help and advice Tips and advice for new or returning hobbyists

[Mohojoe]

Tips and advice for new or returning hobbyists

 

Hello there, Are you new to the hobby? Or perhaps you have been away for a large amount of time, distracted by getting ale and women/men-folk. Well don't you worry, I've got you covered. This thread is dedicated to helping you learn anything and everything you will need to know, as an Age of Sigmar Hobbyist. I will break down the thread into sections regarding different aspects of the hobby, including tips and advice that may benefit you or streamline a certain process. I am by no means a professional when it comes to any aspect of the hobby and this will not always be my opinions. Think of this thread more as an amalgamation of everyone's experience here at TGA, to ensure that you get the most out of our shared hobby. 

If you are reading this and believe that you can add something to the advice here then please check the bottom of the post for how to help. All contributions are warmly received 

So grab a drink, cast aside your weapon and kick that grot out of your favourite chair, and we will begin.

 

Contents:

• 1 - Hobby advice and equipment
• 1.0 - What will you need?
• 1.1 - Tools breakdown
• 1.2 - Basic paint equipment
• 1.3 - Paints in detail 
• 1.4 - A buyers guide
• 1.5 - Putting it all together
• 1.6 - Conversions
• 2 - Explaining the Game
• 2.0 - What is the difference between the game modes?
•  

 

 

Hobby advice and equipment 

 

What will I need? (1.0)

So you have caught the bug! perhaps you have seen a particular figure you would like to paint or maybe you have heady dreams of standing over a plethora of opponents at a tournament and proclaiming yourself king. Either way we all start at the bottom and we all begin with a few basic tools.

To build models you will need:

• Something to cut your models out of the sprue (The plastic frames that they come on)
• A glue to stick them together ( plastic glue for plastic, super glue for resin or metal)

These are the bare bones of tools but will do the job. Games workshop do a few fantastic kits for people new to the hobby and for £20 you can get this starter kit from their website which comes with 13 paints, a brush, glue and a set of clippers.  This isn't the only kit available out there but it is a darn good choice considering the quality of items associated with games workshop.

Tools Breakdown (1.1)

 

This section will look in more detail at some of the tools available to you out there. A lot of these may not be necessary to start with however they may improve the quality of your builds or seed up the process.

Sprue clippers:

These at first glance may seem like a luxury when you could simply pull the figures from the sprue or hack them free with a blade. They are however a very useful item. I spent a lot of my early years teasing models off their frames with my fingers (Ooh er!) and broke many of the fragile parts in the process. Sprue cutters make the job simple and easy and will speed up your building time no end. If you decide to build a horde army these things will be like gold dust to you. These days you can pick a pair up for pocket change, however it is worth investing in a good quality pair. The better the blade the cleaner the cut and the less effort you need to apply. 

Hobby knife: 

When you have clipped your models free from the frame you will likely notice that there is some excess plastic left over from the moulding process. I spent a lot of my early days ignoring it largely and my models looked awful because of it. As soon as you apply a lick of paint over the line they pop up and ruin your hard work. It is best to remove these with a sharp knife by gently running the blade across them to carve them away. These are SO cheap online now that there really is no excuse to not have one and they come in handy for so many different things. Always remember to cut away from yourself however as they are literally razor sharp. My thumbs have resemble corn beef if I am not careful when using one of these. Games Workshop have recently released their own tool specifically adapted to trimming mould lines and though I have not tried one yet, I have only heard great things and they look a far bit safer than a hobby knife.

Hobby Drill:

These are useful if you are working with heavy metal figures as they may require extra support to help the parts stick. To do this you can drill into the parts and join them with a thin bit of wire that will serve as a strong bond when you glue them together.

 

Rubber self healing mat:

These are very important if you are building on surfaces that you want to protect.  I usually paint on mine also and it usually prevents Mrs Moho from hitting me when I spill paint or cut too deep into a lovely work top.

Fine grit sandpaper:

A useful tool for tidying up any lumps and bumps your models may have from the moulding process or in a conversion. I have had mixed sucess using emery boards for a firmer surface. 

