Monday Night Mordheim; Thoughts on Customization.

I decided to take a wee break for a week from terrain, since I didn't have time to make my meatloaf this weekend, so no recipe, and no extra stuff for terrain. Can't spray paint containers that still have food in them. At least not if you plan on eating the food later. I mean, it should still be good, right? However, my wife is diametrically opposed to the idea. Hunh, a bit of paint never did anyone any harm, its not like its got lead in it (anymore).

I wanted to take a minute to talk about on of my favorite aspects of Mordheim, one that doesn't get talked about a whole lot. Customization.

Yes, converting your warband is a joy. Making your own terrain is a masters thesis in economy and architecture. The real great thing is customization.

Mordheim is a very open game, not everything is locked into place. That's what makes it great. It is a bare bones system, and it does everything that it needs to do...on the surface. The game's real strength is in the ability to make things yourself.

Many games inactively discourage 'homebrew' stuff, and let's face it, most wargames fall into this category. Other games actively discourage it, such as 4th Edition D&D (a more closed RPG system I've never seen). That's fine, but Mordheim lends itself to making customizations.

Here's a quick guide to the different types of customizations that can be done;
1. Homebrew Warbands- There are so many WHFB armies out there that are not represented in Mordheim that have great models, its almost a crime that there are no good High Elf rules.
2. Homebrew Campaign Settings- Officially there's Mordheim, the Empire in Flames (the rest of the Empire), Khemri, and Lustria. Though there's still lots of places that could be done, like Sylvania, or Cathay, or the Chaos Wastes. All interesting campaign settings that could be done with just slight changes.
3. Homebrew Scenarios- possibly my favorite. There is nothing like more then seeing two warbands who have built up a bit of a rivalry in a special scenario that isn't from a book. Slight changes in a scenario can make it play out differently or more interestingly. Not to mention special terrain rules for those scenarios.

So three broad areas for customization that can make any campaign unique. Mordheim is a game designer wanna-be's wet dream. There's so much that can be done with it without breaking it. I've seen the things that can be done, and some of it is downright amazing.