With around 3-4 tournaments each weekend, the data is gathering at a steady pace. However, all the events have been single day tournaments so far.
All of the current data are for events hosted on Best Coast Pairings, Stats and Ladders and Ecksen. Our thanks goes to these sites for their continued support with our stats projects.
The points size for one day events varies, but 2,000 points appears to be the most common limit at present. However, without any GW events having taken place yet, there are a few at smaller point values.
3 tournaments held no army lists and no reference to points limit
All of these results have been used in the stats to date. As we gather more data, we will begin to split out the Grand Tournaments from the rest of the pack. We may also split out the 2,000 point RTT (single day) events. But we’re happy to be led by the community on this. We would love suggestions as to what you would like to see.
Faction Data
We’ve chosen a minimum limit of 60 games featuring the faction, for them to be included in the statistics. With the games being drawn from single day events, this means it represents a minimum of 20 players per faction. This should provide a varied enough data set in terms of individual skill.
We calculate the win rates by adding the number of game wins and half their number of draws. We then divide the result by the factions total games to give a win percentage.
There are a number of factions who haven’t yet managed the 60 game target. These are;
Beastmen Brayherds – 55 Games Played Chaos Dwarfs – 27 Games Played Daemons of Chaos – 44 Games Played Dark Elves – 51 Games Played Lizardmen – 41 Games Played Ogre Kingdoms – 56 Games Played Skaven – 40 Games Played
I can reveal that out of the above, three of those factions are outside the ideal 45-55% win rate range.
So out of the gate, the stats look very good. Tomb Kingshave fallen from their 66% two weeks ago to 60%, but this is a good result. Especially considering this is a new system, and Games Workshop hasn’t done any balance updates as yet. Only four factions so far are outside the 45-55% win rate range. With two of those only marginally outside that bracket.
In terms of popularity, the Kingdom of Bretonnia is the most popular faction. Followed by the Orc and Goblin Tribes and Warriors of Chaos, both of which have always been popular in Warhammer Fantasy.
There we have it, is there any specific data you’d like to see included in the future? If so, drop us a comment below.
If you are the sort of player who names all of their heroes and units or makes decisions in battle based on how you think your general would behave – such as a heroic Priest of Sigmar sacrificing themselves to smite an agent of Chaos, or a cowardly skaven fleeing from danger – then narrative play is for you.
Narrative play thrusts you right into the exciting setting of the Old World and immerses you in its stories. It turns the heroes in your army into living and breathing warriors, each with their own ambitions and goals, and it puts you in the shoes of the general who leads them. Battles are no longer simply one-off games to be won or lost but part of an ongoing narrative. The story of your army is told with each victory your army earns and every defeat they suffer. Before long, you will have forged a rich and detailed history for your army that you will remember for years to come.
This system has been developed by myself and is a living document adapted heavily from and inspired by the Age of Sigmar Path to Glory system.
If you spot any issues, then please email thewoehammer@gmail.com or contact me on our discord
CHANGE LOG
6th February 2025: Numerous changes across the document, including:
Added a link to the Tomb Kings of Khemri Faction Battlepack
Added Cavalry, Behemoth and Swarms to the unit limit lists
Added the Stable territory for increasing Cavalry limits
Added the Titanic Menagerie territory for increasing War Beasts and Behemoth unit limits.
25th April 2024: A number of small changes across the set to keep it more in line with Old World;
Major Injury and Critical Injury changed to 1 wound and 50% wounds (rounding up) deducted at the start of the next game.
Breakthrough Battleplan, rules for leaving the table changed to a unit in contact with the board edge rather than wholly within 2″. Deployment zone for Invader also changed to start them further back and avoid flyers leaving the table on the first turn.
Battleplan: Hold or Die, 4th victory condition corrected to “Invader wins a minor victory”.
Battleplan: The Watchtower, wording changed for invader ransacking condition to “two of their consecutive turns”. Correction to the wording on when Guardian’s reinforcements arrive.
Battleplan Sudden Assault, scoring conditions changed to 1vp for the most units in a quarter rather than models. This is to avoid favouring horde armies.
Clarification of starting units and their size and being able to include command models added to the Starting units section.
27th March 2024: Updated graphics for battleplans as well as alignment of reinforcement rules with the Old World rulebook.
26th March 2024: Adjustment to the battleplan wordings around who takes first turn.
22nd March 2024: Clarification on Magic Items and their limits and how they are obtained. Also changes to the way in which spells are determined at each level.
19th March 2024: Changes to the starting limits of units. Added buildings. Adjustment to Wizards and Magic.
For many players, the core of narrative play is to link your battles into an ongoing story. This is called a campaign, and across the various books and supplements available for Warhammer: The Old World you can find many different types of campaign to play through. What draws players into playing campaigns is the idea that every battle fought will impact the next. For example, a victory may secure you extra supplies that you can bring to bear in a later fight, or a battle might see one of your heroes slain and permanently removed from your army, forcing you to reconsider and adapt your strategies.
Campaigns don’t have to be complicated. The simplest form of campaign is for two players to fight a series of battles in which they discuss the outcome of each battle and then choose a narratively suitable battleplan to be the next chapter in the conflict. Other players like to let their imaginations run wild and come up with maps and house rules for sprawling campaigns with a dozen or so players taking part, and that feature bespoke rules which govern how the armies manoeuvre, conquer territories and secure supply lines.
In this section, you will find the Conquest campaign system. Conquest campaign focuses on telling the story of your army. You will start off with a small domain of territories under your control that, as you fight battles, will grow into a mighty empire. You will be able to choose the quests your army embarks upon and fill up the vaults of your stronghold with all manner of artefacts of power and other tools of war.
The Conquest campaign system is one that the player can take with them wherever they go. Some players will have a regular group of gaming friends that they play with every weekend, while others may frequent a local games store or club and challenge a new opponent every time. Conquest caters for both of these types of players, and can even be used when you are attending a matched play tournament.
The Conquest campaign system will be expanded upon in a series of battlepacks available on Woehammer in the future. Each Conquest battlepack is set in a specific location in the Old World that allows your army to establish an outpost there, bringing your campaign and the story of your army to life in new ways. In addition, they are packed with additional quests for your army to embark upon, new battleplans to fight and a whole host of other rules. The battlepack system for Conquest is modular, meaning your opponent does not need to have the same battlepack for you to use all the content within.
In Conquest you will forge an epic ongoing narrative for your army. As you fight battles you will be able to marshal new warriors to your cause, conquer new lands and seize powerful artefacts with which to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies!
Conquest centres around storytelling in the Old World. Each battle you fight with your army is linked in an ongoing narrative called a Conquest campaign. During the campaign, your warriors will gain renown and veteran abilities for acts of valour, and they will suffer casualties and injuries upon defeat. You’ll embark upon quests to amass a vault of artefacts of power and other treasures, and you’ll be able to conquer territories and build a stronghold.
All the rules to get started with your Conquest campaign can be found on this page.
Here, you will find a blank Conquest roster. The Conquest roster is the record from which you will draw your army for each Conquest battle you fight.
The Conquest roster comprises of three pages, each with various sections. The first page includes details about your faction, your territory and stronghold, and your vault, where you can record the Magic Standards, Weapons and Items you earn during the campaign. The second page includes the order of battle, which is a record of all the units you can draw upon for each battle. Finally, the third page allows you to easily keep track of your Gold amount.
There are 4 steps to completing your Conquest roster, outlined below. Once you have a completed your Conquest roster, you can start challenging opponents to Conquest battles.
Below you will discover in more detail how to get your army ready to fight Conquest battles. For now, here is a handy summary of the steps involved.
