• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Thordinson

Member
Aug 1, 2018
17,915
I'm not sure if this is the place to ask this but:

Anyone have any suggestions on which of the Age of Sigmar books are good starting places? I'm interesting in getting some of the miniatures too which I might do the next time I'm at the local comic shop.
 

CthulhuSars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,906
I'm not sure if this is the place to ask this but:

Anyone have any suggestions on which of the Age of Sigmar books are good starting places? I'm interesting in getting some of the miniatures too which I might do the next time I'm at the local comic shop.

Soul Wars is at the start of the last boxed set and starts it off in an interesting place.
 

Serule

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,766
I'm not sure if this is the place to ask this but:

Anyone have any suggestions on which of the Age of Sigmar books are good starting places? I'm interesting in getting some of the miniatures too which I might do the next time I'm at the local comic shop.

The Core Book is mostly lore and background; probably best place to start for summary of setting.
 

CthulhuSars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,906
hmm interesting, for some reason I thought GW wasn't producing LotR stuff anymore. Have a lot of fond memories putting together a bunch of uruk-hai and warg riders from when I was younger. Maybe after this box lol.

Not only are they still producing it the current version of the rules sets for both Hobbit and LoTR is in a really good place. I am more impressed with how great the boxed games within the GW range.

Within AoS this new set is going to bring a lot of people into what is now a really brilliant system. There are some warts but they are nothing compared to what came out post destruction of Fantasy as we know it. Some of the older fantasy players still have issues with what AoS is and I for one eagerly await Brittonia's return (it will never happen) and I also miss the mixing of Orcs and Goblins but the game and armies are in a place that is better than it has ever been in the existence of this subsection of the GW hobby.
 

Drax

Oregon tag
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,078
As far as Dominion supply goes, one would hope that after the initial bum rush through the door, they'll push the "made to order" button like they did for Indomitus. That would solve everything handily.

I don't think they will have it made to order this time, with the limited edition rule book. Not really happy about that tbh.
 

Plumpman

Member
Jan 24, 2018
1,021
My current army is Ironjawz / Greenskins with a few Gloomspite allies. I am absolutely stoked for these new Orruk models!
 

Doukou

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,526
I like the new Orruks but more Greenskins is not what I wanted for descrution, I was hoping for something that could be completely new and not another sub race of Greenskins. New Stormcast look great imo, way better than old ones
 
Oct 30, 2017
554
I'd have preferred something new to the Greenskins too. Fimir seemed like such an easy and obvious low hanging fruit to appease the old folks too.

Ah well. From the sound of things at least we might be seeing the short guys in pointy hats returning in some capacity!

Now if I could just find the last few Direchasm releases without getting price gouged...
 

dapperbandit

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,162
I adore the ork models, there is definitely conceptual space for a more serious looking ork faction and these models absolutely nail that look.
 

Poodlestrike

Smooth vs. Crunchy
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
13,491
So I'm giving Storm Ground a spin. Gameplay is interesting but kinda clunky due to how they handle movement. Bigger issue is that the writing is incredibly stilted. VA's aren't anything to write home about either but it's just hard to get through every time anybody starts talking.
 
OP
OP
Gareth

Gareth

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,443
Norn Iron
The Grimdark Live guys who leaked the Kruleboys info before the reveal (including the faction name) also said there are Kruleboyz cavalry coming soon (GW didn't show them yet) and much more for both Kruleboyz and Stormcast. They say there's also going to be a new Chaos Dwarfs faction released for AoS third edition (though they won't be called Chaos Dwarfs), and they've promised more leaks coming in mid-summer. They definitely appear to have someone in the know passing them info.
 

Mindwipe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,208
London
The Grimdark Live guys who leaked the Kruleboys info before the reveal (including the faction name) also said there are Kruleboyz cavalry coming soon (GW didn't show them yet) and much more for both Kruleboyz and Stormcast. They say there's also going to be a new Chaos Dwarfs faction released for AoS third edition (though they won't be called Chaos Dwarfs), and they've promised more leaks coming in mid-summer. They definitely appear to have someone in the know passing them info.

Yeah, as I said before the Kruleboys themselves are fine but don't really interest me, but it really does suggest Chaos Dwarfs are back and I'm into that.
 

Poodlestrike

Smooth vs. Crunchy
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
13,491
Just found a great breakdown of Stormcast vs. Space Marines from Josh Reynolds and it sort of sums up why I like the boys in gold as much as I do:

Well, for starters, Space Marines are chosen as children, tortured by SCIENCE!, and then drafted into an eternity of being monastic murder machines whose sole purpose is to hold up the crumbling foundations of an omnicidal dystopia in the name of a rotting carcass that eats psykers like chiclets. They're emotionally stunted orphans who were brainwashed and weaponized before being unleashed on a galaxy where EVERYTHING is trying to kill them. They never even had a chance to be people before someone turned them into a gun instead.

