This weekend we have NZ's first 8th Edition tournament as part of the Wellington Warlords' annual convention Call to Arms.
A very relaxed approach was taken to composition as to be honest it is far to early to be placing constraints with any degree of clarity. As I posted previously the armies I've seen have embraced the new ruleset without going over the top.
The breakdown of armies for the nineteen participants is as follows:
4 Chaos Warriors
4 Dwarfs
3 Skaven
2 Lizardmen
2 Bretonnians
1 Chaos Dwarfs
1 High Elves
1 Wood Elves
1 Daemons of Chaos
I'm not too sure what to make of this. It does seem that the locals feel comfortable enough to bring out their heavy infantry armies to stomp across the battlefield. I'm sure there will be some surprises - the High Elf list especially is very different.
Best luck to all the participants, I'm gutted that I am missing my first Call to Arms in ten years. However, Tom will be there with his Daemons to uphold the family name!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Skaven under 8th Edition - Part 3
In 7th army construction was driven by slots in each of the various categories - Characters, Core, Special and Rare. The move to percentages greatly changes the game. In the last post I talked about how I felt the Skaven benefited through their access to cheap characters and an expanded Common Magic Item list. The other big change is to their none-core troops.
One of the biggest constraints on Skaven under 7th was the limit to four Special choices and two Rare. A large number of these choices came in at around the 100 point mark meaning typically you had around 600-800 points in these selections. A lot of other race armies typically had 1000-1200 points. Very quickly you ascertained what was the optimal six choices for these slots - for me it was two times Plague Censer Bearers, a unit of Gutter Runners, a unit of Plague Monks, Warp Lightning Cannon and a Doomwheel (In the Australasian comp environment Double Rares were frowned on).
Now at 2400 points you have up to 1200 of Special and 600 Rare. For Rare in particular this gives far more freedom and I hope we see the blinkered view of no Double Rares disappear as people get more comfortable with 8th.
So this move to percentages I see as a win to Skaven however it is strongly balanced by the 25%+ you MUST spend on Clanrats, Skavenslaves, Stormvermin and Weapons Teams (Giant Rat Packs and Swarms don't count to Core).
The other area where I believe Skaven have got a boost is in Magic. At first glance people are likely to say "Huh? They don't get access to the eight main Battle Lores". That's true but I contend that the Skaven magic decks are made for 8th Edition.
A Grey Seer gets access to both Ruin and Plague decks with the option to change one spell for either Skitterleap or the Dreaded 13th Spell. More importantly, all these spells bar the Dreaded 13th have a casting value of 13 or less. With his +4 to cast this means my Grey Seer, Seerlord Morskitta need only roll a 9 to get off a spell. As a result he is typically getting off 2-3 spells per turn. Yes they can be stopped but generally an enemy will be pressured unless he is also running a Level 4.
Under 7th I generally stuck to spells from Ruin. My favourites were Howling Warpgale, Scorch and Skitterleap. Recently Morskitta has been dabbling in the Plague deck hoping to snag Wither, Vermintide or Plague. The last of these in particular is very devastating in 8th Ed.
All of that said, I think that magic is considerably more fickle in the new edition. As a result I don't build a game plan around it rather using it as an adjunct to the Skaven's arsenal.
However I do see the investment in a Grey Seer as necessary for magic defense and given that he now has the same Leadership as the Warlord (as opposed to one less under the old book), it is even less of a hard choice.
A number of people advocate two Lord choices however it is not a route I have found it necessary to explore yet.
One of the biggest constraints on Skaven under 7th was the limit to four Special choices and two Rare. A large number of these choices came in at around the 100 point mark meaning typically you had around 600-800 points in these selections. A lot of other race armies typically had 1000-1200 points. Very quickly you ascertained what was the optimal six choices for these slots - for me it was two times Plague Censer Bearers, a unit of Gutter Runners, a unit of Plague Monks, Warp Lightning Cannon and a Doomwheel (In the Australasian comp environment Double Rares were frowned on).
