The Rumour Thread

[Tonhel]

I wouldn't mind a RPG done by Larian Studios like they did with Divinity: Original Sin II or Baldurs Gate III 😄 . Be it for Warhammer or AoS, but if I had to chose. I would love to see it for Warhammer. 🙂

[novakai]

4 minutes ago, Tonhel said:

I wouldn't mind a RPG done by Larian Studios like they did with Divinity: Original Sin II or Baldurs Gate III 😄 . Be it for Warhammer or AoS, but if I had to chose. I would love to see it for Warhammer. 🙂

I mean good luck getting them to do a Warhammer game lol, they seem to be better off developing their own IP after Baldur’s gate 3

[Baron Klatz]

2 hours ago, Pizzaprez said:

Ever since 1.0, I've thirsted for an Age of Sigmar take on the Space Marine game. Let people feel what it's LIKE to be an eight foot tall knight.

Haha, TempestFall VR at least had that spirit. You’re so huge and strong you don’t even have to fight the Deathrattle warriors, just pick them up and yeet them. 😄

But otherwise yeah, I’m on the same page with everyone else.

Getting a proper breakout AoS videogame that shows how epic the factions are and over-the-top epic the Realmscape settings are(like Soulbound does) would be a dream come true whether it be a full experience RTS title with legions of lightning immortals & dragons fighting back an apocalyptic army of demigods that warps reality with every step as they battle on everything from void islands to cities built on top of tree branches the size of valleys, a third-person adventure that has you climb to the top of a floating metalith to survey the shifting eldritch landscapes & mountain-sized monsters below or heck even a point-and-click adventure game like Deathgate Cycle would be aces. 👌 

However going by Warhammer’s track records we probably won’t see our DoW or Space Marine until 2035, so buckle up. 😂

 

On another note. Was looking at Lord-Veritant art to see what the new one could upgrade and noticed they’re usually paired with Judicators, a lot.(probably because Judicator’s holy sight allows them to see when people are lying,even vampires, so is useful for their witch hunter activities)

 

So I’m changing my old bets of Warrior Chamber Judicators to new Ruination Judicators with flaming Boltstormer(storm flamers?) crossbows to purge the unholy. 🔥 

 

 

[Magnusaur]

1 hour ago, CommissarRotke said:

Well that's stupid, sorry. AOS would allow them to try out semi-RNG maps with an open design space... allowing them to build off of their proven strengths while taking small risks for new mechanics. 40k is not going to fit into the Total War formula at all. it will either be too small of a scale or be 3 mediocre, buggy games in a trenchcoat.

• Fantasy/historicals ALREADY have an issue with artillery (and flyers) giving you a huge advantage.
• you'd need an entire cover system to ensure infantry can do ANYTHING at all, but people will also complain if the "big toys" that make infantry entirely obsolete aren't included.
• CA took naval battles out of their games for a reason, but people will complain if there's not some kind of space combat.
• The Imperium would either be a disappointing One Giant Tentpole Faction or a gamebreaking 3-4 linked factions, where it dictates the entirety of each game: an AI imperium isn't allying with Xenos, and certainly will get aggro at anyone allying with Xenos. And people WILL complain if their Imperium faction isn't in the game, so we're looking at a minimum of 4 (IG, SoB, SM, AM).
• If they do one planet, it would have to awkwardly force whatever included factions into a small area like Dark Crusade did, but since that would also have to be an active warzone it leaves the game with no opportunities for non-conquest victory conditions and little design space for non-combat buildings/cities, let alone landmarks.
• If they do a sector, they'd have to figure out how to make planetary invasions engaging, and they are STILL struggling with making sieges fun. And even after an invasion, do you have multiple land battles on a planet and THEN a siege? When do you even have the regular field battles that Total War is beloved for?
• How does a city siege in 40k even work, with massive gun emplacements and massive vehicles? what is the scale here? what are your infantry even doing aside from being vaporized? Total War Towers are already OP without them being a scifi Maginot Line.
• If they do the actual galaxy, at what point are they just peeking at Stellaris' homework to make their game? I don't play Total War for galactic combat, I play a 4X game for that.

I really think forcing 40k into the Total War formula is a horrible decision, but I guess we'll find out what CA wants after TWW3. I just hope there is something revealed for AOS games.