STEP 1 – CHOOSE FACTION AND STARTING LOCATION The first step is to choose the faction of your Conquest army and its place of origin. You can choose any Warhammer Old World faction, including the legacy factions found on the Warhammer Community website. You can’t change your army’s faction later, unless you start again, so choose wisely!
STEP 2 – CHOOSE STARTING SIZE AND TERRITORIES The second step is to choose your starting points limit for your conquest army. Will you begin with a small force comprising just a hero and their retinue, or jump straight into the deep end with a large collection? Depending on your starting size, you will begin with a number of territories under your control, Each type of starting territory will allow you to include a different type of unit in your army, and as you wage war with your Conquest army, you will be able to bring more territories under your control and upgrade each of them to unlock powerful effects.
STEP 3 – ORDER OF BATTLE In this step, you will start adding units to your Conquest army, starting with your general. STEP 4 – PICK YOUR FIRST QUEST The final step is to pick your first quest – the goal that your army is trying to achieve. During each battle you fight, you will be able to further your current quest. Upon its completion, you will gain a reward such as a bonus magic item or a free unit. After you complete this step, your army will be ready to begin its Conquest campaign!
The first step is to pick 1 faction for your Conquest army and note it down on your Conquest roster. Each faction will have its own Arcane Journal or will be available in the Ravening Hordes, Forces of Good army books. Once you start fighting Conquest battles, your faction cannot be changed, so choose wisely. Once you have chosen your faction, choose the location your army hails from – Nuln, Border Princes, Karak Eight Peaks etc – and write this information on your roster.
The location you choose has no rules impact on your army but really adds to its character. Alternatively, your army might hail from somewhere outside the Old World, such as Naggaroth, Ulthuan or Cathay!
STEP 2 – CHOOSE STARTING SIZE AND STARTING TERRITORIES
There are four starting sizes to choose from: Vanguard, Brigade, Division and Army. Each of the starting sizes gives you a number of starting territories and a stronghold, a points limit and unit limit to follow when first adding units to your order of battle, and a number of starting Gold. Pick 1 of the starting sizes from the table below:
Starting Size
Starting Territories
Points Limit
Unit Limit
Starting Gold
Vanguard
1
500
6
5
Brigade
1
1000
8
8
Division
2
1500
12
10
Army
3
2000
16
12
The starting size you choose is entirely up to you, and because each battle you fight has a points limit agreed by you and your opponent, picking a larger size doesn’t give an advantage over a player who picks a smaller starting size. Instead, players should think about the types of battles they wish to fight and how they want to develop their collection. For some players, they may wish to start with a small band of warriors that grows into a massive army over time. For others, they may wish to jump right into the deep end and fight Conquest battles at 2000 points, or to start somewhere in between the two.
Once you have chosen your starting size, you must pick your starting territories from the table below and add them to your Conquest roster.
Before you pick your starting territories, it is recommended you read through step 3 to understand how these territories will shape the units you can add to your order of battle on your roster.
Starting Territory
Basic Effect
Old Keep: This lonely keep and the lands around it are ruled by a powerful vassal to your domain.
Increase the CHARACTERS limit on your order of battle by 1.
Wild Lands: This desolate region is home to all manner of savage beasts.
Increase your MONSTROUS unit limit on your order of battle by 1.
Stable: A small stable where the mounts for your cavalry are raised.
Increase your CAVALRY unit limit on your order of battle by 1.
Forgotten Mine: The resources of this territory an be harnessed to attract the rarest of units to your cause.
Increase your SPECIAL unit limit on your order of battle by 1.
Wizards Tower: Ley lines of eldritch power coalesce here.
Allows WIZARDS to be included in your Order of Battle at level 2.
Small Settlement: A modest settlement has been nought under your control.
Increase the RARE unit limit on your order of battle by 1.
Ancient Road: Your allies can swiftly come to your aid with these roads under your control.
Increase the ALLIED AND/OR MERCENARY unit limit on your order of battle by 1.
Armoury: A skilled blacksmith can forge any weapon.
Increase the WAR MACHINE AND/OR CHARIOT unit limit by 1.
Titanic Menagerie:Great beasts of War and huge Behemoths are kept here at the pleasure of the General.
Increase the BEHEMOTHAND/OR WAR BEASTS unit limit by 1.
Bazaar: This trader boasts a fine collection of magical items.
Increase the MAGIC ITEM limit by 1.
Some units may take up multiple slots at once. For example, having MONSTROUS CAVALRY in your army would require you to have both the Stable territory and the Wild Lands territory.
In addition to your starting territories, you begin your campaign with a stronghold. Your stronghold gives you the following benefits:
STRONGHOLD
Territories: You can control up to 3 territories at once. Barracks: Your stronghold can have up to 3 barracks. Outposts: You can establish up to 1 outpost.
As your campaign progresses, you will have the chance to upgrade your stronghold to an Imposing Stronghold and then a Mighty Stronghold.
Once you begin fighting battles, you will have the chance to bring more territories under your control, including those not found on this list. In addition, you will be able to spend Gold to upgrade any of the territories you control. For a full list of territories and the bonuses of upgrading them, see the Territories table.
Your Conquest roster includes many spaces to give names to things, such as your army, your stronghold and each of your territories. While this serves no rules function, adding names can really help add to build immersion and tell the story of your army. Names can also be used to theme your domain to your army. For example, the ‘forgotten mine’ controlled by a Dwarfen Mountain Holds army could actually be a hidden stream of Mithril. You can find inspiration for names in your Arcane Journal and in the books published by Black Library.
Gold is the currency of Conquest, and during your campaign, you will be able to both earn and spend it. As you do so, you will need to keep a total of your current balance of Gold on your Conquest roster. Each time you spend Gold, deduct the amount from your Gold total.
You will find out more about earning and spending Gold in the aftermath sequence. For now, note down your starting value of Gold on your roster.
The next step is to populate the order of battle on your roster with units. On the order of battle you will find a series of order of battle limits. These limits will dictate what types of units and how many of them you can have on your order of battle at any time. The total units limit is decided by the starting size you picked, and the other limits are shown on the table below. The starting territories you picked will also have increased 1 or more of these limits.
You can now begin to add units to the order of battle. The first unit you must add is your general. The general is the commander of your Conquest roster and must be picked to be your general each time they are included in your army for a Conquest battle. The unit you pick for your general must meet the following criteria:
It must be a single model that is a CHARACTER.
It must be from the faction of your Conquest army.
It cannot be named special character.
Your general starts with 5 renown points. You’ll find out more about renown points later in this section, but for now, note down the 5 renown points on your roster. All other units start with 0.
Once you have picked your general, you can add the rest of your starting units to your order of battle. You will need to refer to the unit entry of each unit you add. The total points cost of the units added cannot exceed the points limit of the starting size you chose, and you cannot exceed any of your order of battle limits (this includes your general in both cases). The units must be from the faction of your Conquest army, with the exception of allies, which must be units that can ally with that faction. No single unit may amount to more than half of your total roster in points value.
When a unit is added to your roster, the number of models added should as a minimum, match the minimum number shown on the unit entry size. The unit can be as large as you want, and can include command models. If you wish to recruit further models for that unit you must pay the upgrade cost in gold to do so. You may equip the models in any way you wish, including upgrading models as part of a units command.
Ware, when adding a unit like Monstrous Infantry, as these will use both a Monstrous slot AND a either a Rare or Special slot of that also applies.
MAGIC ITEMS
Your starting list allows up to 1 magic item. Magic items can be equipped on units that have earnt at least 5 renown.
Magic Items can only be gained by completing the quest ‘Search for the Artefact’.
