War of the Ring v2 Project: Drummer

Showing posts with label Drummer. Show all posts

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Extending the Mordor List with Missing Profiles [Part 9/13]

The next Army List to be extended is Mordor. Recall from Part 2/12 that the set of missing profiles for the Mordor Army List included the following:

Guritz
Great Beast of Gorgoroth
Black-Hearted Trees
Shagrat, Warleader of Cirith Ungol
Gollum the Murderer

Each of the SBG profiles were considered carefully and determined the best means by which they would be integrated into the WotR list. It was finally decided that there would be 2 new rare formations, 2 new epic heroes and an updated epic hero from the list above. Also, to "tie up loose ends" there are also updates for the Orc Tracker Warband, the Mordor Battering Ram and The Necromancer of Dol Guldur.

UPDATED COMMON FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

Orc Tracker Warband

The Orc Tracker Warband did not have any of the options for upgrading their command company. Since there is nothing particularly distinct about them as a formation, they should have the option to include the standard set of upgrades:

Banner
Drummer
Taskmaster

They still do not have a distinct Command Hero in the form of a Captain, but that should be ok since there are plenty of Epic Heroes within Mordor to choose from. The cost of the three upgrades follows the standard cost for them:

UPDATED RARE FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

Mordor Battering Ram

As for the Mordor Battering Ram ... We never really knew how to treat this model ... Is it an Infantry model with 4 warriors? If so, shouldn't it have the special rule Indomitable? Or is it an Artillery Warmachine model? But then it would have 0" move and would be rather un-useful...

We finally decided to leave it a Monster and thus let it be treaded just like a Troll. So we adjusted the Move Value down, and gave it a unique ability to be more effective against Artillery (so now it has an actual purpose within an army instead of just a "light troll"), with the Disarmament Special Rule. Likewise, since it is literally a Monster profile, now - we gave it the Striking Order (Monster) Special Rule - now this is actually a more useful model to include with an Army of Mordor!

NEW RARE FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

Great Beast of Gorgoroth
Black-hearted Trees

1) GREAT BEAST OF GORGOROTH

Up to this point, the only behemoth WarMachine has been the Mumak in the Fallen Realms Army List. Recall that we made quite a few changes to its profile wording and description in THIS POST.

It makes sense that the Great Beast follow the model of the Mumak, however we wanted it to be a more predicable model and not have the random element that the Mumak possesses.

I'm actually quite pleased with the way that this profile turned out ... I'm anxious to see it in action and watch it yield the destruction that it warrants!

2) BLACK-HEARTED TREES

These are the "fallen Ents" that have turned to support the dark plans of Sauron. This profile provides a fun new way for the Evil Armies to get in on the tree war. They have been created as Infantry (in lieu of being Monsters - since Mordor already has enough Monsters already). Ooh ... should I create a Mordor Ambusher Army?? Shelob, Grishnakh's Trackers, Orc Trackers, Morgul Stalkers, and Black-hearted Trees?? Yes, I should!

UPDATED LEGENDARY FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

The Necromancer of Dol Guldur

The Necromancer is a model that I was surprised not to have seen more of in games. For the Vanilla Cost of 300 Points, he was a total steal! I think it was the broken mechanic of the Hard to Kill Special Rule that was initially prohibitive ... Remember that we fixed that problem in THIS POST. So, to make him more worthy of being the Dark Lord we have upgraded his Hard to Kill to be Very Hard to Kill. He has the Epic Ability of Epic Ruination right out of the gate, as well ... we decided to give him the option of upgrading to include 2 additional Epic Abilities that will effect spell efficiency, as well:

Epic Distress
Epic Shadow

There will be a post very soon that will be dedicated strictly to these new upgrades (and additionally Epic Direction and Epic Naturalization).

I think that the Necromancer wins the award for the longest profile, too ... 4 pages long! That alone should show you how awesome he really is!

UPDATED EPIC HEROES FOR MORDOR

Gollum the Murderer

The existing profile for Gollum is a little lack-luster. Also, once Gandalf, Aragorn or Elrond were included within the opposing Army ... he was pretty much a sitting duck. He has been given the new Special Rule Instill Terror and has had his Strangling Horror Special Rule updated. Also, he has a new Epic Ability: Epic Debilitation - this will allow him to have more impact on the opposing army and will put the precious heroes of Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond in harm's way to attempt to "discover" him.

