Army Building and 8th Edition WHFB

I have held the book in my hands. It is very big, and full color, and overall, pretty nifty.

With that out of the way, a look at the new (Old?) army composition in WHFB8. It's been a source of a lot of rumors, a lot of "OMG the sky is falling", and rather a bit of wringing of hands. I didn't get a long look at the book today, but I wanted to at least see precisely what the rules are on composition, so I can start to prepare my army for the new book.

It's pretty simple. >25% for Core, <25% each for Lords, Heroes, and Rares, <50% for Specials, and no more than 2 duplicate Rare units and 3 duplicate Special units.

For someone who cut their square-base teeth on WHFB5, this isn't terribly strange, but if you've only played 6th Edition and later, it's going to take a little bit of getting used to. So what's it mean for the game?

-Points are important, not unit counts. I think this may be one of the biggest (and best) changes for high-cost, elite Core units. No more cheapo filler units to take up the third core slot, if you have a couple of big smashy ranked units that add up to 500pts (in a 2k game), you're all set.

-The sky is not falling for heroes. This is important to note, especially as compared to many of the rumors. Lords get their own points allotment, with plenty of room to stretch their legs. Monstrous mounts are going to get relegated to the larger games, but it also means that Lords are available in ALL GAMES. Now stop, read that again, and make sure that you're not drinking anything while you do it. 1000 point game? You can have a 250 point Lord running your army. Granted, 250 points isn't going to get you a Chaos Lord with all the trimmings, but it does mean that in smaller games, armies with less smashy Lord choices will have a good shot at going toe to toe with some of the more punishing Hero choices, like in the Warriors of Chaos book.

-Unit spam is not completely gone. There was a lot of scuttlebutt going around about stiff penalties for running multiples of the same unit. It's just not true. The book clearly specifies that "2 for 1" choices still count as a single pick, and 3 of the same Special is still going to be quite a few of the same models. That said, the limit does reward running two larger units of a Rare slot, rather than running seven or eight tiny ones, so it does nip a few of the more ridiculous hypothetical builds from the rumor phase in the bud.

I sat down and wrote out a new Dwarf list over my lunch today, and it's actually legal in both editions of the rules. I suspect most people that were running relatively even-handed armies are going to be in a similar position. More Lord or Rare focused forces might be in for a little reorganization, but from what I've looked at for the rules for close combat, I suspect that most of those armies are going to be wanting to take a few more skeletons/warriors/spearmen anyway. I don't envy the guys that have to rewrite the validation rules for Army Builder, but on the whole, I think it's a strong step towards rebalancing things for the better.

It's been a while...

So, while doing the site redesign with Blogger's neat-o new layout tool, I kept on having the last update from November of last year staring at me. It's got a way of making a guy want to get something done. So here's the "state of the steamwerks" since then.

-Repainted my table! I finally got around to both reinforcing the thing (no more bending!) and getting a fresh coat of paint on it. Now I can actually be reasonably sure my terrain will match the board, and I've got a hell of a lot of Tausept Ochre and Bleached Bone look-alike latex paint.

-Painted a bunch of terrain. With the table repaint, I wanted to get the rest of the terrain set shipshape. In addition to the stuff that's already showed up on the blog, now there's two Gaming Hills, a Temple of Skulls, some assorted small ruins, and the Bastion properly finished, plus the Battlescape and a couple of forests at least partially finished.

-Reorganized my gaming space. This one is still a work in progress. I moved the desk out, and moved in another bookshelf and Martha's display cabinet, along with adding some new terrain shelving. Still plowing through organizing the (probably thousands) minis in boxes that let me actually find things, but I'm closer to having a more usable space than I have been in a while.

-Lost my camera. This one is the main reason I haven't been posting- my phone just doesn't take the quality of pictures that I would like. There is some suspicion about the timing of it, but the main point is that I just don't know where the damn thing is.

