Jump to content

Skirmish


Recommended Posts

or they wanted to put something out that competed with Hinterlands. Let's face it, AOS28 and Hinterlands are better products (or ideas, whatever you want to call them) than anything GW has come out to try and push or advertise AOS.


Or they wanted to have something that was official, that could be played in stores/locations where playing "unofficial" supplements is not encouraged. Something they could stand behind as another way to play, and bring people into the game.

Remember that better is subjective. Are AOS28 and Hinterlands better "skirmish" type games? Well, maybe yes. They have a much more in-depth system. So, maybe? Are they better cut down versions of the main AoS game? .... maybe not.

In many cases the quote "the perfect is the enemy of the good... or good enough"

For example... I picked up Gorechosen, or Silver Tower, or Shadows over Hammerhal.

Skirmish allows me to play small mini games with the board game minis that I have, using the same basic rules for the full game.

Even if I don't have anything near enough put together to play a full game.

If I decide that I like how it plays... then I expand my forces, maybe even play a full game, using the rules that I've picked up from Skirmish. If not ... I try another force.

Consider that, AOS28 and Hinterlands are not just "scaled down" and shrunk versions of AoS. They are fully blown skirmish systems, with stuff that doesn't exist in an official "Chapter Approved" status.

Do I like both AOS28 and Hinterlands systems?

YES!

But one can't teach someone to play either of those variations and then do a direct transition to full AoS unit based combat with the official rules.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 55
  • Created
  • Last Reply
3 hours ago, WarbossKurgan said:

I don't understand why they used a formula for Renown rather than GHB points

My expectation is that they don't want people to determine that GW is making "points per model" an official thing. So they're using points per model, but it's modified enough that it's clearly different and separate from AoS Matched Play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, TheOtherJosh said:

But one can't teach someone to play either of those variations and then do a direct transition to full AoS unit based combat with the official rules.

 

Umm... what? I'm not sure I quite get this point.

It's no easier or harder to transition from Hinterlands to full AoS than it is to transition from Skirmish to full AoS.

In all honesty, there's not a huge amount of difference between Hinterlands and Skirmish. I'd say the main differences lie in the fact that Hinterlands has points for everything and that it has a more complex progression system.

Now GW made a pure marketing decision, not a balance one, not to include points for everything. It's frustrating, but I think people just need to accept it for what it is, and use the unnofficial points if they really care.

The progression system on the other hand, I think is where most people have an issue. I think coming from Hinterlands, people wanted the same kind of thing, where models die or models get upgraded as they gain more experience. Skirmish being a low model count game, means that it's more interesting to drive a narrative. But the progression system given in the book, is a more 'Tournament' style progression system. I don't mind it for what it is, but I can certainly see how people would find it lacking.

 

But overall, I wouldn't say there's a huge amount of differences between Skirmish and Hinterlands. It's just there are differences in some key areas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umm... what? I'm not sure I quite get this point.
It's no easier or harder to transition from Hinterlands to full AoS than it is to transition from Skirmish to full AoS.

...
 
But overall, I wouldn't say there's a huge amount of differences between Skirmish and Hinterlands. It's just there are differences in some key areas.


The rules for AoS Skirmish, with the exception of how battleshock tests are done and the defined "no summoning" and individual models are units of their own, are the same rules as "non-skirmish" combined with a new list of command ability options (expanding the non-skirmish list) artefacts and different options for mysterious terrain.

As of v2.2.1 Hinterlands has Leveling, advancement, retiring characters, experience, injuries, hiring and new new "rules of three".

Both systems have a variation on the "underdog gambit".

If you teach someone AoS skirmish, you can tell them "instead of models being a unit of their own you have to keep them within an inch of other members of their warscroll" "here's how battleshock is different" and "you can use the reinforcement options on the warscroll and for summoning." And here's the alternate charts for traits, artefacts and mysterious terrain.

Hinterlands is more like Mordheim and Shadow War. Same basic stuff? Sure. But, lots more that is different than the base. Too complex for a true skirmish style game? No... but lots more to unload mentally in the transition to full tabletop AoS.

Hinterlands is Skirmish cranked up to 11. I think it's pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing the transition to a AoS Skirmish compatible version.



Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, TheOtherJosh said:

The rules for AoS Skirmish, with the exception of how battleshock tests are done and the defined "no summoning" and individual models are units of their own, are the same rules as "non-skirmish" combined with a new list of command ability options (expanding the non-skirmish list) artefacts and different options for mysterious terrain.

As of v2.2.1 Hinterlands has Leveling, advancement, retiring characters, experience, injuries, hiring and new new "rules of three".

Both systems have a variation on the "underdog gambit".

If you teach someone AoS skirmish, you can tell them "instead of models being a unit of their own you have to keep them within an inch of other members of their warscroll" "here's how battleshock is different" and "you can use the reinforcement options on the warscroll and for summoning." And here's the alternate charts for traits, artefacts and mysterious terrain.

Hinterlands is more like Mordheim and Shadow War. Same basic stuff? Sure. But, lots more that is different than the base. Too complex for a true skirmish style game? No... but lots more to unload mentally in the transition to full tabletop AoS.

Hinterlands is Skirmish cranked up to 11. I think it's pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing the transition to a AoS Skirmish compatible version.

 

Agree to disagree.

Personally I don't find Hinterlands that much more complex than Skirmish. It's just more complex in the right area (post-game), and all it takes is one more sentence to let a player know that "You can ignore post-game in full games of Age of Sigmar". Post-game is the biggest difference between Skirmish and Hinterlands, and I'm sure will probably be the main focus of the Hinterlands expansion in the next release.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My primary goal for skirmish gaming is to enjoy low model count games using fun scenarios that are over in an hour.  My secondary goal is to have a growing warband be something that can eventually become a "normal" Age of Sigmar army for anyone who participates.  So for my purposes, the Skirmish book is better than Hinterlands/AoS28.  It just does something different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...