New play modes for AoS incoming

The place for all game discussions on Age of Sigmar.

Moderator: The Dread Knights

Post Reply
User avatar
Daeron
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 3975
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:36 pm
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Contact:

New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Daeron »

Image

From:
https://www.facebook.com/GWWarhammerAge ... =3&theater

That’s right, guys. As of this summer, you’ll have your pick of 3 great ways to play Warhammer Age of Sigmar. We couldn’t be more excited, and we’re certain you’ll love it too.

We’ll have more details for you soon. For now:

Open Play is probably the most similar to the way you play now, but there are new rules on the way to give you even more freedom, including the option for huge multi-player battles.

Narrative Play is as you’d expect – recreating the great stories and epic encounters from the Age of Sigmar. To help you forge your own stories within the Mortal Realms, there are also some really cool campaign rules and tools on the way as well.

Finally, Matched Play is something we know a lot of you have been keen to see. We’ve put these rules together in association with some of the world’s biggest tournament organisers, to create a new standard for balanced competitive play. And yes, it includes points values.

Okay Internet, go nuts.
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
User avatar
Amboadine
Miscast into the Warp
Miscast into the Warp
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:07 am
Location: Investigating Mantica

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Amboadine »

Interesting to see the direction they go with the matched play and if it brings back players.
Might be a challenge with T9A launching next week.
User avatar
Daeron
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 3975
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:36 pm
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Daeron »

I think part of the community has split permanently for the foreseeable future of 2 weeks ;)
I don't think it's an immediate threat to 9th Age, and back. While I do think this may bring back people who want to play "balanced" or "competitive", the games are quite different, and so are their player base.

Simply looking at the division between the 9th Age crowd and the AoS crowd on this board, I doubt a point system will be enough to bridge the split between them.
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
User avatar
cultofkhaine
Chief Cultist
Chief Cultist
Posts: 1993
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:45 am
Location: Being tempted by the Cult of Pleasure!
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by cultofkhaine »

I think there is a lot of people who have been looking for and found a better alternative to GW (not so much the game we love). I still have a bitter taste in my mouth for the way they have treated me as a customer, I refuse to go into a GW store anymore unless I absolutely have to - I'd prefer to support my other local games shop. I don't want to invest anymore money into their business I think they have done us an injustice - sure they have some more shinny new models etc etc - the end of the day they are only interested in taking my money and not building a hobby community.
User avatar
Killerk
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 1065
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2002 9:56 pm
Location: Poland

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Killerk »

They are also the 3 ways I don't ever want to play AoS.
Also known as Kanadian
Image
Image
User avatar
Daeron
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 3975
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:36 pm
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Daeron »

So you're reading up on AoS just to torture yourself? :P
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
User avatar
Calisson
Corsair
Corsair
Posts: 8820
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:00 pm
Location: Hag Graef

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Calisson »

I foresee the future:
In the fantasy world, there is only war: a never ceasing war between round bases and square bases.
Winds never stop blowing, Oceans are borderless. Get a ship and a crew, so the World will be ours! Today the World, tomorrow Nagg! {--|oBrotherhood of the Coast!o|--}
User avatar
cultofkhaine
Chief Cultist
Chief Cultist
Posts: 1993
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:45 am
Location: Being tempted by the Cult of Pleasure!
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by cultofkhaine »

So you're reading up on AoS just to torture yourself? :P


I keep checking it out hoping it will get better, I haven't seen anything that really excites me yet (except for some of the terrain pieces they have bought out - that chaos fortress is brilliant!)

I don't want to bash AoS - I'm more anti GW than AoS, the thing that upsets me the most is the death of the old fluff that I have spent time and money building my armies around. It cant be denied GW do make brilliant figures and have had the platform to use them over the past 20 years.

GW have upset a lot of people - its good to see them doing something with T9A - hopefully it will be something new that cant be axed in the future like WH
User avatar
Gnosis
Hard, but Fair
Posts: 3754
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 4:01 pm
Location: Southern Netherlands
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Gnosis »

Calisson wrote:I foresee the future:
In the fantasy world, there is only war: a never ceasing war between round bases and square bases.


