Infernal Zoo – What Makes It Special!

Infernal Zoo is probably the most unique event I have been to.  This will be the second year for it, and it’s a blast.  It’s a not quite Storms of Magic event, taking the monster aspect and ditching the magic bullshit.  There are still scrolls of binding, but they cannot be unbound.  Last year I didn’t take it seriously, and just took a monster list.  I don’t recall the exact list, but it was basically two abominations and three Brood Horrors.

Army construction is a normally constructed 2000 point army with 500 points of monsters from either Storms of Magic or Monstrous Arcanum.  For every unit taken in that 500 point selection, 1 wizard must be taken.  There are consequences for that wizard dying.  In addition, if the monster unit is also a wizard (as some dragons and others are); either that unit or the parent unit miscasting requires that BOTH of them roll on the table – ouch.  Just with the loss of power dice that is going to wreck your magic phase.  What is also means is that you need to leave points in your 2000 point army for at least 1 wizard to even have access to the additional 500 points.

While the event doesn’t allow the items from either of the supplemental books, the event does have a list of its own magic items.  Originally, as it was last year, the magic items were out of the 2000 points.  Later in the process it was switched to come out of the 500 points (though still not allowing a character to have two in a category).  I think this is a better place to put them.  Lots of the monsters don’t add up to a clean 500 points, and having a few ways to use up those extra points is a good bonus.  It is too bad that the magic banner still requires a character to be able to actually have a magic banner.

Magic Weapons:

Bizarro Hammer (50 points) – 2 hands, +2S, and once per game gives ASF and HKB

Whip of Bestial Subjugation (10 points) – Always wounds on 5+.  Causes monsters fear (on their own leadership), and effects monsters otherwise who wouldn’t be effected by fear

Magic Banner:

Banner of Pillowy Mist (25 points) – One use only.  All modes with “Fly” must take a dangerous terrain test or suffer D6 wounds.  All missile fire is -1 to hit.  All artillery scatters further (No BS correct for indirect fire, otherwise additional D3 inches).  Cannons shift their first point with a scatter die.  – This is basically a very weird Storm Banner.

Talisman:

LowKee’s Loadstone of Dubious Worth (5 points) – All models within 6” of the item that are hit by S5 or greater missile weapons get a look out sir.  Successful hits are applied to the bearer.  The bearer gets no saves and all shots become magical (screw you ethereal).

Enchanted Item:

Enrapturing Ball of FETCH! (15 points) – One Use Only.  At the beginning of your opponents turn, target a spot 18” away and fire like a stone thrower – all monsters, war beasts and monstrous cavalry (friend or foe) within 12” must take a leadership test using their base leadership (even if ITP).  If failed they must immediately attempt to make a normal move (including marching) into contact with that point.  If it lands on an enemy they will charge it possible.

These items add some interesting ideas.  The first year, the Ball of FETCH made monsters stupid within a certain range, including your own.  It suffered from post-errata dark elf anti magic ring (can’t think of name), in that it hurts you in the beginning and then you hope to get it into a position to hurt your opponent.  Now it has the chance to do something funny.  Last year the Bizarro Hammer (unchanged) was very popular, though I’m not sure how well it worked out for their users.  I didn’t take any of the special magic items, and am not going to again this year (though doubling Banner of Pillowy Mist and Storm Banner into one army would be very funny).

In addition to the game being win/loss, every round a special objective is chosen by each player and not revealed to the opponent until the end of the game.  They are all monster themed.

1.       Love Connection – have your contingent kill their contingent (2 for killing, 1 for only engaging)

2.       Mark the Territory – 2 points for having a contingent at tallest terrain feature at end of game, 1 point if it got there at any time

3.       Don’t Tread on my turf – 2 points for having a clear deployment zone, 1 point for having more units in your deployment zone then they do (Also gives your monsters ITP and auto pass reaction tests in your deployment zone)

4.       Fito Sick Balls – 2 points for killing opposing general, 1 point for just doing a wound to him (Also gives your monsters hatred versus the general)

5.       Feed the Beast – 2 points for destroying largest unit (with some weighting for unit type), 1 point for killing half the unit

6.       Top of Food Chain – 2 points for killing entire contingent, 1 point for killing half the points of contingent.

There is also a composition system for the event, which is used in the first two round’s pairings and added into some of the scores.  It will be judge subjective comp, but they did provide some guidelines to keep in mind.

Things that will tend to knock DOWN your score (down is bad):

Multiple monsters costing 300 points

Ethereal units of more than 200 points
VP denial
Multiples of same rare choice that’s more than 100 points
More than 2 S9 artillery pieces
3 of the same special choices
More than 50 BS shots
More than three warmachines

Things that will help knock your score UP:

Multiple monsters with no save

Themed army
All core army (huh?)
No rare choices
Overpriced units
Zoo contingent themed with army (yay brood horrors!)
Flying monsters characters with no save