Overread Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 So another thread that's proving rather fun "sell me your army" got me thinking - we don't really have a getting started with Sigmar sticky! There is a getting started for hobbyists but that is more focused on the mechanical side of building and painting and is as yet unfinished. But there's little that answers basic questions such as what really are the grand alliances; who can ally with who; what is the flavour and style of each race; what's their basic lore and such. So I think its high time we , as a team, made one! Yes I know a sticky will not stop "what army should I get" questions, its not intending too. But what it can be is a big collection of resources and references that we can direct new people to which can cover the topic in a bit more depth than most are wiling to put into a repeat forum post to answer the question for the 30th time in the month. So right now its time to hunt down content and curate the content and also work out just what content is needed. Below I propose a series of headers that should guide the content to be submitted. This is not a final list and can be changed and shifted around and added too so if you've ideas do say so. For the game as a whole: Note some of these are lore based and it might be easier to insert references to other sites that have already compiled chunks of the lore rather than copy-catting them here. 1) How the Grand Alliances work 2) The Realms and how they connect and what they are 3) The books that relate to the Age of Sigmar and the closure of the old world. A basic shopping list of all the Black Library publications; short blurb and such. 4) The rules and references that players need to get started up with the game. For each Faction: Note for game purposes this will stick to Matched play. 1) Their faction name and a brief overview of their lore. We don't want to go too in depth (players want some reward and content from their Battletomes), but enough to give flavour. Things like the land(s) they inhabit in the new world; their general social and moral structure; what they are like as a people/race; their notable leaders/heroes/mages/gods; unique traits that sets them apart from others. This is one area where if you can write in "faction speak" it can add a touch more flavour (I'm looking at you orks and skaven in particular). 2) Their place within their Grand Alliance and who they can and cannot ally with. 3) The units that they have to put on the table - a short overview of each one including bits of lore and gameplay. This is, again, to give some context and flavour to the faction and give players and idea what and army can look like 4) A complete list of all current rules references for them. This is basically the shopping list as well as a spot to put links to errata/updates; so that new players know exactly what they need to purchase to get the full rules for their faction. Also helpful to note what information is contained within each reference - eg if the Generals Handbook for a faction only has the updated Battalion points that is something that they might easily get off the warscroll builder so knowing that's all they'd need it for helps players make wiser purchase choices. 5) Media - ideally uploaded to the forum gallery - this is photos of armies, units etc... Not just a chance for people here to show off, but also another way to show what armies look like, the variety in painting schemes and, also, sharing in the fun of the hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHHaunts Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 sounds good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amysrevenge Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Organization-wise, it could be subdivided into experience levels. It is very easy to present too much too soon. What you need to know for your very first game or purchase. The very basics of what rules you need to know for game #1, and a very broad overview of popular factions. What you need to know to move on to the next steps. Honing in on the full rules package for the game and for your faction, and the full suite of battleplans, artefacts, and spells and where to find them What you need to know to get to the next level. How to look at other armies. Which rules are sometimes optional, and why. How to anticipate what's coming next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overread Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 @amysrevenge I'm thinking that it really should cover all factions not just the "popular" ones. That way it also helps to cover a lot of the smaller factions which might otherwise confuse new people when they can see the GW website and all those factions without a battletome and who they ally with and what they are etc... You do present an interesting angle of what to get started with which might well be a suitable subsection to add to each faction; with a couple of ideas in each one. I'm not expecting this to really cover it all; its more of an orientation article so that people can get to grips with an introduction to the Lore of Age of Sigmar and where to find more info and a touch of flavour for each of the factions. A link to the factions 2.0 page in the forums can also be put for those that want to research more etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amysrevenge Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I'm not saying don't mention the less popular factions. I'm saying have a higher level more general introductory level of material first, including something like "what's a Stormcast?" but maybe not "what's the difference between a Gitmob Grot and a Spiderfang Grot?". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overread Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 NOTE - I will edit this post to add in content produced for this - in rough or in full. If you want to amend any content just post in the thread and I will edit in the relative bits (please tell me where you want changes to be made not just the changed content). AGE OF SIGMAR! What you need to get started If possible I would strongly recommend heading down to a local Games Workshop (GW) store or to your local hobby store. Most staff are more than willing to give you info, many might have store copies of rules and battletomes for you to flip through and you might even get a demo game if you ask. All things that can help you get a real world idea of factions and armies as well as see for yourself what things look like. If you don't have a local shop hit up Facebook(FB) and the internet and see if you can find a local group. Again most clubs and groups are more than happy to take on new people and help show them the ropes - drop them an email or FB message to let them know you're coming. What is presented below is not designed to replace what I've said above, but to compliment it. A reminder and a short online introduction. The Story of Age of Sigmar: Lore: Age of Sigmar the game What you need: Ok so this might sound like a complicated setup, but its not. To get started you'll need: 1) The Rules. These can be found in the Age of Sigmar starting set (Nighthaunt VS Stormcast); on their own in the "Big Rule Book" and online here for free:https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar-Rules Now first up you might think "wait that is only 20 pages, what's the rest of that monster book full of?" Well its more battle plans, the rules for narrative, open and matched play, a few more abilities and such; however the bulk is the lore and setting; artwork (fantastic!) and some painting/model tips. So its a general good getting started book and the lore helps you get a grip with the magical world of the game. It also contains spells and rules for Realms which are a neat way to further add customising to your army and to the game you are both playin. Don't worry about it at this stage, but be aware that that is where the bulk of those rules are. 2) Rules for your army. Now each unit page on the GW store has a selection of tabs under a units picture. This will have on tab with their "warscroll" which details the stats and abilites of that unit in the game. The other sources are if your army has a Battletome (as shown on the GW store page for that army) then all the Warscrolls, as well as lore, photos, artwork and some paint tips are all collected within that. If your army hasn't got a Warscroll then details are found in the Generals Handbook 2018 and the Grand Alliance book (these latter items are somewhat old - do check the faction descriptions below for more info for specific factions and their rules). 3) Points are used by most players to cost out how much their units cost in the game; with both players taking the same number of points (as well as some other restrictions) to help ensure a fair game where its tactics and choices that win the day not just throwing down more models than the other player. Points can easily be found on the Warscroll Builder on the GW website; which can also be used to help you build up your armyhttps://www.warhammer-community.com/warscroll-builder/ Note at the top are two tabs for Generals Handbook 2018 and Skirmish. Skirmish is a separate game mode with its own rules and rulebook. And that is all you need to get started in Age of Sigmar! With the above you can sink your teeth into the game and get a few battles under your belt and start to learn how the game plays! Now there is more if you are already wanting to take it further; or you've already played a few games and want to know what the rest of the material is. 1) Maligan Sorcery. This is brand new feature that is proving very popular with many gamers. The boxed set (cheaper than a battleforce for most armies) is a one-purchase box which has the rules, warscrolls and models for a selection of "Endless Spells". These are spells so powerful that they appear as physical models on the tabletop. From huge scyths that slice through your enemies to chains that erupt from the ground to bind and stall them. The Book that comes with Maligan Sorcery includes rules for Realm artifcats and realm spells. These are not universally used but are very popular in general. MS is a recommended purchase as the spells within it can be used by any army in Age of Sigmar and the Endless spells are very popular. 2) The Generals Handbook (2018 current year). This is a book published each year which updates the other publications. It might amend point values; introduce new battleplans; change the way some abilities are worded or played and also contains aligance abilities for armies that don't have a Battletome book of their own. It's a good solid publication that builds on changes that happen to the game through the wider playtesting and evolution of the game. Well worth picking up the current years edition of this book. 3) Errata and Designers Commentaries. These are two documents released for free by GW which are used to help out players. Errata make changes where errors or stats are changed from the currently published Battletomes/Generals Handbook. Meanwhile Designers Commentaries help you understand how specific abilties or situations are supposed to resolve and be used in the game. Both are good to print out and have with you. They are included for the core rules; the maligan sorcery rules; generals handbooks and all army specific rules. The Designers Commentary for the Big Rule Book also has a base-size chart