GW News: SKAVEN VICTORY! #NewAoS

One of my favourite subjects

My first fully-rendered army book I have completed, and my magnum opus, is my Beastmen 8th Edition army book, that I think really helps to move the army away from being a hybrid of Orcs and Goblins and Warriors of Chaos and breathes back some of the uniqueness it once had in 6th Edition. It's currently in its V1.2 version, as some true gents over on EEFL (and in particular the legend that is grandmasterwang) have been reviewing it and suggesting tweaks to keep it balanced (and so I don't do a Matt Ward with Daemons of Chaos ) and also to .

I also have army lists for the following Fantasy factions that are published and ready to use, though the full army books for them are either not complete or not even started:

• Albion
• Fimir
• Swarms of the Hive Mind (Tyranids in Fantasy )
• Hordes of Shadow (Corrupted Albionites in service to the Dark Master, plus Be'lakor himself)

Furthermore, I have the following additional projects underway:

• Warhammer: Spirits of the Dead - rules for using much of the Nighthaunt army in Warhammer Fantasy. Though I personally am not a fan of the Nighthaunt models, many others have said how they would be one of the AoS factions that would better fit into Warhammer Fantasy, so I thought I'd give an army list for them a spin. This one is close to completion in army list form, though there are no plans at the moment to make a full book for it.
• Warhammer: Tilea - my take on Tilea, turning it from GW's dull attempt to copy Renaissance Italy that never really went anywhere into a much more engaging setting based on Ancient Rome and all the political (and even military) infighting this ancient superpower experienced. This may sit more at odds with those who like the old Dogs of War army, but I have been careful in my lore-writing for this not to fully retcon the Merchant Princes or the mercenary armies they lead, I've just given them a different role in the Warhammer setting to the one GW intended, so Dogs of War fans won't be excluded from the game or its setting. This one is quite close to completion in fully-rendered army book form, though there's still a bit to do on it.
• Warhammer: Cult of Grimnir - I believe I've brought up this one before, it's my attempt to turn Fyreslayers into a Warhammer Fantasy army, basing it on the old Slayer Army of Karak Kadrin rules from Storm of Chaos, and adding a healthy dose of Fyreslayer awesomeness to it. This one I have started in fully-rendered army book form, though is quite a long way from completion right now.
• Warhammer: Sea Elves - After reading about the concept of Sea Elves as a separate race in a copy of the Third Edition Warhammer Rulebook I own, and seeing the quality Idoneth Deepkin range GW came up with in one of their better ideas for AoS factions, I'm reinventing the old Sea Elf race (which officially was morphed into the Lothern Sea Guard as part of the High Elf army) as a new, neutral Elf faction, behaving in a similar manner to Wood Elves, that controls the seas of the Warhammer World and its inhabitants. This one is in progress in army list form.
• Warhammer: Pirates of the Vampire Coast - With the surprise appearance of the Vampire Coast faction in Warhammer II: Total War, I felt duty-bound to create an 8th Edition army list for it, with the roster basing most of its units on those in the game, plus adding some new units for it. Much like Warhammer: Spirits of the Dead, this one is less of a passion project for myself and more of a project for the enjoyment of others, but I'm still having some fun writing it as I've added a healthy dose of Pirates of the Caribbean references into it. This one is in progress in army list form.
• Warhammer 40,000: Ultimate Edition - an ongoing project to set up an Edition of 40K that brings the game back to its roots. Primarily based on 6th Edition, but with some tweaks to sort out the few shortcomings of that Edition, it also involves the writing of expanded army lists for all the 40K factions that existed at the time of 6th (plus Deathwatch and Genestealer Cults from 7th) to include units released in later Editions (though retconning Primaris Marines to be a secret project being used exclusively by the Deathwatch to give them an actual unit roster, rather than a glorified range refresh for all Marine factions).
• Codex: Hrud - The Hrud are a strange 40K faction, which has taken many forms over the years. Some think they are weird, swamp-monster-looking things akin to sci-fi Fenbeasts, but I've always preferred the idea of them being space Skaven, particularly as Mantic's Veer-Myn range caters to that sort of army very well. Thus I have been writing a 6th Edition Codex for such an army, to add a new Xenos faction to the mix. This one is in progress in fully-rendered Codex form.
• Codex: Plague - Again partly inspired by a Mantic Warpath faction, but also taking inspiration from Starcraft's Zerg (particularly the concept of Infesting) and the additional units GW released for the Death Guard (which I'm folding back into Chaos Space Marines in my Ultimate Edition to cut down on Chaos faction bloat - I'm also doing this for Space Marines on the Imperial side), this army list is meant to be a 'converter's dream' army representing the twisted forces created by an alien disease that infects and corrupts Imperial, Chaotic and other Xenos creatures to serve its unpredictable, remorseless will. In some forms, almost a 40K equivalent of the Borg but entirely biological, and with Species 8472's ability to infest enemies. This one is in progress in army list form.
• Codex: Imperialis Militia - Another 'converter's dream' army inspired by the recent army list GW released for the Horus Heresy, to represent human militias fighting for the Imperium, Chaos or even one of the Xenos races. This one is in progress in army list form.
• Codex: Leagues of Votann - After the triumphant return of the Squats to 40K, I had to start writing an army list to use them in proper 40K. This one is in ongoing progress in army list form, and won't be finished for some time yet as I keep an eye out for the subsequent waves of models GW releases for this new faction.
• Codex: Servants of the Old Ones - A fun idea that any Lizardman fan will appreciate, this idea was inspired by both the jazzing up of the Lizardmen into the lightning weapon-wielding Seraphon when AoS came round, and also the presence of the Old Ones in the 40K universe as well as the Warhammer Fantasy world. It embodies the idea that perhaps they once seeded Lizardman colonies on planets all over the 40K galaxy, which sided with them in the War in Heaven against the C'Tan and the Necrons, and continue to colonise and terraform worlds into Lustria-like jungles as per the decree of the Great Plan. This one is nearly finished in army list form.
• Errata for improving the lot of Tomb Kings and giving the Chaos Dwarfs a properly-sized army list, both of which are in progress in army list form
• Additional army lists for factions in less well-known games like SPQR, Shadow War: Armageddon, Terminator: Genisys and others
• Rules for my own fantasy wargame set in my own fantasy world, Escalonia

