Saturday 24 October 2015

Plans for upcoming Empire update

Progress update: Nearly the entire bestiary and army list is now finished, leaving editing of the main background. This numbers around 120 pages of fluff to go through, which will take quite some time. The Empire has a ton of stuff from WFRP written for it, so I'm currently sorting out the material I don't deem necessary to include. I've also been working quite a bit on the High Elves book, finishing most of the bestiary for them. I might be finishing the High Elves book first, depending on how the editing will go. Won't have time to finish either book before January though.


Though this will take a while to finish due to the massive background and different sources they stem from, I want to give a heads-up on some of the planned changes for the Empire.

One of the bigger ones: Detachments as you knew them will be gone. With 8th ed, it's all about steadfast for infantry, and since steadfast is not mitigated by disruption, Detachments does not really make much of a difference besides giving the enemy more attacks back at you. On top of that, you need a minimum of 10 models to even cause disruption, hence any detachment would need to be 15+ models, almost a unit in themselves. Furthermore, since Steadfast is based on the highest number of ranks in a unit, you are usually better off just adding the detachment models to the main unit instead.

In my planned update, all regimental units can act as detachments if within 3" of each other. Meaning that a full unit of halberdiers can flank charge an enemy unit charging a full unit of swordsmen for instance, and handgunners and crossbowmen can stand and shoot against enemies charging any regimental unit, just not their parent unit. This encourages multiple smaller units rather than just hoarding up on halberdiers, and puts the focus on the Empire's infantry coordinating with each other more, as well as holding a coherent battleline, just like the Empire should. Enemies will now also have to plan more carefully, and must attempt to charge with multiple units to avoid being flanked.


As for other planned changes:
  • Grand Masters will be able to ride Demigryphs.
  • Spearmen will be able to upgrade to pikes (finally!).
  • Free Company will have pistols as an option, and can upgrade to Ambush.
  • Archers won't be skirmishers by default, and can have LA.
  • Handgunners and Crossbowmen can have LA (allows upgrade to Ironsides).
  • Knights will be kept core, but can be upgraded to one of 3 knightly orders (Panther, White Wolves, Blazing Sun). For the remaining Knightly Orders, consult the Expansion.
  • Inner Circle Knights counts as special units.
  • Hold the Line increased range for generals.
  • Demigryphs are moved to Rare, will be increased in cost.
  • Imperial Dwarfs added, spears, GW's, HA options.
  • Halflings added. Spears, bows, shields.
  • Reiksguard Foot Knights added, Reiksguard Knights will stay as normal.
  • Flagellants nerfed to WS2, can sacrifice D3 models each close combat phase.
  • War Wagon will be added in a future Empire expansion, along with Helblaster variant.
  • Steam Tank variants will be added in a future Empire expansion.
  • Cheaper state troops, miltia, greatswords, huntsmen, pistoliers, outriders and flagellants.
  • Mortar buffed to S3, slight price increase.
  • Helstorm buffed to S4.
  • Helblaster firing mechanics tweaked, can fire single decks.
  • Extended fluff in both the main background and for all units.
  • Return of old special characters, as well as the ones from Tamurkhan.
  • Imperial Ogres added.
  • Arcane Battle Altars will allow upgrades to all different colleges, thanks to rules by Thomas Heasman-Hunt.

168 comments:

  1. Will you be adding in some of the stuff from the Tamurkhan book (i.e special characters and the land ship)? I'd really like to Magisterix Elspeth von Draken included.

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    1. Probably, yes! Maybe not all, the landship was from Marienburg I recall? As far as special characters are concerned, you can expect a lot more included, like the ones from the 4th ed book, and probably the ones from Tamurkhan as well. It's going to be a really long book this one!

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    2. Also, as you're planning to change some of the stuff related to the knightly orders in the new book, how will this affect your knightly orders supplement?

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    3. The Landship is a "Marienburg"-Type Landship and was built in Nuln! So it is not only for Marienburgers.

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  2. Maybe merc maneater ogres?
    Just an idea sorry:)

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    1. I considered Ogres, but they are not really part of the Empire like the Halflings and Dwarfs are. However, you could use DoW as an allied contingent, and Ogres in your army that way :)

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    2. Or Empire + halflings, they have ogres too XD

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  3. Pistoliers and Outriders with Heavy Armor? Sounds kind of iffy to me. Not even the elves have Fast Cavalry that also wears heavy armor. Maybe it could work but the main thing I have a problem with is that Pistoliers could replace their Brace of Pistols with a Spear and Shield. If they had light armor I would be fine with it but the presence of heavy armor means that they would have a 3+ armor save. No Fast Cavalry unit in the game has an armor save better than 4+.

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    1. Hard not to agree with that sentiment. I would expect they should FC if they achieve a 3+ save. I would suggest making heavy armor optional, make it a free upgrade, but they lose FC then.
      The reason for making it dependent on HA is because I dont see the officiel Pistolier models as being equipped with HA. It seems quite light/medium to me, like cuirassiers.
      This would give players the option to use appropriate models as they see fit.
      It is nice that Empire gets demi-lance fast cav, but maybe make "Pistolier" an upgrade that gives brace of pistols, LA and Fusilade special rule (or what ever you give them).

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    2. If you compare the Pistoliers/Outriders with State Troops or Greatswords, it seems rather obvious to me that they have heavier armour than both of them, and the 6th ed models had even more armour. It's definitely on part with the armour of a Warrior Priest, which has heavy armour.
      They will ofc lose FC if equipped with shields as well, so they would be 4+ FC at best.

      Many Cuirassiers had pistols as well, so there's not really an issue with adding spears as an option on top of that. It's rather strange to call them pistoliers without them having pistols by default.

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    3. Yea, I can see that about the armour now, its fine as HA. But they wont have the "Fusillade"(or what its called) ability, allowing shots in melee on charge? Wouldnt stack well with a spear. That ability always seemed very characteristic of the gung-ho young noblemen.

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  4. Perhaps if Pistoliers lost Fast Cavalry when taking the shields? That would fit with for example Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen, and Fast Cavalry/Skirmishers also often have a more range-oriented role, as they suffer in melee by having no rank bonuses.

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  5. Something that might be good to include although I'm not sure how you would make them different from regular state troops- Landsknecht

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    1. The state troops are Landsknechts in this case, hardly necessary as their own unit.

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  6. Also- i would recomend not making demi lancers as they tended to be more tudor english- instead id make outriders similar to curassiers and let them caracole and make pistoliers similar to Holy Roman Imperial Harquibusiers

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    1. In Riders of the Dead, the Empire are mentioned to have demi-lancers, so it actually fits with the fluff. You could call them cuirassiers/reiters too, they would all fulfil the same role.