:lol:

Nevertheless, it's a good move from GW. I already reckoned campaign books would be the way forward with the ruleset, but I'm pleasantly surprised with the reinstitution of points values. Although... they had better done that before releasing all those books.

I doubt it'll get me playing the game again because, as others have said, the fluff was destroyed. But at least I have the comforting feeling of having the possibility of a balanced pick-up game at a GW if I ever feel like digging out my Beastmen or gobbos.
Count them:

Painted in 2013: 500
Painted in 2014: 600
Painted in 2015: 854
User avatar
Shadowspite
Bronze Khaine Winner
Posts: 1413
Joined: Sun Jun 16, 2002 5:32 pm
Location: The black ark Arhathalau

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Shadowspite »

Sounds good. The lack of points values was basically the only thing still troubling me about AoS (after the recent FAQ made clear that the old pre-subfaction warscrolls are still valid). Looks like I can embrace it wholeheartedly.

Calisson wrote: a never ceasing war between round bases and square bases.

Heh. I'll be playing AoS with mostly square bases for the forseeable future, regardless. I'm not rebasing already-painted models under any circumstances. Even some of the GW studio's models have some visible damage from having been rebased. If even the 'Eavy Metal team can't rebase models without damaging them, there's no way I'm going to risk it.
"Sometimes, Brother... I dream that I am sane." - Uros the Faceless

Some of my minis - now on Imgur rather than Photosuckit.
User avatar
Killerk
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 1065
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2002 9:56 pm
Location: Poland

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Killerk »

All I can see is
Open play - Buy more models any models
narrative Play - But the models we tell you too
matched play - please at least play with some one.
Also known as Kanadian
Image
Image
User avatar
Rork
Lord of Khorne
Lord of Khorne
Posts: 8432
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2002 1:29 pm
Location: Leading the revolution (and in the chat).

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Rork »

Gnosis wrote:
I doubt it'll get me playing the game again because, as others have said, the fluff was destroyed. But at least I have the comforting feeling of having the possibility of a balanced pick-up game at a GW if I ever feel like digging out my Beastmen or gobbos.


Even my interest in Fantasy has largely gone. In the last week my local club's FB page had a guy asking for a WH game. I looked at it and thought, "Hmm, I could get out the Skaven for once."

But then I thought, "But do I really want to play Fantasy?"

After a few more thoughts, the answer was no. The appeal it had isn't there any more and what I play now is far more appealing even when I only have the chance of getting a game rather than knowing I have a game organised.

Killerk wrote:matched play - please at least play with some one.


matched play - We really should compete with X-Wing and Warmahordes!
Image

"Rork.. a wonderful guy :)" - Linda Lobsta Defenda

+++ Team Mulligans +++
User avatar
Phox532
Executioner
Posts: 173
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 4:11 am
Location: Hohhot, China

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Phox532 »

I don't know if I like the idea of points and army list. I guess we'll have to see if its points or pools, but I have the feeling that AoS Match Making is only going to have 5-7 competitive lists. Sure you can play around with them a little bit, but for the most part unless you are running X1, X2, X3, X4 or X5 army and the list that goes with it, then you're not going to really be competitive. That's basically how it has became in Magic with the top 100 guys running slightly different metas of 3-4 different decks. Which is okay if you have 250-300$ to spend on a deck or cards, for everyone else thanks for making your snowflake deck, but you'll never going to break the top 500. And to my understanding that is how it was in the 8th is that people basically didn't play Tome Kings or Brettonians cause in a tournament you were just expected to lose.

I'm also wondering if this point system is going to be free or if it is going to be released in a Codex or battletome. I asked this question on the announcement picture. I was give "we"ll get back to you." So I get the feeling the it is going to be that way an people are going to be locked out of playing unless they pay for the Battletome. So don't know how excited I am for that. If it free and we can see the lists, pools, and points on a pdf then great, but considering that in the recent Order Battletome all the Warhost were behind a pay wall on the APP then I don't see this being given to us out of the kindness of GW hearts.