Glues:

Poly cement is the most common glue you will use for plastic. It is a permanent glue that works by melting the surfaces together to become one. I prefer to use Revel Contacta glue as it has a very fine needle applicator which is very useful in small models where you don't want to spill glue everywhere.

Super glue is useful for resin or metal models usually as they require a stronger glue. It works by drying hard and creating a bond between the two surfaces. It is however very brittle and can be used for sticking things down temporarily. Always remember to pop the lid of your glue back on when you are not using it as this stuff dries fast.

PVA Glue is also used for gluing flock to bases and other terrain. Its that white paste glue that you had in school.

Hot glue guns are a bit more of an industrial tool and work very well sticking heavy things down. They lend themselves well to large scenery.

Basic paint equipment (1.2)

To get started painting you will need a primer to undercoat your models (A spray paint that helps paint stick to your model), paint and brushes. I have a variety of brushes however I tend to always come back to using the same few so do not be deceived into thinking you need a different brush for each job to start with. I started with the army painter brush kit which comes in around £8 and will serve you very well until you decide to expand your tools. As for paints I recommend starting with games workshops own paints as they do a few starter kits and you will find it easier to follow the paint schemes on the boxes if you use the same paints. 

 

Paint in detail (1.3)

This section will go into a little bit more detail about specific paint brands and brushes and may serve you some use should you wish to delve a little deeper and refine your tools

 

Paints:

Citadel do a great range of paints that I tend to stick to, mostly as a lot of the painting tutorials use them and they are easy to get hold of. They are however quite expensive and have annoying bottles that don't always work terribly efficiently. There are many great brands out there that can be used instead; Scale 75, Vallejo and Army painter to name but a few. As art is such a subjective thing you will often encounter differing opinions on which paints you should use and I will not try to convince anyone here. What I will say however is do not be afraid to go outside of the GW range and try other paints. Often they are cheaper and may come in drop bottles which will make your paint last longer.

Paint brushes:

There are a vast amount of opinions out there on brushes however the majority tend to agree that sable hair brushes are the best. Indeed, in my experience they last longer and tend to hold their shape better. They are however made from the fur of animals and the practice of obtaining said hairs is not particularly nice. Synthetic brushes are also available from many retailers, they do the job fine however they do have a tendency to start to curl far sooner than a sable brush. The most favoured brand in my experience seems to be the Windsor and Newton series 7 kolinsky sable brushes ( these have an amazing reputation for being some of the best brushes out there). I have found the Citadel brushes to be a tad hit and miss for me and the quality has fluctuated with some being brilliant and others I have had being awful. Army painter do a good range of cheap brushes (a few cheap sets too) that work relatively well and if you are new I would recommend trying one of their multi packs until you learn a bit more about taking care of your brushes. There is no point spending £50 on some decent brushes only to destroy them within a week is there?

Masters paint brush cleaner and preserver:

On the topic of looking after your brushes this is a fantastic pomade that helps keep your brushes shape and extend their lifetime. I am not here to sell any particular brand and I don't get any handouts for advertising one (Though if anyone wants to send me a bunch of nurgle models I wont object ) however I have not yet found any product that does this job as well.

Stripping models of paint:

If you have some old models that you wish to repaint or you have bought some off ebay that have arrived looking like they were dipped in a paint pot it is possible to remove the old paint. What you use however varies on what the figure is made from. For most figures you can use a degreasing liquid such as Dettol or simple green all-purpose cleaner. You simply fill a jar with the liquid and place your miniatures in there. You may need to use an old tooth brush to tease off any really stubborn parts.  For metal figures you can use nail polish remover and an old toothbrush however on plastic this will melt your model! Its not an easy process but with a bit of elbow grease you will eventually have a shiny model again ready to receive a new paint job.

 

A buyers guide (1.4)

Buying miniatures:

When I first got into the hobby the only place I would buy figures would be my local GW store or occasionally a hobby or toy shop. Nowadays with the internet we are spoilt for choice and it pays to shop around. Many companies such as Element games, Firestorm games, Triple Helix and Wayland Games offer around a 20% reduction in price from GW's own website and often reward programs for continued business with them. I personally choose to use Element games as the service has always been top rate, however they are not the cheapest. Triple Helix often tend to have the best prices I have seen. 

