[The Rumour Thread]

2 hours ago, michu said:

GW was comparing it to 30k all the time. Seriously, I've seen so many people surprised by a lot of things that they could be aware of if only they've read the articles.

Oh, the same 30K that gets S-tier resin miniatures of important characters like the primarchs? Settra seems like he would be a great example of a very important character that could get a new resin sculpt. 

[The Rumour Thread]

Nothing from Harbingers book 2? The miniatures they showed were awesome, but I was honestly expecting one or two more AoS reveals.

[The Rumour Thread]

2 hours ago, Tervindar said:

I really really really hope that they become the poster faction for order going forward. They look incredible, gritty, and not over the top. 

I think they look too difficult to paint for GW to consider them for the role of poster faction. 

[The Rumour Thread]

I wish GW would make older Warhammer Underworlds-warbands available again. I'm toying with the idea of starting Ironjawz (the new giant war-pig is very enticing), and I would love to get Morgok's Krushas as a way to add variety to my units of brutes. Especially as I have no interest in ardboyz. Here is an idea: Why don't GW make old warbands available as a made to order when a faction has a new battle tome? 

[The Rumour Thread]

48 minutes ago, RyantheFett said:

 

This is the first half stuff:

"Heard these from a friend, take with an ocean of salt.

Releases 2023

January
S2D full release

Beast of Chaos:
New Beastlord
No other new models
Some resin kits may get range rotated (not 100%)

General's Handbook with big (bone?) Spider

February
Gloomspite Gitz:
Snarlfang Riders
Gitmob hero
Snarlfang Chariot with shaman option
Sylvaneth-size release
Completely reworked Bad Moon: constant passive effect with chance to wane/wax depending on amount of friendly losses

March
Seraphon:
New "big dino" with magic structure on top
Kroxigors
Razordon/Salamander Pack dual kit (2 bigger lizards)
Saurus Guard with leader options
More Azyr looking Saurus Sunblood/Eternity Warden?

April
Blades of Khorne vs Hedonites box (again)
New single Hedonite foot hero
New single Khorne foot hero (named?)"

 

So some of that??? I am awful at figuring out units, but the last two seem to be the two chaos things in April, so that looks like a match? The Seraphon ones as well........... even thought I only see a blob for one lol. Also not sure what that first thing is so it could be the spider......... I mean I see legs maybe??????

My faith in this "leak" took a nose dive when GW revealed the new squigboss. It is not listed in the leak (only a gitmob hero). 

[The Rumour Thread]

45 minutes ago, MitGas said:

They need to stop messing with AoS rules. Everything since the start of 3rd ed has been detrimental to the game‘s popularity over here and I absolutely hate that. I can pinpoint the drop in general interest with each new rule change in the Warhammer discord here… 😖 AoS being a beer and pretzels game really was a hit here. I understand that one can omit a lot if rules bloat but I don‘t think they understand the situation - GW games are more about fun for most players and much less about balance, they‘ll never manage to balance it perfectly anyways. 
 

….people actually suggested to play 40k now as they find those rules better 😂😂😂. 
 

GW desperately needs a better rules team. Has to be said. I‘m sorry for complaining, it‘s definitely not easy to write great rules but I‘m only complaining because I want the best for AoS. When it comes to the people I know who play, more and more difficult rules are not the answer. 
 

there‘s also a reason why people like to play Warcry over Killteam… (it‘stherules🤫)

 

They will mess and change the rules constantly. That's part of the monetization strategy. The edition schedule warrants a new edition every 3rd year. It goes without saying that new editions will tweak the rules so that they can pitch the edition as being something new. I don't really care about this as I don't play the game (only paint and collect). In addition to new editions every 3 years, there are also seasons and all kinds of stuff to mix things up. However, no matter how good rules writers they have, the games are so vast and have so many models and units that getting it right is almost impossible, I imagine. 

[AoS abandoned by my gaming group. Would like to see more QoL improvments for the game!]

I've been painting Age of Sigmar since 2015. Switched this year to 40k and chaos space marines. The moment I did I found tons more people at the local store who were interested in what I was doing, enthusiastically asking me questions and engaging in hobby and lore talk. I knew 40k was much larger than AoS, but the magnitude at my local scene surprised me. The other reason I switched was the AoS release schedule. The new Slaves to Darkness box is great, but other than that it's been crumbs. I think I read somewhere on the rumour thread here on TGA that Necromunda got more releases in 2022 than AoS.  