-Played a hell of a lot of Xbox. This is one of those cyclical hobby things... With a lot of people being busy around the last big 40K release (Battle Missions), I just didn't end up doing as much tabletop gaming as usual. That said, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Halo3: ODST were not a bad way to kill a few weeks.

So. Moving forward. Right now, I've got some decent work done on my Romans for WAB, and with the 2.0 rulebook out, it's getting some good play. I've been getting back into painting my Vostroyans, after some disappointment with the codex. What do you folks want to read? More battle reports? Painting logs? Philosophical musings about the state of rules and players? Let me know what you think!

Thoughts on gaming in "Real Life"

I've done a bit of gaming this week, in all sorts of forms. Played a couple games of Pandemic and Mall of Horror, an online game of Advanced Squad Leader, two 40K games, Warhammer Ancient Battles, and even a game of Battletech, not to mention enjoying the heck out of the Left 4 Dead demo. I was thinking specifically about finally getting a "real" game of Battletech in after so long, as compared to the games I've played recently online, and how they compare. Granted, the game today was a teaching game, using the introductory rules and only two 'mechs, as opposed to the larger engagements I was playing online, but I think I enjoyed this one more, and not just because I didn't get my ass handed to me this time (still lost, though). There is something about pushing the models, rolling the dice, and seeing the look on your opponent's face when the dice fall one way or the other, even if the gameplay is exactly the same. I think that is why this hobby has survived in the face of smarter, faster video games, and nifty online systems (though those are helpful if you have a friend who insists on becoming a Canoodian). That, and it is somewhat difficult to paint imaginary models.

There's a lot of speculation about a new edition of WHFB running around at the moment, and I think it's interesting the different things that they want from a new ruleset. I think one of the things that gets forgotten in all of this is that ultimately, the designers had a specific game in mind when they wrote it. Battletech is a game about giant robots; Warmachine is a game that used to be about giant robots, and is now about way the shit too much infantry (though Mk II may be better); and ultimately, WHFB is a game about big damn heroes, scary monsters, and masses of troops fighting and dying for their race's future. I would love to see a lot of changes to the ruleset, but looking at how the newer army books look, I think we're going to see more stylish heroes and the sorts of things that make the Old World different from any other fantasy setting- strange war machines, wacky specialist troops, and powerful wizards. To expect anything else would imply that Alessio had a sudden change of heart about the entire focus of the game, and I don't think that is terribly likely. Fortunately, there are all sorts of other games in this world that ARE about pushing masses of infantry across the table to get stuck into tense fights, where only the brave and the lucky survive, and there are certainly room for both kinds, both in the world, and on my little patch of desert.

Unit Specialization in 40K

For a long time, I've had a theory about 40k army building, adapted from a popular saying about the roles of women and compatriots- Boys before toys. It came about from my Guard army, where in the old codex, it was very easy to spend tons of points on Doctrines and cool hardware, without remembering that at their core, they were still just regular guys with lasguns, a weapon that is really only effective en masse. It does apply, however, to nearly every army, and I played a game a few days ago that illustrated it extremely well.

The Game:

2500 points, Ultramarines on both sides of the table. This kind of matchup is always nasty, as the Space Marine codex is certainly versatile enough to build many different armies, but ultimately you've got two armies both using the 40K baseline stat line, so it becomes less about the dice, as any kind of even fight is going to be a coin toss anyway. Then it comes down to stacking the odds in your favor with either numbers, or hardware.

The Armies:

Mine:
Cato Sicarius and Command Squad (Apothecary, Company Champion, Company Banner, Thunder Hammer, Power Sword/Storm Bolter)

5 Assault Terminators w/ Land Raider Crusader (Sarge w/ Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield, 2 Lightning Claws, 2 TH/SS, LRC has Sergeant Chronus, Multi-Melta, Storm Bolter)

Venerable Dreadnought (Assault Cannon, Extra Armor, Drop Pod)

Tactical Squads I-IV (I and II have Plasma Guns, III and IV have Flamers, all four have Missile Launchers and a Sergeant with Bolt Pistol and Chainsword)

Scout Squad I (Sergeant Telion, Missile Launcher, 3 Sniper Rifles)

Scout Squad II (Sergeant with Power Fist, 2 Shotguns, 2 BP/CCW, Heavy Bolter, 4 Boltguns)

Land Speeder Storm

Vindicator with Siege Shield

Predator Destructor (Autocannon turret, no other upgrades. Discount tank!)


