Netherlands checking in Part II - Return of the Dutch

Hi all,

Another dutch guy joining the tides of 40k skirmish battle. I'm a long time friend of Arachas and the newest member of his gaming group, eagerly waiting to eat his imperial flesh. Thats right, I'm starting a Kroot Squad - a savage pack of specialized mercs on the lookout for a hefty meal.

Furthermore: I have little 40k experience (only played a few games years ago), but I am familiar with all the fluff and stuff thanks to Dawn of War and some fanboy blattering of Arachas and Colonel Prius.

Well, thats it for now!

Telruna

Awesome!

Give the kroot a spin. They are almost there.

Telruna... WELCOME!

I'm looking forward to read about your crazy adventures about personal growth and cannibalism! Hhehehe... as you probably read, we did a fine job digging lots of fluff and making Kroot very loyal to their original story & background, while still expanding a bit on the details.

Lets us see your models (check out dr!zzt's Kroots and specially Lara Krooft)

Welcome! Enjoy YOUR game!

So Mord, there has to be some kind of provision for bringing new people into the community, right? Telruna is like... the gazillionth?

Awesome to have you join, my cannabilistic friend! Let's see if you can organize your squad just as tightly as you did my wedding! (:

Ohhh dead Emperor... more people tightly entangled in that thing Arachas calls 'life"!

You've just noticed? Me and my buddies... we're taking this thing over. This IS my life.

Heheheh... soon I will have to hand you the keys of the shop too!

LOL. Keep it up.

I will have to move to the Netherlands. Telruna... would you adopt me? I'm potty-trained and don't eat much.. and you get full access to the latest copy of TLRB!!

Welcome Telruna!

Dutch Squads rising! Though today wasn't your lucky day to lose your DS virginity. Ah well, better luck next time. I'm looking forward blasting those geekbeaks into oblivion.

Though my own game against Prius wasn't too bad. The second half of the game swept in favor of the Colonel. And he wasn't even there ... imagine that! Look out for the battle reports guys!

We'll (m)eat again! Major Sturmm

Welcome,

Sounds like you've got a great campaign building already over there. It'll be interesting to hear how the Kroot work out - might even inspire me to get a box for myself.

Enjoy
Laney

02laney wrote:

might even inspire me to get a box for myself.

Exactly what GW wants to hear!

Tell me about it . Damn Kroot, why are you so cool?

Jammer

Yup, lost my virginity to Arachas yesterday. I was bleeding all over the place.. four of five officers ooa (not permantly *phew*).

Kroot bruteness was obvious: storming the front, hounds spearheading, officers following ... declare charge... CHARGE!!! Result: up close and personal CC and a real bloody mess.. Had lots of fun.

I screwed up against Arachas, but I think a nicely coordinated Kroot charge (with proper support) can demolish almost any resistance.

Of course I was seven games ahead (though still not enough to give the poor lad an experience bonus, according to the Underdog rule). My officers have become pretty able in close combat; enough to deal with charging Kroot.

Though come to think of it: I think we've totally forgotten to use Vicious Charge, haven't we?

Nope, but I totally forget Acid Spit.. Ah well, next time.

Quote :

Yup, lost my virginity to Arachas yesterday. Embarassed I was bleeding all over the place..

Best sentence ever! Hehehe.

Looking forward to the release of the Kroot rules, they sound like an awesome Death Squad. Hoping to get a box of Kroot next time I drop by GW.

Jammer

Telruna wrote:

Yup, lost my virginity to Arachas yesterday. I was bleeding all over the place..

You are terrible!

Mordheimer wrote:

Telruna wrote:

Yup, lost my virginity to Arachas yesterday. I was bleeding all over the place..

You are terrible!

Mwhuahaha!

On topic (more or less): I had a hard time fighting against Arachas with his '7 fights under my belt, look at the WS of my officers, it rocks' -squad. The underdog position didn't give me any benefits. My Hungry Hounds licked there wounds and are still craving for IG meat..

About the Kroot? They play VERY different than other Squads. I think we captured their sense of being 'vicious predators', always prowling for the hunt, as well as their sense of 'urgency' when it comes to change and evolve to improve their race. The rules do NOT force you to do anything in particular, but you get rewarded for 'behaving' properly. At 1st, rookie Kroot Squads would 'feel' similar, but as the campaign progress they would diverge from each other... I mean, much more than the average Squad type.

For example, all IG Catachan starts being more close combat oriented and by the end of a Campaign, they still are... although two Catachan Squads maybe slightly different. The Kroot ALL start fairly similar, but depending on their Unique Evolutionary Path (UEP) they get access to different Skills, which controls how the Squad would end up. A particular UEP is more for generalists, while another is for stealth, while other is for movement, etc. So, at the end of a campaign, two Kroot Squads with different UEPs would end radically (within reason) different.

At the end, the Kroot would have a GREAT replay value!

I can only agree. The possibilities I had while setting up my Kroot squad were plenty, while the thought of them evolving through every event made me drewl. I had a hard time choosing between the CC evolution path, the movement favoring path and the more common path. At the end of the line all squads would be totally different while capturing the essence of being Kroot - brutish killers hunting dangerous prey so their species can evolve.

BRAVO! That is EXACTLY what we are aiming for... to have the experienced (and FAN) Kroot player think of possibilities, dream about what the future could hold and struggle with a decision (because they are all equally interesting). To me, IMHO, this simulates the struggles that a Master Shaper could endure when deciding what to do in terms of choosing what genetic material to absorb into the racial pool. In game mechanics, it gives the casual (newbie) player a sense of the immensity of the task (forming the genetic future of an entire race) while it allows the veterans to explore a little more the Kroot culture.

How did you found the fluff? You liked it? Took lots of research to put it as it is... while it is accurate (in 40k lore) it also expands on those little cryptic openings (thus we could have some wiggle room... created the Phentax!)

Fluffwise? Nicely done, with a few remarks.

First off: UEP's are great! Secondly: the recruit possibilities seem to cover most areas; canonfodder, close combat, fire support, heavy support and fast attack. Thats a good thing. Each area of expertise is covered within fluff.. but it may lack some basic hunting aspects; think of non-mounted trackers for example and some sort of punjii trap. This could also be an idea for an additonal officer option.

Out of all units the Phentax took time to get used to. Which is strange in a sense, because espacially the Kroot, as a race, could see these beings come to life. I think my apathy is rooted in the Phentax being a dead-end evolution. I prefer progression (though I love my hounds..)! Thats just me. Creatively its a good concept, but not my cup of thee.

I like the option the Shamen gives: to duel with a captured opponent. Maybe its an idea to gain a quality (+1 WS for example) of the defeated AND consumed opponent instead of 2 exp, but this is probably overpowered.

Overall I think the Kroot were given the right attention. My compliments on a job well done!

Awesome to see you enjoying the Kroot, my friend! Don't worry about getting your arse handed to you. You may be the newest Kroot hound in the pack, but you ain't top-dog yet.

@Mord: in all honesty, I feel you're not doing the IG justice in saying they'll remain the same. UEP's are almost the same as regional platoons, no? A Mordian squad will play TONS different than a Catachan one. Maybe not starting out (well...) but certainly further into the campaign.