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Ironwatch Issue 01




Argun’s Luck p.4




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Ironwatch Issue 01                                                2
Staff:                            Abyssal Tidings
Editor-in-chief:
                                       A Message from the Editor
Austin Peasley—”darkPrince010”
                                 I’m pleased to present the first of issue of
Editors:                         Ironwatch, the Mantic fan-produced,
                                 edited, and (electronically) published magazine.
                                 This will be the first of many such issues to
                                 come, and we hope you enjoy the material found
Writers and Artists:             within, use our proposed rules or ideas, become
Matt Gilbert—”mattjgilbert”      inspired by our stories, and contribute your own
Boris Samec—”Thane Bobo”         personal ideas, art, and stories in the future!
Bil—”Orcsbain”
Doug Newton-Walters              In this issue, we have a wonderful short story by
                                 Michael Grey about the Corporation’s investiga-
“Cornonthecob”
                                 tion of a mysterious alien ship, Stuart Smith’s
Matt I.—”JoV”                    first two scenarios for an amazing three-scenario
Jack Evans—”ManticfanboyLAD”     campaign in which Evil forces attempt to sum-
Ryan Shaw—”The Dire Troll”       mon and control a Storm Giant, Matt’s story
Stuart Smith—”Merlin”            about a lucky orc, a set of special rules for a
Shane Baker—”Shaneimus”          more in-depth set of changes for the Kings of
Aaron Leahy—”Sardonic Wolf”      War campaign system from Doug Newton-
                                 Walters, and a huge Warpath battle report from
                                 Neil Dixon. In addition to this, we have further
                                 short stories, special scenarios, painting show-
                                 cases, terrain modeling tutorials, and even a
                                 comic strip!

                                 I’d like to throw out an initial thanks to the over-
                                 whelmingly positive response there has been to
                                 this magazine and its implementation. I’ve spo-
                                 ken to many who have become disheartened at
                                 the changes of once-staple magazines like White
                                 Dwarf becoming basically catalogs, or the clos-
                                 ing down of Mantic’s own Mantic Journal. With
                                 Ironwatch, we hope to revive both the
                                 spirit of those magazines as well as their quality
                                 of content, and so we hope you’ll enjoy this issue
                                 and those to come. Thanks for reading, and wel-
                                 come to the Watch!
                                                                    -Austin
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                                                 3

                    Table of Contents

Argun’s Luck, by Matt Gilbert ..................................................................................................... 4

Sage Advice & Random Musings, by Bil .................................................................................... 9

March of Battle: A KoW Campaign Supplement, by Doug Newton-Walters ............................. 10

The Siege of Berhoe, by Matt I. ................................................................................................... 20

Making a Splash at the table: A River Making Tutorial, by Jack Evans...................................... 22

The Chronicles of Grelink, by Ryan Shaw ................................................................................... 24

Kings of War Skirmishes: Rules for 500 pt Special Games, by Stuart Smith.............................. 24

Raising the Dead: An Undead Battleforce Review, by Shane Baker ........................................... 25

Wrath of the Storm Lord: A set of Scenarios for KoW, by Stuart Smith..................................... 27



The Last Guards, by Aaron Leahy ............................................................................................... 29
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                           4
                                                                                            boys watch ‘n’ learn. My luck never runs
                                                                                            out”.

                                                                                            The die was dwarfed by the hand of the
                                                                                            Krudger and with his other he grabbed
                                                                                            Spittle by the head and held him dangling
                                                                                            over his own large mug of ale. “Just in
                                                                                            case though” he said, grinning with yel-
                                                                                            lowing teeth, “let’s get this die pissed so it
                                                                                            forgets not to screw me around”. He
                                                                                            squeezed the helpless orcling until its
                                                                                            mouth popped open. Then ramming the
                                                                                            die into the orcling’s mouth, he held it by
                                                                                            one leg and dunked it in the beer before
                                                                                            pulling it out again. “Right lads, watch
                                                                                            this”. He punched the back of Spittle’s
                                                                                            head with a wet thunk and the die popped
                                                                                            out, landing with unerring accuracy in the
                                                                                            middle of the board.

                                                                                            “Six”. Jarl threw his own hand of sticks
                                                                                            down in disgust while Meathead, the oth-
                                                                                            er orc at the table looked up and said “so
                                                                                            as ‘e won then?”.

                                                                                            “Course I won” said Argun, dropping Spit-
                                                                                            tle to the floor. The orcling quickly scur-
                                                                                            ried across the flagstones into the corner
                                                                                            of the room out of reach. “I always bloody
                                                                                            win”.


                                                                                              LIFE WAS GOOD for Argun. He’d always
                                                                                              been one of the biggest orcs in a race of
                                                                                              hulking brutes. His size gave him power
                                       By Boris Samec                                         too, both physically and psychologically.
             ARGUN’S LUCK                       ‘as another go?”                              But he was good at what made an orc
                                                                                              rise to the top; he knew how to fight and
                by Matt Gilbert                 “It means I ‘ave to roll that one again you fight dirty. This and his wit had seen him
                                                idiot” snarled Argun. “Just like all the oth- rise to power quickly, the status of Krudg-
                                                er times it’s ‘appened”.                      er coming easily with many orcs willing to
THE TWO DICE dropped from Argun’s                                                             follow “Facesplitter” – a name he’d
hand and rattle-bounced across the              Argun took a swipe at the orcling perched earned after altercations with a number of
wooden table. One took an erratic deflec- on his left shoulder, causing it to flinch          challengers to his authority. Piece-
tion into the heavy tankard of grog that        away and then scamper on to the floor to negotiations Argun called them. You
sat in front of the brown-skinned thug to       retrieve the errant die. It chattered as it   talked. He left you in pieces.
his left before coming to a stop at the         skipped across the floor and then held the
edge of the game board. The other skid- carved bone cube up out of the shadows Like most nomadic warbands, his boys
ded off onto the floor. The orc to his left,    with both hands for the players to see.       had scoured the plains; raiding Dwarf
Jarl, picked his teeth with the tip of a                                                      mining camps and terrorising human
wicked looking dirk.                            “Six again. So near yet so far” Jarl said.    towns and villages. The horde had in-
                                                “Looks like your luck ran out this time Ar- creased in size as smaller warbands were
“Six” he noted, his single good eye star-       gun”.                                         subsumed and soon larger settlements
ing at the die remaining on the table. “But                                                   became viable and necessary targets.
the other doesn’t count”.                       The orcling scrambled clumsily up the         Argun’s reputation for fortune preceded
                                                thick table leg, hampered by the load it      him and was only enhanced by engage-
The third player at the table contemplated was carrying. As it reached the top Argun ments like those at Harvon’s Pass and
this and then slowly studied his hand of        snatched it away.                             The Bickervale where they’d taken mini-
painted wooden sticks. “Yeah” he ven-                                                         mal casualties and routed larger and su-
tured, and then “does that mean the boss “Give that ‘ere Spittle you little runt. Right, perior forces. At Yurdhaven Cross
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                             5
though, things had not gone so well.        The hunting in the area was good so food          place; it felt unnatural and repellent to
                                            was plentiful and in the first few months at      them. The pool glowed with a cold, insipid
The humans and elves had prepared well least four different groups of adventures              light which cast eerie shadows. If anyone
and the elven general managed to take       had found the caves only to realise they          wandered too close, they suddenly found
Argun’s left flank by surprise. The result- were not unoccupied. The treasure haul            themselves back at the cavern entrance
ing collapse had scattered the Krudger’s from these unfortunates made the experi-             again with no recollection of how they got
warband, with only a regiment’s worth       ence all the more fun. Argun began to             there. The voices would not stop whisper-
following Argun into the Forest of Galahir. stoke things up, spreading rumours of the         ing in their head for hours after.
They had killed their pursuers but found    cave’s treasures while at the same time
themselves wandering aimlessly for many terrorizing the villages which lay within a           Nearly a week ago, one of the goblins,
days. Argun violently suppressed any        week’s radius of their new lair. A steady         Rikks, had thought it amusing to hurl
mention of ill luck, as was a Krudger’s     flow of opportunists and mercenaries              night-soil in to the pool as a dare. Getting
right, and drove the band deeper into the hired to clean them out kept the boys in            as close as he comfortably could he suc-
trees. Four days into the trek, his fortune shape and the band’s hoard of plunder             ceeded in hitting the target with some if
changed.                                    increasing.                                       not all his ammunition. Since then the
                                                                                              goblins had spent any time not out scout-
One evening, they’d accidently stumbled       They themselves had found none of the           ing entertaining themselves by playing
into a clearing occupied by a rag-tag         rumoured treasure of course. All that lay       “crap-splash”.
band of human adventurers and chan-           at the centre of the tunnels was a large
cers. Having set a poor watch and gotten      cavernous hollow, its vaulted ceiling hid-      “Boss?”
themselves intoxicated on cheap wine,         den in deep shadow. From the narrow
the humans were quickly overpowered           opening into the chamber, they could see        Argun leaned back against the cold wall.
and put to the sword – the fresh meat a       huge tree roots like living stalactites drop-   The place was remarkably dry but no
welcome feast for the voracious green-        ping out of the gloom, tapering to thin,        matter how many torches, wood or bodies
skins. Argun kept one of the humans alive     delicate fronds that eventually brushed a       the orcs burned, the chill was always
long enough to… entice the man to di-         pool in the floor. The orcs avoided the         there.
vulge the group’s purpose. The man-thing
whimpered and cried and soiled himself
more than once but eventually explained
that the group were treasure hunters, fol-
lowing a map recently discovered in a
library in Yolkston - two hundred leagues
to the West. They were looking for an
ancient hideout said to be in the forest
nearby. Between the tears and screams
Argun deduced that other troupes were
also scouring the area for the hideout; the
lure of what might lie within too great to
resist the perils of the forest. The man
had a copy of the map and knew they
were close. On the morrow they were
certain they would find it.

Sensing an opportunity for some sport for
his demoralised band of grunts, Argun
had them search the bodies. The map
found, he had snapped the neck of the
last survivor and tossed the body aside.

