Aelves - where do they go next??

[Twitch of Izalith]

So does anybody else hope that Aelves all become one big faction? I don't mean in terms of losing all the sub factions as distinct possibilities but that the narrative makes it completely normal and acceptable to have Order Draconis, Phoenix temple, wanderers and Darkling covens fighting in the same GA Order army or within a set of new Aelf keyword allegiance abilities?

I know the current rules make it possible now but I don't see anyone swapping their black guard for phoenix guard and throwing in a couple of wild rider units in for good measure. I have thought about it but can't imagine it would get a good reaction! 

I've never actually played a list like this but I have written out a few and you can actually make some really good balanced armies - nothing particularly OP but lists that give you everything you need for an effective AoS army - Hard Hitters, Bunker units, chaff/bubble wrap, ranged options, movement, magic, mortal wound output and defence.

Quite a lot of the units also look better with their old enemies than with their old friends too - Dragon Blades (princes of Caledor) look far better painted in traditionally dark elf colour schemes, for example.

The precedent has already been set in the End Times books, The black guard and Phoenix guard forming the Shadow Guard, Caledor fighting with Malekith and then everybody hanging out together in Athell Loren at the end of the end

Sisters of the watch already migrated to Wanderers from the High elves - everything else in that faction used to be a wood elf.

The one thing I don't like in the current game design is that it encourages you to paint loads of the same thing to get your Allegiance ability. and yes I know the Grand Alliances give you all the options but then you are really restricted on the battleline and end up having to put stuff in your list that doesn't fit with your overall concept...

I think we are all stuck in the old world and I'm kind of impatient for more of the new one

So this is a bit of a random stream of thought post because its friday afternoon, i'm at work and I've given up for the day but I would be really interested to hear what every one else would like for the pointy ears going forward in the game.

[chord]

I would love to see one giant aelf faction. 

It won't happen, what will most likely  happen is what happened with the duardin.  

[Tyromancer]

I was having a discussion about this recently with buddy of mine.  I feel like they can do a slight retcon or maybe a delve into how the Aelves work together to make about 4-5 factions instead of multitude we have now.

Khainites:  

Daughters of Khaine

Shadowblades

These could easily be combined as the assassins of old would have fit in this group.  The black riders would add some more range that's not spell or Medusa based.

Darkling Covens - Left as is, maybe add a one off combat hero or two.  Or add them into the Khainites, but the units do not / would not benefit from the Cauldrons based on keywords.  Like how the Tzeentch units seem to be stratified between humans, tzaangors, and demons.

Scourges:

Order Serpentis

Scourge Privateers

The current Scourge Privateers would make the backbone of the mafia like organization.  The units of the Order Serpentis would be the elite guard or cadre of this organization.  The Order is to what the Privateers aspire to through wealth or deed.  Scales and barbs everywhere the units are pretty cohesive in their look.

Asurian Orders:

Order Draconis

Phoenix Temple

Lion Rangers (?)

Eldritch Council

Swift-Hawk Agents

This one might be harder to find a unifying theme, but Spireguard would make up the battleline/corps I would think.  The problem is that the elite Aelven infantry only have the one unique ability each, but other than that are pretty indistinguishable when it comes to stats.

Wanderers:

Wanderers

Lion Rangers (?)

Faction works well on it's own, but thematically, the Lion Rangers could slot in here too.  However, the White Lions are fairly similar to the Wildwood Rangers, so making them stand out may be an issue.

When it comes down to it though, most of these can be made or taken through the allies system and many of the stats are similar enough to potentially run as a counts as through a conversion / kitbash or two.

[BunkhouseBuster]

While I'm not a huge Elf/Aelf fan, I do feel that they kind of got, well, goofed up in factions.  Not that variety is a bad thing, but that some of the Aelf factions are unplayable in Matched Play and don't have Leaders, or anything beyond a handful of units.

An Aelf Alliance would be really cool to play with.  And while we are at it, let's get one for Duardin too!

[Tiger]

I'm looking forward to Warhamer Total War 2 for some elven love. I've purchased some high elves and plan to run them in Order army, maybe even get them to workable Firestorm allegiance.  Maybe add some dwarfs or trees with them once I get bored. It'd be nice, if we'd already be in a time where elves are in re-imagined form.

