Rachmani

Me neither! Still... looks very appealing. So even if it‘s not for 2k play, it might still be worth collecting. If the Hexwraith looked better (which I ironically really liked before the new Nighthaunt release) I probably would have started collecting right away.

I meant the „by then older stuff“. To me there is a big difference between a deepstrike & a 9“ charge without help & a swoop across the board & a then 5“ charge or something like that. Basically what was trying to say is, there is good alpha strike, because of risk and reward being fairly balanced & there is bad alpha strike that just leads to lopsided games. Or, just as bad & as you mentioned, whole armies that are all of a sudden out of any sort of meta. Some sort & form of alpha strike will always and probably always has to exist. It has to keep gunlines and Nagash etc in check. But a whole meta built around it is just as boring as the other way round. So, I could be wrong, but Nighthaunt look relatively balanced in terms of their alpha strike potential. They, as you said, lack the shenanigans on top of deepstrike. So it appears to be more of an alpha threat than an alpha strike army. And if you can’t reliably charge after deepstrike you plan differently and it gets more tactical. Your opponent can then react, so the non deepstrike part of your army has to do its part etc. It’s not „hey, turn one, I charge you, no matter where you are“. That is where some armies just get slaughtered and pushed out of any resemblance of tournament play. Would you agree, or did I miss something? Edit 1: I forgot about the cogs - which I think are not a good addition to the game at all. Edit 2: Thanks for the podcast link! I‘ll listen to it - and maybe change the above answer . Thanks! I love to listen to some meta talks, be it general or army specific. Even though I myself try to not get entangled in it all too much. Makes me not buy and paint the stuff I like, if I do (like KO ! ).

I have the feeling that they will try to limit alpha strikes in future releases (or release armies with, let‘s call it thematically limited alpha strike potential), look how it goes and then maybe come back to the older stuff. Alpha strike is such a make or break thing... .

I haven‘t had the time to look into the Nighthaunt too much, but I think Shroudguard & Deathriders compliment each other very well - and not only thematically. Has anyone experimented in that direction, so far? Shroudguard should make a pretty formidable anvil. Hexwraith and the coach (especially the latter) pack some punch. As a bonus, it looks good. You have your knight of Shrouds (on foot or horseback), accompanied by his Shroudguard his warriors of old. As a plot twist, He was a vampire once, but was slain by some enemy hero. Now he awaits resurrection within the black coach only being able to manifest as a shadow - the Knight of Shrouds. Dreadblade Harrows, is former second(s) in command guard the coach and lead it into battle for it to gain strength. The Hexwraith (that look awfully dated, now that the new models are out *cry*), former knights of valor are now cursed to follow. So we have the „big swords“ theme on the KoS, the Dreadblades & Bladegheists - and also on the coach, where one of the ghosts carries a sword as a reliquary. But we also have the scythes theme, in the Cairnwraith on top of the coach, the Hexwraith & maybe one unit of Grimghasts just for fun & thematic consistency. I think that would look very good on the field but also doesn‘t look weak right away.

I wouldn‘t call the KO an „extreme gunline“. Our shooting distance is not that great. & we‘re pretty mobile. Alas I think we‘re lacking 1 or 2 types of troops to get a little bit of variation in our playstyle. With that being said, I don‘t think it‘ll take a lot to make the KO a much better army. A unit of reasonable objective holders, maybe another battleline etc. and I think we‘ll do very well - without going from meh to omg, they‘re so good.

I love the idea of a „Logistor“... what ever he might do. Maybe give a bonus to ship weapons (better logistics, more firepower!). Sort of like a Lord Ordinator but with more class (ok, that beard is pretty classy, Hammerguy). @Barkanaut has pretty much summed up the „obvious“ (but by no means bad) options. Personally I think the Arkanaut Company is meant to be the baseline, being „both“ shooty & stabby. Both could also mean „neither“. In terms of more specialised melee, I‘d go for the melee equivalent of Grundstok Thunderers. As in „everyone starts out as Company“, and later down the line you become a thunderer - or a whatever „hammerer“. In terms of gunships we would basically be looking at the transport version of the Gunhauler & the „all shooty-shooty“ version of the frigate. With the Ironclad staying the biggest, badest and meanest ship around. The „Mithrilclad“ super gunship will be reserved for AoS 5.0, when they run out of ideas. Doesn‘t sound like much, but I think something along those lines would really fit the army well. Without going overboard on our shooting.

I‘ve read somewhere (and a while ago) that the KO will definitely get new stuff in the future. What do you think it will be? I love their look, partly also how they play, but for such a new army (as in no previous models) they feel awfully narrow in their design. Nothing that robs them of their identity, but just some flexibility like a poor mans ironbreaker boarding party.