Arks of Omen: AOS Style

[Neverchosen]

Hey folks,

I have been really interested in the idea of Arks of Omen and how it could translate into Age of Sigmar. For those unfamiliar it is the upcoming narrative event in 40k with an emphasis of close quarters fighting on abandoned space vessels. The idea is for smaller scale 500 point battles and excluding larger scale vehicles and models. Each time a preview has been shared I have seen ideas swirling in the Rumour thread, and thought it might be fun to ponder what an Age of Sigmar equivalent might entail.

Would you like to see an updated Mordheim with combat in abandoned and barricaded streets? Winding corridors of a Silver tower? The mines, caverns, caves or dungeons of duardin, skaven or gloomspite gitz? The decks of a mighty Arkanaut Battleship?

What would you like to see for a similar system for AOS and what narrative event would best drive it?

Edited November 25, 2022 by Neverchosen

[KingBrodd]

The idea for some reason hadnt occurred to me and you made it real!! 

Id love to have it the AOS version take place in a Duardin Dispossessed Stronghold. Long abandoned since the Age of Chaos, word has gotten out of untold treasures within the Peak and Factions have started to make their plays!!

[Neverchosen]

3 hours ago, KingBrodd said:

The idea for some reason hadnt occurred to me and you made it real!! 

Id love to have it the AOS version take place in a Duardin Dispossessed Stronghold. Long abandoned since the Age of Chaos, word has gotten out of untold treasures within the Peak and Factions have started to make their plays!!

I could imagine this being a cool way to introduce Grombrindal into the game, like a heroic version of the Vashtorr the Arkifane reveal.

This would also be a cool way of bringing Chaos Dwarfs into the lore. 🤩

Edited November 25, 2022 by Neverchosen

[Baron Klatz]

12 hours ago, Neverchosen said:

For those unfamiliar it is the upcoming narrative event in 40k with an emphasis of close quarters fighting on abandoned space vessels.

(Looks over at the crashed abandoned Seraphon space vessel we’ve been fighting closer towards in the Gnarlwoods)

Yeah I think I have a candidate.  

Lots of Realmshaper enhanced monsters crawling around alongside Azyr dinos & toads coated in anti-magic/chaos starvenoms and tons of high-tech laser traps everywhere to vaporize an unlucky party in the interior-grown jungles of the ship.

Edit: if it’s meant to serve as a Edition & Realm shift too then we can open a portal that either goes to Aqshy and has us fight among the Inifity Gears the Seraphon need to repower their ship or a umbral portal opens and puts us in a Ulgulian floating fortress as moon daemons attack and try to kill everyone as they plan to break through the portal, control the ship and use it to spread to other moons while planting more shadow parasites on multiple realms.

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Baron Klatz

[Neverchosen]

9 minutes ago, Baron Klatz said:

(Looks over at the crashed abandoned Seraphon space vessel we’ve been fighting closer towards in the Gnarlwoods)

Yeah I think I have a candidate.  

Lots of Realmshaper enhanced monsters crawling around alongside Azyr dinos & toads coated in anti-magic/chaos starvenoms and tons of high-tech laser traps everywhere to vaporize an unlucky party in the interior-grown jungles of the ship.

This is brilliant and I would love to see it. I can also totally imagine the Dawn Bringers and their Imperialist push into the realms resulting in some Temple Guard on an abandoned ship showing them that there is more than Chaos in the lands they are trying to claim. 

[EntMan]

6 minutes ago, Neverchosen said:

This is brilliant and I would love to see it. I can also totally imagine the Dawn Bringers and their Imperialist push into the realms resulting in some Temple Guard on an abandoned ship showing them that there is more than Chaos in the lands they are trying to claim. 

Aren't mainline AoS as well as Warcry and Underworlds now all set in and around the Gnarlwood? Suggesting potential for some big narrative event.

[KingBrodd]

Just now, EntMan said:

Aren't mainline AoS as well as Warcry and Underworlds now all set in and around the Gnarlwood? Suggesting potential for some big narrative event.

I really hope they go somewhere with it and Seasons of War Gallet is actually Seasons of War Gnarlwood.

I want the narrative to keep moving in AOS, one event every 3 years isnt enough, in 30 years we cant sit here and say these 10 things have happened!!

[EntMan]

1 minute ago, KingBrodd said:

I want the narrative to keep moving in AOS, one event every 3 years isnt enough

Seriously, the Skaven must be sitting around wondering why they bothered destroying the Old World!

