madmac

Rules are absolutely the last thing that gets added. Back when GW was still doing podcasts, there were a lot of rules designers talking about how they pretty much just get handed new models and have to figure out what they're going to do with them. Fluff is I would say a half/half thing in that the final fluff gets finalized after the model and rules are done, but there is guiding narrative and design principals that go into the creation of new models and subfactions to start with.

It's a sensible bet, there's just nothing besides Ogors that needs a massive overhaul anymore. Even the 4E Starter is a first for AoS in that it basically updates two ranges (Skaven AND Stormcast with their redone models and range purge) instead of adding a new army.

Sure, but conversely who got big updates in 3E that didn't get models/attention in Broken Realms? Stormcast, KB, (Kragnos) Seraphon, Sylvaeth, NH, STD, CoS...it's pretty much the same list. Add FEC and Ironjawz/Gits who got their update inside Dawnbringers the same way Slaanesh, LRL and SBGL got theirs in Broken Realms. GW naturally writes their narrative campaigns around who has new models, but the thing is the best indicator of who is going to get new models is who is currently getting new models, because it means the design team is actively working on those ranges.

I get what you are saying, but GW doesn't always work on the fairness principal, and they spent Dawnbringers hyping up even more stuff for Sylvaneth we haven't seen yet, vs KO being bit players and IDK being one-off minor antagonists. I do think both IDK and KO will get warcry warbands soon, though.

If we say 8-10 armies, which seems to be the average across editions, I would personally guess Stormcast Skaven Chorfs Ogors Fyreslayers CoS OBR (only death army that feels lacking atm) LRL(?) River temple at minimum kinda demands a follow-up DoK(?) (Krethusa feels like the herald of a new direction) Sylvaneth(?) (Kurnothi, this time for sure!) I'm just not feeling change in the air for KO and IDK right now, unfortunately. They were both basically ignored in Dawnbringers unlike every other order army in my list and there's no real REs or rumors in general swirling around them.

Seems likely, GW likes to front load the armies that aren't getting major updates early in the edition.

These days just buying a foot hero is rapidly approaching $50. The newer Kill Teams over in 40K land are $70 for 10 models and the vanguard equivalent boxes are $160, and that's before the new prices kick in. I haven't completely stopped buying GW products yet but I keep getting more selective. Books have been right out for a while now, buying models that aren't in some kind of discount bundle is something I only do with extreme reluctance. Ordering directly from GW is something I don't even consider.

On the contrary, that's 100% Seraphon. No one else has the gold tipped back spines like Saurus have. I'd say Temple Guard, but it's a little naked looking for that.

Most armies in AoS don't have a single Black Library Novel to their name, it's only slightly worse in that regard than 40K is. They do show up in BL novels all the time though.

They got a VS box with IDK with a new hero earlier in the edition, then the Harbringer Hero with a new special discount box, the Warcry Band and accompanying Dawnbringer rules that's barely six months old and also a new anniversary resculpt of the Runesmiter. That's three new hero models and a warband just in 3E. They also feature prominently in the art and photography for the new Grombrindal model that's not even out yet. Most importantly, Fyreslayers are not part of TOW, there is no chance another game system is going to lay claim to them and pull them away like with BoC. If Fyreslayers are in danger of being abruptly removed, so are 90% of AoS armies and nothing means anything.

I like the New Prosecutors a lot, the old ones were some of my least favorite models in the SC range but I'll happily take these new ones. I also really like seeing an open helmet for SC, I might not use these ones but it's really nice to have something between full death mask and completely bare head.

Did you just...not read Dawnbringers??? Fyreslayers are heavily featured there, first as a Harbringer hero with RoR rules who save Hammerhall from a GG attack, and then a second time as an AoR built around the new warcry band and dedicated Dawnbringer fiction teasing developments with their faction leader after he beats the snot out of Trugg.

For some armies it's fine, for an army like Lumineth that is built around having several distinct thematic spell lores it seems like a huge downgrade.

Yes, but the thing is, left with scraps of an army I'm much more likely to drop orcs completely than I am to try and rebuild based on leftovers. I think in the long run, separating the armies is a good move, but doing it now, after losing Bonesplitters feels more like a 2nd punch in the gut when I hadn't even gotten my breath back yet.

If you didn't have a fully built out Ironjawz or KB army, you're kinda boned with this move, and Warclans was a soup for two editions, so that's a lot of people playing orcs over the last six years.

As someone with a motley assortment of Bonesplitters, Ironjawz, and KB, I feel your pain. The largest part of my orc collection was outright removed from the game, and I can't even cobble my leftovers into an army anymore.

I do not like armies having to pick a single spell lore, that's a huge step down in theming and flavor. LRL are built around having a generic lore of light vs all the unique elemental lores, and many other armies have similar divides. Orcs for example, you'll have to basically choose between Ironjawz and KB magic for your entire army instead of having dedicated support pieces.

I do not like the bland battle formations replacing the cool subfactions 40K style. I'll just leave it at that.

True, I wasn't thinking about the old kit, not that anyone actually built them with double weapons but this way they can handwave backward compatibility without bothering to stat out weapon options.

GW battletomes are simply insanely expensive. I personally stopped buying them outside of army box deals a while ago, and it not because I dislike physical media, it's just impossible to justify spending $50+ on a slim hardback with rules that will be out of date before it even ships, not to mention all the copy-pasted lore, reused art, etc. Making them digital but at the same price point just makes the price-gouging feel that much more acute.

As someone who has read a lot of Black Library, it has always been thus, even back in the days of yore.

And you won't be able to buy the models if you don't already have them, either.

I would never burn my army, but being real with you selling (and shipping!) used models is a lot of work for likely a pittance of pay. I'm not going to judge anyone for just quietly tipping a box of models into the garbage bin instead of bothering.

Now that I think about it, the hero thing is potentially really awful for armies that have very few heroes available, like BoC(I know I know, I don't care) or Bonesplitters. In a lot of cases you might end up not only having to buy heroes you don't particularly want, but even multiples of the same hero just to fill out regiments. Not to mention the inherent "Oh you want to run a spare cavalry unit? Better own this specific hero or pay the auxillary tax!" problems that could arise.

Yeah, as someone who plays both KO and Fyreslayers the last LAST thing I want is for KO to get nerfed movement and shooting and Fyreslayers to get nerfed melee and durability so that they can be played as a "balanced" army. But I've been over this a thousand times already, souping only appeals to people who don't like two armies by and large. I don't expect it to happen though, at most it'll just be Grombrindal having his own Army of Renown rules for people that do want to go down that road.