This may be brave, this may be foolish, let’s see…
In celebration of the current release of Warhammer Armies – Dark Elves, my final army book for GW, I’m going to hold a Q+A here on Mechanical Hamster. If you have a question or comment regarding the new book, please post it as a comment or get in touch via the Ask Dennis email. Please look through the comments first to see if someone has already asked your question(s).
Things to bear in mind:
No rules questions. I know this will disappoint many folks but I won’t be answering specific rules queries. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the Games Dev team (Alessio in particular) are responsible for FAQs and I am not going to second-guess what the official answers may be and won’t create confusion by giving answers that may be different from GW’s interpretation. Secondly, if I did answer rules questions then I suspect there’d be no time or space for me to address other aspects of the project! This doesn’t mean I won’t talk about the rules decisions made during the process, I just won’t give answers to questions like ‘What happens if a character with item x attacks a monster with special rule y‘. If you have any specific errata (that is genuine editorial or typography mistakes) drop me a line on the Dennis hotline and I’ll compile a list to forward to GW.
Editorial changes. Although the book was all but complete before my departure, there was one further round of editorial changes in which I did not participate. If your question relates to one of these changes I’m afraid I won’t necessarily be in a position to give any further information and won’t be able to answer your question. This just means that I can’t guarantee to answer all of the questions posed.
The whole project. The re-release of the Dark Elves is far more than just an army list and some rules. Please ask about other aspects of the project and the army book – background, art, and so on. With that in mind, I obviously won’t be revealing anything I believe to be commercially sensitive to GW, not will I cover decisions made outside of the Design Studio – pricing, number of models in a blister and all that.
Please feel free to link to this post on any forums whose members you think will be interested.
P.S. I’m busy for the next week, so the ‘closing date’ for any questions will be Sunday 3rd August. I’ll be posting answers later that week, and then I’ll have another writing-related post ready by the end of the week.
Mechanical Hamster 
Hi Gav (and hamster),
I’m not a native English speaker, so please forgive my mistakes. I used to work for Games Workshop France’s translation Studio (I am now translating BL novels, sadly, none of yours yet).
I worked on the French version of the previous Dark Elves army book, and the thing that amazed me was the sheer violence of that society. Druchii, being Elves in the first place, are supposed to have a long live span, but how can they even reach the age of manhood (elfhood ?), with all the wars (both internal and against the outer world), sacrifices, festivals of violence, celebrations of Khaine and so on ? With the “streets running red with blood” every two weeks ? You can’t have so many slaves to play with, so how are they not all dead already ?
Thanks a lot,
Julien
LikeLike
Dear Gav:
Oddly enough, I just finished reading Reaper of Souls last night and was astounded by the mayhem released on Hag Graef during the course of the novel and the same question posed by Julien floated through my mind. In that I know or I suppose BL thinks about these things deeply and I assume they vet all new posed elements to their world way in advance has there been any discussion as to population control? Further, can you give us any hints as to revelations about the society of the dark elves in your new novel–Malekith? And, how does that work, any way? Does a committee present you with elements to be revealed in the novel or do you come up with ideas and present them to a committee to be vetted?
Best Regards as always,
Keith
et merci Julien
LikeLike
Hey Gav,
Sorry to hear you’ve left GW. You were a great service to them. But good luck as a freelancer! Anyway, my question is about how you and the rest of the design teams decide what to change from the last version of an army book. From rules to background, every book has some aspects that stay the same and some that change drasticly. I am really more concerned with background stuff though. Since there isn’t any difinitive Warhammer history book, how do you guys keep everything cohesive from one edition to the next, while at the same time making the new book feel completely different than the last? Also, how do you decide the powers and point cost for special characters? That’s always something I’ve wanted to know.
LikeLike
This isn’t a rules question so much as a game design question. I’ve been playing the new DE and I have just been owning my opponents of late, in large part because of how effective Hydras are. I’ve been fielding two units of the buggers, and so far no one has been able to deal with them effectively. While I realize part of this is simply due to opponent unfamiliarity with the new unit, I do think the unit is perhaps a bit under-costed for the sheer destructive potential and reliance of the unit. What are your thoughts on the Hydra?
