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So, recently I've felt less and less encouraged to play WH40K due to.. Several things, unbalance in small games mainly.

I liked the rules of LotR SBG better than those of WH40K, they seemed much more straight-forward, no wierd rules making it all too complex or confusing. However, apparently LotR is going to be removed as of it being too small for GW to renew the contract with New Lines Cinema or what it was, read about it on some random forums.

What's WHFB like compared to these two? How's the game-balance in small games (for us who can't put too much money into it) How are the rules? I like the miniatures, but how is the gameplay? When we 'tried' playing WHFB some.. 8-9 years ago methinks it was, none of us could read or understand english well enough to play by the rules (And so made our own, gee that was an adventure.)

Thanks.

It's gotten better. 40k wasn't always easy to play either, but it's better than it used to be.

Fantasy is more balanced now (so far) until we find some list that blows everyone away.

High Elves are good starter, and with the box set coming out - get started with Skaven and HE seems a likely choice.

Small games can either be really balanced or horribly unbalanced depending on how you play. At 1000 points the normal rules work just fine, however anything below that just depends on what you bring.

And the point cost is about the same as for 40K? (Cash per point ratio)

Something I liked about LotR SBG was that there was no coheracy, every single model was on its own, in 40K there's the 2" coheracy, but in Fantasy there's just... regiments. Oh well, I suppose that should just make things easier.

Riffzor wrote:And the point cost is about the same as for 40K? (Cash per point ratio)

Something I liked about LotR SBG was that there was no coheracy, every single model was on its own, in 40K there's the 2" coheracy, but in Fantasy there's just... regiments. Oh well, I suppose that should just make things easier.

Just think about it, in midevil times groups of spreamen fought in ranks etc.

As to the points cost I have no idea. I don't think it can be any worse than 40k, unless your looking at skaven slaves or something. It really depends on the army, but you will need more bodies on the table. That being said you can always use unit fillers and I have used just blank bases in the past with the front two ranks filled in to proxy larger units.

If you play skaven or O&G, you'll definitely need to buy more men to fill up the units than say, a HE or WoC.

Cost-wise (cash, not points) I've found the boxes to actually be cheaper, (probably because you need more models than in 40k), though you'll still see the VC Blood knights which cost 110$... thankfully they are the exception rather than the rule, as a box of Empire Knightly Orders are 42$.

Either way, WHFB games tend to have a lot more men on the field than 40k, and the magic phase is huge, as is the movement phase, which is not as important in 40k. If you like the idea of your brightly-armored regiments all lined up, flags snapping in the wind as the boom of cannons ring across the battlefield and wizards wreck havoc on your foes, or (conversely) the slavering horde bearing down on their victims, using dread magics that tear through the enemy lines as great beasts hit them like a hammer, then you'll like the game.

Gameplay-wise, I can't help you there, my first game is in two weeks.

Elector wrote:. If you like the idea of your brightly-armored regiments all lined up, flags snapping in the wind as the boom of cannons ring across the battlefield and wizards wreck havoc on your foes, or (conversely) the slavering horde bearing down on their victims, using dread magics that tear through the enemy lines as great beasts hit them like a hammer, then you'll like the game.

You, sir, are a wizard with words.

Depends on which army you play and how you run it.

Empire can run Hordes of cheap units OR an all cavelry army of Knights.



My reccomendation for a beginner is Ogres!!!

less models to paint and buy and move around the freaking table.

very forgiving magic and miscast table( i loooove Gutmagic)

New rules made them very good(stomp, 3 wide ranks, Casualities removed from the rear...)

Likely will get a new Book soon(with Rhinox riders which are one of the toughest cavelry units in the game)

Riffzor
I'm starting fantasy after playing 40k a long time and here's some things I noticed right away...

magic in fantasy is waayyy better than psychic powers in 40k. It's a bigger part of the game and very aggressive, though you can defend against it without specialized gear like you need in 40k.

there are alot more restrictions on the way that a unit can move.

you charge in the movement phase and fight in the close combat phase. That's kind of weird. You don't get much of an advantage for charging in fantasy, unlike 40k where alot of the times it's all too important. In 40k the main thing about winning or losing combat is "how many guys did I kill." In fantasy how many guys you kill is just 1 of several factors.

strength is more important in fantasy than it is in 40k. High strength models can squash even the most heavily armored troops in fantasy because you inflict negative modifiers to their armor save, often times eliminating it entirely. In 40k unless they have a power weapon or are a monstrous creature you always get your save.

AF