So perhaps this will give you all an explanation as to why I'm less active on here these days

Feel free to read any of the army lists I have already created, and I'm always open to feedback with regards to units, balance issues and so on, as every army list I write I want to be not only fun to play, but also fun to play against. Every list I write I intend to be a gift to the Warhammer community (and in the wider hobby in the case of non-Warhammer army lists), to encourage you to collect armies you never thought you needed but now do, to write cool army lists and play fun games against official and other unofficial factions. Even if you're a stickler for official rules, I'd like to think you are still able to appreciate my goal to do my bit to inspire new making, painting and gaming opportunities in this hobby, and every player who is enlightened by one or more of my army lists will earn my undying respect and support in their hobby endeavours.

 

Hmmmm....

 

At least their will be some free rules for those races left out.
Unfortunately as with all things Grandma Wendy does they will probably be not very competitive and full of errors

 

It might not be a source of panic just yet, because this:

Suggests that they're starting off with fewer factions to see how well the game does and make it easier for new players to get on board with the setting, like Warhammer: Total War only had 4 factions to start off with and expanded later on.

I mean we've already seen that they're planning on making Kislev and Cathay models in time, so they are planning to expand the game as time goes on so long as it is successful, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if they gradually released supplements for the other factions later when their regions of the world are examined, much like Warhammer: Total War, and that the PDFs are simply a placeholder for existing players to keep using their army until then.

I think it's also worth bearing in mind that most of the factions that are going to get the love first are either those who were scrapped soon into AoS (Bretonnians and Tomb Kings) or those that had their model range severely culled as AoS marched on (Dwarfs, High Elves, Wood Elves, and Empire too if we're counting the fact that they're going to be replaced with the new Cities of Skubmar range in the AoS section of the GW website in the near future). By contrast, most of the factions that are currently being left out of model and book love survived the Fantasy-AoS transition pretty much unscathed (certainly Vampires, Skaven, Daemons, Ogres and Lizardmen still function as armies in their own right, and right now Dark Elves still have the vast majority of their models spread between Daughters of Khaine and Cities of Skubmar), so it sounds to me as if GW have the operation spread out over a long period of time and are focusing on the most neglected Fantasy factions first, which conveniently enough are also some of the bigger players in the Old World.

As for Chaos Dwarfs, it may well be that GW have a new plastic range still in the works, because they haven't been subtle about them remaining in the AoS universe in recent times with the Hobgoblins and Horns of Hashut, and are waiting until the range arrives before giving them full rules in both AoS and TOW.

Something I am pissed about though is that they're classing Tomb Kings as Evil now. They're clearly the good-guy Undead, with Vampires serving as the evil thralls of Nagash.

