Neverchosen

https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Lw4o3USx1R8sU7cQ.pdf The core rules for 40k are still available online. I think that AOS can expect the same, and they have shared a number of Warscrolls already. I think that GW is still banking on AOS being more accessible in hopes of winning over some 40k players while also functioning as a gateway for newer players.

Wanting to get back on to the topic of rumours. There is a type of creature that is not currently present in Warhammer and I deeply want to see represented as a neutral beast. Where are my Unicorns at? A rare magical creature that is not simply a horse with a horn, but a creature with the beard of a goat, body of a horse the tail of a lion and cloven hooves would look really cool. Although many medieval depictions made them smaller than horses I would love to see an elegant creature in the scale of a Mindstealer Sphrianx. It could be a fast creature that has magical abilities. But I think the most interesting thing about unicorn's is that they are often portrayed as divine creatures whose lives are sacred. I keep thinking how amazing it would be to have a mystical creature whose death could demoralize it's opponents. I think that maybe the army that slays the Unicorn will have a de-buff to it's bravery as the army questions their resolve. If an army somehow one the favour of a unicorn and saw it fall in battle maybe their resolve will double and they will get a buff to bravery. It would be a unique presence on the battlefield and it would become the centre of many memorable narratives. I think that it would be a weak unit in combat but with an amazing impact on the battlefield. Either way a dragon and a wild unicorn would both be instant purchases for me. But since I am likely to get a small Stormcast force thanks to dominion I will be able to run a Stardrake just leaving a unicorn shaped hole in my collection.

It is not only telling that people feel threatened by critique but also an indication of how structurally unstable hegemony can be. If exerting some critical pressure causes a narrative to unwind what does that say about the narrative, and more importantly about the narratives we tell ourselves? However, I do not consider all artwork to be aspirational and I think that art invites criticism. Warhammer is a highly polemical and parodic expression of fantasy and science fiction tropes. I have always loved the transgressive elements of Warhammer and it is why I have always been drawn to it. But polemical and parodic works are not above criticism and scrutiny and actually more readily invite such investigations of the work. The imperialist fantasy is something that exists within the narrative and player base, but so does it's opposition and unlike many other game systems Warhammer allows you to oppose the conventions that it's narrative sets up. So if someone wants to indulge some imperialistic fantasy of manifest destiny they are permitted, but know that there is a fun loving anarchist with 3d printed chaos warriors or lego built Orruks there to tear down the walls of order.

I think the thing that benefits Age of Sigmar's narrative over 40K is the ability to showcase multiple points of view. In establishing a stronghold in areas that belong to Chaos or Destruction we can see both sides of the narrative unfold rather than simply the perspective of Order. In this way we can have stories showcasing sympathetic people allying with Chaos to oppose a tyrant imposing Feudal law on the land, or a Destruction force taking down the army allowing the farmers to demand freedom from oppression. Again I am not sure what narrative dictums exist but I think that nuance can be accomplished much more readily by showcasing different points of view.

Here is the updated look at Slaves to Darkness in 3.0 obviously nothing earth shattering but it is nice to see this faction being placed alongside Stormcast and Orruk Warclans as the Iconic face of Chaos. https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/06/09/the-slaves-to-darkness-are-out-to-conquer-the-new-edition-and-heres-how-theyll-do-it/ Also Warshrine #Bless

I just hope that when we get Grungi's model he is a stressed out engineer with a coffee and some blue prints stuck under his arms. He should have a special rule "Do it yourself". Whenever an opposing Order God issues a command Grungi rolls a dice, if he rolls a one he can no longer contain his anger and he tells them off! They can no longer issue commands for the rest of the match for fear of Grungi quitting. Even when facing Grungi in battle the Order Gods realize he is the only one keeping things together.

Pretty building the forces of order are building, sure would be a shame if someone came and smashed it

Ward Saves, Miscasts, Shorter spell ranges forcing mages to get in the action, new objective holding mechanics? I feel like this new edition was designed with my personal hopes in mind. I also even like the more regimented unit formations, even though I think they are a little unwieldy in combat or for certain base sizes and I am a huge fan of the new table sizes.

