The Rumour Thread

[Ejecutor]

59 minutes ago, Amenephis said:

While I get where you're coming from, the problem is Lumineth and GW's elf fetish.  GW really, REALLY likes elves.  This is beyond any form of speculation or debate.  They LOVE elves.

Unfortunately, they decided that Lumineth should be light- and civilization-bringing uncorruptible super soldiers constantly taking the fight to the darkness...you know, everything that SCE are supposed to be, except that they made the LRL better at it in every possible way, and because they're elves, GW also likes them a lot more.

So, we're left with a situation where Lumineth have functionally entirely supplanted Stormcast in the lore, and GW's tendency to write based on their own personal biases and preferences means that this situation is not likely to change.

It is not that GW likes elves. Is that the playerbase likes them, so they sell well.

[Amenephis]

Just now, Ejecutor said:

It is not that GW likes elves. Is that the playerbase likes them, so they sell well.

Well, I wasn't talking about sales, and I wasn't talking about rules.  I was talking about lore.  2E was commonly called "Age of Aelfmar" and the name continued to be tossed around for 3E (alongside "Age of Bookkeeping").  Of course, 4E is shaping up to be "Age of Recursion".

On top of the fact that we already have as many elf armies alone as two other entire GAs have armies in total, we also have another full LRL range or two, and another dark elf army, and another wood elf army, AND an elf expansion in CoS all threatened.

Furthermore, as mentioned, LRL essentially entirely supplanted Stormcast in the lore, rendering them largely irrelevant.

Looking at lore and at ranges, GW likes elves, and GW likes undead.

[Ejecutor]

4 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/06/28/warhammer-community-staff-paint-the-stormcast-eternals-of-skaventide/

 

All those community models and we didn't see yet the old helmet version of the Prosecutors. Makes me think we will have them in a separate box.

[Ejecutor]

1 minute ago, Amenephis said:

Well, I wasn't talking about sales, and I wasn't talking about rules.  I was talking about lore.  2E was commonly called "Age of Aelfmar" and the name continued to be tossed around for 3E (alongside "Age of Bookkeeping").  Of course, 4E is shaping up to be "Age of Recursion".

On top of the fact that we already have as many elf armies alone as two other entire GAs have armies in total, we also have another full LRL range or two, and another dark elf army, and another wood elf army, AND an elf expansion in CoS all threatened.

Furthermore, as mentioned, LRL essentially entirely supplanted Stormcast in the lore, rendering them largely irrelevant.

Looking at lore and at ranges, GW likes elves, and GW likes undead.

If something sells well, it is normal that they receive more love in all aspects. Rules and lore included.

[Amenephis]

5 minutes ago, Ejecutor said:

If something sells well, it is normal that they receive more love in all aspects. Rules and lore included.

That's a chicken:egg argument though.  It's like people saying that Space Marines sell the most, so they should get the most love, while entirely disregarding that Space Marines are in every starter, are pushed on every new player, are the *only* 40K army that gets standalone advertisement, are commonly in board games sold at B&N, etc., and no other army has ever been in that situation therefore it's arguable that Space Marines don't get the most love because they sell the most, but rather, that they sell the most because they get the most love.

EDIT:
Actually, this is kind of getting off scope though, come to think of it.  The real point was just that Stormcast have largely been supplanted in the lore in purpose by the LRL.

Edited Friday at 01:06 PM by Amenephis
Add-on text

[Ragest]

6 minutes ago, Amenephis said:

Actually, this is kind of getting off scope though, come to think of it.  The real point was just that Stormcast have largely been supplanted in the lore in purpose by the LRL.

Lrl are a bunch of racist, supremacists and authoritarians, disguised in a form of bright saviors with emotional problems.

I think you just know Lumineth in the surface.

[Dragon-knight77]

Skaven interview 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/06/28/warhammer-studio-interview-designing-the-new-skaven-while-respecting-the-classics/

 

[Snarff]

12 minutes ago, Amenephis said:

Actually, this is kind of getting off scope though, come to think of it.  The real point was just that Stormcast have largely been supplanted in the lore in purpose by the LRL.

