The Army of Bretonnia

In the game of Warhammer, each miniature model is assigned a "points" value based on its relative power and abilities compared to the other miniatures. This allows a more even and level playing field for the most part. Players decide how big of an army they wish to assemble keeping in mind the total value of points of each model. Furthermore, some armies have a number of requirements that must be included in any fighting force.

In the Army of Bretonnia, the player MUST choose one model to serve as the army General, one model to serve as the Army Standard Bearer as well as at least one unit of the Knights of the Realm, the core force in the Bretonnian regiment. A game with a maximum of 1000 points may include a small token force of just a few dozen models where a game with 3000+ points can have a sizable force of various models with the game lasting well into the night. Obviously, private games can have any total point value agreed upon by the two players. Competitive games and sponsored tournements on the other hand will have pre-assigned total point values along with a number of other restrictions on occasion. For the most part, however, a player has free reign in mustering his or her army and assembling whichever models are desired as long as the standard game rules are kept in mind.

Each army in Warhammer has its own strengths and weaknesses. I will focus only on the Army of Bretonnia since that is what I collect. Below is a brief listing of the various components of the Bretonnian Regiment along with some of my personal thoughts and opinions.

Lords

Bretonnian Lord
The Bretonnian Lord is a powerful knightly figure with either the Knight's Vow, Questing Vow or Grail Vow. His better than average fighting ability along with a large selection of possible magic items to choose from makes him a significant model in any Bretonnian Army. There are several magical items that can ONLY be given to the Bretonnian Lord. The Bretonnian Lord is usually taken as the army's General but he doesn't have to be.

Prophetess
The Prophetess of the Lady is the Wizard Lord of the Bretonnian Army. She is equal to a Level 3 or 4 Wizard with access to the Lores of Beast, Heaven and Life. Furthermore, she is blessed with a magical Aura of the Lady of the Lake granting her Magic Resistance 2. On average, the Prophetess is a fairly expensive model and should only be chosen in very large armies. The magical Lore of Heaven is pretty cool though and has some interesting spell potentials. Personally, if I have enough Lord slots and enough points, I prefer taking the Fay Enchantress who is a more powerful wizard than the Prophetess.

Heroes

Paladin
The Paladin is basically an upgraded Knight model that counts as a Hero Choice. He is pretty cool which is good because every army has to have at least one to serve as the Army Standard Bearer. The Paladin model also allows you the player a number of choices to further customize this figure. He can take either the Knight's Vow, the Questing Vow or the Grail Vow. Furthermore, you can give him one of the magical banners of any points value as well as an additional Virtue worth up to 50 points. I also like the fact that he has 2 Wounds as opposed to just 1. Personally, I like to also take a few extra paladins and load them up with magic items, weapons or armor and drop them into other Knights of the Realm units to further augment their strength.

Damsel of the Lady
Although not as powerful as the Prophetess, the Damsel does have some uses, especially in larger armies. She is equal to a Level 1 or 2 Wizard but only has access to the Lores of Beasts and Life which are not the best selections as far as I am concerned. The Damsel is also protected, like the Prophetess, by the Aura of the Lady granting this model Magic Resistance 1. She can also take a few extra magic items if you have any points left over. I always like to give her a Dispel Scroll or one of the Common or Arcane items that can cause a bit of a surprise to enemy spellcasters like the The Silver Mirror. I know some players don't like to use the Damsel at all since her spell selection is not the greatest. I always think it is wise to have at least one in your army if possible. My reasoning is because only Wizard characters can wield Dispel Scrolls and you wouldn't want to be caught without one when an enemy wizard gets lucky with their dice roll and casts an incapacitating spell.

Core Units

Knights Errant
I tend to not use the Knights Errant units too often mainly because I don't like the fact that they can so easily run off half-cocked even when I may not want them to at the moment. Knights Errant have the "Impetuous" ability which can sometimes force them to charge an enemy even if you didn't want them to which can sometimes get the little buggers into trouble. Their one saving grace is that on turns when they do charge, they become Immune to Psychology for the remainder of that turn along with any unit they have joined.

Knights of the Realm
Every Bretonnian Army MUST include at least one Unit of Knights of the Realm. How ever many more you wish to use is entirely up to you. The Knights of the Realm are a staple in any Bretonnian Army though and can be quite effective if used well. I often like to use them to outflank an enemy unit engaged in combat with my Grail Knights.

Men-at-Arms
Since the greatest strength of the Bretonnian Army are the Knights and the use of the "Charge," I never really saw much need for the Men-At-Arms units other than perhaps as cannon fodder. I actually rarely even use them simply because their Leadership scores are so low which means they tend to Break often and their Armor Saves are less then stellar.

