Monday, December 10, 2018

Warhammer Skirmish-heim

It all started with a "Soap Box” and a knife hand and I was hooked.

Tuomas expanded on his Soapbox from WD 221 into a City Skirmish game we have all come to know as Mordheim.  However in White Dwarfs 224-230ish we get a number of articles showing his development of the rules.  From his small skirmish games to a more developed rule set with expanded rules and weapons we now know as Mordheim.

 I will be the first to admit, I have never actually played Mordheim.  However over a couple of conversations with Lopez he has stated that the Mordheim rules are one of his favorites, but the lists really don't allow for expanded forces.  So when I discovered these I was intrigued.  Basically Mordheim but allowable to be played with small Warhammer forces around 250 points or more if needed.

Have a quick look, or grab your own copies and give a quick flick.














So there are some slight tweaks to the normal games of Warhammer.  But those familiar with Mordheim should already know that.  What I'm excited about at the moment tho is using my 3rd ed army lists and just using between 50-500 pt lists to play some smaller games.  Using these rules, as an overlay on 3rd. and adding in critical hits, and injuries and advancement.  Should be really fun.

I've already been discussing with Lopez on what we can do.  So maybe with all this wall building and skirmish listing, a narrative might develop deep in the steaming jungles of the New World. ;)

31 comments:

  1. Mec, If I knew that I wouldn't have let you not play teh Mordheim game at BOYL.
    Next time, you're playing Mordheim. Period.

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    1. Next time for sure! I was pretty spent by then is why I didnt join in.

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  2. How I long to be in your steaming jungles! I don't recall right now if henchmen advancement is different from hero advancement in Mordheim. I really like the idea of freeing up the game to play with your own warbands.

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    1. I'm just planning on using what's above, or honestly there are Warband rules in the WD 290's that can be used as well. Reading those atm.

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    2. He means he wants to get in my Lustria I'm sure of it. LOL

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  3. Fascinating, thanks for sharing this!

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  4. Mordheim is a great game, but I never knew of its origins. Great run down Tom and I look forward to seeing your skirmish game develop.

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    1. Thanks Papa. I’m busting formulating as we speak.

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  5. Mordheim is great! The warbands in the rule book are well balanced with a slight lead to the Skaven. We played through the WD articles and onwards for several years.
    Not only that, but my buddies and I played a number of one-off games at 2,000 points. The extra lists posted in WD, Town Cryers, etc were also fun.

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  6. And here’s a nice set of resources for you to check out, if you’re inclined...
    http://broheim.net/downloads.html

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  7. It’d be great to parse out the difference between the Mordheim rules and these that appear in WD. If you do a ruleset on adapting the 7th edition lunch hammer or Warbands rules to 3rd ed, please share it on Facebook :)

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    1. That might be left to someone more familiar with the finished mordheim. I’m happy just to use these as is. I’m looking at LunchHammer and Warbands now. I will probably to a blogpost in the future on them.

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  8. Hi!
    Great post, and inspiring too.
    Is there some pdf or similar of the articles? Can't find anything on the web...
    Thanks a lot

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    1. Thanks! Outside this I wouldn’t know. I scanned these out of my physical copies.

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  9. Well, i suppose i have to try and search for some original copy, then...
    Thanks a lot! Can't wait to read how this evolves

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  10. I loved these articles when they were released, but I've always loved detailed skirmish games.

    There was some strangeness about these playtest rules and the lead-up to the proper Mordheim release though. They were really popular in my local GW store, people were going mad for it. Skirmish games being played practically every day, all day and not just on the ordained gaming nights.

    But as the warband lists were finalised and we got the actual release of the Mordheim set... Well... It just sort of died off. There was a small and dedicated group that carried on playing (and moved on to a private game club), but it just didn't keep up the manic energy and momentum that the playtest rules did... It was kind of strange really.

    I was knee deep in a heavily played Necromunda campaign at the time so I missed most of this apart from a couple of games. I loved where it was going and picked up Mordheim looking forward to getting into it as deep as Necromunda. But by that point none of my gaming friends were interested and it went unplayed.

    So I'm kind of in the same boat. I loved the system and setting of Mordheim. Never got to play a single game...

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    1. It's intresting that the frenzy was over the playtest though, as it is for me. Once I get some games under my belt we will see how it goes. I'm really enjoying the Warband Rules at the moment as well. A lot of ideas are running around.
      Thanks for sharing as well. ;)

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    2. I had a similar experience some years before with the Confrontation rules in WD at my local GW - everyone was so into it while the rules were vague and open and active; but the craze really died down as soon as the initial momentum slowed.

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    3. I think the vagueness really goes along way. The strict structure sometimes kills the enthusiasm. A simple framework is keeping me excited at the moment.

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  11. Mordheim is one of the best GW games, and I remember the fun when those WD rules were published. I also loved the conversions people did before official models were released. The only thing I would say is games will take ages if you keep the critical hits but go more than 15-20 models per side. Still with a standard game taking 1-2 hours (1 hour if you both go quick and know the rules well) they probably could stand to be a bit longer.

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    1. Ya peoples conversions of warbands were pretty sweet. Now see I liked the idea of crit hits. We will see after I use them a couple times tho. Thanks for the incite, its greatly appreciated. ;)

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  12. Sounds fun. Probably the one game bought but never got to play for some reason.

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    1. Thanks Simon. Now you might have to break it out.

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  13. I am always impressed by the research and long thought process you use to create your games. I think it really helps other gamers to move out of their comfort zone of rigid rules and get to the freedom designing things for themselves.

    Great stuff!

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    1. Thanks man...right back at ya! I just really like to read cool articles, then think how I can mash the good ideas into what I need for the ruleset I'm playing. To think there are still people out there who only play their games official.

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  14. Man what trip down memory lane! I remember reading these articles, and even though I didn't play Warhammer, they got my imagination going and made me realize I could play a Warhammer game without a whole army! In case you are not aware, there is an official Lustria setting for Mordheim with exploration tables, scenarios, and Warbands!

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    1. Glad you like it Jacob! Thanks for the heads up on the Lustria info, I'll give that a look over it sounds really cool.

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