Stormcast, on the other hand, are dead heroes, chosen for their valour and faith, resurrected and sent to free the Mortal Realms from the abominations currently running the show, on behalf of a benevolent God-King (Though benevolent is seriously up to debate). They're traumatized heroes who had lives, personalities and histories prior to being crammed into primary colored hulkbuster armor and filled full of lightning so that they could go save their descendants from the eldritch horrors of a nightmare dimension. They endure death after death, losing a bit more of their soul each time, in order to prevent anyone else from suffering the fate which befell them.

One group are so far removed from humanity as to be utterly alien. The other group are so human it causes them pain. One group feels little in the way of emotion, the other group feels emotion as strongly as they did before death. One group hates and fears the alien. The other group allies regularly with space-lizards, skeletors and green monster-men. One group is the personification of the grim future in which they live. The other is a thing born of hope.

The similarities are cosmetic: big guys in easily paintable armor sell better than little dudes with fiddly bits. But the context for those cosmetic similarities is quite different. Think of it this way...Space Marines are Batman and Stormcast are Captain America. Both are super-heroes, both wear costumes, both punch bad guys, both save people. But they ain't the same, are they?
 
The nature of the Stormcast is why I wish Sigmar would become more of a character in the fiction like Nagash, Teclis, and the other gods are. The stories and codexes have hinted that there are complex problems brewing in Azyr that involve actual politics, and Stormcast themselves developing Opinions (tm).

Like how there's a growing mortal presence in Azyr as a government has developed to organize the refugees who started flooding in once the portals were re-opened. Or hints that Sigmar, lacking the time to deal with so many simultaneous problems, is dispatching edicts which certain groups of Stormcast are using as the justification for a religious crusade.

The fiction of AoS has been soft-rebooted with retcons multiple times since it launched (nothing new for Warhammer) to flesh out the early sketchy overview. And that many things are pretty different than originally described. I have been wondering when some meatier novels in the setting are going to appear. It kinda feels like 3.0 is nailing some things down. And Broken Realms set into motion much more specific plots, with more characters at cross-purposes to one another.
 

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
12,290
Apparently it was let slip during an official hobby stream last week that Beasts of Chaos are going to get renamed, for whatever reason. Not sure what that entails, maybe getting a long-awaited refresh or getting souped with someone else?
 
OP
OP
Gareth

Gareth

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,443
Norn Iron



3q03R90EPUln7uJ0.jpg


The Stormcast Eternals can no longer rely on their connection to High Azyr to render them nigh-immortal. The machinations of Be'lakor, the Dark Master, have smothered the Mortal Realms in roiling clouds of Chaos energy. The foul magic spilling from his network of shattered Realmgates has denied Stormcast Eternals a path back to the Celestial Realm, preventing them from being Reforged when they fall.

Only the timely return of an old ally is staving off certain disaster. A new pattern of thunderstrike armour has been forged for the Stormcast Eternals that melds Azyrite form with lethal function, exploding with such force when destroyed that their lightning can pierce Be'lakor's veil.

Nevertheless, the role of the Stormcast Eternals has changed in these desperate times. While once they would descend like a lightning bolt from a blue sky to strike where most needed, now they weather extended campaigns. Their mighty Stormkeeps are bonded more deeply to their host cities, and the Stormcast often travel and fight alongside Dawnbringer Crusades – great caravans of exploration, seeking to found new cities. We'll have more to share about those soon.
 
Last edited:

Nazo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,830

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
12,290
I hoped they're not getting souped. They deserve better than that.

They're pretty middle of the pack as far as army popularity goes, there would be better factions to give that treatment to from GW's perspective. Perhaps a big new release of Beastmen that the existing units get folded into, at worst (why give them a new name if it's just a standard refresh?).

Here's the clip, by the way, for posterity.

Era doesn't do clip embed well, still.
 

Nazo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,830
They're pretty middle of the pack as far as army popularity goes, there would be better factions to give that treatment to from GW's perspective. Perhaps a big new release of Beastmen that the existing units get folded into, at worst (why give them a new name if it's just a standard refresh?).

Here's the clip, by the way, for posterity.

Era doesn't do clip embed well, still.
I'd be more than happy with new stuff. If anything though I could see them splitting off Dragon Ogores as a separate faction, and move them to destruction maybe. They felt really incongruous next to all the goats IMO.
 

Drax

Oregon tag
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,078
Honestly, I kinda interpreted it being as a Cities of Sigmar push.
 

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
12,290
Beasts of Chaos are due some plastification anyway, do they have the largest number of resin model kits of the current factions?
 

Sneaky Gato

Member
Oct 27, 2017
535
Beasts of Chaos are due some plastification anyway, do they have the largest number of resin model kits of the current factions?
IIRC Skaven have the largest remaining number of resin and metal kits left. A function of the range having been barely touched in the transition to AoS. Which surprised me since Skaven always felt to be one of the most popular armies alongside Empire and HE and those got broken up/shrunk. After that its BoC then a smattering through the rest of the lines.
 

