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Ironweld Arsenal: Faction Expansion (Narrative and Warscrolls)


Melcavuk

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Hey Melcavuk

Re our conversation on Sigmar Fans I thought I'd join in here, I love the idea and have some thoughts myself to share myself. I also present my Cogfort, Ironside Crew (some mounted on it and some not), Weld Engineer and Cogfort Commander.

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Edited by Moncada
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Nice, all very impressive but I like the elite officers in particular, they convey a certain gravitas, the cogfort is monsterously intimidating.

Working slowly on more lexicology and trying to cross over the story terms with units.

Rebranding:
Steamtank is now Cog Hauler 
Variants on Cog Hauler have their own personal designations ontop of that for example (Cog Hauler Behemoth, Cog Hauler Bombard etc)
 

Concept rework:
Stripping core Labourers back to a Weld Militia unit, a combination of repeater guns, pistols and combat weapons. A mixed weapon unit with some degree of potency but emphasising numbers over potency, the main numbers of the force but not the main potency, an ideal chaff unit to block chargers or to hold objectives. These may well be my next conversion project (Cawdor base models combined with outrider/pistolier weaponry)

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Cog Hauler works and I think having multiple options for how it could be run would be really nice. There were a number of different armaments when they only had 8 steamtanks, with Ironweld I would imagine there are 100s if not 1000s spread across the realms and innovating new iterations would be very common.

The Dual Pistol mixed with Repeater handguns and CCWs is what my main infantry look like. 

I love the Ironsworn, it's a great idea and a beautiful model.

I think your push to move this away from the Empire is exactly what needs to be done. Leave the Freeguild to keep that aesthetic. As I built more and more of the Ironsides a used less of the pummelled helms and more of the sculpted shape helms.  I think if there was more option for non-Empire humans i would have  used them. A think the mid tier infantry should be all plate, beards and engineers aprons. 

I think cawdor is the perfect option for the lower tier infantry. Weld Labourers used as Sappers, menials and Chaff. As I mentioned in the sigmar group I think a version of these with massive metal Pavise would be good. Every artillery train tends to build up earthworks and defence around itself but this is hard to represent on the table table without a custom set of terrain. But what if one of the units became the artillerys defences? It could be a dual kit, one more for hanging around the artillery to replace it's crew and one to become a semi mobile defence line.

The Cogfort has a long way to go, I have a basic structure and have started the surface work but the legs need reinforced corner and I need some sort of relief or etch brass for the front. Very much work in progress. I think here needs to be behemoth versions of this as well as the terrain. Massive multiple weapon keeps that fit the description in Iron and Oak. I will use mine as an Ironclad on the table.

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The Pavaise concept is alongside the concept of the Pikemen I had, perhaps for a unit to have mixed shield or pike options to become a mobile wall for the approaching Arsenal.

Currently playing with the Weld Militia scroll and a revised Ironsworn after some... critical feedback.

 

Ironsworn.jpg

 

WeldMilitia.jpg

Edited by Melcavuk
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After some feedback and a little bit of model design on my part here is what we're looking like currently in terms of a unit roster:

Duardin Engineer (Existing Model) (ENGINEER)
Gunmaster (Existing Model, variation for the mounted engineer to be rebranded Gunmaster on mechanical steed, command trait for WELD GUARD(IRONSWORN)
Gunmaster in Coghauler (HERO Steamtank, tanks of legend, command trait for nearby COGHAULERS) (IRONSWORN, COGWORK)
Ironsworn Paladin (Monsterous, built as secondary option to a different kit, Command trait for IRONSWORN) (IRONSWORN, COGWORK))
HERO B (Mounted Engineer)


BATTLELINE
Weld Militia (Battleline) (WELD GUARD, LABOURER)
Riflemen/Phalanx (Dual Kit, Battleline if Ironweld) - Working in well with the Gunmasters on foot (WELD GUARD)
 

OTHER
Ironsworn Templar (Also Builds Paladins Hero) - Non-Monster heavy hitter single model unit, monsterous infantry. (IRONSWORN, COGWORK))
Ironsworn Fusiliers/Lancers - Elite Fast Moving Cavalry (IRONSWORN, COGWORK)

