The Rumour Thread

[Skabnoze]

23 minutes ago, Overread said:

What are these ratmen, these skaven you speak of?

They are an ancient legend. 

They did exist once in the Age of Myth, but they tunneled into a squig hive cavern and were all devoured.

[Frozenbeast]

10 hours ago, WarbossKurgan said:

I <<think>> these are all the current unsolved Rumour Engine images. let me know if I have missed one!

 

1,2,9 and 10 to me look like 40k (orks i would say). As per the others:

3- something restricted(monster? Overgrown goblin on mushrooms?) that is about to snap. Gobbo

4- looks like a vapour coming out of sometgung living but like a toxic plant (mushroom?). Gobbo

5- definently a monster (giant squig? Akelian monster? ). Gobbo or deepkin

6- Slaanesh. HIM/HERSELF!!!!!!

7- as said by somebody else, that is a Goblin sword no doubt. 

8- again something that might be a vapor or an overgrowth. Looks a bit like a brunch though... Seems like it is stretching from rolled. 

11- goblin shaman. 

12- looks aelvish to me maybe the arm of a ballista with the strings tensed (mounted on a monster?). Deepkin second

13- definetly a cape and definetly sued by somwboy either not good (golbin) or not interested in esthetics (barbarian). Gobbo or Darkoath

14- it remembers me the shields on the Deepkin eels. Deepkin second wave

15- it s a gem or a small mirror... But from there to tell you what I think it is... 

[michu]

Stitched cape (13) could belong to new Drukhari character, some Slaaneshi (be it AoS or 40K) model or maybe even one and only Fabius Bile.

[Barkanaut]

3 minutes ago, michu said:

Stitched cape (13) could belong to new Drukhari character, some Slaaneshi (be it AoS or 40K) model or maybe even one and only Fabius Bile.

Good joke. Unless something has been rumored and has been teased a bit with GW mentioning it more at seminars and stuff odds are not happening. I play DE and would like nothing more than to see it get new stuff but come on now. The easiest way to look at the rumors is think in it like GW. We know orks, moonclans, Genestealers, Ynarri, and slaanesh are all upcoming. We definitely know GSC and orks getting new models. So we should look at the rumor  picks to fit those releases. Also sometimes terrain can be thrown in there too but its been mostly solved at this point. DE has had zero mentions or teases in forever. Its been ages since any good models came out to 40k that interest me. Popularity does not equal creativity I guess since its doing better than ever on only marines and sometimes an imp release. 

[RuneBrush]

8 hours ago, Frozenbeast said:

6- Slaanesh. HIM/HERSELF!!!!!!

I'm fairly sure that GW have no intentions on creating any of the actual Chaos gods in miniature form - at the moment at least.  I'm thinking it a mutation more than a daemon limb, so possible Chaos Space Marine or new Rogue Trader.  There are lots of possibilities though   I think 12 is some kind of Slaaneshii harp - if 40k is getting a Slaanesh release then we're likely to have Noise Marines back (which is also my punt for 15).

[Bloodmaster]

12 minutes ago, RuneBrush said:

I'm fairly sure that GW have no intentions on creating any of the actual Chaos gods in miniature form - at the moment at least.  I'm thinking it a mutation more than a daemon limb, so possible Chaos Space Marine or new Rogue Trader.  There are lots of possibilities though   I think 12 is some kind of Slaaneshii harp - if 40k is getting a Slaanesh release then we're likely to have Noise Marines back (which is also my punt for 15).

I agree with you in parts, the claw won't be Slaanesh herself, but could quite well be a Claw (out of up to 4) of a Keeper of secrets - or as you said, a mutation for Emperors children or AoS Mortals - which are compleatly lacking models. 12 could be either Noice Marines sonic blaster or it is something for the roumoured Ynarri. Thos pointy-ears combine Eldar and darkeldar aestetics quite freely.

7, 8 and 11 appear to be unpainted resin - which normaly points towards a FW release

1 is 40k Orks, 5 probably is a squig, either AoS or 40k, 9 is defenetly 40k, but to clean for Orks, same goes for 10, but it sitll might be Orks.

13 probably wont be Fabius, that chap is EC, he thrives for perfection, no way he would be doing such a slopy stiching - ok, actually his underlings would do that dirty work, but he would punish them brutally for such a faulty work

[HorticulusTGA]

I'm glad we're having more rumor lately, thanks @LLV and the others ! IMO we may also see Legions of Nagash style books for Destruction and for Skvaven.

 

I think Skaven Eshin and Devoted of Sigmar are in for a future releases too. They both have new artworks / many fluff appearances in both old (1st ed. "Core Book", Realmgate Wars) and new (Malign Portents, Core Book and recent Battletomes) background.

