Aelfric

My first thought was either Sisters of the Watch or Handgunners. Both have a stand and shoot when charged, so should be the perfect foil to Dawnriders, who are not particularly tanky. I would suggest units of twenty Sisters, but handgunners are cheap enough to also work as chaff in units of 10.

Being in Shining Company doesn't stop you running; It just means if you run, you are no longer in Shining Company. You can break Shining Company whenever you want to. At least this is my interpretation of the rule.

It's not our fault you're not keeping up.

The decision to break up armies into mini-factions at the start of AOS seems to me to have been a short-term decision to accentuate the difference between the old and new, but has led to long-term complications that are still resonating. Ardboyz were incorporated into Ironjawz really because they were a plastic model that still had legs and could bulk out the new Ironjawz faction. There is obviously a slow build-up to a big overhaul of Destruction taking place, with Gordrak on the move, so it's going to be interesting to see how GW handles it.

On the first point, it is possible to make standard Orruks distinct. Bonesplitters have the niche of early Stone Age, spirit-obsessed savages and Ironjawz have the niche of Might is Right and obsessed with warfare to the exclusion of all else. This leaves a very fat middle. One way for Orruks to go, for example is to be archetypal Nomadic warrior tribes holding large territories or following seasonal migratory routes. The vast majority of each Realm is not governed by civilisations; it is when civilisation impinges on their territory that conflict arises. We even have snippets of Orruks working with civilisations on occasion as guards, trading etc. On the second point, you could argue that all the Lumineth are just Aelves. The point would be to make the models distinct from each other on the table and for their warscrolls to offer distinct roles within the faction. A unit of more heavily armoured Brutes with helmets, slightly larger and in units of three could be quite distinct with maybe more of a tank role; a Brute the size of a Dankhold could be a monster hunter; chariots horde killers; smaller mawcrushers for a flying cavalry unit. They are all technically Brutes, but the result would be a diverse looking army, with more optional playstyles available. In this scenario, the Ardboys can move to be the nomadic elite of Greenskins without detracting overall from the Ironjawz. On the making warscrolls distinctive if Ardboyz are to remain, I wouldn't change the Ardboyz one, but the Brute one. Perhaps give the Brutes a 3+ armour save and 5++ DPR (or something along those lines); make them the anvil to the Ardboyz hammer.

I find the lore on the origins and reproduction of Orruks in AOS frustratingly vague. If, as "the scholars of Hysh" believe, they grow from fungal jelly and Ardboyz are not true Ironjawz, then one has to assume that Ironjawz grow from a variety of fungus distinct from other greenskin races, such as standard Orruks and Grots. As in pretty much all AOS origin stories, there is no definitive explanation so there is room for future alteration; in this case, perhaps, if the scholars discover new evidence. Much more difficult is to explain, in a way that is both believable and acceptable, how and where the Ardboyz went if they suddenly upped sticks and left the Ironjawz, especially if they disappear entirely without trace. If they were to re-introduce a standard Orruk Greenskins battletome, then I'd be fine with Ardboyz going there and being the Elites, a path much easier to explain. As allies, they could still be run with Ironjawz for those who want to and you could then perhaps start to differentiate further the Ironjawz from other Orruk races. Give them the AOS to eleven treatment with ever larger models to depict their growth through fighting, for example. What I don't want is for them to simply disappear without explanation.

Are you advocating replacement models as you feel the design doesn't fit, or the removal of the warscroll from the faction? If the latter, then something would need to take their place, since that would leave only two troop units available. Despite having 40 Ardboyz painted up, I would accept it if there were alternative units to replace them - maybe chariots or elite brutes with different armour, or large brutes; something to at least maintain the rather small variety we have at present. If we're just talking about new sculpts, then that's fine with me.

On the plus side for FW - they made the Troggoth Hag.

@AthrawesYea, I would definitely be a fan. Of course, in the case of the Lumineth the 1 in 4 rule would be mandatory .

At this rate we could end up with a "Cities of" book for every Order God going.

Expensive enough for me to not buy Cursed City. Nice as it is, Fox Spirit and Rooriders ( and all the rest) must come first.

The timeline may vary slightly, mainly due to the pandemic, but in both cases they are receiving a second release of models in a time frame where other factions received nothing, yet the response to each is very different. It doesn't explain why someone from a faction that has had no new models for sometime would blame it on Lumineth receiving models, but not Slaanesh receiving models, which is why I wondered whether it was more to do with the perception that good, strong rules equates to favouritism.

I find it interesting to compare and contrast the Lumineth release with the Slaanesh release. Both are having a second wave of models not too long after the first and both are receiving a new Battletome not long after the last one. Yet I do not see or hear much grumbling about Slaanesh, or their players, getting too much attention. AOS has been going for five years and neither faction received much love in that time. Is this because people perceive the Lumineth as being too powerful, whilst poor Slaanesh is perceived as now being middle of the road and therefore not a threat? It seems to be the only significant difference. Perhaps someone could enlighten me

Tusks and hooves are melee weapons. they are listed under the headline "Melee Weapons" on the warscroll. Ranged attacks are listed under "Missile Weapons" on warscrolls (see Savage Orruk Arrowboys warscroll). This applies to all warscrolls across the game.

