The Mysterious Mr B

Duardin getting what they're owed is what it's all about!

Time for the Dispossessed to become the Repossessed! Maybe my theory about the meaning of Grungni 'shaking up the pantheon' is more accurate than even I thought.

I know Grungni was involved on the (re)forging of the new type of Stromcast, but when I read this I immediately thought a new Duardin faction could be in the works. Shaking up the balance of the pantheon? Sounds more than just him helping Sigmar. That wouldn't really be shaking up the balance. And by this point the new Stormcast have already been talked about, so is this something else...? Rumours for the Rumour Throne! Uh, rumour thread, sorry. From this, by the way, bottom right on the penultimate spread:

I love how they don't look frail, like aelves are sometimes imagined to be. They look like they'd be able to stand their ground in a fight.

The various tribes of the Eightpoints (i.e. the Warcry warbands) have differing interpretations of who or what they each worship, and focus on differing aspects of Chaos as a whole and each individual Chaos god. I can't point to a specific example at the moment but I'm sure somewhere it at least hints at the Chaos god they are worshipping not always being the same. For example, maybe the Untamed Beasts worship Khorne without necessarily knowing it when they fight, then worship Slaanesh when they do something excessive, and so on. I might have imagined it but there might be something similar inplied for Slaves to Darkness in their battletome and general lore - which god they worship at any time being more fluid for some segments of their society than for others. That would make sense for any followers of Archon, considering he is champion of the pantheon!

The Nameless One is correct. Pages 24-26 to be precise. Enjoy!

In terms of lore, or in-game?

I'm going to contradict my previous answer now because humans are fallible and we are capable of complex, situational thought. 😁 Technically the letter of the law states 'Thle unit can then move up to that distance in inches'. If you roll a 1 to run and decide to move 0, that is still 'up to' 1. You have already declared you are running so the run sequence has started and you have moved 'up to' whatever you rolled. So in that respect, you have 'run' a distance of 0". Note the word 'technically' and the phrase 'letter of the law'. If you're at a tournament, maybe stick to rules as written unless a judge says otherwise or the opponent is gracious enough to offer a take-back without you even asking. However, in your original question you mentioned you were at your gaming group. Surely we have to allow ourselves a bit of relaxation within our local gaming groups, playing by the spirit of the law in a way that is still fair and fun. In combat, if a soldier says 'Let's leg it!' and then realises that his unit wouldn't be able to run as far as he was hoping and it would be better for them to keep fighting a bit longer, they'd just keep fighting and still be able to do anything they would have been able to do had he not said anything and the result was the same - they remain in combat. At a local club or game store, Wheaton's Law must surely be the most important rule for any player.

If you haven't moved, you haven't moved. Think of it this way: How many times did you fight? 0. Then you haven't fought. How many models died? 0. Then no models died. So how many inches did you move? 0. Then you haven't moved.

Does anyone know of any home-brewed Tyranid battletomes (essentially just the warscrolls and allegiance abilities, etc)?

To some degree (note the emphasis) it's down to your personal preference. Do you want it to feel like a skirmish game? Then build and play your army in that way. Do you want to it feel more rank and file? Then build and play with that in mind. You can't control what the opponent does, but if your half of the game feels that way to you, you're halfway there. 50% might be the best you're going to get. Of course, you'd still be playing within a ruleset that you personally feels skewed more skirmish or less skirmish, however you interpret it, but there's a certain degree of flexibility within that ruleset to play how you want. I know that doesn't directly answer your question as to whether AoS is or isn't a 'skirmish game', but the discussion seems to have established that what a 'skirmish game' actually consists of is pretty nebulous. So if what 'skirmish' means is personal taste, maybe you can bring your own personal interpretation to AoS and play it in the way you wish it were (i.e. more skirmish or less skirmish). 'Be the change you want to see in the world!'

