StatCounter

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

WHFB 8th Edition information from the Ogre Stronghold.


The internet is full of 8th edition chatter this morning as GW sent out their announcement email as well as prices and pictures of the different collectible sets available. I'm sure you've all seen this information already so I won't bother covering it here. 

However! One of our forum members (Dooks Dizzo) on the Ogre Stronghold has agreed to answer questions we put forth regarding 8th edition. Since many of you do not frequent the forum I thought it would be good to share that information here. I'll add more information as it is provided in the forum thread.
So, I am finally allowed to talk about the 8th ed book with everyone.  Hragged put together a great set of questions to get us started.
1. How does the save system work for models that have an armour save, ward save and/or regen? Same as 7th or has it changed?
You may always take your armor save (if you would be allowed one) and then if you have both ward and regenerate you will have to choose which one you want to take.

2. Can Ogres use the Flying Carpet magic item?
Oh hell yes, and I expect to see some rockin’ conversions soon.

3. Are fear causers immune to panic?
Short answer: no.
Long answer: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

4. Do enemy units have to take a fear test every combat phase?
Yes.

5. If a unit fails a fear test, are they reduced to WS1 and A1 or simply reduced to WS1? Does it last for the remainder of the combat, until the start of the player's next turn, or does it last for that combat phase only?
WS1 and it lasts until they pass a fear test, but they must continue to test each round, pass or fail.

6. Is the Bull Charge special rule in the rulebook now? If so, has it changed from what is printed in the Ogre book?
It is not in the main rule book.  We will still follow the rules from our army book.

7. Could you please briefly outline the bonuses provided by each command group model?

Standard bearer: as 7th ed.  However a captured standard only gives up 25vp’s in 8th.
Champion: as 7th ed.  However if a champion defeats a hero or lord in a challenge +50 vp’s are awarded.
Musician: as 7th ed. Except that a musician allows for ‘swift reform’ maneuvers.  A swift reform allows a unit to make normal move (not march) after reforming and allows a unit to shoot (with the normal -1 penalty for moving.)

8. What bonuses does a BSB provide?
Same as 7th ed.  With the following bonus: allows units to re-roll ALL leadership tests within 12”.  Panic, Break, Stupidity, Primal Fury, etc.
Give 100 vp’s if slain in close combat (including being run down.)

9. How does line of sight work in 8th?
True line of sight.  Hard cover for shooting through models.  I’m not going to answer endless questions or enter debates on this one.  Get the book, read it and play through a few games before worrying about it.  All the games I have played it has worked out fine.

10. Any changes to stupidity?
Yes!  ‘Suffering’ from stupidity makes you immune to psych.  Hello Mawseeker!

11. Are models only march blocked if they fail a leadership test?
It’s more like they’re not march blocked if they pass one.

12. Any changes to how the brace of handguns works?
Just as good as ever.  ‘Over packed’ on the first shot is gone.

13. Any changes to Gut Magic under the new magic system?
Other than it being generally easier to cast, no.  Slaughtermasters gaining +4 to cast is going to be handy for example.

14. What are the rules for army construction? Any Ogre book army restrictions lifted?
Restrictions are lifted.  In a one off contradiction to the normal rules, the BRB supercedes whatever system of army selection you have in your book.  You follow the rules listed in the BRB which are as follows:
Up to 25% Lord
Up to 25% Hero
Minimum of 25% core
Up to 50% special
Up to 25% rare

1-2999 no more than 3 duplicate special choices and 2 duplicate rare choices
3000+ no more than 6 duplicate special choices and 4 duplicate rare choices

In 3000 points you could have 6 units of 2 leadbelchers and 6 scrap launchers, and whatever else you wanted so long as you did not go over your 50% special allotment.

15. How many ranks do Ogres fight in, how many Ogres make a rank, and how many Ogres are required to make a horde unit?
2 ranks like everyone else (with up to 3 attacks from the second rank per model), 3 ogres to make a rank and 6 ogres wide to make a horde.

16. How many attacks does the second rank of Ogres get, and how many attacks does the third rank in an Ogre horde unit get?
3 and 3.

