The Brothermark appeared as a theme list for Basilea in third edition, just as I had started to build my Basilean army. At the time of building the army its fair to say the Basileans and I weren’t getting along for various reasons and the Brothermark list looked like a way of fixing that, so I started to play around with possible lists.
It didn’t really come to anything, because as much as I liked the idea of a knight army supported by some angry villeins and interesting characters, the lists I put together never quite finished up like that. I found myself seeing the Brothermark list more as an alternative Basilean list that allowed the option of tooled up mounted paladins instead of angels, which didn’t massively appeal.
The biggest smallest winner?
When COK 2022 landed I was absolutely amazed by what had been done to the Brothermark. COK 2022 has given so many more units a chance of getting to the table, but in the case of Brothermark I think it’s given the whole army an improved chance. On that basis I think its probably the army that’s benefited the most from the changes.
The best things in life are often the smallest and making Villein Penitents regular was probably the best change that could have happened to this army in my view. It gives it a really characterful, not to mention, cheap unlock. And this is really the key for me to wanting to play this force.
Making penitents regular and the addition of Augustus were my favourite changes.
Choosing the look
I normally try to include as much Mantic stuff as a I can in a Kings of War army, but there are quite a few holes in their ranges when it comes to supporting the Brothermark. I know its possible to convert, and much finer hobbyists than me have done so, but I just want something a little more straight-forward. So I opted to make the main body of the army from Fireforge Tuetonic Knights, Mounted Sergeants and Tuetonic Infantry.
They have a great range of plastics and some nice resin character models as well. I was particularly impressed with the “special bits” sprue in the infantry box that had some cloaks with wolf pelts that will help deliver a bit of monster hunting je ne sais quoi.
Fireforge Tuetonic Infantry sprues, including the special bits one.
There are options in Fireforge’s wider range to cover off the villein infantry, however, after a bit of thought I decided to try out some Oathmark human warriors. I’m glad I did. The models are great quality for a box of 30 for £25. They have loads of options but retain a beautiful simplicity. What’s best though, is that all the options allow me to use them, not only to throw together some penitents, but also for archers and men-at-arms. There are also a number of character models that will happily cover off wizards and exemplars. The only option the set doesn’t provide is for are crossbows, but if I really feel the need the Tuetonic infantry set can provide those.
The Oathmark Human sprue, simple, but with so many of options.
Aims, timeframes and next steps
As I write I’m currently umming and ahhhing over army lists ahead of my first game using the single-model-blue-tacked-to-a-base school of Kings of Warring. The plan is though that this year Brotherhood will be my tournament army (until I get cold feet and go back to rats). On that basis, I’m aiming to have a full 2k ready to go for the end of Feb for their first outing, which also makes choosing army mainly clothed in two colours (metal and dirty linen) appealing. Despite that it still suddenly feels like a tall order!
So, I think we can all agree that 2021 was a thing, in the same way that 2022 is likely to be a thing, because of wassit’s name. One of the impacts of living in such surreal times are the benefits I find in wargaming and community that supports it.
I’m sure many of us have stories to tell about how helpful online hobby sessions have been to get us through the lockdowns, and then how great it is when we manage to escape for a game and a catch up. My club, the Bristol Bigguns, have been absolutely brilliant. So, as we perch on the entry step to what is likely to be another precarious year, I want to say a massive thank you to my club mates and the wargaming community in general for just being fab in what are truly unfab times.
So, without further ado, let’s get on with looking at my top 5 highlights from the last twelve months:
5 – Face to face gaming
It was so good to get back to gaming this year. Quite apart from the fact I had loads of newly painted stuff for my opponents to remove from the table, it was also nice to get out and about to some of the UK’s premiere locations. I also want to give a shout out to my club, The Bristol Bigguns and Steve Evans for some fun games and enjoyable journeys. Looking forward to more off the same in 2022.
This is really short-hand for anything by Northumbrian Tin Soldier. Especially Giant Toad Knights. I fell in love with these models pretty much instantly and trying to find something to play with them led me to giving Frostgrave and Saga a go. They are awesomely fun games, with some great gaming groups in Bristol, that I’m looking forward to playing more of in 2022.
3 – Rats, by Mantic
Just some of the army I painted throughout the year – the most surprising addition being the display board.
Warbands are quick and easy to paint, and great fun to play with.
I love a good campaign and this year I managed to squeeze in three of them. Stargrave, Frostgrave and Burrows and Badgers. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of watching a band of plucky heroes developing their own narrative.
The various teams of Kings of War rules creating types have been labouring hard this year to really create something special. Clash of Kings sees every army getting some tinkering with to get neglected units (and armies) more table time. In true Kings style this means giving generals more balanced options, rather than making a bunch of super overpowered hotness that just makes previous army favourites redundant. Most of all though it means I can finally go all in on that Brothermark army I’ve been umming and aahing about since the 3rd edition rules arrived.
With that out the way let’s move on to my favourite models of the year.
This year has seen another awesome collection of models appear on the shelves and some have made it to my painting table. One or two have even made it as far as the finished pile. So, what have been my favs?
By the way, I should probably point out that these models aren’t necessarily new in the shops in 2021, but they hit my painting table in 2021.
Bad Squiddo
Part of a fantastic range, my new year resolution is to paint 3 Bad Squiddo minis in 2022.
Last year I painted one of Annie’s fabulous dwarfs and said I must paint more, so this year I got around to painting two! My favourite was this lovely amazon, who is now a wizard in my Basilean army for Kings of War. Bad Squiddo’s miniature range is fantastic, and service incredibly friendly and efficient. This year I probably need to make some kind of aspiration to paint a few more that are in the to do pile, if only there was a word for that!
Oathsworn
Just fab.
Burrows and Badgers occupies a very special place in my heart. Run by a small company that seem to pretty much excel at every aspect of making a wargame this fox from their Dark, Devout and Heroic kickstarter is yet another example of the great models they produce and my questionable painting.
Mantic
Mantic excelled themselves on this range.
So many cool things have come out of Mantic this year, Rats, Salamanders, Halflings, Orcs on Manticores (because Orcs need encouragement). If I were a rich man I’d be working on about half a dozen new armies at the moment. My favourite model of this year has to be their Brute Enforcer.
Northumbrian Tin Soldier
There are no other words.
Giant Toad Knights. I think this speaks for itself.
So that’s it for 2021. It’s done. So, what are the plans for 2022?
Well, that would be telling. But I would love to hear any thoughts in the comments below about things you might want to see in the blog. Let me know.
