The Rumour Thread

[Rogue Explorator]

1 hour ago, Killax said:

In terms of Brayherds, Warherds and Monsters of Chaos this is also exactly what I was hinting at!

What I believe to date is that Age of Sigmar was a check to see if the Warhammer Fantasy line if at all could generate the same sales numbers as Warhammer 40.000. Since the succes of GH2016 I believe the creators have archieved what they wanted to with Age of Sigmar, however the initial design of Age of Sigmar really incorporated the idea of 4 massive Factions, being the Grand Allegiances (in order to have the possible player give an extreme wide ammount of buyers choice).

Since that inception Age of Sigmar has catched on enough to have several lines carry themselves as sub-Factions, e.g. Stormcast and Blades of Khorne and in my opinion one of the reasons as to why Desciples of Tzeentch was perhaps pushed in competitive design might also have something to do with making them as interesting as possible as a sub-Faction. To the point, where if I recall correctly, they where the first Battletome that contained their own Battle Trait, Command Traits, Artefacts and double Spell Lores.

That was then, now is now however and I hope that GW too sees the potential that is gained in more players catching on the game. I absolutely wouldn't want the Grand Allegiances to dissapear but I do believe that more functional Allegiances (by incorporating more models into them) is another push for the game leading to a great game.

As someone who's played WFB and initially found Age of Sigmar lacking in some of the more "creational aspects" of the game I have been finally able to come back on that due to the excistance of multiple Allegiances. To the point where Age of Sigmar has now actually surpassed Warhammer Fantasy 8th edition in it's competative and creational diversity. With this I mean that Age of Sigmar shows more diverse Tournament results and shows more diverse army builds per 'Faction'.

I'll try to push the topic back onto track though, Death and general Age of Sigmar discussion again has little to nothing to do with Rumours. My apologies.

Well, Monogod armies are special in so far, that they are only full allegiances that are smaller than a GA that can include miniatures from multiple factions, so they do not necessarily need the range of units Stormcast, Bloodbound or Seraphon offer on their own to have the appeal of a "collectable" force. There are a few places where such "Superfactions" are thinkable but not realized, most noticably Skaven and I am also thinking free peoples should qualify (with the current free people renamed Freeguild and Free People added to various human and maybe aelf and dispossed units), but more importantly, I think it would be nice to have more units that, like Slave to Darkness units, qualify for full inclusion in multiple factions via their keywords (I am mostly thinking of the Mortarchs, Masterclan units and various big monsters).

 

In the end, army composition rules are still my biggest beef with AoS, even if they only affect matched play, since even though I am most interested in narrative play, I still want to ensure I can field a matched play force should I need to and the many inflexibilities are really holding me back, especially compared to the ellegance and width of choice of the army composition rules offered to Tyranid (and GSC), Aeldari, Chaos and Imperium armies by 40k, even though they are so simmilar to GAs.

 

One correction though, DoT certainly was not the first battletome to get the allegiance package of abilities, spells and artefacts, Beastclaw Raiders, Sylvaneth and Bonesplitters all came earlier, with, iirc, Sylvaneth being the first. DoT was new insofar that it offered multiple tables of artifacts, spells and command traits depending on the individual units keywords and not just the armies allegiance.

[bsharitt]

In the spirit of getting us back on rumor track and going back to Nurgle discussions earlier, do we have any Nurgle rumors at all. Deathguard is wrapping up this week for the mortal Nurgle side of 40k, so if more Nurgle is coming there's either AoS, which has seen a little with Blightwar that had a new allegiance ability and a new character.  We've got an embarrassing Great Unclean One, especially compared to the new new Lord of Change and the Bloodthirsters. Current beasts of Nurgle are old and don't even show up on the AoS site via browsing(still searchable), but the new Nurgle hero in Blightwar has some synergy with them, so perhaps a good candidate for a new release. AoS and 40k both got Tzaangors with Tzeench, so perhaps there's a chance of a more fanstasy friendly version of Poxwalkers to provide mortal Nurgle some new light infantry in AoS?

[Travis Baumann]

I was just going through some old posts because I vaguely remembered some details about future AoS stuff that Vince from Warhammer Weekly was privy to from a designer panel at NOVA.

They spoke quite a bit about the next two years being huge for AoS starting with the Deathrattle stuff the other side of Christmas and the big campaign they teased is much bigger than just Death, it should have a lot of stuff to move the entire story along.  They hinted that the design team really doesn't know what to do with humans in the AoS world for the long run.  Discussion came up that they could actually fit into every grand alliance in some way but at this time that is not planned.

It sounded like there would be no Battletomes or big releases this side of Christmas at all but we may get Beasts of Nurgle as the new ones are shown in Deathguard material and Pestigors are spoken about in the fluff in Blightwar but I doubt we will see models prior to a Battletome.

Looks like its time to kick back and catch up on some painting as well as get in some Skirmish and AoS games in the mean time.

I did not pick up Path to Glory or Firestorm/City thing yet.  Not sure if I will for a while.  There is plenty to keep me going right now with what I have at the moment.