Although these are all reasonable concerns, it's worth keeping in mind that the primus motor question underlying such a production is not just "Can it work?" but "Will it sell?" A botched marriage between Total War and 40K would still outsell a brilliant fusion between the former and Age of Sigmar - many times over, I would assume.

Realm of Ruins flopping has to raise some red flags for some developers at least. Yes, 40K games have flopped as well, though I'm not sure how many of them had the budget of ROR. More importantly, they flopped in spite of the franchise's proven worth and potential as a source of video games. AOS has yet to prove this, even if it seems obvious to us, the fans.

Doesn't mean that TW: AOS couldn't work. Or that it wouldn't work even better than 40K. In my opinion, both Fantasy and AOS would aesthetically have been a better match for the Magic cross-over, yet here we are.

But arguing about what should or shouldn't be made based on the perceived feasibility of certain concepts or game mechanics is... Well, it's kind of far removed from the realities of the industry. At least in my own experience. Whatever promise "semi-RNG maps" holds has to be balanced off by a hell of a lot of research and development. And if that can work, then why can't 40K? Hell, you could argue that the more experimental the mechanics, the more important to give the game an aesthetic and narrative wrapping that will actually ensure it sells - even if it flops.

Anyway, since we're all dreaming up concepts for awesome games, I would love to see an oldschool CRPG set in AOS. Something introspective and intimate. All those wondrous, over-the-top things people bring up to argue the IP's strength doesn't sway me as much. Text is cheap; showing them on a screen is not. Give me a deeply personal story across the realms. A soulbound party. Or a Stormcast losing themselves across countless deaths, Planescape: Torment style. Oh well.

[Ejecutor]

43 minutes ago, Hollow said:

I think the idea that CA has been working on a new engine that will support ranged combat in a more robust manner makes a lot of sense. 40k Total War would definitely draw a lot of interest and if the rumours that they are also working on a Total War WW1 game are also true then it would make sense that they want to move into more "modern" warfare that covers 40k. 

Uhhh... TW WWI and WWII would be pretty interesting picks... About TWW40k, if it gives them enough money and time to be able to have a TWW AoS in the future. Go on CA.

[ArtistDog]

I'm going to try to put this politely: "AoS is a bad setting because it's big" is the absolute dumbest critique people seem to think is actually super smart and I'm tired of hearing it. The Mortal Realms are a fantastically deep setting and incredibly appropriate for video games, despite GW not having licensed many yet. If you prefer the Old World, that's cool! But I think it's unhelpful and inappropriate to turn the Age of Sigmar Rumour Thread into yet another dissertation on why the Mortal Realms are a bad setting.

[Ejecutor]

32 minutes ago, novakai said:

Fatshark could do AoS-tide game, it could be based on Cursed city or use a different main enemy beside Skaven. though Fatshark seem to be focus on Darktide at the moment.

there doesn’t seem to be much movement for good AoS video games in the foreseeable future.

The one from Nexon seems pretty interesting! I just hope it is not SCE all the time. My favourite character from Realms of Ruin was Demechrios.

[novakai]

5 minutes ago, ArtistDog said:

I'm going to try to put this politely: "AoS is a bad setting because it's big" is the absolute dumbest critique people seem to think is actually super smart and I'm tired of hearing it. The Mortal Realms are a fantastically deep setting and incredibly appropriate for video games, despite GW not having licensed many yet. If you prefer the Old World, that's cool! But I think it's unhelpful and inappropriate to turn the Age of Sigmar Rumour Thread into yet another dissertation on why the Mortal Realms are a bad setting.

I mean I feel it also because GW (or more specifically the AoS lore team) haven’t been able to develop the setting enough or push it a bit better.

but I do think COVID cause a lot of issues in the last three years

[Ejecutor]

2 minutes ago, novakai said:

I mean I feel it also because GW (or more specifically the AoS lore team) haven’t been able to develop the setting enough or push it a bit better.

but I do think COVID cause a lot of issues in the last three years

Age of Covid. I don't think it can be the reason for everything that has not been done properly. IMO we are still suffering from the fact that the game wasn't launched from scratch and we carried over a lot of work that is still being solved after almost 10 years.

