Tag warhammer fantasy

Dungeon Bowl Death Match

Death Match

Dungeon Bowl is back with another claustrophobic match pitting two magical colleges against each other in Death Match!

Dungeon Bowl has quickly become a classic in our gaming groups with the catacombs and traps to navigate, making an already crazy game crazier. Death Match adds two new colleges to the mix and visually is the most stunning release yet!

At $170 this boxset comes with everything needed for a match but also give options to expand. Teams are divided into Colleges and it comes with teams for the Colleges of Life and Death. Map tiles allow you an almost endless number of customizations so that you never have to play the same map twice. Two teams enter the particular Dungeon and in search of the game ball and if found must survive to score a touchdown. One touchdown is all that is needed to win but just finding it and delivering the ball is enough. Players must survive traps and other players who will stop at nothing to prevent them from scoring.

Regular Blood Bowl players will have options to further customize their teams using their players and creatures to fill out the roster for their chosen College. The models look fantastic and the map tiles can be used in other games like Cursed City to keep those maps fresh as well. Without purchasing other Blood Bowl teams however will mean your kit-bashing options will be quite limited as you only have a couple models for each faction as part of the game. As a stand-alone game though I don’t see this title as a replacement for Blood Bowl, merely as a new way to play. This game is chaotic, fast paced and immensely enjoyable.

Dungeon Bowl returns with a new editon!

Dungeon Bowl

Dungeon Bowl is back but is it as good as expected and what impact does it hold for Blood Bowl going forward?

What do you get when you cross a scavenger hunt in a dungeon and American Football? You get Dungeon Bowl from Games Workshop. Dungeon Bowl is a lesser known version of Blood Bowl, similar to how Kill Team is a branch of Warhammer 40K. It’s the same world but entirely different mechanics, rules and points. Play styles that work well in Blood Bowl may not work as well in the Dungeon.

At $160 this boxset comes with everything needed for a match but also give options to expand. Teams are divided into Colleges and it comes with teams for the Colleges of Fire and Shadow. Map tiles allow you an almost endless number of customizations so that you never have to play the same map twice. Two teams enter the particular Dungeon and in search of the game ball and if found must survive to score a touchdown. One touchdown is all that is needed to win but just finding it and delivering the ball is enough. Players must survive traps and other players who will stop at nothing to prevent them from scoring.

Regular Blood Bowl players will have options to further customize their teams using their players and creatures to fill out the roster for their chosen College. The models look fantastic and the map tiles can be used in other games like Cursed City to keep those maps fresh as well. Without purchasing other Blood Bowl teams however will mean your kit-bashing options will be quite limited as you only have a couple models for each faction as part of the game. As a stand-alone game though I don’t see this title as a replacement for Blood Bowl, merely as a new way to play. This game is chaotic, fast paced and immensely enjoyable.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring the Spire Tyrants

Spire Tyrants

Welcome to the another installment of a our series where we will be focusing on one of the Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing the Spire Tyrants!

The Spire Tyrants hail from the Varanspire, specifically the fighting pits. Those that excel in the pits are awarded a spot among the warbands. Comprising of more variations than nearly any other warband, the Tyrants is ideal for the player that doesn’t want every model to look the same, just as every successful pit fighter is varied.

The variation is both a blessing and a curse for this warband. Specifically the more options you have the more you can customize to your play style. The reason I say this is a curse is because if you are like me you are very indecisive when it comes to building your team. To find the right fit for you, don’t be surprised if you need to modify your roster multiple times before landing on the one that works for you. I still haven’t figured out my best line up and I’ve had my box since they were released!

When it comes to abilities they don’t have nearly as many attack options as I would have expected. They surprisingly have an excellent team buff option with a triple roll- Champion of the Warpits. This ability gives a bonus to attack rolls to nearby units if the attacker had downed an opponent on this turn.

This warband hits hard and has a decent range of movement, making them an improvement over the Iron Golems in my opinion. This increased range allows them to reach their enemies faster and get to the objectives in a more timely manner. When you reach your target, whichever type it may be, you will be able to take a beating and dish one out while you’re there.

To purchase your own box of this models head over to the Games Workshop store here! I personally would pick up two so you have can more options when assembling your warband.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring the Unmade

The Unmade

Welcome to the another installment of a our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing the Unmade!

Originating from the island of Tzlid, near the Shyish Nadir, The Unmade enter Eightpoints from a land of death and decay. The realm was once ruled by the dread lord of the undead himself, Nagash. It’s no surprise that these guys look like nightmares made flesh. Their aesthetic alone is meant to be fearsome. Looking carefully at the models you will notice that they are mutilated in some way. This makes for a great opportunity for anyone that likes to kitbash. The art of kitbashing, for those that are unaware, is taking parts from more than one model it build a one of a kind model of your own.

In their lore The Unmade are essentially a pain cult that rejoices in their own agony and that of their enemies. Sent by dream from the Flayed King, the Blissful One leads this warband to eat and terrorize anyone they meet. These guys sound like fun to invite for a party.

The Blissfull One is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to this faction. To start he has an overwhelming 5 attacks that do critical damage on 6! He has a high movement as well. This means that he can travel around the table quickly murdering everyone. With him being so important to the faction he will also be the primary target of your opponent, so keeping him alive will be a priority. I would recommend using him to focus on anyone separated from the rest of their group before moving on, treating him like a melee sniper. The Joyous One can be quite deadly as well but it is too reliant on good rolls. With me behind the dice he will rarely be used to his potential. The Vessel of Torment ability should be well timed because it will only be truly beneficial if the Blissful One took down an enemy because it will give him an additional move and attack in the same activation.