The Enemy:

Chapter Master (digital weapons, melta bombs, artificer armor, plasma pistol, power weapon)

2 Dreadnoughts (Extra rmor, Storm Bolter, Assault Cannon)

10 Terminators (2 Assault cannons)

Tactical squads I-III (10man) Flamer, plasma cannons in I and II, Lascannon in III, Teleport Homers on Sergeants, Razorback with Lascannons and Extra Armor for III)

Land Raider (Multi melta, extra armor)

Vindicator with Sergeant Chronus, Siege Shield

Grey knight grandmaster and retinue (Grandmaster, NFW, Psycannon, Holocaust, Retinue x5 with Holocaust. )


Obviously there are some similar units in our forces, but in general, the opposing force is better equipped compared to my fairly numerous army. The game was a two-flag objective mission, and the opposing force mostly tried to camp their objective, while the front halves of my Tactical Squads advanced across the table, with the back halves providing covering fire. The Dreadnought dropped in right in front of his lines, doing a bit of damage before a lucky Plasma Cannon shot blew him up, and the Vindicator got into a game-long duel with his Land Raider.

The key difference was in the use of our Terminators. While giving his Sergeants Teleport Homers was a good move considering the two expensive teleporting units, he didn't move his Tactical Squads aggressively enough to make the homers worth using. That led to making risky unguided Deep Strikes, which resulted in his Grey Knights being destroyed, and his Terminators spending the rest of the game walking towards the action. My Terminators, on the other hand, enjoyed the comfort of their Land Raider until they were needed, keeping them safe, warm, and well fed (Didn't you know, Land Raiders have a minibar!). They were able to get out towards the end of the game and clean up, while the Crusader meandered around the battlefield blowing the crap out of whatever got too close to it. My investment in my Terminators was much less, and better protected, leaving more points available for the blue guys with boltguns that ultimately will carry the day for any Space Marine force (though they're not always blue, I suppose). Certainly I got lucky with the deep strike mishaps, but ultimately, do you want nearly half of your army depending on whether or not you manage to roll below average on scatter rolls?

Game vs. Tomb Kings, 6-27-09

Ah, the delay when one has Flickr sets to sort... Or, y'know, is lazy.
Anyway, I played a number of games in preparation for a tourney at the Chicago Battle Bunker this past Monday. This particular one was against John (not of Plastic Legions, though he's a good guy too!) and his Tomb Kings. Those that play against me in WHFB on a regular basis know a basic truism- I *%#$ing HATE the Undead. So any chance to give them a kicking is a good time, though given my record against them, maybe not...



Here's my standard "castle" deployment. Warmachines on the hill, Thunderers on the flank with a Dragon Slayer to discourage people from just rolling up the thin line of shooters, Slayers on the other flank, and my three major combat blocks filling up the center (Left to right, Warriors, Longbeards, and Ironbreakers). The best laid plans, of course...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/conspyre/3676978951/sizes/m/in/set-72157619335123663/

And the view across the table. Chariots on my left (led by his bitchin' flaming Tomb King chariot), more Chariots, a thin line of Skeleton Archers, two Screaming Skull Catapults, some Tomb Guard, and Yet More Chariots. That many S7-vulnerable units should be a Good Thing for my Bolt Thrower and Cannon, but that remains to be seen.



