bretonnian Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

The Battle of Matorea

This diorama is one of the newest displays at Warhammer World. This is a Warhammer Old World diorama and shows The Battle of Matorea. A massive conflict between the undead Tomb Kings of Khemri and the valiant Kingdom of Bretonnia. One half of the battlefield you have a Bretonnian castle being defended with Bretonnian knights sallying forth from the battlements. Opposing them are the hordes of undead skeletons, chariots, and monstrous constructs. Flying across the battlefield are the bone dragons of the Tomb Kings of Khemri and Pegasus Rights of the Kingdom of Bretonnia.

This was a very impressive diorama and really showed off both Old World forces.

Settra the Imperishable lays siege to the coastal city of Matorea with a massive undead host as Cecil Gastonne, the Wyrm Slayer rallies its hopelessly outnumbered defenders. Just as the city’s defences begin to fail, the trumpeting of silver clarions sounds in the east, heralding the arrival of Duke Gastille. Have the duke and his knights arrived in time to lift the siege, or will they join the doomed defenders in a heroic death?

The castle was scratch built.

The Warhammer World Studio embraced classic modelling techniques to design and craft the landscape and buildings, with minimal use of plastic terrain kits. Built from scratch, the castle’s walls use extruded polystyrene sheets with the brickwork patterns hand carved and textured. The repeated features, such as the battlements, were hand sculpted, then moulds were made from the original so that multiple resin pieces could be cast from them. There are a number of conversions to spot. For instance, the flying Bone Dragons were cut down to individual bones and repositioned.

Warhammer Old World

Over on the Warhammer Community site they have announced how Warhammer Old World will be released.

They won’t be doing a huge launch boxed set, instead, in the first instance they will be releasing two army boxes, Tomb Kings of Khemri, and The Kingdom of Bretonnia. These each contain a 1250 point army.

It will be interesting to see how these are priced, considering each box contains nearly a hundred miniatures, and a huge army centrepiece. You also get the 352-page hardback Warhammer: The Old World rulebook.

As well as the boxed sets the rulebook will be available separately.

The rulebook will also be available separately. This weighty 352-page tome features over 70 pages of background on the World of Legend, plus Core and Advanced rules for the game, an explanation of the Winds of Magic and rules for casting spells, a gallery of armies painted by the ’Eavy Metal studio, and rules for building armies and setting up your battlefields.

I do like how the two army books are called Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes.

Forces of Fantasy is a 192-page book covering five factions: the Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the Empire of Man, the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Wood Elf Realms, and the High Elf Realms. Ravening Hordes contains all your Evil factions – it’s a 160-page containing similar material for the Orc and Goblin Tribes, the Warriors of Chaos, the Beastmen Brayherds, and the Tomb Kings of Khemri.

Forces of Fantasy was the name of the first Warhammer (1st Edition) supplement. Whilst Ravening Hordes was the army list for second edition. I bought both of those back in the day!

I am tempted by the Tomb Kings of Khemri boxed set, as I always liked the idea of an undead skeleton army. I had some metal skeletons back in the day.

I am also thinking of rebooting my original Dwarf army as well. Then again I always liked Orcs and Goblins.

As for a release date, no idea.

The Bretonnian Joust

I have always liked this jousting diorama, The Bretonnian Joust, by Dave Andrews which won the Open Competition in the 1996 Golden Demon awards. The level of detail is outstanding. There are hoof marks in the ground, created using clay. The manuscript on the back is handwritten.

More photographs of The Joust.

Louen Leoncoeur

Louen Leoncoeur, the Lionhearted, also known as the Lion of Bretonnia and the Golden Paladin, is the Duke of Couronne, one of the almighty Grail Knights and the penultimate warrior-King of Bretonnia. He is renowned as a noble and just ruler. Fairness in all matters is his watchword, never allowing the law as written to compromise its noble intent, never refusing anyone a hearing in his presence to air grievances of which must be judged.

Wearing the blessed Crown of Bretonnia, and wielding the legendary Sword of Couronne – forged from exquisite Bretonnian silverine – the fearsome Royarch comes to smite evil from his lands.

Bretonnia Miniatures Gallery

Duels

This lovely St George’esque Bretonnian Knight was one of many duel dioramas which were on display at Warhammer World. The knight is facing down a lovely red dragon (which I didn’t photograph).

I really like the scenic base, which is nice and rocky.

This is one half of an Elven duel, this was the High Elf, his opponent was a Dark Elf on a Cold One.

This is a Warhammer 40000 duel between a Space Marine Chaplin and an Exodite Eldar. The Chaplin is riding a bike.

The Exodite Eldar is on a lizard.

The Exodites were a concept that had Eldar using giant lizards as mounts and large mounts for weapons (in a similar way to Elephants or Squiggoths). It was never taken further by Citadel, though some Epic concepts were sculptured and cast, but never went on sale. The concept proved popular with some and as a result there is an unofficial codex out on the tubes and some lovely models such as this one.

This was a Golden Demon winning Duel which I photographed on my most recent visit to Warhammer World in January 2020.

I first photographed the duel on a visit to Warhammer World back in 2007.