17. Does the Stomp rule exist and work as the rumours suggested?
The Stomp rule does indeed exist and no it doesn’t work as suggested.  It is not an additional attack, it is an additional hit!  One per model in base contact, Always Strikes Last.

18. Is the S7 autokill vs chariots (i.e. our Scraplaunchers) rule gone?
Yes, no more S7 auto splat.

19. Can you always wound on a 6, no matter how low your S is and how high the enemy's T is?
Yes.  And with the number of ways to buff toughness out there, this is very important.

20. Can you share any more common magic items with us?
Warseer pretty much has these nailed.

21. Are the Allies rules only for games with multiple players on the same side, or do they allow you to play with multiple armies yourself?
All games are an agreement between players, so you really can do whatever you like.  The rules however were included with games consisting of more than 2 players in mind.

22. Battle Missions - how many are there and how do they work?
There are 6.
The first one is the beloved pitched battle.

23. Scenarios - how many are there and do any of them involve Ogres?
M\None that specifically involve Ogres no.  There are 11 of them with a few that have subsets for specific historical battles.

24. Roughly how much of the 500+ page rulebook is rules? What makes up the rest of the book, and in what quantity?
Roughly 200 pages is rules.  100 pages of back story for all the armies. 50 or so pages of miniature show cases.  Campaign rules, scenario’s, legendary battles…you name it.  The book is absolutely beautiful, full color and just packed with information.
There is also a picture in the Ogre back story that I have never seen before.  Looks like pencil drawn and shows a large ogre riding a massive rhinox.

Some very exciting prospects here for all armies but the new Ogre possibilities have me quite excited! Flying Hunters or Bruisers!? Mawseeker granting ItP!? BSB rerolls for all psychology!? AWESOME STUFF.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Book Review - "Nagash the Sorcerer" by Mike Lee.

Books! To review! This time around we have a Black Library release from 2009 from the "Time of Legends" series. Next up will be a review of the first book of  the Sigmar trilogy "Heldenhammer" by Graham McNeil.


"Nagash the Sorcerer" by Mike Lee

"Nagash the Sorcerer" is the first in the Time of Legends: Nagash trilogy. The story begins in  the ancient empire of Nehekhara just moments before a series of extraordinary events leads to the death of Nagash's father (the current king) and mother. It isn't long before the cunning youth Nagash begins to form a plan to seize control of his father's kingdom from his brother - beginning a series of events that will change "the blessed land" and the face of the Old World forever.

The tale unfolds through the eyes of several characters and jumps back in forth through time in a way that can be unsettling and confusing to the reader. The initial origin of Nagash is continually interrupted by a "present day" setting where Nagash (known as the Usurper) has begun a war against the people of the Nehekharan empire in advance of his siege of the holy city Mahrak. This strange narration becomes less prevalent later in the book when the focus is placed more squarely on the "current events" as Nagash's army rampages across the desert sands. 

In addition to the narrative jumping about the pacing of the story tends to advance in fits and spurts - often spending pages describing mundane events and dialogue or focusing on the less interesting battles being waged in the name of Nagash's blood campaign. Time spent detailing the pantheon of gods (which is incredibly similar to Egyptian mythology) is interesting but seems to be a large departure from more "established" Warhammer lore. Perhaps this new focus is what future tales of the Tomb Kings and Nagash will build upon in the future?

The most enjoyable parts of this book for me were the more in-depth looks at Nagash's past - his magical training, the beginning of vampirism in the Old World, the construction of the Black Pyramid, and other similar major events from Warhammer "history". These moments make reading through the incredibly repetitive descriptions of armor (apparently everything was "hammered" for the warriors of the blessed land) more bearable and lend a much needed excitement to this workman-like tale.

While it is at times confusing, repetitive, or just downright boring there are some great moments scattered throughout the book for those who are interested in the history of the Old World. Nagash is a great villain and I look forward to seeing how he grows into his truly "evil" nature in the next two books of the series. If you like Warhammer lore, vampires, twisted sorcery, or undead things you will find a thing or two to like in this book. 

