AoS General's Handbook finally announced !!

I'm on the "love it" side.
I like standard, alternate turns, but I also like the fact that you cannot be 100% sure that you're going to act next. You must plan more carefully.

 

Same here, I kinda like it.
But I also read that thread over at TGA and I can understand that there are also good arguments against It, especially when playing competitively since there are builds that outright kill everything when they get the double turn, which isn't fun for anybody.

 

Yeah, they are not going to ban them, but they will (logically) give no support, no bonuses, no incentives.
Armies as TK and Bret are going to slowly fade away.

 

Fun thing I noticed about what you can also do for tournaments:
At Pokemon tournaments (I know weird example but I found it intriguing) there are certain "banned" cards which in our case would probably be builds.
Certain things that are known to break balance are just not allowed. I've seen that on descriptions for AoS tournaments as well, but usually banning only a few selected units, abilities, or builds.
At Pokemon tournaments there are sometimes many more restrictions. And they are not necessarily banning OP stuff but just often-played stuff. There are tournaments banning the 100 most used Pokemon for example (there are lists rating Pokemon in categories based on how often they are played at tournaments).

I'd love to see if that could work for a tabletop wargame as well.
Banning armies with more than six Kurnoth Hunters or Skyfire, banning the use of Kunnin Rukk, or other much used builds, encouraging unusual builds. That will affect armies that are strong in the current meta much more of course, making other armies more viable. Over the course of several tournaments that might lead to interesting results. Of course for some armies you just cannot ban a build, that's when it is the only playable one. But then that's something the developer can - and should - do something about.
I thought about it because I noticed that some armies - despite having LOADS of options - still play the two 'strongest' ones.

I do that myself now and then. I noticed that the mass Skinks Shadowstrike basically rolls over @Mesandres Ironjawz build, so I just said "OK so let's see if I can win without it" and started to play Firelance and other unusual builds.

It might be an interesting idea to try. It would still be a poor substitute for a real balanced game, but it would make tournaments more diverse I guess.

Ban the winner builds of the last four big tournaments and see what happens.

 

Yeah, single units won't work. It is builds that _could_ work.
So certain combinations of units. Like this:

The following unit combinations are not allowed in lists for this tournament (Summoning included):
- More than 6 Kurnoth Hunters in a list
- More than 9 Tzaangor Skyfires in a list
- Kunnin' Rukk bataillon with more than 20 archers in a list
- Lord Kroak + Astrolith Bearer + Balewind Vortex in a list
- More than two Wight Kings in a list
- More than two giant Squigs (Mangler Squigs or Forgeworld Colossal Squigs) in a list
- More than one Mourngul in a list

...whatever. Such stuff. I am pretty sure it is possible to describe those builds in a few words. It would include, say, the key characteristics of the top 3 or top 5 placed armies of the last four big (official or something, there has to be some kind of "main tour" of events) tournaments. So a maximum of around 12-20 "locked" builds.

About Bataillons: I think there is not one bataillon that is super broken, it mostly is a combination of stuff that might be broken.
Kunnin' Rukk with melee Orruks is fine, but not with a big amount of archers.

Single unit spam can be a problem if units are undercosted, but doesn't have to be. Skyfires and Kurnoth Hunters aren't broken, but playing a list with 15 Kurnoth Hunters probably is.


And keep in mind, this isn't necessarily about broken lists, just about strong ones. If they did well they are not allowed for the next four tournaments so people have to choose others. If that kicks out broken lists that is just a positive side effect. You would recognize a really really OP list by it winning (placing in the top 3 or top 5) exactly every fifth tournament.


Would it work? No clue. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'd like to try it and see but tournament hosts probably won't do it to avoid possible backlash by the competitive community.

 

That's correct. I am kinda glad about it since that measn our Skink Chief is still safe to use, but yes, for you it means TK will not be phased out too quickly.
Since all others get buffed by the new book it will probably make them quite a bit weaker though, so that's still going to make them less popular, I am quite sure about that.

 

But can they play TK as Deathrattle?

 

Good question....
I would like to play skeleton archers and since TK Skellies are GW models and that would make them ok for official tournaments while Mantic ones are only OK for private use.

So I'd say it is too early for @NIGHTBRINGER to celebrate.

 

If TK can be used as Death rattle I will defo start a small force again, I have an idea for them coming through a graveyard at night which is lit my torches so I was thinking paint them with the flame reflections.