Your priority should be centering your playing around the Blissful One. Trap opponents within range of the Blissful One so he can swoop in for the kill and line himself up for his next attack. This faction is meant for the more experienced players because to make them effective you must stay out of range of your enemy’s attacks and plan your attacks well. This team does not soak up damage well and will fall if they are being hit consistently.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring the Cypher Lords

Cypher Lords

Welcome to the another installment of our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing Cypher Lords!

Coming from Nochseed in the Realm of Light, the Cypher Lords practice their Chaos arts in secret. Being from Hysh they have a natural agility that they have paired with their dark gifts. Other than speed their primary focus is on their abilities and hitting harder than most. Surprisingly when you think of a faction with better movement they typically won’t have the hits to follow it up but these guys do. Their biggest weakness is the fact that they have a much lower threshold for wounds than almost any other warband.

For players that prefer more complex maneuvers the Cypher Lords will be a great faction to play with. Having to plan for better efficiency they become the closest to playing chess than the other bands. What really makes them stand out from the other factions is the fact that their lore has them stemming from the Realm of Light. A faction of darkness from one of the brightest realms.

The Luminate stands out as a unit because she can essentially act as a second leader for the warband and spread leadership abilities around the field of battler easier. With the ability to essentially teleport units all over the table between the Luminate and Thrallmaster you can keep the moving more to keep them out of harms way and allowing you to dish out a ton more damage.

Warcry Warband Focus Featuring Corvus Cabal

Corvus Cabal

Welcome to the another installment of our series where we will be focusing on one of the exclusive Chaos Warbands from Warcry. This time we will be discussing Corvus Cabal.

These followers of the Great Gatherer stem from the Realm of Shadow and believe the legendary Chaos General Archaon is the embodiment of their god. This faction is the masters of movement and stealth. Some units have the ability to ignore height when moving around the board. This is huge as some models can be trapped by the terrain pieces themselves. The Shrike Talon has an ability that will exploit this fact- Swooping Attack. Essentially he gets to drop on his enemy from above and use it to get a free move and attack option. From some heights he can receive bonuses to improve on the deadliness of the attack.

When playing against foes that have a higher defense (and depending on your objectives) winning the game will require you win the first initiative. Having the first turn is hugely important because Corvus Cabal will win the day on speed alone if they secure objectives first. Otherwise you will be trying to steal the objectives from forces that will typically outlast your fighters. This is what I call the Smash and Grab.

Visually this is an amazing faction. Easily second favorite. I love the Native American aesthetic they have and will likely be one of the first I build for myself but due to their play style will get less usage as a force. My play style is more of a Hit ’em hard and hit ’em fast method that lacks the finesse Corvus Cabal requires.

Blood Bowl has returned for Season 2!

Blood Bowl

The fine folks at Games Workshop have brought one of my favorite IP’s to the pitch with the Second Season Edition of Blood Bowl!

Those that know me, even just a little, will know that I am not a fan of sports, watching or playing. For some reason though I’ve always had a soft spot for Blood Bowl. I have played every iteration of the video games on the Xbox and both of the previous releases of the tabletop game. I even read some of the older books. So how is that I love a sports themed game when I detest sports? It’s all about the conflict. A game where you can have an ork kill or maim a player outright is one I am more than willing to give a solid try. Each time I’ve played I’ve lost on the tabletop and still found it quite enjoyable. The Season 2 Edition seemed like the perfect chance to finally beat my son.

Not much has changed in terms of general gameplay, but at the same time EVERYTHING has changed. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but we are seriously talking about some big changes. First off is in value- the core box comes with enough models to play a full team! This is huge! Every iteration previously required you to purchase additional boxes to have enough on the pitch. I hope this is the trend going forward. Previous editions made an effort of using star players but they always felt like they were missing something. With Season 2 we get to see them offer a bit more panache on the field, no longer just cool looking models. The rulebook includes rules for a plethora of star players, each with their own special stats to make playing them more worth it. It even adds another layer to setting your roster. Additionally previous editions required you purchase your heavy hitters separately but you get one for each team.

As always when it comes to causing carnage on the field I’m no slouch but when it comes to planning through openings to score points there is still some sort of disconnect. Playing multiple games with my son he managed to win each time but not before losing several players along the way. We had a total blast with the game and hope to try out a few of the other teams as they release using the new ruleset. The rules are much easier to understand than in previous editions, leaving fewer questions regarding how to interpret them. If you enjoy sports, fantasy tabletop games or beating the crap out of your opponent you will enjoy this game.

Dark Harvest ~ A Warhammer Horror novel

Dark Harvest

Dark Harvest follows the exploits of Harran Blackwood, a Warrior-Priest that must confront his past if he is to survive in this novel by Josh Reynolds!

Harran Blackwood was a Warrior-Priest, meaning he was a priest of Sigmar that was also a warrior in the first Warhammer Horror novel Dark Harvest. When I requested this book from the Black Library for the sake of review I hadn’t even read the details about the book. Simply put I saw the name of the writer and the cover and that was enough for me.

The story starts with Harran receiving a letter that reminds him of some rather painful memories. Arriving in the town of Wald in search of the sender finds something far older and more evil in the area. The story focuses more on slow building tension than outright horror. Along the way you learn that practically everyone in Wald is not someone worth redeeming. Told in a first person perspective Harran comes off as surprisingly relatable. He’s constantly trudging along despite his growing unease, while simultaneously battling with his own inner demons and the lies he tells himself.

Overall I found this book to be quite engaging and well worth the read. Josh Reynolds as always knocks this out of the park!