Now at 2400 points you have up to 1200 of Special and 600 Rare. For Rare in particular this gives far more freedom and I hope we see the blinkered view of no Double Rares disappear as people get more comfortable with 8th.
So this move to percentages I see as a win to Skaven however it is strongly balanced by the 25%+ you MUST spend on Clanrats, Skavenslaves, Stormvermin and Weapons Teams (Giant Rat Packs and Swarms don't count to Core).
The other area where I believe Skaven have got a boost is in Magic. At first glance people are likely to say "Huh? They don't get access to the eight main Battle Lores". That's true but I contend that the Skaven magic decks are made for 8th Edition.
A Grey Seer gets access to both Ruin and Plague decks with the option to change one spell for either Skitterleap or the Dreaded 13th Spell. More importantly, all these spells bar the Dreaded 13th have a casting value of 13 or less. With his +4 to cast this means my Grey Seer, Seerlord Morskitta need only roll a 9 to get off a spell. As a result he is typically getting off 2-3 spells per turn. Yes they can be stopped but generally an enemy will be pressured unless he is also running a Level 4.
Under 7th I generally stuck to spells from Ruin. My favourites were Howling Warpgale, Scorch and Skitterleap. Recently Morskitta has been dabbling in the Plague deck hoping to snag Wither, Vermintide or Plague. The last of these in particular is very devastating in 8th Ed.
All of that said, I think that magic is considerably more fickle in the new edition. As a result I don't build a game plan around it rather using it as an adjunct to the Skaven's arsenal.
However I do see the investment in a Grey Seer as necessary for magic defense and given that he now has the same Leadership as the Warlord (as opposed to one less under the old book), it is even less of a hard choice.
A number of people advocate two Lord choices however it is not a route I have found it necessary to explore yet.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Skaven under 8th Edition - Part 2
There are a number of characteristics that define the Skaven army:
1. Apart from the Grey Seer the characters are very cheap compared to most other armies.
2. Leadership is variable. Base leadership is low but Strength in Numbers and Inspiring Presence can boost it to among the best in the game.
3. The spell decks are very effective.
4. Quantity has its own quality.
5. Weaponry is variable - inconsistent, unreliable but potentially devastating
With that in mind how have the Skaven fared with the move to 8th Edition?
I think the answer is not too bad. Like most armies I believe they have received an overall boost which has leveled the playing field.
Key to performing well with them in 8th is to play to their strengths (no shit, Sherlock!). So what are those?
Skaven have access to very cheap troops (Slaves @ 2 points each and Clanrats with Shield @ 4.5 points). This allows you to build big units that take advantage of the special rule, Strength in Numbers. There is no instance where a Skaven unit should be less than 4 ranks and therefore getting the +3 bonus to Leadership. Place them within 12" of the General and BSB and you have a "rock".
These cheap troops also allow you to take advantage of one of the most important new rules in 8th, Steadfast. Very few armies will be able to match the number of ranks that the Skaven can deploy. As a result all Skaven ranked units are likely to be Steadfast at least for the first round of combat. This is a fantastic tactical situation to be in as it allows the Skaven player to pick where the combats will be fought and plan accordingly. You have the opportunity to set up flank attacks, defend in depth etc with the knowledge that you have reasonable certainty in holding that position.
So in 8th: Steadfast + SIN = Big win for the Skaven
Another win for the Skaven is the removal of slots. Nowhere is this more evident than in the choice of characters. Previously you generally had a single lord and a total of four characters. This has all changed with the moves to percentages - and Skaven along with Orcs & Goblins (and to a lesser extent Empire) are the big winners here. The base cost of an Engineer is 15 points.
Why is this so important? Because all characters have access to the list of Common Magic Items.
Your cheap characters can buy the peripheral items that your army needs - a magic weapon, Magic Resistance etc - without impacting on the Magic Items your main characters need.