Certain figures however you will not be able to buy from these shops as they are direct buy only from Games Workshop. 

Ebay is hugely popular for the buying and selling of miniatures these days however it pays to be careful when buying. Often figures are sold on here for more than the GW prices and figures that are harder to get hold of can often be sold for crazy prices. It is however a great place for finding less popular or discontinued miniatures. 

Here at TGA we also have a Sale and Trading area which can be great to find deals, earn some extra money or trade with fellow members. Always remember when dealing with people on the forums to be clear and honest about what you have or would like, provide good quality pictures so as everyone knows what they are getting and to be polite. When using paypal always pay for goods and services rather than sending money to friends and family. You may have to pay a small charge for transferring funds, but if osmething goes wrong TGA are not responsible and paypal is the only way to recover your funds.

The trading forum can be found here: http://www.tga.community/forums/forum/83-for-sale-and-trades/

 

Putting it all together (1.5)

OK, so you have your tools and you have your figures. What next?

Building your figures:

So first you will want to work out what you are going to build. There are usually two schools of thought for this depending on what you intend to do with your figures. The first is that you build them however you like depending on what you find looks the coolest. The second is that you intend to play the game and wish to build a unit to play with. If you are going with the latter you will need to work out what you would like them to do, based on the rules. For instance if I am building a unit of chaos warriors they have a lot of choices on weapons. I may choose to build them with swords and shields to make them defensive or with great weapons. Check the warscrolls for your model (Usually in the box with them!) and make sure you know what you want before you glue things together. 

Clip the parts out of the sprues and take care to remove any excess plastic with your hobby knife. This can be a long boring job but it will be worth it later when you come to paint them. The boxes of figures will usually have instructions with them on how to put together a figure and usually several options depending on the rules. Before gluing check that the part will fit and look ok. Its better to check twice and glue once. It is also worth baring in mind that it may be worth gluing parts in sub assemblies to make painting easier. For instance if your figure has a shield, consider whether it would be easier to paint the figure with the shield detached and glue it on after. The same goes for gluing a figure to a base. Is it worth gluing it straight on to its base or would it be easier for you to use blue-tack to temporarily fix it down and then glue it down once you have decorated your base?

Once your figure is built and you are ready to begin painting you will need to apply an undercoat. The point of a primer is to allow the paint to stick to the model and sometimes to supply a base colour. Different colour primers work better for different colours. If you wish to paint a model very light colours a black primer is not usually a wise choice, as it will take you more coats of your lighter layer to cover it. I have heard of people using a coloured primer to speed up their painting process ( Using Mournfang Brown for instance for a model with a lot of leather). Bare this in mind when choosing your primer as it may be helpful. When you use your primer make sure to shake the can well and use it in a well ventilated area, as it is a toxic paint. Try to avoid spraying in overly humid or cold conditions as it can affect your paint quality. Spray your model with the can around 30cm away and try to use small bursts, as if you apply too much paint you may find that you lose the models detail.  As a fairly famous fella always says, its better to use thin layers to build up a colour than just one thick one. 

Painting:

I wont go in to too much detail here, as there are tutorials around that explain things far better than I could. When painting the key is patience. Take your time and be methodical in your approach. Never paint form the pot straight to your model, always apply the paint to a pallet and add a little bit of water. This will help your paint flow smoothly and let you apply it in thin coats. Try not to get any paint in the ferrule of your brush ( the metal band that holds your bristles) as this will be hard to clean and usually damages your brush. Games Workshop have a youtube channel called Warhammer TV where Duncan Rhodes and friends often run tutorials of how to paint certain models and tips for certain styles. Youtube in general has a whole host of tutorials from some fantastic individuals and is a great resource for learning. Similarly people on the forums here are always keen to share advice and tips within the Painting and modelling section ( Found here: http://www.tga.community/forums/forum/27-painting-and-modelling/). A polite question here and there on a model you like will often result in someone explaining how they achieved that result and that is entirely what this hobby is about, sharing and community. 

