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So I downloaded the Fall of Altdorf from Black Library late last night and read it to completion.
An overview:
Spoiler:
Starts off in the North, with the battle where the Emperor is laid low by Walach Harkon and continues from there. Huss, Valten, and Schwarzhelm and their forces are separated from Helborg and the main Empire army. Its assumed that they went to Talabhem and are besieged at that capital city.
Helborg retreats to Altdorf, as Karl Franz intended if things went to gak in the war in the north. He essentially fills in for the Emperor, as none of the 3 Elector Counts present in the city are all that great.
A new supreme patriarch is selected from the Amber wizards, as the colleges wanted a safe, low key leader from a relatively minor school of magic after Gelts debacle. He's a likeable character, but reminded me too much of that dirty wizard from The Hobbit. Radagast I think.
Marienburg is destroyed at this point, and the Glottkin are heading north to Altdorf. They are great villians, and kick tons of ass. They are thoroughly evil and disgusting, but with that weird jovialness that Nurgle followers have. There are two other Chaos forces headed to Altdorf, but the brothers Glott are the stars of the show. The Sorcerer brother is perturbed that they can't see the undead in any of their prophecies.
Festus the Leechlord is in the sewers of Altdorf, corrupting it from within and casting a spell to turn the tide in the siege.
Louen Leoncour, former king of Bretonnia, is doing some soul searching after having his ass kicked by his bastard son and his throne now occupied by Gilles le Breton. He gets a vision from an apparently dying Lady of the Lake and is told he must go to Altdorf to help out.
Vlad von Carstein returns to Sylvania to marshal his forces after Walach Harkons treachery ruined his plans in the north. He gets word that Marienburg is toast, so he gets an army together and marches to Altdorf, as he can't allow the realms of men to fall to Chaos per Nagashs orders.
The armies meet at Altdorf after meeting respective obstacles and they battle it out. Festus's spell comes to fruition and a demon army is summoned within Altdorf. The plague weakened and demoralized Empire army essentially gets tabled by the massive chaos armies, the bretonnians destroy the Daemon army, with Louen Leoncour personally banishing Kugath Plaguefather. He is then killed in his weakened state by Festus, who is in turn killed by Vlad von Carstein. Vlad almost kills Otto Glott( the fatty with the scythe) but his blood poisons Vlad, who is then almost killed by Otto in return, but flees.
The Supreme Patriarch returns with Karl Franz, who insists on coming to Altdorf, even though he knows it will fall. Karl Franz has some sort of intuition that he needs to be there. Those two, plus deathwing, duke it out with the Glottkin in the Temple of Sigmar, then the patriarch flees to open the Imperial Zoo, to let loose the beasties. Helborg arrives in the temple and helps Karl Franz fend off the Glottkin for a bit before getting his heart ripped out by Otto. The three then kill the Emperor, who they note doesn't seem all that bothered by it. The Sorcerer brother then begins to suspect something is amiss. And by amiss, he means "oh feth what have we done". He looks up and light from a twin tailed comet is beaming down on the Emperors corpse through the windowed ceiling of the Temple.. The corpse begins to glow and take a new golden giant form, all the while a cleansing fire explodes outward, deepfrying the Glottkin, then the rest of the Undead and Chaos armies and the corruption in the city and surrounding area.
From what I gather, now that the Laws of Death have been rewritten by Nagash, its not just the bad guys coming back. From how I interpreted it, all sorts of heros from the Empires past manifested in the body of Karl Franz. He's described as a "flickering avatar" a "titan" and a "new and terrible god".
The last 2 sentences of the epilogue were pretty neat. Its not completely doom and gloom
The always wonderful Chris Wraight gives us a solid Warhammer Fantasy End Times novel. There were some great new characters introduced, minor and major, and given enough "screen time" to get to like. The Shallayan priestess was well done, as was the new Supreme Patriarch, the villians were all suitably repulsive and evil. It was a simple and enjoyable read.
Like the previous End Times novel, The Return of Nagash, I'd recommend this to anyone who is enjoying the End Times lore and story progression. And like The Return of Nagash did for Warhammer: Nagash , this will supplement the story found inWarhammer: Glottkin and give a more in depth perspective on its events.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/10/25 13:06:16
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
Aw snap, you're right red. Got my two favorite BL writers mized up.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/10/25 12:31:04
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Wowza! While the plot progression is awesome and the deaths of big names keep on rolling, I can't feel but a little disappointed at how they seem to be largely sidelining a lot of the other factions. Any further word of what's going on with the Orcs and Goblins, or the Ogre migration for that matter?
