warpcrafter wrote:That is so pre-ordered the second it's available!

The world has descended into chaos. Foul daemons have ravaged the countryside, cultists have thrown off their disguises and stalk the streets, and hideous monsters have swept south from the Northern Wastes. The minions of Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Tzeentch are abroad and are no longer confined to the frigid northlands. The Old World has seen much corruption, and it only gets worse with every passing moment.



Spin the Dial

Each god has a unique dial, and a unique way to advance that dial. Each dial has different powers and gifts that it will bestow, and each dial has a different number of stops along the way. Nurgle advances his dial swiftly, corrupting the lands in the center of the board with reckless abandon. Khorne wages eternal war upon the minions of the other gods, and lays waste to the puny mortals of the Old World. He advances his dial with every skull placed at the base of his throne of brass.

Yet every god, Tzeentch and Slaanesh included, has much to gain from advancing their dials. Each time a god accomplishes a dial advancement, they place an advancement counter on their dial. At the end of the turn, every player with one or more advancement counters gets to dial up one spot. The player with the most advancement counters gets to dial up an additional time.

Tzeentch

Found on the dial for the Lord of Change, is the ability to place the magical rock, Warpstone! This stone counts as a magic icon, putting Tzeentch that much closer to gaining another turn of the dial. Victory points and upgrades can also be found, if Tzeentch focuses on corrupting the magically charged areas of the map. The first upgrade is especially important as it can shape your strategy for the rest of the game. Do you improve your Lord of Change, gifting it twin magic symbols? Or do you increase the power you wield each round and out summon your foes?

Nurgle

The god who has the easiest time collecting advancement counters, Grandfather Nurgle has the farthest to go, but the most to gain from advancing. A number of spaces allow the Lord of Decay to remove corruption tokens from the board. While seeming to work against him, crafty players will see that this prevents a Region from becoming entirely ruined. This allows more tokens to be placed and more advancements to be gained.

Slaanesh

Luring the powerful and the pious is what Slaanesh is all about. Every time he corrupts a Region containing a noble or hero, he gains an advancement counter. Found on his dial is the ability to place two nobles and the ability to remove Old World tokens. The first, placing nobles, lets Slaanesh gain advancement counters much more rapidly. The second keeps the Old World from ejecting the gods of Chaos, and reclaiming their lands once more. A powerful set of abilities indeed.

Khorne

Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! Every life you claim is an advancement counter for the god of war and death (beware the vile daemons of Slaanesh, once they get upgraded, they become very difficult to kill). Khorne favors Regions filled with units as each battle he emerges victorious from is an advancement counter. Hidden on his dial is the ability to draw from his deck of gifts. The ability to gain gifts far more rapidly than his opponents is a huge swing in his favor. Especially with cards that let him battle twice in one Region or even move units from across the board to a Region filled with weak cultists, ripe for the slaughter.

Sweet Victory

Each dial ends in victory. Get to the end and enjoy your domination of the entire Old World. Each god has a different playstyle, but each receives much from advancing the dial. Next we look at the armies of the Blood God.

Don't forget to sign up for the Chaos in the Old World events at GenCon. There are still spots for you to take on Eric Lang, who has issued a challenge to any would be Ruinous Powers.

Chaos in the Old World is a game of conquest, pitting the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos against each other for control of the Old World. Players must out summon, out play, and outwit theirs rivals to ensure their domination of the lands for ages to come.

Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! Khorne asks nothing more from his followers than rivers of blood. The god of war, bloodshed, carnage, and death, Khorne is filled with a bloodlust that can never be quenched. His followers throw themselves into battle with wild abandon, seeking only to take as many of the enemy with them as they can. Khorne only fights up close and personal, disdaining puny ranged weapons and the weak willed fools who dabble with magic. Fueled by hate, Khorne's rage has drenched many a world in blood.

Lose yourself to the bloodlust this week.



Blood

Seat yourself upon the Skull Throne, survey your lands. As far as you can see are the skulls of those your followers have slain in personal combat. It is good indeed to be the Blood God. Every time you kill an enemy agent, either a servant of an opposing god or one of the puny mortals of the Empire, you come one step closer to advancing your dial one notch closer to victory. Bathe the map in the blood of your enemies, let the other gods worry and bicker over the corpse of the Empire you leave behind.