However, good to see Beastmen are there (here's hoping for the return of Beast Herds and Raiders to distinguish them from Orcs and Warriors), plus Dawi, Greenskins, Bretonnia, High Elves and for a change, Tomb Kings being the Undead faction that is front and centre. Also it's great to see the confirmation of the return of the old models! As @Killer Angel has already said, this is the biggest win!



Interesting to see the Island of Blood Swordmasters appearing again, perhaps they'll be released in their own plastic set at last. Plus the appearance of Irondrakes confirms my hypothesis that they'll be moved over to the TOW store when the game arrives.



Looking forward to seeing the classic Orcs come back, as I'm still missing some spear Boyz and Boar Boyz for my Greenskins. Also the appearance of the old plastic chapel makes me hope they're going to bring all the scenery back as well, which would be the icing on the cake.



Strange to see the old Finecast/metal Treeman making a return when the plastic one currently in the Sylvaneth section of the website was originally released in 8th Edition, but it shows they're pulling all the stops out to bring old models back.

 

Those still have a very Mordheim feel to me.

 

What is that super sayin haircut on the attendant?

 

Bit wild for an attendant.

I wonder if it is possible to swap his head with the one in the standard

Grrr, !mrahil

 

The hair on that dude seems a bit much, nothing a helmet can't cover up.

I really don't like that old Treeman model! It looks ugly to me, like someone had heard of the ents from Lord of the Rings but never saw one and did their best. It was amazing when they came out with the new plastic version, the one that is used in AOS right now. Seems like a major downgrade...

Mostly I am disappointed that the Lizardmen are one of the various factions that will for now be Mr.-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.

Also still no dates? Or prices? Timeline, anything at all other than hype photos?

 

Not a downgrade, because they're not getting rid of the plastic one any time soon. Just an additional option for those who did prefer the old model (especially as it fits with the old Tree Kin where the new one doesn't so much).

As I've said to others, I severely doubt that Lizardmen and the other PDF factions will be fully removed from the game, and rather think that they will appear in their own supplements in time, with the PDFs just being a modern-day Ravening Hordes. GW seem to have learned from the mistake that was AoS First Edition, and I would think have understood by now that deleting half the Warhammer Fantasy factions after promising to bring the universe back to be an abysmally terrible idea, from both a business and a customer perspective.

I just think that despondence at this early stage is unnecessary, let's just see what happens when the game arrives and what happens as it goes on first before we all start doomsaying.

They've said TOW is 'marching ever closer to release' which does suggest it might be some time this year. Certainly there will be another news article soon (next month, which is just a week away now from beginning), and I reckon after 10th 40K has dropped they'll accelerate the coverage a lot more.

 

The new Lizardmen/Seraphon models are EXPENSIVE!

Slann = $100CAD
10X Saurus Warriors = $75CAD
Salamander = $65CAD

And maybe the worst offender...
Saurus standard bearer = $55CAD

When did the price point of a single infantry character model on foot rise to $55? That is insane.


I like the new Saurus Warriors sculpts, but they are definitely unrealistic for a WHFB army (even if we're assuming that you could somehow rank them up). Imagine trying to field two horde blocks of 50 models each... $750!

 

They might be expensive, but the Aggradons and Plastikrox assembly instructions are out and they are FANTASTIC.

1. Aggradons themselves have interchangeable bodies, heads and tails and tail feathers, while the riders have several interchangeable heads and all shields can be swaped freely. Yes, rider and mount are subassemblies.
2. Kroxigors have some interchangeable tail tips, two different arm poses and two different regular Kroxigor multipart heads, alongside the Warspawned head options.

 

Yeah. Ouch! I was looking forward to the new Standard/Astrolith Bearer since I don't have one. Plus, the Warriors are really cool looking. Now, I'm not so sure.

 

GW's model quality is top notch. Can't take that away from them.

I guess it depends how many Saurus you'd need. A box or two won't break the bank, but if you aim to field large numbers of them, the cost would be pretty prohibitive.

$55 for the standard bearer seems absolutely ridiculous. Are other new AoS infantry character models in that price range as well?

I think it is getting increasingly difficult to get someone new into the hobby. We're at least (somewhat) accustomed to the insane prices, but imagine coming into it for the first time.

 

GW seems dead set on keeping price as a huge barrier to entering the hobby. Part of the reason I comb Ebay all the time and have started using a lot of proxies.

 

Agreed. Like I said, I never got an Astrolith Bearer, so I might plunder eBay. The Warriors are good enough that I toyed with replacing at least 20 of mine for the heck of it. If I do that, it will be little by little for certain.

 

The only issue with Ebay is the shipping cost. You need to find a deal + shipping that is less than retail. In time though a good deal will pop up.

How many Saurus do you typically run in your army lists?