At daybreak, Argun roused the mob, kick-
ing most onto wakefulness to angry
snarls and grunts. With the map as a
guide they discovered the humans were
closer than they thought to their goal.
And now here they were. What Argun first
saw as a minor set-back had become a
new opportunity. Sure they’d lost a hand-
ful of volunteers to the various traps and
                                               “They could see huge tree roots like living stalactites dropping out of the gloom, ta-
surprises the place had to offer but over
                                                   pering to thin, delicate fronds that eventually brushed a pool in the floor.”
the last year they’d made a good living.
                                                                                 By Boris Samec
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                             6
                                              head but was struggling to find the energy      surviving orc prisoners and began to run
“What?”                                       to speak. Argun tightened his grip and the      riot in the elven encampment. Assaulted
                                              sentry squealed. “E….e…… elves. Many-           by Argun’s force on one side and under-
Argun had a space to himself at the end       lots”. The effort of speaking too much,         mined by a revolt from within their own
of wide tunnel. Most of the lads slept in     Tinker passed out and Argun, irritated,         camp, the Kin were overrun and slaugh-
two large communal chambers on the            growled and tossed him aside.                   tered. Jarl impressed Argun and quickly
other side of the complex. The original                                                       rose to prominence in the warband.
occupants had seemingly taken a small,        “Seems we’ve got company lads. Good.            Whenever there were elves to fight, Jarl
natural cave system and carved out addi-      We’ve all been getting a bit lazy of late       took the lead, his loathing for the race
tional rooms and tunnels to extend the        and Jarl and I were just discussing mov-        ignited in a frenzy of violence that was fed
warren-like layout to twice its original      ing on out of ‘ere. We all need some big-       by hate.
size. No trace or hint of who they might      ger scraps and I want to be out on the
have been had been found.                     plains again. If that upstart Chok still fan-   “Yeah” he snarled, picking up his Ax from
                                              cies ‘imself a better Krudger than me I         where it rested against the wall. “Show
Meathead stepped though the opening           think I’d like to show him the error of ‘is     me where they are”.
into the room where Argun and Jarl were       ways. We need to build the band back up
dicing again. Jarl was a sly one and use-     again.” He stood and flexed his massive
ful for his brains, but Argun only trusted    arms, trophy rings clattering across the     NO ONE HAD come back, but Argun had
him when he could see him and so liked        blue tattoos and battle scars.               heard bellows and the sound of clashes
to keep his lieutenant around when he                                                      echoing though the caves. He sighed.
wasn’t otherwise occupied. Meathead           “Get Jurk to prepare the traps” he com-      What was taking so long? In the corner of
was his Sergeant from the former Great-       manded, “and tell Brekkun to get ‘is ‘airy the room, the orclings in the cage on the
ax regiment and while a little slow, he had   arse out there and lure ‘em in.”             wall had been getting more and more
a ferocious battle temper and could swing                                                  restless, their snivelling and whining get-
a Greatax like no-one Argun had seen          “Brekkun don’t ‘ave an ‘airy arse boss”      ting on Argun’s nerves. Spittle cowered
before.                                       said Meathead “not since ‘e sat on that      on the floor under the room’s single burn-
                                              knight’s oil lamp”.                          ing touch, the flickering light barely reach-
                                                                                           ing the opposite wall. His cleaver in his
                                                                                           belt and his Ax in one hand, Argun took
                                                                                           the torch from the sconce, knocking a fine
“Jarl knew his fate at the hand of the elves was                                           cloud of old soot over the trembling or-
                                                                                           cling. “With me Spittle. If you want some-
 going to be despairing, painful and ultimately                                            thing doing properly, you ‘ave to do it
                     fatal. “                                                              yourself”. He kicked the creature causing
                                                                                           it to squeak in alarm and hurriedly clam-
“We got visitors boss. Tinker just came       Argun chuckled, a deep crackling belly       ber up the orc’s body to perch on his
back in. The other scouts is dead ‘e          rumble. He turned to Jarl. “Want first pick- shoulder. Argun pocketed his dice. “Let’s
says.”. Meathead began picking at the         ings?”                                       go play with the elves”.
huge pale green scar running down his
left arm; a gift from a cavalryman’s blade   It was at Harvon’s Pass where Argun had          Argun knew something was wrong; he
back at The Bickervale. “’e don’t look too   met Jarl. The leathery skinned orc from          could sense it. There was something in
good Boss”.                                  the deserts of the South had been taken          the air. Something unsettling. It was like
                                             captive by slavers of the Twilight Kin dur-      the feeling in the pool room had seeped
Tinker, Gobban and Rikks were the only ing a raid. The slavers were returning                 out and was spreading through the tun-
three goblins who had survived the           home and converging with others of their         nels; the air felt thick and oily. The ech-
events at Yurdhaven Cross and Argun          kind in a large host heading back to the         oes of battle were coming in short, spo-
had employed them as scouts and sen-         Abyss. Jarl knew his fate at the hand of         radic bursts. A shout. A clash of metal. A
tries in the woods around the complex.       the elves was going to be despairing,            scream. As he turned a corner he stum-
Meathead picked up the small bundle of       painful and ultimately fatal. One evening,       bled across two orc bodies. Jurk had
cloth and limbs he’d been dragging be-       the Kin had picked Jarl out for special          been impaled on a spear that stuck from
hind him and dumped it on the floor in       attention. They had taken his eye that           the ground: one of the traps he’d been
from of Jarl.                                night. Already tortured and tormented            tasked with setting. The dead weight of
                                             during the journey, many captives had not        his corpse had slowly dropped all the way
Argun grabbed Tinker by the scruff of the survived by the time the Kin were assem-            to the floor down the wooden shaft.
neck and lifted him up level with his eyes. bling in Harvon’s Pass before moving on.
“He don’t look great I’ll grant you that” he As the warhorns blew in alarm that fateful       Kruk had had his throat slit and had also
observed casually, “But then ‘e always       evening, Jarl knew it would be his chance        taken a stab wound in the left shoulder
was an ugly sod. What ‘appened Tinker?” to escape. Strangling his guards with the             blade. He’d taken one of the enemy with
                                             chains that they thought bound him, Jarl         him though Argun discovered as he
The goblin moaned and tried to lift its      managed to then free and rouse the other         kicked the body over. Underneath the orc,
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                             7
the lifeless form of a young elf lay                                                                           and broken furniture; a
crushed and bleeding. Its smooth pale                                                                          makeshift barricade for
green skin was in stark contrast to the                                                                        the lone orc Sniff who
crimson liquid that leaked from the many                                                                       stood behind it and had
cuts all over the body and one arm was                                                                         started trading arrow fire
almost severed at the elbow. The feline-                                                                       with the two Fey Jarl now
like eyes stared coldly at the wall, cloudy                                                                    saw swiftly moving to-
yellow and bloodshot. The Fey! Argun                                                                           wards him. He covered
had heard about these elves but never                                                                          the ground quickly - two
seen one in person. Bound to the natural                                                                       arrows barely missing him
world and forest life, these faeries were a                                                                    to impact against the wall,
rare sight indeed. Spittle was routing                                                                         one chipping stone across
through the pockets in Kruk’s leather jer-                                                                     the floor. He dived behind
kin but was studiously avoiding the elven                                                                      the barricade, rolling and
body. Well, they seemed to die like any                                                                        coming to his feet in a
other elf and they were going to pay for                                                                       fighting stance just before
intruding in Argun’s lair. He kicked the                                                                       Fey leapt the obstacle
body savagely and growled. Ax and                                                                              and fell upon him.
cleaver in hand, he stalked down the cor-
ridor towards the sound of battle.                                                                               Argun’s weapons were
                                                                                                                 slick with blood. He’d tak-
                                                                                                                 en some minor wounds
MEATHEAD WAS FIGHTING for his life.                                                                              but in return had dis-
The tricksy little bastards were running                                                                         patched five Fey and one
rings round him and his men, three of                                                                            of the beings they called a
whom were already down. The elves had                                                                            Mage-Queen. She had
lost a couple of their number too but had                                                                        fought savagely and with
the advantage of ranged arrow fire. The                                                                          magic too – blasts of in-
warband’s Sniffs were off with Jarl so                                                                           candescent lightning
Meathead could only respond by getting                                                                           smashing into the orcs
in close but the damn things kept dodging         “Meathead howled in pain and fury as he watched Var- around Argun and conjur-
and striking, dodging and striking – dart-                       Terkan slain from the rear.”                   ing powerful gales which
ing in and out the sputtering torchlight.                              by Boris Samec                           swept down the corridor,
Suddenly, to his left, Var-Terkan roared in                                                                     knocking them to their feet.
triumph as he caught an elf bowman in           swung his Greatax in huge scything arcs Many bodies, Spittle’s included, lay
his grip as it tried to duck past him, slash-   and charged headlong into the dark.           scorched and battered before Argun man-
ing with a small curved blade. Var-Terkan                                                     aged to take the elf-bitch down, hurling
lifted the elf straight off the floor and       Jarl was breathing hard. He’d taken a         his cleaver with all his might and burying
smashed its head against the tunnel wall        nasty stab wound to the ribs which was        it in her cerulean face. As he strode over
with a sickening crunch. The body went          impeding his movement. Hatred drove           to yank the heavy blade free he caught a
limp, but before it dropped to the floor Var    him on though: hatred of the elven race       glimpse of something at the periphery of
-Terkan buried his Ax deep into the chest,      and what they had done to him. It mat-        his vision. The silhouette of a large Fey,
once, twice, three times. Meathead bel-         tered not that it was Twilight Kin who had bracketed by the pale, unworldly glow
lowed his approval and swung his own            captured him. Tortured him. Ripped out        which seemingly emanated from the be-
massive two-handed Greatax straight             his eye. All elves were the same to Jarl,     ing itself, paused briefly at the entrance to
through the body of a spearman from             and murdering them gave some small            the tunnel leading to the pool chamber
shoulder to rib, spraying gore across the       measure of revenge. No number of dead and then vanished in a blur. Argun re-
passageway. Undeterred, two more elves          elves would ever be enough for him            trieved his chopper and moved to follow
ran in to take their comrade’s place, one       though; his lust for blood consumed him       the being down the passageway.
of them getting under his guard and ram-        totally. He was hunting now, stalking his
ming a spear into the meat of his thigh.        prey - two surviving Fey which were elud-
Meathead howled in pain and fury as he          ing him. He paused briefly by a body          JARL’S HATRED KNEW no bounds. He’d
watched Var-Terkan slain from the rear          slumped up against the wall. Brekken.         killed the first elf quickly, his knife now
and two more orcs were felled behind him        Some darkly humorous voice in the back pinning the faery against the tunnel wall,
with arrows, the elves then fading away         of Jarl’s head told him this was the first    through the throat and deep into the rock.
again into the gloom. All alone now,            time Brekken had been able to sit down in The second elf was now weaving in and
something in Meathead snapped. A red-           ages, but Jarl dismissed the thought with out of his reach and had twice breached
ness seemed to spread across his vision;        a snarl and pressed on. Ahead, the corri- his defence to score glancing hits while
a fury building to a tumultuous climax.         dor opened out slightly and had been          the Sniff was still rapidly loosening arrows
Ripping the spearshaft from his leg, he         hastily blocked with a collection of rubble from the barricade into the dark passage.
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                         8
All Jarl’s swings and blows were a frac-       and taking the head off
tion too late; the lithe elven fighter         the Sniff with a single
seemed to have an almost preternatural         fluid motion and sweep
ability to anticipate his actions. He was      of its razor sharp blade.
becoming increasingly frustrated and as a      Argun felt uneasy. Not
consequence he almost made a fatal er-         fear – he’d never felt
ror. The elf came in from the left and Jarl    afraid, but he had a dis-
swung his Ax down in a vicious chopping        tinct feeling his fortunes
sweep but his mistimed slice caused him        were perhaps not run-
to overbalance and the elf nimbly rolled       ning along their normal
right, under his weapon and then came to       tack. This finishes now
its feet, weapon chopping down and sev-        he thought and ran
ering Jarl’s arm just above the wrist.         down the passage after
                                               the demon elf thing.
Argun heard the scream of rage as he
rounded the corner and took stock of the
picture in front of him. Down the corridor     THE AIR FIZZED with
was a hastily prepared defensive wall          the taste of magic. Ar-



“A Sniff was desperately firing arrows
   at the iridescent figure speeding
  down the tunnel with an effortless
grace and speed that couldn’t be nat-
                  ural”
from which a Sniff was desperately firing      gun approached the
arrows at the iridescent figure speeding       figure cautiously as it
down the tunnel with an effortless grace       stood facing into the
and speed that couldn’t be natural. Clam-      pool room. Tendrils of
bering up the pile of rubble and hauling a     pale wispy light radiated
comatose body behind him in one hand,          from the elf-thing and
Jarl appeared oblivious to the approach-       drifted down into the
ing danger. Now at the top, he hoisted the     pool, and motes of dust
elf into the air and brought it down across    sparkled and flared as
his knee with a sickening crack. Con-          they floated into the
temptuously, he tossed the body aside          rays. As Argun neared
and roared - a primeval venting of emo-        the Fey the light pulsed
tion that thundered down the passageway        brighter and then sud-
with an almost physical force.                 denly dimmed. The tem-
                                               perature in the corridor
The shimmering Fey leapt, drawing its          dropped to a bone
bow as it did so with an almost impossible     chilling low. Wall torches     “He’d taken some minor wounds but in return had dis-
agility. It contacted the wall and instantly   sputtered and died and a    patched five Fey and one of the beings they called a Mage
flipped across the passage, acrobatically      crackling frost spread                                -Queen.”
gaining height off the tunnel sides. Mid-air   across the stone walls.                          By Boris Samec
and halfway across the space, it launched      Argun’s breath burned
a crystal tipped arrow shaft with unerring     his throat and his breath smoked around born from the Abyss. Its skin was a deep
accuracy. The missile flew true - a cold       him as the elf turned to face him. Tall and crimson and seemed to cast the space
and impassionate answer to the cacopho-        slim with the stereotypical physiology of    around it in a bloody red luminance. The
ny of rage emanating from the orc atop         the race, the Fey had feline eyes and a      face of a demon. It spoke, but Argun felt
the blockade. Jarl took notice too late, his   catlike grace to match. Where the young- the sound in his head rather than hearing
brain registering the situation a split se-    er Fey had a pale green complexion, the it through his ears.
cond before the arrow took his remaining       older more powerful Fey were typically a
eye. As he crumpled backwards to the           brown-grey, their skin almost bark-like.     “Your kind have defiled this place orc” the
floor the elf cleared the barricade, landing   This one however was surely something sound was at once soft, caring, and at the
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                              9
same time full of threat and menace “and
we have come to cleanse the infection.
                                              aimed, drew and then spun to the right as
                                              Meathead came crashing round the cor-
                                                                                                    SAGE ADVICE &
The seedlings of the world-tree are sa-       ner out the gloom, his Greatax already              RANDOM MUSINGS.
cred and you must pay for your igno-          moving in a huge sweeping arc. Orc and
                                                                                                  Hobby chatter from a hairy old
rance.”                                       elf struck at the same time. The massive
                                              Ax bit through the torso of the Fey, carv-                    veteran!
The fiend moved with a speed that             ing the demon-thing in two before crash-
seemed impossible. Argun had excellent ing into the cave wall. The elven arrow               Greetings all!
night vision but struggled to pick up the     passed clean through Meathead’s throat.
elf’s movement as it began a relentless       The light went from both combatants’           So here we are, the first issue of the “official”
assault, a whirlwind of flashing blades       eyes as the momentum of Meathead’s             mantic fanzine, and the first of what I hope to
and stabbing strikes. Sparks flew as Ar-      charge toppled his corpse into the bisect-     be regular columns as well as more *ahem*
gun fought a retreating defence, his world ed elf and they both slumped to the floor.        random musings from the inner most recess-
becoming a pattern of block, parry, block, Blood began running in an ever spreading          es of my mind.
parry. Twice the elf got through his guard, pool across the stone.
once to slash down his left arm and again                                                    So where to begin ah it has to be the mantic
somehow appearing behind him to cut                                                          Kickstarter……Wow! Who would have thought
across his spine, barely missing his neck. ARGUN BLINKED AND shook his head                  that a new and still growing company could
The wounds in themselves were superfi- clear. The faint glow from the Fey had                achieve so much in such a short space of
cial, deflected and weakened by Argun’s quickly receded but a small point of light,
                                                                                             time. I’m sure that like me you are still reeling
mail coat but many more would start to        intense like a miniature sun, rose from the
                                                                                             from the phenomenal success of Mantic’s
take their toll: death by a thousand cuts.    body to the air before speeding down the
Argun’s own blows when he made them           tunnel towards the pool room, briefly illu-    Kickstarter campaign and if you were one of
were skilfully dodged by the elf, the eva- minating the passage walls in a cool blue         the lucky few who managed to pledge the
sion becoming a seamless part of its flow- light before vanishing into the distance.         farm on it, you are no doubt checking the
ing battle-dance. Argun’s cleaver was         Some degree of warmth returned to the          mail each day or hoping for that hefty thud as
knocked spinning from his hand and he         air. Argun used his Ax as a crutch to push     the first of your Kickstarter booty hits the
tripped and fell heavily over the leg of an himself to his feet. He walked over to the       doormat.
orc carcass. As he landed, his hip jarred torso of the elf and prodded it gingerly
painfully and his pair of dice scattered out with the toe of his boot. Satisfied it really   It’s been a long trek so far, from the early
across the floor. The elf-demon slowed        was dead, he walked back up the pas-           days of the first plastic sprue’s and no rules to
briefly, approaching the body Argun had       sage and picked up his cleaver, slipping it    the first hardback rules for Kings of war and 8
stumbled over. During the brief respite,      back into his belt. Looking around he          army’s in the bag and 3 more in the pipe-
Argun realised where they were. The elf       spied his dice in a dark corner against the    line. The journey has had many a winding
was about to step onto a trap trigger bur- far wall. This was a sign he thought. Per-        path leading to the occasional dead end, but
ied under the floor. Somehow it had not       haps from Garkan himself that he’d grown       on the whole Mantic have navigated the hob-
gone off previously despite all the fighting complacent here in the caves. It was time       by trail with almost consummate ease. Mak-
but a spark of hope now flared in Argun’s to move out; regrow his warband and his
                                                                                             ing (on the whole) the right choices, including
heart as time appeared to slow and the        legend before both time and younger,
                                                                                             us the community in the bigger decisions to
elf’s foot stepped lightly onto the floor.    ambitious Krudgers caught up with him.
                                              He was still lucky – of that much he was       help make our games, miniature’s and rules
Nothing happened. Curse Jurk and his          certain or he’d now be dead along with         better. They have faced naysayers and inter-
tardiness. The elf vaulted forwards to fin- everyone else.                                   net trolls, but the old adage that you can’t
ish him off and he heard the voice in his                                                    keep a good idea down is true, and Mantic
head again, pure malevolence this time.       Stooping down he reached to retrieve the       seem to rise like so much cream to the top
“And now you die orc”.                        dice on the floor. As his weight pressed       and the Kickstarter campaign is proof of that.
                                              on his front foot he heard a click, and        Excellent ideas backed by great concepts and
Argun scrambled back deflecting the           then felt the whoosh of air above his head     a will to do what’s right by both them and the
blows raining down on him with his Ax as as a huge blade span out from the wall              consumer resulted in a 3000% funding and a
he backed out into the junction. Anger        and buried itself in the stone opposite.       lot of happy investors .
now boiled within him. He was not going Jurk’s trap had finally sprung.
to die like this, not killed by this Abyssal- He glanced at the dice. Double six.            So what now? Well firstly to quote an old war
cursed faery. Catching the elven blade on Scooping them up, he dropped them back             poster “keep calm and carry on” Mantic have
his Ax he opened up the elf’s body and        into his pocket. Yes he thought as he          been taken somewhat by surprise by all this
surged forwards, slamming his huge            made his way outside, still lucky.            lovely attention and are having to really man
mailed fist into the side of its head. The
                                                                                             up (in a literal sense) as they are just over-
Fey staggered backwards and crashed
                                                                                             whelmed by the amount of orders that re-
into the wall. Before Argun could follow
                                                                                             quire shipping as well as the regular orders
up, it pulled its bow free and drew an ar-                                      By Boris
row in a blur of supernatural movement. It                                                   from the web store in addition to meeting
                                                                                 Samec
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                 10
demand from other bricks and mortar shops
and other online retailers. We will ALL get our    March of Battle: A                    ing up the lands into easily conquer-
                                                                                         able pieces. Armies move across the
stuff but we will have to be patient, minia-
ture’s don’t go off they won’t melt in the heat
                                                    KoW Campaign                         land in units of hexes and where
                                                                                         two meet, battle is joined. Once
wave we seem to have at the moment….well
not Mantic miniature’s anyhow
                                                     Supplement                          you’ve got your map you need to
                                                                                         determine where each empire’s ter-
                                                       By Doug Newton-Walters            ritory will be. To give everyone a
This has been a fantastic ride so far and hap-                                           fair start, they should all be roughly
pily there is still much more to come. War-       The following is a more complex        equidistant from one another. No
path 2.0 is on the horizon and after that, the    campaign system than the one           territory should abut another and at
futures own major sporting event will be          found in the Kings of War rulebook.    least 1 wildland hex of space be-
coming to a table top near you in the form of     It certainly isn’t the most complex    tween each territory and another.
DREADBALL tm , complete with spanking new         campaign system out there, but it
minis and (I’m told) a dynamic and quick play     has more crunch than the standard   Each player begins with 3 hexes; 1
system to match the background, so it should      one. Unless stated otherwise the    capital and 2 towns. The towns
be the board game of the (late) summer to         following uses the same basic struc-must be touching the capital, but
watch . Add into this the usual mix of releases   ture of the campaign system in the  other than that they can be in any
and everybody is a winner, not just those who     rulebook.                           position. The capital and towns are
managed to get on the Kings of war Kickstart-                                         abstract conveniences; they could
er bandwagon.                                   A rule of thumb for army sizes is the just as easily represent a sea-based
                                                number of players x1000 points. So beachhead and two forward base
But that’s not all ponder on this, the kings of if the campaign had 5 players, each camps instead.
war Kickstarter was a MASSIVE success we        player would have 5000 points of
added a whole bunch of new units and re-        troops available. The maximum         Any hexes on the map that aren’t
duced the cost of others making them way        number of field armies a player can owned by a player are considered
more affordable……..I think that this time next have is equal to half the number of wildlands, unclaimed territories.
year we will be sitting in a equally warm fuzzy players, rounding up (so the above    However they aren’t unpopulated
afterglow of the “just finished WARPATH”        example would allow a maximum of and their disorganized inhabitants
Kickstarter.                                    3 field armies per player).           will still put up a fight to prevent
                                                                                         their lands being conquered.
But next time it will be so much better, the   The campaign is played on a map
data tells us that second Kickstarters are     with a hexagonal grid overlay, divid-
better than first time runs, Mantic now have a
gauge of what they need to do and what is
expected by us the paying customers. Next
time round expect more concept art, some
great deals and pledge levels and in the
meantime be sure to squirrel away a few
pounds each month as, trust me you won’t
want to miss the second ride on that roller-
coaster!
Well that’s about it for now, but if you have
any questions you’d like me to try to answer
or an opinion on this column feel free to con-
tact me at the {inset mags e-mail address
here} and I’ll do my best to get the answer
here for others and yourself to read.

