Alive & Kicking - Empire in Flames TO's Analysis (Guest Post)

Guest post time. Here is a wrap from 2010 NZ ETC player Chris Cousens who recently was the TO for Empire in Flames in Melbourne, Australia.

So, another Empire in Flames has been and gone, the first big Victorian WFB event for the year.

The tournament results make for some interesting analysis. EiF was run under 8th edition rules. Magic stayed just as the rulebook said, and there were no caps on unit sizes or army selection. Combattle was used, and some of the tourney regulars who hadn’t used the system before were very positive about this.

So without sabotaging the magic phase, and allowing people to use lord-level characters, surely the games were a disaster? How could people have fun playing WFB by the book? Strangely, the games were lots of fun, by all reports. People had loads of fun. The game, magic included, works fine and EiF showed it. The top armies all included level 4 mages, although Sean Davis had equal-best battle score with just a level 2. That said, there was a massive spread of variety between those mage lords, using Death, Light, Heavens, Greenskin and Skaven magic. Add in tournaments run in the last 6 months that have been won by armies with NO mages, and I think we have a pretty solid body of evidence that the magic phase doesn’t need tampering with. In addition to this, massive horde units didn’t define the tournament. While some of the armies at the top featured units of 30+ elite troops, most had a mix of unit types and sizes, proving once again that balanced, all-comers lists are not only more fun to play with and against, but also more successful in gaming terms.

TOs who decide to ‘monkey with the magic phase’ or aggressively limit the unit choices available to players are, in my opinion, reacting to a rash sentiment primarily espoused by ex-eminent members of the WFB community. Simply citing that 'we changed the rules and our games were fun' is missing the point. Your games are fun even if you change the rules because Warhammer is fun, not because you have made it better. It is only by comparing games with and without magic, that you are currently playing, that you can even begin to come to any kind of valid conclusion. Trying to discourage people from utilizing the magic phase reduces the variety of tactical approaches and decisions within the game, and I think that's a step in the wrong direction, especially given how much effort goes in to using composition scores to preserve variety.

People who have learned how to play the game are now finding that magic is not the dominant factor in determining the outcome of games, and plenty have changed their minds about needing to change the rules of the game. Anyone who claims that Warhammer is ‘30% luck’ is sorely mistaken and should rethink their tactical approach. And in a ‘rebuilding phase’, which the WFB tourney scene seems to be in, the best way to attract new and enthusiastic players is not by changing the rules of the game that they rock up to play.

Which brings me to the great success of EiF, which was the massive turnout by new and upcoming players. Apart from the high standard of painting by new players, this group had some great results in the overall stakes, and the best sportsman award. The attitude displayed by all those who attended, and especially by those who have not attended many tournaments previously, made for one of the most relaxed tournaments I have witnessed. People were playing in the spirit of the game, and it was refreshing to see people bringing this kind of attitude into the tournament scene. I hope that these players will continue to attend tournaments as it was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to a chance to play toy soldiers with you!

Congratulations must go to the winners of all the prizes – displaying the full range of skills that define the hobby. Be it painting, sportsmanship or battling, this tournament has made me think much more positively about tournament WFB than I have in some time. I hope that similar success is had by future tournaments.

Well said Chris - and I'm glad to hear the Oz scene is alive and well,

Runefang Lists

Here are the lists for Runefang this weekend: link

There's a good mix of armies coming, and I'm really keen to see how the Orcs and Goblins perform with the new book. I'm using my Night Goblins, and have to do a fair bit of painting still. I've got 5 squigs and the Arachnarok to finish, and I only started them yesterday ;)

Looking forward to seeing everyone that's coming this weekend

Runefang This Weekend

The Runefang Campaign is on this weekend and there are seven teams of three fighting a Mighty Empires campaign over 5 rounds.

Real mix of combatants – 2x Orc & Goblin teams, Dwarf, Skaven, High Elves, Chaos teams and the Realm of Man (made up of Empire, Brets and wood Elves).