Gyrocopter/Bomber (Existing Kit) (COGWORK)
Ironweld Arbalesters/Engineers Corps (Experimental Weapons Unit, Arbalesters boosted by Gunmaster on foot, Corps boosted by Engineers) (WELD GUARD)

ARTILLERY
Helstom/Helblaster (Existing Kit) (ARSENAL, WARMACHINE)
Duardin Cannon/Organ Gun (Existing Kit) (ARSENAL, WARMACHINE)

BEHEMOTH
Cog Hauler (Steam Tank kit, expansion kit add on for Cog Hauler Bombard (Rocket Variant), Cog Hauler Behemoth (Transport Variant)) (COGWORK, WARMACHINE)

TERRAIN
Cog Fort

KEYWORD BREAKDOWN - 
WELD GUARD - 
Foot Mounted Infantry, potentially boosted by Gunmasters. 
LABOURER - Commoners, can repair ARSENAL units, are inspired by IRONSWORN
IRONSWORN - Nobles, inspire Labourers with Guild Heraldry
ARSENAL - Non-Cogwork, crewed Artillery Pieces, can be replenished using labourers. Benefit from ENGINEER presence.
COGWORK - Mechanical units, can be repaired by ENGINEER models. COGWORK HEROES can gain ARTIFICER COGWORK relics in a similar manner to Stormcast Mouts Traits.

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Working on the warscrolls for the Weld Militia I have also been developing the Master of Shot warscroll (Renamed Gunmaster). Looking at previous Freeguild scrolls for inspiration in terms of command ability I have weakened the Freeguild generals command ability (only works in the shooting phase as it made no sense for a Gunmaster to be benefitting units in the combat phase) and moved that across. As the warscrolls grow and change I want to make sure it feels important to keep a good heart of LABOURERS and WELD GUARD in the army as alot of the synergies will be centred around them. 

V1 Master of Shot
V1.1 Weld Militia (Revised Officers armament)
V1.4 Ironsworn, altered Heraldry special rule, altered Stoke the Furnace. 

 

Ironsworn.png

MasterofShot.png

Weldmilitia.png

Edited by Melcavuk
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Updating here and in first post

As I try to get a little more organised I figured I'd go through the subsets of stuff I'd like to eventually have sorted for the battletome, some I will weigh in on myself, others would be fantastic to collaborate on, other things people could take on independantly in order to get different perspectives. If anyone wants to help out with a specific section it'd be grand, at which point we can all give feedback, critique and help hone it into something great

I will say dont be afraid of critique and feedback, the warscrolls I have done are now on version 5 or so as I try and hammer out the difference between where I want them narratively and where they need to be for game balance, and even then no points have been assigned to them as the army as a whole will help define what they are worth.

So to what needs doing:
NARRATIVE
FACTION INTRODUCTION

A BRIEF HISTORY

NOTABLE EVENTS (TIMELINE)

NOTABLE CITIES

OUTLOOK ON THE REALMS

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER FACTIONS

SUBFACTIONS, CONFLICTS WITHIN THE FACTION

NARRATIVE SHORT STORIES FOR FLAVOUR (MALIGN PORTENTS STYLE)

GAMEPLAY
ALLEGIANCE ABILITIES (Engineer relic table, Ironsworn Relic Table, Artificer Cogworks (mount traits) table)
WARSCROLLS (GW does these by looking at the models and working from there, so here I have put down my own ideas for how the model will look in order for anyone who wants to do a scroll to shape up and submit)
Duardin Engineer (Existing Model) (ENGINEER) - Rework existing scroll
Gunmaster (Existing Model, variation for the mounted engineer to be rebranded Gunmaster on mechanical steed, command trait for WELD GUARD) (IRONSWORN) - Redone by R SMITH
Gunmaster in Coghauler (HERO Steamtank, tanks of legend, command trait for nearby COGHAULERS) (IRONSWORN, COGWORK) - NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL
Ironsworn Paladin (Monsterous, built as secondary option to a different kit, Command trait for IRONSWORN) (IRONSWORN, COGWORK)) - NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL BUILT OUT OF THE IRONSWORN TEMPLAR SCROLL
HERO B (Mounted Engineer) NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL

BATTLELINE
Weld Militia (Battleline) (WELD GUARD, LABOURER) - COMPLETED BY RSMITH PENDING FEEDBACK
Riflemen/Phalanx (Dual Kit, Battleline if Ironweld) - Working in well with the Gunmasters on foot (WELD GUARD) - NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL

 

OTHER
Ironsworn Templar (Also Builds Paladins Hero) - Non-Monster heavy hitter single model unit, monsterous infantry. (IRONSWORN, COGWORK)) - COMPLETED BY RSMITH PENDING FEEDBACK
Ironsworn Fusiliers/Lancers - Elite Fast Moving Cavalry (IRONSWORN, COGWORK) - NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL
Gyrocopter/Bomber (Existing Kit) (COGWORK) - REWORK EXISTING SCROLL
Ironweld Arbalesters/Engineers Corps (Experimental Weapons Unit, Arbalesters boosted by Gunmaster on foot, Corps boosted by Engineers) (WELD GUARD) NEW UNIT, NEEDS SCROLL

ARTILLERY
Helstom/Helblaster (Existing Kit) (ARSENAL, WARMACHINE) - REWORKED BY RSMITH PENDING FEEDBACK
Duardin Cannon/Organ Gun (Existing Kit) (ARSENAL, WARMACHINE) - REWORKED BY RSMITH PENDING FEEDBACK

BEHEMOTH
Cog Hauler (Steam Tank kit, expansion kit add on for Cog Hauler Bombard (Rocket Variant), Cog Hauler Behemoth (Transport Variant)) (COGWORK, WARMACHINE) - NEEDS NEW EXPANDED WARSCROLL BASED ON STEAMTANK

FINALLY ONCE THOSE ARE DONE IT'LL BE TIME TO LOOK AT BATALLIONS

Ironsworn.png

MasterofShot.png

Weldmilitia.png

ironweld-cannon.jpg

ironweld-helblaster-battery (1).jpg

ironweld-helstorm-battery.jpg

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54 minutes ago, TheR00zle said:

I can do the faction introduction, as well as the different cities and their take okn the realms. Is that cool?

Sounds good, its important to get the right tonal message for the lore in order to keep it unified. To my mind there is a specific mortality to the way the Ironweld work, this isnt some faction of gods and monsters, its men and women who live and die to keep the Weld secure, its of sacrafice, grim realisation that the place of mankind is far from secure in a world of monsters. That isnt to say they are joyless, but practical, there is a beauty to some of their innovations, a pride in it. 

For the nobility it is important to capture the concept of inspiring, knightlike attitudes from a mechanical aspect. Some houses march their templars and striders to war adorned with guild heraldry in much the way knights of the old world would of.

And for cities look beyond the basic realm aspects into the deeper concepts, also bear in mind that we know many are integrated into freeguild cities, in which case how do they fit in? Where to they stand politically etc

 

Core concepts: Its important to remember these arent the guard or skiratii of 40k, they arent disposals to the point where individual loss is meaningless and arent knowably detached. They are painfully human (and duardin) at their core, the Labourers have workers comaraderie, even the Nobles will give their all for the Weld. 

They also arent the Freeguild, the Ironweld stand alongside but truly apart, it is through engineering and innovating that their true strength lies. War is industry for the Weld, it is their very lifes blood and through their war innovations they can lend that expertise to improving the realms around them.

Current concept for the Engineer on Cog Strider, renamed to a Tinkerer mostly so that the Engineer keywork and Engineer name dont get duplicated too much

 

TinkereronStrider.png

Edited by Melcavuk
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Brief blurb on the Ironsworn

"They call them the Ironsworn, if you'd believe that. Highfalutin blue bloods of the Guilds, got themselves all the gold in the Realms to spend on fancy armour and toys and think that makes them heroes. Them Nobles got the pick of the Ironweld, the biggest arsenal of deady gizmos and trinkets this side of the Red Road, strapping themselves into some lumbering armour standing two horse' high or riding their damn Cog walkers around with no regard for any'un elses plans. 

Still, least they're the ones fightin', takin up the blade along with us commoners. Prefer them to the Guilded, sitting on their thrones tallyin lives like it's nothin more than profits to be made, Ironsworn know battle.... them that last beyond their first charge ofcourse, They've bled alongside us and when you're in the mud aint much different between red an' blue bloods. 