It's only strange if you're not an elf.

I've been wondering whether changing the order of phases might help to mitigate the effect of shooting whilst still allowing it a worthwhile place within the game. Basically have the shooting phase before the movement phase, so; Hero phase Shooting phase Movement phase Charge phase Combat phase Battleshock phase I feel like this should make 1st turn alpha shooting less likely and help to reduce the impact of shooting in the double turn. It should also make teleporting then shooting less probable, since most teleporting is done in the movement phase. I am aware, though, that there may be unintended consequences that I haven't considered and which would make this adjustment unsuitable, so was wondering what others think of this idea. Apologies if this has already been discussed and discarded as a workable solution.

I like Eltharion, he's a bit of a distraction Carnifex. I haven't played any games (for obvious reasons), but I will run him first time out. I'm hoping that a small unit of Bladelords to accompany him will be a nice combo - hopefully more survivability getting across the table and both units can hit simultaneously. I just wish he could actually use his aetherquartz for something.

Good call. Wasn't thinking of that. Maybe that burrowed into my subconcious. Aren't you glad the seeming juxtapositions with Slaanesh appear to have been restricted to the models themselves and not their rules.

It'll be interesting to find out if the Bladelords' champion is a wizard or not. If, as it seems, Teclis has hearkened back to earlier times, then perhaps they will fulfill their old role of protectors of wizards and scholars, rather than mages in their own right. I'd be ok with that if it means having a really killy unit. They're not heavily armoured, so maybe movement 8? Icing on the cake would be giving some defense bonus to nearby heroes, even if it's only wizards. I was going to say a wound soak, but they'd not give that to Teclis; perhaps a -1 to hit against shooting maybe like SCE protectors. To be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing the rules for all the new units and what they bring to the faction.

Instead of adding cream to the plume, you could paint the trim of the skirts with the paler blue from the plume. That might balance it up. Looking nice, though.

The Vanari are "the standing armies of the Lumineth" (P36) "formed largely of citizen warriors" (P5). Page 5 goes into more detail, but essentially the Vanari are regular citizens who also take up arms in time of war, rather like an Anglo-Saxon Fyrd.

Well, isn't the Sun Hysh itself? It is Hysh and Ulgu rotating round each other that give the other Realms day and night. Teclis has Cellenar, Spirit of the Moon. Page 8 of the Battletome describing Tyrion's journey to the edge ends with "the elemental spirit of of brilliant light that occupied the Perimeter Inimical" and Tyrion finding "common cause". It seems only right, therefore, that anyTyrion model would be accompanied by a Phoenix-like creature. I'm hoping that as the Bladelords are the elite of the Vanari, that will open up the freedom for those who specifically follow Tyrion to wield more esoteric and diverse weaponry whilst studying more mystical techniques. The Vanari will then fill the role of regular troops that serve both, which follows the lore already set out.

I don't think either River or Zenith Temples will appear with Tyrion; they will appear as individual updates as and when the storyline requires. The 4 Aelimentari are all Teclian. Tyrion will, if anthing, have (up to) 4 Martial Academies with each mastering a particular fighting style. The Temples seem to be following a trend of 1 or 2 units, a hero and a centrepiece. I would guess that any Tyrionic Schools would probably follow a similar pattern. Perhaps the centrepieces will be large war beasts, Dragonesque or Phoenix-like, Hyshian fauna to counterpoint the Hyshian elements. One would assume that Hyshian creatures are of higher intelligence than similar species from the other Realms. I don't think Tyrion will appear for some time. From the lore, it seems that Tyrion believes Slaanesh is bound beyond doubt. I would say not until after Slaanesh has fully escaped Their prison will He realise His mistake, and I don't see Slaanesh escaping any time soon now that the unformed one has been birthed. Slaanesh will want to maintain the illusion of imprisonment while having part of Him/Her free to act in the Realms unnoticed.

You're probably right, but we'll finally know when the models are released. The Stoneguard have alternative weapon options, so perhaps the Bladelords do too. Not all blades are swords, after all. Less likely for the Rooriders, but they're still wonderful. One thing I will say; the more they push named characters and Temples into Ymetrica, the less likely I am to follow. I'll stick with the generic heroes and have some flexibility. I don't like being railroaded when it comes to designing my own take on armies.

Was there some discussion of an alternative build for the Bladelords that had short spears when the drawn video was released? If so, do you think this is still on the cards, but GW have held it back as a last minute surprise - or am I just being delusional? (I was also hoping for an alternative melee build for the rooriders, as they've done for the new Slaanesh cavalry).