So after last weeks article and vote, it’s been decided that we’re writing a Science Fiction tabletop wargame.
Results of the first vote
I think the next question we need to answer is what type of game is this going to be for? Is it going to be Land Combat, Air Combat, Sea Combat, Space Combat or all of them rolled into one bigger system? and on top of this what scale should it be?
Therefore it’s a double vote this week, one for the type of game and one for the scale of the game. I’ve briefly outlined the scale below to give you a general sense of what each could represent (but this is by no means set in stone).
Agnostic
Agnostic would mean that the game can be played at any scale the players wish. This could mean that individual pieces may represent a single individual, a squad, a platoon, a regiment and so on. For example a single Astra Militarum miniature on a base could represent anything, for example being a marker for a regiment of foot soldiers to an infantry division.
Grand Tactical Scale (10mm and less)
Small scale games would often represent grand tactical battles where a player is in commands of 1,000s of warriors organised into large units such as battalions, brigades or divisions and a gaming table can represent an area many miles across. Arguably 10mm could also be used for medium scale games.
Medium Scale (Between 10mm and 20mm)
Games of this scale could be used to represent that area between large scale battles and skirmishes. Perhaps focusing in on a only a few miles of the warzone.
Skirmish Scale (20mm+)
Miniatures of this size will often represent individual fighters and focus on a key area of a battle or perhaps a special mission involving only a few key personnel.
A multiplayer game which can be played by email or chat over a number days with screenshots of a battle field.
One in which the commander can only see as far as they would realistically see and has to rely on information being fed back from their sub-commanders.
Realistic ranges of weapons and tactics.
Not knowing what what the enemy units are up to unless you have eyes on them.
Lastly, for Fantasy or sci-fi.
Yes, it may well be Krieggspiel but with a new setting…..
So after the failed attempt of deciding a winner the first time around via voting, we’ve decided to reopen the competition to entries.
The winner will be decided by a panel of judges and the winner will receive their choice of start collecting or Combat Patrol box. This is made possible by our generous sponsors at SCN Hobby World.
You’ll have until 31st December to make your submission. As before the rules are as follows;
1) your submission can be any miniature from any games system, as long as;
2) the miniature fits on a 50mm wide base (round or square)
3) One submission per person
4) one of the photographs submitted with the miniature must include it with a note showing the email address of the competitor.
5) entry for submissions closes at midnight (GMT) on 31st December 2021
6) send your submissions to thewoehammer@gmail.com
A couple of the Woehammer group have been reminiscing about the joys of Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WHFB) and how much fun it would be to get some armies together to play not only this but the upcoming ‘Old World’, which is rumoured to be released in 2023. So we did just that, I’ve dusted off my fantasy collection and have started looking at which units I could take while Pete has been doing the same with his.
If you’re new to the hobby, WHFB was the precursor to Age of Sigmar. Rather than large skirmish games with quite unconstrained movement, WHFB focused on the clashes of large units in tight formations with precise movement and positioning. The element which particularly appealed to me was the aesthetics of the game which are very much focused on those large blocks, rather than large monsters (though these do exist in the game).
We’ve decided to start by playing out a narrative campaign, and where better to start than the Grudge of Drong, a Campaign Pack written by Nigel Stillman for Games Workshop. The campaign was written for the Fifth Edition of the WHFB ruleset, but we have chosen to use the Eighth Edition rules as we are more familiar with these and have the necessary army books etc. The campaign pits stalwart Dwarfs against the perfidious High Elves who have aligned themselves with one Dwarf faction against another in a rather fractious internal dispute.
We will need to modify the campaign a little for the armies we have available to us but are looking forward to getting this kicked off. In the meantime, we will be putting out some articles on the armies and how they are developing over the next few months, before beginning the campaign in the New Year.
Both Pete and I look forward to sharing more with you soon and may all your Grudges be satisfied.
Following my reasonable success with the One Drop Ironjawz list at Warfare, Ascot I am back on the tournament scene this weekend and heading to Leicester. Leicester GT is using the Win/Draw/Loss scoring system as the primary scoring (with 20-0 as the tie breaker). This meant that winning by smaller values will still see us playing against other winners.