To further extend your influence, you have many gifts you may bestow upon your followers. Blood Frenzy adds extra attacks, giving you more chances to lay waste to your opponent’s agents. The Reborn In Blood gift lets you battle in the same region twice, doubling the volume of blood spilt in your name. Used wisely, these gifts can swing a region to your path, and can change the course of the game in an instant.



Skulls

Those dedicated to the Blood God are the most powerful and deadly opponents anywhere in the world. The human cultists, called Bloodsworn, are your cheap and savage fighters. Once they have received their upgrade, they become the only cultists with an attack value in the game! This creates a legion of inexpensive, yet vicious, fighters. The next step up, the merciless Bloodletters, are huge daemons wielding wicked hellblades. These fearsome creatures boast an impressive attack value, and once they receive their personal gift, they gain the ability to strike before your opponents. This, combined with their high attack value, spells disaster for enemy units in their region. Lastly, the terrifying Bloodthirster can be summoned to lead your troops. Armed with a massive axe and whip, this Greater Daemon strikes fear in all in its way. Imbued with the fury of the Lord of Skulls, once upgraded, the Bloodthirster counts as three models when determining dominance in a region, providing a huge swing in power towards the Blood God.



Land of Blood and Death

The cowardly mortals of the Old World have no concept of how powerful the forces of Khorne unleashed will be. Marshall your mighty followers, and drown the world in the blood of your enemies. The Old World is ripe for the slaughter, and as your ranks swell all that can be heard is BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

Don't forget to sign up for the Chaos in the Old World events at GenCon. There are still spots for you to take on Eric Lang, who has issued a challenge to any would be Ruinous Powers.

Chaos in the Old World is a game of conquest, pitting the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos against each other for control of the Old World. Players must out summon, out play, and outwit theirs rivals to ensure their domination of the lands for ages to come.

All things inevitably decay. Death and life are in constant cycle, each becoming the other, never to break free of the wheel. Decay and disease merely add to this delicate dance. Down the path to pestilence is Grandfather Nurgle, the Lord of Decay. Deriving power from sickness, disease, plague, and illness, this bloated horror lovingly crafts new infections to unleash upon the world. His distended and grotesque body holds every disease known to mortals, and a few yet to be unleashed upon the world.

This week we dive into the disgusting world of Nurgle.



Bubonic

So you wish to become Grandfather Nurgle? This power is awesome indeed. Drawing strength from the maladies of mankind, you will gain the most from infecting the densely populated areas found in the center of the Empire. Your dial advances each time you corrupt one of the center regions, and you possess the fastest path to corruption. The fastest way to victory for you, is through gaining victory points. You will be able to entirely ruin areas faster than almost every other god. Your pestilent nature means you have different goals in corrupting the Old World, so you will be able to unleash your infections with much less hindrance from the other gods.



In addition to your innate powers, you will be able to influence the world directly through spell cards. These cards, such as Rain of Pus, will toughen your worshippers and make your units much much less attractive to the eyes of opposing agents. Other powers, like The Final Rotting, allow you to bless the followers of other gods, a blessing they rarely live to enjoy. Each power you call upon spreads your will further about the lands, and helps you collect points in the harder to tackle areas found up the center of the world.

Pnuemonic

The minions and followers of Nurgle are loathsome indeed. The lowly cultist, commonly called lepers, are far more foul than any of the other devoted of Chaos. Even worse, they become cheap and plentiful once upgraded. The foot soldiers are the dreaded Plaguebearers. Dripping pus, these manifestations of revulsion are the perfect army to spread Nurgle's influence to those not ready to accept the inevitable. Once they receive the gift of Nurgle, any time they are defeated in battle, they drag an opposing figure to the grave with them in a burst of pestilence! The horrors mentioned so far barely register once compared to the revolting magnificence of the Great Unclean One. This bloated creature is surrounded by maggots and flies, and rot and decay roll off of it in waves. Its presence on the battlefield guarantees a gruesome battle, leaving the survivors infected with all manner of influenza.



