Kharadron Overlords: Inside the Covers
We are kicking off our week of Khardron Overlords coverage on BoLS. Let’s take a look as what makes this book tick:
Welcome to Battletome: Kharadron Overlords, the latest GW Age of Sigmar book dedicated to Order. We’ve seen dwarfs in various incarnations over the years – but NOTHING like these gold loving sky-pirates.
This books is a new style Battletome that is fully in line with recent post General’s Handbook releases such as Blades of Khorne. That is, you get Allegiance Abilities, Artifacts, Gifts, Battle Traits, full faction Battalions, Warscrolls and last but not least, Pitched Battle points.
The book breaks entirely from the Dwarf Dispossessed and Fyreslayers sub-factions already found in the Grand Alliance Order book. None of these units appear in Kharadron Overlords – giving us a completely new faction for Age of Sigmar’s Order Grand Alliance. Let’s take a look at the table of contents:
With an all new faction, we get a heavy background section to introduce them, an small set of Battalions, and a larger set of Warscrolls for all the new models.
As you would expect with an all new faction, the book opens with a heavy dose of background on these short risk taking dwarves who will do anything to acquire more aether-gold.
Welcome to the Sky-ports
The organization of the Sky-fleets.
What is aether-gold?
The next section covers the special rules for fielding the Overlords. As you would expect – there is a heavy emphasis on sub-faction traits and magic artifacts. Here are the defining special rules for the faction: Stick to the Code, allowing you to determine exactly how your Kharadron force interprets “The Code” which regulates all aspects of their lives. You pick a single Artycle, Amendment and Footnote for your army. You can alternatively go with one of the six pre-defined skyports and gain an extra rules bonus for your trouble. Here is a taste of the chart to get your gears turning.
The Batallions and Warscrolls come next, with some very interesting standouts here and there. One of my favorites is the Aetherstrike Force which grants more accurate and greater volume of fire for the unfortunate targets of this mixed Stormcast Eternal and Kharadron force. (more on these later).
The army is quite interesting. GW has found a way to make Dwarfs mobile while still being stunties! The army’s Skyvessels are lightning quick and the army has some long-range weapons. This is coupled with the traditional low speed and armed to the teeth infantry. This army feels like it will play similar to a helicopter mounted infantry army from a modern warfare game. And for dwarfs – that is a BIG and welcome change.
But dont worry too much – the Kharadron Overlords sill hold grudges, love (sky)gold, and are masters of all things mechanical.
Battletome: Kharadron Overlords $40
Prosper, or die.
Far above the highest mountain peaks, a new power has arisen. In secrecy they have grown strong, developing new technology and weapons of war. Guided by their Code, the Kharadron Overlords have sent forth their sky-fleets, commanding to return with riches, or not at all…
Battletome: Kharadron Overlords introduces a new duardin army into the worlds of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. A militaristic, mercantile society detached completely from the other branches of duardin that populate the Mortal Realms, they treat war and trade as much the same thing – a means to amass wealth; and they excel at both. More than anything, they seek aether-gold – this lighter-than-air element is their society’s lifeblood, holding their cities aloft, fueling their ships and powering their elaborate armour. Great sky-fleets of warships descend from dozens of sky-ports when a rich seam is discovered; the Kharadron Overlords will fight bitterly to accrue this vital substance, and the status it brings.
In the 144-page hardback Battletome: Kharadron Overlords, you’ll find:
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– A detailed explanation of the Kharadron Overlords – how their floating cities, the sky-ports, are powered and populated, their motivations for acquiring aether-gold and their use of the Kharadron Code;
– Information on 6 of the most powerful and important sky-ports amongst the dozens – Barak-Mhornar, Barak-Zilfin, Barak-Thryng, Barak-Zon, Barak-Nar and Barak-Urbaz – explaining the differences in their attitudes toward life and the Code, with a map of locations;
– A timeline of Kharadron history – the exodus that formed them, the establishment of the unifying Kharadron Code and the discovery of aether-gold;
– Their economic system (complete with financial figures for the major sky-ports!), and the Guilds that keep this massive, vital chain of commerce moving;
– The core structure of a Kharadron sky-fleet: while each sky-port has its own quirks, each draws upon the same hierarchy when building a fleet;
– Uniform guides, heraldries and colour schemes for each of the 6 sky-ports detailed in the Battletome, with descriptions of the units and skyvessels each skyport fields.Rules
– The Sky-Ports: each of the 6 named sky-ports in the Battletome have their own unique interpretation of the Kharadron Code, meaning their armies vary wildly in terms of play style – this includes unique Abilities and Artefacts of Power, and unique amendments to the included Warscroll Battalions:
– Barak-Nar armies are masters of science, and are adept at unbinding the spells of their enemies using aethermatics;
– Barak-Zilfin armies are the finest aeronautical sailors, whose units can move and dodge with unprecedented speed;
– Barak-Zon armies seek glory in valour, and rarely shy away from a fight, charging in and attacking with gusto;
– Barak-Urbaz armies are alchemical geniuses, with a higher capacity for artefacts of power;
– Barak-Mhornar armies are indefatigable opportunists, striking suddenly from unexpected quarters;
– Barak-Thryng armies hold unbreakable grudges, and will fight to the death until scores are settled;
– Allegiance Abilities, Command Traits and Battle Traits for armies who belong to sky-ports other than the 6 named in the book – combine Artycles, Amendments and Footnotes to assemble your own interpretation of the Kharadron Code;
– Artefacts of Power: Great Endrinworks to be assigned to any Kharadron Skyvessel with Aethermatic Weapons and Treasures of the Sky-Ports for Kharadron heroes;
– 5 Battleplans: fight battles that epitomise the Kharadron Overlords’ way of war, with unique rules for each;
– 5 Warscroll Battalions, providing extra rules and special tactics for collections of miniatures;
– 12 Warscrolls, containing the rules for your Kharadron Overlord miniatures;
– Pitched Battle profiles with points values for every miniature and Warscroll Battalion;
– A guide to a Path to Glory campaign – create a warband to fight alongside a Hero, and gain favour throughout a series of battles, gaining followers, swelling the ranks and earning rewards, eventually cementing the warband’s place in history;
– Tips on building and deploying your force, with example armies featuring hints on deployment direct from the designers.Painting & Modelling
– A guide to Citadel paints for the beginner, detailing how each paint type is applied and in what context;
– Detailed, stage-by-stage guides presenting the colours and techniques used to paint the armies of the 6 named sky-ports;
– Kharadron Features: this goes into that little bit more detail on certain aspects of Kharadron miniatures – the portholes, dome and optics, along with verdigris, a basic guide to markings, weathering and constructing scenic bases;
– Tips and tricks for streamlining and improving your hobby: sub-assemblies, kitbashing and painting artefacts.
~We have much to cover all week – so check back soon!