[Neverchosen]

Sooo we are saying that the Seraphon Templeship crashed into Skaven city and that our campaign will take place in the corridors of a templeship leading into a massive cavernous skaven city?

Sold!

[EntMan]

5 minutes ago, Neverchosen said:

Sooo we are saying that the Seraphon Templeship crashed into Skaven city and that our campaign will take place in the corridors of a templeship leading into a massive cavernous skaven city?

Sold!

Yes, that's exactly what happened. In the process all the old tired looking Skaven and Seraphon warriors, who looked like they were from a different age, were wiped out, before a combination of the hoarded warpstone interacting with the realmshaper engines led to both forces experiencing some kind of refresh across the whole range of their warriors.

Maybe.

[Shankelton]

In general, I've certainly felt the sting of stagnating story/ world development lately. Broken Realms was amazing, and I was so into the community discussion going on at the time.

We could really use more of a consistent release of information/ maybe a info website/wiki GW curates. Im reminded of an old WH community article about currency in the mortal realms, and how they vary from realm to realm, and how different races/ places value things higher then others.

Give me more of that between the narratives at least

 

[Baron Klatz]

1 hour ago, Shankelton said:

In general, I've certainly felt the sting of stagnating story/ world development lately. Broken Realms was amazing, and I was so into the community discussion going on at the time.

We could really use more of a consistent release of information/ maybe a info website/wiki GW curates. Im reminded of an old WH community article about currency in the mortal realms, and how they vary from realm to realm, and how different races/ places value things higher then others.

Give me more of that between the narratives at least

 

A narrative archive on the Warhammer Community would be nice.

The White Dwarf Flashpoint series has been great following Ka-Rokk* through the magazines who’s on a vision quest leading a Waaagh from northern Lendu in Rondhol down to Everquake city at the bottom.

Which has narratively been a fantastic “filler arc” as we get see battles in the plains, sea crossings made hazardous by predatory aelf-squid hybrids-

-info on the city of Brinnock which is making special magic armor for the crusades from an ancient forge that can fuse metal, stone & bone together but keep it light enough for a human to wear and some info on the Ogor lord Glittermaw who’s selling out Man-Eater forces to aid the crusades(more business partners potential).

Lynx’s Crescent introduced us to a new God-Beast and landmass it created:

“Sarathrasca is a female Godbeast that resembled a feline that attempted to hunt Gorkamorka during the Age of Myth. 

It is said that she lost a claw during her hunt which became the Lynx's Crescent in Rondhol. “

“The Lynx's Crescent is a promontory and part of Rondhol, a continent in the Realm of Beasts. 

The crescent is notorious for the cunning of its feline predators whose intricately patterned amber pelts are coveted by many.”

“In the Age of Sigmar it was invaded by Targug the Cleaver, a Ogor corsair-captain whose fleet made landfall on the Crescent to hunt the felines. As they used the simple but brutal method of burning them out of the lairs, they quickly came into conflict with both the local Sylvaneth and also the Kharadron Overlords who already traded in the pelts and had outposts in the area. “

“Inhabitants:
Kharadron Overlords: They have well-armed, mid-altitude outposts in the area. 

Sylvaneth: Protective of the felines and other creatures, they hunt poachers.”

 

Then we got to the river lanes that are patrolled by a widespread River Warden Stormhost the Kraken Blades who among others are out there to either recover Artefacts or find lost races to forge new alliances.

“White Dwarf Issue 479
Lands of Rivers and Rage, Pg. 26-33

Enter one of Sigmar's Stormhosts: the Kraken Blades. Drawn from coastal and sea-reaving tribes, these Stormcasts are renowned for employing flanking forces like the tentacles of the beast from whom they take their name. Such tactics and self-reliant dicisions of force are well-suited to navigating the valleys of Lendu and thrashing waterways of Rondhol.”

Also implications that the living amber avalanche, Drakatoa, that engulfed Gorkamorka back in the Age of Myth is hiding and healing beneath the Lendu fault lines after Sigmar splattered it to free the Destruction god.

and now it’s leading up to the siege of Everquake city itself.(a rough and tumble free city known for gladiator events and using large dice made from gargant bones)

*Ka-Rokk himself is the crazy leader from the 2016 Ironjawz tome. He leads those blue orruks with checkered armor.

