New Battletome Direction - What would you like to see?

[Aelven]

So with it being confirmed that Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch is on the way in what will see a unification of all things Tzeentch including 3 main subfactions Aracanties, Daemons and Mortals.

 

What army/factions would you like to see updated next? I guess Duardin would be a possibility bringing the trio of Dispossessed, Fyreslayers and Steampunk together?

Personally I would love to see Aelfs done like this (username checks out). How could it be done though? Perhaps the trio (if we are going to see trios from now on) would be Light, Dark and maybe Wanderer. But perhaps something new altogether as I feel the wanderers may reunite with Sylvaneth. If its just light and dark then perhaps that would be pretty cool if each side has there own lore and tactics but fuse together to create some crazy combinations.

Chaos should be pretty straight forward with each god having his own super book like Tzeentch.

Destruction is a funny one as they have only just started to break it apart and now they would be going backwards if they reunited orcs and goblins.

Death just makes sense to merge them all and bring in some new models to tie it all together.

 

Thoughts?

Edit: To add to this my initial impression was that this new format is very similar to an MMO like WoW with talent trees. You pick your main army battletome (Like a class) then you can choose to specialise in an allegiance (Like talent trees)

[chord]

I would like to see Order get some better allegiance abilities.  

[RuneBrush]

Khorne   However I do think some of the other factions need a little love first: Death, Duardin, Aelves I think all need something.

I'd like to see a bit of choice rather than a fixed way of fielding an army - so come up with a nice fluffy combined Battletome: Oruks, but if somebody wishes to stick with Ironjawz then they can because it's got all of the flavour bits in it's own Battletome.

I've only two reservations - the first is please, please, please don't make it so we need a dozen Battletomes to field one army, one Battletome with some printed Warscrolls is more than enough (especially with the GHb).  Second is to not stick with a fixed format - Tzeentch lends itself to 3 sub-factions, Khorne works fine with 2 (mortal and daemon) etc.

[Double Misfire]

Armies of Azyrazyheim - basically all the old human/dwarf/aelf factions from the back of the Grand Alliance Order book. All the background in GA: Order for the individual factions is my favourite so far for AoS. You could have different command traits and artefacts for humans, duardin and aelves like the ones for mortals, deamons and archanites, and some really cool background about these guys being the natives of Azyrheim now living in the cities the guys in the Tzeentch video went into so much detail about. Dispossessed make much more sense fighting alongside the Azyrheim factions than Fyreslayers background-wise anyway!

Skaven with all the clans under one roof seems like a logical choice too but bleh, Skaven - the book should probably come with a health warning.

[Mohojoe]

Ogors,

I am not saying they need it the most, but do I want them? Hell yes, new characters and new fluff to bring them up to date would be awesome. potentially a few new sculpts to really tickle the pickle. 

 

Other than that I would really like to see some freeguilds love, I have always wanted to do a low fantasy army with them but I dont really wanna touch them until I see an update just in case models are scrapped. 

Failing that potentially a book for the underwater mer-men / Giant crab army I have in my head. It could be a real thing, honest.

[SuperHappyTime]

Considering Tzeentch Arcanites are currently just three leaders when they should have included all the Silver Tower models to be Tzeentch's "Bloodbound", I like this change. Makes me feel like it's going a Hosts of Slaanesh route instead of separate Daemons and Mortals, which is better.

[Falandris]

I feel like Seraphon are in a serious need of an update; a lot of their stuff feels really dated. I guess a rewording of their summoning would be nice as well, since a lot of that stuff is kind of useless - perhaps they need something like the wording in the death factions to fill their ranks up again. The Engine of the Gods feels kind of useless atm, I would really like a change in that regard.  Additionally they need something against mortal wounds and maybe an own lore, so the slanns gets playable again.. stuff like that

 

(As the smart reader may deduce - I obviously want to build a slann/engine of the god themed list, but its not really working under GH).

[TerrorPenguin]

I'll be happy for any sort of death release. 

Please

But it does really need a rethink if this is the direction we are going in. Maybe each of the Mortarchs gets a battletome and allegiance e.g Arkhan for Deathrattle; Mannfred for Soulblight. A new spooky Mortarch for Nighthaunt; Problem is that would make too few allegiances and therefore either one big book or lots of small ones.

Either that or they release loads of new models and battletomes in 2017 for death, which would make my wallet explode

[Vasshpit]

I think that all three grot factions could be concolidated into one battletome effectively.

