Future of Skirmish

[Mr. White]

How do we think future armies are going to be handled in Skirmish?

Kharadron Overlords were the last battletome released and that was prior to the Skirmish book, so their renown cost was included.

If Skirmish is going to continue to be a thing, and I hope it is, do we think future battletomes will include a page with that faction's skirmish renown cost chart...or are we thinking Skirmish may just get an annual release with new battleplans and updated renown costs a la the GHB?

[Tzaangor Management]

I would imagine, much like the Path to Glory tables in the Battle Tomes that came out after GHB 2016, that they will be included in their faction specific books on release.

I think an annual update seems likely, I don't know what sort of form it would take, but it would be strange for them to abandon it completely.

[Moldek]

I'm hoping for a game akin to shadow war armaggedon for 40k, that expands on the base skirmish rules with a more fleshed out campaign system and an evocative setting. I'm dreaming of a new mordheim, with a dark, Blanchian setting and the limitless possibilities of the aos world. But i'd settle for regularly updated tables, the odd light campaign supplement and some people to play hinterlands with

[wayniac]

Honestly?  I don't think it will get anything.  It seems like a rushed release to have something out there and throw a bone to AOS players.  I'd be mildly surprised if they even acknowledged it as a thing in future Battletomes.

[someone2040]

I think we'll likely get renown in future battletomes, but I don't necessarily think we'll see an annual update of renown unless it becomes a 'thing'. For that to happen, competitive tournament play would definitely need to take off. 

But really, it just seems at odds with what Skirmish is. It's basically a cheap entry point into the game, which doesn't try too hard to keep you playing Skirmish, but rather pushing you to the next level being Path to Glory.

 

[stickybluetoffee]

They've said on Warhammer Live that future battletomes will include both Path to Glory and Skirmish Warband rules 

[Lucio]

Just wish they could balance heroes a bit better, half wounds and half renown is probably right, or have no heroes and instead pick a squad sergeant to get say, +3 W and +1 save for free.

[Criti]

On 8/9/2017 at 7:04 AM, wayniac said:

Honestly?  I don't think it will get anything.  It seems like a rushed release to have something out there and throw a bone to AOS players.  I'd be mildly surprised if they even acknowledged it as a thing in future Battletomes.

This seems most likely to me in the long run. 

Those of us who've been around a long time have watched time and again as GW started things,  only to turn around and never speak of them again (the Warhammer Realms books, anyone?)

[Greyshadow]

I think the most natural place for such updates to ultimately sit would be in the General's Handbook. Perhaps a PDF download/White Dwarf article to cover the period until the 2018 handbook? I would be for having this content in future battle tomes but I could understand if it was omitted due to space considerations. As long as we get updates somewhere I guess.

[inunn]

I think it’s interesting to consider what GW did in the 40k universe with Shadow War: Armageddon followed up shortly by the Necromunda reboot when it proved to be popular.

I for one certainly wouldn’t mind if they pulled a similar move with skirmish and replaced it with something a bit more substantial, like a true Mordheim successor based on AoS rules set in the mortal realms.

[Baron Klatz]

If the "Mordheim in 2018" rumor pans out (which is supported by them mentioning it at Warhammerfest) then I could definitely see that happening with Skirmish's success.

[WarbossKurgan]

They might just reprint the Skirmish book with updates. At only £6 I would not object to an annual like GHB.

I heard that Necromunda was in development since March 2016, so it was not a reaction to the popularity of Shadow War.

[RuneBrush]

7 hours ago, WarbossKurgan said:

I heard that Necromunda was in development since March 2016, so it was not a reaction to the popularity of Shadow War.

Yup, had it unofficially/officially confirmed in January that it was being worked on (one of the designers let it slip )

[someone2040]

I really wonder about Mordheim. Does it actually make sense to bring Mordheim back as a game setting?

Necromunda as a setting still exists within 40k, so it doesn't have the same issue since they never blew up the 40k universe.

But for Mordheim, fewer and fewer people are going to be knowing about that the setting is the old world, the empire is in strife with 3 emperors vying for power, the tragic fall of the city of Mordheim, and the nefarious Dark Master leading sinister cultists in the ruins. It's also, less relevant due to the fact it's not a part of the ongoing setting (historical or otherwise).

Bloodbowl essentially gets away with it from being in an alternate universe anyway, but Mordheim feels a bit too similar as a setting to Shadespire, and bringing it back would likely be banking on peoples nostalgia quite a bit.

Then there's the fact that they'd be creating an 'Old World' product range, yet, we know that AoS really isn't all that different to the Old World in many respects (So now you have the issue, do they make rules for figures they create in Mordheim for AoS?). 

 

So yeah, I really wonder if 'Mordheim' is coming, or a more advanced Skirmish ruleset for Age of Sigmar. My preference, as much as I love the Mordheim setting, would likely be the latter. Whether or not it just expands the existing Skirmish rules (and hence uses Warscrolls), or is more like Shadespire, where the entire game system is different, but they release Warscrolls for the models to use in AoS, it'd probably align greater with what GW wants to do and create a synergistic product rather than a product that's based in a setting GW want people to forget.

[eekamouse]

I think it will be Mordheim in "modern" times.... post cataclysm if you will.