On the flip side, was there a reason that the Web of Shadows was made so expensive? The only reason I, or most other people have come up with is because of the potential of the Killing Blow, Web of Shadows combo.
LikeLike
Would you say that Dark Elves (with DoC & VC alongside them) represent a return to ‘spectacular’ Warhammer that we saw in 4th/5th ed with big magic phases encouraged and devastating units aplenty?
And one supplementary question…what, if anything, did designing the DE army allow you to do that no other army could really offer? (e.g. Was the sacrificial dagger something you thought could only really ‘plausible’ with DE?)
LikeLike
Just wanted to ask why the cold ones are stupid, yet not cold-blooded the same way the lizardmen cold ones are.
I realize this is going waaay back, but I wanted to ask anyway. 🙂
Cheers Gav, and Good luck being a freebooter!
LikeLike
I’m also curious about the design/revamping process. Our magic items section underwent serious overhaul, and while we have tons of great new useful items, some at amazing prices, some of the old favorites have been removed. Is the reduction of things like Crimson Death and the Hydra Blade based on bringing us in line with others, a sign of things to come, or related to the fact that some armies can use things more/less effective than others. I always felt, for instance, that Chaos and other high strength models should pay more for extra attacks than low strength races such as men and elves.
Now not as a per-item Q&A, as that’d be too long, but in terms of changing the general feel of the Druchii, why the removal of the scouting cloak, two ward save items (especially the delicious CoBI), limited bound spell selection compared to some other races, Soul Shadows Standard, alteration to Banner of Murder, and removal of two of our most potent weapons from before (DoDP, GoP)?
I ask because some changes have definitely made the Druchii a more viable army, yet some of the changes related to the above items are taking away some of the old options developed (or simply given) when the army was .. less forgiving. So the army is more reliable now, but in many ways through new means exclusively rather than adapted. Was this the intent or am I viewing things wrong?
LikeLike
AS a dark elf player is was looking forward to the new book but was disapointed to find that we did not get a new unit or return of cityguard .
what were the reason for this ?
good luck .
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
First off, love the new book! It’s such a huge improvement over its predecessaor, yet still feels like the army I’ve known and loved since 4th edition. 🙂 I especially like how you expounded on Druchii religion in the fluff, touching on the other gods they revere beyond just Khaine. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.
Another question I have: What are some of your favorite things that *didn’t* make it into the list, either because they were ultimately unbalacing, were edged out by other things, or just weren’t practical?
Also: Were there any editorial changes made in the last round that you disagreed with? 🙂
Anyway, take care, and thanks for all the fish!
LikeLike
If you were ever asked to bring the dark elf/high elf saga to a conclusion what would you do? Would the dark elves succunb to their hubris or could they really master the winds of chaos and enslave the chaos gods (along with everybody else)
Are there any plotlines that you considered following that you dismissed because they were too disruptive to the staus quo?
LikeLike
Perhaps a little too close to one of the things you’ve said you can’t answer but worth a go. Is there anything in particular you were surprised to see edited after you left?
LikeLike
Hey Gav, cheers for the new book and all the work put into the Dark Elves over the years.
First of all I second Archdukechocula’s question on the Hydra. Secondly why has Malus Darkblade never had a sea dragon cloak included in his rules? He clearly wears one in the art and on the model…weird. Thirdly, how did the development of the new Black Guard rules come about, and what paths were taken to make them what they are now? They have been seriously boosted, they must have been up their on the priority list.
Cheers and Good luck with all.
LikeLike
Dennis or Gav (either one can answer this),
I’ve been a DE fan since before their first army book and had to cobble lists together with old imported White Dwarves.
What I noticed the most in the new DE book was the massive revision and addition of fluff. Malekith was much more completely fleshed out, the founding of the cities and a complete DE history was included, Morathi’s role, the role of the HE commanders, and place of new Elvish gods are all new, or expanded. So what drove this change?
Finally, as an old time Man-o-war fan thanks for the return of the Seadragons and Helldrakes. Deathfortresses for the WIN!
