Enter the Citadel: Questions from the Bell of Lost Souls forums

At the weekend I attended Enter the Citadel at Warhammer World. It was excellent, and very much worth the trip. I'll be covering the individual Q&A sessions separately later this week, along with my personal experiences and opinions.

However, to start with, I'm going to cover the questions that the Bell of Lost Souls forums asked me to ask - well, the ones I thought could get an answer anyway.

Some of these questions came from a rushed conversation with Phil Kelly - it was hard to find time to speak with him on top of everyone else going on and without being rude and interrupting other people. As a result, I didn't have time to make my usual copious notes. We were also cut short as we talked right up to the wire of the end of the event. As such, I've taken the liberty of summarising some of the conversation. Hopefully, I have not lost his intent and focus on this. As such, should you talk with him yourself, you may get slightly different answers - both because my account is filtered through my perception of it, and because people's opinions can change over time!

Other questions were asked by other people in the seminars by people other than me, and some came up naturally without me needing to ask. Hopefully its useful and interesting to people!

"Do you feel that certain units such as banshees and genestealers should be changed to have grenades considering the impact of overwatch?"

and

"Is there a possibility we will see Howling Banshees fixed in an errata as currently they are comprehensively inferior to Striking Scorpions even with being cheaper. Lack of plasma grenades, reliant on unreliable buffs from a unit that can't join them to inflict wounds an inferior Mask and and inferior Acrobatic."

Context for those not obsessed with rules: Banshees don't have assault grenades, but wargear that penalises their opponent's initiative, to a minimum of one. While this will often mean they are then striking simultaneously when assaulting into cover, there is a risk of them being badly mauled by the counter strikes.

The discussion: Assault grenades and assault units are a difficult point. You can't just give absolutely every unit grenades, because at that point, why would you have a rule to penalise assaulting into cover? There needed to be distinctions between Howling Banshees and Striking Scorpions, otherwise everyone would be taking Banshees and the Scorpions would be being decried as useless. Phil does love Eldar and its a careful design line to not to make them The Best At Everything Ever. He still uses Banshees in his own army.

We also had a short conversation about making Banshees more effective. I couldn't recall if your initiative is still penalised if you're charging a unit that is already engaged with someone else (that may be a way to bypass the lack of grenades). The Dark Eldar also have a piece of wargear that bestows assault grenades onto the unit they've joined - while allying isn't to everyone's taste, a Dark Eldar independent character with this kit joining the Banshees could create an effective, punchy unit.

"Are they happy with the speed of releases for sixth edition?"

In short - not answered. Rather, they asked us our thoughts on it!

"Why did they not give the Hemlock Wraithfighter better armour or a better jink save considering it is only armour 10 and will die to even bolter fire, yet has to hang out at range 12 (bolter rapid fire range) in order to get any use out of its Mindshock pod?"

There was a general comment during the Q&As that establishing newer units in Codexes was generally quite hard - people already know what a Fire Dragon does, and how it fits into the army and the background. Newer units, such as the fliers, need to be introduced and will take a while to bed in - the example was given that the Autarch is only just starting to really find his place in the army after a number of incarnations.

While chatting to Phil, his further comments were that it was a difficult line to walk. Fliers have a narrow run of armour between 12 and 10, with 12 being the established heavier fliers, and 11 being the mid range. Eldar are supposed to be lightly armoured and fragile, so 10 is the natural point for them. The subject of the jink save really wasn't covered - we were short on time and I was trying to cover as much as possible.

"Will we see a time when all units will have a model?"

They certainly hope so. A newly released Codex will have models for all its units one way or another from now on - this isn't even necessarily something caused by the Chapterhouse situation (while there were questions on this subject, the answers carefully avoided direct references). They were already getting a lot of feedback from people that codexes with gaps in the model ranges were frustrating for people. Its unlikely you'll see a Codex release missing models happening in future.

"I'd be keen to hear what his thoughts are on the rise of 3D printers and how he sees GW taking on that technology into the future."

There was a much longer answer from Jes Goodwin I'll cover in that seminar, but in store printing, custom designs, adding your own face to a character model and the ability to mix and match to order were all talked about as things that are not currently technically possible, but could be in the far future. The level of detail and affordability is just not there to see it being a danger or competitor as fast as the internet commentators would have you believe.

I also took the opportunity to ask about the Heavy D Scythe, which has been covered in a couple of blog posts (although ironically I can now only find the one). In short, the description doesn't really match the weapon profile.