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    2. In the mordheim stuff they also have chasseurs- which are late 18th/19th century french

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  7. The Magisterix Elspeth von Draken woud be awesome to includeand besides I think the Empire needs a big monster

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    1. They do have the Imperial Dragon and Griffons. I agree upon Elspeth, though I don't think there should be any rare choice monsters. It's just not very Imperial to have anyone but Karl and a couple Wizards have big creatures.

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    2. Yes, apart from character mounts, the only "monster" the Empire gets is the Steam Tank.

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. i love your work but do you have plans to make rules for skirmish, sieges or others?

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    2. Maybe, depends on how much time I will have to put aside to it.

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  9. yes empire, i love your work do you have plans to play skirmish or other ways of playing like sieges?

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  10. There have been reports of small bands of Ogres living "peacefully" with the citizens of the Empire, especially in Ostland, often being incorporated into family units. Indeed there is a sizable population of Ogre's currently living in the Empire, as mercenaries or even just as citizens. 7th Edition

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    1. What book is that quote from? I checked the 7th ed book, but could not find anything about it? If that's the case, I'd gladly includes Ogres as a rare or special unit.

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    2. http://warhammerfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Ogre
      http://warhammerfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Ostland
      I had no book at hand, so I took their word for it.

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    3. The Mordheim entry for Ostland also mentions that Ogres are a common sight there. I think a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay expansion mentions that Ogres are just a bit less common than Dwarves.

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    4. If you could find the exact sourcebook, that would be great. I have pretty much all of them expect Hero's Call, which I know contains Halflings and Ogres.

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    5. I see now that my sources aren't all that official either (neither do I have the Hero's Call).

      However, in case you find it legitimate enough, the Mordheim entry for Ostlanders is in this PDF (a brief Mention):
      https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B18J5DU-6cP_dUxQV1ctaWZ0Ujg&usp=drive_web&ddrp=1&tid=0B18J5DU-6cP_aEg2dHIxbGpaMlk

      And the Warhammer FRP I was referring to (especially the question on page 6):
      http://www.ogrestronghold.com/downloads/WFRP_Imperial_Ogres.pdf

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    6. If you do decide to add Ogres to the Empire book the best place would be as an upgrade to a war machine. Since the Ogre population of the Empire is tiny, there isn't enough to form whole units and that means that the best place to put them is as warmachine crew. Their strength makes them able to carry more ammunition, lug the gun around quickly (represent this by allowing a war machine unit with an Ogre to march) and knock some heads if ambushers, fast cavalry or scouts manage to reach them.

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  11. Yo Mathias, what do you think about Furion's revamps and small changes to the army books?

    http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130276

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    1. I've looked at a few of them so far. I like some changes, dislike some. Not a fan of the DoW book which just put everything in core, hardly anything in special, and even less in rare, with Ogres making up half the book. I do like quite of a few of the magic changes though.

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  12. Take a look of 9th Age "Empire of man", they has some good ideas. Field marshall (empire general) with better leadership or giving bonus to infantry, just any reasons to play him instead archlector or the knight commander.
    Witch hunters with better rules, like hidden like assasins (that skill was named "incognito" in warhammer online), multiple wounds, crossbows, horses with fast chavalry rule... something.

    Maybe flagellants as skirmishers if the unit is enought small?

    Maybe some rule to have warrior priests or witch hunters joining flagellants warband?

    Free company as ambushers are cool too. What about I4? They aren't just militia, they're thought mercenaries and bandits.

    But the archers should be skirmishers. they're only hunters and marksmen, not regular troops.

    Griffons with barding (maybe armour save 5 but with hoover instead fly).

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    1. Generals will get an improved Hold the Line, Witch Hunters will get plenty for options and be cheaper too.

      Flagellants won't be skirmishers though, Unbreakable would really need to be changed in the BRB in order for characters to join.

      I4 is a bit high for basic troops, mercenaries or not. They are still just basic humans, not duellists.

      Huntsmen will still be skirmishers. Archers can be upgraded to skirmishers as normal. This allows people to use the older empire archers with armour (who did not skirmish) in their armies.

      I'm not so sure barding fits, it only covers a small part of the model.

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  13. "Knights are moved to special, can be upgraded to one of 4 knightly orders (Reiksguard, Panther, White Wolves, Blazing Sun)."
    "Reiksguard Foot Knights added."

    Why not just add "Foot Knights" unit with a similar upgrade?
    Also, will there be some kind of merge/update/synergy between Cult of Ulric and Knightly Orders Army Books?

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  14. Reiksguard knight(infantry) was a unit in 3rd or 4th edition book

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    1. Well, they can be there for all I care, yet it seems as a waste of space, having a Knight Unit and a Foot Knight Unit that will be essentially the same in stats and weaponry, just one will be cavalry and have upgrades and one will be a bog standart infantry, don't you think?

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    2. Reiksguard Foot Knights are a bit special, and had official models during 4th ed. They are like the current Reiksguard on foot, with shields. Most other knightly orders fight mounted only.

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    3. After reading the 4ed, I stand corrected. Yet, in the same time - wouldn't it make more sense to place the Reiksguard separately from the rest of the Knight Orders, since in-lore they are essentially the Imperial Guard - the best of the best?
      This can also explain the exclusivity of Foot Knights, IMO

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    4. They will be, in a sense. Knightly Orders will be basic knights, then you can choose to upgrade them to a specialised Knightly Order (including Reiksguard) if you wish. Only difference between the current book and my version is that they are found under the same entry in the army list.

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  15. And WFB6 Imperial Guard alternative Empire army and White Dwarf article to WFB6 for upgrading Knight orders.

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  16. What is the reasoning for making knights 'special' choice?

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    1. Most armies have their heavy cavalry as a special choice (only Bretonnia and High Elves have core heavy cavalry, and Bretonnia is THE cavalry army out there, while High Elves have their elite cavalry in special), and I want to move away from pure knight armies in favour of focusing on the infantry instead. It's also rather strange that the young pistoliers are somehow rarer than the elite knights, when it should be the other way round.
      Also, Reiksguard are a special choice and they are one of the larger knightly orders, so why would other knightly orders be more common on the field?

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    2. I guess I understand that reasoning. As an amature player Im thinking I might get in trouble filling the core slot. Knights always did a good job in that respect. Plus I don't consider them overpowered, so at this point it feels like a big (impact) change to me. They've never been a special choice in Warhammer history if I recall correctly. Or maybe a rule that 1 unit with grandmaster/kurt/karl franz can be taken as core. I recall a simular rule from Storm of Chaos I think? Just thinking out loud here.

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    3. Knights are not overpowered per say, but they are, as you say, used but a lot of players to full the core slot, when they really should fill a unique role in the army. I also want to get away from "Order of the Holy Cannon Ball" lists, which uses Knights are core, and then a bunch of war machines for the rest. However, I might add a rule that allows a unit to be taken as core with a Grandmaster though.

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    4. And what about change the army instead move out the knights? Do new synergies. Do captains and marshals with orders to improve the infantry. Check out astra militarum. Instead ban the knights, give us reasons to play infantry.