[RuneBrush]

I honestly can't see them producing an AoS Mordheim.  We've got Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire coming up which fulfils it from a "background" point of view.  I could see them releasing a dedicated campaign book which allows you to create a long-term campaign for Skirmish, Path to Glory or regular AoS, but as for a dedicated game I just can't see it.

Necromunda is being handled by Specialist Games and intended to use the new Sector Mechanicus terrain so they're not designing new scenery.  We don't currently have any AoS terrain that would cross over in the same way.  That's not to say it will never happen, but I think in the next few years it's unlikely.

Edit: Also Mordheim just wasn't very popular when it was released.  Bloodbowl, Warhammer Quest, Necromunda and Battlefleet Gothic were popular beyond words - there are still whole communities out there playing them.  Mordheim does have a small following, but it's not the same as any of those.

[eekamouse]

Shadespire is being designed for the X-Wing and Magic crowd. They've dropped enough hints to a proper Mordheim that I'm certain it will come in 2018, or 2019 at the latest. 

We're due for some new AoS terrain. Remember that Shadow War actually launched the terrain they're going to be using in Necromunda.

[bonzai]

My main complaint is that they are only supporting plastic models in the rules. This eliminates a lot of models from various armies. One of my armies is Bonesplitterz. I want to be able to use my Wurrgog Prophet. Fluff wise, they are the leaders. It would be great to narrate out the beginnings of the Warband using a skirmish campaign. But because they are finecast I can't use it. It seems arbitrary to me.

[Wraith01]

If they consider it a successful release I'd expect them to include any new factions in next years Generals Handbook.

[MacDuff]

On August 16, 2017 at 9:06 PM, eekamouse said:

I think it will be Mordheim in "modern" times.... post cataclysm if you will.

I can't see it going any other way. After City of Secrets (which I loved), GW will most likely use this reboot to add more world building.

[Kramer]

On 8/17/2017 at 3:19 AM, someone2040 said:

I really wonder about Mordheim. Does it actually make sense to bring Mordheim back as a game setting?

Fair point, but in general I think the 'bring back mordheim' bandwagon is more about bringing back the same depth of skirmish style play rather than bringing back the setting. 

At least for me that's the essence. So new setting, new story with the old depth of play  

[Guest]

On 8/13/2017 at 2:18 AM, Criti said:

Those of us who've been around a long time have watched time and again as GW started things,  only to turn around and never speak of them again (the Warhammer Realms books, anyone?)

 

Warhammer Realms: Lustria is exactly the kind of thing I would love to see more of from GW. A meaty narrative campaign, one or two hero splash releases, region-specific special rules, whole new army lists based on creatively tweaking and combining existing units, creative terrain building ideas and an excuse to add some cool conversions or unusual units to your army. That book was hyped in White Dwarf for months, and not just through advertorials but through genuinely meaty and engaging content that made you excited to dive into the setting.

AoS is crying out for this kind of thing. The Realmgate Wars campaign books are fine as far as they go, but they evoke only a fraction of the excitement and possibilities that the Warhammer Realms books did (was there ever more than one??).

Skirmish could have been exactly this kind of release, but it seems like GW didn't have high expectations for it and put it out there as a perfunctory release just to fill a gap, which made its muted reception and limited uptake a self-fulfilling prophecy. I've been considering doing something along the lines of 'Lustria' as a bit of fan content, but I just don't know if the interest is there to justify it.

[Trout]

I actually liked Skirmish a lot at first, but I quickly lost interest. It seems very incomplete; they didn't even include all factions. If they are going to add more to it and build it into a more robust system I might revisit it, but otherwise I don't mind if it dies.

[Kramer]

6 hours ago, Jamie the Jasper said:

Warhammer Realms: Lustria is exactly the kind of thing I would love to see more of from GW. A meaty narrative campaign, one or two hero splash releases, region-specific special rules, whole new army lists based on creatively tweaking and combining existing units, creative terrain building ideas and an excuse to add some cool conversions or unusual units to your army. T

Oh love that campaign. It's the basis of our current campaign. Another great one was the Albion campaign. Hero models that were allowed in almost every army, campaign rules to change up normal games and some crazy scenario's. gargantuan rock throwing games anyone ?

Also the map campaign system in the lustria campaign was really good. 

[Cordova]

On 17/08/2017 at 2:19 AM, someone2040 said:

So yeah, I really wonder if 'Mordheim' is coming, or a more advanced Skirmish ruleset for Age of Sigmar. 

I'm guessing they'd just "find" a city in one of the Mortal Realms, which has some background that gives it a similar "feel" to the Olde World town of Mordheim, give the rules a fix-up, and call it done?  Certainly that's what I'd assumed upon hearing Mordheim's being re-done - a v2.0, with the same feel as the original, but transferred to the current setting.  For what it's worth, Shadespire (the setting, not the upcoming game) feels "a bit like" Mordheim (to me).  

On a related-but-slightly-tangential note, from what I've heard (the Warhammer Community post, and some bits on the YakTribe forum), it appears Necromunda 2.0 may be be different to the old game (confirmed expanded background and new gangs, rumoured Frostgrave-style activation with action pools, which could be neat) - I'd imagine Mordheim 2.0 would get a similar treatment, although I could be wrong.