Freeform Movement for 8th Edition: further playtesting

Here is the latest testing and tinkering with the Freeform Movement rules. Some things work well, others not so much...and I'll give my opinions on how to best make it smoother.

It's time to come back to this, as I've played some more games testing these experimental rules (when I've not been playing Mordheim).

Highlights:

The Pile In move is great!

 Above you can see examples of how the Pile In move, which is performed on each model's turn in initiative, before attacking, can be used to maneuver a unit around the enemy, and ultimately surround it.
We noticed that it blended in very well with all existing rules, without interfering with anything else. And because it is optional, a player can forego using it to surround the enemy, and instead simply perform a mild reform of the unit's ranks.
Because Piling In with all models ultimately leads to reduction of ranks, there is a strategic decision to be made in terms of how to advance your models: more ranks for increased ranks bonus, or the chance of extra attacks and possibly make the unit slowly shift into flanking position.

Flexible Unit Shape is... clunky and time-consuming.

This rule made it so that models in the same unit could move independently from one another, but must still maintain unit cohesion and facing.
The major benefit of this experimental rule was that it allowed units to better "squeeze" through scenery and terrain, and made it more realistic. Models away from the front rank could still be brought to bear against an enemy unit when engaged, because of Pile In.
But in practice, using this type of movement was time-consuming, and complicated a few rules interactions. We felt that, while it looked good, and it worked well for small units, doing this with large units made it too complex and clunky for a game of this size.

Interestingly, reaching that conclusion meant that for smaller units, or smaller games, this type of movement would fit well. This immediately reminded me that the "Loose Formation" rule can be used for smaller units (up to 10 models, or 3 models for Monstrous units). Furthermore, using this rule for most units in games of Warhammer Warbands (where almost every unit is small) can make full use of flexible unit shape.


Flexible Movement looks... odd for large units.
The experimental rules for freeform movement allow models in a unit to move independently from each other, and also allow a 180degree range of movement, thus allowing even large units to move and turn sideways without hindrance (even when marching).
However, we found this too strange-looking, as large units seemed to "slide" sideways without penalty (which seems weird, in addition to reducing the penalties involved with movement).

Conclusions:

What this leaves us is one part of the rules (Pile In) working perfectly, and the other one (flexible unit shape & movement) not very much. Thankfully, the two sets of rules are independent, so Pile In can stay untouched. Now, what to do with the movement?

The biggest problem with current movement rules in 8th edition is how unforgiving they are when it comes to moving through tight spaces. Kings of War has dealt with this problem by allowing units to disregard friendly units and terrain while turning or pivoting: allowing for unit corners to pass through them. as long as they are clear of obstacles when they finish moving. Let's call this Flexible Squeezing for now (not very catchy, I know).
Maybe a resolution as simple as that would solve most movement issues in 8th edition... playtesting awaits. But there is more.

As mentioned before, for units of infantry up to 10 models, 5 models if cavalry or 3 if Monstrous, the Loose Formation can be adopted, which allows for skirmisher-like movement (a la 7th edition).
This rule first appeared in an "official manner" in the General's Compendium, allowing for units to maneuver through dense forest. Such models benefit from movement flexibility and do not gain rank bonuses, but unlike proper Skirmishers they do not benefit from the -1 To be Hit by ranged attacks, do not benefit from Standards for Combat Resolution and do not count as Skirmishers for moving through terrain.


Perhaps simply adding Flexible Pivoting and Loose Formation to existing 8th edition rules allows for sufficient movement dynamics, bringing the MSU (Multiple Small Units) style of play to once again feature in Warhammer tactics. However, in order for this to be most effective, and to balance out the huge value that large ranked units present in the game, I recommend adopting the following house rules as well:
- all rank bonuses involved in a combat count (not just the highest)
- a unit has its ranks Disrupted and loses Steadfast if it's charged in the flank or rear by a unit of at least one full rank

Rules Patches: ranks and Combat Resolution v8.1

PROBLEM: in a multi-unit combat, only the highest rank bonus from each side counts, even when several large units are involved. This removes value from horde-like tactics, and relegates large units of weak troops to be speedbumps or tarpits to slow down the enemy.
SOLUTION: all rank bonuses from units from the same side, involved in a multi-unit combat, count for the purposes of Combat Resolution.

This one may be a risky rules change... it can tip the balance of play quite a bit... and give even more power to large units of elite troops. Perhaps this rule should only be implemented if there is a limit to the size of units (see here) and flanking units with 2+ ranks should be able to disrupt its Steadfast (see here).

Rules Patch: Army Composition v8.1

PROBLEM: while large units of weak troops are and should be a staple of the game, large units of elite troops, especially when carrying "certain powerful magic banners" (you know what I'm talking about!), become unforgiving "death stars". These concentrate most points of the army into very offensive but also very defensive points, which make for extremely difficult games with few options left for the opponent.
Additionally, many of an army's most powerful units come from the Rare section, and very often whole army builds are designed around them (including 2 copies of the same rare unit to maximize their benefit). Not only does this make for very difficult army builds (as some Rare units can be very very powerful centerpieces), but also breaks the verisimilitude of seeing 2 Rare units on the same battlefield more often than you would see 2 of the same Special unit.
SOLUTION: any single unit (before any characters are added during the battle) cannot exceed 20% of the total points of the army (this would be 500 points in a usual 2500 points army). Only 1 of the same Rare unit and 2 of the same Special unit may be taken in a normal-sized army (up to 2500 points). These values are doubled for Grand Armies (2500+ points).

This simple rule change can single-handedly remove many of the more problematic army builds that have plagued 8th edition, such a 2x Terrogheists, 2x Hellpit abominations, etc. 
It should also curb some of the most powerful elite units from turning into veritable death stars, by preventing them from increasing their numbers exponentially and on top giving them expensive magic banners (which normally creates a unit that either is as destructive as it is impervious to damage, or simply so destructive that it will gain so much Combat Resolution advantage that it is unlikely to lose combat).

Mordheim content hosting

This blog now hosts official (and unofficial) supplements for Mordheim, for download.  
Click here and grab them!

As some might have noticed, there is this little panel on the right where you can click to get our Mordheim Rules Compendium.
This is our own "debugged" version of the Mordheim ruleset, in which we have attempted to file away the inconsistencies and imbalances in the Mordheim rules, but with changing as little as possible.
This is a product of labour for the past year and a half, from our Mordheim Edinburgh campaign group, in collaboration with wargame store & cafe 6's2Hit.We've had a blast, and the ruleset now really makes everyone happy.

In addition to his, Warhammer Narratives will now also be hosting all the major Mordheim supplements and official rules originally released way back when, and until now.
None of these are my work, except when specifically noted.

These include the original rulebook, as well as supplements released later in the Town Cryer and Fanatic magazines, as well as more recent Community-driven supplements which are done to a professional standard.
Much of the Mordheim Community, especially the old hands, regularly make use of this material, but for those getting in it in recent years, it may be a bit daunting. So I feel a bit of organization for those new arrivals may be in order.
I've compiled the most important supplements I feel worth mentioning, in a neat list (still in construction). The list will grow with time, so keep an eye on it (I am quite busy with work as of late).

For the more curious, they can always dive through the internets in search of Mordheim material, because it's all out there for free (that's where I got it from in the first place!).

Hope it helps and you can make use of it.
Roll high and prosper.