[The Rumour Thread]

Seems to me that AoS is now relegated to tier 2-release status with Horus Heresy being tier 1 and 40k tier 0. Games Workshop probably spent multiple years treating AoS as 40k's equal in number of releases (perhaps with the goal of building the brand). In the end they realized that having an equal amount of releases didn't make sense due to 40k massively outselling AoS. So, if they want to maximise profits, they needed to switch gears and up the amount of 40k stuff. The rerelease of Horus Heresy is still very new, but could also supplant AoS - or at least be an equal - in terms of releases. It's difficult to maintain any sort of hype for AoS right now, although it must be said that the upcoming Slaves to Darkness miniatures look awesome. 

[The Rumour Thread]

13 minutes ago, Twisted Firaun said:

The only reason I can think of you explain the amount of AOS material that has been passed over this year (including Warcry and TOW) is that GW and CA have an epic year planned for the 40th anniversary of Warhammer. 

You mean the year in which GW releases 10th edition 40k?

[The Rumour Thread]

I've been thinking about AoS edition launch sets vs 40K. I wonder if AoS will start to start launching with at least one range update instead of brand new armies. Indomitus launched with a full Necron range update (plus some brand new units / characters). The rumour is that 10th edition will launch with a range update and expansion for Tyranids. I was thinking that there are several good candidates for a range update with the launch of 4th edition AoS in 2024(?). 

- Beasts of Chaos
- Skaven
- Flesh-Eater Courts
- Ogor Mawtribes

Which one do you hope for? I might add that I also hope for something different from Stormcasts as the "good" faction in the launch box. Normally I would hope for Cities of Sigmar / Devoted of Sigmar / Dawnbringer Crusades, but it looks like something similar will be released before the next edition of AoS. 

[The Rumour Thread]

I'm very happy @KingBrodd got the miniature he wanted. Being Sons of Behemat-curious, I was ready for this reveal to pull me in. However, I feel like GW weren't "generous" enough. Not only are the legs the exact same as every other mega, the lower part of the chest seems identical to the Warstomper: Khorn Shield, wanderers shield, stormcast shield, seraphon carapace. Despite what they said on stream, he seems pretty much the same height as the other megas. If I saw him on the table, I would not think that he is the leader of the sons of the Sons of Behemat. I would just think he is another "normal" variant. If this was another kit with a unique set of legs shared by three different builds with different poses (King Brodd, Matriarch, something brand new?), I would buy a box of megas to paint up immediately after work today. 

The ogre model was ok. My favourite mini of the entire preview might be the center figure in the new Khorne warband for Warhammer Underworlds. He looks amazing and I hope GW continue to experiment in regards to Khorne worshippers from different backgrounds and cultures. We've seen all the Slaves to Darkness minis before and they still look great. I was pleasantly surprised that both the Disciples of Tzeentch and Lumineth Realm Lords battletomes had new cover art.  

A bit depressing that we didn't get a small tease for something new in the future or even an update for Cities of Sigmar / Dawnbringer Crusades. This reinforces my belief that the road to 40k 10th edition is gonna be full steam Grim Darkness of Far Future with a couple of hero minis for AoS (a couple more dual boxes, maybe Gitz vs Flesh-Eater Courts, etc). 

BTW, when were the expansions to Cursed City supposed to come out?

[The Rumour Thread]

1 hour ago, Ganigumo said:

Honestly despite only having like 7 kits Ironjawz feels like one of the most tightly designed armies in the entire game. You get everything you need, with no bloat. I don't know what you add to Ironjawz without it feeling unnecessary. Not that I wouldn't appreciate some new sculpts or anything though. New ardboy sculpts would certainly be nice, and personally I'd love to see the greenskinz boar riders brought back as 'ardboy gruntas or something as I really loved that kit and think it would still hold up, but the army doesn't really need that as a unit.
An interesting direction to take an ironjawz expansion would be to make a few new named characters, like a gordrakk equivalent clan head for bloodtoofs and da choppas. Maybe the bloodtoof boss could double as our grunta megaboss, and the choppas one could be a shaman/warchanter on a warshrine/chariot/new monster

I agree that the ironjawz don't need a large range expansion in terms of new units. The only slam dunk brand new kit I can think of is a megaboss on gore-grunta / unique character on gore-grunta (dual kit). However, ironjawz armies tend to use multiples of some of the core characters. It would be amazing of GW were to release alternate sculpts of a Weirdnob Shaman and a Warchanter. These can be released as event exclusive minis (ideally we would want them to be available for everyone and sold as part of the main line, but unfortunately that is unlikely to happen).   

[The Rumour Thread]

3 hours ago, KingBrodd said:

Head, Backpiece and arms/weapons!!