NEW EPIC HEROES FOR MORDOR

Guritz
Shagrat, Warleader of Cirith Ungol

1) GURITZ

This Epic Hero is the anti-Gondor master! Just as he shows up on the pillage of Osgiliath in the films, he can wreck havoc on destroying the new Faramir profile and his precious little veterans! He fills the gap of Inspiring Leader for Mordor and provides some additional flair with his other Special Rules and Epic Abilities.

2) SHAGRAT, WARLEADER OF CIRITH UNGOL

It has always bothered me that Legendary Heroes (those heroes that are included within their Legendary Formations) could never leave the Legendary formation to aid support to other formations in the Army. I guess that's why the Epic Heroes are so much more expensive - their ability to jump around the battlefield to provide the support where they are most needed. Now Shagrat can do that, too! He provides an amazing Defense Value boost to even the most feeble of Orc Warriors ... this can make him useful in that right alone!

Well, there we have it for Mordor! Any thoughts? I know I still need to get the Status Update for Evil together and posted ... but just to pique your curiosity, yes - Mordor is also 100% complete and just needs to be put up on the Download Page!!

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE SBG TO WOTR CONVERSION SERIES

Describing the Process [Part 1/13]
Creating the Full List of Needed Profiles and Assigning WotR Armies [Part 2/13]

Extending the Gondor & Arnor List [Part 3/13]
Extending The Kingdom of Rohan List [Part 4/13]
Extending The Elven Kingdoms List [Part 5/13]
Extending The Dwarf Holds List [Part 6/13]

Sneak Peak at the Profiles for Thorin [Part 6a/13]
Common Formations [Part 6b/13]
Legendary Formations [Part 6c/13]
Epic Heroes [Part 6d/13]

Creating The City of Dale List [Part 7/13]
Extending The Forgotten Kingdoms List [Part 8/13]
Extending the Mordor List [Part 9/13]
Extending The Fortress of Isengard List [Part 10/13]
Extending The Misty Mountains (Moria) List [Part 11/13]
Extending The Fallen Realms List [Part 12/13]
Extending the Angmar List [Part 13/13]

Common and Rare Formations [Part 13a/13]
Legendary Formations [Part 13b/13]
Epic Heroes [Part 13c/13]

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WFMC - Movement Modifier Checkboxes Work Properly and Zoom Capability [Part 7/11]

The last two weeks has been a struggle with the functionality for the color of the Formation Configuration items in the Combo Box. It was causing crashes and display problems with the view, so I finally decided to comment it out and go back to the straight black text for now - until I can refactor the whole thing and convert it in its entirety over to Attributed Strings (instead of trying to juggle between those and normal Strings). Once I finally gave up on that battle, I managed to make a few other changes that were needed.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF WITH PART 6/10

Here is what the application looked like on the 8th May 2015.

We had added in the Grid Mark Reference Lines and also made the changes for Round-to-Round non-persistence of the Expended Move Value (i.e., so that it doesn't continue to compound).

MORE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE

One of the problems that have been in existence since implemented has been the Move Enhancing checkbox options. We put them in back during Part 2/10, but they didn't "do" anything to the Remaining Move Value. I wanted the process of checking the checkboxes to increase/decrease the Remaining Move Value - and when unchecked they could reverse the effect - but not impact the Expended Move Value that had been accumulated.

During the post for part 4/10, we also added the logic to enable and disable the Hornblower checkbox based upon the selected Desired unit (i.e., whether or not the Unit supports it as an upgrade or has it as a default included in the profile).

Here, we have selected the Faction "Gondor & Arnor" and selected the Unit "Minas Tirith Archers" - which allow for the Hornblower upgrade (hence the checkbox is enabled). Notice that the profile's Move Value (just under the Desired Unit) shows the baseline value of 6.00" for the Archers. Since the Hornblower checkbox is unchecked the Remaining Move Value is equal to the baseline profile Move Value (6.00") - since there are no modifiers applied to the formation.

Here, we have checked the Hornblower checkbox. The baseline value for the unit is still unchanged (as expected) and the Remaining Move Value has been updated to include the extra 1" provided by the upgrade (so now it is reading 7.00").

