Landsknechts: which army to use: Asked by Julian Hannam, 20 May 2022

Late Medieval Army advice sought Gents. Thanks to Mighty Ape's sale I have landed a bunch of Warlord Landschnects. I'm anticipating I will be able to field 24 or so elements of PkO and as many crossbow or ShI or PsS that I could ever want.

So the question is which list has most playing potential, Ordonnance Frogs or Burgs, Medieval Germans? It seems that Burgundians get most in numbers of Pk and Shot but have virtually no mounted that isn't KnO or S.

I saw at least one Landschnect collection at Greymouth. Any ideas for a workable, reasonably rounded PkO heavy army?

My intention is to 'top it up' with Perry "European Armies" and WOTR figs. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/2071983856294529/

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  John Edmundson

  Medieval Germans chortle chortle . . .

  

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  • Julian Hannam

    Author

    John Edmundson is that advice? Dear god I’m asking in the wrong place…

    

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    • John Edmundson

      Julian Hannam Sorry, I knew you would get real advice from someone well versed in that period.

      

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    • Tilman Dang

      Julian Hannam Germans are awesome....

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    • Julian Hannam

      Author

      John Edmundson yes and it has arrived - you are off the hook chortle man

      

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  Vincent Cholewa

  Admin

  Group expert

  What about Italians with Landsknecht mercenaries?

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  • Julian Hannam

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    Vincent Cholewa yes true, Milan. And some Kn(S) and up to 12 ShI no doubt other options inside that ball of string list too

    

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• Philip Gates

  Italian Condotta get Landsknechts in the Milanese option.

  That's a reasonably balanced option.

  Of course button counters like me will tell you that the Warlord Games Landsknechts look nothing like what early 16th century Landsknechts would have looked like.

  But you can ignore me.

  

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  • Craig Mabon

    Philip Gates Do they look like what popular history pretends they look like? The reason I ask is that I've been working on Warlord Games Spartans and I've painted them much like the box art, only to discover that really the lambda insignia wasn't that widespread and (for the period I'm doing - 479 BC) hey probably wore Corinthinian helmets. On the other hand, they look like what people expect Spartans to look like (rightly or wrongly).

    

    

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    • Philip Gates

      Craig Mabon the Warlord Games Landsknechts look like their counterparts from closer to the middle of the century.

      Early Landsknechts looked pretty much the same as early Swiss.

      The Schilling Chronicles are contemporary drawings

      

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    • Potbelly Miniatures

      Craig Mabon i've finished reading "The Bronze Lie", and there's apparently nothing true in popular culture about the Spartans but for the blue-on-blue action

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    • Craig Mabon

      Potbelly Miniatures At least my Spartans are wearing tunics and (mostly) armour.Also useful to paint them in a distinctive style when the army (the Greeks at Plataea in 479BC) also includes allied Greeks (Athenians and Corinthians mainly). Easy visual recognition is always useful (which is why my Spartiates have red lambda and my perioiki have white lambda, and the generals have black lambda).

      

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    • Potbelly Miniatures

      Craig Mabon I do the same with my Etruscans. Saves confusion on my part, and frustration on my opponents...

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    Vincent Cholewa

    Admin

    Group expert

    Philip Gates we would never ignore you!

    

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• Josh Barton

  Not an answer, but Burgundians' lack of cavalry is partially offset with the mounted bw - this gives you width and maneuverability (and killing power, hey Vincent Cholewa ).

  Also the later list (Max von Haps) can be an ally for the German list and is really a separate list that could be used for German, Swiss or Italians so it gives you options (just don't paint them uniform like I did!)

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• Gerard Lelieveld

  I've got them with my war of the roses

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• Bruce Ferguson

  These figures are also good for Swiss. I mixed in some spare Perry's heads so there were more helmets and less feathered caps

  

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• Gary Lewis

  French ordonnance is a very strong list. I think its the only one

  I never lost a game with.