Warhammer: The Old World will be available to pre-order on Saturday, and nestled amid the mountains of new and returning miniatures are two intriguing softback books – the Arcane Journals.
Arcane Journals are softback supplements that are designed to work alongside the army lists in Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes, containing supplementary background and imagery, and additional rules that complement these details through extra equipment, special characters, and army lists.
Arcane Journals are not required to play your chosen faction in Warhammer: The Old World . The two main army lists contain a complete set of rules for each army, including unique spells that supplement the eight lores in the core rulebook (for instance, the Lore of Nehekara or the Lore of the Lady), unique abilities (like Knightly Vows and Resurrecting the Fallen), and faction specific special rules (Arrows of Asaph, Blessings of the Lady, etc) and magic items.
However, Arcane Journals do provide different ways to play and new ways to build your force via themed army lists with their own mustering rules. These Armies of Infamy differ from the main list in meaningful ways: due to their geographical location, the unique tactics employed by certain generals, or the formation of historical retinues for notable characters.
For example, the Bretonnian Exiles are forces under the command of a Banished Lord – a knight who has committed some transgression against Code Chivalric and been booted out. Shorn of their honour, these Lords are now free to hire bloodthirsty mercenaries and employ Border Prince Bombards as they attempt to claim glory (or just a new land to rule) – taking up the Vow of the Exile instead of their regular Chivalric Vow.
The Tomb Kings can use rules found in their own Arcane Journal to field Nehekharan Royal Hosts, the elite retinue of an influential Tomb King or Prince. The monarchs who lead these armies are often tutored in the secret language of the Priests of the Mortuary Cult, while their legions of Skeleton and Tomb Guard Chariots pulverise their ruler’s enemies under hoof and wheel.
These variant army lists are a great way to add a narrative element to your collection, and stretch your skills by undertaking projects such as creating an Errantry Crusade that features a rainbow of unique heraldry.
Each Arcane Journal also features one historical recreation scenario. For the Kingdom of Bretonnia, that’s The Battle of Matorea. Set during a seismic war in the Border Princes, this scenario pits a modest force led by Sir Cecil Gastonne the Wyrm Slayer, fighting tooth and nail against a colossal Khemrian host led by Settra the Imperishable – as the Duke of Brionne and Lady Élisse Duchaard ride out to save him.
It features mustering rules for each force, as well as a battlefield map and special rules that represent the conditions of the battle – providing unique challenges that differ from the missions in the Core Book.
Each Arcane Journal will feature one of these historical recreations, and you can have the first one on us – just click the download button below. It even provides instructions for playing the scenario with armies of your choosing!
Each Arcane Journal contains rules for notable special characters, such as the Green Knight, Élisse Duchaard, Nekaph the Emissary of Settra, and Settra the Imperishable himself. There are also additional magic weapons, armour, standards, and other enchanted items for the featured faction.
You’ll be able to pre-order the Arcane Journals for the Kingdom of Bretonnia and the Tomb Kings of Khemri on Saturday, alongside the game itself and oodles of beautiful miniatures and accessories. Further Arcane Journals following the other seven core factions will be released in due course.
For your first look at Warhammer: The Old World, you can now watch its Warhammer+ debut Battle Report for FREE on YouTube. There’s also Loremasters and Citadel Colour Masterclass content coming up in the next few weeks. Praise the Lady/Hail Settra (delete as applicable)! And if you want to see the Battle Of Matorea scenario in action, check out the MiniWarGaming YouTube channel.