The Old World team are back again this month with a treat for fans of the World-that-Was: a Bretonnian army painted in the heraldry of the Dukedom of Brionne. As if that wasn’t enough, we answer your questions on square bases and sizing.
Alongside many new kits (some of which we previewed last month), Warhammer: The Old World will herald the return of some much-missed ranges of Citadel miniatures. Amongst these will be the chivalrous armies of the Kingdom of Bretonnia, one of the most iconic armies of the Old World.
To celebrate this glorious return, the Warhammer studio created an entirely new army to appear in photography. And so the talented members of the 'Eavy Metal and Army Painter teams set to work on the army of Duke Gastille, the Red Hand of Brionne.
Bretonnian armies look amazing – but painting every knight with a unique heraldry can be a daunting task. But in the era of the Old World that we’re looking at, it’s not uncommon for knights to be part of a regional army. An army’s general would be a Duke or a Baron, and the whole army’s heraldry will reflect their personal heraldry in some way.
Each Duke rules one of the 14 Dukedoms, and their heraldry is the symbol of that realm. Barons serve the Dukes, ruling smaller regions. A Baron’s heraldry features themes that match their Duke's, but differ in details (such as the pattern on the field or the exact nature of the device).
The core of the army – Knights of the Realm (on foot and mounted), Knights Errant, Pegasus Knights, and all peasant units – wear the heraldry of the General.
"The knights and peasants that make up the army of Brionne all proudly wear the heraldry of their Duke – a white battle axe upon a quartered field of red and black,” explains Rob, one of the designers. “While in the past Bretonnian knights would have all worn different heraldry, we wanted to convey the idea that most Knights of the Realm are minor nobles in the service of a great lord. This has the added benefit of giving the army a unified appearance on the tabletop."
Of course, elite units such as Questing Knights and Grail Knights may wear the colours of their General, or they can each display their own heraldries. This freedom befits such noble heroes and gives fans the opportunity to explore different heraldries on a manageable number of models.
None of this means the old colour schemes have gone away. We also plan to introduce rules for Exile and Crusade armies. The first allows fans to focus on dishonoured Knights, while the second focuses on the idea of the glorious crusades that form when Knights from all over Bretonnia answer the call to undertake a quest. These schemes can be very colourful indeed, just like the classic Bretonnian armies.
In short, we wanted to give hobbyists the chance to paint a Bretonnian army in a uniform scheme, while maintaining the idea that every model can be unique if you want it to be for those who relish a challenge.
Basing
As you can see, our painted models are on square bases – but these are slightly bigger than they were back in the days of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The majority of models in Warhammer: The Old World will indeed sit on bigger bases – there are a few reasons for this.
Over the decades, our models have become larger and more dynamic, which means that many units have become difficult to arrange into ranks and files. Players must be able to line their models up without complex planning about which spear has to go where in order to use them in-game. On top of that, we didn't like that the back ranks were hidden and hard to see.
So now, all 20mm bases have been replaced with 25mm bases. Most (but not all) 25mm and 25x50 bases have been replaced with new-sized bases.
Q: Are the models getting bigger?
A: No, the new models will be in the same scale as the returning range from Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The base size change has come about because some of those ‘90s and ‘00s models became difficult to rank up, and we’re taking the opportunity to fix the problem. It will mean that newer models joining the range can be more dynamically posed, but proportions remain the same.
Do I need to rebase my old army?
If you’re playing at home there’ll be no requirement to rebase anything. For casual play, the size of base will make a minimal difference to gameplay. The rules will be written assuming the new larger base sizes – so if you’re planning to play competitively, you might want to upgrade to larger bases,
If you don’t want to rebase your older models individually, you are welcome to pop them onto a movement tray with the right footprint. In practice, movement trays are a useful tool, even if your army is on the right base size, as it speeds up gameplay and makes for more accurate unit manoeuvring.
Q: How do I know the correct base size for my models?
A: Base sizes will be given in every model's profile.
Q: Can I take my old armies to organised play events?
A: Sure! But organised play events (tournaments, campaign events, etc) will probably require armies to be based appropriately for the new game (or on an appropriate movement tray). Organised play requires some standardisation and this is the best way to do it.
Q: Will we be able to buy bases?
A: Yes. All models in the Warhammer: The Old World range – including returning models – will be supplied with the correctly sized bases. We’ll also be selling bases and movement trays.
Thanks again to the Warhammer: The Old World team! There’s plenty more to come from development diaries in the future – and you may just hear even more at Warhammer Fest, which kicks off on Saturday the 29th of April. Get your tickets here.