To encourage some diversity from normal 2000 point lists there were a number of extra composition constraints, notably:

• 30% Core
• 20% Rare
• No double Rare or Specials

The lists are all in and are generally much weaker than you’d normally see at 2000 points. However there is a Warriors army with 60 and 40 Khorne-marked great weapon Marauders to keep people on their toes and I do think the O&G armies look strong.
In fact there will be a lot of interest to see how the O&G go this weekend given there are 6 on show and it’s the first local event to use the new rules.

I’m taking Skaven (no surprises) but my list has no shooting other than the Censer on the Furnace. Made up of three blocks of Slaves, three of Clan Rats (including Bell), one of Plague Monks (including Furnace) and the Hell Pit Abomination. The lack of warmachines, doomrocket and gutter runners to annoy, harass and deplete is a real concern.

Definitely will get some photos so watch out on Monday for the aftermath.

"Storm of Magic" - Don't Drink the Kool-Aid!

.......just yet anyway!

Jack posted up the release info regarding Storm of Magic that GW have envisioned for this northern summer.

My first thoughts are that this will be a lot like all the other recent “expansions” that GW have released. It will follow the well-worn path….massive hype on their website and in their stores “What are YOU doing for Storm of Magic?”, wall to wall coverage in White Dwarf for a month, lesser coverage the next month, some nice new models and then……..nothing. Six months after the fact there will be a 2-3 page article in White Dwarf and that will be it.

Call me a cynic but we’ve seen it time and time again.

Hands up. Whose still playing Cities of Death, Lustria, Apocalypse, Planetstrike, Battle Missions etc……not many, if any!

I remember watching two or maybe it was three Apocalypse games struggling through Deployment and one and a half turns. Still it sold a few Baneblade kits didn’t it? I wonder how often they are used….I’m guessing in some cases they haven’t even been built. Shame you Guardies couldn’t help yourself and broke the platic wrap – now you can’t even return it and get something useful.

What is does mean……and this is where it can be great….is that a lot of armies will get some new model love that they otherwise wouldn’t. And….and this is my fervent hope….we get more of the fantastic terrain GW has been turning out.

NZ Tournament Rankings

Last year I was the RankingsHQ administrator for New Zealand and was instrumental in getting the Flames of War, Fantasy and 40k NZ rankings/results onto the system.

I very disappointed that the regular update regime that I had in place has fallen by the wayside this year. At the end of 2010 I gave up administering the rankings for New Zealand for a variety of reasons; however one of them was not that the process was onerous. Since that time the NZ rankings seem to have fallen by the wayside with updates being irregular at best.

I’m not sure why that is – and I’m certainly not directing blame in any direction – however I do think it has a negative effect on the NZ tournament scene.

Rankings aren’t everybody’s cup of tea but I do think that they provide a spur to tournament attendance. No matter what people say everyone likes to see their efforts noted by a high ranking in the game system that they dedicate their leisure system to. To achieve that recognition requires participation at a minimum of three events. That can only help tournament numbers.

I certainly hope that there is a concerted effort over the next few weeks to get the NZ Rankings up to date as I know I’d certainly like to see the lie of the land after the first quarters events and leading into NatCon.

Storm of Magic - July

An announcement fresh off the internet is GW's new expansion for Fantasy, being released in July. It's called Storm of Magic, and will apparently make magic "far more powerful". There's also something in there about the tabletop interacting with your armies, and looking at one of the Ard Boyz scenarios too, it looks like they're bringing back Daemonworlds! Who wouldn't be excited? (Daemonworlds were a terribly unbalanced set of scenario rules used years ago in 40k, where the table randomly ate models etc)

The only other info out is these two pics of new plastic monsters, with a whole lot more to be released as well.

Desert Lore

So floating around the net is the new Nehekharan Lore. Take it with a pinch of salt. The most interesting point if this is correct is no magic charges.

Nehekharan Lore:

Lore Attribute:

The Restless Dead - D3 + 1 wounds if augment spell is successfully cast on friendly Nehekharan undead unit. Any unit can only be effected by the Desert Wind once per turn.

