OkayestDM

Vigilors are such an interesting unit, but I agree that they aren't worth the price you pay for them, given how their power and utility is split. Still they are a very functional unit, they just need a points adjustment to make them worth taking. Vanquishers on the other hand need a total overhaul. The intended design is interesting, but in practice it doesn't work and isn't worth investing in (which is a crying shame, because the models are fantastic and it would be really great to have a dedicated killy battleline unit.) My current favorite idea for a rewrite is to remove the adjustable attacks profile entirely and have them put at a flat 3 attacks with 2" range. This makes them decent in combat and encourages you to bring them in units of 10, which further increases their deadliness and synergies with their 5+ rally rule.

We can all agree that it's a little rough on the AoS front right now, particularly since all or most of us were expecting to be basking in the glory of the new edition and all it had to offer. I'm legitimately wondering (and I suppose somewhat hoping) if GW is going to course correct the AoS releases a bit, focusing in on Nurgle-esque 1-model Battletome releases for a few factions until they get themselves caught up. I'm not surprised that they've been prioritizing the 40k releases. It's always been their cash-cow, and despite the fact that AoS is rapidly growing in popularity, we're still a long way from matching 40k's following. It's not fun for us, but it is good business sense, and in the long run will help GW get the resources it needs to get back on track. I'm keeping my own enthusiasm alive with my backlog and Battlereports (so glad that RR1's is back!).

Thanks! I literally glanced right over that one, thinking ideas just a regular Namarti.

If you mean the one behind him, isn't that the DoK elf companion he picked up?

You could always use Retributors to proxy for Annihilators. A lot less work involved with them.

I hear that. A moderate points drop across the Chamber (and a solid rewrite of Cycle the Storm) would help. The Ballista could use something to make it a compelling alternative to Longstrikes and Judicators. I like the Lord Exorcist, but his ability is really only good when you know you're facing a Death faction, and then only if you have him in the right place. (A model that shines brightest in casual play, when you know what army your opponent is playing.)

I've been feeling the yearning recently to go back to the Lumineth models I set aside earlier in the year and try to finish up the units I have primed. They can certainly be taxing to paint sometimes, but they are such fantastic models, and they look so good once done (as this thread so beautifully demonstrates.)

I'm not banking on anything, but imagine if they actually make Vanquishers good in the Winter FAQ. There's a few ways they could do it, and it'd be pretty great to have a reasonably killy melee Battleline unit in the roster. It's a genuine pity that such fantastic models with so much potential fell so flat.

You'll get no argument from me there.

Given the nature of the times we live in, and the cascading complications businesses like GW face with shipping, supply, and releases, that's the only kind of roadmap they would be likely to hazard. Even so, it took months for them to release the SCE and Kruelboyz models after AoS 3.0 was announced, and even longer to release the dragon models. In all probability, GW likely just doesn't want to risk committing to anything because the rug has been pulled out from under their plans too frequently in such a short amount of time already By the looks of things AoS is still struggling to get back on track, whereas 40k seems to have gotten some traction going.

I think the real question about Endless Spells is: How long will it take GW to realize that they could collect them into a unique faction (Destruction anyone?) I mean, it wouldn't be a good faction, but still . . .

It's all a question of taste. I thought several of them were stunning, bit there were a few that didn't really appeal to me. Vince's was stunning but I consider myself biased on that, as I enjoy Warhammer Weekly and occasionally indulge in his painting and hobby tutorials. I think my favorite was Richard Gray's red Karazai, with special mention to Hannah Leppanen's purple and cream Krondys.

Slaanesh started with a single mortal hero in a box set and then got a big range update. There's still hope.

Often a few months, but there have been some rumor engines that have lasted for a year or more before they were revealed. It's always a toss-up.

I've been toying with a 3rd turn reinforcement rule for games that I want to run longer. The simple version is that during the 3rd turn you can bring back all of your units that have been wiped out. They are treated as coming out of reserve (allowing factions with special reserve rules to be able to use them.) For slightly more complexity - especially for those who have big collections and like to play with all their toys - you don't bring back the slain units, but instead assemble a completely new force based on the point value of your slain troops and bring them in as reinforcements. I've yet to try it out or play around with the idea, but my hope is that it'll be a fun way to change up the game.

