A Whaaaaaaargh is abrewing

As you may have noticed 10mm is the flavour of the last few month's gaming - with Rick Priestley's seminal WARMASTER ruleset at the top of this Leaguer's favourites.

Released back in 2000, the game is played with smaller 10mm figures and after Games Workshop's initial support of the ruleset with the release of a number of core armies it was relegated to the Specialist Games section, in this gamer's view an excellent move because I gauge GW's offerings based on the amount of support they offer them - ie when they release a game that guarantees a solid tactical experience with beautiful miniatures in limited numbers (build a force and learn to use it) it is never a commercial success as people don't have to continually purchase new units to remain competitive. They get what they need "out of the box" and game draws the attention of, indeed, specialist gamers rather than hordes of new gamers spending dad's money on the latest "untouchable kill all" $80 boxed set which, much a like PC, will be fundamentally outdated in 6 months!

Still many multitudes swear by Warhammer and its futuristic cousin - and the miniatures are certainly amazing as my banana warriors..err Fearless Imperial Fists...can show.
The rules have since seen many incarnations, first as Warhammer Historical's Warmaster Ancients and its Medieval variant before the game engine was licensed to Pete Jones in 2007 and heavily modified to produce the Commander series - Blitzkrieg for battles from the early 1930s (Spanish Civil War) to the end of WWII, Cold War for the interim conflicts to the modern day, and Future War for tomorrow's wars. This last one is also used by many in the 6mm Epic community as an alternative ruleset.

Alas for the last year or so I've been gaming with an Altdorf Empire army and the High Elves of Lothlorien. Great games, the High Elves having an edge in terms of command and staunchier units all round as well as great shooting, and the Empire offering a different tactical experience with their halberd-wielding footsloggers, war machines and bickering proudful knights, counts and wizards.

Yet even as these two armies' border clashes stalemate with almost equal wins to either side as my gaming and knowledge of each forces' strength gets better, a new menace has descended upon the land from the woods and mountains to the East of the Empire - the Orcs are here!

The green tide in all its (lack of) glory!

 

The horde's bickering commanders

Black Orcs - the meanest and greenest of the troops who can steal the better armor and weapons

The horde of greenskins poised to flow over the Empire and wreck its peaceful way of cilivized life because...well...because they can!

Deadly Goblin wolf chariots have no lasting power but after all, who cares...their job isn't to live out the campaign as much as to punch holes in the enemy battlelines and then die as loudly and bloodily as possible

Used to getting well bashed the Trolls have developed regenerative powers and can take one heck of a beating - as well as dishing punishment of their own aplenty. Unfortunately they are a tactical challenge to command as they's SO dumb they have a special rule called, appropriately, Stupid!

 

Another fantasy mainstay these Giants have chosen to follow the Orcs into war in the hope of some freebies to plunder along the way

 

Orcs are much better at destroying things than building them - though some among them do develop their limited engineering skills to the point of being able to field crude and unpredictable Trebuchets as these are, after all, "tingz we bildz to deestroy otha tingz". Love Orc logic!

There are other troops I have no pics for at the moment but will on Sunday when they first meet the Empire and High Elves for a nice bit session of clobbering skulls and crunching bones. In all the force consists of, to date

- A General on a Chariot

- A Hero on a Chariot

- Four other Orc Heroes

- Two Goblin Heroes

- A Goblin and an Orc Shaman

- Six units of Goblins

- Six units of Orcs

- Three units of Black Orcs

- Three units of Boar Riders

- Three units of Wolf Chariots

- Three units of  Trolls

- Three units of Wolf Riders

- Two Giants

- Two Trebuchets

A nice base to start there, all painted by a great chap in the US who is currently working on a Dwarf army I may pick up, as well, and featuring enough troops and options for games up to 3000pt (where 1500pt is the most common game size you can see these are going to be around for some time and offer much enjoyment and a great tactical experience)

To finish it all off I've done gone bought a Battle of the Five Armies set today which will supply a further two brigades of Goblins, three units of Wolf Riders and three of Wargs (giant evil wolves to the uninitiated) as well as an Orc General on a Wyvern (a dragon with no arms, basically)

Now where's that paintbrush...

Thanks for reading!
S.