The number of magic items in your roster can be increased via the territory ‘Bazaar’.
For Dwarves, a magic item is considered to be an item that has been equipped with runes. For example, a weapon with 1 or more weapon runes is considered to be a single magic item.
Any Magic Items not currently used can be stored in your vault.
When added to your Conquest roster, most wizards are recruited at level 1 and know one spell from the lore of your choice. This first spell is rolled for at random from that lore. As the Wizard rises through the ranks, it will gain an additional level for each rank.
If a Wizard has gained a rank, they must have completed the quest ‘Master of Magic’ to have earnt their additional spell. Or select another spell from their lore that is stored in their vault.
Spells that have been added to the vault via a quest can be used by any Wizard in your army, however they must choose before the battle which spells they will be using from their spell and those in the vault.
The last step is to pick a quest for your Conquest roster. A quest is the goal your general is currently trying to achieve, and you will be able to complete that quest by doing certain things in your Conquest battles. As you progress through your Conquest campaign, you will be able to complete many different quests, so to begin with, choose a quest with a reward you are most keen to receive. Once you have chosen your quest, write it down in the quest log on your Conquest roster.
In addition to the 4 quests included here, you can find additional quests in future Conquest battlepacks.
Upon completing a quest, you will earn a reward. The quest will detail what reward you earn. This can be anything from additional Gold to a bonus magic item.
Many of the rewards you earn from completing quests are stored in your vault. The vault is found on your Conquest roster and has space to record magic items and any other treasures you find.
The entries in your vault are a capped resource, as indicated by the spaces for them on your Conquest Roster. You can only have 6 Magic Standards, 6 Magic Weapons, 6 Spells and so on. If you ever wish to discard any of the rewards in your vault, you are allowed to do so.
If you are unsure of which quest to begin with, you can’t go far wrong with ‘Search for the Artefact’. Once you gain the magic item, you will be able to use it straight away in battles fought against another Conquest.
SEARCH FOR THE ARTEFACT You send your scouts far and wide in search of a powerful relic of war.
Pick 1 magic item that your faction has access to and that is not already on your Conquest roster. Write it down in the Quest Reward section of your quest log.
At the end of each Conquest battle, add 1 quest point to the progress section of your quest log for each friendly unit wholly within your opponent’s territory.
In addition, at the end of each Conquest battle, you can spend 1 Gold to gain 1 additional quest point.
Once you have gained 3 or more quest points, you complete this quest. When you complete this quest, you can add the magic item that you picked to your vault.
MASTER OF MAGIC A wizard in your army seeks to master a mighty spell to aid you in battle.
Pick 1 spell lore that a wizard in your faction has access. Write it down in the Quest Reward section of your quest log.
In each Conquest battle, add 1 quest point to the progress section of your quest log each time the casting roll for a friendly WIZARD is 8+.
In addition, at the end of each Conquest battle, you can spend 1 Gold to gain 1 additional quest point.
Once you have gained 3 or more quest points, you complete this quest. When you complete this quest, you may roll for a spell at random from the spell lore that you picked to your vault. If you roll a spell that you already have in your vault or equipped on your Wizard, then roll again.
DEFEND YOUR REALM You seek to bolster your resources and protect your domain.
At the end of each Conquest battle, add 1 quest point to the progress section of your quest log for each friendly unit wholly within your territory.
In addition, at the end of each Conquest battle, you can spend 1 Gold to gain 1 additional quest point.
Once you have gained 3 or more quest points, you complete this quest. When you complete this quest, you gain 10 Gold.
SCOUT FERTILE LANDS You send your warriors far and wide in search of lands that yield plentiful resources.
At the end of a Conquest battle, you complete this quest if any friendly units are wholly within 4″ of a battlefield edge and wholly outside of your territory.
Alternatively, at the end of a Conquest battle, you can spend 1 Gold to complete this quest.
When you complete this quest, make 2 exploration rolls in the aftermath sequence of that Conquest battle instead of 1.
Once you have completed your Conquest roster, you are ready to begin fighting Conquest battles. A Conquest battle is one where you draw your army from your Conquest roster and follow the rules in this section. To fight a Conquest battle, first pick a battlepack to use. The rules here are used in addition to the rules in that battlepack. Conquest battles can be fought using any Conquest battlepack and against any opponent, even those using an army that is not on a Conquest campaign.
Orc and Goblin Truves face off against the High Elf Realms
After each Conquest battle, there is a series of steps that must be resolved by the players commanding armies on Conquest campaigns. This is referred to as the aftermath sequence, and it goes as follows:
The aftermath sequence should be resolved immediately after the battle, if possible, so that your opponent can witness your rolls. Completing these steps will take around 5-10 minutes. It is important that you follow the aftermath sequence in order. For example, if you gained control of the ‘Borderlands’ territory in step 6, its ability would first be used in your next aftermath sequence (because it affects step 3 of the aftermath sequence).
After each Conquest battle, you will receive an amount of Gold based on how your army fared. To determine how much Gold you receive, consult the table below (the different criteria are cumulative). There is space on your roster to keep track of your Gold total.
When one of your models is slain in a Conquest battle, the warrior is not immediately presumed to have been killed: they may instead have been seriously injured or perhaps gotten away with just a minor wound. This is represented by two types of roll: injury rolls and casualty rolls. During this step, you must make an injury roll or casualty roll for each unit from your army that had any models slain or was destroyed during the battle. The type of roll you must make is determined by the kind of unit that you are rolling for, as follows:
Injury Rolls: Characters and Wizards. In addition, units with a Wounds characteristic of 8 or more.
To make an injury roll, roll on the table below. In each aftermath sequence, you can re-roll 1 injury roll by spending 1 Gold. You must choose whether to re-roll the injury roll before rolling for the next unit.
Note: You may only make one injury reroll per aftermath sequence.
If you need to make an injury roll for your general, it is recommended that you roll for them first, as you can only re-roll one injury roll in each aftermath sequence!
2D6
Injury
2-3
Killed!: Remove this unit from your order of battle. If this unit is your warlord, see Death of Your General.
4-5
Critical Injury: At the start of your next battle, if this unit is included in your army, it begins the battle with 50% wounds (rounding up) allocated to it that cannot be negated or healed.
6-7
Major Injury: At the start of your next battle, if this unit is included in your army, it begins the battle with 1 wound allocated to it that cannot be negated or healed.
If the unit that was killed had been given any magic items, once it has been removed from your order of battle, you can choose for a different unit on your order of battle to be given that magic item or spell (if the unit is a wizard). Alternatively, that magic item or spell can be stored in your vault until you wish to use it again.
If your general was killed, you must immediately pick 1 character on your order of battle to become your new general or add a new character to your order of battle to be your new general. Your new general gains 5 renown points. If you add a new character to your order of battle to be your new general, you must spend the required amount of gold to do so. If you have no characters eligible to be your general on your order of battle and insufficient gold to add a new character, you can add 1 new character to your order of battle to be your general without having to spend any gold to do so – after all, your army is already in dire straits!
To have your general be killed is a truly earth-shattering moment for your army. It might teeter on the brink until another champion steps forward to take the lead. It can be fun to write an obituary for your general, detailing how they met their demise and against whom you must exact revenge!
To make a casualty roll for a unit, roll a number of dice equal to the number of models in the unit that were slain during the battle (not including models that were slain and then returned, unless they were slain again). For each roll of 1, increase the units casualty score by 1. After making a casualty roll you can choose to spend 1 gold to re-roll 1 of the dice in that casualty roll. No more than 1 dice can be re-rolled in each casualty roll.