This weapon did go through some iterations during play testing. The natural progression of a D Scythe would be to move from a Template weapon to a Torrent weapon. If people have concerns about the Helldrake's balance, two Torrent D weapons is not going to stay in line with the overall power curve. I asked if perhaps the blasts should have ignore cover and if that might be updated in the future, but this was part of a multi line conversation and this was one of the things that fell by the wayside...

Questions not asked

My original post on the forum had some guidelines:

"To save wasting anyone's time, the following topics won't be considered: - Any questions about what's coming in the future (they won't tell us)
- Any questions about pricing / material use (they're games designers, not marketing / production)
- Anything about Squats, because it's to the point of a running gag now
- Loaded questions set more as a statement followed by "do you agree?""

I therefore decided not to ask the following questions:

"With the advent of Terrain fortifications are we going to see faction specific terrain pieces, or just more archetypes with which each player can customize/convert the aesthetics of to fit their appropriate faction?"
"I'd like to know if they're planning to do more terrain and upgrade packs. Making a finecast pack of las/autogun wielding arms would be great for converting WHFB models to 40k :3 Maybe tie it in to a minor Necromunda rerelease?"
"Ooh, question for Jes Goodwin: Is it possible we might see future plastic kits represent a more equal gender breakdown in line with their background and the new Dark Eldar range?"
"When will Codex: Squat be released?"
"will be there even supplements for codex already out in the sixth edition?"
"Will all 16 current armies for WH40k get a codex in the new release cycle for 6th edition?"
Will the Imperial Guard show more Gender equality in their figures in the future?
Same question for Eldar."
(Sorry BoLS fans!)

I didn't manage to find the time to ask:

"Please could you ask Phil Kelley if he meant that the burning chariot couldn't move and fire, since its flame is a heavy weapon, and because its a template weapon, it cannot snap fire either. I'd be immensely grateful if you could clarify this specific question. Thanks!"

I also didn't ask:

"Why did they give the Hemlock Wraithfighter a spell it cannot use on the turn it enters the board?"

... as I thought the answer to this was covered in the general FAQ - but it seems that some people don't agree on this. I am going to be making a much longer post on that argument once I've finished researching it.

In the meantime, there should be some more posts from me on the Q&As and general experiences soon, as I have a lot of notes to write up. Check back soon!

Nostalgia and controversy

This is a controversial post that has been brewing in my mind for quite some time now. It is based on a statement which I am aware will probably result in a not inconsiderable amount of controversy...

- A lot of the older Games Workshop games aren't actually that good

Imperial Beastmen died for the Emperor!
Its a crime that they are edited out of history!

Let me start by saying that I do follow Oldhammer blogs, and even more INQ 28 blogs. I know people who are starting up Rogue Trader campaigns. I am a huge fan of all of these things.

But that doesn't mean the thing we're a fan of is any good, nor would it be anything special in today's market.

To put this in context, I only ever played one game of Rogue Trader. I was ten, and visiting a kid I'd met at some after school French class my parents had encouraged me to take. He was not much older, and made no real effort to help me play, simply walking me through the massacre of those of his forces he'd lent me, twice.

Still, my enthusiasm wasn't swayed, but the Fantasy section appealed far more to me. So, when I went to secondary school and discovered kids there who played, it was Fantasy I got into first. By the time I decided to try 40K, Rogue Trader was gone and it was all plastic starter sets...

As a result, I don't have the awesome nostalgic feeling for Rogue Trader. I never owned it so didn't spend hours pouring over its every page. I did that with Warhammer Armies and Mighty Empires.

So I'm aware that my undying love for that early Warhammer Fantasy is not matched by a love of Rogue Trader. Looking over both sets of battered old rules now, I have reached the conclusion that my love of the old Fantasy game is not subjective - it's based on nostalgia.

Don't get me wrong. I love me an old and clunky rules system - I tried out INQ28 earlier this year, as some of you may remember. But I play INQ28 for the storytelling aspect, not the slick and well put together rules system.

And then I got to thinking - why am I using the Inquisitor rules? The extra rules are nice, but we could play the same thing out using Inquisimunda rules faster and with a lot less pain. Then it hit me - the rules set is not what people are signing up for - rather, they are signing up for the play experience. In some way, Inquisitor has been protected by its terrible rules - the only people playing it are those who focus primarily on story because anyone looking for a competitive game have fled screaming. Inquisitor focuses on the story and detail at the expense of slick and easy to follow rules. I suspect many Oldhammer players are similar.

That's not to say you can't have fun with these other systems, but unless you care about detail focussed systems, they are probably not for you. I do still intend to one day run an Oldhammer era Mighty Empires campaign, with all its glorious, glorious book-keeping. But that is a thing for the future.