[Menkeroth]

Judging by how they are divided now I'd say merging of some of the sub-factions indeed would be easy, but there is another way too. I'd say that GW can expand them like it does with others, and then variety is an advantage. Also they could merge Ordo Draconis and Serpentis which are really just different sides of a coin, Eldritch Council could go alongside the Collegiate Arcane of the humans, and most others could do well on their own if a bit expanded. All in all, it seems GW is working on the new sub-faction, Shadowkin Aelves, but then I am confident old sub-factions will also get some love.

[Tidings]

It would be really nice if they brought the Aelven factions together. I was really excited by the Wanderer allegiance abilities as an old Wood Elf player, but the abilities don't even work well with several key units in the tiny roster of units to choose from. The lack of unit selection makes list building uninteresting and games repetitive. Instead, I just play mixed order. It's a big project of mine to make a mixed order army that feels like a Wood Elf army. I'm using some kitbashed models as stormcast Liberators, I call them Knights of the Ashenhall. I've got my old Witch Elves converted into Wardancers - however I play them as Sisters of Slaughter. They're pretty interchangeable as a few different units, but they have the Wanderer aesthetic. I've got my custom model to use as a Hurricanum. You get the idea.

So at the moment, the factions as designed are not fulfilling or satisfactory to me. Instead of just being frustrated though, I've turned that into a labor of love. 

Would really like to see Aelves updated. It's sad that such a major faction in the fantasy genre has been neglected for what, 3 years? Meanwhile Stormcast gets release after release. I always like WHFB because there was no space marine favorite faction. 

[VBS]

I think they'll ignore the old  (leave be until they fade away) and focus on releasing new stuff (similar to dwarves...). 

If some "old factions" are still around it's because they sell the minis that made it to up-to-date-plastic kit, otherwise they'd go the Compendium way (ie. "you can use them but since we don't sell them anymore, we'll make sure you won't").

And fluff wise, I doubt it makes sense to update certain factions, namely the ones linked to dead gods (ie. Khaine). Unless they rehash the concept behind them. 

Not exactly what I'd like, but my prediction based on observation. 

[elfhead]

I would like to see something new. Indeed like the dwarfs. The new elves should be to the old dwarves what kharadron overlords are to dwarves.

as much as I love my elves, I feel like we deserve something new and glorious

[Menkeroth]

Very probably it will be so judging by the rumors and elves from the Silver Tower.

[Twitch of Izalith]

23 minutes ago, Menkeroth said:

Very probably it will be so judging by the rumors and elves from the Silver Tower.

So are the rumours of the Shadow Elves just based on the mistweaver and the shard from Silver Tower? And we know Malekith became the shadow king - and we know we know nothing about the realm of shadow except something dangerous is in there?

I would be pretty happy to see an entirely new faction - even if I have spent lots of money and lots of time on the dark elf sub factions in the last 6 months! I don't think they are likely to discontinue them any time soon because like I said they are all new plastic kits - and as i understand it the moulds for injection moulding are super expensive to make and last a really long time.

I can't see GW passing up on continued return on investment there. Particularly since rules and books are really cheap to make and that all it needs to keep selling them..

And most of the models are just stunning - The dragon, drakespawn, witch elves, corsairs,chariots, the cauldron, the hydra - they are all pretty cool - the ones modelled for square bases and rank and file specifically are a bit mono-pose and could be more interesting but they are still nice models

[Twitch of Izalith]

3 hours ago, chord said:

I would love to see one giant aelf faction. 

It won't happen, what will most likely  happen is what happened with the duardin.  

Steam punk elves with magical shuriken rail guns and katanas that ride around on sail powered surf boards with wheels would be my preference. As long as some of them are chicks in metal bikinis i'm totally buying them 

[Tiger]

Does anyone knows in what range does the tool costs? I've seen it mentioned few times that it's expensive, however that's not telling.

 

[TheNotebookGM]

14 minutes ago, Twitch of Izalith said:

Steam punk elves with magical shuriken rail guns and katanas that ride around on sail powered surf boards with wheels would be my preference. As long as some of them are chicks in metal bikinis i'm totally buying them 

Had me up until the bikinis.

[Menkeroth]

19 minutes ago, Twitch of Izalith said:

So are the rumours of the Shadow Elves just based on the mistweaver and the shard from Silver Tower?

Not only, also based on different tidbits here and there like Shadowkin in the Fyreslayers tome where there is a lodge in Ulgu that often fights alongside them, or info in the "Mighty battles in an age of an unending war", or that some sub-factions came from Ulgu. Also there were rumors about that next campaign book will be set in the realms of Light and Shadow.

22 minutes ago, Twitch of Izalith said:

And we know Malekith became the shadow king - and we know we know nothing about the realm of shadow except something dangerous is in there?