In subsequent Conquest battles, after the unit is set up on the battlefield for the first time, remove a number of models from the unit equal to its casualty score. If the casualty score of a unit equals the number of models in the unit, remove the unit from your order of battle.
When a unit is first added to your order of battle, its casualty score is set to 0.
Units in a Conquest army may gain 1 or more renown points after taking part in a battle. Renown points represent the growing skills and status of your warriors as they survive from battle to battle. You can record each unit’s renown points on your order of battle. Units gain renown points in the following ways:
If you used a battleplan from a Conquest battlepack, the battleplan will detail additional ways for units that took part in the battle to gain renown. If you used a battleplan from another battlepack, the Bonus Renown rule below applies:
Bonus Renown Roll a dice for each unit that was wholly within enemy territory at the end of the battle. On a 4+, that unit gains 1 renown point.
Each time a unit that is not a character earns a new rank, it gains 1 veteran ability (to a maximum of 3). In addition, once a unit has gained its first veteran ability, it becomes a veteran unit. You can either choose the veteran ability the unit gains from the table below or the unit can use a magic item from your vault, if it is able to do so. The same unit cannot gain the same veteran ability more than once. Write down any veteran abilities a unit has on your order of battle.
Units that choose to use a magical item, must be able to use it in accordance with their unit entry within either Ravening Hordes. Forces of Fantasy or their Arcane Journal. Magical items can only be earnt by competing the quest ‘Search for the Artefact‘ at which point they are either stored in your vault or equipped on a unit.
Veteran Abilities
Exemplars of Valour: This unit can use this veteran ability once per battle. Add 1 to it’s Leadership roll.
Disciplined Battle-drill: This unit can use this veteran ability once per battle. Add 1 to its weapon skill characteristic for a single turn.
Fleet of Foot: This unit can use this ability once per battle. Add 1 to its movement characteristic for a single turn.
Deadly Volley: This unit can use this ability once per battle. Add 1 to its ballistic skill characteristic for a single turn.
Defensive Formation: This unit can use this ability once per battle. Ignore the effects of AP -1 for a single turn.
Devastating Charge: This unit can use this ability once per battle. The unit may reroll a charge roll.
Veteran abilities can only be used in battles where all players are using Conquest armies. In addition, no more than 1 friendly unit can use a veteran ability per turn, and the same unit can only use each of its veteran abilities once per battle.
Characters and wizards earn different ranks to other units. In addition, characters and wizards gain the ability bear magic items instead of veteran abilities. Both earn ranks as follows:
Check your current quest to see if you have completed the quest or if you need to record any progress made in your quest log.
Each quest will state when it is completed. If you have completed your quest, you earn its reward. Anything written in your quest log is then removed and you can pick a new quest to begin. The same quest can be completed multiple times by the same army unless it states otherwise.
During this step of the aftermath sequence, you can choose to give up on your quest. If you do so, remove anything written in your quest log and pick a new quest to begin.
You can upgrade your stronghold first to an imposing stronghold and then to a mighty stronghold. Upgrading your stronghold will increase the number of territories you can control, the number of barracks your stronghold can have and the number of outposts you can establish. Each upgrade has an associated cost in gold.
You can find rules for establishing outposts in the range of supplemental Conquest battlepacks available in the future on Woehammer.
You can spend 5 gold in this step to add 1 barracks to your stronghold. Each time you add a barracks to your stronghold you increase your unit limit by 2 to a maximum of 30. You can only add 1 barracks to your stronghold in each aftermath sequence. There is a maximum number of barracks that each type of stronghold can have. When you upgrade your stronghold to a different type, it retains any barracks that you have added to it.
To begin the next step, first roll on the Territories table. This is referred to as the exploration roll and represents a new area of territory your scouts have discovered. You maybe able to make multiple exploration rolls for reasons such as completing the Scout Fertile Lands quest.
After making your exploration rolls, you must decide if you wish to bring any of these new territories under your control. To bring a new territory under your control, you must spend 10 gold.
If you already have the maximum number of territories your stronghold allows, you can choose to remove one of the territories from your roster and replace it with the new one. Removing a territory may reduce one of your order of battle limits. After replacing a territory, if you have more units of a certain type than your order of battle limits allow, you must remove units of that type from your order of battle until you no longer have more units of that type than your order of battle limits allow.
To make an exploration roll on the Territories table, you will need to roll a D66. To do so, roll a six-sided dice twice. The first roll determines the ten, the second roll determines the unit. For example, if you rolled a 3 followed by a 5, the roll would be 35.
If you do not have 10 gold (the amount required to control a new territory), you can skip the exploration roll.
Lastly, you can choose to upgrade any of your territories (including those that you brought under your control in this step). Each territory can be upgraded by spending gold to bolster its effects. Consult the Territories table to see the effect of upgrading a territory. The Territories table lists the upgrading cost in the format ‘[Upgrade xG]’, where x is the number of gold you must spend to upgrade the territory. For example, if a territory has ‘[Upgrade 5G]’ in its description, you must spend 5 gold in order to upgrade it. When you upgrade a territory, mark it as upgraded on your Conquest roster.
Your starting territories can be upgraded just like any other territory under your control.
TERRITORIES
D66
TERRITORIES
11-12
Titanic Menagerie:Great beasts of War and huge Behemoths are kept here at the pleasure of the General.
Increase your WAR BEASTS AND/OR BEHEMOTH limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Imperial Menagerie: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
13-14
Bazaar: This trader boasts a fine collection of magical items.
Increase your MAGIC ITEMS limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Large Bazaar: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
15-16
Wild Lands: This desolate region is home to all manner of savage beasts.
Increase your MONSTROUS unit limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Watchtower: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
21-22
Old Keep: This lonely keep and the surrounding lands around it are ruled by a powerful vassal to your domain.
Increase your CHARACTERS unit limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Fortified Keep: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
23-24
Armoury: A skilled Blacksmith can Forge any weapon.
Increase the WAR MACHINE AND/OR CHARIOT limit by 1. [Upgrade 15G] Forge: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
25-26
Wizards Tower:A Wizard of great import resides here.
Allows WIZARDS to be level 2.
31-32
Forgotten Mine: The resources of this territory are known far and wide, attracting very special individuals to your cause.
Increase your SPECIAL limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Workshop: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
33-34
Arcane Nexus: A truly legendary individual of Arcane Might resides here.
Prerequisite: Wizard’s Tower. Allows WIZARDS to be level 3. [Upgrade 10G] Arcane Waypoint: Allows WIZARDS to be level 4.
35-36
Settlement: A modest settlement has been bought under your control.
Increase your RARE limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Guard House: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
41-42
Ancient Roads: Your allies can swiftly come to your aid with these roads under your control.
Increase your ALLIESAND/ORMERCENARIES unit limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Trade Route: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
43-44
Stable: A small stable where the mounts for your cavalry are raised.
Increase your CAVALRY unit limit by 1. [Upgrade 10G] Trade Route: Increase the limit by 3 instead of 1.
45-46
Wellspring: The natural resources of this territory aid your warriors in healing from battle wounds.
You can pick 1 unit to benefit from this territory in each aftermath sequence. When making a recuperation roll for the unit you picked, it is treated as not having taken part in the battle. [Upgrade 15G] Divination Pool: You can pick 2 units instead of 1.
51-52
Large Settlement: This large sprawling settlement provides you with ample warriors with which to wage war.
Reduce the gold cost of adding a unit that is not a character or wizard to your order of battle by 2 gold (to a minimum of 1). [Upgrade 15G] City Wall: Reduce the gold cost by 3 instead of 2.
53-54
Diamond Reserve: This area is rich with previous jewels.
