Friday 21 June 2013

Generic Fantasy Skrmish - Goblinoid Warbands

So, I thought I would present these lists together, because they share a common rule - The Horde.

As always, these rules are first drafts, and will be changed at a later date (after some hopeful playtesting). And, as always, they are part of an expansion of In The Emperor's Name, Gawd 'Elp Us Games's take on skirmish-level narrative 40k wargaming. Please check it out!

The Horde
Any Warband made from models with this rule can include any model from another Warband with the same rule without having to pay the Strange Ally cost - unless the model has a Heroism of 2+, then it's 5pts (instead of the usual 10pts).

So, in true fantasy style, a gang of Goblins can be led by an outcast Orc, or perhaps the Orcs befriended a wounded Ogre (or promised him a share of the loot and as many bones as he could eat), or maybe that group of Hobgoblins uses Goblins as meatshields and an Orc Berserker as their heavy hitter... the options are endless, and help make these Warbands incredibly flexible.

Plus, part of the idea of this game was that you could grab a pile of minis and play, like if only some of your usual RPG group show up, or you don't have enough armies for larger-scale wargames to go round your players. And if you're the type of DM who uses minis, you probably will have Orcs, Goblins and maybe Hobgoblins - enough of each for a decent encounter, I'd bet. If not, they're easy to get hold of - on sites which sell D&D minis individually, the Goblinoids are normally considered Common (barring a few special ones), and cost about $3 at most.

I advise only using this rule during campaign games (and maybe creating a similar rule for the Human, Elf and Dwarf (or whatever) lists - The Alliance). Otherwise, it can lead to much MathHammering and min/maxing your list choices, and really - that's not what this game is about.

I had thought about making them one big list, but in trying to ensure there was enough variation for players to run a list with just one type of Goblinoid, I decided I was as well making several lists that could be dipped interchangeably.

Goblins
Unit TypeHeroismFVSVSpeedNotes
Skirmisher5++0+0+2Small
Sneak5++1+1+2Small, Stealth
Assassin4++2+1+2Small, Stealth, Poison, Hunter
Warchief4++2+2+2Small, Leader
Barghest3++3+0+3Hunter, Stealth

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Hobgoblins
Unit TypeHeroismFVSVSpeedNotes
Cadet4++1+0+1
Warrior4++2+1+1Phalanx
Archer4++1+2+1
Captain3++2+2+1Leader, Disciplne, Defensive Master, Phalanx
Warcaster4++1+2+1Leader, can buy spells @ 10pts from the Divine Spell List, Discipline

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Orcs
Unit TypeHeroismFVSVSpeedNotes
Grunt4++1+1+0
Barbarian3++2+0+0
Warlord3++3+3+0
Rager3++3+0+1
Shaman4++2+1+0Leader, can buy spells @ 10pts from the Nature Spell List

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Ogres
Unit TypeHeroismFVSVSpeedNotes
Savage2++4+0-1Combat Master
Hurler2++3+3-1
Chieftain2++5+3-1

Armour TypeNotesRestricted To
NoneJust clothes [5+ to hit]
LightLeather, Padded Armour [6+ to hit]
MediumChainmail, Half-Plate, Scale [7+ to hit]
Amulet of Protection [7+ to hit]Hogoblin Warcaster, Orc Shaman
HeavyBanded Mail, Full Plate [8+ to hit]Hobgoblin Captain, Orc Warlord
Ogre Hide [9+ to hit]Ogre Savage, Hurler
Ogre Plate [10+ to hit]Ogre Chieftain
ShieldsBuckler, Light Round [+1 AV]
Heavy, Tower [+2 AV]


New Special Rules

As always, these rules cost 5 points unless otherwise stated.

Small - this model is particularly small, and cannot use any Heavy weapons or Armour (including Heavy or Tower Shields) - however, they can move through Light Cover with no penalty. This ability does not cost any points (as it is both an advantage and a drawback).
Hunter - see Bounty Hunter.
Poison - any weapon used by this unit gains a Grit penalty of -1. This stacks with the weapon's original Grit penalty (but not other sources, such as the Envenom spell).
Discipline - grants all allies within 9" in Line of Sight immunity to the effects of Terror (see Invoke Faith).
Phalanx - units with this rule can form a shield wall - when using a shield, and in base contact with another shield-using unit, they count as carrying a line of Light Cover (+1 to Armour, penalties to shooting into it, and reduced movement speed).