Fun fact: Boxing Day gets its name from an ancient necromantic practice, in which the skeletons of the dead were removed from their coffins ready for reanimation*. Which is appropriate, because here at Warhammer we have more than a few skeletons ready to take out of our closet.
It’s the Tomb Kings of Khemri (and a bunch of guys in some metal trousers)!
Tomb Kings and Bretonnia Core Boxes
There is no single launch box for Warhammer: The Old World. Instead, there are two separate – and massive – core army boxes, each containing a full 1,250-point army with dozens of all-plastic miniatures each. On top of that, you get a complete 352-page hardback Warhammer: The Old World rulebook, a four-page reference sheet, 20 D6 dice, one six-sided scatter dice, three weapon templates, two classic red plastic measuring sticks, and transfer sheets.
The Liche Priests have exhumed a horde of 93 Tomb Kings miniatures, including the magnificent new Liche Priest on Necrolith Bone Dragon (which can additionally build a Tomb King on foot, or be built instead as a Tomb King on Bone Dragon). The rest is made up of enough classic kits to create an army fit for Settra himself – 40 Skeleton Warriors, 32 Skeleton archers, 16 Skeleton Horsemen, and three Skeleton Chariots.
Raise your banners to the Lady with the Kingdom of Bretonnia box, which contains 76 miniatures. The resplendent new Lord on Royal Pegasus can be built as a Duke or a Baron. They’re backed up by a lance formation of 12 Bretonnian Knights of the Realm, 36 Bretonnian Men-at-Arms, 24 Peasant Bowmen with two defence stakes, three Pegasus Knights, and a Kingdom of Bretonnian Transfer sheet with 176 transfers.
Warhammer: The Old World – Fantasy Battles in the World of Legend Rulebook
The rulebook will also be available separately. This weighty 352-page tome features over 70 pages of background on the World of Legend, plus Core and Advanced rules for the game, an explanation of the Winds of Magic and rules for casting spells, a gallery of armies painted by the ’Eavy Metal studio, and rules for building armies and setting up your battlefields. It will also be released as a digital ePub version for easy access to rules on the go.
Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes
Rules for all nine factions in the game will be available at launch, in one of two tomes covering the forces of Good and Evil – Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes respectively.
Forces of Fantasy is a 192-page book available in hardback and ePub formats covering five factions: the Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the Empire of Man, the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Wood Elf Realms, and the High Elf Realms.
Each army gets an introduction, a gallery of miniatures, a grand army composition list, a complete set of unit profiles (so you’ll have no need for a separate army book to play), special rules, magic items, and unique spells.
Ravening Hordes contains all your Evil factions – it’s a 160-page hardback book or ePub containing similar material for the Orc and Goblin Tribes, the Warriors of Chaos, the Beastmen Brayherds, and the Tomb Kings of Khemri.
You’ll need the main Warhammer: The Old World rulebook to use either book.
Arcane Journals
In addition to these hefty hardback books, there are the Arcane Journals – softback books for each faction that expand it all out with history, heraldry, maps, special characters (including a certain undead emperor), magic items, spells, a historical scenario, and thematic Armies of Infamy which let you select armies of very different compositions.
For instance, Arcane Journal: Kingdoms of Bretonnia has rules for armies of Bretonnian Exiles and Errantry Crusades, while Arcane Journal: Tomb Kings of Khemri provides the Nehekharan Royal Host and the Mortuary Cults. It is important to know that you don’t require an Arcane Journal to play your chosen faction – all the units and army rules are contained in Ravening Hordes or Forces of Fantasy – but they do provide a trove of extra options and extra depth for discerning generals.
The Arcane Journals for the Kingdom of Bretonnia and Tomb Kings of Khemri will arrive at launch alongside their army releases, with those for other factions following in the future.
Tomb Kings of Khemri Miniatures
Not wanting to be outdone by the self-important short-lived mortals of Bretonnia, the venal and power-hungry royalty of Khemri have a handful of other new miniatures up their sandy sleeves.
Nekaph, Emissary of Settra
Settra the Imperishable has accumulated a truly prodigious number of epithets and achievements over the long centuries of his un-life, and this seemingly endless list of titles and victories is recounted in full by his loyal servant Nekaph before each battle – luckily, animated skeletons are very patient. Armed with the enchanted Flail of Conquered Kings, Nekaph, Emissary of Settra, pulverises those who refuse to kneel before his immortal liege.
Battle Standard Bearer
Royal Heralds are the personal champions of Nehekharan royalty, mighty combatants in life who retain their strength in undeath despite their withered forms. The greatest of these champions often bear banners featuring the personal heraldry of their master, inspiring the deathly legions that accompany them into battle.
Tomb Swarm
The Liche Priests of the Mortuary Cults are well-versed in the dark arts of necromancy, and they bolster the armies of their masters with writhing Tomb Swarms. Comprised of the reanimated corpses of scorpions, scarabs, and all the other critters that infest the necropolises of Khemri, these shifting, swirling masses can overpower well-trained combatants with a storm of bites and stings.
On top of all of these, a full range of classic Khemri miniatures will be returning to bolster the forces featured in this article, with much more to come in the future.
The Bretonnians and Tomb Kings are just the first two of nine factions arriving in the World of Legend. The rules for the other seven will be available at launch in Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes – and look out for miniature releases for the other seven in due course.
Don’t worry if you’re more of a follower of Hashut or interpreter of the Great Plan – Legacy army list PDFs for the other seven factions from Warhammer Fantasy Battles will be available shortly after launch.
All that’s left now is to reveal the pre-order date for this avalanche in the World of Legend. We’ve got a suspicion it might be quite soon – keep an eye on Warhammer Community to find out exactly when.
* At least according to Settra. We don’t like to argue with him.