6. Adapting the Brimstone Peninsula Time of War.

Here is a rundown of the Time of War rules and whether they need adapting to suit the Campaign.

1.  FLAMING MISSILES -  I like the fact that this rule gives a bonus to wound for shooting above a certain distance.  Shouldn't be game-breaking when coupled with the fact that distances can be covered quickly, Clouds of Smoke and Steam rule, as well as the House Rule for shooting (given below). 

2.  CLOUDS OF SMOKE AND STEAM -  Another good rule that prohibits units parking in the corner of the map and shooting every turn.  Shooting is to be encouraged but should be tempered with tactical movement.  Getting into a good clear firing position every turn is the skill in using ranged firepower.  Especially now that the rules support being able to move freely and fire without penalty to hit.  Tactical movement across all types of units is positively encouraged with this rule.

3.  FIREBALL - A potentially pointless rule for the Stormcast and Khornate forces unless they manage to acquire a magic ring or two on their travels. 

4.  GEYSERS OF BOILING BLOOD -  Fantastic rule that I shall definitely be taking advantage of.  I may even go so far as to make some custom markers for this.

5.  BRIMSTONE PENINSULA TRIUMPHS -  I like the rewards as they are.  Whilst tempting to tweak and add to them I like the fact that they are all contained within a D6 table and only apply to HERO level models.

6.  LEGIONS OF CHAOS -  I dont think I am going to be using this rule, not in it's current form anyway.  I like the idea of a battle set around the Khorne controlled Realmgate having a set of rules that can potentially feed into this but for now I am considering this rule off the table. 

7.  RAIN OF SIGMAR - Again, I dont see this as being absolutely necessary.  I may introduce it as a means of subtly balancing the win/loss ratio of the Stormcast but only if it is absolutely necessary.

8.  OVERTHROW THE TYRANTS - Now we come to the biggest change.  I am not a fan of this rule being in effect every single game.  I do believe that Sigmar wouldn't drop the Stormcast into battle unsupported without a means of giving some reinforcements at some point.  Therefore, I have come up with the following system:-

5. The Goretide.

I managed to pickup a copy of the Khorne Bloodbound battletome last weekend.  I was looking for more explanation in the way a Bloodbound Warhorde would be put together.  I was also hoping it would reveal more about the Goretide in general.  I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed.  

Without further ado here is a breakdown of the unit types available to Khul's Gorechosen.

1.  Exalted Deathbringer:-  ' MORDAX SLAUGHTERTHIRST'.
              BLOODSTORM:  3 x units of WrathMongers.
              Mighty Skullcrusher unit.
              Khorgoraths.
              Fleshhounds.
              Bloodletter unit.
              Fleshhound unit.
              Bloodwarriors.

Mordax commands Khul's personal retinue of elite warriors.  Whilst Mordax's ambition knows no bounds Khul believes in keeping his more ambitious subjects as close as possible.  Mordax is cold and calculating.  It is his belief that it is only a matter of time before he commands the Goretide for himself.

2.  SlaughterPriest:-  'LAKSHAR BLOODSPEAKER'.
              DARK FEAST:  Bloodstoker.
                                         3 x units of BloodReavers.
              Chaos Giant.
              Chaos Warshrine.
              Bestigors
              Ungors
              Duardin Slayers.
              Warhounds.

Lakshar's force is almost entirely comprised of units made from subjugated races gathered during Khul's initial conquest of the Brimstone Peninsula.  Lakshar gains immeasurable pleasure from spreading the corruption of hatred in Khorne's name. 

3.  Bloodsecrator:-  'THREX SKULLBRAND'.
               Wrathmongers.
                Skullreapers.
                Blood Warriors.
                BloodReavers.
                Bound Slaughterbrute.

Carrying the Goretide's banner has attracted some of the Warband's most devoted killers.  Threx himself has no motivations beyond finding another body to slaughter in futile attempts to satiate the incessant ramblings of hate in his mind.  Khorne himself has rewarded Threx's acute single mindedness with a Bound Slaughterbrute so that the reach of his hatred has no bounds.

4.  SkullGrinder:-  'BARBARICUS KREED'.
               RED HEADSMEN:  3 x units of BloodWarriors.
                                                 Aspiring Deathbringer.

Like all SkullGrinders Barbaricus's origin and motivations are unknown.  Provided there is killing to be done in Khorne's name Barbaricus is never far away.  BloodWarriors and other aspirant champions flock to him like moths to a flame, hoping that they will be benefactors to  unique and grisly weaponry direct from Khorne's forge. 

