TOW is a new game and has a lot of buzz, you've no doubt seen a tidal wave of videos and articles online that trend towards the click-bait variety. Sadly, most of these "authors" barely understand the game and its rules, even more prominent persons that the community seems to collectively put faith in. This had made it nearly impossible to engage with the community online because there's A. so much misinformation that people don't bother to do any checking on and B. a severe lack of understanding or exploration of the competitive side of the game itself.
While this is lamentable, I'm not going to fret about it too much. Over my wargaming career I've always focused on the competitive side, whether I want to or not, and these issues always come up. For me, it's simpler to pull back for now and wait until the "newness" of the product wears off, misinformation ebbs, and people catch up to the knowledge that's already out there. I'll use that a transition into my actual topic: Magic!
Underbaked, But Not Inedible
Magic has been a huge part of Warhammer Fantasy since it's earliest days as a massive combat system for Dungeons and Dragons. When the rules for TOW were being previewed, I was very interested to see what would be done with Magic, especially in this modern era of Games Workshop and their simplification of many traditional rules. When the preview dropped I was very happy with it, and that continued as I got my hands on the rules leaks in the weeks leading up to launch. Unfortunately, that approval has waned quite a bit as I've played more and more games with the system, to where I now think it's the weakest aspect of the game overall.
Please don't misconstrue this article as baseless complaining, it's not. I maintain that TOW is a great game and the best version of Fantasy, official or fan-made, ever. That said, it is not above criticism. So, why is Magic lacking, and what if anything can be done? Let's explore some sub-topics:
Big Dice, Little Tactics
The biggest stand out issue with Magic is it's simply too dicey. All Spells are cast by rolling 2d6 + Wizard Level and comparing it to the Casting Value. This is a simple system that's easy to grasp, but allows absolutely no room for decision making or tactical play. Dispelling is the exact same, there are no resources to spend or threat of running out of Dispels (other than Miscast, which applies equally to casting).
Stepping back in time, this contrasts heavily with older systems where players had a dice pool and could choose how to use them with regards to casting. I'm not a big fan of that method either, but it's inarguable that it did allow for more player agency and skill expression. Now you simply roll, compare, let your opponent roll, compare, and you're done.
My main issue here is that this makes Magic completely unreliable, you simply have no idea and little control over when or if a Spell will go off. This generates some awkwardness when you realize some Spells are VERY powerful, flipping entire combats if they go off, but it's purely a crapshoot. And before you start muttering to yourself "Learn to play the Dispel Range, that's the skill element!" we'll get to that, bear with me.
The Worthless of Non-Lvl 4 Wizards
This topic was immediately recognized by a huge portion of the community immediately upon the game's release: anything but a Lvl 4 is almost always a complete waste of points. There are exceptions to this but they're few: Undead can raise extra models with extra Wizards, Lizardmen can have a Slaan cast through a Skink Priest (although I don't find that powerful enough to justify the cost), and other such corner cases. Broadly speaking though, taking a Lvl 1-3 Wizard is purely a mistake.
Why is this the case? There are several reasons. For one, most Spells in TOW cast on an 8-10, so a Lvl 1-2 Wizard is looking at around 50/50 odds, at best, to even be successful. This means they'll spend half their time doing nothing. On top of that, they're at a modifier disadvantage when it comes to Dispelling, reducing their odds of helping the army even further. This is on top of having less Spells, a smaller Dispel range (for the smaller Wizards) and other drawbacks that are hard-coded into the game.
For two, what is the role of the secondary, tertiary, etc. Wizard going to be? They can't operate within 24" of the enemies Lvl 4 because as I already pointed out, their odds of actually casting takes a nosedive. You also can't rely on them to have a very specific Spell, such as an Enchantment/Hex, because less Spells means less games where you get that result (barring a Signature Spell). This relegates the model to the flanks, where it can avoid the 24" Dispel range of its opposition, but that comes with its own issues.
Putting a Character, especially such a weak one, on the flanks marks it as prey for Cavalry, Flyers, Chariots, Skirmishers, Shooting, etc. That necessitates a bodyguard of some sort: either a unit to join or at least something to break LoS/provide Look Out Sir! to it. The downside to this is that you're throwing even more points into the fray, trying to "fix" the issues with an already weak army choice. If you can guarantee that the Wizard gets a Spell that benefits said bodyguard, then it can work out, but only the Lore of Illusion and some army Lores allow for this.
Finally, we have to put all of this together as a whole. I'm investing ~100 points in a model that either goes in the bulk of my army but has a horrible chance to perform its role, due to Modifiers, or put it on the flank and invest yet more points to keep it safe while still not avoiding the issue of Modifiers. 24" is 1/3rd of the standard table size, and TOW is a static game as most Rank and File systems are. The opponent can simply push their Wizard to the side, a bit, and be in Dispel range of both Wizards. If you happen to have three Wizards then you can almost guarantee one will be out of Dispel range, except that Fated Dispel is still a thing. Don't forget that per the FAQ, multiple Wizards also lose effectiveness from certain Miscast results, another chink in the armor.