Septicemic

It starts with a cough, then becomes a fever. Soon the victim dies of the plague. Shortly after the town falls to disease and pestilence. News of this outbreak reaches the nearby villages, and soon every cough is a herald of Nurgle. Exultant in abhorrence, this Chaos god is deadly in his effectiveness. Every infected being spreads his blight further, and each new disease he visits upon the world draws more of the infected to his fold. Decay is a part of life. To Nurgle, decay is life. So become the Lord of Decay, and spread your sickness far and wide. Armed with the minions of disease, let the plague herald your dominance of the Old World!

Don't forget to sign up for the Chaos in the Old World events at GenCon. There are still spots for you to take on Eric Lang, who has issued a challenge to any would be Ruinous Powers.

The Old World is a land at war. Each of the regions has a distinct style of dress, mannerisms, and ways to wage war. From the dwarfs in the mountains, to the knights of Bretonnia there are many warriors to be found in the Old World. Yet, there are also many dangers and creatures that can spoil the plans of the Chaos gods. The foul Skaven, ratmen from beneath the surface, are active and continually undermining the world in an effort to control it themselves. The orcs have come down from the hills, and are burning and pillaging everything in their path.

This week we will explore the nine regions of the Old World, and map out the dangers that can foil even the most devious plans.

The Northlands
The top of the world is a frightening and frigid place. Populated by hardy peoples, this area is a dangerous place, and provides an excellent testing ground for any chaos army. Comprised of Norsca, Troll Country, and Kislev, the Northlands offer little in the ways of conquest. Kislev is the most densely populated region of the three, and when corrupted, can provide quite a few more points than the other two. However, both Norsca and Troll Country provide excellent launching points, as they have limited points for invading forces to access your domains.

This area sees a fair amount of activity as both Troll Slayers and Norscan Reavers can pop up. Both of these events can spell disaster or an unprepared army.

The Populous Regions
The middle regions contain the majority of the citizens of the Old World. Many people go about their business in the relative safety of numbers. These areas have the highest portion of the populace. These areas will also have the most competition, as every god wants a piece of the crowded Empire Region. Even the less populated Bretonnia and Estalia are still juicy pieces of real estate, and can provide a healthy chunk of points.

However, all three of these locations are well defended, and it will take a concerted effort to exert your dominance over them. All three regions are subject to Bretonnian knights, Witch Hunters, Road Wardens, and even the predations of the Skaven.

The Southlands
The bottom of the world is a hot, dusty place. Found here are the lands of Tilea, the Border Princes, and the Badlands. This region shares a number of strategic similarities with the Northlands, but is more difficult to hold onto. The Badlands are secure behind the borders of Tilea and the Border Princes, but they in turn, share a number of borders with the Populous Regions in the middle of the world.

These areas are subject to the vile Skaven and the invasions of the Greenskinned Orcs, making them dangerous to leave a small number of minions in. Take care, as a number of events create new dangers in these areas.



Advancing The Wastes
The task of dominating the Old World is a large one. Every god must plan their strategy carefully. Nurgle favors the heavily populated regions found in the middle of the world, and will focus most heavily on those areas. Tzeentch will change strategies with setup, as his goal is be where the magic ends up. Slaanesh will move and change the board to his desires, placing heroes and nobles where they will benefit him most. Khorne will go where the others cluster, as he delights in the slaughter. Regardless of the god, the Old World is a deadly place, and conquering will require patience and care.

Don't forget to sign up for the Chaos in the Old World events at GenCon. There are still spots for you to take on Eric Lang, who has issued a challenge to any would be Ruinous Powers.

The path to power is littered with those too weak to do what must be done. Many have gone into the Northern Wastes seeking the power the gods of Chaos can provide. Now it is the Ruinous Powers turn to seek out those in the Old World. Chaos in the Old World makes you a god of Chaos. You will descend upon the pathetic world of men, elves, and dwarfs and reshape it in your image. Corruption is the future of the Old World, and you are the vessel bringing it.

Power corrupts, and this week, we get absolute power.