      PS: Estalia have heavy cavalry as core too :P

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    5. Remove the Knights?! Heresy, I'm calling the Witch Hunters!

      Seriously though, the new detachment system will be a big boost to their Infantry, and the General will get an improved Hold the Line.

      Estalia's real heavy cavalry are special units, the caballeros have a 2+ save at best, like Silver Helms.

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    6. In what direction would you like to see Empire lists moving with your book(s) (also concerning Knight becoming Special choice)? I'm thinking, Pistoliers/Outriders aside (which you're making Core), for a 2500 points army, you would need to over 100 Halberdiers to fill your core slot!

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    7. If you check the updated post, I've decided to keep Knights core after all. This was after going through the Reiksguard background, which does set them apart from other Knightly Orders. With that in mind, it would be strange to have all Knights special, when Reiksguard are quite superior. Demigryphs will still be Rare though.

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    8. Aww. I'm a little disappointed. I liked the idea of making Pistoliers core and knights special because it would mean that empire heavy cavalry is in tiers with Pistoliers equipped with shields and spears as tier 1, knights as tier 2 and demigryphs as tier 3.

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    9. Yeah, that was the intention as well, but seeing as the Reiksguard are the best of the best, it would be weird to have other, more numerous knightly orders also occupying the special slot.

      Instead, Knights will be Core, Inner Circle Special, Inner Circle on Demigryphs Rare.

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    10. Ah, I see. Are you going to apply this tier idea to the Dogs of War book with Straidots that are equipped with armor, a shield and a spear as tier 1 heavy cavalry, Freelancers as tier 2 and Rhinox Riders as tier 3?

      Also, I would suggest making Demigryph knights WS5 to go with their ranks consisting of the best knights. Do the same for Hypogryph knights of Bretonnia and the Bear Cavalry of Kislev.

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  17. looking forward to the changes for empire, interested to see what could be done.

    Also, for fun or cultural reference, is it worth while giving flagellents equipment upgrades. if you've seen the terry Gilliam film Jabbawocky, the flagellents in it lug a gigantic wheel around with them, and every so often a flagellent would lay in front of it and get crushed, i bet it could be used for thier self sacrifce test and for rolling into enemy units to disrupt them. And there's a scene later on where they somehow get their hands on a catapult, which they intend to sacrifice the film's protaganist by setting him on fire and shooting himn over the city walls for the beast to devour. But, after the leader gives a rhetoric on how nasty and horrible the death would be, the flagellents start fighting each other because they want to go, and one of them actually shoots himself out of the catapult.

    this is the catapult scene in question:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8apNuRgWFWo

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  18. Honestly I think Nippon needs an update before Empire does. They are woefully underpowered against a lot of armies, even Bretonnia.

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    1. Anything in particular you feel Nippon needs? Most players seem rather happy with them at their current power level.

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    2. I would just suggest that you add some missing options and change the katanas to be the same as the other swords of eastern origin. My suggestions are:
      *A model with a Katana that is on foot may wield it in two hands. If they do so then they have the Parry and Armour Piercing special rule in close combat. At all other times the Katana functions as an ordinary hand weapon.
      *Tied to the above, reduce the price of all melee weapons wielded by infantry models by 1 point (do not do this for models that may be changed to cavalry).
      *Make Red Devils start off with a katana and may upgrade to either a spear or a halberd.
      *Allow Great Guard upgrade to spears or halberds.
      *Make Halberds for cavalry cost +3 points instead of +2. It's normally +3 points to upgrade a cavalry models strength by 1 (empire knights, chaos knights). In a similar manner, reduce the price of Great Weapons for Centaurs to +2 points (since they're +1 strength comes with Always Strikes Last).
      *Give Ronin all the typical weapon options and the clan mon options (with the stipulation that they're not limited to taking the same mon as the rest of the army). There is no reason for them not to have the same range of equipment and getting disgraced will not remove the skills someone gains from their background.
      *Make Ashigaru units start off with hand weapons and able to upgrade to either spears or halberds. Historically, the ashigaru used those as well.

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    3. So you only said gives the best weapon in the game (halberd) to an entire army without any exceptions. What about mizuchi with halberd too?

      An if you want a good unit, try an horde of samurai with bows and daimatsu clan with your hatamoto with mirumoto battle standard. If the enemy don't have armour better than 3+ is a really good unit. And you can handle heavy armoured units with your tengus and ninjas.

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    4. I don't think Nippon seems to be underpowered,too. The units are well balanced imo. I love the army rules "Kenjutsu" and "Way of the Warrior". They definitely reflect the bushido mentality of medieval Japan. Great work Mathias!

      I wish there would be an option for a 2nd Katana to be wield, without losing the option to re-roll To Wound rolls of 1, but still keeping a bonus for choosing to use it two handed. Like giving the re-roll automatically to the katana. This emphasizes the sharpness of the katana. Something e.g. like: "The Katana counts as a hand weapon. Only when using the katana, the wielder may re-roll To wounds of 1. If on foot, the wielder may choose to use it as a two handed weapon which requires two hands. If he chooses to do so, he may re-roll the failed re-rolls from the first re-roll To wound of 1 rolls". Of course making units with katana a bit more expensive for balancing issues.
      This gives some models the option for a 2nd Katana with a more Musashi-like feeling in my opinion.

      The Nippon army book needs a Miyamoto Musashi like char. His book of five rings needs homage in the fluff^^. Imo a book as great as Sun tzu's book of war.

      It would be also nice to have the option for great guards without mounts, which would be special units. I would like another "anvil unit", which can take some beating, besides the onis. The imperial armour makes them more durable, thanks to 4+ save.

      And for the issue of historical "realism" Nippon needs an Oyumi as a siege weapon option. Even after a lot of cultural exchanges between Japan and China, catapults never took firm root in Japanese warfare, though. The Oyumi seems to be the only relevant war machine during Japanese medieval, until the arrival of cannons.

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    5. Instead the dragon pearl, an item really difficult to use properly, we could have that book of 5 rings(swaping the name, of course). Maybe could gives the bearer some kensai skills (and if the bearer is a real kensai maybe use 2 kensai skills at same time :P is op but you can't afford any good ward save but your pajamas XD)

      And Hitomi Gozen should move the onna bushi to core troops even without be the General. Is too restrictive right now. When can she be the general, playing at 1000 points, maybe?

