EonChao

I really like this box which is dangerous. The new Fyreslayer is fantastic, might be my favourite model in the entire range and I think the Deepkin one just needs a different paint job. The extra models are really good as well and combo well with the Start Collecting boxes without too much duplication. I'm dangerously tempted to pull the trigger on this one and grab the two start collecting boxes before they get replaced

That's kind of in pattern with last year's boxing day figure, Gorzag, nothing especially festive about it, just a very cool model for people to pick up and paint.

Looks like it to me too. The current bikes are fine but the Autarch and Shining Spears are in dire need of updating. Hopefully it’s not the Vyper, that kit is old but is still one of the best looking vehicles in 40k

A big point as well is that not only are GW probably holding back some designs until they see what sells (we know they went ham on designing every possible Primaris variant they could come up with before they were released then decided to pace themselves) but the game is miniature designer led. And the designers who worked a lot on the more recent ranges are often still in the studio. This is why Eldar will probably be slow to fully update as the designs are all meshed in 30+ years of design work they have to pay attention to, or why Fyreslayers will get minimal updates because again, it's focusing on a niche aspect of old designs. Stuff like GSC, Ad Mech, Lumineth, OSB and Stormcast are pretty new in terms of miniatures and so there's going to be a lot more people working there wanting to explore them as it's exciting new ground.

I think a big issue here is that whilst we had the big 40k rumour leak it started almost immediately. So it's easy to see how accurate it is because the only thing it got wrong was mistaking a fantastic conversion for an upcoming model. So with an AoS one of similar scope to be believable I'd want to see a timeline not just a mass of random ideas. But in the interest of tracking it we have from it: Kharadon Overlords: Own battletome, female alt characters, new named character/leader Fyreslayers: Own battletome Cities of Sigmar: big updated including new kits for Dispossessed, renamed as the Reforged Chaos Dwarves are on the way (but no name listed for the faction) Silent People: Death faction OBR: Mortek Archers, elite cavalry and Bone Dragon Gloomspite Gitz: Spiderfang update Seraphon: update in 2023 Codex Daemons: four combat patrols I'm not sure about the bit about IJ, Kruleboyz, Thunderstrike and Maggotkin boxes. It sounds to me like those would be vanguard boxes but the fact they say Death will get nothing and like it for now when we're reasonably certain Nighthaunt are in the pipeline seems odd. If they mean the battleforces we know that's completely wrong.

To add to this the first 40k combat patrons came out alongside codex supplements Space Wolves and Deathwatch not the main release. So if the change is happening we should probably assume it will happen on a book by book basis as new battletomes are released (with SCE and Orruks getting there’s next year like Space Marines and Necrons did this year). So we’d expect Maggotkin to be first up to get replaced and so it makes sense they’d try to sell through their remaining stock

So a bit of a silly question but I'm building a casual Ironjawz force to play against my niece. I should have 30 ard boyz with what I'm picking up over the next couple of months (along with some Brutes, Goregruntas and characters). I'm just wondering as I prepare to start building the first batch of ard boyz, if I should be building them in units of 10, 15 or one unit of 30? How do they tend to play best?

I would love a Shaman/Matriarch kit for the line. And new Mancrusher kit that can be built as male or female gargants.

I mean the rumour list for 40k that's so far been accurate had Chaos Knights getting a new codex next year complete with a new model so I could see them releasing a new gargant kit of some sort, either bigger than the current Mega Gargants or inbetween the two kits the line currently has

There's not really a pattern between Psychic Awakening and 9th ed releases. But there is a pattern in that every full Codex in 9th ed has had at least 1 new figure for it. Drukhari got a new Lelith, Ad Mech got the new Marshal, Grey Knights get Castellan Crowe, Thousand Sons go the new sorcerer, Death Guard the Lord of Virulence, Custodes the Blade Champion and Genestealers the Saboteur. Everyone else (Space Marines, Necrons, Orks and Sororitas) got multiple releases. With Maggotkin getting a new sorcerer I would imagine we'll see the same for AoS, some lines getting a few new units and characters, the others get one new character. And honestly whilst not ideal it's something at least