Signature Spell:

Khsar's Incantation of the Desert Wind - Cast on 8+. All unengaged friendly Nehekharan undead units within 12" may make a single move as if in the remaining moves sub-phase (cannot charge). All non-engaged friendlies can be instead targeted within 24" for a casting value of 16+. Any unit can only be effected by the Desert Wind once per turn.

1. DJaf's Incantation of Cursed Blades.

7+. Augment, range 12". Until the start of your next magic phase close combat attacks gain Killing Blow or Heroic Killing Blow special rule. If the unit already has Killing Blow or Heroic Killing Blow special abilty, it will work on a 'To wound' roll of 5 or 6+ while this spell is in play. Can increase range to 24" instead on a casting value of 10+

2. Neru's Incantation of Protection

9+. Augment range 12", until start of caster's next magic phase. 5+ ward save on a single friendly target unit. All friendly units within 12" can be targeted instead for 18+

3. Ptra's Incantation of Righteous Smiting

9+. Augment range 12" until start of caster's next magic phase. Target unit gains 1 attack (mounts, riders, models crewing chariots, monsters and war machines). If armed with a bow or great bow then get multiple shot (2) special rule. All friendly Nehekharan undead units can be targeted instead within 24" for 18+.

4. Usirian's Incantation of Vengeance

Hex range 18" 10+. Until start of caster's next magic phase target unit has its movement reduced by D3 to min of 1 & all terrain is treated as dangerous terrain if unit moves. Range can be extended to 36" for a casting value of 13+.

5. Usekhp's Incantation of Dessication

11+ Hex range 24". Target unit suffers -1 strength, -1 toughness (to min of 1). Until start of caster's next magic phase. Can instead choose to reduce by D3 (min of 1) for a casting value of 22+

6. Sakmet's Incantaion of the Skullstorm

Remains in Play. Magical Vortex 15+. Small template is placed on the board and a direction is nominated. Artillery dice is rolled and the number is multiplied by wizard level = amount template is moved in stated direction. Every model passed over or under the template suffers a single strength 4 hit. Misfire = place template over caster and scatter by wizards level in random direction. Use large round template for a casting value 25+. On subsequent turns, vortex moves randomly equal to role of artillery dice. If misfire, vortex dissipates instantly.

Evolution 101 - The Mindrazor Conundrum

One of the hot topics on the internet forums has concerned Dark Elves and their use of Lore of Shadow.

The major spell in the Lore of Shadow is Mind Razor where you get to substitute your Leadership value for your Strength in combat.

There are a number of Dark Elf specific reasons why this has been perceived as a problem. Specifically,

• Army-wide Hatred allowing re-roll of To-Hit rolls, Eternal Hatred for Black Guard
• Presence of the Cauldron of Blood which allows you to add +1 attack. On Corsairs with the Frenzy Banner this can add up to a lot of attacks

However the main reason why people are getting antsy is that the Dark Elves have a special roll that allows them to ignore the 6 Power Dice maximum, rolling as many as they have access to. This is further enhanced by the Sacrificial Dagger which allows you to “sacrifice” usually a Spearman to add another dice.

In reality this means that you can end up with a block of Corsairs with 4 attacks, re-rolling to hit in the middle of your army at the start of the Dark Elf magic Phase and there is nothing you can do to stop them getting Mindrazor off, making those attacks Str 9 or 10.

Not surprisingly most of the bitching comes from players who have armies composed of elite infantry – Chosen/Chaos Warriors, Grave Guard, Temple Guard/Saurus etc. I’m pretty sure that Dwarfs would also appreciate the opportunity for a grumble as well. Suddenly all those heavily armoured troops that you’ve pulled together in a Death Star unit aren’t so safe.

Well, not surprising, my response is a resounding “Boo Hoo”. This is a classic case of “Catch me once, shame on you. Catch me twice, shame on me.”

Let me map this out for you: Cauldron, Lore of Shadow, Sacrificial Dagger, High # of Attack troops = Likely Pain



It’s not Rocket Surgery! It just means that you have to do what the rest of us do to YOUR Deathstar. Feed it crap and re-direct. Just because they don't have to think, doesn't mean you don't.

