The Rumour Thread

[Kronos]

My 2 cents, Great Box. 
 

Surprised just hownmuch I like the Stormcast, I think this a really well defined and refined concept, having Stormcast with Major Flaws really is interesting, I’ll repeat something I said a while ago - It what Makes Thunder Warriors Interesting, the First batch of proto-astartes begin to “decompose and break apart”, in this case, the Proto StormCast of the First Generation. Hope to see more Flaws as the range expands.

Skaven are decent, strange as gribbly things are usually my bag, but I’m not taking screenshots or drawing up plans to buy any - Possibly down to them being Skaven in AoS and I’ve not yet developed a Lore Love for them, possibly because I’m getting Older and Shiny Stuff doesn’t grab me like it used to.

 

My quibble however is the Preview - there’s something so un-organic and forced about this preview style. It feels like I’m watching the QVC/Tele sales channel instead of Warhammer. Not Sure why they’re chatting on sofas, I want to see someone holding the miniatures around a table chatting going “Korr, Look, it has a little hidden Vial here, look a rune on this side of the helmet” - yh know while someone else doe s a little lore break down. And then showing the same video near on Repeat, I think the pace needs to be different, and the couch interview really needs to move to a table with the minis at hand. 
 

 

tldr - Stormcast Amazing, Skaven cool, Preview Show weird and  oddly paced. 
 

Now back to work where I can’t really explain to anyone that I was up until 2:30 AM because Plastic miniatures were being shown in an American Timezone but if it was NFL or Basketball everyone would be like ah cool, hope you enjoyed the game, well take it easy - Grumble 😂😩

Edited May 17 by Kronos

[Ejecutor]

1 minute ago, Kronos said:

My 2 cents, Great Box. 
 

Surprised just hownmuch I like the Stormcast, I think tjis a really well defined and refined concept, having Stormcast with Major Flaws really is interesting, I’ll repeat something I said a ehile ago - It what Makes Thunder Warriors Interesting, the First batch of proto-astartes begin to “decompose and break apart”, in this case, the Proto StormCast of the First Generation. Hope to see more Flaws as the range expands.

Skaven are decent, strange as gribbly things are usually my bag, but I’m not taking screenshots or drawing up plans to buy any - Possibly down to them being Skaven in AoS and I’ve not yet developed a Lore Love for them, possibly because I’m getting Older and Shiny Stuff doesn’t grab me like it used to.

 

My quibble however is the Preview - there’s something so un-organic and forced about this preview style. It feels like I’m watching the QVC/Tele sales channel instead of Warhammer. Not Sure why they’re chatting on sofas, I want to see someone holding the miniatures around a table chatting going “Korr, Look, it has a little hidden Vial here, look a rune on tjis side of the helmet - yh know while someone else doe s a little lore break down”. And then showing the same video near on Repeat, I think the pace needs to be different, and the couch interview really needs to move to a table with the minis at hand. 
 

 

tldr - Stormcast Amazing, Skaven cool, Preview Show weird and  oddly paced. 
 

Now back to work where I can’t really explain to anyone that I was up until 2:30 AM because Plastic miniatures were being shown in an American Timezone but if it was NFL or Basketball everyone would be like ah cool, hope you enjoyed the game, well take it easy - Grumble 😂😩

At least it was just 2:30 AM. For me it was 4 AM

[Sarouan]

Well at least I was right about the box including CoS ruins in it, to fit the new setting. It's just disappointing in numbers...but who really cares about terrain in the competitive scene anyway ? Competitive players aren't interested in building an awesome looking table with thematic terrains. They just want gameplay gimmicks.

Given that putting big stone circles showing the objective control range is already taking quite a lot of space on the table and that terrain can be in the way of determining it, makes sense the Spearhead mode looks a bit pathetic in the terrain field. I think it's sacrificing looks for gameplay on purpose.

Also, they need to produce less terrain plastic kits that way, so more money by selling rules / gameplay accessories than great looking sets of ruins.

[The Lost Sigmarite]

2 hours ago, Grungnisson said:

We’ve gone a long way from the noblebright SCE of the Realmgate Wars. Now there’s a Stormcast who’s job is to off over Stormcasts who’ve gone to far up the deep end.