Aye, Malerion - ruler of Ulgu. Apart from small bits like constant riddles, secrets, mists and such we really don't know much and it saddens me too - some Realms are pretty covered already but not all. I just hope they do will dedicate the next narrative plot to the elves and their Realms.

[Menkeroth]

1 minute ago, Tiger said:

Does anyone knows in what range does the tool costs? I've seen it mentioned few times that it's expensive, however that's not telling.

 

3-15 millions euros approximately. And this is just moulds, without other equipment.

[Twitch of Izalith]

4 minutes ago, TheNotebookGM said:

Had me up until the bikinis.

well i don't know how else to describe witch elf "armor"

[Twitch of Izalith]

12 minutes ago, Menkeroth said:

Not only, also based on different tidbits here and there like Shadowkin in the Fyreslayers tome where there is a lodge in Ulgu that often fights alongside them, or info in the "Mighty battles in an age of an unending war", or that some sub-factions came from Ulgu. Also there were rumors about that next campaign book will be set in the realms of Light and Shadow.

Aye, Malerion - ruler of Ulgu. Apart from small bits like constant riddles, secrets, mists and such we really don't know much and it saddens me too - some Realms are pretty covered already but not all. I just hope they do will dedicate the next narrative plot to the elves and their Realms.

Cool. I haven't read the Fyreslayers tome. The latest rumour engine on community looks very similar to part of the tenebreal shard, and then we have the allegiance abilities in GH2017 for darkling covens and wanderers, the blood coven box and now the Anvilguard box so I think there is a little momentum building for an Aelf release

 

[Menkeroth]

6 minutes ago, Twitch of Izalith said:

Cool. I haven't read the Fyreslayers tome.

7 minutes ago, Twitch of Izalith said:

The latest rumour engine on community looks very similar to part of the tenebreal shard, and then we have the allegiance abilities in GH2017 for darkling covens and wanderers, the blood coven box and now the Anvilguard box so I think there is a little momentum building for an Aelf release

 

3

Interesting. I hope then too, it must be so!

[Tidings]

3 hours ago, TheNotebookGM said:

Had me up until the bikinis.

Same, I'm more of a mini-skirt guy. Onesies are also cool. 

[Yeled]

I'd love to see the Aelves unified. When I first got back into Warhammer I had illusions of making an aelven alliance army. It didn't really work out and I've gone to mostly Wanderers.

Of course I'd like to see something new and glorious, too. I feel there has to be room for both.

[Sennyo]

ive always felt like most of the Aelves fatcion they have have now could made full blown faction if they just added 1 or 2 models ( not all faction sadly, looking at you loin rangers and shadow blades).  Take the Daughters for example, all they really need is a blister charater on foot, maybe some kind of gladiator to go with the sister of slaughter, and they are preety much completed, hell if they ever made the eldar avatar of khaine plastic they could create Aos deamon rules for it . another example i can think of is phonix temple all they really need is another infantry unit or 2 , maybe on of them could have bows, and a mage and viola completed army.

meanwhile i still look forward to the true aelve king return as i know i wont be able to stop myself from collecting that army

[Yeled]

Just now, Sennyo said:

ive always felt like most of the Aelves fatcion they have have now could made full blown faction if they just added 1 or 2 models ( not all faction sadly, looking at you loin rangers and shadow blades).  Take the Daughters for example, all they really need is a blister charater on foot, maybe some kind of gladiator to go with the sister of slaughter, and they are preety much completed, hell if they ever made the eldar avatar of khaine plastic they could create Aos deamon rules for it . another example i can think of is phonix temple all they really need is another infantry unit or 2 , maybe on of them could have bows, and a mage and viola completed army.

meanwhile i still look forward to the true aelve king return as i know i wont be able to stop myself from collecting that army

Yep. I've committed myself emotionally to collecting whatever new aelven faction they eventually release. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love the fleshing out and/or combining of current factions. I feel they are little wasted right now.

And yes, a couple models here and there could make all the difference.

[TheNotebookGM]

52 minutes ago, Yeled said:

Yep. I've committed myself emotionally to collecting whatever new aelven faction they eventually release. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't love the fleshing out and/or combining of current factions. I feel they are little wasted right now.

And yes, a couple models here and there could make all the difference.

I resemble this remark. 

[Menkeroth]

I hope they only wait but otherwise will do this - examples of old factions that got their books at least like FEC, BRC or savage orcs show that the elves their chances too. I'd first be more glad to see the Scourge Privateers, for one!