Yikes! That's about $94 in USD. I knew they were going to be pricy, but that's gonna sting.

My plans for the dragons hasn't changed: 5 kits total, two for each weapon variant, and one extra to let me make 2 Knight-Draconis heroes.

This is the question right here, because so much of the conversation turns on how we interpret this aspect. For my part, I try to look at what the unit in the warscroll is supposed to be doing and how well its stats, abilities, and other design elements interact with that. Vanquishers are a "killy" unit that cannot perform its role against heroes, monsters, or small, elite units, and it doesn't synergize well with it's own abilities. Gors are technically a screening/battleline unit, but there are other units that fill those roles more efficiently and effectively. Importantly, a unit that performs its role too well can be just as bad as one that performs it poorly. Pink Horrors are a screening/tarpit unit that was simply too good at what it did. (Might still be, I'm not sure any more.) Sentinels are a power projection unit that can be made oppressive fairly easily, and with limited options for counterplay. A "good" unit is one that fulfills its function without either being too good or too bad at what it does. There's a lot of gradient in there, and there will always be some units that edge others out, but that's where points changes take over.

I appreciate you for keeping this alive.

Quite possibly. Then again, aggressive points adjustment could turn Bonesplittaz into a surprisingly competitive horde faction. Only time will tell. I think that's a bit unfair. Everyone has an opinion on things, and KingBrodd';s opinions are almost always motivated by his love for theme, story, and lore. Granted, you may value it less because he doesn't play the army (and have every right to do so), but that does not in and of itself make his opinion somehow inferior, just different. Possibly, it's hard to say. With Soup tomes being a relatively new thing, there's not telling what happens when they decide to expand on a specific subfaction, but I'm inclined to believe that they're deliberately trending away from the solo factions and deliberately trying to create mixed tomes. That's another one that we'll just have to wait and see about.

Honestly, I agree. DoK has a very strong personality and place as a faction, and I'd rather it not be diluted. Still, even if they do merge the factions, there is some hope. Despite being souped, Ironjawz, Bonesplittaz, and Kruel Boyz all have a very unique and independant identity. I also agree that there's plenty of other factions that could do with some love first. I think we'll be seeing mostly souping and expanding going forward. The number of unique factions in the game is rapidly approaching critical mass. If they plan to maintain the current 3-year edition lifespan, they won't be able to update battletomes within that timeframe unless they start merging some of the factions. Everyone has a different opinion on whether or not that's a good thing, but logistically it's really the only way forward, aside from extending the edition cycle (which I'm also not opposed to.)

It might be a tall order to pull off, but I feel like Malerion and Tyrion might be released at the same time as opposing forces. It would be easier if Malerion and his followers are bundled into DoK - as then they would simply be expanding two existing faction - but I'm not convinced that they'll do that, and I know the suggestion isn't necessarily a popular one.

This opinion may only really be unpopular amongst other Stormcast players, but . . . Stormcast should never have gotten wizards. One of their central themes is their connection and devotion to Sigmar, and the Sacrosanct chamber should have been warrior priests, not warrior mages. It would have tightened up their theme nicely. Granted, prayers have only really been codified in thus edition, but Stormcast magic isn't much to write home about anyway. I think it would have been better to give them prayer and priest mechanics to counter or ignore magic. It would have been far more thematic. That said, I'm not selling my Sacrosanct any time soon . . .

I'm a little sad about the ruling on Translocate, but I can live with it. I just wish that they had made Cycle the Storm a poor-man's version of Yndrasta's resurrection ability. A single model of 2 wounds or less returned to a unit wholly within range, or something similar. Would have been a whole lot simpler and offered a whole lot more utility to Lord Arcanums.

Perhaps it's just me, but the fancy frill and 4 arms put me in mind of Slaaneshi themes. Given that Slaanesh has been cooped up for a while, they could indeed be "the watcher." The helmet/headpiece might even match the shields wielded by the Myrmadesh troops. That said, I don't believe spiders have ever been a strong part of the Slaanesh theme. Most of the warbands from Warcry latch onto tangential aspects of one or more of the chaos deities, but are not yet committed to any one in particular, and this don't truly grasp what it is they are worshipping. Leaves a LOT of room for interpretation.