Warhammer SOTHR Informal FAQ
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat
Informal FAQ 1.0 by Bill Tindall
bkt@wwa.com
July 28, 1996
Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Strategy tips
III. Notes about managing your troops
IV. Mission help (under construction)
V. Wish list
VI. Magic Items list (borrowed from Stephen Di Ciano)
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Introduction:
Warhammer SOTHR is a real-time fantasy battlefield strategy game which
is very challenging. While there are a few shortcomings to the
interface, on the whole the game is rewarding and definitely worth
playing for anyone who enjoys this type of experience.
Since I haven't seen any kind of FAQ or strategy guide for this game
(and I certainly could have used one when I started the game), I
thought I'd throw something together which may offer some help. I
have no intention of being comprehensive, just helpful (hopefully).
Of course, what I'm suggesting here works for me, but you may have
your own strategies which may work just as well or better. The game
is quite winnable once you learn how to strategize and perform the
necessary tactical maneuvers as the battle progresses. It is a
difficult game to learn, but of course that's what you have the save
and restore game options for ;). If anyone wants to contribute more
information to this FAQ, please email me and I'll include it
(bkt@wwa.com)
Actually, it took me a long time to learn the principles I'm sharing
here, and a lot of frustration. It's only because I enjoy this game
so much that I took the time to learn this stuff. I even cheated by
using my hex-editor the first time through just so that I wouldn't get
completely discouraged. But by the time I got to the end I found I'd
learned the game well enough to win without cheating, so that's
exactly what I did the second time through. Hopefully, with the help
of this FAQ you'll be able to tackle the game without the initial
frustrations that I suffered. I'm assuming you learned the mechanics
of the game from the manual, so I won't rehash information that you
already have.
Personally, I'd love to see a lot of people start enjoying this game,
so maybe there will be a sequel! It really is a wonderful game, even
with a few flaws.
Feel free to distribute this all you want, just don't change my stuff
and give proper credit!
Good luck, and may the Winds of Magic always blow your way!
Bill Tindall
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Strategy Tips:
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1. Embark on the campaigns in this order:
-First, the human missions around Wissenheim. They allow you
to acquire some much needed troops and gain much needed
experience points. I recommend you perform all of these
missions, though you can skip them if you want to as soon as
you meet the dwarves and Ceridan. Or wait until you get the
mortars and then skip the rest.
-Second, the Dwarf defense of Zhufbar. You are going to need
dwarf help to pass through the mountains and complete the Elf
missions later.
-Third, the Elf missions in Loren. You need to perform these
before you can get to the final battle.
Along the way, don't let anyone bully you into hurrying. You have
plenty of time to take on extra missions along the way. Remember,
YOU are the Commander. Take on anything that's in YOUR best interest.
2. Avoid going on the offensive whenever possible.
As in real battlefield warfare, it's easier to defend than attack. In
fact, this is doubly true in SOTHR. There are only a few missions
where you have to take an offensive approach, and these should be
handled very carefully, one step at a time. Except in such cases, and
in the very earliest missions when the forces at your disposal are
limited, the most important rule for every battle is to line up your
forces in defensible and reinforceable positions, bringing maximum
fire power to bear on the approaching enemy.
Keep these principles in mind:
-Arranging your defensive line prior to the battle (or at the start
of the battle, if you're under ambush) is usually the key to
winning. About the only time when this is not true is when
you're required to protect someone or something, but even
then you must have a good strategy for attack.
-Place your reserves in a position to reinforce the most likely
points of attack.
-Place your wizard(s) in position to get a clear shot at the
enemy. If any of your troops get in the way of your wizard's
attacks, you can kiss them goodbye.
-I like putting the Wizards on the right and left flanks of my
defensive line. From there they get a good shot at the
approaching enemy troops while they're less likely to become
targets themselves. If an enemy regiment approaches, make
the wizard move back and move a fighting unit to protect him.
Although you can have three wizards later in the game, you'll
never want to use more than two (if that) in a single battle.
There just aren't enough magic points available
-Place missile units slightly behind your line of defense so that
they can maintain continual fire on the approaching enemy.
