Tag warhammer age of sigmar

With the recent release of Dominion and the more recent release of Battletomes for Stormcast Eternals and Kruelboyz Games Workshop is releasing the next tome and this is for the Maggotkin of Nurgle!

At the time of writing/publishing the new Battletome for the Maggotkin of Nurgle is officially available for preorder and the official release date is December 18th, just in time for my birthday! Games Workshop was kind enough to share the tome and even a few models with us to prepare you with the pending release!

To start with we will be focusing on the Battletome itself. The cover art is amazing and only Games Workshop can take a truly revolting army as the Maggotkin, really anything that is Nurgle based, and do it so beautifully! I mean look at that ugly Rotbringer on the there, he not only looks fantastic but there is even a matching model available for preorder as well! There are already more exclamation points in this article than most I write, that should tell you something about this release. I have always been a fan of Grandfather Nurgle and that hasn’t changed but I’ve been focusing my Chaos forces to be more Undivided because of the amazing Warcry warbands but nothing makes disgusting fun like a Nurgle based army.

The tome has many new rules as well as others that have been tweaked. My favorite of these new rules is Diseased. Basically for each diseased model near an enemy you add one disease point (up to seven) and at the start of the Battleshock Phase you roll a dice for each point and on each 4+ the enemy receives one mortal wound. Just walking around the stench and viral output of the Maggotkin is so high that you can kill your enemies by just being close to them. If only we could do this with a horde style list.

Rotbringer Sorcerer

I don’t recall the last time, in Age of Sigmar, we saw new releases for the forces under Nurgle, with the exception of the Great Unclean One and a few other daemons which also worked for 40k. This is the first Rotbringer of any sort I have seen since returning to the hobby about five years ago and the sculpt is fantastic. Not only that but it comes with two alternative heads, one is a fly head. I understand why flies are so prevalent in the Nurgle forces but I have never been a fan of the fly heads themselves, they always looked a little goofy to me BUT this one is by far one of the best I’ve seen so far. Of course if you were to also purchase the next item we will discuss you will have many other heads to choose from.

Vanguard: Maggotkin of Nurgle

The Vanguard box is the Age of Sigmar third edition version of the Start Collecting Box. Both featured the two Pusgoyle Blightlords and the five Putrid Blightkings. The difference between the two is the Start Collecting Box, while still available, comes with these and the Lord of Blights but this Vanguard box includes ten Plaguebearers of Nurgle and Spoilpox Scrivener. Literally every item in this box was something I wanted to get my hands on to build and paint as is but with all the customization options I think two boxes will be necessary.

Perhaps this is also the perfect time for me to get myself that Feculent Gnarlmaw I’ve been trying to justify picking up?

Warcry has returned with Red Harvest with two new Chaos warbands- Darkoath Savagers and The Tarantulos Brood!

In the first official release for Warcry in 2021 Games Workshop brings us Red Harvest, however this is not the only taste of Warcry this year. In at least a couple issues of White Dwarf we have received some cards of newer teams ready to play, for example check out issue 467 which included rules and printable cards for the new troops from the Dominion starter. This is the third starter box that has been released for Warcry and is also part of the same edition. The only difference in these rulebooks is that with each starter the rulebooks have been updated with most recent changes from the FAQs/Erratas. Of course the only real exception there is that there are new abilities for the two new warbands.

As with both the original Warcry and Catacombs, Red Harvest features two new warbands that follow the gods of Chaos. The first are the Darkoath Savagers. The look like a cross between the Spire Tyrants and the classic Chaos Marauders. The second is entirely unique and they are the Tarantulos Brood. Their goal is to mutate themselves into arachnid hybrids, their limbs and eyes matching the number of realms and points on the symbol of Chaos.

Now what Warcry starter box would be complete without some new terrain? This box features some of the most awesome sets released yet. These pieces are centered around abandoned mines that once used to pull Varanite from the ground and alone make me want to get a second box just to get even more creative with the mine cart tracks and the sluices.

