Kirby's thoughts on Fantasy [8th]: Part 2

Well I've read all the rules at least once now and am looking a bit more specifically at High Elves so I'll be further my initial thoughts on what Fantasy is like and the differences to 5th edition 40k whilst also highlighting some things about High Elves. This will be so amazing for all of you as it shows my logic of learning a gaming system and choosing an army without any prior knowledge and I hope might be helpful for a lot of people who pick up either system or a new army. So terrain is a lot more in-depth and interactive in Fantasy than 40k, and I mean a lot more and it is also a lot more 'clear' (though 25% is pretty damn clear) on how much terrain should be out there. This can make for some one-sided battles perhaps for armies like Wood Elves which I assume excel in heavily terrained (new word) battles. Cover also works a lot differently from 40k where negative To Hit modifiers are applied to shooting. Whilst this might seem like shooting isn't that reliable, from what I can garner if you appropriately use small units to block charges and get a lot of long-ranged shooting backed up by Magic & War Machines, shooting can still be very potent but really needs screening IMO and with panic bubble effects, this can make your whole army flee. Not good.



War Machines also seem to have a huge capacity to deal damage but their high T isn't always the best defense since everything can wound it (unlike in 40k where T8 laughs at most things, especially in combat) and using crew armor saves (which generally seem light). Their best defense therefore seems to be range as Fantasy seems a lot more close and anti-personnel in terms of ranges. Also mentioned above were the differences to Morale which is really painful for units under 25%. A unit breaking can cause units around it to flee as well and once a unit is under 25%, it's hard to get them to come back to the fight. Ranks are very important for steadfast and Generals for their ld bubble as well as having good Ld across the army.

This brings me (somehow) to the level of strength employed in Fantasy armies. S4 is good and strengths like 6+ are very good (hi great weapons!). This is a lot different to 40k where S4-6 are often the mainstay weapons of an army whilst S7+ is where the real perssure is brought. The main reason for this is the modifiers on armor saves (S4 = -1 to armor save). I  haven't read the missions in-depth yet but they also seem very 'standard' but this could just be my skimming of them so far but with the rapid charge ability of calvary and even infantry, I imagine they will focus on midfield or defending against it whilst still crushing face...

Whilst I still don't have a solid grasp of the special rules, the basic rules seem akin in depth and understanding as 40k but when you go beyond that...well Fantasy becomes a lot more in-depth and I think that's a tick in its favor and against. It's a lot of reading but seems to be rewarding enough to finish it and being an avid reader, finding it tough going at times might bode poorly for others who don't like reading. I also recall Warhammer highlighted a lot as herohammer from previous editions (one of the main criticisms which kept me away) but from the rules I've understood so far, it doesn't seem that way. Whilst heroes certainly have the power to decimate multiple units (specifically magic) I wouldn't call it a reliable tactical (specifically magic) and there seems to be an encouragement towards less mass upgrading and more units. So, let's take a quick peek at my thoughts on High Elves.

I'm choosing Elves because I've always been a fan of Elves in Fantasy, and WFB is no different. I've picked High Elves because I think I'll have an easier time painting them and they rock at magic (both big +'s for me). Let's take a look at my first impressions of them rules-wise. Always strike first. With re-rolls. And Great Weapons. Do I need to say anything else? These rules to me just make some of their Core choices awesome backed up by already excellent magical variety & defenses. Elves don't seem to have much staying power however and if built around combat need to hit hard and fast whilst if going for shooting or magic, as I stated earlier I think lots of smaller units as screens is a good idea but mass panic is a worry. Elves also seem to be able to control the pace of the game being very quick in terms of movement through their Special choices.

So again to you Fantasy vets, on the money here (or at least close?) or way off? I'll be reading everything more in-depth and might put up some trial army lists or more imperssions later!