A closer look at 8th Edition rules.

There are a lot of people who still haven't played many games of 8th Edition, and are assuming things play the same as before... and are playing wrong. Take some time and read the entire book, and then read it again. After reading Jervis Johnson's article on the Games Workshop website about some of the Easy to Miss Rules, here are my thoughts on his points.

Templates: Everything is hit. No more partials. But if an old army book still lists partials as being 4+ to hit, you have to play with the old army book rules! I am going to have to dig through some old army books so I know who these armies are.

Sequence of play: This was something Brian of the GLWL brought up on their forums, that I made use of in our game at 3000 points. Charges are declared one at a time. Charge reactions are carried out immediately! Before the next charge is declared even. If you then charge a unit who is already fleeing, it flees again automatically. I made use of this in my game vs Lizardmen and had a unit of Saurus fleeing from my table edge all the way to his table edge in a single turn, allowing me to score points for the unit the next (and last) turn when they ran off the table. Also, charge moves are carried out after all reaction, but before the compulsory movement phase. This is different than last edition.

Pursuing and Fleeing: units with the Swiftstride rule (mostly cavalry) roll 3d6 and take the highest 2 dice totals.Flying units flee and pursue on the ground! This means they will not flee 20" anymore. And finally, models with random movement always move their random movement. Yes, my Doomwheel and Hell Pit Abomination do flee and pursue 3d6 inches TOTAL.

Magic: If a wizard fails to cast, his magic phase is over. Be sure you don't throw 2 dice at a low level spell first thing, you may always roll 2 or 3 and be done. The same with dispelling. You may still dispel after failing, but not with that wizard... losing his magic level bonus to your dispel roll.

Reforming: A unit can get specific situation reforms if it destroys an opponent and does not overrun, or passes a leadership test to not pursue a fleeing unit, or it destroys a fleeing unit and passes a leadership test, or is the loser in combat and passes a leadership test. That final version of combat reform applies the combat modifiers you lost by! Steadfast also applies. Swift reforms are a thing of greatness. If you have a musician, you can take a leadership test in the movement phase to reform and then move regularly, without marching. If you fail you may only reform.

Panic Tests: are taken immediately after they are triggered. But only one test is taken per phase.

Flaming attacks: cause fear in war-beasts, cavalry, and chariots, and allow you to re-roll to wound vs units inside of buildings.



These are some of the interesting ones that have come up again and again vs new 8th Edition players. The rest of Jervis' article is a good read if you aren't completely familiar with 8th Edition yet.

Any other rules you have missed in 8th Edition, only to later find out you've been playing them wrong?

GLWL 8th Edition rules 1.0

In order to help people along who are interested in starting new armies for 8th Edition, Brian and the Great Lakes Warhammer League have released their version 1.0 rules for Army Composition to be used in the League and GLWL Events. If you're interested in the league, I played last year for the first time and had a great time, winning my division but not scoring enough points to advance to the final tournament. You can check out the GLWL HERE.

Great Lakes Warhammer League (GLWL)
Summary of 2011 Army Composition & Magic Rules

Version 1.0

The following army composition and magic rules have been put in place to encourage
players to build 2500 point armies which are balanced in nature. It is the opinion of the
League Office that when all players participating in a competitive event build balanced
lists, the likelihood of getting a bad match-up based on the army list build (i.e. the “Rock /
Paper / Scissors” affect) is reduced and the enjoyment factor for the vast majority of
players participating in the event is increased.

GLWL Composition Rules

1) You may NOT include any Special Characters (e.g. Karl Franz, Teclis, Malekith, etc.),
or named unit champions (e.g. The Changeling, Kouran of the Black Guard, etc.), in an
army without prior approval of the League Office.
2) You may NOT duplicate Rare choices in an army, unless the units are 100 points or
less. For example, an Empire army may only include one Steam Tank.
3) You may include a maximum of 4 War Machine choices in an army. For example an
Orcs & Goblins army may field 2 Goblin Bolt Throwers (a 2 for 1 choice), 2 Goblin Rock
Lobbers (2 Special Choices), and a Goblin Doom Diver (a Rare Choice).
4) You may include a maximum of 3 units with Fly special rule in your army list.
Characters that have the Fly special rule or are riding mounts with the Fly special
rule do count against this limit!
5) You may include a maximum of 2 units with the Thunderstomp special rule in your
army list. Characters that have the Thunderstomp special rule or are riding mounts with
the Thunderstomp special rule do count against this limit!

GLWL Magic Rules

Power Dice You can use a maximum of 12 power dice in each magic phase, regardless
of the source.
Power Scrolls: Power Scrolls are banned. You may not include them in your army.