I must say that this is going to result in a lot more sales for movement trays, I know I will be investing in some but the question remains which strange cavalry formation will the movement trays be sold in?

So math enthusiasts how would rally be best employed? In a hypothetical scenario would it be better to use on a high volume horde of one wound infantry in the hopes of bringing back the most models. Or would it be best to use on an elite unit of ogre sized models to mitigate the most points lost? Or somewhere in between such as elite 2-3 wound models and cavalry? Finally do the models come back at full wounds as the phrasing makes me assume that it will. In this case I assume it is always worth using on units such as Dracoths and Varanguard due to their massive cost investment? Obviously for my level of strategy I will use it on the unit I think is coolest because that is how I roll.

The article about Orruk Warclans on Warhammer community mentions that tomorrow they will cover Slaves to Darkness. I doubt we are going to get any actual useful information about the army but I am looking forward to some pretty pictures and hopefully hints of things to come. Odds are there will be some army shots featuring Be'Lakor and Varanguard that will make me feel sad and poor...

So here is proof positive that they are part of Orruk Warclans alongside an overview of how things will play in 3.0: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/06/08/discover-how-command-abilities-are-the-key-to-success-with-the-orruk-warclans-in-the-new-edition/ Warscroll for the Killaboss:

The new artwork is amazing and the command abilities look great. I am excited to see this articles for the older armies and try and glean insight for more speculation. https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/06/08/discover-how-command-abilities-are-the-key-to-success-with-the-orruk-warclans-in-the-new-edition/ Fantastic new banner art, I wonder if we will get updated art for some older armies?

These wizards are so fantastic looking. Two of the best models in the box but also somewhat easy to overlook next to some of the crazier models included. Knight-Arcanum: I am conflicted on Mask vs unmasked head for the Knight-Arcanum as I was thinking of no helmets on the Heroes and Champions to make them easier to read on the battlefield if I get stormcast... a mask feels like it falls in-between visually, I think it should be okay if I paint it to contrast the armour as this is simply an aesthetic rule I am making up on the fly. I do think rules wise like all Stormcast Wizards she seems pretty straight forward in terms of abilities a standard wizard doing standard things. I like that Kruel Boyz seem to have a similar mechanic of ethereal swamp magic like Idoneth have with the sea. I think it would be fun and fluffy to have them battle and fight over which ecosystem is dominate. Pot Grot is adorable and I really like its rules. I like when mages are not just focused on magic but have additional effects showcasing their position of wisdom within a society such as being a shaman or in this case an apothecary. Overall the cooler of the two units and I am really looking forward to seeing how people paint this model. I think these buffs seem like it is a must take as opposed to the Knight-Arcanum who seems like just another decent SCE wizard.

And people called me crazy for theming all of my battles to take place in a big empty ballroom. I do not think that this rule will be terrible (although I do have some reservations) but I really love rank and file gameplay in WHFB. I do like that this rule gives more reason to run smaller unit sizes for elites... but five still seems like too small a number, I would have rather it have been ten. I do think that it poses some issues for cavalry but that is largely due to the oblong bases. I just think it will look odd having the forward charging models turned sideways but that already exists in the current style of play and would occur in rank and file when flanked. I also think some of the more dynamically posed models will become frustrating with this new coherency system... Lumineth pikes and Dryads branches are already a pain from what I have seen.

Remember when all skeletons and bones were proof positive of Tomb Kings return? This is one of those interesting rumour engines that can easily fit 40K or AOS aesthetics. I am leaning towards AOS as carving into bone/branding people seems more old fashioned--as I would expect maybe a servo, diode or other such tech Greeblie jammed into the skull instead. But 40k is pretty medieval so we shall see. As for which army, Cities/Free Citites seems like a good bet but I could easily imagine this being part of a destruction base or a terrain piece. My hope is something new for Flesh Eater Courts, if the W is related to some noble family they could be using this as a flowing banner caught in the wind with their sigil fluttering above their knightly order readying for a charge*. If it is 40k I feel like Imeprials like to rock the candles but both Space Marines and Sisters of Battle just got their release and they seem to be the most into candles. Although, according to everytime I wrongly speculate on a 40k model someone politely explains how Inquisitors** are the exception to the rule... which I find it strange how every single preview can be of an Inquistor yet there are so few Inquistor models. *I still want a cavalry unit of either dead riders bolted to ghoulish horses or ghouls using the spine and head of their long dead cavalry as a makeshift hobby horse... although the latter would likely not function well as a cavalry unit.

