[Sept.15 - Oct. 26] There is only war: A Warhammer Fantasy PvP experiment

[DarK_RaideR]

Curious about the driving requirement for some of the army components. I know it kind of makes sense because it's to get vehicles. Any chance to substitute something else? (For myself I would propose running an equivalent amount of time...1 mile run (easy-ish pace) about equal to 9 miles on the highway)??

Like I said, I'm trying to incorporate more options, for two reasons. One, as it stands now, there's not a lot of space for people into martial arts or yoga. Two, in case someone is willing but unable to do something, like somebody without a driver's license. I'm still working on it, running would make more sense for cavalry, I'm a little skeptic about vehicles. What's your issue, you want more running or don't drive?

 

Well seen as I made up the Skull Crushers accountability group for this challenge - I think I am going to keep on going with the skull theme - I guess that makes my army worshippers to Khorne - the god of blood and slaughter! 

 

Now I just need to think a bit more about my general... will be back tomorrow.

KHORNE WANTS BLOOD, NOT THINKING! KILL! MAIM! BURN!

 

Seriously though, the basic options for non-daemon Chaos leaders are warrior or sorcerer anyway and Khorne HATES magic. Mechanics-wise it's pretty much a one way road, I'll leave the story and RP stuff to you (hint: the Blood God favors axes and greatswords)

 

Sweet. That should make it easier to be a little tamer with the posts, and focus primarily on fighting.

You don't have to pick a god, there's always the option of following Chaos Undivided. Of course, if you start flooding your army with deity-specific units, expect them to take notice...

[Xena]

No real issue (and I can stop complaining...I know you are figuring out complicated stuff). I just figured driving is more something to avoid than something to get points for doing...unless I were driving a race course or something. I'm sure it will all work out great!

[MaD MaLKaV]

This vampire counts army book sets the mood nice. Still leaning towards Nechrach (insane loner vampire sorcerer that casts regular incantations to kill everything in the vicinity so he can be left alone to study), but the Carsteins have lots more reason to go on the warpath and talk crap. Unless someone has a book for me to steal from their soon to be reanimated carcass.

But yeah, I don't understand anything past setting and descriptions, since I haven't skimmed the main rule book yet. Fortunately, I always have enjoyed reading game rules whether or not I ever planned to play the game.

[DarK_RaideR]

No real issue (and I can stop complaining...I know you are figuring out complicated stuff). I just figured driving is more something to avoid than something to get points for doing...unless I were driving a race course or something. I'm sure it will all work out great!

It's what made sense at the time, I just wanted to have everything written down before tweaking. Don't be shy about stepping up and making a suggestion, it is much needed. I've been thinking about adding a weighted run as an alternative to driving. Like rucking, only you'd have to run. Or pulling a sleigh with weights on. And scaling down the distance needed, of course.

 

The main idea is not to force people to do more, but rather log in the activity they're doing anyway, so the approach is more "If you drive a lot every day to work and back, eventually you get a tank" rather than "go out there and drive so you can earn a tank". Of course, this can lead to inequality, but no unit is invincible and variety is taken into account during battles. Roll out the Panzer Battalion and you may find that against an army of infantry, spellcasters, cavalry and some beasts, it'll be blown to spare parts. In the long run, players get plenty of units for what they're doing anyway and are encouraged to add variety in their exercise in order to also add variety to their armies.

 

Not sure if it's all making sense the way I mean it to, it's late and I'm a little tired. Feel free to ask.

 

This vampire counts army book sets the mood nice. Still leaning towards Nechrach (insane loner vampire sorcerer that casts regular incantations to kill everything in the vicinity so he can be left alone to study), but the Carsteins have lots more reason to go on the warpath and talk crap. Unless someone has a book for me to steal from their soon to be reanimated carcass.

But yeah, I don't understand anything past setting and descriptions, since I haven't skimmed the main rule book yet. Fortunately, I always have enjoyed reading game rules whether or not I ever planned to play the game.

I'd say the Necrachs are DEAD SERIOUS about their book and relic hunting

Check out the Vampire Counts' Army Book from the strategy wargame. Also a book called "Night's Dark Masters", a Vampire supplement for 2nd edition RPG offers a great insight.