Questions ?
If you have any questions related to this document, please e-mail Brian @
mi_whplayers@yahoo.com

8th Edition BRB FAQ / Island of Blood Announced

Link to FAQ


- Skaven really use SiN for Steadfast now
- Purple Sun no longer hits the Wizard casting it
- Purple Sun also doesn't effect units it jumps through after max distance
- multiple +1 attack possible
- unstable + ethereal clarified
- LoS against template spells
- must slay rider + mount to score any victory point

The answer that "You must kill the rider and mount to score any victory points" is an interesting one. This means if you kill a Grey Seer who is the army General while riding a Screaming Bell, you won't get his points, or the 100 points for killing a General, unless you also kill the Screaming Bell. You must kill the rider and mount to score any victory points


New Update!

Island of Blood has also been officially announced.

According to GW, there are 74 models in the box set and we should look forward to Official Pictures next week.

8th Edition FAQ's are out!

The 8th Edition FAQ's have been released. Which is funny because they read "Last updated July 10th". I'm posting from the future! Some big rulings for the Skaven in this one, a massive 7 page FAQ. All of the other army books are 2, 3 or 4 pages.
FAQ LINK

*The Doomwheel can shoot into combat.

*Strength in Numbers works along with Steadfast. Add the rank bonus to LD after Steadfast is determined.

*Storm Banner effects ALL non-BS shooting on a 4+ (including Warpstone weapons)

*Doom-Flayer use the machines strength for Impact Hits

*The 13th spell removes only infantry models, if a larger character joined the unit they are placed 1" away from the new Skaven Clan Rats

*Giant Rats attack in 3 ranks, plus the Handler attacks.


Looking forward to getting some games in tomorrow!

More thoughts on 8th edition

Days away from the Warhammer 8th Edition release and I spent some more time playing the new Warhammer rules this week, getting 3 more games in. I played twice against High Elves and once against Orcs and Goblines (more or less just goblins). I played to a Draw in both games and realized something: it is hard to win in 8th edition. According to the rule book, you need to score twice as many victory points as your opponent to win... every other result is a draw. No more minor, major or massacre victories.

As for the games themselves, I tried out some very different lists to get a better feel for my Skaven in the new edition. My first list was fairly balanced, and had the Furnace, some mortars, and the Doomwheel. Everything performed well enough but the mortars were very nice with no more guess range and pre-measuring allowed. My second game was an all infantry list, 1000 points with 201 models! There were so many dead rats at the end of the game vs the Goblins, but I still almost wiped out my opponent to the man. But since I didn't, we counted it up and had a draw. My third game I tried out magic in the form of a Grey Seer, and also tried the Hell Pit Abomination. The magic phase was very nice to me in this game. First turn my level one Plague Priest got off Plague. Later my Grey Seer cast Skitterleap to avoid what would have been death in close combat, and cast The Dreaded 13th Spell to wipe out a unit of Phoenix Guard. The Hell Pit Abomination did not perform as well as I'm used to, because he got tore up by Dragon Princes. He killed them but left with only 1 wound.


I had a few "new-rule" thoughts:

High Elves with ASF and re-rolls are just nasty. My large troop blocks were just decimated. I was losing many combats because just too many hits were getting through. High Elves will do very well with this rule. It is also what crippled my Hell Pit Abomination. 4 Dragon Princes with lances charging the HPA, also re-rolling attacks with their lances. Ouch.

Swift Reform rule is awesome. Just awesome. Probably one of my favorite new rules. A swift reform allows you to take a leadership test if you have a musician. If you pass, you may reform as normal, THEN take a regular move without marching. If you fail you may only reform without moving. This, combined with free reforms after winning combat (or a leadership test to reform after losing) really speeds up the death and carnage in close combat. More units fighting, lots more models dying.

I really like the new magic system. My opponent was getting pretty unlucky with his miscast rolls and becoming a little jaded with his failures with magic... but after it was all said and done he still did alright and we were pretty balanced. My Grey Seer list did it's job (which was to take out a unit with the 13th spell) without dying. In fact he was the only non-slave model on the board at the end of the game. Thank you Skitterleap!

