Hello all,
I should at first introduce myself a bit here. I have been playing Warhammer 40k when it was still RT... (1988) and I first started to get into Warhammer itself through the roleplaying game in 86 or so. I didnt begin collecting a Warhammer army till about 86-87 and although i loved the look of the Empire, they were not as nearly well developed as they are today. My first Warhammer army was called the Disciples of Red Redemption... I would be shocked... if anyone still remembers them. Warhammer was a lot simpler then, and battles were fought with about 12-14 figures on a side.
Anyway... I eventually went through a phase of collecting Skaven, and then moved to my favorite army Undead. By the time I collected Undead, they were just a single army, with no tomb kings in sight... but I can remember when Skeletons in the Old World still used catapults and liches were pretty good generals. One of the things though that I loved about the game was the way the lore developed for Sylvania. It was always my favorite Imperial Province and I loved the entire premise of Vlad taking command of a fallen province and turning it into a successful one before things became overtly sinister and he declared war on the rest of the Empire.
I gave the game away for a good ten years then as other things in my life took precedence but returned two years ago to begin playing 40k once again. With the start of 8th edition for Fantasy I decided to do a Dark Elf Army based off a Corsair Fleet and an Empire Army based off Sylvania before Vlad declared war in 2010 IC. (For those who don't care too much about the fluff, Vlad ruled the province for 200 years before making his move as a contender for the Throne.)
I decided therefore to create a Sylvanian Themed Army, but as also a lover of the background material and WFRP, I wrote pretty extensive background material based off the province and the various units that I would model. I enjoy the heraldry and other aspects of the Empire too. (I do love also playing competitively!)
Without further ado here is my first two regiments from the town of Leicheburg, a border town that lies on the edge of the Haunted Hills, along the border with Stirland.
(note I am aware I need to correct my spelling, however the above with do for the moment as the Heraldry of Leicheburg. If anyone is particularly interested I have an avid interest in Heraldry and am more than happy to design their army a coat of arms, just send me a message!)
The Leicheburg Halberdiers
Baron Albrecht Rumsfeld. Unit Champion of the Leicheburg Halberdiers.
Standard Bearer. Leicheburg Halberdiers.
Unit Musician. Leicheburg Halberdiers.
Leicheburg Gunners
I do appreciate feedback and would love to know of any current background material that people have come across for Sylvania, particularly before the Vampire Wars began.
I have based the units off the Heraldry and Uniforms of the Empire, keeping Purple and Red and eventually Black as the three main colors of the force. I will eventually create one or two special units as well that might be in different colors.(The idea of a foil type force for the Stirland River Patrol based off Brown Water Pirates is going to be my first one.) What I have though in my mind is a force that would have been appropiate for Sylvania to field just prior to Vlad revealing himself as a Vampire. The Empire Army book and Vampire Counts Army book both state that Vlad rebuilt the province and as an Elector Count he was in greater control of his province than some of his fellow Counts were of their own.
What I do know is that Sylvania did not have its own Rune Fang but Otto and therefore Vlad after him were Electors and that the Sylvanian Military did march alongside the undead forces during the Vampire Wars. The previous editions of WFB included at one time the Sylvania Milita which will also feature strongly in my army as Free Company troops.
If your interested in learning more about the regiments etc and the background and places of Sylvania, I have created a blog
http://sylvaniaempire.blogspot.com/ to share my progress and also use a reference guide for my own WFRP. People are welcome to follow along or even offer suggestions! I would love to know anything that people have come across about Sylvania and its history. I have already come across Mad Aldreds page which gives me through the WFRP stuff the names of the leaders of the various towns of Sylvania but if anyone knows of anything else, particularly about Champions or famous units of the province, I would be most greatful.
Oh... and death to Count Martin and Stirland! May Sylvania rise once again and may the Empire tremble before her might.