Thondia grand strategies with new GHB?

[TechnoVampire]

Hi there,

can anyone tell me if by the rules you can use the grand strategies from the thondia battlepack when playing the rules/ battleplans from the new GHB? 
 

Thanks! 

[Dogmantra]

In open play or a casual game with the approval of your opponent, yes.

In strict matched play though, you follow the rules for a single battlepack, so if you were using the current GHB battleplans, that means picking a grand strategy from the GHB or from your battletome/white dwarf. You can't use Thondia grand strategies for the same reason you can't pick a GHB 2021 Grand Strategy, you're not playing that battlepack.

[TechnoVampire]

On 7/30/2022 at 9:51 PM, Dogmantra said:

In open play or a casual game with the approval of your opponent, yes.

In strict matched play though, you follow the rules for a single battlepack, so if you were using the current GHB battleplans, that means picking a grand strategy from the GHB or from your battletome/white dwarf. You can't use Thondia grand strategies for the same reason you can't pick a GHB 2021 Grand Strategy, you're not playing that battlepack.

Thanks for this. I think I follow. I’m just a bit confused by the system of having GHB’s, battlepacks and core rules. Does a GHB count as a battle pack and is therefor self contained?

It seems that sometimes rules/ content from a GHB can be combined with a separate battlepack within matched play, like the previous GHB could be combined with thondia… or maybe I’m mistaken. I feel like I’ve confused myself and it’s maybe not that complex 😅

[Dogmantra]

5 hours ago, TechnoVampire said:

Thanks for this. I think I follow. I’m just a bit confused by the system of having GHB’s, battlepacks and core rules. Does a GHB count as a battle pack and is therefor self contained?

Yes, that's the easiest way to look at it. It's a little bit confusing because the GHB is designed to serve two purposes, as a rulebook for the game in general, and as the latest Pitched Battles battlepack. But what's helpful is that the current GHB is all you need to play the current Pitched Battles battlepack, which is the most popular way to play.

 

According to the core rules, a battlepack consists of:
- Army selection rules (e.g. a table telling you how many battleline to bring, whether you can bring endless spells)
- Special rules - this is where you get your grand strategies and battle tactics.
- Battleplans

The GHB splits this section out using the tabs, and it's the very first section in the book, labelled Pitched Battles 2022-2023 Season 1 (and then the subsequent battleplans section). Everything else in the GHB is not part of the battlepack and is just a vehicle for updating and distributing the core rules.

The battlepacks currently published for AoS3 Matched Play as far as I know are:
- Pitched Battles 2022-2023 Season 1 (the current GHB)
- Pitched Battles 2021-2022 (old GHB)
- Contest of Generals (matched play core rulebook)
- Strife in Thondia

[TechnoVampire]

Thanks, that’s really helpful. Your answer feels very comprehensive and helps clears things up a lot. Appreciate you taking the time! 
 

The current pace of rules changes feels like a lot to me, (although I’m a very casual player). I’ll have maybe played a few games of the current edition of the GHB by the time it changes again in a few months… it feels like quite a lot to keep up with, and it’s a tricky system to try and explain when introducing new players.