WFB: Empire Steamtank

Hey Everyone

Today we will delve into the world of WFB, a realm that is about as consistent as the Sun has been rising all this time - in terms of price hikes. But it is also a place of dreams and memories, as our minds bring the miniatures to life, and battle tales are traded between commanders. I hate the price hikes and new editions.

The Empire of Men is made up of pretty average people. It continually faces enemies who naturally possess the strength of beasts, reflexes only matched by lightning, and even tough hides that readily double as armor. And all the poor humans have are St3, T3, W1. The world of WFB is indeed a harsh place for all humankind (I'm not forgetting about the Brettonians).

However, the Empire had one massive ace (or gameplay mechanic) up its sleeve - invention. The Empire also have the dwarves as erstwhile allies, and their combined efforts have created feats of engineering: cannons that blast holes past most armor, handguns that send volleys of death. Perhaps one of the most fearsome creations by the Empire is the gigantic steam tank.

The steam tank is a rare sight on the battlefield, with only 8 in service (out of 12) and unlike their real-life counterparts, lack a running factory. Leonardo of Miragliano invented and built the steam tank, but passed away in a tragic engineering accident and all knowledge of making another steam tank disappeared with him. Two of the 4 steam tanks lost were salvaged by non-Empire forces, namely the Skaven with their Rat-Tank, and the Halflings of Mootland with "Kathleen."

This example was bought from a second-hand store. It was well-painted and with a price tag a little above the price of a new kit, it was an offer I couldn't resist. The top section is removable and allows you to look into the inside of the steam tank. The person who owned it must have put a lot of time into painting it, an effort that has my admiration.

The steam tank is a behemoth on the battlefield. The typical version is armed with 2 cannons, a hull-level steam-powered cannon, and a turret mounted steam gun. While the steam cannon has less firepower than the wheeled great cannon, the combination of solid armor (I heard it's reduced in 7th edition) and mobility allows the steam tank wreck havoc across the battlefield in ways a static cannon cannot.

6th edition rules limited it to 2000pt armies, and I haven't been able to field one due to the small size of my army :( From what I've read, the steam tank is a double-edged sword. While super-powerful and super-tough, it is highly unreliable and requires strict control. The steam engine can overboil from unspent steam points, and the misfire table has terrible consequences. Misfires have a 1/6 chance of happening, which translates to about 16%, which is a pretty high risk. But hey, nothing beats terrifying the crap out of your opponents and blasting holes through them...if it all works out!

Just imagine the possibilities...

Hope you all enjoyed this post, and JQ and I are thankful for your continued support.

Cherrio!