Recall that in order to enable the other checkboxes (which are impacted on a Round-by-Round basis of activation), the first Round must be established by Baselining the Formation and its configuration. The baseline configuration is set to be the 2x3 Configuration of the Formation of 6 Infantry companies.

Next, we checked the "At the Double!" checkbox. From the description in the rulebook on page 64 - this effectively allows the Remaining Move Value to be doubled. Again, notice that there is a Hornblower in the formation, and the formation is performing an "At the Double!". This means that the formation can move its full 7.00" (from the baseline Move Value + the Hornblower) and then move another full 7.00" immediately, again. If you look at the Remaining Move Value for the formation - it is under this combination now a value of 14.00" (double 7.00"). Something else to notice, here, is that before - checking the "At the Double!" checkbox disabled both itself and the Heroic Move checkbox ... this wasn't correct - so that disabling feature has been removed. Just because a formation performed an "At the Double!" does not disqualify it from performing a Heroic move - and checking it by accident should not disallow unchecking the option.

In the following figure, the "At the Double!" checkbox has been unchecked and the Difficult Terrain checkbox has been checked. From the rulebook on page 33, it mentions that Difficult Terrain movement counts as double (effectively meaning that the Move value is halved while in effect). Here we have the formation that still includes the Hornblower (7.00" Move Value) in Difficult Terrain - so the remaining Move Value has been reduced to 3.50" under these circumstances.

Similarly, from page 33 - the same rules apply for the "Enemy Upon Us" condition. here the formation also has 3.50" Remaining Move Value due to those conditions.

If you were curious, yes - Difficult Terrain and "Enemy Upon Us" modifiers do stack. In other words, if both the checkboxes are checked then the remaining Move Value would be 1.75" (one-quarter of the original baseline Move Value + Hornblower upgrade for the Unit).

Note that this is a little controversial of a subject - some would suggest that the rule should not be quadrupled, but instead tripled - meaning if the Formation were moving forward 1", it would cost 1" for the Move, +1" for double cost due to difficult terrain, & +1" for the Enemy Upon Us rule = 3" total cost.

The way that we have treated it is that if the Formation were moving forward 1", it would cost 1" for the Move and +1" for double cost due to difficult terrain = 2" subtotal cost; and then for double cost due to the Enemy Upon Us rule would be +2" = 4" total cost.

Here we have the Formation with a Hornblower Upgrade that has called a Heroic Move via a Hero. According to Page 66 of the rulebook, this effectively triples the Move Value for the formation. So, in this case, the base move Value of 6.00" is upped by +1" for the Hornblower = 7.00" subtotal and then tripled for the Heroic Move = 21.00" Total Move Value.

Now we are talking ... we can perform quite a few of the Reconfiguration Costs with a Move Value like that or we can take full advantage of rotating and translating!

One nuance that we were trying to accommodate for was the condition where the "At the Double!" checkbox had been checked but then as an afterthought it was decided to spend the Might and perform a Heroic Move. In this case, we decided that checking the checkbox for a Heroic Move should "overwrite" the "At the Double!" - so it unchecks the checkbox and disables it (so that you cannot get into a situation where both are checked at the same time.

However, if you then decide to go back and turn off the checkbox for the Heroic Move - the "At the Double!" checkbox is re-enabled and allowed to be re-selected if so desired.

Here is a situation where the Formation started at the location above at the beginning of Round 1. They have a Hornblower, so they had 7.00" Move Value. As they begin to rotate and move to the left and back they expend the entire 7.00" of Move Value, so they decide to call an "At the Double!" (which they roll for [not modeled, yet] and pass). They then continue to move left and down to the current position, with using up 11.26" of their 14.00" of Move Value.

Here is the same type of movement, but this time the Formation is within Difficult Terrain and has decided to use a Heroic Move to accomplish the full move of 10.50" (6" + 1" ==> 7" / 2 ==> 3.5" * 3 = 10.5" Total).

Here we have a Formation of Moria Goblin Warband comprised of 9 companies in 1x9 Configuration. Their base Move Value is 8.00".

Adjusting nothing else, if we attempt to reconfigure this Formation from 1x9 Configuration to 9x1 Configuration, as we saw from Part 5/10 the warning dialog will pop-up to indicate that there is not enough remaining Move Value to accomplish this reconfiguration. In fact, the cost to reconfigure is 25.64" - as indicated in the pop-up.

