Roolz Roolz

The results of the UK GT Heat 1 will no doubt re-ignite the issue of game balance in WFB.

There are two ways to look at this - the first is to shout and scream and treat it as the end of the world. The second is to look at past results and conclude that at certain times, certain builds and armies overpower all else.

Obviously being a Wood Elf player I would have liked to see more than 1 Wood Elf finish in the top 45 qualifiers. But then again it doesn't really effect me, because I already know that it is next to impossible to build the kind of power army required to compete in this competition - ok a wood elf player got through, and no Bretonian, Skaven, O&G or Ogres did.

Which brings me to the issue of balance.

The common cry is that the game is imbalanced, and it is true. But the problem is that each army complains that the game is imbalanced in a different way - which in turn allows GW to make the perverse logical claim that the game is in fact balanced.

Personally I think the problem is that the game mechanics are not particularly dymnamic.

For instance one dryad surrounded on all sides but 20 strong blocks, is as frightening as 20 dryads surrounding 1 Empire swordsman.

Or a unit tests on the same leadership if it is advancing with both flanks secure, no enemy in the rear, and all enemies fleeing before it, as it does when cut off surrounded and it's general in full flight.

Or indeed the skirmishing rules that force units to test leadership for skirmishers doing what they are supposed to do, as for a designated combat unit fleeing through them.

The implementation of a dynamic system could be easily introduced, without a wholesale overhaul of the current games system - for example the abandonment of D6.

There are other things that need changing, like over powerful cavalry and a review of the way magic works, but these are technical issues and not as relevant to testing the skill of the general.

Rumours abound about 8th edition and we shall have to wait and see what comes of them. I suspect that the only major change will be the implementation of scenarios and objectives which I personally think is rather a beardy solution to the problem.

peace:)