Might be Noble birth, all that learnin' taught em nothing of manners to those below em' in the Guilds, but I've seen em' do things I'd never thought possible for mortal men. Them Templars standing face to face with Monsters that'd have you cleaved skin from bones, not just slow'in them but taking the first back, pushing THEM back in the dirt for once, moving the battlelines back inch by inch, taking back all that was lost to us... all that was stolen from us.

They call them the Ironsworn, like it or not, they're out best chance of coming out the otherside of this thing"

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1 hour ago, S133arcanite said:

@Melcavuk I'd love to help out in the narrative section. Perhaps a few short stories and the timeline? For example, we could do a series of events like in recent battletomes. By the way, is the battletome meant to be published and available to fans like the Tomb Kings one? Love the work, you've done, keep it up!

Sounds good and yeah the aim is to fully flesh it out and get it available for fan use, its harder to do when not  borrowing on the old world nostalgia as heavily as the Tomb Kings as people dont have the prebuilt up adoration for the faction, but with enough time and tweaking I'm convinced it could be great.

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Redesigned a few more of the Warscrolls, also playing with points in my head but still finding it hard to naildown the point between useful and OP, or fair/useless. Rough unit sizes also attached.

IRONSWORN TEMPLAR - 
POINTS - 180-220
UNIT SIZE 1

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - NONE

Ironsworn.jpg.png.08eceee4b0e8247a8b54894c89d64ac5.png

MASTER OF SHOT - 
UNIT SIZE 1

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - LEADER

MasterofShot.png.345c077356dca6a070394d8c7a101175.png

TINKERER ON COGSTRIDER - 
UNIT SIZE 1

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - LEADER

TinkereronStrider.png.7c4829ff3f2c06236679c7da889f63f9.png

WELD MILITIA 
UNIT SIZE 10-30

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - BATTLELINE

Weldmilitia.png.47d1e75d936884bd7655ba501737a785.png

WELD PHALANX - 
UNIT SIZE 10-30

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - BATTLELINE (IF IRONWELD ARSENAL ALLEGIANCE)

WeldPhalanx.png.554223fb48bd0ea93d22cd2379f87bc6.png

WELD RIFLEMEN - 
UNIT SIZE 10-30

BATTLEFIELD ROLE - BATTLELINE (IF IRONWELD ARSENAL ALLEGIANCE)

WeldRifles.png.9193e331cae7f4c62ac33fd4b15c8998.png

Edited by Melcavuk
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To add a shade of creepy to the Ironweld, because nothing in the mortal realms is entirely good or wholesome:

There are those that say the innovations of the Weld have progressed at a pace that no engineer could possibly sustain, in such a small space of time to have gone from the first blackpowder spitting rifles to the lumbering cogforts that now allow them to secure strategeic positions faster than ever before, it would be sheer arrogance to assume it was merely their intellectual superiority that had driven them forward.

The Guild simply dismiss these cries of discontent as the petty ramblings of those who could never dare to dream as the Weld do, that could never see beyond the today and into all the tomorrows yet to come to pass. They claim it is the will of Grimnir, their divine benefactor that has gifted them the opportunities to develop such marvels of the modern realms, with more yet in design there seems to be no stopping the wheels of progress turning in the factories of the Ironweld.

And yet the rumours persist, some labourers even claiming that deep within the factories of the Ironweld, as the screech of the boilers of the steam engines begin to die down another scream still lingers a few seconds longer... not the pitched metallic screech of the boiler itself but something distinctly more... alive. And then there are those who say the Witchhunters have become far too wealthy in cities that the Weld hold dominance, that their purges have become far broader for much smaller offenses. Where then do these caged witches and wizards get sent? Why then have the public executions suddenly ceased in the name of civility and preventing spectacle?

Such questions are ofcourse whispered in hushed tones, none in the Freecities could afford to have their contracts with the Weld cancelled lest the cannonades be removed from the ramparts. Yet whispered they are...

