Monsters and Mercenaries!!!

[Wraith01]

New expansion book just announced. It has me excited!!!

Looking forward to finding out more about it. Can't wait to be able to use heroes in the game. 

Hope they accompany the book with lots of new monster miniatures for Thralls and Gargantuans.

Might have Mounts here too but I think they'll save that for another expansion. 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Wraith01

[Dreadmund]

The article mentions adding Daemons to your warband. Excited about that!

[Moldek]

Yeah it's interesting. Not sure if I'll buy it straight away or not, but it looks like
and interesting expansion. Might help some warbands to have access to fighters that can shore up their weaknesses!

I'll probably wait to see if they release some kind of card packs or not. I don't want to have to buy each mini to get it's rules, although I guess there's always ways around that

[Lior'Lec]

     I’m also excited for it, but more for the monsters than the mercenaries portions. I’m hoping that it will have rules for quite a bit more variety of chaotic beasts and not just massive monsters (but I want those too). Doubt we’ll get any new beasts as this will probably be just a book style expansion (could be wrong). While I doubt they’ll have it I would also like another quest listed for each faction, or maybe 6-9 faction neutral quests which any warband can take.

[soak314]

Whatever profile that chimera in the front has is going to get counts as'd as sooo many different things in my group lol. I'm hoping the book is predominantly campaign stuff with less pages dedicated to the matched play bit. What we have for matched play is more than enough for the moment, especially knowing we have X+2 more warbands en route.

Has anyone even gotten through a quest yet? I'm just at the second convergence on my bonesplitterz, they've been doing great.

[Overread]

A few thoughts:

1) I like them adding more monsters like the chimera! I hope the Cockatrice gets in, though I worry that its finecast heritage might play against it!

2) I'm surprised there was no mention of a second wave of regular armies getting cards. My worry is that this book only works for those existing forces and that in a few months we get a second monsters book. Not that I don't want more, but that really is starting to get a bit too close to the "paid expansions for rules" problem. 

3) I wonder if they'll do a card set at launch alongside the book, it would make sense if GW is going to stick with cards; but at the same time perhaps GW's supply issues are going to undo the. Either way if there are cards I will probably pick them up since they are a very neat way to reference during game.s 

[Onslaught]

I wasn't expecting Monsters and Mercenaries, but more something along the lines of a Magic expansion, Heroes or some more Factions...  I'm going to buy it anyways, I love the idea of more monsters and the possibility to grow my warband with mercenaries, reminds me of Hired Swords in Mordheim !

"... a little bit of everything with a lot of new rules" I wonder what that means, really impatient !

 

[Lightbox]

Boss fights vs chimera's sound like a great twist to throw into campaigns And mercenaries will be interesting, lots of potential conversion fun there to match them to your warband!

[Wraith01]

Hope they show some more stuff at the actual Nova Open. 

They usually have display cases and dioramas. 

Can't wait to add some Chaos Demons (I have Bloodletters and Horrors) to the battlefields and keep them as Thralls!!!

[Grimrock]

I missed the part about daemons, and I've got some from all of the big 4, so that's pretty exciting. The little ones would be great for thralls, but using greaters as gargantuans would be pretty cool too. An epic co-op battle to take on a bloodthirster or great unclean one would be amazing. I've always wanted to pick up a mutalith or slaughterbrute too, so here's hoping.

I wonder how long it'll take to actually come out though. The game is still super new and apparently a similar teaser for Blackstone fortress took about 3 months to release after a convection. It'd be nice if they let the game settle before putting out the first expansion. Maybe get all of the warbands released first haha.

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Grimrock

[Lior'Lec]

     I expect it to drop along with the last two rulebook warbands. I think this will be more like Rouge Trader in time frame rather than Blackstone Fortress and what was that, about a month after Kill Team dropped? I just remember thinking “so soon?” whenever I read it. I’ve gone back and reread the teaser twice and still cannot see where it mentions the demons. I do see it mentioning being able to “bend them to your dark will” when talking about the monsters. So a Chimera thrall... what about 720 points? Lol

[Requizen]

I'm a bit leery. Game isn't old enough to need an expansion yet, and tbh it feels quite balanced and nice with the current rules. I hope the stuff in M&M is optional or at least mostly focused on Narrative/Open. We've quite been enjoying Matched right now and I don't want people to get annoyed with bloat. 

