Welcome to the end of 2023. With a new year just over the horizon, it’s time to look at the first miniatures, books, and more that you’ll be able to pre-order in The Future (albeit the very near future, specifically the 6th of January). Paradoxically, you’ll be returning to the past in the World of Legend, as Warhammer: The Old World arrives with banners flying and horns blowing.
If you’re starting your journey into the Old World from scratch, the two immense starter sets are your best jumping-on point. Each contains everything you need to start playing battles of Warhammer: The Old World (with the exception of a battlefield and an opponent – they wouldn’t fit in the box).
Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Kingdom of Bretonnia Edition
The chivalrous knights of Bretonnia and their peasant followers march to battle in this set, with 76 plastic Citadel miniatures – 75 of them returning classics, with a brand new Lord of Bretonnia on Royal Pegasus leading them – joined by the core rulebook, a reference sheet, dice, templates, measuring sticks ,and a transfer sheet.
Warhammer: The Old World Core Set – Tomb Kings of Khemri Edition
If your tastes run more towards the desert sands and endless ranks of skeletal warriors, check out the Tomb Kings of Khemri boxed set, which contains the same game aids (minus the transfers), alongside 93 plastic Citadel miniatures, two of which are new – a Tomb Prince, and a Liche Priest riding a huge Necrolith Bone Dragon.
Already have an army on square bases from years past ready to take to the battlefield? You’ll want to grab the new rules separately.
Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook, Forces of Fantasy, and Ravening Hordes
This trio of hardback tomes are the ideal way to bring your armies back to battlefields of the Old World.
The rulebook’s 352 pages are packed with lore about the World of Legend, and all the rules for the game, from manoeuvring your blocks of troops and fighting in vicious combat, to harnessing the winds of magic and linking your battles into epic campaigns.
Forces of Fantasy meanwhile contains army lists for those on the side of good: the Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the Empire of Man, the Kingdom of Bretonnia, the Wood Elf Realms, and the High Elf Realms. Each has profiles for every unit in the army, plus special rules for that faction, unique spells, magic items, and more, alongside showcases of beautifully painted Citadel miniatures.
Ravening Hordes does the same job for the monstrous forces of evil, covering the Orc and Goblin Tribes, the Warriors of Chaos, the Beastmen Brayherds, and the Tomb Kings of Khemri.
Arcane Journal: Kingdom of Bretonnia
Devotees of the Lady of the Lake can supplement the Grand Army list in Forces of Fantasy with Arcane Journal: Kingdom of Bretonnia. This paperback volume delves further into the background of the land of chivalry, as well as adding a plethora of new rules content, including three heroes of legend and two Armies of Infamy based around Errantry Crusades and exiled knights, giving you more ways to play with your Bretonnian collection.
Alongside the Arcane Journal, you’ll be able to pre-order a range of Bretonnian models in plastic, metal, and Forge World resin.
Battle Standard Bearer on Royal Pegasus
The most noble of Bretonnian Paladins are given the honour of carrying their liege’s banner into battle. Those of purest heart can do so from the back of a mighty Royal Pegasus, ensuring that their lord’s colours can be seen across the battlefield. This plastic kit allows you to build just such a champion of the Lady.
Pegasus Knights
The bravest of Bretonnian Knights take to the skies on the back of majestic winged steeds, swooping down on their foes with lances poised to strike. This classic plastic kit builds three Pegasus Knights.
Grail Knights and Grail Knights Command
Some Bretonnian Knights are marked by the Lady and embark upon a quest to find and drink from the Grail. If they succeed, they are forever changed, granted super-human prowess.
The Grail Knights kit contains three metal Grail Knights with plastic horses, enough for a small unit. The Grail Knights Command group gives you a champion, musician and banner to lead your heroes.
Battle Pilgrims and Grail Reliquae
Wherever Grail Knights travel, they are followed by bands of dedicated pilgrims who worship them as living avatars of the Lady. When the knights go to war, so do these Battle Pilgrims. When a Grail Knights falls in battle, the pilgrims venerate their corpse, carrying it aloft to spur all who see it to the heights of valour.
