I must say it is a nice looking book, but I am willing to bet it takes the Madmiral at least an hour to get his copy open (It's a tad tricksy).
After a quick look through it looks like a lot of fun. I don't think It was ever intended as anything more than a'fun expansion and that's what GW have turned out.As you would expect from the writing on the tin it puts the focus firmly on the magic phase. casting Dice go up to 4d6 but there's a whole heap of new powerful spells to blast opponents with. On top of that, all armies have access to a whole host of monsters, most familiar but some rather new. There is even a Zoat for hire! These new monsters can be bought with a special 25% premium in points, over and above the level you and you opponent have set (i.e. At 2000pts, you will get 500pts to spend on goodies). The allowance can also be spent on some new uber magic items and/or Daemonic or Undead allies.
Apart from the magic phase nothing much else has changed, except to put the focus very much on a new type of scenery called 'Arcane Fulcrums' Basically these are magical focal points and the key to winning or losing the game. Although it is possible to play SOM at any points level, IMHO it would be best played at higher points levels (2500pts plus) as some of the Catalysmic spell are exactly as described and could well wipe out smaller armies in one foul swoop.
I for one can hardly wait
