New Bretonnian rules are here for Warhammer The Old World to show off what the most chivalrous humans can do!
They mentioned the release date will be Early 2024. However, as they said before, not everything will be new (or even in plastic). If you want to see more on the Warhammer The Old World launch line-up, you can check that out here.
This is the third real look at the rules we’ve gotten, so it’s nice to have an idea of how the game will play! For now, though, it’s time to start pouring over the rules and see if they are shaping up the way you dreamed of!
Plus, in Warhammer the Old World, ALL 8th Edition Fantasy armies would be playable! So now we will truly see plastic, resin, and metal minis on the same tabletop when the game is finally released!
In case you missed the major Warhammer Old World announcements since 2019, we’ve included them here:
- GW Announces Warhammer Fantasy Returning (sort of)
- Warhammer Old World Release Date Details & Starter Set
- Fantasy Bears! More Kislev Previews For Warhammer Old World
- Bretonnians, Tomb Kings, Orcs & More Confirmed in Warhammer Old World!
- Warhammer The Old World: Everything We Know So Far
- First Look At New Warhammer The Old World Rules
GW Reveals New Bretonnian Rules For Warhammer The Old World
The new rules come from Warhammer Community.
The Grail Knights are the epitome of the Bretonnian ideal of chivalry, warriors of immeasurable prowess and exemplars of courage, virtue, and noblesse oblige. Arguably the most devastating heavy cavalry plying their trade in the Old World, these are literally the last living saints your average devotee of the Dark Gods wants to meet out on the battlefield.
As you can see, with a Weapon Skill of 6, 5 Initiative, and 2 Attacks, this band of brothers are a truly terrifying proposition – but their stats aren’t the full story. With heavy armour, shields, and barded Bretonnian Warhorses, they have a save of 3+, while the lances give them +2 Strength on the turn they charged, and Armour Bane (1).
They are quite strong, and if you can get a charge off them, you will dish out some severe damage! Then, with a 3+ save, they should be pretty hard to take out. But they have the points to go along with it, as 38 points a model is quite expensive.
This is a Universal Special Rule (USR), just one of about 75 in the game. This seems like a lot at first glance, but this new system simply collates a lot of special rules that once lived in several places – things like Psychology, unit coherence, or Monster rules.
It will be nice to have all the rules in one place, but for the Bretonnians, lances will be quite strong with extra strength, AP, and Armour Bane.
Close Order is Rank & File Now
Close Order is a good example. In the past, you just had to know that units that weren’t skirmishers or fast cavalry operated in ranks and files – what we now know as close order. Now every unit has all its formations listed as a USR, calling this out and clarifying. Likewise, Stomp attacks were once listed under the Monster rules, but now as a USR it’s possible to be more deliberate with which monsters have the rule, and which don’t. And it’s also easier to remember you’ve got a Stomp in the first place!
It should hopefully be easy to see all the rules now with how they are setting everything up. But hey, anything that confirms blocks of units once again is good in our book.
Bretonnian Special & Army Rules
The Blessings of the Lady is an army-wide rule for the Kingdom of Bretonnia. Instead of rolling to see who goes first, a Bretonnian army may instead kneel to pray for the protection of the Lady of the Lake. This grants a 6+ Ward Save (invulnerable save) against any wounds suffered, or 5+ against wounds of Strength 5 or higher. Of course, this blessing can be lost by besmirching one’s own honour – either when a unit flees, or a character declines a challenge.
This is a pretty good buff, as not only do you get the Ward save, but if you want to go second, you can do it while also getting bonuses.
Counter Charge is effective against Monsters, Cavalry, and Chariots – if our Grail Knights are charged by units such as these from a longer distance than their attacker’s Movement characteristic, they can spur their horses D3+1” in response – both parties count as charging, and Initiative then comes into play.
Considering they have pretty high initiative, they might get to strike first and get all the other bonuses from charging.
Finest Warhorses is another Bretonnian-only rule – such is the quality of these noble steeds, you may reroll any 1s when you Charge, Flee, or Pursue before discarding any dice. If their First Charge of the game makes contact, the target unit loses its rank bonus until the next round of combat. Lance Formation allows Bretonnian Knights to form their signature devastating charge formation – offering them a choice between this and Close Order.
This is pretty serious, as you get free re-rolls for a lot of movement and can more or less grant you’re going to make a lot of charges. Then, getting rid of the enemy rank bonus is huge, as it will make winning combat far easier.
Living Saints is a great example of a unique special rule – these Grail Knights are such mighty warriors, that they can individually issue Challenges to enemy characters. Goblin Bosses watch out! Swiftstride adds a further 3” to your maximum charge range, and +D6” to any given charge, flight, or pursuit.
Finally, the Grail Vow provides further benefits: they are unaffected by Fear and Terror, they fight with Magical Attacks, and the first time they fail a Break test, they may automatically Fall Back in Good Order.
Oh, poor goblins, they will probably fall in swathes to challenges from the Grail Knights. But even stronger, you still get the re-rolls of 1s for the charges, and then you also add 3″ to your maximum range and +D6 to any charge.
These are going to get across the board fast and make a charge!
Bretonnian Warhammer The Old World Rules – Magic Items
On top of that, you can load up on even more abilities with Magic Items and a Knightly Virtue for the Grail Guardian who leads them, or a Magic Banner. Grant him the Virtue of the Impetuous Knight to extend your charge range – at the risk of Impetuously charging towards the foe, the Dragon Slaying Sword to make him a Monster Slayer, or the Blazing Banner to add Flaming Attacks.
With the Virtue of the Impetuous Knight, you will be adding an extra D3″ to your charge, so you can basically go across the whole board at this point. Then, you can either get flaming attacks for the whole unit or weapons to take down monsters!
All the Latest Warhammer Rules & Model Rumors
What do you think about all the new Bretonnian Warhammer The Old World rules?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
