GW News: magic and prayers in #NewAoS

I mean, the miniature of the month usually isn't terribly interesting, but a skink might be the most boring model to use for this.

 

It's a way better model compared to a Saurus.

And let's not forget that they did a lousy Hormagant a few months ago. Skink is godlike in comparison.

 

Of course they are. Hola Skinks!

 

At least a hormagant has different coloured bodyparts that even a beginner painter will manage, and a dynamic-ish pose.

Both Skinks & Saurus are rather boring if all you get is the 1 model.
No interesting poses, no interesting details on the model, only has like 3 colours in total over the entire model (unless you go all out and do an absurd amount of highlighting).

They're just not great for something like this

 

To be honest here's how I rank all the known Miniatures of the Month:

1. November 2021 - Squig: One of the minis I was intent on grabbing but to my annoyance didn't have chance. The new Gloomspite plastic Squigs are all kinds of fantastic.
2. September 2021 - Ork Nob: Who doesn't like Orks? Not only that, it's one of the big chunky ones too. If I had one or more missing from my squad, I certainly would have looked to grab this lad.
   
3. July 2022 - Skaven Clanrat: Annoying I missed out on this one. Any extra Skaven to add to a horde is always welcome, and though basic, these 7th Edition ones properly updated the aesthetic from the old Monkey-Rats.
4. April 2022 - Hormagaunt: @Acehilator An old model in the grand scheme of things, yes, but by no means obsolete. Any extra body for the Swarm is always helpful. The poses are definitely dynamic as @Canas said, and I dread seeing GW conjure an excuse to revamp the models just so they can add £10-£20 to the price tag, probably with less in the box to boot. Not to mention that the revamp won't be guaranteed to be successful - look at the new Necron Warriors for instance, which lost all the poseability of the 3rd Edition models and still didn't get the walking gait quite right as GW tried to make them Zombie-like, which I should have seen coming thanks to GW's irritating Vampire Counts obsession.
5. December 2021 - Genestealer Neophyte Hybrid: The reborn Genestealer Cults range was a great success on GW's part and the first new faction in 40K for at least 10 years. If I had room for a Genestealer Cults force this chap would definitely have been on my list.
   
6. February 2022 - Eldar Dire Avenger: I've had my eye on developing a Craftworld Eldar Alaitoc army at some point in the future as I've painted a couple of Eldar models that I received as a gift, in which case this chap would have been a great way to add a model to that force free, but it will be a long long time before I ever consider committing to an Eldar army.
7. September 2022 - Votann Hearthkyn Warrior: Was tempted to ask for one of these when I last visited a GW store, but I have enough armies already!
8. June 2022 - Chaos Space Marine: The new Chaos Space Marines are undeniably an improvement on the old ones, but my army consists of the older Marines, amongst which the new versions would stick out like a sore thumb.
9. March 2021/November 2022 - Vanari Auralan Warden: I do like these Greek Hoplite Elves, no doubt about it, but when GW constantly throw this army in everyone's faces and charge a premium for their models, forgive me if I'm put off getting any. There's evidence enough for the former in Miniature of the Month - the Vanari Warden is the first Miniature of the Month they've repeated (though last month they also allowed the choice of a Vanari Sentinel archer - see below), when it has nothing to do with the collector's coin (High Lords of Terra apparently - GW could have made the model for last month a Heresy-era Space Marine or an Adeptus Custodes, anything that has something to do with this subject). But then, I'm not surprised they did something like this.
10. November 2022 - Vanari Auralan Sentinel: Not bad, better than the High Elf Archers that preceded them with their nancy-boy hairdos that fit better on a Blood Angel, but their three bowstrings look a bit silly and I doubt if they'd be practical. One of two choices alongside their Hoplite Spearman cousins (see above).
11. December 2022 - Skink: While not bad a model in itself, it's very tight of GW to offer such a small insignificant model free when they could have chosen from the Saurus (which may have thin legs but I don't think is bad given the age it was made, the upper body is fine at least) or the better-proportioned Temple Guard. Not to mention it reeks of GW's Skink bias in writing Lizardman rules for AoS.
12. March 2022 - Namarti Thrall: Idoneth are an interesting army, pity it's the worst model in their range. Also as Fyreslayers were also given their 3rd Edition book that month, I'd much rather have seen a Vulkite or Hearthguard model. Typical GW putting Elves at the front of the queue.
    
13. May 2022 - Chaos Cultist: Chaos Marine players need plenty of Cultists all right, but there's something about these I'm just not fond of. I don't know why. I by far preferred the Dark Vengeance ones, some of which I have as Necromunda Gangers, but new GW being new GW, they chose to keep to the different aesthetic first seen in Blackstone Fortress when making their new Cultist set.
14. August 2021 - Grey Knight: Grey Knights are one of the more interesting and unique Marine Chapters, and it's a Firstborn Marine so none of that Primaris nonsense. Pity I don't collect them though.
15. January 2022 - Tau Fire Warrior: Nothing wrong with Tau models, any Xenos is good, but I don't collect them.
16. October 2021 - Black Templars Intercessor: Black Templars! Yea! Primaris! Nay!
17. July 2021 - Stormcast Eternal: One of the bigger and better Third Edition ones, so not terrible, but I personally still had no interest in it.
18. May 2021 - Grave Guard: Ugh, Vampire Counts. But it's a Skeleton, so it could be worse.
19. August 2022 - Rotmire Creed Fighter: Not Nurgle! Anything but Nurgle! But at least this one isn't riddled with gaping wounds or visible body parts.
20. Nov 2020 - Witch Elf: Not fond of these miniatures at all, mainly because I can't stand Witch Elves in lore. Not bad models per se, they represent Witch Elves well enough (apart from the one per sprue that's doing armpit farts - I feel for you if you got that one)
    