Overall I think this box has significant value, great looking models and terrain, all the tokens and cards needed to play and it remains one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar unleashes the Endless Spells with Forbidden Power and Malign Sorcery!

With the release of Warhammer Age of Sigmar Third Edition and the General’s Handbook we saw new stats for our favorite Endless Spells, followed by a rerelease of Forbidden Power and Malign Sorcery! Prior to this release my only experience with Game Workshop’s Endless Spells was simply knowing they existed and to remedy that issue our friends at Games Workshop supplied us review copies of both sets. After the Necroquake ravaged the lands of the Eight Realms, summoned magics we unleashed and went out of control. These spells can be summoned to help lead you to victory but some may hurt you just as much as your enemies.

The beauty of the Malign Sorcery box is that these Endless Spells are not specific to any one Grand Alliance or army. The trick will be to properly gauge timing and placement of your spell to maximize it’s effects and limit the damage you receive yourself. You have a couple options when controlling these spells, you can send them towards your target, send them off the board or try to dispel them. There are variations that are army specific like the Stormcast Eternals or Daughter’s of Khaine for example.

I used the spells for the first and second time recently. The first attempt the Malevolent Maelstrom was reversed by my son and ravaged my front lines. Our second match I used Suffocating Gravetide and drove it off the map before he could hit me with it again. These spells added a whole new dynamic to our games that I’ve never experienced prior and they were a hell of a lot of fun, even when they killed my own troops. Using the links above you can order your own set of each- Malign Sorcery is the more universal of the two and Forbidden Power’s models look amazing, you can even use some of the pieces to kit bash an evil bone bridge as well (I’m trying to justify a second set for this reason alone).

Focus Home Interactive brings us a new offering in the Warhammer universe with Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground!

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is bringing a new war to the mortal realms thanks to Focus Home Interactive and they were generous enough to share a copy with us! Playing the tutorial you must start as the Stormcast Eternals but after that first stage you unlock the ability to play as both Nighthaunt and Maggotkin of Nurgle. Players take turns moving and attacking with their units on a hexagonal map, each unit has their own default distance they are able to move and crossing difficult terrain will slow them down.

The movement mechanics look and feel like a cross between two of the different tabletop games set in the Mortal Realms- Age of Sigmar itself and Age of Sigmar: Underworlds. Visually, in every aspect I’ve seen so far, the game is absolutely stunning. I have read numerous comments about glitches in the game and after a couple hours I have yet to experience them myself.

As a whole I found the game to be an amazingly built adventure into the realm of death that exceeded every expectation I had for the game and on images alone they were already higher than most titles.

The folks at Games Workshop shared an advanced copy of the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar with Dominion!

Dominion is officially released this Saturday (at the time of writing this) and we are here to discuss if it is worth grabbing if you haven’t already preordered. One of the two biggest disadvantages to this boxset, compared to others, is that it does not contain and terrain. The second is that if you don’t wish to play Order or Destruction Grand Alliances the only advantage to this set is the Core Rulebook and that is a steep price to pay for a rulebook alone. Now if you are like myself, I play neither Order or Destruction but my son does, you may look at this box and see a treasure trove of bits that can be used in conversions, like Yndrasta’s wings for example. Without any terrain or dice with it is this really a good option for those that don’t kit bash or play these Alliances? No, it really would not be.

Now as I mentioned I don’t play Order or Destruction but I love the style of the new Stormcast models enough that I would give them a try but more importantly the Kruelboyz are an entirely new faction and species or Orruck/Ork. As such they look more menacing on the table in my opinion and in the lore are much more cunning. At the very least I will be not only building and painting these lads but also playing my first Destruction army, ever!

Having played a couple games with the new ruleset I can honestly say that this is the most streamlined version of the game I have ever played and I’ve played a handful of games under each edition. My son and I each used the new models to face each other, him with Stormcast once again and I with the Kruelboyz and he beat me both times. To be fair though he usually wins unless it’s a skirmish game and I didn’t mind taking the losses. We had a great time with the new ruleset and it kept his attention better than either edition prior.

