#55: Structually sound...

It's here. It's finally here. The General's Handbook has been released, and what a resource it is! Tonight, we're going to break down my favourite things about this book!

Firstly, and most obviously, points; we've asked for them from day one, and we've finally been catered to. And in what style! The first thing that leaps out to me is how quick it is to throw an army list together. In the days of 8th Edition Fantasy, you needed a degree in mathematics (majoring in statistics) to write a legal, let alone functional, army list. With Age of Sigmar, it takes less than five minutes to throw together a 2500pt list. 

Less than five minutes...

The process has been so streamlined, that it is incredibly simple to use. Units come in increments of 3/5/10/20 for X amount of points, and if you want bigger units, all you do is add additional increments for more "X"-sized chunks of points. Everything is priced in multiples of 20pts, so you know you're not going to be scraping for 3-4 points to fit in a banner or a certain weapon, as you did in ages gone. 

You are permitted generous amounts of Heroes, while there is a reasonable cap on War Machines and Behemoths (the new Tagline for Monsters and other things of destructively titanic size). The real key to army construction is the requirement to include a certain number of Battleline units, typically core infantry, but not always. Different grand alliances may take certain units to fill their Battleline slots, while factions within those alliances may use more specific units as Battleline. Taking certain characters within those factions can unlock even more units.

The great thing about this structure is that it really pushes themed armies as being very practical and efficient, rather than cherry-picking units from all over a Grand Alliance. 

Secondly, we have a metric ton of new scenarios! No longer is it a matter of "Fight to the Death"; and as far as I have read, there are no 'gimmick' scenarios like Watchtower in 8th. These are some solid resources!

Thirdly is the abundance of narrative resources! There is a whole section dedicated to Warband construction based around the chaos supplement, Path to Glory, allowing players to grow their force using several tables to generate units! So far, all the post-AOS factions have them (Stormcast, Flesheater Courts with plenty of GA Death support, Ironjawz, Sylvaneth and Fireslayers), as well as Skaven and Chaos. I expect to see every new or updated faction to have similar content within their own Battletomes from here on in. I think it's a fantastic resource, and yes... Expect to see a campaign here soon!

This game has just exploded with content! B the last fortnight alone, I have seen a huge influx of players, from both 40k and the existing Fantasy community, who are leaping into Age of Sigmar with both feet. 

And I could not be happier!

So, with the release of points, are there any armies beckoning? Perhaps a force on the horizon? Perhaps an existing one?

I'd love to know where you're at!

Thanks for reading,

Gabe

#54: A beacon of the community...

Well, brace yourself, because I'm about to fanboy pretty hard!

This week, I'm dedicating an entire post to the gentlemen who have run the last few tournaments that I have attended. And they happen to be Alistair, Manager of the Brisbane City Warhammer Store, and Blake, Manager of the Capalaba Warhammer Store. 

At the start of this year, these two fellows decided to join forces and run a series of tournaments throughout the year, varying in size and game system from one event to another. As of this evening, there has been a total of four events, and all four have been top notch! 

The pair have made a point of running smooth events that are concise and effieciently run, promoting not only competitive play, but also a strong focus on themed forces, painting, and most importantly, sportsmanship. 

One thing, that I originally saw as a negative, was that to attend one of their events, you MUST have a fully painted army. It doesn't need to be golden demon standard, but it has to be painted. At first, I saw this as a barrier of entry, and for some that is the case; until I realised that while there would be a significant time commitment required to prepare an army for the tournament, it also meant that every opponent you face will also be deploying a fully painted force, and on a cinematic level, that alone makes games so much more enjoyable (at least for me). 

One thing that they have managed to do, which is probably the most difficult things to achieve as a Tournament Organiser, is to develop a healthy, positive culture around their events. I have played a lot of tournaments in my time, both great and not-so-great, and this series is the first I have been to with a distinct lack of "Win At All Costs" gamers; players who are not remotely interested if their opponent is enjoying themselves or not, regardless of result. That's not to say people don't want to win, or that they bring brutal forces to the table (just check the photo gallery!), but there is a culture of sportsmanship and chivalry developing that is sadly lacking in some (not all) events. 

Needless to say, that's probably more than enough gushing from me today... 

But basically, the purpose of this particular post is to put a challenge out to you, my esteemed reader. 

#1: Be an upholder of sportsmanship in your local gaming group

#2: Encourage the same in those players around you

These two points can be a catalyst in your local community. It is so easy to slide into that mindset of "don't let your opponents up for air", but for me, that misses the whole point of the hobby; to be a hobby, to be something that you invest into, build, paint and throw dice for a bit of fun. And around this framework is built our community! 

I am such a fan of these tournaments because they encourage just that. 

Community. 

I have met some of the greatest guys and girls across a gaming table, and I'm proud to say that some of those gamers are now amongst my closest friends. 

Well, I'm going to wrap it up there. This week's post has rambled about, and got a bit more personal than I originally planned, but I'm gonna put it out there. 

Shameless plug alert: go like both the Warhammer Brisbane and Capalaba pages, and if you have the chance to attend one of their events (harder than it sounds, there were 15 people on the waiting list for today's event, so you gotta be quick!), don't hesitate to get involved. You absolutely will not regret it. 

Support events that support you. 

As always, thanks for reading...

Gabe