Sounds interesting, can't wait to read main Glottkin story as well. Thou I do have a few things to mention:
Spoiler:
I actually like Radagast and I think it is cool to have the new supreme patriarch to be like him. Though this might be just because GW does the models for The Hobbit thus allowing those with those models to use them in Warhammer.
Also correct me if I'm mistaken but didn't Louen Leoncour get killed by his son at the beginning of the Nagash book or was this changed in The Return of Nagash (I have not read it)?
Also Really interested in this new form of Karl Franz's, this does open up the idea that I had that the fourth book will be called Sigmar and will involve his full return.
KingGarland wrote: Sounds interesting, can't wait to read main Glottkin story as well. Thou I do have a few things to mention:
Spoiler:
I actually like Radagast and I think it is cool to have the new supreme patriarch to be like him. Though this might be just because GW does the models for The Hobbit thus allowing those with those models to use them in Warhammer.
Also correct me if I'm mistaken but didn't Louen Leoncour get killed by his son at the beginning of the Nagash book or was this changed in The Return of Nagash (I have not read it)?
Also Really interested in this new form of Karl Franz's, this does open up the idea that I had that the fourth book will be called Sigmar and will involve his full return.
Spoiler:
Its revealed that Louen did survive his battle with Malobaude, and wandered(near death) aimlessly for a bit because he felt he failed The Lady and his realm. He wanted to die, but the Lady wouldn't let him, and eventually Louen swallowed what was left of his pride and presented him self to Gilles.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Grimskul wrote: Wowza! While the plot progression is awesome and the deaths of big names keep on rolling, I can't feel but a little disappointed at how they seem to be largely sidelining a lot of the other factions. Any further word of what's going on with the Orcs and Goblins, or the Ogre migration for that matter?
The Orcs and Gobbos that are in the Old World are shattered, as the ascendant forces of Chaos have broken their will. Louen even feels sorry for them, in his own chivalric way, as its more like killing cattle then the Orcs that he's used to.
It only mentions the Old World Orcs, and not the ones in the Badlands, where Grimgor and the Savage Orc shaman ( forget his name) seems to be gathering a Waaagh. Skarsniks Waaagh isn't mentioned either.
Ogres are not mentioned at all.
Its possible that Warhammer: Glottkin will mention them, but this novel is pretty much Empire, Vampires and Nurgle.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/10/26 04:14:00
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
That...that sounds awful. Genuinely awful. I know I've not exactly been the Number 1 Fan of this whole End Times nonsense, but ye gods.
Spoiler:
Marienburg is gone. Gone how, just steamrolled? Levelled? Awesome, GW apparently are determined to wipe out all the things I like.
So Karl Franz is what now, Super Sigmar? Did he have any scenes where he was floating in the air with a nimbus of power cracking around his hands and shouting for ten straight hours? I'd facepalm right now except it would have the force of a tactical nuclear device and wipe out my street.
One guy kills another, who is in turn killed by another, who almost gets killed but runs away. I'm almost certain I've heard that once bef.....oh yeah, hallo thar Storm of Chaos old friend.
I like Chris Wraight, he's the only GW author that's even come close to doing the Iron Hands justice, so I'll take your word that it's well written but that summary is, for me at any rate, more a summary of things which are emblematic of everything wrong with this whole gakpile.
"Your society's broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No, lets blame the people with no power and no money and those immigrants who don't even have the vote. Yea, it must be their fething fault." - Iain M Banks
-----
"The language of modern British politics is meant to sound benign. But words do not mean what they seem to mean. 'Reform' actually means 'cut' or 'end'. 'Flexibility' really means 'exploit'. 'Prudence' really means 'don't invest'. And 'efficient'? That means whatever you want it to mean, usually 'cut'. All really mean 'keep wages low for the masses, taxes low for the rich, profits high for the corporations, and accept the decline in public services and amenities this will cause'." - Robin McAlpine from Common Weal
So... from what I've heard, all signs point to an Empire/Kingdoms of Man release coming up with a giant 'Super-Saiyan' Karl Franz as the headliner. The book seems to confirm this.
