Total War: Warhammer is coming

[jimmy olsen]

If you watch the video on the assault on Altdorf,  the Vampire Counts were on the verge of a desicive victory when Kemmler got slain and the whole army crumbled. Seems like taking out the VC Lords are vital to success.

[Lettow77]

 I've watched it a few times now. Their victory would not have been "Decisive"- they were in a very bloodied state at the town square near the end, with few units left alive fighting a slightly superior opposition.  They may have been able to eke out a win if Kemmler had killed Balthasar, because both sides were tired and depleted.

The undead have generally low morale across the board, so a dead general certainly hurts them. I believe most armies would have mass-routed on losing their general in that situation, though.

Since we're looking at videos, you can see in the Siege of Templehof the opposing undead player loses his general, but the units that the AI has kept in reserve in the town square (while risking their general in melee) do not take any damage whatsoever. They remain eager (this was before the name change, you see), because they are well-rested and enjoy the morale bonus that comes from being in the Town Square.  Their espirit de corpse was sufficiently high that they weathered the morale shock without doing any crumbling whatsoever.

[Josquius]

This stands in contrast to contrast to the tabletop experience, where VC could restore ranks to several units a turn, and any combat that didn't end swiftly would go to the Vampires as they replenished their losses indefinitely.

Have you ever played the tabletop game, Tim？

How many people on Lnaguish, a rather nerdy subset of the population, have ever played tabletop? Not that many, are all of us who haven't played tabletop not entitled to an opinion?

Yeah. I used to be really big on Warhammer but can still count on my hands the amount of times I've actually played. And that's in the UK where it is far more popular.

[Lettow77]

Chaos vs Empire battle posted, our first real look at Chaos.

They look great, and the battle looked fun to watch as well- I think they've gotten the magic to a better level than the earliest builds we saw.

I get the feeling they won't put the level of attention into Marks of Chaos that fans of specific chaos Gods might prefer, but I'm not very invested in that sort of thing myself. I wouldn't even want to play as Chaos- but as an opponent, they look very well done. I especially liked the Chaos Knights and the care that went into the Hellcannon- it has Chaos Dwarf crew that look different to the official CA model, with a semi-mesopotamian look to go with the official Chaos Dwarf lore.  Makes me more confident they may make it into one of the game's two expansions.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=-MYlmb3gip8

[Valmy]

Fuckers nearly killed Karl Franz 

So I looked a bit at the Empire campaign and I start with just Altdorf and have to conquer the rest of Reikland from separatists 

The I have to subdue each of the other Elector Counts? What the hell happened? Karl Franz isn't that bad at ruling his Empire 

Man most of the game will just be gaining control of my own territory.

[jimmy olsen]

Fuckers nearly killed Karl Franz 

So I looked a bit at the Empire campaign and I start with just Altdorf and have to conquer the rest of Reikland from separatists 

The I have to subdue each of the other Elector Counts? What the hell happened? Karl Franz isn't that bad at ruling his Empire 

Man most of the game will just be gaining control of my own territory.

I assume this is right after he inherits Reikland. If his father was a terrible emperor, than the Counts being rebellious makes sense.

[katmai]

Did they push this back?

[jimmy olsen]

Did they push this back?

To May 24ish IIRC.

[jimmy olsen]

 This goblin shaman is hilarious!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6IUbraF9Oo

[Lettow77]

I thought our reporter would've picked up the story by now, but recent news has all been excellent.

Regional Occupation (that prevent any faction from ruling about half the map, based on what type of land it is- mountain holds or cities) and different faction leaders sharing the same starting point were both points of conventions on the forums. An official mod is now expected at release to deal with both if desired. (This, along with the news that there will -be- mods, although they cannot impose upon the Games Workshop IP)

The other big bugbear for many was the Chaos DLC pre-order incentive, which has been extended to include anyone who purchases it in the first week. As a result of these changes, pretty much everyone in the relevant communities are excited for the game, where there were a lot of fence-leaners before.

Also there was a post that looked at the timeline for DLC releases, and it was revealed there will be special campaigns (like Rome 2's "Caesar in Gaul", which will also introduce new races, besides plain old race packs. I think it is very likely the first campaign pack will be centered on Athel Loren as a submap and include the Wood Elves, and I am excited by the prospect.

A very minor fly in the ointment is it looks like each faction has the same adviser, where I was hoping for a goblin to keep commentary for the greenskins.

[Valmy]

A very minor fly in the ointment is it looks like each faction has the same adviser, where I was hoping for a goblin to keep commentary for the greenskins.

[Lettow77]

 Yeah. The first Dawn of War game brought the 40k universe to life in over-the-top acting glory- even today I can remember dozens of lines from a throwaway RTS. I'd honestly say it made the game twice as fun for me.

Having your own faction giving color to everything doesnt seem that hard at all and i'm surprised they chose to cut corners there. The advisor they selected was well-chosen since he can plausibly stand in for Empire, Vampires, or even Chaos, but he's a terrible fit for dwarfs or greenskins. I hope they add more with future expansions and DLC.

[jimmy olsen]

I thought our reporter would've picked up the story by now, but recent news has all been excellent.

Regional Occupation (that prevent any faction from ruling about half the map, based on what type of land it is- mountain holds or cities) and different faction leaders sharing the same starting point were both points of conventions on the forums. An official mod is now expected at release to deal with both if desired. (This, along with the news that there will -be- mods, although they cannot impose upon the Games Workshop IP)

The other big bugbear for many was the Chaos DLC pre-order incentive, which has been extended to include anyone who purchases it in the first week. As a result of these changes, pretty much everyone in the relevant communities are excited for the game, where there were a lot of fence-leaners before.

I like regional occupancy and don't plan on playing chaos, so I didn't care about those changes.

[Valmy]

I like regional occupancy and don't plan on playing chaos, so I didn't care about those changes.

I don't plan on playing Chaos either, destroying my beloved Empire is something too horrible to contemplate. But not charging for Day 1 DLC is a good sign.

[Lettow77]

 Valmy, you should know that Bretonnia is the ideologically sound human faction. The nobles castles are built upon elven ruins; millenia later the leavings of their betters exceed anything Man can build. The men of Bretonnia live in this shadow, and in fact in the thrall of an Elven diety; in her service they enforce an atavistic social structure that has innoculated them against the evils of societal or technological change. The inbred and gaunt peasants are denied all but a tenths-share of their produce, and yet the noble class scarce governs; It is chasing after glory and expending itself upon great quests for the favor of a mysterious Lady of the Lake.

Set against this, the Holy Roman Empire reeks of sausage and modernity. Its rulers are themselves ruled by avarice and the selfish pursuit of power and knowledge, be it technological or magical.