Here is how to build an army in Warhammer The Old World, along with even more new Bretonnian rules for the game!
There have been multiple announcements since 2019, so let’s recap everything we know about Warhammer: The Old World! This is the biggest reveal we’ve seen yet for Warhammer The Old World will be released in Early 2024.
However, as they said before, not everything will be new (or even in plastic), and some things that were previously released in pewter will now be in resin from Forge World. Plus, ALL 8th Edition Fantasy armies would be playable in Warhammer the Old World! 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:
- Warhammer The Old World: New Rules Changes & Models
- There Will be NO Warhammer The Old World Starter Set
- The Shocking Reason Behind GW’s Choice of Armies for Warhammer Old World!
How to Build an Army in Warhammer The Old World & New BretonniaRules!
The latest on how to build an army in Warhammer The Old World, along with even more new Bretonnian rules, come from Warhammer Community.
As they have always been in real life, armies in Warhammer: The Old World are selected according to a system of ‘points’. Games do not have recommended points values – as long as you’ve got a General and three Units, you have an army. However, 2,000 points per side will make for a substantial two-to-three-hour game – perhaps involving 100 or more models each.
Every faction* will have a Grand Army upon release – a balanced list of options from which you can pick a wide variety of units chosen from four categories shown above. There’s usually one page of stipulations, but the full range of units from each faction is available for selection.
It’s good to see the chart Army Composition chart return with core, special, and rare. This means you will have to have a lot of base troops to slog across the field.
Kingdom Bretonnia Army List Composition
There’s a lot here to unpack. Firstly, you can’t overload your army with powerful wizards and mighty heroes – Prophetesses and Barons are a rare occurrence, even in the armies of the king. There is, however, the flexibility to take characters of lower ranks: Paladins, Damsels, and Sergeants at Arms enjoy no such limits – and you’ll certainly want at least one Paladin for that free Battle Standard Bearer upgrade.
Otherwise, as long as 25% of your roster (500 points in a 2,000-point game) is spent on units listed as Core, and includes one unit of Knights of the Realm and another of peasant levies, army selection is very flexible. As you’d expect, Grail Knights and Field Trebuchets aren’t such a common sight, but at 38 points per model, +7 per champion, musician, and standard, you can just about cram two units of six Grail Knights into a 2,000-point army – perfect for any Duke who prefers to keep every single one of his eggs right there in one decorative basket.
Each army will have a slightly different setup from the looks of it. The thing that will be the same is how much you spend on different sections of your army. You must have one character and 25% of your army on core. After that, you can have up to 50% on special units, 25% rare, and 25% on allies. However, you can have suspicious allies, meaning they may not always work together perfectly.
Lords of Bretonnia Rules
Grognards may remember multiple ranks of heroes from previous editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and those delineations are still present and correct. A Duke is a mighty warrior indeed – no time for feasting, issuing edicts, or sprawling decorously across your throne for these guys: every Bretonnian General is tremendously skilled at arms and as strong as a Troll.
It’s nice to see the tiers of heroes coming back. You can decide to spend extra points to make them better or go with a more lowly Paladin. However, the Duke is quite powerful! They also have a massive number of options to pick from, which should make list-building really fun.
Options abound. You’ll note a choice of weaponry – these are taken from a larger menu of arms in the main rulebook. A morning star adds +1 Strength and -1AP in the first round of combat, and a great weapon doubles those bonuses but makes you Strike Last. A lance adds similar bonuses, though only on the charge, while a shield improves your armour save by +1.
We’ll gloss over those Knightly Virtues for now – suffice it to say there are two pages of ‘em, and they’re great. But wouldn’t you like to know about the mounts? Well, guess who’s back…
Two pages of Knightly Virtues will give you some serious choices, but of course, you can take some fantastic mounts! They will now add extra wounds to your character, or even add a lot of punch.
Men-At-Arms Rules
At the other end of the martial scale are the Men-At-Arms. What they lack in combat prowess, they also lack in bravery, equipment, and chivalric acumen. On the other hand, they’re very cheap.
The Grail Monk functions as a kind of second champion, whose Blessed Triptych will inevitably prove very useful – it grants the whole unit Stubborn, so the first time they are required to take a Break Test they don’t need to risk a dice roll. Instead, they Fall Back in Good Order. Combined with Shieldwall (which allows them to Give Ground instead of Falling Back) they’re capable of stealing the impetus from even the heaviest cavalry.
These have some pretty interesting special rules, and while they don’t have a ton of combat power, they should be able to hold up the enemy to set up a thunderous charge from your knights!
How to Build an Army in Warhammer The Old World: Armies of Infamy
The Grand Army is not the only way to select a force, however. Each faction will gradually gain access to Armies of Infamy, which provide often wildly different ways to muster a force. As a Bretonnian Lord, you might wish to enter exile – especially as it means you can then take forbidden Border Princes Bombards into battle, while those who really just enjoy Knights and more Knights may prefer an Errantry Crusade.
Having armies of infamy back is really cool, as it will let you take a bunch of fun extra options to smash your enemy with!
All the Latest Warhammer Rules & Model Rumors
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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!
