Newsletter June 1999

Next meeting:

Saturday June 12^th 1999, at St. Johns Church Hall, Norrie St., Drury, starting at 9a.m.

Games arranged:  

Morning session: 9.30 am to 1.00pm

Afternoon session: 1.30pm to 5.00pm

Email Addresses

If any of you lot have got an Email address please either tell me (Kevin - Famous Goblin Warlord) or send an email to samwc@profax.co.nz.   So I can Email you a copy of the News Letter. You will not only get it sooner but it will cut down on the time and costs of producing it. So if you got one let me know.

Optional Magic Rules

well as the only vote I got was for a yes on the magic Item card mods we will use them. Be it known by all .

News and Rumours

Warmaster

There is an "Epic" Warhammer Fantasy, but it's not 6mm, it's 10mm, and it's called Warmaster. Apparently Warmaster has taken much from Armati (a historical ruleset) and will roughly play the same apart from magic. There will only be six "races" released in 10mm, and they've already done Empire and High Elves (I don't know any of the others, though). I've not seen the miniatures but I've heard they're "okay", whatever that means.

New Fantasy Battle Rumours

The new version of WHFB will be basically unchanged. There will be more restrictions placed on magic items and characters in an attempt to make it more troop oriented. The restrictions in WD are favourite at the moment (25 points magic for champion, 50 for heroes, etc). There will also be a categorisation of troops to prevent armies being all elite e.g. must take two normal units for every elite unit - not sure if this was in points or just units. Wizards are going to be down graded to be useless fighters, only able to cast magic (as seen in the latest two Undead lists I suppose). Not sure if this latter point will apply to all armies - Chaos players will be pissed off if their sorcerors suddenly become weeds! Empire book in very early stages. The general will be chosen from several different options - for example, the emporer will be more powerful than an elector count. There will also be merchants (burgermeisters), plus about three other categories that I cant remember. There will be a similar choice of battle standard. There was also talk of a new mortar, that had a huge template (about 6 or 8 inches diameter), with all hits being at strength 3.

 Tyranid Rumours

*There is apparently a new lictor like monster coming out.

*There will be rules for the Malefactor and possibly and possibly others (Trygon, Haruspex, Dactyls,Harridan and Exocrine).

*Biovores can purchase other types of spores with different effects.

*Biomorphs and psychics will of course return.

*It will be possible to play renegade hive fleets that can have allies and fight other Tyranids.

*There is a new mission called adapt and destroy where the opponent gets extra points but the tyranids get bonuses to weapon strength, armor saves and so on.

* Tyranids will be able to buy living terrain.

Very interesting, I do hope well be able to take the bigger sized 'bugs from Epic as us bugs could do with a bit of heavy support after all a Carniflex is basically a Dread'. Renegade Hive Fleets, sounds a bit dodgy this one. Spore mines that take out armour, halleujah! At last all the current ones are good for is taking down Eldar Guardians or IG .

Imperial Guard Rumours

Commlinks are once again an option and bring bonuses to reserve rolls and a reroll for preliminary bombardment. Commlinks can be on someones back, on the chimera that transports the command squad, or on a sentinal-interesting conversion possibilities! Commissars are bought as an HQ allocation, to whit you can buy 1-5 and you allocate them to your highest reanking squads down ie the 1st goes to the command HQ squad, the second to the next command squad on and on until you run out of commissars. If a squad of gumbies has a vet sergeant they will get a commissar before a squad led by an ordinary sergeant/leader. The parts I really like about this codex is the Elites section. You can take 0-1 'Hardened Veteran' squad- basically veteran IG and officers who are all that is left of a war weary and decimated battalion. They have the best equipment, can have an 'officer' and a commissar attached to them and an eclectic mix of wargear. I've already used my commissar training squad as these, and they are great. My second favourite thing is storm troopers ditching their heavy weapon, being allowed to take two specials and being allowed to deep strike-paraglide dont you know! I've used these guys to wipe out bastard biovore artillery, thus saving the day many a time already. Penal legion are back. No human bomb per se, just one guy allowed to have a melta bomb...watch out tanks and bunkers. They can also have a lasgun and/or laspistol and close combat weapon, as well as explosive collars to stop them from running away, or to die in the process. Rough riders are back, and I believe they are perfectly balanced. They are vulnerable to fire still, however if you can manoevre into position their charge will destroy most enemies. One attack, no matter what, I 6, strength 5 with no armour saving throw. Also the lance is melta bomb tipped, so vehicles beware...They can also get lasguns to go with their laspistol and chainsword. Any Boer war afficionados out thier with slouch hatted rough riders getting twitchy??? It contains tank descriptions that are coming out in the journal, so I doubt they'll be in the codex. No rules yet for the griffon, but I feel it will be getting its melta type charge back. Trademark item does exist, as well as bionics, company standard, highly decorated, holy relic, regimental standard, ablative armour for storm troopers (5+ save v AP 5 weapons), big close combat weapons for Ogryns, hellpistols (AP 5).

THIS EDITORIAL CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND SEX SCENES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

THE PETE-HOUSE FORUM.

Afternoon all. Because you all failed to send in your battle reports you are forced to hear me drone on yet again, so without further delay lets get on with it.

What’s Up?

