Fantasy- Rarkthor’s Hold Stands Firm! Part 1: Special Rules
A new writer comes to share his initial thoughts on his favorite Fantasy faction: Dwarfs!
Greetings fellow wargamers! Allow me to introduce myself; I am Rarkthor, lord of nerdiness and all things excellent! A spry young Dwarf who is looking to share his thoughts on his own wargaming hobbies. Despite my youth, I have been playing wargaming for nearly 10 years (Warhammer 40,000 is my primary wargame, but I play Warhammer Fantasy and Warmachine as well), ran more than half a dozen tournaments, started a fresh new gaming club at my alma mater, been a part of the blogosphere for about 5 years, and now I am trying my hand at some serious blogging.
But let’s get back to my favorite archetypal fantasy race and favorite Warhammer Fantasy faction: Dwarfs!
My love of Dwarfs first began in my first experience with 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. I made a Dwarf Cleric named Rarkthor, and the name became quite popular in my play group. As we played, I fell in love with the character, and the name stuck around into my blogging. This love didn’t blossom into an online persona though. I began to collect Dwarfs as my very first Fantasy army, and I was hooked.
I began the army with the 6th edition rules, at the tail end of 7th edition. I loved everything about the army: special rules, the aesthetic, and the models. With the advent of 8th edition and the (kinda) new codex, I found my love of the Dwarfs rekindled! In some of my first posts here at Bell of Lost Souls, I thought I would take my new readers on a journey through my initial impressions of the book in terms of the models and rules. Let’s dive right in.
The first page worth exploring is the Army Special Rules. There are quite a few for the Dwarfs!
Ancestral Grudge
First of all, this rule is fantastic from a background perspective. Who knows what the enemy general could have done to enrage this Dwarf lord and his throng of bearded warriors? Dwarfs always have hatred of Skaven and the Greenskins; furthermore, a D6 roll at the beginning of the game may give the Dwarfs hatred against other factions! Holy Cow! Re-rolls in Close Combat is a great thing for a Dwarf army to have!
Dwarf Crafted
A bonus to Stand and Shoot you say? Thunderers and Quarrelers say yes please! This makes charging headline into a squad of either a serious consideration, especially if the dice are hot.
Resolute
This is a Dwarf special version of Furious Charge. An extra point of strength can really change the tide of combat. The possibility of hitting a normal human on a 3 (maybe with a re-roll!) and wounding on a 3 is undeniably awesome.
Relentless
Dwarfs can always march. This is a very useful rule, especially considering the slow movement of the Dwarfs. They really need this rule to maneuver at all.
Shieldwall
Another very Dwarfy rule! +1 Parry Save makes Dwarfs, particularly in Gromril armor very durable. Waves of attackers crash against this wall of iron. This image is exactly the reason I love Dwarfs.
Natural Resistance
Finally, Dwarfs have an inherent resistance to the Winds of Magic. They always receive +2 to their Dispel attempts. Sadly, this comes at a price; Dwarfs have no Wizards or access to the Lores of Magic. The Magic Phase is very powerful in Warhammer Fantasy, particularly in 8th edition. Dwarfs don’t play the Magic game, but they make up for it in the other phases.
Stay Tuned! If you want to check out some more blog posts by me, Rarkthor, check out my blog! www.rarkthorshold.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading my first post! What helped you decide your first Fantasy army? Was it a novel or a video game? The aesthetic? Post your thoughts!