The Battle Pilgrims kit consists of 12 metal Battle Pilgrims, with nine different models, three of which are included twice. The Grail Reliquae kit contains seven metal models – six Battle Pilgrims and the Reliquae itself. Additional Battle Pilgrims can be added to this unit to help defend the Reliquae.
Mounted Yeomen and Mounted Yeomen Command
Yeoman have reached one of the highest ranks to which a Bretonnian peasant can aspire – trusted servants, head gaolers, militia sergeants, who are even granted the right to ride to war on sturdy draught horses. They’re tasked with scouting ahead of the main force and guarding the inglorious flanks.
The Mounted Yeomen kit comprises five metal models on plastic horses. The Mounted Yeomen Command kit includes three metal models – a Warden, a standard bearer and a musician – on plastic horses.
Handmaiden of the Lady
Bretonnian armies are often joined in battle by Handmaidens of the Lady, fey enchantresses whose powerful magic can turn the tide of war. This miniature in Forge World resin can be used as a Damsel or Prophetess, and includes options for her head and both hands.
Battle Standard Bearer on Foot and Mounted
One Paladin in any Bretonnian crusade will be given the honour of carrying the army’s battle standard. The two models in this set are Forge World resin, and allow you to have your Battle Standard Bearer on foot to inspire the peasantry, or mounted on horseback to ride with your knights.
Questing Knight Paladin with Great Weapon
When a knight’s Grail quest leads them to cross paths with their fellow knights, they will eagerly join the battle, searching for any sign that the foe can lead them closer to their goal. This Forge World resin model is one such Questing Knight, perfect to use as a Paladin with the Questing Vow. You can choose between bare and helmeted heads for this storied hero.
Kingdom of Bretonnia Reference Cards and Dice
Bretonnian armies will be full of magic items and Knightly Virtues, and the best way to keep them straight in battle is with this handy set of 36 reference cards covering all the unique magic items, spells, and Knightly Virtues from Forces of Fantasy.
You can also get a set of 18 metallic silver swirl dice with the iconic fleur de lys replacing the 6 – perfect for gaining the Lady’s favour – which also includes similarly coloured scatter and artillery dice.
Arcane Journal: Tomb Kings of Khemri
Expand your Tomb Kings of Khemri army beyond Ravening Hordes with this paperback Arcane Journal, featuring rules for magic items and three heroes of the dead, including the iconic first Tomb King, Settra the Imperishable. You can also theme your army around two Armies of Infamy – Nehekharan Royal Hosts or the Mortuary Cult, each with its own unique units, which have full profiles in the book. You’ll also learn more about the Tomb Kings, their history, and the sinister Land of the Dead from which they hail.
Tomb Guard
A Nehekharan monarch’s elite guard would be buried with them, returning to unlife when they did as Tomb Guard. This boxed set contains 20 classic plastic Tomb Guard, with options for hand weapons or halberds, as well as enough parts to build Tomb Captains, standard bearers or musicians for each of your units.
Sepulchral Stalkers
Created to protect the borders of Nehekhara, Sepulchral Stalkers are terrifying constructs that lurk beneath the sands, and emerge to kill those who would threaten the restful dead. This plastic kit builds three Sepulchral Stalkers, and can alternatively be built as Necropolis Knights, elite warriors who ride snake-like Necroserpents.
Necrosphinx
The Necrosphinx is a bizarre and terrifying construct, an amalgamation of mythical beasts that stalk the Nehekharan underworlds. This plastic kit lets you add one of these horrors to your army, and drag your enemies screaming into death.
If you prefer, you can build the kit as a Khemrian Warsphinx, a gigantic leonine construct with Tomb Guard riding upon its back. The kit also comes with a Tomb King, who can be mounted atop a Warsphinx or go to battle on foot.
Settra the Imperishable
As a mortal king of Nehekhara, Settra founded the Mortuary Cults, obsessed with gaining eternal life. When he awoke to the half-life of a mummified monstrosity, he swore that all the living would feel his wrath. This metal and plastic kit builds Settra atop his chariot, perfect for leading your skeletal hordes to eternal victory.