How weird. Apparently, Games Workshop loves the big model releases these days.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/10/26 04:56:21
Yodhrin wrote: That...that sounds awful. Genuinely awful. I know I've not exactly been the Number 1 Fan of this whole End Times nonsense, but ye gods.
Spoiler:
Marienburg is gone. Gone how, just steamrolled? Levelled? Awesome, GW apparently are determined to wipe out all the things I like.
So Karl Franz is what now, Super Sigmar? Did he have any scenes where he was floating in the air with a nimbus of power cracking around his hands and shouting for ten straight hours? I'd facepalm right now except it would have the force of a tactical nuclear device and wipe out my street.
One guy kills another, who is in turn killed by another, who almost gets killed but runs away. I'm almost certain I've heard that once bef.....oh yeah, hallo thar Storm of Chaos old friend.
I like Chris Wraight, he's the only GW author that's even come close to doing the Iron Hands justice, so I'll take your word that it's well written but that summary is, for me at any rate, more a summary of things which are emblematic of everything wrong with this whole gakpile.
Marienburg might get more screen time in the overall campaign in Warhammer: Glottkin, but Altdorf is the centerpiece of this story.
Its not known what Karl Franz is at this point, we'll have to wait and see.
You are over simplifying the combat deaths, there is more to it than how you think it plays out.
I have a feeling the last sentence in the last chapter will break your heart, as you are seeming to take this entire storyline as a direct and personal assault on your imagination.
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Fafnir wrote: Oh, I certainly vote with my dollar, but the problem is that that is not enough. The problem with the 'vote with your dollar' response is that it doesn't take into account why we're not buying the product. I want to enjoy 40k enough to buy back in. It was my introduction to traditional games, and there was a time when I enjoyed it very much. I want to buy 40k, but Gamesworkshop is doing their very best to push me away, and simply not buying their product won't tell them that.
Yodhrin wrote: That...that sounds awful. Genuinely awful. I know I've not exactly been the Number 1 Fan of this whole End Times nonsense, but ye gods.
Spoiler:
Marienburg is gone. Gone how, just steamrolled? Levelled? Awesome, GW apparently are determined to wipe out all the things I like.
So Karl Franz is what now, Super Sigmar? Did he have any scenes where he was floating in the air with a nimbus of power cracking around his hands and shouting for ten straight hours? I'd facepalm right now except it would have the force of a tactical nuclear device and wipe out my street.
One guy kills another, who is in turn killed by another, who almost gets killed but runs away. I'm almost certain I've heard that once bef.....oh yeah, hallo thar Storm of Chaos old friend.
I like Chris Wraight, he's the only GW author that's even come close to doing the Iron Hands justice, so I'll take your word that it's well written but that summary is, for me at any rate, more a summary of things which are emblematic of everything wrong with this whole gakpile.
Marienburg might get more screen time in the overall campaign in Warhammer: Glottkin, but Altdorf is the centerpiece of this story.
Its not known what Karl Franz is at this point, we'll have to wait and see.
You are over simplifying the combat deaths, there is more to it than how you think it plays out.
I have a feeling the last sentence in the last chapter will break your heart, as you are seeming to take this entire storyline as a direct and personal assault on your imagination.
Well, no, I'm not delusional. I'm well aware that GW have no idea who I am and nobody there is intentionally targeting my imagination. And there's no danger of the last sentence of the last chapter will do anything to me, as I've no intention of rewarding GW for this nonsense with my money.