Head will be what seems to be the bearded RE, unless its a WHOLE new kit with multi build options.

Backpiece will be unique, Gatebreaker has the cowl, Kraken Eater has the boat and Warstomper has the shield and spears.

King Brodd could have masonary from the Behemetian temple that was defiled.

Weapons could also be part of the Behemetian temple. The only weapons he is described as using is a Pillar from the temple so I could see that.

The only key art we have is his face which is clean shaven with a Dragon Skull jaw helmet, my old Profile Picture here. Growing a beard is no big deal and if the only retcon they do is give him facial hair? Id love it.

My problem with the sons is that they all have the same leg stance. Even when they have different arms/weapons and heads, I still think there is something odd when they are in a group. Ideally I would like King Brodd or a leader gargant to have a completely unique pose, including legs, something that instantly makes it stand out from a couple of other megas. Unfortunately, the size of the kits and the fact that they probably didn't sell great (lots of people use proxyes, most likely due to the high price) makes this unlikely. A giant lover can still dream, however. 

[The Rumour Thread]

The dearth of AoS minis is really depressing. Since AoS 3rd edition kicked off with the wonderful Dominion set in early july 2021, 40k has had the following significant releases (single mini releases not included)

* Black Templars range refresh
* Orks range refresh plus large expansion
* Sisters of Battle large range expansion
* Eldar range refresh
* Chaos space marines large range expansion

Plus the following stuff in the pipeline, likely before the end of 2022:

* Leagues of Votann brand new range
* Imperial guard large range refresh (confirmed by leaks)

The massive release of Horus Heresy is also related to 40K (some minis can be used in both games).  

And then significant rumours mongers like Valrak confirm that 40k 10th edition is slated for summer 2023. That will suck up all the oxygen in the room for a long time. Rumoured inclusions: Tyranid range refresh + new space marines painted like Blood Angels, with a follow-up of Dark Angel range refresh.  

In the same time, AoS has - after the factions of Dominion were complete - had the following significant releases (single mini / hero releases not included):

- Night Haunts small range expansion (1 unit and 1 hero)
- Sylvaneth medium range expansion (2 units and 1 hero)

In addition before the end of the year we are going to get a large range refresh of Slaves to Darkness, which admittadly looks very cool.

And ... that's it for significant releases for AoS in 2022? Where are our range refreshes? Beasts of Chaos, Seraphon and Skaven could really do with large refreshes. Is 2023 going to be any better or will it be dominated by 10th edition 40k? 

Sometimes when I get depressed, I think that GW kept up the high release schedule for AoS in recent years to invest in it and see the response. Maybe the sales did not validate all the investments into the brand and GW pivoted to Horus Heresy as a 3rd mainline game instead, with prospects of reduced AoS releases in the foreseeable future. 

[A discussion of the lore of AoS after 7 years]

1 hour ago, Enoby said:

One thing that's been touched on a bit is AoS's theme, and how that doesn't seem as strong (or at least as noticeable) as either 40k's or WHFB's. 

While I prefer AoS to 40k from a lore perspective, I can't disagree with the idea that 40k's theme is more flavourful and much easier to catch people in. This isn't a case of me being more familiar with 40k - I'm much more familiar with AoS.  

AoS's setting is not bland, but I'd argue its superficial theme is. By this I mean the idea someone gets of the setting by looking at a few of the models and the blurb. 

For 40k, if an interested person looked into it on a very light level, they'd immediately see "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war", coupled with a medieval si-fi design with strong 'religious' theming. Without reading a single book, they could become instantly hooked on the lore - wanting to learn more about the "most cruel and bloody regime imaginable". There are specific rules in the setting that guide everything. 

I don't think AoS currently has that kind of pull. The original tag line of AoS was "an age of neverending battle", coupled with big gold paladins. At least to me, and others I've asked, that doesn't really say anything or raise many questions. While it may look similar to "there is only war", the key part missing is a neat description of the setting - "in the grim dark future". In addition, the Stormcast designs weren't that thematically tied into the immediate tagline - yes, they're fighting, but that's the bare minimum for a wargame. The most it would tell you is that they're probably the good guys, which isn't really enough to draw people in. 

