Flippy

Even Morghasts start to look attractive for 150 points.

The forum is back just in time! I have my Deathriders built and primed - with a test model finished. I’ve also painted the Soulmason and the Liege-Kavalos; the latter with a slightly different palette (and more work) than the rest of the army.

The rules. Take Ironjawz - you have two warbands, one being refreshed ardboyz and the other alternative brutes. Do they fit thematically and aesthetically? Absolutely. Do they have any purpose in this army rules wise? No. It may accidentally turn out that one or the other turns out to be marginally useful due to lack of certain keyword, but I don’t think that anyone actually takes these warbands into consideration when designing the faction rules.

Except it’s not. I can see the appeal of the minis and the world building potential coming with the AoS related side games, but every time the warband actually fits in the army it’s by accident and not by design.

Fair enough. Your post actually made me think of where does my annoyance come from - and there is obviously a combination of factors here. I do believe that GW = miniature wargaming and that this carriage has always been pulled by two - a SF game and a fantasy game (currently AoS). Every other endeavour (HH, TOW, Warcry etc.) is a potential distraction for GW. It does not need to be, and I like the alternative minis as much as every other player, but… this edition’s initial release (Kruleboyz) was underwhelming; subsequent releases were generally underwhelming; the promised battlescrolls are delayed - and I fear that the focus is not where it should be. Now, every time this stuff is mentioned someone will inevitably come to the rescue with the stories of COVID, Brexit and sewage leak in Nottingham - and we will hear how it’s takes years to develop a “stylistic language” for a faction. And yet, GW can apparently overcome every obstacle and crank out the side games like crazy. so, I guess it all comes down to trust. I do not trust that they care enough and that annoys me.

Yeah, I know - at the same time this approach always feels a bit like a GW's cheap excuse or distraction tool, like "We know very well that some armies are in dire need of an update and other should get additional units, but look, look! So many cool minis for Warcry and Underworlds! You can even use some of them for your AoS games or proxy our 20-years old model here and there". Not cool.

Not even sure... I think Sylvaneth Archers and Seekers, before that Nighthaunt crossbow guys.

I would take this even further... I so hope that we are done with this constant stream of Underworld & Warcry and finally get a proper Battlescroll, proper units (no, a warband is not a proper unit, even with AoS rules provided) and some info on the next tomes. Just AoS, please - no offshoot side games.

This "simple way" handling effectively means that there are almost no artefacts in the game. That is a certain simplicity, but it also kills the flavour. This, on the other hand, was pure, concentrated flavour...

Evil Sun - Bad Moon dichotomy could be nice. But then you have spiderfang grots to add and may just as well end with another Warclans tome, with three separate & underdeveloped factions.

It would be a true challenge to include doom divers and pump wagons and still treat the faction as "something straight out of a nightmare, cunning and brutal or the other way around". How I see this is you can have a grot horror or doom divers - but not both.

Some progress on the OBR.

That wouldn't be unreasonable, but they announced a different schedule. And the last battlescroll was issued in June, along the GHB.

AoS Battlescroll day, please... that thing was supposedly coming soon two weeks ago, in the metawatch article on September 29.

Good point. Unfortunately, this whole quarterly update looks very much like a typical corporate commitment - the idea seems fine and reasonable and so it got approved with overwhelmingly positive feedback during the meeting. Fast forward: we are a week away from the quarter's end and it turns out that they forgot to allocate adequate resources to the task; no senior AoS rules consultant is now particularly willing to and write a battlescroll on Saturday and so here we are, still unwilling to accept that at their best GW can deliver random and unscheduled updates.

If it involves compulsive buying to follow the meta then you are obviously right. I think you can simply enjoy meta analysis, tournament reports and list building discussions - and the added benefit is that you don’t care that much about the new releases.

double

Such debates are the best part of this thread. Like, seriously - does anyone really gets excited with the WarCom rumour engine pictures or speculating if this Warcry bands is released before that one?

I find that strange as well. Ironically, it seems that people who focus more on the rules, the meta and the list building have more healthy approach to the hobby.

First things first - the Mortek Guards are finished. Next I think I will build & prime 5 Deathriders and maybe paint a hero for a change (a Soulmason) - or the unit of Stalkers.

For me to use the Tau trope would be to introduce a different civilisation entirely which is: (i) highly advanced in this way or the other (e.g. technology on par with CoS and/or Kharadron); (ii) not Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings etc. - something new; (iii) not aligned with Chaos and existing Order pantheon in any way; (iv) previously unknown to other factions; (v) having their own view on how to tame and civilise the Mortal Realms, which puts them against both Chaos and the Sigmar's plan (crusading and establishing cities); (vi) powerful enough not to ally with any major players, and maybe even draw some of them to their cause. Of the new armies, Lumineth and OBR came closest - but not close enough.

September is almost over, and I can now say that I have failed. But… I’ve managed to finish 11 Mortek Guard, the Boneshaper and one endless spell; 9 remaining Mortek Guards are almost done - just some highlights, tufts and pigment and that’s it. The last picture illustrates the difference between the finished model (right) and the one with just contrast paints over zenithal priming (left). See you all in October!

Yes, but the point is that currently the only thing setting the Fyreslayer units apart is the weapon. Once you start mixing the weapons...

Oh my. Mortek Guard are perfect the way they are - they grin and, unlike Deathrattle Skeletons, refuse to bend in a strange way. They also look like a proper infantry, a disciplined military force - which is very in line with their fluff. These guys - and the Deathriders - are actually the best kits in the OBR range.

I second that. Reads like a novel of manners (to an extent, it’s still Black Library) and I really liked that.