I heard that Age of Sigmar is created for smaller battles/skirmishes as people were complaining about long battles. Is this true? because then I won't play AoS. answer please
I've played 25+ battles at this point. The majority were skirmishes. They were typically unit-specific, with no more than 3 units. These were mostly a way to test out common scenarios that players are likely to see on the board. However, I'd say at least 20% of my games have been what we used to call 2.5k or 3k battles. The game scales up extremely well, and a lot of units really begin to shine when they're fielded in numbers that would only be practical in large games. Factor in unit formations for charging, screens, tactical retreats, characters, etc. and I think that you'll find that a game becomes more dynamic as you add models. The game has been accused by many for lacking tactics and/or being simple, but I have found this sentiment to be entirely baseless. Now, I would familiarize myself with AoS by starting off playing skirmishes. Your first few games will likely be bloodbaths in the middle of the board until you develop a sense of the game's flow, and discover the tactics that work for you. For me, it really has been great so far. Coming up with formations, maneuvers and tactics has been a very rewarding experience, and it's exciting to have more diverse defensive options, but also a wealth of explosive offensive ones in a game which greatly emphasizes the importance of the movement phase.
My first and only game was at sizes I'd consider to be pretty typical for 6th or 7th edition games. Tomb Kings had 5 bricks of 20 models, 2 characters, and 6 chariots (plus summoned 3 carrion and 10 Horsemen). Lizardmen had the Skink Patrol and Saurus Host. So around 100 models. Nothing like the stupid 8th edition games where a single unit is 100 models but a good enough size that it came down to main battle line versus main battle line.
BTW the main battle lines look far more epic with piling in. Instead of two static blocks you end up with total chaos and can get some rather epic shots (skinks swarming over and onto a barricade for instance, temple guard deep in a skeleton unit leading the vanguard). The first pile in or two might be relatively static spear hedges but protracted combats get all messy.
Played what would have been a 10,000pt game in 8th the other day. 5,000 vs 5,000 with a guy I've never played against. Moved really fast, never felt like either side had a clear advantage. Great flow to the game. I still like smaller games but I'm finding it to be more tactical at 1500ish points 8th edition value. You have to really think about which combats go first and where to pile in. Also where to put your buffs and spells. It's less straight forward than 8th, the game decides less of what move you make, and your responsible to figure out more on your own. Possibly because it's new and there aren't really guides to follow.