LikeLike
Hey Gav,
Iam a new Dark Elf player but I have loved the army for a long time and was just waiting for the re-do and I am glad I waited. I love the new army and simply can’t wait to start playing with them. I have to complement the design team on the cold one Knights and the corsairs and all of the lords and heroes, they are all awesome.
The only question I have is…
Is there going to be a new Malekith model. He is my favorite character and his new rules are so awesome!!!
I think that he needs a new model that does his amazing background and rules justice.
Thanks for all your work on the dark elves!!!
Good luck with the free lance writing!
-Thomas
LikeLike
Hi Gav,
I really like what you did with the Cauldron of Blood. Did you come up with the idea right away, or did you have a few ideas before deciding on the Blessings of Khaine thing? I am disappointed with Kouran and Tullaris though, I wish they could have been more like Lokhir in their respective units. What were your ideas with them?
Thanks.
LikeLike
Dear Gav,
Firstly I want to wish you the best of luck as a freelancer! I know that many people really enjoy reading your books!
To my question 😉 What is your favorite unit from the dark elf book? (and i dont mean which do you think is the most effective, but which one you enjoy playing with the most)
LikeLike
Hi Gav
I’m still a little new to druchii, even though I have played them for 7 years. It’s mostly the fluff and background where I lack the knowledge.
What significance did it have for Morathi’s image in the eyes of the Dark Elfs, as well as Malekith himself, that she allied herself with a chaos god, in disrespect of Khaine, and travelled down through Naggaroth with a large army of chaos worshippers, whom the dark elves for centuries have fought to keep them away from Naggaroth.
My other question is concerning older campaigns. Lets take the Albion campaign as and example. The Dark Elf, high elfs and dwarfs fought the best got the treasures. And we cheered. But with the nem army books, we can tell, that the treasures whas for a limited time only. Im not saying, we should get the stupid gauntel back, but is a part of GW’s internal agenda to consider past campaign achiewements?
It would be great to have some credit in the edition, for claiming parts of Albions tresure. Even if it’s only fluffwise 😛
LikeLike
Hi gav!
Excellent work on the new book! I have had many evenings plotting and laughing my evil laugh when thinking of what combinations to use against my enemies!
I do and always have loved the witch elves the most, and they are a big part of the new army.. Hellebron, death hags, cauldrons etc. I was wondering why these where not choosen for a recast in plastic?
I like the idea of a witchelf themed army which is hard with the very few poses available.
on a sidenote.. is it a typo that “the guiding eye” does not have “until the end of that players turn” at the end of the description? since it is a one use item and those normally only last a turn or so.
best of luck in the future
cheers
LikeLike
Hey Gav,
I’m curious how much the design studio looks at what players use in terms of models. I am referring to the sorceress on cold one and the decision to even have a sorceress mounted on a cold one, particularly a model that cannot be mounted on anything else due to the design flaw of her legs being attached to the mount itself. Both you and I know that it is a foolish prospect to mount a sorceress on a cold one due to stupidity. I would simply like to know why this decision was made, why they saw fit to not pay attention to what players actually use, and why they chose not to give us the option of mounting this sorceress on a dark steed. Also, why was the decision made to limit the magic banners that executioners and witch elves can take to 25 pts?
Best of luck
LikeLike
Dear Gav and Dennis,
The new book is bloody brilliant, my compliments to the chef. There is a genuine sense of this list works and works well. There is diversity in the list which i think is its defining element, there is no need to rely on one ot two tactics or over use the msu style strategy.
Although its probably about time for Malekith to find a girlfriend, i mean it has been about 5000 years and that think with his mum is just odd, you never want to hear your mum say ‘thats not how your fathe did it’?!?!
The one question i would like to pose is. With the Malus Darkblade books giving very detailed accounts of druchii society i was wondering how far in the future will the cult of pleasure play in the history and possibly army lists of the dark elves. Given that in the storm of chaos book there was the modified darkelf list will examples of that be made and possibly a khainite version?
Yours sincerly Rob Blair
LikeLike
Hey Gav,
Thanks for all your work and especially your communication with the players.
Questions:
Was there an over- arching strategy to focus/ develope on the Khainanite elements and army theme from the start ?
