The Lion of the North: An Army Showcase for "By Fire and Sword"

After weeks of painting, basing, and "clearing" boxes, it is finally time for the grand reveal. Today, I am proud to present the "family photos" of my Swedish force for "By Fire and Sword".

Building this army has been a rewarding journey, featuring a mix of miniatures from Wargamer.pl, Totentanz Miniatures, and Warlord Games (from their Epic Pike & Shotte range). Despite the different origins, they come together beautifully on the tabletop to form a cohesive and formidable force.

The complete Swedish Force arrayed on the Battlefield.

The centre consisting of the artillery and two regiments of infantry.

Right wing made of two regiments of Dragoons supportet by some Mercenary Reiters.

Left wing consisting of Dragoons and two regiments of (Armoured) Mercenary Reiters.

The Order of Battle:

• 1 Colonel & 1 Major (Command)
• 3 Units of Dragoons (Size S)
• 1 Unit of Mercenary Reiters (Size S)
• 2 Units of Mercenary Reiters (Size M)
• 1 Unit of Swedish National Infantry
• 1 Unit of Dragooned Musketeers
• 3 Artillery pieces

A little modeling detail regarding the two larger (Size M) regiments of Mercenary Reiters:

I have painted them in a way that allows for maximum flexibility. By simply swapping the front rank with the rear one, I can represent them as Armoured Mercenary Reiters.

This 'dual-use' approach was my way to cover different unit profiles in the army list without needing to paint entirely separate regiments.

With this roster, I am now fully equipped to field anything from a small Skirmish Force to a full-sized Task Force, including all tactical options provided by the rules.

Whether it's the thunder of the Reiters' charge or the steady fire of the National Infantry, the Swedish Crown is ready for "The Deluge"!

It’s a fantastic feeling to see my entire project arrayed for battle at least!

You can check out the Blog for more detailed shots and information of the various units using "By Fire and Sword" to search them.

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Mission Accomplished: The Final Dragoons and a Completed Box Set

It’s Thursday, and I have a very satisfying update to share: The final miniatures from Warlord Games' "Thirty Years War Cavalry" box (Epic Pike & Shotte range) are officially finished!

With the completion of this last unit of Swedish Dragoons (Size S), I have reached a major milestone—every single model from that box is now painted, based, and ready for the tabletop. This new addition further strengthens my Swedish force for "By Fire and Sword" (The Deluge).

Tactically, this gives me some great flexibility. I can now field three separate units in Size S or combine them into two more substantial Size M units, depending on the requirements of the scenario.

Now that the cavalry box is "cleared," the next big highlight is just around the corner. In one of my upcoming posts, I will be presenting a full "army shot" of the entire Swedish force here on the blog. It’s been a long journey from the first sprue to a complete force, and I can't wait to see them all arrayed together!

And here are the pictures of the completed unit of Dragoons:

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Heavy Metal: Swedish Armoured Mercenary Reiters Take the Field

Another Thursday update, and the Swedish crown continues to muster its strength!

I’ve just finished painting and basing a new unit for By Fire and Sword: Armoured Mercenary Reiters in unit size Medium (M). These heavy hitters are a vital addition to my Swedish force, providing the armored punch needed on the battlefield.

As with the previous units, I used the miniatures from Warlord Games' Epic Pike & Shotte range. With these Reiters now ready for action, I am officially entering the final phase of this project: only one unit of Dragoons remains on the painting desk. Once they are done, I will have successfully painted every single model from the "Thirty Years War Cavalry Box".

Looking ahead, I expect to have those final Dragoons finished by next Thursday. Once the set is complete, I’ll be celebrating with a "family photo" of the entire army in the following week's update. Stay tuned to see the full box set finally arrayed for battle!

And here are the pictures of the completed unit:

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Pistols at the Ready: Working on Swedish Mercenary Reiters

Just a quick update for the blog today to keep the momentum going!

I’m currently back at the workbench, focusing on another cavalry unit for my Swedish forces: Mercenary Reiters in unit size Medium (M) for By Fire and Sword. Once again, I’m using the miniatures from Warlord Games’ Epic Range.

