For some time now, the loudest applause, most raucous cheering, and fan anticipation at Games Workshop events, both gaming and previews, has been for Warhammer The Old World (closely followed by Horus Heresy). What started out as a Forge World side project, something they very much needed after ceding much of the Horus Heresy to Games Workshop proper, has now become a juggernaut. With the original Warhammer fans split when Age of $igmar took over from Warhammer, literally destroying the world many hobbyists had been in for decades, the return of an old favourite in a classic Fantasy setting has caused a storm. So much so that the small amount of resin minis and resin upgrade kits for the Age of $igmar line originally announced, has become a full-fledged reprinting of old miniatures (both plastic and metal) plus new resin from Forge World. Games Workshop have seen the potential, and grabbed it, bringing Warhammer the Old World into the main business like they did with Horus Heresy.
All that leads up to this week, where we get a huge first week of Warhammer The Old World - a veritable dump of minis, books, gaming accessories and more. In recent years some of these launch boxes have ended up being limited, so be aware that they may not last long!
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One thing that's come as a bit of a shock is the pricing. It will be interesting to see how this is accepted by the Community. One example is the Tomb Guard, who previously retailed for $69 AUD, and in the new era is close to double that. The pricing of the two new Core Sets have also drawn the ire of many, considering they include 95% older models - which to be fair Games Workshop claims to have retooled, but as the sprues look the same, this seems less likely.
All that leads up to this week, where we get a huge first week of Warhammer The Old World - a veritable dump of minis, books, gaming accessories and more. In recent years some of these launch boxes have ended up being limited, so be aware that they may not last long!
-
One thing that's come as a bit of a shock is the pricing. It will be interesting to see how this is accepted by the Community. One example is the Tomb Guard, who previously retailed for $69 AUD, and in the new era is close to double that. The pricing of the two new Core Sets have also drawn the ire of many, considering they include 95% older models - which to be fair Games Workshop claims to have retooled, but as the sprues look the same, this seems less likely.
++ Delivery Fulfillment on the Week-of 10/02/24 ++
Probably the hottest ticket this week will be the Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook, a 352 page tome full of lore about the World of Legend, the rules for the game, plus a system for making your battles and skirmishes into epic campaigns of conquer and defence.
Unlike most Games Workshop launches which have a Team A vs Team B boxed set, this time we get two themed Army boxes with enough minis to actually start the game... and potentially sit in your pile of shame for decades!
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First off, lets look at the much-anticipated return of the Bretonnians with their Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Kingdom of Bretonnia Edition. This box includes 75 classic plastic Citadel miniatures, led by the brand new plastic Lord of Bretonnia on Royal Pegasus. The Core Set also includes joined by the core rulebook, a reference sheet, dice, templates, measuring sticks, and a transfer sheet. The Core Sets for both sides are supplemented by more minis to flesh out your new army, with the new Battle Standard Bearer on Royal Pegasus heading the charge. He's supported by the classic Pegasus Knights set of three Knights (on noticeably smaller Pegasus, one must note). There's also some very classic minis, with the Grail Knights and Grail Knights Command Mounted, Mounted Yeomen and Mounted Yeomen Command sets back - these are so classic that they are metal troops on and plastic horses! There's a classic metal set too, with the Battle Pilgrims and Grail Reliquae making a return from the ether. Forge World get some love, with three character sets - the Handmaiden of the Lady, the excellent Battle Standard Bearer on Foot and Mounted, and the fantastic Questing Knight Paladin with Great Weapon. All great choices - not a crappy mini in the lot. Mind you, Foundry miniatures, who have some of the older Bretonnian minis in their collection now, must be very excited to have customers after miniatures from this era.
Each side in this conflict are also getting two supplements - with the "good guys" getting the Forces of Fantasy, which contains army lists for the Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the Empire of Man, the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Wood Elf Realms, and the High Elf Realms. You'll find rules for every unit in the army, plus faction rules, unique spells, and magic items (welcome back to the wizards of Warhammer!).