 

 

Here's a sample concerning my character. First, the easy stuff, answering the questions

• Are they spellcasters or not? Not
• Do they prefer to fight from a distance or up close and personal? Melee all the way
• What is their weapon of choice? Spiked Whip and a curved blade
• Are they frontline leaders or do they achieve tactical superiority by giving orders from a vantage point? Frontline, but not because he likes it. For now it'll do
• How do they feel about their race's religion? He may live in a theocratic society, but he's not a fanatic

Now the more complicated stuff. Don't let it intimidate you and don't worry about being 100% true to the game's lore, especially if you're unfamiliar with it. If you still don't feel brave enough, send me a private message with your questions and ideas and I'll let you know the info you need for your character.

 

Zarthan is a Despot, which means he's a noble (if such vile creatures could be applicable for the term). A lower ranking noble actually, and none to happy about it. Despots are the subordinates and lieutenants of Overlords, the rulers of Chaos Dwarf strongholds. They oversee the goblin slave labour camps and rule with an iron fist. Zarthan has proven his acumen, both by running the camps under his power with ruthless efficiency and by performing frequent raids to replenish the population. However, he's not that great a fighter. Truth is, he would prefer to have endless hordes fight for him, but to his bad luck, Despots always lead from the front, seeking to capture the attention of their superiors and rise in standing and power. Soon...

 

Also, concept art (optional)

[cn3wton]

I can see how the driving thing can be considered odd. But I understand your point in putting something in for machines.

 

But what if you did something like the idea of "work", so the idea is that your are building the machines? I drive a lot because I live in the middle of nowhere so I have no issues with it. But a supplemental form of exercise would be nice.

 

Food for thought.

 

Also I will be posting my generals intro rather shortly. EPIC SHORT STORY INBOUND!

 

Also did you draw that concept art?

[cn3wton]

Here's a short intro story to my character. I kept it pretty tame, as tame as a story of a person who hangs out with Slaanesh can be anyways.

 

Dreghar stepped forth from the realm of darkness and death into the small dark cave. He breathed deep, the scent of death and destruction within the cave filling his lungs. A rush of northern air struck him from the mouth of the cave, chilling his naked flesh. 

 

It did not take long for the demon to present herself. "It's been so long Dreghar, have you missed me?" She appeared behind him and ran her hands across his back shoulders and chest as she circled him. "You look good for a man whose a thousand years dead." She said, with a lustful grin on her face.

 

Before he could move she placed her hands on his chest. "What's the rush? You've only just returned, perhaps we..." Dreghar stepped through her. The illusion evaporating in an instant. She laughed and spoke to him again, this time from within his mind "Later then."

 

He stepped out of the cave into the frozen forest, what once was a large town could be seen in the distance, nothing but smoldering ruins. A large battle had just taken place here. 

 

Suddenly a great beast burst forth from the tree line, heading straight for him with unnatural speed. Tusks grew from its maw, eyes burning with bloodlust. The beasts legs were corded with muscle and ended with hooves matted with dried blood. It reeked of death.

 

Dreghar charged to meet it driving his shoulder into the beasts head. The force of the collision was massive. Both traded crushing blows, the beast tearing into Dreghar's flesh with tusk and teeth. Dreghar was lost in the sensations of the battle, all of his senses overloaded with the pure thrill of it. As his amusement faded he thrust his right arm into the beasts maw and grabbed on to the its innards and pulled. Numerous deep lacerations wept blood from his arm, mixing with that of the beasts. He stood there, covered in blood, enjoying it all as the beast slowly passed.

 

His splendor was abruptly interrupted when a man astride a horse emerged from the trees, flanked by three others. Those behind rode with swords drawn, and one carried a large purple standard. "God man what happened here?" The man looked down at him from his perch. He appeared to be a man of high standing, those around him obviously his escort. They must be fleeing from the destruction, how unfortunate Dreghar thought. Just then a young woman rode forward "Father why have we.." She cut herself short after seeing Dreghar. Covered head to toe with nothing but the beasts blood. 