[Wraith01]

4 minutes ago, Requizen said:

I'm a bit leery. Game isn't old enough to need an expansion yet, and tbh it feels quite balanced and nice with the current rules. I hope the stuff in M&M is optional or at least mostly focused on Narrative/Open. We've quite been enjoying Matched right now and I don't want people to get annoyed with bloat. 

It's a GW game, almost everything is optional.

[Requizen]

44 minutes ago, Wraith01 said:

It's a GW game, almost everything is optional.

To an extent, local meta dependent. If your area wants to use it, then it's in play. And if the options therein are strong enough that you're gimped by not using it... it's no longer optional.

That said, I have a good amount of faith in Specialist Games, and Warcry is very good so far. I'm not all gloom and doom, but I am just cautious.

[Lior'Lec]

2 hours ago, Wraith01 said:

It's a GW game, almost everything is optional.

     Well... everything except the price tag...

[Lior'Lec]

     Lol, I was just making a joke guys. I have all of the warcry stuff already. Same with underworlds and many other such games. I’m a bit of a completionist so having to have everything is kinda... well what I do.

[Kramer]

11 hours ago, Requizen said:

I'm a bit leery. Game isn't old enough to need an expansion yet, and tbh it feels quite balanced and nice with the current rules. I hope the stuff in M&M is optional or at least mostly focused on Narrative/Open. We've quite been enjoying Matched right now and I don't want people to get annoyed with bloat. 

Same feeling here. I love that I finally have an excuse for the Warqueen, but it seems crazy fast right? An expansion before the factions that are presented in the core set/book are all released? That's too fast for me, but i'll probably get it at some point. 

Edited August 30, 2019 by Kramer

[Moldek]

I’m not too worried about the game moving too fast, but I am not sure I’ll buy this book mostly because I wasn’t impressed with the contents of the main one. It’s a fine rule book with a few really good pieces of art and some cool content, but I feel it lacks a bit of soul, something that makes you come back to read it and daydream about the setting. That’s actually one of the only weak points of modern GW to me. The products are more streamlined / professional but they have less atmosphere that for instance the mordheim rulebook or the 3rd ed 40k rulebook. But that’s maybe just nostalgy talking 😅

[Waervyn]

Not a huge fan of this expansion myself, mostly because generally I don't like mercenaries in games. They exist to often get rid of any weaknesses your army might have, which in turn reduces the personality of each army. 

[soak314]

1 hour ago, Moldek said:

I’m not too worried about the game moving too fast, but I am not sure I’ll buy this book mostly because I wasn’t impressed with the contents of the main one. It’s a fine rule book with a few really good pieces of art and some cool content, but I feel it lacks a bit of soul, something that makes you come back to read it and daydream about the setting. That’s actually one of the only weak points of modern GW to me. The products are more streamlined / professional but they have less atmosphere that for instance the mordheim rulebook or the 3rd ed 40k rulebook. But that’s maybe just nostalgy talking 😅

I'd say modern GW is the most I've been invested in the lore! For AoS specifically. It's because it's all new and exciting, and you're there at the genesis of it all.

I like to cite the Gloomspite book as a great example. It was the first rulebook I picked up, then began skimming, then promptly devoured completely. Even my beloved 40k orks had never had any of their codices read straight through in one go. The Gloomspite, FeC, Idoneth, Nurgle, and DoK books have all been fascinating reads.

There's a lot of stinkers too, however. Skaven is a bit of a prime example. Not a lot of culture in that book, it's all history. Which I understand, because they're such an iconic faction, they gotta largely stay the same.

The Warcry book is definitely a case of that too. I don't particularly jive with chaos myself, but the nurgle and BoC books held my attention, the Warcry book did not.

[Moldek]

@soak314 I’m not that invested in the lore of AoS, I think mainly because what grabs me first has always been the visual presentation. In the Warcry (and AoS) corebook, everything is very well done but it feels almost... corporate? I feel bad saying it cause I know the artists put a lot of work and passion in, and there is some good stuff, but when there is no converted model, no illustration that isn’t a purchasable model with an official name, it kinda stiffles my imagination.