The second supplement is Arcane Journal: Kingdom of Bretonnia, which delves specifically into the background of Bretonnia, new rules, characters and two "Armies of Infamy".
What would this release be without the Kingdom of Bretonnia Reference Cards and Dice Set too.
Alrighty, it's onto the flipside to the "good", with the quintessential "bad" - the much-loved Tomb Kings. We start with the Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Tomb Kings of Khemri Edition, containing more bones than you can shake a leg at. Effectively a balanced force of melee and ranged, backed by cavalry, the Tomb Kings of Khemri boxed set, contains the same game aids (but no transfers which would have been awesome to have), 91 classic plastic Citadel miniatures, and two new minis – the Tomb Prince, and a Liche Priest riding a huge Necrolith Bone Dragon. This is a great set, but be aware there isn't a one of variety here, plus these are the old skeletons, so they have those big bobble heads. Simply swap them out with skulls from the Skulls set (which is what we did) and you're laughing!
Like their human enemies, the "bad guys" have their own supplements, starting with Ravening Hordes which covers the Orc and Goblin Tribes, Warriors of Chaos, Beastmen Brayherds, and the Tomb Kings of Khemri.
The second supplement is Arcane Journal: Tomb Kings of Khemri, which features rules for magic items, rules for three heroes of the dead, rules for two Armies of Infamy – the Nehekharan Royal Hosts and the Mortuary Cult, plus full profiles for all the Bone Boys (and Bone Girls). Of course there is also get the history of the Tomb Kings and their homeland, the subtly named Land of the Dead.
In miniatures, the Tomb Kings are well supplied, with the classic Settra the Imperishable in metal and plastic, a brand new excellent-looking Tomb King and Battle Standard Bearer in resin, the classic (and once very rare and expensive) Tomb Guard, the classic Sepulchral Stalkers/ Necropolis Knights combi-kit, another hugely anticipated set, the Necrosphinx/ Khemrian Warsphinx combi-kit, a classic metal Liche Priest, a metal kit in much need of an update, the Ushabti, and a new Tomb Swarms kit which is interestingly using the old style skeleton heads rather than the current style.
Of course there are the Tomb Kings of Khemri Reference Cards and themed Dice Set too.
Now away from the two sides and onto the more general Warhammer the Old World products, we have a generic Warhammer: The Old World Dice Set, a Lore of Magic Reference Cards set, a Common Magic Items Reference Cards set, and some rather handy Card Sleeves.
Warhammer: The Old World sees the return of square and rectangular bases - much to the chagrin of those who rebased their armies on round bases when Age of $igmar came out. There has been a change though, with many of the bases being larger than those used for past versions of the game. Therefore, fellow traveler, you may need to pick up one of the new Base Sets. There are 11 sets, with bases from 25mm squares, up to large rectangles for the biggest monsters in the game. With Warhammer The Old World being a game of ranked units rather than skirmishing, the Modular Movement Trays are all-important. This set allows you to add individual minis to a unit and move them all at once. In the old days, people used to do some amazing mini dioramas for units, so go nuts and give it a go, we certainly will be. The two trays in each set are 200x200mm and include various side edging, ready to be assembled. Honestly, this game is much simpler with movement trays, so if you're gaming - these are an absolute must! For us, as we chatted amongst ourselves getting all hyped, the mini diorama for units is one of the most exciting aspects. Hopefully we'll see some amazing people in the Community create absolute magic!
Now if you're like me and have zero sense of direction, then maybe you need this pretty Warhammer: The Old World – Map of the Old World. Rolled up in your pack, on your wall or as a cool playing surface for a game, this map is really very tempting!
