So I'm lucky enough to have the book in my hands, and so far I am very pleased with the product, despite the price!
The 296 page lore book is, simply put, a must have if you are a fan of the background and theater of the Warhammer stage. I won't go into to much detail (read spoilers) here but the book touches every race in Warhammer. Nobody is left out of the storyline.
The first few pages are an artistic prelude, feature large battles scenes or mustering of armies, with some rather elusive statements and references of events to come. I'm most beguiled by the High Elf one, referencing a great lie...
A lot of you will also be interested in the new rules. Let me be clear, the rules included in the Nagash volume II, are NOT new grand sweeping changes to WHFB 8th edition. They are intended for use in the campaign, and it clearly states you "may" use them for any game.
Also included in Volume II (the books are labeled Volume I and II, so is that an indicationg there will be further volumes?) are rules for scenarios, generic rules for battlefields including underground fighting (lots of trolls and squigs can appear!) and of course the new Undead Legion rules
So for all you doomsday fodder out there, you will just have to wait a little longer!
Now in saying that, there is some long overdue changes which effect the Tomb Kings in the campaign introduced. Simply put, I wish GW would eratta them to be rules changes for Tomb Kings!
First up is the sweeping change that makes the Undead legion possible. Ignore the rules, use this instead. Nehekharan and Vampires magic lore works on all undead...
Now the generic Undead rule, meaning now Tomb Kings can MARCH. Yes, you read that right. GW almost fixed Tomb Kings...
The new healing rules basically follow the previous, however, it now clearly states you may heal ethereal and Constructs 1 wound per spell. GW is getting ever so close to fixing Tomb Kings now!
But then once you read the designers notes on Slain Generals... In the Nagash campaign, your Undead Legion does not crumble from your general dieing any more.
There is plenty of other rules changes for the campaign, so go buy the book and read up yourself. From what I have read so far the implications are grand.
So what does this mean for the game. Well, at first glance, very little. The book is clear these rules are made for the campaign. Increases in Lords and Heroes allowances is a throw back the 4th/5th edition where that was the norm. The changes to the Undead rules are a good fix for Tomb Kings, but mean very little to Vampire Counts.
But if we start thinking about the tournament scene, things get interesting IMO. We now have a set of rules written by GW that help Tomb Kings somewhat. There are already people speculating that Undead Legions will be an army able to be fielded in a tournament, and I agree some what. However not without some very important changes.
First and foremost, the 50% cap for Lords and Heroes needs to be removed and replaced with 25%. I think that goes without saying. There are some other changes which are debatable, like the General Slain/Army Crumble rule being reinstated, however that will be a landmine with the crossover between Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings... And then there is balance. Will mixing the best parts of Tomb Kings with the best of Vampire counts be overpowered?
It could work, but then we might see a lot of WAAC gamers make the jump, and nobody wants that. They just need to stick with Daemons...