21. Feb 2021 - Daemonette/Primaris Reiver: One of the Lesser Daemons I'm not a fan of and the worst model in the Primaris range to choose from. I chose neither.
22. April 2021 - Pink Horror: As much as I like the Lords of Change and Tzaangor, these are another Lesser Daemon model I'm not a fan of.
23. June 2021 - Battle Sister: Another army GW tries to constantly push now, without being anywhere near as appealing as the Vanari Warden or Sentinel. Next!
24. October 2022 - Cursed City: You all know how much I despise this latest iteration of Warhammer Quest for glorifying one of my least favourite Warhammer armies. There's a chance I could have got the cool Kharadron adventurer, but there's no way I would have risked getting any of the awful Vampire Counts models that appear in it.
25. Dec 2020 - Death Guard Plague Marine: Yuck.

And yes, I did go all the way back through Warhammer Community's list of articles to find each one relating to Miniature of the Month, why do you ask?

 

This is actually the only free model I ever tried to claim. Unfortunately they were all out.

 

Why am I not surprised you went for this one?

Sorry to hear you couldn't get one (and I mean it, just because I don't like Witch Elves it doesn't mean I'm going to stop others from enjoying them if that's what they really want) but you win some, you lose some.

 

It was pretty early in the month too and they were all out. I suspect shenanigans. I never did like my local GW shop, not a fan of these "one man" shops.

 

Look at that:

https://www.warhammer-community.com...ing-day-miniature-has-a-next-level-party-hat/

Finally a reveal with some Solutions to long awaited Rumour Engines




Grrr, !mrahil

 

Well, folk say that Fyreslayers lack variety, but even they have more variety than the Flesh-Eater Courts. Best the latter can do is Ghouls.

Nothing interesting for me there, though FEC players will be pleased that they've been tossed a bone to gnaw upon.

 

I think what might help is that the FEC at least have different profiles that are obvious from a glance. They got:

- ghoul
- Big ghoul
- Ghoul on a rock
- Big ghoul with wings
- Zombiedragon/terrorgheist
and now:
- Ghoul on a throne.

Which are all visually distinct from a distance.


Fyreslayers are kinda stuck with:
- Half-naked dwarf with a fancy hairdo
- Gotrek
- Magmadroth

for the once that are visually distinct profiles from a distance.

The fyreslayers may have more variance in the smaller details (e.g. they definitely have more different types of axes). But those don't stand out as much from a distance.So in that sense the ghouls win I guess

 

To be honest though, the Fyreslayers have pretty darn large weapons which make most of them easy to see, and they are held in various configurations (Hearthguard Berzerkers have double-handed axes, Vulkites have paired axes or axes and shields, the Runefather has a frakhuge axe and the Runeson has just throwing axes or a throwing axe and a spear). Not to mention the priest models (Flamekeeper, Runesmiter and Runemaster) and the standard Hearthguard look different again due to the fact that they're not all about the axes - Hearthguard have lava blasters, the Runemaster has a staff and poker and the Flamekeeper and Runesmiter have bearded face masks to distinguish them from the rest of the range.

The Flesh-Eater Courts on the other hand literally just repeat the basic Ghoul template, just in different sizes and sometimes featuring a pair of wings. They have no ranged troops (this does conflict with their battle strategy, mind, but GW were happy to give Nighthaunt crossbowmen so they may be able to do something with FEC), no troops with double-handed weapons, no troops with multiple hand weapons (they all have paired clawed hands but some paired metal hand weapons would at least be some variation), no 'elite' troops with scavenged armour pretending to be knights as we have with the Night Goblins (who have essentially stolen the whole 'knight delusion' lore idea from under the Ghouls' noses).

Both armies need help to give them some more variety, but FEC I think are in a worse position and in greater need of variety.

 

+1

 

O I'm not saying FEC is great in terms of visual diversity.
But at least they got different silhouttes on account on having size differences, wings & models standing on rocks. If you put them next to eachother you can tell that they are supposed to be different units, even if you don't play the army.
Fyreslayers all got the same silhouttes because they're 90% hair with an axe poking out somewhere. If you don't play with them regularly they all just kind of look the same.

For example take this picture of fyreslayers. They all just look the same. To the point that I, as a non-fyreslayer player, can't easily tell if there are even multiple units in it (are the flails a different unit? or at they one of those "1 in 5 models may carry a special weapon"-type deal? They don't seem to be different apart from the weapon. Is the banner bearer a hero? Or is he just the banner bearer for this unit? There's 2 musicians so 1 banner seems to be missing) and had to check on GW's website if this wasn't just a picture of 1 unit. Turns out it's the fyreslayer vanguard.




At least when I look at a picture of FEC I can usually tell if they're supposed to be one unit or notat a glance.

Both of them need more variety

 

heehee - Game of Bones.

 

Jar-jar goes Chaos:



Grrr, !mrahil

 

Holy flying facehuggers Batman!

Tyranid Battletome confirmed for AoS

EDIT

They're for Necromunda? Huh, I thought that beastmaster looked like a Warriors of Chaos, or at least Warcry Chaos, model, hence the joke above.

Weird as frak those models are, potentially fun though for a Tyranid player to use in their army with fan-made rules or as an objective marker or something.

 

Those look terrible!

No thanks... you can keep him.

 

Chaos went full Jar-Jar. Never go full Jar-Jar.