Wednesday, October 20, 2010

New rules for the October release of Dwarves/Goblins/Drake

Thanks again to Grashnar the Second of The Last Alliance
See them after the break, and they should make an interesting debate about points values/stat from the last post

Gundabad Blackshields (plus their Captains):
These guys are probably the single most overpowered unit in this batch. They're basically Goblinoid versions of Uruk-hai warriors. In fact, their statline is identical to armoured Isengard Uruks with shields save for the fact that they have standard Goblin fight values. Add Cave Dweller, and the fact that they're a mere two points more expensive than a Goblin with shield, and you know these guys will be getting a lot of attention. But wait, there's more! They also have a special rule that allows them to re-roll certain failed wound attempts at Dwarves or Elves!  Hmm, so for 7 points you get F2 S4 D6 A1 W1 C3 and two special rules.......

Gundabad Shaman:
This guy is... interesting to say the least. He's identical to your regular Goblin Shaman except for the spells he casts. He doesn't have transfix or Fury, but a very limited, yet powerful version of Nature's Wrath. Basically, rather than an area of effect, you draw a line between the shaman and a certain distance on the battlefield. Anyone unlucky enough to be caught in said line, gets knocked to the ground AND receives a S6 hit to boot! 
His second spell is even more devastating, though it is more subtle. If the target fails to resist, it loses all wargear and becomes unarmed for the remainder of the game.  F2 S3 D4 A1 W2 C3 M1 W3 F1  Not bad, only 3 fate, in this case I am assuming he can not cast on a 2+ .

Gundabad Drums:
Move over Moria drums, we won't be seeing you anymore. Ever. These guys have the same rules as the Moria Drums, except with the statline of the Gundabad warriors and the ability to move whilst drumming. In addition, if one of the drummers dies, a Gundabad Blackshield in base contact can take it's place. And to top it all off, they're a lot cheaper than the Moria Drums. Holy drummer batman!

Cave Drake:
Well, first of all, he's cheap. Very cheap. Like Mordor Troll Drummer cheap. Except that he's better than a Troll. He's got Mordor Troll stats, but with one less FV and double the wounds. In addition, he gets a few standardized Dragon rules: Resistant to Magic, Terror, Draconic Charge. Which is nice, but the real fun starts with his special rules: He ignores difficult terrain, and if he ever loses a fight whilst trapped, every model in base contact with the Drake gets a S4 hit. Oh, and if he wins combat, he can either choose to attack normally OR he can make a single strike against a victim to eat it (read: instakill it). 150 pts F6 S7 D7 A3 W6 C3  If he really has not might will or fate, as long as you do not trap him he is not so bad.  Just immobilize him or face him off with a lineage of the firstborn, he has a high chance of failing courage tests.

Floi:
Statwise, he's average. He can however spend a Will point once per turn to negate an enemy special rule. He also gains a single Will point whenever the good player kills a multi-wound model or hero, and this can take him above the starting level.  Neutralize shadowlord special rule, kill captain with bow fire, repeat until in H2H. Ooooo or better yet, neutralize the shade special rule while in H2H...moooooohhhhooohahahha.

King's Champion:
For the point's cost of Imrahil, you receive not only the Champion but his two banner bearers. The banner bearers carry shields, hand axes and banners, so they also grant their banner bonuses. However, you're going to want to keep them close to the King's Champion, since he gains additional benefits from them, and they gain a benefit from him: as long as they are in base contact, the Champion and the banner bearers receive defense bonuses. The banner bearers also count as mini-heroes, having Fate points. The King's Champion actually benefits from this as well, as the fate points of the Banner Bearers can be used to roll for the King's Champion. The Champion himself is quite the combat beast, but it's the coöperation with the banner bearers that makes this model lethal. Have to see these rules and how much of a defense bonus this is, probably not worth it since imrahil is 135 points.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting Jobu. Here is my post to Last Alliance.

    Re: Gundabads...
    I think of these guys as being goblin versions of 8 pt Morannons with shields = F3 S4 D6 A1 W1 C2 move 6" while Gundabads would have the same stat line minus 1 to the fight value (deduct 1/2 point) and 1" for movement (deduct full point) then add 1/2 point for specials rule for rerolling failed wound attempt for a net 7 points per model =F2 S4 D6 A1 W1 C2 move 5".

    Of course, Morannons are widely considered by many to be a bargain for their point cost already. Furthermore, the special rule about rerolling failed wound attempts plus cave-dweller rule makes them even more attractive.... yes I agree, they will get alot of attention, especially by those who already favor goblins.

    I recall reading some folks comments in other posts on the boards that they felt in most of the games Good seemed to win more often than Evil. Perhaps this is part of a concerted attempt to correct this by GW? Oh yeah, and sell models, too.

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  2. FTW has a bunch of the black shields. But no more floi and only one more cave drake and kings champ :).

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