5.  BloodStoker:-  'VEKH THE FLAYER'.
               SKULLTAKE:  Skullreapers
                                         Khorgoraths
               Chaos Spawn.
               Mutalith VortexBeast.
               Chimera.
               Chaos Giant.
               Chaos Trolls.
               Aspiring Bloodstokers.
               BloodReavers.

Vekh is constantly on the search for larger, meaner monsters with which to bring slaughter in Khorne's name.  His devotion to the cause enabled him to climb the ranks to the Gorechosen where he currently resides.  Loyalty to Khul is absolute, but to his peers less so.  He currently has his eye on a certain Skaven Abomination subjugated by a certain Karnus Gnaw.

6.  Aspiring Deathbringer:-  'JANGOS SCYTHE'.
                Bloodwarriors.
                BloodReavers.
                Aspiring BloodStoker.
                Khorgorath.
             
Jangos is desperate to cement his position within the Gorechosen.  Desperate for a higher position he will betray anyone in order to catch Khul's eye. 

7.  Aspiring Deathbringer:-  'KARNUS GNAW'.
                Bloodwarriors.
                BloodReavers.
                Aspiring BloodStokers.
                Khorgorath.
                Skaven Abomination.

Karnus was responsible for taming the Skaven North of the Brimstone Peninsula.  During his successes he acquired a Skaven Abomination to which his Aspiring Bloodstokers, against all odds, managed to tame.  The Skaven's alliance with Khorne would be described as uneasy at best, but their hatred for the carnage Karnus caused transcends their fear for Karnus's master. 

8.  Aspiring Deathbringer:-  'MANTHRAX WRATH'.
     Aspiring Bloodsecrator:-  'BENEFAX WRATH'.

Collectively known as the 'SKULL WARDENS'.

               BLOODBOUND WARBAND:  Skullreapers
                                                                   Bloodsecrator

                Bloodwarriors.

                BloodReavers.
                Aspiring BloodStokers.
                Khorgorath.

SPECIAL RULE:  TELEPATHIC LINK - A warband with the Skull Wardens counts as having two Generals.  Command Abilities can only be used once per turn as normal except that it counts as being effective from both of them at the same time. 

Khorne believes in singular absolutes.  The Wrath brothers are a problem for Khorne as he ideally needs one of them to die in order to be able to reward them properly.  Having two warriors making up a single slot of the Gorechosen is troublesome.  Problem is they work so well together.  The Skull Wardens are very effective on the battlefield but are hamstrung by each other's existence.  The brotherly loyalty they share is unquestionable, as well as their loyalty to Khorne. 

4. The Sigmarite Forces.

I have started to think about the StormCast's situation.

For the campaign, and indeed for the players, I think it is necessary to limit the forces at the player's disposal.  The warscrolls in the Age of Sigmar source book support what we have in the box and also what I feel would be deployed at this early stage of the war.

The Stormcast forces comprise of highly skilled, surgical strike troops that are small in number but high in resilience.  A forced balance in this manner will be essential.  Plus, I like the idea of Paladin's and these other more specialized troop variants turning up in later chapters in other realms.  Almost as if Sigmar is constantly refining the Stormcast sauce. 

To that end I have planned out the troops available to Noah for each of his generals.

NOTE:  the graphics represent how many models of each including whether they are a Champion, Musician etc.

First up is Vandus Hammerhand's starting forces.

 Vandus's force is interesting in that his Thunderstrike Brotherhood has already sustained casualties from the initial conflict to open the Realmgate back to Azyr.  What sets Vandus apart in terms of model and abilities is the fact that he is riding his Dracoth. 

Ionis is the main bearer of Sigmar's spiritual might.  Second in command from Vandus he plays a crucial role and has a special ability to go with it.  If a Stormcast force is on an adjacent node to Ionis then he may teleport that army to any other known node on the campaign map before that general begins his campaign turn. 

Retricus's primary role is to guard the newly captured Realmgate back to Azyr.  His force is fairly generic in role as it will be required to be adaptable.  

On the battlefield Remus has a highly mobile force of Stormcast.  Initially Deep Striked towards the top end of the map it his job to keep the mountainous region of Aqshy clear from being able to give support to Khul.  It is also worth mentioning that Andrious Stoneheart also comprises of a starting force identical to Remus.  It is his task to cover the land beyond the Obsidian bridge.

Finally we come to Jactos.  Jactos's responsibility is to provide some muscle to guard the Obsidian Bridge.  It is Khul's primary means of crossing the river Magmus and were it to fall the Stormcast would be sorely pressed from all sides.