And, you’re still reading why not give us a like and a follow!
After a pretty hectic year I thought it would be nice to do one final battle report, and since its Christmas/New Year I thought I’d take a list that, for me, was pretty unusual. My Ratkin list was structured around the medium range shooting game where rats really excel. As this was quite an experimental list, I decided to give the newly enhanced Scurriers a run out and some new magic, in the for of the Alchemist’s Curse. I also wanted to try out Shock Troop regiments as I’ve seen them appearing in some well placed rat lists and am generally intrigued – maybe this alternative approach to shocks will stop a horde with sharpness appearing in every list I write?
Points: 2,300
Scenario: Dominate
Armies
Ratkin
1 – Warlock with Knowledgeable and Alchemist Curse
B – Broad Mother with Ranged Attack
Ta – Tangle
Sc – Scud
T – Weapons Teams (2)
TW – Tunnel Runners with Brew of Sharpness
Vt – Vermintide Regiments (2)
Nm – Nightmare Horde with Blessing of the Gods
Hp – Hackpaw Troop
Sc1 – Scurrier Regiment with Blade of Slashing
ST – Shock Troop Regiments (2) both with Plague Pots
Warrior – Warrior Horde with Plague Pots
Undead
1 – Necromancers with Bane Chant (2)
2 – Cursed Pharaoh
3 – Undead Army Standard Bearer
L – Lykanis
B – Balefire Catapults (2)
Wi – Wight Horde with Hanns Sanguinary Scripture
Ww – Werewolf Horde with Chant of Hate
SB – Skeleton Archer Regiment
Mu – Mummy Regiment
Wr – Wraith Regiment
Rev – Revenant Horde with Brew of Strength
Spears – Skeleton Spearmen Horde with Brew of Sharpness
SW – Skeleton Warrior Regiment
If you do the maths the Undead list is a few points short where I’ve left out some items, but the main troops involved are all included.
TerrainDeployment
The golden sands stretched out as far as the eye could see, with only the occasional clump of palm trees to break up the otherwise featureless landscape. Warlock Trigzered of the Fyrefur Clan stood in silent contemplation, his eyes twitching nervously between a piece of parchment and a non-descript area of sand.
“You’re lost.” Broodmother Chalax scolded.
“Am not.” the warlock replied, although he was pretty sure he was, and if he wasn’t he had no idea where he was meant to be.
“So where is it then?” Chalax asked.
“Well…” Trigzered replied.
“Well?” Chalax pressed.
“Well… we dig.” Trigzered said confidently, knowing that this would buy him some time to work out where they were and which way they should actually be going.
“This better not be another one of your wide rat chases.” Chalanx replied looking suspiciously at the warlock, whilst trying to catch a glimpse of the parchment which she could have sworn was blank.
Before she could issue orders to the ratkin host to begin digging three figures appeared in the distance. They walked slowly towards the rat lines, sand starting to whip up around them. A ragged creature, swathed in soiled bandages, taller than the emaciated men that walked on either side of it wore a tall crown of golden serpents that writhed and hissed. The creature raised its arms and a sandstorm exploded up and out throwing tiny, sharp pieces of grit and sand, cut with a piercing blue light over the entire area forcing the rat warriors to raise their shields in a vain attempt to prevent the sand getting into their eyes and nostrils.
Trigzered and Chalax watched in silence as bleach boned skeletons, and a host of other warriors, a long time lost to the world, rose from the desert and started to shamble towards the ratkin. A catapult in the centre of the undead lines launched a pot of flaming oil that crashed into a regiment of shock troops nearby to Chalax as werewolves ran from a distant hill howling and hungry.
Turn 1
The undead took the first turn and started to shamble forward. The catapult in the centre scored a hit on the Shock Troop regiment at the end of the ratkin line, wavering them. Fortunately, the regiment was out of sight of the second catapult on the hill which had turned in an attempt find something to shoot at.
The rats crept forward whilst the wavered Shock Troop regiment turned to face the werewolves lopping towards the crop of palm trees to their right and a Vermintide regiment moved in front of them. The Broodmother then cast Drain Life, using Eat the Weak, on the Vermintide to restore some of the Shock Troop’s damage.
On the ratkin’s left flank Scud flew forward and, in unison with the warlock, released lightening bolts at the Wights on the end of the undead line.
End of turn 1
Turn 2
The undead continued their slow advance, the catapults once again firing, but this time failing to hit anything.
The rat’s left flank started to push forward with the Hackpaws and Vermintide ranging forward to provoke a response from the silent warriors in front of them, whilst the rat lines opened to allow the Scurriers forward to shoot at the skeleton spears. Finally Scud and the Warlock again launched lightening at the Wights, continuing to chip away at them.
End of turn 2
Turn 3
The undead finally broke ranks in an attempt to close with the rats. The Wights charged forward into the Hackpaws sending them scattering and the Wraiths charged the Shock Troop regiment in the woods wavering them. The Pharaoh also charged into some Vermintide, but failed to remove them this turn.
In response to the removal of the Hackpaws the Nightmares, Weapons Team and Warlock opened fire on the Wights killing them. The undead had exposed two flanks that the rats could not resist. The Tunnel Runners swept down the hill and wiped out the Wraiths whilst Scud ploughed into the side of the Mummies returning them to the sand. Finally, with the Werewolves disappearing around the back of the woods the Vermintide on the right flank charged into the Revenant horde, but failed to do any damage.
End of turn 3
Turn 4
The Skeleton Spears turned to face Scud and the Werewolves emerged from behind the woods to threaten the rat’s right flank. The Revenants destroyed the Vermintide and the Skeleton regiments continued to move up. In an act of defiance the Pharaoh turned and charged Scud in the flank, hurting him and stopping him from flying, but not doing sufficient damage to stop his rampage.
There was a kerfuffle in the rat ranks as the Scurriers moved forward to allow the Shock Troops to turn to get out of the way of the Tunnel Runners, allowing them to charge the Skeleton Spears with Scud. Despite the Tunnel Runners being hindered and Scud being impacted by Phalanx, damage already done by the Scurrier’s shooting meant the skeletons quickly collapsed.
End of turn 4
Turn 5
The Revenants turned before being surged into the Tunnel Runners. Despite their best attempt Scud’s presence stopped the rat chariots from fleeing. The Werewolves charged the Shock Troops on the left flank easily wiping them out, despite the original damage from the catapult all being healed by the Brood Mother. The Pharaoh switched its attention to the Warlock, unexcited about being a potential target for the Alchemist’s Curse.
