WoW shoulder pads are just wrong!
December 5, 2010 by beerogre
I'm a big fan of Privateer Press... a really big fan! But every now and again they do something that makes me shake my head in despair.
PP have just put up the pictures of their latest offering for the Skorne faction from Hordes... Tyrant Vorkesh...
Look at the shoulder pads on that! There's a solo's worth of metal in each of those bad boys!
Now don't get me wrong, he might be awesome in the game. However, in my bitter experience, the meta-game here eats the Skorne Cetrati alive. If any of the Khador players around here (of which there are a few) even get a whiff of a tournament or suspect the possibility of an annoying Shield Wall unit, they immediately stock up on Winter Guard Mortars, Rocketeers and Destroyer Bombards, then have the redoubtable Supreme Kommandant Irusk run them with his infantry shredding Fire for Effect spell... good night Shield Wall!
In our local games, the only Shield Wall unit to make their points cost back has been the High Shield Gun Corp.
Those plucky Dwarves with their shields and rifles, Combined Ranged Attack and backed up by the Solid Ground spell (to let them ignore blast damage from pesky AoEs) are just the bee's knees, but in comparison, these Cataphract Cetrati are just sitting ducks... so I'm afraid unless the "Joan Collins of the Skorne world" can make his unit immune to blast damage, he's going to be in for some serious criticism... and not just for the stonking amount of metal used on his gaudy shoulder plates! How does he see what's happening to the left and right!
So what do you think? Am I being too critical... jumping the gun?
Let's face it, this guy has been sent for production, so there's no point in pleading with PP to change the sculpt. So what's the verdict of the baying masses?
BoW Andy
The Privateer Press page for him says “Related Products: Cataphract Cetrati Unit” so I assume he’s going to be an attachment for them rather than the Praetorian Karax? The Cetrati already have the potential to put out some massive damage with Xerxis so if this guy makes them more durable then the Skorne brick could become even more popular.
Ah… Cetrati… it was a late night last night. I’ll update the article. Cheers!
Still there’s no excuse for ludicrous WoW shoulder pads. I just don’t want to see PP go that direction.
BoW Andy
Weeeelll… Andy, you’re absolutely right. Those shoulder pads are completely over the top. Even though their shape is actually somewhat useful, the amount of spikes on them renders them completely impractical. Is anyone expected to actually carry that on a battlefield, without a horse, AND wield a weapon with any efficiency ? Seriously ? Besides, i’ve always thought the Skorne troops were a bit campy. With or without armor, they look like vampires in drag. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re fabulous… But then again, I’m the kind of guy who likes that sort of thing, so don’t listen… Read more »
I field very few defensive units. As I said in the article, the Highshield Gun Corp are probably one of the best, Shield Wall + Combined Ranged Attack makes them a much better defensive unit than one who is forced to creep up the field and form a shield wall every turn. In general, the Gun Corp can deploy as far froward as you can (generally 10″), run into position on the first turn, then form a Shield Wall and shoot from the second turn onwards… these guys ain’t doing that. So again, unless this Tyrant model gives the Cetrati… Read more »
Considering that Cetrati only worry about AOE’s while they are under fire for effect or similar spells, I doubt you would see Vorkesh go down before he had killed something and drawn enough fire from the rest of the army to help deliver them all into melee. Without something to boost the AOE damage them, Cetrati can walk around fairly safely without shield wall up. With shield wall, it would take a lot of focus firing to take this one unit down (even with boosts from fire for effect), and that is if the unit isn’t further protected by one… Read more »
those pads just make him look silly never really liked the pp models
To be fair, PP has more hits than misses, but this one is a miss.
BoW Andy
Agreed. And in all honesty, most of the misses you see in photos become hits when you see the actual model. Whoever runs the art dept there has the worlds poorest eye for good photography.
I think the biggest let down is that it will be a VERY hard model to convert. Unless you have some serious talent.
For me, the jury is out till I see it in the metal…..although I think we can all agree that it is by no means going to be anything close to the level of awesome that is the model for the Tharn Ravager Chieftain!
I think it looks like fantasy meets 40k……AWSOME!!!!!!
You know, the more I see them, and the more I think the whole Skorne range look like they’re out of a Lady Gaga music video…
PP seems to echo the World of Warcraft/Warcraft 3 visual style quite a bit… For Blizzard animators, I’m sure that big block’y armour is just more efficient for animating/frame rate purposes. It’s hard to get this style right without going over the top once in a while.
What I find most funny about this model is that it’s probably impossible for him to go through any doorways.
Shield wall work great with Makeda. She shores up their biggest weakness: Savagery for +5 SPD, and defender’s ward. Centrati have a good command range, so you can easily double up to take advantage of shield wall while remaining protected against blasts (who will generally only hit two guys at a time in the back). The model is a bit over the top, but I don’t think it will end soon. I’m a circle player and I hate a lot of the line: Megalith and the Shadowhorn satyr are posed wierd (an easy fix, though), Nuala and the Tharn Chieftain… Read more »
My goodness… I didn’t think they where that bad until I looked at the 360 view. OUCH. Menoth bastians spend half there life training to carry HALF as much armor as this guy.
well it’s like BOW Andy said or more same context: Sometimes you miss when other times you hit ball out of the park. In my opinion this is a yikes but i do like those shield wall guys there riot squats ^^
mmm.. skorne gets a vlad complex?
its true the sheer size of the shoulder pads makes his pose look stagnant. They are however still really nicely sculpted and if his proportions were corrected a bit i think it would be a very nice looking miniature.
anyone else think the dawarves would make good sqauts….
Hit him from the sides, he will never see it coming.
Does anyone get the feeling that someone is trying to outdo Vladimir?
Perhaps a special rule allows each shoulder pad to seperate and act as an individual unit. Satellite units perhaps, which grant bonus focus points as long as they survive.
I’m not a big fan of Skorne in the first place, But Mr. Compensating for something really is beyond the pale. Those Dwarfs are stunning though. I will be getting some of those, even if just for painting and sitting on a shelf.
I think you got this model wrong, that aren’t shoulderpads.
This is one of the Skorne-kithen-crew, he can take those parts off his shoulders and build a place to cook, the horns need to be there to fix the kettle between them and make the fire under that. The axe is for slaughtering the animal.
Absolutely… The metal leggings are in fact brand new folding pans and kitchenware, the left shoulder blade has a water-heater and the right one pours coffee out of the horn. The shield is a nice flat work-space on one side, and cuts up potatoes into french fries on the other… And you can wipe the dishes with what’s hanging from the shoulders. Such an engineering feat… It puts Cygnar to shame, really.
I personally love armor with overdone shoulderpads. I don’t know why, I just do. However, I believe his weapon is what needs work…
Yeah, those shoulder pads are a bit too much. In combat you absolutely need good visibility in order to have a good 360 situational awareness. Those shoulder pads are like blinders and that’s what they look like. A bit silly and that’s not cool.