Later in the game, the Imperial Cannon and the Wood Elf
Archers are especially good at tearing the enemy apart as they
advance.
-The heart of your defensive line should be infantry. These
units are cheap (generally) and thus more expendable. Let
them take the hits from enemy missile units if necessary and the
brunt of the enemy's charge. Once the infantry is engaged in
hand-to-hand combat, it's time to send in your reserves to
crush the unfortunate attackers. There are other reasons why
this strategy works best. Infantry are much slower to respond
to orders than any other unit, especially if they're dwarves, so
they perform much better when all they have to do is hold a
position. Also, if they go into retreat, they are less likely to
completely run off the battlefield before they rally, since
they're moving slowly. Then you can bring them back into the
fight.
-Use your cavalry and other quick moving units (such as
Ceridan) as reserves. Place them in position to reinforce the
expected point of attack. When the infantry starts hand-to-
hand, cavalry can enter the fight quickly, attack the enemy's
flank, and turn the tide of battle. Alternatively, cavalry or
other fast moving units can be used as decoys to draw the
enemy off from key points on the battlefield, or to draw the
enemy into an arranged fight with your infantry.
(I've found the book's suggestion on page 100 that you "Use
your cavalry regiments to hold back the enemy while your
slower infantry regiments come into play" to be a recipe for
disaster. Nine times out of ten the fight will already be decided
by the time you can get that slow infantry involved, if ever.
Instead, let the enemy come to you.)
-Use the Amber Wizard to slow down the enemy (with the
Curse of Anraheir or the Tangling Thorn). While he slows or
holds them, your missile units can pulverize them.
-Turn off the AI for your defensive units, so they don't engage
too soon. Once a formation is broken it's difficult to put back
together in the heat of battle. After they're engaged you can
usually turn the AI back on. Remember that the enemy's
charges, although they sound terrifying, have no special effect
if your defenders are facing the charge (except with monsters
such as Rat Ogres).
-Don't attack or defend uphill when you can help it. Your units
will have a disadvantage fighting, and your missile units will
have a hard time hitting the enemy (they may just fire into the
side of the hill!).
3. Focus your efforts on doing as much damage as possible prior
to engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
One of the best ways to lose your troops is to engage them in close
fighting. While this is inevitable much of the time, you want to
avoid
it as long as possible so that your missile units can do maximum
damage first. If you nail the vanguard units with the Curse of
Anraheir, for example, the units behind them must also slow down or
go around. Blast them all with missile fire. The mortars are
particularly useful in this type of situation since they're not very
accurate. But if the enemy is bunched up they're easier to score hits
on. Try to force the enemy to bunch up and pass through a narrow
portion of the battlefield so you can direct all of your missile and
magic fire on that sector, creating an effective "killing zone".
4. You can't micromanage everything on the battlefield, so once
you get things setup, spend most of your time with your most important
units.
The most important unit of the game is the Amber Wizard, thanks to
the value of his spells and the fact that he is with you from early on
and long enough to build up maximum experience points. And, he's
cheap! Make sure he is not killed in any battle, because he is
practically impossible to replace until after Zhufbar. (Of course, I
never tried continuing on without him, so I don't know for sure.) If
you lose him, you may want to quit and restore the previous battle.
He can do more damage than anyone else, especially if he has the
Flock of Doom spell, so make sure you pick out his targets and use
the most appropriate spells. He is also indispensable at taking on
the enemy Shamans, Seers, Trolls, Ogres, and Giants with the Hunting
Spear spell. You can keep him out of the way of nasty enemy
charges with the Flying Bower, if you get that spell. The only
problem with the Flying Bower is that just when you need it you may
find there are no magic power points available-OOPS!
After your wizards, keep close tabs on your missile units. They have
a tendency to target a regiment, and then stop firing when that
regiment comes into hand-to-hand combat, thus doing nothing for
precious minutes. When that happens, you need to redirect their
target to something they can shoot at clearly. Also, make sure their
missiles are hitting their targets. They may just be shooting into
the side of a hill ineffectually and you'd better do something about
it.
The Dwarf Gyrocopters are worthless without constant personal
attention, and you can really only use one at a time. Keep the others
back out of harm's way until you need them.