      And Shogun, think about the 2 hand weapons. It would be buffed when Mathias release and update of his armies to play them in 9th Age. A samurai with 2 hand weapons should have Initiative 5! But i'm not sure how should work kenjutsu with the new parry rules :/

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    6. I don't know myself, how the book should be implemented. Actually I just thought fluff-wise.
      There's also no reason imo for an initiative boost while using two weapons. A 2nd Katana doesn't make people faster.
      Never mind what I said about unmounted Great Guards being special. I don't care if they're rare; I just want the option XD.
      Imperial Armour should be an option to samurai lords and heroes. And the armour piercing for the the great guards is justified through their really good equipment, isn't it? Why can't heroes or lords have them,too? Allow the option to upgrade the katana/speer/halberd to great guard equipment.
      Is it possible to make the misuchi mountable? Just for the lolz

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    7. They are definitely underpowered. My friend has played a good amount of games at differing points levels and most recently my Bret's which absolutely crushed him at 2500 points.
      The Samurai cost more than High Elves but don't have ASF. The Katana is useless when you can have a halberd, GW, or Spears instead. And the only unit who could really use the Katana, Great Guard, can't.
      One of their biggest problems is there is no way to crack armor. Trying to kill Bretonnian Knights is like hitting a rock with a plastic knife. Oni are an option, but die to combat res because they are unstable. Samurai GW are ok, but even at S5 the knights will get a 4+ save and then a ward.

      Their characters are also subpar by comparison. Samurai are basically slightly better humans, but their characters have no stat bonuses over other human character like Brets. They also don't have the options that other armies have for their characters to buff them.

      Their other biggest problem that I can see from across the table is they have no hammer unit. Nothing in the book strikes fear into my heart like say the HE broken frost Phoenix or Grail knights, or Chaos knights.

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    8. Or a rule making all magic hand weapons a katana too, like the old ork choppas. For examble Ogre sword => Ogre katana, the same bonus +2 strenght but repeating 1 rolls to wound with both hands. That would be a nice buff for the kensai.

      The imperial armour for the character would be nice when they can use mundane shields, but the magic shileds maybe is too much. The taisho mounted on kirin with armour save 1+ would be too much. Give me 3 (or at least 2, one with the +2 shield and other with the dragon helm).

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    9. Why would that be too much? Bret's can get a 1+ save just by buying the Enchanted shield or Dragonhelm

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    10. #Anonymous: I see where you're coming from. How much do elves speermen cost? I don't have the army book here.
      But don't forget the samurais can have the option for great weapons giving them S5 with WS4. I don't think, that's bad for a core unit for 11P. +2P and you can get rid of the ASL rule, because of a mon. Would be nice to get the option to upgrade to 2nd hand weapon/halberds/spears without the option of losing the long-bow/rifle (only with mon) option.
      #Eric Martinez Sorribes Erik Zorninsson: Nippon unit with shield is just wrong, no offence. Samurais were prohibited to carry shields since the Edo Period until the dissolving of the full samurai cast.

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    11. Because a kirin and the taisho who mount it is far better than a bretonnian.

      The way of the warrior psychology rules is the best rule of the army and you don't talk about it. An army with warhamachines, monsters, scouts/skirmishers, cheap troops (ashigaru, who with a mikoshi shrine are a hated unit, stubborn with an unkillable shrine of 6 wounds ward save 4+, lol, and it cover with the command group all front rank, leaving your hatamoto and high shugenja safe in second rank) and fast cavalry as core isn't a bad army.

      If you want bretonnia or empire with their brainless units of 20 knights with armour save 1+ (or all ther front rank with paladins or lords with that save) this isn't your army.

      And i guess nobody played sumo warriors. Or not enought onis. they're unstable. Yeah, entire armies are unstable too and win. And the ony are (maybe with the ganeshans and nurgle beasts) the best monstruos unit in the entire game. WS5 Strenght 7 ward save, never flee, wtf is this.

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    12. I wouldn't mind 1+ save for great guards^^.

      Here in my humble opinion is why I think Nippon is not really underpowered; and wenn then just slightly. Death before dishonour and the way of the warrior rule is awesome. You can squeeze cheap cannon-fodder ashigaru units between units with the mentioned rule in order to pump up their Ld. If they panic it doesn't affect your way or warrior units. These units may even re-roll all psychology tests and the break test with 3D6 ignoring the highest D6. So samurais can really stay put, while buffing the cannonfodder. The army has longbows and handguns for cheap core choice. Samurai are pretty practical for specific tasks. If you give them the right weapon, mon, and standard, they can be helpful for certain tasks on the game. As above said, fast cav as core is epic. Sumo warriors do pretty good damage against armoured troops and the onis can take a lot of beating. Kabuki dolls or ninjas are epic against opponent models that have high toughness. Ninjas(my favorite unit) can be soooooo annoying. They're perfect for harassing other infantry. The skirmishers of Nippon are generally good imo. Yabusame (one of my favorite units) ist fast cav. with long-bows and the kyudo rule. That's so epic and pretty good for harassing, too. Red Devils are a good hard hitting fast cav. The army has also flyng units and war machines.
      The infantry is versatile and usually hold their position, which helps cuz your not allowed to use shilds. Your core infantry is not being bad or good in any matter, but the omikoshi shrine changes that. E.g. Blessing of persistent makes cheap ashigaru into kamikaze troops. Something that cost the enemy more than 4P, has 1 wound and hits an ashigaru with this blessing is a win for you. Blessings punish your units more for fleeing, but in combination with death before dishonour the D6 Strength 4 punishment becomes irrelevant. Death before dishonour is an awesome army rule^^. The army is overall good in buffing, cuz the lore of Kami and the yamabushi are also specialized in augmentation. If you want to play a more harrasing type of game, get rid of the slow units, fill the core choice with mounted samurai, throw in yabusame, red devils, great guards and skirmishers. Lore of shodow is pretty godlike, when using an agile harassing army.

      In a nutshell I'm quit happy with Nippon.
      Imo there not underpowered and not overpowerde

      I just wish the armybook would have a more "spoilt of choice" feel like the Empires. More options for some troops regarding imperial armour and armour piercing. Like the Imperial katana being a own weapon as option (armour piercing+the katana rule) so as the imperial armour as an own option for armour. Both options for Great guards and certain heroes/lords.
      While Way of the warrior and Death before dishonour reflects the mentality (bushido) of medieval Japan very well, Kenjutsu and Katana alone feel like they can't back up the bushido in the Warhammer World.
      Kyudo (even on foot) and Martial Arts being a normal rule to Samurais would buff them really crazy. It would make them into the jack of all trades in this army (what they somehow already are). Make the light cav. special. and being yabusame a option for light cav.. E.g. the unit loses heavy armor when equiped with bows.
      A great guard special unit option would be epic, helps as an anvil unit which isn't unstable and the mounted version horse/kirin in rare.
      I feel that the katana rule needs a little buff as I mentioned in my former post. And generally more stuff added, but that's just complain at high lvl overall and I'm pretty happy that this army book exist.

      Delete
    13. As a Nippon player I'm quite satisfied with it too. Wish I could find good models for Shrine and Sumo though :). Its power level might be a little low in regards to going toe-to-toe with 'eavy enemy infantry, but with buffs and the right character support it gets manageable. I'm still in the process of trying stuff out and collecting figs so I'm not very efficient right now

      With regards to the Katana, a beloved subject, I dont think it should have special rules because of its manufacture.
      High Elves and Dwarfs clearly make supreme weapons and THEY dont have any special rules for them. Makes it really hard to justify why humans should.