Army Composition
This is a larger topic, outside of the scope of this post in totality, but I'll brush the surface. In Editions past, players had to make a choice between a powerful Wizard and a powerful Leader/General. Wizards had worse Leadership, couldn't fight well, and were more fragile while offering better control over the Magic Phase in both offense and defense. That choice is eliminated in TOW as you can simply take both, and it's objectively correct to always AT LEAST take the Lvl 4 Wizard. Why? Because these models not almost always boast the same Leadership as the other option/s, their cost is normalized across factions, and keeping a Character alive is easier than ever.
Not only does this contribute to the worthlessness of Lvl 1-2 Wizards (who you used to rely on if you were taking a Lord level fighter) but it makes the game homogenous. As I've discussed elsewhere, competitively you will see a Character on Dragon + Lvl 4 in every faction that has that possibility because doing otherwise simply leads to a weaker army. Forcing a choice between these things would make for a more interesting game both in the list building phase and on the tabletop.
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All of these sub-topics combine to present a fairly anemic Magic system. There are many ways that the rules could be fixed, but I try not to dwell on things that are EXTREMELY unlikely to happen. The game is the game, take it or leave it, and overly complex or intrusive community rules will never take hold. On the other hand, I've heard some suggest simply taking no Wizards at all and using the points elsewhere, which is incredibly short-sighted. This would give the opponent free reign, especially if they have a Lvl 4, and put your army at a huge disadvantage. The less than 200 (usually) points you recover from not buying the Character cannot possibly make up for that as Enchantments/Hexes swing entire combats and decide games.
For now, the only real skill element to Magic is being able to alter your plans on the fly as Spells actually resolve. I never, ever expect or plan for a Spell to work for me during a game, I only look at the possibilities that will open up if that comes to pass. Doing anything else will lead to loss after loss from taking bad fights, being out of position, and so on. This is why I take a Lore Familiar as, other than items that grant extra Spells, it gives the most flexibility with respect to having the possibility of Magic being useful.
Before I fall into Vortexes, I'll touch on items like the Power Scroll. There are a fair few items which make casting a spell more likely, but I rate them poorly. Even something like the Beastmen Plague Chalice, is ultimately a non-skill gamble. You can roll more dice, you can have good things happen on specific rolls, but none of that is reliable or continual. Are you going to put a unit in a bad position, hoping to roll doubles to bail them out? If so, you'll lose some percentage of games based off of that decision alone. I wouldn't say shelling out a few points for these items is without merit, but I'd still never rely on them in serious play because the risk outweighs the reward.
Spinning Into the Vortex
As a category of Spell, Magical Vortexes have been discussed quite a lot since TOW released. This ostensible newness has some players questioning if they're too powerful, or have a negative impact on the game. My opinion is just the opposite, I find almost all Magical Vortexes to be among the weakest Spells available. Why? I'm so glad you asked.
Like all Spells, a Magical Vortex must be successfully cast, and I already discussed the problems with that in annoyingly exhaustive detail. These fantastical templates take it a step further though, providing the opponent a second opportunity to Dispel them and at times, before the Vortex actually does anything. Most of these Spells move at the start of turn, before a Dispel can happen, but the attempt to unmake them still occurs before charges and other movement. As a Remains in Play, this Dispel is against the Spell's casting value, typically easy prey for a Lvl 4 (which you should expect to see, as also discussed). Vortexes can also be banished in several other ways, such as killing or forcing the caster to flee.
On top of all that, most Vortexes move in a random direction and many can hurt your units just as readily as enemy units: you have no control. I think this was a big misstep: being able to choose the direction for the first move, ala Fanatics, would be more interesting and useful. So we have a Spell that has to be cast, has to survive a Dispel or the caster being imperiled, and then has to move where you want it. Yikes.
To make matters worse, the effects are simply not often worth jumping over all those hurdles. Some small amount of auto Hits at a mid-tier Strength and AP OR Dangerous Terrain are often the primary reward, which is pretty pathetic in my humble opinion. In fairness, some have legitimately powerful effects, foremost of which for me is Phantasmagoria. Still, very few rise to this level of even being worth the bother and I'd almost always rather just have a Magic Missile.
I recognize that not everything in the game has, or needs, a competitive purpose. Magical Vortexes are fun for many, the randomness is the point and seeing 3+ Templates drifting along the table is worth a chuckle. I'm speaking competitively, which is worth keeping in mind, not casually, and in that light Magic Vortexes are often the worst Spell in a given Lore. Magic is random enough, adding another layer and expecting something good to happen is nothing more than a scratch off ticket that pays out exactly what you spent.
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So, those are my thoughts on Magic. It's a weak part of the rules and in many actual games, but it's not useless or to be ignored. As the level of play evolves I expect it to become a thorn in the side more often than not, since continually winning casting rolls can snowball quickly with the right Enchantments and Hexes. Zooming out, this is really no different than one player making more Armor Saves than the other, or any other element where only dice matter. Typically I like when the role of dice is minimized as far as possible, but again I am a competitive player and the game is not written for my preferences alone. I find what we have to be an acceptable if unexciting middle-ground, I've dealt with much worse. Perhaps the role of Magic will grow and change in the coming months or years, who knows, but for now this is what it is. Take your Lvl 4 Wizard, leave the rest at home, and hope for the best.
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