When Shadespire first was announced, my initial thought was similar to my thoughts when Betrayal at Calth was announced.
"New models for the mainstream game disguised in a box marketed as a board game."
I remember back to when the Calth box set was released, and without fail, every customer ripped open the box with enthusiasm, removed the sprues, and threw the rest of the box in the bin. Not one person played the board game inside, and barely anyone even glanced inside the board game rule book. The box pretty much sold itself on the models alone. And if i'm brutally honest, I was expecting nothing different from Shadespire.
But Shadespire has quickly forged a reputation of being a well-supported and brilliantly designed game within the Age of Sigmar universe. While the war bands are set (Stormcast will have the three models in every match), the real depth, diversity and tactics come from the deck-building element that blends Shadespire into a lovechild of Age of Sigmar, Magic the Gathering and Malifaux, while being reminiscent of Arena matches from World of Warcraft.
While I haven't had time to fit in anything more than a quick introductory game (life being what it is), I can see this quickly becoming a game that every Sigmar player will get into, and have a warband and pack of cards with them everywhere they take a full army for Age of Sigmar.
Let's talk quickly about the models. The Stormcast team caused quite the buzz, with the very first female Stormcast model being released. I actually think this model was very well done, looking distinctly female without slipping into the "video game armour" trap. Joining her is a staunch soldier carrying a massive grand hammer, and then there is Steelheart; the Liberator with probably the most majestic power stance ever! Facing them are five Bloodreavers in suitably fanatical poses, and they are exquisite!
Each model also comes with a fully moulded base, and everything is push fit, meaning it's a perfect product to rip open and get playing straight away. Of course, thats not to say that these models aren't incredibly sculpted. Already, some of the faster, more talented painters in the community are posting their finished models to social media, and there is no shortage of jaw-dropping paint jobs, from traditional gold to non-metallic-metal armour.
There is also an Ironskull's Boyz and a Sepulchral Guard war band in the near future, giving Destruction and Death some love. If the rulebook is anything to go off, we'll also be seeing a Fyreslayer, Skaven (yes!) Blood Warrior-based and Stormcast Hunter-based war band in the pipeline.
The more I think about Shadespire, the more impressive this product becomes. It's a great plug & play game, where Games Workshop could release a new war band or two periodically, and completely change the dynamic of the game. Not only that, but the war bands are all at that perfect size for us Hobby Butterflies to crush one out and finish it in its entirety before the next shiny piece of glass catches our undivided attention. They're all essentially character packs, allowing the creative team to stretch their legs and create a set of models based around a theme that could otherwise never support an entire Battletome in the main game.
And just when you think it couldn't top itself, the Warhammer Community website dropped Matched Play war scrolls and profiles for the war bands currently available, setting a really positive pretence for the rest of the war bands to come!
If this game turns out to be everything we're expecting it to be, I have the feeling that we may be on the brink of a brand new realm of competitive table top gaming. I'm about to assemble and prime my own set, and as soon as they are painted, I'll be posting a Arena Report (or three!).
Are you getting into Shadespire? What war band will be holding your banner aloft?
As always, thanks for reading.
Gabe
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