Basing:

So you have a nice model painted and you want to get it all pimped out and on the table. But wait, its sitting on a boring black disc! Basing really allows your models to have an overlying theme and can make your paint job pop or even tell a story. There are several ways to achieve this. The traditional way is to glue flock and grit to the base and then paint it, giving a very natural texture. You can add static grass, extra bits from a model kit or even bits of sponge to simulate moss. There is really no limit to your options. If you would prefer something a little more extravagant there are several companies that sell resin bases. These are great if you would like a tiled floor for instance or perhaps a lava flow underneath your figure. Recently Games Workshop have joined in with the basing market and have released a set called Shattered Dominion bases which can add a great amount of character to any base and can be bought fairly cheaply. They have also recently begun creating a series of texture paints. These are paints that contain grit or sand, thus creating a texture when applied. Striland Mud for instance is a brown paint containing grit that looks like wet mud when dried. The possibilities really are endless. Once your figure is based you can paint the rim of the base to tidy it up or even add the figures name around the rim.

 

 

Conversions (1.6)

So you have made and painted a few models and are feeling a little more adventurous. How about building your own figure. Conversions relates to taking a model and changing it to make something truly unique. This can be simple as KitBashing ( Adding parts to a figure from a different model kit ) to sculpting ( using a putty like epoxy called Kneadite to sculpt entirely new properties to your figure). Kitbashing does not really require much of an explanation but it is worth keeping an eye on the scale of the parts you use to make sure they suit each other. You may sometimes need to cut or manipulate parts to make them fit well.

Sculpting is daunting to most beginners however it is one of my favourite parts of the hobby and one I recommend everyone to try. Often it involves the use of 'Green stuff' As it is affectionately known but there are alternatives such as milliputt and others, often which offer different properties. Green Stuff is a 2 part epoxy meaning it is composed of two materials that when combined harden. Standard greenstuff comes as a large strip comprised of a blue side and a yellow side and when they are combined it becomes a sticky green substance similar to blue tack. 

When using green stuff a lot comes down to personal preference. You will need some sort of lubricant to keep it malleable. Often people recommend vaseline however I choose to use water as I find vaseline overkill and it requires cleaning afterwards. If you dont use a lubricant like these you may find your green stuff sticks to everything it touches and is too hard to sculpt with. 

When it comes to tools you can literally use anything to get your requires scupt, however there are some very useful tools. I use a set of Royal Sovereign Colour Shapers, which are effectively paintbrushes with silicone tips rather than brush bristles. They allow you to create very organic shapes and blend the GS into your model very finely. Another good choice is dental tools, as strange as that sounds. They often have a variety of tips that can help you manipulate and tease your medium in an assortment of ways.

When you come to use GS you should first of all cut away the strip in the centre of your blue and yellow sides, as this part has often already cured and can affect your consistency. Once you have the amount you would like mix together your yellow and blue strips until you have an even green blob. Once you have become proficient with using this material you can achieve different results by using more or less of one colour to change its properties. The blue strip is the hardening agent of the epoxy, and by adding more of this into your mix you will achieve a harder setting medium that cures in less time and is better suited to big thick areas. By using more yellow within your mix you will get a lighter green medium that is stickier, takes longer to cure and is better suited for fine detail work. In most cases a 50/50 mix will suit most work until you wish to delve deeper. Once set green stuff is naturally a bit rubbery. It has a certain amount of movement within it and if you require something harder then I suggest you look at Milliput, which is a similar material but more suited to large coverage.

