Festung Europa is almost upon us, with pre-orders getting ready to ship around the world. What better time, then, to take a look at one of the pivotal characters in the new book – and crucially, how he can help your force on the tabletop!

So, you’ve pre-ordered a shiny new Totenrotte Platoon, and you’re eager to get your dead men walking. But – who should lead them? A standard Platoon Commander would be too squeamish for the task, and lacks the required expertise to properly command the dead in any case. The new Totenrotte Platoon Commanders are of course hand-picked for this work, pairing Advanced Body Armour with the usual gamut of Hero options. They’ll do nicely, but sometimes you want to bring in the expert. Sounds like a job for…

DER ERNTEMANN

Der Erntemann (or Oberstarzt Albrecht von Zögling, to give him his proper name*) is kind of a big deal when it comes to the Totenkorps. His nickname, translating to ‘the Harvestman’ is an apt one – he’s the leading light of the entire program, responsible for the ongoing development of the Totenkorps and their supporting equipment. While he’s often holed up in his Dresden laboratory conducting unspeakable experiments, like any true scientist he also sees the value in a little fieldwork. Whenever he gets the opportunity to observe his creations in action, von Zögling will take to the field to direct them, gathering valuable data and fresh specimens.

*We’ll be doing a pronunciation guide for some of Konflikt ‘47s trickier names in the not-too-distant future. In this case, it’s closer to ‘von ZURG-ling’ than ‘von ZOG-ling’ – don’t ignore that load-bearing umlaut! -ed.

This isn’t some pasty-faced lab coat we’re dealing with here, though. Der Erntemann revels in the carnage wrought by the Totenkorps, and will often get stuck in himself to get his hands on a particularly valuable enemy corpse. As the battlefield is a dangerous place, von Zögling has taken pains to make himself a dangerous man, skilled with gun and blade. However, he has also elevated himself – literally – with his battle harness. Equal parts weaponised carriage and mobile surgery, the multi-limbed frame allows him to strike out at his foes in all directions, while also carrying enough surgical equipment and stores of his signature serum to re-animate any particularly promising victims nearby.

So, we know a little about the man (and you can find out much more in Festung Europa!), and we’ve seen his fantastic miniature. Let’s look at Der Erntemann on the tabletop!

First off, he’s obviously a Hero – albeit only to a very specific set of people – and as such comes with a couple of points of Rift Mastery and one of Luck, and (count ‘em!) three Rift Dice. He can also fill the mandatory commander slot in a Totenrotte Platoon, as is only appropriate, and comes equipped with a pistol and his battle harness, which grants him Deadly (2), as well as a variation on the Medical Implements special rule that we saw with the Nachtzehrer, although his benefits only the Totenkorps bodyguards (0-6) that may accompany him as a personal retinue. He’s also a Specialist Medic, granting himself and any nearby Totenkorps a chance to shrug off incoming fire.

On top of this, he’s a 6+ Damage Value Fearless Veteran who quite appropriately causes Horror, and has a tasty Active Rift Enhancement which gives him another way to return fallen models to his own squad, and makes it easier for nearby Totenkorps squads to use The Dead Rise – Again!. He is Bulky, though, meaning he’ll have to footslog it alongside the undead – it’s a good job he’s tough as nails and usually surrounded by literal meatshields, as he’ll be a top priority target for the enemy!

Der Erntemann is a fantastic choice if you plan to include any number of Totenkorps in your force, and he really shines in command of a Totenrotte Platoon, meshing perfectly with the Nachtzehrer and the platoon’s special rules to turn your Totenkorps from walking tar-pits into a surprisingly flexible tactical force – just don’t plan on doing too much shooting!