The first wave of troops from the Dwarfen Mountain Holds are mustering even now, preparing for pre-orders to open on Saturday. This week we’ve already examined how they play and their story so far, so today we’re taking a closer look at the new miniatures – and a selection of returning classics.
Dwarf Lords with Shield Bearers
“I believe that the new Lord in plastic is one of the prettiest models we’ve released in years,” says Danny. He’s not wrong – this kit contains two multipart, multi-option Dwarf Lords, one on foot and the other held aloft by three especially muscular Shieldbearers. The heads and weapons are interchangeable, and either one of them can stand atop the shield – which grants +3 Wounds, making an already resolute Dwarf absolutely immovable. Better yet, they’re in modern plastic, demonstrating what’s possible for the Warhammer: The Old World Range moving forwards.
Dwarf Thane with Handgun
“The resin Thane on an Oathstone has a very big gun,” says Danny. “His job is to join a unit of Thunderers and make them immune to Panic with his Oathstone.
“Using the new Engineer’s Runes in the Arcane Journal, you can grant his gun the Master Rune of Slaying or the Master Rune of Bursting Flame, and he becomes an anti-monster or anti-infantry sniper!”
Ungrim Ironfist, the Slayer King of Karak Kadrin
This stunning rendition of Ungrim Ironfist, the renowned Slayer King of Karak Kadrin, is a very different proposition to his earlier incarnation – which was sculpted in 1993. He’s younger, prouder, brasher, more dynamic, and, most importantly of all, shirtless. This is a young, vital king of the Slayer Hold, committed to finding the through line between the burden of the Slayer vow that has dogged his bloodline for generations and the Oath of Kingship he is similarly bound to uphold.
His King of the Slayer Hold ability allows him various unique army composition options when he’s taken as the general of a Royal Clan Army of Infamy – mostly themed around Slayers and Doomseekers, though he can also join a unit of Hammerers.
He has an astronomical Weapon Skill of 9, which combined with the Axe of Dargo means he’s making four Magical Attacks each round at Strength 6 and an AP of -3. He is, to be short, a menace.
Prince Ulther’s Dragon Company
From the entirely new to the extremely old, we turn to the most venerable Made to Order in Warhammer history – Prince Ulther and his Dragon Company, who were originally sculpted for release in 1985. “Prince Ulther happened because we like truly classic models”, says JTY, “and classics don’t get much more venerable than this. We went looking for the old moulds in the factory, and then had new moulds recut.
“The Dragon Company can be used as Imperial Dwarf Mercenaries in Warhammer: The Old World, but these miniatures actually predate that lore, and have specific rules for using them as a Regiment of Renown, which are included in the packaging. Ulther is an outcast. His hold has fallen, and he’s out there in the world trying to regain the honour of his kin.
“Imperial Dwarfs can be taken as mercenaries in Dwarfen Mountain Holds armies, where they’re essentially Dwarf Warriors with access to spears, or they can be hired by Empire of Man armies, which is rooted in some of the older material from Warhammer Fantasy Battle, with Dwarf communities living and working in Imperial cities. The profile is deliberately flexible, to allow players to use older metal miniatures or convert newer plastics.”
The Goblin-Hewer
“The Goblin-Hewer is another interesting returning unit”, says JTY. “It doesn’t come with Malakai Makaisson, because he hasn’t been born yet. But we delved into the lore and discovered that Malakai might not have invented everything he says he did. He’s an amazing character, but many of these contraptions – including blimps, zeppelins and the hewer – had already been developed.* He might have refined or reinvented them, but they already existed in principle – the Goblin-Hewer in particular had become quite a dishonourable weapon before Malakai’s time, falling out of use until he struck upon the blueprints. It was actually already caught up in patent disputes, even back in the World of Legend – seems to be something about an axe-tossing engine that makes young Dwarf Engineers want to claim ‘I invented that’.”
You will be able to order most of these and many more Dwarfs, including their Arcane Journal, battalion box, and many key units from tomorrow. Prince Ulther and his Dragon Company will be available to order on a Made to Order basis on the day of release.
Finally, the Old World FAQ & Errata documents have been given an update this week. The Studio tweaked a few things to make them clearer, added some more questions and answers, and addressed a couple of typos that have crept in (the work of nefarious goblins, no doubt). As the game continues to grow and evolve with future releases, we'll continue to release updates to the FAQ documents, answering people's questions, so please keep sending them in to oldworldFAQ@gwplc.com.
* But don’t expect to see any Thunderbarges cruising over your battlefields for the foreseeable future…