To accomplish this, the formation has been upgraded to include a Hornblower (now has a 9.00" Move Value) and then uses a Might Point from a Hero to call a Heroic Move (it now has a 27.00" Move Value). This is enough to accommodate the reconfiguration cost of changing from a 1x9 Configuration to a 9x1 Configuration.

Now that there is sufficient Remaining Move Value, the Formation can be Reconfigured!

This led to the next change that I wanted to implement... Notice that the formation is so wide that it now goes off the left and right side of the view. To help with this problem, I added a zoom in/out capability. It is located off to the top right of the view. Clicking + zooms the view in, and clicking - zooms the view out. In the image below, I have zoomed out twice, so now the formation shows up in its entirety within the view again.

Everything still works ... I can rotate and the zoom factor does not change any of the functionality.

Here we have zoomed back in after performing the rotation.

One more cosmetic change that I wanted to point out - if you look at the line for Rotation, I've change the degree symbol to actually be superscripted (instead of just an "o") - so it looks a little more pretty.

So, there we have it. Hopefully everyone reading this is just as excited about this as I am ... It is really starting to come together - and become something that could be useful!

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WFMC PROGRESS SERIES

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF MOVEMENT TYPES AND LIMITS SERIES

Movement Types and Limits Series - Translational and Rotational Movement [Part 1/23]

Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 2-3 Companies [Part 2/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 4 Companies [Part 3/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 5 Companies [Part 4/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 6 Companies [Part 5/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 7 Companies [Part 6/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 8 Companies [Part 7/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 9 Companies [Part 8/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Summary of Infantry Formations by Company Size [Part 9/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Infantry Restrictions of Reconfiguration by Formation Name Summary [Part 10/23]

Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 2-3 Companies [Part 11/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised for 4 Companies [Part 12/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 5 Companies [Part 13/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 6 Companies [Part 14/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 7 Companies [Part 15/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 8 Companies [Part 16/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 9 Companies [Part 17/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 1 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 18/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 2 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 19/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 3 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 20/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Summary of Cavalry Formations by Company Size [Part 21/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Restrictions of Reconfiguration by Formation Name Summary [Part 22/23]
Using WFMC to Verify Movement Examples [Part 23/23]

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

WFMC - Formations Look Like REAL WotR Formations and Groundwork for Reconfiguration Costs Put in Place [Part 4/11]

Time is just flying by, it seems. Two more weeks have come and gone ... I've made some interesting changes over those last two weeks - hopefully everyone else will agree.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF WITH PART 3/10

Here is what the application looked like on the 23rd of March 2015. Where we left off with it from the Part 3/10 post is shown below:

It was looking really good (granted still being a little cramped) - and I had gotten in the formation reconfiguration combo box - and had it drawing to the OpenGL View.

Furthermore, I had hoped to make progress in the following areas over these last two weeks:

Hornblower/Drummer applicability to units based upon upgrade capabilities.
Add the math to do the reconfigurations
Add the math for rotation based upon configuration dimensions

Let's go through some of the changes that HAVE been made, and see what you think ... I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

MORE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE

First off, having disabled fields to "force the workflow" through the application, it was a little difficult to see "what to do next" within the application. To help facilitate this, instead of simply having blank combo boxes that would enable - I've added the text "Select ..." to the next combo box that is intended to be used in the workflow. So, when the application is first launched, the Desired Faction combo box has the text to indicate that that is the first selection that should be made.

Once a Desired Faction is selected, the Desired Unit combo box enables (as it did before) and is now populated with the "Select ..." contents to indicate that that is the next selection to be made.

Similarly, once the Desired Unit is selected, then the Unit Type, Move Value and Number of Companies are populated (as before). Likewise, the Formation Configuration combo box is enabled and labeled to indicate that it is the next selection point.

Something else to mention at this point. As I had set for a goal from the list above, I wanted to enable and disable the "Simulate Hornblower" checkbox based upon the profile for the selected Desired Unit. I went through and for each unit determined if there was a "hornblower/drummer" option for the unit - and if there is (within the WotR core rules) I enabled the use of the field. If the unit had no command upgrade option for a hornblower, it was unchecked and disabled - and finally if the unit was a Legendary Formation that had a hornblower in the base cost for the command company, it is disabled and checked.