If you can’t do that with your current 4-5 unit list, the answer is obvious…….change your list.

As a great man once said “Evolve or Die”.

Working on my new army...

Wolves in spaaaaaaaaaaaace!

Or rather, the oh so mighty Space Wolves. I still have a dozen or so games to play test before I'm comfortable as to where I'm going to head list-wise, but while I get ready for that stage I have been painting up a few units.

Some of the decisions I can see I'm going to need to make are:

- Is 4+ nullifying good enough, or with GK's kicking about has this necessitated Njal and stopping powers on a 3+?

- Will 2 units of longfangs be enough, or will I really have to push for that third and wear the flak that will come from it?

- One of the bigger questions I find myself asking, MSU? Or a more solid assault base with larger units and less shooty transports?

- Do I need a hammer unit? Or do I chance not having one for the first time in years? Hah!

All these and more will start to form a picture as to what is best for my play style in the coming weeks as I get some games in, but in the mean time, here are some pictures of my progress so far.

The first Grey Hunter squad, clicky to make biggy!

The Second Grey Hunter squad, clicky to make biggy!

Annnnd some sneaky Wolf Scouts, clicky to make biggy!

Oh, and how will my Thunderwolves/Fenrisian wolves look? Like my dogs at home of course!

Note that Pete's ginger howler monkeys have infiltrated even the sanctity of my own home!

The end isn't neigh, don't break out that sandwich board just yet!

My oh my!

There certainly is a lot of doom-calling and gnashing of teeth with the release of the new Grey Knights book. After spending a good week making and breaking every list I can come up with, and I urge those of you who have problems with the book to go out and do the same.

One of the core mistakes I see people making, is not assigning any sort of points value to the ideas they are coming up against in their head. If you're scared of a combination of units, sit down and price them out. You'll usually find that it's a lot more expensive than you had anticipated, and when you stack the equivalent amount of points from your own list against it, you're not as hard done by as you thought.

If you include all the "OMG GOOD" toys in a GK list, you're coming in at a very high points total indeed.

The other thing I'm seeing go on a lot is what I like to call "The Perfect Storm Effect". People are worried about certain lists doing certain things at certain times that perfectly counters anything they can come up with and then "ONOEZ IM BONED!". What they fail to notice is that no one would take that list anyway, because it's a heap of crap against the other 5 people they will have to play that weekend, and even then it relied on a series of rolls successively going in their favor.

The best thing I can suggest you do from there is to play a few games out, see how it goes. You'll be pleasantly surprised when you move away from the doom and gloom world of the game on paper, and start filtering it through the infinite variabilities that happen on the tabletop. Failing that, at least get out and start having a bit of a read of battle reports, it won't take you long at all to find examples of them both winning and losing - with enough detail for you to figure out a bit more of whats going on.

If you look hard enough, you'll even find multiple reports of daemons pantsing good players wielding good GK lists because they're tailored to take on all comers, rather than being a dedicated anti daemon list :)

GK's are good, yes. They're not the broken game-killer so many are already bobbing their tinfoil hat covered heads to however. Invariably they continue to fit into the lovely paper scissor rock (lizard Spock?) type environment we play in today, and where they have their favored match ups, they will have their feared match ups just as often.

What will be interesting in the coming months is how they reshape the meta scene locally. The top tables right now have a very heavy presence of Tyranid Monstrous Creatures, in fact had I not barely dodged one of the lists in the final round by 2 points - my last event I played in would have had 7 trygons across 3 games alone.

Likewise, GK's have some fantastic anti horde tools, and I believe the end result in both cases will be that people gravitate towards a slightly more balanced approach.

Actually this is NZ, why adapt when whining is less effort :D?

I for one look forward to facing the knights on a far more regular basis. While they will no doubt present some challenges, the thing that I suspect will keep them from bolting ahead of the pack is that at the end of the day, you die like an overpriced marine and lose a lot of utility via strong psychic defense. While this doesn't ruin the party for them in the grand scheme of things, its a big enough hurdle to stop them from getting the 6-0-0 they'll need to win events locally.