I posted a while back stating that if I couldn't play as Undead I wouldn't be able to love the game. Just wanted to state that for the record all of these evil factions look compelling to me and I couldn't be happier with this info. I am REALLY excited for the game at this point.
I may take a look at the Malazan books again. I read the first one and, if I recall correctly, practically everyone in the city was an assassin. That kinda takes away the coolness factor of having assassins.... But I may give them another chance.
I've already pre-ordered the game, but I'll be very frank and I don't care how childish/unimaginative it sounds - if I cannot play as Undead, I don' t think I can love this game. Think about it - Age of Wonders 2, Disciples 2, and even Warcraft -- all great games because you could play as Undead. I'm only (half) joking of course. I was under the impression this game could replace Age of Wonders 2 and I agree with the OP that the huge variety of races (and the fantastic mods) is what k