I originally had plans to fit my first game of this new system in on Saturday, with such ready availability to rules and Warscrolls. However, life being as busy as it is, my game got pushed back. The battle that I did play pleasantly surprised me. I won't lie, I was a little apprehensive about the new rules and unit formats, and quite uncomfortable about the distinct lack of points value (as I think most existing players were), but fortune favours the brave and I decided to give the game a red-hot go. A friend offered to throw his Ogors, as Ogre Kingdoms are now named, into the mix. While there has been a lot of talk about capping both wounds and Warscrolls in a bid to moderate the game, we decided to not bother, instead choosing to be gentlemen and not deploying anything too offensive as we learn the basics of the game.
Deployment in itself was an unfamiliar experience, as your army selection happens as you drop units one by one, completely removing the number-crunching task of list building. 
My opponent deployed four leadbelchers on the right hand side of the board. Six Ironguts took up his centre, supported by a Butcher and a Tyrant. His only other unit was a hulking Stonehorn to hold down his other flank.
My army was significantly larger, led by a Great Bray Shaman lurking behind the forest, shielded by ten Ungor Raiders. I placed a ravenous pack of Warhounds on my right, five severely intoxicated Centigors on my left to hopefully hinder the Stonehorn, and my centre consisted of thirty Gors with two Gor blades and a Giant (a model that I love but could never, ever justify using in 8th Edition).
My opponent, having significantly less models than I, selected Assassinate as his sudden death objective, and I chose my Shaman. I was confident that as he fulfilled his role as a support character, that he would be safe behind my lines, and was quite confident in defending him with my numerous units.
In my turn, the Shaman handed Inspiring Presence to the Gor herd, as well as casting Mystic Shield upon them, increasing their save to a respectable 4+ (and let's be honest, any save is respectable for Beastmen!). Having little else to do in my Hero phase, the army surged forward with enthusiasm. 
The Centigors took a wide berth, hoping to draw the Stonehorn away from the main fight, while my hounds and ungors prepared to handle the threat posed by the Leadbelchers.
In my opponents phase, he used his Tyrant's command ability, inflicting D3 mortal wounds (wounds that bypass 'To Wound' rolls as well as saves) upon his Ironguts, in exchange for immunity against Battleshock for the rest of the game, which is incredibly powerful, especially if the unit was of overwhelming size! His Butcher's 'Maw' spell was well out of range, and we completely forgot that he had access to both Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield.
His Leadbelchers opened up on the Warhounds, killing two, while the riders atop the Stonehorn hurled their Chain Snare at the Giant, stripping three of its twelve wounds with impunity!
Now, I honestly didn't realise the significant reach that the Stonehorn had, but it made little effort in charging the distance into my Giant and slaying him outright. I was quite surprised how quickly wounds can disappear, but even in defeat, I had the last laugh. The Giant swayed and toppled, landing heavily upon the Stonehorn, inflicting three wounds upon him!
Here is where we made our first rookie mistake of the game. At the end of the match, we discovered that we were meant to roll of each turn, to determine who goes first. Regardless, we played the game in the traditional turn sense. Inspiring Presence and Mystic Shield once again was bestowed upon my Gor herd as they prepared to tackle the very real threat of a monster stampeding straight over my Shaman on turn two. 
The Ungors loosed a few arrows to no avail, but everywhere else on the table, my army was charging everything. Gors mobbed the Stonehorn, hounds launched into the Belchers and the Centigors made a long charge into the Ironguts.
Here is where another interesting mechanic surfaced, and I think we got this right, but if not, please correct me. Because it was my turn, I got to select one of my units to make their attacks. I chose my hounds, who achieved absolutely nothing. It then fell to my opponent to select a unit to strike with. In my mind, I had a preconceived idea that my opponent must choose a unit in the same combat. But herein lies a great deal of strategy. He chose the Stonehorn, crushing Gors underfoot and reducing the damage that he would take in return before the Gors even had a chance to swing.
This opens up a game of wits in combat sequencing, deciding which of my units to activate first, knowing that another of my units may be crushed into oblivion with no reaction as a result.
The Centigors did very little to the Ironguts and took three wounds in return, but I did manage to slice a few wounds off the Stonehorn with the surviving Gors.
In his turn, my opponent pulled an impressive trick on me! Apparently, in Age of Sigmar, there is no rule preventing models from shooting into or out of combat. So you could understand my dread when he hurled a Chain Snare over my Gor herd at the exposed shaman. Thankfully, he missed.
His Tyrant and Butcher charged in to support the Ironguts and easily wiped out the surviving Centigors. 
My rapidly depleting Gor herd was sticking but only because of Inspiring Presence, so my Shaman decided to lend a helping hand, blasting the Stonehorn with Arcane Bolt, leaving it with a single wound. The Ungors continued to contribute little to the war efforts, inflicting a single wound upon the Guts.
The Leadbelchers mopped up the remaining hounds and my turn came to an abrupt end.
My opponent, being in firm control of the game at this point, wasted no time in launching an all out assault on the remnants of my army as I tried to hide my vulnerable shaman.
His 'Maw' spell was again out of range, but it made no difference. The Gors were cut down with frightening ease, while the Ungors proved themselves nearly useless in combat. Not that the Leadbelchers were much better...
The Bray-shaman retreated to the forest and tried to cast Savage Dominion, summoning the Giant back to the board, but failed to reach the casting value of 9. The Ungors and Leadbelchers exchanged a wound each, and I prepared for the worst.
The Maw tore my Ungor unit apart, leaving the Leadbelchers free to shotgun my Shaman to death in a spray of blood and scrap metal!
It was a convincing win for the Ogres and an absolutely fantastic match!
So, after playing a game out on the table, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy Age of Sigmar. I have no doubt that some armies will walk over the top of others (Tzeentch demons are just a barrel of broken), but all in all, I think this game is designed to be fun as its first port of call. I don't know how it will transfer into competitive play without some kind of supplement or comp pack, but I don't know if that is its purpose in its current form.
For such a simple rules set, it was surprisingly complex, tactical and strategic. You have to think a turn or two ahead, especially regarding your Hero phase and I think mastering the Hero phase will lead to a lot of victories!
I was happy to see how influential monsters and characters are upon the game, with command abilities and spells impacting gameplay in a big way! The other side of the coin, however, is that characters cannot join units, leaving them very succeptable to ending up dead. Monsters also have a great mechanic, where the more wounds they take, the less effective they are in their weakened state, adding another layer of strategy.
It's not the game we have known and loved in past years. It is different, it is new, it's not familiar. But it is fun, and after all, is that not why we got into the hobby to begin with? I'm not saying it will be to everyone's taste, but I would encourage people to be open to this new game. The rules are free, the army books are free, and the starter box is exceptional! But the starter box is a topic for another day (specifically Saturday when I get my hands on it!).
In closing, I hope you at least play a game of Age of Sigmar. Give it a try. You might love it. I was very hesitant about the new rules, but I like them. I like them a lot.
This was my first game of the new system, so if you noticed me or my opponent playing anything wrong, let me know!
As always, thanks for reading!
Gabriel
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