So I guess that's what I'd like to see.

Side note, I hope to see the Ironjawz range expanded to equal Storms, Bloodbound and now Tzeentch and not left behind.

Unless they expect goblins to fill out other roles and ultimately just play grand alliance.....

Also I'd like units that aren't big enough for full faction, like Troggoth and gargants, get a "free agent" type of keyword to be used across all factions.

[buffalozap]

1 hour ago, Aelven said:

Personally I would love to see Aelfs done like this (username checks out). How could it be done though? Perhaps the trio (if we are going to see trios from now on) would be Light, Dark and maybe Wanderer. But perhaps something new altogether as I feel the wanderers may reunite with Sylvaneth. If its just light and dark then perhaps that would be pretty cool if each side has there own lore and tactics but fuse together to create some crazy combinations.

 

That would be ideal. Allow for armies to include units from all elf factions without penalties or in specific formations. I want my Malekith the Eternity King army back. 

[Tuluth]

I think there are a few good ways that future Battletomes can go. We all want expanded factions for the greatly underrepresented ones (Troggoths, all the Aelf sub-factions, Goblins). As long as the tomes still expand the flavor, background, and different lore of a race.

I personally want to see more allegiance flavors for staying within a sub-faction (such as Ironjawz), with battalions that can plug holes, and let you keep your allegiance. Something along the lines of a formation to add Leadbelchers or a Scrap-launcher to Ironjawz to fill a ranged option as an example (They're big, tough, and still enjoy a good ol' scrap).

[Kaleb Daark]

Bretonnia.

I'd like to see the Bretonni back.

I imagine the AoS Bretonni much darker, more gritty.  Perhaps when the old world gave it's last gasp what was left of a once proud nation were given a new hope of fighting the forces of chaos once again. A long lost realmgate activating and opening revealing a far more ancient realm where the true origins of the race lay. not the lies told by the arrogant lying dog log elf witch.

An ancient realm where it was not the lady who held sway, but ancient druids, and stone circles were the religion. Where chivalry was not dead, nor was knightly virtue abandoned but where it was intertwined with the beasts and the land as to be a unifying force for good.  The Free people, or whatever he empire are calling themelves have their guns and their contraptions, but the Bretonni have the elementals and the creatures of myth and legend to aid them.

 

Perhaps they have allies in the form of centaurs, who are from a bygone era/world where they fought the perversions of chaos and beastmen hand in hand with the humans, and perhaps it is from them that the early Bretonni learnt their horsemanship and nobility.

Paladin Kinghts riding into battle on dragons, and perhaps hippogriff cavalry supporting the lighter pegasus knights.

trebuchets who's volley turned into fireballs in mid air and a people with a burning desire to reforge their pride or acquire something lost in the age of myth.

 

I know it's a Narnia mashup, but for me it would set Bretonnia apart from free people and stormcast, and it ties in old ancient fluff from back in 2nd and 3rd ed as well.  The model line is already there, in the form of the old storm of magic range, the villains such as the dark emmesary and the enemies in this new land as provided by the monstrous arcanum- skin wolves, Fimir, troll hags and other fairytale nightmares.

 

what think ye?

[buffalozap]

15 minutes ago, Kaleb Daark said:

what think ye?

I hate to be the guy who tells you this but I don't think you heard.  The lady of the lake was actually an elf who tricked the Bretonnians into thinking she was their god in order to use them as a pawn in the elves larger plans to fight chaos...  That was one of the cruelest reveals in the end times books.

 

On the flip side maybe the Bretonnians could meme their lady of the lake into existence like one of the Eldar gods of old. Their faith could make it happen.  I think there is good reason to think this is possible because after years of being declared dead Bretonnians are more viable and popular now than they have ever been in the last decade. 

[shinros]

Death can really benefit from this new battle tome format. You can have a vampire, skeleton and mordant general table. With two lore's lore of necromancy and lore of death. etc This new format will benefit death greatly, honestly superhappytime is quite correct that host's of slaanesh is already in a somewhat similar format it's just that they don't have a tome yet. 

I think it's telling Death has not been done yet in context of all the other factions have way more tomes than us since Death largely still fights the same as a "grand alliance" of sorts. Since fluff wise there is a rather clear hierarchy and they still fight the same in all the recent books. I think disciples of tzeentch was the test. 

[Kaleb Daark]

Just now, buffalozap said:

I hate to be the guy who tells you this but I don't think you heard.  The lady of the lake was actually an elf who tricked the Bretonnians into thinking she was their god in order to use them as a pawn in the elves larger plans to fight chaos...  That was one of the cruelest reveals in the end times books.

