Cancon 2024 Aftermath - Part 1

The Old World is upon us, although in some parts of the world we can't yet get our hands on the books. Nevertheless the local community is abuzz with the new rules and what the game is going to be like. This the was the rather strange backdrop for what may yet be my last ever 6th edition Warhammer fantasy tournament. Of course, I probably thought that 18 years ago when 7th edition arrived. Time moves in mysterious ways...

I initially submitted a Drycha list that included 2 Treemen. That's tough, but without a BSB to help them hold their ground, and a list with not a lot of other options, I had assumed it would be OK. The organisers disagreed however, and asked me to remove one of them. So then I found myself with a list containing more Treekin and Wild Riders than I expected. I was rather concerned about how it might hold up, given a lack of real spine. Dryads are very solid, but with no ranks or real bulk, the Dryads were meant to be my staying power. Oh well, trees are trees, right?

• Drycha (Level 2, Lore of Athel Loren)
• Glamourweave Spellsinger (Level 2, Lore of Athel Loren) on Elf Steed with Dispel Scroll
• 12 Dryads with Branch Nymph
• 12 Dryads with Branch Nymph
• 8 Dryads
• 8 Dryads
• 3 Treekin
• 3 Treekin
• 5 Wild Riders with Musician, Standard
• 5 Wild Riders with Musician, Standard
• Treeman

Full disclosure, I actually won Cancon maybe 19 years ago with a list a bit like this one - a Treeman Ancient instead of Drycha, no Wild Riders and even more Dryads. The army book was new and I was excited to finally be able to make an all-tree army. I didn't realise quite how tough the list would prove to be. I then won another tournament a few months later, which proved it was no fluke. I decided the army was clearly easy mode and retired it from events for a number of years. I went back to losing with things like Ogres and Orcs. As a result of all this, I knew the army would perform OK this time around. The list is a bit different with Drycha at the helm, but an army that's entirely immune to psychology was always a leg up in 6th edition - there's just so much less that can go wrong.

Everything Old is New Again

Unless you have been living under a rock with excellent sound-proofing, you're probably aware of the impending release of Warhammer: The Old World. Pre-orders are already sold out pretty much everywhere, and the products are due to release on January 20 (or February 10 if you live here in Australia, because time works differently here). 

TOW has been the subject of rumour and speculation for years now, ever since GW first announced that it would eventually be coming. I've tried to avoid buying into it, largely because the conversations normally centered around wishlists and wild hopes rather than any solid information that had been released. It's only in the last few months that they really started to ramp up the release of details, and honestly what I've seen is more promising than I would have dared hope for. The game definitely sounds like an edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. 

There are countless details that we won't know for sure until we actually have the rules and can read through them. but I will definitely be giving it a try. I declined to join the stampede of people rushing to get onto the limited list of pre-orders, so it remains to be seen how long it will take me to actually be able to dig into it.

In the meantime, Cancon is on in a couple of weeks and I will again be playing 6th edition Warhammer Fantasy. It may be a little bit difficult to focus on the old edition with a new one arriving around the world at about the same time. Honestly I have also had a lot of trouble deciding on a list that I was actually motivated to play. In the end I've submitted a Wood Elf Forest Spirit list led by Drycha. I used a list like this at an event back in 7th edition, and it resulted in one of the most amusing games I've played. I figure it should be a relatively straightforward army to play in my somewhat distracted state, so hopefully it won't be a complete disaster.

Anyway, at the rate I've been posting, by the time you hear from me again, a new edition of Warhammer will be out! How exciting...