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  1. #1

    Default Age of Sigmar could be a good thing for the community

    Our community has been galvanised.

    For weeks I’ve been absorbed by the debate over Age of Sigmar. Most arguments have stemmed from the changes to the rules, but that’s not my main point of contention. The gameplay, while important, has always been secondary for me. What comes first is narrative – the old world has, and will always be, my favourite fantasy world.

    Games Workshop were the custodians of three decades of creativity; an unparalleled shared fantasy world that has been given applied with layer upon layer of rich texture, painted by some of the finest fantasy writers, artists and sculptors. It was a testament to collective creativity, to the power of the shared imagination.

    The mistake was ours. We entrusted something we cared so deeply and passionately about to market forces. We allowed something that isn’t quantifiable to be quantifiable, with sales number dictating the future of our fictional world and our game system. We expected a capitalist machine to feel reverence, duty, loyalty, and respect because we believed that behind it all were members of our own community, rather than individuals who just may have grown rich off of our passion and lost their own along the way. And they decided to burn down the old world, and in doing so attract a number of spectators keen to see what rises from the ashes.

    But the old world is not there’s.

    It’s ours.

    With every game of Warhammer Fantasy we played – with every session of Warhammer Roleplay we indulged in, with every hour spent on Warhammer Online, with every piece of fanfiction we wrote and with every novel we read – we staked our claim to the old world. People complained that the setting didn't move on, didn’t advance, that nothing really changed; they say that like it’s a bad thing, and maybe for some people it is. All I know is that for as long as the overall timeline never made any major steps forward, never expanded in length, we were adding to its depth.

    And much like the old world is ours, now the game system is too. The warscrolls provided for Age of Sigmar seem pretty solid, with some of the most fluffy rules we’ve seen, and we can use those rules to create narratives in the old world. They provide a framework, and we can build on it. Since its release, the community has created a range of balancing systems, FAQs and house rules. It’s one of the most exciting developments I've seen, and on a creative level is incredibly stimulating.

    I refuse to believe this was intended. Games Workshop never meant to galvanise the community, never meant to put power into our hands. Much like it does with 40k, it would have made – and still may attempt to make further down the line – more money by dictating the system of balance, the flavour of the month. A truly balanced system, community-made, peer reviewed, doesn’t have to factor in sales to its points algorithm. Newly released models don’t have to be made imbalanced to sell more units. Tournament organisers may have been doing it for years, but now everyone, down to the smallest gaming group, has the impetus to find an actual competitive and balanced system.

    If we can take the ball and run with it, find some kind of consensus, we may end up with something far greater than Games Workshop could ever have achieved.

  2. #2

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    I really enjoy AoS myself and it's generated more interest at the FLGS, which is something 8th edition fantasy never did. AoS is a simple system that puts a lot of control into the players hands and allows them to make a game they want using units they want. People want to freak because there are no points. 40k has points and it's not a balanced game. How many times has a units game value changed and gone from viable to unuseable. Now you've got models you bought and worked on, benched because of the latest meta or become the victim of codex power creep. AoS feels like a solid reboot so far and I'm actually excited to see what's in store as the community helps it to grow.

  3. #3

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    I'm in a weird neutral ground on the whole debate. I bought a Chaos Warriors Batallion box back in 2010 but never got around to assembling anything. Now that I'm getting back into Warhammer (Fantasy and 40K) I'm not sure if I want to back peddle into 8th or forge ahead with Age of Sigmar.

    I know I can use any kind of base for my models but I think I want to stick with squares so that my army is backwards compatible with 8th. Personally I'm up for playing either though I would need to go out and get the 8th edition Codex for my warriors.

    My biggest dilemma is: Go out and snatch up the current models now or wait till new models come out for WoC?

  4. #4

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    No, we don't own this world, and what happens in it, will be penned by authors and sold to you in hard back books.

    While it would be cool for GW to have scenario months and what not (like we've had previously) where battle reports would decide the outcome of the plot, I don't think they'll head in this direction

  5. #5
    Chaplain
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    Default

    Hasn't been a good thing in my local community; what used to be 35% Fantasy, 60% 40k and 5% other it's now 90% 40K and 10% other. Even if I wanted to keep playing 8th edition the consensus has been to completely abandon it as any fantasy purchases will send the wrong message to GW and have them think that Age of Sigmar is a success.
    Step forth and be recognized.
    No mercy. No pity. No hope.

  6. #6

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    I believe they call that cutting off the nose to spite the face.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Auticus View Post
    I believe they call that cutting off the nose to spite the face.
    That would only be true, Auticus, if AOS was something vital (or even wanted) like a nose. Games Workshop isn't even that vital to the hobby. They are just another supplier of models. They, themselves, seem intent on convincing us they aren't a game company. They just make models. Losing them would have been bad at one time but they aren't the only show anymore. I can easily get great looking models from well over a dozen sources. I've decided to take GW at their word. They are just a model company. If/when they have some models I must have, I'll purchase them. So far, nothing from AOS seems all that important for me to get.

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