Composers and Musicians

It's that time of year again for Havoc and I: the League of Legends World Championship. This means hours committed to hobby time in front of my PC, watching anxiously, hoping my bracket survives, and that my favorite teams are contenders, and not mere footnotes. Nevertheless, it has me thinking about composition. So often, I find myself wrapped up in the power, balance, or imbalance, of a single unit. But with this most recent world tournament, we've seen a number of upsets in the group stage already, owing to players and teams valuing strong, "OP" picks over the strength of a team composition. So, what does all this have to do with 40k?

She Wants the D, But do You?

Hey Folks, welcome back. With more or less confirmed rumors that Eldar wraith weaponry will be going to the infamous Strength D, it has whipped many into a frenzy. While my immediate reaction wasn't (and to an extent still isn't) positive about this new development, I don't really find myself chomping at the bit to oust the dev. team. Well at least not for this change... the wargear system for the new Eldar Jetbikes is where the majority of my ire lies right now. But that's a whole different topic, alongside an even bigger other topic of seeing just how GW will handle renewing a codex which is not only hardback, but also has existing supplements from which it draws. But anyway, back to the topic at hand: The D!

Imperial Overload in the Grim Darkness

Well well, welcome back to Rites.  I find it quite amazing that folks were able to get here given how many new releases and distractions there are these days.  Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely grateful that the game flourishes enough to merit expansion.  And before you begin to roll you eyes instead of the dice, I promise this article isn't beating down the idea of how much is being added. While yes it does make for a complex set of things to remember, the ever expanding volume of content does provide us several new ways to build our own experience.

RobPod 20: They're Back!

In the Grim Dark caverns of the Grim Dark worlds, in the Grim Dark Universe of 40k, they awaken. They have risen once again to lay claim to the universe, and the top-tier spot of the tournament scene! Welcome back folks to this installment of the RobPod - our review of the new Codex: Necrons! This new codex clocks in at an impressively balanced level of "really damn good, but just this side of broken (mostly)." So join Corvus and I as we bend over and take it up the... *cough* review the codex!

Warning... this is a long cast.  Long Cast is loooooooooooong. So be sure you get plenty of booze, and be ready to drink.

Cheers!

RoBPod #17: 40k Exstravaganza!

Welcome back, and welcome to the first of many things to come from our 40k Extravaganza! Gathering many of our closest friends and their armies, Corvus, Trooper, Havok, and Ultimate Dave and myself gathered for a weekend of pure 40k goodness.  With many games recorded for our re-emerging Battle Report line, the RobPod kicks off this revitalized call to arms from the Rites of Battle Staff.

So join us for our general round table discussion on 40k!  Many a thought are shared on many a topic... and while it may be somewhat disjointed, grab a beer and settle in for some good old fashioned chatting about our most favorite to loath grim darkness.

Cheers!

Catching Up, and Making Progress

Hey there everyone, Godfrey here with something of a personal update for you guys.  Most of the articles I write are written with the express idea of discussing something about this or that, but I thought I'd take some time to gather my progress on the many fronts I've been facing in the Grim Darkness of my Hobby time, and form them into words.  It helps me as a writer and a hobbyist to catalog my achievements and to work out meaningful steps towards future goals, and hopeful provides you guys with something to occupy your time with.  So why the picture of Liam Neeson to start off with an article like that?  Well apart from being one of my favorite actors, this picture depicts the namesake of my screen name.  It's from the film Kingdom of Heaven, and if you haven't seen it check it out.  There are numerous little nuances and elements about the character which really hit home for me, so I strive to be more like him in my everyday games... even if the Ork player in me is a bit over-zealous to speak broken English and yell a lot.  But on with the show.  Let's see what's been going on, and where it will take me.

A Quick Thought on the Style of 7th

Hey everyone and welcome back.  Though it's been a while since our last real hard look into some of the newest books brought out for 40k, that doesn't mean we haven't been having some fun collecting and reading them.  Quite a few new codexes have dropped recently, and they've given us some insight as to what we can expect from those to come.  To be honest, I'm actually fairly happy with where the releases are in so many respects, and if not for a few little hiccups in the core rules, I could easily see this rule set and it's codexes being the most balanced and the most healthy the game of Warhammer 40k has ever been.  After nearly 3 decades of existence, that's saying quite a bit.

I many cases, a game reaches what I feel to be it's pinnacle climax not long after it's first official release.  This isn't to say that it's always the case, but as a game ages, we see the developers begin to introduce more and more concepts, abilities, areas, rules, etc. to their world.  While it's not inherently a bad thing, and I fully understand it is necessary to keep these games new and interesting for the players, it can take away from a game's overall experience.

