The Folks of the Square Based podcast, known for the Square Based Renegade Pack and for running numerous The Old World events, have recently released a simplified tournament comp system for the Old World, meant to be compatible with the existing official matched play guide:
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Basically just extra points for the less well performing/less frequently seen factions, plus a kill point multiplier so those points don't just turn into more victory points for their opponents.
It's the kind of thing that wouldn't be necessary (or at least wouldn't be practicable) if tOW saw the sort of periodic balance patches that AoS & 40k get, but Specialist Games doesn't really do those, whether because it doesn't fit their design ethos or because corporate hasn't approved money to hire someone to do it in their budget or both.
I'm not sure how effective this system is, but as someone who plays factions that have been relatively overpowered in this game form its release, it would be nice to feel like I'm not picking on someone just because of faction choice, and if this could help Lizardmen or Wood Elf players have more fun, or encourage Sea Guard or Troll Hoard armies to see the table at all, then I'd be all for it. In general the Old World has been a game with a more reserved approach to rules from the studio, with less frequent and less impactful releases and a relative lack of post release updates, which imo leaves a lot of room for community involvement, and I very much appreciate the approach to that involvement taken by the Square Based crew, and the fact that their additions come from a place of experience both playing and hosting the game at a competitive level.
I'm not sure how likely this sort of system is to see use in casual settings, but it's definitely something to consider & discuss with a local play group, especially if lack of cross-faction balance in the game has been a point of contention or led to players losing interest.
....
Basically just extra points for the less well performing/less frequently seen factions, plus a kill point multiplier so those points don't just turn into more victory points for their opponents.
It's the kind of thing that wouldn't be necessary (or at least wouldn't be practicable) if tOW saw the sort of periodic balance patches that AoS & 40k get, but Specialist Games doesn't really do those, whether because it doesn't fit their design ethos or because corporate hasn't approved money to hire someone to do it in their budget or both.
I'm not sure how effective this system is, but as someone who plays factions that have been relatively overpowered in this game form its release, it would be nice to feel like I'm not picking on someone just because of faction choice, and if this could help Lizardmen or Wood Elf players have more fun, or encourage Sea Guard or Troll Hoard armies to see the table at all, then I'd be all for it. In general the Old World has been a game with a more reserved approach to rules from the studio, with less frequent and less impactful releases and a relative lack of post release updates, which imo leaves a lot of room for community involvement, and I very much appreciate the approach to that involvement taken by the Square Based crew, and the fact that their additions come from a place of experience both playing and hosting the game at a competitive level.
I'm not sure how likely this sort of system is to see use in casual settings, but it's definitely something to consider & discuss with a local play group, especially if lack of cross-faction balance in the game has been a point of contention or led to players losing interest.
- players will have likely have to using the same repeated powerful combos. In most cases I believe issues with balance rarely are at an army wide level, but specific units/combos of units.