(Are the bigger siege engines powered by caged wizards? The runes of grimnir containing and channelling their power? Were all these wizards deserved of this fate? Reader makes up own mind)

Also:
It is a grim land... Shyish, barren not only of life in many of its darkest corners but with the excavations of Nagash the Weld did, for a time struggle to find the fuels to stoke its mighty boilers. The Weld marches on the strength of its industry and it began to look at though there would be no progress in Shyish, the very thought of which could have left the many burgeouning cities of men within its borders defenseless against the tides of death. It was then, under the cursed moons of the Malign Portents that the Guild secured a new contract that solved such an issue, with the tides of restless dead flinging themselves against the defenses and with so many within falling to the plague a solution was needed. The Weld were commissioned to burn the bodies, to prevent such restless corpses from ever rising once more, yet how they did so was absent clause in their contract, in the weeks that followed the great furnaces of the Ironweld were stoked once more, the Guild masters smug in their innovations as they had found a resource in abundance in the realm of death..."

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Lovely bit of lore.  and now here's a rough draft for the introduction, I hope it fits the theme well enough.

 

Not all of the forces of Order come are heralded with the flash of thunder or the smell of salt water.

Throughout the realms the screech of steam and the smell of black powder herald the Iron Weld.

Noble engineers stride on mechanical wonders alongside the laborers whose sacrifice makes their machines function. 

It is through the production of their mighty factories that the free cities defenses are produced, and it is through their architects that they rise.

unlike the hosts of Sigmar or the children of Alarielle, the Ironweld are not gifted or powered by the divine, there is no rebirth or reincarnation waiting for them.

Despite the fear of their souls falling into the clutches of daemons, or worse into the hands of the Undying King, the men and women of the weld fight on.

though they may lose arms, legs, and even their bodies, and slowly become fuel for the next machine, they fight on.

The average man of  Weld knows that even if he were to die, the nobility will make certain his sacrifice is not in vain.

For it is through their artifice that they become legend.

 

Edited by TheR00zle
forgot a part
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@MelcavukI also started working on the short timeline:

 

Age of Myth

Discovery By Sigmar

             Grungni is found by Sigmar tied to the Iron Mountains alongside his brother Grimnir. This is the start of a long-running friendship between the two gods.

 

The Council of Iron

                 Grungni founds the Council of Iron, a pantheon within that of Sigmar's that contains sixteen other blacksmithing gods, aelf, duardin and human. In turn, they found the Ironweld, and each god creates his own sect within it. Some of these scets rise in power and stature and become renown throughout the realms. For example, Cor Temporis, the Walking City, founded by the human demigod Askror, is known for its steady crawl across Hysh, and many a Chaos host has shattered against its walls.

 

The Death of Grimnir

                        Grimnir, brother of Grungni, battles Vulcatrix and they destroy each other. When Grungni hears of the news, he roars so loudly that it is heard all over Chamon. The fledgling fortresses of the Ironweld all quiver in rage, and it is said that some sprouted legs, wheels, mouths and even minds. These fortresses become known as Cog-forts, and before long, every weld has its own mechanical castle.

 

Collapse of the Council of Iron

The Council of Iron collapses as Chaos begins to gather. The humans and duardin gods turn on the aelven deities, fearful of their sly ways, and all five of them are killed. Three human and two duardin demigods are defeated, leaving the Council a mere six strong. The Council of Iron collapses, and the remaining deities retreat in shame.

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1 hour ago, TheR00zle said:

Lovely bit of lore.  and now here's a rough draft for the introduction, I hope it fits the theme well enough.

 

Not all of the forces of Order come are heralded with the flash of thunder or the smell of salt water.

Throughout the realms the screech of steam and the smell of black powder herald the Iron Weld.

Noble engineers stride on mechanical wonders alongside the laborers whose sacrifice makes their machines function. 

It is through the production of their mighty factories that the free cities defenses are produced, and it is through their architects that they rise.

unlike the hosts of Sigmar or the children of Alarielle, the Ironweld are not gifted or powered by the divine, there is no rebirth or reincarnation waiting for them.

Despite the fear of their souls falling into the clutches of daemons, or worse into the hands of the Undying King, the men and women of the weld fight on.

though they may lose arms, legs, and even their bodies, and slowly become fuel for the next machine, they fight on.

The average man of  Weld knows that even if he were to die, the nobility will make certain his sacrifice is not in vain.

For it is through their artifice that they become legend.

