Fantasy Play Test rules up for Brink of Battle! - Pics Added

[Faust23]

For those of you who have been waiting for us to post our first set of rules so you can play test the Fantasy supplement for Brink of Battle: Skirmish Gaming throught the Ages, your patience has been rewarded.  

You can read my musings at our blog page here http://brinkofbattle.blogspot.com/ and/or you can go to our website in the Downloads section and print out your copy here at www.brinkofbattle.com

In a few days we'll have the official Play Test feedback form up.  This is what you need to fill out and email to us to add your feedback to the new rules.  We are allowing our customers to take part and have some impact on what eventually ends up in the book.

You can use your existing miniatures and re-create either the fantasy world you play other games in now, or do a home brew and show us what you made!    

Noch Weiter!

Bob

[Faust23]

Joe noticed I missed one Trait on the play test sheet that is part of the Insectiod Trait, called Extra Attack+1.

Here's the rule for your use:

Extra Attack (S) – A model with this Stackable Trait has a greater number of Base Attacks than his CBT Rating will allow.  The increased Base Attacks are Stackable up to +3.  However, a model may not have more Extra Attacks than its normal Base Attacks.  For example, if the model had a CBT 5, it would have 2 Base Attacks.  It could have Extra Attack +2, but not +3. 

Thanks,

Bob

[jackwrench]

Spent the weekend with Faust discussing what's in the works for the fantasy supplement, Epic Heroes, and I can say that I'm really excited about it. He laid out what he has planned for the magic system to me, which deals with both arcane-style spellcasters and ritualistic holy magic.

I can genuinely say that the magic system is unlike anything I've seen before in flexibility and depth. Very jazzed to see how it all comes together as playtesting continues!

Speaking of playtesting, you can download the first piece of public playtesting material on the website now at http://www.brinkofbattle.com in the Downloads section. The PDF there contains the rules for Inborn Traits, which are what will be used to build races other than stock humans from the historical rules. There is a lot of cool stuff there, and there's still more to come! Definitely worth checking out.

-J

[Stavros Banjo]

Received my printed copy of the Brink of Battle rules today. You, sir, are to be applauded for your efforts - what a cracking set of rules. It's obvious how much work you've put into them by the quality of the finished product & I'm really looking forward to trying them out. Some really neat & original ideas & I hope they get the recognition they deserve. I can highly recommend them. Add them to the top of your compulsory purchase list, you won't be disappointed.

Can't wait to see how the fantasy rules take shape. It's looking great so far.

[Faust23]

Thanks Stavros.  You're makin' me blush...

Just added some more spells, magic items, and Elite Traits to my lists.  Getting together with my Demo Team next weekend to push some metal around and play test the new Inborn Traits we have up on the website.

I'll have a full report after that.

[Faust23]

Here's the Battle Force I'm taking to our Epic Heroes Fantasy play test this weekend.

In the 'official' Epic Heroes setting there is a framework of races and governments, but each player gets to further define those with the models he actually brings to the tabletop.

For example, I have a Braykin model in my Force.  I have defined Braykin as lesser Braymen, bipedal goatmen, so in this instance, I'm using a Satyr figure from Otherworld models to use in my force.  My Braykin is a good guy, working with the Sylvani, which are the Elves who live in Wychwood and guard the Ruins of Vanis-Trymno. 

Another player could come along and say that his Braymen and Braykin are bad guys and use models appropriate to that look.  Or use something entirely different as his interpretation of 'his' Braymen, etc.

Next post has the Roster... 

[Faust23]

Elite Force Organization for Period 1 Setting

Huntmaster Keiros D'Nath - Sylvani Commander - Ratings: Combat 6, Command 6, Constitution 5
Traits: Graceful (Inborn), Commander, Myrmidon, Tactician
Gear: Medium Armor, Helmet, Greatspear
123 Supply Points

Toltir Kurness, Sylvani Battle Bard - Veteran - Ratings: CBT 5/ CMD 4/ CON 4;
Traits: Graceful (Inborn), Hack & Slash;
Gear: Light Armor, Cleaver, Buckler; 81 SP's