Peasant Bowmen
The Peasant Bowmen are not much better than the Men-at-Arms, however since all Bretonnian Armies must include a certain number of Core Units, I tend to throw in at least one unit of Bowmen so I have something to do doing the Shooting Phase. Since their Ballistic Strength is not the greatest they tend to miss more often than not. If you are allowed to throw in the "Bertrand the Brigand" character, you might want to consider it since his presence can increase the archers effectiveness somewhat. If facing an enemy of Wood Elves, there is no comparison.

Special Units

Pegasus Knights
I like the Pegasus Knights a lot. They are cool looking models with nice abilities thrown in. I just tend not to use them very often. The Pegasus Knights are basically pumped up Knights of the Realm that ride flying horses. Thus they are able to attack more swiftly by simply flying over obstacles, enemy units and other hazards and drop down into the fray. The other nice thing about the Pegasus Knight is that they also have 2 Wounds like a Paladin rather than just 1 Wound and have a higher Toughness rating unlike the majority of the other knight figures. Pegasus Knights count as a Special Choice so they certainly don't have to be used if you don't wish to.

Grail Reliquae with Battle Pilgrims
If you really like to tick your opponent off, throw in one of these gems. They aren't much to look at and they are rather poor fighters, but they have a great resolve and can remain in combat for a long time tying up the enemy forces. The Reliquae can only be used in an army with at least one model having the Grail Vow and it comes with 6 battle pilgrims. All this at a cost of only 118 points. Additional pilgrims can be added at 9 points per pilgrim. The fact that this unit has the Hatred and Stubborn abilities means they are difficult to frighten away, can re-roll any misses in the first turn of any combat and will endlessly pursue their opponents until one or the other is slain. Furthermore, the Reliquae itself has an impressive 6 Wounds and when it is hit and fails its Armor and/or Ward save, one of the Battle Pilgrims is removed instead. It is not until all the pilgrims are gone does the Reliquae itself begin taking damage! I always like to add a few more pilgrims if I have the spare points and use the Reliquae to engage enemy infantry.

Mounted Yeomen
If you like speed attacks, you will want to throw in a unit of Mounted Yeomen. These units count as a Special Choice and serve as Fast Cavalry. They have no armor though which seems to offset their faster speeds so I tend not to use them at all.

Rare Units

Field Trebuchet
Honestly, I have never used this piece so I don't know much about it other than how it looks.

Classic Characters

The Green Knight
Although the Green Knight is an impressive looking model with a lot of neat abilities, he is basically too expensive to use in most armies. The problem is he is considered a Lord Choice but can't be used as the army's General. You would have to either use a second Lord Choice for the General if you have enough Points OR use a wimpy Hero Choice for the General. I say pass the Green Knight by unless you really feel strongly about him.

Morgiana, le Fay Enchantress
I really like using the Fay Enchantress simply because I think she looks cool and I like to use her as my General. Like the King, the Fay Enchantress is expensive at 545 points and she counts as both a Lord Choice and a Hero Choice so again you can basically only effectively use her in larger armies of around 2500+ points. Morgiana, the current Fay Enchantress, is thought to be the direct representative of the Lady of the Lake to the Bretonnian people. As such, she is the most powerful Wizard Character within the Bretonnian Army. She is equal to a Level 4 Wizard and can cast spells from any of the Lores of Magic. Furthermore, if she casts spells from the Lore of Life, she gains a +2 bonus on her casting roll! I also like the fact that she carries a bounded magic item with her which basically allows you to cast a "free" spell during your Magic Phase without using any of your Power Dice. Best of all, when playing with the Fay Enchantress, you no longer have to sacrifice your turn in order to pray for the Blessing of the Lady. The Fay Enchantress grants the Blessing for free with an additional bonus granted to any Knight unit she is attached to.

Tancred, Duc de Quenelles
This Classic Character was described in the Warhammer Chronicles 2003 and is you standard "undead hunter" with some pretty nifty magic items thrown in as well. You may not be allowed to utilize this character in "Official" play but it could be fun in private games especially if your opponent is playing with the Vampire Counts or the Tomb Kings. The Duc de Quenelles has the Grail Vow as well as the Virture of Purity which basically gives him a stronger form of the 'Blessing of the Lady' whether the army prayed for it or not. His magical weapons also grant him and any unit he is leading an immunity to the Fear and Terror effects caused by Undead and can cause 1 wound to any undead creature within 3" of the bearer with no Armour Save! Tancred, Duc de Quenelles would count as a Lord Choice.