[MotherGoose]

2 hours ago, CommissarRotke said:

Well that's stupid, sorry. AOS would allow them to try out semi-RNG maps with an open design space... allowing them to build off of their proven strengths while taking small risks for new mechanics. 40k is not going to fit into the Total War formula at all. it will either be too small of a scale or be 3 mediocre, buggy games in a trenchcoat.

• Fantasy/historicals ALREADY have an issue with artillery (and flyers) giving you a huge advantage.
• you'd need an entire cover system to ensure infantry can do ANYTHING at all, but people will also complain if the "big toys" that make infantry entirely obsolete aren't included.
• CA took naval battles out of their games for a reason, but people will complain if there's not some kind of space combat.
• The Imperium would either be a disappointing One Giant Tentpole Faction or a gamebreaking 3-4 linked factions, where it dictates the entirety of each game: an AI imperium isn't allying with Xenos, and certainly will get aggro at anyone allying with Xenos. And people WILL complain if their Imperium faction isn't in the game, so we're looking at a minimum of 4 (IG, SoB, SM, AM).
• If they do one planet, it would have to awkwardly force whatever included factions into a small area like Dark Crusade did, but since that would also have to be an active warzone it leaves the game with no opportunities for non-conquest victory conditions and little design space for non-combat buildings/cities, let alone landmarks.
• If they do a sector, they'd have to figure out how to make planetary invasions engaging, and they are STILL struggling with making sieges fun. And even after an invasion, do you have multiple land battles on a planet and THEN a siege? When do you even have the regular field battles that Total War is beloved for?
• How does a city siege in 40k even work, with massive gun emplacements and massive vehicles? what is the scale here? what are your infantry even doing aside from being vaporized? Total War Towers are already OP without them being a scifi Maginot Line.
• If they do the actual galaxy, at what point are they just peeking at Stellaris' homework to make their game? I don't play Total War for galactic combat, I play a 4X game for that.

I really think forcing 40k into the Total War formula is a horrible decision, but I guess we'll find out what CA wants after TWW3. I just hope there is something revealed for AOS games.

I'd love for a 40k TW game, if they can do it right. There's plenty of difficulties as you've gone into.

IMO it would be stupid to do AoS total war over 40k or almost any other one. I know AoS is really trying to be it's own thing and it's not fantasy... but its just going to be too similar to TWW for a lot of players (honestly probably myself included). It even has tons of the same units/characters. For a lot of people im sure it wouldn't feel like a new game at all. But maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe what would be cool to link the two or have a large scale DLC for TWW where the end times happens and we get AoS.

More importantly where are these ****** leaks for AoS 4

Edited May 14 by MotherGoose

[MitGas]

5 minutes ago, ArtistDog said:

I'm going to try to put this politely: "AoS is a bad setting because it's big" is the absolute dumbest critique people seem to think is actually super smart and I'm tired of hearing it. The Mortal Realms are a fantastically deep setting and incredibly appropriate for video games, despite GW not having licensed many yet. If you prefer the Old World, that's cool! But I think it's unhelpful and inappropriate to turn the Age of Sigmar Rumour Thread into yet another dissertation on why the Mortal Realms are a bad setting.

A smaller setting creates more narrative urgency. There's a reason why the setting shrunk a bit from the almost endless one (if it's almost endless, you can just settle somewhere else.... thus less conflict) we had at the very start. It was definitely not dumb critique at first, but GW is working on fixing it or has more or less fixed the big issues by now anyways, so it's kinda irrelevant.

I wouldn't say it's a truly "deep" (perhaps rich?) setting as of yet but AoS is still kinda young. Everyone needs to give it at least another 15 years before they can really compare it to WHFB or 40k as those games have a giant head start, so it's pretty unfair. Those settings weren't that deep or well defined at first either! I'd say the rate at which AoS grows/deepens/gets more defined (pick whichever fits) is MUCH, MUCH faster than any other GW setting ever though, so that's something even the worst critic has to acknowledge. 

What I personally can understand more is if someone doesn't like certain aspects of AoS. Like Lumineth😤 it seemingly revolving always around gods, superheroes and god-beasts when it would be IMO cool to see more of regular Joes and Janes! But that's not something that truly bothers me. 

[Baron Klatz]

I’m okay with giving CA more time to cook.
 

