Asbestress

Email newsletters are out for today, guess we'll be waiting for AoS teasers until tomorrow.

Since we've already started ticking off things from the calendar, why not have some predictions?

Regardless of scheduling, we should still be getting "something special" tomorrow (Tomb Kings and Boxing Day mini?), and probably some smaller reveals every day (hopefully solving the entire Advent Engine) Tune in tomorrow for a huge reveal, followed by something special on Boxing Day. Throughout the week, there will be teases for what’s coming in 2024,

Dark Angels reveal is up. One unlisted video down, like 4-5 between other game systems to go. Most likely OW tomorrow, then AoS/HH/other throughout the week?

Well then, might find out if this is real sooner than anticipated!

Maybe we'll get a more "official" answer to that (can Be'lakor take Varanguard?) and have this new character (Lady of Ruin?) leading the Archaon loyalists?

New "rumour list" from Reddit: Seems believable, although the Death boxes are a bit suspect (more ROR that are not Mortarchs?), and it's a bit "safe", I guess (and no Vandus vs Khul?). Would be happy with that Cities wave though! And at least everything having a name makes this one pretty easy to confirm/debunk by the time we get our next reveal.

Advent Engine is up (despite not appearing anywhere). Thinking this has to do with the Nighthaunt(?) hand pouring something and maybe the chemistry set. Maybe a strangely clean Nurgle thing to go with the book I guess.

It's obviously a Cities plague doctor! Oh, wait, Seriously though, I think we are getting a Festus remake/new Nurgle "doctor" character and this is their backpack. P.S.: now that we've seen some more "corroded"/less refined wood, now I 100% think these two are both the same model/squad and that it's for Cities (who appear to have become the ultimate masters of smooth looking woodwork now that the refresh is done) Edit: although, it isn't that banged up looking... And those little metal ending parts do kinda look like small animal head shapes... New Cities Arch-Surgeon it is!

Feels weirdly beak-y to me. Krootox?

Awesome mini, probably my favourite foot vampire (although the Vyrkos semi-slavic aesthetic has tempted me before), but

Obviously a metal panel being used as a shield by the new Flagellants and definitely 100% never-ever trench raider close-quarters infantry for the Krieg refresh.

Lumineth had 10 kits on release (including the spells), and Cities got 11. Cities may have a lot of kits, but like 60-80% are still old Fantasy leftovers waiting to be updated/reimagined/removed. The "new Cities aesthetic" part of the army is quite similar in size to Lumineth at launch (although army size probably does not relate to update "urgency", i.e.: Ossiarch, Fyreslayers)

Imho too simple for Hobgrots, too blackpowder for Gitz/Gitmob. It's happened before (Lumineth), and most likely it's a smaller wave (either just Callis and Toll or them and some Devoted with maybe some weirdo who smuggled out a semi-defective bomb of a factory/found one on the battlefield) so it's not impossible I think.

Gitmob shields are fully smooth around the back. I also don't really see the connection between "wood" and Gitmob (if the REs were thatchery I could see it), and the lightning doesn't look crude enough to be Destruction imho.

I assume the bandage starts a bit above the wrist and gets wrapped around the fingers from behind and ends in (and hanging out of) the palm. And I don't know if it's the black-ish metal but now that this is in colour it feels even more Cities to me for some reason

Better picture. Arm seems to be injured (hence the bandage). Just noticed the implement is hollow. Maybe it's like a primitive Flagellant aspergillum (things priests use to splash holy water) and it's chained to a container of Aqua Ghyranis? Or maybe it's a bell ringer chained to the bell (hence the nail for hitting the bell).

Hobgrots have big black nails, so probably not Chorfs sadly.

This combined with the weird wood thing (guy in stocks with mace chained to stocks?) = Flagellants to go with Callis and Toll? Maybe these two also go with the burning skeleton?

Definitely Bladeguard Powersword aesthetics. So, Cities Arch-Knight squad?

It's obviously a Cities death mage's censer that isn't exactly the same as the priest in the command squad. Probably something for Inquisition or Lumineth (tassels).

Oh no, how do I make this be about Cities? Uhhhh, Ironweld Engineer with logistics clockwork machine-writer being operated by a Freeguild halfling pulling on the wire off-screen!

It's (imho) definitely not Kruleboyz. Apart from the squared hole for the chain looking similar to Hobgrot grenade pins (which are slightly more rounded), this looks too refined for Kruleboyz (rough woodwork spliced with rotted driftwood, rough nail patches, and beaten, rusted metal). This really does feel like Cities to me (although that might just be favourite faction bias again), especially because I've just finished putting together my first Great Cannon and Fusil-Major whose woodwork is incredibly similar to this (sensibly placed nails, jointed wood pieces, similar rope/wire as cannon crew fire-rod), but I admit the stylized lightning could maybe fit Skaven or Stormcast (although SC don't really use wood). The only thing bugging me is the weird round metal thing behind the woodwork, which for the life of me I can't figure out what it might be. So overall, for today's "Asbestress explains why the Advent Engine is definitely Cities", my guess would be a Steam Tank replacement/Cogfort/Ironweld machine mechanism.

Bit unorthodox, but I went with Freeguild Fusiliers. An incredible infantry kit all around that perfectly captures Cities as a faction imho.