My first 8th Edition game

I was at my FLGS today to get in a Galus Crusade game for 40k, and also got a chance to take a good look at the new Warhammer 8th Edition rule book. After my 40k game I was able to sit down with the book and play a 750 point game to get a feel for the new rules. I didn't get to try out any new magic, because neither I nor my opponent put a mage or wizard in our lists. I played again Dave (bugspray)'s new Dark Elf army. He had a unit of corsairs, a unit of repeating crossbowmen, and 2 units of dark riders. He also had a Dark Elf hero (with some armor that game him 1+ and a great weapon. My army was a Warlord on War-Litter with an enchanted shield, Chieftain with BSB, 2 units of 25 Clan Rats, 1 Plague Mortar, 2 units of 20 Slaves, and a Warp Lightning Cannon.

We started by rolling our scenario then setting up terrain. We decided to play on a 4x5 board for our low point total. Our scenario was Battle For The Pass. It's interesting because you play with the short edges as your board edges, and the battle is long-wise on the board. Your deployment zone is your entire table half, but at least 12" from center. You are fighting in a mountain pass, so the long board edges are all impassable terrain. Otherwise the victory condition are Victory Points.

*There are no table quarters for VP's anymore. There is one interesting addition, if a unit champion slays an enemy character, you gain an additional 50 VP's.



This is what our setup looked like. Bugspray decided he wanted to hide his corsairs... both from shooting, and from getting drawn out with Frenzy.

*You can now take a leadership test to stop your frenzied units from charging the units in their charge range.

As you can tell, the board is fairly dense compared to most 7th Edition terrain setups. The recommended terrain is d6+4 pieces. We rolled randomly on the chart given.

*Terrain does not slow movement. Cavalry, chariots, and (something else) that flee through terrain take dangerous terrain tests. Similar to 40k, each model rolls a d6 and takes a wound on a roll of 1. Unit models that flee through other models or impassable terrain also take DT rolls.

Before the game begins, Bugspray takes his Vanguard moves. Fast cavalry get this as a free move pre-game, similar to the Scout rule in 40k. If they take the move, they cannot charge first turn. We then roll off and he gets first turn.|

Turn 1 he marches his fast cavalry, then shoots with them (I think this is new) killing 2 slaves. I declare a charge vs the closest dark riders, they choose to flee into terrain, but don't lose any models to DT rolls.

Turn 2 he rallies from his feigned flight, and destroys my weapon team. On the other side of the board his other dark riders flee from a charge, and pass through a building while fleeing, taking 1 casualty to a difficult terrain test. My cannon misfires again on the second roll, meaning it fizzles but doesn't misfire.

Turn 3 the dark riders harass my slaves some more as I march forward. This time my cannon kills 2 crossbowmen.

In turn 4 the crossbowmen stand and shoot vs charging slaves, then get charges in the flank by Clan Rats. They lose combat and flee, and the Clan Rats take a Leadership test to not give chase, and reform after combat facing the corsairs. During this turns movement phase I left my Clan Rat unit with my Warlord sitting out in the open, hoping the corsairs would charge them.

In the Dark Elf turn 5, he does charge them. His Hero challenges my Warlord, with no result on either side. I lose the combat, but Leadership 10 because of Skaven rank bonus to LD, and I pass.

In my turn 5, my ruse has worked, and I charge the flank of the corsairs. On the other side of the board my cannon kills 2 dark riders. The double Clan Rat assault is too much, and even though the Warlord and Hero do nothing to each other, the tide of rats pulls down too many Dark Elves, and they flee and are destroyed. After this combat, we called it. I had only lost a weapon team, and bugspray only had 3 dark riders remaining.

The game was a lot of fun for a small game, to learn the rules a little better. Nest time I will definitely throw some magic in there. Here are some more notes:

*Always strike at initiative order in close combat. Charging gives +1 CR, and there is no longer an outnumbering bonus.

*Ranks in combat are counted AFTER combat. Not before. Casualties are taken from the back, and do not stop you from attacking (if you take 5 casualties, it does not stop your front row from attacking back).

*The second rank gets to attack once in combat. If you are stationary with spears, you get three ranks. If you are horde, are stationary, and have spears, I believe you will fight (or get assisting attacks from) 4 ranks!

*Shooting is in 2 ranks. Bows have a volley rule to fire in more than 2 ranks. Stand and shoot minimum range is the movement value of your opponent.

*Pre-measuring is allowed! But, charges are now movement + 2d6", meaning you my fail a charge you would have made for sure in previous editions. If you fail a charge, you only move the distance rolled on the 2d6. Cavalry add 3d6" to their movement.

I can't think of anything else right now. It was a lot of fun though. I didn't get a chance to look too much at the other scenarios. I am looking forward to playing them.

