This time on the Wargate I'm going to add a new feature, called Rulebook Ruminations (if you couldn't guess already). In this strain of articles (many more to come) I will ruminate on the various aspects of rulebooks related to the gaming systems we will be using. Many of these books will be supplementary material used to drive each of our campaigns, others will be the core books from the series. Either way, the discussion will be about the impact of rules, flavor and design of the book in question. It's not really a review, more of a discussion about how the Wargate will use the rulebook.
This installment: the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition Rulebook!
First of all, I'm a little appalled by the size of the damn thing. I've said that before, but it's a serious issue. The Isle of Blood is out next month, and it's almost mandatory that we have one of the small rulebooks from that set just to carry around the table. Other than it's size, that's about the only con this volume has.
It's beautiful. The entire thing is on glossy paper, which accounts for a good portion of the weight in the thing. Full page artwork is on more than a few plates, and it's full color in all cases. Usually these rulebooks have been black and white, with only a few glossy color pages showing off miniatures, but they really pulled out the stops on this one. There's couple of caveats I have with this, but it pertains to function rather than form.
Being too big and heavy to use around the table, this volume is probably destined for study only. I really disdain this, it's almost as if Games Workshop gave us too big a pill to swallow, just so we'd have to get a smaller pill. The book is too huge, with a massive amount of pages devoted only to models. While I like looking at models as much as the next guy, I have the internet and I read White Dwarf. I understand that a few pics of different models are necessary, but models are literally on every single page of the rules, in full color. A different one each page, and they are labeled!
So that's a major issue. There's a lot of superfluous information, especially for veterans. I really don't need to read another version of the history of the Empire or the Coming of Chaos, but those new to the setting have a true treat here. However, with a price tag of $75 US, there are few newcomers to the game that will pick this up on a whim.
Also, is this going to be the trend going forward? The size of the Warhammer 40,000 4th and 5th Edition hardcover rulebooks were the perfect size, and the last Warhammer Fantasy Battles edition was the exact same format (more or less). They were still big, but were usable on the table. If this is going to be the new standard...well, I only have so much room on my shelf. Too many of these books is going to be too much. I truly hope this is not the case and we return to a smaller footprint. If Games Workshop would work with a book the same size as those rulebooks but made the pages the glossy high grade we see in the new book like they did with the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game's main rulebook.
The game itself has a few tweaks. Of course what you need to be most aware of is the changes to the army selection system. A few other things, such as Stomp Attacks, Horde Units and changes to the Magic Phase.
Stomp attacks basically state that monstrous infantry get an extra attack to represent them crushing you with feet and the like. Since we see quite a few trolls and ogres this side of the Grey Mountains, I thought I would warn you. Kroxigors and Ushtabi fall into this category as well I believe, and some creatures are able to do a Thunderstomp, which is like a Stomp but with thunder.
Horde units are units that have at least 10 files, that is, has at least 10 soldiers in the front rank. Hordes have a few inherent bonuses for being such a large unit, but the horde bonus comes from the extra supporting attacks you can garner. A unit that has more ranks than all it's opponents counts as being Steadfast, which means if the unit loses it takes no modifiers to it's Leadership. Also, this edition allows us to get supporting attacks from the second rank in all cases - just like spears used to do. Horde units can basically attack in three ranks, as it can get supporting attacks from the second and third rank by virtue of swarming all over your tiny unit. As an aside, Spears still allow you to fight in an extra rank!
Magic has a few important changes. Wizards can channel another power die, but the total number of Power and Dispel dice can never exceed 12. Wizards can now use up to six dice to cast spells, no matter their rank! If the total of the natural dice score is less than three, the spell cannot be cast. Further, the wizard's concentration is broken and will be unable to cast spells for the rest of the Magic Phase! Undead wizards will find that repeated one dice castings are greater chance for broken concentration, which puts an end to Invocation of Nehek spam. That should put a nice threat-cap on the zombie hordes we're likely to see spring up!
All in all, the new rules are great. The main problems I have with the book are the book itself, even though I truly think it's beautiful and I'm proud to have it on my shelf...it's more about the strain on my bookshelf!
I'm going to be sad if the next Warhammer 40,000 rulebook isn't so fat and jolly. Not that I won't buy it...just that I'll have to install a podium at the Wargate for the damn rulebooks!!
