Games Workshop's biggest event of the year, Warhammer Fest, has just wrapped up with some very juicy details on most of the company's games. A boxed set for Warhammer 40K 10th edition, a new campaign for Age of Sigmar, teases from The Old World… suffice to say, we were hit with a lot of info. Because there's so much to take in, I've broken down all the biggest announcements below.
That's not limited to Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar, either. GW's range of board games for adults also got plenty to chew on during Warhammer Fest with new kits for Kill Team and Warcry (Kill Team in particular stood out because it's trying something a little different - an all-in-one narrative campaign). There's even the possibility of an old favorite returning to tabletop for the first time in years.
Meet Leviathan, the new boxed set for Warhammer 40K
All eyes are on Warhammer 40,000 10th edition right now, so it isn't surprising that the new introductory boxed set that kicks it all off got the lion's share of attention during Warhammer Fest 2023. Called 'Leviathan', it's an absolute unit with 25 Space Marines, 47 Tyranids, a lavish special edition rulebook, and new missions. We don't have a solid release date for it just yet, but it's that far off - it's listed with a 'June' launch window.
Packed with all-new sculpts for both factions (including Tyranid monstrosities that tower over everything else on the battlefield), you're getting enough miniatures for two full Combat Patrol forces here. In addition, the hardcover rulebook contains everything you need to know on playing the Combat Patrol game type out of the box. You're getting a 66-card Chapter Approved deck of missions to work through too.
However, don't think of this as a 'beginner' box per se. As with the Indomitus set for 2020's 9th edition, this will probably be followed by a trio of starter sets (cheap, mid-range, and premium) later in 2023. Accordingly, Leviathan is more of a 'collector's edition'. No price is listed, but we suspect it'll weigh in at around $200 / £125 as a result. That's certainly how much Indomitus cost a few years back.
Could Epic be coming back?
Warhammer Fest ended with an intriguing but short teaser that could hint at the return of a possible fan-favorite. The video shows a top-down battlemap of units moving against one another, and thanks to the 'command legions' tag shortly afterward, I'm wondering whether it's teasing the comeback of Epic - a game that zoomed out for massive armies of tiny 40K soldiers and larger-than-life vehicles. We'll have to wait and see if that's the case (and Games Workshop does like to throw out red herrings), but it's certainly suspicious.
First miniatures revealed for Warhammer: The Old World
After months of teases, we finally have our first glimpse of models for Warhammer: The Old World. Heroes from the Ancient Egypt-inspired Tomb Kings and chivalric Bretonnians were unveiled early during Warhammer Fest, and these two factions will kick things off for the throwback game.
Although we didn't get much else, we do know that certain Warhammer Fantasy Battles kits are making their return for The Old World alongside new miniatures printed in both plastic and resin. Warhammer Fest attendees were also told that there wouldn't be a starter set in a question-and-answer section of The Old World panel (as revealed by our friends over at Wargamer). It sounds as if we'll only get updates to a couple of factions at a time, too.
"Deep narrative campaign" in new Kill Team box
The latest Kill Team boxset takes a break from its current storyline (where squads fight to pillage a derelict starship) and pivots to an all-in-one campaign that pits Inquisitors against Chaos-corrupted heretics. Even though the warbands included within can be used for standard Kill Team matches, the emphasis is on a replayable series of missions that will apparently offer a different experience depending on how well you do. More specifically, it's described via the official Warhammer Community post as offering "wildly different experiences every time as plans go awry and momentum shifts back and forth ahead of the nail-biting finale."
Crucially, this kit doesn't feature a set lineup as per normal Kill Team boxes. Instead, "six different groups" can be used to reinforce your Inquisitors.
Age of Sigmar gets a new narrative campaign
An all-new campaign series for Age of Sigmar is on its way this year. Called 'Dawnbringers' and spread across three books launching throughout 2023, it challenges you to lead or oppose a crusade by the cities of Sigmar to retake lands overrun with Chaos.
As per other narrative campaigns, this includes a series of interconnected missions that'll shift the balance one way or another. They also introduce new miniatures to support your armies. For example, four 'heralds' (one for each Grand Alliance) are kicking things off and will be the focus of the first book, Harbingers.
This crusade is presumably why we're getting a Cities of Sigmar army in the not-so-distant future. Speaking of which, these got reinforcements in the form of the Freeguild Cavaliers. Seemingly based on the old-school Empire Knights, they're a gritty and baroque bunch in a way we haven't really seen since Warhammer Fantasy Battles was put out to pasture years ago.
Warcry has you facing off with flesh-eating cannibals
The next Warcry box set has been unveiled, and this time it's Stormcast Eternals and ghouls going head to head. While the battleforces are very cool (the ghouls, in particular, look brilliantly horrific), a new pyramid terrain piece is definitely the highlight. It's a showstopper that takes up much of the battlefield and is probably the biggest bit of Warcry scenery we've had since Red Harvest.
Thanks to a road map shown off during Warhammer Fest, we're also staring down the barrel of a fresh starter set - it's due to arrive this summer. If you've wanted to get into the series and missed the last beginner box, you'll get another chance in just a few months.
For more tabletop coverage, check out the best board games, must-have board games for 2 players, and essential cooperative board games.
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