Jump to content

Age of Sigmar RPG


Emmetation

Recommended Posts

Your characters are certainly a cut above WHFRPG, they're not so fragile and the game isn't so fraught.

 

But it IS surprisingly deadly. Deadlier that I thought it would be going in. It doesn't take super much to reduce heroes to their wounds track, though the designers did put some breaks here so you can't go from full to dead in a swing. Once you lose all your toughness, you're about 3 more hits from actual death. This is slightly mitigated from the conceit that your money is also your source of healing, and healing is more readily available in AoS than WHF. But the game is certainly deadlier than DnD.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Enoby In respect of power level, it’s the opposite - and on purpose. The designers compare beginning level heroes to the Avengers. And usually every rule interpretation is made so that the heroes feel more powerful. A few weeks ago they put out an article under the topic - Demonslayers, not Ratcatchers. It feels more like you are the protagonist in one the BL novels where you wade through waves of enemies. All the Fantasy things like fumbling, miscasts, big injuries etc., don’t exist or are toned down a lot. 

That said, when you meet strong enemies, things can go south fast as stratigo mentioned. Strong enemies can kill you, and also can’t be taken out that easily. There are also optional rules which can make the setting more deadly, and if you have played The One Ring, they have a similar mechanism which increases the threat level of the whole setting over time (people won’t cooperate anymore, enemies get stronger etc.). You can make it grittier if you want, but it’s meant to give you the feeling of being superhero instead of the Fantasy setting which is often the opposite.

I’ve played Fantasy before Soulbound, and I love them both. Right now, I find Soulbound even better. I think the rules really fit well with the setting, and its easy to get into, but you it can also be quite a strategic game. Fights feel very cinematic. 

If you like AoS, I’d recommend buying the core book. It’s worth it alone for the art and lore, even if you don’t play the RPG. There are also already sessions on Twitch and YT, so you could have a look how this works and if I t looks appealing to you. 

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Soulbound Starter Set up for (pre) order. Physical release not till Q2(!) next year but you can get the PDF right away.

Gonna have to grab it now myself  but I really do wish there wasn't such a long gap between digital and physical releases with so many C7 releases. I should probably just get over my fetish for physical objects but I always feel like by the time you finally get it you've probably moved past the point you'd be super excited to use it.

Ah well, 3rd Realm problems.

https://www.cubicle7games.com/product/warhammer-age-of-sigmar-soulbound-starter-set/

AoS_SS.jpg

Edited by JPjr
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, JPjr said:

Soulbound Starter Set up for (pre) order. Physical release not till Q2(!) next year but you can get the PDF right away.

Gonna have to grab it now myself  but I really do wish there wasn't such a long gap between digital and physical releases with so many C7 releases. I should probably just get over my fetish for physical objects but I always feel like by the time you finally get it you've probably moved past the point you'd be super excited to use it.

Ah well, 3rd Realm problems.

https://www.cubicle7games.com/product/warhammer-age-of-sigmar-soulbound-starter-set/

AoS_SS.jpg

The delay is unfortunate, as I love physical copies too, but it will always be 3 to 4 months from PDF release to physical release due to printing, shipping, and so on. The pandemic lengthened that period on the corebook unfortunately, and with starter set it actually usually takes even longer since you have multiple components coming from multiple companies (dice from one company, books from another, box from another etc.).

The wait sucks, but the only real way to shorten the wait is not release the PDF til the book is ready to ship!

Anyway, super excited to have the Starter Set out. The team did an amazing job and I think the Brightspear City Guides is one of my absolute favourite things we've done. Its packed with content.

  • Like 4
  • Thanks 1
  • LOVE IT! 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Vomikron said:

Is Soulbound canon? I don’t intend to play the RPG but I would love to have that special edition as a background resource.

They work together with GW. All the lore in the Soulbound books are based on the Battletomes etc. But generally speaking, it’s a bit hard to say what’s strictly canon outside of the BT, and other similar products. 

I think it’s worth to buy the PDFs at least if you want to use them for background. There is a lot of good information (for example on the normal life of CoS citizens) in them, a great maps etc. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Vomikron said:

Is Soulbound canon? I don’t intend to play the RPG but I would love to have that special edition as a background resource.

Like all warhammer material, if it is published, it is canon until it isn't.

The old warhammer RPG fleshed out the warhammer fantasy world with lots of things never mentioned in army books, which went on to become conventional "canon" in later editions of the game.

This seems to fit that mould, especially considering that a slew of Black Library authors are credited in the book for writing.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With warhammer canon everything counts, but its pretty much a one way street.

By this I mean that the wargame comes first, takes precedence and is where the majority of the creative energy of GW proper is focused. That then influences things like Black Library, providing topics for novels, and space within which the writers can explore things.

However, stuff that is introduced in Black Library novels very rarely comes back and influences the development of the actual game. I get the impression that writing the novels is one of the later things that happens during a development cycle, so by the time a writer comes up with a cool twist on an idea, the actual warhammer studio long ago moved on to the next things, and didn't really solicit ideas from the writers in doing so.

The RPG will be one more step removed, because unlike Black Library it isn't part of the GW company at all, and is instead being produced under license by C7. This is good from the point of view that they know their stuff when it comes to RPG design, which most people at GW don't these days. However it means that stuff in the soulbound books are even less likely to influence the direction of warhammer's next story arcs or how the design studio expand the world.

