The new edition of Warcry launches this summer with the stunning Heart of Ghur boxed set, but what changes are coming inside the Core Book? We sat down with the team behind the game to learn more about the new rules.
The new edition builds upon the existing game rather than rewriting it from scratch, making it familiar to existing players and thrilling for beginners. There are, however, significant changes in three areas.
Reactions
A Reaction lets your fighters interrupt an opponent’s turn by spending one of their actions early. This makes games incredibly fast-paced and keeps players focused on the action. Here’s John, one of Warcry’s designers, on the new mechanic.
John: Reactions are a huge addition to the game and very exciting. The Counter reaction is something that we've seen players make consistent use of – fighters that would ordinarily be doomed to die early doors can get a few licks in before they go down. In addition, fighters who prioritise durability might previously have been unfavoured due to their lack of damage output, but they can now comfortably plonk themselves in front of others, happy in the knowledge that Counter is likely to do more damage than their regular attacks. Of course, sometimes your opponent doesn't miss…
Product developer Nyle is also looking forward to Reactions.
Nyle: I love how the reactions that work in response to an enemy attack (like Counter) fundamentally change the way you play. It completely refreshes the way you think about your choices for engaged models, as your tactical options increase by nearly double when models fight in melee. Because these reactions work in your enemy's activation, you are even more engaged than in the last edition when the attack dice start flying! At the same time, it doesn’t slow the game down because you usually spend an action to make a reaction, so you'll have fewer actions to do later in the turn.
Deciding when to use a Reaction or whether to keep both of a fighter’s actions for when they activate is going to be a key tactical decision in the new edition.
Campaigns
New campaign rules allow you to set up encampments and send out warriors to explore the Gnarlwood. Encampments give your warbands unique benefits, but the hostile nature of the Gnarlwood means that you’ll have to build a new one before long. Quests now take fewer battles to complete, while Campaign Arcs are an optional element you and your friends can add to your campaigns to tie several battles together (often, but not always, between three and five) with a single story.
Sam, the lead designer of the new edition, can’t wait to get lost in the Gnarlwood.
Sam: I'm most excited about the new campaigns. The Gnarlwood is a treacherous and deadly place for the players to explore as they send out their scouts and choose where to set up their encampment for the night. No two campaigns will ever be alike as they take different twists and turns through the many quests to choose from, the treasures players can find, and places they might discover.
Learn to Play
Now that you know what’s changing in the new edition, you’re ready to watch the Learn to Play Warcry video we’ve prepared.
The Warcry: Heart of Ghur boxed set is available to pre-order from Saturday. We’ll be looking at the rules for the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed later this week and examining Warcry’s exciting future next week – sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with all of the latest updates.
NB This article originally mentioned the Warcry Compendium. Fear not, it’s still on the way, but we wanted to give you more information on this massive tome in future articles.