- For Eshin : they have spies in Azyr, intel about Slaanesh, keeps in Ulgu, etc. ; and a new AOS model, the Silver Tower Deathrunner.

And Hastings (!) recently said on War of Sigmar he knew some Skaven kits were done (in the Ad. Titanic thread IIRC).

- For the Devoted Of Sigmar ; they're also in since the first "Core" Book, have a new model in Silver Tower too, they've seen action during the Realmgate Wars and are all over the most recent fluff (Malendrek origin story in Glymmsforge have him lead three "squads of mounted Warpriests" before turning undead, incredible artworks in the Core Book and Stormcast Battelteom, etc.). Also the Order of Azyr. 

Maybe Silver Tower was a first "test / tease" release for new armies, like the Harbingers in Malign Portents. 

---

 

My guesses for this edition : 

- Already rumored factions : Grot Moonclan, Chaos Darkoath (maybe mixed with some beastmen like that blood bowl team), Chaos Slaanesh, new waves for Ironjawz (maybe Sylvaneth, Idoneth, Fyreslayers and probably Stormcast) and new scenery. 

- Strongly fluff hinted factions : Skaven Eshin, Devoted of Sigmar - later : Light Aelves of Tyrion, Shadow Aelves of Malerion.

- Less strongly fluff hinted factions : Cog people / Golem kind, Grotbag Scuttlers sky pirate, (Fimir and Dawi Zharr, but that's FW).

EDIT : also, more "magitek" Seraphon. A new tome may be due, and they are popular and still strongly there with Malign Portents and the Soul Wars.

EDIT BIS : and new boxed games, like a new Mordheim / Hinterland, or a Spell Hunters stand alone game, etc. 

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by HorticulusTGA

[ForumAccount]

1 hour ago, HorticulusTGA said:

@LLVIMO we may also see Legions of Nagash style books for Destruction and for Skaven.

This is somewhat of a dilemma for me. On one hand I would enjoy the variety in one army and the extra viability of currently underused units, but on the other hand with the way GW has taken these factions I would like to see what they can do with each theme when isolating it and focusing on expanding it.

 

For example, Firebellies on their own are a completely worthless faction, but what if they were fleshed out with a cool pacific islander theme? Aleguzzlers are a useless faction, but what if they were made to be an army entirely of giants, similar to Imperial Knights in 40k? Spiderfang and Troggoths can be fleshed out easily as well, both have strong themes. Greenskinz are quite a unique GW specific design, but I would be fine if Gitmob were rolled into them, as well as Maneaters being rolled into Gutbusters. Skaven are more of a candidate for a merged force in my eyes but they can still do a lot with each clan on their own.

[michu]

GW can create LoN-like book to make neglected armies more competitive and release next books for specific factions. Legions of Nagash didn't stopped GW from making Nighthaunt battletome.

[Overread]

The issue with GW beefing up all the subfactions to full armies is not just the time it would take; nor the range bloat it would generate but also the issue that with that many factions it becomes a lot harder to please players with new updates to those factions in the form of new models.

That's why I think many want to see a couple made into full armies and the rest built into things like "Free Cities" and other alliance blocks; so that several "factions" are never going to be full armies, but cna work together as a single force very well and any one update to them adds to the single force - thus cutting down on the wait time between new models for fans. 

[syph0n]

I agree @Overread, especially when you see in the Core Book the tiny space given to the little factions. They all have their parts to play in the free cities, especially the Scourge Privateers, Swifthawks etc. They might never get a combined book either though, if the intention is to quietly just let them all disappear in the fullness of time. I mean, how long can they stock and shelve half the range they have and then release two more Aelven lines etc (which arguably will be the biggest ones yet). 

I can only speak for Order, especially Aelves, as I've no idea of the state of other lines really. I know what I'd like to see, but I'd be wish-listing. 

[Overread]

Honestly I can't see them getting rid of them either. Why throw away investments in models that are still perfectly fine and spend even more money on new ones when they can simply merge them into other groups. If they wanted to cut down on groups they could blend them into other factions. Considering that most of the factions are already broken into a limited alliance pool anyway. 

 

It wouldn't break things if, say, Shadowblades became part of Order Serpentis or any one of the other Dark Elf blocks. They could still be taken as allies by the very same groups that can take them now and the Order wouldn't be broken because they can already take all those model as allies. 

 

That, to me, would be far preferable over cutting down the range even more.

I still hold that the removal of Tomb Kings was more driven by the old Management and a very different attitude toward fantasy, Sigmar and the whole concept of rules and selling models. It was the first step toward what I think, had we remained under the old management, dropping more and more of the Fantasy line until it was basically a boutique line of models. That the 1.0 rules for sigmar included things formally such as "if you have  a beard you get an attack bonus" etc.. also shows that the attitude was drastically different back then. 

