MAYHEM has been expanded… but not like you might think! The material that was originally going to be released in a separate expansion has been integrated into the original documents. There are a few reasons for this, but in the end it means one thing. Players that already own the game get the new material completely FREE of charge! Just return to Wargame Vault and download the updated files.
So, what’s new in the expanded version? Here are a few highlights:
- There is a completely new characteristic added to the base unit profile.
- New unit designations are now available including fast cavalry, hordes, and swarms.
- Rules for war machines, artillery, direct and indirect fire
- Build restrictions lifted on behemoths
- Magic rules in the form of sorcery are present and include spells like blink, magic missile, summon, and time stop.
That’s just a sample of what’s inside. Download your updated copy today to check it all out!
bombshell games 
Great stuff. I was at a UK wargames show yesterday and picked up some 10mm fantasy blisters to add to my armies to play Mayhem. Barbarian Bison riders from Kallistra are a great concept, looking forward to trying them out in my Norse/Barbarian army. Not sure how much quicker a fully loaded bison is compared to an infantryman though…
Posted by Simon Dixon | September 15, 2013, 7:54 amGlad you’re enjoying it! There’s a lot of new material to explore.
The bison riders look great, and the Kallistra minis paint up nicely. How much quicker is a fully loaded bison compared to an infantryman? I would probably only make them a single die step faster but give them a good BAR. I would also consider giving them ‘lances’ [to represent their spears] making them really nasty on charges and impacts.
Posted by Brent | September 15, 2013, 8:39 amAwesome! I haven’t had the chance to go through the new ruleset…but I wouldn’t mind a change document so I don’t have to hunt for the minutia 🙂 Really looking forward to trying the new set!
Posted by Gavin McClements | September 15, 2013, 1:02 pmA change document wouldn’t be a bad idea [sounds like you’re trying to create work for me though! 🙂 ]. Most of the changes are covered in the General’s Compendium. Other than point changes, the only thing off the top of my head that I could see players missing is no longer being eliminated on beat backs and drive backs if contacting a friendly unit. Units are removed from play as normal if contacting an enemy unit or moving off the table during a beat back or drive back.
You may have noticed that the build restrictions on the behemoth were lifted [including flying and use of weapons]. 😉
Posted by Brent | September 15, 2013, 8:06 pmHi, i just bought the game. Why the CQ d20 cost 1 and the CQ d6 costo13 ? It seems logic that more higher is the dice more would be the cost. Also the movement works as i said. MOV d12 cost 9 MOV d4 cost 1.
Thk for the answer.
Marco
Posted by Marco | September 17, 2013, 9:54 amMarco, lower is better generally, friend. Once you read the rules it will make more sense, but in Mayhem you can always take the “Default” which is 1/2 of the die type. Taking a default on a d6 in combat equals 3, which is going to be REALLY hard to achieve with reliability on a d20! As for movement, higher is better because the roll determines your move distance, but again you can take the default to play it safe.
Posted by Gavin McClements | September 17, 2013, 11:53 amHi again thk for the replay. I read the rule and seems to me that the explanation on the CQ (To roll lower of your opponent) it is not specified on the rulebook, only in the compendium of the rule it is written that.
And i have another question: the ability of the behemoth “beat back” (i think) seems the same of the cavalry “Drive back”? Maybe i didnt find the difference.
Thku
Posted by Marco | September 17, 2013, 6:22 pmHey Marco,
Sorry for the delay in my reply, but I was traveling and away from a reliable connection. Thanks to Gavin for stepping in with the right answer! 🙂
For CQ [and attempting to damage enemy units in general] rolling lower is better. Check out page 6 under MELEE BASICS: ‘ The goal of any hand-to-hand or close quarters exchange is to roll lower than your opponent.’ 😉
The method used for resolving beat back and drive back is the same. The difference comes in when you start looking at which units have those abilities and which units are immune to those abilities. A unit armed with spears and shields might be immune the the drive back of cavalry units, BUT be vulnerable to being beat back by heavily armored shock troops. It allows for modeling a variety of troop types and interactions without making the player memorize more rules. Make sense?
If you have more questions, then don’t hesitate to ask!
Brent
Posted by Brent | September 19, 2013, 9:45 amCouple of questions that have come up in our playthroughs…great game but minor points.
– Magic points gained – Is it one point per action taken to gather magic?
– What is the real benefit of hordes? seems pointless to take an 80 x 40 one (assuming 10mm) as you just make yourself easier to hit over a 40 x 40 one? The 80 x 80 one seems less effective than I might expect. Okay non-exploding 6s is good but the horde usually ends up fighting 2 or 3 units due to the base size and they have no-problem beating it down in a round.
– Are disordered counters and damage counters effectively the same thing? there are some effects that look like they could affect units with both but others that are specific to the type- we are playing them differently at the moment.