Can I sense that there might be some sad Warhammer 40K players? Well fear not, you get some love this weekend too, with the Warhammer 40,000 Made to Order Experience (okay we added "experience" to jazz it up). During January a range of classic Warhammer 40,000 models will be available to order. Check these out - the Necron Overlord with staff of light, the Necron Overlord with a resurrection orb, a classic Necron Cryptek, the upgrade kit for the plastic Destroyer to turn them into a Destroyer Lord. For Space Marines there's Huron Blackheart Master of the Red Corsairs, and a metal Iron Warriors Warsmith. There's also some Forge World Made to Order, with Lugft Huron, Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, Sevrin Loth of the Red Scorpions and Honour Guard, plus Red Scorpions Regents of the Ordon Rift. Heavier firepower is there too with the Land Speeder Tempest and the Necron Sentry Pylon, plus the weapon option for the Seraptek Heavy Construct.
In books this week we have the Lords of the Lance in Special Edition and Hardback, The End Times: Fall of Empires collects the first two novels in the epic End Times saga – The Return of Nagash and The Fall of Altdorf, plus the prequel novella Sigmar’s Blood and a trio of short stories that showcase the beginning of the end - available in paperback. There's a new Gotrek Gurnisson novel, Blightslayer and it's a White Dwarf week with White Dwarf 496 on it's way!
Unlike most Games Workshop launches which have a Team A vs Team B boxed set, this time we get two themed Army boxes with enough minis to actually start the game... and potentially sit in your pile of shame for decades!
-
First off, lets look at the much-anticipated return of the Bretonnians with their Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Kingdom of Bretonnia Edition. This box includes 75 classic plastic Citadel miniatures, led by the brand new plastic Lord of Bretonnia on Royal Pegasus. The Core Set also includes joined by the core rulebook, a reference sheet, dice, templates, measuring sticks, and a transfer sheet. The Core Sets for both sides are supplemented by more minis to flesh out your new army, with the new Battle Standard Bearer on Royal Pegasus heading the charge. He's supported by the classic Pegasus Knights set of three Knights (on noticeably smaller Pegasus, one must note). There's also some very classic minis, with the Grail Knights and Grail Knights Command Mounted, Mounted Yeomen and Mounted Yeomen Command sets back - these are so classic that they are metal troops on and plastic horses! There's a classic metal set too, with the Battle Pilgrims and Grail Reliquae making a return from the ether. Forge World get some love, with three character sets - the Handmaiden of the Lady, the excellent Battle Standard Bearer on Foot and Mounted, and the fantastic Questing Knight Paladin with Great Weapon. All great choices - not a crappy mini in the lot. Mind you, Foundry miniatures, who have some of the older Bretonnian minis in their collection now, must be very excited to have customers after miniatures from this era.
Each side in this conflict are also getting two supplements - with the "good guys" getting the Forces of Fantasy, which contains army lists for the Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the Empire of Man, the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Wood Elf Realms, and the High Elf Realms. You'll find rules for every unit in the army, plus faction rules, unique spells, and magic items (welcome back to the wizards of Warhammer!).
The second supplement is Arcane Journal: Kingdom of Bretonnia, which delves specifically into the background of Bretonnia, new rules, characters and two "Armies of Infamy".
What would this release be without the Kingdom of Bretonnia Reference Cards and Dice Set too.
Alrighty, it's onto the flipside to the "good", with the quintessential "bad" - the much-loved Tomb Kings. We start with the Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Tomb Kings of Khemri Edition, containing more bones than you can shake a leg at. Effectively a balanced force of melee and ranged, backed by cavalry, the Tomb Kings of Khemri boxed set, contains the same game aids (but no transfers which would have been awesome to have), 91 classic plastic Citadel miniatures, and two new minis – the Tomb Prince, and a Liche Priest riding a huge Necrolith Bone Dragon. This is a great set, but be aware there isn't a one of variety here, plus these are the old skeletons, so they have those big bobble heads. Simply swap them out with skulls from the Skulls set (which is what we did) and you're laughing!
