End Times Unending

The End Times, it seems, are relentless. I had not even finished reading Warhammer End Times: Glottkinwhen I received an email from Games Workshop telling me I could pre-order yet another book in the series, this time Khaine.

When the Nagashbook was announced, I think most people were pretty happy about it. Finally here was something that actually moved the story forward; probably the first real change to the status quo in 20 years. The situation of the Old World would change, characters would die, etc. I’m not quite sure how prepared we were for the sheer number of special characters that would meet their demise in that first book, but it still felt like a step in the right direction.

What I certainly wasn't ready for was the sheer rate at which these books are coming out. I feel like I am barely getting time to process what I am looking at before yet another chapter in the story arrives. By the time the Khaine book arrives, I still won’t have played a single game using the rules from either of the first two books. My wallet may not have recovered in time either, but then GW are helping me out there by having ridiculously low stock levels and making it impossible for people to buy the thing. So yay for them, I guess…

I am not entirely certain what the main motivation behind these books is. The first book felt like a dramatic return for Nagash and the opportunity to sell a few big, shiny new models in the shape of the big man himself, plus the Mortarchs and Morghasts. The second book had a similar number of new models released, although all the special characters were new creations rather than a new take on old, well-loved ones. But now the rumours suggest that the third book will not be accompanied by new models at all. So if that is the case, what is driving this release?

Could it really be the case that GW has decided the Warhammer world had gotten too stale, and they needed to make broad, sweeping changes? The books are coming out right on top of each other, so it’s only one step away from doing the whole thing in a single cataclysmic “big bang” approach. It’s like they've only broken it up to allow people to focus more on how their particular race is faring (or to sell more very expensive books, depending upon your level of cynicism).

It’s all a bit confusing. And through it all, I find myself no more inclined to play Warhammer than I did beforehand. If anything, I am less motivated because of my bewilderment at what is going on, and what it will mean for all the armies I have sitting on a shelf. 75% characters? It sounds a bit silly, right? This is nothing compared to the consternation it’s causing in the tournament scene, which I have done my best to ignore. These books cause havoc with the power balance in the game – something GW have always maintained they don’t really care about, but something that is near and dear to the hearts of competitive players.

So where to from here? As someone who has all 3 Elf armies, I obviously need to get my hands on this new Khaine book when it arrives. Somehow. And then I need to hope that this barrage of End Times books doesn't last too long. I've heard rumours in the winds of Skaven and Archaon books. Much as it feels sad for my Orcs that they don’t seem to get a look in, I kind of hope that things stop there. Maybe then I will be able to find my feet again and work out what I’m doing.

In the meantime there is a large end-of-year game to arrange, and the End Times seem likely to provide fodder for that, if I can just make sense of it all…