Verdict: 7.5 out of 10. Without the interesting lore/back story I think this book would be more like a 5.

Monday, June 7, 2010

I'm still drinkin' and modelin' ... honest!

Things have slowed way down around here. Part of it is my "new" life here in my hometown - the focus on tabletop gaming is just not the same. Part of it is my new job which doesn't afford me time to waste on a computer while I work (in fact I hardly get to use my computer at all).

The result of both has been me not being able to find a game of Warhammer. This in turn has slowed (stopped) my drive to complete my Vampire Counts army, which also put my Warriors of Chaos force on hold. While I had planned on finishing the VC army in time to attend BoLSCon it doesn't look as if that will be a financial possibility. Moving and taking a pretty steep pay cut has left me without much in the way of "disposable income" - including things like beer, models, paints, and cross-country trips to weekend long gaming conventions.

So where does that leave me and my miniature obsession? Well most recently I found some solace in a local Blood Bowl league and I am in the process of building an Ogre team to play in it (the Bultimore Bullies). Also, just last week my preferred gaming store changed ownership with a promise to focus more on GW games while building a community of players (something I intend to support however I can). And who knows? Maybe once the 8th edition of Warhammer is released the local scene will explode with new fantasy players (for me to abuse with my "overpowered" Ogre Kingdoms army).

Two lengthy work related trips this week and next may keep me from updating this blog as much as I would like - but stay tuned later this month for a look into my painful initiation into Blood Bowl, fantasy book reviews, progress reports, and more. In the meantime I leave you with a review of a beer I probably won't ever be able to buy again!



Lagunitas Brewing Company - 2009 Correction Ale

Beer Type: American IPA

Appearance: 22 oz. brown bottle with a white label, the Lagunitas dog, and some text. Beer poured an amber-gold color with a thin head that quickly faded.

Smell: A lot of floral and citrus hops followed by a little bit of sweet malt.

First Drink: Mostly sweet, with a bit of the floral and citrus flavors from the aroma.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated, a little oil slick, and a nice crisp finish.

Last Drink: A pleasant bitter finish and a little more sweetness.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, not sure what really makes this stand out from a "beer snob" point of view but I like it.

Notes: This beer is limited edition and seasonal. I was lucky to get one bottle of it from the local beer troll. The labels says "this is NOT a double IPA". I'd have to agree - I didn't much care for their Hop Stoopid Ale which was a double IPA.

Verdict: 4.25 out of 5. Flavorful, with a secretly hidden ABV, and it's easy to drink. What more can you ask for? Now only if I could get this beer all year long...

Links: Beer Advocate and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

UPDATE:  Forgot to mention it in my original post but I wanted to say ... go check out the new forums hosted by The Trading Post. Kuffeh (or Kuffy) is the nice bloke who put together the forum as a place for:
"Just a bit of fun, somewhere for general Fantasy based chatter. Please feel free to join and promote the forums to others. I am not expecting much, but it be cool to have a little place on the web for some nice friendly chatter."

I've already stopped by and registered my name so you'll have to get your own! See you there!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

WHFB 8th Edition - Rulebook sneak peek from GW newsletter.

Hot off the electronic presses from the Games Workshop newsletter:
Since we announced the new edition of Warhammer back in April, the excitement has been slowly building. Across the land hobbyists have begun gathering their forces in preparation of the mighty battles that lie ahead; in hushed whispers they've talked about what might lie within the 528-pages of the new Warhammer rulebook. Well prepare to ramp your excitement up a notch - Warhammer will be available to advance order from the 15th of June. Inspired by the clockwork creations of the engineers of Altdorf, we've today added a swish countdown clock to games-workshop.com, so you'll know exactly how many minutes and seconds to go before you can order your copy.

To thank you for subscribing to our newsletter (these images won't be shown anywhere else!) we thought we'd give you a sneak peek inside the new book. And don't forget that June's issue of White Dwarf is out this weekend and contains more exclusive information and pictures from the new Warhammer rulebook.

Enjoy.