Well I was going to have a big rumours section and then a big moaning session, but then I realised that rumours either get revealed to us all eventually as truth, or they stay rumours and then don’t matter anyway, and I realised that moaning is dumb as complaining doesn’t do jack, and its the players that make games great (I’m getting all patriotic now), so I’ve decided to do something for you guys, a 40K scenario.

But before that I will say one rumour, G.W. is thinking of releasing a Kislev army list, a Cathayan army list(they were originally going to be pigmen, but G.W. thought it might be seen as racist, so left them as humans, which I think is a smarter move than pigmen), and possibly Mourngals (Toumas Pirinen’s mighty immortal, unbeatable Hobgoblin empire).

Hey Ivan, they’re working on a Knights White Wolf Plastic set (Yay).

Blood in the water (a 40K scenario by Peter Colson).On a forgotten planet in a forgotten war, the forces of the Imperium face their age old enemies in a dance they danced a million times before. The Space Marines and Imperial Guard have fought this war against the Orks for merely 2years, but already it feels like a lifetime.

Background- The Orks have sent a large force to take and hold a bridge over the Bigwet river. This will enable the Orks to infiltrate Imperial Military Installations much easier (the Blood Axe’s want’s ta go stealin’). This action took the Imperium completely by surprise. The bridge defence forces are too small to cope with this threat, if only reinforcements were available, and our radio wasn’t on the fritz (bugger). However, unbeknownst to the bridge defences, and the Orks, the Imperium has spotted the assault via orbital satellite, and reinforcements have been mobilised, E.T.A. -1hour 32mins.

Force Organisation:

Imperium- 2 armies

First army-1000Pts- 1HQ, 0-3Elites, 1-6Troops, 0Fast Attack, 1-4Heavy Support.

Second army-1000Pts- 1HQ, 0-3Elites, 0-3Troops, 2-4Fast Attack, 0-1Heavy Support

Orks-1500Pts- 1HQ, 0-3Elites, 2-6Troops, 2-6Fast Attack, 0-3Heavy Support

Neither player may use additional detachments.

The game lasts for 8 turns, no reserves or deepstrike. Only Imperials may infiltrate.

Imperium deploys army 1 in the deployment zone given, and army 2 arrives on a randomly determined long edge of the table in turn 4.

The Orks go first by moving onto the short edge of the table opposite the Imperial player. Orks can’t infiltration.

Victory points are used as normal. In addition, Any Ork squads and undamaged vehicles on the bridge or on the Imperial side of the bridge at the end of the game earn twice their starting price in V.P.’s, squads reduced to half strength or damaged vehicles on or over the bridge earn their original price in V.P.’s.

 This is the first in a series of scenarios that I will be writing to form a story based campaign, so remember to record who wins, it may be important in a future scenario.

To finish of…

I hope you appreciate my contribution. I will be glad to put your stuff in the Newsletter if you so desire. Remember to write yer battle reports, it only takes a minute to say "HA HA HA, I conquered all, you are all weak, I am invincible, HA HA HA!".

So I’ll see ya’ll later.

-Peter C.

Battle Reports

Ken Snow (Chaos Warriors) beat Bryan Orsbourne (Dogs of War).

Let me first congratulate Bryan on fielding yet another superbly painted and prepared army. His Dogs of War certainly overawed my own army which is starting to look a bit battered! Now for the brutality!! The battle itself raged quite happily for an hour or so with sufficient death and destruction to keep everyone happy. However the game was eventually decided by two engagements: My Chaos Knights launched a charge against Golfag’s Ogres with my Chaos Lord charging Golfag and ramming his lance up Golfag’s left nostril and into his brain. Unfortunately Ogres are brainless so Golfag struck back, found a weak part in my Lord’s armour which proved both embarrassing and fatal for my General!! Undeterred by this my unit champion charged in and with a lance up both nostrils, Golfag died (probably suffocated!) which signalled a general collapse by the other Ogres and an accompanying Sorceress (who has dreadful taste if that’s the company she’s keeping).

Bryan was not finished yet though. His pike block, The Alcanti Fellowship, was still looking extremely impressive and when attacked by Marauder Horse lead by a Chaos Knight they managed to kill most of the Marauders and rout the rest of them with barely a casualty to themselves! However the Knight was still alive and was unable to be broken from the combat - one of those ridiculous situations which make every serious wargamer weep (in this case Bryan, I was rolling on the floor with laughter!). The situation was that Bryan had eight pikeman in a position to attack my Knight but they couldn’t do so because a special characteristic of my Knight reduced their attacks from one each to none! As a result my Knight hacked away, killing 2 or 3 pikemen each turn. The pikemen still won each combat due to ranks and standard, but my Knight was immune to break tests!

Bryan eventually conceded as this was a no-win situation for him!

Robert Davies (Chaos Warriors) beat Ken Snow (Chaos Warriors)

My good luck couldn’t last forever and I was beaten in this game despite the fact that Robert’s chariots did as much damage to his own side as mine.In the end it came down to a slugging match between his General and mine which Robert won, although I will give him credit for still having two chariots on the table - one of which was actually under contol.

Kevin Carberry (Undead) beat Bryan Orsbourne (Dogs of War).

Well Things did not go well for Bryan from the start.By the end of the first magic phase I had run out of models to summon and Bryans Birdmen had fled off the table and the pikemen where under the curse of years and well things went down hill from there. lets just say that there where more undead at the end of the game than at the begining.