The Winds of Change: FAQ; Glottkin and Monsterhammer (or shall I say Lordhammer/herohammer) coming our way)

FAQ, Glottkin sighted and the game turns into Herohammer (as predicted)

Behold, The behemoth! The Arms Race is on. 

Herohammer time!

As predicted in the ad campaign, Warhammer will never be the same again. 

Enter Herohammer, Monsterhammer and Monstermash.

Rules FAQ are out, and the rules now allow you to take 50% Lords and 50% Heroes. (Read combined stat monster/riders, as seen in the End Times Expansion.)

Welcome to the machine ! Ka-Ching! 

Somebody set up us the bomb!

All your  base are belong to us !  

You have no chance to survive make your time!

Ghost9494 on L'Astropate -

- "The Glottkin" box contains a sorcerer and a champion on a monster similar to a Nurgle giant;

- The English version of "Warhammer The End Times: Glottkin" is a set with two hardcover books, one for the story and the other for the rules;

- The Italian version is a softcover book with the rules and a reduced version of the story;

- "Warhammer The End Times: Glottkin" contains the story about the forces of Chaos (Daemons, Warriors of Chaos and Beastmen) invading the Empire.

Beasts of War:

"The miniature itself stands somewhere between a Orkanaut and Imperial Knight in size and looks absolutely amazing from this little shot we’re getting here. It comes with two riders with one a horned warrior and the other dressed more like a caster.

Interestingly the news of this new hero comes with the added information that the next End Times book is indeed a two book slipcase affair like with Nagash but a bit slimmer than the previous tome. Lots of fluff once more and the rules separate as always.

The big battle report coming in the next issue of White Dwarf is called The Fall of Altdorf so if that’s not a big bad omen for how badly things are going for The Empire I don’t know what is!"

NOW: add to this the new FAQ rule FOR THE GENERAL GAME (note no longer limited to the expasion); and Warhammer becomes Herohammer at the stroke of a pen.

Love the model, love the fluff, loathe what this is going to do to my multitude of armies. All I can see now is a monster/hero arms race.

Buy bigger and more expensive models as you go...ala 40K.

Is the End Times an age of accelerated obsolescence?

Exhalted Flamer of Tzeench Rules

WD out now with Exhalted Flamer Of Tzeench Rules

Image from Nafka

Daemons of Chaos: WHFB update: Exhalted Flamer can now be taken as a Hero Choice:
M6 WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W3 I4 A3 Ld7

Move and Shoot, Pink (Flame weapon) or blue (Grapeshot) fire, misfire D6 strength D6 Warpfire wounds  w no armour saves.
At last a use for that spare model lurking in the bitz box...time will tell how useful

Looks like the WD battlescroll series will be updating things as we go along. FAQs would be greatly appreciated GW ! We're starting to lag behind a bit with support for all the new books in the last 18 months. Some things are obviously broken!

Image GW

Dark Elf Barque (Or a Barque rather than an Ark)

Evolution of the Dark Elf Barque

The latest Druchii Army book makes a lot about the Maritime connection of the DE's. I find it sad that the Kharybdis is not a sea creature, I think it really should have that rule, seeing as that the original Carybdis is sea monster. Anyhow, I love the pirate aspect of the corsairs.

My workbench is littered with conversions and projects, many obtained at the swap meet. 

Eldar Whyches to Sisters of Slaughter, conversion of several Avatars of war figures (Sorceress into Hag, Dreadlord w sword to Dreadlord with Hand Xbow, several suitable Reaper (and other) figures into my DE Livery. On the left Warmachine Town Guard being recruited for the Empire City of Talabheim... I like their beefier look.

Anyhow, I have been thinking about building a Druchii  boat ever since Nick and I played a Dark Elf attack on an Empire Settlement (clicky to see the post) scenario.

The fluff around the Druchii make a lot of the sea-borne raiding parties. The one thing that stopped me from building a Dark Ark was the size and materials needed (and the time to construct such a vessel) and the poor quality of some attempts I saw on the web.

At the KWC's swap day I came across the answer: James was selling some of his Dark Eldar bits, amongst this some derelict space vessels, and bits that could pass as sails!

I would build, not the not the large Dark ARK that deposits the main raiding force, but a smaller, more agile and easier to conceal vessel, the Druchii BARQUE

So, slowly but surely the Druchii Barque is now evolving...

Sails and rams

Space Hulk

Voila! The beginnings of a Druchii Barque

From Wiki:
"The word barque entered English via French, which in turn came from the Latin barca by way of Occitan, Spanish or Italian. The Latin barca may stem from Celtic "barc" (per Thurneysen) or Greek "baris" (per Diez), a term for an Egyptian boat. The Oxford English Dictionary however considers the latter improbable.

The word barc appears to have come from Celtic languages. The form adopted by English, perhaps from Irish, was bark, while that adopted by Latin as barca very early, which gave rise to the French barge and barque. In Latin, Spanish and Italian the term barca refers to a small boat, not a full-size ship. French influence in England led to the use in English of both words, although their meanings now are not the same.

