So talking with my friends at my local store, we came upon the discussion of two armies. Bretonnia and Beastmen, Warhammer Fantasy's way of making Tomb Kings feel good about themselves before Nagash's release. One of the the main things we were talking about was if GW did make new books for these two armies, what would be some of the things they would most likely do the armies? Well, theory-hammer is awesome, so the more we talked the more we came up with some ideas. My buddy Will loves his Beastmen and would probably kill me if I said this, but my focus isn't going to be on the former Beasts of Chaos. Nope, it's back to talking about good old Bretonnia for me! So keep in mind a lot of what I'll be talking about is just speculation on things I would like to see and/or GW will most likely have to do keep this army relatively balanced. This is all my opinion, so if you disagree with me, kindly leave it in the comment's section and I'll be happy to message you back when I can get back to you.
So for this post I'm really not going to touch on the fluff too much, but I will say this. It would be nice to see more history relating to what's going on with the Old World rather than just reinforcing what Sir Goody-Two-Shoes did to become a Knight. Don't get me wrong, I love fluff, it's one of my favorite things about Warhammer Fantasy in general. However, I wouldn't even know how to begin to approach this one other than I want a good explanation why Lizardmen and Bretonnia were the 5th edition version of Island of Blood. I mean, they're not even on the same continent for Christ's sake! If you do know a little about that, please send me a message or leave a comment regarding, because I am legitimately confused why those armies were featured together.
Now for the Army Special Rules, something that many Bretonnian players consider to be one of the strengths of the book. And I'd have to agree. While this book is not aging well with time in the least, the Blessing of the Lady and the Lance Formation have withstood the test of time for more that two editions, something that very few armies could claim to be able to do. I'll begin by addressing the former of the two rules. The Blessing of the Lady is hands down one of the best rules in all of the Army Special Rules that Fantasy has at this time. It gives an army where a majority of the effective troops you see in the army, who already have a 2+ armor save, a 6+ ward that goes to a 5+ save at S5 or higher attacks. Now, this rule is not without one big caveat, the entire army must pray and forfeit the first turn of battle in order to receive the blessing. Meaning that Bretonnians will almost always go 2nd, unless you don't pray for reason I couldn't possibly understand or you play another Bretonnian player. At the time, it made sense. Such a powerful ability had to come at a price. It's the simple risk/reward system that warhammer seems to go through. However, this is 8th edition, the era where stuff like that is simply built into a unit or model as a whole. There are two option that can be taken in order to make this rule logical in 8th edition. The first option is to keep the rule as is and get rid of the caveat. High Elves don't need to forfeit a turn to have army-wide ASF. Dwarves don't have to forfeit a turn to have army-wide (possible) Hatred. Why should Bretonnians? Also, why the hell would anyone choose to pray when the battle starts? Wouldn't it make more sense to do that before the battle in which you may be killed? Anyway, option two would be to alter it so that it covers every model/unit in the army and/or increase to a permanent 5+ save regardless of the Strength value of the attacker. This would help balance the caveat of having to pray and give up first turn rights and make Peasants a bit more usable in combat. Or at least die at a slower rate. Either way, that's what I would like to see the Blessing of the Lady look like in an 8th edition Bretonnia army book. The Lance Formation, that's a totally different story. While one can argue that Bretonnia could survive without the Blessing, they would not able to argue that they could survive without this rule. There is one thing that absolutely kills cavalry in 8th edition above anything else. Cavalry cannot generate static combat resolution worth a shit. The Lance Formation helps immensely to solve this problem for an army who's entire basis is that of cavalry. It's probably the most iconic thing about the army. When I picture Bretonnia, I still think of a row of three knights wide in slim but powerful formations ready to charge across the board. Taking this away would be like taking Animosity away from Orcs and Goblins, or the Undead special rule for Zombies. Not only would it spurn current players, but also those who just love the army and fluff of the land of chivalry. Not only does the Lance Formation keep Bretonnia, but in a way it is Bretonnia! If GW gets rid of this rule for Bretonnia, they will effectively being ridding the game of Bretonnia. The only reason I can see it not being incorporated into the army is for possible Monster Cavalry, but more on that later. This rule had better not being going anywhere, not just for my sake, but for all those who love and play this army! Now onto the last current Army Special Rule, the Vows. This is a bit of a grey area for me, because unlike most Bretonnian players I currently know, I don't get all hung up on them for some reason. I think I'd prefer a more generally applicable rule rather than four different rules that depend on the unit/model's composition. The Peasant's Duty, it can stay. They're fucking Peasants guys, if I really wanted something with a cool special rule, I'd be fielding something else. Maybe increase the leadership effect area knights provide for them to 12", but that's not at the top of my list for things I want the new book to have. The Knight's Vow is just fine too, especially considering it's an ability the Lord and Paladin's get for FREE. If my knight's had to worry about every time my Men-At-Arms broke in combat, I'd have won maybe a third of the victories I scored with Bretonnia. Again, keep it as is, but don't up charge just for this. Because honestly, knights really don't give a shit about peasants GW, they really don't. The Questing Vow, this is the one I think needs to be looked at a little bit. Re-rolling the failed Panic Tests seems a little under-powered, I think ITP would be a lot better rule. Plus it would save text space. Two birds, one stone. Plus they get to ignore panic from Peasants just like regular Knights. Okay, not that bad, but still not a problem ITP wouldn't solve. As for not being allowed to carry a lance, I think it's interesting, but that's a discussion for a later paragraph. Hell, I'm not even faulting the fact that characters with Knight's Vow can't join them. I think it's a perfectly fluffy and cool special rule. The Grail Vow, now here's the part that needs some serious overhauling. Most of the abilities are pretty cool, anything with the Grail always has the Blessing of the Lady, has ITP, and all the attacks they make (but not their horses) count as magical. However, it's the amount of points you spend for both a Lance of Grail Knights and characters with Grail Vow. ITP? That's bullshit. In the new book, they're going to need Stubborn and ITP for as much as they cost right now. The magical attacks thing is cool, but I wouldn't cry if it didn't make a reappearance. And if GW does the Blessing right in the new book, them automatically having the Blessing will be of no consequence. I'm going to bitch a lot more about the Grail Vow and Grail Knights later, but one thing at a time. In conclusion regarding what should be done in the new book here's what I think should and can be done: Keep the Blessing of the Lady but alter so that it either doesn't require you to sacrifice a turn or make the Ward Save permanently 5+ and keep the caveat about praying. Don't touch the Lance Formation, keep it as is and let us hold onto what makes us love Bretonnia very much. The Vows are all over the place. The Peasant's Duty is fine, as is the Knight's Vow. However, you could retool the Questing Vow and Grail Vow to make them a little more worth their while. Next part of the series we'll be talking about the Lord section of the book.
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