All that is working properly, now ... and I consider that a pretty big accomplishment in-and-of itself. In the case of the Oathsworn Militia that were selected above, they have the option for a hornblower to be included in the command company, so that option is enabled and unchecked to allow the selection to be made (as desired)

Selecting one of the valid configurations from the Formation Configuration combo box really starts to "bring on the sexy" from the last two weeks' worth of work...

The View no longer simply draws blue "empty" boxes, but actually draws the companies as if they are the literal bases in play. Here is the formation of Oathsworn Militia (an Infantry Formation) comprised of the 9 companies that make it up.

Similarly, here is a formation of Cloud of Bats (a Cavalry Formation) comprised of the 9 companies that make it up.

Both are drawn to scale and formations are comprised within the selected configuration. I personally think this gives the view a lot more of a "realistic WotR feel" and makes it seems more "tangible" (as if it were actual units being simulated).

Notice in both of the cases above, the "Baseline Config" line (just under the Formation Configuration combo box) has been updated (since it is effectively the next piece in the workflow). It is implying that the sliders should be adjusted to put the formation in the initial desired position, rotation and configuration and then baseline (using the "Set Baseline ..." button) to establish where the formation is going to be located for the first round.

Clicking on the "Set Baseline ..." button brings up a pop-up that indicates that baselining will set the current location of the formation and set the Round Number to be 1 (meaning that the formation is in its first round's position). Here the formation of 9 companies of Oathsworn Militia have been rotated and moved - and the Baseline has been set. Notice that the baseline configuration for the formation is populated and the round number (just above the move distances under the OpenGL View) has also been set to 1 (as indicated in the pop-up). I still need to reset the expended move value to be 0 and reset the Remaining move value back to the stat for the unit (plus/minus any movement modifiers that are checked) after the baseline has been set.

The point of baselining is so that when the formation configuration is changed after the baseline is established, the difference between the baseline configuration and the reconfiguration can be determined and the movement cost associated with the change can be calculated. For example, here is the same formation - and it has been changed within the Formation Configuration combo box to now be in 2x5 Configuration.

Making this change from 4x3 Configuration to 2x5 Configuration requires a move value of 6.41".

I've updated the database to have the full set of reconfiguration costs for any configuration to another. This ended up with over 450 rows for all the different permutations for Infantry and Cavalry. This was the "guts" of this entire application - since the intent is to provide a quick means to determine feasibility and cost for movement … Now that that's done, I still need to do something with pushing the value to the expended move cost … or checking to ensure that there is sufficient remaining move value available to accommodate the reconfiguration request. I have a feeling that doing such will be little harder than it simply sounds.

Another thing is - setting the Baseline now is the trigger for enabling the Reset Round button and the End Round button. Since the baseline has been saved, the Reset Round button now has something that it can "look up" and return the formation back to a given state. It will always look for the highest Round Number record to reset back to, as well.

The End Round button now also launches a pop-up. Clicking on OK will add to the Round Number by 1 (incrementing it to the next round) and save the location and configuration of the formation at its new updated location and configuration.

So, here the End Round button has been pressed after reconfiguring the formation to be in 2x5 Configuration. Notice that the Round Number under the View has been updated to 2 and the Baseline Configuration for round 2 is now the updated Formation Configuration that was selected - so now if another configuration is selected it will be compared against the 2x5 Configuration for determining move value expended cost.

One more note … Notice the button down at the bottom-right. When the application is closed it is not persisted - in other words, every time that you re-launch the application it basically makes you "start over"; however, since the Baseline button, Reset and End Round buttons are saving the state, I can get back to the last saved state by loading the highest round number for the formation. It works effectively like the Reset Round Button - but allows the user to pick back up where they left off, if they so desire. One thing to keep in mind, though - if a different faction/unit is selected and that is baselined - all other historical records are "blasted away" for the new baseline.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

So there is still a lot to do! I got 2 of my 3 goals done, plus I got the "bonus sexy" look and feel implemented as well (so that's a plus). I think the thing I'll shoot for next is resetting move values based upon baselining, reseting, and ending rounds - and then apply the reconfiguration costs from the table to actual expended move value … that sounds reasonable.

Stay tuned! I'll continue to provide updates as it goes on!

