There is a new game coming out that may finally fully end the curse of bad Warhammer computer games (40K's Dawn of War began breaking the trend). This game is called "Mark of Chaos." Set just after the "Storm of Chaos" event that recently occured in the Warhammer timeline, this game pits the armies of the mighty Empire and the mystical High Elves versus the endless horde of Skaven ratmen and the vicious Hordes of Chaos. The game seems to be taking a lesson from the Total War series, concentrating on large, cohesive units rather than individual soldiers. What makes it unique is the individuality of the different soldiers. True to Warhammer model construction, each soldier will be randomly constructed from one each of several torsos, legs, arms, heads, and weapons. Also in true Warhammer spirit, the game allows you to set your own army's color scheme. Characters in the game (generals, wizards, priests, etc.) will also be fully customizable, allowing you to select each piece in making your heroes truly unique. These factors combined eliminate the traditional 'clone' armies of video games and also mean that no two armies will truly look alike.

Gameplay features from Warhammer will also feature a unique magic system and a 'challenge' system whereby generals and other heroes may duel each other seperate from the units that they lead. More at www.markofchaos.com

For those of you unfamiliar with the factions, a brief summary:

Empire: Rennaissance-esque, Germanic humans (think Holy Roman Empire) who worship the saint who united them. They have a large variety of troops including black powder weapons.

High Elves: Standard fantasy elves, skilled in all pursuits and renowned for archery and magic. Their troops are highly skilled, highly mobile, and highly expensive.

Chaos: Demons and the men who sell their souls to them for power. Their troops are in all ways superior to their Empire counterparts except for unit cost and their lack of any ranged capability other than magic and the unreliable Hellcannon.

Skaven: Mutated rat men who pour out from underground networks in hordes of expendable troops. Their troops are the cheapest, weakest, and least skilled. They rely on strength in numbers and strange and unreliable weapons of war.

You may also use as mercenaries:

Dwarves: Standard fantasy dwarves, but with a deeper sense of honor and ability to carry grudges...for millenia. Their troops are slow, but very tough and almost unbreakable. They also have gunpowder, though their weapons are more reliable and less powerful than those of the Empire.

Orcs and Goblins: Savage brutes who could conquor the world if they'd stop fighting each other. They typically rely in strength in numbers, but less so than Skaven. I don't know about the video game, but in the tabletop game, they have a slight chance of ignoring orders and even fighting each other during a battle.

Vampire Counts: Gothic undead led by powerful vampires and the necromancers who raise their armies. Their troops are inferior, but demoralize enemy troops, have no fear, and are led by powerful characters.

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My dad always told me, "Son, you can't argue with someone you have to educate first."

My dad also used to say, "Nobody ever won by getting even. You have to get ahead."