 

Looking good. I like the fuel aspect that even in death they become part of the Weld, really hammers home the “Giving it all for the Weld and nothing left”. Even in death they give their last. Currently away from my laptop but will go through in more detail when I get home.

 

10 minutes ago, S133arcanite said:

@MelcavukI also started working on the short timeline:

 

Age of Myth

Discovery By Sigmar

             Grungni is found by Sigmar tied to the Iron Mountains alongside his brother Grimnir. This is the start of a long-running friendship between the two gods.

 

The Council of Iron

                 Grungni founds the Council of Iron, a pantheon within that of Sigmar's that contains sixteen other blacksmithing gods, aelf, duardin and human. In turn, they found the Ironweld, and each god creates his own sect within it. Some of these scets rise in power and stature and become renown throughout the realms. For example, Cor Temporis, the Walking City, founded by the human demigod Askror, is known for its steady crawl across Hysh, and many a Chaos host has shattered against its walls.

 

The Death of Grimnir

                        Grimnir, brother of Grungni, battles Vulcatrix and they destroy each other. When Grungni hears of the news, he roars so loudly that it is heard all over Chamon. The fledgling fortresses of the Ironweld all quiver in rage, and it is said that some sprouted legs, wheels, mouths and even minds. These fortresses become known as Cog-forts, and before long, every weld has its own mechanical castle.

 

Collapse of the Council of Iron

The Council of Iron collapses as Chaos begins to gather. The humans and duardin gods turn on the aelven deities, fearful of their sly ways, and all five of them are killed. Three human and two duardin demigods are defeated, leaving the Council a mere six strong. The Council of Iron collapses, and the remaining deities retreat in shame.

Really good. Like the council of Iron and the dissolution, allows for Shrines and Cogworks to be dedicated to the dead/hidden gods. Also liking the inbuilt mistrust between Aelf and Duarsin smiths with the Humans having to pick a side. It opens up the concept of something similar to Prayers for Engineers as they invoke the power left over from the destroyed and disbanded pantheon.

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7 hours ago, TheR00zle said:

Lovely bit of lore.  and now here's a rough draft for the introduction, I hope it fits the theme well enough.

 

Not all of the forces of Order come are heralded with the flash of thunder or the smell of salt water.

Throughout the realms the screech of steam and the smell of black powder herald the Iron Weld.

Noble engineers stride on mechanical wonders alongside the laborers whose sacrifice makes their machines function. 

It is through the production of their mighty factories that the free cities defenses are produced, and it is through their architects that they rise.

unlike the hosts of Sigmar or the children of Alarielle, the Ironweld are not gifted or powered by the divine, there is no rebirth or reincarnation waiting for them.

Despite the fear of their souls falling into the clutches of daemons, or worse into the hands of the Undying King, the men and women of the weld fight on.

though they may lose arms, legs, and even their bodies, and slowly become fuel for the next machine, they fight on.

The average man of  Weld knows that even if he were to die, the nobility will make certain his sacrifice is not in vain.

For it is through their artifice that they become legend.

 

I had a play with it, some lines I tweaked a little if its OK and I added a factional tagline (we give it all for the weld) here's my tweaked bits:
 

Not all of the forces of Order come are heralded with the flash of thunder or the smell of salt water.

Throughout the realms the screech of steam engines and the smell of black powder herald the Iron Weld.

Noble engineers stride on mechanical wonders alongside the labourers upon whose backs their empire has been built. 

It is through their industry and ingenuity that the free cities defences are produced, and it is through their architectural advancements that they rise.

Unlike the Hosts of Sigmar or the Children of Alarielle, the Ironweld fight not on the promise of rebirth or life eternal, nor rest in gilded promised land.

Yet despite the myriad of creatures lurking in the shadows, ever hungry for the souls of mortal men, they march ever onwards.

No loss of limb, nor fear of death could hinder their steps, and even in their most mortal hour all can return to the great furnace, stoking the beating heart of the Weld

All Born to the Weld know that even if they were to fall, they would do so lifting the Nobility ever higher to stand amongst titans and gods.

For it is through their artifice that they become legend.

Through Sacrifice, Progress.

We Give it all for the Weld, and Nothing Less.

