One of the things I detest the most in the world is internet
hyperbole. Everything is either the best or worse, triumph or disaster,
glorious, or the by-product of a satanic orgy.
That said, the single greatest achievement of The 9th
Age is the Undying Dynasties book.
They took an army whose design restrictions threatened to forever relegate
it to the dark dank corners of our consciousness, only touched by that weird
sub-breed of gamers that like sitting in a corner, pointing and throwing all
their dice whilst shrilly crying out “Banishment!”. Sure, there was a
sharp rise in popularity during the End Times, but even that was only possible
because the ETC and other tournament organisers cheated and allowed them to
have a unit they shouldn’t have had access to. No, at their core, Tomb Kings
were Dwarfs without punks or beer – no more need be said.
And then the dark cabal that operates in the shadowy bowls of The 9th
Age got their talons on this project.
Like Dorothy stepping through from a drab (if slimming) world of white,
black and endless shades grey into a glorious explosion of Technicolor, fans of
the Scorpion King (I assume some exist) finally had some horsepower to
play around with.
Not only were the fundamental issues of the book (fundamentally the
speed) been addressed, but they also opened up glorious options for completely
changing armies – be it the two options are the start of the book for shifting
how entire armies are built and work, or the option to take Shabties (seriously,
that’s a *terrible* name for a unit) in core if you limit yourself to certain
character options.
Sure some units were overpowered (I’m looking at you, Mr Casket),
and I am sure some are underpowered, but the overall packaged was very
impressive.
I do, it has to be said, have a single fundamental issue with this
book. And it is an issue I am not entirely sure I can get over. Quite simply:
It is so much more interesting than the VC book.
And this makes me angry.
Anyway – let’s see what changes they have in store:
1.
Path of the Sands… [blah blah blah]… Addressing this problem required a
reworking of the entire UD racial path in order to improve the synergy between
the Path of the Sands and the UD army […].
This is nothing but good news. Race-specific magic lores should always
have inherent synergies with their respective armies. I didn’t think that Path
of the Sands was *that* bad before, but if this means we see fewer Light
wizards in UD armies, that’s nothing but great news.
2.
Characters. All Undying Dynasties combat and support characters (non-wizard)
have undergone significant changes. The Tomb Harbinger and Tomb Architect
characters were an issue […] The Harbinger has lost Undying Will, but has
instead gained Hatred and grants this special rule to the accompanying unit.
Furthermore […] the BSB option has been buffed and is now a more competitive
choice for the Harbinger. The Architect […] will now focus solely on supporting
constructs with a significantly cheaper price tag […] The Nomarch has received
a points drop, while the Pharaoh has acquired a bump in Weapon Skill and a
price hike. Mount options for royals have also become more competitive. […]
A lot of changes! Broadly sounds good – I like the idea of
characters with specific roles so you have to make the choice of which (if any)
to choose from, and I am interested in seeing the mechanics they come up with
to make them all competitive. I don’t feel UD were all that hard done by to
begin with (a Pharaoh was already arguably better than a Vampire Lord), but
still.
3. Casket of
Phatep. This unit has historically been plagued with complaints on issues ranging
from perceived loss of personality to gaming imbalance from UD players and
opponents alike. Therefore, the Casket has been re-designed to function as a
magic support unit, holding a Bound Spell, a channel bonus, and a negative
modifier to enemy casting results.
Halleluiah, there is a (presumably undead and soul-devouring) god!
4. Ark of
Ages. Community feedback was that the ark had survivability issues and was
mostly taken only by low-level wizards because of the additional exposure of a
mount. Both issues have been addressed.
Lol, literally have no idea what this is – I guess that means an
update is no bad thing!
5. Skeletons.
In order to provide greater flexibility in UD Core infantry builds, skeleton
warriors and skeleton archers are now separate unit entries. Furthermore,
significant incoming changes to undead BSB and Steadfast rules will make
skeleton warrior tarpits more viable, as Steadfast and Hold Your Ground rules
will significantly reduce the amount of crumble damage that skeleton warrior
tarpits receive when determining combat resolution.
All good – can’t wait to see what the much talked about change to
Undead BSBs actually is.
6. Winged
Reapers. In conjunction with the Vampire Covenant Army Book Committee, Winged
Reapers were adjusted to make them more competitive. They have received an
extra attack and new customization options that will allow Winged Reapers to
fulfill a unique role in both undead armies. Players may now choose between
their army-supporting Necromatic Aura or a new Autonomous special rule that
allows Winged Reapers to march outside of the General's Inspiring Presence
range.
Hmm. I can’t help thinking they would have to be much cheaper to
find an obvious role. The thing that made them great in 8th was
their insanely good healing potential. Great models though, so hope this works
out.
7. Shabti. The
halberd option for Shabti was underpriced and superior to all other available
weapon options. To improve weapon pricing balance, Shabti themselves have
become cheaper while halberds have increased significantly in cost.
Sure, why not? With less Light magic around one assumes great
weapons will become more attractive anyway?
8. Dread
Sphinx. Playtesting revealed that the current Dread Sphinx version was
underperforming and often ineffective on the battlefield. It has been redesigned
and is returning to its roots as a Monster, including a buff to its Strength
and an increase in its versatility.
I always thought it was ok, if a boost improves internal balance
that can’t be a bad thing.
9.
Colossus. In order to promote better internal balance, the most often-used
monster in the book is getting a price hike. The cost of the Colossus' weapon
options have also been re-balanced.
Good, this thing was everywhere (though one must feel for the newly
hired workers at the local Colossus factories whose jobs are now threatened).
10.
Magical Standard. The removal of the Protection of Phatep from the Path of the
Sands means that the rarely used Unyielding Standard is being discarded.
Replacing it is a new BSB-only banner that will strengthen the Underground
Ambush special rule and allow UD players to be more aggressive with their
Underground Ambush units.
I like the concept. Ambush is a hard one to call really – often the
opportunity cost is damaging.
11.
Book of the Dead. This item has been revamped to improve its synergy with the
Path of the Sands. The Book of the Dead is now Path of the Sands exclusive and
has received a price hike, but makes spells from the UD racial path easier to
cast and improves the wearer's Risen abilities.
I want this in the VC book L
So, in short, things continuing to look rosy in the flannel-wearing
world of the Undying Dynasties.
I remain unsure why anyone would use VC instead of them (other than
old fashioned stubbornness and existing model collections), but that’s a bitter
(sobbing) rant for another day.
Until next time,
Raf
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