This also allows you to spread the risk out across your army by not concentrating too many points in a single model.
So in 8th: Removal of Character Slots = Win for Skaven
Next post I'll discuss the change to percentages on the rest of the army and also look at the effect 8th has had on Skaven magic.
1. Apart from the Grey Seer the characters are very cheap compared to most other armies.
2. Leadership is variable. Base leadership is low but Strength in Numbers and Inspiring Presence can boost it to among the best in the game.
3. The spell decks are very effective.
4. Quantity has its own quality.
5. Weaponry is variable - inconsistent, unreliable but potentially devastating
With that in mind how have the Skaven fared with the move to 8th Edition?
I think the answer is not too bad. Like most armies I believe they have received an overall boost which has leveled the playing field.
Key to performing well with them in 8th is to play to their strengths (no shit, Sherlock!). So what are those?
Skaven have access to very cheap troops (Slaves @ 2 points each and Clanrats with Shield @ 4.5 points). This allows you to build big units that take advantage of the special rule, Strength in Numbers. There is no instance where a Skaven unit should be less than 4 ranks and therefore getting the +3 bonus to Leadership. Place them within 12" of the General and BSB and you have a "rock".
These cheap troops also allow you to take advantage of one of the most important new rules in 8th, Steadfast. Very few armies will be able to match the number of ranks that the Skaven can deploy. As a result all Skaven ranked units are likely to be Steadfast at least for the first round of combat. This is a fantastic tactical situation to be in as it allows the Skaven player to pick where the combats will be fought and plan accordingly. You have the opportunity to set up flank attacks, defend in depth etc with the knowledge that you have reasonable certainty in holding that position.
So in 8th: Steadfast + SIN = Big win for the Skaven
Another win for the Skaven is the removal of slots. Nowhere is this more evident than in the choice of characters. Previously you generally had a single lord and a total of four characters. This has all changed with the moves to percentages - and Skaven along with Orcs & Goblins (and to a lesser extent Empire) are the big winners here. The base cost of an Engineer is 15 points.
Why is this so important? Because all characters have access to the list of Common Magic Items.
Your cheap characters can buy the peripheral items that your army needs - a magic weapon, Magic Resistance etc - without impacting on the Magic Items your main characters need.
This also allows you to spread the risk out across your army by not concentrating too many points in a single model.
So in 8th: Removal of Character Slots = Win for Skaven
Next post I'll discuss the change to percentages on the rest of the army and also look at the effect 8th has had on Skaven magic.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Skaven under 8th Edition
I was recently asked for my thoughts about constructing a Skaven list for 8th Edition and so over the next few days I'll run a series of posts which outline my thinking.
First, some history. At the outset of 7th Edition the Skaven S.A.D. (Skaven Army of Doom) build was one of the strongest in the game. It was based on a combination of magic and Skyre weaponry that had it alternatively billed as "the Gas & Electric Company". Typical features were 2-3 Warlock Engineers, Jezzails, Warp Lightning Cannon etc. The main aim was to blast your opponent off the battlefield. This army did really well at no-Comp events like the UKGT but was hated by all its opponents. In the Australasian environment anything that bore a passing resemblance to S.A.D. was hit very hard with the comphammer. But then things started to change. The big three arrived on the scene and Skaven armies became a very rare sight. Last year I played at the 100 person Orktoberfest in Brisbane and I was one of two people using a Skaven army.
The Skaven army appeared to lose popularity because, in addition to being a huge hobby commitment, it lacked a lot of special rules popular in the more recent armies that gave more certainty to the tournament player e.g. ITP, Hatred, ASF, Fear Causing.
Fast forward to November 2009, and a brand new era was delivered to the followers of the Horned Rat by Jeremy Vetock. Jeremy produced an army book that was both characterful and contained choices that allowed the Skaven army to compete with the tough armies. I don't think it had the consistency to be placed on the same tier as Daemons, Dark Elves or (my #3) Lizardmen - others say Vamps - but on its day and given a fair run of dice it could beat any of them.