As far as I am aware there is no rule to say a model has to face a certain direction in combat (or at any other time). My experience is that people do indeed position their models in such a way as to get the maximum impact from them, no matter which way the model is 'facing'. In lore-terms, the fighters aren't static anyway - a large creature would move the bulk of its body around for full combat effectiveness, swinging and swaying this way and that as it fights. In game-terms, you are playing by the rules as written. Whether all opponents believe you are playing by the spirit of the law, rather than just the letter of the law... well that will be on a person-by-person basis but as far as I have experienced , virtually everyone does it and I can't see it being an issue.

Ahh, so are you saying most Bloodtoofs players just ignore the whole relegate thing entirely and see it as a way for the designers the balance it out - the rest of what Bloodtoofs get is so good it doesn't matter not having a usable Command Trait? Because if so, doesn't that make them pretty unique in all of AoS? I can't think of another faction or subfaction for which it's just accepted by the vast majority of players of that sub/faction that one of their benefits intentionally isn't used as a 'tax' due to how good their other benefits are. My original questions still stand, for anyone who does use realmgates.

Isn't the red symbol for March's release just like the picture from this card, referring to the Silent People of Beastgrave?

Part of me wonders whether so many people would take such large unit sizes if the whole 'how many drops' system when setting up armies before the game were to change. If it were to change, it would probably have to go hand in hand with how first turn is decided changing, and potentially how the turns work over all.

I'd love to see some sort of Devoted of Sigmar/standing armies of Azyr theme. The artwork of the mortal 'helpers' (for want of a better word!) in the Stormcast battletome and the various illustrations of life in each realm in the AoS big book are exquisite! For specific examples see p59 of the Stormcast 'tome - the attendants and hangers-on of the Celestant-Prime could easily be units in their own rights! And pages 87, 93, 99 and 105 in the AoS big book - as soon as I saw them when I first got my hands on that book my mind was racing with possibilities!

Re. Bloodtoofs' Get Da Realmgate command trait I love the sound of the Bloodtoofs' abilites... except I find the whole realmgate thing a bit odd as it's not something I've ever experienced anyone actually using. Is it worth going Bloodtoofs if not using a realmgate, and if so are you missing out on a command trait that other warclans have as you'd basically be sacrificing having a useable command trait? If taking a realmgate, how exactly does it work in terms of setting it up/them up (and do you take one or two?)? Do you just rock up to the game with a realmgate/s, declare you're going to use it and plonk it down wherever on the board... and it doesn't cost points?? I know it would depend on context - is it your local club or a tournament, etc, but as a general rule of thumb, how do Bloodtoofs players go about it? Does your opponent ever have an issue with it, or even say they're OK with it but clearly are seething inside and it sours the mood of the match? Or does it essentially work like the free (in terms of points) army-specific terrain pieces other factions get to use? As a side question but related, I don't have the 'official' model but do have these (see image), which believe it or not are meant to go in fish tanks but I think look just as good if not better than the GW models, and certainly thematic for a Destruction army! Anyway, the question is - at your average FLGS or games club, how bothered do you think people would be about these not being the 'proper' size, etc? (I've searched 'Bloodtoofs', 'Baleful' and 'Realmgate' and I haven't come across anyone specifically discussing this topic, but apologies if it's been done to death and I've just missed it somehow!)

Ahh, the Search function! I hadn't realised that was an option or even seen it until you mentioned it! It sounds like axe or sword for the daemon prince, ensorcelled weapons or spears for the knights don't make a huge amount of difference but I definitely appreciated the answer and was very interested in your point about making them Khorne. I have only really used StD as Undivided, though not for any real game-related reason, more lore and not making my mind up. As for the Gorebeasts, the real reason was that someone was selling them dirt cheap on eBay (probably shifting them for this very reason!) so thought I'd go for it. I wish they had better rules to go with (what I think, at least) are pretty kick-ass looking models... alas. That said, I think there's something about them in the new Morathi book so I'll have to keep my eyes open for any shred of hope...