 @S133arcanite For the falling out between the counsel of Iron it might be nice to colour it that each god sought to tend to the defenses of their own kind, each one draining resources from the whole. It would be in this manner that no cities would be fully defended in time and thats what broke the final straw in their pantheon, the human and duardin ones seeking to defend their own shrined cities by removing the Aelven ones. A cold, strategic gambit to ensure their own worshippers could endure the coming storm at the expense of their brother gods.

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59 minutes ago, Melcavuk said:

I had a play with it, some lines I tweaked a little if its OK and I added a factional tagline (we give it all for the weld) here's my tweaked bits:
 

Not all of the forces of Order come are heralded with the flash of thunder or the smell of salt water.

Throughout the realms the screech of steam engines and the smell of black powder herald the Iron Weld.

Noble engineers stride on mechanical wonders alongside the labourers upon whose backs their empire has been built. 

It is through their industry and ingenuity that the free cities defences are produced, and it is through their architectural advancements that they rise.

Unlike the Hosts of Sigmar or the Children of Alarielle, the Ironweld fight not on the promise of rebirth or life eternal, nor rest in gilded promised land.

Yet despite the myriad of creatures lurking in the shadows, ever hungry for the souls of mortal men, they march ever onwards.

No loss of limb, nor fear of death could hinder their steps, and even in their most mortal hour all can return to the great furnace, stoking the beating heart of the Weld

All Born to the Weld know that even if they were to fall, they would do so lifting the Nobility ever higher to stand amongst titans and gods.

For it is through their artifice that they become legend.

Through Sacrifice, Progress.

We Give it all for the Weld, and Nothing Less.

 @S133arcanite For the falling out between the counsel of Iron it might be nice to colour it that each god sought to tend to the defenses of their own kind, each one draining resources from the whole. It would be in this manner that no cities would be fully defended in time and thats what broke the final straw in their pantheon, the human and duardin ones seeking to defend their own shrined cities by removing the Aelven ones. A cold, strategic gambit to ensure their own worshippers could endure the coming storm at the expense of their brother gods.

Nothing to mind, as I said it was a rough draft.

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Liking the collaboration at play here to develop a faction that could have a strong place in AoS lore.

I have one minor issue though, in the introduction you've written 'Flash of thunder' which makes no sense. It should be 'flash of lightning' instead. 

Like I said, minor issue but just makes the whole thing seem more professional.

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I've been working on the Hero roster, currently I'm just missing scrolls on the Steam Tank mounted hero the "Master of the Foundry" (Most often the most senior non-noble in a factory will ride to war in a Steamtank to marshal the Weld Guard and oversee the distribution of the Welds product. It is amazing how many contracts are negotiated quicker from the back of a Steamclad Coghauler)
 

For now here's the Roster of Heroes 

Cogsmith.png.5098551bbb1b5c33fcab4c4b44d76179.png

With Engineers being so vital to the Ironweld it made sense to carry over the Cogsmith aspect, most armies will lean heavily toward Engineer characters for the ability to maintain their Cogwork units and the passive bonuses that the Artillery get from the presence of an ENGINEER keyword. For this reason the scroll didnt need a command ability, it's already a desirable enough unit that a potent command ability would lend to too much of an auto include.

The weaponry didnt need a change, its a classic Duardin engineer for a new look Ironweld.

TinkereronStrider.png.9b0fe00a795c22a15603998b6f0d887a.png
Not all the engineers in the faction would be Duardin, though many of the Master Smiths of the weld would indeed be. Those humans with enough aptitude to study under one of the great smith are known as Tinkerers, usually expressing prowess in the Cogwork designs and enhancements over the raw power of the forge that the Duardin manifest.

To ensure the army had a mobile element rather than entirely static it was important that the Tinkerer could keep up with the Ironsworn and Coghaulers, something rapid but still by its nature engineer. Leaning on the fluff we have already seen for the mechanical Cogstriders the idea of Tinkerers each riding to war upon their own masterwork striders, carrying with them personalised weaponry they have spent a lifetime tweaking and perfecting presented a mobile, light but useful Engineer unit for mobility.

