BoLS logo Tabletop, RPGs & Pop Culture
Advertisement

Kharadron Overlords: Skyports & Artifacts

7 Minute Read
Apr 17 2017
Hot story icon

We continue our week of Khardron Overlords coverage.Take a look at the 6 Skyports and artifacts of AoS’s newest faction.

Welcome to  Battletome: Kharadron Overlords, the latest GW Age of Sigmar book dedicated to Order.  We’ve seen dwarfs in various incarnations over the years – but NOTHING like these gold loving sky-pirates.

This books is a new style Battletome that is fully in line with recent post General’s Handbook  releases such as Blades of Khorne. That is, you get Allegiance Abilities, Artifacts, Gifts, Battle Traits, full faction Battalions, Warscrolls and last but not least, Pitched Battle points. Here’s a look at the table of contents:

Advertisement

With an all new faction, we get a heavy background section to introduce them, an small set of Battalions, and a larger set of Warscrolls for all the new models.

Overlords & Gold Basics

As you would expect with an all new faction, the book opens with a heavy dose of background on these short risk taking dwarves who will do anything to acquire more aether-gold. Here’s a set of basics on the Overlords and exactly why they value aether-gold so highly.

Welcome to the Sky-ports

The Kharadron Code contains Rules of Prosperity that guide their society… that has a familiar ring to it…

Did somebody say Rules of Acquisition? The Ferengi could do business with these sky-dwarfs.

What is aether-gold?

 

If you love science and think magic is silly – look no further.

 

The Skyports

The Kharadron Overlords set sail from 6 primary Skyports in the realm of Chamon.  They are

 

Barak-Nar: Maters of science, and the unbinding of enemy spells using aethermatics.
Barak-Zilfin: Finest aeronautical sailors, whose units can maneuver with unmatched speed.
Barak-Zon: Seekers of glory in valour, who rarely shy away from a fight.
Barak-Urbaz: Alchemical geniuses, with a higher capacity for artifacts.
Barak-Mhornar: Piratical opportunists, striking suddenly from unexpected quarters.
Barak-Thryng:  Grudge-holders, who fight to the death until scores are settled.

We get several pages of lore on the major skyports.

Color plates follow to get your army painted.

Along with rules for each skyport. Here is one for example.

That last section covers the special rules for fielding each of the six major skyports on the tabletop.   We have already covered the defining special rules for the faction: Stick to the Code, allowing you to determine exactly how your Kharadron force interprets “The Code” which regulates all aspects of their lives. You pick a single Artycle, Amendment and Footnote for your army.  By deciding to go with the six pre-defined skyports your three basic choices are pre-defined – BUT you gain an extra bonus rules for your trouble, and a couple of other tweaks to give you an extra (fluffy) edge.

You can see that the forces of Barak-Nar gain Scholars & Commanders, to aid in unbinding enemy spells. You also may include any number of Aetheric Navigators in your battalions. You’ll have the pick up the book to see the other 5, but they are all cool and fluffy.

I want ma GOLD!

Artifacts

While the Kharadron Overlords have ZERO magic, they do have a LOT of artifacts to make up for it.  You get three charts of them.  Here’s the chart for SKYVESSEL artifacts to give you a taste. You get evertying from Prudency Chutes to make passenger escapes from destroyed ships safer, to awesome ones like the Incredible Self-Healing Hull – sure to be a player favorite for the already mighty Ironclads.

 This battletome is simply amazing and is perhaps the biggest example so far of how far GW is willing to push Age of Sigmar in ways Warhammer Fantasy never achieved.


Battletome: Kharadron Overlords $40

Prosper, or die.

Far above the highest mountain peaks, a new power has arisen. In secrecy they have grown strong, developing new technology and weapons of war. Guided by their Code, the Kharadron Overlords have sent forth their sky-fleets, commanding to return with riches, or not at all…

Battletome: Kharadron Overlords introduces a new duardin army into the worlds of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. A militaristic, mercantile society detached completely from the other branches of duardin that populate the Mortal Realms, they treat war and trade as much the same thing – a means to amass wealth; and they excel at both. More than anything, they seek aether-gold – this lighter-than-air element is their society’s lifeblood, holding their cities aloft, fueling their ships and powering their elaborate armour. Great sky-fleets of warships descend from dozens of sky-ports when a rich seam is discovered; the Kharadron Overlords will fight bitterly to accrue this vital substance, and the status it brings.