If we look at 40k again, one huge benefit that setting has is that you can describe the theme in an interesting way in reletively few words. If I said "in the future, humanity has regressed to a state of authoritarian madness, worshipping the a corpse on a throne who requires 1000 sacrifices a day", someone could easily instantly become hungry for more info; lots of questions are raised because it starts from a grounded source - humanity. I don't think I could give the same type of summary for AoS; if I were to try, it would probably be "a world died, and out of its remains spawned near infinite realms of magic. These realms lived in peace until Chaos returned to destroy their sanctuary; the god King Sigmar forged a new army of fallen heroes to take back the realms". I think, on its surface, it just doesn't sound as intriguing as 40k's lore. It's not bad, but it's also not that strongly themed - it sounds very high fantasy and without proper grounding. 

It's very hard to describe, and of course subjective, but AoS on its surface looks quite generic. It's not when you look into it, but new players need a hook to do that. It reminds me of the DnD and Pathfinder RPG settings - they're not bad when you look into them, but they're also not that inspiring on a surface level. Like AoS, because they're so varied, the theme doesn't stick out - they want to let you get away with your own creativity, so don't give an overarching theme that could restrict you. 

While I think the lack of strong theme can be good in that sense, it does mean fewer people give the lore a chance and there's less discussion about the happenings of the narrative.  

These are excellent points and really hammer home what I've been feeling for a long time, but been unable to express that eloquently. I really think AoS should emphasize that it is a post-apocalyptic setting where the forces of civilization are attempting to rebuild. The newest edition of the game pivoted in this direction and for that reason I think the new Dawnbringer Crusades faction can really add some narrative punch to the game. I would love if Dawnbringer Crusades became the new "main faction" for AoS going forward. 

Early AoS = Reconquering (Stormcast Eternals)
Future AoS = Settling the wastelands (Dawnbringer Crusades with optional Stormcast elements) 

[The Rumour Thread]

1 minute ago, Landohammer said:

I say this from the perspective of someone who LOVES AoS, and plays it weekly and attends every event I can:

The lore of AOS does not have much appeal because its bad. 

It pains me to say that. But its a hard truth

One of the biggest weaknesses - to me - with the lore of AoS, is the titular god - Sigmar. The emperor is very fascinating character in 40k. Especially tragic is the part where he fought for "The Imperial Truth" (atheism) and ends up sitting on the golden throne, eating psychers for breakfast and being worshipped by his Imperium as a god. I struggle to find anything interesting with Sigmar. And when Sigmar is boring, it makes his chosen warriors - the stormcast eternals - less interesting. 

One detail I find interesting is the tension between the reclaimed and azyrites:

"The Reclaimed are those human residents of the Free Cities of Sigmar descended from the tribes that resisted the taint of the Ruinous Powers and survived the Age of Chaos. Much to the chagrin of the Azyrites, many of the Reclaimed proudly hold onto their tribal traditions and pride."

"The Azyrites, are residents of the Free Cities of Sigmar who either hail from the Realm of Heavens, are descended from natives of Azyr, or can claim family ties to other Azyrites."

[The Rumour Thread]

17 hours ago, CommissarRotke said:

Don't think this "reveal" could've been any more disappointing. Literally ALL 40k ******. Was there zero AOS mentioned during the livestream??????????? AOS is perfect for a CRPG and yet once again it's given to 40k.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/06/01/every-reveal-from-warhammer-skulls-2022-the-warhammer-video-games-festival/

Like seriously what is this

Age of Sigmar does not seem to have that much traction outside the world of GW miniatures (notable exception: The Soulbound RPG is really good). I think we - fans of AoS - just have to realize that the world and lore does not have that much appeal as 40k and even the Old World. Maybe this will change with time?

[The Rumour Thread]

42 minutes ago, KingBrodd said:

If the Lumineth Tome cover is reused Ill be very annoyed. We cabt kdep having recycled covers, there is no reason other than laziness.

I agree that it sucks, but I don't think it has anything to do with laziness. I would guess it's a cost cutting measure. BTW, what is the situation in 9E 40K in terms of recycled codex covers? Not sure they have any recycled covers ... 

[The Rumour Thread]

As of writing this, the new Kill Team trailer has been on YouTube for 6 hours and has amassed 174k views. The Dominion trailer for the 3rd edition of their second main game line has been on YouTube for a little over 30 days and has 641k views. 

I've always known that 40k is substantially more popular than AoS, but this is surprising. Sometimes I wonder why GW lavish AoS with so much attention when they could have just used some of those resources on expanding main 40k and popular spin-offs like Kill Team instead. I even get the impression that AoS get more love with new armies and refreshed lines more so than 40k. If so, I wonder why that is? 

Anyway, it's all good to me. I love painting AoS and I love looking at lovely minis, whether they be 40k or AoS. It will be interesting to see what the Old World will bring to the table. If the armies and minis are great, I might switch my "fantasy-themed" love from AoS to Old World.