You receive D3 additional gold in step 1 of the aftermath sequence. [Upgrade 15G] Diamond Mine: Your receive and additional D6 gold instead of D3.
55-56
Ruins of Myth: It is said that a powerful treasure rests in this ancient and haunted place….
This territory has no effect until it is upgrade. [Upgrade 15G] Explored: Once in step 6 of the aftermath sequence, you can roll a dice for this territory. On a 1-5 nothing happens. On a 6, you gain 1 bonus Magic Item that your faction has access to and it is added to your vault. Once the Magic Item has been added to your vault, this territory is removed from your roster.
61-66
Special Territory: Your scouts return with invaluable information….
If you have a specific faction territories table, your roll will correspond to a territory on that table. Alternatively, you can pick 1 result from this table that corresponds to a roll of 21-42.
You can add new units to your order of battle in each aftermath sequence. The amount of gold you must spend in order to add a unit to your order of battle is determined by the points value of the unit, as shown on the table below. When you add a new unit to your order of battle, you must follow the order of battle restrictions. In addition, the unit is added at the minimum unit size shown on its unit entry from either Ravening Hordes, Forces of Fantasy or the relevant faction Arcane Journal.
You can spend gold to recuperate a unit with a casualty score of 1 or more. The amount of gold you must spend in order to recuperate a unit is determined by the points value of the unit, as shown on the table below.
To recuperate a unit, you must spend the required amount of gold and roll a number of dice equal to the unit’s casualty score. This is referred to as the recuperating roll. For each 4+, reduce the unit’s casualty score by 1. If the unit did not take part in your last Conquest battle, reduce the unit’s casualty score by 1 for each 2+ instead. Each unit can only be recuperated once in each aftermath sequence.
Units may be increased in number, have their weapons changed or any other changes that are allowed via their unit entry after each battle. You may do so by spending the required amount of gold according to the additional points value of the upgrade needed or models added to the unit, as shown on the table below. Each unit can only be upgraded once in each aftermath sequence. When a unit is upgraded, note the changes on your order of battle.
Unit’s Points Value
Add
Recuperate
Upgrade
0-100
3
1
4
101-150
4
2
5
151-200
5
3
6
201-250
6
4
7
251-300
7
5
8
301-350
8
6
9
351-400
9
7
10
401+
10
8
11
Gold cost to add, recuperate or upgrade a unit
Once a unit has been upgraded, it becomes more expensive to recuperate or upgrade further.
If you wish to remove any units from your order of battle, you can remove them in this step. If the unit had any magic items, follow the rules as if they were killed (see Killed Units and Enhancements). In the same manner, if you retire your general, follow the rules as if they were killed (see Death of Your General).
Although rules-wise a retired unit is treated as one which was killed, narratively it need not be so. Perhaps the retired character has been granted land to lord over for the rest of their days, or the retired unit becomes the household guard of a noble.
The following battlepack allows you to fight Conquest battles. In order to use this battlepack, both you and your opponent must have a completed Conquest roster.
The players must first agree on a points limit for the battle. The points limit can be any number and determines the number of points you have available to spend on your army. No more than half of your points can be spent on a single unit. All units added to your army must be taken from your Conquest roster. The points limit also determines the recommended minimum battlefield size and recommended minimum number of terrain features for the battle, as shown in the table below.
Points Limit
500-750
751-2250
2251+
Minimum Battlefield Size
30″x44″
44″x60″
44″x90″
Minimum Terrain Features
4
8
12
A good way to set the points limit for the battle is to first determine who has the lowest total points’ worth of units on their order of battle. Take that number and round it up to the nearest hundred: the result is the points limit for the battle. For example, if one player were able to field 1200 points’ worth of units but the other player were only able to field 680 points’ worth of units, the points limit for the battle would be 700. The points limit could be lower than that, of course, if the players agreed.
One player rolls on the following table to determine which battleplan is used for the game. Alternatively, the players can agree on which battleplan to use.
You may wish to withdraw your army from the battle to lessen the impact of casualties. At the start of your hero phase, if at least half of the units from your starting army have been destroyed, you can choose to withdraw from the battle. If you do so, all units in your army are immediately removed from the battlefield but the battle is still played through to its conclusion.
If you withdraw from battle, the battle is still played through to its conclusion so that your opponent can still try to complete their quest, earn a victory and so on.
A player’s starting army is made up of the units from the army that were set up before the first battle round, including any reserve units. Units that are added to a player’s army after the battle has begun are not included, and neither are units that have been destroyed and subsequently returned to play.
One force sweeps into the domain of the enemy, seeking to crush any who oppose them.
TERRAIN Place terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit, that player is the invader the other player is the custodian. Both players set up their units as shown on the map below and more than 9″ away from the centre of the battlefield. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the core rules.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the players roll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The Invader also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds, until one side concedes, or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
VICTORY POINTS The battlefield is divided into quarters as shown on the map. At the end of each battle round, each player scores 1 victory point for each quarter of the battlefield that has more friendly units wholly within it than enemy units.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends, the player with the most victory points wins a major victory. If the score is tied, the custodian wins a minor victory.
BONUS RENOWN At the end of the battle, each friendly unit that is wholly within a quarter of the battlefield that has no enemy units wholly within it gains 1 renown point.
Lured into the jaws of a deadly trap, one faction must fight to survive as they are suddenly beset from multiple sides.
TERRAIN Place terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit. That player is the invader. The other player is the ambusher. The invader sets up their units first, as shown on the map below. Then, the ambusher sets up each unit in their army either wholly within their territory and more than 12″ from all enemy units or wholly within their territory, wholly on a terrain feature and more than 3″ from all enemy units.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the playersroll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The Invader also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds until one side concedes or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
VICTORY POINTS At the end of each battle round, the invader scores a number of victory points equal to the number of units in their army that are wholly within enemy territory. Each time a unit in the invader’s army is destroyed, the ambusher scores 2 victory points.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends, the player with the most victory points wins a major victory. If the score is tied, the invader wins a minor victory.
BONUS RENOWN Invader: Each friendly unit that is on the battlefield at the end of the third battle round gains 1 renown point.
Ambusher: Each friendly unit that destroyed any enemy units during the battle gains 1 renown point.
One force is enacting a deadly ritual. The other must stop them before it is complete.
RTERRAIN Place terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit. That player is the disruptor. The other player is the ritualist. Both players set up their units as shown on the map below and more than 6″ away from the opponents territory. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the core rules.
OBJECTIVES Place 3 objectives as shown on the map. One objective is the ritual site; the other two objectives are arcane repositories.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the players roll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The disruptor also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds until one side concedes or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
VICTORY POINTS At the end of each battle round, if the ritualist controls the ritual site, they score D6 victory points plus D3 victory points for each arcane repository they control. Then, the ritualist loses D3 victory points (this cannot reduce their victory point total to less than 1) for each objective controlled by the disruptor (roll for each objective).
To control an objective, an army must have more models within 6″ of the objective than their opponent.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends:
If the ritualist has 16 or more victory points, they win a major victory.
If the ritualist has 14-15 victory points, they win a minor victory.
If the ritualist has 12-13 victory points, the disruptor wins a minor victory.
If the ritualist has fewer than 12 victory points, the disruptor wins a major victory.
BONUS RENOWN Each friendly unit within 6″ of an objective at the end of the battle gains 1 renown point.
The garrison of a besieged tower must endure until help arrives.
TERRAIN One terrain feature must be placed in the centre of the battlefield. This will act as the watchtower. Place all other terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit. That player is the guardian. The other player is the invader.