In the 144-page hardback Battletome: Kharadron Overlords, you’ll find:

Background

– A detailed explanation of the Kharadron Overlords – how their floating cities, the sky-ports, are powered and populated, their motivations for acquiring aether-gold and their use of the Kharadron Code;
– Information on 6 of the most powerful and important sky-ports amongst the dozens – Barak-Mhornar, Barak-Zilfin, Barak-Thryng, Barak-Zon, Barak-Nar and Barak-Urbaz – explaining the differences in their attitudes toward life and the Code, with a map of locations;
– A timeline of Kharadron history – the exodus that formed them, the establishment of the unifying Kharadron Code and the discovery of aether-gold;
– Their economic system (complete with financial figures for the major sky-ports!), and the Guilds that keep this massive, vital chain of commerce moving;
– The core structure of a Kharadron sky-fleet: while each sky-port has its own quirks, each draws upon the same hierarchy when building a fleet;
– Uniform guides, heraldries and colour schemes for each of the 6 sky-ports detailed in the Battletome, with descriptions of the units and skyvessels each skyport fields.

Rules

– The Sky-Ports: each of the 6 named sky-ports in the Battletome have their own unique interpretation of the Kharadron Code, meaning their armies vary wildly in terms of play style – this includes unique Abilities and Artefacts of Power, and unique amendments to the included Warscroll Battalions:
– Barak-Nar armies are masters of science, and are adept at unbinding the spells of their enemies using aethermatics;
– Barak-Zilfin armies are the finest aeronautical sailors, whose units can move and dodge with unprecedented speed;
– Barak-Zon armies seek glory in valour, and rarely shy away from a fight, charging in and attacking with gusto;
– Barak-Urbaz armies are alchemical geniuses, with a higher capacity for artefacts of power;
– Barak-Mhornar armies are indefatigable opportunists, striking suddenly from unexpected quarters;
– Barak-Thryng armies hold unbreakable grudges, and will fight to the death until scores are settled;
– Allegiance Abilities, Command Traits and Battle Traits for armies who belong to sky-ports other than the 6 named in the book – combine Artycles, Amendments and Footnotes to assemble your own interpretation of the Kharadron Code;
– Artefacts of Power: Great Endrinworks to be assigned to any Kharadron Skyvessel with Aethermatic Weapons and Treasures of the Sky-Ports for Kharadron heroes;
– 5 Battleplans: fight battles that epitomise the Kharadron Overlords’ way of war, with unique rules for each;
– 5 Warscroll Battalions, providing extra rules and special tactics for collections of miniatures;
– 12 Warscrolls, containing the rules for your Kharadron Overlord miniatures;
– Pitched Battle profiles with points values for every miniature and Warscroll Battalion;
–        A guide to a Path to Glory campaign – create a warband to fight alongside a Hero, and gain favour throughout a series of battles, gaining followers, swelling the ranks and earning rewards, eventually cementing the warband’s place in history;
– Tips on building and deploying your force, with example armies featuring hints on deployment direct from the designers.

Painting & Modelling

– A guide to Citadel paints for the beginner, detailing how each paint type is applied and in what context;
– Detailed, stage-by-stage guides presenting the colours and techniques used to paint the armies of the 6 named sky-ports;
– Kharadron Features: this goes into that little bit more detail on certain aspects of Kharadron miniatures – the portholes, dome and optics, along with verdigris, a basic guide to markings, weathering and constructing scenic bases;
– Tips and tricks for streamlining and improving your hobby: sub-assemblies, kitbashing and painting artefacts.

~We have much to cover all week – so check back soon!

Avatar
Author: Larry Vela
Advertisement
  • GW: New Releases April 15th "Pricing & Links"

    Warhammer 40K