With the 'new and improved' goblin slingers, do they battle back with the spiked shot? And as long as I am looking for clarification, do they get to use the spiked shot point blank (melee) in general?

I would assume the updated Weapon Summary card that it mentions in the Horrific Horde announcement is in fact the card we've been using for the past 11 months or so from the Support section of the Battlelore page.

Also, since the Spiked Shot rules don't say anything about "ranged combat" (all they say is "increase the number of battle dice rolled"), I always assumed that the Spiked Shot applies at point blank as well as ranged - especially since the maximum distance between the two is 1 hex

Same assumption on my part - but not on some of my playing partners

For what it's worth, we always allow spiked shot on battle back.

If any weapon effect (such as Bonus Strike rolled from Crossbows or Arbalasts) does not take effect at PB Range, then it is the Game's convention to say explicitly that. So that's why I've always played (in the 3 or 4 games I've used slingers....lol) as though Spiked Shot takes effect as long as the Goblins haven't moved, per the rules card.

So anytime someone tries to disagree, just ask them to show you anywhere it says Spiked Shot can't be used at PB. They won't be able to and you can say "In yo face!" or something along those lines.

Also, sorry for the double post, but Richard Borg has mentioned on occasion that "the simplest interpretation is probably the right interpretation" or something along those lines. So if the card says something, I just take it to mean what it says unless explicitly stated otherwise by another card or somewhere in official online errata. If the Goblin Slingers haven't moved (Ie. if they haven't retreated, in which case they can't Battle Back anyway), take the extra d.

I'd also just like to say, in the spirit of the game, it's not like DnD or some RPG game where you have 6 seconds per turn - the field of Battlelore represent whole armies clashing - most battles are fought over at least minutes, sometimes hours, so for a turn to represent a finite amount of time is, I think, an unrealistic mechanic. So whereas in DnD, "Spiked Shot" might represent a full-round action that you wouldn't be able to take if your attack was a reaction to something; in Battlelore, you can picture Goblin Slingers firmly planted in the ground, withstanding blows from an oncoming Infantry unit, and then those that survive the onslaught hurl their stones with all the force they can muster, striking the nearby swordsmen at a lethal distance.

Hope that helps.