 

lastly on currencies they’re still expanding on them through the novels & Soulbound. So far there’s 60 known varieties through the Realms. 🪙 

https://ageofsigmar.lexicanum.com/wiki/Currency_of_the_Mortal_Realms#List_of_Commodity_Currencies

 

[Shankelton]

28 minutes ago, Baron Klatz said:

A narrative archive on the Warhammer Community would be nice.

The White Dwarf Flashpoint series has been great following Ka-Rokk* through the magazines who’s on a vision quest leading a Waaagh from northern Lendu in Rondhol down to Everquake city at the bottom.

Which has narratively been a fantastic “filler arc” as we get see battles in the plains, sea crossings made hazardous by predatory aelf-squid hybrids-

-info on the city of Brinnock which is making special magic armor for the crusades from an ancient forge that can fuse metal, stone & bone together but keep it light enough for a human to wear and some info on the Ogor lord Glittermaw who’s selling out Man-Eater forces to aid the crusades(more business partners potential).

Lynx’s Crescent introduced us to a new God-Beast and landmass it created:

“Sarathrasca is a female Godbeast that resembled a feline that attempted to hunt Gorkamorka during the Age of Myth. 

It is said that she lost a claw during her hunt which became the Lynx's Crescent in Rondhol. “

“The Lynx's Crescent is a promontory and part of Rondhol, a continent in the Realm of Beasts. 

The crescent is notorious for the cunning of its feline predators whose intricately patterned amber pelts are coveted by many.”

“In the Age of Sigmar it was invaded by Targug the Cleaver, a Ogor corsair-captain whose fleet made landfall on the Crescent to hunt the felines. As they used the simple but brutal method of burning them out of the lairs, they quickly came into conflict with both the local Sylvaneth and also the Kharadron Overlords who already traded in the pelts and had outposts in the area. “

“Inhabitants:
Kharadron Overlords: They have well-armed, mid-altitude outposts in the area. 

Sylvaneth: Protective of the felines and other creatures, they hunt poachers.”

 

Then we got to the river lanes that are patrolled by a widespread River Warden Stormhost the Kraken Blades who among others are out there to either recover Artefacts or find lost races to forge new alliances.

“White Dwarf Issue 479
Lands of Rivers and Rage, Pg. 26-33

Enter one of Sigmar's Stormhosts: the Kraken Blades. Drawn from coastal and sea-reaving tribes, these Stormcasts are renowned for employing flanking forces like the tentacles of the beast from whom they take their name. Such tactics and self-reliant dicisions of force are well-suited to navigating the valleys of Lendu and thrashing waterways of Rondhol.”

Also implications that the living amber avalanche, Drakatoa, that engulfed Gorkamorka back in the Age of Myth is hiding and healing beneath the Lendu fault lines after Sigmar splattered it to free the Destruction god.

and now it’s leading up to the siege of Everquake city itself.(a rough and tumble free city known for gladiator events and using large dice made from gargant bones)

*Ka-Rokk himself is the crazy leader from the 2016 Ironjawz tome. He leads those blue orruks with checkered armor.

 

lastly on currencies they’re still expanding on them through the novels & Soulbound. So far there’s 60 known varieties through the Realms. 🪙 

https://ageofsigmar.lexicanum.com/wiki/Currency_of_the_Mortal_Realms#List_of_Commodity_Currencies

 

See. This went kinda over my head that it was even happening, because I dont tend to turn to novels for world building research and especially not white dwarf.

Why not create a wiki style page filled with all of this stuff. I'd happily even sub to warhammer plus if they wanted to tie it behind something.

[Baron Klatz]

They’ll likely start putting the issues on Warhammer+ after the event is over, the vaults have a lot of magazines that are close to recent.

Usually this leads to changes expanded upon later like the God-beast Hrunspuul, hound of the cairns, was talked about in the WD first and how he created a new vampire bloodline before Cursed City and the Vyrkos Dynasty of werewolf-vampires hit the scene in the Gravelords release.

I suspect the flashpoint aftermath will affect the next season of war and the CoS reboot(Brinnock with that super armor) and expand in the battletomes.

But yeah, I do wish they advertised the story arcs more than just quick article highlights on Warcom. A “Flashpoint where we are now” section that summarizes stuff like I just did would be very appreciated and show the story is moving.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Baron Klatz

[Beliman]

I'm really curious about Ark of Omens. I think that it could be a lot better in AoS, games between 500 and 1000p build around interiors, like under-realms such Gloomspites lairs, lost  Karaks, Stormvaults,... and exteriors  like playing some "bigger skirmishes than warcry" in any city, anyone remember Streets of Death, just a polished rules to play around small streets and A LOT of Garrisons (Ulfenkarn could be a really good battleplan).

