Avalanche from the net: Warscrolls, Life in the Realm Bubbles, Force organisation and

The floodgates have opened with tons of new pictures, all indicating the future direction of Warhammer. The (Warhammer) world as we know it has changed irrevocably. 8th Ed is dead, WHFB is dead. Unlike in the case of Beethoven, there will be no 9th.

As many pictures and changes there are, as many opinions. GW has obviously moved from the classic mediaeval setting of Warhammer Fantasy Battles to another realm where it can better protect its IP.

It has simplified the game to an almost dumbed down version of 40K. Timmy or Tommy or Jimmy can bring anything he likes and we'll compensate for the imbalance somehow. You do not need skill to choose your army, and points do not matter...

Its all about the base, the base, its all about the base. No trouble?

And Size, does it matter? 

Army Comp: Premade simple organisational charts ?

And a first look at the war Scrolls:

A good review on Jossy's site (clicky)

 And the Price, dear reader, you may ask?

So $250 NZ, $200 AUS 75 UK pounds, 100 Euro and $100US. 

NZ and Aus get shafted again. Exchange rates mean squat.

The Only model I vaguely like (head swop or lightning trim likely)  :

And the rest of the Sigmarines:

How Space marine can you get?

And yes, you do play in bubbles....

and the ones to come...

 

 

And yes, you can use your Dark Aelfs

 

 and UnDaed...

Age of Sigmar: Leaked Rules 4 page pdf

So the WH world is reeling. There is to be no 9th Ed. AoS is the new Warhammer. No more Armybooks. No more Rulebooks. Simple ruleset? Or just the starter set, with rules to follow. Wording certainly aimed at a younger (ahem...) player base. Child Friendly.

So here it is, Merry Xmas everyone (apologies to Slade)
Thanks to Jossy over at Plastic Crack:
Jossy scooped the breaking news here in NZ.

OK. So now it is Magic/Buffs first, then movement, shooting, THEN charging, Combat and resolution. No more turns, they are called ROUNDS now. 

No indication on how armies are compiled. " According to War scrolls" 

So a fixed prescriptive army composition ahead to make it simple for entry level players?

You can still march/move at the double. Lets call in RUNNING. M+D6

Flying still there.

Rolls to hit and wound remain, resolve damage.

2 spells, Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield, Rest probably race specific.

Magic missile or Buff to saves. Simple

No points, but sudden death victories over numerically superior forces. Presumed Coup de Caput serpentis type rule (Taking the head off the snake) or it may be a sudden death taking of objective.

Terrain allowing for smaller scale tables ala 40K. Seems there are a 4 rules, bottom 3 visible in the clandestine snaps below:

So again: Simple rules per rumours has said, condensed some pages with easy and short texts (and child-friendly) language. Whether this is the basics of the new Warhammer or not time will tell, but assume it is the shape of things to come.

Here's also some info regarding the boxed game and more, all via Bell of Lost Souls. 

Ok, first some basics on the set:

Price: $125 US, Expect ca $200 in NZ, $180 in Aus, shafted again, folks? Rumour is $250.

Rules : Included in box + Free Download (Will this freebee remain?)

Backwards Compatability: 100%, rules for EVERY EXISTING WFB mini will be provided.

(Hopefully not at the speed FAQs and updates came out in the past)

No comments on size of the models

Box contents:

47 plastic miniatures – 18 Stormcast Eternals and 29 Warriors of Khorne.

A 96-page Warhammer Age of Sigmar background book – exclusive to the box set.

A 4 page rules sheet.

12 dice, 2 range rules and 2 transfer sheets.

Lets give away some freebies to try and hook em: 

Via Dr. Caligari 6-29-2015

White Dwarf

– WD 75 WILL include a free Stormcast Eternal.

– WD 75 will include all four pages of AoS rules in it.

Rules

– There are no point values in Age of Sigmar.

– All units will be represented by warscrolls.

– If your side is severely outnumbered, there are several “Sudden Death” objective you can pick from that success will result in your victory.

– Warscrolls have all the rules for the models with them.

– New models will come with warscrolls in their boxes.

– Army books are gone.

– Bases will not matter.

– Measurement is based on closest point of the models. (So yes, a sword that thrusts well past your base is where you’ll be measuring from.)

While I was up the Mountain GW quietly slit WHFB's throat

Is GW about to let Fantasy bleed out?

While I was climbing Mt Kahikatea on the South Island with a hundred 11 and 12 year olds last week, GW did something unspeakable to it's fluff and rules.

