The Ninth Age: Fantasy Battles
 Logo of The Ninth Age | |
| Publisher(s) | The Ninth Age (association) |
|---|---|
| Years active | Since 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Miniature wargaming |
| Players | 2 |
| Setup time | 10 minutes |
| Playing time | 2 to 3 hours |
| Random chance | Medium (dice rolling) |
| Skill(s) required | Military tactics, probability |
| Website | www.the-ninth-age.com |
The Ninth Age: Fantasy Battles (commonly abbreviated to The 9th Age or T9A) is a tabletop miniature wargame created and updated since 2015 by the non-profit association The Ninth Age. It is designed for armies of 28 mm scale models on square bases.
Development
After the release of the End Times expansions for the 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle in 2014-2015,[1] Games Workshop discontinued both its game system and its lore. It was then replaced in its catalog by Warhammer Age of Sigmar, which left some tabletop wargamers estranged.[2][3]
In June 2015, Lagge and fjugin, two prominent staff members of the Swedish Comp System (a fan-made expansion for competitive play of Warhammer Fantasy Battle), initiated a separate project called The Ninth Age and aimed at providing a new and balanced game system, chiefly for former players of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.[4]
The project snowballed, attracting the attention of many wargamers[5] including tournaments organizers in Europe[6] and North America such as the European Tabletop Championship 2017 edition[7] in Salamanca, Spain, and the Buckeye Battles[8] in Columbus, Ohio. Independent miniature manufacturers, including Avatars of War[9] and Tabletop Miniatures Solutions,[10] have launched lines of models dedicated to or compatible with the rules of The Ninth Age. The game has also become supported by BattleScribe[11], Quartermaster[12] and Magnetic – Movementtray.com[13].
To ease the introduction of new players to the game, the authors released the Quick Starter edition in April 2017.[14] It represents a faster and easier version of the core game, played on a smaller scale. The 72 page rulebook includes elementary lists for all 16 factions, an introduction to the world of the Ninth Age and unique artwork.
The second edition of the game entered beta phase in December 2017 and is planned to reach maturity in Autumn 2018.[15]
Army books
Each army book, free to download from the game's website[16], details the military units of a high fantasy faction. The team is gradually converting slim books into full books including artwork and background.
Unit names include various cultural references such the Beast Herds' Jabberwock (a creature invented by the English writer Lewis Carroll), the Vampire Covenant's Varkolak (a legendary vampire or werewolf from the Balkan folklore), and numerous other inspirations from ancient mythologies, human History and natural history.
Core armies
The game fully supports 16 armies inspired by Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
| Army name | Closest WHFB equivalent | Short description | Book type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beast Herds | Beastmen | Minotaurs, centaurs and their extended family: what they lack in armour and shooting, they make up in raw power, speed and ambushing capabilities. | Slim |
| Daemon Legions | Daemons of Chaos | Malicious creatures from another world with access to a very diverse roster of highly specialized and autonomous units. | Slim |
| Dread Elves | Dark Elves | These violent raiders divided into rival cults form a fragile but mobile and offensive army. | Slim |
| Dwarven Holds | Dwarfs | The sturdy and stoic dwarves are able to field first-rate infantry troops, supported by runes and reliable shooting weapons. | Slim |
| Empire of Sonnstahl | The Empire | An all-rounder human military force based on unit synergies and rich options in infantry, cavalry and artillery. | Slim |
| Highborn Elves | High Elves | High quality elvish troops and versatile flying monsters, capable in both offensive and defensive tactics. | Slim |
| Infernal Dwarves | Chaos Dwarfs | A composite army of armoured dwarves, daemons and greenhide slaves. Great firepower, in every sense of the word. | Slim |
| Kingdom of Equitaine | Bretonnia | Knights in shining armour and their followers. The greatest range of heavy cavalry in the game, supported by foot knights, peasants and artillery. | Slim |
| Ogre Khans | Ogre Kingdoms | Large, brutal creatures equipped with oversized weapons and impressive appetites, riding mighty prehistoric beasts into battle. | Slim |
| Orcs and Goblins | Orcs & Goblins | The many greenhide races can field a wide range of foot and mounted troops, along with devastating weapons and monsters. | Slim |
| Saurian Ancients | Lizardmen | Reptilian humanoids and their tamed dinosaurs. Tough melee units and short-range shooters led by powerful characters. | Slim |
| Sylvan Elves | Wood Elves | Master archers and excellent riders, supported by the strength and staying power of dryads and other wild creatures of the woodlands. | Full[17] |
| The Vermin Swarm | Skaven | Ratmen and rats of all sizes without any cavalry or flying units, but allowed to shoot into melee regardless of friendly casualties. | Slim |
| Undying Dynasties | Tomb Kings | The dead Pharaohs lead multitudes of brittle skeletons overshadowed by gigantic creatures such as the Sphinx and the Colossus. | Full[18] |
| Vampire Covenant | Vampire Counts | Vampires and necromancers summon all kinds of horrors, from zombies and wraiths to a menagerie of flying and crawling monstrosities. No shooting. | Slim |
| Warriors of the Dark Gods | Warriors of Chaos | Human worshippers of the Seven Sins. A highly melee-oriented army with heavy infantry and cavalry options supported by dangerous leaders. | Full[19] |
Other armies
In addition to the 16 core armies, the game includes a smaller number of armies which are not designed for competitive play.
