JPjr

Whilst it does feel a bit reductive, your standard cave/dungeon setup does offer a lot of scope/flexibility for generative encounters, just need to throw in some interesting rooms to go with a load of windy tunnels and assembled in myriad ways. I’m hoping when I get back to BXL there might be the Kill Team starter set waiting for me. Once I’ve had a few goes I was actually interested in not just using the Black Fortress models as a KT force but also maybe the tiles as well to create enclosed spaces for KT battles. Sure someone’s already tried it but not seen anything (though can’t say I’ve looked hard). Could be cool to try the same with dungeon/cave tiles for Skirmish level AoS games.

Ha well on the off chance I somehow do I’ll throw in a bonus battleplan ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ for you

I'm guessing it'll be up around 2-3 GMT. Whenever I've had to coordinate media releases that are targeting (mainly) the UK and US we always go for around then to make sure as many people are up as possible when we go live.

One last prediction, if I can get my modelling skills up, admittedly by about several hundred levels, then you'll definitely be seeing this chap next Christmas...

It’ll be that or going by recent promos a video of Peachy & Duncan covering Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’ whilst dressed as goblins.

Hmmm i can definitely imagine a giant mushroom terrain piece for grotz that each round extends its aura of fungal death spores turning hostiles into zombies.

Cue 12 months of Stormcast Funko Pops and nothing else

Yeah I’d love to see FW do something like their Dread Maw model for Goblins, a massive centipede bursting out of the ground with a gobbo riding on top of it. starts the game off the table then can burrow up anywhere swallowing a load of models in the process.

So glad I haven’t painted my Zarbag’s Gitz warband yet as I can now give the squig herder a big yellow banana head. Awesome.

Ok, I think I can hear the sound of the Fun Police’s sirens in the distance, so before they turn up for their weekly inspection/shakedown of the Rumour Thread I thought I’d start a predictions thread. Not rumours, not wishlisting, just pure hardcore XXX predictions of what we’ll get from GW in 2019. Put absolutely no money where your mouth is and make your boldest bets... then in 12 months we can laugh at our hubris and folly. I’ll kick this off with some of my own based on absolutely zero insider knowledge. Age of Sigmar Gloomspite Gitz - ok not exactly taking a big punt here but I’m going for centipede cavalry, spore bombs that turn enemy hordes into fungus zombies, flying squigs and the like. LoN/BoC style battletomes- I reckon we’ll get maybe 2 or 3 this year with a final tranche in 2020 for some of the more split up old factions just to shut people up. Books, endless spells and maybe a new model or two if really needed. Rolled up Everchosen, StD, Darkoath book - similar to above but lots more new models with your new barbarians getting some shine. Tied into a major return of Archaon to the frontlines campaign (late 2019 here). Something totally new - Hyish Aelves maybe. Skirmish 2.0 - basic rules in WD then later in the year a proper release, focus on close combat cave/dungeon fighting. Maybe tied into a Grot v Duardin set. Then expansions boxes that handily also provide interesting, more diverse AoS style models for older armies. Some kind of Speed Freaks style boxset - Chaos chariots, something like that to flog some big new models. More Aerial scenarios - new rules and focus (at WD level) for all aerial battles. Gives armies like KO a bit of attention without too much investment. Realm of Chaos ‘Lost & the Damned’ box set - Nurgle v Tzeentch with a couple of new sculpts and updated, better rules to get people using/playing those beautiful slug puppy beasts. Underworlds - 4 remaining night vault warbands (obviously). Maybe a new board with some new special kind of hexes (teleport hexes or something magical like that). Then I reckon we’ll see a lot more continued support in WD with things like the Gargant game to keep it fresh. Finally new boxset in late 2019 with 2 Slaanesh warbands released as part of it (1 in starter set) tying into lead up of the god’s escape in 2020, when we’ll also get Ulgu aelves. New WH Quest - Just in time for Xmas and all the 40k only people who bought into BSF might be more likely to try this now and then in turn give AoS a go. ———————————— 40k - Not really my thing atm but what the hell... Blackstone Fortress - I can envision at least 2 of these (and maybe more) - new box of explorers, a new box of large monstrous encounters (actually willing to put down 5 whole pounds we’ll get at least an Ambull model) and then a new box with special rooms, encounter cards, missions etc. Plus new missions etc in WD. Genestealer & SoB - Codices and new models, though these are already announced aren’t they? Black Legion - New Abaddon model at least but reckon there’ll be a load of new BL models, traitor guardsmen etc building on what was in Black Fortress in the build up of the Vigilus event. Kill Team Mercenary expansion - a way of allying in outside your faction troops and dropping some new, interesting models from under-represented (or not represented at all) species. Maybe a new Primaris lieutenant - Just going out on a servo-limb here. ———————————— Adeptus Titanicus - if it’s doing well slow creep towards old Epic with introduction of non Titan models, large vehicles etc. Maybe some kind of Siege of Terra expansion to tie into the culmination of the book series. ———————————— Blood Bowl - No idea! Ok how about an ‘End Times in the End Zone’ expansion, paving the way for the next edition to be based in the AoS world (or the BB equivalent). ———————————— Necromunda - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ———————————— Lord of the Rings - Eru knows. Sure there must be some people that appeared in the background of one scene in the films they can milk. ———————————— In case you haven’t gathered I’m on a 4 hour train journey heading up north here, and left my book behind, so yeah trying to entertain myself here...