 

[GeneralZero]

I don't know what to think about, lets say for example, moonclan.

I love what GW did with LoN. It made ALL the piniatures playable, you get tons of different builds almost competitives, you can play many style of armies, yet very different from each others. And GW could add this Nighthaunt faction, which partially not to say mostly can be added to your LoN armies. Tha is for me the winning strategy!

I love all the rats range, skaven have several big and nice machineries, big monsters, but....they can't really play together. Not real synergies.

Same for Goblin, trolls and orcs.

(and several others).

Could you imagine a  LoN like Skaven book? same book for greenz?

I wanted to play death for ages. Now, except FEC, I have most of their units, can enjoy many gameplays with one collection of miniatures, and still expand it with NH.

I'd like to switch to something different, but, except for SCE (already have) and maybe nurgle (nurgle+everchosen+aarchaon+slave darkness), there is nothing close to this richness.

[Kugane]

I think Skaven is a possible candidate for a release wave considering they had a shadespire release recently. It kind of shows that GW has the 3D files of various sculpts ready to play around with and create units similar to how stormcast poses are recycled and new stuff added to them.

I think Skaven issues outside of Skaven lack of synergy is also the fact of them being extremely weak. An unbuffed unit of 40 clanrats only deals about 6.5 damage per turn against a 4+ save target if all 40 of them are able to get in range to attack and none died, and around 18 damage with buffs from various sources warlords, warbringers or even a bit more with a chaos sorceror.  If you compare that to a unit of 5 evocators dealing 14 damage unbuffed for the same points and no extra investment, or 2 units of sequitors dealing 10 damage with channeling on weapon. Skaven would need some massive passive or activated buffs to become relevant again and be able to compete with even starter set stuff. The fact that some units even deal bonus damage to them doesnt help either.

I think GW knows this and judging from how Skritch and his gang works, bringing stuff back to life and how shadespire stuff somewhat reflects "real" AOS, we will likely see something along the lines of "Vermintide", in your herophase, return 2D6 clanrats to your unit if it is wholly within 12" of a Skaven Warlord to combat them being so weak.

But thats pure speculation. I think Skritch should have affected nearby clanrat units and not just his warband.

I assume orruks are in a similar position? The rumour about skaven kind of said that it will mostly be skryre stuff being released next though (around AOS2 release), but the faction focus seems to focus mostly on verminus and eshin. I hope both become a thing. Soon. Yes-yes.

(Gutter runners are great damage though, but it isnt cheap converting them in large masses)

Edited July 26, 2018 by Kugane

[Overread]

Honestly this issue is more for Order than anything else. The other Grand alliance are not as tricky; but Order has a huge number of subfactions from just the three elf forces being broken into about half a dozen subfactions each 

[Kugane]

6 minutes ago, Overread said:

Honestly this issue is more for Order than anything else. The other Grand alliance are not as tricky; but Order has a huge number of subfactions from just the three elf forces being broken into about half a dozen subfactions each 

I wish there was a clear answer of what their plan with such factions is though. Temporarily uniting all these small aelf factions under 1 big Aelves faction could be quite interresting, offering a diplomatic warfare approach where there needs to be a leader within a certain " range to make sure subfactions don't end up fighting each other over past conflict.

[Enoby]

Someone just mentioned that the most recent rumour engine may be a vespid stingwing update. Seems kind of weird for them to get a release now, but take it as you will. 

Thinking about it, have there been any rumour engines that would tease for a Khorne release? Obviously anything could be secretly Khorne, but does anything look obviously Khorne that I'm missing?  

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Enoby

[Mr. White]

Yeah... the aelf situation is the only misfire in AoS, imo. Aelves should have been split amongst all four grand alliances for variety.

Sylvaneth - aelves that want to maintain the cycle of life - Order

Deepkin - aelves pillaging and taking what isn't theres - Destruction

Daughters - aelves worshipping Khaine - Chaos

[new faction] - aelves that, though they live long, are jealous of the soulblight. they want immortal life as well and are the new stewards of the power of shadeglass. Now being immortal they need undying servants as well...maybe an army of shadeglass constructs powered by the souls trapped in the shadeglass of shadespire - Death

(i know Order doesn't mean 'good', but the current aelf alliance situation seems more based on racial identity rather than their ideologies in the fluff.)

Edited July 26, 2018 by Mr. White

[Kramer]

56 minutes ago, Kugane said:

I wish there was a clear answer of what their plan with such factions is though. Temporarily uniting all these small aelf factions under 1 big Aelves faction could be quite interresting, offering a diplomatic warfare approach where there needs to be a leader within a certain " range to make sure subfactions don't end up fighting each other over past conflict.

