Dark Shadows Over Albion

Today we will take another walk down memory lane. Let us take a look at Dark Shadows, a campaign that ran for Wahammer Fantasy Battles during its 6th Edition. The primary focus of Dark Shadows is the rain-lashed isle of Albion. Albion up to this point in the history of the game had been a semi-mythical isle that sat in the sea beyond Brettonia, its location being analogous to the British Isles and much of the additional material found in the supplement is based pre-invasion Roman perspectives of Britain.

Dark Shadows concerns itself with the mists rising about the Isle, allowing exploratory expeditions and the following battles to ensue upon that blighted isle. Albion is actually populated by humans, celt-like tribes of barbarians, headed up by power shamans named Truthsayers call Albion their home. The booklet gives some information about the history of Albion and how it was a bastion of learning for the Old Ones. During the war against Choas that saw the Old Ones vanish, the Lizardmen retreat to the jungles of Lustria and the elves construct the vortex at Ulthuan that stemmed the chaos winds, Albion stood defiant. This piece of lore is omitted from most other versions of the history of Warhammer. The druids of Albion constructed their own stone circle like that of the elves which absorbed much of the taint of the winds of Chaos and also shrouded the Isle in a magical fog. With this magical protection failing, the location of Albion has been revealed and it is time for the races of the Old World to stake a claim on Albion.

The Fenbeasts of Albion are monstrous indeed

In terms of rules the campaign adds an abundance. Firstly, it gives each army the option to use a Dark Emissary or a Truthsayer (and this cannot be the same as what his opponent chooses. The Dark Emissary is an agent of evil that whispers lies and spreads doom while a Truthsayer, one of the druids of Albion gives sound advice to the forces of good in an attempt to stop the plan of the Dark Emissaries and their Dark Master. The third additional unit in Dark Shadows is the Fenbeast, a magical monster made of soil, and vines and sod, animated from earth of Albion.

In addition to this the campaign contains 6 scenarios and rules for the weather of Albion. I’ll be honest, I really like this campaign booklet. It covers a few new releases and rules and helps advance the story of the Warhammer world in a meaningful, but not intrusive, way. Should Games Workshop ever decree in their infinite wisdom to bring back Warhammer Fantasy Battles, then Dark Shadows is the kind of this I’d like to see more of.

Did you play Dark Shadows back in the day? How do you think Games Workshop should do campaigns like this? Drop a comment below and let me know!