The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Mammoth miniatures]

The GW middle earth game got me into the hobby and will always be my first love - Innthe last few years I've wanted to get back into it but the older kits are a bit rough around the edges in terms of sculpt and obvious mould wear. So new plastic warriors will probably be the thing that gets me to buy back into the game.

[Pattus Magnus]

Most recent GW stuff has been a “hard pass” for me lately- I just don’t like the figures and their shortage-based marketing strategy pisses me off. But I like what I’m seeing with this set. May just pick one up if a local shop carried it and the price isn’t exorbitant. (I know, wishful thinking.)

[dickiegranthum]

The Rohan warriors on foot look like a solid update. I assume the riders of Rohan will get an update too.

Part of me thinks that WFB should look more like this than the massive blocks of infantry...I expect I'm in the minority though.

WFB became AoS, and the blocks were gone - something like 10+ years ago.

Except, wait for it: WFB people wanted the blocks back! And so now there IS Warhammer: The Old World.

So now, you can play with blocks or NOT play with blocks. Hooray for choice!

[Lost Egg]

WFB became AoS, and the blocks were gone - something like 10+ years ago.

Except, wait for it: WFB people wanted the blocks back! And so now there IS Warhammer: The Old World.

So now, you can play with blocks or NOT play with blocks. Hooray for choice!

Oh aye, but AoS lacks the grounded feel of WFB or Middle Earth, it feels too much like a computer game or comic for my liking.

[anevilgiraffe]

Oh aye, but AoS lacks the grounded feel of WFB or Middle Earth, it feels too much like a computer game or comic for my liking.

yeah, the whole different realms/planes thing just kills it for me, not interested in dimension hopping factions. And Dark Elves are good guys somehow? meh

[Daeothar]

...And Dark Elves are good guys somehow? meh

Wait, what now? 

[anevilgiraffe]

they are in the order/alliance for law or something... on the GW site, the factions/races are grouped by allegiance to Order, Death, Chaos or Destruction and the Dark Elves are Order along with the Lizardmen... the whole lumping together of stuff like that just kills any depth or complexity for me.

[Daeothar]

I see and agree.

But going with a bit of RPG logic, order does not equate good...

[anevilgiraffe]

True, I've no desire to dive into the fluff to be honest, from what I am aware of, it's odd... more D&D planes stuff than Warhammer as was, and that's why I never liked D&D...

[dickiegranthum]

Oh aye, but AoS lacks the grounded feel of WFB or Middle Earth, it feels too much like a computer game or comic for my liking.

Oh,  I agree: I completely gave up on Fantasy from GW when AoS happened. I’ve now been slowly dipping my toe in with WTOW, but the horrible decision to make some models “made to order” only is disgusting and stupid. I’m likely going to buy a 3D printer and just do it my way …

LOTR is an excellent game on on the other hand, and has always been fun!

[Daeothar]

True, I've no desire to dive into the fluff to be honest, from what I am aware of, it's odd... more D&D planes stuff than Warhammer as was, and that's why I never liked D&D...

I started my whole fantasy gaming journey with the red D&D starter box, and ever since, it's the world in there (Forgotten Realms) that has defined how I see a classic fantasy setting. That and the influences of reading Tolkien, Leiber and Jordan. And this means I never was into the whole planes etc thing. My regular D&D group wants to game in the Planescape setting next, but I'm not a fan of that idea at all...

So the WHFB fluff has always been perfectly in line with how I see classic fantasy, and by extention the miniatures that went with it as well. So when AoS was unleashed upon us, I immediately decided that in my headcanon, that never happened and I would happily slave away at my WHFB armies instead.

I mean; you can easily use your existing armies with other rules sets. I looked at the Ninth Age, but the way the community handled things, even though in principle sound, sort of turned me off. Kings of War had potential, but I find its simplified rules too geared towards tournaments, which I'm not into.

Then I tried Ehrewon, and I really liked it, but the local environment (read: my regular opponent) did not like it at all (maybe the fact I trounced him every time while getting a feel for the rules coloured his judgement ), so it's a candidate, but probably won't get played much.

