The first region I'll be talking about is The Realm of the Damned King.
Zubnoz Limbgulper, self-proclaimed King of Hirestel, is a seemingly-immortal Abhorrent Ghoul King who has ruled his section of the Realm with little to no challenge to his crown. Occasionally, a confident courtier will try and usurp his throne, but these insurrections never get very far. King Zubnoz is very good to his kingdom, and most of his followers are quick to his aide in times of strife. The truth is that Zubnoz is immortal, and the source of this power is lost to time and is just one more mystery of Hirestel.
The first way to vie for the favor of King Zubnoz is by leading your army as a participant in The Damned King's favorite pasttime - a jousting competition! Using a variation on the classic FULL TILT rules for gallant Brettonian knights looking to prove themselves in knightly competition, players will have to be ready for anything as King Zubnoz has his own thoughts on what a jousting competition should be! What you'll need: a mounted model! That's all you need for this particular "Battleplan". This seems like a good time to explain how hobby will play into The War for Hirestel.
There are no requirements for painting in The War for Hirestel. The reason being that I want as many people to feel welcome to play as possible. If someone picks up models after seeing our league, I want them to feel like they can jump in as fast as possible and get in the action. So what's the motivation for painting? With select exceptions, MOST Battleplans will bonuses for your units if they are painted! For instance, in this particular Battleplan, your models will be fairly mundane jousters in gray... but with a little paint, they also are considered veteran jousters and gain bonuses to their jousting accordingly. Fully painted AND based? Your jousters have just been updated to ELITE and will be even more efficient in their efforts!
So those who work hard and get their models painted will have an advantage in the action and therefore should also have more influence on the outcome of this War! I hope this is motivation enough to get hobby moving as well as let newer players play along.
Based on the success in competition, surviving knights will gain experience points for their Grand Alliance as well as a pass into the final round of Zubnoz's twisted games. What that final challenge is is a secret for now. Trust me, though, it's going to be pretty spooky, but it will be a chance for greater control over the region!
In addition to jousting, players will be able to compete one-on-one in a 2000 pt. battle that some of you may remember from The Realm of Discovery last year: THE HALLS OF THE DAMNED KING. This was one of my favorite missions from the last league, and the contrast between keeping a strong army on board and knowing when to sacrifice units at The Stage and The Butchery is a strategic, ghoulish feast.
Finally, a multiplayer war at the gates of King Zubnoz's stolen fortress is the opportunity for the most control points in this region, as it means potentially striking at the King himself! Flesh-Eater Court players will have the chance to defend their King's fortress and gain an advantage in battle in the process!
Much more to come, folks! Let me know what you think so far. I am VERY excited for April 15th!