– Beat back, drive back – these seem to be effectively the same ability and the original description (p8) says you can buy these for infantry units but there is no way to buy beat back – only push back which is very different.
Other than that though we are loving the game
Posted by demonetrigan | October 19, 2013, 3:20 pmGlad you’re loving the game!
It’s d4 magic points generated per action. As always you can take the default. The d4 is missing in the final line on generating magic points. I’ll need to fix that! 🙂 Nice catch- that will really change how magic works for you.
There are several…
1. Combine the attrition rules for harm with being immune to both drive back and beat back, and you have a unit that steadily moves across the field without having to spend additional command points or worry about fleeing from volley fire or cavalry charges. As you already noted, the lack of exploding 6s on the great horde means it will more than likely make it into the enemy lines.
2. You’re correct that the increased real estate of horde units means more enemy units can get into base contact with them. This size and resulting footprint on the battlefield can be turned to your advantage.
Imagine 3 great hordes as the center of your main battle line. They would take up the same frontage as 6 normal units, and they cover the same area as 12 normal units. As long as they have at least average stats, your enemy will have to dedicate multiple units [that are likely more expensive] to the center of the field to contend with them. This opens your enemy’s flanks up to attack by your harder/faster units and screens the movement of elite troops without fear of the hordes fleeing into them. It also limits your opponent’s maneuverability. I like to put great hordes on ‘autopilot’ with the advance command and spend my command points on spells, ranged attacks, and flanking maneuvers.
It’s also only 3 units [no matter the size] when calculating breaking points.
Another option is to give your horde exceptional stats [d6 or d8] to make things difficult for your opponent.
In the end, to be most effective, hordes require an army build that complements them.
You’re right to play them differently. 😉 While both are types of harm, as you’ve already realized different abilities can affect either or both. For example, the berserker trait only benefits from disordered tokens while rampage benefits from damage tokens.
Beat back and drive back ARE resolved the same way mechanically. The difference is more about which a unit may be immune to. The end effect of both is the same. The delivery method and way it is achieved [and countered] is different. You are correct that there is currently no way for infantry to purchase the beat back ability. 🙂
Glad you’re enjoying the game! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions, observations, or anything you want to delve into deeper.
Posted by Brent | October 19, 2013, 6:56 pmBrent, thanks for the answers. the other point about hordes I wanted to ask is to do with the cost for them. We have assumed that it is GCs for CQ+MV+BAR+Hordes for whatever size base i.e. 40×40, 80×40 or 80×80. But someone pointed out that maybe we were supposed to buy EACH 40×40 component of the horde.
Posted by demonetrigan | October 20, 2013, 2:29 pmYou’re playing it correctly! You pay the price once for the unit no matter the size of the base. This is another component that works to balance out the disadvantages associated with having a larger in-game footprint.
Posted by Brent | October 21, 2013, 4:34 pmAny news on the the next installment..the complete mayhem??
Posted by Marcus Abrahams | October 31, 2013, 3:16 pmSorry, but there’s nothing really new to report at this time. I can tell you that the next update that adds content will be the final one, and you’ll have the complete package! There are quite a few elements that are still being fine tuned so that they feel just right. On a side note, as always, the update will be completely free of charge.
Posted by Brent | October 31, 2013, 5:22 pmare the direct and splash damage figures for indirect war machine round the wrong way? i.e. a catapult is listed as doing D10 splash and D12 direct which seems like it is reversed.
Posted by demonetrigan | November 2, 2013, 11:07 amThey are the wrong way and should be reversed [a little transposition error there!]. That will be corrected in the next update as well. If you find a third error, then I may have to hire you as a content editor! 😉
Posted by Brent | November 2, 2013, 1:16 pmI don’t know if this is an appropriate place for this but I have one editing comment and two rules questions. The first is just that the sorcery page makes mention of things costing 1 AP…. I’m assuming you mean Command Points, CP? Now for rules questions. If I have some dwarfs with great axes, can give them both axes and great weapons? Or is it just great weapon? The same could be done with Greatswords and even Great Hammers. Second rule question is it mentions that heroes not in a unit can only attack and be attacked by other heroes. Does this include other heroes that *are* in a unit? Can my lone hero run up to an enemy unit that has a hero attached and try to call them out? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Btw I love the game. It’s a real breath of fresh air after playing Warhammer/40k clones for quite some time.
Posted by Daniel Cretin | December 19, 2013, 10:28 pmHey Daniel,
I do. Thanks for that! I’m looking to make the interior as close to perfect as I can before I take it to print.
Absolutely! It’s a great way to further define a weapon and enhance the theme of your army. A group of barbaric tribesmen might just have great weapons not matter what the actual weapons are. They just like to smash stuff! Dwarves, on the other hand, would definitely treat a great axe differently than a great hammer and the difference is important. Weapons created in this manner use the gestalt principle meaning that you can only benefit from one of the abilities on any given attack.