And finally, I arrived at the conclusion that the old editions of WHFB were still perfectly viable options, from 3rd ed all the way up to 8th; there's still a lot to try and like (or not ). And Dark Elves are still really evil there.

As they should... 

[Dr. Zombie]

And finally, I arrived at the conclusion that the old editions of WHFB were still perfectly viable options, from 3rd ed all the way up to 8th; there's still a lot to try and like (or not ). And Dark Elves are still really evil there.

As they should... 

You should check out Warhammer renaissance. It is a mix of 3rd and 4th editions of WFB and a few tweaks here and there. It really is a great "update" on the original editions. 3rd and 4th was peak WFB for me so it really tickles all the right places.
There is a fb page dedicated to it and unlike 9th age it is not toxic at all. And it is stable. Meaning that rules updates (if there are any) only happen in January.

[Hobgoblin]

And finally, I arrived at the conclusion that the old editions of WHFB were stil perfectly viable options, from 3rd ed all the way up to 8th; there's still a lot to try and like (or not ). And Dark Elves are still really evil there.

I reckon second is the best: it lacks the overcomplications of third and has all the best scenarios (McDeath, Orc's Drift, The Dolgan Raiders, The Magnificent Sven, Vengeance of the Lichemaster, Rigg's Shrine - and it's easy to convert first-edition ones like Kremlo). The only change I'd make to the second-edition rules would be to ditch all the psychological stats except Ld (that keeps trolls and troglodytes manageable for thickoes like orcs and lizardmen!).

Second also has the profile-building/points system that vanished thereafter - so you can stat up anything: like those orcs on giant riding birds/lizards that could be glimpsed in some of that era's battle reports.

For me, Ravening Hordes (for second edition) is where the rot set in: the game shifted from being a large-skirmish ruleset designed for characterful scenarios to becoming a list-building game. The third edition is a lovely-looking book, but it's more and more fiddly; Rick Priestley noted in a recent interview that the combat rules are missing parts, but no one seems to notice. And I remember that magic really unbalanced the game from that point.

I was reading over first edition (which I've never played) the other day and noticed how like Mordheim it is: highly individualised character progression and a skirmish sensibility (as expressed in The Ziggurat of Doom). There's one feature that was dropped in subsequent editions: both sides shoot during each missile phase. That sounds to me as if it would make the game better: so that bowmen who advance and then shoot will be shot at if they've put themselves in range of their enemies.

[Belligerentparrot]

Where is that RP interview? I never noticed the missing rules.    Though 2nd ed. Space Marine also had missing rules (e.g. it was never clear whether greater daemons were making psychic attacks) and that did bother me.

Here's another vote for 2nd ed.

3rd ed was what I got into, and my buddies and I didn't have the maturity to step back from the bad tendencies the game made tempting. With hindsight, we played 3rd ed like a poor man's Magic the Gathering: we looked for all sorts of ways to combine hero abilities+magic items+spells, and army design was just about the most efficient combo-delivery system.
No surprise we ditched Warhammer after a couple of years and played MtG instead. Years later I played a game of 2nd ed. and was like "Oh right, that's why so many older folk told me this was a great game".

[Hobgoblin]

Where is that RP interview? I never noticed the missing rules.    Though 2nd ed. Space Marine also had missing rules (e.g. it was never clear whether greater daemons were making psychic attacks) and that did bother me.

I think he mentions it here:

Here's another vote for 2nd ed.

3rd ed was what I got into, and my buddies and I didn't have the maturity to step back from the bad tendencies the game made tempting. With hindsight, we played 3rd ed like a poor man's Magic the Gathering: we looked for all sorts of ways to combine hero abilities+magic items+spells, and army design was just about the most efficient combo-delivery system.
No surprise we ditched Warhammer after a couple of years and played MtG instead. Years later I played a game of 2nd ed. and was like "Oh right, that's why so many older folk told me this was a great game".

Much the same story for me and schoolfriends, although it was Hordes of the Things that we went for as an alternative (before ditching All That Sort of Thing for a couple of decades or more!).