Magnusaur

In hindsight, the Slaves to Darkness box was probably the biggest oddity of all. Really wish they would spring more "surprise, new army in a box!" releases on us.

I want to say no. There's been cases were a battlebox included multiple new units for an army that then received more stuff later or in parallel, like with Genestealer Cults and Ossiarchs, but when it comes to single-model releases it's a one-and-done type of deal. Wait, I suppose Sisters got a bunch of stuff alongside the Palantine that was included in Piety and Pain? And Daughters of Khaine got endless spells alongside the Ironscale Medusa. Maybe?

Hmm, some kind of Nighthaunt 'tallyman'? Or a Charon-esque ferryman seated on a boat, the prow of which was seen in the rumor engine? A 'drowned dead' subfaction for Nighthaunt would be amazing and on theme.

You're absolutely right, it was released on same day as Indomitus, I think. Save the Ork, all of those were still just the one-off model releases for the first six months of the year. AoS sure could have used something similar when Dominion came out... Anyway, I have high hopes for not only the latter half of '22, but the many cracks in between. But then again, Broken Realms also heralded a lot of wonderful models...

For comparison, here's the video from last year: As someone else said, I think we are looking at a flipped schedule, with front-heavy 40K releases and hopefully a bunch of cool AoS stuff after summer. Importantly, what this tells me is, that the video is looking five or six months into the new year. Plenty of space for big surprises! (To be fair, though, this video is titled 'Coming Early 2021' whereas the new one isn't. But they display about the same amount of models, yet this one made no mention of Kroak, Dominion, Orks, Black Templars, or even Soulblight - just Cursed City.)

Always appreciate new (though these have already made the rounds here) rumors, but I suspect these are wrong on just about every account. "Uh, I can't see the future, but these armies will totally kick off the next edition years from now, and also there will be this dual release of two major armies next year, and I know for sure it's not a battlebox, but this new simultaneous release concept we've never seen before." Yeah, right. Also love when they try to justify rumors about the actual real-world, complicated-as-heck-and-likely-to-change-any-minute-given-the-global-situation logistics of model releases by whipping up some sketchy fan lore. Like we are being asked to believe this "because Nagash is gathering his strength"? That odd piece of fluff would totally have made its way through information channels, sure. Would love if that was how Games Workshop tried to explain away investor concerns as well. "Your numbers are down this quarter!" "Well, what do you expect? Sigmar's still reeling from the Necroquake, though Chaos Dwarf R&D is devising a patented solution that will shake the foundation of the Mortal Realms and bring our wares to new markets." Nighthaunt are the Death Guard of this edition (in that they were the previous baddies) and are in my opinion much more likely to see a new update on the part of Death soon - we even have the rumor engines to support that notion. This just seems like a mix of educated guesses and stuff people like to hear. The upgrade sprue for the dragons, for example, I could totally see happening, while the updating of old Stormcast sculpts to Thunderstrike doesn't have to make any sense, just be controversial enough that it will prey on people's fears and get them talking.

I don't interpret - as others seem to do - the meagre amount of new models as proof that GW is unwilling to further invest in and expand on Fyreslayers and Idoneth. On the contrary. When Blood of the Phoenix (although rightfully criticized) came out, a lot of people were certain the 'feedback loop' would doom the range and ensure no other Eldar models would see the light of day. And now look! History isn't over - neither that of the Mortal Realms or our own world. 2022 will not be the final batch of model releases from GW and in the grand scheme of things a model range released in '16 or '18 is still new. Recovering from the virus in these days, I feel privileged to be around for another spin of the old planet, eager to see what the new year (and hopefully many more) holds in store for us as hobbyists. Stay safe, stay positive, and happy new year to all.

If 4th edition takes us to the shadowy realm of Ulgu (following the argument that Underworlds telegraphs this in advance), will we see Clan Eshin as the new villain of the week (circling back to Chaos), like Nighthaunt and Kruleboyz? With Umbraneth being released towards the end of 3rd as a tie-in? I think it'd be strange to see Malerion mid-way through the Era of the Beast, if adventures in Ulgu are on the horizon.

Can only repeat what others have said. Bland additions, especially considering the creative canvas both armies have available to them. I would be very surprised to see IDK get a battletome while Fyreslayers get ignored or souped, though. If Skaven are coming, does that mean the same for Seraphon? Any hints or rumors? All I want for Christmas... is for the stars to align!