The Cogstrider gives no more resilience than a horse but is far more stable as a mobile firing platform.
MasterofShot.png.e4cf07deff92dcf4de93b5ea9b2b5007.png

Another classic unit revisted the Master of Shot is a new generation Gunmaster, to reflect the increased role that the firearms play in the Ironweld Arsenal and the importance of the Master of Shot to the Weld Guard he now sits somewhere between Gun Master and general including a similar command trait of reduced potency (only effect the shooting phase). A decent backfield general but will exclusively aid the Weld guard (and only those with guns), in order to boost other units in the army a different hero choice would be needed. 

In this way the Master of Shot should be as appealing as the Engineer, each boosting different units in the army and with different roles going forward.

IronswornPaladin.png.0b1d7be7ba38bcec7739e1aabf29b1a7.png
The true Hero of the Ironweld Army the Paladins represent the peak of the might of the Nobles, they inspire the forces around them to fight harder and for longer. Their weaponry is less potent than the Templars but they carry with them alot more utility and a shield to give them the enviable save of 3+. Their command ability benefits all Ironweld units in the combat phase, the only hero whose command ability is not locked to a specific subfaction within the Weld. They represent a potent combat might for the Weld and much like the Cogstrider are downfield heroes rather than static support.

By adding a combat centric hero to the Weld it motivates mobility and combat rather than simple castling tactics

And the Non-Leader Hero Templar

Ironsworn.jpg.png.22a551d9174bb7810699c4e785cf94db.png

 

@Yoshiya Good catch thanks, so now its a choice between "Crash of Thunder" or "Flash of Lightning"

 

Edited by Melcavuk
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Breaking down the Hero Roster:

2 x Engineers (One mounted, one on foot) - Vital for force for artillery buffs and the heal function on Coghaulers
1 x Infantry Buff (Ranged, static, backfield buff)
1 x Monsterous Infantry (Combat, Monster, Combat Aura)
1 x Behemoth Hero (Boost Coghaulers)

With that roster I'm then having to ask the question, If a force is absent magic and prayers can it be truly functional and at times competitive, is there the requirement that there be a magic/anti magic option in the army that could act as a defense? 

If the requirement is that such a unit exist in an armies roster I am hesitant to have it assigned to the ENGINEER class, they already provide sizable buffs to the army roster. However I am pretty confident when we see new dispossessed they will channel all of the runic powers into that subfaction which leaves a questionable void in the roster as to how to handle magical effects.

So possible concepts:

Ironweld Arcane Architect
Whilst devoid of magical potential themselves there are those in the Weld who understand the potent, though volatile nature of the magicks of the realms. They have over time managed to construct pylons to harness and channel volatile magical energies in the vicinity either channelling them into the ground to dissipate without harm or release them back at their caster. It is rumoured that these Architects have even managed to harness the powers of caged wizards to fuel their more... radical of inventions.
This would present a new class of engineer, no longer maintaining them Cog haulers on the field but potent machinery to protect the Weld against hostile magic.  The issue being its another type of engineer, is it too much?

(Needs a name) Coghaulers with Earthing Rods
A dedicated class of Coghauler that can ground magic in the local area deep into the ground, a mobile pylon that provides a degree of sanity in a world of volatile magic and unstable casters. Inspired by the existing Lense cannons of the devoted/colleague arcane (I forget which one) they can utilise an elaborate myriad to channel, focus and unleash the latent magical energies of the realms rather than earthing them.

OTHER??? Feel free to suggest

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I feel like the arcane architect is to similar to the atormcast hero(his name escapes me). The coghauler makes sense in my opinion(it’s collegiate).  If I had to suggest I would go with something like this:  Dissposssed Runeseer

lesser runepriests, these duardin dedicate their vast lore in devising strings of runes that force errant magic to bend the knee to the weld.

Edited by TheR00zle
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14 minutes ago, TheR00zle said:

I feel like the arcane architect is to similar to the atormcast hero(his name escapes me). The coghauler makes sense in my opinion(it’s collegiate).  If I had to suggest I would go with something like this:  Dissposssed Runeseer

lesser runepriests, these duardin dedicate their vast lore in devising strings of runes that force errant magic to bend the knee to the weld.

The issue I'm having with anything Runeseer/Runesmith/Runepriest is the feeling I have that before long we will see a rune/golem centric dispossessed faction come to pass. Where all the runic magic will be under their purview.

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