The builds that emerged were based around the unbreakable Plague Furanace, multiple units of crazed Plague Censer Bearers, Warplightning and the Doomwheel. The Doomwheel in particular (due to some charitable FAQs) gave the Skaven army a tool that could deal with the big monsters that Skaven feared. Clanrats were relegated to character bunkers in the main.
The army did very well for good players and those who practised a lot. At DogCon, three Skaven armies finished in the Top 10 out of a field of over 150.
List construction really became about competition for the Special, and to a lesser extent, Rare slots. It quickly became apparent that the best mix, in the Australasian environment at least, was a unit of Plague Furnace pushing Monks, two units of PCBs, a unit of Poison Sling-wielding Gutter Runners, a Doomwheel and a WLC. Lists quickly became very similar.
So that's the history lesson.
Next post I'll talk about some of the changes in 8th and how I see them affecting my choices.
Monday, August 9, 2010
New Zealand at the European Team Championships
Over the weekend the NZ team made its debut at the European Team Championships.
The team was made up of three ex-pat NZers (Mark Skilton, Chris Wilcox and James Milner), two recent residents (John Matthews and Dave Grant), Harry Dixon and two Australian ringers (Alex Kin-Wilde and Chris Cousens).
The ETC is played over 6 rounds and the NZ team faced off against France, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Finland and Greece. Out of the 32 teams at the event the NZ team placed an extremely credible 14th. This placed them ahead of England (17th) and behind Australia (4th).
I'd like to thank the Players for all their efforts. It is a big financial commitment as well as an enormous drain on personal/family time. Given the disparate locations of the team (Nelson, Brisbane, Melbourne, Delaware, UK) their performance is even more noteworthy.
Hopefully this won't be a one-off for NZ and their participation will be a yearly outing.
The team was made up of three ex-pat NZers (Mark Skilton, Chris Wilcox and James Milner), two recent residents (John Matthews and Dave Grant), Harry Dixon and two Australian ringers (Alex Kin-Wilde and Chris Cousens).
The ETC is played over 6 rounds and the NZ team faced off against France, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Finland and Greece. Out of the 32 teams at the event the NZ team placed an extremely credible 14th. This placed them ahead of England (17th) and behind Australia (4th).
I'd like to thank the Players for all their efforts. It is a big financial commitment as well as an enormous drain on personal/family time. Given the disparate locations of the team (Nelson, Brisbane, Melbourne, Delaware, UK) their performance is even more noteworthy.
Hopefully this won't be a one-off for NZ and their participation will be a yearly outing.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Product Review - Abandoned Factory (Tabletop World)
As I said recently, one of the real pluses of 8th Edition is the ability to have more terrain on the table and that terrain enhancing rather than impeding the battle. I have been building up my terrain for 8th Ed on the premise that it is going to get more use.
One company that caught my eye recently was Tabletop World (www.tabletop-world.com, a relatively small operation run out of Croatia. I clicked on their website and saw some jaw-droppingly good terrain. Sold, I ordered the "Abandoned Factory" piece. The sales process was very quick and efficient they have an online order point that links directly to PayPal. I chose the cheaper shipping option but the piece was still with me in little over two weeks.
The factory arrived in a number of pieces - the main structure being a single casting, the roof section another. There was also a sealed bag of all the smaller pieces which ensures they don't get lost in transit.
The quality of the castings are very high. Certainly they are far superior to most manufacturers and I would place the quality at or above that of Forgeworld buildings. There is no flash or lugs on the pieces meaning I could immediately fit the factory together in a dry run of construction.
The factory stands 20cm (8 inches) high so is a sizable building, extremely good for providing cover,
I fully recommend the product. They are not cheap but are great value for money - the factory cost me NZD140 (USD 95)including post. This put it at a similar cost to GW's Fortified Mansion kit.