Like their human enemies, the "bad guys" have their own supplements, starting with Ravening Hordes which covers the Orc and Goblin Tribes, Warriors of Chaos, Beastmen Brayherds, and the Tomb Kings of Khemri.
The second supplement is Arcane Journal: Tomb Kings of Khemri, which features rules for magic items, rules for three heroes of the dead, rules for two Armies of Infamy – the Nehekharan Royal Hosts and the Mortuary Cult, plus full profiles for all the Bone Boys (and Bone Girls). Of course there is also get the history of the Tomb Kings and their homeland, the subtly named Land of the Dead.
In miniatures, the Tomb Kings are well supplied, with the classic Settra the Imperishable in metal and plastic, a brand new excellent-looking Tomb King and Battle Standard Bearer in resin, the classic (and once very rare and expensive) Tomb Guard, the classic Sepulchral Stalkers/ Necropolis Knights combi-kit, another hugely anticipated set, the Necrosphinx/ Khemrian Warsphinx combi-kit, a classic metal Liche Priest, a metal kit in much need of an update, the Ushabti, and a new Tomb Swarms kit which is interestingly using the old style skeleton heads rather than the current style.
Of course there are the Tomb Kings of Khemri Reference Cards and themed Dice Set too.
Now away from the two sides and onto the more general Warhammer the Old World products, we have a generic Warhammer: The Old World Dice Set, a Lore of Magic Reference Cards set, a Common Magic Items Reference Cards set, and some rather handy Card Sleeves.
Warhammer: The Old World sees the return of square and rectangular bases - much to the chagrin of those who rebased their armies on round bases when Age of $igmar came out. There has been a change though, with many of the bases being larger than those used for past versions of the game. Therefore, fellow traveler, you may need to pick up one of the new Base Sets. There are 11 sets, with bases from 25mm squares, up to large rectangles for the biggest monsters in the game. With Warhammer The Old World being a game of ranked units rather than skirmishing, the Modular Movement Trays are all-important. This set allows you to add individual minis to a unit and move them all at once. In the old days, people used to do some amazing mini dioramas for units, so go nuts and give it a go, we certainly will be. The two trays in each set are 200x200mm and include various side edging, ready to be assembled. Honestly, this game is much simpler with movement trays, so if you're gaming - these are an absolute must! For us, as we chatted amongst ourselves getting all hyped, the mini diorama for units is one of the most exciting aspects. Hopefully we'll see some amazing people in the Community create absolute magic!
Now if you're like me and have zero sense of direction, then maybe you need this pretty Warhammer: The Old World – Map of the Old World. Rolled up in your pack, on your wall or as a cool playing surface for a game, this map is really very tempting!
Can I sense that there might be some sad Warhammer 40K players? Well fear not, you get some love this weekend too, with the Warhammer 40,000 Made to Order Experience (okay we added "experience" to jazz it up). During January a range of classic Warhammer 40,000 models will be available to order. Check these out - the Necron Overlord with staff of light, the Necron Overlord with a resurrection orb, a classic Necron Cryptek, the upgrade kit for the plastic Destroyer to turn them into a Destroyer Lord. For Space Marines there's Huron Blackheart Master of the Red Corsairs, and a metal Iron Warriors Warsmith. There's also some Forge World Made to Order, with Lugft Huron, Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, Sevrin Loth of the Red Scorpions and Honour Guard, plus Red Scorpions Regents of the Ordon Rift. Heavier firepower is there too with the Land Speeder Tempest and the Necron Sentry Pylon, plus the weapon option for the Seraptek Heavy Construct.
In books this week we have the Lords of the Lance in Special Edition and Hardback, The End Times: Fall of Empires collects the first two novels in the epic End Times saga – The Return of Nagash and The Fall of Altdorf, plus the prequel novella Sigmar’s Blood and a trio of short stories that showcase the beginning of the end - available in paperback. There's a new Gotrek Gurnisson novel, Blightslayer and it's a White Dwarf week with White Dwarf 496 on it's way!
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