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BOC were basically booted off their land by Sigmar and his pals when they colonised the realms and its implied in the Lore that they had their own form of organised civilisation before that occured. But I mean they have their own civilisation anyway. Civilisation just means a self- concious social and cultural structure and they have that.

This may have already been pointed out but the Witch Hunter and Aelf are absolutely Mortal Realms proxies for their respective characters in Vermintide. I wouldn't buy much into a new faction release on the basis of a narrative one shot. Blackstone Fortress was tauted by the designers as an opportunity to play with aspects of the 40k Universe that don't necessarily befit mass tabletop representation but still deserves some miniature representation and TT focus , I think it's going to be the same with this.

I predicted the Slaanesh stuff a year and a half ago,including that there would be two factions, an initial release building on what existed and then something more radical as Slaanesh's release became more focal in the lore. The main themes are pretty broad, its not hard to identify them. AOS is driven by the personality and relationships of the Gods, and there's not many of them, and over the past year and a half it's revisited Warhammer lore pretty strongly too. A lot of people on here have made educated guesses which panned out pretty much by connecting those dots and a few bits from Shadespire etc .

Yes although since the Hedonites they've been really pushing the aelven aspects of Slaanesh, especially in the physiology. The Masque and associated demons are very reminiscent of Aelven stuff, they dial in on the same more primal aelven aspect that the Tree Spites do for Sylvaneth, and the Nemarti. Sigvald could easily be an aelf too. Lot of shared themes between Slaanesh and the Aelven lines-lithe, muscular torsos, lots of hair, tall, dynamic poses, skirts and robes, horns, good gender representation, mutations between nature and Aelf.

Doubt it, they wouldnt risk saturation like that I don't think. Malerion Elves vs ? is my strongest instinct. I predicted the Slaanesh arc about a year and a half ago more or less exactly, I'm pretty sure I know where it's going in the grand scheme of things and although Slaanesh is being released I dont think on the tabletop that is going to manifest itself beyond the Mortals and Hedonites for a while. Slaanesh is trapped but its followers aren't. The release will be big in the lore but along with Nagash it's been the main hype/teaser line for all of the second edition. They will introduce a new mystery patron questline for 3. Pretty sure Malerion is going to pop up after the other Aelven deities are spent and Slaanesh is released. To do what- I dont know. Probably something with Sigmar though as hes been quiet for a long time. Most likely will coincide with Shadespire or AOS warhammer quest in Ulgu. Then I expect some form of Grungni presence I think because over the next few editions of Shadespire Chamon and Aqshy have to come into play.

Campaign Books, Endless Spells and Dual boxes/Limited release models are clearly GW's DLC model by now, a way of setting up a seasonal hype cycle for an already existing product. There will be more of this sort of stuff, not less, for the foreseeable future,so long as it sells

Games Workshop don't release things on the basis of fairness or equality for their ranges though. They sell what's good for the IP, and the Slaanesh centrality of that has been obvious since the release of second edition. Storytelling and Lore will always sell more for GW than equal representation on the tabletop. Always has been the case, always will be. Theres zero reason to ever expect in either 40k or AOS for there to be anything approaching parity in faction representation. The fiction is what drives the product and no popular story has ever been about 15+ protagonists equally. The basis of Warhammer is that Chaos is the narrative centre, so its model ranges are always evolving and involved (although again, never equally) and the main protagonists are those close to it at any point. You have your side factions who have their own stories which are explored in off-season moments but basically if your narrative dosent place you close to Chaos, you dont get to come off the bench as it were until that changes.

Only thing I would add to this excellent post is that I feel as though the Lumineth are basically the Elves Circa War of the Beard, which is to say, at their zenith. Which lore wise is interesting and all but it does break the balance somewhat, as Elves are just too good pound for pound to exist in any great number without it seeing pretty absurd. Their decline and scarcity was part of their supernatiral prowess being believable and not egregious. With the Lumineth that isnt so much the case and I think it adds a tension to the other aspects that you mention which makes them feel somewhat implausible. I suppose you could point to their splendid isolation on Hysh, as with Ulthuan, as being a corrective to that though.

People pay for what's in the box. If those added value aspects you mention are removed or changed, the consumer is not entitled to a refund or to say what they bought has changed. Because what they bought is the same. It was never offered as part of the product. Now I will grant that many people might deem that the price they pay is as you say because of that attendant value of other aspects of the hobby and that such inflates the price. But it's not an explicit part of the product. What you actually buy is what's in the box. And the box explicitly states what is in the box which is a plastic model(s) instructions to put it together and a war scroll as part of that . No more, no less. As with anything, people will pay what they think is fair, or they won't, that's all relative. But what people are buying is not.

Absolutley. You buy what's in the box, which is a model, that's it. You dont buy a model that is guaranteed to perform well on the tabletop consistently or at all, or that will even be guaranteed to be legal on the tabletop in 3 years, or even within a rule set or system that will continue to be supported.

GW minis are a luxury product. They are completely unnecessary for anyone to buy. They do not need to be sustainable.