That said I have heard a lot of good stuff about some of the battletomes like BoC, FEC and Gloomspite. I might buy one at some point but I’m mostly interested in skirmish games, and warcry seems to be a way better fit. 

[RuneBrush]

+++ MOD HAT +++

Just tidied this thread up.  In short piracy is unacceptable - it breaks both forum rules and IS ILLEGAL.

Thank you to those who reported the offending posts and in future can all members ensure they report any inappropriate comments.

[Overread]

2 hours ago, Moldek said:

@soak314 I’m not that invested in the lore of AoS, I think mainly because what grabs me first has always been the visual presentation. In the Warcry (and AoS) corebook, everything is very well done but it feels almost... corporate? I feel bad saying it cause I know the artists put a lot of work and passion in, and there is some good stuff, but when there is no converted model, no illustration that isn’t a purchasable model with an official name, it kinda stiffles my imagination.

That said I have heard a lot of good stuff about some of the battletomes like BoC, FEC and Gloomspite. I might buy one at some point but I’m mostly interested in skirmish games, and warcry seems to be a way better fit. 

Honestly I think for the core rule book and battletomes its best to stick to no conversions and only products you can buy. It makes it the most accessible to the beginner and it keeps the message clear on what is a model. In fact going back through the years I don't think GW has ever shown converted models in their codex/battletomes/rulebooks. If they have then its been rare or is way back in the ancient days. 

I don't see it as corporate, but more just being sensible with a product that must be designed for pros and beginners. Leave White Dwarf, Instagram, Facebook and the GW community pages and youtube as well as forum and facebook groups for conversions - a huge wealth of resources there! 

[Moldek]

26 minutes ago, Overread said:

Honestly I think for the core rule book and battletomes its best to stick to no conversions and only products you can buy. It makes it the most accessible to the beginner and it keeps the message clear on what is a model. In fact going back through the years I don't think GW has ever shown converted models in their codex/battletomes/rulebooks. If they have then its been rare or is way back in the ancient days. 

I don't see it as corporate, but more just being sensible with a product that must be designed for pros and beginners. Leave White Dwarf, Instagram, Facebook and the GW community pages and youtube as well as forum and facebook groups for conversions - a huge wealth of resources there! 

I just think there's a happy middle. It depends on what you consider the ancient days but for instance they used to have a few pages at the end of codices where they'd showcase some cool conversions. Same with the Mordheim rulebook and all those early 00's books.
It's aspirational and makes you excited to personalize your models, to me it was definitely a big draw as a beginner. That's one of the things that differentiates this hobby from video games or CCGs, just like creating your own paint scheme or lore. I'm not saying they should tell you to sculpt your own greater demon or go buy Perry Miniatures knights, buy why not tell you : once you get the basics, the sky's the limit. Converters buy 3 kits to make one model, that's good for them right?

Same goes with the art, you can use it to suggest a vast universe. Look at the atmospheric landscapes at the beginning of the warcry book, there is so much to love here! I just wish they had more of that, where the illustration are a window into the universe, and not just a realistic rendering of a specific model. For instance all the weird mutated globs and arcane symbols in the rulebook are cool. I'm not saying it's all bad, just that I wish they'd open it up a bit more.

And yeah there's facebook and youtube and tga... But a book with cool conversions and illustrations is something you cherish and come back to, it has value beyond the rules themselves. Otherwise it can feel like an overpriced catalog.

[Wraith01]

Unlike a few of you guys, I love AoS lore!!!

I got into the game because of the Stormcast Eternals, I loved the models and their story. I bought all the Realmgate Wars campaign books and and novels. It really bothered me when people would say the Stormcast were empty shells, because even in the first book they had them taking their helmets off and showing different characterizations, doubts and fears. They never where automatons they had personalities and that dystopian "MadMax" setting made total sense with the background... 

I think the Warcry book is great, the only faults I find in it is that it's softcover, they didn't fully reveal the 2 next factions and the binding comes apart easily.