BTB - Northern Wastes

Hi,

Will the table top for Northern Waste scenarios from Border Town Burning be covered entirely in deep snow or are there simply patches of deep snow?

Here are the applicable rules...

Quote :

the northern wastes
Some scenarios are set in desolate regions of the Northern Wastes. This is always stated with the scenario rules. The following special rules always apply to those specific scenarios.

TERRAIN
The territory is mainly dominated by frozen wasteland and impenetrable forests of darkness and ice. Open woodlands comprising of rotting trees can be found in northerly regions – typically corrupted by the everpresent powers of Chaos that gives unnatural life to everything.

SPECIAL RULES
Bitter Cold: The Northern Wastes are a barren and icy land. They are subject to Bitter Cold, see Weather Rules below.

Quote :

bitter cold
The Northern Wastes are covered with deep snow which makes it challenging to move and fight. The freezing condition takes its toll in a number of ways.

Beastmen, Norse, Marauders of Chaos and monsters encountered at random in the Northern Wastes are immune to the following special rules except the Ice Field rule.

SPECIAL RULES
Snowstorm: If a model chooses to cast a spell or shoot at a model when nothing within 6" surrounds it (no models, no terrain features higher than 1") then roll a D6: on a score of 1 or 2 it misjudges the range and cannot shoot or cast a spell this turn. Spells affecting all models in a certain range still work.

Deep snow: All models without Winter Furs treat deep snow-covered ground as difficult terrain.

Wintery chill: All models without Winter Furs suffers –1 Leadership and –1 Initiative. Initiative may never fall below 1. Undead warbands are immune to the chilling cold unless those warband members are not Undead. e.g. Necromancers, Ghouls and Dregs).

Ice field: The Northern weather is so cold that lakes and rivers become frozen. Therefore such terrain can be crossed as if it were difficult ground. If a model runs across frozen water it muss pass an Initiative test or it slips and becomes knocked down. Ignore this during Heavy Snowfall.

We haven't actually played many scenarios in the Northern Wastes thanks largely to our Beastmen players having a sadistic preference for the Last Orders scenario. However, we will be playing a scenario in the Northern Wastes this week and our Beastmen player thinks that the entire table should be covered in deep snow (good for him as he ignores the penalty) while others (probably myself included) think that there should simply be patches of deep snow. However, we're all happy to go with whatever the original vision/idea for the terrain in this territory.

Thanks,

Ben

Absolutely. 100% snow. Full negative modifier for all unprepared* warbands.

Now....
think about the Avalanche scenario...

It is explicitly set in the Northern Wastes region...

And now imagine a sadistic Beastman/Marauder player enforcing other warbands to play the scenario...


This is actually included as a "trick" to pull on other warbands. I often feel that it doesn't show though; despite me having stressed it a few times.

*Remember that there's a piece of equipment to negate the negative effect.

Thanks Cianty. Yes, all of my heroes have Winter Furs (except for one that was robbed at the end of last battle) so I'll be half-fine in the upcoming battle.

Edited to add...
The Restless Dead player in our warband is wondering why undead (especially zombies and scarecrows) are affected by Deep Snow. This seems to be a big crippling factor for his warband (e.g. Winter Furs on a zombie bomb is an extra waste of money while resurrected zombies won't have Winter Furs, the zombies raised by Death Speak skill will not have Winter Furs). Was this an oversight? Should the undead exception for Wintery Chill also apply to Deep Snow?

Maybe No Pain rule lets them ignore some of the penalties like the Norse etc.?

BalrogTheBuff wrote:

Maybe No Pain rule lets them ignore some of the penalties like the Norse etc.?

That's a good one. The "No pain" special rule can be directly linked to irgnoring the effects of the cold for the same effect that the cloths would provide.

Cool. I'll let me group know that 'No Pain' negates Deep Snow and Wintery Chill.

Quote :

Deep snow: All models without Winter Furs treat deep snow-covered ground as difficult terrain.

Wintery chill: All models without Winter Furs suffers –1 Leadership and –1 Initiative. Initiative may never fall below 1. Undead warbands are immune to the chilling cold unless those warband members are not Undead. e.g. Necromancers, Ghouls and Dregs).

Yes. I think that's fair.

And I think that's fair(-ly obvious).