WFB 3rd No Armies Book

[Verlox]

So I've recently come to the conclusion that I don't like the Armies book. While it's good for building armies quickly, I feel that its points value are fudged in weird places, and started army inflation that kept getting wonkier as editions wore on.

Would I be branded a heretic most foul if I felt that sticking with the points values and DIY nature of the main rulebook was the way to go?

I've also noticed it creates seriously smaller armies, and heroes become very expensive.

 

[Blue in VT]

Of corse not! That's one of the great things about third...no need for any other books if you don't want them. Armies is a good resource for certain type of games but it is not "canon" in the way that the various codices are today.

Do your own thing brothers...that's the essence of old hammer in a nut shell.

Cheers,

Blue

 

[Golgfag1]

Don't have a problem with it, and I'm sure if you explain your rational to your opponent / GM, they won't either, or they'll soon let you now if they do! - I'm currently trying to develop a stand alone list for Lizardmen / Slann, so don't think your the only one who's tinkering with lists & point systems.

Paul / Golgfag1

 

[Jeff McC]

Not the only one by any means - I've been tinkering with adapting the 8th edition High Elf list to 3rd edition so my 10 year old can use his elves with the old rules...

 

[Verlox]

I personally love the open nature of the rulebook alone. While it gives smaller armies in the end, you can do just about anything with it. I've had no problem constructing my Bretonnian Grail Heretics list.

I feel that with the rulebook presents a much clearer, manageable way to a 2000+ points army than the armies book.

 

[Grumdril]

Do your own thing brothers...that's the essence of old hammer in a nut shell.

Cheers,

Blue

What Blue said.

I'm surprised that from the rulebook alone you're getting smaller armies though. The only difference (ignoring typos in Warhammer Armies) should be that character equipment costs more, therefore you'd get very slightly fewer models for the same PV. It'd be very marginal though I'd have thought?


Paul / Grumdril

 

[Verlox]

Elites end up costing a heck of a lot more is the thing. A +4 elite human is 25 points. And my Bretonnians contain knight units that range from basic to +4, though most are +1.

 

[Grumdril]

Interesting - I've been using the Warhammer Armies PVs so long I've just got used to that being what they are. If pressed I could have told you they were different originally, but I'd have guessed they were based on the underlying PV system (despite that not making it into 3rd ed).

The "true" PVs of the various human shock elites would be:
+1 elite: 5.5
+2 elite: 5.75
+3 elite: 6.75
+4 elite: 10.75

So yes, as per the rulebook elites are very expensive, and I can see how that'd make a difference to your army size! You can see a logic to that, after all you want elites to be the exception rather than the rule, in the rulebook they've tried to enforce that rareness via costs, whereas in the army lists it's just handled by the lists themselves.

Up to you and your fellow gamers what route you chose, I think it's fair to say whatever you go with will get the official Oldhammer seal of approval (if such a thing existed!).


Paul / Grumdril

 

[Zhu Bajie]

You can see a logic to that, after all you want elites to be the exception rather than the rule, in the rulebook they've tried to enforce that rareness via costs, whereas in the army lists it's just handled by the lists themselves.

I'm pretty sure some of the WHA lists have altered PVs for 'economic' reasons too. Think I've got a spreadsheet somewhere.

But definately, creating armies straight out of the core rulebook is what the cool kids do.

 

[Grumdril]

But definately, creating armies straight out of the core rulebook is what the cool kids do.

That reminds me, before I got side-tracked into PV geekery I was going to add - I quite like WA for quickly generating a "standard" warband of whatever type. But it also constrains the imagination - there are no Norse on mammoths in the army lists

 

[Verlox]

The increased cost on equipment for characters above 5th level was jarring at first, too.

It was kinda funny to see the 1000pt army I made from WHA (and buying the figs for it) drastically shrink when I decided to go main rulebook only.