Also, pay attention to your strategic map to determine what areas of
the battle you need to intervene in. When an enemy charge
approaches your defensive line, you need to intervene to concentrate
your forces appropriately. Protect your missile units, and hold back
your reserves until the enemy is committed. Then send in the
reserves quickly, preferably upon the enemy's flank or rear, to turn
the tide of battle.
5. The Enemy troops are different and each type of unit requires
a different strategy for destroying it.
Goblins, for example, are fast but tend to gather in large groups.
Best to attack them with mortar fire and especially arrows since they
go down easily, or at least the smaller Goblins do. If they're riding
on wolves then zap them with the Curse of Anraheir. They almost
always break and run. The same with Orcs on boars.
The Orc Big'uns are particularly nasty in close fighting, so avoid
hand-to-hand with them. They are good candidates for the Tangling
Thorn if you have it, but be especially careful not to let any units
engage them while they are tangled. Since they can't retreat under
such circumstances, they'll fight to the last Big'un, taking as many
of your guys with them as possible. Instead, hit them with missiles
and spells. In any case, try not to let a regiment of Big'uns get
close to any of your forces unless under ideal conditions (i.e., you
charge them from the rear).
Monsters will strike fear in any regiment, so don't send any regiments
against them. Instead, let your Amber Wizard take them out with
Hunting Spears.
The same goes for enemy wizards of various types, seers and
shamans. Infantry and cavalry will probably not fare well against
them. Kill them as soon as possible with Hunting Spears. The only
missile unit which I've found to be at all effective against them are
the Wood Elf Archers. Even direct hits by artillery don't seem to
kill them. Grey Seers are especially dangerous when they use the
Madness spell, which can turn your own forces against you. Make
killing them your number one priority going into the battle.
Skaven are somewhat of a mixed bag. The Skaven Slaves are sent at
you basically to wear you out. Knowing that, you want to avoid
letting them do it. Use mortars and arrows on them when possible.
If you have to fight hand-to-hand, try to rout them quickly in
preparation for the units that follow. Don't let your units waste
time tracking them down when they're fleeing, if you can help it.
Stormvermin, on the other hand, are very nasty to get entangled with.
So avoid getting entangled whenever possible. Don't even send in a
unit to finish off a battered Stormvermin regiment, unless you want to
lose your unit. The Stormvermin are really missile firing units that
tend to blow up when defeated, killing any of your guys that are
close. The best weapon against Stormvermin is the Dwarf
Gyrocopter which can sneak in behind them and blast them with
steam continuously until the Stormvermin blow themselves up. Once
you attack a Stormvermin regiment with Gyrocopter steam, keep
after it relentlessly even after it starts to flee, until it blows up
in green flame. Your Gyrocopter should be safe from the explosion
since it's elevated. If you don't have a Gyrocopter, send your
wizards after the Stormvermin, but only after you've first dealt with
enemy wizards, the biggest threat. In general, arrows are not very
effective against the tough-skinned Stormvermin, so expect a difficult
time if you have to go after them with bowmen.
Enemy artillery units, such as Doom Divers and Rock Lobbers,
should be dealt with last, after you've defeated all other enemy
units. In other words, stay out of range of enemy artillery as much
as possible in the first part of the battle. All the rest of the
regiments coming at you are enough to keep you busy. You've got to
get those enemy wizards and roving missile units taken care of first.
Then when you've defeated the onslaught in detail, and only then, send
appropriate units to kill the artillery. The Dwarf Gyrocopter is
great at this since they won't able to hit it as it swoops in to
pulverize them with steam. If you don't have one of those, send in
your fastest units to charge the enemy. Spread out your forces and
send them all in at once to rush the enemy and engage in hand-to-hand
combat as soon as possible. You can even pick an expendable unit to
send first (all enemy artillery will target it) and after they open
fire, slip in some other units to finish the job.
Dragons: don't even think about trying to fight one. You can use
the Curse of Anraheir on one, however, to slow down the Dragon's
attacks.
6. The dwarves are your best friends and won't steer you wrong.
Best of all, they pay well, so they are naturally good allies for
mercenary armies to have. You can't ignore the Elves in order to
finish the game, but the dwarves will help you with that as well.
