Border Princes The region south of the Black Mountains, beyond Black Fire Pass, north of the Black Gulf and Blood River, east of Tilea and west of the World's Edge Mountains is known as the Border Princes. It is a wild land, thinly settled, but fiercely contested. It was permanently settled by the Bretonnians in 1452, after an army of Knights Errant, on their way to the crusades in Araby by land, were held up by the greenskin tribes in the area. After slaughtering their way to the Blood River, word reached the army that the crusades had ended. Rather than go back to Bretonnia disappointed, the army decided to settle in the large wilderness they had just cleared of Orcs. Since then, the Bretonnian settlers, reinforced by Knights Errant from Bretonnia seeking land to claim as part of their knighthood, have carved out their realm, beating off Orc raiders, Dark Elf slavers, undead incursions, and the avaricious advances of the Empire. Life is much the same here as in Bretonnia, with only small differences - there are far more Knights Errant here for a start. To become a Knight of the Realm, a Knight Errant must, in addition to completing his errand of knighthood, acquire the land for his domain. While there is plenty of land, much of it is still inhospitable wilderness or in the hand of the enemy, so landed knights are a minority. There are also more commoners in proportion to the knights than there are in Bretonnia, owing to the fact that they breed quite quickly to offset the attrition of near constant warfare, something the commoners of the homeland don't have to put up with. Of course, even though they are outnumbered by the commoners, the number of knights doesn't drop considerably - there are far more opportunities for honour and land in the Border Princes than Bretonnia, so many Knights Errant migrate here to achieve their errands... Of course, the Bretonnians aren't the only ones in the Border Princes, although they do form the majority of the population. The Dwarfs have numerous strongholds in the region, notably Barak Varr, and were present long before the Bretonnians arrived. They welcomed the humans, because they aided their constant war with the greenskins, and brought new trade to their fading empire. In the last 500 years, Empire settlers have moved into the area around Black Fire Pass, fleeing first the chaos of a splintered Empire in civil war without an emperor, and then the Great War against Chaos. Since the re-unification of the Empire, however, movement from there into the Border Princes has been more in the way of military expeditions rather than independent settlers, as the Emperor and elector counts can now focus on growth rather than feuding... There are many tales of Wood Elves, their settlements hidden away in the forests scattered across the land, although verification is scarce. Mercenaries are almost as common here as they are in Tilea - there's always someone who wants a fight and is willing to pay. And then there's the ever present threat of the Orcs across the river and in the mountains - untold hordes, sweeping across the land to pillage and burn. Only the skill and valour of the Bretonnian knights holds them back. Variations As you will notice, this list differs quite a bit from the standard lists for the armies involved. There are many troop types missing, some extra options, and different placement of units within the categories. This is because this list is intended to represent an area not wholly controlled by any one faction, but populated by many. Some troop types won’t be generally found outside officially sanctioned armies, or simply outside their homeland. Unless otherwise stated, assume that all the rules and options from the main Bretonnian and Empire lists apply. If there are any differences, they will be pointed out. For this reason most details for troop types are not given - it isn’t really necessary, you can just refer to the main list. Special rules Magic Items: Characters and units may select items from those usually reserved for Bretonnians only and Empire only, according to their race. Few Knights: Knights, whilst still being the backbone of the Bretonnian army in the Border Princes, are fewer in number than in Bretonnia. There are still heaps of them, it's just that there aren't as many relative to the number of commoners as in Bretonnia. To represent this, for each unit of knights, you must take a unit of commoners (Men-At-Arms, Bowmen, Squires on foot and mounted). In addition, there are far more Knights Errant than Knights of the Realm - and so you must have at least one unit of them in your army. Lance: Bretonnian knights must form the lance as detailed in Ravening Hordes. Just because they are out of Bretonnia in the wide, open world does not mean that they must adopt foreign ideas like using cavalry in lines. The Lady's Blessing: Bretonnian forces may pray to the Lady of the Lake at the start of the battle, as detailed in Ravening Hordes. The same limitations apply in the Border Princes, and if you include any Empire troops with blackpowder weapons you may not use the prayer, nor may you do so if your allies bring ANY war machines, whether or not they use blackpowder. Empire troops (and any other allies) are not protected by the Lady’s Blessing. Bretonnian Warhorse: Unfortunately for the Border Princes Bretonnians, they are not exempt from the royal ban on the exportation of horses from Bretonnia. Bretonnians in the Border Princes therefore ride ordinary warhorses, which are not immune to the movement penalty for barding. Strife: Although Bretonnian and Empire settlers will fight together against a common enemy such as Orcs and the undead, they do not do so gladly. When they are not fighting such foes, they are quite likely to be fighting each other. Bretonnians consider Imperials to be greedy, without honour, and unbearably arrogant and conceited, whilst the Empire thinks of Bretonnians as stupid, backward, and trespassers in the land which they have decided is theirs by right. At the start of each turn, roll a d6 for every Bretonnian unit within 6" of an Empire unit, and vice versa. On a roll of a 1, the unit will shoot or charge the nearest supposedly friendly unit if possible. No other action may be taken by that unit that turn. Any combat will stop at the end of the hand-to-hand combat phase, and the units will be placed 1 inch apart facing any direction you wish. Strife does not affect units already in combat or within charge range of an enemy unit, nor may such units be on the receiving end of strife. Normal combat resolution takes place, as do break and any resulting panic tests. The fighting will end, if one side did not break and flee, with that turn’s combat phase, and the units will be drawn 1 inch apart, facing whichever direction they choose. Detachments: Empire state troops may use detachments as described in Warhammer Armies - The Empire if they wish. Allies and Mercenaries: Dogs of War abound in the Border Princes, almost as much as in Tilea. Thus you may take any Dogs of War units (chosen from either part of the Ravening Hordes list presented in White Dwarf) as both Special and Rare selections in your army. In the Border Princes, luxuries such as the Bretonnian objection to mercenaries must be put aside for survival. Given the cosmopolitan nature of warfare in the area, you are also likely to find expeditions (or the remains of expeditions...) from all sorts of races. To represent this, you may buy as part of your Rare selections any Core troops from the following lists - Dwarfs, Wood Elves, and High Elves. Choosing Characters Use the standard character table at the front of Ravening Hordes, not the Bretonnian character table. Champions, Musicians, and Standard Bearers Use the main army list when buying command models for units. A standard bearer from the following units may carry a magic banner worth up to 50 points: Knights of the Realm, Knights Errant, Empire Knights. Lords Bretonnian General............100 points per model Bretonnian Wizard Lord........175 points per model Heroes Paladin........................70 points per model Captain........................50 points per model Wizard.........................60 points per model Core Units 1+ Knights Errant..............25 points per model Knights of the Realm...........27 points per model Men-At-Arms.....................3 points per model Bowmen..........................8 points per model Squires.........................4 points per model Unit Size: 5+ for mounted squires Special Units 0-1 Knightly Order.............23 points per model Halberdiers.....................6 points per model Spearmen........................6 points per model Swordsmen.......................7 points per model Archers.........................8 points per model Crossbowmen.....................8 points per model Rare Units 0-1 Unit of Blackpowder Troops Handgunners.............8 points per model Pistoliers.............19 points per model Greatswords....................12 points per model Great Cannon..................100 points per model Mortar.........................75 points per model Trebuchet......................75 points per model A trebuchet is a stone thrower used by Bretonnian commoners in the Border Princes. Treat it as one with 3 Men-At-Arms for crew, who are equipped with hand weapons. Note that the presence of trebuchets in an army will negate the Blessing of the Lady of the Lake.