I don't think they have. Stormcast are a lot more heroic. Lumineth care about 'doing the right thing' (or whatever they personally consider that to be), but if there are civillian casualties so be it. They literally disable their own emotions. Settlers Gain is also an example of how they can be kind of racist.

Meanwhile, the Hallowed Knights are nearly completely selfless and the posterboys of this edition.

[Sception]

22 hours ago, Hollow said:

I've mentioned this before, but I just have a feeling that the design studio is moving in the direction of having Battletomes as a larger "umbrella resource" that will play home to multiple distinctive "sub-factions". 

I could be completely wrong, but rather than seeing an increase in Battletomes I think we will see more sub-factions represented in existing tomes. 

If that were the case as a matter of system wide game design policy, as opposed to just being part of how skaven specifically work, then I don't think we'd be seeing the orruk warclans split up into separate factions.  I also don't think we'd be seeing explicit subfaction rules being traded out for battle formations.

[Matrindur]

30 minutes ago, Ejecutor said:

All those community models and we didn't see yet the old helmet version of the Prosecutors. Makes me think we will have them in a separate box.

We might not have seen a painted example of the helmeted version yet but they are on the sprue, here's a closeup:

This is the leader version I think but the others seem to be the same just less spikes on top and missing that decoration on his forehead

Edited Friday at 01:29 PM by Matrindur

[Amenephis]

5 minutes ago, Matrindur said:

We might not have seen a painted example of the helmeted version yet but they are on the sprue, here's a closeup:

This is the leader version I think but the others seem to be the same just less spikes on top and missing that decoration on his forehead

The funny thing is that you could tell me either of those was an actual face, or a sculpted mask, and I would believe you in both cases.  Depending on how you paint them, either could work.

It's actually a nice opportunity for a bit of potential variety, depending on how someone wants their models to look.

[Cataphract]

Where is that Plague Monk from?

[cyrus]

1 minute ago, Cataphract said:

Where is that Plague Monk from?

Underworld warband 

[Umjammerlama]

1 minute ago, Cataphract said:

Where is that Plague Monk from?

That is from the Warhammer Underworlds warband - Skabbik's Plaguepack

[Cataphract]

Ahhhh.

 

I saw a Plague Monk that looked like it hadn’t been sculpted 20 years ago and got excited

[Amenephis]

5 minutes ago, Cataphract said:

Ahhhh.

 

I saw a Plague Monk that looked like it hadn’t been sculpted 20 years ago and got excited

As well you should be, it's a pretty rad set.  Great sculpts.

[Ejecutor]

21 minutes ago, Matrindur said:

We might not have seen a painted example of the helmeted version yet but they are on the sprue, here's a closeup:

This is the leader version I think but the others seem to be the same just less spikes on top and missing that decoration on his forehead

Uhh.... the leader one is pretty cool! Reminds me to the Gladiator movie.

[Ejecutor]

10 minutes ago, Cataphract said:

Where is that Plague Monk from?

Underworlds. Latest band.

Warhammer Reveal – Skabbik’s Plaguepack Come to Corrupt the Wyrdhollow - Warhammer Community (warhammer-community.com)

[Dragon-knight77]

Oh i just notice there a Skryre clan rat

Add that with pestilence & Eshin heads in the kit. And people said updating clanrat was a waste

[Amenephis]

19 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

Oh i just notice there a Skryre clan rat

Add that with pestilence & Eshin heads in the kit. And people said updating clanrat was a waste

Pestilens*

Read the article, they said they did that on purpose (and that Moulder is in there too, as well).

[MitGas]

1 hour ago, Ejecutor said:

It is not that GW likes elves. Is that the playerbase likes them, so they sell well.