My factory is going to receive some ratty goodness so it can be a themed piece for my Skaven army. I'm hoping to have some completed pictures up in the next month.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Fast Cavalry Dead? No Way!!
Last week I was having a discussion with a local Wood Elf player who was bemoaning the fact that Fast Cavalry were little more than warmachine hunters under 8th Edition.
When I questioned him more I found out that he'd only played a couple of games of the new rules and I told him I felt that he was being far too premature in reaching that conclusion.
So how do I view fast cavalry under 8th? Well there are at least three key roles that they can perform.
1. Warmachine Hunters - the obvious one. Especially with the vanguard move - however I would always carefully consider whether I was going to take advantage of this new rule. Remember the up to 12" move must be made before you roll for first turn so there is potential that you may put the unit into an exposed position should your opponent end up going first and you can't charge if you do. However if your opponent has left their warmachines unsupported then opportunity may present. Certainly you can force him to direct his defensive fire at the unit or risk a second turn charge. This in itself may achieve your objective.
2. Secondary Chargers - the new rules say that you resolve charge reactions and responses as each charge is declared. The BRB FAQ has confirmed that once a unit is fleeing its only charge response to a subsequent charge is to flee again. Therefore by getting your charges in the right order you can force multiple flee moves on a unit in the same phase. Always leave your Fast Cavalry to late in the charge declaration phase where you can take advantage of their long "potential" reach.
3. Late Game "Cleaners" - because you don't receive any VPs for units unless they are wiped out or fled off the table it is important that you have units that can clean up remnants. To me this is a Turn 5-6 function and fast cavalry fulfill this role very efficiently. Generally they have a ranged attack so you have the opportunity to shoot and take those last couple of wounds that turn 0 VPs into something meaningful. Additionally, they have a long charge reach so that if an enemy unit is fleeing you can give them a helping hand off the table by declaring a charge and making them flee again.
So there's three functions for Fast Cavalry. I'm sure that there are more. However suffice to say I would always be looking to include a unit in any army I had that had access to them. I would then tailor their role as circumstances dictated based on the strategies above.
When I questioned him more I found out that he'd only played a couple of games of the new rules and I told him I felt that he was being far too premature in reaching that conclusion.
So how do I view fast cavalry under 8th? Well there are at least three key roles that they can perform.
1. Warmachine Hunters - the obvious one. Especially with the vanguard move - however I would always carefully consider whether I was going to take advantage of this new rule. Remember the up to 12" move must be made before you roll for first turn so there is potential that you may put the unit into an exposed position should your opponent end up going first and you can't charge if you do. However if your opponent has left their warmachines unsupported then opportunity may present. Certainly you can force him to direct his defensive fire at the unit or risk a second turn charge. This in itself may achieve your objective.
2. Secondary Chargers - the new rules say that you resolve charge reactions and responses as each charge is declared. The BRB FAQ has confirmed that once a unit is fleeing its only charge response to a subsequent charge is to flee again. Therefore by getting your charges in the right order you can force multiple flee moves on a unit in the same phase. Always leave your Fast Cavalry to late in the charge declaration phase where you can take advantage of their long "potential" reach.
3. Late Game "Cleaners" - because you don't receive any VPs for units unless they are wiped out or fled off the table it is important that you have units that can clean up remnants. To me this is a Turn 5-6 function and fast cavalry fulfill this role very efficiently. Generally they have a ranged attack so you have the opportunity to shoot and take those last couple of wounds that turn 0 VPs into something meaningful. Additionally, they have a long charge reach so that if an enemy unit is fleeing you can give them a helping hand off the table by declaring a charge and making them flee again.
So there's three functions for Fast Cavalry. I'm sure that there are more. However suffice to say I would always be looking to include a unit in any army I had that had access to them. I would then tailor their role as circumstances dictated based on the strategies above.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Portent?
Over the past few evenings I have been helping out one of the Warlords who is umpiring Warhammer Fantasy at the Club's annual convention, Call to Arms.
