Warhammer: the Old World

[Aesthete]

The GW marketing department has been putting out a series of previews of the rules of the Old World.

Against my better judgement, I'm beginning to get pretty excited. I've been inspired to dig out my old never-quite-finished High Elf army and even painting it a bit in the hopes of getting some games in at the FLGS when the game drops.

The cynic in my expects new models out of scale with the old sculpts, inevitable rules and errata churn, and of course continual army book power creep and special rules bloat... but at this moment in time I'm just excited.

My hope is to get some initial games in at the FLGS, maybe with my oldest, and then (crossing fingers) establish home games using some sort of initial "Ravagining Hordes" initial set of army lists and ignore future army book releases.

We'll see how it all turns out, of course.

The rules preview seems sensible enough for a WHB based rules set. The biggest things of note from my point of view is that melees seems likely to resolved in one turn due to the various follow up rules. I like the distinghishing between Giving Ground / Falling Back / Breaking and Fleeing. It implies that the movement phase will have some significance, though it'll be interesting to see how it turns out in practice.

Anyone else on the verge of getting pulled back in...?

[Rabbitz]

Very tempted, especially since my main army was Tomb Kings and my second was Bretonnians. 

[Elk101]

It'll certainly be interesting to see what appears.

Can I please just remind everyone to keep comments directly involved about the game, saving more general GW comments for the thread that exists for that purpose. Thank you.

[Aerendar Valandil]

I keep my expectations down, but it seems to be going the right way. I play WAP, Renaissance and OPR now, but I am slightly excited.

[zemjw]

Not sure about the game itself, but I am looking forward to some of the old figures coming back. However, as noted, that will be very dependent on any size creep.

I wonder if they're keeping the old names or sticking with the new ones (that my mind refuses to remember)

[Cubs]

I'm curious to see how nostalgic this will be, with Oldhammer vibes or new GW aesthetics ... given the few releases shown thus far I suspect the latter but I'm hopeful to be proved wrong.

[Elbows]

I think the game will be a typical GW shit-show, but I wouldn't mind seeing some Old World inspired Warcry or Underworlds warbands so I can use them for other games.  The style of the previewed models is already vastly different from their old lines.

I think Oldhammer players will be happy about being able to snag some old kits (at newer and more eyer-watering prices), but then...3D print companies already produce beautiful alternatives to the entire Old World range.

[Dean]

Not sure about the game itself, but I am looking forward to some of the old figures coming back. However, as noted, that will be very dependent on any size creep.

Quote from - https://www.warhammer-community.com/2023/04/14/old-world-development-diary-on-bases-and-the-barons-of-bretonnia/

Over the decades, our models have become larger and more dynamic, which means that many units have become difficult to arrange into ranks and files. Players must be able to line their models up without complex planning about which spear has to go where in order to use them in-game. On top of that, we didn’t like that the back ranks were hidden and hard to see.

So now, all 20mm bases have been replaced with 25mm bases. Most (but not all) 25mm and 25×50 bases have been replaced with new-sized bases.

Q: Are the models getting bigger?

A: No, the new models will be in the same scale as the returning range from Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The base size change has come about because some of those ‘90s and ‘00s models became difficult to rank up, and we’re taking the opportunity to fix the problem. It will mean that newer models joining the range can be more dynamically posed, but proportions remain the same.

[Cubs]

Will they then branch out into 30mm bases too? Orcs, for example, got bigger and bulkier and were looming off the 25mm bases and knocking into each other. With all the prancing and leaping models as well, plus the scenic rocks every seems to be diving off, the larger bases would make everything a little easier to work with.

I'm not against size creep per se, so long as it results in better models. Look at Star Wars Legion - those babies are 32-35mm tall and magnificent single-pose plastics.

[ulverston]

I have to admit to being excited about the Old World coming back. I missed out first time around due to poverty and preferring historical games. I admit that I have already purchased some 3d printed models to get started but they take so long to arrive! So yes Games Workshop marketing have me on this one.

[syrinx0]

There is no way I would rebase all of my skaven but a few new larger movement trays would solve the frontage issue. Worth reading the rules at least.

[Aesthete]

There is no way I would rebase all of my skaven but a few new larger movement trays would solve the frontage issue. Worth reading the rules at least.

Yeah, I'm not rebasing either. Movement trays will have to do.

[Hobgoblin]

Will they then branch out into 30mm bases too? Orcs, for example, got bigger and bulkier and were looming off the 25mm bases and knocking into each other. With all the prancing and leaping models as well, plus the scenic rocks every seems to be diving off, the larger bases would make everything a little easier to work with.

I think that's already been confirmed: 25mm bases for what were on 20s and 30mm bases for what were on 25s.

Scale creep aside, I wonder if there's a notion that this could tempt players away from Kings of War, which, after all, started as a means for people to use Warhammer armies in a better-designed and more streamlined game. If people rebase for the Old World, they're making their armies unusable in KoW. On the other hand, GW has said that there's no need to rebase old armies, as movement trays can be used to change the frontage. But the new base sizes will encourage the new figures' use in the new GW offering rather than competitor games.

[Daeothar]

I have already decided to not rebase any of my WHFB minis. Most, of not all units/regiments, have movement trays though, which does leave the option open to introduce new, larger, movement trays.

But I'm holding off on that until I'm sure the effort and investment will be worth it...

[Luigi]

My main hope, perhaps rather cynically, is that this will result in the flooding of used models in the used miniature market with the consequent collapse of prices.

GW prices were always unjustifiable for me when I started 20 years ago; they're going to be even less justifiable now.
SO most definitely I will not be buying any of the new or re-released kits.

If the rules are good though I'm happy to see the game flourish and I could just get base adapters and slotted trays since I'm definitely not rebasing anything 

As others have mentioned the real issue is going to be scale creep (already rather visible on the new Bretonnian foot-knights) and I fell like the increase in base size will only exacerbate this (as can also be seen on the previously mentioned foot knight since they're already fully occupying the larger bases).