Old World Almanack – The March of Chaos designer’s notes

We caught up with the stoic scribes of the Old World to find out more about the accursed contents of Arcane Journal: The March of Chaos as a whole host of new Warriors of Chaos kits loom on the horizon.

JTY: The newest Arcane Journal returns to war-torn Westerland, where Miao Ying has been leading the armies of Grand Cathay and the mercenary companies of Marienburg to victory over the barbarous hordes of Frydaal the Chainmaker. But if the Storm Dragon expected her campaign to progress without any upsets, she was sorely mistaken.

Dave: That’s right. The release of the new models for the Warriors of Chaos heralds not just their return to the tabletop, but their return to the Old World. For centuries, the Ruinous Powers have lain all but dormant, barely troubling the denizens of the World of Legend.

JTY: Whilst the would-be rulers of the Empire war amongst themselves, and the knights of Bretonnia ride to battle in the arid south, the Lords of Chaos have begun to stir once more in the frozen north. Beyond the Chaos Wastes, amongst the ruination of the Shard Lands where the world of mortals meets the realm of the gods, impossible fortresses have swung open their towering gates, and the armoured Warriors and Knights of Chaos have begun their inexorable march against the nations of the Old World.

It’s almost as if the Chainmaker was merely the herald of a far greater incursion.

Dave: In this Arcane Journal, we focus on the Warriors of Chaos, looking first at the Path to Glory those chosen by the gods must walk, then at the methods by which great fighters are inducted into their ranks, and finally at some of the most infamous fortresses of the Shard Lands.

In terms of content for players of Warhammer: The Old World, the book contains plenty, for with the stirring of the Lords of Chaos, the Winds of Magic have begun to blow an ætheric storm. To reflect this, there are several optional new mechanics for magic that players can use in their games.

The first is Channelling, which allows Wizards of different levels to generate a pool of Channelling dice at the start of the game. These can then be spent in a number of ways, from boosting their Casting and Dispel rolls, to extending the range of their spells and their Dispel attempts.

JTY: By contrast, Arcane Magic introduces a deck of cards that players can draw from. Each of these represents a ploy they can unleash at the opportune moment. They have a range of effects, the most common allowing players to re-roll Casting or Dispel rolls, whilst the rarest can turn any double other than a natural double 1 into a Perfect Invocation, for example.

For those without the cards, we included a table, ensuring anyone can join the fun, and we took care to balance the likelihood of drawing particular cards against rolling those same results.

Dave: Sorcerous Ruses are another new addition. They allow Wizards in your army to roll for an upgrade, a ruse if you will, that can be deployed during the game. From allowing a Wizard to regain a lost Wound, to giving them the power to consume one of a rival Wizard’s spells so that it can’t be cast again, we’ve found these very enjoyable!

Finally, to offset all this new magical potential, there’s a new and far more punishing Disastrous Miscast table, which has to be used alongside any of these optional new rules, the better to reflect the wild and dangerous Storms of Magic blowing across the Sea of Claws. Although to be honest, it’s a great table to use in any game.

There are also new rules for Champions of the Ruinous Powers, which allows players to create their own Lords of Chaos, be they a Champion of Chaos or a Beastman Chieftain, by randomly determining certain characteristics. These rules are aimed firmly at narrative play rather than matched play, and they’re tremendous fun.

JTY: A new Army of Infamy gives players somewhere to use these characters, allowing them to lead the Hordes of Chaos to battle, combining units from the Warriors of Chaos and Beastmen Brayherds into one army list, alongside groups of desperate Chaos Cultists, denizens of the Old World turned against their lords and masters by the lure of the Ruinous Powers.

As if that wasn’t enough, the book is completed by a new set of common magic items. These represent the sort of accursed artefact that one might find littering the battlefields of Westerland. From the Sword of Reaving, which gives its wielder D3 Extra Attacks, but punishes them if any fail to wound, to the Daemon-blooded Steed, that improves a cavalry character’s mount, or the Scroll of Invocation, a single-use item that allows a Wizard to forgo a Casting roll and cast a spell at its minimum casting value. Especially useful for a Wizard recently stung by the Disastrous Miscast table!

There really is a lot crammed into this Arcane Journal, and we look forward to hearing tales of players adventures with all of it!

Thanks, folks! The new Arcane Journal: The March of Chaos supplement and the Arcane Magic Ploys Card Pack are both available to pre-order from Saturday.