Unfortunately I can't attend (the first one I've missed in ten years) because I already had flights booked to Pilgrimage in Sydney. However I have been more than happy to help out and to that end have been checking the lists and running an eye over them to make sure there is nothing too silly.
Call to Arms has no additional composition requirements over those in the rulebook. This I believe is the correct road given how new 8th Edition is, however the TO has reserved the right to veto any list that he feels is likely to impinge on the enjoyment of the tournament participants. Nothing I've seen so far has violated that premise.
However the point of this post is to comment on the diversity I've seen in the lists I've checked. In all cases I would suggest that the lists have been a departure from the archetype list for their race that you would have seen under 7th Edition. Unit sizes have changed as have unit selections. Character set-ups are quite different from the latter stages of 7th. No two lists look the same. Some have embraced magic, others have taken what I would consider the bare minimum. The choices of lore are different.
Now I expected to see some variation under the new edition but I'm hoping the diversity that we are seeing is a portent of the future. I know it is a little unrealistic to expect that we won't see default choices develop but hopefully the variety we are seeing is at least in part due to a balancing of the field.
Unfortunately I can't attend (the first one I've missed in ten years) because I already had flights booked to Pilgrimage in Sydney. However I have been more than happy to help out and to that end have been checking the lists and running an eye over them to make sure there is nothing too silly.
Call to Arms has no additional composition requirements over those in the rulebook. This I believe is the correct road given how new 8th Edition is, however the TO has reserved the right to veto any list that he feels is likely to impinge on the enjoyment of the tournament participants. Nothing I've seen so far has violated that premise.
However the point of this post is to comment on the diversity I've seen in the lists I've checked. In all cases I would suggest that the lists have been a departure from the archetype list for their race that you would have seen under 7th Edition. Unit sizes have changed as have unit selections. Character set-ups are quite different from the latter stages of 7th. No two lists look the same. Some have embraced magic, others have taken what I would consider the bare minimum. The choices of lore are different.
Now I expected to see some variation under the new edition but I'm hoping the diversity that we are seeing is a portent of the future. I know it is a little unrealistic to expect that we won't see default choices develop but hopefully the variety we are seeing is at least in part due to a balancing of the field.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Magic in 8th
I think that GW have done a fantastic job with the new magic system. It was a masterstroke to represent tapping into the winds of magic as a 2D6 roll.
The most important thing is that magic has become truly fickle. The chances of having 7+ PD (before channeling)is 58% - and you'll likely need 7 dice to get more than one spell off. However just as important is the difference between the dice. Over half the time you will only have a 1-2 die advantage which means magic is uncertain at best.
To be honest defending against vanilla magic there are probably only 4 rolls that strike fear into you...5/5, 5/6, 6/5 and 6/6. The rest should be manageable with a Lvl 4 and a Dispel Scroll.
Where things can get interesting is when your opponent has some kind of force multiplier in their list. Examples of these are:
Book of Hoeth and/or Banner of Sorcery for High Elves
Focused Rumination for Lizards
Power of Darkness and Sacrificial Dagger for Dark Elves
Power Scroll for anyone
These change the odds significantly. However it is worth remembering two things. Firstly, the pool can never be over 12 PD at any particular point and secondly, the Book of Hoeth still requires the spell to reach its casting value on the casting roll - a double just means IF.
In these situations you have a limited number of choices - effectively stop the spells you have to and suffer the ones you choose to let through. This will change your gameplan for the battle but the investment in Magic will have left your opponent short in other areas and the key is spotting these "weaknesses".
One strategy I have taken to is to let the RIP spells through (particularly if augment/hexes) and then use my own Power Dice to dispel in my next phase. This has the added advantage of sometimes emboldening your opponent to hold against a charge rather than flee :-)
On the weekend I played High Elves with the Banner and the Book and also the Lizards with Rumination. I knew I was likely to suffer at some stage and this dictated my play style. In the end magic directly or indirectly cost me a unit in the game vs. High Elves but I weathered the storm vs. the Lizards.
