Hi all,
I know I should wait until the full course of Warhammer Fest is done before writing my impressions, but there has been so much news that I think now is a good a time as any. The following are my thoughts on several of the major news pieces in no particular order.
Chaos Releases:
I was a little surprised to see how much of the stage the Chaos armies took up. While definitely deserving of a wave of new releases and models, I didn’t think they would be announced this soon. Given that the new Slaves to Darkness Age of Sigmar book isn’t coming until winter I wouldn’t get my hopes up for an imminent release. I imagine they will do a dual release in Age of Sigmar and 40k, especially with the article in the Community site highlighting the same model works in both games (with some war-gear limitations). However, the avatar model was released a few weeks after the initial wave of Eldar releases so we could see something similar, with the book releasing ahead of the models. Speaking of the Daemon Prince, I am pretty happy with the new model, the initial head looked dumb (in my opinion) and I like the options for different heads based on chaotic alignment. As an aside I am also not wild about the Tzeentch one, but it should be noted most birds look dumb when you look at them head on, as most non-predatory birds are trying to create a wide field of vision. So I will reserve my judgement until the release.
I like the new cultists models and I like the aesthetic GW is going for. It can be a little cartoon-y but leaning into camp is appropriate here (plus with a dark paint scheme these models will also shine). In my heart I am still a little more partial to the older cultists, that were more subdued, but these new models will tie into the range really well. I think this is really setting up Word Bearer armies to have an array of models that fit their aesthetic well, both on the table and in the lore. My Night Lords will probably continue to sulk (given their aversion to daemons) but that’s what the new Horus Heresy release is for!
It was also interesting to see the World Eaters getting some love. I am curious to see what new models they will release and how the army will play.
Leagues of Votann
Not a whole lot to say here, just glad Squat bikers are back! I think the grav-plates are a little weird but not deal-breaking.
New Chapter Approved
I am intrigued by some of the changes announced here as we roll into the next set of the Grand Tournament rules. It seems that GW is sticking to their quarterly release schedule, as the last book came out at the end of January. That being said, we don’t have a release date yet so it could be a 3-books-per-year schedule too. I am very excited about GW posting the points values free online soon. I was expecting them, whenever they made a change, to go the Age of Sigmar route since players often look up rules rather than points. However, given how often these values change it does make the game far more accessible to have a quick reference page. I think this could also be a baby-step towards a more digital rule set, but I don’t want to get my hopes up yet. It does seem wild to compare the Games Workshop of 2022 with the 2006 version that existed when I first got into the hobby.
Speaking of comparisons, one thing that jumped out at me was the appearance of the new Grand Tournament rulebook. It maybe that they are just previewing one of the options but I am worried they are removing the spiral bound books. Those books were also a god-send in the crusade world and made looking up rules and references so much easier then a traditional hardback. I am a little worried this is another excuse to charge players more for the rules, while also making them more clunky but time will tell.
Overall I think there is a lot to love about this news, but a little to be wary about. GW appears to be sticking to the quarterly balance schedule and is slowly being dragged forward into the current era.
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