The intention with these starting forces is that the model count is not luxurious.  It will be quite tough to actually remove models from the campaign.  Even if they are slain in battle they do not truly get beamed back to Azyr unless they roll a 2 or less on a D6, or a 1 for Heroes, at the end of the game.  Over time however,  models will die in dribs and drabs, meaning that a re-jigging of the models between armies may be necessary or a means of gathering reinforcements needs to be found.  Until the Khorne realm gate is closed, reinforcements will not be an issue for Khul's forces.

To support the possibility of moving troops from one army into another, if two Stormcast armies are in adjacent nodes then they may move models between forces before both parties campaign turn begins.  

I am hoping that the Stormcast will be torn in opposite directions keeping to their specific roles and also trying to support each other where the need arises.  

3. Introducing the Random.

Let me start by saying that where possible there will always be some basic attempt at balancing the forces in battle.  I do however, love a good random event that can turn an otherwise sure thing into a one-off memorable experience. Force composition really needs to be a seperate blog post, and is one which I will definitely address in the near future.  I really love the idea that given a basic premise of a situation a player can put a force together which they believe deals with that scenario, but then has the whole thing turned on it's head because something completely unplanned happened.

I have been thinking about ways with which I can inject this event crazyness into the campaign  In no particular order are my initial thoughts:- 

1. Terrain:  I intend most battlefields to be very terrain rich.  Even on the Igneous Delta there would undoubtedly be plenty of ruins to hide behind or utilise to one's advantage.  Nearly all of them are going to have some magical/supernatural significance that a cunning general can make use/fall foul of.
2. Scenario choices:  I intend for scenario's to be dynamically decided per battle.  Just because the first battle on a tile was essentially Pitched battle does not mean that all future visits to that same tile will be the same.  As armies suffer losses and gain wins this will have repercussions beyond simply which player controls the most tiles. 
3. Neutral Forces:  Khorne and the Stormcast are the main protagonists but there are also other races that are clinging to a meager existence.  Working these into scenarios and having them affect the narrative can send the campaign down a completely different path.
4. Dynamically generated weather system:  Bad weather could seriously put a crimp on a gunline's day.  A general who kits out a force for a battle one way could find the weather upsets every best laid plan.  The range of weather will be themed to the location.
5. Threat levels:  The notoriety of the forces can have a big impact on the campaign.  If the Stormcast are cutting a bloody swathe across the Brimstone Peninsula largely unimpeded then the enemy will be forced to take drastic measures to swing the power balance back.  
6. In-game Events:  Linked somewhat to the situation, scenario and narrative; some battles will have events that can happen at random moments.  Large or small they may drastically impact the outcome or they may be largely unnoticeable.  
 

The above are just a few examples of ways to enrich and liven up campaign battles.  Their goal is to counteract the preparation a general has at the list building level.  Most of the above I will be generating rules for as the situation arises.  For now though I am going to include the rules I have come up with for some random monster fun.  :)

2. Setting the scene and early thoughts on Interactivity.

Hi all,

I think it's necessary at this early juncture to sell the idea of where within the Realmgate storyline this Campaign begins.

'Having successfully opened the Realmgate leading back to Azyr, it was now possible for Vandus Hammerhand and his Thunderstrike Brotherhood to begin in earnest to reclaim the Fire Realm of Aqshy.  Five more Brotherhoods were teleported directly to key locations, each Lord-Celestant was given the task of assisting Vandus in removing Khul's dominion from the land. 

Though each of the brotherhoods sent from the heavens had it's own mission it was Vandus Hammerhand who faced the hardest challenge of all.  The Lord-Celestant had excelled in his task, opening the vital gateway back to Azyr.  The initial conflict to open the gate was brutal and bloody, Khul fortuitously managing to escape his own destruction in the process.  

By virtue of this previous conflict Vandus bacame privy to a unique vision.  Vandus learnt of the existence of another Realmgate close to Khul's stronghold, linking directly into the Realm of Chaos itself.  Unless this portal is closed the StormCasts will forever be fighting a losing battle of attrition as Khorne indefinitely replenishes its forces at will.  The task ahead became clear; Close the gate as soon as possible or lose Aqshy forever.'


One of the first things to think about was how the 6 StormCast forces and untold Khorne warbands would move about the Realm of Aqshy. 

 The map is organically laid out largely defined by the River Magmus carving it in two across the middle.  Realising that I wanted to try and work with the map unchanged I began to look at a standard hexagon based grid.  It didnt take long to realise that unless the map lost it's organic nature it simply wasn't going to fit.

 Instead I began to look at a linked node based system whereby the campaign tiles were not arranged like a grid but instead had a number of entry and exit points which could be tailored specifically around the map and how it might change dynamically during the campaign.