 

A large smile spread across Dreghar's face, and consumed with lust he attacked. The she-demon laughed as he charged.

 

"Welcome back."

 

 

So basically this guy is possessed by a female demon, who just so happens to be a servant of Slaanesh. He doesn't mind as he enjoys being in battle and all that entails. Its a give and take, as she gets to experience what he does through him, and he gets to keep smashing things and enjoying battle. He can resist her to the point that she doesn't have much control over him, but she can make him see/hear/feel things. So basically good times are had by all.

 

• He does not use any magic
• He is a melee character all the way
• Weapon of choice is kind of hard to explain. Its basically a polearm but the ends in the shape of a mace. It has the tattered ends of a flag to it still, as its the remnants of the flag from the story above. He basically just grabs whatever he can gets his hands on and modifies it to his purposes.
• Hes a front line leader. While he has a lot of tactical knowledge once hes in the battle he just lets loose and that all kind of goes out the window. 
• The religion thing is kind of tough. He believes that Slaanesh's power is just a means to an end. He believes of course, but he does what he wants.

I don't know what you want to do as far as armor? Basically the same as the weapon, kinda just takes what he needs. Think traditional frank frazetta barbarian. 

 

Concept art coming soon!

[Xena]

I think we are still just figuring out characters and stuff, right (?)...please let me know if everyone else is already building their armies and I'm off frolicking in the woods of Avelorn!

[cn3wton]

Yes I believe so

[lishvicious]

Race: Chaos

God: Khorne

General: Rakun (Warrior)

 

• Are they spellcasters or not? Not.
• Do they prefer to fight from a distance or up close and personal? Up close, for sure - you better get out of the way unless you want my halberd lodged in your forehead.
• What is their weapon of choice? Halberd.
• Are they frontline leaders or do they achieve tactical superiority by giving orders from a vantage point? Definitely frontline - nothing like a fresh spray of blood over your face.
• How do they feel about their race's religion? Complete loyalty to Khrone, blood must be spilled.

---

 

I'm not sure how to do a back story, since I don't know much still. Any advice on where to start when starting out with Warhammer? I would like to know more...

[cn3wton]

Khorne is pretty easy, they kill things.... 

[lishvicious]

Khorne is pretty easy, they kill things.... 

 

Yes I gathered that, I was more talking about Warhammer as a whole. As a newbie is there any useful tips for a beginner?

[cn3wton]

Honestly its pretty diverse. I really only have experience with 40k (futureistic stuff, same factions just 40,000 years in the future).

 

Just apply obvious fantasy elements to it. Its a pretty dark fantasy obviously. I dont get what your stuck on really. As long as your not saying that your character is the strongest character in the world, can turn into a dragon, and has the ability to kill people with their mind you should be ok.

 

For more help how about this. 

 

Your character doesn't use magic, uses a halberd, loves being in the fray, and serves khorne.

 

Why a halberd? What do you like about a halberd? Come up with a backstory for the weapon, was it passed down, a right of passage?

 

What does your character like about being in the fray? 

 

What drew your character to worship khorne? 

 

Google some stuff about khorne for more inspiration.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Yes I gathered that, I was more talking about Warhammer as a whole. As a newbie is there any useful tips for a beginner?

 

I'll be interested in that answer myself.  I'm working off this reference for the pirates:   http://www.scribd.com/doc/159334330/Warhammer-Pirates-of-Sartosa and will welcome feedback regarding how to play!!  

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

The internet should be made to walk the plank!

 

[lishvicious]

Honestly its pretty diverse. I really only have experience with 40k (futureistic stuff, same factions just 40,000 years in the future).

 

Just apply obvious fantasy elements to it. Its a pretty dark fantasy obviously. I dont get what your stuck on really. As long as your not saying that your character is the strongest character in the world, can turn into a dragon, and has the ability to kill people with their mind you should be ok.

 

For more help how about this. 

 

Your character doesn't use magic, uses a halberd, loves being in the fray, and serves khorne.

