Aesthetics of new factions

[AGPO]

Re: free cities - I think they'll go much the same way as the imperial guard in 40k. The reason there were a load of different guard regiments during the metal era but only cadians and catachans got plastic kits was that the overheads for a new plastic mold are huge. A new spin mold for metal minis can be knocked out in no time at all and at very low cost, relatively speaking. Whilst your cost per unit is higher with metal, you don't need many sales to cover your overhead, unlike plastic. If you're going to make the investment in plastics then it makes sense to focus on a specific faction, rather than duplicate your core faction multiple times.

For this reason I think if we get a free peoples release it will be along the lines of something like 'Scions of Azyr' with a single look that represents the cultures present in Azyrheim, preferably including duardin, aelves and humans. This could represent the armies of Azyrheim as well as troops stationed in the new free cities. If you want to kitbash them to represent forces native to each of the realms you could use bits from the other order factions or even other grand alliances for troops in Ghur or Shyish.

Re: Death - I think we all agree they could use some new or expanded factions:

• Deathrattle, nighthaunt and flesh eater courts work well as ranges, but could do with some rules buffs and maybe an extra kit or two (skeleton archers/war machines, some character blisters for FEC etc)
• Zombies have the potential to be awesome as a faction, but they badly need updated sculpts. Dire wolves give you your fast element, the corpse cart and necromancers for buffing and the zombie dragon as a behemoth. Just add some tanky monstrous infantry and maybe some characters. There's plenty of cool concepts out there.
• A constructs army (necrotects?) would be really cool and a good way to resurrect the more unique tomb kings concepts. Unliving statues possessed by the souls of the dead and accompanied by terrible war machines like the screaming skull catapult.
• Soulblight are the most badly in need of an update IMO. Some updated blood knights, a plastic vampire lord and some distinctions between different vampire characters (like the old bloodlines but visually tied in together) would be really cool. More than anything, I'd like to see vampire foot knights introduced to allow for a very elite, fast and hard hitting death army. Perhaps some blood thralls to add cheap infantry and a different way to play.

As for the other widely ignored alliance, there's loads of potential for destruction:

• Moonclan are crying out for a battletome, and some plastic squigs! Yes the range is resin heavy, but it still looks great and almost everything is in place for the army.
• Ironjawz are some of GW's best minis, but they definitely need some more options. Brutes with gigantic crossbows would be great, as would a tank unit with huge shields.
• Bring back the Mongol style of the old hobgoblin wolf riders, with a really fast moving mounted faction. Wouldn't need to be a big release as they'd make great allies. You could even add the regular boar boyz as heavy cavalry
• Roll all the non-Beastclaw ogor units back into one faction, and give them back their gnoblars!
• Troggoths as a faction, led by a Troggoth King (totally not Throgg) who has the power to bind beasts to his will (friendly or enemy) and make the Troggoths less stupid ith his command ability.
• The Fimir's old backstory that they hide their camps and raid their enemies under the cover of an unnatural mist seems ripe for setting them in Ulgu. Make them a raiding faction which hits outposts and then fades away.

[Jamopower]

17 minutes ago, AGPO said:

Re: free cities - I think they'll go much the same way as the imperial guard in 40k. The reason there were a load of different guard regiments during the metal era but only cadians and catachans got plastic kits was that the overheads for a new plastic mold are huge. A new spin mold for metal minis can be knocked out in no time at all and at very low cost, relatively speaking. Whilst your cost per unit is higher with metal, you don't need many sales to cover your overhead, unlike plastic. If you're going to make the investment in plastics then it makes sense to focus on a specific faction, rather than duplicate your core faction multiple times.

 

I believe that the economics have shifted a bit after GW changed the production to the digital era. The injection molds are nowadays done straight from the digitally sculpted 3D-model, when they were earlier manually cut. Perry miniatures / Renedra has some nice videos how the molds are done in the old fashined way. It's easy to understand where the cost comes when you look at them. I suppose the plastic molds are still more expensive than making a resin mold, but the difference is smaller and after the mold is done, the OPEX cost is much lower so after the payback period of the expensive machinery required, it might very well be that producing plastic models is cheaper for GW than producing Resin. It certainly feels like that when limited edition models such as the Anniversary space marine are made from plastic.

[BlooDeck]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:14 PM, AGPO said:

 

• Moonclan are crying out for a battletome, and some plastic squigs! Yes the range is resin heavy, but it still looks great and almost everything is in place for the army.
• Ironjawz are some of GW's best minis, but they definitely need some more options. Brutes with gigantic crossbows would be great, as would a tank unit with huge shields.

With the Fungoid Shaman I'm really hopeful for a Moonclan update. Also those spiderling grots in Silver Tower might have been a hint, even if they don't appear in the potential battletome.

Ironjawz definitely need more units. Maybe 'ardboys with crossbows though. If there are ranged Brutes I want them to be lobbing rocks or something silly like that. They're Brutes, they just like smashing stuff, not silly complicated ranged weapons.

[Harioch]

1 hour ago, BlooDeck said:

With the Fungoid Shaman I'm really hopeful for a Moonclan update. Also those spiderling grots in Silver Tower might have been a hint, even if they don't appear in the potential battletome.

