Lich Lord: First Thoughts

[MacavityandMycroft]

After reading through the book, I need to call it as a spot on supplement.

1) Campaign to be used for those who want a definitive one.

2) New items, spells, and creatures flavoured heavily for the campaign, but usable in bits or wholesale else-wise.

3) New Warband members offer 'tweaking' type options.  Can't see myself using a Bard, but the Javeliners and Pack Mule will be perfect fits for some bands and ignorable by others.  In other words, they are useful but not a new requirement which is lovely.

4) The prettiest creature art I have ever seen for the Rangifier! 

5) The Amulet of Amoto! (in no way is it meant to invoke thoughts of a certain other amulet that may or may not be used by earth's supreme sorcerer.

All in all very happy.  Feels like a real addition, rather that a required extension of the rules, and in soft-cover at a lower price, it bills itself that way as well.

[Awesome Adam]

I started reading through my copy this morning and I am quite pleased.

Like you said, everything is themed, and fits together nicely.

Lichdom will probably be more popular than Ascendance, since it lets you continue play after achieving it.

The ability to create to skeletons and revenants is a welcome addition, but I honestly don't see the point of creating an armored Skeleton for 30GC if it crumbles at the end of the battle.

Homunculus is a decent safety net to keep your warband from being devastated by a Wizard's death.

[MacavityandMycroft]

I saw the armoured skelly as more of a "got a nest egg, soldiers haven't been dying..." option.  An alternative use of cash, more than anything, but I haven't been in the thick of it with it yet!

[Jiron]

The first thing I did yesterday morning was to buy PDF if Thaw of the Lich Lord. Then spend several hours reading it. And I must say I love it! My points follow:

1) I love the campaign, the scenarios are nicely connected and very interesting. I'm the guy who rather take some treasue and leaves battlefield when I start losing, so I am supper excited with the scenarios where you just can't escape. And the final scenario is, to put it simply: EPIC!

2) Lichdom is very interesting. It gives you some drawbacks and also it's very fluffy. When you came to knowledge how to achieve lichdom, you have to study that and when you try to cast it and you're not ready, you suffer serious damage to your soul and body. Very nice!

3) I must say that I expected more from the new soldiers. Crowmaster seems very expensive for what he does, the same for Bard (although, he will probably find his way to my warband). I plan to use javelineers in my Anglo-Saxon Warband, so I am a little disappointed by their stats but on the other hand, they are really cheap! Pack mule is an interesting idea.

4) My friend, long time GW fan, recently started building undead (skeleton) warband using the Skeleton box and some spare bits for his soldiers. When I told him about the Revenant spell, he decided he need it! I really like this option though I don't aim to the lichdom, nor necromancy.

[Daniel36]

I pre-ordered the book through Bol.com, and received it two days ago! I have enjoyed reading it thoroughly.

My first thoughts on it are, it is probably going to be the most fun if you have a GM. Some of the missions are cooler if you don't know what is going to happen in them. Since I like GM-ing, that is probably what I will do.

My only gripe with the missions is that some of them are very, very specific. Now, I am all for building scenery to fit my games, but I would have to do a fair bit of work to get some of them finished.

I am mostly thinking of House of Longreach and Battle on the River, and to a certain extent Lair of the Ghoul King.

Would it at all be possible for Osprey or Northstar to have some battle mats released for these? I mean, I guess most folks have a dungeon of sorts for Lair of the Ghoul King, but to have a mansion or frozen river... Having a battle mat for those would be quite epic!

[MacavityandMycroft]

I have to say Longreach is the one that intrigues me the most!

I am a bit disappointed in the assumption that they will be two player only.  Most "arriving" forces seem to come on a table-side that was not an entry point.  Unless I'm moving to a hexagon, I was hoping all 4 would be used regularily in the campaign 

I'm thinking I might move it to a corner, unless Joe thinks that would upset balance by beign a longer distance?  Maybe we could mitigate with terrain placement, or we could just let someone suffer with a side full of Monsters to retreat through! 

[Daniel36]

Well, the writer does insist on making the game your own, it is clearly stated in the introduction. I wouldn't worry about changing things up, I don't think the scenarios have been tested to death to make sure they are balanced or where a single change will ruin it, or anything.

Do what feels right. I am probably going to GM this campaign at some point, and I am going to change a couple of things to suit me better, mostly things like changing the bone wheel scenario because I don't have the scenery for it, small things like that.