I know it might not be as big of a concern to everyone but I think BCR and Gristlegore take it simply because of cost and their ease to collect. Namely their components are in a start collecting box that also nets you their core troops. So with 3-4 start collecting you will get more or less what you need for your pure monster list but also have enough basic troops to run a more 'balanced' list. The important distinction is compared to other start collecting sets featuring monsters is that these two allow you to build them as troop choices that can be run as battle line and also as heroes. For example the Elven start collecting with the Hydra does not net you a monstrous hero and the Fyreslayers only provides a hero. Whereas even if you are able to track down the admittedly awesome Seraphon Broken Realm box you will be limited in your ways to play. However, if you have limited hobby time or shelf and only want to do monsters than the start collecting route can let you sell the other troops or in the case of FEC use some them for basing fodder. Selling will help you recoup some of the finances as well so again these two seem like the best financial options.

I just keep imaging the horses wheeling into that position in the charge and all that comes to my mind is the proper name of this edition, Age Of Sigmar: Cavalry Drift!

Well there goes my idea for a new hero model Although my Gryph-hound lord would still get the extra dice. 😁

Only with the Thunderstrike Keyword sadly... guess Grungi needs to get off his lazy behind and forge some Doggobirds some shiny new armour.

I feel like spears are going to be a lot more valuable in this edition or maybe ranges will change somewhat to better reflect the size of units? I feel Cavalry, Ogors, Trogoths and Bullgors are going to particularly feel the sting.

Wow the new warscrolls are really pleasing on the ol' eye! Also the more I see this model the more I like it. I still think the rod with his face on it is silly but I will always find AOS is at it's best when it is a little silly. Also seeing the old Knight Vexilor makes me appreciate how great the new one is in contrast 😅 Also it is confirmed that we will look at each faction. As a fan of Chaos Undivided I can't wait to see why it is still better to run Beasts of Chaos and Slaves to Darkness models in other Chaos Factions.

I still feel like Endless spells are not for me, something about spending money on a model that a) needs to be cast, b) costs points c) can be used against me. I really like some of the models but they overall seem like more of an investment than I am willing to spend. I still might get them one day for hobby purposes, and then I would feel inclined to try them out. But for now they are a bridge to far. I do like the buffs towards priests and will use #blessed to annoy opponents every turn. Finally and most importantly we are left with the statement, "check back here tomorrow for even more magic, as we give you the scoop on the showdown between the Wizards in Dominion". Does this mean we will learn some more facts about Potgrot? I am clearly much more inclined towards familiars and assistants than I am endless spells.

I am down for some short epilogues; so long as one of the stories is Archaon sitting on his throne, super depressed that he didn't do anything noteworthy while his Varanguard try to cheer him up. "Come on Boss, Sigmar barely did anything either. This was below you and it finally got Be'lakor out of the Eightpoints and you hate that guy"

Well wouldn't that make them fall in line with all the other Paladins as Evocators are simply much better? I mean that is assuming that Evocators are not getting an update or points readjustment, that is why it is so hard to evaluate this unit as they are being judged somewhat in a vacuum. I do think comparing them to more recent releases would make more sense rather than other Stormcast units, but even then points often reflect things such as army wide abilities and summoning mechanics. So the reality of the situation is that we can make educated guesses but they are still guesses. But personally I expect Evocators to get a nerf in the next edition either to their rules or for a points increase making other Paladin units more desirable. However, I think the best part of the Anhilators is that they seem like a mechanically fun unit to play. Bursting from the sky and setting up a charge that causes literal impact, seems like more fun than Evocators chain lightening. However, I do prefer Evocators models and I do like the fact that they are a unit of spell casters so if someone were making a themed list of Paladins I could see running both. But I guess this shows a fundamental difference in play styles, as I would much rather have interesting units than powerful ones... maybe I should play Gloomspite Gitz. 😮