Warmaster

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Warmaster is a tabletop wargame created by Rick Priestley, published by Games Workshop, and set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is different from Warhammer Fantasy Battles in both appearance and gameplay. It uses smaller 10 mm miniatures. Basic troops are based on stands, of which typically three make a unit. Generals, Heroes and Wizards are mounted individually or with their retinue.

Gameplay focuses on command and control. While magic is used in the game, its effects on the game are limited. The game is designed to focus on the general's ability to command rather than just the armies ability to fight. Players say the game avoids a common criticism of the Games Workshop Warhammer games that battles are often decided based on army selection rather than the players' skill in battle.

The Warmaster rulebook.
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The Warmaster rulebook.

Warmaster's counterpart for the Warhammer 40,000 setting is Epic, but the two systems share no rules.

Contents

[edit] Releases

Warmaster was originally released in 2000 as a rulebook with miniatures available separately. As with most of Games Workshop Specialist games, the rules are available on-line as a Living Rulebook. New rules and information are also available from the official Warmaster website, including many taken from the Warmaster 2002 and 2003 Annuals.

In mid 2006, a new online supplement was added to the Specialist Games website, known as Warmaster Armies. This supplement includes revised lists for the six original armies (High Elves, Empire, Dwarfs, Chaos, Orcs and Goblins and Tomb Kings of Khemri), alongside revised lists for 7 new forces (Dark Elves, Skaven, Bretonnians, Lizardmen, Kislevites, Vampire Counts and Daemonic Hordes).

[edit] Battle of Five Armies

Contents of Game
Enlarge
Contents of Game

In 2005 Games Workshop released a boxed game called Great Battles of Middle Earth: The Battle of Five Armies based on the battle from the book "The Hobbit". The rules are heavily based on Warmaster, and it uses the same miniature scale. The boxed set contains rules, plastic 10 mm miniatures, and scenery (Plastic hills and a cardboard river).
Additional miniatures for this game were cast in white metal. While detailed in the box set rule book, these extra miniatures are sold separately.

[edit] Warmaster Ancients

The Warmaster Ancients rulebook.
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The Warmaster Ancients rulebook.

Also in 2005 Warhammer Historical published Warmaster Ancients, a modified version of the Fantasy rules suitable for battles covering a period from early Biblical times to roughly 1066. The rules are different from the original 'fantasy' version to better represent historical battles and units.

October 2006 saw the release of Warmaster Ancient Armies which includes 20 new army lists (all of which set prior to 1000 CE), along with rules for campaign play and a number of new rule clarifications and unit modifications.

A new ruleset for the Medieval period is nearing completion and will be available in 2007.

[edit] Warmaster Gameplay

Warmaster works at a higher organisation level than Warhammer Fantasy to represent very large battles in the Warhammer world. The components of an army are divided into two basic types : units and characters. The 10 mm scale miniatures are based on 40 mm x 20 mm elements. The miniatures are cast in strips with about 5 figures per strip, formed into two lines to create a massed effect. Units are normally made of three such elements each. Infantry are based along the 40 mm edge, while cavalry, chariots, monsters and artillery are based along the 20 mm edge. Characters represent commanders such as generals, heroes and wizards and may be based as the player desires.

Units in Warmaster must be activated and moved by rolling against the command value of a character, units can be activated multiple times, though the roll becomes progressively more difficult Units may be moved into contact with enemy troops and are considered charging. To enable commanders to move their armies around, units can be formed into brigades of up to four units. If a commander fails his activation roll, he can no longer command units in that turn.

Once all units have been moved eligible units are allowed to shoot and wizards may attempt to cast a spell. Shooting is not very deadly, but any hits scored may force an enemy unit to fall back. Shooting is therefore primarily aimed at disrupting enemy formation and cohesion rather than destroy them.

After the shooting phase follows the combat phase, all units involved in combat may roll a number of D6 dice equivalent to their attack value. Units based along the 20 mm edge have a tremendous advantage against units based on the 40 mm edge, allowing them to pack all their attacks in a narrow frontage, with two units being able to combine their attacks onto a single enemy unit. Once two units have exchanged blows the number of hits are totalled. The loser with the lowest total hits is forced to fall back, while the winner has the option to stand, pursue or fall back. Fights may continue, even against multiple enemy units in succession, until one side is destroyed or the attacker does not wish to pursue the enemy.

[edit] Warmaster Ancients Gameplay

The gameplay for Warmaster Ancients follows the same basic procedure as Warmaster Fantasy, but differs in the following way :

Magic, dragons and other such are naturally not present in this rule set (although historical large creatures, such as elephants, are present in some armies).

Units may only receive three consecutive orders.

Combat is limited to two exchanges. Unlike the fantasy version, where units may continue to attack as long as they have valid targets in range. This allows players to reinforce their troops under attack and prevents a lucky player from "rolling up" a flank.

There are special rules for many historical unit types. Units based on the 20 mm edge are designated as "shock troops" and include heavy cavalry, elephants and as phalanxes using pikes. Among the most important new troop types are skirmishers, mobile light troops that can evade an enemy charge and can be used to delay an enemy advance.

[edit] External links

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Warhammer Fantasy
Major Games: Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warmaster, Mordheim, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Man O' War
Nations and races: Bretonnia, Chaos, Chaos Dwarfs, Dark Elves, Dogs of War, Dwarfs, The Empire, High Elves, Lizardmen, Ogres, Orcs and Goblins, Skaven, Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts, Wood Elves
Places: The Old World, Araby, Cathay, Lustria, Ulthuan, Southlands
"People" List of major Warhammer characters
More Warhammer Fantasy creatures, Warhammer Fantasy deities
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