Age of Sigmar "2nd edition"

[DantePQ]

What do you think we should expect in the future considering Age of Sigmar. 

1. "New edition" few years down the road - with existing armies being refreshed and armies without Battletomes being folded into existing armies or squatted all the way. 

2. Just evolution of the core rules in form of General's Handbooks, armies won't get new BT but they would get new warscrolls/units. 

What do you think ?

In my opinion first option is much better as I guess AoS could use some rules change and existing armies should get some love. But how long before it happens and how many Battletomes shoudl be released before ? 

I guess we still shoudl get 2 new Aelves armies (one of them being DoK) some Deaht, Destruction will need some love. On the other hand new edition could come anytime as some armies could be used in "starter" like SCE vs Destruction narrative or Light Aelves vs Slaasnesh. 

 

[SeanMaguire1991]

I believe they'll finish going through the major factions and then they'll start work on 2nd Edition.

They might go full 40k 8th Edition kind of release and produce 4 Grand Alliance books akin to the indexes 

[DantePQ]

Maybe but with AoS rules what they are I guess they could just release "Errata Book" as many rules are written on warscrolls and won't interfere with different core rules - and it's huge AoS positive quality. Are there any core rules that would interfere with Warscrolls I kind think of any. 

[Sleboda]

They are producing army books (battletomes) in numbers already exceeding the count in the past,  with no signs of slowing down.  By the time they get to when we would have had a new edition in the past,  I'd guess there will be 30 or more such books.  Invalidating that many books would be infuriating.  

I'm thinking they will not do a 2nd ed as such.  Just keep the 4-pager and layer on "toolbox" rules like Malign Portents and every now and then replace an older battletome if needed.

The structure they have set up allows for this sort of a rolling refresh, if you will, rather than hard core jettisoning of things. 

[Chikout]

AOS is not even 3 years old yet. There are many factions yet to get a battletome. The meta is in a pretty good place aside from the training wheels problem. With the opportunities to tweak the rules that the ghb provides, and the balance patches, I don’t see the need for a second edition for a very long time. A common problem with editions in the past has been the need to go back and start again with not necessarily better results. With the ghb and the Internet gw can make small adjustments to the game as they go along. They have already updated two battletomes. There is nothing to stop them doing that again without making second edition. 

[SeanMaguire1991]

1 hour ago, DantePQ said:

as many rules are written on warscrolls and won't interfere with different core rules

That's what 8th edition 40k does almost all distinguishing rules for a unit are printed on its Datasheet

[pseudonyme]

For me « 2 », because it was the main concept behind AoS: having a living ruleset.

In the end they will do whatever they want and need to do, but I am quite confident that they will stick to the yearly update instead of a having a new edition every 4 years.

The only reason I could imagine to do so, is if they want to branching out from 40k and implementing a completely new turn sequence (alternative activation?). But the risk of having their client to once again burn their army on YouTube is rather dangerous, at least under 10 years from launch. 

[Killax]

I expect it all to occur in 2020.

How exactly it will unfold really is early to tell. It can go in a lot of places, I think Malign Portents is a way to see where things will involve into.

[Xasz]

GW has moved away from the whole "edition" cycle as we knew it.

The new system was tested for AoS and got implemented for 40k as well, with Chapter Approved. Yearly updates, fixes, missions and no more "hard" edition transition.

There might be reprints of battletomes and codices down the line, but that will take a while. 40k is almost done with reprints of the vanilla armies and AoS as only quite recently picked its course, ergo a lot of "new" and new armies are coming.

No point in pushing a new edition... 

[zedatkinszed]

42 minutes ago, Xasz said:

GW has moved away from the whole "edition" cycle as we knew it.

The new system was tested for AoS and got implemented for 40k as well, with Chapter Approved. Yearly updates, fixes, missions and no more "hard" edition transition.

There might be reprints of battletomes and codices down the line, but that will take a while. 40k is almost done with reprints of the vanilla armies and AoS as only quite recently picked its course, ergo a lot of "new" and new armies are coming.

Have to agree. By the mid 2020s maybe we'll see a new/updated 4 page set of rules but I doubt it. The GHB system is profitable and keeps a connection between the company, the fans and the Tourney scene. All of that is good for the game and GW. Ultimately as long as people are buying new books and new minis GW won't need to change anything. But if the game stagnates commercially like WHFB did or becomes hyper-complicated like 40K 7th did. Then they will move in. 

What I could see are guides to the realms (like Firestorm and MP but also like DnD's sourcebooks on campaign settings). I also see new realms down the line (they could draw on magics from WHFB not yet given a realm in AOS like Dhar, Qhaysh, Ice, Wild etc, or just make up new ones - or venture into teh Realms of Chaos themselves!).

[Envyus]

I think there should be a big change to the core rules. 

[Nullius]

The only failing of the current rule set, I would say, is the hyper-efficiency of shooting units given the double-turn mechanic. I would love to see a return to some of the warhammer fantasy penalties for shooting (-1 at greater than half-range, for example. Another penalty to shoot when engaged with the enemy would also be a common-sense fix).  The shooting phase right now feels a little less interactive than any other part of the game. 

[Menkeroth]

I agree with the 2nd option, and hope it will continue so.

[S133arcanite]

All I can say, is please not to soon!

[Joel]

To my mind Edition 2 is going to happen. By now, we have 14 Battletomes. If we add one for slaanesh, one for groots, another death army and one or two more for aelves (or order in general) we will have 19 of them. Which happens to be more or less the same as codexes in 40K. 