Hi all! StD collector (alongside half a dozen other armies!) for a while now but I've never had any success with them on the tabletop, but then I've not played with them since the Battletome came out so I'm hoping the Chaos Gods will smile on me now! Previously I'm mostly just built according to the rule of cool, i.e, whatever I think looks best. Now they seem to be at least a potential contender on the tabletop (rather than being laughed off it by any army with a proper book!) I want to take them a bit more seriously. So two build questions: 1. Sword or Axe for the Daemon Prince? Pros and cons of each? 2. I have 10 Knights, all with Lances (rule of cool - I think the lances look awesome!). But now I look at their warscroll again I think I've made a mistake, but I'm not sure either way! Would Ensorcelled Weapons be better? I would probably take them as two units of 5, if that makes much difference, but could be persuaded to make them a single unit of 10. Bonus question: Which of the Chaos Gods corrupted and warped my mind into thinking having four Gorebeast Chariots made any sense? (Apologies if either of these topics have been discussed already. I tried looking back through several pages but without reading 100+ pages there's no guarantee!)

Local tournament or all day to play? Sure, use all the rules. A short evening after work at the local club, just to unwind with familiar faces and enjoy a scrap? All the extra rules slow it down and prove too much to remember and think about, even in 'matched play'. Whether this is truly matched play or not, who knows. In a way, I don't think it matters if it is or isn't.

A lot of people here and in the rumour thread seem sure it is a Death faction. I'm not saying it's not... I just think the people above who have mentioned Ogors might be more along the right lines. The reveal directly before the 'Tithe' video was the Ogor Tyrant reveal, the video for which mentions a 'Pact of Bones' and a 'Feast of Bones'. There's no reason the 'Tithe of Bones' isn't related to that, especially considering the accent in both videos - linking them thematically. If that's the case, could the 'master' mentioned simply be the Great Maw or another Ogor deity? Regarding the homeland, it is the one who was locked up who has returned to their homeland, but their 'master' could have been from the World that Was.

Where did this come from?

Nice one! I've added our story-report of last week's battle.