Even switching over to a new engine they’re masters of stumbling at launch so letting 40k & WW1 take the worst hits so when TWW:AoS eventually happens in day 10+ years they’ll be able to seamlessly use 40k’s massive over-the-top armies, planet hopping, & spaceships to translate into AoS’ god-spawned legions, realms hopping & mega engines(Cogforts, Parasite Engines, Silver Towers, Seraphon starships, Sky-vessel armadas with super dreadnoughts, etc)

Maybe by then we’ll also get TW sieges that don’t punish you for using the walls as well.  

26 minutes ago, Ejecutor said:

The one from Nexon seems pretty interesting! I just hope it is not SCE all the time. My favourite character from Realms of Ruin was Demechrios.

I think it’ll be pretty hefty, the 2022 report had them put a lot of money into it so it’s not something they’re sneezing at.

> “New games launching in 2022/23 include major franchises Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and Bloodbowl 3, plus four more still awaiting release dates. In total there are 12 unreleased games in development and four new licences were signed in the year. We recognised one significant one in the income statement this year at £7.5 million with Nexon”

Nexon gets (rightfully) criticized for being greedy but they do give legs to their products. Like their MMO Vindictus is over 10 years old and still receiving updates & new classes.

I hope some of that team works on it because the monster aesthetics & environments would work well for AoS.

 

[ArtistDog]

2 minutes ago, MitGas said:

A smaller setting creates more narrative urgency. There's a reason why the setting shrunk a bit from the almost endless one (if it's almost endless, you can just settle somewhere else.... thus less conflict) we had at the very start. It was definitely not dumb critique at first, but GW is working on fixing it or has more or less fixed the big issues by now anyways, so it's kinda irrelevant.

*snip*

Totally agree there's times a smaller setting is better, my pick would be the Cities of Sigmar, I think they're some of the most immediately compelling concepts for that. I think Hammerhal's two realms, the prophecy economy of Excelsis, or the death-charms of Lethis are all immediately compelling & would be ideal settings for an AoS game!

[Arzalyn]

1 hour ago, Hollow said:

Grand Alliance Destruction is the Alliance in the most need of care and it is a little disappointing that this is the case as we approach the end of the Era of the Beast. 

While I totally agree destruction need a little more care for, I don't think the era of the beast was that bad.

Ironjawz got it's so needed wave. Gitz got a pretty good wave with the book + danwbringers heroes. Sons got a named hero and the closest to a new giant I expect GW to give them. Ogors I agree need some love, but so did FeC after the death season (2 edition) and it got it in this one.

If 4e really separate warclans into two books we could almost consider Kruleboyz a new faction. I really hope it does so, as there is nothing uniting the warclans other than being orks.

[Dragon-knight77]

so correct my numbers so far what we got in the box is possibly

10 Liberators

3 Prosecutors

3 Reculsians with Memorians

1 Lord vigilant on Gryph-stalker

1 Lord-Veritant with Azyrite Husky

 

20 clan rats

3 Jezzails

1-2 Rat ogres with Packmaster

1 Warlock engineer (sniper varient)

1 Rattling cannoade

1 Clawlord on Giant Rat

some Terrain, Cardboard mat & dice

 

this along with some more heroes and units like Stormvermin & Executioner

that pretty hefty box

[CommissarRotke]

1 hour ago, Magnusaur said:

But arguing about what should or shouldn't be made based on the perceived feasibility of certain concepts or game mechanics is... Well, it's kind of far removed from the realities of the industry.

All too true... part of my frustration about it tbqh.

1 hour ago, Magnusaur said:

Anyway, since we're all dreaming up concepts for awesome games, I would love to see an oldschool CRPG set in AOS. Something introspective and intimate.

a Planescape CRPG would be perfect 😔 piles of potential and here we are

1 hour ago, MotherGoose said:

IMO it would be stupid to do AoS total war over 40k or almost any other one. I know AoS is really trying to be it's own thing and it's not fantasy... but its just going to be too similar to TWW for a lot of players (honestly probably myself included). It even has tons of the same units/characters. For a lot of people im sure it wouldn't feel like a new game at all. But maybe I'm wrong.

I don't see similarities being an issue per se, as like you said they could even link AOS to the trilogy. I'll take the argument that it would be too much fantasy all at once--CA even rotates their historicals to prevent burnout--but unfortunately I think Magnusaur is on the money that this is about. Well. Money. Even if the ideas don't work and the game sits at "Mixed" on steam like so many other warhammer games, the 40k IP will make absolute bank for CA.