When all this factions are released I am expecting a second edition.

[Lucio]

Pretty sure we've seen the end of "new editions"

What we'll see instead is potentially new Starter sets every few years, and in the mean time the General's Handbook will be the mechanism to deliver the rules changes previously done via an edition.

Individual Battletomes may or may not get a refresh, but I suspect it'll be down to cool new models being designed than any particular need to update things

[rokapoke]

I'd love to see a "second edition" wherein the existing 4-page rules are merged with many of the relevant FAQs to create a 6-page or 8-page ruleset. There would be no need to change any of the base rules, but I think moving from the "rules + FAQ" to "rules" as the reference documentation would be a boon to players of all types.

[Aeon]

I agree.

They could very well release a hardcover book like 40k with a few updated rules, consolidated ‘Hints and Tips’ and the three ways to play. Including Lore for the game, the Path to Glory, Siege and Skirmish rules into one tome would be a smart move.

This will free up a lot of stuff for the Generals Handbook, and you can still have the Warscrolls work with the rules if it’s just a minor update.

[BaldoBeardo]

Bye bye square bases and hello clear, consistent and unambiguous rule wordings!

[Distracted Satrap]

I don't think there'd ever be a second edition per se. Rather you'd see small incremental changes added via errata and the Handbook which might be formalised later (I.e. something like 'When rolling for priority, a tie is won by the player who went first in the previous round'). Little bite-sized changes in a living ruleset.

I'd bet on seeing the core book revised in the next year or two though, even if the rules aren't. The game has changed so much since release the core book is really outdated.

[Menkeroth]

53 minutes ago, Distracted Satrap said:

I'd bet on seeing the core book revised in the next year or two though, even if the rules aren't. The game has changed so much since release the core book is really outdated.

You mean "Mighty battles"? well, I would not classify it as the core book, core book is rather Primer or "Getting started". And in the "Battles" you find how it all came to be and the initial stages of the RW, so it's safe. But then to gather all the game info in one place would be really neat.

[Aeon]

The thing is to remember to who are saying bite sized updates and living rulebook with errata is to take into account newer players and bloat.

Consolidating the rule updates as well as incorporating errata into the one place every few years will allow new players (as well as returning players) to be easily able to get on board.

Dont think of a new edition like 7th to 8th Fantasy or even Fantasy to Sigmar. Rather; Sigmar V2 will be likely a update of the existing game, incorporating Errata, FAQs, and ‘Hints and Tips’, while removing/modifying/adding rules in a minor manner.

[Burf]

5 hours ago, Aeon said:

The thing is to remember to who are saying bite sized updates and living rulebook with errata is to take into account newer players and bloat.

Consolidating the rule updates as well as incorporating errata into the one place every few years will allow new players (as well as returning players) to be easily able to get on board.

Dont think of a new edition like 7th to 8th Fantasy or even Fantasy to Sigmar. Rather; Sigmar V2 will be likely a update of the existing game, incorporating Errata, FAQs, and ‘Hints and Tips’, while removing/modifying/adding rules in a minor manner.

Yeah, pretty much this. Battletomes will be used to update army rules over time, the main rules are probably going to get tweaks at some point.

My guess is that 'AoS 2nd' will just be part of one of the GHB updates rolling out rules adjustment (common suggestions revolving around changing the way turn priority works, altering shooting, removing the now basically useless 2 pages to possibly include new or updated mechanics, universal base to base.) And point changes to units affected by the rules adjustments.

[RuneBrush]

The next revision is apparently in the works and I did hear a rumour that it could well be this year.  My own feeling is that there are two possibilities on what to expect.

First option is we simply get a tidied up set of rules.  If we're honest most of page 1 and a chunk of page 2 don't need to be part of the "rules" - they're talking about how to create armies and setup the board, which arguably are covered in the generals handbook.  Some of the rules will be reworded to incorporate some of the FAQ/Errata, but largely just clearing everything up.  This theoretically could be released anywhen.

Second option is that we get a bit of an overhaul for certain things - maybe a dedicated magic phase, maybe a change to character shooting (plucking common discussion points out the sky here).  Something that adopts some of the bits that work better in 40k and rectifies some of the bits GW feel don't work as well.  This would ideally need to be released alongside a new Generals Handbook or at a minimum a new set of pitched battle profiles.

[Twitch of Izalith]

The only core rule that I think really needs adjusting is the ability to shoot into and out of combat. I'm fine with missile troops being able to use their weapons while they are in combat but I would like to see it limited to shooting at the unit they are engaged with. I would also like to see a stand and shoot mechanic when missile troops are charged - something similar to 40K overwatch. I know its a fantasy game but an occasional nod towards realism is helpful! The idea that a unit has the time, while trying to avoid being cut in two by a bloodthirster, to all agree to pick out an infantry hero who is engaged amongst 40 other models 20" away is ludicrous enough to break my immersion in the game!

I think the big benefit to a second edition/full re-launch for GW would be that it will put a punctuation mark behind the current edition - which many people who don't actually play are still judging by 2015 standards. We all know the game has come a long way and is almost a different game from when it was released but there are still a surprising number of people in the wider tabletop gaming community who are still rolling out the same old out of touch comments.

A second edition would draw a line under this, and if they manage the release effectively this time, it could bring a lot of potential and past customers into the game.