Well before the 19th century a barge had become interpreted as a small vessel of coastal or inland waters. Somewhat later, a bark became a sailing vessel of a distinctive rig as detailed below. In Britain, by the mid-19th century, the spelling had taken on the French form of barque. Francis Bacon used this form of the word as early as 1605. Throughout the period of sail, the word was used also as a shortening of the barca-longa of the Mediterranean Sea.
The usual convention is that spelling barque refers to a ship and bark to tree hide, to distinguish the homophones.

In the 18th century, the British Royal Navy used the term bark for a nondescript vessel that did not fit any of its usual categories. Thus, when the British Admiralty purchased a collier for use by James Cook in his journey of exploration, she was registered as HM Bark Endeavour to distinguish her from another Endeavour, a sloop already in service at the time. She happened to be a ship-rigged sailing vessel with a plain bluff bow and a full stern with windows.

William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine defined "bark", as "a general name given to small ships: it is however peculiarly appropriated by seamen to those which carry three masts without a mizen topsail. Our northern mariners, who are trained in the coal-trade, apply this distinction to a broad-sterned ship, which carries no ornamental figure on the stem or prow."

Avatars of War Dreadlord/Noble/Hero who has swopped his one sword for a Corsair Handbow. 

Another WIP on my benchtop.

Rumour Bells Ringing Dark Elves and 9th Ed Rules?

Dark Elves, Brettonnia or Dwarfs? Rumours abound:

I would like to believe the DE Rumour (being one of my Fave armies)

4 October 2013
September 27th (pre-orders)

Condensing my net trawlings:

Dark Elves are due in October 2013, it is said be a complete new book and not just a wave
New elite infantry kit, possibly witch elves, executioners or black guards.
(If new witch elves, there will most definitely be a new Cauldron of Blood piece)

As expected Monsters and Flyers:

- New Multi-kit Hydra / Kar Karond Beast (Sea/Land/Flying Monster)  - two variations of hydra and Sea       Drake/Beast (flyer)
- Box of 10 new plastic Witch Elves
- Box 10 new plastic Executioners / Black Guard alt builds
- New Cauldron of Blood / Altar of Khaine. (Hybrid kit with old witch Elf or aura similar to EoTG called ?      Khaines blades?  a whirlwind of magic blades emitted by Khain's hatred.
- Blister Fine Cast Priestess/Crone/Hag of Khaine
- Blister Assassin  (Shadowblade)
- Blister Dark Fleet Admiral/Corsair Hero - more than Lokhir, who has become useless w make way rule.
- Executioner /Black Guard Hero Blister
- Plastic/resin  Morathi ?
- Plastic harpy kit with two options
- dual kit chariot ?

Rules:
- Dark Magic buffs up characteristics  of characters, transformation and wound recovery spells aka 5th      
  Edition.(Do we see the Black Horror spell back?)
- Sacrificial Dagger;  buffs the Cauldron of Blood in units (Skaven bell type.) ( 4 + and one per phase)
- Dark Fleet Admiral Hero buffs shooting skills  of unit
- Revamp of Assassins ? Cheaper and causing terror, better rules in keeping with their intent ?
-  Ability to use poison as an option across all Khainite Units
 - Multiple wounds and killing blow for executioners and Black Guard respectively .
-  Malekith more powerful than Teclis. (Doubtful)
-  Monster of the deep-Kar Karond (Sea Drake? ) more powerful than current Hydra

- The emphsis of the book lies around Khainite units (Kharond Kar, Hag Graef and Clar Karond

 So Monsters+Altar of Khaine+Khainite Units, Corsairs as focus.Dark Elves getting more destructive and poisoned attacks to cope w monstrous cavalry , many players' perception of the character each of the Elven races strengths in battle: DE - Offensive, HE - 
Defensive,  WE - Guerrilla warfare . 

The Elite/ heavy infantry definitely need something to help cope against the trend to Monstrous Cavalry:
Multiple wound attacks ( Execs used to do D3) and Killing Blow for Black Guard ? Thanks, that will do me just fine.

Rumours about 9th Ed?
From Tim the Thief on Faeit 212:

New Rumors for the 9th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Release:

All Softcover Army Books will become obsolete with the new release.
The New Starter Set Boxes  will released at the same time as the Hardback Rule Book
The Set will include a Book called “Armies of Warhammer”, this Book will have simplified "beginner" Army lists for ALL available Armies. No full rule book - i.e. force you to buy a book and a starter set.

Armies of Warhammer will give Players a little view of all Armies and they Units, also it will be a transitional solution for the obsolete Army Books
Armies of Warhammer will be a part in the new Hard back Rule book
The Rule book in the Set will be a simplified “Starter or beginner " Rule book

A smaller complete Hardback Rule book will released too, called “Warhammer – The Rules”

Rules
The rule set will change again, GW has recognized the last Edition has had a hard impact on sales of Warhammer products. (read people are not buying it, and opting for the starter set instead)

The number of special rules will reduced
There will be no releases of Fantasy Supplements, the books will contain more background.
Page numbers up to 150 pages are possible!