Transitioning from the Dragooned Musketeers to these mounted mercenaries is a great way to round out the tactical options of the army.

A quick shot from the WiP stage:

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Mounted for Speed: Swedish Dragooned Musketeers Join the Fray

Another Thursday, another blog post!

A new unit has been recruited for my Swedes and is currently on the march to join the fighting troops: Dragooned Musketeers – infantrymen mounted for swift movement and rapid advancement.

These miniatures are once again from Warlord Games’ "Thirty Years War Cavalry Box" (Epic Range).

With this addition, my Swedish infantry contingent is now complete for the time being. With these two regiments, I can cover all options for the "By Fire and Sword" Skirmish Forces and have also finalized the Task Forces.

What’s next on the painting desk? I’ll be tackling a regiment of "Mercenary Reiters" (Size M) and a third unit of Dragoons. While that final unit isn't strictly necessary for my current lists, finishing it will mean I’ve painted every single model from the "Thirty Years War Cavalry Box" – a very satisfying goal to reach!

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Stones & Skirmishes: 28mm Balearic Slingers

Today, we're taking a little detour back to 28mm and diving into Antiquity: Balearic Slingers by Victrix. These miniatures are individually based, making them perfect for skirmish systems like SAGA and others.

Every now and then, I try to revisit and finish old projects, even if I don’t plan on expanding them further. I use these opportunities to keep training my "painting eye" and, more importantly, to clear some much-needed space. That’s exactly the case here: once finished, this unit will be heading to a new home as I'll be putting them up for sale shortly.

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The Swedish Lion Roars: 15mm Dragoons and Leadership for the Crown

Another Thursday, another update on the blog – and surprise: even more Swedish reinforcements have been mustered!

Specifically, I’ve raised another unit of Dragoons, giving me the tactical flexibility to field either two Small (S) sized regiments or one Medium (M) sized unit. On top of that, I’ve completed a base representing a Major for "By Fire and Sword", along with the final base of Pikemen for my National Infantry Regiment. Not a bad haul for the last two weeks, if I do say so myself!

As for the miniatures: the Dragoons and the Major (complete with his standard bearer) are "true" 15mm from Wargamer.Pl, while the Pikemen are from Totentanz Miniatures.

Dragoons left, Major in the middle and on the right side the Pikemen.

Regiment of Dragoons

Major accompanied by his standard bearer

The missing base of Pikemen

#ByFireAndSword #15mmWargaming #ThirtyYearsWar

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Swedish Steel & Big Barrels: Bringing the Thunder! When size matters 😅

Even more firepower for my Swedes! This time, I’m bringing out the "big brothers" with those large-caliber barrels, ready to blast anything out of the way that doesn't clear the line of fire by the count of three.

Once again, these models are from the Epic Pike & Shotte range by Warlord.

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Reinforcements and Rituals or my Journey Back to Painting: Epic Light Artillery for the Swedes!

Since my eye surgery, I’ve set myself a new goal: spending at least 30 minutes every day on my hobby. The idea is to get back to my previous painting level—or at least somewhere close to it—through consistent daily practice.

I’ve also decided to cut back on social media. After spending eight hours in front of a screen at work, my eyes simply need a break. Instead, I’ll be focusing more on this blog and plan to share a fresh update every Thursday.

Kicking things off, I have some reinforcements for my Swedish army for By Fire and Sword: some light artillery. Once again, these are the fantastic models from Warlord Games’ Epic Pike & Shotte range.

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15mm Swedes for the late TYW and the Deluge: First Cuirassiers done

Warlord's Epic box "Thirty Years War Cavalry" includes 2 Cuirassiers on each of the 3 sprues and while a total of 6 isn't enough for a full unit, it's at least a starting point.

Until I have more, I'll either replace 2 bases in a unit of 'Mercenary Reiter' to represent them as 'Armoured Mercenary Reiter,' or use them to increase a unit size from 'S' to 'M'.