30 years of fluff about to bleed out into the dust?  (Click to Pete's blog article on this)

Speculation is now hotter than ever with the leaks and hints, and the direction that GW seems to be taking. Rage quitters and fanboys alike now wait with abated breath for 9th Ed.

Interesting (End) times indeed. The last End Times book, Archaon. Wrath of Khorne (yay!)
But:
Rip out the restrictions on army builds (with exception of having only one Army standard) Ouch... what about  tournaments and gentlemanly play. This is not cricket. Let all hell break loose!
Free-for-all is now the new black! May be something akin to a bar fight:

Khorne release: 

Some nice new models BUT with my growing insecurity about WHFB's direction, I am staying that hand that is straying to my wallet.
Looking to Saga on Gripping Beast and Wayland games websites instead for my monthly fix of plastic crack (Thanks for that term, Tim).

Really great new Khorne models, but I think no purchases from GW until 9th Ed comes and shows its true colours. I do love the Skarr and wrathmonger/skullreaper kits and the Skarr model, none the less.

Skarr Bloodwrath:
M4 WS8 BS3 S5 T5 W3 I7 A5 Ld8
Bloodstorm Blades: Magic weapons, +2S first round of combat, and grants Impact Hits(d3)
His Bloodborn rule is great.

Stat lines:

 

Formations in the last book brings us Boom-boom-shake-the-room-multishot dwarf canons 

(Last hurrah for the stunties before they join the Lizards, Orcs and Ogres on a trip into oblivion ?)

Bit of nerf in this one for Elves. Would rather dust off them dwarfs. Boom boom!

So, for me...I'll just sit and wait.

Paint some Turks or ANZACs to while the time away while we wait for 9th Ed and the things to come. 

Maybe some Saga when the books arrive. Maybe some FoW... 

Been watching the 3rd season of Vikings on Lightbox (The 1st 4 episodes) 

I would recommend it if you are a dark ages fan!

...Adding some impetus to my leaning to Saga.

Full image of Caravaggio's "Abraham sacrificing Isaac" (Uffizzi, Italy) 1603

Devine intervention stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son. I'm hoping something similar will occur to prevent the demise of WHFB as we know it.

Some viewers may have found the cropped image unsettling. Apologies if any sensitivities were disturbed, that was not the intention

Khorne and the Incarnates

End Times V: The conclusion?

First sneak peeks...

So the first leaks have sprung: Khorne is unleashed on the Warhammer world, and we see some unusual alliances (by Old WH) world standards

Blight King equivalent monstrous infantry (possibly two builds) and the attempts of the remaining denizens to counter the unleashing of Khorne:

So it appears the broad factions prepared by the first 3-4 books, now come to fruition, atackers and defenders both alike, you could say:

 The Blood Hunt: 

• 3 Named Greater Daemons- Blood Thirsters
• The Huntsguards
• The Hounds
• The Barbadax (Skull cannon)

The Council of Incarnates

Malekith, Alariele, Balthasar, KFC, Nagash, Caradryan and Tyrion (Back from the dead)
PLUS the incarnate of beasts, GRIMGOR

The Berserker Onslaught: 

• Archaon
• Character I Cant make out
• Valkia the Bloody
• The Skullrage (Skullcrushers)
• The Goremongers (Blight Kings/Wrathmongers- more likely)

The Legion of Flame

• Vilitch the Curseling
• The Azure Princes
• The Fireborne
• The Crowfane Horde
• Sons of StormDark
• Crusher

Defenders of the Dead and Buried

• Vlad Von Carstein
• Mannfred Von Carstein
• Luthor Harkon
• Captain Drekla
• The Drakenhof Templars
• The Nosantra, Mannfreds Lieutenant

Fiends and Betrayers

• Be'Lakor
• Hellebron
• Drycha and Coeddil
• The Carnival of Silence
• The Cult of the Blood Queen
• The Wildkin

The Stolen and the Rotten

• Isabella the Accursed
• The Nameless
• Festerheart
• The Legion of Soulblight
• Pusregnant the Glorious
• The Dominated Dead

 The Host of Life
Alarielle incarnate of life
Durthu
The Everguard
The Ashenhawks
The Sisters of the Eternal Grove
Neastra and Arahan



The Incarnate Characters

 Sigvald seems to feature too:

 New Greater Daemons of Khorne: 2 or 3 Different Builds? "~ Unfettered Fury"

"~ Headsmen of Khorne"

 Exciting times ahead. So. No mention of Lizards, No Ogres, No Dwarfs.