Awesome

Keeping it Real

I haven't posted in a few days. There isn't really anything worth posting about. If I'm missing out on some great Warrior Priest or general Warhammer Online news, please let me know. In the meantime, here's a free widescreen wallpaper. I feel it best expresses my sentiment toward those Paladins in TGTSNBN who continue to defend the class's present state and predominant role. Display it proudly, and laugh at them heartily alongside me.



I use a widescreen monitor, and prefer darker backgrounds. It keeps me from blinding myself when I'm surfing or gaming late at night. To personalize Ha Ha Guy with your own witty message, visit this website. Thanks to Paint Shop Pro for an easy negative and enlargement.

Testing the Waters

Just as potential contenders for the US presidency form "testing the waters" committees before launching a full-fledged campaign, I'm throwing this out to see what happens. I've been brainstorming about what to call my WAR regiment. My original thoughts - the 2nd Altdorf AKA "The Inquisitors" - were too close to a pair of other already proposed regiments (The Altdorf First and The Inquisition). I then decided to number it after my old Civil War reenactment group and call it the 27th Altdorf. In honor of this blog, it will also be known as the "Hammer of Sigmar."

The highest levels of leadership will be restricted to Warrior Priests, though the regiment itself will be open to all members of the Empire. Dwarves and High Elves will be welcome under the 27th banner, but are considered auxiliaries and must swear primary allegiance to Sigmar and the Empire. The 27th will accordingly place defense of Altdorf and its nearby lands ahead of allied racial territories. In times of relative domestic peace and foreign urgency, however, the Hammer of Sigmar will gladly and zealously come to the aid of our Order brethren. I've been known to throw in a little RP flare from time to time myself, though the regiment as a whole will not be heavily RP-oriented. I'll be most likely rolling my character and forming the 27th on a normal server.

Those interested should submit a brief email of intent to { 27Altdorf at gmail dot kom } (fix it yourselves - I'm trying to prevent automated spam gathering). I don't need, nor do I want to hear life stories at this point - there will be plenty of time for that when the game launches and we're feasting with Emperor Karl Franz. Just introduce yourself, maybe list some of the games you've played in the past, and leave me your email addy. Feel free to include any questions you may have about the regiment, as well as suggestions, though don't be offended if I do not respond personally. It's more likely I'll look for FAQ's and use them for future blog material.

Note, the background pic is not actually from Warhammer Online. It's taken from a still which was itself taken from the cinematic for the RTS Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - a game I highly recommend if you ever enjoyed playing with toy soldiers (or the Warhammer TT game, which it seeks to emulate).

So Let It Be Written...

... so let it be done.

I'm here going to repost the current career description for the Warrior Priest. I'll also be adding a direct link to this post so that it may be easily referenced in the long-term. While our hopes are all very high for Warhammer Online, let us not forget what happened to the holy warrior of TGTSNBN - a class whose original description has been altered beyond recognition.

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The Warrior Priest

"Where is your faith on this dark day? Chaos rides against you – will you let these beasts destroy your hearths and homes, or will you trust in Sigmar and fight? Forward men, and drive back this Chaos rabble! For the Empire! For Sigmar!"
- Damaslaus VanNemut, High Chaplain of Sigmar


A Warrior Priest of Sigmar is a fearsome master of battle and tireless defender of the faith. These holy warriors are the hammer of the church, serving in both defense of the Empire and the furtherance of the church’s goals. A deadly melee fighter, the Warrior Priest relies on the blessings of his god to protect him in combat. His zeal for battle further reinforces his Righteous Fury, spreading the strength that Righteous Fury provides to his companions and allies. With the might of the divine strengthening his arm and protecting the faithful, the Warrior Priest is a lethal combatant and potent supporting character all at the same time.

Warrior Priest Specialty
For the Warrior Priest, faith is life. Sigmar demands bravery in defense of the Empire, and he grants the greatest blessings to those who demonstrate this trait. A Warrior Priest’s Righteous Fury grows strong with every swing of his arm against the Empire’s foes. As his Righteous Fury grows, his powers expand as enemies are smitten more fiercely and allies are protected from greater harm. With sufficient Righteous Fury, the divine power invested in his righteous litanies and sermons is extended beyond his immediate circle of Righteous Fury to all those who can hear his words.

Playing as a Warrior Priest
As a Warrior Priest, your place is in battle. Your Righteous Fury grows as you strike down the enemy in Sigmar’s name, and your divine powers grow with Righteous Fury. Thus, to reach the peak of your power you must join in the fight. Your prayers bear the power of your god to take life, or give it back, but they are designed to compliment your melee capabilities. Your blessings bring powerful boons to those around you, but you must be close to the fight for your words to reach them. To do your job you must place yourself at risk, but it is in this risky position which you are most powerful.

Fighting the Warrior Priest
A Warrior Priest can be a deadly opponent, and a very difficult one to kill if you are not prepared to counter both his melee and divine capabilities. His faith is a strong shield, and so to defeat him you must break that Righteous Fury, either by denying him the ability to gain it, or by preventing him from using it. Denying his Righteous Fury means engaging him without letting him engage you – a sound strategy for a ranged attacker – but disrupting his divine abilities will be a better strategy for those who must close with him to fight. Without the powers of his Righteous Fury, the Warrior Priest will become far more vulnerable to your assault.

The Warrior Priest Look

Moderately armored with breast plate worn over a long robe and vestments of faith Wields a powerful war hammer or great hammer in the finest traditions of his patron deity Ornamented with symbols, books, regalia, and various other articles of faith

Fan Fiction

I watched Shaun of the Dead again the other night, and came to a realization. Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of the horror genre - be it in literature or cinema. Zombies, however, are a strange subject that tends to give way to as much action and comedy as horror. There are a number of common themes that can be found in zombie movies. They're usually pretty gory, the plot and background as to why the face of the earth is now crawling with undead is generally weak or nonexistent, and the few people still alive tend to always be running helpless. Perhaps this sense of hopelessness is what drives the appeal of the genre for most of the fanbase, but it just doesn't cut it for me. Here is where I get to the point.

Nobody has, to my knowledge, ever done a zombie story the way I want to read it. The Warcraft franchise came so close with the lore surrounding the scourge plague and the knights of the Silver Hand, but in the end their Paladins stood around in dresses tossing heals. As I sat in front of my computer the other night, reflecting on this, I decided to finally do something about it. Not yet tired enough to head to bed, I started writing. I'm not very far in, and who knows if I'll ever finish, but it's worth a shot. One thing's for sure - in my story you won't ever see a paladin in a dress.

Warrior Priest(ess?)

If you haven't been over to Warhammer Alliance lately, you may be out of the loop on a hot topic made even hotter by the latest Secred Lives of Mobs web comic. All the controversy revolves around EAMythic's decision not to allow the Chaos Chosen to be female. From what I've gathered, they say it would take too much time and effort at this stage to design whole new character/armor models to accommodate a female version of the Chosen. Others have argued that fully suited up, who's to say the Chosen is one gender over the other? They do tend to wear helms that cover their faces - much more than other careers.

The wife and sister of SLM artist chimed in on the side of those wanting a female chosen. They're disappointed it's not an option. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed on the opposite end of the spectrum when I heard this. Every TT figure or piece of concept art I've seen of the Warrior Priest has been male - that is, up until Warhammer Online decided to "diversify" the cult of Sigmar. Call me a relic of the past or a chauvinistic pig, but I grumbled a little inside when I saw the screenshots of female Warrior Priests.