Because of this I have decided to bring a very different Ironjawz force with 10 drops, and no Gore Gruntas… which fits my playstyle (wait, wait, counter punch) much better than the hyper agressive 1 drop list I took to Warfare.
Brutes and more Brutes!
I had to send this list in before seeing how the Reading list did, and I may have swapped in a few Gore Gruntas before the inevitable points increase, but I am happy overall with the following list:
Allegiance: Ironjawz – Warclan: Ironsunz – Grand Strategy: Hold the Line – Triumphs: Inspired
Leaders Megaboss on Maw-Krusha (480)* – Boss Choppa and Rip-tooth fist – Artefact: Amulet of Destiny (Universal Artefact) – Mount Trait: Smelly ‘Un Orruk Megaboss (140)*** – General – Command Trait: Touched by the Waaagh! – Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact) – Lore of the Weird: Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork Orruk Warchanter (115)* – Warbeat: Fixin’ Beat Orruk Warchanter (115)* – Warbeat: Get ‘Em Beat
Battleline 10 x Orruk Brutes (320)** – Jagged Gore-hackas – 2x Gore Choppas – Reinforced x 1 10 x Orruk Brutes (320)** – Jagged Gore-hackas – 2x Gore Choppas – Reinforced x 1 15 x Orruk Ardboys (255)** – 3x Gorkamorka Banner Bearers – Reinforced x 2 5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)*** – 1x Gorkamorka Banner Bearers 5 x Orruk Ardboys (85)*** – 1x Gorkamorka Banner Bearers
Units 3 x Rippa’s Snarlfangs (70)*
Core Battalions *Warlord **Hunters of the Heartlands ***Vanguard
As a 10 drop I’ll likely not often get the choice of first or second, and so need something to grab early objective or put some threat on the opponent. The Maw Krusha is the threat with 24″ + charge threat range on turn 1, and Rippa’s are the speed to grab a middle objective. Other that the main aim is to advance as quickly as possible and hit the enemy turn 2 or 3… I will be honest about a concern against shooting armies, but I can always use Foot of Gork or the Maw Krusha for an alpha strike if I need it!
Character 1 – Megaboss on Maw-Krusha
The Megaboss on Maw-Krusha is a great unit, and a fun warscroll and is currently an auto-include in every Ironjawz list I have seen to date. His equipment is easy – a Rip Tooth for a 3+ armour save is this only real option.
I then make his mount a ‘Smelly ‘Un’ which is my go-to option at the moment, as it makes opponents -1 to hit in combat if you don’t charge. Perfect if you plan to alpha strike and then survive an opponent’s turn.
He also has the essential Amulet of Destiny, so he has a chance of reaching turn 2. As a combat unit his only chance is to get into range of the enemy and take some damage – unlike similarly priced shooting units – so his task is to either be a powerful counterpunch unit with the Ironsunz ability to charge in my opponent’s charge phase. The 1″ reach has been a problem, but that just needs to be worked around!
Character 2 – Megaboss on Foot
This will be the first time I have run my General as a foot Megaboss which will allow my opponent to Bring it Down (Maw Krusha) and Slay the Warlord (Megaboss) so I will need to be careful with him.
His main reason for being here is as a more defensive Orruk Shaman, with Arcane Tome, Hand of Gork and Touched by the Waagh! This command ability requires him to cause D3 mortal wounds before casting a spell and add this to the spell casting. Turning a 55/45 into a 60/40 or even better, and also making it more difficult to dispel.
Hand of Gork was the mobility I really missed at Warfare, so I’m really glad to have it back. He may have to hide near the back though until any shooting threats are removed, but I do have the option of using Hand Gork on him, charging and then casting Arcane Bolt in the next phase (D3 wounds from the command ability, D3 wounds from the Bolt). Could catch out a few players!
Characters 3 & 4 – Warchanters
The Warchanters are just superb with Violent Fury providing +1 damage and two of them allow to buff the Maw Krusha and one other unit. I give them Fixin’ Beat (healing) and Get ‘Em Beat (3D6″ charge) to give me an option of going second, healing damage done to the Maw Krusha and striking back.