 

[Greasygeek]

Yeah I think Blightwar in the end was meant as a way to hold Nurgle protesters at bay. No doubt Nurgle will get an update in a not too distant future. Beasts have had their art redesignet and Horticulus makes little sense if you do not have beasts in your army. We still do not know for sure if the Nurgle wheel means no artifacts amd their was that one article that Claimed Heralds to be wizards which they are not.

Nurgle update is on its way that I believe but nurglevember's probably not going to happen. With Necromunda set in november and Shadespire still fresh and also a set of codexes coming  the Nurgle release will either be a VERY sparse one or it has to be moved way further than december. Its a shame but the good thing is that it gives me the time to work on my graden scenery. IMO Bligjtwar was meant for something much bigger than three narrative battleplans.

[WoollyMammoth]

First of all, a GW year is Spring - Spring, so this whole 2017 discussion is arbitrary.

Last GW year was Tzeentch and we saw a lot of new stuff like Silver Tower, Khorne update + unification, Stormcast update + vanguard army + unification, and of course the big Tzeentch drop which was far more than an update + unification; an entire new army of stuff to go with it. All this not to mention an entire reboot of AoS, starting the new Allegiance direction for the game, and releasing the GH which skyrocketed the hobby into a new renaissance, and then ending with a jaw dropping Kharadron Overloard release.   

This year (The Year of Nurgle) started off with big things for 40k, and they got two new armies. With a massive reboot of the game that gets at least 60% of their business, its understandable that AoS would take a sideline. Despite that this is not AoS related, the Sigmar-ification of 40k has created mass appeal to many die hard fantasy-only players, so this is a good thing for most of us.

While 40k is still going strong, releasing their new armies and new books, they still started major drops for AoS. They are experimenting and trying new things on their long journey to make AoS more balanced and constantly interesting. First off the GH:2017 is a big deal, reflecting that fact they will be updating the meta every year and constantly updating points and sometimes even scrolls. They also made a big step toward getting a lot more people on board with the new Allegiance direction, and expanding all 3 ways of play with more variety and options. This was quickly followed by Blightwar which was a combination of: starter set for new players, two new models and allegiance for Nurgle.

On the topic of starter set, this is one of the most important aspects of the game; getting new players or existing players to start new armies/games. The last year has been a revolution in how to get started, starting with small model packs and the new Skirmish game, moving into mid-range army starter sets, now with colored plastics and using the box for terrain. Then this ties in with Path to Glory and getting into campaigns, boosted by the new Firestorm. Then there are large starter sets, always with incredible value, providing a ton of beautiful models so you can dive right in. Last we have a revolution of 'Getting Started' boxes, where GW is providing discounts for the first time. There have been so many amazing new discounted box sets, I can't even count them. All of this benefits the entire AoS community in many important ways. 

Now we are getting Shadespire, which is a combination of several things. First off, it might just be a fun board game. Basic board games appeal to a wider variety of audiences and might serve as another gateway into AoS, or a way to play your miniatures with people who might not be interested in playing a full tabletop game. Secondly, its providing us with something like 100 new models over the next few months which will have full integration into AoS in some way. They are also pushing the competitive aspect of it, which means it might be a way for some of us to scratch a more competitive itch, or remove some of those kinds of people from the AoS pool.

Technically this year is not even half over. Maybe not before Jan, but we are likely to see a lot more before spring. Deathrattle and Nurgle battletomes are all but guaranteed, which would put us in the 2 new-model armies a year par that seems to be the case for both AoS and 40k.  We could even see some big surprises such as an elf reboot or an entirely new Death army. More Shadespire is sure to come as well, releasing new models for armies like Skaven & fyreslayers. maybe it will have a small impact; maybe a large impact. For example, the release of the 5 Wulfen models had a big effect on Space Wolves in 40k. 

There is only anything to get down about if you hyper focus what you want on one specific thing. For example, if you have restricted yourself to only playing High Elves in 2k point matched play AoS; and refuse to do anything else - then you are focusing on one tiny part of the hobby (though you have fresh new battleplans, and a huge array of new Order models to ally with). You are one paint stroke in a massive painting that GW is trying to make here. You just have to accept that it may be 5 or even 10 years before GW comes back around to you - or maybe not at all. Some players like Tomb Kings have to pick a new thing or they will simply fade away. But, if you just love AoS, beautiful models, good games, etc. - and are willing to experiment with new armies, new ways of play, and even some new games - GW is raining content down on you on a regular basis to where its literally impossible to keep up with.

We all have our favorite thing, and it sucks if that thing is getting nothing for a long time (everyone knows how I feel about Death) but its absolutely insane to call the last few years anything other than an unbelievable godsend for Warhammer fans and the entire world of tabletop gaming. If you cannot see this, you really have to get out of your shell and start taking a wider look at what is going on around you and what this hobby has to offer. There is an amazing variety of things to do and people who are interested in trying it with you, and its only getting better with literally every week that passes. 

 

Edited October 12, 2017 by WoollyMammoth

[Mr. White]

1 hour ago, Travis Baumann said:

Looks like its time to kick back and catch up on some painting ...