7. Base the amount of resources you devote to a mission on how
much you are getting paid for it, under the following conditions.
Always save the game before starting a mission. On some missions
you won't need to fight any battles, so you'll want to save money by
not assigning any more regiments to fight than you have to. Do a
restore and try it again.
Early in the game when you are fighting around Wissenheim, you will
need practically all the troops you can muster for every fight, with a
couple of exceptions. After you get the mortars you won't need
them for every battle, nor every other unit all the time afterwards.
Use the wizard effectively, and you'll be OK. Let the offer of
payment be your guide. If you are offered 800 crowns to do a job,
make sure your expenses come in less than, but not too much less
than 800 crowns. The money you are offered around Wissenheim is
fair and should enable you to make a small profit with each mission.
More important are the experience points you earn by completing
these missions.
When fighting for the Dwarves, remember that they always pay more
than what you need to make a profit. Expect to make a great deal of
money on the defense of Zhufbar, and you won't need to use all your
troops on the missions. The exception is the one time they pay you
for each man you're able to field. Send everybody on that one and
make a real financial killing!
When fighting for the Elves, remember that they always pay less than
what you need to make a profit. This is not so much because the
Elves are cheap but because you've amassed a large army (hopefully)
by this time that you have to support with retainers. In fact, it's
when fighting for the dwarves that you make more than enough money to
cover your costs for fighting for the Elves. When you get a mission
from the Elves in which they offer 500 gold crowns, expect to spend
600 or 700 crowns just to get the job done. Even so, all of the Elf
missions are worthwhile and most of them are required. Don't worry
though. If you performed well for the dwarves you should have been
able to amass over 10,000 crowns after you arrive in Loren and get
paid there, more than enough to complete the game successfully.
Remember that you can't assign more than 13 regiments to any one
mission, so don't get too concerned if you lose one or two regiments.
Actually, it may serve you well to have lost a couple later in the
game so you don't have to keep paying them a retainer (or you can
always fire them). The Grudgebringer Cavalry is required and the
Amber Wizard is practically essential until you can acquire other
wizards later in the game. Most of the other units are not essential
(though I'd hate to go into the final battle without at least two
canon and the Elf Archers, and either good cavalry or a Gyrocopter).
8. One of the best refinements in this game is the way the
missiles are fired on the battlefield. The missiles behave as they
would on a real battlefield. They go up in the air and go down in an
arc or else they hit something on the way, realistically. Each type
of unit fires differently. Plan appropriately.
With this in mind, prepare your missile attacks. It does no good, for
example, to hide a canon behind a cliff, because all it will do is
fire into the cliff. Instead, hide the mortar behind the cliff
because it fires up into the air and over the cliff.
Archers also shoot into the air, especially longbows. Your longbows
may be able to fire over an obstacle that your crossbows would fire
directly into.
So mount your straight-firing canon on the tops of hills. Put your
mortars behind the hill so they can fire over it from protection.
Crossbows should go with the canon, and longbows with the mortars.
Elf Archers are effective from just about anywhere, unless the target
really is shielded from them completely. But of course, you have to
watch the Elves closely since they like to advance on their target,
exposing themselves to counter attack. (Stupid Elves! They really
need a baby-sitter!)
Wizards are really the most stupid of all the missile units, however.
You have to give them plenty of room to work and don't let any
friendly units get in front of them. If you place an infantry unit in
front of your Amber Wizard, for example, and let him attack an
enemy regiment continuously with Hunting Spears, he'll happily
launch spear after spear into your infantry until they've been wiped
out and he can proceed to wipe out the next unit that gets in his way.
The other wizards are no better. That's one of the big reasons why
you have to manage wizards carefully. Also, the idiots are going to
keep firing their least effective spells at approaching enemy
regiments, unless you manage them closely and make them use an
appropriate spell. For example, the Amber Wizard should use the
Hunting Spear against single person regiments like wizards and trolls,
while the Flock of Doom is much more effective against masses of
infantry like Goblin Stickers and Skaven Slaves.
