Warhammer Season of War Thondia Preview

Ghur, better known as the Realm of Beasts, is a place where everything is out to kill everything else around it. From ravaging hordes of Orks to giant flora and fauna that stalk anything that moves, and even to the tectonic plates of the realm itself, Ghur is at its heart a realm where the hunter and the hunted engage in a constant struggle. Amidst this chaos, civilizations can barely hold on, and few have successfully secured outposts in this feral land. Sounds like a good place to stage a war, right? Games Workshop seems to think so too, with their brand new upcoming release of Season of War: Thondia, a sourcebook for setting up glorious battles in this savage land. Read on for our preview of the book!

What's Included in the Warhammer Season of War Thondia Sourcebook?

This upcoming release from Games Workshop includes everything you need to wage battles in the war-torn, savage land of Ghur. The book begins with in-depth lore of the realm and the dangers that lurk there, then goes into new rules for the Krondspire Incarnate of Ghur, and then there are several battlepacks cover warscroll battalions, battleplans, and more.

In the lore section of the book, Ghur is represented as a realm where, essentially, everything tries to kill everything. There's a section of the history of the land, starting from the Age of Myth which was dominated inhuman titans. It then goes on to tell briefly of the exploits of Sigmar, Gorkamorka, and other notable names. In the age of chaos, daemons enter the fray as hordes of infernal armies, and those devoted to Khorne seek blood for the blood god. Finally, the Age of Sigmar (where the game currently takes place) lays out how humanity and order strive (often in vain) to establish footholds of society in the land.

There's also a great map of the land of Ghur, including a detailed section on Thondia, where the heart of the battles in this book are fought. The Coast of Tusks is also laid out, as well as important landmarks throughout the realm like the Sylvaneth-infested Gnarlwood, the Orkish Great Gutfort, and the (incredibly named) Crawling Pits of Gharrentia. Epic battles and in-depth profiles of some of the terrible beasts that stalk Ghur round out this incredibly robust section on the lore of the realm.

What Is The Krondspire Incarnate of Ghur As Seen In Warhammer Season of War Thondia?

The Krondsipre Incarnate of Ghur is a brand new type of unit just created for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. An Incarnate is described in the book as "an entity born of pure realm energy." And essentially it's like a mix of an endless spell and a unit. You bond the Incarnate to a hero, and it makes attacks on your turn. It has a powerful set of attacks, can effectively eat endless spells, and inspires units around it to charge and run better into combat. But there's a serious catch. If the hero the Incarnate is bonded to is killed, then the Incarnate goes on a wild rampage, attacking any unit (including yours) that comes near it.

All in all it's an impressive beast, and a fun new addition to the rules. Here's hoping we see many more Incarnates as the game progresses and we get more Season of War sourcebooks.

What Are The New Rules Like In Warhammer Season of War Thondia?

There are so many amazing ways to wage war in Warhammer Season of War Thondia. First there are special rules for Open Play in the game, which allows players to roll on a Map Table to determine board set up, infuse twists and ruses, and even implement Arcane Prizes into the game.

In Narrative Play, there's a huge section devoted to a more storytelling-focused approach. You can establish outposts in Ghur, take part in quests, and gain benefits for being a Thondia veteran. There are also a series of exciting Battleplans like "The Hunt" where one force acts as the hunting party tracking down their prey. There are also rules for establishing Bestial Companions for a hero you create in the narrative mode.

Finally, there's the "Strife In Thondia" battlepack for matched play, where you choose your army and then apply Thondia-specific Grand Strategies like "Ruler of Mysteries" which says "When the battle ends, you complete this grand strategy if you control more terrain features with a Thondia Mysterious Terrain scenery rule than your opponent." The Thondia Mysterious Terrain scenery rule applies special features to your terrain, like "Itcher Moss" and "Barbed Snifferweed Spheres." There are also Matched Play battleplans, like "The Prize," where rumors of a hidden amulet in an ancient set of ruins set both armies on the hunt.

All in all, this is an incredibly robust sourcebook, and if you're at all interested in diving into hellish battles on the beastly Thondia, this is absolutely worth diving into deeper. 

The copy of Season of War: Thondia used in this preview was provided by Games Workshop.