NinthMusketeer

RtR Changelog 3.0 With all the content in this update it felt appropriate to finally knock things up to 3.0! This is also because previously RtR was mainly just ‘patched over’ from 2nd edition with the intent of seeing how GWs Path to Glory played out before making any major changes. 3.0 marks the decision to move away from GWs PtG entirely and continue designing content for RtR on its own as I have previously (though obviously I will borrow/change terminology to remain consistent where I can, as that helps with understanding). General: -Campaign mode names changed to “Matched” and “Narrative” respectively, and some content will now be labelled as being recommended for a certain version. -Rewards are now called out as being for Narrative, with a new Slim Rewards rule for Matched -Wording around reinforcing units changed for clarity and to tighten up rule interactions. -All warbands now start with 2 renown (up from 1). -All warbands now start with 1 reserve for summoning (up from 0). -The numerical restriction on summons relating to warband tables has been removed. -The scenario document has been overhauled, finally completing it with a full scenario generator! -The FFA and Alternate-by-Phase rules have had updates to their wording (still function the same) and got their own document -By popular request* I have overhauled how quests work, writing new ones to fit with RtR that people should hopefully find more hospitable than the PtG quests! *The pun is always intentional. Rewards: -Reward results 1 and 2 have been combined. -The table for Cavalry has been reintroduced. -Minor tweaks on several reward options for purposes of aligning rules/terminology with battletome releases as well as (hopefully) making them easier to understand. Warband Tables: -Tzeentch, Slaves to Darkness, Mawtribes, Sons of Behemat, and Lumineth updated! -General formatting update with some light balance touches on other warbands -Arkanaut Admiral moved to grand warlord and Arkanaut Frigate increased to a cost of 5 starting followers (up from 4). Keeping a close eye on how much the transport capacity should be worth and how much it needs to cost before it no longer becomes an auto-take option (would particularly value feedback on this). -New tomes have warranted adjustment to the Ascention & Damnation rule in order to put some restraints on excessive spawning**. -Chaos warbands now have a narrative option to play as a “Godsworn Legion” which works along the lines of 2nd edition mono-god allegiances. -Beasts of Chaos and Blades of Khorne warbands have had their bonus starting followers removed, thanks to the benefits of their recent updates. **Always.

I actually played a retro game of WHFB last year. Re-made a rendition of my old Daemons of Chaos list, mono Nurgle and excited to use old Epidemius again. My first turn the Warp Storm, a mandatory rule from MY ARMY, kills him outright with no chance to save. I do not miss WHFB.

Having GM'd through the starter I can say it is one of the better ones I have encountered. Solid bit of story and good background for it. The main 'dungeon' is a randomized experience and the major plot twist having five mutually exclusive ways to play out, so very customizable/replayable. Worth note it is also a more forgiving way to get into the system as a GM, with lots of bits specifically written with learning GMs in mind. Given the system is generally one not friendly to new GMs, these bits can really help!

With warband tables more or less finished up, now is the time for the scenarios! Any feedback you may have on the scenarios document would be welcome (and impactful, as I have barely any)! Suggestions for objectives and/or deployment styles I would also be grateful for!

Yeah Warcry is fantastically well designed, I am sad it really hasn't gained popularity to match. Still, loads of fun!

Thanks for the info! And yes haha, artist included delusional self! Gotta do that for the FEC characters!

Yup, gunna be done by the end of the month. The alternate-by-phase rules have been in there for years though 😆

Can get dem juicy alternate-by-phase rules in among the RtR Dropbox... just sayin!

I like the cult of the wheel. It is exactly the sort of inane lunacy that crops up at the extremes of human societies in every era. Even the Chaos Gods aren't touching those guys 😆

The reality is that every Skaven book going back to WHFB has been a schizophrenic mass of rules seen nowhere else in the game before or after its publishing. The balance has always been excessively random, with both hilariously broken and comically bad options in abundance. Are they the same units as the last one? Will they be the same in the next? Who knows!? Certainly not any of us! Which is to say that us Skaven players need to learn not to expect the worst or the best, but everything. At the same time. In every book. I feel that the fundamental problem at hand within the thread is not necessarily the literal problems, but the focus on aspects one does not like. Part of enjoying Skaven means laughing off the ridiculous downsides, much like one does with our innumerable ways of killing ourselves, and instead focusing on the potential of what COULD happen if things go well. They almost always won't, of course, but that never stops the Skaven! As a sidenote, to actually address some of the points raised more directly; I find the focus on heroes, both in allegiance mechanics and in grand strategies, makes a lot of sense. Because in Skaven society it is ALL about the rats at the top. The underlings do. Not. Matter. They can (and do) die in absurd extremes to buy their leaders even an ounce of advantage. If your Skaven army hits the battlefield with 3 Grey Seers, 60 Stormvermin, and 200 Clanrats then only 3 Seers return alive? Pat yourself on the back, you suffered no casualties*! *Of note.

So it turns out brain surgery is a hell of a drug! Content is more or less finished in design at this point, so now comes typing it all up and getting it formatted. I don't normally do this but with the unique split-state of StDs both having and not having a new battletome I decided to tap the leaks. This means the next update WILL have new StDs factored in!

My dream is Skaven getting an Orruk Warclans style book where there is a combined clans army like what we have now, but also focused lists for Pestilens/Skryre/Eshin/Moulder that give a bit extra in exchange for exclusive allegiance. Also plastic wolf rats.

