The skaven emerge as a central threat in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar releasing this summer.

The new edition of the game features a rebuilt game system that integrates the additions made to the game since its initial launch in 2015 into a revised and unified ruleset. The Core Rules are being updated and streamlined, with a focus on keeping the rules accessible to new players while retaining the depth of play of the current edition.  The revisions will also offer more modularity of play and more ways for players to react to their opponents' actions through an updated command point system.

The updates to the ruleset will also trigger updates to every existing faction in the game, which will have new warscrolls and army rules as the updates roll out.  To support existing players, Game Workshop will offer free downloadable faction packs alongside the launch of the new edition, but existing battletomes will not be compatible with the new rules.

The new edition will also usher in new miniatures and new game rules, as well as a new game mode called Spearhead.  This game mode is intended for faster games that play in less than an hour using smaller forces, with a focus on the Spearhead and Vanguard boxed sets.

The narrative of the game system is advancing alongside the new edition, with the focus turning to the skaven hordes and their ruler, the Great Horned Rat, who is assuming the status of full member of the Chaos pantheon.  The skaven faction first emerged into the Age of Sigmar setting as a minor faction in 2019 (see “Games Workshop Unleashes Skaven, Flesh-Eater, and Genestealers”).  The previous chapter of the storyline, Dawnbringers, focused on the undead, launched earlier this year (see “Two New ‘Warhammer Age of Sigmar’ Books Head to Preorder”). 

Warhammer Age of Sigmar was released in 2015 (see “Review: ‘Warhammer Age of Sigmar Starter Set’”).  An updated version was released three years later (see “New Edition of ‘Warhammer:  Age of Sigmar’”).

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