 

Why a halberd? What do you like about a halberd? Come up with a backstory for the weapon, was it passed down, a right of passage?

 

What does your character like about being in the fray? 

 

What drew your character to worship khorne? 

 

Google some stuff about khorne for more inspiration.

 

Thanks these questions will help with the character development a lot - I really appreciate it!

[cn3wton]

Unless I am horribly wrong you guys shouldn't really worry about "how to play" right now. Because this kind of thing (to my knowledge) hasn't been done before.

 

The table top game is pretty straight forward, but theres alot of important elements. Like range, movement, environment,etc. Those dont exsist here. Its basically going to be a numbers game. We arent going to sit down and move each of our armies one by one as far as I see. It will be a numbers game.

For instance week 1 I have, lets say 5 chaos warriors and my general. You have 10 warriors of khorne. Then numbers are crunched and one of us win. 

[lishvicious]

Yep - I understand that , I was just getting carried away and over excited by the thought of actually playing Warhammer in real life . I've known a few people that played and I've always loved the painted models. Although I probably shouldn't pick up another expensive hobby right now...

[Swinging_Jarnbjorn]

Are two members able to have armies of the same race? Because if cn3wton wants to have Chaos, then I will be happy to choose something else - being a newbie and all.

 

 

Hey I got a Honours degree in computer science and hated the job too! I've always had a love for art, but was never brave enough to follow it - so now I'm moving into administration and keeping the art as a hobby - I sketch and paint at the moment - but I'm looking at getting into sculpting. 

Just keep doing what you 're doing! There are tons of workshops out there to get better at things, and universities often have annex classes, particularly in the summer. If you love art, chase it! I wish I felt like I could right now.

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Herja, Pirate of Sartosa

 

Are they spellcasters or not? Not generally.  They are wary of magic but may put up with a sorcerer pirate in the crew if necessary

Do they prefer to fight from a distance or up close and personal? Distance first - then melee if the enemy gets in close, although some crew members will want to rush in first, damn those buccaneers!

What is their weapon of choice? Cannon and pistol before the cutlasses are drawn

Are they frontline leaders or do they achieve tactical superiority by giving orders from a vantage point? Lightly armored (bucklers mostly ... and parrying), they are more interested in remaining behind to pick out their target for a strike and dash or flanking attack. Best at sea, but they will fight on land if the price is right.

How do they feel about their race's religion? Pirates come from various cultures, and they may worship their old gods or local, minor sea gods, but as a group they revere the Sea herself, King Death, Manann (God of the Sea), Ulric (as Manann's younger brother), and Ranald the Trickster.  

 

Not sure how much  RPing I'll be able to manage, but I'll think about a back story.

 

Concept:

 

[cn3wton]

@Dark_Raider

 

It might be a good idea to give a cap to the troop deployment (like in the tabletop game.)

 

Give each unit a troop cost, then cap it at lets say 1000 points. That way people cant beat others by sheer numbers?

 

I've got some ideas for how to calculate wins/loss. Let me know what your thinking and if you need any help!

[MaD MaLKaV]

Heh, yeah I've started enjoying reading about the game and forgot about thinking about my character at some point. Even found three shops in my area that I could go play 40k at. Too bad I'm broke. Maybe when Im grown up and have a job I can play games.

I'm totally gonna answer some questions about my character soon or tomorrow or the next day, and sign that spreadsheet too.

[cn3wton]

Heres a quick concept sketch of my character. Should give you a better idea of what is in my head.

 

I definitely want to do a full blown painting with him in it now... Maybe tomorrow I will start one.

 

 

Don't know why its so damn fuzzy....

[lishvicious]

In the northlands of Norsca within the Aesling tribe Karril is about to give birth to her third child. She grunts through the pain and hopes that this time her child will be deemed strong enough to live. With one last push the infant arrives, screaming and covered in blood. Karril looks to the tribesmen, she feels weak, but she must know if the infant has met their standards. The infant is looked over, a baby girl, she is strong - strong enough to become a warrior for Khorne. Karril’s eyes smile and with her last breath she whispers - “her name…her name is Rakun…â€.