| Army name | Closest WHFB equivalent | Short description | Book type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asklanders | n/a | Hardy human footsoldiers (inspired by the Vikings) supported by monsters from the Norse mythology | Auxiliary[20] |
| Iron Crowns | Dogs of War | Mercenaries of various origins - to be developed after the full army books of the core factions | Unreleased[21] |
| Makhars | n/a | Steppe horsemen led by Khagans (inspired by the Mongols) | Auxiliary, unreleased[22] |
| Oceanborn | n/a | Comedy faction made of real and fantasy sea creatures such as mermaids, released as an April fool in 2016 | Slim[23] |
Finally, a large range of unofficial homebrew army books are developed and shared by community members on the forum of the game.[24]
The 9th Scroll
The 9th Scroll is a bi-monthly online magazine available for free on the game's website, featuring interviews, do-it-yourself tutorials, homebrew rules, armies showcases and other articles from the community and the T9A staff. Issue 4 (July 2017) has over 75.000 downloads.[25]
External links
Notes
- ↑ "Expansions for Warhammer Fantasy Battles (8th Edition)". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ↑ "The Age of Sigmar Problem". Bell of Lost Souls. March 16, 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ↑ "Foolish New World? – Games Workshop's 'Age of Sigmar'". Geek Dad. July 26, 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ↑ "The ninth age". Warhammer.org.uk. June 30, 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ↑ "The 9th Age Rulebook publishing plans". GameWire. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ↑ "The 9th Age - Tournament Overview". TableTopTournaments.net. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ↑ "The Ninth Age: ETC Salamanca 2017". AnimaeMundi.com. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ↑ "9th Age GT". buckeyebattles.com. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ↑ "For The 9th Age". avatars-of-war.com. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ↑ "Our models specially designed for The 9th Age rules". tabletop-miniatures-solutions.com. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ↑ "BattleScribe Data Files". battlescribedata.appspot.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ↑ "Quartermaster Templates". quartermasterapp.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ↑ "The 9th Age". movementtray.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ↑ "The Quick Starter is Released!". The Ninth Age. April 16, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ↑ "Advent Day 17: Release of The Ninth Age Second Edition Rulebook!". The Ninth Age. December 17, 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ↑ "Meet The 9th Age – The FREE Rank & File Wargame". Bell of Lost Souls. May 8, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "Updated 2.0 Full Army Books!". The Ninth Age. February 22, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "The Ninth Age Rules Now Available To All For Download". Beasts of War. May 1, 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ↑ "The Dark Gods reveal their new toy (Updated version of the Warriors of the Dark Gods book)". The Ninth Age. March 15, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "Seperate Supplement: Åsklanders Auxiliary Army List". The Ninth Age. January 22, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "Iron Crowns". The Ninth Age. July 3, 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ↑ "Makhar Auxiliary Book". The Ninth Age. July 5, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "New 9th Age Fraction: The Oceanborn". The Ninth Age. April 1, 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
- ↑ "Homebrew 9th Age / New army books". The Ninth Age. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ "The 9th Age Scroll Issue 4 1.0.0". The Ninth Age. July 2, 2017. Retrieved 2018-10-13.