Josef Bugman

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Bugman's label, win enabled.

"Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health."

– Thomas Jefferson

Josef Bugman. One of the oldest characters who existed in a Games Workshop property, surpassed only by the White Dwarf himself. Created in the age before there was a Warhammer 40,000 or any modern character. He exists within the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

A long time ago, in a decade far far away (the late 1970's) the Warhammer Fantasy setting was first being put to paper. Among the first characters ever produced, Bugman was sculpted and released along with his forces, Bugman's Dwarf Rangers, in 1983 by Alan and Michael Perry themselves. Proving to be extremely popular, the character carried into second edition where the Warhammer World was first given a description. From that point on, Bugman was a centerpiece of the Warhammer Fantasy setting. His ale, Bugman's XXXXXX, was featured at various times in Warhammer fluff and in real life a bar takes on his name.

The Legend

The long and short of it is that Josef Bugman is the former Master Brewmaster of the now-destroyed Dragonback Dwarf Clan, who owned themselves a very profitable brewery in the Grey Mountains, outside of the auspices of any existing dwarfhold. One day, whilst Josef was off delivering ale to the Emperor, his brewery was attacked by a Goblin raiding band, who killed or enslaved all of his family, friends, workers and neighbors and destroyed the brewery. Driven mad with the need for vengeance (though normally, a dwarf would choose to become a slayer), Josef and the fellow survivors of the Bugman Brewer village have since roamed the land as vengeful raiders, killing goblins and other dwarf-foes wherever they meet and occasionally joining dwarf armies on the march.

The destruction of Bugman's Brewery was the centerpiece of the early White Dwarf campaign called "Bugman's Lament", which placed the blame for the assault on the Night Goblins Big Boss Git Guzzler, who was shamefully abandoned into the mists of history by GW until Git unexpectedly made an appearance in the Total War: Warhammer 2 DLC “The Warden and the Paunch” facing off against Grom the Paunch.

In the End Times

Alongside Gotrek Gurnisson, Josef Bugman stands as Grombrindal's shield-bearer at the final battle for the world.

Age of Sigmar

While not shown up in person, there are rumours in the lore that he is still alive and he may have remade his brewery; The Kharadron Overlords Battletome reveals that Bugman's Ale is still a thing, although whether Bugman himself is alive in some capacity is up in the air.

He supposedly has a descendant named Brewmaster General Jakkob Bugmansson XI, a famed Kharadron whose mini acted as GW's 2020 holiday exclusive. He would later appear as a central NPC for the Age of Sigmar Roleplay module Trouble Brewing, where he visits the city of Brightspear to lead a New Year's pub crawl and share a keg of his famous Bugman's XXXXXX ale - a brew worth so much that one of several interested parties might plan on stealing for their own nefarious purposes. The Module expands a little on him, confirming that the recipe for his ale does indeed hail from the World-That-Was and that he sells it to several Kharadron skyports and a few free cities in order for a hefty sum.

Blood Bowl

Bugman has a model and rules in the Blood Bowl universe, and is also in the fluff meaning he's a multiversal constant.

Owner of many teams and pitches, with his company serving as the main alcohol vendor and advertiser at ALL Blood Bowl games, he's synonymous with the game. Sometimes he decides to take over as coach, and sometimes even takes the field to play. His teams are the Dwarf, Halfling, Norse, Human, Amazon and Ogre teams, and he can take the field as a Star Player for any of them.

On The Tabletop

6e

Josef Bugman is a Hero choice who costs 155 points and who must be fielded as part of a unit of Longbeard Rangers, who represent his Bugman's Rangers - this unit doesn't use up slots for Longbeards or Rangers, but does count towards Core Troop choices. He has M3 WS6 BS5 S4 T5 W2 I4 A3 Ld10 for his stats and carries a rune-axe (Rune of Cleaving, Rune of Fury), a crossbow, gromril armor, a shield, and the Bugman's Tankard (Bugman and any unit containing him are Immune to Fear and Terror, if not in close combat Bugman or one model in his unit may regain one lost wound). He has the Scout special rule

8e

Josef Bugman is a Hero choice who costs 165 points and has M3 WS6 BS5 S5 T5 W2 I4 A4 Ld10 for his stats. He has the universal special rules Ancestral Grudge, Relentless, Resolute and Scouts, and the following unique special Rules.

Bugman's Rangers allows a single unit of Rangers in the army to be upgraded to Bugman's Rangers at the cost of +3 points per model. This gives them WS5, BS4 and S4, but it means Josef Bugman must be deployed as part of that unit and cannot leave it.

Liquid Fortification means Bugman and a unit he is attached to will guzzle some of his stockpiled brews at the start of each friendly turn. Roll a 2D6; on a 2, they're Flammable; on a 3-9, they are Stubborn, and on a 10-12, they get +1 Toughness.

Stout Courage means Bugman is Immune to Fear/Terror and he gives this ability to any unit he joins.

He carries the runic axe Ol' Trustworthy (magic weapon, armor piercing, +1 to Strength and Attacks - already included in his profile), Bugman's Tankard (Enchanted item; Bugman or one model in a unit bugman has joined can drink at the start of a friendly turn to regain D3 lost Wounds), gromril armor, a dwarf crossbow, and a shield.

In Total Warhammer

Bugman himself personally does not make a appearance inside Creative Assembly's virtual adaptation, but his Bugman's Rangers are available as a surprisingly-not-unique unit that you can get as many as you want in any Dwarf armies. Better Rangers in a lot of ways with better melee stats, charge defence against large, immunity to psychology, and Liquid Fortification being represented as health regeneration while out of melee combat, Bugman's Rangers will be able to outlast most ranged units (especially if they skirmish and retreat while the enemy is reloading to better ensure the unit's individual dwarfs get healed up and don't die) and has a decent ability to hold against cavalry attacks if needed.

Bugman's Brewery can also be rebuilt in Karak Zorn, granting -25% construction cost and -1 time for Ranger Barracks and Hostelry buildings in all regions, +4 recruit rank and -30% recruitment cost for Ranger units built in the province, -5% upkeep cost for all of your Ranger Units, +10 public order to the province, and logically 100 kegs of the Dwarf beer trade resource. The description outright says that's Josef Bugman's still satifying his grudge though - rebuilding it has not settled things.

Gallery

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  The original Josef Bugman model. As he was pre-slotta, this has been rebased.

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  The original Warhammer Dwarfs.

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  Original artwork of Bugman's Rangers.

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  The Forgeworld Bugman set for Blood Bowl. One version as your team coach, the other as a Star Player.