I hope not, as I'd like the two universes to be as visually distinct as possible. I think if we see a major conceptual overhaul of Cities of Sigmar/Dawnbreaker Crusades, then that might be some indication. But as said, we don't know.

One thing I hadn't considered before now... maybe the combining of FS and KO will be related to the release of Chorfs? Like the orderly stunties have to set aside their differences and band together against the Hash-up-to-no-goods?

There is also some precedent of battle boxes with less-than-stellar models like the Craftworlds part of the Blood of the Phoenix set and to a lesser extent, the Grey Knights. If anything, the boxes are used to move quantity that isn't already selling itself. And for all the Chorf disciples in here, I'm surprised that people would think that this would be their debut? Surely GW have something far ambitious planned for them? Then again, Ossiarchs were introduced that way, albeit with complimentary releases. The rumor about Chorfs blowing a hole in Azyr were ultimately bunk, but man did that sound like fun...!

I could see Nighthaunt getting a new Battletome in the near future, similar to how Death Guard - the bad guys of the previous edition - also got one relatively quickly (delays not withstanding). They also got a new model in Broken Realms which I think GW would want to consolidate plus that new rumor engine... Honestly wouldn't be surprised to not see Dragons this side of Christmas. Heavy Intercessors were highly anticipated and didn't release until six months later...

Happy 3000 pages to you all! Thanks for letting my drop by and get my rumor fix. Here's hoping we have new Seraphon, Skaven, Beasts of Chaos and - of course - Chaos Dwarfs before we hit 4000!

I love the idea of a Nighthaunt ghost ship. I think a maritime theme could fuel an entire new 'chamber' for that army. Alternatively, some kind of 'Cities of Nagash' kind of mix of vampirates, ghouls, ghosts, and skellies.

The rumor was that the entire GK side would be updated "setting a precedent for one half of battle boxes being totally updated" or something to that effect.

Much as I'm desperate for rumors, I'm convinced the BoC/Spider Goblins think is completely bunk. Seems like a regurgitation of previous stuff from a source that turned out to be incorrect. Happy to be proven wrong, though.

Do those warbands then become unplayable in the next iteration? I'm unfamiliar with Underworld but interested in getting into it.

Does the new Orruk battletome elaborate on the relation between Gobsprakk and Kragnos? That part was really intriguing to me. Maybe in the future, Kragnos will realize he is being goaded (heh) by the Orruks and that could become a turning point in their 'alliance'?

My memory and Google Fu is failing me... was that the same rumor talking about a whole bunch of CSM next years as well as a "big but incomplete" Craftworlds overhaul?

Cool models, cooler setting. Makes me retroactively regret not having played Underworld before. Is the PC version a good indication of what the game is like?

And interlock for maximum choo-choo of doom! I'm not up to date with Slaves to Darkness but I'm sorry to hear they are as hamstrung as Chaos Space Marines - at least the latter are likely to receive a big update next year.

That's a really wonderful observation! For an edition focused on the realm of beasts, it certainly makes sense to release models that emphasize the gnarly, gritty, and monstrous. I hadn't thought about it like that, and I suppose I still give pause to part of that line of thinking. Part of me worries - perhaps naively - that some of the resulting model releases will feel overly 'specialized' by whatever realm they were designed for. Like, will my Thunderstrike Stormcast look out of place in a few years when the tone shifts? Will the simian lips of the Ghur-based Seraphon keep me up at night? That kind of thing. But at the same time I understand that there may be no such thing as designing from a 'neutral point-of-nowhere'. Age of Sigmar is only just beginning and it may be better to lean into different styles at different times, rather than to try to exhaustively nail down how a vampire, knight, or skeleton looks. That's how you end up with stagnation. It's an interesting tension. The realms are at the heart of the universe but they way they are reflected in the models is for me at least also a source of slight concern.

Very well put. For someone who likes the more gimmicky and OTT aspects of Age of Sigmar, Soulblight didn't quite strike a nerve with me. The last few new armies (Sons, Soulblight, Kruleboyz) have been more 'down to Earth' (or 'Old World') than I was maybe expecting. The new Stormcasts feel more grounded and sensible as well. I can understand the concern that the world is regressing back into Old World territory - I certainly would like the two worlds to be as distinct and far apart as possible but I also realize that GW are still developing and experimenting with different things to nail down the Age of Sigmar style - if only one there will be.

I'm not sure why but the first wave of Soulblight had strong "to be followed up by another soon" vibes to me. I'd expect them or Ossiarchs to be the Death faction to get most of the attention this edition.