Anybody Else?
Thank goodness for Sunday! Or else I would never slow down. I get a sense of desperation on Saturday evening, like Oh Man I’m running out of time to get work done!
It takes the morning to wind down.
What can I say about today? I took a long walk down to the edge of the plateau and looked out over the valley: vast rectangles of deep lush green crops surrounded by copses of flame-colored trees. There’s a little cul-de-sac where dirt and leaf compost have formed a bed for lanky sprawling sunflowers. The weather was perfect; overcast for the most part, with the sun spraying down into the valley, and just warm enough to get me to take off my sweater.
It was at that moment that the last strings of the knots in my mind came loose and I was able to relax. I’m getting overly worked up about things.
I blew the afternoon snuggling with me kids, playing a little space hulk with the boys, and watching Discovery Channel.
Stargate: Universe Review
I want that hour of my life back.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn!
OK, one more episode.
CONQUEROR rough notes
Conqueror
Normal Play for Skirmish
The game is played using the normal rules for Warhammer Fantasy, but with every unit counting and moving as a little hero.
1. Beginning of the Turn
A. Use Items
B. Recovery
2. Movement
3. Magic
4. Ranged
5. Close Combat
6. End of the Turn
A. Withdraw
Combined Fire
A unit of five or more of the same ranged weapon (same entry type in the army list) that also has a unit champion can form a line of fire. This effectively becomes a unit. They re-roll missed shots.
Expendables
Models with a single wound are considered expendables. These are the henchmen; the red shirts. When they die, they die and are removed from play.
At the end of every meta-game turn you may receive reinforcements depending on your influence and what is going on in the game.
Champions
Regular troopers can become champions in the course of the game story. This is GM initiative.
Ganging Up
Each model’s base only has four sides. It can only be engaged by two models per side. Models with a larger base edge can have more than one model attacking as long as they fit entirely. However, models can only attack if they have their full base edge in contact—no partials or diagonals.
Disengaging
A model can disengage from close combat by using a normal move without penalty.
Exception: if the model is the only other model in the combat from it’s side then every model that it disengages from gets a free strike. This is resolved immediately, before the model is actually moved.
Running Away
At the end of your turn you may voluntarily end the game by Running Away.
At the end of the turn, check to see if half the wounds in your warband have been killed. If so, your Hero may make a leadership test to make them keep fighting for another turn. Otherwise they Run Away and the game ends.
Orders
A Hero may issue two orders a turn. Cannot be used on himself.
1. Get back up! Use any time an expendable is killed. On a 4+ the model is not killed but retains one wound.
2. Keep Fighting! Use any time your main Hero dies. Your warband keeps fighting for one more turn.
3. Courage! Use any time a member of your warband (other than the hero) fails a Leadership check. You may re-roll it (once).
4. Shake it off! Use during the recovery phase when a model in the warband fails a recovery check.
A Champion may issue one order a turn. He may only issue them to a model of similar type (ie the same army list entry) within 12”.
1. Take Aim! Use any time one of your warband is about to make a ranged attack. You may re-roll a miss.
2. Strike Now! Use any time one of your warband is about to make a close combat attack. You may re-roll that one attack.
Spells
A wizard can cast spells just like the rulebook says. However, there are no “common” dice either for dispel or casting. Effectively, unless you have a wizard there is usually no way to stop a successful spell. Spells will have a different effect once we start playing the game at normal point levels (ie 1000 pts or higher).
Fate
A fate token can be burned at the end of a game to ensure that the central Hero survives.
A fate token can be burned to re-roll a single roll (die or group of dice).
You get a Fate token at the beginning of every board scenario—sometimes more.
Micellany
No penalty for shooting at a single target.
No break tests.
Conqueror
Object of the game
The game progresses through three stages during which your band of heroes will grow in power and stature, and gather an army to lead into epic battle.
Only mortal armies are allowed. The following armies are disallowed No mounts.
- Stranger in a
- Gathering Storm: Getting Followers and an arsenal of magic
- Final Battles: fighting full enemy armies and killing enemy heroes
Each player needs a war chest which will hold his resources.
Gold and Silver
Gold can be used to buy magic items, and also hire mercenaries.
Influence
One point of influence will attract 100 points of followers. This is above and beyond any attached heroes.
One influence token can be burned to re-roll a leadership test during a game.
A Hero gets one influence token per game played and won. Sometimes two.
A Hero with fifteen influence tokens can be upgraded to a Lord. After this, he can’t burn Fate tokens if it would bring him below fifteen.
Fate
A fate token can be burned at the end of a game to ensure that the central Hero survives.
A fate token can be burned to re-roll a single roll (die or group of dice).
In the Beginning: Formation
Pick a Hero and weaponry. You have 200 points to spend. No magic items. Just regular equipment. You may buy henchmen individually.
You will go through three adventures where you will gain followers. Other characters who will join your band, and later lead your army.
Locations
Jungle
(undead)
Boneyard
Hidden Cenote (leads to Caves) Undead
Black Cenote
Runestones
Greater Runestones
Lost City
Undercity
Deep Jungle
Coastline
Blue Finger
West, North, East, and South Shore
Civilizations
Dwarven Caravans
City of
Caves
Outer caves
Deep caves (goblins here)
Mushroom Farms
Desert
Edge of the Desert
Baravon’s Oasis
The Vulture’s Gate
Pothole
Remember how I’m always harping about “moments of bliss” and how great life is? Well, today I had an opposite of one of those. A moment of utter black frustration. I got home and just broke down before getting into the house. My wife came out to the garage to see what on earth the racket was about. She knows how to get me smoothed out– a little shoulder rub and a turkey pot pie.
All is well.
The big news is that I’m running a studio Warhammer Fantasy campaign, RPG style. I call it Conqueror. Each person starts out doing Skirmish games and eventually leading up to full-scale battles.
I played a game of this in the morning, then took my kids out to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The four year old actually sat through the whole thing which is pretty impressive. We are definitely going to own that movie. I was entertained and it was appropriate for very young kids. I had like four really good guffaws out of it. Very clever.
Two new units of Dire Avengers just came off the line for the Oceanic Eldar. And a second Farseer. I can’t wait to give them a spin.
And tonight I’m going to see if Stargate: Universe really sucks or whether that was just the first episode.
I am currently booking projects for November. We’re ready whenever you are.
Squeaking with Delight
New plastic kit coming out for Skaven. I wonder what size that base is? It’ll likely go into a unit of rats, so it can’t be on a chariot base since that doesn’t add up. I predict a specialty base.
Not a fan of the whispy smoke, that sort of pegs you into painting it that way. But it sure does look cool. Don’t get me wrong. This kit is a home run of coolness.
Death Korps on the Block
Just put up some Death Korps, something like six listings. This can be expanded into an army; we can match.
See pics and purchase info.
Life is Hard in the U.S.
Sometimes the sprinkles on my ice cream are a little waxy.
Sometimes my ice cubes aren’t perfectly square.
Can you think of any more?
Custom Carrying Cases
These are the new carrying cases that I have on hand now. You can have your completed army shipped in them.
Blood Wolves
Prototypes for the Blood Wolves.
I’m a fan of alternate color schemes and this is what I came up with– red-armored Space Wolves. They turned out pretty slick.
According to the background of Fenris (the space wolf home world), part of the year it’s very hot and there are volcanic eruptions. This gave me an excuse to break from the traditional snow-bound stuff you see.
Black Knights
These six Black Knights, super-customized and riding high on their spectral steeds are on the block. They come with a magnetized movement tray.
See more pics and purchasing info.