Games Workshop's studio works around 1.5-3 years in advance depending on the project. They also only have so many staff and so much production capacity (both things they are trying to increase). Before 9th ed 40K most armies would just get their army book releases and that was it. With 9th ed 40k and 3rd ed AoS GW seem to be moving to a process of releasing something alongside every codex. For 40K it was only the Marine supplements that didn't all get something new (and arguably they got plenty between them in general releases). Every other codex got at least 1 hero. If the same will be true for AoS I'm all for it, especially if it lets them phase out older resin figures like this did. It's better than nothing and hopefully means plenty of larger releases for factions like Skaven, Mawtribes or Beasts of Chaos are in the works

I think for now the safe assumption should be Harrowdeep is followed by the 2 separate warbands listed on the timeline, then the next box is followed by 2 more, meaning 1 is missing from the rumour. After the roadmap itself the article says: "This is all in addition to two further warband releases per season, each with a ready-made Rivals deck, as well as more universal and grand alliance cards to open up even more deck-building opportunities in Championship format." Which to me implies that those two are in addition to the 6 listed on the roadmap

I would love it then hope they spin a Warhammer Romance imprint out of Black Library. Citation needed on this as all of the things GW said about it seemed to imply that you get one free for subscribing and then subscribers would have the option to buy the other one too.

Or if they wanted to do so they could just release a Beast Herds book that allows you to build for either Chaos or Destruction with a couple of alternate options (no deity specific Beastmen in Destruction, no Kragnos in Chaos for example)

It's worth noting very few models were exclusive to Soul Wars (unlike Dark Imperium). Chainrasps, Glaivewraiths, Grimghasts, Lord Executioner and Spirit Torment are all available separately with different sculpts as are Evocators, Castigators, Sequitors and Ballistas. The mounted Knight of Shrouds could be released in a start collecting box and its sprue has the Spirit Torment and Guardian of Souls on it (or just that sprue as a direct release) and the Lord Arcanum on a Gryph Charger could be the same with the spare Evocator Prime on the sprue just being an extra (or even rebranded as a Knight Incantor). Then you'd just need to release a new Knight Incantor (or maybe repackage the £5 Getting Started figure) although Stormsire's Cursebreakers might fill that niche as well.

Nighthaunt got: Not in Soul Wars: 9 Bladegheist Revenants, Dreadscythe Harridans, Black Coach, Kurdoss Valentian, Reikenor, Dreadblade Harrows, Lady Olynder, Myrmourn Banshees, Endless Spells Alternate/full kits/repacked sprues of Soul Wars figures: 5 Chainrasp Hordes, Liekoron, Grimghast Reapers, Glaivewraith Stalkers, Crawlocke Plus the Thorns of the Briar Queen for Underworlds so 15 releases in total. Necrons got: Not in Indomitus: 11 Flayed Ones, Chronomancer, Psychomancer, Void Dragon, Hexmark, Lokhust, Doomstalker, Ophydians, Szarekh, Terrain, Monolith Alternate/full kits/repacked sprues of Indomitus units: 3 Necron Warriors/Scarabs, Skorpekh Destroyers, "Royal Court" So 14 separate releases although one of those is an overpriced character sprue repackaged. I would guess we'll see some of the sprues from the Kruleboyz side repacked as is whilst another 9-10 releases (including the Breaka-boss and Beast-skewer) plus at least one Warhammer Underworlds warband next season

I suggest having a read through the terms and conditions of subscribing. If I remember rightly you have to give them a month's notice of cancelling and that's where people have the most horror stories with Hachette. So I would anticipate being subscribed for the first two deliveries at minimum if you tried that. If you want the whole thing it's worth subscribing, I've had no issues with that side of thing for both Conquest and Mortal Realms, but just getting a few issues I would recommend giving the terms and conditions a good long read then work out if you'd prefer to just order the individual issues instead.

I think the thing to remember is that "playable" has a broad meaning. I mainly buy to build and paint so tend to follow rule of cool with my purchasing choices but at the end of it, when I have 2000+ points of an army, that's still playable regardless of whether it's built to be competitive or even especially functional. I can use my armies amongst themselves with friends to play casual engaging games without having to collect 3 of the same unit because it's optimal if it jars with the flavour of my army. And that's just as valid a way to play as any other.