[WB20k] Teaser
Leave a reply
Tag Archives: whore’s blade
[WB20k] The Union of Privateers
All nations have their issues with crime. No matter how lax or stringent your laws, no matter how tyrannically they are enforced, there will always be some annoying bugger who breaks them.
The Empress may have gone completely barmy but she is still a pragmatist. Rather than have the Fleet and the Guardians crack down on every criminal scumbag who breaks the Empires laws she has organised a Union of petty (and not so petty) crooks as her own army Privateers.
The Union is as much an official body as any other but it is known for its disregard for rules and regulations and generally lax attitude to even outright Heresy.
It is a mess but it is at least an organised mess. Heavily infiltrated by the Quizzers and merciless with those who cross what few lines they have. In the Unions hands the law is upheld by much illegality.
Just how the Empress likes it!
Union Warbands have the unique ability to steal the specialist Features and Psychic Powers of their fellows. This effectively means a typical Union Warband will be a pretty rag tag bunch of individuals each with their own unique tactical combination of abilities.
A Union Warband is probably the most flexible allowing you to pick and choose what you want your Warband to excel at.
You can go for an all-rounder but its not really an optimal build in a game where specialisation is the key to success.
[WB20k] General Update
As much as I am determined to get on with Scandal Sheets Volume 1, Whores Blade 20,000 keeps drawing me back.
On paper it is a simple, elegant game with plenty of room for customisation and tactical ingenuity. How it plays in reality I should know soon as I will have a complete Playtest PDF by about this time next week with any luck.
We may well be looking at a before schedule release which will mean pictures of the Official Table Warfare Miniatures will be of the sculpts and the Action pictures will be of Hasslefree and Shadowforge Miniatures now that I have their kind permission.
Stay tuned for more art, pictures of painted minis and daily previews of the Core Rules contents.
[WB20k] The Church of the Goddess Empress
The Empress, much like a lot of modern Republican politicians, was initially manipulating her religion for political gain.
Since the Sethian Rebellion however the crazy has taken firm root in her chaotic psyche.
Thus her Church has gained a deal of power rivalling that of the Guardians, Fleet and even the dreaded Quizzers.
Their theology, a strange mishmash of Shinto and Catholicism places the Empress as a messianic living Goddess who is humanitys only hope for survival. It has never been a particularly welcoming creed and the Empress new paranoia about men hasnt helped in the slightest. This fanatical warrior priesthood is dedicated to purging what it considers evil with holy fire.
Warbands of the Church tend to be split between expendable hordes of Lay Sisters and resilient and charismatic Ordained Clergy. They are tactically uninventive essentially rushing their enemies to close with their flame Weapons however their Fanaticism means where most Warbands just Withdraw they keep fighting, albeit with no idea of friend or foe!
[WB20k] The Empress’ Fleet
Space is pretty big and it is in much of need of policing as the rest of the Empire.
Not only that but someone has to ferry the grunts around between missions!
This sorry responsibility falls upon the Empress Fleet. Selected from the best graduates in mathematical and physical sciences from various higher education establishments Fleet recruits are the best and the stated aim of the institution is to make the best better.
They do have a funny way of doing it
For most Fleet Academy graduates the majority of their early careers will involve serving drinks to lecherous senior officers in a uniform that doesnt exactly help matters.
Those few who get past Stewardess will have to fight tooth and nail to become Captain of their own ship.
Of course its not just Officers in the Fleet. There are also the Marines and Fighter pilots recruited from particularly raucous hockey societies. They act more like the dumb grunts of the Guardians but theyre unlikely to be a match for them physically.
Fleet do get involved in personal combat a lot more often than one would think. As well as boarding actions and the occasional planet fall Fleet are constantly in conflict with their rivals in the Guardians.
As a Warband (or away team) they bring considerable prowess in close range engagements and can dig in to a position like only a bunch of girls used to confined spaces can!
[WB 20k] The Empress’ Guardians
The Guardians are the ground forces of the Empire.
Why does an Empire bristling with super weapons capable of cracking planets open like eggs need an infantry? Because the Infantry Soldier is, and always will be, the ultimate weapon: You dont use a meat cleaver to cut out a tumour you use a scalpel.
The average Guardian is far from this subtle but shes the best the Empress can do. As most wars in the Empire are small counter insurgency affairs Guardians are taught to make the best of their shoddy equipment and fight like tigers whatever nasty scrape they fall into.
Tactically Guardians are about outshooting their enemies. All of their Favoured Weapons are Medium to long range and they gain an additional bonus for using them making them a really nasty bunch of heavily armed battle bitches.
[WB20k] Allegiances
The Empire of Woman is rife with chaotic internal unrest.
As well as the ever present threat of Dissidents the various arms of the Empress government do not get on at all and often come to blows on a small scale in various secluded corners that go unwatched by the Quizzers (who often start these conflicts anyway!)
Warbands in Whores Blade 20,000 choose their Allegiance at the start of play.
Each Allegiance subtly changes the Warrior Creation process and applies unique tactical strengths and weaknesses to the Warriors in play making their battle plans highly varied.
The Core Rulebook covers the main human factions in play.
At some point I will get round to writing Alien Nations which shall detail the various Alien species and their politics (assuming they arent integrated into the Empires.)
[WB20k] Warriors
Building Warriors is a bit like a simplified version of building a History Farce Character. Each Warrior has the following
Gene Grade: Similar to Courtesans 20,000 only instead of Strong Stats it boosts the effectiveness of Proficiencies if you have a higher Grade and there are no Grade Weaknesses.
Statistics: Each Warrior has 3 Statistics Aggression, Grit and Will. The first Dot in each is free further Dots must be purchased.
Proficiencies: A bit like Good Ats but you are only allowed 1 for each Statistic.
Weapons, Features and Bugs and Psychic Powers have their own chapters but the basics are covered in Warrior Creation for purposes of quick reference.
This is a very flexible system allowing you to customise your very own little Warband to protect the Empire or destroy it.
This of course depends on the Allegiance you select!
[WB 20k] Other Minis
Here are the other two minis posted so far…
Sugar Plum from Doxy.
Lenora Justine a Ordained Empire of Woman Preacher.
[WB 20k] Sculpt- Sister Sadie
Darren has just sent me this picture of the Sister Sadie Sculpt.
It looks gourgeous.
Can’t wait for the others 🙂
Kittiwake Classics 