Scud and the Scurriers joined the Tunnel Runners in their fight against the Revenants driving the unit from the field. The Warrior horde charged into the Skeleton Warriors whilst the units at the back of the field ordered themselves to prevent the Werewolves from running riot in the final turn. The Tangle charged the horde, but failed to do any damage whilst the remaining Shock Troops dropped their plague pots to reduce their appeal as a potential target to the Lycan.
End of turn 5
At this point we decided to call the game as the Undead had lost their main scoring units and would have been unlikely to pull the game back even with a seventh turn.
Final Thoughts
This was a really relaxed game which was exactly what I was looking for to try out new units. With the benefits of hindsight both the undead player and I would have done things differently, that being said I would definitely take this army list again.
One of the things I was really glad about was the werewolves deciding to hang back behind the woods until turn 5. This was a pretty big deal because had they pressed their attack sooner they would have easily overwhelmed the Shock Troop Regiment on the right flank and quickly got into the warriors, which would have put one of my big scoring units in danger.
That’s not to say I didn’t think very much of the Shock Troop regiments. Quite the opposite. With the Tangle and Brood Mother they were incredibly resilient, but by splitting the two regiments it meant the Tangle had to chase between them rather than supporting them both at the same time. If I had placed these units in the middle of the line with the Warriors and Vermintide as flank buffers they would have been far better placed to respond to the Werewolves even if the wolves had started to attack in turn 2 or 3.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Scurriers. They happily plinked away at anything that was in range, and although their only charge was hindered the melee 3 meant they still hit on 4s when they got into the Revenants. I certainly didn’t help them by hiding them behind the lines for the first turn. Whilst they are expensive I can’t help but thinking that Fire Oil would be great little extra for these guys. Yes, its situational, but it would certainly have created an interesting option for dealing with mummies, let alone Pharaohs. I really didn’t use these guys as well as I could have, and some helpful feedback from the rat FB group has given me some useful titbits on how to get a bit more out of them.
So I guess all that’s left to say is that I hope you had a fab Christmas and best wishes for the new year.
I’m a bit of a hobby butterfly and over the last few months I’ve built up quite an array of partially finished projects. Having quite so many different things on the go has made it hard to decide what project to focus on and when. So I thought I’d give the 30 day challenge a go to see if I could scratch the surface.
The rules
The 30 day challenge is very simple. Paint for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. However, I decided to add in some extra rules to help me meet my particular goals of moving multiple projects forward. To that end the extra rules I added in were:
1 – Have at least one model from each project on the table at any time – but no more than five
2 – Add paint to each model every session – no matter how little
What to focus on?
The models will come from the following projects:
Ratkin expansion – Mantic – Earlier in the year I completed a 2,300 point fully Mantic Ratkin army. I now want to add in some additional units to give me some more options for gaming.
Heroic Kickstarter – Burrows and Badgers – This year’s kickstarter was too good not to go all in. At around 30 models it’s far from an overnight job. I’ve finished the Devout group and now I want to make some headway with the Heroes.
Northumbrian Tin Soldier joy – I’m a big fan of NTS so really just want to keep on top of my pile.
Stormcast Eternals – Games Workshop – I’m slowly working through my first 1,000 point army so any advances are welcome.
How did it go?
My first ever video, so please excuse everything!Not bad for half and hour a day.
I have to admit I was really impressed just how much I got through in what felt like quite a small amount of time. With a new year, and no doubt new projects, on the way I’ll definitely use this approach again to hammer through my WIP box and would recommend it to anyone.
On Saturday I headed down to the local games store for my last event of the year, the perennial Christmas Carnage. Being on home ground, as it were, it was good to have some extra club representation. Not only was Steve Evans playing his Empire of Dust, but another club mate made his debut tournament performance with his Orcs.
The venue was Bristol Independent Gaming, which moved to new premises in September this year. Whilst packed lunches were the order of the day the venue is a definite improvement on the previous warehouse which was a tad on the cold side (the dress code at this time of year used to be hot water bottles and thermals).
For a full event experience, I decided to go sans packed lunch to see what could be scavenged and ended up with a Beef and Tomato Pot Noddle for lunch, an oddly nice blast from the past. Fortunately, there seemed to be a near never ending supply of mince pies on hand which more than made up for the foamy noodle experience.
As expected, the event was well organised by Matt James, who was sadly absent from the event, which meant Nick Oftime stepped into the TO shoes and did a damn good job. Hats off to you both.
A handful of the great armies on display.
Presents
Because it’s crimbo time there were presents in abundance. The marvellous Moonrakers were in attendance with Andy’s massive display board and a box of treats for every player, rivalled only by those provided by Matt. I was massively excited to receive what can only be described as a popular best seller that no home should be without, and a book about Warhammer. I’m hoping no-one will be offended if I regift. Can’t wait to see my wife’s face on Christmas morning. Priceless.
A must have best seller and a Warhammer book.
Order of the day
The programme for the day was… eerm… ambitious. Four 2,300 point games, 50 mins each side (a ten minute reduction on the time allowed for Clash of Kings games). Wow. It definitely impacted my army choice. I had been thinking about playing Basilieans, but they’re still a relatively new army for me and completely different to my rats. After a few practice games it became painfully apparent that if I wanted to get further than turn three, in any of my games, I would need to use something a bit more familiar, so the rat wheels were dusted off.
My list
The list I settled on was pretty much my Clash of Kings (the event) list with a couple of swaps. After Clash I had a bit of a reflection on the games and what other rat players had taken. The main issues seemed to be an over reliance on a Warlock with Boomstick to deal with fast movers like flying titans and werewolves, as well as a general feeling I didn’t have enough units on the table (particularly to deal with Loot Counter scenarios). I felt my suspicions were confirmed when I had a look at the other rat armies in attendance to find that, at 14 units, I had the lowest unit count. So, the Warlock went, as did the Master Scurrier, and a Brute Enforcer, Vermintide Regiment and Hackpaw Troop were added in their place, leaving the list looking like this:
Scud
Warchief mounted on a fleabag with Blade of Slashing
Tangle
Brute Enforcer with Mace of Crushing
Warrior Horde with Plague Pot
Shock Troops Horde with Plague Pot and Brew of Sharpness
Hackpaw Regiments (2)
Hackpaw Troop
Tunnel Runner Regiment with Potion of the Caterpillar
Weapons Teams (2)
Vermintide Regiments (2)
Mutant Rat Fiend
Clash Rats 2.0.