I'd have to say that the Magic Phase is probably my favourite phase at the moment as it has become a game within a game and one where careful consideration can yield significant advantages.
The most important thing is that magic has become truly fickle. The chances of having 7+ PD (before channeling)is 58% - and you'll likely need 7 dice to get more than one spell off. However just as important is the difference between the dice. Over half the time you will only have a 1-2 die advantage which means magic is uncertain at best.
To be honest defending against vanilla magic there are probably only 4 rolls that strike fear into you...5/5, 5/6, 6/5 and 6/6. The rest should be manageable with a Lvl 4 and a Dispel Scroll.
Where things can get interesting is when your opponent has some kind of force multiplier in their list. Examples of these are:
Book of Hoeth and/or Banner of Sorcery for High Elves
Focused Rumination for Lizards
Power of Darkness and Sacrificial Dagger for Dark Elves
Power Scroll for anyone
These change the odds significantly. However it is worth remembering two things. Firstly, the pool can never be over 12 PD at any particular point and secondly, the Book of Hoeth still requires the spell to reach its casting value on the casting roll - a double just means IF.
In these situations you have a limited number of choices - effectively stop the spells you have to and suffer the ones you choose to let through. This will change your gameplan for the battle but the investment in Magic will have left your opponent short in other areas and the key is spotting these "weaknesses".
One strategy I have taken to is to let the RIP spells through (particularly if augment/hexes) and then use my own Power Dice to dispel in my next phase. This has the added advantage of sometimes emboldening your opponent to hold against a charge rather than flee :-)
On the weekend I played High Elves with the Banner and the Book and also the Lizards with Rumination. I knew I was likely to suffer at some stage and this dictated my play style. In the end magic directly or indirectly cost me a unit in the game vs. High Elves but I weathered the storm vs. the Lizards.
I'd have to say that the Magic Phase is probably my favourite phase at the moment as it has become a game within a game and one where careful consideration can yield significant advantages.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Warhammer Podcasts
One of the developments that has really improved the hobby, for me at least, is the rise of Warhammer podcasts.
My current favourite is the Bad Dice podcast (www.baddice.co.uk), a British show run by Ben Curry and Ben Johnson. Both of the Bens are experienced tournament players and are part of the English team for the European Team Championships. The show follows a regular format running through news, their gaming weeks before settling on a major topic or interview. The Bens are insightful and very switched on to the latest developments in the tournament world. They manage to produce a weekly show and maintain high standards both in content and sound quality.
The second big British show is Heelanhammer (www.heelanhamer.com). Produced by Dan Heelan and Wayne Kemp the show follows the familiar podcast format outlined above. Dan is also a member of the English ETC team while Wayne is less of a competitive gamer. When the show started it ran a pretty equal mix between gaming and hobby aspects. Over the past three months I'd say the hobby aspects have probably halved and as a result the show IMO has suffered. In saying that I still believe it is a quality product but the hobby aspects it covered were a point of difference from its competitors. The banter between Wayne and Dan is excellent and the shows are of excellent quality. Still a must listen for me.
The original Warhammer podcast was Podhammer (www.podhammer.net) run by Jeff Carroll out of Newcastle, Australia. The show has been going for three years now and it has helped define wargaming podcasts and, importantly, inspired others - not least the two shows above. Podhammer has a crew of regulars, most from the Newcastle gaming community and it is clear to all the rapport this group has. I find the contributions by Kendall Williams and, in particular, Steve Gibb very insightful. Steve is an excellent gamer but is also an original thinker - which can be rare in these days of the internet.
Not dedicated to Fantasy, but the fourth of the shows I listen to is World's End Radio (www.worldsendradio.com). Luke Retalek produces this out of Perth, Australia. The Warhammer content is always of a high standard but they differentiate themselves from the others by looking at other aspects of the hobby, tournament gaming etc. I find something in all their shows but if your focus is solely Fantasy then it is easy to pick and choose.