 

On the flip side maybe the Bretonnians could meme their lady of the lake into existence like one of the elder gods of old. Their faith could make it happen.  I think there is good reason to think this is possible because after years of being declared dead Bretonnians are more viable and popular now than they have ever been in the last decade. 

Indeed. Hence to the calling her the elf witch.  Duke Jerrod's story arc was probably one of the most poignant for me in the end times.   That and the imagery conjoured up by the dwarf ancestor ghosts filling the holes in the shield wall.

I see the darker Bretonnia as having abandoned all faith in the lady, and the whole lady of lake entirely, almost going from Thomas Mallory Morte D'Arthur chivalric to a more darker celtic/albion/dark ages vibe.  Think Slaine the king and Beauwolf rather than full on camelot with chrome armour.

[buffalozap]

2 minutes ago, Kaleb Daark said:

I see the darker Bretonnia as having abandoned all faith in the lady, and the whole lady of lake entirely, almost going from Thomas Mallory Morte D'Arthur chivalric to a more darker celtic/albion/dark ages vibe.  Think Slaine the king and Beauwolf rather than full on camelot with chrome armour.

That would be awesome!

[Broxus]

10 hours ago, chord said:

I would like to see Order get some better allegiance abilities.  

I would be ok with this when the go back and remove many of the free bonuses they get against chaos and daemons.   These bonuses really skew the points balance out when playing against some factions for no reason.  They should either always have these bonuses and have them pointed in their costs or have them removed.  Also, they need to rework what the order battline units are.  For example does it make sense judicators are a battline unit for any order army?  I don't think any specialized ranged units should be battleline in any grand alliance.  Battleline units are now what have made some armies viable and others not viable.

[Jamopower]

14 hours ago, Aelven said:

 

Personally I would love to see Aelfs done like this (username checks out). How could it be done though? Perhaps the trio (if we are going to see trios from now on) would be Light, Dark and maybe Wanderer. But perhaps something new altogether as I feel the wanderers may reunite with Sylvaneth. If its just light and dark then perhaps that would be pretty cool if each side has there own lore and tactics but fuse together to create some crazy combinations.

 

It would be really nice to have common Aelf allegiance for everything with that keyword, but also more specialized "sectorial factions" for stuff like the swifthawks or wanderers. Only that with bit less fragmented. For example the white lions could be combined with swifthawks etc. This could work also for Dwarfs and humans and would provide many fun possibilities for themed armies.

[harrocks]

actually, I like the idea of a bretonnia / narnia vibe, and think it would suit the planes thing well.

[chord]

10 hours ago, Broxus said:

I would be ok with this when the go back and remove many of the free bonuses they get against chaos and daemons.   These bonuses really skew the points balance out when playing against some factions for no reason.  They should either always have these bonuses and have them pointed in their costs or have them removed.  Also, they need to rework what the order battline units are.  For example does it make sense judicators are a battline unit for any order army?  I don't think any specialized ranged units should be battleline in any grand alliance.  Battleline units are now what have made some armies viable and others not viable.

I do partially agree about Battleline. I would like to see Allegiance specific battlelines abolished and just got with it's battleline or not.  I think this could lead to more unique grand alliance armies.

[Aeryenn]

I don't mind more collevtive battletome as long as it is as detailed as smaller battletomes brought together.

It'd be easier for me to tell what I DON'T want. If they decide to make Duardin Battletome I dont want it to be "Fyreslayers & the rest". If they want to do Ogors Battletome I don't want it to be "Beastclaw Raiders & the rest". I don't want to play "the rest". Story & fluff are most important to me. If they'd already decided (labeled in GA factions) to divide Duardin to Steamhead, Fyreslayers and Dispossessed I don't want the situation that we are not getting detailed stories of Steamhead and Dispossessed. I don't want them to be some random guys looking like dwarfs. I want them to have story, personality, goals, heroes. Same goes for other factions. Skavens. There is already Skavenblight Battletome. I'd love to see Clan Eshin Battletome. That is one thing that changed Warhammer for better. Bringing more detail to those armies. I don't want GW to go back. Maybe it will cost them more work (especially writers) but I believe it is worth it. I can see Tzeentch however to get taht kind of book. Chaos divided by Chaos god is enough. How detailed is Disciples of Tzeentch in regards of stories for mortals and demons?