Game 1, Control, Ratkin – loss
This is my first ever time playing against Ratkin, and what a way to start. The army was very different to mine, including the new shooting formation and no less than 4 infantry hordes (also no more, so basically exactly 4 infantry hordes). It was undoubtedly a hard slog that gave me a really useful insight into how annoying Broodmothers are. It was a real nail biter down to the final whistle where a turn 7 may well have swung the result, but didn’t get rolled. All in all, it was massively enjoyable and a great start to the day.
Game 2, Push, Nightstalkers – loss
Nightstalkers is another army I haven’t played against that much and it was absolutely rammed full of fliers. An early failure by my Hackpaw Troop to injure one of the flying units resulted in a Void Lurker and a Soulflayer Regiment finding their way behind my army and pulling it all apart. It didn’t help that the army was powered by one of the mighty Moonrakers which basically meant it became a bit of a masterclass in rat removal. Lots of lessons learnt, and each one painful!
Game 3, Pillage, Imperial Dwarfs – loss
Mistakes and bad dice followed me into this game from the last. In my second turn I mistakenly opened up a flank on a Hackpaw Regiment to a Brock Rider Troop (although to be fair the Brocks took about three turns to kill them which was the one respite in this game). My Warrior Horde then got taken down a turn earlier than expected thanks to a roll of double nine on the nerve test which opened up lots of flanks for Dwarf Regiments to get stuck into. Then to top it all off Scud failed to deal with a Dwarf Lord on a Beast before the Lord dealt with him in 2 turns. Basically, another tough game, which I have to admit, following the previous game, didn’t exactly have me jumping with joy.
Game 4, Dominate, Orcs – win
With everything going south for the rats I sort of knew that this match up was on the cards, and it wasn’t one I was looking forward too. The army belongs to friend from my local club, and I’ve found it a really tough list to pull apart. Losing to this list with my Basileans was what convinced me to go with my rats.
The game was really close, with some great Ork movement shenanigans that prevented my Shock Troops from doing as much damage as they usually would and meant that the Orcs probably would have taken the win if they didn’t time out. I’m never a fan of winning on a time out, but I guess it is as much a component of competitive play as scenarios and list building. It did mean though that I finished the day as it started, a closely fought game. My favourite kind.
Final thoughts
I came away with quite a few final thoughts, mainly around tournament prep. My first thought was just how differently my army behaved with the changes I made. Having the extra unit count definitely felt better, although half the time I had no idea what to do with the Brute and the additional Vermintide Troop. It was something of an odd experience to have them wandering around the board not really doing very much. It almost felt like some sort of practice might have been useful.
Connected to this was the issue that I hadn’t played with my rats since Clash of Kings. I don’t think this in itself was a problem, but because I’d been playing with Basileans I wasn’t as close to the army as I should have been. There were a couple of times I overlooked my shooting, amongst other things, which might have had an impact.
All in all, it was good to see so many faces, which in my second proper year of Kings of Warring, I’m happy to say are now becoming familiar and friendly. My fingers are crossed for lots more events in 2022 (I’m already booked into a doubles in January with Steve and have something lined up for February).
Thanks to the extension of the season, it means that I have managed to complete my Moonraker’s bingo card, playing and loosing to all four. So, a big thanks to everyone involved in making that ambition a reality.
And finally, a big thanks to Matt and Nick, and all the people I got to play Simon, Leo, Dan and Ken (I really did enjoy the day although, I might have been a little bit grumpy during games two and three). Now I’m off to fiddle with some new rat lists.
This year Age of Sigmar’s third edition arrived in the world and after years of not quite getting round to giving the game a try I thought I’d take the plunge. With my Stormcast army starting to come together and a couple of intro games under my belt these are my first impressions.
The Dominion Boxset
Whatever you think about Games Workshop their models are fab, so when temptation finally got the better of me and I picked up a boxset what I found inside was frankly brilliant. I think, like a lot of people, Yndrasta was a huge draw for me. As centre piece models go, she’s probably one of my out and out favourite models from any company from the past year.
Yndrasta is a beautiful model so I’m taking time to get her right.
The new Stormcast are a great aesthetic advance on their previous incarnations. I’ve loved the concept of Stormcast from their inception and each wave really does seem to get better. As a faction they have been a big part in me making the jump from watching the Mortal Realms develop from afar to deciding to make time to get some games in.
Each wave of Stormcast have got better and better.
Playing the game
Full disclosure, I played a couple of games of first edition Age of Sigmar and something about is just didn’t click for me. I couldn’t really tell you what that was, but for some reason getting my first couple of games of third edition in was just so much more enjoyable. It may simply be a case of having a much more defined community around the game which made it easy to organise games with experienced, enthusiastic, friendly players who just made me feel welcome. This, to me, is huge. I find increasingly the community around a game is a massively important part of what I choose to play so this definitely made a difference.
Getting to grips with the complex bits
The core game rules for Age of Sigmar seem really simple, and this definitely makes for a great gaming experience for a complete novice. That being said, there does seem to be quite a bit of complexity in picking an army. As a Stormcast player not only is there a huge choice of units, but working through different abilities, battalion formations and synergies certainly takes some time. I think this is definitely going to be my “needs improvement” area for quite a while.
Complex but characterful
Whilst the list building element is taking some getting to grips with, I get the impression it allows a lot of unique lists to be created. There certainly seems to be options within the Stormcast army lists to create armies with a wide variety of play styles without feeling there isn’t the abilities and synergies to support them.
I’ve decided to go with a Hallowed Knights army and couldn’t be happier with their Stormchamber specific rules. In addition, the wider Stormcast options that allow me to include some Cities of Sigmar units are something I look forward to giving a try.
I’m really enjoying working through my first 1,000 points.
So where am I and what’s next?
At the moment I’m working my way through my first 1,000 points and absolutely loving how its coming along. My next 1,000 points is slowly getting purchased and I’m hoping my first 2,000 point battle, with a fully painted army, won’t be too far away.
Let’s get the obvious stuff out the way. This year’s Clash of Kings is rammed full of stuff. So much in fact, I am fully expecting there will be things I don’t get a chance to try out or face off against before the next Clash of Kings is unleashed. But that’s no bad thing. Choice is great, after all.