The guardian must split their army into a garrison contingent and a reinforcements contingent. Each contingent must have as close to the same number of units as possible.
Units in the garrison contingent cannot be set up in reserve. The reinforcements contingent starts the battle in reserve and will arrive as described below.
Both players set up their units as shown on the map below and more than 6″ away from the opponents territory. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the core rules.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the players roll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The Invader also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds until one side concedes or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
RANSACK If the invader controls the watchtower at the end of each of two of their own consecutive turns, the watchtower is ransacked.
REINFORCEMENTS
During Guardian’s compulsory moves sub-phase, their units may enter the battlefield. A unit moving onto the table in this fashion must have it’s rear arc in full contact with the battlefield edge, at least 8″ away from any enemy models and facing towards the centre of the battlefield.
A unit that enters a reinforcements cannot march and counts as having moved for the purposes of shooting, but can otherwise move normally during the Remaining Moves sub-phase.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends:
If the invader controls the watchtower and it has been ransacked, they win a major victory.
If the invader controls the watchtower and it has not been ransacked, they win a minor victory.
If the guardian controls the watchtower and it has not been ransacked, they win a major victory.
If the guardian controls the watchtower and it has been ransacked, they win a minor victory
BONUS RENOWN Each friendly unit within 6″ of the watchtower at the end of the battle gains 1 renown point
Severely outnumbered by the foe, one force must dig in their heels and hold on until reinforcements arrive.
TERRAIN Place terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit. That player is the invader. The other player is the custodian.
The invader must split their army into a vanguard contingent and a reinforcements contingent. Each contingent must have as close to the same number of units as possible.
Units in the vanguard contingent cannot be set up in reserve. The reinforcements contingent starts the battle in reserve and will arrive as described below.
Both players set up their units as shown on the map below and more than 6″ away from the opponents territory. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the core rules.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the players roll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The Invader also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds until one side concedes or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
REINFORCEMENTS During Invader’s compulsory moves sub-phase, their units may enter the battlefield. A unit moving onto the table in this fashion must have it’s rear arc in full contact with the battlefield edge, at least 8″ away from any enemy models and facing towards the centre of the battlefield.
A unit that enters a reinforcements cannot march and counts as having moved for the purposes of shooting, but can otherwise move normally during the Remaining Moves sub-phase.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends:
If all of the units in the invader’svanguard contingent have been destroyed, the custodian wins a major victory.
If less than half of the units in the invader’s vanguard contingent have been destroyed, the invader wins a major victory.
If at least half but not all of the units in the invader’s vanguard contingent have been destroyed, and the model picked to be the invader’sgeneral has been slain, the custodian wins a minor victory.
If at least half but not all of the units in the invader’s vanguard contingent have been destroyed, and the model picked to be the invader’s general has not been slain, the invader wins a minor victory.
BONUS RENOWN Custodian: Each friendly unit that destroys any enemy units in the invader’s vanguard contingent gains 1 renown point.
Invader: Each friendly unit from your vanguard contingent that is on the battlefield at the end of the third battle round gains 1 renown point.
Deep in enemy territory, one force has to break through enemy lines.
TERRAIN Place terrain as described on page 268 of the core rules.
DEPLOYMENT Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll-off chooses which player will deploy the first unit, that player is the invader the other player is the custodian. Both players set up their units as shown on the map below and more than 6″ away from the opponents territory. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the core rules.
FIRST TURN Once deployment is complete, the players roll off with the player who finished deploying first receiving a +1 modifier. The Invader also receives +1, and this bonus can be in addition to the +1 to their roll for being the player that finished deploying their army first.
GAME LENGTH The battle will last for six rounds until one side concedes or until the time limit agreed by the players is reached, as described on page 286 of the core rules.
LEAVING THE BATTLEFIELD At the end of each battle round, any of the Invader’s units that are within contact of, or have left the custodian’s battlefield edge may leave the battle. Remove the models in those units from play but do not count them as slain.
GLORIOUS VICTORY When the battle ends:
If at least half of the invader’s units have left the battlefield, the invader wins a major victory.
If none of the invader’s units have left the battlefield, the custodian wins a major victory.
If at least one but less than half of the invader’s units have left the battlefield, and the model picked to be the invader’s general has been slain, the custodian wins a minor victory.
If at least one but less than half of the invader’s units have left the battlefield, and the model picked to be the invader’s general has not been slain, the invader wins a minor victory.
BONUS RENOWN
Custodian: At the end of the battle, each friendly unit within 3″ of an enemy unit that is wholly within gains 1 renown point.
Invader: Each friendly unit that leaves the battlefield gains 1 renown point.
We’re well known for our Age of Sigmar Stats and the amount of data we can now gather for this which includes RTT data. So we thought we’d start turning our attention to other game systems we know and love.
First up, Warhammer: The Old World. Having come out in January this year, it’s still early days stats-wise for this fledgling game. But, we have had some data…..
Firstly, let me run through our methodology. We count all draws as 0.5 win and 0.5 draw. We also (for Old World only) currently include mirror matches.
The data above shows the faction name and the number of games that faction has seen at all events in brackets. For example Ogre Kingdoms (12) would show that the stats are based on 12 games featuring the Ogre Kingdoms faction at all events in our database.
The orange segment is new to the stats for the Old World. We’ve included this as we realise the data size is small and therefore wanted to show the effect of what an additional win would do to the stats. For example, Deamons of Chaos (3), currently have a win rate of 67%. If they were to play another game and win that game, then there win rate would increase by 8% (shown in the orange bar).
As you can see, these sample sizes are far too small to draw any meaningful conclusions to yet, but we will be keeping an eye on the data and providing more analysis as the data increases.
Grognards rejoice, the Old World has returned, and it’s returned with a bang!
Games Workshop released Tomb Kings and Bretonnia as the first two factions of this new edition set in the Old World.
Lore Review
The Bretonnians, being Bretonnians, launched a Crusade that happened to trespass across the finely manicured lawns of Nehekhara and steal the treasures of these ancient cities away. The Tomb Kings are having none of it and have launched an invasion of Bretonnia, which is making its way towards the Kingdom via the Border Princes. What happens next is up to you!
Nehekhara has stood for millenia, while the Human tribes of the Old World were still inhabiting mud huts. The many city states of Nehekhara suffered a multitude of civil wars as the various Kings and Queens tried to establish their domains. Only once Settra came to power were the various city states unified.
Under Settra’s command, the priests of Nehekhara aimed to conquer death.
The Book
With the core rules for the Tomb Kings inside the Ravening Hordes Book, this is a supplement to that book and adds further lore and rules to your Tomb King forces. It also gives you rules for three special characters; Settra the Imperishable, Prince Apophas, and Nekaph.
Armies of Infamy
The Armies of Infamy offers novel and thematic approaches to constructing your faction’s army lists. Introducing unique army-wide special rules and granting access to upgraded units that enhance specific playstyles. However, opting for an army of infamy imposes greater restrictions on your army composition compared to the base books by excluding certain units.
It’s important to mention that these Arcane Journals differ from traditional army books from previous editions. They act as supplements to the unit lists and army rules found in Ravening Hordes and Forces of Fantasy books. Playing a game in the Old World only using the Arcane Journals is not possible, as they rely on references to the special rules from Ravening Hordes and Forces of Fantasy. These journals provide new ways to play your faction, including special characters, but they don’t provide details on specific rules.
Nehekharan Royal Host
The Nehekharan Royal Host is tailored for those seeking an elite gaming experience with their skeletal forces, this list embodies the pinnacle of Tomb Kings’ might at the expense of magical prowess. High Priests are absent; instead, the focus is on an impressive display of chariots and the steadfast ranks of the royal guard.