Was there ever a point in developement of the new book that included Cult of Slaanesh options?
Why did you decide to have the Assasin not take up a hero allotment slot? Was it solely for surprise factor of the reveal or was it more than that?
Do you think we will see use of the “heroes that do not take up hero slots” element in future army books like skaven assasins or even other hero types?
Cheers from a very happy long time DE player =)
LikeLike
Greetings from Greece.
I’m very excited about the new book and trully
believe , an awesome job has been done.
My only dissapointment was about citygarrison not making it in the new armybook.
Anyway i’d like to ask fluffwise why Dark elf ,although
the worlds best beastmasters , haven’t managed to tame
the big StarDragons as the High elves did?
I was really hoping for such a dragon even if only for Malekith (Khaine bless him!!!)…
LikeLike
Hmmmmm, good job with the book, I just have one thing thats been bothering me since I started Dark Elves…..How DO you pronounce Druchii? Or did it vary in the studio as well as out here?
LikeLike
Hello Gav,
I would like to know more about why Kouran and Tullaris has been reduced to champion status. Why could not Lokhir have been one of those champions and either Kouran or Tullaris a hero choice?
I suspect it has something to do with the Warhammer Online game?
Sorry if I am repeating a question you probably have heard so many times before, but I would be happy to know the reason behind it. This mainly as I always liked both Kouran and Tullaris more than most other Druchii special characters.
Many thanks for taking your time. Looking forward to hear from you.
Wenxiox
LikeLike
Hi Gav, thanks for all your efforts regarding the new book. One question for you, has GW become more conservative in their artwork/miniatures? The exposed daemonettes and topless witch elves have disappeared as have a couple of other more controversial figures, can you shed some light on the motive?
LikeLike
I should add (as I had the overly long post above) that I AM very happy with the new book.
Thanks for doing it right!
LikeLike
Dear Mr. Gavin,
Is it true Dark Elves are deaf?
LikeLike
Hi!
First of all, I would like to thank you very much for a very good 7th edition dark elf army book! There are some questions though to which I would like to get answers:
Why is the magic banner points limit only 25 pts for executioners and witch elves?
Why witch elf death hags can’t ride dark steed or cold ones?
Why is the corsairs handbow range only 8″ and why it can’t be used in close combat as second hand weapon? I can’t see anyone taking them seriously.
Why is the web of shadows 50 pts? Previously it was only 25 pts.
Thank you very much! Cheers!
LikeLike
Hi Gav, like most people gotta say great work on the new book, great fluff great rules 😀
Thanks for making time for this questionair, greatly appreciated.
4 things came up though (well a couple more but they’ve been asked).
1. was a assassin always meant as a chariot killing star throwing maniac…. I mean str7 on a throwing star, (with the stars and manbane) ain’t this a bit much?
(gotta say love what you did with them in the new book, there great, never leave home without them!).
2. Are/where there ever any plans to keep the cult of slaanesh in the new book or future? It just seems like such a waste to throw the fluff and army out of the window!
3. why is morathi’s lance heart render crappier then the magic lance in the item section?
4. Excecutioners, they where great and not bad these days, but still this is the least changed unit, not levelling up with the rest, was this the way you wanted them, or did you have a different vision on them.
Lastly a BIG thanks for being a great help in the dark elf community, and best of luck on your road! (even though your a big dwarf fan ;P)
cheers
LikeLike
Hello there Gav,
First of thank you for taking your time to do this FAQ, it is really appreciated.
Secondly, I only have one question and one apology to offer up for you, the first is this:
Do you know why the time was “rolled back” on the events regarding the invasion of Ulthuan and the counter invasion by a blind Eltharion? I am not particulair fond of the storylines personally, but I am curious as to why it was done.
My apology is this: I where a part of the people who at the start of 6th edition, in my fanboy youth without thinking spread the list the list that Tuomas had worked on, I where not the one that leaked it originally, but I did help make it worse and its pained me ever since, i’m deeply sorry and if I ever come to England you may punch my face.