Liche Priest
The Liche Priests of the Mortuary Cult hold the secrets to unlife, and on the battlefield they support the undying legions with incantations that bring unearthly vigour to skeletal bodies, or blast foes with deathly energies. This metal model can be used in your army as a Mortuary Priest or High Priest.
Ushabti
Carved into the likeness of Nehekhara’s gods of old, Ushabti guard the massive tomb complexes of Nehekhara, seeming to be no more than immobile statues… until their lieges are threatened. These two metal kits each build three Ushabti. You can choose between Ushabti with Ritual Blades, perfect for hacking enemies apart in melee, or Ushabti with Greatbows, who pick off foes from afar.
Tomb King
The monarchs of Nehekhara lead their deathly hordes to war. Vengeful spirits trapped in mummified corpses, they channel their will into pushing their troops forward, and sating their eternal hatred on the living who defile their ruined kingdoms. This Forge World resin Tomb King model is armed with two hand weapons, and makes a great leader for a unit of Skeleton Warriors or Tomb Guard.
Battle Standard Bearer
When a Nehekharan monarch leads their undead armies to war, they march beneath the shadow of their ancient banner, carried by a Royal Herald who is also the monarch’s sworn protector on the battlefield. This new kit builds one Royal Herald with a flail, cast in Forge World resin.
Tomb Swarms
When the monarchs and priests of Nehekhara channel their magic to raise the armies of the dead, the many creatures that once inhabited tomb complexes are restored alongside them. These scorpions, scarabs, and other poisonous beasts form deadly swarms that can overwhelm the unwary. This new kit builds three Tomb Swarms in Forge World resin to use in your Tomb Kings of Khemri army.
Tomb Kings of Khemri Reference Cards and Dice
Keep track of your magic items and spells in the heat of battle with a set of 36 reference cards containing all the rules for the Tomb King’s artefacts and incantations from Ravening Hordes. While you’re at it, enhance your rolls with a set of 20 bone-coloured dice with dark red etching. The 18 D6s have a Tomb Kings symbol replacing the six, and are joined by a scatter dice and an artillery dice.
Warhammer: The Old World Dice Set, Lore of Magic Reference Cards, Common Magic Items Reference Cards, and Card Sleeves
If you want to keep your dice in-theme for the World of Legend, but don’t command Bretonnians or Tomb Kings, the Warhammer: The Old World Dice Set is for you. Crafted with a pearlescent blue swirl and gold ink, they have the iconic hammer Ghal-Maraz in place of the six on the 18 D6s. The set also includes a scatter dice and an artillery dice.
The two Warhammer: The Old World Reference Card packs give you an easy way to keep track of your common magic items – usable by any army in the game – and spell lores as you play. The Common Magic Items set includes 56 cards, and the Lores of Magic set has 56 cards covering eight lores of magic. You can also protect your cards with a set of 50 sleeves featuring the Warhammer: The Old World logo on the backs.
Bases and Modular Movement Trays
Warhammer: The Old World uses square and rectangular bases, many of them larger than those used for previous iterations of the game of fantasy battles. If you want to rebase your venerable forces for the new Old World, you’ll want to pick up some of these sets. There are 11 packs to choose from, with every variation of base you could need, from 25mm squares for infantry all the way up to 100x150mm rectangles for the very largest of monsters.
Moving ranked units around is much easier with movement trays, and the Modular Movement Trays set allows you to build them to fit your units. It includes two 200x200mm sheets and various pieces of edging, ready to be cut and glued to suit your needs.
Warhammer: The Old World – Map of the Old World
Plan your campaigns of conquest with this stunning map of the Old World. Measuring an immense 1,000x890mm – yes, that’s a whole metre in length! – and printed on heavyweight poster paper, it showcases the locations and factions of the Old World.
Warhammer: The Old World Celebration Day
On Saturday the 20th of January – the day Warhammer: The Old World hits store shelves – Warhammer World is hosting a day of celebration. Immerse yourself in the World of Legend with demo games, the chance to paint a Knight of the Realm on Foot, a jousting minigame based on a classic from a 1990s issue of White Dwarf, and much more. It’s free to enter, and there will be an optional ticket to take part in a Hobby Challenge on the day. Find out more on the Warhammer World Facebook page, and get your Hobby Challenge tickets here.