It‘s also Phil Kelly, he‘s a hardcore (a)elf lover and on record for hating Chaos. Since he‘s one of the driving forces for AoS, it would suggest that the team has at least in part a fondness for aelves. But High and Dark Elves were already really popular in Warhammer days, so it‘s nothing new. Wood Elves struggled back then as far as I know with a much smaller playerbase. In my WHFB group we had Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Chaos (me), Dwarfs and O&G, so I think it‘s fair to say that people AND GW like elves. I do think that 5 factions of aelves are a bit much in the sense that one or two might feel left behind (right now IDK) but since Chaos got split up into lots of factions, it‘s hard to argue against that move. 
 

I still think that splitting up factions into many small, not really mixable, forces wasn‘t the best move though (might be a smart business-wise tho!) but I grew up with very mixed forces and I understand that others prefer very cohesive looking forces so realistically it‘s kinda impossible to please everyone. If I played aelfs or dwarfs, I‘d love to field a mixed force out of the different lines but I guess there are just many that hate the idea. I‘d also totally mix CoS with SCE or Soulblight with Nighthaunt and ghouls for a cool Castlevania force personally. 😆

[MitGas]

37 minutes ago, Dragon-knight77 said:

Oh i just notice there a Skryre clan rat

Add that with pestilence & Eshin heads in the kit. And people said updating clanrat was a waste

Bottom row in the middle, that‘s a sexy rat! 🥰

[Skreech Verminking]

3 hours ago, cyrus said:

dontbloatSceRange

Again!😂

[Skreech Verminking]

4 hours ago, Nezzhil said:

Skarsnik, Madcap and Scuttleboss. I forget about Zarbag and Mollog

Scuttleboss seems like a possibility as well.

I just went with the thought that this would in theory leave spiderfang with only 1 hero option, (unless the sorcerer on foot stays)

 

[Snarff]

3 minutes ago, MitGas said:

It‘s also Phil Kelly, he‘s a hardcore (a)elf lover and on record for hating Chaos. Since he‘s one of the driving forces for AoS, it would suggest that the team has at least in part a fondness for aelves. But High and Dark Elves were already really popular in Warhammer days, so it‘s nothing new. Wood Elves struggled back then as far as I know with a much smaller playerbase. In my WHFB group we had Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Chaos (me), Dwarfs and O&G, so I think it‘s fair to say that people AND GW like elves. I do think that 5 factions of aelves are a bit much in the sense that one or two might feel left behind (right now IDK) but since Chaos got split up into lots of factions, it‘s hard to argue against that move. 
 

I still think that splitting up factions into many small, not really mixable, forces wasn‘t the best move though (might be a smart business-wise tho!) but I grew up with very mixed forces and I understand that others prefer very cohesive looking forces so realistically it‘s kinda impossible to please everyone. If I played aelfs or dwarfs, I‘d love to field a mixed force out of the different lines but I guess there are just many that hate the idea. I‘d also totally mix CoS with SCE or Soulblight with Nighthaunt and ghouls for a cool Castlevania force personally. 😆

I love the individualized smaller factions because they give such a different spin on an army, and really allow for proper exploration of a theme or aesthetic. When you have large overarching factions, every smaller faction within it gets substantially less attention and becomes more restricted. I think starting out with a bunch of smaller armies that later got expanded was one of AoS' best moves, and has made it into the diverse and varied setting it is today.

If Duardin were to be merged for example, a lot of units would immediately become redundant. Auric Hearthguard shooting molten globs of lava would become fully inferior to Kharadron guns, even when they are very appropriate and thematic for Fyreslayers. Vice-versa with any Kharadron melee.

Both concepts would also not be nearly as explored if they just made a Duardin army. You would not design an army from the ground up to both have crazed religious berserkers riding dragons and ruthless capitalists flying airships. You would most likely just have something resembling Dispossessed. Maybe with one Fyreslayer and Kharadron unit, but nothing nearly as fleshed out or awesome as we have now. Same thing with Aelves, Idoneth would never have existed if the army was just Aelves. Maybe an unit of Aelves with some sea creatures, but nothing like we have now.