In the meantime may all your die roll high and
remember…….

The objective of the game is to win. The point
of the game is to have fun. The two should
never be confused.

                                    -Bil           Here is a sample map showing the starting locations of 6 different em-
                                                                                 pires.
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                               11
                                        of the following you possess, rolling      If your field army defeats their op-
Resources                               a die for each. A successful roll          ponent you can immediately spend
Resources are the currency of the       gives you 100 points to help replen-       1 resource to create an outpost in
campaign. Orders and actions per-       ish your ranks, either bolstering al-      the hex, claiming it as your territo-
formed during a campaign turn gen-      ready existing units, or form new          ry. If you don't do this or choose not
erally require them or they won't       ones.                                      to, the hex reverts to wildlands.
happen. Without them armies falter                                                 Outposts may be garrisoned like
and defenses crumble. At the begin-     You cannot regain more points than         other hexes as normal.
ning of each campaign turn, each        the campaign size and excess points
player generates resource from the      are lost.
hexes they own. The amount gener-                                                  Siege Defenses
ated depends on the type of hex:                                                   Each of the different types of hex a
                                        Upgrade Orders                             player controls has different siege
                                        You may only perform a single up-          defenses.
Orders                                  grade order per hex, per campaign
Every campaign turn you can issue       turn. You can't turn an outpost into       You can use resource in addition to
an order to each of your field ar-      a town in a single turn.                   siege points to buy siege equipment
mies, spending the requisite re-                                                   or upgrade fortifications.
source cost. Orders are carried out     Reinforced Outpost – 1 Resource
as normal.                              The outpost can now be upgraded to Siege Equipment
                                        have wooden towers and must take Siege Ammunition
Hold – 1 Resource                       a main gate                        Cost: 1 per war engine/Monster
The army remains where it is and                                           Upgrade one war engine with siege
does nothing (its expensive main-       Town – 1 Resource                  ammunition. This is Attack 1 Pierc-
taining armies).                        A reinforced outpost becomes a     ing (4) Blast (1D6+1) and can only
                                        town. It must have a stone main    be fired at buildings. You may
March! - 2 Resource                     gate, can take towers and can up-  choose to use this one attack, or the
Move a field army to a hex adjacent     grade walls and towers to stone.   standard attack of the unit. Use the
to the one they are currently in. If                                       unit's normal range value.
two field armies meet in a wildlands
hex then the wildlands are ignored, After Battle                                   You may give this to a monster unit,
they don't fight. Whoever wins takes If a field army is defeated it immedi-        but it can only be used in melee
the hex.                                ately retreats one hex to a friendly       with a building.
                                        one if available, wildlands if not and
Forced March – 3 Resource               lastly enemy territory if there is no
Move a field army two hexes (so         other option. In the latter two cases      Additional uses for Resource
long as they all touch). You do not     the field army must move towards           In addition to the orders given out
encounter the first hex you move        the closest friendly hex. A hex can        to field armies, you may choose to
through (you’re not there long          only hold one friendly field army at       spend resource on the following
enough). However when you fight a a time.                                          Campaign Actions. You may only
battle there your force will be slight-                                            attempt each of these once per
ly spread out due to the pace and       Roll for unit loses as normal.             campaign turn and you can perform
you won’t have everything on the                                                   them at any appropriate time during
table. Divide your army in half and
roll 1D6, on a 1-3 half 1 is left off        Hex Type        Resources Generated    Rest Roll Needed          Defenses
the table, 4-6 half 2. At the begin-
                                              Capital                 3                   2+            Stone only, Must take
ning of each of your turns roll 1d6,
                                                                                                             Buttresses
if you roll equal to or less than the
turn number, the other half of the              City                  2                   3+            Stone main gate, Can
army shows up. They all must move                                                                        take towers and can
at the double, measured from the                                                                          upgrade walls and
table edge.                                                                                                towers to stone

