Warhammer Review
Warhammer Review
Warhammer
Fantasy Battle 6th Edition
Published by Games Workshop
50UK pounds - 74.99US Dollar - 100CAN Dollar - Boxed Game Starter set with rulebook,
plastic Citadel Miniatures, card building, templates & dice
25UK pounds - 44.99US Dollar - 60CAN Dollar Warhammer Rulebook
Oooo... This is a biggie. Warhammer Fantasy Battle is perhaps the most successful hobby fantasy game ever. Enabling us all to fight it out with massed ranks of Dwarfs, Elves, Lizardmen, Undead and humans in a desperate battle for survival and surpremacy (sorry going into blurb writing again). This gaming system is now into its 6th evolution since its beginnings back in the about early 80's. Now though breaking with tradition and following its younger sister game Warhammer 40,000 you can get either the Warhammer Fantasy Battle boxed starter set (including the rulebook and everything you need to get started in the game) or for us more knarly veterans who have far too many armies, templetes, range rulers, dice than we know what to do with - you can get the Rulebook by itself. A quick thank you to everyone who provided me the information about the availability of the Rulebook in Canada and the USA.
So what has changed? What makes this edition so different to the others that a brand new release was called for? Well for one, the armies have changed - not dramatically just there is greater emphasis on Troops over rock hard heroes. Which being a Lizardman player is a relief I can tell you. Also Magic is included within the same volume and it despenses with all those tricky power cards and with waiting three months for the magic supplement. Instead you have spells suited to your race. The spells are cast using a Power dice pool (huzzah! the power cards are dead!) and you have to roll over the spells difficulty to cast it - a little like the Mordheim casting system.
The biggest change over Warhammer 5th edition is the imagery - its got darker. Gone are the comical illustrations that featured throughout the old Warhammer and in are dark foreboding pictures, showing a grim reality and a very dangerous Warhammer world. Mordheim set the tone of these style of illustations and its great to see Warhammer 6th edition carry the imagery further. The Warhammer World just got dark again.
As
I mentioned before you can get Warhammer two ways in the box or just the
rulebook. For all you guys (and gals) out there who are thinking of
starting playing Warhammer. I recommend the Warhammer Starter boxed set
with two complete starter armies - the stalwart Empire Soldiers and the
other the brutal crude Orcs. As ever Games Workshop has produced some
fantastic plastic Citadel Minatures not just troops but command sections
as well! The Orc chariot is fantastic little kit and you get loads extras
little bits with the Empire Artillery piece. These are two complete armies
with Generals that are not card board cut outs (remember Warhammer 4th
edition - and that box set was as revolution!). Also within the boxed set
you get range rulars, templates, dice, a rather nifty card building and of
course the rulebook. A nice little starter set, I've also heard rumours
that GW will be switching the armies in the starter set now and again. So
you wont be limited to just Empire or Orc armies to begin with.
Of course though the main component is the Rulebook and its lovely.
Comes with a nice engraved leather look making this Warhammer look very
different to any other edition before it. Inside its lavishly illustrated
and has some very comprehensive rules - looks like the design team are
really trying to nail down some of the more crazy rule interpretations.
The colour sections are nice taking you through how to wargame, paint your
Citadel Miniatures, make scenery and collect armies. Also each Warhammer
race has a page or two devoted to them showing off some new great looking
Citadel Miniatures which I have no doubt GW will make us all wait for.
I only have one major disappointment and its my constant gripe about the current style of GW products. The rulebook has only about 20 pages devoted to the Warhammer background. Considering how well fleshed out the Warhammer world is (Almost surpassing Middle Earth and Tolkien in detail) this was a major disappointment. Apparently White Dwarf is going to take up some of this background short fall along with a make do army list for all your Warhammer armies - until their army books come out. Although this all nice to know I cannot shake the feeling that its not quite right. Miss the issue of White Dwarf and you cannot use your army of choice. Plus what about all the new gamers that the Starter set is set up to recruit - perhaps they don't want to have an Empire or Orc army?
Anyhow to sum up its a good edition and far surpasses any of the older Warhammer gaming systems. You have two options for the beginner with the Starter set and just the Rulebook for us veterans. Nice to have an army list in the main rulebook and some more background. I for one though cannot wait to get playing - time to change my army and those Orc chariots look good.
Flaming
Skulls for the Warhammer Rulebook
Flaming
Skulls for the Warhammer Starter set