 

 

Explaining the game (2)

Ok so you have your figures assembled and painted and now you want to get to the bit where you lay waste to an opponent. You have a few options here as to how you do that but they all work around these basic rules:https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Rulesheets/warhammer-aos-rules-en.pdf

 

What is the difference between the game modes (2.0)

Open Play: 

This is the game mode where anything goes. You and your opponent have no constraints and can field as much or as little as you both decide is fair. These games tend to be more light hearted and allow you to play however you really like based around the simple 4 page rule sheet and is a great starting point for any new player

Narrative Game:

Narrative games are designed to allow you to tell a story through your game. These include playing scenarios, player made campaigns or events where your army can rise to glory. You do not always need to use points for your and it can widely depend on who is running the game for you. There are some official narrative scenarios that Games Workshop have included in the Generals Handbook ( a book GW have released that has point profiles for all the units and explains how to play the different ways to play. It also includes battleplans and scenarios that enhance gameplay).  These can consist of things such as a set amount of of stormcast must hold off against a horde of skeletons or there may be an objective that one player needs to complete. @HobbyHammer is also running an online narrative campaign that is well worth checking out if narrative is what rocks your boat.

Matched Play:

This was a type of game mode added that was intended to add balance to the game and allow for people to field "Equal" armies against each other. It is the basis for a lot of the tournaments and events. In matched play each unit and model is assigned a value and you must create an army up to a certain value, the most common of which seems to be 2000 points. The points for each unit can be found within the Generals Handbook, However, @scrollbuilderdude has created a fantastic site for the community to view each point cost and to create lists. It can be found here: http://www.scrollbuilder.com/  Matched play often entails certain restrictions which are put in place in order to create a level playing field between players.

 

 

 

 

*** Under Construction ***

 

Sections to be added:

 

• Contents
• Airbrushing
• Community Advice
• Hobby Tips and Tricks
• Rules
• How to build a list
• Your first match
• Tournaments 
• Contributors

The thread also needs to be formatted and I will add pictures and links to tutorials and websites.

 

This thread is still under construction and I will add more as and when I can. If you believe that you can add more detail to this thread, add something I have missed, correct something I have gotten wrong or have a tip or trick you would like added you can post in the comments, Pm me on here or send me a message on twitter ( Moho_Joe )

Thanks,

Mohojoe

 

Edited February 17, 2017 by Mohojoe

[Mohojoe]

Reserved for additional information #1

[Mohojoe]

If there is a topic that is not included that you would like to see, please comment with it and it will eventually be covered.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Mohojoe

[MrCharisma]

Hi @Mohojoe, firstly... this list is amazing. Congratulations on pulling up an insightful resource. 

I do have an observation. If I was a new player, I might feel overwhelmed with such a large list... at to be honest, a lot of it isn't required immediately. 

It could be beneficial if you split out the minimum requirements and the nice to have. 

[KHHaunts]

6 hours ago, MrCharisma said:

Hi @Mohojoe, firstly... this list is amazing. Congratulations on pulling up an insightful resource. 

I do have an observation. If I was a new player, I might feel overwhelmed with such a large list... at to be honest, a lot of it isn't required immediately. 

It could be beneficial if you split out the minimum requirements and the nice to have. 

And/or a summary list or bullet points to start.

[Mohojoe]

@MrCharisma @KHHaunts Great observations guys, will have a go a little later and see what I can do, currently the great wall of text isn't the most inviting. I am hoping to have a table of contents eventually so reading the entire post is not necessary if you are searching for something specific. Summary list is a great idea as well, will allow people to see whats in it quickly and choose if they need to read that section.

Thanks guys

[KHHaunts]

25 minutes ago, Mohojoe said:

@MrCharisma @KHHaunts Great observations guys, will have a go a little later and see what I can do, currently the great wall of text isn't the most inviting. I am hoping to have a table of contents eventually so reading the entire post is not necessary if you are searching for something specific. Summary list is a great idea as well, will allow people to see whats in it quickly and choose if they need to read that section.

Thanks guys

No problem. should have added that its an awesome set of information.

[DeadlySarcasm]

Amazing write up, going to sticky this.

[Mohojoe]

13 minutes ago, DeadlySarcasm said:

Amazing write up, going to sticky this.

Thank you kindly!

[SuperHappyTime]

#1 (or #0) needs to be "What is Age of Sigmar?"

I think many older people have no idea that the Warhammer Fantasy game they probably played (6th Ed, etc) is pretty much gone. Likewise new people to the hobby who have never heard of a wargame need to understand that getting into this game will be a massive sink for both time and money. If this is going to be a stickied Tips and Tricks, this needs to be Tip #1.