9. Make sure you don't miss the magic items in the game; they are
very important. There is a complete list below, if you don't want to
search every single battlefield. Even if you don't make money, a
mission can be worthwhile if you acquire a magic item. Make sure your
most important units acquire the items and can use them appropriately.
For example, it does little good to give the Dread Banner to a
Wizard, because wizards never charge anyone.
10. Often you can't control whether your units chase after a
routed enemy regiment to finish it off, but sometimes you should try
and sometimes you shouldn't.
Don't chase after Stormvermin, which blow up, or Plague Monks,
which keep firing filth even when running away. Your pursuers will
pay a heavy price.
When your units are needed elsewhere, naturally you'll want to rally
them as soon as possible to send them where they're needed.
Otherwise, when you've got an enemy regiment on the run, that's the
best time to finish them off. Rarely will they score any hits on your
forces while they're running away and they're easy targets. Killing
them increases the experience levels of your units and prevents the
enemy from rallying later and coming back at an inopportune time. I
hate it when an enemy unit flees and then suddenly finds it in itself
to rally just when it's passing by my vulnerable missile units!
When enemy units are fleeing across the battlefield, even after you've
won the battle, track them down and finish them off. You get the
extra experience points which allow your forces to improve their
skills. Missile units will target fleeing regiments if you order it.
Otherwise, direct a fast unit to move across the path of a fleeing
enemy and run them down.
Dwarves are so slow they won't catch any enemy units that are
fleeing, so always try to rally the dwarves ASAP and put an end to
their futile pursuit.
11. Be sure to space your artillery units far enough apart so that
they don't blow up! This includes mortars, canons, and hellblasters.
You should be able to fit about two good sized infantry units in
between each artillery unit, or else the artillery units stand a good
chance of blowing themselves up when the battle commences.
At the same time, if you space your artillery units too far apart they
are harder to defend and one of them will invariably be out of
position to fire at the most crucial moments. So space them and
place them carefully.
12. Pay close attention to terrain so you can use it to your
advantage. Spy out the land before the battle starts, if possible.
I once used the Celestial Wizard's Wind Blast spell to hold off an
entire army for 10 minutes and as the enemy units went the long way
around they were easily picked off one by one by my missile units.
Two Orc Archer units remained and it looked like it would be an easy
and glorious victory, but the archers wouldn't die no matter how
many arrows and cannon shot I threw at them, after the Wind Blast
was removed. Only after I took a number of casualties, including my
Celestial Wizard killed by those archers, did I look closely at the
terrain and discover that the enemy archers were standing in a low
place behind a hill. My missile units kept hitting the front of the
hill without doing much damage, while the enemy archers were firing
freely from behind their protection. I ended up sending a unit of
cavalry to trounce them. But if only I'd looked at the terrain I
could have placed some of my own archers down along the enemy archers'
flank where they could have had a clear shot. Or I could have nailed
them with appropriate magic spells, like the Flock of Doom, which
are not limited by terrain. Instead I lost a wizard and some other
valuable men.
Of course, if the enemy can do something like this, why not do the
same to him back? Hide your units so they can't be hit by missile
fire until they are needed. Let your mortars fire from completely out
of site so they remain safe. If your wizard casts his spells from
behind trees, no one will ever touch him. This game is very good at
making realistic use of the terrain and it should be easy for you to
take advantage of this better than the computer opponent does.
13. Read the books in Dietrich's wagon. Only there can you get
current information about races, spells, magic items, and the
abilities of your own troops. You especially need to know how to use
the magic items if you want to be effective. Read about every new
item you get.
14. Hire everybody you can (unless you're really short of money).
The best units are the ones you don't have to pay. I usually assign
those to nearly every mission, unless their numbers are decimated and
you need to give their wounded time to recover.
I have completed the game twice while hiring every possible unit I
could. You may be running a bit short of money at the time you
reach Nuln for the first time, however. In that case, you don't need
to hire everyone there. Some of the units are expensive. If you've
got enough healthy infantry, you can skip the Greatswords or the
Halberders. They are both good but expensive units. Make sure you
do hire the artillery units, however.
Remember that if you've lost a lot of troops, the good part is that
you don't have to keep paying them. The only unit you can't lose is
the Grudgebringer Cavalry, of course. Everybody else can be replaced.
