Total War and Sigvald

Total War

Total War: Warhammer is a turn-based strategy real-time tactics video game developed by the Creative Assembly and published by Sega. The game features the gameplay of the Total War series with factions of Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting.

The game features four playable factions at launch, which are the Empire, the Greenskins, the Dwarfs and the Vampire Counts.  The Chaos faction is also available free to those who pre-order or purchase in the first week.

I've been a big fan of the Total War series for a while now, and I have avidly played Shogun II, Rome II and Attila over the past years.  Total War Warhammer is probably the finest iteration yet, with streamlined gameplay, diverse factions, and a wicked sense of humor.

For example, the dwarf faction takes all infractions against them very personally.  Any time someone offends them, say by encroaching on their territory, they write down your name and your transgression in a giant book of grudges that they have.  The faction gets rewarded each time they pay back a grudge. And their warcry in battle is "We've been wronged! AYE!"

Perhaps no game does as effective a job of making you feel like you are really a general on a battlefield, leading your troops and devising strategies to defeat your foes.

The chaos faction is of particular interest because one of the warlords you can play as is a Slaaneshi character named Sigvald the Magnificent.  He reminds one of a fantasy world version Fulgrim on steroids.

Sigvald

Prince Sigvald appears to be a male warrior in the height of his prime, but he is several hundred years old. Born the eldest son of a powerful and already depraved Norse warlord, Sigvald took after his father, and went farther still. The excesses of the chief's progeny disgusted all within the tribe, as Sigvald partook in all kinds of unnatural pleasures and even had a fondness for human flesh. Despite the handsome boy’s skill with the blade and the distinctive aura around him, he was cast out into the snowy wilderness. Sigvald took his revenge, slaying his father remorselessly and wallowing in the pleasure of his latest debauched act.

Sigvald turned his life over to his dark lord, Slaanesh. Every wish of the vain warlord was granted, and he has grown ever more handsome over the course of his disgusting lifetime. Clad in brilliant gold armour, wearing a mirrored shield, and armed with the legendary sword Silverslash, Sigvald is an awe-inducing sight on the battlefield. Caring for nothing without beauty, Sigvald puts anything that displeases him to the sword but neither blood nor filth besmirches his magnificent armour. Spoiled by his master, Sigvald is rash and petulant, but he remains an incredibly dangerous foe.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his utter depravity, the prince inspires great devotion amongst his followers and they would give their lives to defend him. Sigvald himself is a mighty warrior in his own right, having trained and honed his skills over the centuries, and his boyish good looks belie the unnatural strength that lies coiled within his body. Despite his polished exterior, his soul is utterly damned. A capricious and dangerous foe, Prince Sigvald is rightly feared by those who know his name and reputation.