which can be of great help if you've got older models or second hand ones that might be on the wrong base size or could even be on the old square bases. https://www.warhammer-community.com/faqs/ Note that is the same page as the same documents are found for all the other current GW games so do be sure to pick Age of Sigmar from the banner list. Note 2 much of this might not make sense when you are just getting started so don't worry if some of it seems confusing. Having print out copies is good and most doing introduction games won't worry about much of the errata changes at that stage as you will still just be learning the rules; but if you can get a handle on it its good to have and get started with. Choosing an army help: Choosing an army can seem like a daunting task! So here are few of my own tips when it comes to choosing an army. Broadly speaking there are two extreme elements in choosing an army. Visual and Gameplay. Visual: This is all about how the army looks and will often also include its lore and background as well. This is very much a totally personal choice for each person to have. One way I find it easier to make a choice based on this is to go to the GW store and go to the various armies I am thinking of. For each army I open a single tab in my browser for every unit listed in their stor page. I do this for one army at a time (otherwise the number of tabs can get confusing). Once I've opened up a tab for every unit in a particular army I go through each tab and view the photos and 180 rotations and from that I then decide if I like or dislike models. I close any tab where I dislike a model. This will leave you with a series of open tabs that should show what specific models in an army you do like (it could be all of them or just one). This gives you an idea of how much of the army you really like and if you happen to really like only one or two big models; the whole range; lots of the infantry and basic troops etc... It can help you identify which factions you like and which you love! Note this is most often the strongest element in choosing an army for many players; especially when you are getting started. It's a lot easier to put in the time to build, paint and field armies when you really love the models. Gameplay: This encompasses two key elements. The first is how the army plays in general. This might mean if it fields a lot of units (swarmy) or if it fields only a handful of more powerful units (elite). That choice alone can be important for some as typically an elite army is going to be cheaper to get into whilst a swarmy one might be more expensive and certainly more time consuming to assemble and paint. The second part is how they play on the tabletop. Some armies are more in favour of close combat over ranged attacks; some are magic heavy and best throwing lots of spells; others might be reliant on summoning magic etc... Again this can affect what models you're going to be able to build and play with on the tabletop. The third part is the power of the army in the perception of the community and its stats. This is seeing if it wins tournaments; if it is easier to build a very strong force; if it has broken units (ergo units that are significantly more powerful than standard) etc.... Note that most people are a mix of the two extremes when it comes to a choice and there is no right choice save what is right for you and your given situation. Many people often go more visually with an army to start with and might make a more "power" based choice later in their hobby when they might swap armies (sell one buy another) or buy into a second army. Sometimes it takes experience to know if you even like magic focused or close combat focused armies; so what might be the right choice for you today might be different in a few years time. That's perfectly normal and every gamer goes through that - with many swapping back and forth. Skaven https://www.tga.community/forums/topic/20334-introduction-to-the-skaven-race/?tab=comments#comment-270185 Daughters of Khaine Army Background and Lore of the faction: insert text here Daughters of Khaine - Grand Alliance Order Allies: Darkling Covens - Idoneth Deepkin - Order Serpentis - Scourge Privateers - Shadowblades - Stormcast Eternals Rules: Daughters of Khaine Battletome - complete listing of the faction including its faction abilities, spell lore, prayers, artifacts, Blood Rites, battalions and all warscrolls for all current units. Generals Handbook 2018 - contains updated Battalion points for matched play (also visible free on Warscroll Builder linked above) Errata - adjustments to Battletome rules Designers Commentary - clarification of Battletome rules and interactions with other rules/factions in the game. Models: Morathi Cauldron of Blood Bloodwrack Shrine - same model as Cauldron of Blood Note all three individual leader units for Daughters of Khaine appear in the Cauldron of Blood kit Bloodwrack Medusa Slaughter Queen Hag Queen Witch Aelves Sisters of Slaughter - Same box as Witch Aelves Khinerai Heartrenders Khinerai Lifetakers - Same box as Heartrenders Doomfire Warlocks Melusai Blood Sisters Melusai Blood Stalkers - Same box as Blood Sisters Media: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overread Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 Bump - this project needs more work and contribution - any interested in helping out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overread Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 Updated with a link to the skaven forces - any critique, input or ideas on the latest updates (two posts above this one) is most welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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