Edited November 25, 2022 by Beliman

[CommissarRotke]

6 minutes ago, Beliman said:

I'm really curious about Ark of Omens. I think that it could be a lot better in AoS, games between 500 and 1000p build around interior like under-realms such Gloomspites lairs, lost  Karaks, Stormvaults,... and exteriors  like playing soem "bigger skirmishes than warcry" in any city, anyone remember Streets of Death, just a polished rules to play around small streets and A LOT of Garrisons (Ulfenkarn could be a really good battleplan).

I agree, there's so much more than open battlefields in (high) fantasy settings... would absolutely love to see a proper 500-1000 point game for AOS.

[Neverchosen]

Yeah that is my exact feeling, I am particularly interested in building boards for the interior decks of large wooden battleships, and fortress for some siege style narrative play.

[CommissarRotke]

3 minutes ago, Neverchosen said:

Yeah that is my exact feeling, I am particularly interested in building boards for the interior decks of large wooden battleships, and fortress for some siege style narrative play.

sky ships, water ships, any kind of megastructures like cathedrals, ossuaries, indoor markets, transport station, etc!! There's so many places!

[Neverchosen]

23 minutes ago, CommissarRotke said:

 cathedrals

Actually a Stormkeep is a really obvious setting that I had not considered interestingly enough. 

[Baron Klatz]

Mobile structures would be fun too like fighting on city-sized Cogforts that you run around activating shield generators or erratic gales from an increased movement or other places on the backs of monsters like the Crawling City on the back of a dreadworm or that sanctuary  village on the back of a wandering Mountain Spirit in Soulbound.

And literally any Deepkin city, guard isle or undersea monster-back city would have a lot of fun scenarios with battling in air pockets.

[CommissarRotke]

18 minutes ago, Neverchosen said:

Actually a Stormkeep is a really obvious setting that I had not considered interestingly enough. 

Stormkeep could probably be an entire campaign unto itself too iirc descriptions from @Baron Klatz

[Baron Klatz]

Indeed, since a Stormkeep usually has the vital job of guarding a Realmgate to which the majority of civilization in that region depends on they’re regularly city-sized fortresses alone full of powerful siege defenses, statues that can shoot lightning, various types of golems, soul bridges that allow Stormcast souls to travel to Azyr quicker and reforge faster allowing them to get back to the same siege and at times a group of Seraphon who help maintain the more erratic Realmgates(since they can come in the form of mists, waterfalls, fissures, pools. The structured ones we know are the most safest).

and Stormkeeps come in all shapes and sizes to suit their Realmgate or other vital magical object with some adapting to their environment and blending in while others become stark opposition to forces of magic around them which makes all kinds of keeps from land, underground, sea and air.

If there was a Stormkeep quest I’d probably put it in Chamon’s Spire sub-realm after Belakor blew up most of the Realmgates and clouded up those skies so it’s an abandoned one the Stormhost didn’t see a reason to further protect without a gate and community at risk from constant manifesting cursed skies daemon hordes.

Maybe some powerful artifacts and realmstones were uncovered in it by daring explorers or Dispossessed too stubborn to leave the daemon claimed lands which brings up opportunities for warriors braving the Age of Chaos threats brought back to the region seeking to claim the lost Stormkeep as their own for one reason or another be it restoration or it’s total destruction.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Baron Klatz

[Neverchosen]

Here are some rules previews for the new Boarding Action rules. I can't dive to deeply but it does seem like there are some movement rules which are the things most likely adaptable for AOS. 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/12/29/warhammer-40000-boarding-actions-how-does-this-tense-new-game-mode-play/

[Skreech Verminking]

Skaven tunnel wars, would probably fit the theme exponentially well.

It would also give for the opportunity to update the skaven, and reinstalling the dispossessed as a real aos faction.

wouldn’t it be fun to have the three coolest army in the game to promote such an idea.

dwarfs vs. Gloomspite gitz, vs. Skaven.

the ultimate lore friendly campaign book 

 

[Maddpainting]

GW has done cave rules before in older core books, I believe 2nd rules had a full narrative already base around this (might have been 40k also)? Just used more normal core rules and added a lot of restrictions to list building. You can look into that for some ideas too.