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
12,290
IIRC Skaven have the largest remaining number of resin and metal kits left. A function of the range having been barely touched in the transition to AoS. Which surprised me since Skaven always felt to be one of the most popular armies alongside Empire and HE and those got broken up/shrunk. After that its BoC then a smattering through the rest of the lines.

Forgot about the Skaven, I imagine a significant barrier for them is that their existing resin kits are much more spread out across the subfactions than Beastmen, so they'd probably need to renew them in batches.
 

Drax

Oregon tag
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,078
Edit. Deleted Brian Damage did a much better job of explaining.

Alot of old GW metals got converted to fine at which is a hated resin as well.
 

Deleted member 29682

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
12,290
They still sell metal and resin miniatures on the GW store? I had no idea. How do you know which you're getting?

If you buy direct from GW, the store page will say which it is in the description box.

shaman.png


beastlord.png


One quick trick to check is if the images on the store show the plastic sprue frame with the components (finecast and metal does not come on a sprue).
 

CthulhuSars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,906
Skaven are still rocking metal models. They half assed/foot in the grave the finecast release of things and for some reason just kept the metal models in play. I find it rather sad and impressive that the rats live on with old metal sculps.
 
OP
OP
Gareth

Gareth

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,443
Norn Iron



The New Edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar Delivers the Most Comprehensive Ruleset Ever - Warhammer Community (warhammer-community.com)
The core rules have been rewritten from scratch to create the most concise and elegantly explained ruleset ever. Great care was taken to retain the feel of the game while adding clarity and making it easier for new players to pick up. Veteran gamers will recognise everything they love about Warhammer Age of Sigmar – but it's been broken down, analysed, updated, and reassembled in a ground-breaking new layout.

All of the rules have been given a number for easy referencing, and the key sections are clarified with additional points to make everything crystal clear. You'll also find margin notes which call out referenced rules, points to note, and examples.

With these new rules creating the best battle system yet, those taking their first brave steps into the Mortal Realms can quickly get comfortable with the basics, before drilling down to learn more about each phase.

As an added bonus, when you're in the thick of battle and need to check a rule, the new layout helps you find the section you need so you can get back to rolling dice fast.

AjqMMu8Ux7yCQQgC.jpg




 
Last edited:

CthulhuSars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,906
I am interested in how they streamline the battalions for the older factions and curious how they tweak the turn system.
 
OP
OP
Gareth

Gareth

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,443
Norn Iron
Heroic Actions:
These are a totally new type of ability, used in each and every hero phase by both players (or all of them if you're playing in a big multiplayer brawl). Heroic actions bring fresh tactical opportunities and keep the action flowing for everyone involved.

These rules are different from command abilities – think of them as extra freebies to make your heroes more like the ones you read about in your favourite Warhammer fiction.

Want to make sure your champion comes out on top in that important duel? Invoke Their Finest Hour so they hit harder. Perhaps you need your last wizard to stay alive until they can cast that devastating endless spell? Use Heroic Recovery to keep them in the fight.

These abilities may seem subtle, but they make your heroes feel that bit more heroic, and they don't cost any command points to use.

37HhIk2h8Ce6utWF.jpg


Command Points:
With the updated rules in the new edition, it's a little harder to decide if you want to go first after winning the priority roll, thanks to a bonus command point going to the player who goes second.

You'll still earn another point if your general is on the battlefield, bringing your total to either two or three points for most of the battle, before taking any other abilities into account. Those crucial command abilities are also more versatile.

Generals and Totems have a longer range than before, and units led by a champion don't need a support Hero to escort them into battle for the buffs alone.

qzgMNFEHKWhi4hxr.jpg

AdSous1c8pN5GPxd.jpg


Monstrous Rampages:
Some armies are less about noble warriors and more about unleashing slavering beasts or daemonic entities upon their foes. If you like your army to be suitably monstrous, you're going to like this new edition too, as every single charge phase, each player's Monsters can go on a monstrous rampage. We're talking stomping on enemies, smashing terrain to ruins, roaring really loud – you know, all the classic monster stuff.

If you have more than four monsters, you'll have to be strategic about which of your vast horde you send on a monstrous rampage, as you can only carry out each ability once per phase. These rampages make Monster-heavy armies a lot of fun to play, and they're potentially pretty catastrophic for your opponent.

CvOTrKMoTZTh6U5h.jpg


Between heroic actions, loads of command points to spend, and monstrous rampages, your games are about to feel more cinematic and thrilling. Great care has been taken to make sure both players have things to do in each phase, so there's less downtime while you wait for the other army to move, then shoot, and so on.
How Warhammer Age of Sigmar's New Edition Turns Monsters and Heroes Up to 11 - Warhammer Community (warhammer-community.com)

 
Last edited:

Matttimeo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
762
That's an interesting selection of abilities for 3rd. I wonder if monsters are gonna becomes an auto include if you want to be remotely competitive. Having one player stomping and roaring all over while the other doesn't return the favour could make games real one sided.