Vixtrose Brightwaters, Sylvani Battle Bard - Veteran - Ratings: CBT 5/ CMD 4/ CON 4;
Traits: Graceful (Inborn), Hack & Slash;
Gear: Light Armor, Sword, Buckler; 81 SP's

Briapus Knobbycock, Braykin Archer - Veteran - Ratings: CBT 5/ CMD 4/ CON 4;
Traits: Feral (Inborn), Organic Weapons+1 (Horns), Marksman+2;
Gear: Longbow; 86 SP's

Lirnas & Aerreon, Sylvani Archers - Veterans - Ratings: CBT 5/ CMD 4/ CON 3;
Traits: Marksman+2, Sharpshooter;
Gear: Longbow, Sword; 77 SP's

Since I have a Theme and all models are named and painted, I get +25 Supply Points, so my total for the Campaign is 525 Supply Points.

[Wirelizard]

Since I have a Theme and all models are named and painted...

I like this as a rules feature, it encourages players to think about warband design and background, which tends to automatically create more flavour and interest.

You find yourself developing a world or background quite organically, just from having to explain why group "X" exists. Some of the best parts of our pulp gaming, for example, started out as attempts to explain how certain characters had come to be...

[Faust23]

I like this as a rules feature, it encourages players to think about warband design and background, which tends to automatically create more flavour and interest.

You find yourself developing a world or background quite organically, just from having to explain why group "X" exists. Some of the best parts of our pulp gaming, for example, started out as attempts to explain how certain characters had come to be...

Great obervation, Wirelizard.  It does organically build out the back story.  I'll have some other key features that will allow you to build your own Fantasy world in the supplement.

[jackwrench]

Got together with our play testing group last night to try out some of the new Inborn traits and features planned for the Epic Heroes supplement. As most of these traits are still in the early stages of development, it's expected that a lot of them are going to be ironed out or changed as the game develops and grows.

For my play test, I decided to make a 3-man Elite force using my old Confrontation Wolfen as the basis for the models. The main focus of this force is to truly stress test the Brute trait, which has not yet been released for public play testing but we are currently using in closed testing.

Ashiok, Hunt Alpha (Commander), 157 pts
CBT 6, CMD 6, CON 5
Commander, Brute, Marksman 2, Sharpshooter
Bow, Knife, Light Armor, Helmet

Grimgris the Brutal (Veteran), 185 pts
CBT 6, CMD 6, CON 6
Brute, Kung Fu 3, Myrmidon
Throwing Edge, Light Armor, Helmet, Lucky Totem

Brennok, Keeper of Songs (Veteran), 183 pts
CBT 6, CMD 6, CON 6
Brute, Hack and Slash, Myrmidon
Great Cleaver, Knife, Light Armor, Helmet, Lucky Totem

Force Total: 525pts (500 pts + 25 pts for painted model and force theme)

Opposing me was a Horde force of 13 goblins all using the Runt trait, which is available through the Epic Heroes play test traits available at http://www.brinkofbattle.com. Unfortunately, I do not have the full list for the goblin force, but the average model in the force was CBT 3, CMD 2, CON 3 with most of them armed with either Spears/Shields or Short Bows. The goblins with the Short Bows also had the Dirty Bastard trait, allowing them to fire into melee with friendly models.

The Outcome
As I had initially suspected, an Elite force centered around the Brute Inborn Trait is an extremely tough nut to crack. I made it through the entire game without losing a single model while I had taken out over a third of the goblins before they were routed. Here are my observations regarding the play test:

1) The Brute Trait combined with the high stats of my force made them utterly unstoppable. My Commander was Shocked on two separate occasions, but only because he was standing out in the open taking shots from archers. My two melee-focused models each got into the mix with multiple opponents and never even took a scratch, where they consistently dismantled anything that attacked them.

2) The Runt Trait has way too much stacked against it for the benefit it provides. Yes, it allows you to function at CBT Full against ranged attacks that originate from 20" away, but the loss of Hustle or the ability to take Traits that increase your movement means that once you get within that 20", closing the gap is very difficult. Once the goblins were close enough for Runt to no longer be a factor, they never made it anywhere near my Commander.