Notes about managing your troops
---------------------------------------------
Just as there are different types of enemies you have to know how to
deal with, the forces you command are equally diverse. Success often
depends on how to use your forces wisely, so here are some tips on how
to do so.
1. Wizards
These are the most important units of the game, so manage them
carefully all the time. You really only need one wizard on the
battlefield at any given time, and more than one in action means
thinly spread availability of magic power points. I won't repeat all
that I said above about wizards, but here are a few other things to
remember.
Make sure you save your magic points for the most crucial spells. If
you tell your Amber Wizard to continuously attack a regiment, he
will use the Curse of Anraheir and Hunting Spears. But the Hunting
Spears' effectiveness against masses of infantry is not always
satisfactory. Let him use the Flock of Doom in such situations if you
have it. And don't ignore the Tangling Thorn which can stop a
powerful unit. The front unit will block the ones behind it from
proceeding. And don't let the Celestial Wizard waste all of his power
points on ineffectual lightning. The Storm of Shemrek can turn the
tide of battle, while the Wind Blast can halt an advancing army, and
I've seen it happen.
Make sure an enemy is in range before trying to cast a spell on him.
Otherwise, you've wasted the magic power points. You'll have to
learn from experience what the wizard's maximum distance for spell
casting is. Only if you tell him to continuously attack a regiment
will he actually move himself into position (but then at least you'll
know when he's in range!).
Most important of all about wizards, make sure your other units
already have their marching orders from the start so you can spend
your time managing the wizard closely. Work with him carefully and
he can almost win many of your battles for you single-handedly.
2. Cavalry
For some reason, although the book says that cavalry will have a
movement rate of 8, in actuality it's only 4. So moving across
country the cavalry really aren't all that fast, and it's silly that
cavalry should move at the same rate as infantry. Hopefully there
will be a bug fix for this.
However, I still find it much easier to maneuver cavalry around the
battlefield than infantry. They respond more quickly and seem better
at moving into position. Use them to charge the enemy's flanks.
3. Infantry
The heart of your army. Use them to setup a defensive line as
described above. There are several excellent infantry units available
in the game, both human and dwarf. The Grudgebringer infantry only
becomes really good if you build up enough experience points for
them (which is hard to do-it's cheaper to field dwarf infantry
instead).
Larger formations of infantry are especially difficult to manage on
the battlefield. They don't maneuver very well, and you can spend
half the battle just trying to get them into position. So don't waste
time with that. Let the enemy come to you, pulverize them with
missile units, then meet them with your infantry. Let the infantry
hold them while your cavalry rushes in to finish them off. Piece of
cake, right?
4. Archers (Crossbows, Longbows, Archers)
Although crossbows were historically a very important unit and they
have a good strength skill, they don't seem especially strong in this
game. I have a hard time just trying to get the Mercenary Crossbows
(available early in the game) to advance a single level in experience
(2000 points). Still, they can hit the enemy without getting hit
back, which is what bowmen do best.
The Longbows are a little bit more effective, mostly, I think, because
they fire higher into the air and over obstacles. However, their bows
are less effective strength-wise.
It's not until you get the Wood Elf Archers that you find out what
archers can really do. As long as they don't have an obstacle in
their way, they can tear enemy formations apart with their accurate,
rapid fire.
Set your archers in position to bring maximum fire power on the
enemy while not exposing themselves to the same thing. If they are
just behind a hill, they are hard for the enemy to hit but their own
effectiveness is not diminished.
5. Artillery
This includes mortars, canons, and the Hell Blaster.
You can't get enough of these. Mortars are inaccurate but great at
eliminating large formations of advancing infantry. Try to get the
enemy infantry to bunch up in one place and the mortars will be three
times as effective.
The two canon pieces you can get in the game are excellent,
especially the Imperial Great Canon Crew. They love to chew up
advancing infantry with deadly accuracy. The Hell Blaster is not as
good, but still useful when the final battle rolls around.
Remember to space your artillery weapons out as described above to
avoid having them blow up. There is still a chance they will blow up
anyway, though.