Yours sincerly
Lars
LikeLike
Hi Gav, Best of luck as a freelancer and thank you for your efforts with our new armybook, I get my copy tomorrow :). My question is if Dark Elves split from High Elves why can we not use spears in 3 ranks? Why do we not get city guard when the HE’s get sea guard?
Kind Regards
Nikko
LikeLike
Firstly thanks for the amazing job done with our book. It was a long wait but the result was certainly worth waiting for.
Ninjas, Pirates and Dinosaurs. What more could I ask for?
Anyway…
Black Guard. They are stuborn and is described as being especially disciplined due to rigorous training. They fear neither death nor pain and will carry out any order to the fullest. Yet because of Hatred they will abandon the line (and perhaps go against their orders) chasing after inferior broken units. Why was they designed this way? Im not unhappy with it it just strikes me as odd.
Couldron of Blood. What is the reason it was changed from its old 24 inch aura to its current form? Im one of the people who loved the old version and my favorite strategy revolved highly around it.
Repeater Handbows. Has this item turned out as intended? As I see it it just cant measure up compared to the Repeater Crossbow and it being a choice for Corsairs makes little sense to me. Were they intended to be a rarely used item with huge drawbacks?
Finally a fluff question. How does Druchii mariages work? Are they all planned as part of political scheming or do Druchii (occationally) marry for love?
LikeLike
Hi Gav, thanks for the new book. I’ll just ask you a single (fluff) question: who is Furion? His name appears in the new book as was the case in the previous one, but he remains misterious. Could you tell us more about him, give us some precisions, even if, I guess, you might not have a precise idea of who he really is (just help us to imagine him in the way you imagined him). Many dark elf players are interested in Furion and invented him a story, a life (they made him a great immortal sorcerer who is one of Malekith’s closest advisers)and rules, what do you think about it?
Cheers.
Jbtotor
LikeLike
Just wondering wy was the cityguard left out. They have been sitting on the shelf for several years hopping to hit the gaming table…
All the best
Victor in Lustria
LikeLike
Gav. Firstly, its great to have you hosting a Q+A session on the less rules side of the Games Devs jobs; I think these areas tend to get neglected in the rush to beat the snot out of the other guy.
I have 3 questions (please note that I havent been able to get the book yet due to recovering from an operation, so bear with me if I touch on stuff that is expanded over the last book):
1) What is the reasoning and rationalisation for the Dark Elves just turning away from Slaanesh (and being able to), and returning to Khaine? Its not like anyone else has ever been able to turn their back on the Ruinous Powers, yet the DE achieved it and nothing is ever really made of this. Why was this background decision even taken? What benefit does Khaine give to writing up the race that Saanesh worship wouldnt? Conversely, what sort of opportunities does it close up?
2) Life outside the 6 cities. The wonderful maps of Naggaroth reveal a great many fascinating areas and terrains of this vast continent, yet everything focusses solely on 6 small and terratorially insignificant locations. Is there life outside the city walls? Do Druchii exist in settlements all over the continent? What is life like outside the cities? I’ve always been interested in portraying a more ‘provincial’ Druchii than one ever gets to see. I’d love to know a bit more about the place, the whole place, that the Druchii inhabit 🙂
3) A more rules-related one here. The Druchii are emphasised as being a race of warriors, unlike their more rounded and softer High Elf ‘brethren’. Yet It is the HE that get rules such as Speed of Asuryan and Martial Prowess, which are rationalised as elite warrior skills despite many Asur soldiers being a half-trained (by Elven standards!) militia. Whilst DE are certainly more *ferocious* and slightly less disciplined with Hate, I only ever get the impression of an elite warrior people from the Black Guard. Even though all other DE warriors are more full-time and well-trained than all but a tiny minority (in background terms if not game 😉 ) of Asur, it is the Dark Elven soldiers that appear the inferior, part-time soldiers.
Why is/was this step taken?
Hope to hear from you 😀
LikeLike
Hey Gav, outstanding work on the new army book, it would prove a nightmare making it any better!!
Just one question, why are the cold ones described as being green scaled in the Bestiary?
Was this to add more depth to the history of cold ones to go with the new models, as it kinda narrows our colour scheme choices for them… a lot.
