After our
first game of Realms of Chaos in a good many years what are the main things
that I have either remembered or thanks to the experience of age been able to
see about the game.
- The system is unfair. By its very nature random tables are unfair, it only take two pieces of luck to really place leagues between two champions. Being a level 20 wizard averaged out with a level 5 vampire really does place my champion in a different league to my brothers level 15 hero. This perhaps is obvious, we certainly knew it in our youth but perhaps here with only two warbands the difference is more marked, on a big table with many warbands things will average out a bit more.
- Slaaneshi warbands will find it harder to grow than Khornate ones, particularly if the champion is not capable of throwing offensive spells around. A Khorne champion picks up reward points just for killing in hand to hand, a Slaanesh champion needs to use magic.
- Variety is the spice of life. Now it was a fun game, I hope even for my brother who did find himself in a position to cause damage but unable to win but the same two warbands fighting each other are going to need something more than just a pitched battle to retain the fun.
- Missile fire is not decisive, perhaps because of the board size and the way we both got stuck in quickly missile fire played a minor roll in the battle. It could also be that beastmen are just great troops to face missile fire with.
- It would be good to have a little more flexibility to arm the troops with basic weapons within reason. The addition of just a double handed weapon to the champion would have improved my brothers lot. Though the option to give Beastmen double handed weapons is always there, something to consider.
Thoughts and
lessons specifically for my warband:
- Being half-vampire rocks. Normally the stats for a giant wolf are a little worse than a level 5 vampire in most ways except for movement. However they are as good or better than a half level 5 vampire so turning into a wolf is a no brainer.
- The need to summon the numbers that make up my warband and to transform into a wolf does give an opponent at least a turns grace to exploit.
- Skeletons are very fragile.
- Level 15 Skeleton champions are not very fragile and do kick butt.
How to
improve:
- Mix things up with some secondary warbands to be played (within the confines of the game) to be as mean as possible to the other player rather than to build and grow and play on the day.
- Scenarios with different win conditions and even given scenarios specific rewards to win. This would have to be judged fairly to ensure you weren’t just going for the good stuff.
- Consider using some of the improvements to the campaign system, in L&D.