Orlygg recently posted some thoughts on how to get started with Oldhammer. This is a really good source for anyone interested in such things - and don't get me wrong, I really want to get into such things. But it's likely I'll do so with mostly newer models, because that's already what I'm focussing on for other projects. Collecting older figures is something I can understand, but it isn't the core of my hobby - its mostly, for me, about the painting and the gaming. Oh, and the blogging.

So yes, I will probably be interested in setting up a few little scenarios, without points values, with the figures people have available, some point in the future. The question is - do I really need to use the old rules for it? I will certainly try out the old rules, out of interest, but I could just as easily use 6th Edition 40K, or 8th Edition WHFB to do so.

What the Inquisitor and Oldhammer players are keen to say is that you don't need to be lining up your figures and playing a sets points value, mission from the book battle - you can add a lot more character and narrative than that. But perhaps we can take that aspect and apply it to the games we're currently playing without learning a new rules set? That's certainly something to ponder.

Battle report: 1750 vs Grey Knights

The Dark Sphere slow grow league has peaked at 1,750 points. As I'd missed a few games and really wanted to get back into it, I threw a list together of various units I'd not really tried out in combination yet, and the following morning went to sort my miniatures. I soon realised that fitting them into two KR cases was a nightmare, and as I was on a tight deadline, ended up just throwing everything into the KR steamer trunk of doom and rushing out the door...

This week's opponent was a Grey Knight player I hadn't faced before. His army certainly worried me when I saw it.

My motley assortment of troops were thus lined up to face the music...

We were playing some sort of objectives match up, and used some of his Plague Bearers as the objective markers.

He'd taken Mr Crowe, and was playing Force Org shenanigans.

This was the left flank, where I felt more confident in being able to take at least one of the objectives.

He hid his Vindicare away in some ruins...

While I hid the couple of Ratlings I'd bought to use up points away in a ruin opposite him.

To open up proceedings, his Dreadknight showed off its party trick of jumping across the board. It also flame throwered a few things.

I then helpfully dropped a barrage of missiles onto the chaps on the bunker complex to make their lives unpleasant.

The Vindicare suffered the mild embarrassment of being shot to death by a combination of wildly panicked fire from the Conscripts and a neat precise shot from the Ratlings.

Meanwhile, everyone backed away from the scary killer Dreadknight...

The brave Guardsmen of the centre held their ground to pour some shots into it, causing a little damage.

While the Sentinels came around the flank to also pour fire into it.

But sadly, I forgot it was a fast moving little whatsit.

And it's over-sized psychic toothpick is remarkably efficient at murdering things. Also note the small number of fleeing conscripts, having completed their role as a mobile cover save for others.

While the Grey Knight Storm Raven, loaded down with a squad of Terminators and his Warlord librarian was busy duelling Thunderbolts from the Imperial Navy off screen (thank you, Master of the Fleet), my Astropath ensured that the trained aerial assault of the Storm Troopers came down on schedule and on target.

While the Hellhound reminded the Grey Knights that it isn't just their shiny giant baby walker which has a Torrent weapon...

"Hotshots are AP3, you say?" - The lone surviving Grey Knight from the initial barrage of fire falls to snap shots as he tries to charge the Storm Troopers.

Meanwhile, Crowe ineffectually tries to blow up the Hellhound while his comrades try to get out of sight of it.

Panic ensues as the Dreadknight pinballs around the Guard back line...

... wrecking pretty much everything it comes into contact with.

My Valkyrie had dropped off some Veteran reinforcements (in completely the wrong place due to scatter), and they managed to get a little more damage onto the Dreadknight, while finally the Grey Knight flier rocked up...

The Veterans flee the slaughter, while the Dreadknight advances on the command squad...

... who managed to get a lucky hit with a laspistol, taking its final wound and felling the terrifying monstrosity. Whoever actually took that shot, the captain will be taking credit. (He also needs a good name. Suggestions? I'm thinking of a crony or collaborator with our friend Captain Rafiq...)

Sadly for the Grey Knights, the cover of the building is enough to save the Hydra, and in turn it gets in a lucky hit, wrecking the Storm Raven and sending it plummeting to earth, killing all but two of the inhabitants.

The Grey Knights on the right flank manage to cause some damage to the Hellhound with a well placed grenade, but its likely too little, too late.

The Guard infantry on the left flank are slaughtered by the librarian and his surviving squad member.

The Hellhound backs up a bit and incinerates the last Grey Knight on the right flank.

The Guard in the centre, who had been left alone by the Dreadknight in favour of its wrecking campaign against the tanks, make it to the far side of the field and grab the objective.

The Valkyrie returns from ongoing reserves and, with the rest of the left flank, turns to pour fire into the two surviving Grey Knights - both clad in Terminator armour.