Royal Rules
As for the Royal Rules, the vanguard of the host, the Royal Host chariots, gain the ‘Grind Them Down‘ rule within their General’s command range, enabling them to reroll impact hits against their enemies. The General, a Tomb King or Tomb Prince, has the option to elevate their status to a level 1 wizard with the ‘Arise!‘ special rule. However, if chosen, they automatically become your Hierophant, regardless of other wizards in your list.
Also, for every 1000 points in your army, one unit of Skeleton Skirmishers can acquire the ‘Ambushers‘ special rule for free, and one unit of Skeleton Horse Archers can take the ‘Chariot Runners‘ special rule for free. This strategic addition ensures effective screens for your chariots.
Lastly, units in the army with the Volley Fire special rule gain ‘Steadfast Discipline,’ allowing its use even after movement or when declaring the Stand and Shoot reaction.
List Composition
Hero units still make up to 50% of your list and you must have at least one Tomb King or Prince. You now don’t need to take any Mortuary Priests as long as you upgrade your General with the 35pt Hierophant upgrade.
Your selection of core units has increased from a minimum of 25% to 33%. Skeleton Chariots have been changed to a minimum of 1+ units, and you can take a single unit of Tomb Guard or Tomb Guard Chariots, which replace the Sepulchral Stalkers in the standard army composition.
Special remains at a maximum of 50% of your list, but you can only take up to two Tomb Scorpions instead of three per 1000 points. You’ll also find Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Horse Archers now in the specials. If you take any more than one Tomb Guard Chariots (the first being a core choice), the rest will be classed as Special.
Rare is at a maximum of 25%, as before. With the only change being the inclusion of the Screaming Skull Catapult.
You won’t be able to select; High Priests, Necrotects, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Warriors, Tomb Swarms, Carrion, Necrolith Colossus, Necrosphinx or the Casket of Souls.
Royal Host Units
Being a Royal Host, the Tomb Kings naturally surround themselves with the very best Units. To represent that, the Royal Host has access to a number of upgraded units.
My personal favourite is the Royal Host, which costs 5 points per model. This can be a mixture of Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Archers, of which you must have a minimum of 5 models of each type. You can purchase as many of each after the first 10. Skeleton Warriors in this unit must fight on the front rank with the Archers at the back. They keep the rules of both the Warriors and the Archers as well as gaining the Steadfast Discipline rule. They can also purchase the Nehekharan Phalanx special rule.
Royal Host cavalry works in the same manner, made up of Skeleton horseman and Skeleton Archers, meaning you’ll need at least 10 models to field them. These come in at 11 points each and again, gain the Steadfast Discipline rule. They can also buy the Counter Charge rule for 1 point per model.
The last unit is the Tomb Guard chariots, which are slightly more expensive than the regular chariots. They come armed with Halberds and Shields along with an extra point of strength and cleaving blow on their attacks. The Indomitable (2) special rule and an additional impact hit per chariot.
Mortuary Cult
This army revolves around the Preists and the rarer bone constructs available to Tomb Kings. They lack speed but have greater control over their forces.
Cult Rules
Mortuary Cult armies must have a priest be the general of the army, which must also be a Hierophant.
Every Liche Priest in the army acquires the ‘Harmonious Incantations‘ special rule, allowing a Liche Priest within the command range of other friendly Liche Priests to recover an additional wound when using the Arise! special rule.
Liche priests also have the option to use wounds from nearby swarms, monstrous infantry, monstrous cavalry, monstrous creatures, and behemoths to power their spells using the ‘Sepuchral Animus.‘ Nehekharan Undead within the command range of a Liche priest may sacrifice 1-3 wounds to boost the next spell cast by the wizard, potentially giving a High Priest up to a +8 or more, depending on the presence of a Casket of Souls and chosen magic items.
Finally, Tomb Scorpions and Necroserpents can invest 2 points per model for ‘The Terrors Below‘ special rule. Units with this upgrade and entering the battlefield via ‘From Beneath the Sands,’ can select a single enemy infantry or heavy unit within 8 inches to take a number of initiative tests equal to the ambusher’s unit strength or be removed.
Mortuary Cult Composition
In Mortuary Cult lists, it is mandatory to include at least one High Priest or Mortuary Priest as the general, while there is no obligation to field a Tomb King or Tomb Prince on the battlefield. Notably, Tomb Kings are entirely excluded from consideration when assembling this Army of Infamy. As compensation, Cults players are granted access to the new hero option, the Arch Necrotect.
Similar to the Royal Hosts, Mortuary Cults lists must allocate at least 33% of their composition to Core options, with the initial unit of Ushabti and Necroserpents also counting as core, and the Tomb Swarms restricted to one.
Regarding Special slots, inclusion of one Tomb Scorpion is required per 1000 points in a Mortuary Cults list, with no upper limit imposed beyond the
special points allocation, unlike the constraints of the Ravening Hordes force organization chart. Moreover, players have the liberty to select one Necrolith Colossus or Necrosphinx as a Special choice without consuming any of their Rare points allocation. The options available for the Rare slot remain unaltered from those outlined in the main book.
Notably, Mortuary Cults lists forego access to several units, including Tomb Kings, Tomb Heralds, Tomb Guard, Necropolis Knights, Skeleton Chariots, and the Khemrian Warsphinx.
Mortuary Cult Units
The Arch Necrotect emerges as a unique Hero unit exclusive to the Mortuary Cults, offering additional enhancements to the units within your ranks through two distinct abilities. “Immortal Overseer” elevates a friendly unit’s initiative by D3 following a successful leadership test, while “Stone Shaper” bolsters the Regeneration save of a friendly Necrolith Colossus, Necrosphinx, or Ushabti unit within an 8-inch radius by 1.
Venerable Ushabti, formidable close combat monstrous infantry, opt for a slight reduction in movement compared to their standard counterparts, in exchange for heightened strength, weapon skill, and the Magic Resistance (2) special rule.
Lastly, the Mortuary Cults occasionally field Necroserpents, relinquishing their riders in favour of adopting the ambushers’ special rule, the Open Order formation, and at a reduced points cost.
Special Characters
The main army composition lists found in Ravening Hordes and Forces of Fantasy notably lacked the array of special characters that enthusiasts have grown fond of within their cherished factions. While it’s understandable considering the shift in time period, with many of these iconic figures potentially not yet existing, it leaves a void in the hearts of fans longing for something extraordinary to connect with. The Arcane Journals address this gap by introducing a selection of special characters, both familiar and new, to their respective armies, and none are older than those presented here.
Settra the Imperishable makes his grand return, embodying all the traits fans have come to expect. Priced at 445 points, the King of Kings charges into battle atop his legendary heavy chariot, the Chariot of the Gods, reminiscent of old. With 8 wounds, a 5+ ward save, and 5+ regeneration, Settra exudes impressive survivability in this edition, particularly when included in the Royal Host army of infamy, where he gains the ability to join units of Tomb Guard chariots for added protection.
True to his stature, Settra boasts an array of special rules. Unlike his counterparts, he can utilise the Arise! ability in combat, and his ‘Crown of Nehekhara‘ extends his ‘My Will be Done‘ ability to all friendly units within 6 inches, rather than just those he has joined. Additionally, Settra’s Blade of Ptra remains as lethal as ever, boasting Strength 6, Armour Penetration -3, and imposing a permanent -1 penalty to Hit on any surviving enemy model wounded by it.
