Jump to content

NinthMusketeer

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,181

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Posts posted by NinthMusketeer

    Path to Glory Overhaul: Road to Renown Edition

    in Narrative and Open Play

    Posted

    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.

    • Like 1

    Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound is now LIVE!

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted

    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!

    • Like 2
    • LOVE IT! 1

    The fan made skaven faq

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted · Edited by NinthMusketeer

    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.

    • Like 1

    Path to Glory Overhaul: Road to Renown Edition

    in Narrative and Open Play

    Posted

    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!

    • Like 2

    The fan made skaven faq

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted · Edited by NinthMusketeer

    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!'

    • Like 1

    The fan made skaven faq

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted · Edited by NinthMusketeer

    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.

    Age of Sigmar RPG

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted

    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!

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 1

    Poll: Favourite Army 2022

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Skreech Verminking said:

    I had a lot of fun converting the skaven,

    yet…. when it comes down to playing the game I only enjoyed a small amount of them.

    currently skaven have probably one of the worst 3.0books that exist in aos.

    Not really being able to play the horde game, no chance of manipulating reinforcment points or getting back models on 4+, and or being able to play units of 40 stormvermins and plague monks, really got me thinking.

    and since the weapon teams like rattling gun and warpfire thrower weapon teams have been nerfed significantly for no reason I got even less interesting in playing the game.

    the screaming bell an Iconic unit got basically removed from the game, and while all of this is extremely negative you might ask me the following thing.

    so why choose the skaven.

    most of my game since the new edition were with skaven, and although they removed probably the features from that faction, that in my opinion made them unique over any other factions, I must admit converting and painting the skaven has been currently my priority.

    I love building rattling gun weapon teams out of different kind of bits and models, I enjoyed desecrating so many new green-things beasts to the liking of the clans moulder idealism (while also enjoying the bleeding of mercy from the green-thing player base in my area).

    And while the book is so badly written, my hopes hasn’t yet shattered for the believe of getting a new skaven book at some time, replacing the trash we currently have

    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!

    • Like 1

    Poll: Favourite Army 2022

    in Age of Sigmar Discussions

    Posted

    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.

    • Like 2
×
×
  • Create New...