Legends doesn't have hate associated with it in my community. People just tend to want to stick with units that have up to date rules with the current editions design trends. But there's a guy who shows up and plays ye olde Brettonians when he's in town and it's always a hoot!

I'd like to see plague monks go up to at least unit size 15, if not 20. Spamming 10-man units is the best way to go right now and it feels pretty cheesy.

I think they created an elite meta with the first GHB, because the point costs they based it off both did not account for base size and were intentionally biased towards 'big cool stuff'. Going into 2nd edition they decided to counteract the apparent preference for elites by buffing large squads--but because there was no analysis of WHY the situation was what it was this made things worse. Many of the units that got the horde buffs already had built-in abilities for making larger units stronger on a per model basis so what we ended up with was... 10 skinks (5+ hit rolls) - worth ~5pts/each on the table, cost 6pts/each 20 skinks (4+ hit rolls) - worth ~6pts/each on the table, cost 6pts/each 30 skinks (3+ hit rolls) - worth ~7pts/each on the table, cost 6pts/each 40 skinks (2+ hit rolls) - worth ~8pts/each on the table, cost --5pts/each-- This is just one (somewhat extreme) example, but you get the point; the most effective version of many horde units suddenly got a discount while many elite units were being increased. Players, being capable of basic math, rapidly picked up on this and lo and behold, people showing up with 100+ skinks for a game. Over the course of 2nd the devs addressed the issue, and this time did it intelligently by slowly scaling back both size-scaling abilities in new tomes and how many horde discounts were being given. Eventually by the tail end of 2nd we had no horde discounts and only a few size-scaling abilities in new tomes that were quite reasonable. In comes 3rd edition! With monsters and heroes having fallen particular victim to 2nd-eds increases to costs of elite units they needed something to help them stand out and regain their ground, which 3rd has really done well (seriously heroics and rampages are a lot of fun and I thank GW for adding them). But why were those units so bad? Well they were out competed in combat and on objectives by swarms. So 3rd included some buffs to elite models/monsters holding objectives to even things out from that end as well--another good move. The randomness of arbitrary unit sizes was also addressed via the reinforcement system; if you're battleline you can go up to triple, if you're not you just get double. Also great! Then came the element that pushed things too far; reinforcement points. Elite models were buffed in both combat effectiveness and in objective control, while new limitations prevented hordes from bloating out of control, and that was good so surely MORE restrictions would be better!? Hordes needed to not only be limited in what they could do, players also needed to be limited in how many they could take... except hordes had been brought into line and all the incentive to spam them was gone outside of armies whose individual playstyles needed it. So reinforcement points are pointless because they further restrict limits no one had incentive to push, unless they were playing an army designed around being able to do so! They could be removed tomorrow and half the players wouldn't notice because it doesn't factor into their army builds. Half of what was left would notice but not change anything, and maybe a quarter of players would go 'finally I can play my [army] with proper numbers!'

The reality is it gets in the way of armies that should bypass it, like Skaven and Gloomspite, while non-swarmy armies like SCE or Orruks don't care because they weren't pushing the limit anyways. It ultimately serves to heavily restrict the exception armies while having little to no impact on most of them.

TBH I doubt most gaming communities would see much pushback against getting rid of reinforcement points altogether. It is clearly a mechanic to fight back against the horde unit discount... which no longer exists.

Finished my first Spulbound campaign (I was the GM). Got through a speed-run of the intro scenario; I would say it isn't actually all that good as an intro because there is a LOT more than one-two sessions worth of content. I was glazing over details and cutting parts out, it still ran three sessions. Then rolled into the starter set campaign, very good and very well written. Has some elements referencing the pre-made characters but easily adapted for anyone (it is what I did). Replayability is high since the main 'dungeon' is heavily randomized and the major twist has five different (and mutually exclusive) ways to be executed. Then started doing a custom-esque campaign using the various 'quest' threads from supplements (Brightspear City Guide, Cities of Flame) spun in with my own written content. Some of those seeds are better than others, with certain ones really feeling underdone and having big plot holes the GM needs to fill. Anyways, turned half the Binding to Chaos and the campaign ended when they all killed each other, so that's a check off the GM bucket list!

Flesh Eater Courts, hands down.

I was waiting for someone to out a horror next to the FW colossal squig and be like 'oh they're way smaller than squigs'

Wait wait wait, how are you having trouble winning with Skaven!? DM me so as not to drag this thread off topic because I'm guessing there is a story here!

Tough call between Nurgle and Skaven. Nurgle I really really liked how the battletome makes their plausible feel like Nurgle armies work in the fluff. But what dampened it a little was the continued reliance on character choices over units, Epidemius completely changing functionality (T-T), and most of all it being just a bit too strong. Skaven.... just, Skaven. It is pure madness all the time. EVERY Skaven army book is a schizophrenic mess of abilities that vary from laughably bad to hideously OP, unbalanced because they have never been seen before, and will unlikely ever be balanced because they won't be seen again. Blowing yourself up never gets old.

Quick FYI, I have been out of town for surgery since October, thus the delay. Looking like an end-of/start-of year thing at this point.

Ok I'm not much of an elf fan but those Lumineth cosplays are legitimately impressive. I really like seeing 'beauty' cosplays that are actually about aesthetic and elegance instead of shoving raw sex appeal in my face. Like I get that literally everywhere else, thank you very much.

I'm hyped to read it myself. Like many I find SCE's focus on one poster-boy subfaction excessive (seriously half the Hammers special characters are uneeded and would sell far better as generic) the story hasn't particularly touched on them in a while. Besides, anything for more Khul-aid!