Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, the latest incarnation of the Warhammer fantasy setting game, was released in 2015 (see “Review: 'Warhammer Age of Sigmar Starter Set'”). The General’s Handbook was released last year. It offers players a complete toolkit of rules that can be adapted to play in many different gaming styles. It outlined the concept of “3 Ways to Play” – open, narrative, and matched play.
The General’s Handbook 2017 is the newest title in what will be a yearly series. This guide expands open play, especially multiplayer rules, and adds Triumph & Treachery – rules for mid-game betrayal. Matched play is being updated to include new Battleplans, rules of one, and updated unit points for each faction. New narrative play content will focus primarily on rules for siege warfare and Time of War battlefield rules, since narrative play has been broken out to the forthcoming stand-alone title Path to Glory.
The book also includes new Allegiance Abilities, expanded from the four Grand Alliance army-traits, to include Fyreslayers, Seraphon, Slaaneshi hosts, Nighthaunts, and a dozen more.
Path to Glory is stand-alone rules for narrative play which focuses on a thematic way to run a campaign and build an army. Players start with a Hero and a few models, and grow their Warbands through battle experience, gaining new abilities, new equipment, divine blessings and more as they advance. The ruleset from The General’s Handbook is expanded, with rules for every Warhammer: Age of Sigmar army (including the Kharadron Overlords and Beasts of Chaos). There are also Battleplans including a variety of new gameplay mechanics.MSRP and release dates have not been announced for either book.