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WFMC PROGRESS SERIES

WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Work in Progress [Part 1/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Update ... Progress still being Made [Part 2/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - WFMC Continuing to Come Together [Part 3/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Formations Look Like REAL Formations and Groundwork for Reconfig Costs Put in Place [Part 4/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Load Previous Data & Reconfig Costs/Restrictions [Part 5/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Fixed Expended Move Costs Round-to-Round and Added Color to the Reconfiguration Combo Box [Part 6/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Movement Modifier Checkboxes Work Properly and Zoom Capability [Part 7/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Implementing the Options for Rotation [Part 8/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Calculating the Translation Distance for Vanilla WotR Rules of Movement [Part 9a/11]
WotR Formation Movement Calculator - Calculating the Translation Distance for Vanilla WotR Rules of Movement (Continued) [Part 9b/11]
TBD [Part 10/11]
TBD [Part 11/11]

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF MOVEMENT TYPES AND LIMITS SERIES

Movement Types and Limits Series - Translational and Rotational Movement [Part 1/23]

Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 2-3 Companies [Part 2/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 4 Companies [Part 3/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 5 Companies [Part 4/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 6 Companies [Part 5/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 7 Companies [Part 6/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 8 Companies [Part 7/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 9 Companies [Part 8/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Summary of Infantry Formations by Company Size [Part 9/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Infantry Restrictions of Reconfiguration by Formation Name Summary [Part 10/23]

Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 2-3 Companies [Part 11/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised for 4 Companies [Part 12/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 5 Companies [Part 13/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 6 Companies [Part 14/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 7 Companies [Part 15/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Cavalry Formations Comprised of 8 Companies [Part 16/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Movement of Infantry Formations Comprised of 9 Companies [Part 17/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 1 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 18/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 2 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 19/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Movement Example 3 from Page 33 of WotR Rulebook Analysis [Part 20/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Reconfiguration Summary of Cavalry Formations by Company Size [Part 21/23]
Movement Types and Limits Series - Cavalry Restrictions of Reconfiguration by Formation Name Summary [Part 22/23]
Using WFMC to Verify Movement Examples [Part 23/23]

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Fallen Realms Unit Cost Analysis

We have already covered the massive beast that belongs to The Fallen Realms, The Mumak, in the post for the Ridiculously Hard to Kill rule and got to see it in action (even if it ended up dying - it was still entertaining to see it trampling and stampeding over some warriors). Let's look at the remainder of the army to determine if it is well balanced and what point adjustments would be appropriate for the warriors of the East.

FALLEN REALMS WARRIORS

(R) [I] Corsair Arbalesters - Underpriced by 17%
(C) [I] Easterling Cohort - Underpriced by 14%
(C) [I] Khandish Mercenary Warband - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(R) [I] Mahud Warband - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(R) [I] Black Numenorean Regiment - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(R) [H] Morgul Knight Regiment - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(R) [M] War Mumak of Harad - Overpriced by 6%
(R) [MH] Khandish King Charioteer - Overpriced by 7%
(C) [I] Easterling Archer Cohort - Overpriced by 17%
(C) [H] Easterling Kataphrakt Cohort - Overpriced by 17%
(R) [I] Watcher Warband - Overpriced by 17%
(R) [M] Khandish Charioteer - Overpriced by 18%
(C) [I] Serpent Guard Warband - Overpriced by 20%
(C) [H] Serpent Rider Warband - Overpriced by 20%
(R) [H] Mahud Raider Warband - Overpriced by 20%
(L) [I] Abrakhan Guard - Overpriced by 20%
(C) [I] Khandish Mercenary Warband - Overpriced by 25%
(C) [I] Haradrim Warband - Overpriced by 25%
(C) [H] Haradrim Raider Warband - Overpriced by 25%
(C) [I] Corsair Raiding Party - Overpriced by 67%
(R) [I] Half Troll Warband - Overpriced by 138%

Sorting the Fallen Realms Warriors under the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful) gives:

15 Points per Company:

20 Points per Company:

25 Points per Company:

(C) [I] Serpent Guard Warband
(C) [H] Khandish Mercenary Raiders
(C) [H] Serpent Rider Warband
(R) [H] Mahud Raider Warband
(L) [I] Abrakhan Guard