You can also combine weapon traits to create/model a unique weapon. For example, a unit armed with halberds could be represented by simply using the spear trait. However, you could combine great, axe, and spear to represent a halberd just as easily and the unit wielding them instantly becomes for characterful.
On a related note, I don’t normally recommend putting multiple models armed with different weapon types [like axemen, swordsmen, etc.] in the same unit [unless it’s a chariot]. I think it makes it harder from a visual standpoint for someone to quickly look at the unit and assess what it does, and it doesn’t quite work for mass battles to represent a unified fighting unit. If you have a lot of different weapons in a single unit, then just use the horde trait.
No. Once a hero is in a unit he’s stuck there I’m afraid. I like the concept, but it creates all manner of complications and exceptions.
Thanks! 🙂
Posted by Brent | December 20, 2013, 10:52 amHi Daniel,
I have started playing Mayhem and am really enjoying the game.
I have some thoughts on Aim. I have house ruled that you must spend 2 cp to give you 1 additional die as a maximum.
Perhaps it is because I have been testing Dwarfs vs Goblins but It seems that if the Dwarfs just sit at their baseline and fire cannons at the behemoth units (hard counter) with an additional die per command point the Dwarfs will never miss and the behemoths will never make it into combat.
Whilst I like the idea that pouring more resources into accuracy increases the potential of a hit I think that having up to ten to hit dice available is too one sided.
Just my two cents. I am sure that I would like to continue discussing the rules as things come up. Is this the best place or do you have a forum for the rules?
Anyway now I want to consider the potential misfire as I like the potential for suspense that it can create….
Posted by Gordon | February 18, 2014, 12:05 pmHi Gordon,
Excellent!
Well, the first thing I’ll say is that I fully support players experimenting with and making their own house rules. Have fun with them! That said, I’ll see if I can help you with your problem. 😉
You are probably playing it correctly, but I want to make sure that you remember these rules when using war machines:
– they can only make ONE ranged attack each turn
-they must reload before firing again
This means that the cost to fire and reload in a single turn is going to be a minimum of 3 Cp before you have aimed or done anything else [and assumes that the war machine isn’t damaged]. Adding just 2 aim die puts you at 5 Cp. Not a big deal if all you are going to do is sit back and shoot, BUT this means that your opponent will be doing all the maneuvering and choosing how the battle will progress.
Now, if I’m playing the goblins, then I’m going to set my entire force up with standing orders to advance before the game begins. This means that the behemoths will constantly move forward and that while under the effect of standing orders I’ll:
-only have to make damaged rolls when the unit actively takes damage
-not have to pay additional cost OR make damaged rolls during my turn while they move forward
So, even if the behemoths don’t make all the way across the field, they will be much more survivable and not be a burden on my command.
Now, I don’t know your army composition, but I’d sure like to Overdrive a unit of goblin wolf riders [fast cavalry] if I had them right straight into base contact with the enemy war machines! 🙂 This would buy you a couple of turns minimum of not having to dodge cannon fire even if your opponent ending up ganging up on your overextended unit. This is a perfect example of where Overdrive allows you to immediately put pressure somewhere and keeps your opponent honest.
An opponent having a hard counter and using it effectively means that things are going to die. For this reason, MAYHEM organically encourages you to have a varied army comp.
Random thought: you could use a goblin shaman hero to summon in a group of troll behemoths. This would avoid the cannon fire all together.
You can post here if you like, but I’m thinking of officially moving conversations HERE. The page is already set-up for all sorts of discussion and is highly searchable for when people go looking for information.
Sounds like fun and a great chance for some story telling. I’d love to hear what you come up with!
-Brent
Posted by Brent | February 19, 2014, 8:31 pmThanks for your reply Brent,
I had thought about a similar tactic as the one you suggested so here is what I did.
I kept the behemoths in cover and advanced the goblin troops, obviously some were disorganized from cannon fire, no problem. I then had the goblin shaman cast shield in front of the cannon to block LOS. The fast cavalry moved into position behind the shield and then I over-drove the behemoths across the battlefield. It worked a treat and served to encourage my regard for Mayhem to new heights!
A few other questions if you don’t mind:
Does fast cavalry remain a hard counter vs war machines when using ranged weapons or only in close combat?
When calculating the points cost for heroes do you pay for the leadership stat per model or is it a one off purchase for the entire army?
Posted by Gordon | February 20, 2014, 4:47 amThat’s the stuff! Excellent tactics and great use of the tools at your disposal. Using the barrier spell as both an offensive and defensive tool at the same time was especially nice- well played!
Only in close combat- nice try.;)
It’s a one off purchase for the army and represents the general’s overall influence and control. Other heroes simply enhance and expand the effectiveness of the general.
Also, if you happen to do a battle report, then make sure to share a link here. 🙂
Brent
Posted by Brent | February 20, 2014, 8:41 amGreat bblog you have here
Posted by Lacey | October 6, 2022, 4:25 pm