[Mohojoe]

1 hour ago, SuperHappyTime said:

#1 (or #0) needs to be "What is Age of Sigmar?"

I think many older people have no idea that the Warhammer Fantasy game they probably played (6th Ed, etc) is pretty much gone. Likewise new people to the hobby who have never heard of a wargame need to understand that getting into this game will be a massive sink for both time and money. If this is going to be a stickied Tips and Tricks, this needs to be Tip #1.

I think I will add something like that into the introduction when I get a chance. Good call

[Travis Baumann]

This is definitely a useful and welcome thread but it fell off just when it was getting to all the things I have questions on.

I played WFB and Rogue Trader in the mid '80's until early 1990, then went to college, picked it back up about five years later and played again until 2000.  Have not touched a miniature or game since then and coming back to GW is kind of confusing. 

I downloaded the free rules and all of the warscrolls in PDF format and then started joining communities like this.  The no points thing was super confusing but see that this was addressed in the General's Handbook (which I have not bought yet as there is so much talk of the next one right around the corner).

I downloaded the APP which has access to a lot of the warscrolls but a bunch of stuff is locked, it is not all free at all - all the Battalions are locked, all of the Tzeentch stuff is locked, etc.

Here are my questions:

1.  What do I need to actually make an army and understand it?  Do I need General's Handbook + Faction Book + Battle Tome?  If so, this sounds exactly like old WFB with Armies books with all of the power creep and Codex trump possibilities of old with whichever army waiting for an updated Tome which brings them for a small window into the current - is that how this works?

2. Where are the "Keywords" discussed?  I didn't see them in the main 4 pg rules and don't understand how any of that works

3. How do you find out about Battlions, Synergies, Buffs, Spells, and Magic Items?  (playing on Scrollbuilder website is really confusing, it does not really explain anything so somewhere other than the free warscrolls and main rules this stuff must be explained).

I am trying to figure out what army to focus on.  I have a ton of really really old GW models to start a core Dark Elf army, High Elf Army, and maybe a Skeleton Hord but I know for sure the Dark Elves do not have a Battle Tome yet and their free warscrolls are kind of meh.  Are they discussed in any book (somehow they are in Order?  Do not understand that) or are they really that handicapped at the moment?

Of the new armies I like the Sylvaneth a lot but don't want to invest in a whole new army until I have played a few games and utilized the closet full of GW stuff I already have so I am hoping to be able to put together some sort of force that is both viable and looks cool.

[Soulsmith]

@Travis Baumann Hey buddy, lemme see if I can help you out:

1: Ultimately, to properly understand an army all you will need is the faction's book. The GHB has points for matched play but isn't a requirement (also you can probably find an image of whichever force you want.)

2: Keywords are at the bottom of a units Warscroll. For example, a Tzeentch Lord of Change (Magic blue chicken) has the keywords Chaos, meaning it is faction chaos, Daemon, Tzeentch, Monster, Hero, Wizard, Lord of Change. This means abilities or weapons which effect any of those, such as the Tzaangors banner which works off friendly keyword wizard, would work with the Lord of Change.

3: generally by reading the warscrolls and trying to get your brain around it all. This forum really helps me, some people are great list builders. Battalions will be in the faction's book.

The Dark Aelves are listed in Order as whilst they are malicious, they live in an ordered society of cities. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a bunch in chaos one day with Slaanesh. So the Order book would have what you needed.

 

[Mohojoe]

@Travis Baumann

Hey, this is the next bit I will be adding, hoping to sort it out tomorrow evening after work and such. 

In the mean time a really good place to learn how armies function: https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics

Take it with a pinch of salt however it does break down units and give you a flavour of how things work in age of sigmar.

1:  If you are in open play you can literally take whatever looks fair. You really only need the app ( for the warscrolls, you can look on the GW website and there will be a part under each model you look at that allows you to check their pdf warscrolls if you cannot use the app) and the 4 page rule sheet. The battletomes usually just contain these bunched together and the generals handbook contains scenarios, points and extensive rules for narrative and competitive play. Plenty of armies without battletomes are viable still, my group doesn't have an army in it with a new battletome and they are all very competitive. 