      Making fasr cav special? Hmm, might be a thought, it does seem a bit powerful to have a full core of fast, skilled, cav. But I am sucker for infantry so havent used them as core anyway, and so my opinion is probably a bit biased. More importantly though, if shifted to special I think they have a really hard time competing with Red Devils point wise. But again, I lack experience using them.

      Delete
    14. The argument about the katana makes totally sense. It is actually just a hand weapon compared to other weapons of this type in the game. The problem with the katana is that it was predominantly hold two handed, cuz of it's 60-73cm length and the disinclination of shields. But there were also japanese, who used two katanas. You convinced me^^. Mathias solution for the katana is actually pretty solid.

      Cav. was a often used troop type and as common as Infantry in Japan, but the fluff says that the Nipponese native horse breed is not useful as cav. and that's why the Taneka clan, which imports horses, has commonly cav.. I think only factions who are fluff-wise considerably associated with cav. and whos main tactics derive from cav. should receive cav. core like Brets, Araby and Hobgoblins. And Nippon is a little mix of all fluff-wise. A possible solution would be, to make them core if your army has the Taneka mon.

      Omikoshi shrine:
      http://www.jun-gifts.com/specialcollections/mikoshi/mikoshi.htm

      Sumo-warriors (You'll need to remodel them a bit):
      http://www.bushido-thegame.com/catalog/malosi
      http://www.bushido-thegame.com/catalog/oda-tautola
      http://www.bushido-thegame.com/catalog/fitiaumua
      http://www.bushido-thegame.com/catalog/manu-buto-bodyguard
      http://www.bushido-thegame.com/catalog/mikio-jumo-wrestler

      Hope this helps.

      Delete
    15. Thanks for the links, gotta get me one of those shrines, they look perfect. The sumo look really good too, a bit expensive getting a full unit though, auch, gonna look into it :)

      Delete
    16. @Erik: It's not even a contest. The Kirin is only slightly better than a Royal peg and the Paladin or Lord has far better options for doing whatever they need to than the Taisho.

      Way of the Warrior is great, doesn't help you win combat though. ;)
      The shrine is also good, but it doesn't fix the core problem of the army

      Nobody said they wanted them to be Bretonnians or Empire, so you don't have to jump all over those armies just because you don't like them.

      Sumo's are ok, but expensive. Samurai with halberds are nearly as good and much cheaper with better initiative. Oni are also good, but again, expensive. How many is enough? 6? 7? At that point you have a unit over 400 points which is going to be about even in combat to a block of 50 guys(like M@A or Elf Spearmen) which costs about 2/3's as much.

      Using the 3D6 is risky because if you fail the entire unit dies. It can be helpful for sure, but you don't always want to risk it.

      Delete
    17. You're right, way of the warrior doesn't help wining combat, but in combi with mon of the ashiwara clan you are able to ignore the panic of the cannon-fodder ashigaru spearmen units, which I mainly use to shield other units. With sashimonos and a nearby Leader the unit can hold its stand for more than one round and give you the opportunity to flank the opponent unit, which is battling the ashigarus. Sometimes the ashigaru losses during combot added to much points to the opponent's combat result.

      The shrine doesn't indeed fix the core problem, but it has an awesome synergy with the units.

      What are your solutions for Nippon? I'm keen on knowing how other Nippon players think about the issue.

      Samurais with GW cost 11P the sumos 14P. Their differences are:
      - Samurais have heavy armour sumos light
      - Samurais have 1 initiative more (uninteresting when using GW, unless you're using the uruchi mon)
      - Samurais have 1 BS more
      - Samurais have 1 strength less
      - Samurais have 1 toughness less
      - Sumos have the unstoppable force rule (unfortunately the GWs +2 strength doesn't add to the impact hits)
      Can't tell if the sumos 3P differences are worth it. I just take them for the strength 6 attacks^^. I need to observe the next time I play how the impact hits benefit this unit. I need to gather more experience with them before I can tell for sure.

      What are your experiences with Onis? I think putting them into 3man units isn't a bad decision either. The Unit still has 9 Wounds and 9 attacks and the movement of 5 makes them get really fast into flanks.

      I wouldn't recommend using the 3D6 the full time, either. It's for situations when the unit has to hold the line, when you know that fleeing will be a units downfall or when the unit has so few models that it doesn't matter.

      Delete
    18. I think sumo's are pretty solid, but still a little pricey for what you get. Personally I think they should I4 instead of 3. The other big question with them is should they be on 20mm or 25? Typically T4 stuff is on 25 which means less guys in base to deal damage. My friend has run Oni a lot against me because he uses them to try and crack my Bret's armor. So far 3 have been pretty much ineffective, even on a flank because they can't disrupt. I really think they need to be 6-7 strong to be really great, but then you are looking at a 400+ point unit. Which is ok, but you have to use them wisely to make sure you get the most out of them.

      We are play testing changing the Katana from it's current rules to be AP instead. Then we're taking a page from 40K and adding Master-crafted katana's as an option for some units. Finally we're going to test making Red Devils heavy cav instead of light to make them into a better hammer unit.

      -Alex

      Delete
    19. But red devils are good cavalry because they are fast cavalry. Like kurnous, weaker and cheaper, but fast and hard hitting.

      The onis as support unit aren't bat with that I5.

      I played the sumo in 25mm base.

      Delete
    20. Yeah I came to the conclusion they're a bit to expensiv, so I switched to using samurais with GW.

      I'm using 25mm for the sumos, too. I think that makes sense with the T 4.

      I'm going to pass on the onis. I believe they got potential, but I'm incapable using them correctly.

      The Batake mon says that a samurai warrior with it can have a handgun. Does it mean all samurais in general or just the core infantry unit? Cuz being allowed to put the mon on samurai fast cav. Or characters would be awesome. ast cav. with the mon would make an awesome pistoleers unit.

      Delete
    21. I like the Oni. I use them in a group of 6, since 3 proved ineffective. Stat-wise, they are perfect for dealing with heavy elite infantry. WS5 and I5 usually put them on top, ST5 deals with decent tougness and armour, while the ward save give them some protection against the heaviest hitters.

      They are expensive for the combat potential and must not be wasted on lesser foes. Good speed and ItP makes them very dependable, just as warrior monks and samurai must make use of their leadership-abilities to make up for other shortcommings.

      With regards to the Batake mon, it says "Samurai Warriors" with capital "W", so I'm afraid it only refers to the actual Samurai Warriors core unit.

      Delete
    22. Yes, only the samurai core infantry. But te batake samurais earn handguns, wich is not very useful riding a horse, you can't move and shoot, you aren't an estalian conqueror :P

      Whatever, handgunners with katana, nice psychology rules, heavy armour and handguns with BS4 at 14 points each is nice.

