The Warhammer Rulebook

When I made the decision to buy the Warhammer Rulebook, I was originally just going to get the main one, and I made an argument on Arcadia Prime that it was worth the extra cash. But when it came time to actually buy it, I went a little crazy and went for the collector's edition instead.  I'll probably be rationalizing for a long time trying to justify that decision. 

Well, it arrived in the mail right on Friday, July 9, so I decided to do a post about my impressions of it.  First off, it's heavy.  I tried weighing it on a small scale, and after the scale went over 7 lbs it begged  for no more.  So the book is big.  On the GW website they describe is as a "massive grimoire", and it certainly gives that impression.  If you lug this thing around, people will know you mean business.

Heh, my desk lamp shining nearby kind of gives the impression of a holy light shining down upon it...

Here's the book next to my 3rd edition rulebook (which is about the size of the 7th edition rulebook).  The more I think about it though, "book" doesn't really do it justice.  "Tome" is better, and I think "grimoire" does suit it nicely.

The covers are made of a debossed material that feels a lot like leather--either way, it's looks and feels great, and it just oozes quality.  The brass hammer/comet thing on the cover is a nice touch, and looks somewhat antique as well, which just adds to the tome's coolness. The pages are kept shut by a brass clip--it took me a while to get it off, as I was trying to be gentle with it so as not to damage anything.  It turned out it was just stuck to the cover--once I got it off, it slips on and off with no trouble at all, while still remaining snug.

Whew, it looks like I ordered just in time!

The inside is filled with some fantastic art.  The pages are made of thick, high quality parchment paper as advertised, which also adds to the sheer massiveness of the tome.

Some cool High Elf concept art by the master Jes Goodwin.

Flipping through it, it's filled with tons of material, and I haven't even scratched the surface yet, so I don't have much to say about its insides.  But with time I plan on reading the thing and make sure I get the most out of it.

In the meantime it can assume a place of honor on my bookshelf next to some other important tomes.