As armies moved into nodes, the next set of nodes that linked from it would become available.  Achieving a Fog of War style gameplay whereby the options for heading down certain paths were not instantly visible from the start.  I also made the decision not to show the enemy forces on the map, unless the Stormcast discovered a means of tracking them, or making them visible (initially they wouldnt). 

As long as I secretly made all my moves before Noah got to choose the tiles the Stormcast move to it will guarantee I won't gain an unfair advantage by being secretive about my choices.

Till next time.

1. A New Hope.

Hi all its Jamie (and will pretty much always be for the forseeable).

Sorry for the inactivity.

Followers of my blog are probably well aware of how I felt regarding the previous state of GW.  I made the decision to pull away and see what 9th would bring.  If it wasnt a game changer then that was definitely going to be my lot.... 

Age of Sigmar happened and it became pretty clear early on that Warhammer had evolved into a different beast.  Like many of you I wasnt sure initially exactly what this was or whether it was something I wanted.  It certainly didnt feel like it was aimed at me, the ex tourney gamer/hobbyist.

However, I do believe I have seen the light.

I have three sons.  My eldest, Noah, who is now 9 can actually play Age of Sigmar, helped massively by the great work GW have done with stripping back the rules.  To honour this sterling work I am going to be setting up and actively playing in a narrative campaign with Noah based entirely around the Stormcast Eternals initial attempts to liberate the Brimstone Peninsula from the grip of the Khorne Lord Korghos Khul. (me)

This isnt simply playing through the described scenarios within the source books.

This will be something else.

 Something far more interactive and adaptive.

There will be many challenges to designing a system that allows two people to make decisions from the start and have these decisions ramifications have a dynamic and concrete impact on the narrative generated.  It is these challenges, as well as chronicling the Campaign with it's many twists and turns, that this blog will be focused on.  Hopefully by the end it will become a comprehensive guide as to how you may be inspired to do something similar. 

For now I am going to have to sign off.


Expect another post soon.  :)

A rant, some High Elves and something new.

Hi all its Jamie.

Firstly, a rant. 

For a while now I have been feeling underwhelmed with GW and WHFB but not really sure why.  Sure, the price increases have naturally been undesirable but you kind of just accepted that that is how it is.  You wanna play you pay.  Well, the recent rumours, shock news and tidings of woe have caused me to question myself harder on what exactly it is I get out of Fantasy Battle.

Sigmar's Blood was probably the beginnings of my epiphany into disappointment.  I desperately hoped for SB to be something beyond what it was.  So much so that I probably let it influence my overview from the last blog post I made.  If you remember I was searching for an idea that would kickstart an undead army.  A cool theme or concept that would consume my mind with a desperate urge to purchase models and begin converting and painting in an orgiastic hobby flurry.  Sadly, it never came.(no pun intended.) Even looking at the Empire side of SB I dont think there was much that went beyond painting certain units in differing province colours.  Dont get me started on the Undead....  In an act of desperation I even purchased the companion Black Library novel with the fools dream that it would fill in some of the missing 'inspiration' blanks.

It didnt.

What is the point of retelling the campaign story with ill conceived fantasy stereotypes?  I am not about to start having a go at the Black Library but I would go so far as to say that the blurb in the campaign book did a better (poor) job at setting the scene.  Each source book, each novel should be a resource to stimulate the hobbyist.  Why isnt it working for me?

Thinking about it more closely it struck me that it is theming for kids.  I can remember when GW first and foremost were a creative company.  The Intellectual Property was a constant source of inspiration, for all ages. It was creative, daring, diverse and above all downright fun to read.  Now, armybook fluff tends to read like history lessons.   GW has been content to dine on diluted rehashings of it's past excellence for years now, and I think the time has come whereby I have had my fill.

8th Edition Warhammer, in terms of rules, did a lot of good for the game.  It is more inherently balanced than it has ever been.  But where did the creativity go?  Surely, if your business is in selling models then forming inspiration for reasons to buy those models is where you should be investing all your time.   Fleshing out the game world is fine, but in the 'real' world of playing the game and theming an army to create a sense of story it does little for you.  Armybooks should detail ripping yarns of the crazy, daring, downright insane characters of the Old World.  7th Edition, despite Special Characters being shunned from the tournament scene, were by and large better than todays offerings.  Special Characters broke the rules and allowed you to mix with force composition.  For the hobbyist it was something tangible for them to get their teeth into.  7th Ed suffered in that there was no consistency.  As a result GW now play it safe.  Too safe.   I get that new ideas are risky from a money stand point but GW are at the point now where they have to take risks if they are to survive.  Competitors are nipping at their heels in terms of quality of product and are free from the same logistical constraints GW have placed themselves under.