      Delete
    23. I don't disagree with you. The onis are statwise definitely a good unit and they can hold their stand.

      A shame. No light cav. with handguns^^.

      When it comes to the handguns I rather prefer Ashigarus. Of course they have BS 3, but you can compensate that with masses of them. I do prefer my Units with handguns to stay out of close combat and assume getting them in close combat is automatically there doom. That's why I don't see my samurais using handguns in near future. GW with Uruchi clan is my preferred armament against units with high armour save and toughness. Great against Dwarfs; you usually hit them first with strength 5.
      On the contrary I find the longbow/two handed Katana/Ashiwara or Daimatsu mon combo pretty handful against not so though opponents.

      Another stupid question I have to ask:
      The Mikoshi shrine has the rule stubborn. Since it has the ability to join and leave units like a char, does it give the unit it joins stubborn? On page 76 of the BRB it says that a unit joined by a char with stubborn gets the mentioned special rule.



      Delete
    24. I believe that the Shrine does add the Stubborn rule to the unit it joints.
      As the rules say, "it joins the unit as a character". I assume that all the effects of joining a unit then applies, as if it was a character.

      Delete
    25. Nice : ). That gives me some more possibilities with the mikoshi shrine.

      Delete
  19. Mathias when do you plan to release ?:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably sometime in the second half of November. I won't have much time to work on it the coming 2 weeks, but I plan to work on it around 6 hours a day when my vacation starts the 14th.

      Delete
  20. Thank you very much man !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. -
    So what is the deal with Imperial Dwarfs? I do get that they were in previous rulebooks, but is there any reason to use them in-game besides fluff?
    Will there be special Dwarven rules for them? Will they be able to use detachment system? Will they be somehow better than other Units of their own league?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will mostly be included for fluff reasons, but they will also be the toughest Infantry unit in the army. Think DoW in terms of usage. They will have the basic Dwarf special rules, yes, but will not be using the detachment system, which is reserved for state troops.

      Delete
    2. Huh...interesting...
      And what about Steam tank variants? Will they work as your Knights (i.e a Default variant with several upgrades) or like Leman Russ from 40k (i.e there are several actual variants of Steam tank, each of the have a different name, stats, weapon load-outs and rules)?

      Delete
    3. Yeah, they did used to have rules, ones with volley guns, crew on the top etc it'd be great to see them back! Love the Imperial Dwarves! Can't wait! :)

      Delete
    4. Have not decided yet, but they will probably work like upgrades, yes :)

      Delete
    5. Huh...cool, less space and less work
      I have an idea for War Wagons and their lot:
      Since there will be Arcane Battle Altars and War Altars of Sigmar and since they are all, essentially, pimped out war wagons, it would be simpler to turn the War Altar of Sigmar into an upgrade/variation of a War Wagon.
      And as for Arcane Battle Altars: since their stats and one rule (Locus of...) are identical, how about turning them into a single, "default" model with upgrades for each useful Wind of Magic?
      Now we have the Luminark of Hysh and Celestial Hurricanum - both are the same units with two different rules - something you can put as an upgrade + it will give you space to create something for the Fire Magic one (Really GW, the main battle mages of the Empire and they don't get their doomsday ion cannon, yet some Light and Celestial Mages do?)
      This will also give a chance for modellers to kitbash something cool looking and have rule for it.

      Delete
    6. I thought about that, but seeing as they have completely different fluff, they will be separate units.

      About the Arcane Battle Altars, I might include options for all the other lores. The rules are already made by Thomas Hunt, just got to ask him for permission to include the rules :)

      Delete
    7. Chaos Dwarfs Online, search for "Arcane battle altars".

      Delete
    8. That's great, hope he'll be cooperative)
      And the last question - will you ever implement unique units that don't have rules (as far as I know, anyway) yet have fluff and some level of recognition, like Carroburg Greatswords, Death Heads, etc?
      Doesn't have to be in this book though.

      Delete
    9. I do plan on mentioning them in the fluff at least, might make some rules in an expansion at some point.

      Delete
  22. Can't wait. You're the real MVP! Do you have a FB page to perhaps increase visibility in these uncertain times..?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only a private one, haven't really thought about making one for WAP to be honest. Might be worth thinking on.

      Delete
  23. My humble opinion

    Grand Masters will be able to ride Demigryphs. good.

    Spearmen will be able to upgrade to pikes. yes finally

    Free Company. Use Sellswords from DoW

    Archers won't be skirmishers by default, and can have LA. good.

    Handgunners and Crossbowmen can have LA (allows upgrade to Ironsides). good

    Knights are moved to special, can be upgraded to one of 4 knightly orders (Reiksguard, Panther, White Wolves, Blazing Sun). fornufitgt

    Pistoliers are moved to core, and can have spears and shields, making them demi-lancers. good

    Pistoliers and Outriders have HA. good

    Greatswords have LA, can upgrade to HA or FPA, good

    Demi-gryphs are moved to Rare. they belong ther.

    Imperial Dwarfs added. Good, where special or rare? Weapons?

    Halflings added. Good, where special or rare?

    Reiksguard Foot Knights added. yes.

    War Wagon added. cool

    Steam Tank variants might be added. Warhammer Annual 2002?

    Cheaper state troops, greatswords, pistoliers and flagellants. ok

    Mortar dropped to 75 pts, might remove armour piercing. Ok

    Helstorm fires D3 templates, with somewhat streamlined rules. ok

    Extended fluff in both the main background and for all units. Cool

    Return of old special characters, as well as the ones from Tamurkhan. Cool

    Imperial Ogres *might* be added. Yes please

    Arcane Battle Altar *might* allow upgrades to nearly all different colleges. cool

    Add: Priests of Ulric, Priestesses of Shallya, and Priestesses of Myrmidia but I would give the priests Sigmar a custom rule "God of the Empire" there can be no more priest of a different faith than there are priests of Sigmar combinde.

    other stuf.

    Orc & Goblins: will you use the drifrient Goblin typer from Warhammer Chronicles 2003? One type can also be used in Tomb Kings

    High Elves: Wil handmaidens of the everqueen Come again?

    Vampier Counts: reintroduce bloodliens and give the opportunity to make a Nicromancer army without vampires.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Knights are moved two special, Can be upgraded two one of four knightly orders (Reiksguard, Panther, White Wolves, Blazing Sun). Sensible

      Delete
    2. Dwarfs and Halflings will be special units, can have HA, GW's, spears (Dwarfs), spears, bows, shields (Halflings).

      There won't be new Priest types though, since they are already in their separate army books where they fit better. For the Empire, the Priest you are most like to see on the battlefield are priests of Sigmar. For Ulric priests, you have the Cult of Ulric book, for Myrmidia - Estalia and for Shallya - Bretonnia.