The Indy Open Approaches

Hey Folks, and welcome back.  With August drawing near it's end, September looms on the horizon.  While normally the shift in months can pass with relatively little notice from me, this shift is a big one.  With GenCon behind us, it's time for the gamers of the mid-west to have something to look forward to.  And to that, we have the Indy Open!

Established for some time now, I am embarrassed to say that I have never actually had the fortune myself to actually make it down.  Be it school, work, or just personal life, I have just never had a chance to make it down.  I know the guys down there put on a great show, and it's been sad to miss it.  But no more.  This year, I change all that.  This year, I'm heading down!

Podcast #14 - The Rumors of the Dark City, and X-Wing!

Who says Tuesday can't be a good day?  For today Rites of Battle gives you another Podcast!

Hey folks, join Havok and myself for a look into some thoughts on the dark denizens of the Webway, as well as some of the rumored happenings for the coming months in the Grim Dark. With all of the changes to the core game rules, there might just be a place for the Dark Eldar as new ground rules for army updates like unique new units, Maelstrom cards, formations, potent relics, and warlord traits are added to their now aged codex.

But we have more in store for you than simply 40k. I managed to get my first game of X-Wing in, and I'll let you know what I thought of the whole thing.  We have been really enjoying a chance at branching out into new and more diverse game systems to cover here on Rites.  So much so, that a new Lexicanum may be brought on soon.  But more on that another time.

For now, enjoy the cast!

Cheers!

The Eternal Crusade: Founders Unleashed

Hey everyone, welcome back to Rites of Battle.  While we always love you guys showing up to read our prattling 'ons, today I wanted to let you guys know that another site across the internet, formed in the shadows of the warp itself, has birthed into life a new creation in the Grim Dark.  BEhavior has launched their founders program for the Eternal Crusade, slated for sometime next year.

The program is basically the players' chance to pre-order the game, as well as save some character and guild names, and even load up on some extra in-game goodies.  While the selection of races and the unique factions within them are still pretty limited (sadly no Black Templar in there), it's shaping up the be a fantastic core to what will be a first in the Grim Darkness.

For those of you interested in checking it out for yourself, or even signing up, follow this link.  As a Founder myself, I am trying to do my part to get new faces who may be interested in checking it out on board.

Link to Eternal Crusade

With this slated for next year, as well as the Lord Inquisitor fan-movie coming in the next year or two (link to an awesome video for those who missed it), and not to mention the new found life form 7th edition, this is a great era indeed for the Grim Dark.  Almost as though the Golden Age of Wonder has returned.

I'll look forward to seeing you guys around the next corner, and hopefully soon I will have the next installment of the Tru-Scale codex.  Until then...

Cheers!

Forging a Narrative: Gimic or Constructive Design?

Hello everyone, Godfrey here.  Today I will take a short break from working on my Tru-Scale project and talk about one of the games more infamous taglines.  While many people use the term "Forge a Narrative" as a failing on the part of GW by accusing it as being a cop-out from the design team, others find it to be a doorway to making the game something more than most others out there.

While there are more than certainly aspects of the game which are made worse by this philosophy of design, it should be noted that there are also a lot of possibilities out there for non-competitive play which are made more accessible thanks to this.  With the advent of the new edition, things have really opened up on this front.  So lets take a look at some of the openings brought about by some of the additions or alterations which came about with 7th, and study just what about them is making the game a better system, both narratively and mechanically, or just abuse-able  gimics.

Heresy in the Library - Night Lords Omnibus

Greetings good people and welcome back! Trooper here with another installment of "Heresy in the Library", where I review Black Library publications and let you, the reader at the other end of the data-slate, know how it is! Up for review is the newly released omnibus for a not so new series. Night Lords: The Omnibus is Black Library's collection of the Night Lords series of books into one gigantic tome. There isn't much new, but for fans it will be a treat to revisit the prophet of the eighth legion. So sit back, grab some amasec, and enjoy my review of Night Lords: The Omnibus.

Meta Begets Meta?

Hey Folks, I thought I'd touch on a topic that has crossed my mind as the 40k universe sits perched on the edge of a new edition, shrouded in possibility.  There is something in the rules which has prompted many players to focus on exploiting one mechanic, and because of this, another part of the game has become extremely powerful.  I'm talking about the Hull Point system, and how players have reacted to this by reducing, or flat out removing heavy hitting firepower for alternatively cheaper, less potent weapons with the express interest of simply drowning their enemy in firepower.  But I feel that the long-lasting and over-arching ramifications of this has lead to much of what people dislike about the meta these days.

