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BattleLoreMaster Posts

June 2007

June 27, 2007

New Reviews

Some very positive Tom Vasel reviews of the latest BattleLore stuff: Epic BattleLore, Dwarven Battalion and Goblin Skirmishers.

June 25, 2007

Goblin Marauders?

Thought Hammer already has a listing for the upcoming Goblin Marauders pack. We should take this with a grain of salt however, as the contents listed appear to be for the Hundred Years’ War pack, and the cover illustration shows, along with the Goblin cavalry we’ve already seen, the musicians already in the Goblin Skirmishers pack. Early art, or do we get more musicians in the Marauders pack?

Goblin MaraudersAnyway, the Hundred Years’ contents, as given here are listed as:

32 new figures, including:
   4 Halberdiers
   4 Horn Blowers
   8 Spearmen
   16 Arbalestiers
14 New Banners (7 for each camp)
Rules Booklet (plus Medieval Lore rules)
4 New Battles (Crecy, Cocherel, Patay and Poitiers)
Bonus Revisit to Agincourt in Epic Mode
6 New Specialist Cards and 4 Weapon Summary Cards

June 21, 2007

Official Word: Summer is Coming…

…And the news over at the official blog is that of upcoming Specialist packs and trade shows.

Coming up are Origins 2007 (Columbus, OH - July 4 thru 8), where demo versions of the Dwarven Battalion and Goblin Skirmishers Specialist sets will be shown (sets should be shipping by Mid-July); the World Boardgame Championship (Lancaster, PA - July 31 thru August 5) where demo versions of the Goblin Marauders and the Hundred Years’ War - Crossbows & Polearms sets will be previewed; and Gencon 2007 (Indianapolis, IN - August 16 thru 19), where hopefully those two packs will become available.

100 Years War Specialist PackThe four battles included in the Hundred Years’ War - Crossbows & Polearms set will be Crécy, Cocherel, Patay and Poitiers. In addition, Agincourt is revisited in Epic mode! All great news for historical BattleLore fans.

Finally, the DoW team are off on summer vacations and updates to the official blog will slow down. Keep coming back here to BattleLore Master however, where we have regular updates and new goodies!

June 20, 2007

Opening the box: Goblin Skirmishers

In the last of our ‘opening the box’ posts, let’s examine the upcoming Goblin Skirmishers figure set! I think the Goblin band leader now has my vote for favourite BattleLore miniature …

Once a large image has opened, move your cursor to the upper left and right edges to navigate between them, or press N (Next) and P (Previous).

Opening the box: Dwarven Battalion

In the second of our ‘opening the box’ posts, let’s have a look at the upcoming Dwarven Battalion figure set!

Once a large image has opened, move your cursor to the upper left and right edges to navigate between them, or press N (Next) and P (Previous).

Opening the box: Epic BattleLore

In the first of three new ‘opening the box’ posts, let’s have a look at the new Epic BattleLore. After we’ve had a good look at the contents of this and a couple of figure expansion packs you may have heard mentioned, reviews will follow.

Once a large image has opened, move your cursor to the upper left and right edges to navigate between them, or press N (Next) and P (Previous).

June 15, 2007

The Raven

The Raven After the ‘flower of French chivalry’ (I had dealings with some of those men, bugger their own sisters for a ducat, most of them would) fell at Azincourt, the Dwarves put their prices up. Those thick-headed and thick-tongued mercenaries began to look prettier to your crusading Kings than a wholesome village maid after a spell in the Holy Land. Your average dwarf wouldn’t shy at a row of stakes and a few arrows falling from the sky, mark my words.

So I often found myself negotiating in the Dwarven camps, usually soaked with the spray from fifty beer tankards—they love their toasts, those Dwarves—and the spittle of a mercenary captain as he barked orders into my face. None can touch the Dwarves for feasting and carousing, and few for fighting, so I did not even try. Instead, I employed a simpler strategem to win their trust.

I drank.

Since my younger years, and despite my slight build, I have had an impressive capacity for beer. In a profession such as mine, having a clear head can often be the difference between keeping it and losing it, so it is a skill that has come in handy more than once. When dealing with dwarves, for example while discussing the price to engage Bearach Mac Dhonnchaidh’s band of spear-chucking miscreants in yet another petty skirmish, I repeatedly interrupted my host with such enthusiastic shouts as “to your mother’s beard!” and “to the lochs and glens of your homeland!” and watched him drain tankard after tankard as big as his head.

After five hours or so of keeping the beer flowing, old Mac Dhonnchaidh was ready to bequeath me his family farm.

June 6, 2007

Official Word: The Sounds of Music (Part II)

BagpiperWe’ve had goblin drummers, and now the latest post on the official blog site introduces us to the second of the specialist musician figures for BattleLore: Dwarven Bagpipers!!

Fittingly, the pipes don’t raise the morale of troops like the goblin drums, but instead sow fear into the hearts of Dwarven enemies.

“Arms wrapped around the goatskin bag and fingers busily playing the chanter, the stout little fellows never get the chance to draw a weapon!

Curiously, those foolish enough to dismiss them as a result are often last seen running for their lives, off the battlefield…”

This makes the bagpipers very interesting to use, as they don’t actually cause any damage on the battlefield, but instead open up all sorts of possibilities to exploit the morale of opposing troops—especially goblins!

Of course, if you happen to be facing the Earth Elemental, which ignores all flags, that won’t do you much good …

Not only that, but Dwarven bagpipers come in all colours, leading to interesting choices and trade-offs during deployment.

June 1, 2007

Official Word: Revised Epic BattleLore Online!

EpicThe complete Epic rules are now available for download here. This revised PDF includes rules for using Call to Arms with Epic, plus the 4-player Reluctant Allies variant.

In addition, you’ll find two new four-player Reluctant Allies adventures, Logroño and the Road to Najera, in the official adventures section of the BattleLore site.

While you’re there, check out the other new Epic adventures, Raid on Al-Jazirah Al-Khadra, The Caliphate’s Enforcer, Sultan of Swing, Moorish Giant and The Sultan’s Run.