“Corruption never has been compulsory” - Anthony Eden

Until now that is. Every round will see the further domination of a Region in the Old World. On each Region is a resistance number, representing how well defended the area is against the spread of chaos. Poorly defended, with few native peoples, the Badlands and the Border Princes are easy pickings for the forces of Chaos. Their mirror in the north, Norsca and Troll Country openly consort with the forces of Chaos, weakening their resistance to the call of the gods.

The heavily populated areas throughout are well defended and present a real challenge to the gods. Requiring far more troops and daemons, these regions are also worth the most points. The Empire is five times more defended than the lands of Norsca! Each Region in the populous areas is significantly more defended, and they will require far more of your forces to dominate them.



“The sun also shines on the wicked” - Seneca

At the end of every battle phase, and your followers have crushed the paltry devoted of the other Ruinous Powers, you count up the total number of your disciples in that Region. The player with the highest total in the Region gets to check his score against the resistance number (see above). If his number is higher, he scores a pile of victory points. After the points are awarded to the most worthy player, every player places a corruption token for each cultist they have in that Region. Once these tokens are placed, if the total number of corruption tokens is 12 or greater, the Region is ruined forever! The player with the most tokens is awarded the lion’s share of the Ruination points, second most gets half as many points, and the rest of the players get next to nothing. Chaos only rewards the strongest and most clever.

“Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.” - Siddhärtha Gautama

The world can only tolerate so much corruption. If there are five or more Regions ruined at the end of the turn the game is over. The player with the most victory points is declared the triumphant god and all of the Old World is reshaped in his image. Each god will take corruption in a different way. Khorne’s followers are less concerned with corruption, and focus heavily on the blood of the other minions available. Khorne’s cultists can be upgraded to have an attack value, making them more than capable of advancing Khorne’s dial. Tzeentch will favor areas with magic icons in them. Watch where his spells go, as he can create magically charged Regions to corrupt. Slaanesh will corrupt where there are nobles and heroes, as he loves a fall from grace most. Nurgle loves watching large numbers of people become infected with his special strain of corruption and will most often be found in the populous areas in the middle Regions.

“If evil is inevitable, how are the wicked accountable? Nay, why do we call men wicked at all? Evil is inevitable. - Horace Mann

The Prince of Pleasure, Slaanesh has lead many down the path to corruption. Turning pain into pleasure, and pleasure into pain, Slaanesh is an insidious voice in the back of your mind. How much is too much? How far do you go? Slaanesh is master of cruel passions and hidden vices, and of terrible temptations. It is impossible for a mortal to look upon Slaanesh without losing his soul, for all who see Slaanesh become slaves to his slightest whim.

This week we will focus on the machinations and minions of the noble's choice in Chaos gods.

The Allure

Playing this power requires you to place your minions in prime spots to corrupt the decadent nobles and heroes found throughout the divided Empire. Each time you corrupt a region with a hero or noble in it, your dial turns up. Every time the dial moves you gain something new and terrifying. Found in a number of places are upgrades, gifts you may grant your minions. Each of these upgrades grants dark powers to your followers and can make them nigh invincible. Also contained in your arsenal are spells, the likes of which allow you to influence the world directly.



Cards, such as Dark Influence, let you move Nobles, Peasants, or Heroes from one region of the world to any other of your choosing. As your dial advances when you corrupt a region containing at least one Noble, this will allow you to spread your perverse reign rapidly. Other cards, such as Field of Ecstasy, prevent your opponents from battling at all.

The Will

Arrayed before you are three of the most common types of worshippers found in the armies of Slaanesh. The seductresses, your lowly cultists, go forth before your army and spread your message of foul decadence, corrupting each region they enter. The daemonettes, the soldiers found in your army. These daemons are alluring and feminine, and are armed with deadly pincers capable of cutting a fully armoured knight in half! Once upgraded, they become almost undefeatable. The last is the mighty Keeper of Secrets, your leader in the field. This four-armed monstrosity is a deadly opponent and has a pair of pincers, fueled with the awesome powers of the Prince of Pleasure.