They could easily use the Slaves to Darkness allegiance system. But in the end the question will always (in part) be: will GW make money out of it? I think they will not on such a project. At least not as much on (re) making a new faction. 

Of course guessing, but I reckon GW is making more money on the nighthaunt release than the Legion of Nagash release. Even with the extra costs of development. 

[Enoby]

I'm no businessman, but it makes sense to me that combining factions would lead to better sales; if you have a lion ranger army and want to expand on it, there's very little reason to buy into the other aelf factions after you've filled your ally points.

A person playing Slaves to Darkness has the benefit of being able to buy any of the other chaos god models that they like without worrying if they can use them, so surely they have more chance of buying more.  

[GeneralZero]

Honnestly, when you compare a small faction (ex: daughter of kaine) , to a big faction (SCE, LoN, Nurgle....), it is a bit sad to see that there is almost no variations in possibilities in those factions: too few miniatures models, to few builds, they'll be soon forgotten (read : not in the mainstream, then not many salse then  GW won't extend them...). That is why I don't do small factions, and that is why I expect GW to do some more LoN like battletomes.

I invest in the longtemr for my miniatures. Competitiveness for the short term is useless. I started  back in the ends of 80'...

[michu]

Are you sure that GW couldn't make new units for DoK? Remember that in AoS the story is going forward. There always could be new units for them, because something in the Mortal Realms changed (considering that Slaanesh definitely will escape that's not unimaginable). And remember that in the first AoS gamebook (and in the battletome, IIRC?) there was a mention of shadow daemons. Same goes for other factions. Idoneth could enslave new deep sea creatures, new Grimnir cult could emerge in Fyreslayers lodges...

Edited July 26, 2018 by michu

[Ravinsild]

30 minutes ago, Enoby said:

I'm no businessman, but it makes sense to me that combining factions would lead to better sales; if you have a lion ranger army and want to expand on it, there's very little reason to buy into the other aelf factions after you've filled your ally points.

A person playing Slaves to Darkness has the benefit of being able to buy any of the other chaos god models that they like without worrying if they can use them, so surely they have more chance of buying more.  

You got me! The literal reason I’m starting a Slaves to Darkness army is because I can bring the Warriors and Knights along with my pre-established Khorne Bloodbound and because I love the models.

so I can mix and match units and also play them stand-alone (STD and BoK). 

[Kramer]

47 minutes ago, Enoby said:

I'm no businessman, but it makes sense to me that combining factions would lead to better sales; if you have a lion ranger army and want to expand on it, there's very little reason to buy into the other aelf factions after you've filled your ally points.

A person playing Slaves to Darkness has the benefit of being able to buy any of the other chaos god models that they like without worrying if they can use them, so surely they have more chance of buying more.  

Absolutely all true but in business you also have to consider the cost investment to the gains short term and long term. And again it’s just guess work on all our parts without seeing the numbers. But still, I’m guessing deepkin will do more for them than giving new rules and fluff to excising factions. Still agree  it’s a shame though.  I’m just happy I can still play my armies  ogors, darkling covens, skaven and dispossessed. 

[GeneralZero]

1 hour ago, michu said:

Are you sure that GW couldn't make new units for DoK?

my guess: they could....but they wouldn't! (If I were GW CEO, I'd say a big NO (just business relative) )

1 hour ago, michu said:

Remember that in AoS the story is going forward. There always could be new units for them, because something in the Mortal Realms changed (considering that Slaanesh definitely will escape that's not unimaginable). And remember that in the first AoS gamebook (and in the battletome, IIRC?) there was a mention of shadow daemons. Same goes for other factions. Idoneth could enslave new deep sea creatures, new Grimnir cult could emerge in Fyreslayers lodges...

It is a bit naive to think that the story leads the business  whereas it is completly the otherway around.

They adapt the story to be sure the next development will be a success story in cash.

In the actual development of AoS and 40K, the (business) battlefront is too large to expand some few sub factions. They need new scale cash now. Of course, from time to time, you'll got some new things and sub factions. But the mainstream is to make big things. The LoN has proved it right. Huge success, big return on investments (because the moulding already exist). The DoK proved it on the wrong side (little "success", read: dispointment in £££).

That is why I think GW will do something like LoN for , for example, skaven and green skins. Moulds already exist. Just adapt a mega battletome, you'll get many sales of skaven (chaos oriented), grots, gobs, trolls, orcs. (all destruction oriented).. And then attach to this train  a new  wagon, a (sub)faction like they did with NH for LoN, you got a winner each year!