With their latest Kickstarter now done for The Dark, The Devout And The Heroic, Oathsworn Miniatures also released their next Oathsworn Journal.
This free PDF, much like the first issue, contains plenty of new information for those diving into the world of Burrows & Badgers. This issue focuses on creating themed warbands of Witch Hunters and Necromancers for use in the world of Northymbra.
New Warband Allegiances
The main focus of this issue is on those two new warbands. You could easily use the miniatures from the new Kickstarter and just drop them into the Free Beasts, Rogues and the like from the original book. These new rules, however, give them a more distinct theme and make them stand out on the tabletop.
The Witch Hunters bring their fire and zeal to the tabletop. At the core of their warband is the theme of hunting down magic users with new Divine Might "prayers" and using their Malleus Maleficarum weapons to shatter magical constructs like the Mist-ghasts.
They also get to draw on the new Critters added into the latest Kickstarter campaign meaning they can marshal smaller bug-like creatures and use them to hunt down their foes in-game.
As someone who really liked playing the Witch Hunters in Mordheim, this warband is very much one for me! I am very eager to get stuck in and paint a warband that is a little more grimdark.
On the other side of the coin, you have the Necromantic warbands. Here, the focus is around a single magic-user who can use Necromancy and Dark Magic to bring their crew of beasts to life.
As well as a powerful new set of magical spells, the Necromancers can also draw on the power of the Ghasts. One type of undead warrior you can pick is the Stable Ghasts which act like normal Beasts in your warband, gaining experience in between games. Think of what Krell was to Kemmler in Warhammer Fantasy.
You've also got the Mist-ghasts which aren't permanent members of your warband but can give you some added clout during your games. Much like raising zombies and skeletons in other games, Mist-ghasts can be called to aid your Necromancer but will fade away once the fighting is done.
To make up for that, you can also pick up Thralls. These are "regular" beasts that you buy as normal to help bulk out your warband alongside the Necromancer and their twinned Stable Ghast. I really like the idea of running with a rat theme and using plenty of sneaky miniatures from the collection, painting them up with albino fur!
Necromancers come with their own new set of magic spells as mentioned above which include the ability to summon Mist-ghasts to the tabletop. You've also got plenty of spells in there inspired by classic Warhammer. Curse Of The Centuries/Years anyone?
An array of new skills also bolster the options for warbands of the Witch Hunter or Necromantic persuasion and you could always use these with your existing warband too if they matched up. The Grubs feel like they would be an excellent addition to a warband that wants to handle pets and minions!
More Rules & A New Game
Most of the new issue is given over to the two warbands mentioned above and offering up new rules for what was available during the Kickstarter. However, there is also a new Random Events table which is perfect for those who want to add more spice to their games.
I love making it so a game isn't "normal". It's often more fun to have things like hidden objectives and random events, playing around with the flow of a game so that it doesn't turn into an absolute roll for one side or the other. A spanner in the works is always fun.
There is also a nice nod to what's going on in the wider Burrows & Badgers community including an immense build in the style of Redwall Abbey.
Plus, you can also check out a fun little dice game from Michael called Broadside. As you might have guessed by the name, it's all about firing cannons and trying to blast through your enemies hull. With a dose of "push your luck" to it, it seems like it could be one to roll out at a gaming night once or twice.
If you backed the new Kickstarter or just want to dive in and get a look at the new rules, maybe to plan what to buy later down the line, the new Oathsworn Journal is a good read.
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