Turn one was a bit more eventful than usual. The Tomb Kings advanced, with a little magical assistance speeding up a couple of Chariot units, and the Screaming Skull Catapults dropping a couple of Slayers, while the Tomb King's unit reminded me that yes, TK Chariots have bows by killing two Thunderers. The Dwarfs retaliated, powdering a Catapult crewman with a cannonball, and destroying a Chariot between the Thunderers and the Organ Gun.


Turn 2: The Slayers square off against the fast-moving Undead

Turn 2 was a quiet Magic phase for the Tomb Kings, as between a Rune of Spellbreaking and some solid Dispel dice, they didn't see a single spell go off. The shooting phase was a bit nastier for them, with a (obviously huge!) shot from the Screaming Skull Catapult demolishing the Organ Gun, leaving the crew a bit puzzled as to what to do with themselves. Like all good Dwarf gun crews, they ended up parking themselves behind the hill to have a quick pint or five until they were needed. The Dwarf shooting wasn't quite so stellar, with the Cannon failing to hit, though the Thunderers and Bolt Thrower each destroyed a Chariot.


Turn 3: It Came From Below!

As is traditional, turn 3 was Interesting. All of John's reserves showed up, namely two Tomb Scorpions and a swarm of three bases. The last chariot in his second unit attempted to charge the Thunderers, only to be gunned down by their Stand and Shoot reaction. Using my last two Runes of Spellbreaking effectively shut down his Magic phase again, leading neatly into one of the Screaming Skull catapults misfiring. His Tomb King's chariot regiment easily cut down the Thunderers, despite their earlier triumph, and overran into the Dragon Slayer. Despite it landing practically on top of them, the Warrors easily defeated the first Tomb Scorpion in combat resolution, and the Bolt Thrower crew bravely defended their machine against the other one. The Slayers, alone on the right flank, managed to hold up against the Swarms and his right-flank Chariot unit. On the Dwarf side of the round, the Cannon managed to do two wounds to one of the Screaming Skull Catapults. The Tomb Scorpion fighting the Bolt Thrower crew cut them down, demolishing the machine, while the Dragon Slayer found his glorious end against the Tomb King. The Slayers were whittled down by the Chariots and Swarms, the Chariots claiming their banner for the trophy halls of Khemri.


Turn 4: Surrounded, the Dwarfs try to regroup.

After the frenzy of combat in Turn 3, Turn 4 was relatively sedate. The Magic phase was again quiet, while the Skeleton Archers dropped a cannon crewman. The Cannon responded by destroying one of the Swarms with Grapeshot, but otherwise it was mostly preparation for Turn 5, which would inevitably be the decisive turn.


Turn 5: I somehow don't have a good picture. Please enjoy this kitten.

The Ironbreakers got charged by both the Chariot and the two remaining swarms. Again the Magic phase was silent, though I can't say the same for shooting, with four Longbeards killed by airborne craniums. One Tomb Scorpion killed off the Cannon crew, overrunning into the Organ Gun crewmen, while the Ironbreakers fled and were cut down.


Turn 6: The Tomb King and his retinue fight the Warriors.

Without the Runesmith to help with magic (he was killed with the Bolt Thrower crew), the Tomb King was able to advance his unit into the Warriors, while the Tomb Guard got the rear of the Longbeards. The Warriors broke and fled, cut down by the chariots, and the Longbeards fled, running into the Skeleton Archers, leaving the table clear of Dwarfs.


This was a tricky game for me. I'm used to the Vampire Counts, where if you can stymie their magic, they're in a great deal of pain. In this game, John didn't get very many spells off, but his Chariots were still more than enough to crush my infantry blocks.

I'm not dead!

A quick post while I get photos sorted for the other posts I should write tonight-
The new Imperial Bastion is HUGE (Valten for scale, as ever).

Robots!

Just a quick peek into the OTHER obsession, which I spent today indulging, rather than writing the (3) blog posts I have piling up...

This is my games table, not a truck stop!

More than meets the eye, or robots in disguise? I was a Gen 2 child, myself...