The Manticore gets two hits, with the librarian the closest model - only one wounds, but he forgets the Manticore's Strength 10, decides not to "Look out, sir!", and the armour save is unsuccessful!

One Marine, One Remaining Wound . . . One Round of Guard Shooting Left...

Needless to say, it was enough, and the Guard held the field and carried the day!

I'm starting to feel like I've assessed a few units enough to give my first thoughts on their uses in 6th Edition now. You may remember my posts this time last year about some initial thoughts on what to investigate with the army, and I'm now feeling I can provide a bit of progression on that. Expect to hear back from me on that soon!

A trip to Model Zone

So, on Saturday, while looking for "something nice" to bring back for my wife while I was shopping for a new pair of work shoes, I ambled into Model Zone to discover it was in administration. As such, I stopped window shopping trying to work out what scale of toy cars I should buy to weather and add guns and armour to in order to play Dark Future without my heart going into my mouth every time someone looked at one of the original cars, and set about putting a few pounds across their counters in the vain hope it will persuade a buyer to come forward and pick them up.

As it is, there are a number of excellent products they stock that are definitely worth you heading down to pick things up. Their discounts are currently between 10% and 30%, except for Hornby and Scalextric stock (as it is operating as a concession within Modelzone).

The first thing I'd recommend to the average war gamer is the Tamiya range. They stock the paint range, which is excellent (my wife swears by Tamiya Clear Red for blood). They also stock some of the accessory sprues, which I picked up an assortment of.

So, here is the first of them - their "Jerry Cans Set", which includes a bunch of barrels and a few buckets as well. You'll notice that they are 1:35 scale, which is too big for 40K, but they are still usable.

Here you see some scale photos which show that these drums should be going up to about someone's waist. How do they look next to a Games Workshop figure?

I reckon that's about coming up to his chest when off the sprue, so they're big barrels, but nothing unrealistic for a far future where everything is bigger.

You get plenty of Jerry Cans and barrels for your money, although I will admit I have not yet worked out what to do with the buckets!

I will admit that the barricade set, consisting as it does of some girders for tank traps and some poles for barbed wire would not have interested me heavily if it wasn't for the sort of pocket change it would cost me to buy the ingredients for modelling them anyway. The real question for me is whether to go for Forge World barbed wire or Secret Weapon razor wire.

Perhaps I should buy one of each and do a comparison blog post?

I also got a packet of sand bags (where a slightly larger scale is no big deal).

And some brick walls, which are at a nice height for 28mm figures.

See how they would be total cover for figures in the correct scale?

Moving on to other suppliers, a handy tip from one of the staff who was a wargamer led me to these 00 scale concrete block walls which are perfectly scaled for 28mm brick walls. There's four walls of these size in the box, but they will need some modelling skill and are one sided, unlike the Tamiya ones.

I also bought about a year's supply of my favoured brand of super glue. I was introduced to this by my wife and now use it almost exclusively (admittedly in part due to her allergy to polystyrene cement fumes, so I end up very dead any time I use it). Do be careful if you move up to this from GW brand super glue - theirs is pretty week on the assumption small children will stick their fingers together with it. My wife has had to drive people to hospital to have parts of their bodies surgically separated due to accidents with this stuff, so don't become someone else's hilarious story at a party!

I also made three larger purchases, the first being this lovely medieval house by Conflix. I can't link to their website, because it seems that they don't have one, but apparently they're a Russian Company, or a front for one, who also make the Pegasus Hobbies line of stuff.

Size wise, it looks OK. You have to stoop to go through the door, but that's pretty typical for old houses. You can see a small bit of one of the roof tiles has broken - the box was pretty squashed, but I grabbed it at a discount anyway. A bit of the aforementioned Zap, and it was as good as new - you can hardly tell it was ever broken!

And this is the other side. This is, obviously, a totally guilt free purchase as it doesn't add anything to my painting backlog!

And here's a tool so if the wife takes her Dremel somewhere for weeks on end, I still have a tool for all my drilling and pinning and clean up!

Look at all those various attachments!

And the final big purchase - an Airfix Afghan Single Story Dwelling. And yes, I know, 1:48 isn't 40K scale either, but lets see how it looks...

Looking OK here... Sure, the door is a bit low and you have to duck to go into it, but that's not unusual.

I'm pretty happy that this is a good ruin for 40K, just needs a spot of paint. I spent some of Sunday washing it as it's resin, and I wasn't sure if it would have mould release on it. But yet again, the painting score is going up, not down! Unlike the Independent Characters Podcast, I don't count buying things as hobby progress...