Skaven and the Horde unit rule

8th Edition Warhammer has a new rule called "Horde Units". The regular rules state that units attack with both the front rank and the 2 rank as well. Units in the second rank get only one attack instead of their listed attacks. Horde units are units that are ten models wide. Horde units allow a unit to attack three ranks deep instead of just two. What I don't know yet for sure, but seems to be the case from demo game, is that spears stack another rank of extra attacks. This means I will have to field at least 40 Clan Rats with spears for the max return on this strategy.

What I think is necessary for these Horde units, as Skaven, is to make them unbreakable. Who wants their 40 Clan Rats failing a Fear or Terror check and running away? The best way to do this is to add a Screaming Bell to the unit. It adds a Grey Seer with 360 degree line of sight for spells, makes the unit unbreakable, and also gives your unit more ranks (keeping your 10 wide 4 ranks) by taking up the space of 15 Clan Rats. BUT, it also means a lot more Clan Rats are touching your Grey Seer's base if he just happens to explode during a miscast!

You obviously shouldn't be fielding your entire army as Horde units. Right now I think there are 2 good options. Clan Rats with a Screaming Bell, and of course at least 30-40 Plague Monks with a Plague Furnace and Plague Priest. These two units with be the core of the army. Both unbreakable, and both carrying a character on a large mount. The smaller support units of 20-25 Clan Rats and Storm Vermin are what you will need to have more weapons teams. I would definitely take a couple smaller units to get my Plague Wind Mortars on the table, as there is no more guessing ranges for war machines.


As we have the 8th Edition Rulebook in the hands of players now, there will be more reviews and strategy discussion on the different blogs. So far I can only interpret other blogger's reviews and come up with my own feelings. Maybe I'll call my local GW Hobby Center and get a demo in today!


Also, the new boxed set is being released in September, and is called Island of Blood. It will contain Skaven and High Elves, and will apparently have a plastic Skaven weapon team.

Enter, if you dare, the Warhammer world; it is a strange and dangerous realm, riven with battle, bloodshed and slaughter, twisted beyond sanity by the warping power of Chaos.

The Island of Blood is the new boxed game for Warhammer and is released this September. Packed full of stunning plastic Citadel miniatures and containing all the rules, dice and templates you'll need to play, it's the essential purchase for fans of the Warhammer hobby. Meanwhile, if you like the Battle for Skull Pass boxed game (and who wouldn't with all those Goblins and Dwarfs Dwarfs) then it only seems fair to point out that once the last few remaining copies are they're gone, and they're never coming back! Pick one up while they last.

In August we'll be featuring more information about The Island of Blood here on the website and the full details will be released in September's White Dwarf, so keep your eyes peeled.

8th Edition, 'Ard Boyz, and my Skaven!

Just in case you have been living under a rock, 8th Edition Warhammer Fantasy is being released July 10th! I'm really looking forward to the new changes, and I'm scouring the different blogs, forums, and podcasts daily for new information on rules changes and rumors. I can't wait to hit up my local GW Hobby Center for an 8th Edition Demo Game.

Just a month after the new edition is released, we have the 2010 'Ard Boyz tournament. Along with my Skaven musings, I have been tinkering with lists that are made with the rumored 8th Edition army composition rules, which are supposedly again a percentage system!

25% max lords (includes mounts)
25% max heroes
25% MIN core
50% max special
25% max rare

I'm unsure about the list so far, but I think I will be play testing before and after 8th edition is released. So far I'm not sure how the HPA will perform next Edition, with a possible abundance of flaming attacks and strength potions, and the flaming attacks removing regeneration for an entire turn. Also, with the removal of guessing for cannons (I thought I read this somewhere... still rumored), I may include my Warp Lightning Cannon and some of my Poison Wind Mortars instead of one of the HPA's. Here is the list:

Lords (725)
Vermin Lord
Warlord, war-litter, skalm, w-e-w, rival hide

Heroes (361)
Plague Priest, lvl 2, plague furnace, flail
Chieftain, BSB, shield

Core (788)
25 Storm Vermin, fc, Storm Banner
25 Clan Rats, fc, shields, spears
25 Clan Rats, fc, shields, spears
20 Slaves, musician
20 Slaves, musician
20 Slaves, musician
20 Slaves, musician
5 Giant Rats, 1 Pack Master
5 Giant Rats, 1 Pack Master
5 Giant Rats, 1 Pack Master
5 Giant Rats, 1 Pack Master

Special (470)
25 Plague Monks, fc, Plague Banner
5 Plague Censer Bearers
5 Plague Censer Bearers
5 Plague Censer Bearers

Rare (650)
Hell Pit Abomination, warp spikes
Hell Pit Abomination, warp spikes
Doomwheel