If you fit any of my examples above then this box is worth your time and hard earned money but if not then I would just go for the rulebook when available.

Our favorite rule changes or additions:

Keep in mind that these are in no particular order.
The first rule change is the use of command points and some command abilities being able to be used during your opponent’s turn. Our favorite of which is Regroup. I always hated making a mistake on my turn that left me vulnerable to a move I didn’t anticipate from my opponent. With regroup I can use a command point to adjust my line of troops to either negate their advantage or lessen its impact at the very least! Even better is Unleash Hell for your ranged units. If they are charged they can literally unleash hell on their aggressors and if the dice are in your favor may even eliminate the unit before they can hurt your weaker troops. Think of it like overwatch but in Age of Sigmar.

The second is monstrous abilities. Roar, Stomp, Titanic Duel and Smash to Rubble. Some will likely get more use after the charge phase than others like Roar or Stomp but the other two are our favorites by far. Titanic Duel will allow you to lock your opponent’s monster in a duel with yours and Smash to Rubble will allow you to not only obliterate terrain but also negate any effects it had if it was a army specific piece that carried abilities with it- like Skaven Gnaw Holes.

Now it’s time for some Dominion assembly tips:

For anyone planning on picking up the Dominion starter I have a word of advice- DO NOT clip the posts at all for J4 on Yndrasta The Celstial Spear. The posts as they are are barely long enough to connect. I also suggest leaving her wings off for painting.

Here is our version of Yndrasta:

And lastly, here is our unboxing video of the release:

Warhammer Quest and Perchang team up again with The Silver Tower!

Perchang is not one of those developers everyone knows but those that do seem to love them, I happen to be one of these people. They have taken a beloved tabletop experience and brought it to mobile phones. The latest iteration of the Warhammer Quest line being The Silver Tower.

New players start with two characters and quickly get the opportunity to get a third. To unlock additional characters you can collect or purchase blue crystals. 100 will get you a random character and 250 will get you a guaranteed 3* or higher character. That’s not bad at all considering the fact that you will average about ten per day by completing minor challenges. This challenges vary from collecting gold to gaining experience or killing certain enemies. Either way you can easily get a new character pretty regularly. Recently though they added a third option where every week for about 5 or 6 hours you can get a special choice. Some weeks this choice is from all of the Death faction characters or like this week’s a 4* magic user. For those impatient enough you can purchase additional gems.

Gameplay is similar to previous versions in that during the player’s turn you move your characters across the map and then perform your actions. However, one slight difference to previous versions is that you could move your maximum distance and still perform an action but with Silver Tower you can only move short distance and then attack, attack twice or move a long distance. Visually the game is simply gorgeous and the animations of your characters are rendered just as crisply. The game is fast paced and a ton of fun. I sincerely hope the team is allowed to do a hybrid of these mechanics but include a story mode with the newer Warhammer Quest- Blackstone Fortress.

Warhammer Underworlds returns with Direchasm! Will the Realmlords survive the return of Hedonites of Slaanesh?

The Hedonites have returned with their own warband for Warhammer Underworlds and face off in Direchasm against the Lumineth Realmlords. This pairing of forces is a huge plus by itself for me. Back in the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy many elves, now called Aelves, followed the Chaos god Slaanesh, known as the God of Excess and it’s followers were some of the most perverse. Eventually it splintered the elven people into two primary factions High Elves and Dark Elves. The Dark Elves were the group that followed Slaanesh and eventually stopped and moved to follow Khaine, the god of murder. Now the two forces are facing each other once again and have brought along some of the finest sculpts the franchise has released to date.