As I’m starting to fight with and against the new stuff, as well as getting some battle reports watched, my general feeling is that the book very much continues in the spirit of the game I know and enjoy. That opinion has been reinforced reading through a number of facebook exchanges within the community about some of the different changes that have been made. These have given me some useful insights into armies that I don’t generally encounter, and how those changes are being received, which seems to be really positive. I’ll admit, at a glance, there have been a couple of scary looking bits amongst the updates, but in my mind the real challenge of Kings of War is finding the right tools to deal with whatever the enemy brings to the table. So, it would be a bit disappointing if there weren’t one or two things I wasn’t a bit worried about stumbling across on a dark night.
The greatest benefit for me is not so much about any specific changes that have been made, more the general benefits such a sweeping set of changes brings when collecting an army. When I build an army I really want to be able to delve into the lore and pick units that excite me because of their fluff and representation on the table (yes, I like my toys to look pretty) as much as how competitive they are. That being said I don’t want to paint up units that will just fold to the slightest breeze. Consequently, I’d much rather see improvements to units that mean more of the twenty plus options in most armies are up for consideration when I start building a list. This is preferable to having a situation where unpopular units are buffed to the extent that it makes current popular choices unappealing. That doesn’t solve the problem, it just recreates it in a different place, and Clash of Kings didn’t set out to do this, and doesn’t.
My favourite three
So, with my eye firmly on stuff what I like, as opposed to tactics, strategy, and such, here’s my top three updates:
Scout type unit melee buffs – affecting units like Gladestalkers and Scurriers who have had their melee scores moved to three. I really like this idea. I think it creates a point of differentiation and reflects all those images of elite fighters creeping forward to undertake special forces style shenanigans (I mean yeah, rat ninja, if I’m being completely honest). I’m currently finishing off a second regiment of Scurriers in order to give them a whirl, although I’m not sure quite how they’ll feature in the army, or what I’ll do with them once they’re on the table, but I’m yet to see that as a valid reason to not put something in a list.
A bit of Banechant and some lightening could be the perfect support for Scurriers. Master Scurriers just look cool.
That being said I think there are reasons to be optimistic. In the case of Scurriers, specifically, I think it will make them harder units to ignore, just in case they manage to get a flank charge off, especially if there is any of that super reliable Banechant (3) hanging around. Additionally, plague pots will make them just that little bit harder to root out, meaning they could tie up some units a bit longer than would otherwise be expected. Of course, they remain expensive, and I’m still wrangling with that age old question… what do they replace?
Gorp’s Explodo’matic Bangstiks – I love light cavalry and think this is an exceptionally fun formation the Goblins have been blessed with. I have nothing further to say really, other than – why couldn’t the Hackpaws have had this?
Bangstik Hackpaws would have been the must have seasonal pairing with a Mutant Rat Friend.
The Brothermark – I’ve always had one eye on the Brothermark since third edition arrived because of the Examplar Hunters and the Order of the Abyssal Hunt. I’ve played Brothermark a couple of times, but the lists I ended up with always made me feel as though the difference between them and their master list really just boiled down to what flavour of cavalry I wanted with my ogres, ease of pronunciation, and whether a side order of angels was on the menu or not. Not so anymore!
I really like the Brothermark changes and now I’ve had time to properly mull them over an army is definitely on the cards for next year. Weirdly, the more I play with lists the more the amount of rally, movement 9 nimble cavalry, fury auras, etc, starts to feel oddly familiar (squeak, squeak). So in a sort of Freaky Friday moment I’m going to have ago at translating my most recent Ratkin list across and see how it works (more on that in the future though).
Initiates of the Grey Order prepare to be treated exactly like Hackpaws.
Final thoughts
I guess it’s going to be a while before we really get a solid picture of just how all the changes impact what hits the table. One of the very real considerations of improving units to be in line with (relatively speaking) better/more popular units is that players will have to make room for these other units in their line ups. So far, I’m certainly seeing that happening around me and, I’m really looking forward to my next tournament in a couple of weeks to see just how much newy newness makes the cut.
As events have slowly starting to return the Lazy Pirate, Mr. Steve Evans, and I have been keeping an eye out for any reasonably local one-day events. Although I’m Bristol based, day trips to London and Surrey used to be a regular work thing, so a trip to Croydon for a day of gaming wasn’t a big ask.
You always know when you’re in London when the first drinks order you hear being made includes a Chai Latte! The venue was the back bar of a local café and worked out to be the perfect size for a small tournament with ten participants. The event wasn’t a scoring event, in the sense that results would contribute to season rankings, and the atmosphere was really friendly and relaxed, not that I find Kings of War tournaments to have edgy, unhealthily competitive atmospheres anyway.
The format of the day was simple enough 1,495 point armies and the new Clash of Kings book was in play, very exciting. There were three games, each with a very generous couple of hours to play which meant there was plenty of time for rolling dice and general chatter.
The gaming bit
I’m having a bit of a hiatus from rats, so I decided to take my Basileans. My list looked exactly like:
Spear Horde
Gur Panther Troop
Ogre Palace Guard Horde with Boots of Striding
Mounted Paladin Regiment with Caterpillar Potion
Elohi Regiment
Priest with Shroud of the Saint
Mounted High Paladin with Scythe of the Harvester
High Paladin on Dragon with Pipes of Terror
Ready for action
Game 1 againstElves, Pillage
One of the reasons I enjoy events is getting to play armies I’ve never played before. Admittedly, the list is now getting shorter but Elves were one of them. The army in question was a really nicely balanced mixed arms force centred around a horde of Palace Guard and horde of Spears.
His shooting certainly had an impact, almost taking off my Elohi in the first turn. Fortunately, for me, they survived and managed to get a second turn charge off against the mage with boomstick, ending his shooting career. This also carried them behind the enemy lines where they proceeded to make a general nuisance of themselves.
The Elohi and the Dragon between them created so much of a problem the Elf line eventually started to break up in an attempt to ward off multiple charges from different angles, which ultimately led to their downfall and a three, nil win to Basilea.
Game 2 against Dwarfs, Push
I’ve noticed I sometimes have a tendency to get over excited about certain things, and then not really put any thought into everything else that’s happening on the table.
In this game I had a great couple of opening turns, including getting my tokens into my opponent’s half and removing anything that could potentially reach them for the rest of the game. I think because I’m so hopeless at loot counter scenarios I got a little carried away with that achievement. That resulted in me thinking it was a good idea to put my dragon into the front of a Shield Breaker horde who were then successfully bane chanted. Yes, it went exactly how you would expect it to. To add insult to injury, my undamaged Elohi got taken out in the same turn as a result of a throwing mastiff causing four wounds, and two nerve checks each rolling out double sixes (this has led me to call the concept of karma into question, because I reminded the Dwarf player about the mastiffs).