That said, in many ways there is no canon with these sorts of games. The writers and designers can tell us what they think, and write lore. But the game is open enough that each player, hobbyist or GM can ultimately decide on their own canon. Particularly when running the RPG, the world should always support the story you want to tell first and foremost, not what the books writers had to say. So if you like something, call it canon, if you don't then don't worry about it. 

 

Edit: Given how neglectful GW has been of their licensed games in the past, we'll be lucky if they even market the RPG, much less acknowledge it in canon!

Edited by EccentricCircle
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are advertising it, they put up it's release on their facebook, the last Hammerhal heralds are referencing it and they use it in their community articles.

"Ever wanted to build your own hero? Got a favourite Black Library character you want to see on the tabletop? Perhaps you have a Soulbound RPG running and want to put your party to the test in Warhammer Age of Sigmar? In the latest General’s Handbook, you can do all that thanks to the Anvil of Apotheosis. "

As for canon I say it pretty much is. C7 kept holding the release back so they could keep up with all the new lore like Malign Portents, the Corebook, Realmslayer and Forbidden Power and combine all that stuff like the cities Gotrek crossed and Slaves to Darkness tribes found on their battletome map to the rpg's Aqshy map.

So it's pretty one-to-one on lore. Any embellishments by the devs can easily be handwaved by how vast and eldritch the Mortal Realms are and used as canon anyway. :)

Edited by Baron Klatz
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Vomikron said:

Is Soulbound canon? I don’t intend to play the RPG but I would love to have that special edition as a background resource.

Canon until Black Library and/or the Battletomes contradict something in it. 

GW Studio > Black Library = Forge World > Other affiliated media, in terms of canon priority. 

The FFG RPGs for 40k still appear to be canon despite FFG losing the license since the Calixis Sector still appears on 8th maps.

Edited by Clan's Cynic
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/28/2020 at 4:50 PM, Emmetation said:

The delay is unfortunate, as I love physical copies too, but it will always be 3 to 4 months from PDF release to physical release due to printing, shipping, and so on. The pandemic lengthened that period on the corebook unfortunately, and with starter set it actually usually takes even longer since you have multiple components coming from multiple companies (dice from one company, books from another, box from another etc.).

The wait sucks, but the only real way to shorten the wait is not release the PDF til the book is ready to ship!

Anyway, super excited to have the Starter Set out. The team did an amazing job and I think the Brightspear City Guides is one of my absolute favourite things we've done. Its packed with content.

Hi  @Emmetation ! Thanks for the news !

Did you get around the few oddities I pointed out p. 21 of this thread ?

Mainly regarding "missing lore" in the original PDF, p. 201 (also a few "lore clarifications" pp. 164 and 338) ? Thank you :D 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I second that.

I recall the realm compass talk and I feel that'd be very useful to expand on for quests. One of the Autumn Prince short stories even had him have a special one made in Shyish so he could navigate the life-sucking realm edge for his lover's soul.

When he asked the death city artisans on how effective it worked they assured him it's been confirmed highly accurate- by the ghosts of those who died while using it. xD

 

Edit: (Also he offered several currencies ranging from glimmerings to shadeglass but also "Ulgu shadow crystals". It's the only time I heard of them and both the Warhammer community article on currency and Soulbound doesn't bring them up so that's worth looking into if it's not ear-marked for Shadowkin's release)

Edited by Baron Klatz
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Baron Klatz said:

Solid!

Realm of Fire dice are a nice touch. Kinda wish GW did them though just to see what crazy design they'd try like with the squig or Alarith dice. I'd love throwing little fireballs around the table. :D

Maybe they thought that RPGers actually want to use their dice. I was fully expecting the GW Lumineth dice to be a small lamp and randomized morse code numbers. And then we got actual, functioning dice, must have been a mistake by them. 

The box looks great, I was selfishly hoping for some information on Champions of Order though. 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Beliman said:

Can't wait!!! Btw, do you know when the new archetype expansion will be released.

I find myself buying more things about Soulbound than AoS miniatures lately xD

They said Champions of Order will be released in November ca. 2 weeks ago, and that they will be more info "soon". That's why I hoped we'd hear something about that yesterday.

I checked and to be precise on October 10th Emmet posted: "Champions won't be out this month, but will almost certainly be out next month. We'll have an update soon."

So likely in November, but they've another Anvilgard adventure before that in line I think. If we are lucky we get concrete information this week. 

And for me it has been double whammy. I've bought all the Soulbound products so far, and of course tons of Lumineth stuff. I'm kind of relieved that the new Warcry box doesn't have Lumineth in it. 😅

Edited by LuminethMage
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, LuminethMage said:

So likely in November, but they've another Anvilgard adventure before that in line I think. If we are lucky we get concrete information this week. 

I bought Shadows in the Mist too and didn't remember that!! Can't wait to read more things about Anvilgard, one of my favorite cities!!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Beliman said:

I bought Shadows in the Mist too and didn't remember that!! Can't wait to read more things about Anvilgard, one of my favorite cities!!

Nice, I think the city guide is also next, so that should be really interesting. I just love those. The Warhammer Fantasy ones have also been great. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...