The final show I listen to is Mandollies (www.madollies.net)run by John Lampe out of Canberra, Australia. While the show is largely NSW tournament focused and split between Fantasy and 40k, the real strength of the show can be some of the guests that John has on there. Jeff Galea has made some significant contribution in terms of interviews and I hope that the show will continue to include similar content in future.
The easiest way to get any of these shows is to subscribe to them through iTunes. This is a free service and by having a subscription you get the latest show downloaded as soon as it is available.
If you do enjoy the various shows then I would urge you to support them. All of them have the ability for listeners to contribute financially to the running of the show whether it be through donations or a subscription to additional content. While a few have commercial sponsors they are definitely labours of love from owners. Good quality sound equipment costs money after all and the listeners benefit from their investment.
As I said at the outset the arrival of Warhammer podcasts has greatly increased my enjoyment of the hobby. They are excellent to listen to when painting etc and can provide real insights and motivation.
If there are any other podcasts that I'm missing I'd love to know so drop me a line.
My current favourite is the Bad Dice podcast (www.baddice.co.uk), a British show run by Ben Curry and Ben Johnson. Both of the Bens are experienced tournament players and are part of the English team for the European Team Championships. The show follows a regular format running through news, their gaming weeks before settling on a major topic or interview. The Bens are insightful and very switched on to the latest developments in the tournament world. They manage to produce a weekly show and maintain high standards both in content and sound quality.
The second big British show is Heelanhammer (www.heelanhamer.com). Produced by Dan Heelan and Wayne Kemp the show follows the familiar podcast format outlined above. Dan is also a member of the English ETC team while Wayne is less of a competitive gamer. When the show started it ran a pretty equal mix between gaming and hobby aspects. Over the past three months I'd say the hobby aspects have probably halved and as a result the show IMO has suffered. In saying that I still believe it is a quality product but the hobby aspects it covered were a point of difference from its competitors. The banter between Wayne and Dan is excellent and the shows are of excellent quality. Still a must listen for me.
The original Warhammer podcast was Podhammer (www.podhammer.net) run by Jeff Carroll out of Newcastle, Australia. The show has been going for three years now and it has helped define wargaming podcasts and, importantly, inspired others - not least the two shows above. Podhammer has a crew of regulars, most from the Newcastle gaming community and it is clear to all the rapport this group has. I find the contributions by Kendall Williams and, in particular, Steve Gibb very insightful. Steve is an excellent gamer but is also an original thinker - which can be rare in these days of the internet.
Not dedicated to Fantasy, but the fourth of the shows I listen to is World's End Radio (www.worldsendradio.com). Luke Retalek produces this out of Perth, Australia. The Warhammer content is always of a high standard but they differentiate themselves from the others by looking at other aspects of the hobby, tournament gaming etc. I find something in all their shows but if your focus is solely Fantasy then it is easy to pick and choose.
The final show I listen to is Mandollies (www.madollies.net)run by John Lampe out of Canberra, Australia. While the show is largely NSW tournament focused and split between Fantasy and 40k, the real strength of the show can be some of the guests that John has on there. Jeff Galea has made some significant contribution in terms of interviews and I hope that the show will continue to include similar content in future.
The easiest way to get any of these shows is to subscribe to them through iTunes. This is a free service and by having a subscription you get the latest show downloaded as soon as it is available.
If you do enjoy the various shows then I would urge you to support them. All of them have the ability for listeners to contribute financially to the running of the show whether it be through donations or a subscription to additional content. While a few have commercial sponsors they are definitely labours of love from owners. Good quality sound equipment costs money after all and the listeners benefit from their investment.
As I said at the outset the arrival of Warhammer podcasts has greatly increased my enjoyment of the hobby. They are excellent to listen to when painting etc and can provide real insights and motivation.
If there are any other podcasts that I'm missing I'd love to know so drop me a line.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)