Accompanying Settra is his steadfast bodyguard, Nekaph, known as the ‘Herald of Despair’. Nekaph’s presence instills fear and terror in larger infantry squads, compelling them to take additional tests with an extra die, discarding the lowest result. With the enhancements Fear and Terror have received in this edition, Nekaph may find a place in lists whether Settra is present or not, although he cannot be included in Mortuary Cults lists as he is classified as a Tomb Herald. As Settra’s Champion, Nekaph is obligated to declare and/or accept challenges if possible, and his challenges cannot be refused. In challenges, Nekaph delivers a killing blow on a roll of 5 or 6 to wound.
Lastly, Prince Apophos the Cursed Scarab Lord returns, resuming his role as a flying assassin designed to eliminate a specific target or perish in the attempt. As Usirian’s Reaper, the disgraced prince gains full rerolls to hit and to wound against a designated enemy character declared at the start of the game, and possesses a breath weapon that inflicts wounds on a 4+, albeit with no Armour Penetration.
Magic Items
The final sections of the arcane journal reveals 17 new magical items for Tomb Kings heroes. Among these, three are exclusive to the Armies of Infamy detailed earlier, while one is reserved for armies featuring Settra himself or Nekaph.
The Blade of Antarhak, priced at 45 points, is a weapon exclusive to the Royal Host. It bestows upon its wielder a +1 strength modifier, -1 Armour Penetration, and the ability to regenerate a wound for each unsaved wound inflicted in combat.
Locked to the Mortuary Cults, the Staff of Aeons, costing 30 points, empowers a Liche Priest with +2 strength, an Armour Penetration of -1, and any unsaved wounds inflicted by the staff permanently diminish the opponent’s armor save by 1.
For members of the Nehekharan Royal Host, the Royal Mantle, priced at 40 points, serves as magical armor enhancing the wearer’s armor save by +1, while extending the My Will Be Done special rule to all units within a 6-inch radius.
The Royal Standard of Settra, a 50-point banner, instils the unit carrying it with Hatred (enemy characters) and the Terror special rules.
Other notable items include the Banner of the Desert Winds, providing a unit with the Vanguard and Reserve Move special rules; Phakth’s Blades of Justice, increasing the user’s attacks by 1 for each rank of enemy units engaged with them; and Phazerakt’s Kanopi, enabling the summoning of 2d6+3 Skeleton Warriors to the battlefield upon a successful leadership test.
I’ve heard and read a lot of comments recently about how Old World/Fantasy is more expensive than Age of Sigmar. So let’s compare in the easiest way, shall we? Like for like.
(Comment – so far in Australia/NZ and the US it’s quite a bit more expensive (Australia is terrible as always); maybe check pricing in those markets as well)
Night Goblins (Horde Army)
Night Goblins are generally considered to be a horde army in Fantasy, and their comparison in Age of Sigmar (Gloomspite Gitz) are similar. So if you were to compare the two, how would you do it? Luckily, this is easy, as everything inside the Vanguard: Gloomspite Gitz box can be used in Fantasy. Below shows a table of the models’ points cost in Old World and their equivalent in Age of Sigmar.
What you do have to bear in mind is that you would probably purchase a number of upgrades and magic items for the hero and units in this Old World list, so you could probably add a further 50 points to this list (units already include a full command).
Warriors of Chaos (Elite Army)
Interestingly, the Chaos Warriors works out to be more expensive in Old World nut. This is driven by the Chaos Lord. Again, though, with upgrades and magic items, the Old World list is likely to be a few points more. So cheaper to collect in Old World than Age of Sigmar? Possibly not because your units are cheaper points wise than AoS, meaning that although you save points on heroes, it probably doesn’t bridge the gap on a 1,500 point list with more units.
Beastmen Brayherds
Our final example is Beastmen Brayherds. This Vanguard box appears to be more cost-effective in Age of Sigmar. But again, the Bray-Shaman is pointed higher in Old World than AoS, but possibly not enough to bridge the gap left by the units.
Final Thoughts
Yeah, OK, Age of Sigmar monetarily is going to be cheaper than the Old World. But the gap isn’t as much as I first thought. For AoS armies where there is an equivalent Vanguard box that can be used in Old World (like the three mentioned above), it doesn’t work out much more expensive to build a 1,000-point list. And for 1,500 points, you’ll maybe be spending close to £100 more than you may do on an AoS list.
Where it does get expensive is in using the newly (?) Released Old World minis for building armies like Tomb Kings or Bretonnians.
What may be interesting to do is a 1,500 point list costed up for Old World and Age of Sigmar. Perhaps part 2….
Following on from last weeks article where we discussed the unit redirct tactic, we return this week with another golden oldie; March Blocking.
March Blocking
To understand ‘March Blocking’ let’s first cover some of the mechanics around this.
Marching
Firstly, marching. A unit can march across the table if unhindered by dangerous terrain and the like. When a unit marches in The Old World, it can double its movement characteristic. If the unit is in a column formation (more files than ranks), it can triple its move characteristic. However, if a unit chooses to march, it can not shoot or charge. This is especially useful for those slower armies like Dwarfs with their 3″ movement being tripled to 9″.
Enemy Sighted
If a player wishes one of their units to march and it is within 8″ of the enemy (apart from fleeing units), it must first pass a leadership test to do so. If the test fails, it may move normally but importantly counts as having marches, so it would still be unable to shoot.
Hang On!: it’s important to note that units with the ‘Drilled’ special rule are not subject to ‘Enemy Sighted’ and can still march when within 8″ of an enemy.
The Tactic
So by now, you’re probably thinking that’s fairly simple, and you’d be right. The easiest way to stop armies from marching across the table is to place a unit within 8″ and slow the enemy down.
What’s even more effective is using fast units and flying units to do this. So units like Gyrocopters (Dwarfs) or Eagles (Wood Elves) are great to interrupt marches. If the enemy chooses to try and charge them as a response, their flee move should keep them safe (if you’ve positioned correctly) most of the time.
As a result, you’ll have an enemy that is struggling to move its force into the position they’d like, or they’re unable to move their key hammer unit into a position to be effective. Giving you time to respond with your own units and to take advantage of enemy units out of position.
Hopefully, this will be the first of many Old World tactica articles. With a few Old timers on the team who had a love of Warhammer Fantasy, we thought it may be worth to provide some tactics that were used in previous editions.
Unit Redirect
A ‘Redirect’ is used to force your opponent to make an uncomfortable decision when making their movement. The image below shows two units. An enemy ‘Hammer’ unit (a unit designed to be effective at clearing most enemy units in combat) shown in red, and a friendly ‘Chaff’ unit shown in purple.
The idea behind the redirect tactic is to tie up or ideally destroy the opponents hammer unit with as little points commitment from your own force and hopefully leave the opponents key unit out of position. In the case of the image above, you need your chaff unit to be as little points as possible.
In your opponent’s turn, they have a number of options;
1) They can attempt to charge the chaff unit with their hammer. This would resort in the Hammer unit being out of position and possibly vulnerable to a counter charge from another unit.
2) They can choose to ignore the chaff unit and continue their movement while hoping to remove the chaff with shooting or magic. This has the benefit of both committing their ranged and/or magic attacks to remove a cheap chaff unit. Plus, if they’re unsuccessful in destroying your unit, it leaves the Hammer unit open to a flank charge.
Warmachines
It’s also useful for engaging war machines. March your chaff unit up to the enemy war machines, and they either have to shoot the chaff and save your other units for another turn or suffer a charge.
With the release of Old World, I’ve found a reason to restart my beloved Dwarf Fantasy army. I’ve a lot of old to mid hammer models lying around, and I’m sure I’ll be using a lot of them with Old World.
So I decided to paint up my first batch of 10, with another 10 joining them at a later date.