Rest – (n) Resource                            Town                  1             (Captured Town) 5+   Wood only, Can take
The army tries to rebuild its                                                                                towers
strength after a battle. You may ex-
pend up to 1 resource for every one           Outpost                1                     -                 Wood only
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                         12
the campaign turn.                     opponent are at -1 to hit for the       time.
                                       game due to the damage done to
Bribery – (n) Resource                 their equipment. These cannot be        If the hex is taken from you then
You may spend resource to bribe        the same as those waylaid in a For-     you lose the resource and it disap-
other players. If a field army ends    ward Ambush.                            pears from the hex. However you
up on a hex where a battle is occur-                                           may roll again for every subsequent
ring, then they can intervene as       Ambush – 3 Resource                     hex you take, representing finding
normal. However the players            Spend resource to waylay enemy another source. The hex produces
fighting can offer the intervening     forces. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ 1D3 ene- resources as normal and an addi-
player resource points to fight on     my units chosen by your opponent tional bonus listed below.
their side. This can be any kind of    start your next battle off the table.
arrangement, from an upfront pay-      Each unit needs to roll equal to or Dwarfs
ment to a loan that requires a cer-    less than the game turn to come on, Superior Ore
tain number of campaign turns to       moving At the Double from their ta- You uncover a vein of rare ore and
                                       ble edge.                               forge it into potent weapons. One
           A Note on Bribery:
   The rules assume you must pay                                               attack in every unit gains an addi-
                                       Sappers – 2 Resource                    tional point of crushing strength or
 your debts, so you can't offer unre-
                                       On a 3+ your sappers have effec-        piercing.
  alistic amounts. However if you all
                                       tively damaged some of your oppo-
    agree, you can allow people to
                                       nent’s defences. 1D3 pieces of de-      Elves
  break their word and not pay. If a
                                       fence chosen by your opponent suf- Sacred Glade
   player does this, then the player
                                       fer 1D6 damage each (rolled sepa-       You rediscover a magical glade, in-
 owed the resource receives the dif-
                                       rately).                                fusing your forces with healing light.
  ference in Campaign Actions (see
            below) instead.                                                    Every unit gains regeneration, albeit
                                       Training – (n) Resource                 only rolling a single die each.
                                       Spend resource to put your men
pay off.                               through intensive training. Roll 1D6 Orcs
                                       for each resource spent, on a 4+        Stone Idol
Mercenaries – (n) Resource             you may increase the Experience a Your forces uncover an idol hewn
Spend resource to hire mercenaries. single unit by 1.                          from unnatural rock, its energies
Roll 1D6 for every resource point                                              invigorating them. Roll 1D6 for each
spent. On a 3+ you get 100 points Raiders – 2 Resource                         unit when you activate it, but before
from one allied force to add to one Send out raiders to destroy enemy you issue it orders. On a 1, 2, 3 it
field army for this campaign turn holdings. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ one em- gains that many additional inches of
only. These follow the normal ally pire loses 1D3 resource due to your movement, added after multiplica-
rules.                                 depredations. If they can’t pay it all, tion.
                                       they must take it from their con-
Spy – 1 Resource                       trolled hexes as per wlidland tribute.
                                                                               Goblins
Send a spy to uncover enemy troop                                              Madshrooms
movements. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ you Insurrection – 3 Resource                     In the darkness of a filthy cave you
may rearrange 1D3 of your units in Spend resource to stir up resent- find potent fungi. Roll 1D6 for each
your next battle, after deployment ment in enemy territory. Roll 1D6, unit when you activate it, but before
but before the roll to see who goes on a 3+ one empire Outpost hex you issue it orders. On a 5+ it gains
first.                                 must fight a Wildlands force to re- the Nimble special rule, whilst on a
                                       tain control. Failure causes the hex 1 it counts as having failed an Utter-
Assassin – 2 Resource                  to be lost as normal.                   ly Spineless test.
Send an assassin to attack an ene-
my leader. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ one                                               Kingdoms of Men
Hero from another empire suffers 4 Race Specific Resources                     Primovantor’s Legacy
Melee      3+     Attacks    (Crushing If you wish you can include some        Ancient magical artefacts from a by-
Strength (1) and Vicious) at the be- unique resources specific to each
                                                                               gone era embolden your forces. If
ginning of their next battle. No army. Every time your army takes a
                                                                               an enemy unit rolls one or more 1s
nerve test is required.                hex roll 2D6. If it is less than the
                                                                               when attacking it inflicts a single
                                       total number of hexes you currently
                                                                               attack against itself.
Saboteur – 2 Resource                  control, you have discovered one of
on a 3+. 1D3 units chosen by your      these unique resources. You may
                                       only control one of these at any        Undead
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                        13
Ancient Barrow                         fantry/cavalry than other infantry/   (see previous). This is just a guide-
You tap into the slumbering power      cavalry. Basically the armies are go- line, you can fight as few or as
of an ancient barrow. Every unit       ing to be infantry, cavalry and he-   many battles per hex as you wish.
rolls 1D6 when they recover a point    roes. You can ignore some or all of   Outpost/Reinforced Outpost: 1 bat-
of damage through Evil Dead. On a      these restrictions if you want.       tle. Roll 1D6: 1-3 Normal, 4-6 Siege
4+ they recover 2 instead.                                                   Town: 2 Battles. The first is a nor-
                                      You can either choose what army is mal battle, the second a siege.
Twilight Kin                          encountered in the wildlands           Capital: 3 Battles. The first is a nor-
Killfrenzy                            (generally based on what models        mal battle. Two and three are both
The taint of an Abyssal altar courses the players actually have), or roll on sieges (capitals are well defended).
through your army. Every unit gains                                          Wildlands: 1 Battle. Roll 1D6: 1-5
                                           2d6 roll        Force Encountered Normal, 6 Siege. Against another
+1 attack.
                                                                             field army it will always be Normal.
                                             2-3           Abyssal Dwarves
Abyssal Dwarfs
Stoneblood                                    4            Kingdoms of Men   If you don't have any fortification
Your forces discover and consume                                             terrain, then obviously you can't
                                              5                 Dwarfs       play a siege. You can instead treat
stone ichor, hardening their bodies
                                              6                 Goblins      sieges as normal battles. You still
and minds. Every unit gains +1 to
their Nerve Destruction limit (but                                           have to fight the same number of
                                              7                   Orcs       battles though.
  If you’re feeling adventurous you           8                 Undead
 can allow anyone to use the racial            9                 Elves        Allied Empires
     specific resources instead.                                              You can choose to form alliances
                                                10            Kingdoms of Men
                                                                              between two or more empires if
not their wavering value).                     11-12            Twilight Kin  you wish. This does not change how
                                       the following table. A wildlands force each player uses their resource or
                                       is 2D6x 100 points.                    what they do with their resource.
Wildland Forces                                                               However, should one allied player's
Despite appearances, civilisations                                            capital get destroyed, they may
                                       Play the battle as normal, except
exist throughout the wildlands. The-                                          count another allied player's capital
                                       that any units destroyed on the
se consist of small fiefs, collections wildlands side has no effect on the    as theirs instead. This means they
of villages and warbands of petty
                                       forces of the player using them (his don't immediately lose all their hex-
warlords. They generally pose little                                          es. They can't form a new capital
                                       empire wasn’t actually fighting).
threat to the large empires that en- Victory allows you to create an out- and if all remaining allied capitals
croach on their lands, but will still
                                       post in the hex as normal and gives are destroyed, then their empire is
fight to the death to keep them.
                                       you 1D3 Resource points as spoils of destroyed as well.
                                       war from looting the wildland army's
Wildland forces are an opportunity
                                       homes.
to play games with different armies                                           Experience
and unusual scenarios. They will al- If you lose a battle against a           Every unit that was not destroyed in
most always be outnumbered by the
                                       wildlands force they demand 1D3+1 your army gains 1 experience. If
invading empire, but that doesn’t                                             you lost it gains 2. Elite and Vicious
                                       resources in tribute and send the
mean they can’t give the interlopers army packing. It retreats as normal. both become (n) values. Units that
a good mauling in the process. Any
                                       If you can’t pay the tribute then you already have these rules count has
other player can choose to take on
                                       must dismantle your holdings to pay having (1) already. For each point of
the wildland forces, using their own
                                       for it, starting with any outposts and experience a unit has, it gains 1
empire army to represent them or       working back.                          point in either Elite or Vicious. You
another army they’ve been putting                                             must apply them to the same rule.
together.                                                                     There is no limit on the value of (n)
                                       Fighting Battles                       for each of these, but there is a
Wildland armies have a few more
                                       When moving into hexes, you will be point of diminishing returns
suggested restrictions to their army                                          (generally a unit won't survive
                                       required to fight. The number of
composition. You can only take 1                                              enough to generate that much ex-
                                       battles is dependent on the type of
war engine and/or monster (or hero                                            perience anyway).
                                       hex. Once you have won the re-
on monster) for every 2 solid units
                                       quired number of battles, the hex is
and you can’t have more large in-
                                       available for you to make an outpost If a unit is reduced in size by casu-
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                           14
alties, it drops 1D3 points of experi-                                               reinforcements to your enemies), to
ence (you choose which rule this                                                     the mountain ranges. The important
affects). Adding recruits doesn’t in-                                                part is that empires become unstop-
crease the unit’s experience though, Winning the campaign                            pable when they manage to take
that only happens in the crucible of How do you win a campaign? There                them all. Because of this, it is best if
war.                                   are many ways to go about this and            they are evenly distributed around
                                       it’s up to the players to determine           the map, so no one empire has an
                                       which one(s) to use.                          advantage over the others.
Towns and Outposts
These are generic settlements that     Finite campaign length:
you place on controlled hexes. How- You may set a maximum number of                  The Emperors of War
ever they could represent every-       campaign turns to be played, after            When attacking a Capital, the heart
thing from farming towns to mining which if a sudden victory condition               of a nation is under threat. At this
outposts and so on. It has no effect hasn’t been met, you compare other              point there is a very real chance
on the game, but adds immensely        factors.                                      that the empire will be smashed and
to the verisimilitude of the campaign                                                its influence forever broken. Whilst
if you name your towns and out-        Sudden Victory:                               the emperor leads the defenses,
posts based on what you think their Only one player has a Capital. Re-               garrisons and armies rush to his aid,
main resource might be.                gardless of how this occurs, if at the        hoping to stymie the threat.
                                       beginning of a campaign turn only a
For example, a hex with mountains single player possesses a capital,                 When an enemy field army moves
in it might be known for its mines,    they are declared the winner. Every           into a capital hex there are several
whilst one with forest is known for    other empire is too fractured to put          things that can occur. You may
its lumber. The following is a list of up much of a defense (all their hex-          move garrisons back to the capital
the kinds of resources found in the    es effectively become wildland forc-          hex by spending 1 Resource each
types of environments most maps        es using their specific army).                during your campaign turn. The em-
                                                                                     peror has called in his reserve forces
    Environment           Resources        Conditional Victories:                    to defend the capital. As a garrison
                                           This is a list of some of the potential   cannot move until an enemy field
    Mountains          Mines, Masonry      ways you can decide victory.              army has moved onto their capital
                                                                                     hex, they won’t arrive until after the
    Plains/Hills        Farms, Mines
                                           First person to (n) Resource Level:       first capital battle, during the first
        Forests        Lumber, Hunting     Which ever empire reaches a specif-       siege. Don’t deploy these garrison
                                           ic level of wealth first is declared      forces during set up. Instead roll
        Marshes             Peat
                                           winner. Alternatively, whoever has        1D6 for each garrison at the start of
         Lakes              Fish           the most after (n) campaign turns is      each of your turns. If the score is
                                           winner.                                   equal to or lower than the game
     Coastline        Fishing, Whale Oil
                                                                                     turn, the garrison shows up on the
          All              Recruits        First person to (n) Hexes:                opponent’s table edge, performing
                                           Whichever empire collects a specific      an At the Double! Order measured
                                           number of hexes is declared winner.       from the edge. The garrison has
  For those superduper keen, you           Alternatively, whoever has the most       force marched to their capital’s aid,
can actually divide your hexes into        after (n) campaign turns is winner.       coming in behind the enemy force.
 these different environments and
assign their resource production to        First Empire to destroy an enemy          Field armies on capital hexes cannot
 one thing. Mines would be needed          Capital:                                  rest or hold, they must always fight
to keep units with arms and armor,         Whichever empire destroys another         or retreat. Each fight occurs in con-
farms to feed them and so on. This         empire’s capital first is declared win-   secutive campaign turns. You can
   can be fun in theory, but you’ll        ner.                                      move additional field armies onto
  probably find yourselves bogged                                                    the hex to join your forces, but once
down in playing the resource game          Specific Hexes:                           there they cannot rest or hold until
 (even more than you already are)          Declare certain hexes as valuable         they are either forced to retreat or
  rather than fighting battles. For        assets (one for each empire). Who-        claim victory.
 some people though that’s a lot of        ever controls all of them is declared
                                           the winner. This could be anything        Emperors and Warlords
            fun in itself.
                                           from abstract points no the map, to       During the sieges of the capital city
have:                                      all the coastline hexes (preventing       the emperor (you effectively) of all
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                     15
your forces will take to the field to                                                save the emperor from staining his
bolster your troops and destroy the                                                  own hands. Their enchanted single
                                         Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At               Ne
invaders. Each army has their own                                                    edged hand and a half blades trace
emperor which they receive free in           1       5 3+        -   4+ 8 16/18 a deadly pattern around their bod-
addition to any troops they already                                                  ies, deflecting incoming blows and
possess. The emperor only appears                       Special Rules:               penetrating enemy defenses. While
during the siege battles of a capital.                                               the emperor stands impassively be-
                                               Crushing Strength(1), Individual
                                                                                     tween them their blades dance and
Inspirational:                          Dwarf Emperor                                flicker within a hair’s breadth of
Emperors are beacons to their men, Shield Maiden and Honour Guard him, so that from a distance it ap-
urging them to fight to the last.                                                    pears as though he is coated in a
Whilst an emperor is on the battle-     Goblins: Big Wiz and Throne                  shimmering field of silver. The em-
field all his troops are considered to The Wiz’ are the leaders of gob-              peror’s own attacks flash out be-
be affected by Inspiring. Should the linkind. The most powerful of them              tween those of his guards.
emperor die, then not only will you     will only take to battle when they
                                                                                      Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At                Ne
lose this rule, but no units will be    absolutely cannot avoid it. But they
affected by the inspiring rule from     will always do so in the flashiest way            1       6 3+        -    5+ 5 14/16
then on – their fighting spirit has     they can to make sure all the gob-
been broken.                            lins know who’s boss. Commonly                               Special Rules:
                                        this involves being carried atop the
                                                                                            Crushing Strength (1), Individual,
Unless stated otherwise, emperors       most grandiose throne they can find
                                                                                                      Inspirational
form a single unit with the Individu- … strapped to the shoulder of the
al rule and a footprint the size of all biggest giant they can find. No one
the models combined (in ranks). No messes with a goblin when there’s                 Elf Emperor
damage can be done to the emperor       20 feet of giant between him and
                                                                                      Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At                Ne
until their bodyguards etc have been you. From this position of power the
destroyed. If their bodyguard get a     big wiz can use his magic sharpstick              1       6 3+        -    5+ 3 11/13
Wavering result, the emperor can’t      to prod his giant behind the ear,
move but can still attack as normal. goading it into stomping his ene-                               Special Rules:
For units with different speed val-     mies. Even his own men aren’t im-
                                                                                            Crushing Strength (1), Individual
ues, use the lowest score unless it     mune from this if he thinks they
specifies otherwise.                    looked at him ‘funny’.
                                         Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At               Ne  Blood Hand
Dwarves: Dwarf Emperor, Shield
Maiden and Honour Guard                      1       5 5+        -   4+ 1       9/11 Orcs: Krudgelord and Kronies
Dwarf Emperors always have two                                                       When an orc krudger conquers other
warriors by their side, their shield                    Special Rules:               krudgers, his position is as secure
maiden and their honour guard. The                  Inspirational, Zap! (3)          as it can be in the brutal world of
shield maiden is often a daughter or                                                 the orcs. He keeps his favourite
relative and she carries the emper-                                                  drinking kronies around, both for
or’s shield, representing the Emper- Big Wiz                                         someone weaker to beat up on and
or as shield to his people and de-       Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At                Ne as a defence against any other
fending him to the last. The honour                                                  krudger that decides he should be
guard is chosen as the finest soldier        1       7 4+        -   5+ 2d6 16/19 boss. In battle the krudgelord brings
in the land and he represents the                                                    his kronies with him, surrounding
                                                        Special Rules:
emperor’s honour, absolute and un-                                                   himself with their muscled hides and
wavering. Together they are an im-         Crushing Strength (3), Uses Giant’s Speed noisome stench. As intimidating as a
movable bulwark against the ene-                                                     krudger is normally, one surrounded
mies of their people.                                                                by his favoured warriors is truly ter-
Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At          Ne   Throne                                       rifying.
                                                                                       Unit Size Spd Me         Ra   De At          Ne
   1         4    3+     -   6+    5   14/16   Elves: Elf Emperor and Blood
                                               Hand                                        1         5    3+     -    5+   5    13/15
                 Special Rules:                Elven Emperors are protected at all
                                               times by two warrior sages, sub-                          Special Rules:
       Crushing Strength(1), Individual,
                Inspirational                  limely powerful fighters who take on
                                                                                               Crushing Strength (2), Individual,
                                               the burden of blood shedding to
                                                                                                         Inspirational
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                                              16
                                                 chance to take control, Overlords      them beneath golden shod hooves.
                                                 rarely trust anyone to guard them,
Unit Size Spd Me        Ra   De At          Ne                                           Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At               Ne
                                                 instead using slaved automata built
   5         5    3+     -    5+   5    13/15    by the iron casters. Without the           1        9 3+       -    5+ 3 10/12
                                                 need to eat or sleep and unwavering
                 Special Rules:                  loyalty to their master, black shields                 Special Rules:
                                                 are the perfect bodyguards. Their
       Crushing Strength (2), Individual                                                       Crushing Strength (1), Individual
                                                 dark iron bodies are also capable of
                                                 generating a powerful abyssal field,
Krudgelord
                                                 encasing their charge in impenetra-
Orc Kronies                                                                             Emperor
                                                  Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At        Ne
Twilight Kin: Twilight Emperor
                                            1       4 3+         -    6+ 5 14/16
and Death Hand                                                                                     Lifeguards
In base mockery of their weaker                         Special Rules:
kin, the Twilight emperors keep a                                                                  Undead: Necrolord and the Spirit
duo of frenzied female cultists with          Crushing Strength (1), Individual,                   Bound
them at all times. These provocative                     Inspirational                             Amongst the oldest of necromancers
warriors provide the emperor with                                                                  exist those on the border of life and
personal security, entertainment        ble darkness, bolstering war engines                       death. They are but inches from be-
and some say unending nocturnal                                                                    coming Liches, still clinging to life
delights. On the battlefield their      Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At                Ne                but drawing deeper from the spirit
bloodlust is without equal and they                                                                realm of death. Their power allows
                                            2       4 4+         -    5+ 2 11/13
savagely strike down any foolish                                                                   them to draw the very spirits into
enough to get near their lord. The                      Special Rules:                             reality, chaining them as unliving
Twilight Emperors enjoy the arterial                                                               batteries to fuel their evil sorceries.
artistry their concubines create, lazi- Crushing Strength (1), Heal (1-War Engines                 The spirit bound can energise an
ly ducking through the crimson arcs              only), Individual, Zap! (3)                       entire battlefield of undead, keeping
to leave their own deadly marks up-                                                                them marching even as they are
                                        and firing searing bolts at the foe.
Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At          Ne                                                              Unit Size Spd Me      Ra   De At     Ne
                                        Overlord
    1      6 3+       -    5+ 5 14/16                                                                  1      5    5+     -   4+   1   14/16
                                        Black Shields
              Special Rules:                                                                                      Special Rules:

       Crushing Strength (1), Individual,        Kingdoms of Men: Emperor of             Dark Surge (10), Heal (5), Individual, Zap!
                 Inspirational                   Men and Lifeguard                                          (5)
                                                 Leaders of men tend towards the
on the foe.                                      theatrical when displaying their      chopped to pieces. Only with their
                                                 power on the battlefield. They take   destruction can the necrolord's hold
Unit Size Spd Me        Ra   De At          Ne   to the field upon ostentatiously       Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At                Ne
                                                 barded pedigree warhorses, flanked
   1         6    3+     -    5+   3    11/13    by their similarly mounted lifeguard,     1       5 4+        -     4+ 1       -/12
                                                 trotting in perfect unison. Girded
                 Special Rules:                  and armed with the finest dwarven                    Special Rules:

       Crushing Strength (1), Individual         craft money can buy they strike a          Shambling, Individual, Inspirational
                                                 fearsome aspect amidst the din of
Twilight Emperor                                 Unit Size Spd Me         Ra   De At          Ne   over his minions be broken, leaving
                                                                                                   them slowly draining of unlike.
Death Hand                                           1         9    3+     -    5+   4    13/15
                                                                                                   Necrolord
                                                                   Special Rules:
Abyssal Dwarves: Overlord and
Black Shields                                            Crushing Strength (1), Individual,        Spirit Bound
An Overmaster becomes an Over-                                       Inspiring
lord only through ruthless cunning
and limitless paranoia. With other               war. With the thunder of hooves
would-be lords always looking for a              they ride down the foe, trampling
Ironwatch Issue 01                        17




                     That’s right, you
                     also can print out
                       and use these
                     Tokens with your
                      newly-acquired
                      March of Battle
                        know-how!
Ironwatch Issue 01   18
Ironwatch Issue 01                 19




                     If you would like to download
                     the higher-resolution pictures,
                      please either visit the Mantic
                      Forums and message one of
                      our editors, and we would be
                       happy to send them to you!