      There won't be more Goblin types in the O&G book, but they will get several other new units.

      Handmaidens will be included as a rare unit rather than a Hero choice, yes.

      VC: bloodlines will be introduced in full, Necromancer armies will most likely also be available.

      Delete
    3. I've often thought that Night Goblins should have their own army book.

      super that Bloodlines will be introduced in full.

      What do you think of my idea of Free Company should remind more about The Sellswords from DoW

      Delete
    4. I have thought about that too, but I think it's fine to have them included in the O&G book. Otherwise you kind of have to give both orcs and common Goblins their separate books too.

      Considering the Free company models mostly have two hand weapons and pistols, I don't think they need more weapon options than that. The Sellswords are more organised, with the term "sellsword" pretty much covering all setups for mercenary soldiers.

      Delete
    5. You could also add Josef Bugman and Bugmans Rangers to Empier Rare chose, according to the background, it takes place in the Empire's eastern forest is near the River Sol

      Delete
    6. "Handmaidens will be included as a rare unit rather than a Hero choice, yes."
      Does this mean you're renaming the Sisters of Avelorn back to Handmaidens and remove the current Hero choice Handmaiden?

      Delete
    7. Not necessarily, Sisters of Avelorn will probably be kept as a missile unit, and Handmaidens will be a close combat unit with spears. The Hero choice would be removed though.

      Delete
  24. To my opinion demi pike is a spear

    ReplyDelete
  25. I sincerely hope that you add rules for arcane altars for the other colleges! I have a converted beast wizard wagon I use for my Ulricans as a counts as Hurricanum that would love its own rules!

    As a side note will you update the Cult of Ulric to match your Empire book updates? Please say yes!

    Thanks for all the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matching Cult of Ulric to new Empire armybook would be great! I play the Cult a lot and it desperately need new options (do not mistreat new options with buffs :))
      - Grand Masters and Seneshals could ride Winter Wolves
      - Seneshals should have option to carry BSB
      - ban Empire Marschalls, Captains, Wizard Lords and Witch Hunters. They do not fit CoU army and as a characters from Empire armybook, are allowed to mount Pegasi and Hippogryphs. Completely not the Ulric style
      - maybe some kind of Ulrician War Altar? Please?

      Delete
  26. it may be interesting to leave the engineer like an upgrade option for warmachines and the hero option just for some prototype inventions mentioned in the fluff

    ReplyDelete
  27. Btw, I was compiling a list of all the Empire models and points costs from 4th edition and up. Maybe it can assist you in your project: http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php/topic,50833.0.html

    ReplyDelete
  28. I agree that warrior priests/witch hunters should have a special rule that they can join a unit of flagellants despite them being unbreakable. Makes sens from a fluff and asthetic perspective

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I partly agree with the sentiment, put the fluff also describes flagellants as being mostly used as cannon-fodder on the battlefield. It might be doubtful that any right-minded characters would want to share their lot.

      Delete
    2. Well, that kind of goes against the whole BRB. I don't really see Warrior Priests inspiring the Flagellants either, seeing as they already have hatred by sacrificing their models. Looking at Mordheim, they fight in the same bands, but not necessarily the same units.

      Delete
  29. What about warrior priests can infer prayers to flagellant units as long as they are within 6 inches?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does not really add much, since Flagellants can get the same bonus with their special rule already.

      Delete
  30. Is there any chance that pistoliers/outriders can have crossbows as a gear option?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not at the moment, those weapon options fit better with DoW.

      Delete
    2. Well, with dwarves, halflings and ogres Empire will be the new DoW :P

      Delete
    3. Nah, I'm just returning the precious GW stole from us! ;)

      Delete
  31. I really apreciate your work in reviewing also all the other books from 8th edition. Expecially also those that are considered to be balances (but we know they are not). one example for all is the low price of the demigryph.
    I'm really waiting for the revision of general rules from your side or a kind of errata corriege and FAQ from you.
    thanks my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Congratulations for your hard work. These army books looks incredible professional, just like the official books.
    When do you plan to release your Empire revision? I´m ansious to catch it, seriously. Thanks for all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It will be a while still, I've worked out most of the rules in the bestiary, but there's a ton of background story to go through. Currently up to near 230 pages, I have a lot of editing to do. Hopefully I can have it finished some time in December.

      Delete
  33. I love this updated books of 8 edition. Could it be possible to update all the new books at 8 edition version saving them even you work on 8.5 edition?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not quite sure I follow you there...? I will probably make one version for 8th ed for all books, and then make a new version of each book, updated for 8,5/9th ed.

      Delete
    2. It is was I pretended to say. It would be greatful for us.

      Delete
  34. Your desire to include the rich history and fluff units of the empire is admirable however you're going to seriously endanger the balance of your books. I get that this so your site and you've put in countless hours compiling it all BUT you haven't really taken on what fans have been telling you about how some alterations to certain army books has completely skewed the balance and flavour of the books. If you want this empire book to work you really should just focus on the men of the empire with the option to include some Dogs of War units because this book sounds like it's going yo be way too overpowered

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What are you concerned will be overpowered? The book will be focusing more on the Infantry with the new detachment rules, and Dwarfs, Ogres and Halflings are the DoW units. Certain things that are too good right now are also going to be nerfed. But I'd appreciate some feedback on the book once it's out.

      Delete
  35. Hi there, as you know I am a keen follower of your work, and have tried more than a few out on the battle field. I have two points.
    Firstly - now this is a very simple thing - please make the master engineer's mechanical horse count as a barded steed - the thing is made of metal for heavens sake - it has been a long standing house rule here. It is also far too expensive - even as a barded steed.
    And secondly I play with a full engineer army, so outriders, pistoliers, automotons (house rules) and war machines - just the wierd ones so as to not encroach on Nulns gunnery school. We are a little short on characters, a non missile engineer weapon would go down nicely. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi there, as you know I am a keen follower of your work, and have tried more than a few out on the battle field. I have two points.
    Firstly - now this is a very simple thing - please make the master engineer's mechanical horse count as a barded steed - the thing is made of metal for heavens sake - it has been a long standing house rule here. It is also far too expensive - even as a barded steed.
    And secondly I play with a full engineer army, so outriders, pistoliers, automotons (house rules) and war machines - just the wierd ones so as to not encroach on Nulns gunnery school. We are a little short on characters, a non missile engineer weapon would go down nicely. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the Mech-Horse will be both buffed and cheaper, don't worry :)

      I'm not too sure about adding more engineer weapons though, that would be the Man-catcher and ball and chain from the War Wagon, but I don't think they really fit for a master engineer.

      Delete
  37. I am not sure where to ask this, so I am putting it here (I also havent seen this asked before). What base sizes are all the Deva in the Kingdoms of Ind book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Devas should be placed on bases the same size as other models of the same unit type. So Infantry goes on 20/25mm bases, MI goes on 40mm bases. In the case of the Deva, they would probably fit best on 25mm bases in case they are In.