This set back did get my focus back on the rest of the table, however. But by then it was too little too late. His Ironguard had the central token, and his other tokens were well away from the rest of my force. Had the game gone to seven turns there was a small chance my spear horde would have been able to get the regiment holding his other two tokens off the table, but it didn’t, so they couldn’t. The game ended six points to four, and a win for the Dwarfs.
Game 3 against Orcs, Control, Draw
God, Orc armies look so damn scary! There is something about those huge regiment and horde bases which just absolutely throw me every time. The main body of this army comprised of two hordes of Great Ax and two regiments of Morax which seemed to cover half the deployment zone, and just sat there making grrrr sounds (in my head).
The Orc player did a really good job of shutting down opportunities for my fliers to get into his ranks, and I had to delve deep into my box of Basilean shenanigans to find a way to start breaking his line down. Fortunately, my knights and mounted High Paladin were able to knock a hole through one of the Morax Regiments. Then a Great Ax charge that didn’t quite get rid of my Spears set them up for a flank charge by the dragon, and the tables started to turn
The game was incredibly closely fought and in the end we both ended up with a single point each from the areas we held and a mere five points between us on kills. Got to say I do love a good draw.
Final thoughts
The first and only thing that needs to be said about yesterday is thank you, although that won’t stop me banging on for another few lines.
A massive thanks to Robert James for being a fab TO. The event ran really smoothly, the venue was lovely, and pre-event questions were answered promptly. What was also really in the spirit of the event was that, based on scores, I should have been playing Steve (my fellow Bristolian) in the last game, however Robert and the other players involved were all happy for us to play other, non-Bristolian, people. This was massively appreciated by both of us.
The prizes for the event were awesome with everyone taking a vanguard starter box away (first choice went to the strongest player, occasionally known as the one with the fewest points, in the spirit of the event). It also turns out the main Pannithor brewery is located somewhere near Croydon. So, a big thanks to Mantic and Robert for sorting those out.
A huge thanks has to go out to the lovely people I got to play. All were fab, friendly opponents and I hope to see you all at other events in the not too distant future.
And finally, a massive thanks to Reading Services for just existing, because it turns out it’s my favourite service station and I’m hoping there will be more Kings of War related reasons to visit in the near future.
Following Clash of Kings (the event and supplement) I’ve decided to spend a bit of time with my Basileans, if only because I can’t face painting more rat infantry at the moment. I have a couple of tournaments coming up where I’m planning on using them, so this is a great chance to dust them off and give them a bit of a whirl.
Points: 2,300
Scenario: Raze
Clash of Kings changes
Going into this game I was generally happy with what I had seen in the new supplement. In terms of the Basilean changes a lot impact the Sisterhood which doesn’t really affect my army. I might one day add some of these troops but being brutally honest the current Mantic miniatures don’t get me excited. Sisterhood lancers were one of the first units I painted for the army and all that remains of them are their panthers.
In terms of the newness I’m bringing along, it’s not much. The Scythe of the Harvester is going on my mounted High Paladin and my Elohi Horde will take the Celestial Fury change. I’ll also be taking the Shroud of the Saint which received a bit of a rebalancing.
As you’ll see my opponent really embraced the changes to the Twilight Kin and has given quite a few new things a try. This was a really interesting game as he usually brings loads of fliers and cavalry to the table and I’m the one pushing the infantry around in circles. Not so this time, the boot was firmly on the other foot – but did it fit me as well?
Army Lists
Basilea
1 – Priest with Shroud of the Saint
2 – High Paladin mounted on a horse with Scythe of the Harvester
3 – Ur Elohi
4 – High Paladin on Dragon
5 – Regiment of Elohi
6 – Horde of Elohi with Celestial Fury and Brew of Sharpness
7 – Troop of Gur Panthers (2)
8 – Regiment of mounted Paladins with Potion of the Caterpillar
9 – Phoenix
10 – Horde of Ogre Palace Guard with Blessing of the Gods
11 – Horde of Spearmen
Twilight Kin
4 – Mikayel
5 – Summoner Crone with Sceptre of Shadows and Host Shadowbeast (10)
6 – Soulbane on Dread-fiend with Trickster’s Wand
7 – Horde of Blade Dancer Neophytes with Crystal Pendent of Retribution
8 – Regiment of Twilight Gladestalkers
9 – Troops of Cronebound Gargoyles (2)
10 – Regiment of Cronebound Abyssal Horsemen with Brew of Sharpness
11 – Regiment of Cronebound Abyssal Horsemen with Boots of Striding
Formation: The Crew of the Black Hydra
1 – Leiz the Soulless
2 – Regiment of Blade Dancers
3 – Troops of Blade Dancers (2)
The plan
My plan was simple enough. With two of the Kin’s objectives in front of my left flank I was expecting my opponent to put the bulk of his forces opposite them so they could force their way to their markers before turning towards the centre. On that basis I deployed my faster units to my right flank in the hope they could overwhelm whatever was left to claim their token, claim my tokens and then head to the centre for the final showdown.
Terrain, objectives and army deployment.
Scouting phase
The only scouts were the Twilight Gladestalkers who rushed forward towards their objective by the impassable terrain.
Turn 1
I won the roll off and the shuffling forward commenced. On the left flank there was the traditional cavalry stand off as both sides sought to find the best possible position to start the inevitable I take one of your units, you take one of mine. In the centre the panthers suddenly found themselves with a charge opportunity and went in against the Gladestalkers knocking off a couple of wounds. The mounted High Paladin headed over to support them in case they were still there the next turn.
I was quite surprised by the sheer volume of troops my opponent had dropped on my right flank. The high number of attacks combined with some very long charge ranges gave me serious food for thought. I was not going to have it all my own way just because I’d bought a load of things with wings. In the end I decided to put my Elohi regiment in a position to allow Mikayel to charge them and the Gargoyles were offered a choice of angel or dragon for supper.
The Twilight Kin’s response on the left flank was a bit more shuffling, whilst on the right things were about to get a little more exciting. The Kin moved up as one and the Summoner cast Host Shadowbeast on Leiz who gained all 10 attacks from the spell. It was at that point I found I hadn’t done my measuring thoroughly enough and Leiz was within charge range of the Elohi regiment. Unsurprisingly the regiment dissolved. Finally, the Gladestalkers hit back against the panthers who benefited from their Dreamslayers Venom rule, effectively getting a defence buff, which kept them on the table and unwavered. The gargoyles went into the dragon and in an attack round that surprised no one did about one wound.
