Warhammer Warcry Tome Of Champions 2021 Review

We've covered the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar fantasy skirmish game Warcry extensively here on the site, from an introduction to the game and guide on how to play to various faction guides like this one on the Tarantulos Brood, but if you're unfamiliar here's a quick breakdown. Unlike the massive battles that play out over tabletops in a traditional Age of Sigmar game, featuring battalions of brave and nefarious warriors, Warcry zooms in on the conflict, offering fast-paced rules and intense model-to-model battle action. Now, Games Workshop recently released Warcry Tome of Champions 2021, a brand new supplemental rulebook for the game. While the title refers to last year, the game is just releasing now (2021 was a wild year, afterall) and contains all the most up-to-date rules for 2022 and beyond. Games Workshop sent along the book for us to check out, here are our thoughts.

What is Warhammer Warcry Tome of Champions 2021?

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 is an all-new supplement for Warcry, introducing new quests, updated point lists for all current models, and new Matched Play rules, and, most excitingly, Bladeborn Fighters -- rules that make your Warhammer Underworlds models playable in Warcry. There's a lot of content in this 153 page book, so we'll break it down section.

What Are The New Quests Like In Warcry Tome of Champions 2021?

Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 kicks things off with a huge section on new branching quests. Originally released in the Warcry: Red Harvest box set, branching quests play out like your average narrative quest, except that after each battle players get to choose one of several different quests to embark on. There's a branching quest for all four factions: Order, Chaos, Death, and Destruction, and each one offers different risks and rewards. For instance, in the Chaos branching quest "Balance of Power," the first "convergence" or adventure for lack of a better term, sees your warband besieged by attackers as a hissing laughter fills your ears. Claim victory, and that hissing laughter forms into words that claim your warband could be the next great power in the realm if you'll swear fealty to its mysterious dark master. From there, you can choose to follow its advice, pretend you'll obey its commands, or denounce it! Each of those decisions leads to a different "convergence," and each of those convergences will lead to a third set of three options. With one branching path for each alliance, it's easy to see just how much content there is in this branching quest section of the book.

Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 also includes six new narrative campaigns that take place in other parts of the Mortal Realms. This is a rarity, as most of the action in Warcry is centered in the Bloodwind Spoil - a heavily populated piece of land in the chaotic Eightpoints. Now, players can embark on quests in Anvilgard, Hysh, the Sanctum of Anguish, and more - including a 2-player (or solo) cooperative game against a horde of Skaven controlled by the game itself.

The book also includes new Pitched Battle content for the 2021/2022 season. The battleplans included offer six new ways to set up and face off against your opponent, and "The Fell Nyroth Tournament," a three-battle-long tournament taking place in the ruined city of Fell Nyroth, it's borders opened temporarily to let mortals enter. It even includes a reasonable schedule for tournament organizers!

What New Model Rules Are Included in Warcry Tome of Champions 2021?

Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 includes new rules, fighter and leader abilities, and naming conventions for four of the newest additions to Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. Included are rules for the powerful Lumineth Realm-Lords, the mouldering Soulblight Gravelords, the staunch Thunderstrike Stormcasts, and the rampaging Kruleboyz. 

In addition to this, as mentioned above, are rules for bringing over your models from Warhammer Underworlds into Warcry. These powerful named characters -- like Morgwaethe the Bloodied from the Daughters of Kaine, the Fyreslayer Mad Maegrim, and the Sylvaneth Ylthari -- add a wealth of new options to the game.

What Are Our Final Thoughts on Warcry Tome of Champions 2021?

Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 is an incredible update to the core game. Though rules and different play styles have been previously released in drips and drabs, having so much collected here in one book is truly useful. That being said, much of the latter half of the book is taken up with new rules for new models, and likely won't be the type of book you can utilize cover to cover. But for players with Warhammer Underworlds models they've always wanted to bring into the fight, or for people who are looking for more narrative quests to play with their foes, this is a must.

Should I Buy Warcry Tome of Champions 2021?

As mentioned above, for players looking to add their Warhammer Underworlds models to their games of Warcry this book is an absolute must-buy. The new game modes, including the impressive branching quests, will also add a ton of replay value to the game for players who have exhausted all the other missions and campaigns available. However, if you're looking purely for points updates, or another smaller piece of information, this book will likely have more in it than suits your needs.

The copy of Warcry Tome of Champions 2021 used in this review was provided by Games Workshop.