Ironjawz definitely need more units. Maybe 'ardboys with crossbows though. If there are ranged Brutes I want them to be lobbing rocks or something silly like that. They're Brutes, they just like smashing stuff, not silly complicated ranged weapons.

The Silver Tower unit (and the Fungoid Shaman with those insect parts) makes me think that we might see Spiderfangs and Moonclan melting in one battletome but that's maybe just me.

For Ironjawz I agree they're missing some ranged units. Not Artillery or Bows but maybe Axe launchers who can have a decent/good combat stat and lesser range. And 1 of 5 models can take a big 2 handed axe to launch into the face of his ennemies...maybe I'm dreaming but I think it's the spirit of the army 

[CDM]

@AGPO all of what you said is my veiw as well!

[generalchaos34]

I think a new human faction of destruction would be pretty fun actually, maybe along the lines of ogryn or even "cavemen/neanderthals" as a group of brutish humans who have taken to worshiping the greenskins, maybe be related to the bonesplittas. I would actually like to see a tribal/african theme but in a more respectful and not typical british zulu type of portrayal, since this is something you would rarely see in any fantasy setting. Maybe give them a distinctly strict cultural background, sort of an honor code mixed with might makes right. They would of course worship Mork, since they are squishier than an Ork and would have to be a bit sneakier, so they would have to specialize in hit and run tactics, probably be  light cavalry riders on a fantastical beast of some kind (a giant bird maybe!).  They would also be able to fill in the role of ranged attackers, maybe have some nifty weapons like re-curve bows, crossbows, ballistaes, etc. Also a human shaman harnessing waaagh energy could have some very entertaining side effects! 

although I think I may have just described wanderers....still, sounds like it could be fun!

oh and they would paint themselves green, because that would be fun!

[CDM]

N

9 hours ago, generalchaos34 said:

I think a new human faction of destruction would be pretty fun actually, maybe along the lines of ogryn or even "cavemen/neanderthals" as a group of brutish humans who have taken to worshiping the greenskins, maybe be related to the bonesplittas. I would actually like to see a tribal/african theme but in a more respectful and not typical british zulu type of portrayal, since this is something you would rarely see in any fantasy setting. Maybe give them a distinctly strict cultural background, sort of an honor code mixed with might makes right. They would of course worship Mork, since they are squishier than an Ork and would have to be a bit sneakier, so they would have to specialize in hit and run tactics, probably be  light cavalry riders on a fantastical beast of some kind (a giant bird maybe!).  They would also be able to fill in the role of ranged attackers, maybe have some nifty weapons like re-curve bows, crossbows, ballistaes, etc. Also a human shaman harnessing waaagh energy could have some very entertaining side effects! 

although I think I may have just described wanderers....still, sounds like it could be fun!

oh and they would paint themselves green, because that would be fun!

This is a really fun idea! I never was interested in humans in this setting but the kore I think about it how amazing would it be to have a unique human faction for all of the realms! Keep the misc free people, aelves and duardin in a free cities battletome for the ones who won't likely get a battletome.

[Kirjava13]

I have been thinking about something similar (I was sure I had posted something in this thread already but I can't find it), imagining something like Kurnous being somehow reincarnated or revived in Ghyran, angry, embittered, finding new worshippers and just being all about dat destruction now. So beasts, savage fighters, animal themes- Beorn-style werebears, terror birds as monstrous mounts, amber magic-powered weaponry... It's fun to imagine.

[Red]

14 hours ago, generalchaos34 said:

I think a new human faction of destruction would be pretty fun actually, maybe along the lines of ogryn or even "cavemen/neanderthals" as a group of brutish humans who have taken to worshiping the greenskins, maybe be related to the bonesplittas. I would actually like to see a tribal/african theme but in a more respectful and not typical british zulu type of portrayal, since this is something you would rarely see in any fantasy setting. Maybe give them a distinctly strict cultural background, sort of an honor code mixed with might makes right. They would of course worship Mork, since they are squishier than an Ork and would have to be a bit sneakier, so they would have to specialize in hit and run tactics, probably be  light cavalry riders on a fantastical beast of some kind (a giant bird maybe!).  They would also be able to fill in the role of ranged attackers, maybe have some nifty weapons like re-curve bows, crossbows, ballistaes, etc. Also a human shaman harnessing waaagh energy could have some very entertaining side effects! 

although I think I may have just described wanderers....still, sounds like it could be fun!

oh and they would paint themselves green, because that would be fun!

Digga-Digga-Digganob!

[Dorimant]

14 hours ago, generalchaos34 said:

probably be  light cavalry riders on a fantastical beast of some kind (a giant bird maybe!)

Oooo, how about the revival of halflings? Terrorbird riders who just get everywhere being ridiculously stealthy for giant squawking cavalry.

[generalchaos34]

2 hours ago, Dorimant said:

Oooo, how about the revival of halflings? Terrorbird riders who just get everywhere being ridiculously stealthy for giant squawking cavalry.

That could work too, they could go tribal pygmy/terrifying in the style of Diablo 2 and Dark Sun cannibal halflings. And making them cannibals puts them directly in line with the destruction aesthetic and good Ogor pals