Prices have gone up and GW are feeling the effects of that...  Finally.  Maybe.  At least I hope they are.  I am sure a million and one financial reasons can be found which obfuscate the real reason with the interests of sustaining shareholder confidence.  Now should be a time for GW to take stock and ask themselves just what business they are truly in.

White Dwarf is getting a radical overhaul... On paper I like the sound of what they are trying to do.  I just doubt they can pull it off.  Imagine a weekly White Dwarf that contained rules for new units never seen before, with fluff to go with them.  Imagine a White Dwarf that wasnt afraid to give away rules content in order to 'fuel' the hobby.  Imagine a White Dwarf that could react to the demands of an ever changing game on a weekly basis with TIMELY updated FAQ'S.  Would it be so bad for GW?

I shall be keeping a close eye on the new White Dwarf.  For now, I can safely say I will be winding down my WHFB activity until things start to change.  Pastures new are calling and I need to find a different system that scratches my itch.  It's currently looking like Malifaux may fill that role.  I have been looking at a number of boxed games too, Zombicide in particular is one I am keen to get my hands on.  If things change, and I like what I see it will be a case of deal me back in.  At the current state of affairs I cant see it somehow.  I shall keep you posted.

High Elves.

I thought I would take this opportunity to show a few figures from a heavily converted High Elf army that unfortunately suffered from being a mix of finished pieces and speed painting.  It was converted such that the units could have filled a role in many different race armies.

The basic principle was that this was a High Elf force that had been 'turned' by Slaanesh into these Aphex Twin SOB's.  Being something different to Dark Elves, although they could have been used as such, they have a high level of chaos taint running through them.  Mixing Daemonette parts with High Elf models was fun and simple to do.  Sadly, until Fantasy does something to excite me again, this army wont be finished anytime soon.  For now, enjoy these 3 characters.  A lore of Fire Archmage, Shadow Mage and a BSB.

Inspiration Corner - Hearthstone.

For those that have never heard of Hearthstone it is Blizzard Entertainment's latest attempt at moving into an existing genre, redefining it in terms of quality of user experience and eventually owning it entirely. 

It's free to play and gives you the digital version of a card game like Magic The Gathering that you always dreamed Wizards of the Coast would give you in the first place.  Needless to say I am hooked for many very good reasons.

Here is the link to the official page  http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/

Why is Hearthstone so good?  Well, firstly its free.  You could in theory play the game as much as you wanted, earn ingame gold by completing daily goals and never spend a penny.  For those, with a competitive streak and those who are just plain impatient you can always buy the packs.  A pound a pack, and in bigger volume it works out even better. It is also a fair bit cheaper than any other equivilant trading card game.  Also, if you get more of a certain card than you can ever use you can disenchant them for Arcane dust which lets you cherry pick cards you do want and craft them for yourself!

But is the game any good?  Short answer is a resounding Yes.  The game is still at closed Beta but it is going to change to Open Beta very soon and has already garnered THE top players from many pro competitive gaming circuits.  Top players from Magic The Gathering and even StarCraft have all got on board and are giving Hearthstone a competitive streak to be envious of.  Blizzard being the company they are are already getting fully behind it.  However, dont go thinking that competitive has to mean unbalanced.  Blizzard are not afraid of changing card values and properties often and seamlessly. The last round of Beta changes saw Blizzard openly nerfing some card stats purely because people were always including them in their decks. Not only that but there is real strategy to the game due to the way mana works.  In Magic The Gathering it was entirely possible to be land locked and have no mana because you didnt happen to draw any in your deck.  With Hearthstone mana incrementally increases each turn so you can build your deck planning around your Early, Mid and Late game.  Do you wanna go aggro or control deck?  The 9 races are varied and have different play styles.  In short, I am hopelessly addicted and believe that this will with time completely own the digital trading card game market.  Blizzard pretty much do this with every game space they invade; Starcraft and World of Warcraft being prime examples.

The artwork is gorgeous and the cards have a further level of feedback with sound and animations.  It's a good time to get on board with Hearthstone as there wont be anymore deck wipes in Beta so anything you buy at this point is yours, even after release.  At roughly 300 cards, I believe, it is actually possible to own them all without spending a fortune.  When Blizzard do create expansion packs you will be in a position where you can dive straight in having all the core deck already. 

Dont take my word for it give it a go.  The game is now in Open Beta so anyone can join and get duelling.  Blizzard believe 100% in letting the punters game test as much as possible.  If you do join and fancy a game or two then definitely add my username to your friends list:-   Obfuscate#2547

See you on the other side.  :)