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.