What I am taking this storyline as is a lazy and desperate attempt by GW to shore up a property they've mismanaged for years by pretty much burning everything to the ground and hoping whatever comes out the other end appeals to more people than they lose by doing so. Like much of their recent fiction, they aim for epic but the result is over the top and a touch infantile - they've lost the ability to tell compelling stories without putting the entire world/galaxy in peril and turning the villains into the most villainous villains that ever did villain, and the heroes into the most shiny and mighty of paragons - the huge rich world that the stories take place in just fades away into the background, nothing more than scenery to be trampled or blown up as the goodies and baddies fight it out. It's a waste.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/10/26 15:25:57
"Your society's broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No, lets blame the people with no power and no money and those immigrants who don't even have the vote. Yea, it must be their fething fault." - Iain M Banks
-----
"The language of modern British politics is meant to sound benign. But words do not mean what they seem to mean. 'Reform' actually means 'cut' or 'end'. 'Flexibility' really means 'exploit'. 'Prudence' really means 'don't invest'. And 'efficient'? That means whatever you want it to mean, usually 'cut'. All really mean 'keep wages low for the masses, taxes low for the rich, profits high for the corporations, and accept the decline in public services and amenities this will cause'." - Robin McAlpine from Common Weal
Yodhrin wrote: That...that sounds awful. Genuinely awful. I know I've not exactly been the Number 1 Fan of this whole End Times nonsense, but ye gods.
Spoiler:
Marienburg is gone. Gone how, just steamrolled? Levelled? Awesome, GW apparently are determined to wipe out all the things I like.
So Karl Franz is what now, Super Sigmar? Did he have any scenes where he was floating in the air with a nimbus of power cracking around his hands and shouting for ten straight hours? I'd facepalm right now except it would have the force of a tactical nuclear device and wipe out my street.
One guy kills another, who is in turn killed by another, who almost gets killed but runs away. I'm almost certain I've heard that once bef.....oh yeah, hallo thar Storm of Chaos old friend.
I like Chris Wraight, he's the only GW author that's even come close to doing the Iron Hands justice, so I'll take your word that it's well written but that summary is, for me at any rate, more a summary of things which are emblematic of everything wrong with this whole gakpile.
Marienburg might get more screen time in the overall campaign in Warhammer: Glottkin, but Altdorf is the centerpiece of this story.
Its not known what Karl Franz is at this point, we'll have to wait and see.
You are over simplifying the combat deaths, there is more to it than how you think it plays out.
I have a feeling the last sentence in the last chapter will break your heart, as you are seeming to take this entire storyline as a direct and personal assault on your imagination.
Well, no, I'm not delusional. I'm well aware that GW have no idea who I am and nobody there is intentionally targeting my imagination. And there's no danger of the last sentence of the last chapter will do anything to me, as I've no intention of rewarding GW for this nonsense with my money.
What I am taking this storyline as is a lazy and desperate attempt by GW to shore up a property they've mismanaged for years by pretty much burning everything to the ground and hoping whatever comes out the other end appeals to more people than they lose by doing so. Like much of their recent fiction, they aim for epic but the result is over the top and a touch infantile - they've lost the ability to tell compelling stories without putting the entire world/galaxy in peril and turning the villains into the most villainous villains that ever did villain, and the heroes into the most shiny and mighty of paragons - the huge rich world that the stories take place in just fades away into the background, nothing more than scenery to be trampled or blown up as the goodies and baddies fight it out. It's a waste.
The problem is things have been stale for the longest time, everything has to be before a certain date, everyone has to be alive despite them selling models for characters long dead before the timeline. This has actually been one of their best idea's in the longest time and there's actually been some good nuances between good characters and bad characters (Considering Vlad and the Vampires assistance of the north, despite working for NAGASH) There's some villainous villains, but there's always been that sort since they started making characters, there's been big goods and big bads, to say it's starting recently is to ignore plenty of Warhammer fantasy/40k history.
The Glottkin are actually destroyed in this book? If so, that's rather interesting
!
Ya, I thought it was strange too.
But who knows, Nurgle could bring them back I suppose.
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
It is certainly interesting that so many people are dying. Will they all come back to life?
I mean, this is nothing new in general...any X-Men readers out there? Jean Grey? Storm?
But I don't know why they have to TELL THE STORY. I mean, it's a game, so set up the scenario, and let the players figure out what happens. Otherwise it seems to me to echo the problems I've always had with GW's Lord of the Rings game--which is that I already know how the story turned out. Aragorn can't die! Gandalf the White can't lose! That's not how the story goes! So...maybe I'm just too OCD to handle these changes.
Overall I think it's exciting, but it's all very super-mega-epic, and these giant models do seem to cost a lot. Reminds me of General Motors--how they only make profit on their SUVs, and produce the small family car only to stay in the market. I wonder how the bottom line looks at GW. Somehow I can't imagine that they're suffering, but there's only so far I can stretch my wallet for these massive overhauls. Which reminds me of Apple and iPhones....
