Age of Sigmar Rumor Roundup

[Mr Mystery]

Discussing it with an opponent for balance is a TERRIBLE way to set up a game. Why? Because everyone has a different opinion on what is balance. Even non competitive players like to have a little balance.

For example lets take the new 40K Eldar codex. There were people saying it was grossly unbalanced, some said unbalanced but not auto-win, and then you had the ones (often Eldar players) saying it was perfectly balanced. Many of them were not being hostile or rude it was just how they perceived things. Depending on someone's favorite tactics/army their perspective is skewed so what person A thinks is balanced will not equal what person B thinks is balanced. Now without ANY sort of baseline (points/force limits) two players need to reach an agreement on what to play is going to be very hard. Once they finally agree on a game "size" (which now you have no base line for) they have to agree that their two armies are equal in strength, but depending on perspective this could turn a simple trying to have a good game into a balance discussion. If its two people just playing to roll dice and have fun with plastic toys... ok no limits is acceptable, but for any players who want to have fun and play a challenging game where both players feel like they have a chance to win with their tactics... it needs some balance to allow tactics to influence the game.

Sorry to all those Games Workshop fans until death but if this IS the new fantasy game (IE not just the starter rule set). Games Workshop just handed you the laziest rule set ever designed. Writing rules can be a little tough at times (easier now with so many other games to borrow ideas/concepts from), but the real challenge of any game is trying to balance it. A poorly balanced game is a poorly made game. It can have some good concepts, but if the creator leaves out one of the core components of a good game (some level of balance) just because they cannot be bothered with it, its pure laziness. I mean all they needed to do is take what they have written, tested them some, and give them point costs dependent of their performance compared to others and then you would have SOME level of balance. No rule rewrites or another page on the rule book. Just some time and effort...

As someone who plays several game systems the level of excitement over what appears to be a half finished (we hope), or worse half ***ed product is shocking.

You do understand what a conversation is, yes?

[Kirsten]

you can talk as much as you like, it still isn't going to fix the fundamental problem. you can discuss fun games, and set up particular scenarios, but you can't talk out two balanced armies with this ruleset.

[Mr Mystery]

Yet the troops remain much of a muchness. A Gobbo simply isn't as weedy as before, due to fixed dice rolls to do damage.

[Kirsten]

that fixed roll in itself throws out all sorts of issues, as you can't even use points from 8th edition to make a guesstimate

[Mr Mystery]

And now for some rumours....

Malekith will be packing Shadow Daemons, and the boss of Beasts is a fusion of Gork and Mork, rather than Grimgor.

Least ways that's what I'm told.

[Kirsten]

one thing I do like so far is the Bretonnian list. as far as this game system goes, they look pretty cool to me. here's hoping we see some plastic grail knights, trebuchet etc. at some point. They were rumoured last year, who knows, maybe they were held back for this. we can wish.

[Mr Mystery]

Harry has mentioned kits he saw a while back being ready to go.

And the terrain for AoS was spotted in Triumph and Treachery?

So yeah, hopefully Brets will get fun stuff soon. Certainly need it!

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Yeah, it's Gorkamorka. (Gorka! Morka! Gorka! Morka!)

I think a fair few of the Warscrolls are effectively placeholders because they wanted to give you rules for every model you might conceivably have. I don't think it's necessarily evidence that, say, Marius Leitdorf is alive in the Age of Sigmar just because he has a Warscroll.

Confirmed for survival so far are Sigmar, Nagash (and the Mortarchs, but then, they weren't alive anyway), Grungni and Grimnir (who might be Gotrek; if not the latter is still fighting eternally in the Realm of Chaos) and "Lord Tyrion". Whether "Lord Tyrion" is the Tyrion we know and love is another matter.

Oh, and Archaon, the World-Breaker.

[Kirsten]

Harry has mentioned kits he saw a while back being ready to go.

And the terrain for AoS was spotted in Triumph and Treachery?

So yeah, hopefully Brets will get fun stuff soon. Certainly need it!

one thing they do need now are new bases, because there aren't any round bases with slots for horses. so they either need new bases, or new horses. I can't do much with my knights until they do.

[Houghten]

You could saw a 25mm round base in half and glue one half to each end of the cavalry base.