One of the biggest changes between versions of this game is models that now have a 6+ Wound characteristic and are defeated you will earn 2 Victory Points instead of the customary 1. Another change is that the Support mechanic is slightly modified. Basically before any models adjacent to the one attacking would support but you would subtract your support from the opponent’s support. Whomever had more support remaining receives the bonus. Now you simply take the support regardless and each support roll counts as a success instead.

As a starting box is concerned this iteration of Underworlds can be a bit overwhelming with some of the cards specifically. Previous versions a majority of the cards were more simplistic but allowed a bit of room for interpretation. The cards in this box give much longer descriptions but there is little room for interpretation. Everything is laid out exactly how they will work but the amount of wording can overwhelm newer players. For seasoned gamers though this will provide a dynamic experience in the realms of Warhammer Underworlds with some amazing models that would be fantastic starters for a Slaanesh or Realmlord based army. If you are a fan of Chaos armies or the Underworlds franchise then you will love this box.

Will you have what it takes to take down the undead threatening Glymmsforge? Join the hunt with Crypt Hunters from Games Workshop!

Our friends at Games Workshop shared their latest self contained game found at bookstores– Crypt Hunters! Players choose to take control of either the Stormcast Eternals or the Nighthaunt Chainrasps. Perhaps one of the most unique features to come out of a boxed game is the map. Each turn the player in charge of the Chainrasps adds pieces to the map while during the same sequence of actions the Stormcast player removes any tiles that are not in Line of Sight. This means there is a virtually endless combination of map variations that can be played from game to game.

Like any other game from GW this box includes miniatures for each faction, allowing you to add models to your warbands/armies. As can be expected you will find assembly instructions contained within the box. The Stormcasts have limited wounds so the odds will be against this player as the Chainrasps constantly regenerate.

The game is enjoyable for the first couple of games but beyond that gets a bit repetitive. Even though the maps stay fresh it is the same foes to fight and the lack of variety makes it less engaging between playthroughs.

The Eighpoints are seeing new wars waged starting with the Tome of Champions 2020 edition!

The fine folks at Games Workshop has once again graced us with the Tome of Champions, this time for 2020! Originally I intended to have my thoughts on the latest edition out before the New Year but the holidays have a way of derailing plans. Better late than never I suppose. Click here to see my coverage of the 2019 version of Tome of Champions back when I was writing for PopNerdTV. The big takeaways from the previous edition were the added challenges.

The rules for the game as a whole remain unchanged. Like the Grand Alliance books this is meant as a supplement that will further enhance the game. Returning to the Tome are more challenges and options for tournaments. One of the biggest changes is a full campaign! Not just that but this campaign has a story behind it. Yes, please! That has always been one of my favorite things about the Warhammer and Warhammer 40K intellectual properties, the ability to tell a story while your armies clash. On a smaller playing field like Warcry the story becomes much more personal.

Another huge (pun intended) addition are some of the challenges, not just to fight Gargants but to even fight the Mega Gargant! I expect each year we will see bigger and better things in the Tome but at the current rate I already can’t keep up with all of the challenges I want to try out.

Once again, this is not meant as a game changer for Warcry but it is a hell of an improvement!

Grand Alliances have joined Warcry in a big way with faction books and we are discussing Bringers of Death!

As many players of Warhammer Age of Sigmar are already aware there are four Grand Alliances- Death, Chaos, Order and Destruction. As such you can combine units from different factions due to those keywords allowing for a much more dynamic and varied army. Doing this however loses some cohesion as some armies work better with faction specific abilities and similar visual aesthetics. Bringers of Death strives to do the same thing for Warcry with the Death Grand Alliance but due to the small force size the decreased cohesion is less noticeable.

This book features updated versions of all the cards previously released in both card packs and the various faction boxes. Additionally it features heroes and allies you can include in your warband. Your warband as a whole cannot mix and match across all the factions but the heroes and allies are the real feature of this book. Previously in the Monsters and Mercenaries book each faction added a couple mercenaries that could be taken alongside your warband.

For anyone interested in expanding their game with a few choice models to outfit your warband or to try something new these books are a must for your collection.