Do you think we can still paint them uniquewith reasonable explanations 🙂 ?
Anyway once again fantastic job, and good luck in the future whatever it holds!
LikeLike
A little follow up question which I forgot.
Was there ever any idea of putting Mengil’s Manflayers into the army-book.
This considering the fact GW seems to be killing off or not updating there Dogs of War.
It would be a shame to loose them!
Or is that the reason why you updated the shades like you did?
thanks again, cheers
btw. Looking forward to reading your Malekith book 😀
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
When the new book released I was first at the store at 10:01 am ^^ I love how the background story feels, you realy want to start hating the High Elves just because they always win by luck or some trick, not by military cunning like the Dark Elves.
What I always have been wondering is, could anyone (besides Morathi) replace Malekith? The Druchii have lots of high standing nobles, so there must be some that might get to the top should Malekith perish? *I didn’t read all the Q’s above so this might have been asked before*
Thanks for the great things you did in GW!
Bye!
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
Thanks for the job well done! The new Dark Elf book is amazing, and I’m saddened you won’t be doing more army books.
I had few questions.
One, did you ever consider changing Reaper bolt throwers somehow?
Two, there is a mention of ‘lost civilisation in the background of Underworld sea, would this be a hidden hint towards upcoming Fishmen? 😉
Three, what is your favourite unit in the new book?
And last but not least, where does Lokhir Fellheart come from? No offense meant, but in my opinion, both Tullaris and Kouran are lot more interesting characters, and should have been made heroes, dropping Lokhir.
Cheers for the job well done!
LikeLike
Hey there. Sad to see you go and all, will be a-watchin’ out for your new rpojects, good luck etc..
A couple of things I’d mention. You changed the Blood Armour so the vest-rifle combo doesn’t work anymore. Fair enough, it was kinda silly, but it punched a neat little hole in my 500pt list. The cheapening of Dark Riders and Greatening of Shade weapons more than made up for it though, so thank you!
I guess my one complaint revolves around Tullaris, and the Executioner’s Axe. Particularly, the fact that he doesn’t carry it any more, and the fact that no one who can could join the Executioners, and the models on foot only restriction. It’s a fair enough restriction, but the model on Cold One that I converted specifically for that purpose is now bunkus, unless I feel like using Crimson Death instead. I’d just like to know what was the rationale behind those decisions. Not a criticism, just curious is all.
Thanks for your time – Layne.
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
I would just like to say excellant work on the druchii. The book is truely one of ther best done in 7th ed so far.
I have two questions to ask of you.
Firstly Regarding megil’s manfliers, can i still use them as a special DOW choice in the book or is it banned from use in the new book?
Second regarding a possible 2nd wave of druchii releases is there any chance of plastic witch elves and plastic Harpies?
Cheers.
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
I really like the work you and the team did with the new Dark elves, they are much improved since there not so good 6th ed book.
I have a couple of questions to ask.
1. Regarding the Magic item Pendant of Khaleath was there a reasoning to why it was priced at 35pts for it seems to almost everyone that its basically a 4 to 3+ Ward sav which is much cheaper to what other armies pay for with just a 4+ ward.
2. Also in regards to the fluff how come the events of the storm of chaos are not even present in the book for the last few books it was barley mentioned.
Is there any reason behind this?
Anyway good luck with being a free lancer Gav.
Bye.
LikeLike
Hi Gav!
I really like the work you and the team did with the new Druchii, It is a excellent book by all means.
I have a couple of questions to ask.
1. In regards to mengil’s manflayers can they still be used in the druchii army as a DOW special choice or are they no longer permitted for I just love using them in my games.
2.If there is a 2nd wave of druchii releases is there any chance of seeing plastic Witch elves or Plastic Harpies?
3.Regarding the Magic item Pendant of Khaleath was there a reasoning to why it was priced at 35pts for it seems to almost everyone that its basically a 4 to 3+ Ward sav which is much cheaper to what other armies pay for with just a 4+ ward.
4. Also in regards to the fluff how come the events of the storm of chaos are not even present in the book for the last few books it was barley mentioned.
Is there any reason behind this?