Bertrand the Brigand avec Hugh le Petit et Gui le Gros
Basically the equivalent of 'Robin Hood and his Merry Men.' Bertrand is a minor Bretonnian peasant from the Barony of Bergerac in a forested region near the Massif Orcal. Bergerac was once a peaceful realm until the Baron left to undergo the Grail Quest and never returned. The Baron's son and heir was a cruel and cowardly man who hid himself in his castle while his people suffered. His sister was said to be in love with Bertrand but was kept locked up in the castle by her brother. Bertrand tried to help his countrymen as best he could by defending his homeland from the orcish hordes with the aid of his friends Hugh le Petit (Hugh the Small) and Gui le Gros (Guy the Fat). In time, the cruel nobles of the castle began dabbling in dark rituals and summoning the Chaotic Hordes. When a one-eyed Daemon appeared, it devoured the baron and his mother and then began to terrorize the rest of the castle. Bertrand and his friends came to the rescue, rescued the baron's daughter and slew the Daemon. With no castle and no noble ruler, Bergerac became a wasteland. Bertrand married his true love and now wanders the countryside with his companions righting wrongs and coming to the aid of the virtuous. The presense of Bertrand makes allows the player to turn all bowmen into the Bowmen of Bergerac at a cost of +1/model. The Bowmen of Bergerac have the Skirmish ability and have +1 on their Ballistic Strength. Bertrand also is able to re-roll his to hit roll once in any turn during his Shooing phase to reflect his keen marksmanship. He also owns the magical Black Arrow which automatically causes 1 wound if it hits with no Armour save though a Ward save can still negate the damage.

Repanse de Lyonesse
Similar to the legends of Joan of Arc, Repanse was a humble shepardess from the Duchy of Lyonesse who was bound by fate to one day come to the rescue of the whole of Bretonnia. One day a mighty fleet of Chaos warriors sailed into view from beyond the Sea of Claws. The fleet was met by the king at the time known as Louis the Brave. King Louis led his army of Knights of the Realm but was ultimately slain and his forces descimated. According to legend, the young maid Repanse was travelling through the ruins of the destroyed town when a vision of the Lady of the Lake appeared before her. The goddess commanded Repanse to drive these foul creatures from her shores and with that said, Repanse donned the armour and weaponry of one of the slain knights and took up a magical sword and tapestry from the nearby Grail Chapel. Rallied by the sight of the banner, the remaining Knights followed Repanse as she led them to victory. Louis the Young, the heir to the throne of Bretonnia, granted the young maiden full Knighthood as a reward for her bravery. Repanse may be taken as BOTH the Army General and the Army Standard Bearer. Repanse has the Knight's Vow and rides a Barded Warhorse. She wears heavy armour and carries a shield.As a gift from the Lady of the Lake, she radiates the 'Halo of Maidenly Wrath' which causes fear. In addition, she carries the magical Sword of Lyonesse and the Fleur de Lis Banner, The sword has the power to defy all non-weapon magical items. Magic items carried by all enemies in base contact with the wielder will simply not function including all wards and magical armours. Magic weapons still function normally. The Fleur de Lis Banner uses all normal rules regarding the Army Standard Bearer. In addition, it has the power to draw magic from the enemy and turn it against them. In each Magic phase, the Bretonnian player may reflect an enemy spell back upon its caster.

Baron Odo d'Outremer avec Suliman le Saracen
Baron Odo was one of many noble knights who joined the holy Crusade against the evil forces of Sultan Jaffar from the desert lands of Araby who had invaded the lands south of Bretonnia known as Estalia. Odo never faultered in his pursuit of the Sultan's retreating army which took the battle all the way back to the blistering deserts of the south. It was here that the Baron met the challenge of one of the Sultan's greatest warriors known as Suliman le Saracen. The two battled for hours and although the Baron Odo eventually bested his opponent, he allowed Suliman to live as he had fought so bravely and so honorable. Suliman was bond by custom to come to the service of Baron Odo and followed his new friend as a brother in arms. Both knights fight on horseback. Baron Odo has the Questing Vow and rides a Barded Warhorse. He is armed with the magical Morning Star of Fracasse and wears heavy armour and carries a shield. Suliman rides a swift Arabian stallion and wears light armour and carries a rounded shield. He fights with a scimitar and possesses a blood-curdling war cry that forces his opponents to make a Leadership test. If failed, the opponent will always attack last in close combat regardless of initiative.

Roland le Marechal
Roland is a famous warrior charged with defending the Marches of Couronne, the frontier territory separating the Kingdom of Bretonnia from the vast Empire to the east. Known as a cunning strategist and wise ruler, Roland leads his forces against those of Marienburg and the Empire who each lay claim to the March territory as well. Roland takes the Knight's Vow. He rides a Barded Warhorse, wears heavy armour and carries a sword, lance and shield. Roland also uses a unique magic item known as Roland's Warhorn. The horn is a bounded magic item that can be used once during his turn's Magic phase. Once the magic is released, all flying creatures within 18" take to the air and 'fly high' until they pass a Leadership test taken at the start of each of their subsequent turns. When 'flying high,' they cannot make any attacks of any kind.

Knight of the Perilous Lance
The Black Knight of Mousillon
Hailing from the dark and fallen land of Mousillon, some rumors claim that the Black Knight is none other than the goodly King Louen Leoncoeur in clever disguise fighting to restore law and order to the former Duchy.

Tristan le Troubadour avec Jules le Jongleur