Let's take a side-by-side look at how Epic scale stacks up against 'true' 15mm minis—specifically those from Wargamer.pl.

In the center, we’ve got a unit of 15mm Reiters. To their left are the Cuirassiers; I decided not to bolster their bases with cardboard since they already stand about 1mm taller than the standard Epic cavalry. Speaking of which, on the right, you can see the Epic cavalry with their bases bolstered by cardboard strips, following the method I shared in my previous blog post here: Mixing Epic with 15mm?

As you can clearly see, it’s not just the height difference that stands out—though it’s certainly there. The real clincher is the overall volume. The 15mm figures look significantly beefier and more massive compared to Warlord’s much more slender Epic scale minis.

Personally, I’d steer clear of mixing Epic and 15mm within the same unit, but on the tabletop, they actually play quite well together—especially if you keep a few centimeters of 'breathing room' between the regiments/units as seen in the following picture:

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15mm Swedes for the late TYW and the Deluge: More Mercenary Reiters

And here they are - the pictures of another finished unit of "Mercenary Reiters" this time consisting completely of cavalry from Warlord's Epic "Pike&Shotte" range:

As you can see, the operated eye is still causing me some problems – in this case, I overlooked some mould lines, which are then clearly visible when painted.

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15mm Swedes for the late TYW and the Deluge: Mixing Epic with 15mm?

I'm continuing to expand my Swedish forces for ‘By Fire and Sword’.

Having already completed the basis for a ‘Field Skirmish Force’ last year, I now need to expand it to a ‘Garrison Skirmish Force’ and later the corresponding ‘Task Forces’.

I still had a box of ‘Thirty Years War Cavalry’ from Warlord's Epic range, which a friend had given me years ago and which now came in very handy.

Fortunately, the figures in the Epic Pike&Shotte range are slightly larger than those in Warlord's other Epic ranges, as the following size comparisons with BFaS figures from Wargamer.pl show:

Wargamer-Dragoner - Warlord Reiter - Wargamer Reiter - Wargamer Command

It is clear to see that even within the original BFaS ranges there are significant differences in size. If you place cardboard strips under the bases of the Epic figures to even out the height, you can use them without any problems.

However, I would avoid mixing Epic and other figures within a unit, as this is quite noticeable because the Epic range is much more ‘delicate’.

For picture of painted Epic and a comparison with 15mm from Wargames.pl check my Blog post here:

https://utgaards-blog.blogspot.com/2026/02/15mm-swedes-for-late-tyw-and-deluge.html

And the same goes for the infantry ranges as well, especially as even 15mm ranges differ in height:

Epic - Wargamer.pl - Totentanz - Totentanz

Warlord Epic and Wargamer.pl 15mm go well together but are both significantly smaller than 15mm Totentanz Miniatures.

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Trying to paint Oak Leaf Typ A camouflage on 15mm

I tried my hand at an Oak Leaf Type A camouflage scheme on 15mm figures for the first time – a test run for one of my main projects in 2026.

The figures are from Battlefront, the jackets are painted as Oak Leaf Autumn, and one of the helmets as Oak Leaf Spring.

Conclusion for now: it's still too early for such details, I need to train my hand-eye coordination much more after the operation, but the result is at least acceptable.

I also need to choose stronger contrasts, at least for 15 mm.

Anyway, here are the pictures of the completed Panzerschreck team:

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Painting: Civilians and animals for 15mm and 28mm

In order to continue adapting to the new circumstances after my eye surgery, there is only one thing that really helps: practise, practise and practise some more.

As I still had a couple of civilians and animals on my to-do list.
Since these mostly serve to decorate the gaming table and therefore tend to remain in the background, they seemed to me to be the most suitable objects for practice.

I tested different colours and techniques, focusing primarily on training my spatial vision – let's see what ultimately proves to be the best long-term solution for me.

Fleeing 15mm civilians with a really big dog to guard them!

A shepherd whose dog is currently grooming itself 😎

15mm cattle

Pigs and piglets for 28mm - the piglets can be used as pigs for 15mm too!

My shepherd at work.

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