End of turn 1
Turn 2
With my Spearmen and Ogres starting to get close enough to the enemy to start threatening things in the next turn I decided it was time to push my opponent a bit on the left. Keeping the panthers and paladins out of harm’s way I pushed the Ur Elohi as far as I could towards the gargoyles and horsemen (keeping out of charge range of the horsemen). In the centre the High Paladin and the panthers finished off the Gladestalkers and turned to provide some much needed support to my right flank.
Leiz provided me with a bit of a conundrum. If I charged him with my Elohi horde I would end up within charge range of pretty much everything else, really not good. If I tried to shoot him with the Phoenix’s fireball I was unlikely to kill him and any wounds would be added to his attack number. Combine this with Host Shadow Beast and the remaining Elohi could be taking an early shower. With the horde only having defence 4 I didn’t like the idea of an injured Leiz charging them (but only marginally less than an uninjured Leiz charging them) so I backed off and left the Soulbane to its own devices.
The dragon killed off the gargoyles and then moved sideways to prevent Leiz from nimble charging my Pheonix (although we later worked out it would still have been possible for Leiz to run around the impassable terrain and get in if he had wanted).
Powered up with dark magic Leiz ran into my Elohi, a mere 13 attacks this time, and fortunately failed to kill them. A troop of Blade Dancers ran into the dragon and started to knock some wounds off and finally in an act of wanton destruction Mikayel trashed the panthers.
On my left flank the gargoyles swooped up in front of my knights to prevent them from charging either the horsemen or fiend mounted Soulbane as they advanced. Things were starting to move.
End of turn 2
Turn 3
Angered by the loss of his panthers the High Paladin avoided Mikayel and charged into the flank of the unengaged Blade Dancer troop as the dragon fought back resulting in both troops being removed. The Elohi charged forward and killed Leiz. There was a brief moment of celebrations.
On the right combat was finally joined. The panthers charged the horsemen, as did the Ur Elohi and the knights charged the gargoyles, routing them. All in all, a straightforward turn for me.
The Kin, on the other hand had some decisions to make. The first was pretty simple. Host Shadowbeast was cast on Mikayel and off he went attacking my dragon with 22 attacks, in total, spreading little pieces of big beastie all over the battlefield. The Blade Dancer regiment now moved up and attacked my High Paladin leaving him wavered. Meanwhile the neophytes turned around in the hope that someone would want to play with them, or they might have a charge at some point in the near future.
On the left both regiments of horsemen backed away from their attackers to avoid double charges in the next turn that were highly likely to result in their demise. Finally, the Soulbane on Dread-fiend hurried off to support the horsemen under attack from the Ur Elohi.
End of turn 3
Turn 4
I was fortunate that following his decimation of my dragon Mikayel had not been able to flee outside of the Elohi’s charge arch, meaning the little menace could be given a taste of his own medicine. Whilst it wasn’t inevitable it did happen and Mikayel joined the dragon in the dead pile. The wavered High Paladin passed his headstrong roll and fought back against the Blade Dancers with the Phoenix joining him. Whilst they managed to do 8 wounds to the regiment it was not enough to break them and that would come back to haunt them very quickly.
In the centre the ogres pressed forward to put pressure on the horsemen and the Ur Elohi charged back into them piling on a few more wounds. The panthers on the left charged back in against their horsemen, clawing at them viciously and sending them fleeing allowing the knights to claim the first Basilean token.
The Kin tried to fight back but options were few and far between. The Blade Dancers, now with 28 attacks, killed the High Paladin, over ran and wiped out the Phoenix. The neophyte horde held its ground to ensure its unit strength would prevent the Elohi from claiming the token in the woods.
In the centre the Soulbane charged into the ogres and a solid flurry of hits managed to waver them. The horsemen were not so successful.
End of turn 4
Turn 5
The Elohi flew to claim the token by the Blade Dancers, staying out of everyone’s charge ranges and arcs to keep them safe for another turn. In an attempt to take the pressure off the ogres the spears charged the Soulbane managing a mighty 2 wounds and not really achieving anything. The priest healed the Ur Elohi as he continued his fight with the horsemen, as the panthers sauntered over-looking for some more horses to get their claws into.
The units of the Kin that were in combat fought back and achieved nothing of note, even the ogres went from wavered to unwavered. On the other flank the Blade Dancers prepared for turn 6 by moving as close to the centre as possible which, if the neophyte horde moved, would set them up for a charge into the flank of the ogres.
End of turn 5
Turn 6
The turn unfolded reasonably predicatbly. The panthers charged into the flank of the horsemen and with the Ur Elohi took them off. The ogres, maybe a little embarrassed by getting wavered so easily the turn before, battered the Soulbane into submission. Finally, the Elohi turned to face the neophytes.
At this point we called the game because the ogres removing the Soulbane meant they were able to turn out of the Blade Dancer’s charge range. This meant there was nothing the Kin could do, even if there was a turn 7, to escape a Basilean win. Although the map doesn’t show it the Blade Dancers were able to move to contest the centre meaning the result came down to collected objectives of which Basilea had managed 2 and the Kin had managed just one.
End of turn 6
Cat of the game
Undoubtedly this goes to the panthers for their part in bringing down the two Abyssal horsemen regiments and the Gladestalkers. It is easy to underestimate just how flexible these units are and I certainly didn’t expect them to pull out such a stellar performance. It’s the first time I’ve ever fielded them as troop options and it certainly won’t be the last.
Rating Cok
Awkward pun time! Its not escaped anyone’s noticed this year’s CoK is sizeable, and there’s certainly a lot to get to grips with that should keep us satisfied for some time. In terms of what I’ve experimented with I think the Scythe of the Harvester is definitely a keeper. It’s the second time I’ve taken it and it makes the paladin into a much more reliable tool for dealing with troops and supporting other infantry and cavalry combats. Celestial Fury undoubtedly has its ups and downs. Yes it can make your angels super killy, but being a Ratkin player I know just how easily defence 4 units can get rolled up, especially if they are priority targets, and I would say the change makes them exactly that. That’s why I kept the Phoenix looming over them.
