Yeah, that's a neat idea and done really well, really makes it worth hitting monsters with weaker units, try and wiggle down how effective they are.
Heroes and Monsters are powerful but they're vulnerable, you can always deal with them now, I love it, everything is much closer to median
What I'm honestly loving most is how when many of the other competitive armies are taking this time to be goofy (Settra does not kneel!) the skaven sneakily took this opportunity to go super try hard. Skaven got pretty haus.
I'm a fan of a lot of things with this:
- low cost of entry to get new people involved in the game
- free rules of course!
- all the old models got a simultaneous update so no one was left out in the cold for years waiting for new rules!
- magic is much more reasonable now compared to 8th
- love the big monsters losing effectiveness as they are wounded
- regimental bonuses for some units encouraging the "little guys" getting buffs for numbers so they can face the "bigger guys"
- round bases
- your models seem to be a unit participating in the battle rather than just "wound counters"
- hero phase buffs from your general - what a great idea!
- Battleshock - my favourite mechanic - I hate being swept!
Actually... after the initial shock of the bandage ripping off and the general nature of this thread title, I have to say my absolute favorite part of AoS is seeing a lot of my old mates who haven't touched WFB in years excited to try the new game. Now if we can get those scenarios and an army balancing mechanism in our hands we'll be off to a great start.
My Truescale Insanity
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?48704-Truescale-Space-Wolves
I like a lot about this game but my favorite is the lack of army points. I have a zombie dragon with vampire lord that I never bothered to even glue because I needed to field about 1500-3000 points before I could even think about using it. Now, I can actually field it. I also like the sudden death victory conditions.
It killed my interest in warhammer fantasy, which is good for my wallet.
"Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a **** about the rules? Mark it zero!"
And in just under 40 minutes, my Ogres will be off to war in their biggest game of AoS so far.
And you know, rather than thinking 'how much of a dick can I be?' given my collection is 3,500 in the old money, I'm instead thinking 'how much do I actually want to field?'
Kind of tempted with a pair of Thundertusks, as I want to see how monsters now fare with the sliding scale of effectiveness.
Opponent is playing Empire, so provided I pick my fights well, combat should be too much of a worry.
Fed up for Scalpers? https://www.facebook.com/groups/1710575492567307/?ref=bookmarks
With a few games now under my belt here's what I like so far.
1) There are no foregone conclusions. If you're sensible about what you deploy the game is always hard fought and never one sided.
2) Losing doesn't suck. If WFB had one flaw (I loved it btw) it was this, games tended to be one sided. You either annihilated your opponent or they did so to you. Not so with AOS, even playing as the very obvious underdog Sudden Death made the games tense and extemely fun.
2) It's NOT less strategic, in fact if anything your choices on the table matter MORE now than they did in 8th. Meta choices like army list composition etc are, in my experience so far, secondary to combat activation order and correct use of the hero phase.
3) There is no duff army, seriously I've checked every list and looked at every unit entry, I cannot find something that doesn't have something to recommend it for use.
4) Plot advancement, character development, no knowing what's happening, brain exploding!!!!!
5) At my GW on Saturday there was not a singe person NOT there for AOS. That's the first time we've ever had a day when the store was 100% 40K free. Which to me means more games with my AOS minis than I ever got of WFB
Wolfman of the Horsepack of Derailment
The artist formerly known as "WTF you can't say that!"