Let's Talk About Age of Sigmar

Columbob wrote: The Skaven were always one of GW's more original ideas for armies and fluff in general.

They are the reason I got into the game initially. But I recently discovered that they are mostly stolen from Poul Anderson, just like Avatar.

Regardless, all Skaven armies need a Doomwheel. I had one hang a right and drive straight into my Screaming Bell on the first round of a tournament.

Wait, Poul Anderson is the same who wrote about a bunch of crusaders who take over an alien spaceship and then conquer a far away galaxy? (I loved that book)

Which story by Poul Anderson is the Skaven inspiration taken from?

Vlad wrote: Wait, Poul Anderson is the same who wrote about a bunch of crusaders who take over an alien spaceship and then conquer a far away galaxy? (I loved that book)

The High Crusade. Doesn't contain ratmen though, also the only one of his books I've read.

ufe20 wrote:

Warhammer Quest: Shadows over Hammerhall is a stand-alone boxed game for 2-5 players set in the splendid city of Order – Hammerhall. Up to 4 players can quest in the catacombs and dungeons below the city, while another acts as game master, setting fiendish obstacles, controlling the antagonists (monsters) and setting the story – it’s up to this player to take charge of revealing the secrets each dungeon has to offer.

The game is fully compatible with the Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower game and the Hero Cards. Any miniatures or rules the customer already owns for that game can also be used in this game. In addition, the game has a lot of replay-ability, as character level up and increase their skills as you play. The box contains 32 miniatures, including:

Lord Castellant and Gryph Hound
Cogsmith
Black Art Fleetmaster
Loremaster

Chaos Sorcerer Lord
Slaughterpriest
5 Putrid Blightkings
10 Kairic Acolytes
10 Bloodreavers
72 page guide book
32 page adventure book
18 double sides board sections
55 cards
16 dice

18th - 25th Feb.
prize £90

So this is the rumored Silver Tower follow up that has popped up on some reliable rumor monger sites. Not sure what I think. Reavers and acolytes together are kind of boring, both being your lowest level cultist types for Khorne and Tzeentch, especially since acolytes appeared in the last game. Blightkings are amazing looking models so that's cool, but overall doesn't look like a lot of enemy or hero variety for about the same price as Silver Tower (which is £95). Kind of hoping this isn't for real or at least not complete, but I'll probably pick it up at some point either way.

I will definitely try to score a copy that has been stripped of miniatures, to expand the range of monsters and room tiles that I can use with Silver Tower. But I'm not as enthusiastic about an Overlord style of play. I don't mind asymmetrical games, but designers tend to miss the mark when it comes to giving the Overlord either too much or too little power. The reduced dice count in that inventory list suggests that the destiny dice are gone, maybe because they are considered particular to Tzeentch.

Casey- let me get those together, I have all of what you wanted.

Vlad- I hate you. I bought a Doomwheel today at the GW store. Stormfiends will be next but they are frappin' expensive. My Skaven army is now a "thing". Focusing on Skryre, broke-down gadgets and crude inventions. I'll probably take them to at least 1500, probably need a box of Clanrats or Stormvermin. And those Jezzails.

I don't really have a problem with anything I've seen about WHQ, I want the extra acolytes and I like all of the heroes I have two of the main figures (Castellant and Sorcerer Lord) so that is two that I can flip to offset the cost. It is weird that there aren't any "boss" monsters (unless the Blight Kings are that) but I am sure White Dwarf will introduce more- if we're doing Khorne, I wouldn't be surprised to see Khorgoraths and I am sure you can use the existing Tzeentch stuff including the exotics.. Overlord play is fine if they've learned lessons from Doom/Conan/TMNT and made it FUN and not a fucking chore. I don't think the system will be any different. I think it definitely offers more for someone that has ST than it does for someone buying this first.

Barnes, if I can find my Poison Wind Globadier, would you want it? You'd need four more to actually have a unit though. Gratis.

YES very much so. I have one in Spire of Dawn. According to the Warscroll, a unit is one model. Give me a price and I will PayPal you.

Bought all of those edge paints today, playing with them...very nice, glad I got them all.

Barnes, I don't even know how much money I spent over the last 7+ years thanks to your recommendations. I hope you remember that every time you roll doubles and that Doomwheel runs over your clanrats.

I am also working on the Skaven pretty seriously, at the expense of Nioh (it kind of feels more gratifying having something actually done in an hour, rather than a dubious accomplishment of having chipped the boss' health to a half after 30+ tries).
Done with Engineer, the Leader, 1 Ogre and started on the ..sigh.. clanrats (don't think I'll ever be done with them). Went by the store and got a Grey Seer, too. And I promise the Hamsterwheel shall be mine.
I like them as much as the new models. And the fact that they have less details makes it easier. And Skaven are the most interesting faction on a conceptual level, too. I think the biggest mistake of 40K lore is leaving them out and space orks in.

By the way, I think there was a short story or a novella by Ursula Le Guin where humanity is on the brink of extinction and fighting giant, intelligent, mutant rats. I must have read it when I was 10 or something, and don't remember anything else - or even if it actually existed.

Batch paint the clan rats or you will go insane. Duncan's tutorial is pretty good on these although he does that thing where you paint the entire model the primary base color. This is dumb. I guess GW has calculated that they can sell more paint by getting folks to paint things unnecessarily.

Do groups and with each group choose a different fur color. Pick two colors for the cloth, I did Naggaroth Night and Mechanicus Standard Gray. Do Ratskin Flesh on the tails and streak it on the hands and feet. Zandri Dust the teeth and nails. Whatever metals, take your pick and mix them up. Base coat everything and then slop Agrax Earthshade on the whole thing, top to bottom. Drybrush highlights. Mephiston red in the eyes. That's it! They are really pretty easy to do and fun to paint, I did ten from prime to base in about 90 minutes the other day.

Columbob wrote: Which story by Poul Anderson is the Skaven inspiration taken from?

I apologize, I was way off. Poul Anderson did not inspire the Skaven, it was Fritz Leiber's The Swords of Lankhmar.

I got my iconic SF writers confused.

Ah yes, of course, right before he lost the plot with Lankhmar.


Meanwhile, new WHQ unboxing!

The above rumour was mostly right. Can't help but feel a little disappointed.

Columbob wrote: Ah yes, of course, right before he lost the plot with Lankhmar.

That is a kind way to describe Fritz Lieber moving into his dirty old man phase with book six of the series. Or was it book seven? I was a big fan of his work, up until the stories gave way to pointless sex scenes. I think that was book seven.

Doc's preorder is up, $117. Quit cryin'.

They are apparently KIT minis, so the new Acolytes and the not-mono pose Reavers. This is a big plus IMO.

Here's a link to GW's community page with an unboxing

Can't say I'm as excited about this as Silver Tower. The monsters included just aren't that interesting. Two flavors of half naked cultist dudes, a wizard and the blightkings. They're all good kits (especially the blightkings, they make me want the nurgle army I don't need), just not a lot of variety.

Also, full kits makes it nice for those of us who want the options to include them in an army, but I think it hurt its cross appeal to the board game market. These kits can be intimidating for newer modelers, and I thought Silver Tower nicely bridged the gap between push fit starter minis and full on kits.

I'm really hoping the larger adventure book comes with rules for a good chunk of the rest of the chaos range, at least the nurgle and khorne parts. That, and the overlord rules being workable would tip me into must buy territory.