Hellz yes! This is where I am at this time and I'm knocking a lot of projects out.

I now have a higher percentage of models painted than ever before.

 

[Kyriakin]

Reboxing for the Darkling Covens incoming?

Everything except the Sorceress and SOBD seems to be unavailable.

[Barbossal]

I have a rumour from the manager at my local GW.

He said that because they GW such strong earnings this year, they are reinvesting into the appearance of their hobby stores. This means that he was shipping back everything (40k AND AoS) that was the old art style and not on round bases. We did not know if he would get given new stock back but the trend seemed to be that those kits would be repackaged for their AoS designs and put on round bases.

[bsharitt]

1 hour ago, Barbossal said:

I have a rumour from the manager at my local GW.

He said that because they GW such strong earnings this year, they are reinvesting into the appearance of their hobby stores. This means that he was shipping back everything (40k AND AoS) that was the old art style and not on round bases. We did not know if he would get given new stock back but the trend seemed to be that those kits would be repackaged for their AoS designs and put on round bases.

I hope that's true. I hate having to mentally add $5 to old kits when I'm windows shopping because I know I'll need to order bases too. It also sucks that the supply of bases has all but dried up in all my local B&M stores(I think they're all web exclusive now?), so I have to order from GW.

[Kramer]

12 minutes ago, bsharitt said:

so I have to order from GW.

Had the same frustration earlier. I finally ordered them two weeks ago, but because I thought it was a bit silly to order one or two bases at a time and thus having to pay postage, I was saving up orders since may. And annoyingly those projects also stalled... Other side of the coin it's my own drive to do first time right and not have to come back on it. 

[Mayple]

Bought clanrats and stormvermin. Needed 60 round bases! I know the struggle

If they end up reboxing everything, I will be one happy man-thing!

[Double Misfire]

Shadespire New Zelorders are up:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NZ/Warhammer-Underworlds-Shadespire-2017-eng

 

Looks like Steelheart, Gorebeard et all aren't getting boutique warscrolls, with only the existing warscrolls for Liberators and Bloodreavers being linked.

[Carnelian]

20 minutes ago, Double Misfire said:

Shadespire New Zelorders are up:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NZ/Warhammer-Underworlds-Shadespire-2017-eng

 

Looks like Steelheart, Gorebeard et all aren't getting boutique warscrolls, with only the existing warscrolls for Liberators and Bloodreavers being linked.

Dont know everyone else feels but I actually prefer that

Don't want a billion hero warscrolls floating around!

[Double Misfire]

10 minutes ago, Carnelian said:

Dont know everyone else feels but I actually prefer that

Don't want a billion hero warscrolls floating around!

I'd guessed that each warband would form a mini unit of three or seven models or whatever with a few extra special rules to act as a sort of gateway drug to AoS for Shadespire players and give the AoS players an incentive to pick up Shadespire. Oh well, not too fussed either way.  

[swarmofseals]

Off topic, I know, but for those struggling with bases I can't recommend AliExpress enough. The quality is reasonable and massively cheaper than GW. Shipping times weren't even that bad. 

[Sheriff]

10 hours ago, Double Misfire said:

I'd guessed that each warband would form a mini unit of three or seven models or whatever with a few extra special rules to act as a sort of gateway drug to AoS for Shadespire players and give the AoS players an incentive to pick up Shadespire. Oh well, not too fussed either way.  

Yeah the warscroll for the new liberator is now in the public domain. The new units are basically like regiments of renown in total war. Like regular units but boosted and fewer models. They get buffs based on which named models are alive still. 

[Double Misfire]

32 minutes ago, Sheriff said:

Yeah the warscroll for the new liberator is now in the public domain. The new units are basically like regiments of renown in total war. Like regular units but boosted and fewer models. They get buffs based on which named models are alive still. 

Hang on, are you saying there is a new warscroll for the Shadespire Liberators? 

[Carnelian]

6 minutes ago, Double Misfire said:

Hang on, are you saying there is a new warscroll for the Shadespire Liberators? 

The warscrolls to download from the games workshop website under shadespire are identical to the previous scrolls. Unless they are listed somewhere else there are no new warscrolls

[Sheriff]

3 model unit. Yes. 

[Double Misfire]

7 minutes ago, Sheriff said:

3 model unit. Yes. 

Cool, do you have a link to it? Not on the GW website or AoS app.

[Sennyo]

the warscrolls havent changed they still say 5man liberator squads and 10man reaver squads online

[Sheriff]

[The Golem]

6 minutes ago, Sheriff said:

It looks like a fanmade warscroll made with the unofficial warscroll designer. There's even a typo in the keywords (storrmcast)

[Sheriff]

36 minutes ago, The Golem said:

It looks like a fanmade warscroll made with the unofficial warscroll designer. There's even a typo in the keywords (storrmcast)

I see. I don't know stormcast so couldn't spot a fake sorry 

[bsharitt]

While I'm glad each of these guys aren't going to be a new hero, I wouldn't mind the leaders being characters.