 

Since that fateful day Rakun has become a strong and powerful warrior, she has wielded her mother's halberd and sworn allegiance to Khorne. Many battles have been fought and Rakun has decorated her armour with the skulls of those that she has slain. 

 

As she runs out into battle you'll hear her bellow "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Throne of Khorne!"

 

 

-----

 

PS I know this is very generic - but hell it will do!

 

And I just edited to make my character female, because I can.

[DarK_RaideR]

Also did you draw that concept art?

Nope. I have zero skill when it comes to images, so I just linked it from somebody's DeviantArt account. It's got the "Oppressive Slaver Overlord" feeling that I was going for.

 

Here's a short intro story to my character. I kept it pretty tame, as tame as a story of a person who hangs out with Slaanesh can be anyways.

Great read

 

I think we are still just figuring out characters and stuff, right (?)...please let me know if everyone else is already building their armies and I'm off frolicking in the woods of Avelorn!

I'm setting a deadline until Sunday for everyone to be done with their characters. Monday we start logging exercises and recruiting troops

 

Race: Chaos

God: Khorne

General: Rakun (Warrior)

 

I'm not sure how to do a back story, since I don't know much still. Any advice on where to start when starting out with Warhammer? I would like to know more...

Welcome to the fray. Chaos Warrior info is plenty and in several places, but for starters, I'd say check the corresponding Army Book and maybe a supplement from the RPG named "Tome of Corruption" as well. And don't let the Blood God catch you reading, that stuff's for wizard weaklings

 

I'll be interested in that answer myself.  I'm working off this reference for the pirates:   http://www.scribd.com/doc/159334330/Warhammer-Pirates-of-Sartosa and will welcome feedback regarding how to play!!  

That's about the best reference you can read. Notice the image on page 20

 

Unless I am horribly wrong you guys shouldn't really worry about "how to play" right now. Because this kind of thing (to my knowledge) hasn't been done before.

 

The table top game is pretty straight forward, but theres alot of important elements. Like range, movement, environment,etc. Those dont exsist here. Its basically going to be a numbers game. We arent going to sit down and move each of our armies one by one as far as I see. It will be a numbers game.

For instance week 1 I have, lets say 5 chaos warriors and my general. You have 10 warriors of khorne. Then numbers are crunched and one of us win. 

It's pretty much a make it as we go along thing. Troop numbers will matter, as well as whether they're basic or advanced, to reward your hard work. Variety is also a  thing, since armies need to be diverse and in order to push players to do several different things. Feel free to include any tactical tricks in your posts, for example whether cavalry X will be used for a frontline charge or a maneuver from the flank. After a few fights, there is a thought of enabling winners to upgrade units with better equioment, but we'll see about that.

 

Herja, Pirate of Sartosa

Loving the artwork!

 

@Dark_Raider

 

It might be a good idea to give a cap to the troop deployment (like in the tabletop game.)

 

Give each unit a troop cost, then cap it at lets say 1000 points. That way people cant beat others by sheer numbers?

 

I've got some ideas for how to calculate wins/loss. Let me know what your thinking and if you need any help!

Casualties will be estimated with an eye towards keeping troop numbers in check. Also, I expect smaller armies to gang up on the larger ones. Let's see how that works out and we can tweak it if needed. Any ideas are appreciated, either here or via a PM

 

Heres a quick concept sketch of my character. Should give you a better idea of what is in my head.

Wonderful sketch! I love the mix of torment and rage in his expression

 

 

In case anyone missed it, Sunday is the deadline for everyone to be done with their characters. Monday we start logging exercises and recruiting troops

[lishvicious]

Welcome to the fray. Chaos Warrior info is plenty and in several places, but for starters, I'd say check the corresponding Army Book and maybe a supplement from the RPG named "Tome of Corruption" as well. And don't let the Blood God catch you reading, that stuff's for wizard weaklings

 

In case anyone missed it, Sunday is the deadline for everyone to be done with their characters. Monday we start logging exercises and recruiting troops

 

Thanks for the info - I will go into stealth mode and do some reading.

 

What else do we need to do for our characters before Sunday?