Warhammer: The Old World Is A Pricey Bet For Players And Games Workshop<br>

Warhammer: At last, the Old World arrives. With a January 20 release date and an immediate pre-order period, it has old school enthusiasts hankering after the flavor of Brettonian heraldry and Khemri bones. Games Workshop is fully supporting the relaunched specialist game, including enormous army boxes, unique sleeves, reference cards, and rulebooks.

Since Age of Sigmar, this is most likely Games Workshop’s largest single release. Even the plastic Warhammer 30K units have been drip-fed to supporters rather than appearing all at once, and Legions Imperialis only received one solo box. Naturally, there are still a lot of armies left for The Old World, but the most of them may already substitute for their existing variety of figures in the system.

For the first time in years, Games Workshop is giving fresh army boxes to both Bretonnians and Tomb Kings, the two races who were eliminated when they destroyed the entire Warhammer Fantasy realm and switched to Age of Sigmar. At a whopping £175, this Warhammer box may be the largest I have ever handled in my hands.

Still, there’s only one new model therein. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Necrolith Bone Dragon is awesome, but you’re spending a lot of money on a lot of miniatures that are 20 years old. This might work well for you if you want to build a brand-new army, but it might not feel like such a good deal if you’re a seasoned Tomb Kings player from the Fantasy era. It’s an army in a box, but with all the trappings that comes with being an army from two decades ago.



Naturally, a lot of people are demanding precisely this. The models have a charmingly nostalgic vibe, but as someone who only played Fantasy during the last ten years of its existence, I find that the static skeletons are a step down from the dynamic stances of more recent games. But, if you’re come to this release for the old school rules, they fit on movement trays (now priced at £25), work well for regimental warfare, and fit wonderfully in confined places with static positions and arms clasped to the sides of skeletal bodies. Even if it means that they can only fit on the trays in a specific order, I can’t help but think that I’ll spend some time making the rank-and-file troops a little more intriguing.

The new character is quite good. The skeletal wings of the skeleton dragon look fantastic, though I’m still not convinced about its skull. The Liche Priest, the character on top, is a brilliant example of combining retro aesthetics with contemporary miniature design. Although it makes a suitable centerpiece for the army, I don’t think everyone will find it appealing. The Lord on Pegasus, the alternative model for Bretonnians, is more palatable and better complements the army’s current design.

I have not had time to construct or paint the models since I acquired this box from Games Workshop two days prior to the embargo.

The Skeletal Dragon (not to be confused with the far more awesome Zombie Dragon) is a kit that consists of two sizable (about A4 size) sprues, and it comes with two alternative rider options: Tomb King or Liche Priest, the latter of which can be built on foot in case the dragon is not being ridden.

Everything about this is a gamble. Fans who wish to own every release for one of the two armies will have to take a risk by spending close to £3,000. If not, the army crates would cost much more. At least the rulebook is included. It’s also a risk for Games Workshop, though.



Because Warhammer Fantasy wasn’t selling well enough, GW decided to discontinue making it. Since Bretonnians and Tomb Kings were the least popular armies in Age of Sigmar, they were dropped. It’s a specialized side-release rather than a component of the main game, so expectations won’t be the same as for The Old World, but it’s obvious that a lot of work went into this release. Resurrecting old molds, which will be more difficult to work with than their contemporary equivalents, creating new rulebooks and packaging, and essentially releasing a completely new game system—albeit one that bears a striking resemblance to Warhammer Fantasy—must have been an inexpensive process.

For both fans and Games Workshop, the Old World will be a costly gamble, and there will be unimaginable outcry should the firm decide to give it up again in a few years. However, it’s fantastic that gamers can use Games Workshop models to play a very different, more traditional, and tactical wargame, and I hope this will be the case for many more years to come.