Converting Breton Skirmishers (and other HYW project news)

So here's the thing... I've placed myself on a STRICT gaming budget for the next number of months, potentially until Christmas. However, my 15mm HYW project has really been picking up steam as of late and I'm not planning on slowing down. In light of this, I've decided that if I want to field a unit that I don't own models for, I must either do without said unit, or get creative.

Furthermore, I've also decided that I will be aiming to create a Free Companies army for Impetus instead of a HYW English army. Although many of the models are the same, I'd rather have a continental army for this period, as a greater variety of opponents become plausible.

And now for the point. The Free Companies make-shift list allows for up to four units of Breton skirmishers. I was going to purchase some models to fill this role, but then.. well, you read the intro. I started looking around and found these Welsh spearmen by Feudal Castings that I had bought for my English army a long time ago. I decided to use them as javelin-armed Bretons instead.

Here they are before...


...and after.


Frankly, I feel guilty using the term "converting" in the post title. Simply put, I (a) snipped the ends of the spears to make them shorter and (b) twisted arms in a couple of more dynamic poses. The models aren't perfect, but I think they will be very serviceable when painted and based. More importantly, I didn't spend any money.

I've also just started painting my fourth unit. After three units of longbowmen in a row I was ready for a change. I have lots of English men-at-arms models, but I wanted to do something a little different for my general's unit. Since most commanders-in-chief in Impetus spend the majority of the time behind the lines and out of the action, I wanted to model the general's unit to appear static. I pulled out some billmen models I had lying around, and have prepped a unit that includes a general model (guy holding helm), right-hand man (guy on your left incidentally), a standard bearer, and a bunch of personal guards.


I will paint up the lot wearing livery colours, and hopefully the unit will stand out on the table, even though in game terms it's just another men-at-arms unit with an attached general.

As for army planning, we've been playing 400 point games lately, and that seems large enough for a two-hour game. For this reason, I've created a 400-point list to get me started with the Free Company:

#	Unit	Type	Pts
-	Average CS, Expert CIC, Fair General	CMD	62
3	Dismounted Men-At-Arms	FP	75
2	Mounted Men-At-Arms	CP	58
5	English Longbowmen	T	115
1	Heavy Artillery	Art	20
3	Breton Javalinmen (1 elite, 2 regular)	S	38
2	Mercenary Crossbowmen	S	24
1	Re-roll	-	5
			397

I reserve every right to change my mind a thousand times, but I'll likely paint up this list or one very much like it. The primary drive here is to enjoy the painting and to use models that I already own.

As far as the rest of the group is concerned, there is one person committed to painting and playing in 15mm in the next few months. Chris H. has decided to paint a Later Medieval Swiss army, and I look forward to taking on the rows of pikemen, halberdiers, and skirmishing handguns. If others get involved in the future and choose to stick in the same general area and time period, there are many colourful contemporaries of both these forces - Burgundian Ordonnance, Italian Condotta, Medieval French, Medieval Spanish - and on the list goes.

Regardless of how and when others get involved, I shall continue painting my army for the love of painting, as well as for the great enjoyment I get from playing Impetus.

Thanks for reading,
JET