192 hours played, this is not exactly first impressions but still, may fit here. It took me a while to warm to this game, I think trying it first on normal (as Empire) was a mistake. The first 50 turns of the Empire campaign are rather dull (if you play as I do, turtling to build up Reiksland before getting ready to take on the VC). On normal, it was mind-numbing and then the pay-off, Chaos's invasion, was anti-climactic.

On VH/N, the Empire campaign came into its own. The slow start is involving because you want to get it right, to be prepared. I warmed to the faction politics - coping with the Elector Counts (herding cats) and confederating when they were on the ropes. The main Chaos invasion still feels a little small (compared to, say, the endless barbarian stacks invading WRE in Attila) but at least the Chaos stacks are powerful and the battles worthy. This is may be the first TW to successfully achieve the aim of "fewer, more meaningful battles". I particularly like the way sieges battles are less common. Walls are incredibly important (rather like X-Com's satellites) but at least most battles are field ones. This may have the best strategic AI to date: you have to play smart to take down the 5 Chaos main stacks consecutively. Yes, it can be frustrating - the AI always keeping out of reach - but you have some tools to counter that: ambushes, witch hunters and force marches (to reinforce weaker armies that initiate the battle).

I really liked the agents and character leveling aspects. All the Empire agents are worthwhile. Wizards save a ton of money. Captains are mini-Lords on the battle, can stabilise rebellious provinces and act as assassins at a pinch. Witch hunters are god-like (but heavily gated). Battle priests were my least appreciated for a while - although the growth effects are vital (want those walls fast). Now I've discovered the benefits of them healing up an army, I think all armies will have one in future. The three aspects of Karl Franz's skill tree (and the unique top row specials) are all worthwhile, making leveling interesting. I think I've found a close to ideal build that combines all three - blue for lightning strike + replenishment; red for buffed state infantry; yellow for 30% more hps and damage.

The battles are a little fast paced (thank goodness for the pause button) but nicely balanced and the AI is very solid. Marauders with their chariots, dogs and light cavalry can cause me fits, hitting my flanks and rear. Most things in the Empire arsenal have a use - low tier armies are almost ideal against Norscans, but would get flattened by Chaos. But I guess the Empire's strengths are in cavalry and ranged. Perhaps the major battle AI flaw is not waiting for reinforcing armies before pressing an attack. I am sure Attila was better at this.

I also played a dwarf campaign. This is almost a mirror of the Empire one. While the first 50 turns of Empire are dull, the first 50 of dwarves are a life and death struggle. Then stuff gets real for the Empire, while the dwarves become an irresistable steamroller. I got use to the lack of cavalry for dwarves, although it does hurt. The book of grudges was a MUCH better mechanic than I had feared (I tend to avoid most TW quests are out of my way and low reward). The grudges nearly always made sense and were straight forward to complete. That was until Chaos dies, when the book became a nightmare - you can't have a grudge left to win and the game kept thinking of silly things to do. Post-Chaos diplomacy is stupid - everyone becomes unreliable and aggressive. It's a tedious business of autoresolving until your book is empty and there are few human settlements left unrazed. I liked the dwarf campaign but for me in future it will end when Chaos is defeated. The Empire campaign victory conditions are perfect: hold the Empire, defeat VC and Chaos, job done. It ends on with a bang. The dwarf campaign end is the usual protracted TW end-game slog (I almost never finish a TW campaign, as it's just busy work once you are #1).

All in all, this is a very solid TW title - far better than I expected. (TW often seems to get things right in the second game in a sequence.) It rivals Attila as the best to date, in my opinion. Attila wins in terms of atmosphere and (for a WRE fan) campaign challenge. Warhammer has infinitely less grind (the favorable autoresolve means you can focus on the important battles) and fleshes out the characters better.