                     Additionally, we’ve included a
                     grid so you and your opponents
                     can create your own portion of
                      Mantica terrain to wage war
                      over! We’ve left it borderless
                     so you can print it out multiple
                      times and tile it to create a n
                         even larger board if you
                                 desire!
Ironwatch Issue 01                                                                           20
                                        land. But I knew well enough that        vikian Plain beyond. Or at least, so
                                        sometimes war was unavoidable,           it’s inhabitants had thought.
                                        and sometimes even the preferable
                                        outcome, particularly in my Lords        Four days previously the first alarm
                                        disputes with some of the alien races    had been raised of an enormous war
                                        of the region. Yet for all of the bat-   host entering the valley from the
                                        tlefields and campaigns I have seen      east. Report told of large numbers of
                                        in my many years, none were like         demonic Dwarf kin, bearing twisted
   The Siege of Berhoe                  this. This is something different,
                                        something more starkly brutal than
                                                                                 panoply of war and leading an enor-
                                                                                 mous train of siege engines. A quick-
                                        any of those experiences. This is        ly assembled council decided, not
                                        pure, unadulterated, slaughter.          unanimously it must be said, that
           by Matt I.                                                            the size of the approaching host was
                                        The city of Berhoe is located in the     too large for the Prince's forces to
                                        far east of the Ardovikian Plain, in     meet head on. Instead the decision
                                        the center of a wide valley that         was made to send messengers to the
                                        leads into the foothills of the Drag-    neighbouring Princes with an ap-
                                        onteeth Mountains. The city owes         peal for succor, and in the meantime
                                        its prominence to the steady stream      prepare for a siege. Supplies of pro-
                                        of trade that plies the river Marist,    visions were brought within the
                                        which flows north into the distant       city, while those left over were put
                                        Frozen Sea. The city has been in the     to fire. The approaches to the walls



M
                                        hands of the Niketas family for over     were carefully cleared, granting
                                        four generations now and has             clean lines of sight to the defenders,
                                        known only prosperity during this        and every able bodied man was im-
                   y name is Isaakios   time, rising from merely one of many     mediately pressed into service. With
Chlorus, Regent of the Diasta Es-       bustling townships in the region to      reinforcements expected to arrive
tate, a grandee of the Kingdom of       the prime city ruling over all of        within the week, these were all the
Serdia, and until a few days ago I      them. It’s security is ensured by the    precautions made by a wise and ex-
felt I knew war. I don’t like war,      broad expanse of flat, rolling mead-     perienced leader to best prepare the
and certainly am no soldier myself,     ow that extends in every direction,      city for the short siege that was an-
nor felt any association with those     perfect for both farming and the         ticipated. They proved to be hope-
who claim to follow that blood-         maneuvers of the Prince's household      lessly futile.
thirsty profession, but I felt I knew   cavalry, and its imposing circuit of
war all the same. In my twenty          fortifications. Boasting solid stone     The demonic Dwarf horde encamped
years as one of the most trusted ad-    walls, twenty feet high and three        some miles distant from the city,
visers to Prince Niketas IV I had       feet wide, carved from solid granite     none could say how far exactly for
certainly seen enough of it. I saw      blocks transported from quarries in      they could not be decried even from
my role as mostly finding a means to    the Dragonteeth Mountains, the           the wall’s highest tower. Our only
avoid bloodshed and mediating an        city was a daunting proposition for      contact with the besieging host was
amicable resolution to the petty dis-   any invader seeking to despoil the       a lone Herald who approached the
putes that plagued the Lords of this    valley and the wealth of the Ardo-       city early in the morning following
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Issue01 working draft