The scenario page is the most interesting to me but you can't really make out any details of the text! Looking forward to seeing more as the release date gets closer ... how about you?!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Progress report - Blood Bowl team 5/23/10.


Been working on my Blood Bowl Ogre team and the picture above is what I had done as of yesterday afternoon. I have since completed some more Snotlings (Gnoblars) and have two more Ogres in the works. I also finalized my roster and team name ... say hello to the Bultimore Bullies!


Look for more models and updates on the BB action later this week!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Blood bowl?!

Still haven't spent any additional time painting, modeling, or playing WHFB. The "fantasy day" at the local game store went kaput as the store is no longer open on Sundays. Sad times for my fantasy addiction. 

But!! Earlier this week I was contacted by one of the Kalamazoo Ultimate Blood Bowl League with this:

"We started a new blood bowl league in Kzoo, and wondered if you’d be interested in joining us.  I see you are also a fan of beer….good beer that is.  I am a brewer and so are at least two of our other players.  Here is our site, and we definitely want some good coaches playing and good looking models too."
How could I resist something like this!? Beer?! Nerds?! Blood bowl?! I immediately sent a response of "Hell yeah!" and went out to the local league meeting on Wednesday night. After observing the game, and stumbling my way through half a match, I had signed up for the league and become a Blood Bowl coach... but I still didn't have a team. 

Enter the Ogres! I've decided to model and paint myself an Ogre Blood Bowl team for entry in the new season of the league (which begins in just two weeks) and I am getting started on them tonight! I can't wait to see these big guys on the field, and hopefully I will manage to crush and kill a few star players and maybe even win a game or two in the process. 

Stay tuned for more details in the coming days...

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Progress report - 5/12/10.

Oi! Look at this poor neglected blog! No pictures, no updates, no modelin' and what a sad lack of drinkin' related posts!! Something must be done...

Not a lot of WHFB in my life at the moment. Spent last weekend smashing things with a sledgehammer and avoiding a variety of spinning blades while helping my "in-laws" prep their summer garden. Also went to the local farmer's market, had some breakfast at one of my favorite diners, and spent some time playing board games (Pandemic and Small World) and Left 4 Dead 2, but no games of Warhammer...

I did manage to assemble (and complete some minor greenstuff work for) my first Warrior/Chosen for the Malal themed force, although I have not begun to paint him yet (need more paint). There is also one Beastman/Marauder I am in the process of painting, hopefully I will have some pictures of that up here soon for everyone to look at.

Also spent some time writing Vampire Counts army lists for the upcoming Bell of Lost Souls convention in Austin, TX later this summer. I have a couple lists in mind but I need to get some practice games in before I really commit to one over the other. Perhaps a poll here on the blog would help me decide which way to go? I don't expect to win the whole thing, I just need a good reason to "finish" my VC army before I really dive into the Malal WoC army, and I have a lot of models... so...

Yup. Life here has been pretty busy, mostly with social pursuits outside of Warhammer, although I am hoping to get some games in this weekend ... who knows!? Maybe I will even put up a battle report or two if the games are interesting enough?!

In the meantime... something that has been severely lacking from this blog as of late - BEER!



Lagunitas Brewing Company - Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

Beer Type: American Double / Imperial IPA

Appearance: 22 oz. brown bottle with a green label that pictures a farm. Beer poured a medium golden color with a short head that hung around.

Smell: Hops. Lots of hops. Something else comes through too .. perhaps grapefruit or some other citrus.

First Drink: Hops in the front, followed by sweet malt, grapefruit, and some bitter pine flavors.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and a little oily (probably the hops). Not too much carbonation, seems just right.

Last Drink: A lot more bitterness from the hops as this beer warms up. I am getting a lot more pine flavors now.

Drinkability: Well this is a pickle. I love this brewery, and I am growing to love IPAs, but the pine flavors in this brew are a bit much for me. It isn't bad but I wish the flavor was just a little more mellow.

Notes: This beer was given to me by an ex-coworker! Ah the days when people brought me free beer...

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5. Well crafted but not really my favorite (I like their regular IPA better).

Links: Beer Advocate and Lagunitas Brewing Company.