Warhammer 40,000 Made to Order – launching 6th of January
The archives are opening for a brief period in January, and a range of classic Warhammer 40,000 models will be available to order. Two Necron Overlords – one with a staff of light, the other with a resurrection orb – will be joined by a classic Cryptek, as well as an upgrade kit to turn a plastic Destroyer into a Destroyer Lord. All four of these kits are resin, as is Huron Blackheart, the opportunistic Chaos Space Marines master of the Red Corsairs. If you’re more into machines, a metal Iron Warriors Warsmith will make an excellent Chaos Lord or Exalted Champion.
* An earlier version of this article included a picture of the incorrect Necron Pylon on Made to Order - we suspect nanoscarabs infiltrated our datastacks. The above image is now correct.
A host of resin miniatures originally released by Forge World will also be available on Made to Order. Space Marine commanders can add a range of resin heroes to their armies, including Lugft Huron, Chapter Master of the Astral Claws, from before he fled into the Maelstrom. You’ll also find Sevrin Loth of the Red Scorpions along with his Honour Guard (not pictured), and more Red Scorpions in the Regents of the Ordon Rift, comprising Casan Sabius and Sirae Karagon, complete with a diorama base. The Land Speeder Tempest, meanwhile, will add some fast firepower to any Space Marine collection.
Necron Overlords can enhance their forces with some seriously heavy firepower in the form of Necron Sentry Pylon armed with a terrifying death ray, as well as a set of singularity generators – a weapon option for the Seraptek Heavy Construct.
All of these items will be available from the 6th January, and are Made to Order, delivered within 180 days.
Lords of the Lance (special edition, hardback, eBook, MP3)
Immerse yourself in the lore of Warhammer: The Old World with the first new novel in that setting since 2016! Written by Graham McNeill, author of the Legend of Sigmar series and many more tales set in the World of Legend, Lords of the Lance follows a Bretonnian crusade to rescue a noble prince held captive in the Land of the Dead. Two rival knights form an uneasy alliance to save him – but can honour and duty overcome their enmity as they face untold horrors? You can find out in hardback, eBook, or MP3 formats.
For true children of Bretonnia, there’s also a stunning special edition of Lords of the Lance, which features a bespoke cover bedecked in foil, along with colour pages inside featuring the art from the standard edition and a full colour map. Each copy is signed by the author, and numbered from an edition of 1,500, and includes new material in the form of an introduction by Graham McNeill, and an appendix, The Journal of Ebrardus Evotarum..
The End Times: Fall of Empires
While the World of Legend lives on, it’s a good time to see how it all ends. The End Times: Fall of Empires includes the first two novels in the epic End Times saga – The Return of Nagash and The Fall of Altdorf, alongside the prequel novella Sigmar’s Blood and a trio of short stories that showcase the beginning of the end. This mighty tome is available in paperback and eBook editions.
Blightslayer
Gotrek Gurnisson, a hero who once bestrode the World of Legend, now lives on in the Mortal Realms, and in this latest adventure by Richard Strachan, he finds himself in the Realm of Life, where a new companion and a deadly threat complicate his life. Released earlier in the year in hardback, this thrilling tale is now coming to paperback.
White Dwarf 496
Your monthly dose of new Warhammer content is incoming, with 144 pages of full-on hobby articles for you to devour. This month’s highlights include new rules for Warhammer 40,000: Combat Patrol, Warhammer Quest: Cursed City, and siege battles in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, alongside the epic culmination of the Slidecrown Sundering Campaign. The card section includes the Scenarios of the Month plus datacards for using Vanguard Space Marines in your Combat Patrol games.
The year is just beginning, and Warhammer+ is already delivering incredible shows, including the inaugural Warhammer: The Old World Battle Report, featuring Bretonnians and Tomb Kings, and a Citadel Colour Masterclass delving into how to paint the distinctive green armour of Aeldari Striking Scorpions.
Here on Warhammer Community, you can expect 2024 to kick off with a series of round table articles all about Warhammer: The Old World, as well as Heresy Thursday and a few surprises.
Finally, happy new year to you all, and we hope you’re looking forward to a great year of Warhammer – we certainly are.