Based on the game last night it looks as though magic has the potential to really shape game play in 2022. I won’t lie, the number of dice being rolled for individual attacks last night were high, and the odd naughty word might have been uttered (in passing and under my breath). There are of course upsides and downsides to everything. For example, the package of individuals and spells required to make those dice numbers so high meant points weren’t being spent on scoring units. It’s also worth remembering that, wizards generally aren’t that tough and when it comes to magic it is the wizard that is the actual threat. So, if magic does start to play more of a part in games not only are there a number of new items that can help with that, but most armies include duellist characters, and occasionally units, that may find themselves with more valued roles.
All this leaves me quite excited about 2022, and really impressed with what everyone working on the supplement has achieved. A big thank you to all. The one thing that’s really occupying my mind right now though is what on earth we’ll see coming out in 2023. Is that so wrong?
Over the last few weeks we’ve been running a little campaign at our club. Witch hunters, wild beasts and necromancers have been facing off against each other and it’s been a lot of fun. Even more so, since we started to include random events and freelances, so I thought I’d throw some gamed experiences on the internet to give an idea of how they worked for us.
When the rules were released for the new factions, it quickly became apparent there was a slight fly in the ointment. Anyone who’s in the Burrows and Badgers facebook group will know that the development of the rules for necromantic warbands has been something of a process (I think Michael is currently on version four and his perseverance is greatly appreciated).
In my first game against the undead they certainly seemed a smidge on the powerful side (I mean being a rubbish player can only account for so much right?). That being said, for a first game against a new power in Northymbria there was something suitably characterful about my beleaguered witch hunters being swamped by restless spirits from beyond the veil. However, as cinematically appropriate it may have been, such a bad defeat at the start of a campaign does throw up challenges and can create a bit of a downward spiral. Following the first defeat my warband went into the next game one beast down. Then, following a second defeat at the hands of the wild beasts, couldn’t afford to feed themselves before heading back out onto the moors to track down more ghosts.
So, after having a chat with the necromancer in chief we decided it would be a good opportunity to add in two new sets of rules. To help me out I sent for a freelance, using the rules from The Warren Percy Affair. We also agreed to introduce the random events table from the second edition of the Oathsworn Journal. Whilst I was a little worried that introducing the random events might blow up in my face, I was rather hoping they would blow up in my opponent’s face a bit more often.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
The decision to give freelances a try turned out to be wonderfully characterful. I’m not usually a fan of using allies or hired help in games, but the poor old witch hunters were pretty much as down on their luck as they could be. I originally looked at them because I remembered you can claim a free mercenary if you lose three campaign games in a row, and I felt I was highly likely to qualify for that in the not-too-distant future.
A freelance deals the final blow to the witch in the witch hunt scenario…
I think this is a great campaign mechanic even if freelances aren’t used outside of these circumstances. Yes, winning isn’t everything, but losing multiple games in a campaign on the trot isn’t always fun, so having a bit of support when you really need it is always helpful.
However, I had only lost two games at this stage so what brought my decision to employ a freelance forward? Word reached the witch hunters that the necromancer’s warband had grown in numbers following their previous game, and even though there had been a couple of rule changes to reduce the threat from the mist ghasts, I really needed more boots on the ground now, rather than after another loss.
There are two ways of paying for freelances, either using coins (of which I had none) or fate points. There is however an additional consideration. Not only do you have to pay for them, but they then also increase your warband rating; and depending on who you choose that increase could be substantial.
This requires a bit of thought. Especially if you are paying with fate points because not only are you reducing your own, depending on your opponent’s warband rating you are potentially increasing the number they have. For my first game I decided to go for the armadillo character. An absolute tank that increases your warband rating substantially and meant my starving zealots went from being the underdogs to a having warband rating which meant the necromancer, who was undefeated at this stage, was now getting additional fate points! Was I doing the right thing?
Make them earn their living
I had to remind myself that freelancers are only a part of your warband during the game, and not to get attached. They aren’t going to do any labouring for me, they aren’t going wondering for me and they could easily end up facing off against me in the next game. Yes, they can be expensive but equally they are expendable.
Consequently, I’ve recruited freelances with specific aims in mind (kill big nasties). Provided they manage that I’m not too worried if they go out of action because they’ve done something, and suffered the consequences in doing so, that a full time warband member would have had to have done.
In both games they’ve contributed, with the Armadillo striking the winning blow in the witch hunt scenario, so I’ve been really happy with their performance and more than happy to take a hit on the fate points.
The freelance subsequently gets killed proving the risks involved for other less skilled fighters.
Random events
Random events add suspense to the game and tactical challenge. They are the source of cinematic excitement where our heroes take advantage of cracks on frozen lakes and falling masonry to bring an otherwise undefeatable foe to bay. Of course, in a game they can be considered an interruption, disruption or at worst an unfair advantage.
Searching bodies for loot becomes noticeably more difficult when they are at the bottom of a sink hole.
So far, the experience we’ve had has been fun. It’s helped us get a better understanding of the rules as we’ve picked through what exactly the implication of each event is. They have definitely created a few surprises, and have impacted game outcomes. However, in the context of the campaign those outcomes have not necessarily been all bad. In one game the necromancer warband lost three of their members to holes in the ground in one turn, however when the beasts emerged after the game they did so with shiny rare items, not bad for taking a fall!
The events seem pretty balanced and certainly give items like rope and lucky charms a bit more value, as well as increasing the use of skills and stats other than those directly related to combat which brings a bit of a roleplay feel to the game, and I’m all for that.
Witch hunters form a conga line to avoid falling terrain.
One last observation
Our adventures with these new rules have been really good fun to date so I’d absolutely recommend them to anyone who hasn’t given them a whirl yet. There is one final thought I will leave you with though. Last night I sat with my freelance and six fate points wondering if I’d made the right choice as my new warband rating dwarfed that of my opponents, providing them with 18 and 15 fate points respectively. The feeling that I might not have done the right thing began to settle in once again.
However, as the random events occurred I made an interesting observation. A lot of the more unfortunate events on the random events table are triggered by rolling a 1. This makes the decision as to whether to use fate points for that all important combat a little more interesting. By rolling multiple dice you are not only increasing your chance of rolling those all important big numbers, but also your chance of ending up in a hole, or being possessed.
Consequently, as my mercenary finished off one of the big nasties I had hired him to deal with, without having to put my beloved beasts into harm’s way, I marvelled at the number of fate points being used by my opponents to get their fighters stuck in sink holes. I’m sure that was never the intention, but I guess fate has always worked in mysterious ways.
The Wizard's Bookshelf 