The Spread

One of four Ruinous Powers, Slaanesh leads many down the path to true corruption. Mixing pleasure and pain, excess indulgence for all five senses, this god easily holds the key to many a soul. Will you become sensation incarnate? Will you caress the souls of those who join your armies? Will you become Slaanesh?

Tzeentch is the Changer of Ways, the Weaver of All Fates, the Great Conspirator, and the architect of the fate of the universe. He takes great delight in the plotting and scheming, and favors the cunning over the strong, the manipulative over the violent. His hands twist the strands of fate, and many a mortal has been unaware of the help they provide to the Lord of Change. His plans and conspiracies know no bounds, and the culmination of one, is merely the beginning of another. To become Tzeentch, you must become his schemes.

Before us is the twisted web of deceit, lies, manipulation, and above all else, the face of endless and boundless change.

“Control your fate or somebody else will” - Heinrich von Pierer

Mistrust and discord are the call signs of Tzeentch. Every thought sparks hundreds of new conspiracies, every action sets a million plans into motion. The entire world dances to Tzeentch’s tune. Conquering the world is completed through the clever manipulation. Advancing your dial requires finesse, as you must corrupt a region steeped in magic. Every spell you cast in a region helps further this goal, and the other gods will unwittingly also add their magic to the regions. In addition to the spells cast by your enemies, magic comes in the form of the vile ratmen, the Skaven. Their all consuming greed for the Chaos rock, Warpstone, unearths many new repositories of magic for you to feast upon.



Intrigue and manipulation are your best weapons, but you can be a deadly fighter. Your spells are capable of moving your followers to anywhere in the world through the use of Teleport, giving you a sudden influx of magically powered warriors. In addition to moving your disciples, you also possess the ability to cancel your opponent’s spells. This power can change the course of a game, removing Khorne’s second battle in a region, preventing Nurgle from placing his last corruption to destroy an area, or forcing Slaanesh to battle. Every god must consider your power, as you can manipulate even their own followers into other areas of the map, leaving a precious region ripe for your influence.

“It is usually more important how a man meets his fate than what it is.” - Karl Wilhelm von Humboldt

Your worshippers are power hungry, and dedicated to you body and soul. The acolytes, your cultists, are your first line of deception. Once upgraded, they may transport the magical Warpstone across the board to a place of your choosing. Warpstone acts as a focus for magic, making it easier for you to advance your dial. Living embodiments of change, the Horrors, your soldiers, caper about the fields of battle madly shifting their shape and striking in new fashions with each blow. They sow madness and discord wherever they appear, and can prevent your opponents from playing spells in an area containing them. Magically charged, and armed with vast knowledge, the Lords of Change are your incarnation in the world of men. These massive vulture-headed daemons trail schemes and subterfuge in their wake. Although not as physically strong as Khorne’s Bloodthirster, or as tough as Nurgle’s Great Unclean One, the Lord of Change lets you advance your dial every time you corrupt a region containing one. As each turn of the dial is one big step towards victory, these daemons can dramatically shift the tide of the game.

“Fate is for those too weak to determine their own destiny.” - Kamran Hamid

Your image and effigy shall be heralded across the entire world. First, you must lay the plans that guarantee your forces victory. Then you pull the strings that make the other powers dance. Everything that happens in the Old World is by your hand. Now you must show off your brilliance. Let the forces of change, lies, and manipulation take the world

Mankind has new reasons to tremble!

The four Ruinous Powers have descended forth from their realm of chaos and madness. Following in their wake are warriors, beasts, and the dread lieutenants, the Greater Daemons. The paltry forces of the Empire shall be washed away on this river of devastation, as even their own members are rising up to join with these vile powers. How did this massive swing in the balance of power happen? Find out by watching the latest video from Fantasy Flight Studios.

Chaos in the Old World is a game like no other. Each player becomes one of the gods of Chaos, a force capable of immense power, a power which takes unique forms for each god. Khorne wades into the thick of fighting, blood is his only desire. Nurgle giggles with delight as he unleashes plague after plague upon the populace. Slaanesh enjoys every aspect of experience, deriving pleasure from pain and suffering. Behind it all, Tzeentch laughs as the followers of rival gods dance to his lies. Standing before them are the fractious forces of Dwarfs, Men, Elves, Orcs, and Skaven, yet they shall not be enough. Shed your mortal coil and become a force of Chaos. Become Chaos in the Old World!