Protect your artillery from enemy attack as well as you can, but put
the artillery in strategic positions from which to fire from. Canons
fire in a relatively straight line, mortars fire up into the air.
6. Ceridan
Don't be afraid to use him whenever you can. Ceridan seems to be
about the only indestructible unit in the game (dragons excepted). He
may get defeated on the field, but the worst that happens to him is
that he's only wounded (he's too crucial to the plot to let die). If
you let him find the Dread Banner, he can run around panicking enemy
regiments. However, Ceridan will often be unavailable to you until
the latter part of the game, so don't give him any other magic items.
Mission help (under construction)
--------------------------------------------
I hope to put together some tips for many of the missions but it
hasn't happened yet. If anyone wants to contribute, I'll be happy to
put it here and repost.
Wish list
--------------------------
I've become very fond of SOTHR, but there are some problems and room
for improvement. Here are a few thoughts.
The interface still needs some improvement. It's a problem when you
click a button only to find that the button changed its function
suddenly, basically giving the opposite order to the one you wanted
to give. When you try to click on Attack, there is a chance the
button will suddenly change to Retreat and your forces will become
easy prey for the enemy.
Another problem is that units are occasionally difficult to select. I
would like to see some kind of window that opens up and lets you
select a specific unit. If several units are close together it's very
difficult to get the one you want by clicking on the map, and when
you thought you selected one, you actually got another. Also, when
you give marching orders, you may have thought you were done
giving the order and so you click on another unit, not realizing that
by clicking on the other unit you just countermanded the order you
just gave. That makes the interface very hard to get used to,
especially for a beginner.
The learning curve in the game is very steep. You win the first few
battles without much difficulty, but then suddenly you are thrown into
some very difficult ones and after repeated failures, you want to just
give up and return the game to the store from which it came. That's
too bad, because the game really is worth learning. There's a whole
lot of substance in it.
The manual could be better for finding information in. How hard
could it be to just put an index in the back of it? Most word
processors will do that for you automatically. Well, I know that
problem isn't going to get fixed-nobody ever changes the manual.
But I'd like to see it done right for the next game. Otherwise the
manual is pretty good.
I like the way formations are handled in the game-nothing
complicated, but it's flexible enough to give you some control. But I
wouldn't mind seeing some more advanced options for giving troops
orders. For example, I'd like to see the ability to give a unit an
order to defend a certain area on the map and attack anything that
enters it. Better yet, I would like to be able to order one unit to
guard another unit. Of course, this may be a problem like when I want
a regiment to guard a wizard and they get in the way of his spells.
Perhaps if they took up position behind him until needed.
The AI for the wizards is too limited. He will keep casting the same
spell over and over, even though he could use other, more effectual
ones. At least I would like to be able to order him to continuously
attack using a PARTICULAR spell of my choosing, if nothing else.
Also, the wizard should realize when there are friendly units in the
path of his spell and refrain from casting it, as the archers are able
to refrain when the enemy is locked in hand-to-hand combat with
friendly troops.
I hate having to switch my display to 256 colors to run the game
(though I wouldn't mind if my video card could do it on the fly).
Most of all, I would like to see a terrain editor for this game which
allows you to create your own battles. Or at least I'd like to see a
sequel to the current game. In conjunction with this, there could be
a two player option via modem or network.
Warhammer: SOTHR is so close to being a breakthrough game, with
the potential of being very popular. All the essentials are in place,
and it offers so much more strategic depth and challenge than the
other real-time games out there, easily beating Command and
Conquer and Warcraft, in my book. The AI in those games just does
not compare, nor does the storyline, nor does the realism. Granted,
you can get terrain editors and/or two player modes with other such
games, and SOTHR lacks these. But really, all this game needs to
become a major hit is a little interface tweaking and an easier
learning curve. Probably if it included a strategy guide with the
game that would help with the learning curve. Adjustable difficulty
levels might serve even better to make all of us happy.
-------------------------------------------
STEPHEN 'DURIN' DI CIANO's posted a Magic Items list to the
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic newsgroup, so I don't need to
duplicate his work. For your convenience, I'm attaching it here.
Since he posted it publicly, I trust he doesn't mind my reposting it
here with proper credit given. It's very helpful, and with this list
you don't have to waste your time scanning every map for a magic item.