I'm pretty sure at this point that GW have eyes on prizes outside of minis. Obviously that will be their main focus for the immediate future but pandemic permitting I think they'll be looking at becoming a media franchise proper- cinema, tv, merchandise etc. Their trademarks and IP and most importantly their capacity to reinvent and add to it and keep pace with commercially woke/acceptable diversity trends (to clarify, I am not dismissing the importance of either of these, but clarifying the existencev of a specific commercial expectation for what that means, which Disney have established very effectively the past few years) are now commercial strengths which are too big to be maintained to a niche hobby. If GW do not see themselves doing this independently, I expect an astonishingly expensive take over by one of the entertainment monopolies who already have that structure in place. They will continue to make and create games of course in the same manner that Marvel continue to publish comics but they will become more an expression and means of interacting with the media output than a self contained hobby. Unless the pandemic fundamentally disrupts the global economy to the point where Disney et al are in trouble, I think this path for them is both intentional, logical and inevitable. I also expect 40k Lore to be continued to be re-written for expressly this purpose. AOS will be safe given that it was/is basically the test case of blowing up the old lore and moulding it into something more contemporary, less globally problematic and more profitable.

I agree with you entirely in that morally speaking I think the efforts to speak into serious subject matters in the way the Community Space has done is at best crass and at worst deeply disrespectful. But in respect to anyones expectations as to what *literally any GW space* will be doing besides pushing product, ever, well. It only exists for that purpose. As with all social media or community platforms, they exist to make money. That's it. They are not your friend, nor are they your enemy, but the only relationship they are interested in fostering with you is one that results in you buying as much stuff from them as you can, regardless of how that leaves you feeling. They really dont care about you or your feelings besides being in a position to buy stuff. That's where your relationship with them starts and ends. That goes for the team on camera too, by the way, Peachy and co. They dont care about you. How can they, they dont even know you. That dosent mean they dont like you or want you to be happy etc but I suspect that applies to most people who also haven't met you, that's just a default of not being a psychopath. But they dont care about you. They're doing a job for money which has the sole aim of getting money from you. What I personally am more upset by is the amount of times on Twitter or other hobby Community spaces which are not run by GW essentially offering more or the less the same empty mentality. People responding to people's heartfelt expressions that they are finding it hard to invest in the hobby in the same way given the current circumstances being met with vapid nonsense about buying more models or try and paint different models etc. Its somehow inconceivable that there isn't an answer to any of life's problems which can't be provided by painting, gaming or buying more. Ugh. The lack of context and disconnect from real life in those instances is everything that the stereotypes say is wrong about the hobby. In sum though- GW is not your friend and neither is the hobby. Don't look to either for love and value. The people in the community who are good people will be good to you without it being contingent on whether you like orcs etc or not. Invest in people and in communities which invest in people, in whatever form they come.

Bloodbowl looks like a good set. Nice models, a few great ones. Oh hey 18 more books yay GW still very much going with the "if you cant make simple elegant rules may as well add even more guff to the mix" approach First Shadespire models I've seen, (Beastman/woman aside, he/she's awesome) that I'm not too struck by. They're pretty static and they don't communicate much to me really, narrativley speaking. Pretty much all the warbands up to now have a definite vibe or sense as a collective that these guys are lacking somehow. They're just like...a group of dudes The guys working on those animations are really taking their time huh

The price is determined by people who are incredibly talented at selling things, is the bottom line. At heart, GW makes the things it does because it believes they will sell and it prices them in accordance with this, and their year on profit proves they get it right more often than not. I know it's a boring answer but its the answer nonetheless.

Painted or pretty much painted (as in photo) 3 Castigators 5 Sequitors, Mace and Shield, 2 Greatmaces 5 Sequitors, Sword and Shield, 2 Greatmaces 5 Liberators, Hammer and Shield, 1 Grandhammer 5 Sequitors, Sword and Staff 5 Judicators 2 x Ballista + crew (one SW, one easy to build) Unpainted but assembled, (not pictured) 5 Judicators 5 Evocators Relictor Cellestant Exorcist Incantor (SW boxed set) Lord Ordinator (2 Hammer guy) Plus GW Skirmish Case to carry (most) of them in, £120 posted UK

Yeah same, though I'm not holding my breath. Warhammer and AOS are the only wargaming or mini systems I've played where I feel as though the real challenge is the rules themselves as opposed to my enemy. Compared to other systems like Saga, LOTR, Kings of War etc they are like some form of Da Daist experiment.

Yeah this. SC are very clearly designed to be beginner friendly-big, chunky, multiple but small flat surfaces and otherwise lots of relief scultping for washes, no fiddly bits, hardly any faces- they're the archetype of how to paint something quick with GW's paint system. Also, they're human so the ideal entry point for people new to the Universe in terms of explaining what everything else is. They arent anything like Space Marines in terms of their ubiquity or centrality to their Universe, but they're obviously designed with a similar purpose commercially speaking

GW has been doing the precise slow and careful changes you mention for 5 or 6 years now, but the momentum is picking up quarter on quarter at this point. I think you're in for a shock as to how many changes for new audiences are going to become more apparent year on year at this point. GW is already an entirely different beast from what it was 5 years ago and that is only going to increase with Offical Animations, cooperation with AAA videogame production, Marvel publishing their new comic. If those prove successful enough to pique the interest of a Disney or WB as have other similar licenses the amount of money they will bring in will dwarf miniature sales, and consequently that audience and their views will prove far more valuable and important in how the liscense is shaped.

