Elf Duellist for the upcoming 'En Garde' game which is in the works at Alternative Armies just now. I am using him for Flintloque and it is a great figure! |
In addition I feel that the forces of Albion would want to know what is happening in the Witchlands and would definitely send spies to sabotage both sides if they get the chance. Just such a group is soon going to join the conflict...............
I'll let you know how I get on in my next article.
Thank you for reading.
Andy
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