Cheers.
P.S sorry about the multiple posting, My computer kept stuffing up And I fotrgot to include a couple of Questions.
LikeLike
Hi Gav,
Just wanted to say thanks for a great job on the new DE book and that you will be missed in the design team. I fully expect now that Alessio is in charge the Skaven will overrun everything! 😉
Anyway, I know it’s late for the Q&A (I just found it), but I did have a couple questions. First, one of the major themes of the Druchii have been their ability to tame all kinds of vicious monsters, yet even in the current book they are reduced to effectively three: the dragon, the hydra and the manticore (I don’t really count the dark pegasus as a monster). To be honest I was kind of hoping for another large monster of sorts for the Dark Elves to give an alternative to the hydra. IMO something like the basilisk that you reference manticores fighting or a large, druichii-esque carnosaur of sorts would have been a wonderful addition. I guess my question boils down to, was there ever a time when additional creatures such as the above were considered and if so, what was their reason for being dropped? If they were not considered, was it because there was no space in the range, no space in the book, or was it just not feasible to do? As I said, I like the monsters and was hoping the Druchii would get at least one new unit like their Asur cousins got the lion chariot. Besides which, with the Warhammer Legendary Battles rules, the more monsters the better!
Second, just something I’ve always wondered about the Army book artwork. Basically, is it intentional that a large portion, usually contiguous, where all the artwork is in black and white, while the color sections are reserved for the cover, the hobby section, and the section for displaying all the miniatures? I’m going to take a guess and say it’s probably cheaper to do it in B&W, but I’ve always just been curious about it.
Third question, about the new “free” spells that have been appearing since about the 6th edition Wood Elves book. There seems to be a trend that a lot of books nowadays, particularly the non-human ones, come with a bonus spell that is integral to the army and helps define the “style” of magic the army uses. Has this been a conscious decision over the past few years as new books were released and though you are no longer involved, would you expect a similar treatment for custom spell lists in future books? Or were these simply for the Elves and no one else to help define their magical nature?
Lastly, I’m sad to see you go before you got back around to the Dwarfs again!!! I’ll be honest and say I was hoping you would be the one to rewrite the Dwarf book now with the army books being much larger and all. On that note, is there any chance that you might be contracted to write background material for any future army books by GW (now that you are a “proppa” writer and all ;-))?
Cheers, Gary
LikeLike
I have a question about male dark elf sorcerers. I know that, in the last 2 editions, Malekith seems to have taken a softer stance toward them (“male Dark Elf wizards are regarded with disdain, fear and superstition….”). As far as fielding an army that remains “fluffy”, would you put any restrictions on troop types that should be in an army that contains one or more male wizards (e.g. Black Guard)? Thanks.
Well, I don’t think I’d include Morathi or Malekith in the same army! Other than that, I would also suppose it’s unlikely that a Convent Sorceress would fight alongside a male Sorcerer. As for the Black Guard? I can see there are ways to justify their inclusion with a male spellcaster. For a start, they might not have a choice. If Malekith orders them to fight for Lord Hurekh, they’ll obey the command even if they later find out Lord Hurekh has also employed a wizard of dubious loyalty.
It’s possible to over-think the male Sorcerer issue. If you have a cool model of a wizard that you want to use, anything is justifiable with a bit of imagination! On the other hand, if you want to make the presence of a male wizard a particular angle of your army’s background and work it into the story of your characters, then you could certainly leave out the Black Guard.
On a side note, in the earlier versions of the Dark Elves background there was no prejudice at all against male spellcasters. Malekith’s dislike and the Convent of the Sorceresses was something introduced by Tuomas in the initial draft of the 6th edition book. It exists to promote those sexy Dark Elf Sorceresses more than anything else, and it shouldn’t be viewed as a shackle to collecting and fielding the models you enjoy. These wrinkles in the background should be viewed as opportunities to add character and narrative to armies and battles, rather than as proscriptions.
LikeLike
Thank you for your website 🙂
I made with photoshop backgrounds for myspace,youtube and more
my backgrounds:http://tinyurl.com/5ajonc
have a good day and thank you again!
LikeLike