So, yeah, I hear you @Yodhrin. I do yearn for the "good old days" sometimes. Of course, this comes from a man who's seen The Uncanny X-Men go out of production, so maybe I've lots faith a little.
Sorry for all the mixed metaphors, too, Dakka. Just trying to understand what's going on in terms of creating a fun, playable game; as opposed to a profitable business model.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/04 03:29:53
5000 pts High Elves 4000 pts, Warriors of Chaos 4000 pts, Dwarfs 3000 pts, Wood Elves and Greenskins too
Thought for the ages: What is the Riddle of Steel?
Man, usually the Army books are pretty toned down in terms of how graphic the violence is and Black Library picks up the slack, but this was the opposite.
Case in point : Louen Leoncour
Spoiler:
In Fall of Altdorf, his chest is sawed up by Festus, and he dies in the arms of a Shallayan priestess, somewhat peacefully. Warhammer: Glottkin, he dies in the arms of a gloating Festus, more specifically, his head is sawed off and displayed to shocked Empire soldiery. Pretty brutal.
There were a few other minor differences in the two books as well, but nothing major.
Can't wait for book 3, although its going to be written by Gav Thorpe, who is hit and miss in my experience.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/11/05 04:08:26
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Yodhrin wrote: That...that sounds awful. Genuinely awful. I know I've not exactly been the Number 1 Fan of this whole End Times nonsense, but ye gods.
Spoiler:
Marienburg is gone. Gone how, just steamrolled? Levelled? Awesome, GW apparently are determined to wipe out all the things I like.
So Karl Franz is what now, Super Sigmar? Did he have any scenes where he was floating in the air with a nimbus of power cracking around his hands and shouting for ten straight hours? I'd facepalm right now except it would have the force of a tactical nuclear device and wipe out my street.
One guy kills another, who is in turn killed by another, who almost gets killed but runs away. I'm almost certain I've heard that once bef.....oh yeah, hallo thar Storm of Chaos old friend.
I like Chris Wraight, he's the only GW author that's even come close to doing the Iron Hands justice, so I'll take your word that it's well written but that summary is, for me at any rate, more a summary of things which are emblematic of everything wrong with this whole gakpile.
Marienburg might get more screen time in the overall campaign in Warhammer: Glottkin, but Altdorf is the centerpiece of this story. Its not known what Karl Franz is at this point, we'll have to wait and see. You are over simplifying the combat deaths, there is more to it than how you think it plays out.
I have a feeling the last sentence in the last chapter will break your heart, as you are seeming to take this entire storyline as a direct and personal assault on your imagination.
Well, no, I'm not delusional. I'm well aware that GW have no idea who I am and nobody there is intentionally targeting my imagination. And there's no danger of the last sentence of the last chapter will do anything to me, as I've no intention of rewarding GW for this nonsense with my money.
What I am taking this storyline as is a lazy and desperate attempt by GW to shore up a property they've mismanaged for years by pretty much burning everything to the ground and hoping whatever comes out the other end appeals to more people than they lose by doing so. Like much of their recent fiction, they aim for epic but the result is over the top and a touch infantile - they've lost the ability to tell compelling stories without putting the entire world/galaxy in peril and turning the villains into the most villainous villains that ever did villain, and the heroes into the most shiny and mighty of paragons - the huge rich world that the stories take place in just fades away into the background, nothing more than scenery to be trampled or blown up as the goodies and baddies fight it out. It's a waste.
The problem is things have been stale for the longest time, everything has to be before a certain date, everyone has to be alive despite them selling models for characters long dead before the timeline. This has actually been one of their best idea's in the longest time and there's actually been some good nuances between good characters and bad characters (Considering Vlad and the Vampires assistance of the north, despite working for NAGASH) There's some villainous villains, but there's always been that sort since they started making characters, there's been big goods and big bads, to say it's starting recently is to ignore plenty of Warhammer fantasy/40k history.
It all boils down to whether you prefer Story or Setting. Those who prefer Story are really enjoying End Times for advancing what had become a stale and dead ended plot whilst those who prefer Setting and the nebulous frame work to do what they want with it are hating there being "canon" events that mess with their head canon.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/11/05 06:16:54
You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was
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