The Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition Rulebook arrived this past weekend and I am the proud owner of a copy. It is impressive just based on the sheer size(531 pages) of the tome, which is nice but not what really matters. Upon opening, the book reveals that the oft maligned folks at Games Workshop labored long and lovingly to produce a beautiful and comprehensive tome detailing all aspects of the Warhammer Fantasy game. The book is printed in full color throughout and the numerous illustrations and photographs are frequently awe (and game) inspiring. The ribbon bookmark built into the spine is a nice touch and has proved quite useful.
Something I consider vital to a good rule book is ease of reference and the table of contents and index of the book is clear and useful. The rules section takes up the first 153 pages of the book. It starts with basic information about dealing with the models and then proceeds to present the basic rules in the order that they apply during a turn of the game. This is followed by a lengthy section covering the myriad special rules required by the variety of unit types and factions in the game. The rules are filled with well written and easily understood examples of play, most with illustrated examples.
After the rules section, there is a section entitled “The Warhammer World”. It begins with the rich history of the Warhammer World, including a timeline. Also in this section, the background and motivation of all the factions available in the game are explored. There are some truly striking pieces of art in this section of the book.
The heart of a table top miniatures game is the miniatures themselves and the third section of the book is jealousy inducing proof. It is 100 pages of painted miniatures categorized by their faction. This “Miniatures Showcase” section culminates in several pages of advise about the assembly and painting of an army.
The final section of the tome is a section entitled “WarhammerBattles” and details how to use and create scenario based battles. It has information on how to run a campaign and how to gamemaster a battle. I also features several narrative battle and a section on what they call legendary battles, which includes a battle report and a listing of participating units for the battle discussed. This section should be a boon to gaming groups that choose to take the time to use the design tools provided. I certainly look forward to gamemastering battles between my friends.
I have chosen not to go into a profound discussion of the rules because they are legion and most are written by those with more experience. The bottom line is that the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition Rulebook is worth the money I spent on it. In fact, despite the $75 price tag , I would say you get more than you pay for. The book is so impressive that it will draw new players into the hobby by its presentation and it just doesn’t get better than that.