Suggestions
1) Brute may need to be toned down a bit. The combination of +1 to Resistance checks, needing an 8 to Wound, and having to be Shocked three consecutive times makes actually removing a Brute very difficult. I was playing against a novice player, but Joe had similar troubles dealing with Brutes after he built models specifically to handle them.

I think one of the three major benefits provided by Brute needs to be dialed back. Either drop the inclusion of Toughskin, keep Toughskin but move the 8 needed to Wound down to 6 like the Durable trait, or only require two shocks like a normal model.

Oddly, Fearsome didn't have as much of an effect as I expected it to, though most of the close combat was happening right next to the goblin Commander, giving the models involved a boost.

‎2) Runt needs either be made better or made cheaper. One thing we considered is that the model could always just get a straight +1 to Defense against Ranged Attacks. Something else that occured to me is that they could keep the benefit up to 10" if the movement penalties are to stay.

Also, one suggestion I made when discussing after the game was to make the trait a 0 cost Trait like Craven (also available in the public test rules on the Brink of Battle site) since the benefit is seemingly outweighed by the drawbacks.

Other Oddities
Being as we were playing with massive models (brutes) against small models (runts), there were several sizing-oriented questions that came up.

Should Runts be harder for Brutes or other larger models to hit because they are so much smaller?

All the goblin archers had Dirty Bastard - would the randomization change because the goblins in close combat are so much smaller than the wolfen?

Should the Runt or Brute abilities affect Reach or prohibit purchase of certain weapons. For example, should Runts be able to take Long Bows or Pikes?

These are all little issues that don't really affect the gameplay overall, but were still consdierations that came up during play.

Further Observations
As I touched on earlier, the other game being played was between a player with an Elite force organization very similar to mine (werewolf models, two brutes) against a Standard force that was designed with the knowledge that the Brute trait would be a factor. The Standard player was unable to down either of the models with the Brute Trait, even with his two heaviest hitters locked in combat with one of them.

We will be meeting up to play again this weekend, where some of the players will be bringing a different selection of forces to see how other Inborn Traits stack up. I personally will be bringing the same force outlined at the beginning of my post to see how Brute continues to perform in the face of other abilities.

-J

[Faust23]

Well, I'm exhausted after spending the day with the gang standing on concrete for hours playtesting the Inborn Traits.

Alan is correct, we need to re-tool the Brute Trait.  So we're back to the drawing board for that one.

Slithering Body, Durable, Graceful, Stout, Feral, and Toughskin worked well.  Pics to follow next week.

Thanks again to Joe for letting us take over his workshop. 

We had 2 Dwarf forces, 2 Wolfman forces, 1 Reptileman force, and my Warthorne Tempest ( wood elves more or less).

We had some great discussion about the Fearsome and Brute Traits, and we'll give those the most focus in the coming week.

If any of you are using the Inborn Trait download from our website, please also fill out your feedback forms and email them to me at sitrep@brinkofbattle.com

Also, I played three campaign games today.  I had both of my 'battlebards' suffer permanent injuries.  Vixtrose suffered a Crushed Spine, and Toltir suffered a Mangled Flesh result.  Figures my most acrobatic warriors would suffer the worst hurts. 

After my second game I had enough re-supply points to buy one more model, Karnus Hornrath, my minotaur.  I chose to build him with the Feral Trait instead of Brute.  Worked out ok, even though I lost my last battle to Alan.

All in all a good day gaming.

[Faust23]

More pics here http://4sparta.blogspot.com/

[Faust23]

Here are some shots of our play test game.  Joe's Reptile men are using Slithering Body Inborn Trait on his Infiltrator, and he used Durable on the rest of his guys.  I used Graceful on my elves to good effect.

Highlight of this Retrieval Mission for me was when Joe's Slithering Body model was Engaged in Close combat with my Commander, Thorn Warden Keiros D'Nath.  Joe charged Keiros with a different Reptileman, and he rolled super low on top of being CBT/2 from Keiros having a greater Weapon Reach.  Keiros got a Counter-Attack and Wounded the guy charging him!  Kebab!

Then it was my turn to activate, so I did a Stand & Fight Action with Keiros and impaled his snake-bodied lizard!

That was fun.  Here are some shots

[Gibby]

Lovely! Looks very good!

[Faust23]

Thanks