Warhammer Fantasy

So, I've played a couple of games now. I like the changes for the most part.

Where to start...?

When charging, the distance you charge is now random. You roll 2d6 and add your movement to get the distance moved for your charge. It's not a bad change, though it can be frustrated when you fail a charge you would have made in the previous editions, or when a slow moving race (like dwarves) charges more than double their old charge distance to take out your uber-cool special unit...**sigh**

When fighting close combat, losses are still taken from the rear ranks. Unlike previous editions when you lost those attacks though, the warriors in your unit are assumed to fill in the ranks up front and continue fighting. Also, the rank behind the front will lend supporting attacks, making the overall number of attacks you get more numerous. This tends to make combat much more decisive.

Charging no longer means you attack first. It gives you a +1 to your combat resolution score. All attacks are made in initiative order. This leads me to my only true disapproval of the new system.

Always Strike First states that models with this rule will always strike first regardless of initiative scores. Furthermore, if the model with this rule has an equal or higher initiative it gets to reroll misses. So, a high elf spearmen unit (5x4) with ASF will get to attack will get 21 attacks (champion gets 2, three ranks each get 1 (14) and a fourth rank lends supporting attacks (1 each). They attack a charging dark elf spear unit (5x3).

The first round sees the HE score 16 hits and getting 12 wounds, of which 3 are saved.
The DE get 7 attacks (they only have 6 elves left) scoring 3 hits and 2 wounds, 1 is saved.

Resolution goes like this
HE get 9 wounds (9)
3 Ranks (3)
Standard (1)
Outnumber (1)
Total (14)

DE get 1 wound (1)
2 ranks (2)
Standard (1)
Total (4)

Insane Courage will save the day (not really... The DE will be killed off next round without landing a single spearstrike...).

Yesterday, I watched all of my Dark Elf units get shredded in close combat despite having the exact same stat line as my High Elf cousins. The major difference is that they have ASF and I do not. ASF really isn't the problem. It's the reroll, I think.

In one round of combat yesterday I saw a 20 strong unit if High Elf Spears annihilate my unit of 20 Dark Elf Corsairs with Lokhir Fellheart. My mistake was I charged, though it wasn't really a mistake. In the first round I lost 12 corsairs and scored about seven casualties of my own. I lost the combat by 6 but managed to stay in the fight. The next round I lost the rest of the unit.

A 300+ point unit, Frenzied with all kinds of cool abilities of their own, destroyed in two rounds of combat by a 180 point spear unit. That was charged...by my general's unit...

It sucked...