I’ve been thinking a bit about Mordheim recently, partially thanks to MLP’s thread and also after discovering Terraclips and thinking about the possibility of a ready-made medieval cityscape to play games on.
Anyway, I already have a Mousillon-themed Vampire Counts army and, while I’m aware there was a pretty big project online to create Mordheim-in-Bretonnia rules set in Mousillon - the Bretonnian equivalent of the City of the Damned - my background for that location is a little different from theirs, and I wanted to try my hand at making Mordheim warbands, which scratches my itch for making rules without taking months and months of work. So, I’ll update this thread with some new warbands themed around Mousillon as I write them. At the moment my plans are for the Black Watch (the guardians of Mousillon’s crypts, aided by Priests of Morr), better Bretonnians than the ones from Town Cryer (one Knight with a retinue of commoners with less emphasis on the 5th-Edition style virtue and options for thinks like hunting hawks) and Clan Pestilens Skaven.
First up though are the depraved Ghoul Clans and the fearsome Dread Knights.
Just checked out the two warbands, very good indeed. Two questions: What font do you use? How do you format them to look like they’re straight from the Mordheim rulebook?!
I enjoyed the story about the Knight being tricked to think he was drinking from the grail. Very good.
The font used in the Mordheim book is called Schoensperger, and you have to pay to get hold of it. The one I use is HansFraktur which is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. I found it here.
I made it look like pages from the original rulebook with judicious use of the original artwork. When GW made the rulebooks from their Specialist Games range available to download for free, they ended up hosted in a number of other places, such as here. I just nabbed them from the original files. It’s a bit of a legal grey area, as GW a) put it all online anyway, and distributed it freely and b) no longer support it. So it’s not totally kosher, but it’s not really hurting anyone.
I need to fix a couple of errors in the two warbands I’ve posted already, then I’ll finish up the Black Watch. I just need to do the Benedictions of Morr and then put in some pictures to nice it all up, and it’s done. Glad you like these so far.
Cheers for the PDFing tips, the font is great. I like the Black Watch, similar to Mercenaries but also quite unique. I like the special rules for Scum it’s very fitting and the sanctuary benedition is quite interesting, I think I’d enjoy using this warband.
I think I need to change Sanctuary actually - I hadn’t really considered the possibility of a warband just holing up in there indefinitely. I’ll make it so Undead take a Strength 4 hit if they enter or something instead.
EDIT: Corrected Black Watch uploaded, along with the Knights of Bretonnia.
Still on the list: Clan Pestilens and the Grail Pilgrimage.
Okay, I’ve changed the Knights a tiny bit (Bowman had the wrong cost) and I’ve put up the Grail Pilgrimages. I can now look back on my life and say “I once wrote wargaming rules for people with leprosy and there was a thing about them not being able to hide because they’re wearing bells.” Yeah.
Apologies for the triple post. If anyone is still interested, I’ve now uploaded Clan Pestilens, which rounds out the warbands I intended to do for this project. I may still do some Hired Swords and possibly some new exploration tables.
I’m still interested. Very much liking the Skaven, although at first they seem very strong with all the high toughness (like a Skaven-Dwarf Hybrid!) especially with the special skill for +1 toughness. Characterful though and the leadership should offset it.
Plague Censers look scary, I like them. I think I might make myself a warband of these!
Actually, that’s a good point about the Toughness there - I wrote the skill list before I got down to the nitty-gritty of profiles (and found out that Plague Monks were T4). T5 might be a bit much, to the extent that taking Bloated is a no-brainer. Perhaps it should be +1 Wound instead? Or some other mild buff that makes them a bit harder to kill?
Actually, that's a good point about the Toughness there - I wrote the skill list before I got down to the nitty-gritty of profiles (and found out that Plague Monks were T4). T5 might be a bit much, to the extent that taking Bloated is a no-brainer. Perhaps it should be +1 Wound instead? Or some other mild buff that makes them a bit harder to kill?
Thommy H
I agree, I would have bloated as a first skill everytime. An extra wound is still pretty good, perhaps making them only go out of action on a 1? or a special save against out of action/stunned?
Very cool Thommy. I already made myself a vampire warband based upon ghouls so I may try to get some extra minis to fit into your rules too. For what it’s worth (not trying to jump your thread either) here’s my vampire warband with a ghoul theme. All heresy miniatures
That’s funny , I thought the giant slugs would suit that purpose.
I had a much better look through the rest of the rules too. Clan pestilens and the Dreadknights also look cool.
The Grail pilgrimages look a bit underpowered, maybe allowing their max number of troops to 18 might help? Just a thought. although that leperosy rule would make them annoying to play against. Great work all around there
Yeah, their numbers should probably be bumped up since they’re pretty near the cannon fodder end of the scale. What I might do is put everything into one document with the hired swords and exploration charts I’m going to do and take that opportunity to look through them again and correct a few things here and there. I wrote them all pretty quickly because when I have an idea in my head I just have to kind of get it out there as quick as I can or it bounces around inside my skull and makes me strange, so while they’ve all been proofread, there’s some details that could use a little more thought than I gave them.
…Thommy, I’m drifting this out of topic but I would like to ask you if you can make some rules for Mordheim Lizardmen and CDs. I know that the first ones are official already and the second ones are available through the Burning Town supplement, but I would like to read your take on these (plus we are still waiting for the second par of Wahammer: Nippon:P).
How come no one has mentioned that the Grail Pilgrims have the Holy Handgrenade? Too bad this warband can’t have knights so the whole Round Table of Monty Python and the Holy Grail could be replicated.
"Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot. He was not afraid to die, oh brave Sir Robin. He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways, brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin. He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp, or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken. To have his kneecaps split, and his body burned away, and his limbs all hacked and mangled, brave Sir Robin. His head smashed in and heart cut out, and his liver removed, and his bowels unplugged, and his nostrils raped and his bottom burned off and his penis-"
It also appears that Bretonnia has diplomatic relations with the Seven Kingdoms. I kind of like the idea, if only to explore the notion of bastards in Bretonnia, of what their status is, if they can go on the Grail Quest and other stuff.