No self respecting Orruk Ironjawz general wouldn’t go to war with at least 2 of these – and I’ve seen people take 3 with success. They are also not bad themselves with 6 attacks, 3+/3+/-/D3 – especially against things with low armour saves
Units 1 & 2 – 10 Brutes, 10 Brutes
20 Brutes, 3 wounds at 4+ save and Jagged Gore-Hackas. These guys can push out some serious damage, can stop 1 wound models counting on objectives (looking at Pink Horrors here!) and can be used as a screen if that is what’s needed. Plus they are great models, and who doesn’t love great models. They are definitely signifcantly better with the Warchanter buff (+1 damage) on them but I also love their movement shenanigans with redeploy and counter charge. They can suddenly be on an objective that your opponent thinks is safe.
They are also both in the War in the Heartlands battalion to stop monsters using their monstrous rampage abilities – this is great to guarantee that they can have the +1 to save (they rarely need the +1 to hit because they get this naturally against 4 wound models).
If you’re unsure how Brutes work, you’re also in luck, for there’s an article on this very blog on it. Just here.
Units 3,4 & 5 – 15 Ardboys, 5 Ardboys, 5 Ardboys
One of the things I really missed at Warfare with the 1 drop was having units to hold rear objectives, or throw forward as screens. Fortunately, I can bring them back now and use them to slow down fellow Ironjawz players or to stop teleporting units from getting my objectives. The unit of 15 will either be a last punch unit, or a forward screen with Hand of Gork. They will also be used as fodder for the General’s Touched by Waaagh! command ability. I am hoping I may be able to get off some cheeky rallies with this unit (on a 4+ if done with their leader and a Warchanter nearby), but I’ve not used it in 15 games, so it may just be a pipedream.
Unit 6 – Rippa Snarlfangs
I got them back in the army… thank Mork (or possibly Gork) for their reappearance. I’ve written about these guys a lot, so if you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll already know about them. If you need a catch-up it can be found here.
Ironsunz, Grand Strategy & Triumph
These are unchanged from Warfare. Alright, Get ‘Em allows me to charge units in my opponents charge phase either forcing them to charge me, or be counter charged. It’s great for keeping the Maw Krusha in combat. Grand Strategy is Hold the Line so my opponent needs to kill (and catch) all the Brutes and Ardboyz and Triumph is inspired (+1 to wound)
My Grand Strategy was equally easy to chose – Hold the Line – and the reason why I have taken 10 Ardboyz at my final unit.
What would you run in a Win/Loss/Draw system with Ironjawz; can’t get enough Gore-Gruntas or just want to run 3 MawKrushas – let us know below!
Small announcement in regards to the painting competition.
We are extremely sad to announce that due to cheating the competition has been closed and no prize will be issued.
My apologies to those of you who have competed. All your entries were amazing and unfortunately this has been spoilt by one individual who shall remain nameless.
I’ll be reopening to entries in the next day or so with a closing date of 31st Jan. This time I’ll have the Woehammer guys as judges rather than voting. I’ll automatically include those who entered into the competition.
Another week under the belt and just that little bit closer to Crimbo.
Unfortunately I haven’t had much time to get much done this week, but I did receive the plinth through the post….. And I may have made a slight error in judgement.
It’s a little bit small! Never mind I’ve ordered a slightly larger one, while this one can be used for the Imperial Army Land Speeder once that’s finished.
I’m still in two minds about the bear, as the print quality is pretty shoddy when viewed in person.
Roar!
Does anyone have any decent tips for solving this?
Having written a few warscroll reviews for Destruction I thought I would branch out and talk about other Warscrolls – particularly those that you may not have seen or missed from the books; or those Warscrolls you may see at tournaments.
Welcome to Woehammer – have you noticed the lovely feeling of no adverts (ads), no pop-ups and no auto-playing videos? Well, that’s the norm here at Woehammer.
But this is only possible because of our wonderful Patreons. So, some articles over 1 year old will now display our Patreon request at the top of the article… like this one! Don’t worry, we are not adding ads – but if you can afford to donate to the site, we would definitely appreciate it.Membership is available from just £1/month (plus taxes!!)
The only limit I’m setting myself at the moment is that I have to have seen the unit in action at least once, either playing or playing against!