  • 1. Ironwatch Issue 01 Argun’s Luck p.4 Cool article Five p.x Cool article One p.x Cool article Two p.x
  • 2. Ironwatch Issue 01 2 Staff: Abyssal Tidings Editor-in-chief: A Message from the Editor Austin Peasley—”darkPrince010” I’m pleased to present the first of issue of Editors: Ironwatch, the Mantic fan-produced, edited, and (electronically) published magazine. This will be the first of many such issues to come, and we hope you enjoy the material found Writers and Artists: within, use our proposed rules or ideas, become Matt Gilbert—”mattjgilbert” inspired by our stories, and contribute your own Boris Samec—”Thane Bobo” personal ideas, art, and stories in the future! Bil—”Orcsbain” Doug Newton-Walters In this issue, we have a wonderful short story by Michael Grey about the Corporation’s investiga- “Cornonthecob” tion of a mysterious alien ship, Stuart Smith’s Matt I.—”JoV” first two scenarios for an amazing three-scenario Jack Evans—”ManticfanboyLAD” campaign in which Evil forces attempt to sum- Ryan Shaw—”The Dire Troll” mon and control a Storm Giant, Matt’s story Stuart Smith—”Merlin” about a lucky orc, a set of special rules for a Shane Baker—”Shaneimus” more in-depth set of changes for the Kings of Aaron Leahy—”Sardonic Wolf” War campaign system from Doug Newton- Walters, and a huge Warpath battle report from Neil Dixon. In addition to this, we have further short stories, special scenarios, painting show- cases, terrain modeling tutorials, and even a comic strip! I’d like to throw out an initial thanks to the over- whelmingly positive response there has been to this magazine and its implementation. I’ve spo- ken to many who have become disheartened at the changes of once-staple magazines like White Dwarf becoming basically catalogs, or the clos- ing down of Mantic’s own Mantic Journal. With Ironwatch, we hope to revive both the spirit of those magazines as well as their quality of content, and so we hope you’ll enjoy this issue and those to come. Thanks for reading, and wel- come to the Watch! -Austin
  • 3. Ironwatch Issue 01 3 Table of Contents Argun’s Luck, by Matt Gilbert ..................................................................................................... 4 Sage Advice & Random Musings, by Bil .................................................................................... 9 March of Battle: A KoW Campaign Supplement, by Doug Newton-Walters ............................. 10 The Siege of Berhoe, by Matt I. ................................................................................................... 20 Making a Splash at the table: A River Making Tutorial, by Jack Evans...................................... 22 The Chronicles of Grelink, by Ryan Shaw ................................................................................... 24 Kings of War Skirmishes: Rules for 500 pt Special Games, by Stuart Smith.............................. 24 Raising the Dead: An Undead Battleforce Review, by Shane Baker ........................................... 25 Wrath of the Storm Lord: A set of Scenarios for KoW, by Stuart Smith..................................... 27 The Last Guards, by Aaron Leahy ............................................................................................... 29
  • 4. Ironwatch Issue 01 4 boys watch ‘n’ learn. My luck never runs out”. The die was dwarfed by the hand of the Krudger and with his other he grabbed Spittle by the head and held him dangling over his own large mug of ale. “Just in case though” he said, grinning with yel- lowing teeth, “let’s get this die pissed so it forgets not to screw me around”. He squeezed the helpless orcling until its mouth popped open. Then ramming the die into the orcling’s mouth, he held it by one leg and dunked it in the beer before pulling it out again. “Right lads, watch this”. He punched the back of Spittle’s head with a wet thunk and the die popped out, landing with unerring accuracy in the middle of the board. “Six”. Jarl threw his own hand of sticks down in disgust while Meathead, the oth- er orc at the table looked up and said “so as ‘e won then?”. “Course I won” said Argun, dropping Spit- tle to the floor. The orcling quickly scur- ried across the flagstones into the corner of the room out of reach. “I always bloody win”. LIFE WAS GOOD for Argun. He’d always been one of the biggest orcs in a race of hulking brutes. His size gave him power By Boris Samec too, both physically and psychologically. ARGUN’S LUCK ‘as another go?” But he was good at what made an orc rise to the top; he knew how to fight and by Matt Gilbert “It means I ‘ave to roll that one again you fight dirty. This and his wit had seen him idiot” snarled Argun. “Just like all the oth- rise to power quickly, the status of Krudg- er times it’s ‘appened”. er coming easily with many orcs willing to THE TWO DICE dropped from Argun’s follow “Facesplitter” – a name he’d hand and rattle-bounced across the Argun took a swipe at the orcling perched earned after altercations with a number of wooden table. One took an erratic deflec- on his left shoulder, causing it to flinch challengers to his authority. Piece- tion into the heavy tankard of grog that away and then scamper on to the floor to negotiations Argun called them. You sat in front of the brown-skinned thug to retrieve the errant die. It chattered as it talked. He left you in pieces. his left before coming to a stop at the skipped across the floor and then held the edge of the game board. The other skid- carved bone cube up out of the shadows Like most nomadic warbands, his boys ded off onto the floor. The orc to his left, with both hands for the players to see. had scoured the plains; raiding Dwarf Jarl, picked his teeth with the tip of a mining camps and terrorising human wicked looking dirk. “Six again. So near yet so far” Jarl said. towns and villages. The horde had in- “Looks like your luck ran out this time Ar- creased in size as smaller warbands were “Six” he noted, his single good eye star- gun”. subsumed and soon larger settlements ing at the die remaining on the table. “But became viable and necessary targets. the other doesn’t count”. The orcling scrambled clumsily up the Argun’s reputation for fortune preceded thick table leg, hampered by the load it him and was only enhanced by engage- The third player at the table contemplated was carrying. As it reached the top Argun ments like those at Harvon’s Pass and this and then slowly studied his hand of snatched it away. The Bickervale where they’d taken mini- painted wooden sticks. “Yeah” he ven- mal casualties and routed larger and su- tured, and then “does that mean the boss “Give that ‘ere Spittle you little runt. Right, perior forces. At Yurdhaven Cross
  • 5. Ironwatch Issue 01 5 though, things had not gone so well. The hunting in the area was good so food place; it felt unnatural and repellent to was plentiful and in the first few months at them. The pool glowed with a cold, insipid The humans and elves had prepared well least four different groups of adventures light which cast eerie shadows. If anyone and the elven general managed to take had found the caves only to realise they wandered too close, they suddenly found Argun’s left flank by surprise. The result- were not unoccupied. The treasure haul themselves back at the cavern entrance ing collapse had scattered the Krudger’s from these unfortunates made the experi- again with no recollection of how they got warband, with only a regiment’s worth ence all the more fun. Argun began to there. The voices would not stop whisper- following Argun into the Forest of Galahir. stoke things up, spreading rumours of the ing in their head for hours after. They had killed their pursuers but found cave’s treasures while at the same time themselves wandering aimlessly for many terrorizing the villages which lay within a Nearly a week ago, one of the goblins, days. Argun violently suppressed any week’s radius of their new lair. A steady Rikks, had thought it amusing to hurl mention of ill luck, as was a Krudger’s flow of opportunists and mercenaries night-soil in to the pool as a dare. Getting right, and drove the band deeper into the hired to clean them out kept the boys in as close as he comfortably could he suc- trees. Four days into the trek, his fortune shape and the band’s hoard of plunder ceeded in hitting the target with some if changed. increasing. not all his ammunition. Since then the goblins had spent any time not out scout- One evening, they’d accidently stumbled They themselves had found none of the ing entertaining themselves by playing into a clearing occupied by a rag-tag rumoured treasure of course. All that lay “crap-splash”. band of human adventurers and chan- at the centre of the tunnels was a large cers. Having set a poor watch and gotten cavernous hollow, its vaulted ceiling hid- “Boss?” themselves intoxicated on cheap wine, den in deep shadow. From the narrow the humans were quickly overpowered opening into the chamber, they could see Argun leaned back against the cold wall. and put to the sword – the fresh meat a huge tree roots like living stalactites drop- The place was remarkably dry but no welcome feast for the voracious green- ping out of the gloom, tapering to thin, matter how many torches, wood or bodies skins. Argun kept one of the humans alive delicate fronds that eventually brushed a the orcs burned, the chill was always long enough to… entice the man to di- pool in the floor. The orcs avoided the there. vulge the group’s purpose. The man-thing whimpered and cried and soiled himself more than once but eventually explained that the group were treasure hunters, fol- lowing a map recently discovered in a library in Yolkston - two hundred leagues to the West. They were looking for an ancient hideout said to be in the forest nearby. Between the tears and screams Argun deduced that other troupes were also scouring the area for the hideout; the lure of what might lie within too great to resist the perils of the forest. The man had a copy of the map and knew they were close. On the morrow they were certain they would find it. Sensing an opportunity for some sport for his demoralised band of grunts, Argun had them search the bodies. The map found, he had snapped the neck of the last survivor and tossed the body aside. At daybreak, Argun roused the mob, kick- ing most onto wakefulness to angry snarls and grunts. With the map as a guide they discovered the humans were closer than they thought to their goal. And now here they were. What Argun first saw as a minor set-back had become a new opportunity. Sure they’d lost a hand- ful of volunteers to the various traps and “They could see huge tree roots like living stalactites dropping out of the gloom, ta- surprises the place had to offer but over pering to thin, delicate fronds that eventually brushed a pool in the floor.” the last year they’d made a good living. By Boris Samec
  • 6. Ironwatch Issue 01 6 head but was struggling to find the energy surviving orc prisoners and began to run “What?” to speak. Argun tightened his grip and the riot in the elven encampment. Assaulted sentry squealed. “E….e…… elves. Many- by Argun’s force on one side and under- Argun had a space to himself at the end lots”. The effort of speaking too much, mined by a revolt from within their own of wide tunnel. Most of the lads slept in Tinker passed out and Argun, irritated, camp, the Kin were overrun and slaugh- two large communal chambers on the growled and tossed him aside. tered. Jarl impressed Argun and quickly other side of the complex. The original rose to prominence in the warband. occupants had seemingly taken a small, “Seems we’ve got company lads. Good. Whenever there were elves to fight, Jarl natural cave system and carved out addi- We’ve all been getting a bit lazy of late took the lead, his loathing for the race tional rooms and tunnels to extend the and Jarl and I were just discussing mov- ignited in a frenzy of violence that was fed warren-like layout to twice its original ing on out of ‘ere. We all need some big- by hate. size. No trace or hint of who they might ger scraps and I want to be out on the have been had been found. plains again. If that upstart Chok still fan- “Yeah” he snarled, picking up his Ax from cies ‘imself a better Krudger than me I where it rested against the wall. “Show Meathead stepped though the opening think I’d like to show him the error of ‘is me where they are”. into the room where Argun and Jarl were ways. We need to build the band back up dicing again. Jarl was a sly one and use- again.” He stood and flexed his massive ful for his brains, but Argun only trusted arms, trophy rings clattering across the NO ONE HAD come back, but Argun had him when he could see him and so liked blue tattoos and battle scars. heard bellows and the sound of clashes to keep his lieutenant around when he echoing though the caves. He sighed. wasn’t otherwise occupied. Meathead “Get Jurk to prepare the traps” he com- What was taking so long? In the corner of was his Sergeant from the former Great- manded, “and tell Brekkun to get ‘is ‘airy the room, the orclings in the cage on the ax regiment and while a little slow, he had arse out there and lure ‘em in.” wall had been getting more and more a ferocious battle temper and could swing restless, their snivelling and whining get- a Greatax like no-one Argun had seen “Brekkun don’t ‘ave an ‘airy arse boss” ting on Argun’s nerves. Spittle cowered before. said Meathead “not since ‘e sat on that on the floor under the room’s single burn- knight’s oil lamp”. ing touch, the flickering light barely reach- ing the opposite wall. His cleaver in his belt and his Ax in one hand, Argun took the torch from the sconce, knocking a fine “Jarl knew his fate at the hand of the elves was cloud of old soot over the trembling or- cling. “With me Spittle. If you want some- going to be despairing, painful and ultimately thing doing properly, you ‘ave to do it fatal. “ yourself”. He kicked the creature causing it to squeak in alarm and hurriedly clam- “We got visitors boss. Tinker just came Argun chuckled, a deep crackling belly ber up the orc’s body to perch on his back in. The other scouts is dead ‘e rumble. He turned to Jarl. “Want first pick- shoulder. Argun pocketed his dice. “Let’s says.”. Meathead began picking at the ings?” go play with the elves”. huge pale green scar running down his left arm; a gift from a cavalryman’s blade It was at Harvon’s Pass where Argun had Argun knew something was wrong; he back at The Bickervale. “’e don’t look too met Jarl. The leathery skinned orc from could sense it. There was something in good Boss”. the deserts of the South had been taken the air. Something unsettling. It was like captive by slavers of the Twilight Kin dur- the feeling in the pool room had seeped Tinker, Gobban and Rikks were the only ing a raid. The slavers were returning out and was spreading through the tun- three goblins who had survived the home and converging with others of their nels; the air felt thick and oily. The ech- events at Yurdhaven Cross and Argun kind in a large host heading back to the oes of battle were coming in short, spo- had employed them as scouts and sen- Abyss. Jarl knew his fate at the hand of radic bursts. A shout. A clash of metal. A tries in the woods around the complex. the elves was going to be despairing, scream. As he turned a corner he stum- Meathead picked up the small bundle of painful and ultimately fatal. One evening, bled across two orc bodies. Jurk had cloth and limbs he’d been dragging be- the Kin had picked Jarl out for special been impaled on a spear that stuck from hind him and dumped it on the floor in attention. They had taken his eye that the ground: one of the traps he’d been from of Jarl. night. Already tortured and tormented tasked with setting. The dead weight of during the journey, many captives had not his corpse had slowly dropped all the way Argun grabbed Tinker by the scruff of the survived by the time the Kin were assem- to the floor down the wooden shaft. neck and lifted him up level with his eyes. bling in Harvon’s Pass before moving on. “He don’t look great I’ll grant you that” he As the warhorns blew in alarm that fateful Kruk had had his throat slit and had also observed casually, “But then ‘e always evening, Jarl knew it would be his chance taken a stab wound in the left shoulder was an ugly sod. What ‘appened Tinker?” to escape. Strangling his guards with the blade. He’d taken one of the enemy with chains that they thought bound him, Jarl him though Argun discovered as he The goblin moaned and tried to lift its managed to then free and rouse the other kicked the body over. Underneath the orc,
  • 7. Ironwatch Issue 01 7 the lifeless form of a young elf lay and broken furniture; a crushed and bleeding. Its smooth pale makeshift barricade for green skin was in stark contrast to the the lone orc Sniff who crimson liquid that leaked from the many stood behind it and had cuts all over the body and one arm was started trading arrow fire almost severed at the elbow. The feline- with the two Fey Jarl now like eyes stared coldly at the wall, cloudy saw swiftly moving to- yellow and bloodshot. The Fey! Argun wards him. He covered had heard about these elves but never the ground quickly - two seen one in person. Bound to the natural arrows barely missing him world and forest life, these faeries were a to impact against the wall, rare sight indeed. Spittle was routing one chipping stone across through the pockets in Kruk’s leather jer- the floor. He dived behind kin but was studiously avoiding the elven the barricade, rolling and body. Well, they seemed to die like any coming to his feet in a other elf and they were going to pay for fighting stance just before intruding in Argun’s lair. He kicked the Fey leapt the obstacle body savagely and growled. Ax and and fell upon him. cleaver in hand, he stalked down the cor- ridor towards the sound of battle. Argun’s weapons were slick with blood. He’d tak- en some minor wounds MEATHEAD WAS FIGHTING for his life. but in return had dis- The tricksy little bastards were running patched five Fey and one rings round him and his men, three of of the beings they called a whom were already down. The elves had Mage-Queen. She had lost a couple of their number too but had fought savagely and with the advantage of ranged arrow fire. The magic too – blasts of in- warband’s Sniffs were off with Jarl so candescent lightning Meathead could only respond by getting smashing into the orcs in close but the damn things kept dodging “Meathead howled in pain and fury as he watched Var- around Argun and conjur- and striking, dodging and striking – dart- Terkan slain from the rear.” ing powerful gales which ing in and out the sputtering torchlight. by Boris Samec swept down the corridor, Suddenly, to his left, Var-Terkan roared in knocking them to their feet. triumph as he caught an elf bowman in swung his Greatax in huge scything arcs Many bodies, Spittle’s included, lay his grip as it tried to duck past him, slash- and charged headlong into the dark. scorched and battered before Argun man- ing with a small curved blade. Var-Terkan aged to take the elf-bitch down, hurling lifted the elf straight off the floor and Jarl was breathing hard. He’d taken a his cleaver with all his might and burying smashed its head against the tunnel wall nasty stab wound to the ribs which was it in her cerulean face. As he strode over with a sickening crunch. The body went impeding his movement. Hatred drove to yank the heavy blade free he caught a limp, but before it dropped to the floor Var him on though: hatred of the elven race glimpse of something at the periphery of -Terkan buried his Ax deep into the chest, and what they had done to him. It mat- his vision. The silhouette of a large Fey, once, twice, three times. Meathead bel- tered not that it was Twilight Kin who had bracketed by the pale, unworldly glow lowed his approval and swung his own captured him. Tortured him. Ripped out which seemingly emanated from the be- massive two-handed Greatax straight his eye. All elves were the same to Jarl, ing itself, paused briefly at the entrance to through the body of a spearman from and murdering them gave some small the tunnel leading to the pool chamber shoulder to rib, spraying gore across the measure of revenge. No number of dead and then vanished in a blur. Argun re- passageway. Undeterred, two more elves elves would ever be enough for him trieved his chopper and moved to follow ran in to take their comrade’s place, one though; his lust for blood consumed him the being down the passageway. of them getting under his guard and ram- totally. He was hunting now, stalking his ming a spear into the meat of his thigh. prey - two surviving Fey which were elud- Meathead howled in pain and fury as he ing him. He paused briefly by a body JARL’S HATRED KNEW no bounds. He’d watched Var-Terkan slain from the rear slumped up against the wall. Brekken. killed the first elf quickly, his knife now and two more orcs were felled behind him Some darkly humorous voice in the back pinning the faery against the tunnel wall, with arrows, the elves then fading away of Jarl’s head told him this was the first through the throat and deep into the rock. again into the gloom. All alone now, time Brekken had been able to sit down in The second elf was now weaving in and something in Meathead snapped. A red- ages, but Jarl dismissed the thought with out of his reach and had twice breached ness seemed to spread across his vision; a snarl and pressed on. Ahead, the corri- his defence to score glancing hits while a fury building to a tumultuous climax. dor opened out slightly and had been the Sniff was still rapidly loosening arrows Ripping the spearshaft from his leg, he hastily blocked with a collection of rubble from the barricade into the dark passage.