2: Keywords are at the bottom of the warscrolls. They tend to relate to abilities on the warscrolls themselves. So for instance if a spell affects monsters only it would only affect units that have the monster keyword

3: Battalions usually come from books and have been made by GW so you access them by buying the book. However they tend to get shared about. https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics usually has a list of battalions under each army for you to see which they have access to. all the rest of it is on the warscrolls themselves. They almost resemble a collectable card game with the card explaining the abilities and such. The exception to this is each factions artifacts and allegiance ability which are found in the generals handbook, however they can be found elsewhere on the web what they do ( will find you a link tomorrow ).

 

Sylvaneth are one of the better armies for synergy I feel but really it depends what you want to play for. Rumours have been cast around about Dark aelves having updates this year but I personally wouldnt want to start an army based on rumours. From waht you say you have you could play both of aelf factions under the order alliance or you could go with death which I find very fun. 

 

Hope some of this helps and I will be sure to add more to the main post when I have a chance, 

Cheers

[Travis Baumann]

Thanks guys, it helps very much.  I would have a hard time fielding High/Wood Aelves on the same side with Dark Aelves... I know in the AoS world it is supposedly a thing but hard to wrap my head around having loved the Dark ones since I first saw a drawing of a Drow over 30 years ago.

 

The new figures looks so much cooler than the old ones.  I have to resist dropping a ton of cash for now until I actually get some games in.  My old gaming group broke up and went their separate ways, often on different continents at this point so I have to go check out the local scene and see if I am down to play (from Los Angeles).

[Mohojoe]

Hi all, Just a quick message to say this hasn't been abandoned. I have an essay deadline for Uni tomorrow and I have been doing extra hours at work to get a job done. With any luck I can get back on this tomorrow afternoon. If there is anything you all want added ASAP please pop it in the comments and I will add it when I get a chance,

 

Thanks

[MacDuff]

Mohojoe, it's thoughtful free material like this that you've done which makes this community so great.

[Mohojoe]

Hello all,

Sorry for the long hiatus, however this is currently the busiest time of the year for me with work and university. 

I recently received some very nice private messages from people about the thread and it reminded me that I have not updated it in a long time. 

Hopefully I will be able to add some additional information and their tips and advice soon.

Happy Hobbying!

[Chillpill]

As someone who has recently picked up AoS, I can highly recommend Goblingaming to anyone who is looking to order stuff online. 

[Krzyek]

Where I can find some overall fluff/storyline behind Age of Sigmar and the stormcast ethernals?

[Nin Win]

31 minutes ago, Krzyek said:

Where I can find some overall fluff/storyline behind Age of Sigmar and the stormcast ethernals?

http://ageofsigmar.wikia.com/wiki/Ages

Basically if you just explore around that wiki for a while, you'll get a good idea.

Though I think this other wiki has a better Stormcast section:

http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Stormcast_Eternals

[Krzyek]

Just now, Nin Win said:

http://ageofsigmar.wikia.com/wiki/Ages

Basically if you just explore around that wiki for a while, you'll get a good idea.

Though I think this other wiki has a better Stormcast section:

http://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Stormcast_Eternals

Thanks

[j0lt]

This is great information, it's been a number of years since I've returned and the most dramatic change for me has been the quality of paints available across many different ranges which is a potential slip up!

[Black Waltz]

Another returning gamer here.  Can anyone suggest any reading about the different realms themselves? I know the new rulebook is set to go into a bit of depth (with maps!) but I was hoping to get my teeth into something beforehand, the wikis all seem to be a bit light on fluff.

[makeshifts]

On 6/7/2018 at 11:42 PM, Black Waltz said:

Another returning gamer here.  Can anyone suggest any reading about the different realms themselves? I know the new rulebook is set to go into a bit of depth (with maps!) but I was hoping to get my teeth into something beforehand, the wikis all seem to be a bit light on fluff.

If it's fluff you're after then defiantly pick up the Core Book, it's got so much good content.
You could check out the "Travelling Through the Realms" series from miniwargaming on youtube.