Warcrow Song of the Dormant Review - A Great Intro!

Corvus Belli’s recent Fantasy skirmish wargame, Warcrow, released last year with the Winds of the North starter set and followed up with a few additional lines of forces, but overall it hasn’t felt like the game truly received the introduction into the world it deserved… until now!

Corvus Belli just sent us an early copy of the newest release, Warcrow Song of the Dormant, and we’re digging in to check it out, see what’s included, and dive into how it plays.

What’s Included in Warcrow Song of the Dormant?

The new Battle Pack boxed set includes everything two players need to jump into the game, as it pits the forces of Feudom against the Scions of Yaldabaoth (more on both of these forces shortly). Included in the box set is:

• Beginner Rule & Scenario Booklet
• Dice
• Range Rulers
• Cardboard Terrain
• 14 miniatures Consisting of:
• 1x Verena of Aurtigard
• 1x Morgane of JauCret Syzigian
• 1x Knight of the Sacred Relic
• 4x Feudom Guisarmiers
• 1x Uruk, He Who is Without Prejudice
• 1x Needle
• 1x Breath
• 4x Intact

Who are the Feudom and the Scions?

Perhaps the most exciting element of the new Warcrow Song of the Dormant Battle Pack is the inclusion of two new factions to the game: Feudom and Scions of Yaldabaoth. But who are they, and what do they fight for?

The Feudom are your very classic holy warriors in a lot of ways. They seem organized (based on the bit of lore included in the instruction booklet) around a series of different realms and leaders, and rely on their faith to grant them strength and power.

Verena of Autrigard, a gorgeous looking miniature, is the High Priestess of this little fighting force, and leans on her imposing presence and connection to her faith to rain down holy punishment on her foes. 

This is a culture that relies on the populace to maintain safety and order - in more ways than one, as the rulebook references the toll that heavy taxation in the Feudom has on the everyday person.

But who are they fighting against? Who is it that crawls out of the fog? Meet the Scions of Yaldabaoth, “Dark Minded” elves who have embraced the corruption of magic, all for the pursuit of knowledge, power, and advancement.

They’re unafraid of change, going so far as to augment their bodies! Uruk, He Who Is Without Prejudice is the leader of this fighting force, and his body is so twisted and honed to be a killing machine that he looks unlike anything else on the battlefield.

One thing I love about these miniatures, and which goes a long way toward describing the whole ethos of the Scions, is the description of the Intact. The Intact are described as not yet changing their bodies with transformations, and being so shamed by that fact that they cover their bodies in the bones, skin, and limbs of others!

I’ve said from the beginning that, even when the rules could feel a little intimidating at times (not a problem with this new set, as we’ll soon see), the world building is top-notch!

The Learn-To-Play Experience in Warcrow Song of the Dormant

The Learn-To-Play experience in Warcrow Song of the Dormant takes big leaps forward for the game, and this feels like a true introduction to the game. The booklet begins with lore for each of the two factions, and then we get right into playing the game.

Assuming you’ve already assembled the miniatures (they’re very easy to assemble, without instructions because it’s mostly intuitive), the tutorial game walks you through every step. 

You don’t even roll the dice, instead, the booklet tells you what the roll result should be at every point to show you how the game flows. Once you make it through that beginning tutorial, there’s a QR code to scan to get the full rules, but you’ll have most of what you need to keep going!

And from this point on in the booklet, you’ll see a truly well-thought out mini campaign for the two forces as they face off against each other.

There’s lore describing the setting and the stakes involved, and then we crack off into three mounting scenarios, with mission briefings for each side of the battle.

Warcrow Song of the Dormant - Final Thoughts

This new Battle Pack is so well-presented, clear, and easy to understand - and the translation into English is the cleanest we’ve seen. I really like the look of all the miniatures in the box, and the inclusion of cardboard terrain is a nice touch.

All in all, this really feels like the introduction that Warcrow deserves, and I believe the game is ready to hit the big-time. If you’ve been curious about Warcrow but haven’t seen a clear path into the game yet, this is the product you should be reaching for - and it should be hitting stockists in late August.

The copy of Warcrow Song of the Dormant Used for this review was provided by Corvus Belli