Ogre Kingdoms - New rumors abound!

New Ogre rumors are coming in fast and from what I have seen in the past I think this current round hold water. Time will tell...

From Zephyr on the Ogre Stronghold:

Phil Kelly is author.


Plastic kits:

• Rhinox Riders (on regular Rhinoxen) (box of 3)
• Scraplauncher/Skewer-slinger (Similar to Warp-cannon/plague-claw in design)
• Great Mammox with three ogre crew and plastic tyrant option (Same base as Arachnarock. Imagine a cross between a musk ox and a Mammoth)
• Yhetees (More gorilla-like, and and no more 80's hairstyle manes. Really dynamic for a plastic kit)

Finecast:

• Jahred The Red on Rhinox
• Golgfag Maneater
• Redone Goldtooth, Skrag, maneaters (box of 3, female, ninja and pirate discontinued), Tyrant/bruiser, gorger.

Rules:

• Bull Charge will work always, even though you're less than 3 ogres and charge less than 6".
• All ogres except butchers gain a basic 6+ save from their gut plates.
• Ogre Clubs negates parry save, and is a general rule for all weapons like Choppas in OnG.
• All army restrictions gone, but gnoblars do not count towards minimum core.
• Gnoblars T2, but Sharp stuff is March and Fire, Range 10".
• Weapon options for units cheaper, and minor point reductions across the board. Bulls will stay same base cost.
• Magic will be standardized. Most spells will stay similar (augments) but with greater range, and can be buffed to affect more units. May also be cast on Yhetees and Gorgers.
• Rhinox Riders are super-hard. They get regular stomp and D3+1 Bull Charge, and also has Devastating Charge. (Special Choice)
• Scraplauncher, same but moves to Rare.
• Rhinox and Mammox are mount options for Tyrant and Hunter.
• Mammox can thunderstomp everything, like the SoM Bonegrinder Giant. Insane stats, but expensive (like 290 points base.). Crew can have leadbelcher swivel guns.
• Hunter greatly improved. Move and fire with harpoon and monster-killing special rules.
• Yhetees as in SoM, but with options for 2HW or GW, and musician now. No standard-bearer.
• Leadbelchers auto-hit, and can fire every turn, but only S4, no AP. Don't come with Light Armour.

Magic Items:

• Big Names Gone.
• Half of items are Magic Weapons.
• Tenderizer and Siegebreaker will stay.
• Halfling Cookbook grants Loremaster.
• There's a banner granting the same frenzy Minotaurs have.

Plastics will be out in October. Finecast in November.

Things I like in this list of rumors (to be taken with plenty of salt):

• New plastic kits for a Rhinox, Mammox, Scraplauncher, and Yhetees.
  
• New models for Golgfag Maneater and Jhared the Red.
  
• New rules for the Ogre Club sound interesting and are quite fluffy I think.
  
• Gnoblars max caps are gone but they do not count towards Core requirements.
  
• Minor point reduction across the board with weapon options being cheaper.
  
• Hunter gets better with move and fire and monster killing abilities (heroic killing blow?).
  
• New special characters.

Things I don't like in this list of rumors (I really hope these aren't true):

• No point reduction for Bulls? That would make them the worst monstrous infantry unit in the game!
  
• Yhetees are not really improved. Same as in SoM but with different attacks.
  
• Scraplauncher moving to a Rare choice seems excessive. Must be a lot of whiners out there with big block armies.
  
• Taking away Big Names is like Dwarfs losing runes or Bretonnians losing virtues!
  
• Making Gut Magic more "standard" doesn't really appeal to me. Simplifying it does but I hope they don't ruin the flavor (pun intended).

So there you have it... my thoughts on these rumors. I'm sure you were dying to know what I thought!!

In the end I won't complain too much if the new book is of the same quality and caliber of the last two (O&G and Tomb Kings). I suspect the release of this new book will give me a reason to bust out the big boys on the table again... it's been almost a year since I played a game of WHFB!!