New Warlord Rules Book!

[simombo]

Allright, allright.

 

I'll keep calm until I've actually played the new version (optional smiley for those inclined).

 

Then of course, there will be no stopping my rant about what could be better, what doesn't work etc.

 

Any further in depth rules discussions should probably take place in a new thread. The posts always seem to get longer and longer.

 

One last question (for now!) for the playtesters:

As I read it, the concept of troops is now superfluous, as the members of a troop has no connection with the miniature that leads them, neither through coherency or leadership. So instead of leader min-max troop capacity, an army total min-max capacity based on the number of leaders and leader types you include seems more in thread with this organisational freedom.

 

I know it's pretty much the same thing, as individual leader capacities adds up to a total capacity. But it's the principle of it. Why keep the troop concept when it has little or no effect in the game?

[Gus Landt]

I know it's pretty much the same thing, as individual leader capacities adds up to a total capacity. But it's the principle of it. Why keep the troop concept when it has little or no effect in the game?

It has a huge effect on the game in terms of activating those troops during the game. The game plays spectacularly different if you play with 10 small troops VS 2-3 large troops. It really does.

Show up with 10 small troops, and while you will get to activate a lot more often, which gives you a multitude of benefits, there are also some steep obstacles. Such as trying to kill a monster that has Damage Reduction/2 (ignores the first 2 points of damage each activation). With a small troop, it can be very difficult to handle those kinds of monsters. In fact, if you show up with lots of small troops, and I show up with the Hydra, you will need to be a very skilled player to pull off a win!

[jdripley]

Exactly. I've also found that while you don't *have* to keep your troops together in some semblance of a formation, most players tend to do so anyways. Coordinating game effects such as support bonuses and so forth can really only be done within the context of a troop - especially now that support has been tweaked a little bit. there are also defensive benefits to be gained from keeing a troop as a coherent unit.

 

The only time I find myself breaking a troop apart and spreading it throughout the battlefield is if I have a troop of archers and don't have any fighters in that troop. I'll usually field my regular troops in blocks with small gaps between them, and I'll pop an archer between those gaps. That way the enemy can't hide from all of them at once, which may be easier if the archers themselves were clumped. Also makes it harder for a single cavalry charge to flatten your ranged element. But, word on the street is that there are changes that will make such a tactic unnecessary :D Blast that's vague and misleading! Don't read into that too much, please.

 

OH OH! There's also another change which grants a benefit to soldiers who stick near a warlord or captain and help said leader pull down an enemy. So that's another factor in favor of keeping you troops tight.

 

There are also some SA's that encourage teamwork one way or another.

 

So while there is no rule that requires a troop to maintain coherency, or that outright penalizes you for scattering you troops willy nilly, there are plenty of good reasons to keep them together. I can't really think of too many good reasons to split up your troops. I'm sure situations will come up where it's of benefit, but the majority of the time keeping them as a unit will be the way to go.

[Shakandara]

I'll keep calm until I've actually played the new version (optional smiley for those inclined).

This is quite possibly the best advice for anyone who has not seen the rules yet.

 

~v

[joshuaslater]

I feel vindicated already. I'm glad to see changes on the horizon after years of what I hope is constructive criticism.

 

Adding some elements like Trampling, Morale/Leadership effects, and losing the Adept/Grunt thing were all things I've been looking for.

 

I even see the range and setting becoming better, after lambasting Reaper on what I considered just a "D&D knockoff."

 

The Bloodstone Gnomes are a new direction. The Darkspawn have gotten resculpts, and are a cool twist on Dark Elves, somewhere between Drow, the GW Slaanesh Dark Elves, and with a healthy dose of Cthulhu thrown in. I got the Dark Dwarves I asked for, and bought the unit pack, and then some.

 

The options for proxying are still the best in a skirmish game, hands down. It's not nescessary to find a model with even a specific weapon a great deal of the time. I could use an OOP model from the eighties if I want to mix it up a bit.

 

So yeah, I'm happy to see a new book, and I'll buy it upon release.

[Wowahboy]

Even though the leader does not count for morale & cohesion so much, the troop is everything. Like Gus wrote, too many weak troops and you ain't killin' nothin' BIG. Also critical to success is how well the guys in each troop compliment each other.

[Warwick]

"Also critical to success is how well the guys in each troop compliment each other. "

 

That's so true. I make sure all my Chattel know how to compliment the Crimson Knights.

"That's a nice shade of dead you look tonight, sir."

"No, you don't reek of the grave at all, who would say such things!"

"Masterful how you snacked on Rupert and killed the Bear Rider this turn, my dread lord."

"Dried blood is the new black, I always say."

"Please don't eat me! I'm so young!"

 

Um, that last one always slips through.

[Wowahboy]

And I minored in English . . . good one, Warwick.

[Warwick]

Ha, I didn't even know there was a different spelling. Until your reply and I said, "He must know something I don't." We can't have that! So I looked it up. There is a difference! Complement and compliment. Damn, learn something new every day...and I'm a writer so I should know these things. I was just having fun with Crimson Knights and Chattel. I wasn't being the spelling police. Frankly, they wouldn't have me, those snobs.

[Wowahboy]

I picked up some Crimson Knights from the Boneyard during Reapercon. They are in line to be painted right after my Gargoyles, Crypt Bats, Giant Rats, Raptors, British Infantry, and Trolls.

[shakhak]

I picked up some Crimson Knights from the Boneyard during Reapercon. They are in line to be painted right after my Gargoyles, Crypt Bats, Giant Rats, Raptors, British Infantry, and Trolls.

Trolls and Raptors first. Reptus should always be at the front of the line. :)

[Qwyksilver]

Because every army needs new boots and luggage

[psyberwolfe1]

I picked up some Crimson Knights from the Boneyard during Reapercon. They are in line to be painted right after my Gargoyles, Crypt Bats, Giant Rats, Raptors, British Infantry, and Trolls.

Trolls and Raptors first. Reptus should always be at the front of the line. :)

Sure, and then the limey's call in Mike Target and they are a slime trail in a crater.

[Wowahboy]

I got abused by giant wolves last nite.

[Brushmaster]

I got abused by giant wolves last nite.

That could be "puppy love" !