If Moonclan can have carpenter ant style fungus zombie slaves then i am all in on this horribleness...

I’m still convinced there’s a proper release of a revamped Skirmish 2.0 coming, it’s just seems so obvious (plus I’ve personally had the classic staffer in GW shop who told me he was expecting something on those lines in 2019). i just see this as something to whet the appetite, get people thinking about it and of course have something interesting for AoS players in the relaunch of the new look, new content filled White Dwarf. then bang big launch later in the year, maybe same time as GHB 2019 with a starter set, terrain etc, maybe tie in to some big new campaign. Of course could, and probably am, hilariously wrong, I mean I can see them holding it back even till 2020, but we’ll see.

Booooooooo!

One of the sub heads on the cover... ‘Children of Chaos Army Feature’

I tell you what, it's clearly not on the cards at all, but just looking at those Christmas scene pictures if they did want to reinvent Gobbos for Aos as something more interesting than just mini, put upon, orcs then turning back the clock and leaning heavily into the traditional folklore of goblins as mischievous, malicious, magical sprites would be fantastic.

Paint more (obviously), but now I've got a few models under my belt I want to at least start thinking about conversions too. Nothing major to start with but I've got a spare Neferata from the Mortarch set that I reckon could, without too much difficulty, re-purpose as a standalone flying vampire type, so that's high on my list to do. Play more (even more obviously), whilst it's occupied most of my hobby headspace I've barely played AoS, so getting a couple of nice small armies together, some scenery and even if it's just skirmish level games getting more in. Writing more, both fiction and editorial. Big hopes/plans for that in 2019. And also working on my photography. More home-brew stuff, whether that's messing around creating some fun extras for AoS, Blackstone Fortress etc or actually knocking up some little games of my own, something I used to love doing and haven't for ages (totally thinking of using BSF as the basis for a homemade Dredd game).

Couple more finished. Super unoriginal paint schemes as I’m still very much an absolute beginner here but happy enough to put these down on the table now (cue me doing minute touch ups and additions to them until they look properly ******).

I've only read a couple of BL books but certainly what I found 'interesting' was, in say for example Soul Wars, how sidelined the characters that ostensibly came with the boxset were. yes the warscrolls for the models were for generic heroes but the fluff that come with the box made clear that the Lord Arcanum was Knossus and the Knight Incantor was Zeraphina. They both appear but either just as a cameo or very much a secondary (tertiary even) character. The Knight of Shrouds, Malendrek, gets a bit more time but even then he's still very much just in the background. So I've wondered whether they're purposefully avoiding featuring characters with models too much in the books, as you can't really change or develop them too much, or certainly put them in genuine danger because if you kill them people using them in their armies might, quite literally, throw their toys out of their prams (I mean it's not like wargamers to hilariously overreact or anything). All of which I can imagine as an author being a bit constraining and so given the choice make you more likely to have your Voltunus or Astreia Solbright types pop up in the background and then focus on someone whom you're free to do what you like with. Probably totally wrong but just a thought I had, one that's obviously instantly weakened by stories heavily featuring the mortarchs (though get out clause that they could just be recreated).

I swear somedays we're like the ancient Romans in this community, all gathered around trying to divine the future from some unfortunate creature's entrails.

so, 26,32 and, I guess, 40 wounds (I assume depending on whether you're playing against 1,2, or 3 warbands), and it inspires when it goes under half its total.

Preview of the December issue of White Dwarf is up, and it comes with "A super-sized Chaos Gargant card for Warhammer Underworlds" and rules for "A fun multiplayer game variant for Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault that pits 2-4 players against a formidable Chaos Gargant". So that's a fantastically flimsy excuse to buy a large model that I've had my eye on for a while but has no relation to any army that I currently collect...

looks like a (chaos) lectern with some candles on it.

yeah my only change to it would be instead of head bowed have the man-harp looking to the skies screaming in ecstasy, anyway enough about my browser history.

I hadn't realised the Slaanesh's herald's harp is made from some poor sod on their knees with their arms pulled back, that is truly, wonderfully horrible.

it's old (or at least I'm pretty sure it is). there's several pages online featuring it dating back to at least 2013, titling it 'A willing petitioner approaches Slaanesh's looming Palace of Pleasure' or 'the throne of excess'