Chaos in the Old World: Introductory Trailer
Get an introduction to Chaos in the Old World in this trailer! (Quicktime 65MB)



Chaos in the Old World is a game of conquest, pitting the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos against each other for control of the Old World. Players must out summon, out play, and outwit theirs rivals to ensure their domination of the lands for ages to come.

By now most of you have read the articles (and possibly even the game rules) which can be found here, and now we would like to present you with an exclusive look behind the curtain.

From Concept to Board
The original pitch, from the man himself (“the man” being FFG head honcho Chris Petersen), was simple: “players play the Gods of Chaos corrupting the world.” It was so simple, in fact, that I originally misunderstood; clearly a game concept this obviously cool was already produced! After being told that the game was mine to design, I seized the rare opportunity and ran with it.

The general structure for the game came to me within about half an hour of the initial meeting. For years I had wanted to do a big territory control board game with combat, but never got around to it because I was looking for something more. Having each player play a unique “personality” was the hook I needed. That those personalities are some of the storied icons of awesomeness to ever grace a fantasy world was icing on top of the cake.

A key point which I made sure to hold on to was that this game was not to be like Risk; unit combat was not the primary play pattern. As Ruinous Powers of Chaos, I wanted players to have a more holistic overview of the game they were playing. Which regions to dominate, which ones to corrupt and which ones to ruin? Which battles to fight, and why? How much power to spend on playing highly versatile but temporary chaos cards versus deploying more followers? Avoid the threats posed by the Old World deck or embrace them to further your victory condition? These are the choices I wanted players to face.

The Ruinous Powers
The more I read about the gods of Chaos, the more I realized how important it was that they all feel very different from one another in play. From the beginning I knew that each player would get their own custom deck of chaos cards to influence the board, but after a few initial revisions I decided to take the leap and make sure that not a single card effect was duplicated in more than one deck.

This extra effort paid off in spades. Each of the four Ruinous Powers felt like they were really bringing their own customized battle plan to the table, and they all played out quite differently even under the same set of rules.

I also knew from the beginning that each Ruinous Power would need its own separate victory condition. This would make players’ motivations in fall in line with their god’s personality, allowing even the most casual Warhammer fan (or even non-fan) to get a good idea of what each of these foul beings are all about. The particular victory conditions practically wrote themselves, and only Slaanesh’s changed during the extended design period (to make it more flavorful).



The Dials
The biggest challenge with designing this game was to maintain tension between the two victory conditions without making them completely separate. The game wants you to semi-cooperatively corrupt and dominate the world, although only one player may claim supremacy. Each Ruinous Power’s alternate victory condition tugs them in a slightly different direction. How to make the two dovetail seamlessly without breaking the game’s wonderful narrative?



The dials were, as you may have guessed, inspired by FFG’s own Battlestar Galactica board game. But what compelled me to use them was the idea that each Ruinous Power could have a “reward track” that gave them either conquest points or an in-game advantage for playing “in character” throughout the game. The dials neatly replaced the need for charts and also provided nice dramatic moments during players’ first games. In addition, as players “dialed up” they would also increase their threat level, making them more susceptible to the targeted wrath of the Old World’s continuous attempts to expel Chaos.

The key point to the dials is that, while players will ultimately have to choose at some point in the game whether to try to win by straight up conquest or by their alternate victory condition, at no point is “dialing up” a wasted action. You gain conquest points, unit or power upgrades, and other game advantages for simply playing in character … so even if you’ve given up on racing to finish your dial, you still keep momentum on the primary victory condition.



And that’s it for the early design journal for Chaos in the Old World. I hope you have as much fun playing this game as I did designing it. I’d like to use this space to give due thanks to Jeff Tidball for being an amazing producer and JR Godwin and Jay Little for their boundless Warhammer expertise.

Enjoy wreaking havoc on the Old World!