Thank you for your considered response and for sharing your personal experiences, I I recognise and respect what you're saying although would never claim to be able to understand or speak into them. I'm glad that the hobby has brought you so much joy and value and my wish is that you and anyone of any gender, race or whatever who needs or could benefit from the hobby in that sense is able to get that.

I'm sorry to hear of your experiences, they sound awful. I would simply offer by way of reply though that I have had white people do terrible things to me and as a care worker I know dozens of people who have been abused, beaten, stabbed and had lives likewise ruined by the actions of white people. I would suggest that in all of these respective instances including your own that the nature of the persons race was merely a representation of the wider population demographic in the areas in which it occured. If working in social care has told me nothing else it is that the world is populated both by wonderful people and awful people and that both can and do come from any background, culture, race, gender etc and therefore that one should be wary of generalisations or Blanket statements about the same. People are complicated. Another reason why AOS would be richer for a greater representation of all of us.

Speaking as someone married to a black wife and into a black family, its weird to see a black person asserting a trope that most black literature and culture identifies as problematic and racist. Or to see a black person referring to 'black people" in explicit racial discussion as a monolithic other. Your perspective on these issues within the hobby is profoundly different to those of the people of colour or black people I know of within the hobby or who are outside of it but who I have talked with about these issues and asked their opinion on it. Obviously people have different opinions and I'm not disputing that you are entitled to it, but in a discussion around representation of under represented audiences my own experience of how black people consider these issues is very different. The issue for example of how Bone Splittas are presented fits into a colonial stereotype and media discussion far far bigger than the hobby which has been central to racial depictions of Black Africans and those of African descent. My wife pointed out when i showed her some savage orks years ago that she is all too familiar with monstrous depictions of beasts with bones in their hair and war paint etc in multiple formays which are meant to look like her, or her ancestors and cultural touchstones. While I'm not saying of course that GW had any intention whatever of perpetrating that notion when they designed that faction, they were nonetheless borrowing from popularised depictions which come from a deeply racist source which still echoes in various forms to this day. It's a far far more complex topic than you make it out to be. It was more problematic in warhammer mind you when the good dudes were the ones who were closest to White Europeans. By far one of the best things AOS has done is remove the notion of Classical Europe as being the essential moral compass of the world. Great to see the influences of Bhudddist and ancient Chinese culture in the new Lumineth for example. And the change from Sigmar as being an essentially benevolent Good God of White People to a whiny, capricious dysfunctional hammer chucking Moron.

Just as an aside I had a wry grin when this was announced 9th Ed Reveal: Keep your Old Codexes! They're coming too! Codex Preview: New Codex for everything! I mean I knew it was coming but two months seems a bit indecent

I think they were designed to ensure the essential integrity and character of armies on the table ie ensure that Skaven are recognisably a chattering rat swarm and not an elite army of 10 models. Also following the outcry over the initial hobbyist "anything goes" AOS release probably a sop to the crowd who wanted that more traditional battle "structure". As with anything GW, I think the best and worst aspects of the concept Is that they are clearly not particularly considered in any one criteria. They're certainly not picked on the grounds of pure gaming balance, or pure fluff on the other hand. They're a concept designed to sell the flavour of the army which in the best cases works both on and off the tabletop- DOK, BR, Ogres- but in the worst cases does only one, or neither-Liberators. Then you have your left field cases. I love Tree Revenants mainly for how they look but also they're very powerful on the table *except in combat* which seems to be in direct contradiction of their lore. Regardless they are to me almost the definition of elites, basically ninjas, but they are battle line nonetheless. As I said I love them so I'm not complaining but there is very obviously to me a confusion there in what they are supposed to be and what purpose they serve both on and off the table.

The best Businesses dont cater for what their audience already buys, they make a product that increases that audience or something so good that *everyone* wants to buy it. GW already overwhelmingly caters for its existing audience, but the very existence of AOS itself demonstrates that GW has the savvy to do more than simply keep existing customers happy, or even to upset some of them if the return from new customers is greater. It can only go one of two ways: 1) GW continues to increase gender and racial diversity and representation in its releases in line with a more globally, less Euro-centric orientated franchise. If you haven't realised it by now GW have been watching what Disney have done with Marvel liscenses and they have learned very, very well how to apply that accessible "something for everyone" quality to their existing lines and new products, not just in terms of models but in the broader fiction and associated products. I am almost certain that their intention depending post Covid circumstances will be to have the IP be able to sustain itself without model sales in the next decade. 2) The remaining reactionary elements who didnt leave GW when the Old World blew up but maintain an essentially White Males only attitude to the hobby will bog the community down in a culture war which if they win will see GW's strongest emerging markets abandoning it and leave GW vastly less wealthy or going broke altogether.