[Rachmani]

12 minutes ago, GloomkingWortwazi said:

Semantics...
Point still stands, its 4 small pieces I don't want to have to pay for and most established players will already have to play a game mode. It's for people who either just want it (that is totally fine, it looks good), or people without it to play a new mode.
I understand your point, it's a complete game-mode in a box. My point was I wish it was just AoS without the new mode I have to pay for and don't need. It's not that strange of a take. I'm just wishing into the breeze that I didn't have to either get less plastic in a form I want, or pay more for plastic I don't need (same cost outcome). 😉

I unserstand where you’re coming from, but with the terrain being so small & the playing fields being a single cardboard, I‘m not sure how much money you would actually save if those were not included.

[Rachmani]

14 minutes ago, GloomkingWortwazi said:

 

Edited May 17 by Rachmani

[Sarouan]

1 minute ago, The Lost Sigmarite said:

We’ve gone a long way from the noblebright SCE of the Realmgate Wars. Now there’s a Stormcast who’s job is to off over Stormcasts who’ve gone to far up the deep end.

There are more stakes when you fight while knowing you can truly meet oblivion than when you're sure to be reborn the next day, like Stormcast Eternal background was at the beginning of Age of Sigmar. We were making jokes about how the Stormcast armies could just jump of a cliff to die and "respawn" like in video games to save time for long travels from one location to the other.

[Sarges]

I may catch some flak now but I'll say it:

I liked the old Mortal Realms map much more. It perfectly captured that celestial chart vibe.

New one is... fine and more detailed but steps too much on the territory of AoS1 era art for me.

 

Edited May 17 by Sarges

[MitGas]

15 minutes ago, The Lost Sigmarite said:

We’ve gone a long way from the noblebright SCE of the Realmgate Wars. Now there’s a Stormcast who’s job is to off over Stormcasts who’ve gone to far up the deep end.

Thankfully! I‘m glad AoS got more grimdark. ❤️ 

[MitGas]

19 minutes ago, Sarouan said:

Well at least I was right about the box including CoS ruins in it, to fit the new setting. It's just disappointing in numbers...but who really cares about terrain in the competitive scene anyway ? Competitive players aren't interested in building an awesome looking table with thematic terrains. They just want gameplay gimmicks.

Given that putting big stone circles showing the objective control range is already taking quite a lot of space on the table and that terrain can be in the way of determining it, makes sense the Spearhead mode looks a bit pathetic in the terrain field. I think it's sacrificing looks for gameplay on purpose.

Also, they need to produce less terrain plastic kits that way, so more money by selling rules / gameplay accessories than great looking sets of ruins.

I worry more about AoS‘s armies not being balanced around killing each other but holding points. My group usually plays to kill and likes that more than objective play but I get your point. 😅

 

Perhaps it will turn out well once we see more and played it ourselves? 

[GloomkingWortwazi]

13 minutes ago, Sarges said:

I may catch some flak now but I'll say it:

I liked the old Mortal Realms map much more. It perfectly captured that celestial chart vibe.

New one is... fine and more detailed but steps too much on the territory of AoS1 era art for me.

 

I agree with you on the art style for the old one, but I like the representation on the new one more. It maybe does a better job at illustrating scale.

[Dragon-knight77]

18 minutes ago, The Lost Sigmarite said:

We’ve gone a long way from the noblebright SCE of the Realmgate Wars. Now there’s a Stormcast who’s job is to off over Stormcasts who’ve gone to far up the deep end.

Aos alway work better as a Nobledark setting and having this "edge" to them always added some depth to them. Like this isn't making them Grimderp as it SCE choosing to take the oblivion rather then having the Termios taking the descision 

There intersting stories to be made with that that still play with the Noblebright ascpect of SCE

Also i guess this good confirmation that theyvare doing a lighting ghieat of some sort

[Beliman]

18 minutes ago, Sarges said:

I liked the old Mortal Realms map much more. It perfectly captured that celestial chart vibe.

Me too. I don't know why, but it feels more "map" than the new map showing how AoS realms work.

[Malakithe]

I want the box but the price might hold me back now.

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

46 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

To put CoS into a top they have stop making their settlments fodder for the big bad and subplot

They have to keep doing it for narrative stakes, though, because nobody cares if an Idoneth or Fyrslayers settlement is destroyed.

[Dragon-knight77]

Wait a minute i think i know where this guy from

[PraetorDragoon]

The interesting question will be if those two spearheads are also the spearheads that will be sold seperately later or if there are different new spearheads waiting in the wings.