      Delete
    2. Thank you :). As Daemon-like units I thought they would. Just wanted to be sure.

      Also, with the Amazons, Piranha Warriors can buy poison for 2pts, but it says their Blowpipes already come with it, is that an oversight/old upgrade or was it just so you can buy just poisoned Javelins?

      Delete
  38. i know this isnt the place for that but someone is creating a halfling army :)
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/westfaliaminiatures/the-halfmen-army-pugnacious-halflings-in-28mm?ref=project_share

    ReplyDelete
  39. Heyo Mathias, how goes the work?
    Also, I have a question about the Knights: You write taht a 'standard' knight will be core and can be upgraded to an order while staying core. Does the same apply to Inner Circle knights? I.E., can I buy Special choice Inner Circle Knights and upgrade them to Blazing Sun, for example?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've finished most of the army list now, so mainly have the fluff left to sort out.

      Yes, Inner Circle knights can also be part of a chosen Knightly order.

      Delete
  40. Yo man, while waiting out on the Empire book, can we have some first ideas about other army books?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I might make a post about that, just worried that the comments section might be a bit overly long!

      Delete
  41. Can you give us an ETA about this?
    Maybe before new year. perfect timing and great present.

    ReplyDelete
  42. what changes are you going to input in the high elves??

    ReplyDelete
  43. Like the idea for more arcane battle altars for the different colleges, and it reminded me of something i saw from Josh Reynolds when someone asked about the other colleges war machines



    Bright- The Salamander's Heart--a brass orrery which oscillates at such furious speeds as to cause everything around it to burst into flame or simply melt into slag. It's pulled into battle by cermamic horses, animated by the magics of the bright college.

    The Gold Order use a device called the Auric Array--a massive, self propelled mortar-like engine which fires masses of bubbling liquids. These liquids, depending on the element they are composed of, have different effects on the battlefield. Gold, for instance, doubles in size and turns anything it touches to a golden statue, while silver erupts in murderous homunculi which attack the nearest enemy.

    The Grey Order employ the Shadow Bastion--a shifting orb of semi-solid darkness, held trapped in an orrery-like frame. The engine is pulled by the shadows of horses, which can pull their burden through any terrain, even fortifications. The orb spreads a pall of darkness before it, effectively blinding those foes caught in its range. Occasionally, the orb will pulse, and the living darkness will flare out, swallowing anything in proximity.

    The Amethyst Order employs an engine known as the Moriturium or, more colloquially as Morr's Gate. Drawn by a team of night-black horses, culled from the wild herds which gallop along the banks of the Corpse Run, this device is crafted in the image of the god of death himself, clutching his Book of Names. As the horses gallop forward, a hollow death-knell emerges from the image's mouth and strikes down any who hear it. Even the risen dead are not immune to this sorrowful resonance, for it strikes not at the body, but the very soul...



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds really cool, is that official background? What about the Jade order?

      Delete
    2. To quote him directly:

      "Neither the Jade Order nor the Amber Order employ war machines, prefering to use their orbs of sorcery for more mysterious ends. What those might be, none can say. Though some speculate as to the nature of the strange winter storm which shrouded the orc-held town of Bruckheim in ice in mid-summer or the weird amber aura which transformed the war-herd of Ghuras Wormhorn into a herd of common, domesticated goats during the Sack of Lugdenburg..."

      Delete
  44. I hope when you talk about the Light Order, you mention the Guardians of Light. This arcane society keeps the most powerful evils safely locked away from the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where are they mentioned? I will be using the background from the 6th and 7th ed books for each college.

      Delete
    2. http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Colleges_of_Magic#College_of_the_Light_Order

      Second paragraph towards end. It's the only place I could find.

      Delete
    3. Ah, that part is already included in the fluff, don't worry.

      Delete
  45. Any chance you add Teutogen Guards????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are already in the Cult of Ulric book, so I'd like to keep them separate.

      Delete
  46. Do you think you'll release the book soon?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I plan on releasing 9th Edition first, but that one should be finished pretty soon.

      Delete
  47. General Aldred Van Carroburg
    Adric Greenwood
    Reban Greiss
    Engineer Commander Von Streihof
    Kurt Helborg
    Karl Franz Ascendant
    Gregor Martak

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  48. I was wondering - when you make the Army Supplements for Empire, will there supplementary rules to distinguish the Provinces? I am thinking options such as Ogres in Ostland-units the same way Kroxigors do with Skinks, or some sort of Mariner upgrade for Nordland units - that sort of gimmicky things.

    I have the feeling you are already planning to 'divide' the armies with Vampire Bloodlines, Lizardmen spawnings and the likes. Perhaps this could apply to the Empire as well?

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    1. No, I don't have any plans like that at the moment I'm afraid.

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  49. Will Valten be added as a character to this release?

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  50. looks amazing; will Special Characters include Leopold the Black from the Border Princes?

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    1. Also can I humbly suggest some light cavalry other than Pistoliers; perhaps 'Mounted Jaegers' or some such

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  51. Hello Mathias,

    Thanks for all your work, you have already done. Its really great and im happy to see that Warhammer lives for longer because of Peoples like you.

    Since im a Empire Player im looking foreward to your Empire book. I do like moste of the changes you have stated. Some thoughts from my self.

    - I would like to see an empire, that can build up very differently. For example a Sigmarit Army, a Artillery Army of Nuln, a Knigts (Cav) Army or Karl Franzes Army. Maybe this can be made by special rules of the choosen leader regarding the core/special/rare rules and the permit/prohibit of some units/characters.
    From my personal view i would like to have a unique Elspeth army list or the life guard of Karl Franz, if he is in the army.

    - I always missed the function of the forlorn hope in the empire army. I would have some nice ideads about that.

    - I always so the Pisoliers as Cuirassiers, regarding both, the optic and the equipment. Therefore i see no problem with heavy armor or even plate. Would be nice to have a Caracolla special rule.

    I looking foreward to see your Empire creation.

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  52. So how is the Empire book coming, if I may ask?

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    1. It's currently on hold while I finish the Ravening Hordes lists, which will take a couple of months (13 weeks). After that, I need to make 9th Ed versions of my 8th ed books (should be pretty quick), and then I will go back to finish the Empire book.

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  53. i am really looking forward to steam tank variants. the other thing i would ask is that once you have finished making your 8th ed army books and your ravening horde books into 9th ed army books then could you please make for all armies (and review existing) alternative miniature lists.
    ~caz88888

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    1. No problem, that is something I am planning on doing anyway :)

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  54. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  55. Hi folks, I am keen to know when the full Empire army book will be released (8th ed.).
    Cheers
    Alrikaz

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    1. I don't have a date for it yet, but it will probably be in a few months from now. You can see the "Predicted Update Order" to see in what order the books are expected to be released.

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