The first of these are from Order, and Daughters of Khaine… but you may have missed them because they are from Warcry.
9 models, but 12 wounds… confused – all explained below
The Khainite Shadowstalkers are from the Warcry game and they are lovely models. They are 9 individual sculpts with great movement and a leader.
The Scroll
As before, all screenshots from the AOS App:
As with the Underworld Warband Rippa Snarlfangs, it is not immeditely obvious why anyone would take this scroll. Movement 6″, 1 wound each (so 9 wounds for 120 points) and 5+ save is hardly setting the world alight.
So this is a little better because it’s now 12 wounds for 120 points which in AOS isn’t bad. But range 6″ weapons and 2 attacks 4+/3+/-/1 is not going to set the world alight. Sure it’s okay but it’s not beating anything other than trash. Is there anything else on the warscroll, or have I gone crazy!?
Cursed Missiles gives the unit mortal wounds on a six – not bad for an Unleash Hell (but, see below), so it’s in keeping with the rest of the army. We’ll temporarily ignore that Spider Riders don’t have this on their poisoned arrows, but this article isn’t about Destuction.
Harness Shadow – is a great benefit giving them Grot nets for anyone who wants to fight them in combat. Ouch!
And finally, the ability that takes them out of mediocre and into great. Shadow Leap gives the unit a free teleport 5 times a game in each of your movement phases! So ignore the 6″ movement this is almost an infinite movement. In a game that is all about mobility for objective capture and for delaying and limiting your opponent this is a superb ability.
What’s not on the scroll
This would be great in almost any army – I’d certainly love a version of it in Gitz to give control of the board – but in Daughters of Khaine it just makes the army much better.
The AOS meta is changing with the arrival of the Ironjawz list as they have a very strong Alpha-Strike capability meaning that if you come to a tournament without screens you need units who can take charges from Maw Krushas and Gore Gruntas – which is very difficult – or put out screens. And these are great screens for the Bow Snakes.
They can be within 9″ of 15 Bow Snakes – 2 attacks, mortal wounds on 6+, shoot in the hero phase. So your opponent has to charge these units, you can unleash hell with the Bow Snakes, then when this unit is dead you can shoot in your next hero phase as well.
And because they teleport you can teleport them away their move almost anywhere, and then teleport the Bow Snakes behind them meaning they are always protected.
Added to that they are not Battleline, so there is no Battle Tactic available for killing them.
If you play Daughters of Khaine and don’t use this unit I urge you to give it a go – they are great.
— Declan
(Special thanks to my opponent at Warfare for showing me the unit and what a difference it makes to the DoK army… even if I did lose 1-19 to get this information to you!)
Announcement in regards to the painting competition.
We are extremely sad to announce that due to cheating the competition has been closed and no prize will be issued.
My apologies to those of you who have competed. All your entries were amazing and unfortunately this has been spoilt by one individual who shall remain nameless.
We will however hold another competition soon where a judges panel will be selected in placed of voting.
I’ll be reopening to entries in the next day or so with a closing date of 31st Jan. This time I’ll have the Woehammer guys as judges rather than voting. I’ll automatically include those who entered into the competition.
My sincere apologies!
I know I originally said that I would run this on twitter AND the website, but I’ve decided for greater control the voting ill be done through the website only (this way I can delete multiple votes from the same IP).
We’ve had ten fantastic entries to our first ever painting competition sponsored by the lovely people over at SCN Hobby World. Go and subscribe on their website to get 25% off GW products!
But it’s time to close for entries and get the voting under way! Voting will start today and run until 31st December to give everyone plenty of time to vote. The winner will be announced on the 1st January, at which point I will contact them and ask which start collecting or combat patrol box they would like as their prize.
So in the order of submission here are your competition entries! Get voting!
I’m in the process of creating a series of Wargaming Aids which allow players to play their favourite games in a single player format against an AI controlled enemy army. To find out more on this click here.
For as little as £1 a month (the price of a chocolate bar) you can help support me in this endeavour and receive cool perks as a thank you, such as access to our Discord Server as well as downloadable copies of the gaming aids which you can print out and use at home.
Why not pop over to Patreon and sign up and help me in this project? Money raised will go towards making these as physical products.