  • 8. Ironwatch Issue 01 8 All Jarl’s swings and blows were a frac- and taking the head off tion too late; the lithe elven fighter the Sniff with a single seemed to have an almost preternatural fluid motion and sweep ability to anticipate his actions. He was of its razor sharp blade. becoming increasingly frustrated and as a Argun felt uneasy. Not consequence he almost made a fatal er- fear – he’d never felt ror. The elf came in from the left and Jarl afraid, but he had a dis- swung his Ax down in a vicious chopping tinct feeling his fortunes sweep but his mistimed slice caused him were perhaps not run- to overbalance and the elf nimbly rolled ning along their normal right, under his weapon and then came to tack. This finishes now its feet, weapon chopping down and sev- he thought and ran ering Jarl’s arm just above the wrist. down the passage after the demon elf thing. Argun heard the scream of rage as he rounded the corner and took stock of the picture in front of him. Down the corridor THE AIR FIZZED with was a hastily prepared defensive wall the taste of magic. Ar- “A Sniff was desperately firing arrows at the iridescent figure speeding down the tunnel with an effortless grace and speed that couldn’t be nat- ural” from which a Sniff was desperately firing gun approached the arrows at the iridescent figure speeding figure cautiously as it down the tunnel with an effortless grace stood facing into the and speed that couldn’t be natural. Clam- pool room. Tendrils of bering up the pile of rubble and hauling a pale wispy light radiated comatose body behind him in one hand, from the elf-thing and Jarl appeared oblivious to the approach- drifted down into the ing danger. Now at the top, he hoisted the pool, and motes of dust elf into the air and brought it down across sparkled and flared as his knee with a sickening crack. Con- they floated into the temptuously, he tossed the body aside rays. As Argun neared and roared - a primeval venting of emo- the Fey the light pulsed tion that thundered down the passageway brighter and then sud- with an almost physical force. denly dimmed. The tem- perature in the corridor The shimmering Fey leapt, drawing its dropped to a bone bow as it did so with an almost impossible chilling low. Wall torches “He’d taken some minor wounds but in return had dis- agility. It contacted the wall and instantly sputtered and died and a patched five Fey and one of the beings they called a Mage flipped across the passage, acrobatically crackling frost spread -Queen.” gaining height off the tunnel sides. Mid-air across the stone walls. By Boris Samec and halfway across the space, it launched Argun’s breath burned a crystal tipped arrow shaft with unerring his throat and his breath smoked around born from the Abyss. Its skin was a deep accuracy. The missile flew true - a cold him as the elf turned to face him. Tall and crimson and seemed to cast the space and impassionate answer to the cacopho- slim with the stereotypical physiology of around it in a bloody red luminance. The ny of rage emanating from the orc atop the race, the Fey had feline eyes and a face of a demon. It spoke, but Argun felt the blockade. Jarl took notice too late, his catlike grace to match. Where the young- the sound in his head rather than hearing brain registering the situation a split se- er Fey had a pale green complexion, the it through his ears. cond before the arrow took his remaining older more powerful Fey were typically a eye. As he crumpled backwards to the brown-grey, their skin almost bark-like. “Your kind have defiled this place orc” the floor the elf cleared the barricade, landing This one however was surely something sound was at once soft, caring, and at the
  • 9. Ironwatch Issue 01 9 same time full of threat and menace “and we have come to cleanse the infection. aimed, drew and then spun to the right as Meathead came crashing round the cor- SAGE ADVICE & The seedlings of the world-tree are sa- ner out the gloom, his Greatax already RANDOM MUSINGS. cred and you must pay for your igno- moving in a huge sweeping arc. Orc and Hobby chatter from a hairy old rance.” elf struck at the same time. The massive Ax bit through the torso of the Fey, carv- veteran! The fiend moved with a speed that ing the demon-thing in two before crash- seemed impossible. Argun had excellent ing into the cave wall. The elven arrow Greetings all! night vision but struggled to pick up the passed clean through Meathead’s throat. elf’s movement as it began a relentless The light went from both combatants’ So here we are, the first issue of the “official” assault, a whirlwind of flashing blades eyes as the momentum of Meathead’s mantic fanzine, and the first of what I hope to and stabbing strikes. Sparks flew as Ar- charge toppled his corpse into the bisect- be regular columns as well as more *ahem* gun fought a retreating defence, his world ed elf and they both slumped to the floor. random musings from the inner most recess- becoming a pattern of block, parry, block, Blood began running in an ever spreading es of my mind. parry. Twice the elf got through his guard, pool across the stone. once to slash down his left arm and again So where to begin ah it has to be the mantic somehow appearing behind him to cut Kickstarter……Wow! Who would have thought across his spine, barely missing his neck. ARGUN BLINKED AND shook his head that a new and still growing company could The wounds in themselves were superfi- clear. The faint glow from the Fey had achieve so much in such a short space of cial, deflected and weakened by Argun’s quickly receded but a small point of light, time. I’m sure that like me you are still reeling mail coat but many more would start to intense like a miniature sun, rose from the from the phenomenal success of Mantic’s take their toll: death by a thousand cuts. body to the air before speeding down the Argun’s own blows when he made them tunnel towards the pool room, briefly illu- Kickstarter campaign and if you were one of were skilfully dodged by the elf, the eva- minating the passage walls in a cool blue the lucky few who managed to pledge the sion becoming a seamless part of its flow- light before vanishing into the distance. farm on it, you are no doubt checking the ing battle-dance. Argun’s cleaver was Some degree of warmth returned to the mail each day or hoping for that hefty thud as knocked spinning from his hand and he air. Argun used his Ax as a crutch to push the first of your Kickstarter booty hits the tripped and fell heavily over the leg of an himself to his feet. He walked over to the doormat. orc carcass. As he landed, his hip jarred torso of the elf and prodded it gingerly painfully and his pair of dice scattered out with the toe of his boot. Satisfied it really It’s been a long trek so far, from the early across the floor. The elf-demon slowed was dead, he walked back up the pas- days of the first plastic sprue’s and no rules to briefly, approaching the body Argun had sage and picked up his cleaver, slipping it the first hardback rules for Kings of war and 8 stumbled over. During the brief respite, back into his belt. Looking around he army’s in the bag and 3 more in the pipe- Argun realised where they were. The elf spied his dice in a dark corner against the line. The journey has had many a winding was about to step onto a trap trigger bur- far wall. This was a sign he thought. Per- path leading to the occasional dead end, but ied under the floor. Somehow it had not haps from Garkan himself that he’d grown on the whole Mantic have navigated the hob- gone off previously despite all the fighting complacent here in the caves. It was time by trail with almost consummate ease. Mak- but a spark of hope now flared in Argun’s to move out; regrow his warband and his ing (on the whole) the right choices, including heart as time appeared to slow and the legend before both time and younger, us the community in the bigger decisions to elf’s foot stepped lightly onto the floor. ambitious Krudgers caught up with him. He was still lucky – of that much he was help make our games, miniature’s and rules Nothing happened. Curse Jurk and his certain or he’d now be dead along with better. They have faced naysayers and inter- tardiness. The elf vaulted forwards to fin- everyone else. net trolls, but the old adage that you can’t ish him off and he heard the voice in his keep a good idea down is true, and Mantic head again, pure malevolence this time. Stooping down he reached to retrieve the seem to rise like so much cream to the top “And now you die orc”. dice on the floor. As his weight pressed and the Kickstarter campaign is proof of that. on his front foot he heard a click, and Excellent ideas backed by great concepts and Argun scrambled back deflecting the then felt the whoosh of air above his head a will to do what’s right by both them and the blows raining down on him with his Ax as as a huge blade span out from the wall consumer resulted in a 3000% funding and a he backed out into the junction. Anger and buried itself in the stone opposite. lot of happy investors . now boiled within him. He was not going Jurk’s trap had finally sprung. to die like this, not killed by this Abyssal- He glanced at the dice. Double six. So what now? Well firstly to quote an old war cursed faery. Catching the elven blade on Scooping them up, he dropped them back poster “keep calm and carry on” Mantic have his Ax he opened up the elf’s body and into his pocket. Yes he thought as he been taken somewhat by surprise by all this surged forwards, slamming his huge made his way outside, still lucky. lovely attention and are having to really man mailed fist into the side of its head. The up (in a literal sense) as they are just over- Fey staggered backwards and crashed whelmed by the amount of orders that re- into the wall. Before Argun could follow quire shipping as well as the regular orders up, it pulled its bow free and drew an ar- By Boris row in a blur of supernatural movement. It from the web store in addition to meeting Samec
  • 10. Ironwatch Issue 01 10 demand from other bricks and mortar shops and other online retailers. We will ALL get our March of Battle: A ing up the lands into easily conquer- able pieces. Armies move across the stuff but we will have to be patient, minia- ture’s don’t go off they won’t melt in the heat KoW Campaign land in units of hexes and where two meet, battle is joined. Once wave we seem to have at the moment….well not Mantic miniature’s anyhow Supplement you’ve got your map you need to determine where each empire’s ter- By Doug Newton-Walters ritory will be. To give everyone a This has been a fantastic ride so far and hap- fair start, they should all be roughly pily there is still much more to come. War- The following is a more complex equidistant from one another. No path 2.0 is on the horizon and after that, the campaign system than the one territory should abut another and at futures own major sporting event will be found in the Kings of War rulebook. least 1 wildland hex of space be- coming to a table top near you in the form of It certainly isn’t the most complex tween each territory and another. DREADBALL tm , complete with spanking new campaign system out there, but it minis and (I’m told) a dynamic and quick play has more crunch than the standard Each player begins with 3 hexes; 1 system to match the background, so it should one. Unless stated otherwise the capital and 2 towns. The towns be the board game of the (late) summer to following uses the same basic struc-must be touching the capital, but watch . Add into this the usual mix of releases ture of the campaign system in the other than that they can be in any and everybody is a winner, not just those who rulebook. position. The capital and towns are managed to get on the Kings of war Kickstart- abstract conveniences; they could er bandwagon. A rule of thumb for army sizes is the just as easily represent a sea-based number of players x1000 points. So beachhead and two forward base But that’s not all ponder on this, the kings of if the campaign had 5 players, each camps instead. war Kickstarter was a MASSIVE success we player would have 5000 points of added a whole bunch of new units and re- troops available. The maximum Any hexes on the map that aren’t duced the cost of others making them way number of field armies a player can owned by a player are considered more affordable……..I think that this time next have is equal to half the number of wildlands, unclaimed territories. year we will be sitting in a equally warm fuzzy players, rounding up (so the above However they aren’t unpopulated afterglow of the “just finished WARPATH” example would allow a maximum of and their disorganized inhabitants Kickstarter. 3 field armies per player). will still put up a fight to prevent their lands being conquered. But next time it will be so much better, the The campaign is played on a map data tells us that second Kickstarters are with a hexagonal grid overlay, divid- better than first time runs, Mantic now have a gauge of what they need to do and what is expected by us the paying customers. Next time round expect more concept art, some great deals and pledge levels and in the meantime be sure to squirrel away a few pounds each month as, trust me you won’t want to miss the second ride on that roller- coaster! Well that’s about it for now, but if you have any questions you’d like me to try to answer or an opinion on this column feel free to con- tact me at the {inset mags e-mail address here} and I’ll do my best to get the answer here for others and yourself to read. In the meantime may all your die roll high and remember……. The objective of the game is to win. The point of the game is to have fun. The two should never be confused. -Bil Here is a sample map showing the starting locations of 6 different em- pires.
  • 11. Ironwatch Issue 01 11 of the following you possess, rolling If your field army defeats their op- Resources a die for each. A successful roll ponent you can immediately spend Resources are the currency of the gives you 100 points to help replen- 1 resource to create an outpost in campaign. Orders and actions per- ish your ranks, either bolstering al- the hex, claiming it as your territo- formed during a campaign turn gen- ready existing units, or form new ry. If you don't do this or choose not erally require them or they won't ones. to, the hex reverts to wildlands. happen. Without them armies falter Outposts may be garrisoned like and defenses crumble. At the begin- You cannot regain more points than other hexes as normal. ning of each campaign turn, each the campaign size and excess points player generates resource from the are lost. hexes they own. The amount gener- Siege Defenses ated depends on the type of hex: Each of the different types of hex a Upgrade Orders player controls has different siege You may only perform a single up- defenses. Orders grade order per hex, per campaign Every campaign turn you can issue turn. You can't turn an outpost into You can use resource in addition to an order to each of your field ar- a town in a single turn. siege points to buy siege equipment mies, spending the requisite re- or upgrade fortifications. source cost. Orders are carried out Reinforced Outpost – 1 Resource as normal. The outpost can now be upgraded to Siege Equipment have wooden towers and must take Siege Ammunition Hold – 1 Resource a main gate Cost: 1 per war engine/Monster The army remains where it is and Upgrade one war engine with siege does nothing (its expensive main- Town – 1 Resource ammunition. This is Attack 1 Pierc- taining armies). A reinforced outpost becomes a ing (4) Blast (1D6+1) and can only town. It must have a stone main be fired at buildings. You may March! - 2 Resource gate, can take towers and can up- choose to use this one attack, or the Move a field army to a hex adjacent grade walls and towers to stone. standard attack of the unit. Use the to the one they are currently in. If unit's normal range value. two field armies meet in a wildlands hex then the wildlands are ignored, After Battle You may give this to a monster unit, they don't fight. Whoever wins takes If a field army is defeated it immedi- but it can only be used in melee the hex. ately retreats one hex to a friendly with a building. one if available, wildlands if not and Forced March – 3 Resource lastly enemy territory if there is no Move a field army two hexes (so other option. In the latter two cases Additional uses for Resource long as they all touch). You do not the field army must move towards In addition to the orders given out encounter the first hex you move the closest friendly hex. A hex can to field armies, you may choose to through (you’re not there long only hold one friendly field army at spend resource on the following enough). However when you fight a a time. Campaign Actions. You may only battle there your force will be slight- attempt each of these once per ly spread out due to the pace and Roll for unit loses as normal. campaign turn and you can perform you won’t have everything on the them at any appropriate time during table. Divide your army in half and roll 1D6, on a 1-3 half 1 is left off Hex Type Resources Generated Rest Roll Needed Defenses the table, 4-6 half 2. At the begin- Capital 3 2+ Stone only, Must take ning of each of your turns roll 1d6, Buttresses if you roll equal to or less than the turn number, the other half of the City 2 3+ Stone main gate, Can army shows up. They all must move take towers and can at the double, measured from the upgrade walls and table edge. towers to stone Rest – (n) Resource Town 1 (Captured Town) 5+ Wood only, Can take The army tries to rebuild its towers strength after a battle. You may ex- pend up to 1 resource for every one Outpost 1 - Wood only
  • 12. Ironwatch Issue 01 12 the campaign turn. opponent are at -1 to hit for the time. game due to the damage done to Bribery – (n) Resource their equipment. These cannot be If the hex is taken from you then You may spend resource to bribe the same as those waylaid in a For- you lose the resource and it disap- other players. If a field army ends ward Ambush. pears from the hex. However you up on a hex where a battle is occur- may roll again for every subsequent ring, then they can intervene as Ambush – 3 Resource hex you take, representing finding normal. However the players Spend resource to waylay enemy another source. The hex produces fighting can offer the intervening forces. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ 1D3 ene- resources as normal and an addi- player resource points to fight on my units chosen by your opponent tional bonus listed below. their side. This can be any kind of start your next battle off the table. arrangement, from an upfront pay- Each unit needs to roll equal to or Dwarfs ment to a loan that requires a cer- less than the game turn to come on, Superior Ore tain number of campaign turns to moving At the Double from their ta- You uncover a vein of rare ore and ble edge. forge it into potent weapons. One A Note on Bribery: The rules assume you must pay attack in every unit gains an addi- Sappers – 2 Resource tional point of crushing strength or your debts, so you can't offer unre- On a 3+ your sappers have effec- piercing. alistic amounts. However if you all tively damaged some of your oppo- agree, you can allow people to nent’s defences. 1D3 pieces of de- Elves break their word and not pay. If a fence chosen by your opponent suf- Sacred Glade player does this, then the player fer 1D6 damage each (rolled sepa- You rediscover a magical glade, in- owed the resource receives the dif- rately). fusing your forces with healing light. ference in Campaign Actions (see below) instead. Every unit gains regeneration, albeit Training – (n) Resource only rolling a single die each. Spend resource to put your men pay off. through intensive training. Roll 1D6 Orcs for each resource spent, on a 4+ Stone Idol Mercenaries – (n) Resource you may increase the Experience a Your forces uncover an idol hewn Spend resource to hire mercenaries. single unit by 1. from unnatural rock, its energies Roll 1D6 for every resource point invigorating them. Roll 1D6 for each spent. On a 3+ you get 100 points Raiders – 2 Resource unit when you activate it, but before from one allied force to add to one Send out raiders to destroy enemy you issue it orders. On a 1, 2, 3 it field army for this campaign turn holdings. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ one em- gains that many additional inches of only. These follow the normal ally pire loses 1D3 resource due to your movement, added after multiplica- rules. depredations. If they can’t pay it all, tion. they must take it from their con- Spy – 1 Resource trolled hexes as per wlidland tribute. Goblins Send a spy to uncover enemy troop Madshrooms movements. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ you Insurrection – 3 Resource In the darkness of a filthy cave you may rearrange 1D3 of your units in Spend resource to stir up resent- find potent fungi. Roll 1D6 for each your next battle, after deployment ment in enemy territory. Roll 1D6, unit when you activate it, but before but before the roll to see who goes on a 3+ one empire Outpost hex you issue it orders. On a 5+ it gains first. must fight a Wildlands force to re- the Nimble special rule, whilst on a tain control. Failure causes the hex 1 it counts as having failed an Utter- Assassin – 2 Resource to be lost as normal. ly Spineless test. Send an assassin to attack an ene- my leader. Roll 1D6, on a 3+ one Kingdoms of Men Hero from another empire suffers 4 Race Specific Resources Primovantor’s Legacy Melee 3+ Attacks (Crushing If you wish you can include some Ancient magical artefacts from a by- Strength (1) and Vicious) at the be- unique resources specific to each gone era embolden your forces. If ginning of their next battle. No army. Every time your army takes a an enemy unit rolls one or more 1s nerve test is required. hex roll 2D6. If it is less than the when attacking it inflicts a single total number of hexes you currently attack against itself. Saboteur – 2 Resource control, you have discovered one of on a 3+. 1D3 units chosen by your these unique resources. You may only control one of these at any Undead