Inequality in Re-Rolls

--Please note that I've been away from the site for a few months because of school and trying to get some things together for my local group (of 2).  This was meant to be released with my last article around the new year, but it's been a long semester.--

Greetings gentlereaders,

Thinking how valuable stat points are and how this influences game design and it got me to thinking.  In a lot of places we have rules that act as artificial statistics, specifically I'd like to talk about re-rolls, how they've popped up in 40k and what that can tell us about the value of different statistics.  Broadly speaking, we can group rolls into three categories: saves, shooting attacks and melee attacks.  I'll not discuss re-rolls to wound, as they fall into one of the other categories and can vary in value much more than the other three.  This one will be much more evidence-based than statistics based, so don't be afraid to come with me.

The Arrival of the Knights & Thoughts on Enhancing the Quality of the 40k Experience

Hey there everyone, and welcome back to Rites of Battle.  While my personal life has pretty much crumbled under my feet, I thought it unfair to neglect my responsibilities to those of you who return time and again to read about 40k.  While I have been somewhat detached from news, some things haven't completely escaped my eyes and ears, and it seems that these are sparking quite the discussion on the Wartrukk regarding the state of the game.  This got me thinking yet again on how to improve some of what I perceive as weak points, and even failings on the part of the Games Workshop design team, and while I won't claim to have perfect solutions, It has always been taught to me that you should try to present some alternatives or solutions if you are going to voice a dissenting opinion of the topic at hand.  Not only this, but I'd love to give a quick thought on the spark of the whole debate, as well as some shout outs to recent events.

It's a jam packed article, so sit down, strap in, and enjoy.

Podcast #9: Tyranid Codex Review

Hey there folks, Godfrey here bringing you something a little different.  Because of personal reasons, Corvus and Heretic have opted out of the topic, which I will honor without fault.  However, I have quite a bit, both good and bad to speak on in terms of what this codex really is, and it's uses... even if they be few in number to most.

Hopefully this podcast will promote some thoughts on how to look at this book past the first impression of WTF GDUBS!?!  It's a long talk, but I hope it's something you guys can enjoy.

Cheers!

Space Hulk Review

Cheers!

Reports from the Chili Waaagh!

 

So a big shout out to all the guys who made it to the Chili Waaagh! this past Saturday.  I can't remember ever having a more pleasant experience with 40k, and I didn't even bring that much (model wise).

For those of you unfortunate enough to have not been there, this was a themed Apocalypse event, forming and following a narrative of a massive Ork Waaagh that slammed into an Imperial planet.  With the Guard forces utterly crushed or routed, several Space Marine chapters, and a Legion Invigilata Warlord Titan responded to the Distress Beacon.  The Orks had crafted not only several Stompas, including a Shock Attack Stompa, but had created a foul titanic monstrosity classified as a Gargant.

The Facebook page leading up to the event was amazing.  Several in-character responses and discussions from both factions' commanders, and showing up to the event and seeing most everything painted was amazing.  I loved the table, the scenario and the people.  A great time was had by all.  Special thanks to Johnny McGinnis for hosting the event.  I look forward to coming down for the next Waaagh!

Below are a ton of pictures taken from the event.

Rethinking the Universal Rules of 40k.

Hey folks.  So Tyranids have dropped, and whether you love it, hate it, or are just plain indifferent on it, it's the reality of the codex as it is now.  And while I do plan to discuss my thoughts on it at some point (more than likely over a podcast review of the book), right now I thought I'd touch on my thoughts on another popular topic of today's 40k chats.

There has been a rumor or two floating about that 7th edition may be coming quite soon on the heels of some of the releases later this year.  For those of us who bought into the collector's edition of 6th edition, it's a little disconcerting to think it'll be outdated in less than two years time.  My personal thoughts on what this "7th edition" rumoring revolves around less of a new edition, and more of a culmination of all the new information we've seen drop over the blitzkrieg of units, rules, codexes, dataslates, supplements, expansions and more.  Basically think of a re-release of the current rules, but with all of the new information added into it.  That is at least my hopes on it with regards to an edition shift.

However, there is a chance for Games Workshop to make some balance changes to some of the game's mechanics as it moves forward.  Whether or not they choose to with this new edition we hear talk of is another story, but they could make some nice tweaks in the form of potent erratas.  A few rules came up in my mind of places where the game could make changes that really improve the ability and increase tactical options presented to the players.  You can disagree with the power level of a specific unit or codex all you want, but at the end of the day it pays to remember that all of these issues are made possible by existing in the context of the game's rules.  So let's look at some of these possible alterations to some of the game's existing rules to see how we could change the scheme or alter the mood of 40k.

A Full Docket

Hello everyone.  There isn't much in the way of content here, but I wanted to let everyone know that with the new year has come several major events in the area.  Several tournaments and Narrative themed Apocalypse events have been scheduled.  To help you guys plan for the events, we've updated the Event Calendar here on Rites to give you the best idea of what all is going on and when.

Check out the Rites of Battle Event Calender and start painting your models.  The new year is certainly starting out with a bang!

Cheers!