My new Legions of Nagash army faced their first opponent last Wednesday - who just so happened to be Santa (above). Although it was a matched-play battle and I used a few as-of-yet unpainted units, in the spirit of the narrative nature of this Tale of Gamers I wanted to give an overview of the battle in story form... (Forgive me, Santa, for any inaccuracies in events of the battle!) The Battle of the Realmstone Rock or, A Scout's Tale It was a dark and rainy evening, though not a cloud could be seen. This was the first sign that something was not right when the scout from the Free City of Eksettor set out from the city gates. It was the start of First Harvest yet there was an unnatural chill in the air, and he knew he must set off to find answers before the answers came uninvited to the gates of his beloved city. Cresting the hill which lay to the west of one of the farming hamlets that populated the countryside surrounding the city, the scout's horse came to a sudden stop. Dismounting and putting his spy-glass to his eye he saw why. The whole hamlet was covered in frost, giving off a strange glow which made the buildings seem as though something from a dream. In the exact centre of the hamlet's deserted market square floated what the scout could only describe as a spherical rock, hovering no less than three feet from the ground. The scout's horse was restless. He could smell something on the air. The scent of death. Suddenly the horse bolted - startled by movement coming from one of the four small burial sites near the floating rock. A hand, slowly but purposefully pushing up from beneath the dirt. Then another, and another and another. The scout almost started running after his horse, but his fascination at the events unfolding before his eyes compelled him to instead creep down the hill to take cover behind an overturned cart on the edge of the hamlet, and watch from afar. After a matter of moments a whole army stood before him. Each soldier a skeleton, and in the centre of them all was one wearing the robes and crown of royalty. From one of the buildings came an old man. A lone straggler from the hamlet? The scout put his spy-glass once more to his eye. No, this was no unlucky farmer - it was a powerful mage, who was able to control many of the lesser skeletal warriors. The scout knew it was now or never - he had to warn the Chiefs of Eksettor. As he began to scramble back up the hill, trying with all his will to stay out of sight, over the crest of the hill flew a mighty beast of bone - atop which sat one of the Lord of Death's own Mortarchs. Neither the skeletal beast nor its rider paid the scout any attention, fixated as they were on the hovering rock in the hamlet square. As the scout started again to scramble up the hill, he looked over his shoulder to see whether he was being pursued. He saw that from the far side of the hamlet approached another army - one of flesh and breath and life. Had Eksettor already heard and sent help? Wait - these were not soldiers of the Freeguild. They were Aelves of the Darkling Covens. Why were they here? Who did they fight for - Sigmar or for their own, dark schemes? It took mere seconds for the armies to rush towards each other, or more accurately rush towards the rock in the centre. It was obviously of great import to both forces. Ten deathly riders reached it first, the one leading them managing to manipulate the rock to follow aside it. Yet it didn't get far, for Darklings with cruel blades were upon the riders with fleetness of foot only Aelves can employ. To match the Mortarch, the Darklings had brought their own mighty beast of the air - a black dragon upon which sat a sorceress whose beauty was matched only by her mastery over the magical arts. She kicked her heels into her otherworldly steed and drove it forward to meet battle. The skeletons had brought up most of their numbers to support the undead knights who were still in possession of the rock, and the sound of clashing metal, tearing flesh and crunching bones reverberated off the walls of the hamlet and the surrounding hills. The scout watched in horror as the two forces were locked in a struggle of will, might and magic. For every ten skeletons the Aelves knocked down or destroyed from afar with crossbow bolts, more rose up from the graves scattered about the hamlet. The Darklings sent their own riders down the flanks in an attempt to encircle the deathly forces and cut off any escape route the skeletal riders might take to speed the rock away. The scout had only just realised he was soaked through - the rain was still pouring down from the cloudless sky, hampering the attempts of the Darkling missiles and slowing down anything or anyone attempting to charge their enemy. He gathered his wits about him and made off again to the top of the hill. One last time he looked back over the battle. The battle seemed to be going in the favour of the skeletal force as a single spell from the Mortarch wiped out a whole unit of Darklings. They grew in age at a rapid rate until they breathed their last and turned to dust. That was it - the scout had to get back to Eksettor before the Darklings were wiped out and nothing was left to stop the skeletons marching upon the City. But before he was able to reorient himself in the right direction, the tide of battle had turned. Though their numbers were more than halved and the rain persisted in hampering their ranged troops, the Darlings had managed to kill the necromancer and bring the skeletons out of range of the mystical graves which had allowed them to reanimate at enough speed to be of any use. As more and more skeletons were wiped out not to return, the Aelves were able to gain possession of the rock. With that, the Mortarch flew high into the air and away from the battle, knowing that the day was lost. It didn't take long for the Darklings to crush the few remaining skeletons and make their own way from the battlefield, now in possession of the mysterious rock. As quickly as battle was met, the hamlet was once again deserted. The scout sat on the damp ground and tried to piece together all that he had just seen. Who in Eksettor would even believe his story? He sighed. It would be a long walk back without his horse. With that, the rain stopped. He laid back on the ground and looked up at the sky, once again naturally light and clear. A muddy, boney hand shot up from the sodden ground next to his head - skeletal fingers clasping over his mouth and nose. ------- A guardsman stood on duty on the walls of Eksettor, glad for the rain to have stopped and his view of the surrounding fields to return to how it should be. Looking out toward the little farmland hamlet he was born and raised in, he saw a horse wandering towards his gate. Atop it sat a lone figure. It was draped in sodden rags. Loosefitting, as though made for a bigger man. As though the man inside was... nothing but bones.

Today, the core force is painted... Nagash promises King Ardur that he may return to rebuild the ruins of Adalon in the Realm of Life, and reign there for all eternity... but first he must follow Emissary Arkhan through each of the Realms, building up his army of undead from those they slay in each Realm.