  • 13. Ironwatch Issue 01 13 Ancient Barrow fantry/cavalry than other infantry/ (see previous). This is just a guide- You tap into the slumbering power cavalry. Basically the armies are go- line, you can fight as few or as of an ancient barrow. Every unit ing to be infantry, cavalry and he- many battles per hex as you wish. rolls 1D6 when they recover a point roes. You can ignore some or all of Outpost/Reinforced Outpost: 1 bat- of damage through Evil Dead. On a these restrictions if you want. tle. Roll 1D6: 1-3 Normal, 4-6 Siege 4+ they recover 2 instead. Town: 2 Battles. The first is a nor- You can either choose what army is mal battle, the second a siege. Twilight Kin encountered in the wildlands Capital: 3 Battles. The first is a nor- Killfrenzy (generally based on what models mal battle. Two and three are both The taint of an Abyssal altar courses the players actually have), or roll on sieges (capitals are well defended). through your army. Every unit gains Wildlands: 1 Battle. Roll 1D6: 1-5 2d6 roll Force Encountered Normal, 6 Siege. Against another +1 attack. field army it will always be Normal. 2-3 Abyssal Dwarves Abyssal Dwarfs Stoneblood 4 Kingdoms of Men If you don't have any fortification Your forces discover and consume terrain, then obviously you can't 5 Dwarfs play a siege. You can instead treat stone ichor, hardening their bodies 6 Goblins sieges as normal battles. You still and minds. Every unit gains +1 to their Nerve Destruction limit (but have to fight the same number of 7 Orcs battles though. If you’re feeling adventurous you 8 Undead can allow anyone to use the racial 9 Elves Allied Empires specific resources instead. You can choose to form alliances 10 Kingdoms of Men between two or more empires if not their wavering value). 11-12 Twilight Kin you wish. This does not change how the following table. A wildlands force each player uses their resource or is 2D6x 100 points. what they do with their resource. Wildland Forces However, should one allied player's Despite appearances, civilisations capital get destroyed, they may Play the battle as normal, except exist throughout the wildlands. The- count another allied player's capital that any units destroyed on the se consist of small fiefs, collections wildlands side has no effect on the as theirs instead. This means they of villages and warbands of petty forces of the player using them (his don't immediately lose all their hex- warlords. They generally pose little es. They can't form a new capital empire wasn’t actually fighting). threat to the large empires that en- Victory allows you to create an out- and if all remaining allied capitals croach on their lands, but will still post in the hex as normal and gives are destroyed, then their empire is fight to the death to keep them. you 1D3 Resource points as spoils of destroyed as well. war from looting the wildland army's Wildland forces are an opportunity homes. to play games with different armies Experience and unusual scenarios. They will al- If you lose a battle against a Every unit that was not destroyed in most always be outnumbered by the wildlands force they demand 1D3+1 your army gains 1 experience. If invading empire, but that doesn’t you lost it gains 2. Elite and Vicious resources in tribute and send the mean they can’t give the interlopers army packing. It retreats as normal. both become (n) values. Units that a good mauling in the process. Any If you can’t pay the tribute then you already have these rules count has other player can choose to take on must dismantle your holdings to pay having (1) already. For each point of the wildland forces, using their own for it, starting with any outposts and experience a unit has, it gains 1 empire army to represent them or working back. point in either Elite or Vicious. You another army they’ve been putting must apply them to the same rule. together. There is no limit on the value of (n) Fighting Battles for each of these, but there is a Wildland armies have a few more When moving into hexes, you will be point of diminishing returns suggested restrictions to their army (generally a unit won't survive required to fight. The number of composition. You can only take 1 enough to generate that much ex- battles is dependent on the type of war engine and/or monster (or hero perience anyway). hex. Once you have won the re- on monster) for every 2 solid units quired number of battles, the hex is and you can’t have more large in- available for you to make an outpost If a unit is reduced in size by casu-
  • 14. Ironwatch Issue 01 14 alties, it drops 1D3 points of experi- reinforcements to your enemies), to ence (you choose which rule this the mountain ranges. The important affects). Adding recruits doesn’t in- part is that empires become unstop- crease the unit’s experience though, Winning the campaign pable when they manage to take that only happens in the crucible of How do you win a campaign? There them all. Because of this, it is best if war. are many ways to go about this and they are evenly distributed around it’s up to the players to determine the map, so no one empire has an which one(s) to use. advantage over the others. Towns and Outposts These are generic settlements that Finite campaign length: you place on controlled hexes. How- You may set a maximum number of The Emperors of War ever they could represent every- campaign turns to be played, after When attacking a Capital, the heart thing from farming towns to mining which if a sudden victory condition of a nation is under threat. At this outposts and so on. It has no effect hasn’t been met, you compare other point there is a very real chance on the game, but adds immensely factors. that the empire will be smashed and to the verisimilitude of the campaign its influence forever broken. Whilst if you name your towns and out- Sudden Victory: the emperor leads the defenses, posts based on what you think their Only one player has a Capital. Re- garrisons and armies rush to his aid, main resource might be. gardless of how this occurs, if at the hoping to stymie the threat. beginning of a campaign turn only a For example, a hex with mountains single player possesses a capital, When an enemy field army moves in it might be known for its mines, they are declared the winner. Every into a capital hex there are several whilst one with forest is known for other empire is too fractured to put things that can occur. You may its lumber. The following is a list of up much of a defense (all their hex- move garrisons back to the capital the kinds of resources found in the es effectively become wildland forc- hex by spending 1 Resource each types of environments most maps es using their specific army). during your campaign turn. The em- peror has called in his reserve forces Environment Resources Conditional Victories: to defend the capital. As a garrison This is a list of some of the potential cannot move until an enemy field Mountains Mines, Masonry ways you can decide victory. army has moved onto their capital hex, they won’t arrive until after the Plains/Hills Farms, Mines First person to (n) Resource Level: first capital battle, during the first Forests Lumber, Hunting Which ever empire reaches a specif- siege. Don’t deploy these garrison ic level of wealth first is declared forces during set up. Instead roll Marshes Peat winner. Alternatively, whoever has 1D6 for each garrison at the start of Lakes Fish the most after (n) campaign turns is each of your turns. If the score is winner. equal to or lower than the game Coastline Fishing, Whale Oil turn, the garrison shows up on the All Recruits First person to (n) Hexes: opponent’s table edge, performing Whichever empire collects a specific an At the Double! Order measured number of hexes is declared winner. from the edge. The garrison has For those superduper keen, you Alternatively, whoever has the most force marched to their capital’s aid, can actually divide your hexes into after (n) campaign turns is winner. coming in behind the enemy force. these different environments and assign their resource production to First Empire to destroy an enemy Field armies on capital hexes cannot one thing. Mines would be needed Capital: rest or hold, they must always fight to keep units with arms and armor, Whichever empire destroys another or retreat. Each fight occurs in con- farms to feed them and so on. This empire’s capital first is declared win- secutive campaign turns. You can can be fun in theory, but you’ll ner. move additional field armies onto probably find yourselves bogged the hex to join your forces, but once down in playing the resource game Specific Hexes: there they cannot rest or hold until (even more than you already are) Declare certain hexes as valuable they are either forced to retreat or rather than fighting battles. For assets (one for each empire). Who- claim victory. some people though that’s a lot of ever controls all of them is declared the winner. This could be anything Emperors and Warlords fun in itself. from abstract points no the map, to During the sieges of the capital city have: all the coastline hexes (preventing the emperor (you effectively) of all
  • 15. Ironwatch Issue 01 15 your forces will take to the field to save the emperor from staining his bolster your troops and destroy the own hands. Their enchanted single Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne invaders. Each army has their own edged hand and a half blades trace emperor which they receive free in 1 5 3+ - 4+ 8 16/18 a deadly pattern around their bod- addition to any troops they already ies, deflecting incoming blows and possess. The emperor only appears Special Rules: penetrating enemy defenses. While during the siege battles of a capital. the emperor stands impassively be- Crushing Strength(1), Individual tween them their blades dance and Inspirational: Dwarf Emperor flicker within a hair’s breadth of Emperors are beacons to their men, Shield Maiden and Honour Guard him, so that from a distance it ap- urging them to fight to the last. pears as though he is coated in a Whilst an emperor is on the battle- Goblins: Big Wiz and Throne shimmering field of silver. The em- field all his troops are considered to The Wiz’ are the leaders of gob- peror’s own attacks flash out be- be affected by Inspiring. Should the linkind. The most powerful of them tween those of his guards. emperor die, then not only will you will only take to battle when they Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne lose this rule, but no units will be absolutely cannot avoid it. But they affected by the inspiring rule from will always do so in the flashiest way 1 6 3+ - 5+ 5 14/16 then on – their fighting spirit has they can to make sure all the gob- been broken. lins know who’s boss. Commonly Special Rules: this involves being carried atop the Crushing Strength (1), Individual, Unless stated otherwise, emperors most grandiose throne they can find Inspirational form a single unit with the Individu- … strapped to the shoulder of the al rule and a footprint the size of all biggest giant they can find. No one the models combined (in ranks). No messes with a goblin when there’s Elf Emperor damage can be done to the emperor 20 feet of giant between him and Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne until their bodyguards etc have been you. From this position of power the destroyed. If their bodyguard get a big wiz can use his magic sharpstick 1 6 3+ - 5+ 3 11/13 Wavering result, the emperor can’t to prod his giant behind the ear, move but can still attack as normal. goading it into stomping his ene- Special Rules: For units with different speed val- mies. Even his own men aren’t im- Crushing Strength (1), Individual ues, use the lowest score unless it mune from this if he thinks they specifies otherwise. looked at him ‘funny’. Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Blood Hand Dwarves: Dwarf Emperor, Shield Maiden and Honour Guard 1 5 5+ - 4+ 1 9/11 Orcs: Krudgelord and Kronies Dwarf Emperors always have two When an orc krudger conquers other warriors by their side, their shield Special Rules: krudgers, his position is as secure maiden and their honour guard. The Inspirational, Zap! (3) as it can be in the brutal world of shield maiden is often a daughter or the orcs. He keeps his favourite relative and she carries the emper- drinking kronies around, both for or’s shield, representing the Emper- Big Wiz someone weaker to beat up on and or as shield to his people and de- Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne as a defence against any other fending him to the last. The honour krudger that decides he should be guard is chosen as the finest soldier 1 7 4+ - 5+ 2d6 16/19 boss. In battle the krudgelord brings in the land and he represents the his kronies with him, surrounding Special Rules: emperor’s honour, absolute and un- himself with their muscled hides and wavering. Together they are an im- Crushing Strength (3), Uses Giant’s Speed noisome stench. As intimidating as a movable bulwark against the ene- krudger is normally, one surrounded mies of their people. by his favoured warriors is truly ter- Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Throne rifying. Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne 1 4 3+ - 6+ 5 14/16 Elves: Elf Emperor and Blood Hand 1 5 3+ - 5+ 5 13/15 Special Rules: Elven Emperors are protected at all times by two warrior sages, sub- Special Rules: Crushing Strength(1), Individual, Inspirational limely powerful fighters who take on Crushing Strength (2), Individual, the burden of blood shedding to Inspirational
  • 16. Ironwatch Issue 01 16 chance to take control, Overlords them beneath golden shod hooves. rarely trust anyone to guard them, Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne instead using slaved automata built 5 5 3+ - 5+ 5 13/15 by the iron casters. Without the 1 9 3+ - 5+ 3 10/12 need to eat or sleep and unwavering Special Rules: loyalty to their master, black shields Special Rules: are the perfect bodyguards. Their Crushing Strength (2), Individual Crushing Strength (1), Individual dark iron bodies are also capable of generating a powerful abyssal field, Krudgelord encasing their charge in impenetra- Orc Kronies Emperor Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Twilight Kin: Twilight Emperor 1 4 3+ - 6+ 5 14/16 and Death Hand Lifeguards In base mockery of their weaker Special Rules: kin, the Twilight emperors keep a Undead: Necrolord and the Spirit duo of frenzied female cultists with Crushing Strength (1), Individual, Bound them at all times. These provocative Inspirational Amongst the oldest of necromancers warriors provide the emperor with exist those on the border of life and personal security, entertainment ble darkness, bolstering war engines death. They are but inches from be- and some say unending nocturnal coming Liches, still clinging to life delights. On the battlefield their Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne but drawing deeper from the spirit bloodlust is without equal and they realm of death. Their power allows 2 4 4+ - 5+ 2 11/13 savagely strike down any foolish them to draw the very spirits into enough to get near their lord. The Special Rules: reality, chaining them as unliving Twilight Emperors enjoy the arterial batteries to fuel their evil sorceries. artistry their concubines create, lazi- Crushing Strength (1), Heal (1-War Engines The spirit bound can energise an ly ducking through the crimson arcs only), Individual, Zap! (3) entire battlefield of undead, keeping to leave their own deadly marks up- them marching even as they are and firing searing bolts at the foe. Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne Overlord 1 6 3+ - 5+ 5 14/16 1 5 5+ - 4+ 1 14/16 Black Shields Special Rules: Special Rules: Crushing Strength (1), Individual, Kingdoms of Men: Emperor of Dark Surge (10), Heal (5), Individual, Zap! Inspirational Men and Lifeguard (5) Leaders of men tend towards the on the foe. theatrical when displaying their chopped to pieces. Only with their power on the battlefield. They take destruction can the necrolord's hold Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne to the field upon ostentatiously Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne barded pedigree warhorses, flanked 1 6 3+ - 5+ 3 11/13 by their similarly mounted lifeguard, 1 5 4+ - 4+ 1 -/12 trotting in perfect unison. Girded Special Rules: and armed with the finest dwarven Special Rules: Crushing Strength (1), Individual craft money can buy they strike a Shambling, Individual, Inspirational fearsome aspect amidst the din of Twilight Emperor Unit Size Spd Me Ra De At Ne over his minions be broken, leaving them slowly draining of unlike. Death Hand 1 9 3+ - 5+ 4 13/15 Necrolord Special Rules: Abyssal Dwarves: Overlord and Black Shields Crushing Strength (1), Individual, Spirit Bound An Overmaster becomes an Over- Inspiring lord only through ruthless cunning and limitless paranoia. With other war. With the thunder of hooves would-be lords always looking for a they ride down the foe, trampling
  • 17. Ironwatch Issue 01 17 That’s right, you also can print out and use these Tokens with your newly-acquired March of Battle know-how!
  • 19. Ironwatch Issue 01 19 If you would like to download the higher-resolution pictures, please either visit the Mantic Forums and message one of our editors, and we would be happy to send them to you! Additionally, we’ve included a grid so you and your opponents can create your own portion of Mantica terrain to wage war over! We’ve left it borderless so you can print it out multiple times and tile it to create a n even larger board if you desire!
  • 20. Ironwatch Issue 01 20 land. But I knew well enough that vikian Plain beyond. Or at least, so sometimes war was unavoidable, it’s inhabitants had thought. and sometimes even the preferable outcome, particularly in my Lords Four days previously the first alarm disputes with some of the alien races had been raised of an enormous war of the region. Yet for all of the bat- host entering the valley from the tlefields and campaigns I have seen east. Report told of large numbers of in my many years, none were like demonic Dwarf kin, bearing twisted The Siege of Berhoe this. This is something different, something more starkly brutal than panoply of war and leading an enor- mous train of siege engines. A quick- any of those experiences. This is ly assembled council decided, not pure, unadulterated, slaughter. unanimously it must be said, that by Matt I. the size of the approaching host was The city of Berhoe is located in the too large for the Prince's forces to far east of the Ardovikian Plain, in meet head on. Instead the decision the center of a wide valley that was made to send messengers to the leads into the foothills of the Drag- neighbouring Princes with an ap- onteeth Mountains. The city owes peal for succor, and in the meantime its prominence to the steady stream prepare for a siege. Supplies of pro- of trade that plies the river Marist, visions were brought within the which flows north into the distant city, while those left over were put Frozen Sea. The city has been in the to fire. The approaches to the walls M hands of the Niketas family for over were carefully cleared, granting four generations now and has clean lines of sight to the defenders, known only prosperity during this and every able bodied man was im- y name is Isaakios time, rising from merely one of many mediately pressed into service. With Chlorus, Regent of the Diasta Es- bustling townships in the region to reinforcements expected to arrive tate, a grandee of the Kingdom of the prime city ruling over all of within the week, these were all the Serdia, and until a few days ago I them. It’s security is ensured by the precautions made by a wise and ex- felt I knew war. I don’t like war, broad expanse of flat, rolling mead- perienced leader to best prepare the and certainly am no soldier myself, ow that extends in every direction, city for the short siege that was an- nor felt any association with those perfect for both farming and the ticipated. They proved to be hope- who claim to follow that blood- maneuvers of the Prince's household lessly futile. thirsty profession, but I felt I knew cavalry, and its imposing circuit of war all the same. In my twenty fortifications. Boasting solid stone The demonic Dwarf horde encamped years as one of the most trusted ad- walls, twenty feet high and three some miles distant from the city, visers to Prince Niketas IV I had feet wide, carved from solid granite none could say how far exactly for certainly seen enough of it. I saw blocks transported from quarries in they could not be decried even from my role as mostly finding a means to the Dragonteeth Mountains, the the wall’s highest tower. Our only avoid bloodshed and mediating an city was a daunting proposition for contact with the besieging host was amicable resolution to the petty dis- any invader seeking to despoil the a lone Herald who approached the putes that plagued the Lords of this valley and the wealth of the Ardo- city early in the morning following