End Time thoughts

[Locke66]

most notably the most recent Ogre Kingdom's book which attempts to change them from a primitive culture trying to make sense of the world and compelled to wonder the world to a low intelligence culture that likes to fight cause fighting is good.

That's interesting as it possibly hints that we will see an Ogre Kingdom + Orc and Goblin merge by increasing their compatibility. I know some people think they will not be reducing the amount of races but I think it's entirely possible they will do it to narrow down the amount of product lines they need to support in the long term. If the rumors are true of the next edition of Warhammer being a "final" copy then this makes a degree of sense.

It could eventually end up looking something like:

Human Empire - Empire dominant with aspects of Bretonia and Kislev
Undead Legions - Vampires Counts dominant with aspects of Tomb Kings
Orcs and Goblins - Orc & Goblin dominant with Ogres
Chaos Hordes - Chaos Warriors, Beastmen & Chaos Daemons
Elves - High Elf, Dark Elf and Wood Elf
Skaven
Dwarfs
Lizardmen

Obviously there is some major lore stretching there to make the pieces fit but I think it could be done. We have already seen some of this playing out in the first book and supporting material (Kinslayer says the Empire has effectively annexed the remains of Kislev) and Nagash has united the Undead under one banner. The Skaven, Dwarfs and Lizardmen are the obvious odd ones out without any obvious real comparable races to merge with. I actually question what they are doing with Lizardmen. Abandoning Lustria seems like a death sentence as there is no-where else that obviously would support the army... I think potentially they are getting discontinued .

[Carlo Riolo]

I too like the thought of linking battles, creating narratives and giving purpose to individual battles with WHFB. And I hope the End Times is a shot of adrenaline WHFB needs.

I agree with sinking too many points into one model... your list becomes a one trick pony. I've won against Nagash, and quite obviously found he is heavily dependent upon the magic phase. WHFB magic phase may be a little broken at this point (thinking the 40k style might be better suited for heavy magic armies). So specifically Nagash has his draw backs for a player. I'll be interested to see how the Nurgle fatties do, and where their weaknesses reside.

I like Erik's perception on an all or nothing with Nagash, but that might be a unique game play people are looking for? Maybe, maybe not.

Being an empire player, I've always tried to have versatility in my lists and cover most game phases with some offense and some defense. I think the End Times will cater to the player that likes heavy magic, or heavy combat, or whatever. I, for one, like the thought of End Times being exaggerated battles in the name of Chaos and anything can happen. I think WHFB has become bland for many of us, and this should help stir things up. Granted.. game weight mechanics will be thrown off until each army has a way of dealing with mega models. But is that not the challenge we've all been waiting for? Don't we want goliaths that we can over come and stand on top saying "SEE I DID IT!"

Taking a step back, it seems that the notion of "overpowered" spans both table top and electronic gaming. The End Times certainly sets up some armies for being in a position of power until things balance out once again. But for me, facing an overpowered opponent makes me think of their weakness and how they're truly underpowered as a matter of perspective. (Erik's purple sun example). Granted, I might lose more than I win, but it is that gameplay engagement that is appealing on the table top.

[BeardMonk]

It could eventually end up looking something like:

Human Empire - Empire dominant with aspects of Bretonia and Kislev
Undead Legions - Vampires Counts dominant with aspects of Tomb Kings
Orcs and Goblins - Orc & Goblin dominant with Ogres
Chaos Hordes - Chaos Warriors, Beastmen & Chaos Daemons
Elves - High Elf, Dark Elf and Wood Elf
Skaven
Dwarfs
Lizardmen

Genuinely, I would hate for this to come to pass. By removing or merging armies you remove the unique abilities and background for each of the armies. It would make WHF more 40K-ish where lots of things are just another Space marine variant.

I really hope that with the EoT GW’s expands on and refreshes all the races (Bret’s where art thou?). After Warhammer Forge re-introduced Chaos Dwarfs, all the races are represented again. I hope that they are able to push forward and give WHF the shine it once had.

Id also like to see Dog of War/Mercenaries being re-introduced. That’s a major piece of fluff, character and background that swept up some of the minor human kingdoms and provinces. In a land of eternal war, mercenaries and freebooters would be a fact of life.

[Archon Charybdis]

I'd happily see a reduction/combination of factions if it means we see those factions updated more regularly, and see more supplemental stuff for Fantasy. If the new End Times novel is any indication, it seems pretty likely that a combined Empire and Bretonnian faction will be a reality.

[flipchuck]

Id also like to see Dog of War/Mercenaries being re-introduced. That’s a major piece of fluff, character and background that swept up some of the minor human kingdoms and provinces. In a land of eternal war, mercenaries and freebooters would be a fact of life.

I would like to see that as well. GW could do a "re-boot" of it by using all the left over units and armies from destroyed cities and armies from "End of times" and have rules for them to form mercenarie armies. So at least the two armies that was nailed hard like "Dogs of war" and such and the Kalsiv (sp?). You could also use it as an excuse for "army mashup" where you could take different units from different armies and use them together. And this way, you could finally have the rules and fluff to do it with.