30 Points per Company:

(C) [I] Easterling Archer Cohort
(C) [H] Easterling Kataphrakt Cohort
(R) [I] Corsair Arbalesters
(R) [I] Mahud Warband
(R) [I] Watcher Warband

35 Points per Company:

(C) [I] Easterling Cohort
(R) [I] Black Numenorean Regiment
(R) [H] Morgul Knight Regiment

40 Points per Company:

(R) [I] Half Troll Warband

85 Points per Company:

(R) [M] Khandish Charioteer

140 Points per Company:

(R) [MH] Khandish King Charioteer

235 Points per Company:

(R) [M] War Mumak of Harad

OK, this is interesting - it seems like the Fallen Realms is in the same boat as the Elves. They are absurdly overpriced and the only ones that are reasonable are rare formations - which would require a bunch of Easterlings or Khandish Mercenaries (the latter of which are all metal, of course) just to bring them along.

FALLEN REALMS HEROES

(E) Khamul the Easterling - Underpriced by 40%
(E) The Knight of Umbar - Underpriced by 40%
(E) The Betrayer - Underpriced by 40%
(E) The Undying - Underpriced by 40%
(E) The Shadow Lord - Underpriced by 40%
(E) The Dark Marshal - Underpriced by 40%
(E) Queen Beruthiel - Underpriced by 35%
(L) The Golden King - Underpriced by 23%
(C) Morgul Knight Commander - Underpriced by 17%
(C) Serpent Guard Chieftain [SRW] - Underpriced by 9%
(C) Black Numenorean Marshal - Underpriced by 9%
(E) Dalamyr, Fleetmaster of Umbar - Underpriced by 5%
(C) Serpent Guard Chieftain [SGW] - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(C) Dragon Knight [EC] - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(C) Dragon Knight [EKC] - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
(E) Suladan, the Serpent Lord - Overpriced by 7%
(C) Haradrim Chieftain [HRW] - Overpriced by 11%
(C) Khandish Chieftain [KMR] - Overpriced by 11%
(C) Easterling Captain [EC] - Overpriced by 11%
(C) Easterling Captain [EKC] - Overpriced by 11%
(C) Captain of Kataphrakts [EKC] - Overpriced by 11%
(C) Haradrim Chieftain [HW] - Overpriced by 25%
(C) Hasharin [SGW] - Overpriced by 25%
(C) Corsair Captain [CA] - Overpriced by 25%
(E) Amdur, Lord of Blades - Overpriced by 32%
(C) Corsair Bo'sun [CRP] - Overpriced by 43%
(C) Mahud Chieftain [MW] - Overpriced by 43%
(C) Mahud Chieftain [MRW] - Overpriced by 43%
(C) Easterling War Priest [EC] - Overpriced by 54%
(C) Easterling War Priest [EAC] - Overpriced by 54%
(C) Easterling War Priest [EKC] - Overpriced by 54%
(C) Corsair Captain [CRP] - Overpriced by 67%
(C) Khandish Chieftain [KMW] - Overpriced by 67%

OK, looks like cheap Epic Heroes for the Fallen Realms - but to bring along a command hero is anything but cost effective. The good news is that we've seen this before, and it gets easily corrected with the template. Sorting by the cost calculated by the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful):

Heroes that should cost 30 Points:

Heroes that should cost 35 Points:

Heroes that should cost 40 Points:

Heroes that should cost 45 Points:

Heroes that should cost 50 Points:

Heroes that should cost 55 Points:

Heroes that should cost 60 Points:

Heroes that should cost 65 Points:

(C) Easterling War Priest [EC]
(C) Easterling War Priest [EAC]
(C) Easterling War Priest [EKC]
(L) The Golden King

Heroes that should cost 105 Points:

(E) Dalamyr, Fleetmaster of Umbar

Heroes that should cost 125 Points:

(E) Amdur, Lord of Blades

Heroes that should cost 140 Points:

(E) Suladan, the Serpent Lord

Heroes that should cost 155 Points:

(E) Queen Beruthiel

Heroes that should cost 210 Points:

(E) Khamul the Easterling
(E) The Knight of Umbar
(E) The Betrayer
(E) The Undying
(E) The Shadow Lord
(E) The Dark Marshal

LINKS TO OTHER UNIT COST ANALYSIS POSTS

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