Magic Item locations for Warhammer:
----------------------------------
Hi, so Warhammer's a bit ard' for ya eh? Eres some help...
*BTW there are 18 magic Items in the game.
*It is not possible (unless cheating) to obtain all the items.
*Each mission is of the form BF0XX in the \SCRIPT. Objective K in a
mission indicates a magic item can be found. The second number
indicates
what item. Note - missions can be edited.
These are in the approximate order that you may find them-
10- SwordOfMight (BF003)
------------------------
This item is in the very first mission. Found to the right of the
clump trees in the centre of the map. Should probably give to
infantry, as cav have a sword. But remember bonuses are
cumulative.
11- DragonBlade (BF001)
-----------------------
Found in the sleaquit assassin mission, behind the house, near the
snowman. Give to cavalry.
6- ShieldOfPtolos
-----------------
Found in the rescue of Illmarin mission, near the rock to the west.
8- SwordOfHeroes (BF004-4)
--------------------------
In one of the Carson missions where you rescue slaves at night.
The item is behind the building.
7- PotionOfStrength (BF004-5)
-----------------------------
This item is in the NE corner of the map in the last Carlson
mission.
3- BannerOfWrath or PotionOfStrength (BF018)
--------------------------------------------
The mission is the suicidal troll mission to Loren.
This excellent Banner is supposed to be in this mission, but in my
game it isn't. It is due to 'objective: X' in the file making the potion
appear instead, but I don't know why this was done (maybe its buggy). The
Banner seemed to work fine for me.
The item is near the 2nd stream of lava on the east wall.
This mission is a waste of money unless the item can be obtained.
4- BannerOfArcaneProtection or PotionOfStrength (BF019)
-------------------------------------------------------
This mission is the skaven suicidal mission to Loren.
Problems same as troll mission.
Item is near the two rocks.
0- BannerOfArcaneWarding or PotionOfStrength (BF012)
----------------------------------------------------
This mission is the orc suicidal mission to Loren.
Problems same as troll mission.
Item is near rock to NE of the map.
5- TalismanOfObsidian (BF028)
-----------------------------
This is the 'save sheep in farm from goblins' mission. This item
is probably the best in the game, it cancels all magic. The only
way to get to this mission is to get to Zhufbar through the mountain
pass, not underground.
The item is in the far east behind the house. Give to cavalry.
1- BannerOfMight (BF037)
------------------------
This is also a excellent item (adds to combat bonuses)
The mission is called Slave Assault. It is one of the missions
given to you in Zhufbar. The item is behind a pile of rocks near the
north wall.
12- ArmourOfMeteoricIron (BF025)
--------------------------------
This item is in the Bandit hideout camp mission after the Decoy
mission.
You do these missions at Nuln. But if you do any of the bandit
mission rather then going to Loren right after talking to the Emporer, you
don't get the Reiksgard Knight cavalry unit (your choice). The item is in
the far west behind the tents.
2- Dreadbanner (BF033)
----------------------
It is in the Exterminate skaven mission in Karak Norn.
An excellent item that makes you cause fear (now you can be the big
scary monster). But this mission may well take its toll on ya. Make sure
you attack the caves.
The item is in the eastern corner, near a cave.
9- ParryingBlade (BF022)
------------------------
This mission(i think) is where you fight heaps of skaven on your
way to Loren.
I don't think it appears all the time (maybe only if you get the
Knights).
The item is behind the 3rd rock to the east.
7- PotionOfStrength (BF034)
---------------------------
This potion is in the 'Final Battle?' mission against Urgat.
It is near some trees? to the NE, close to your setup area.
These items are found on various characters.
--------------------------------------------
13- ArmourOfTheBeard
14- GrudgeBringer
15- SwordOfElior
16- RockSplitter
Well thats about it from me. Email if you're having other probs, if
you find
something
bizarre, or whatever...
STEPHEN 'DURIN' DI CIANO.
-------------------------------------------
Maybe I'll update this FAQ later with more info. Email me with
comments, questions, submissions, etc. Sorry for any inaccuracies or
omissions.
-Bill Tindall