[CommissarRotke]

2 hours ago, novakai said:

Fatshark could do AoS-tide game, it could be based on Cursed city or use a different main enemy beside Skaven. though Fatshark seem to be focus on Darktide at the moment.

there doesn’t seem to be much movement for good AoS video games in the foreseeable future.

if CA truly doesn't want to touch AOS for some reason, I really hope we at least get an AOS-tide game

[Mutton]

3 hours ago, novakai said:

Fatshark could do AoS-tide game, it could be based on Cursed city or use a different main enemy beside Skaven. though Fatshark seem to be focus on Darktide at the moment.

there doesn’t seem to be much movement for good AoS video games in the foreseeable future.

Theoretically, now would be the perfect time for an AoS branded Vermintide 3. New Skaven models to show off in game. Everyone hyped about a new edition. But because that's not usually how game development timelines work, maybe we'll see one in 2-3 years?

AoS Vermintide would be so f-ing sweet.

Edited May 15 by Mutton

[Baron Klatz]

If Fatshark works on it now odds are it’ll be ready for next edition’s new Death menace.

So probably end up AoS:Gravetide if they go all in on undead but if it’s just Souls in general like the heroes being Soulbound then AoS:Soultide would work.

Honestly hope for the latter as that means Deepkin can also be an enemy type and Fatshark can cameo themselves in.

(WiP sketch on this silly joke)

 

2 hours ago, ArtistDog said:

Totally agree there's times a smaller setting is better, my pick would be the Cities of Sigmar, I think they're some of the most immediately compelling concepts for that. I think Hammerhal's two realms, the prophecy economy of Excelsis, or the death-charms of Lethis are all immediately compelling & would be ideal settings for an AoS game!

My pick would be Voyager’s End in western Great Parch.

Float into the harbor on a damaged boat as a comman corps Heraldor and his faithful Gargoylian pet(you choose the form & color of) and through visions(given by a Seraphon) assemble a command corps team(don’t have to be humans either) to help turn the tide of a pivotal battle as each chapter has the Orb Infernia and it’s chaos hordes close in ala Majora’s Mask Moon.

That area alone gives you tons of coasts & ancient places to explore from the magically polluted Polychromatic Sea to the flying city of Bataar to the magi-tech Titan forge works of the lost Aglorexi empire.

(Also just noticing the new “Smith’s Harbor” set up next to where the Titan’s Works ruins have been. That’s a fun implication settlers are recycling all that old magi-tech into a modern city)

Edited May 15 by Baron Klatz

[Gitzdee]

Just before we get hit with the mod hammer.

[Neverchosen]

I just want a 16 bit Turn based RPG with an insanely convoluted storyline that involves at least one character getting killed and returning as either Stormcast or a demon prince depending on a pivotal choice earlier in the story... Is that too much to ask?

[novakai]

4 hours ago, Mutton said:

Theoretically, now would be the perfect time for an AoS branded Vermintide 3. New Skaven models to show off in game. Everyone hyped about a new edition. But because that's not usually how game development timelines work, maybe we'll see one in 2-3 years?

AoS Vermintide would be so f-ing sweet.

I would assume they do something else-Tide just to differentiate from Vermintide and old world. Just like they made 40K version called Darktide.

 

[Mutton]

9 minutes ago, novakai said:

I would assume they do something else-Tide just to differentiate from Vermintide and old world. Just like they made 40K version called Darktide.

 

Goretide

[Gitzdee]

No Warcry news this weekend? 

[cyrus]

6 hours ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

so correct my numbers so far what we got in the box is possibly

10 Liberators

3 Prosecutors

3 Reculsians with Memorians

1 Lord vigilant on Gryph-stalker

1 Lord-Veritant with Azyrite Husky

 

20 clan rats

3 Jezzails

1-2 Rat ogres with Packmaster

1 Warlock engineer (sniper varient)

1 Rattling cannoade

1 Clawlord on Giant Rat

some Terrain, Cardboard mat & dice

 

this along with some more heroes and units like Stormvermin & Executioner

that pretty hefty box

Definetly add a wizard/ knight arcanum , a greyseer and 10 Stormvermin .