What is even happening?
We're a month into the year, and already, we are on the brink of a global narrative campaign, we're about to have Legions of Nagash unleashed upon the game, and Daughters of Khaine are coming in hot after that.
So yeah... its going to be a big year for Age of Sigmar, and we're only a month in. Looking back to last year, where Stormcast, Tzeentch, Khorne and Overlords got a Battletome update, it feels like this year is going to be dedicated to either new armies, or revamping (eh? re-VAMP-ing? get it!) older, neglected factions that didn't receive the love they deserved in the General's Handbook.
Legions of Nagash was a little bit of a surprise to me. I mean, we all knew there was going to be a Death Battletome eventually, but I was fully expecting it to be an expansion upon Deathrattle into a filled out faction with perhaps some new kits, or even giving Deadwalkers some love (because we all know Zombie Giants would be amazing!). But instead, GW has essentially released a Battletome for the entire Grand Alliance, with the exception of Flesh Eater Courts, who fill the Allies role for LoN.
Legions is almost the best case scenario (almost, but more on that later) for Death Players. Let's be real; the majority of Death Players were playing Grand Alliance Death anyway. There are, of course, plenty of FEC players, and new life was breathed into certain factions (these puns are coming thick and fast today, and I make no apologies) with the GHB17, but competitively, mixed Death seemed to be the strongest and most viable. I'm personally not a Death player, so correct me if I'm wrong in any of this. The combining of the armies means that so many models have launched back into the category of viable! I see this as being fantastic, and very themed, as you can now build one of several legions with all of the flexibility you desire.
The reason that I say 'almost the best case scenario' is because of one thing. The Knight of Shrouds.
"But, Gabe," I hear you say. "How is a new, awesome model with awesome rules a bad thing?".
That's exactly it. He's the only one. That character model is the first Death model to be released for the entire Grand Alliance since the birth of AOS, and while I know Death got lots of new models during the End Times, it's still disproportionate to literally every other Grand Alliance! Even the Ironjawz release had a heap of new models.
Don't get me wrong... the model is amazing! Not only is he a total bad ass model, but he fills the gaping General-shaped hole in a Nighthaunt army. No longer is your army led by a low-wound character with no command ability. He synergizes perfectly with the army, and I'm expecting to see him in every Nighthaunt army at every points level. That said, I'm interested to see where those minor GHB17 factions lie in regards to the Legions. Will they just become redundant in the shadow of the new Battletome, or will they have a niche spot? Time will tell.
Speaking of new models, the four new characters coming out look amazing! The Knight of Shrouds is stunning, and suitably creepy! His ominous helm and ancient longsword give him an air of terror that perfectly suits the Death aesthetic.
The Lord-Ordinator is a bit of an unusual one. I think a lot of people were hoping it would be an elf or a dwarf (even a human) instead of a Stormcast hero, this is probably the least Stormcast-y SCE model we've seen yet. Instead of the traditional head-to-toe plate armour, he's bare-armed and bareheaded, and his role as an engineer is clear just by looking at him. He wears robes and is adorned with tools and instruments of his trade. The duel-weilded hammers are also very reminiscent of Warrior Priests of the wold that was. I personally love this new direction, as well as his synergy and support role with war machines. I do think it's interesting to see a character dedicated to 'War Machines' specifically. We've not seen a model with the War Machine keyword released since the dawn of AOS, but I hope it's a unit type that we see return to the game with new models, no matter what race it's for. There's something awesome about crewed war machines raining death from afar!
The Darkaoth Warqueen is absolutely amazing as a model! Her beauty is perfectly balanced with the raw aggression present in the pose and the armament of the model. I can see this model being the foundation for perhaps a Valkia conversion, or simply as a stand alone character. I'm hoping that she and the Darkoath Cheiftain are glimpses of a more fleshed out faction in the future, that encompasses the Marauder aspect of the Chaos faction, steering away from the "viking" look and more toward a barbarian aesthetic. A guy can dream, right?
Lastly, and by far the most exciting in my mind, is the Fungoid Cave Shaman. Moonclan Grots, while a much-beloved faction, have been scraping out a path to survival in the game since well before End Times. And while the range is fairly broad (when you include all of the Squigs and Forge World models), it was one of the surprise omissions from the GHB17. This came as quite a surprise to everyone, but hopefully this is a good thing. The Cave Shaman is very blatantly a Moonclan Grot, but the design is very different; hopefully a sign of things to come. While he's adorned in black robes, wields a sickle and has cresent moon icons like every other Shaman before him, there's no mistaking that he's decidedly higher-fantasy than his predecessors. from the weird brain-squig to the critter on his staff, the vials and pouches to the mushrooms growing on him, he looks far more "fantasy" than any other goblin released so far.
I'm hoping that these characters are heralds of future releases. I'd be totally OK with new Moonclan, Darkoath and Stormcast Engineers! Give me a Stormcast ballista... I'd be all over that!
And I haven't even mentioned the new Daughters of Khaine, yet! I did a full piece on looking at why no one was playing them in issue #108. And let's jsut say, judging by the hype, people are gonna be playing them left, right and centre! But that's a whole topic for another blog!
In summary, I can't wait to get my hands on the new books coming out on Saturday. Malign Portents is shaping up to be a huge story arc, and another big advancement in the Age of Sigmar. I think between this and Daughters, we're about to see a huge shake up of the game (again!), and I dunno about you but I can't wait. The game is always shifting and advancing, and it shows in everyone's face. We're all excited for every release, and Death has been coming a long way off! I hope it pleases the masses, as I think the book alone will give new life (you thought I was done with the puns, didn't you...) to an old, but beautiful range of models!
Are you jumping aboard the Death train or will you wait for the angriest ladies in all the realms?
Thanks for reading,
Gabe
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