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[Image] Two units of Empire Knights for GW's "Warmaster"
Since I let the Warmaster genie out of the bottle, I can't seem to put it back.  These figures have been neglected, unpainted and unloved for more than seven years, and since I started working on them again a few week ago, I want to make the effort count during Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.  Here are two more units for my Empire army in Warmaster, both units of Empire Knights, my 11th submission to the Challenge.


[Image] This unit is sporting colours from the Empire province of Hochland
[Image] I tried to use bright colours to create a contrast and a "pop" on some of the features
While I am often wary of, and frustrated by, painting horses, I still love using cavalry in a game.  The heavier, the better, and in GW's Warhammer Fantasy setting, the Knights of the Empire are at the pinnacle of heavy cavalry fun.  The Empire Knights are fantasy cavalry at its finest, at least for me - not fancy, flighty horses or silly magicians, but men and big horses covered in enough armour and barding to bring down a panzer division.

[Image] These gold coloured Knights are inspired by the "Knight of the Blazing Sun" from the Warhammer Fantasy setting [Image] These sculpts are just total home runs - some of GW's finest work
In reality, armour imposes burdens on warrior and mount that can limit its use.  People and animals can only undertake so much activity wearing all that steel. But in the fantasy setting, we can just toss those worries into the bin, and the malleability of the Warhammer Fantasy Old World as a setting offers limitless possibilities.  Obscure Knightly orders? Sure. Elite guards for the Elector Count or the Emperor? Sure. Collection of well-financed, bad-ass nobles? Sure.  All together in the same force? Why not?


[Image] A closer shot of some of the Hochland lads [Image] Some fellows in the gold armour for comparison
I know history offers some amazing examples of very heavy cavalry (man, I wish I could figure out either Byzantines or Persians so I could paint Kataphracts) but the Empire Knights in Warhammer Fantasy really fit the bill for fun heavy cavalry on the table.

Keen players of "Hail Caesar" and "Pike & Shotte" (like Curt and the gang in Regina) have noted the resemblance of these sculpts to the heavy cavalry gendarmes seen in eras such as the Great Italian Wars.  I'm hoping to try painting some figures similar to these in 28mm...not so sure I have the courage to yet tackle something like the Italian Wars, but maybe it's time to finally start an Oldhammer project...


[Image] Some serious armoured power for the Empire army!
As I have been saying while painting these figures, I find GW just absolutely hit it out of the park with these little metal sculpts.  They have tons of character - in the case of the Knights, beautiful barding, large plumes of feathers and massive lances with wonderful pennons - dramatic, flashy and bad-ass.  I painted two of these units this past week, but these are so nice, I could paint ten more before I got tired of them...so of course I've been scouring Ebay for more...


[Image] Obligatory overall photo - the force is getting pretty serious now! In the Warmaster game the Knights are the Empire player's hammer, an integral part of the force.  For the Empire commander to be successful the halberdiers, crossbowmen and artillery will hopefully hold the line, while the Knights must charge home at the right time and deliver a blow for the forces of their Elector Count.  It will take some time to get some enemies painted, but I hope these Knights will get to make some kind of big and carefully thought-out totally reckless charge in a Warmaster game later this year.


This submission included 24 mounted 10mm figures, so that should put another 48 points on the pile, the drive to 1,000 points in the AHPC continues.  I have more Warmaster figures in the pending pile, but I think some more 30k stuff beckons. Hope to share more next week!