[Grungnisson]

6 minutes ago, PraetorDragoon said:

The interesting question will be if those two spearheads are also the spearheads that will be sold seperately later or if there are different new spearheads waiting in the wings.

I would definitely suspect more Spearhead boxes appearing, especially for armies that have a higher number of warscrolls available. But for these two from the launch box it may be a while. They will want to get as many of those out of the door as possible.

 

[Kronos]

Just realised that one of Singapore Warhounds leaked images - The strange Rat Ogreesque head was not ib the preview - Rumoured Behemoth model. My bet is still that this is an update on the burrowing Behemoth conversion. 

[Grungnisson]

[Mcthew]

So watched the preview (yup, agree that it felt a little out of step but hey ho...). Thoughts about the box: well, it looks really, really good.

And yet...

After the initial excitement I did wonder who this is aimed at. Spearhead is an entry level system like combat patrol for those who don't really play AoS. But £160 for entry into an increasingly expensive hobby is way too expensive. Parents I've spoken to won't buy this, they would look at their kids getting into the hobby in a cheaper way.

And it's unrealistic to think that people with money that are on the fence about Warhammer will suddenly jump into a game that now has 4 ways to play (yep, 4... So much for AoS 4.0 being a less complex game). It would put me off if I'm honest. I wouldn't know what I was buying and would worry who I could play games with (who plays what version of 4th, you know?). So that and the price would stop me as a newbie from investing.

On the positive side, the models do look great. Loads of eye-candy on show, but still feels lacking in set-piece models unlike Leviathan. Compare that to other starter boxes that are much cheaper than Skaventide, it's not gonna win more converts.

(Not counting, but that's 3 strikes, isn't it??)

Seriously, that's fine right, cos there's loads of existing players (like me) here and plenty for them in this box? Well, not so much unless you're a Skaven player (and definitely nothing to stop the tears flowing for Beasts of Chaos or Bonesplitter owners). And if you're an existing Stormcast player can you really justify spending £160 on resculpts of your Liberators and Prosecutors?

At least Kruleboyz and Nighthaunt were brand new factions and could tempt players to a new faction. This doesn't tick those boxes for me, and with my 15 or so factions it's a bit meh (but I reckon any non-skaven players might be tempted... C'mon you know you want to...)

But you also get terrain! Yes, and I love me a bit of terrain. Although a couple of crumbly walls? A Warcry terrain-offer this is not.

You do get cards. Lots of cards. GW loves its cards. I've got a whole stack of them in my Leviathan box gathering dust, but they look good.

You also get the book, and I love the Core Books. Something to pore over on a rainy day, or light reading before going to sleep (no, honestly, I do that). But I'm not going to pay £160 for a Core Rule book no matter how lovely, because there's only so many ways you can present the same lore over and over.

And I don't want a hardback version of a game that I know I'll never play (Spearhead). 

It took me one second to decide I was going to buy Dominion. It took me a little longer to decide I'll never buy Skaventide.

Ho-hum. Loved 2nd and 3rd launch sets though. Which is nice. And hey, the excitement lasted about 20mins and I'll take that any time, while I sort out my army list for a good ol' game of 3.0.

(Edit: just to add I may have finally shaken off that FOMO itch I used to get from GW products. It's a nice feeling by the way).

Edited May 17 by Mcthew

[MitGas]

32 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

Wait a minute i think i know where this guy from

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind as well… face looks quite a bit like the god-emperor‘s!

[Grungnisson]

Goonhammer's view on Spearhead

[MitGas]

50 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

Aos alway work better as a Nobledark setting and having this "edge" to them always added some depth to them. Like this isn't making them Grimderp as it SCE choosing to take the oblivion rather then having the Termios taking the descision 

There intersting stories to be made with that that still play with the Noblebright ascpect of SCE

Also i guess this good confirmation that theyvare doing a lighting ghieat of some sort

I dunno, AoS became better with every step towards grimdark they took.. leave the happiness to some meh setting like Forgotten Realms! Nobledark… the goody two-shoes in the setting can be nobledark, let the rest of us be grimdark! 🙏

[Ejecutor]

1 hour ago, Sarges said:

I may catch some flak now but I'll say it:

I liked the old Mortal Realms map much more. It perfectly captured that celestial chart vibe.

New one is... fine and more detailed but steps too much on the territory of AoS1 era art for me.

 

But it gives some valuable information. It gives you a visual reference on both how the Realm would look and about the size. It adds a lot of value over the old ones, especially to newbies.