Another thought is that right now I think most people are thinking that these are List are all going to be part of the same faction or sub faction. Now I hope that is the case, but GW being a model company and they are going to want to promote the sell of models that these list are going to cross faction jump. So say a 3000pt game or what ever you need to have one unit of artillery, well there used to be two Aevles options for that, now there are only dwarf or empire cannons, and while I like they looks of those models, they don't fit the rest of my army. But I need artillery to have a legal list so I have to buy one. UGH!!! That puts me to where I was with 40k when my gaming group just started and found out that if I wanted to play Eldar or Dark Eldar I needed to spend $400(models are expensive in China.) for the basic army. It why we choose Age of Sigmar, was because we had a lot of freedom and now it looks like it's being taken away (more on the below). If the pools and points stay in the same faction or sub faction then awesome, cause it could also mean some new artillery models and everything else, but if we have to cross faction to make an army, then I really don't want play. Mostly cause nothing else matches my army.

My last thought on the Match system is that I have the feeling that it is going to be the only way a group of people want to play and that while there Narrative and open are going to be pushed to the way side, and those players that want to play open or narrative are going to have to play in basement and backrooms, while the "big kids" play the competitive game stairs. Or in the case of my gaming group the leader said last night that we"ll only play Match Play once released. I told that I had little interest in match play preferring Narrative or open play, he basically said I needed to find a new group (which is some bullshit considering there are only 5 people in the city that play). So I feel like I'm being forced into a system that I really don't want to play. That said out of spite if he forces me to play this way I will drop $500+ on the perfect counter to his army and just beat the hell out of him. :)

P.S. I want to add that I am very competitive and I do like to play competitive games, but for the past year I've been choosing models based on what I like and how they look because when I started the hobby I was told that is what I should do. If I knew that it was going to turn into a competitive play system then I would have chose the Stormcast as my army. Cause they are getting all the love at the moment and in the foreseeable future. And while I don't like all the models there are some cool looking ones that I build and army around. Or I would have paid the upfront cost and just started with 40k and slow build up a 2500pt of Eldar or Dark Eldar. So I am at a lost of what to do, cause now I'm doubting my Army choice and if Dark Aelves are even going to be competitive in the upcoming meta.

P.S.S. Part of me hopes that this is a giant troll by GW and everything is just given points based on it wounds. HAHAHAHA
Phox Jorkarzul
User avatar
Calisson
Corsair
Corsair
Posts: 8820
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:00 pm
Location: Hag Graef

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Calisson »

Well, you don't know what the point system will be until you see it.
This said, I would not bet that Sigmarine will not get any undue advantage...
Winds never stop blowing, Oceans are borderless. Get a ship and a crew, so the World will be ours! Today the World, tomorrow Nagg! {--|oBrotherhood of the Coast!o|--}
User avatar
Haagrum
PhD in Dark Magic
Posts: 592
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:54 am
Location: The depths of the Black Library

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Haagrum »

Bring it on, I say.

One of the main gripes people have had with AOS is the lack of a balancing mechanic, which has been a problem since launch. The risk GW runs with this system is that it will not actually be balanced at all (or will at least have massive power-creep/power-seep issues), which I'm sure people will be claiming anyway. Let's take a moment to actually read the rules before we decry them as useless. I'm sure that this is a response to the surge in other games, but at least it indicates that GW is going to toss out an option for balanced gaming which doesn't rely on overly simplistic, overly complex, or just plain subjective limitations on army selection.

I've played a bit of AOS, and while I don't enjoy it as much as WFB 8th edition, it really isn't as mindless or stupid as a lot of people are claiming. Yes, I've run up against all-monster armies (which are hugely overpowered) and forces comprised entirely of what used to be Rare choices and special characters (such as a force composed of Skreech Verminking, Ikit Claw, Skulltaker and 6 Stormfiends, artillery batteries plus Longbeards, Hammerers and Belegar Ironhammer, or pure Grail Knights with Louen Leoncouer, the Fay Enchantress and a Trebuchet). They suck to play against if you're not a powergamer, but those were both tournament games where the balance mechanic used was Wounds - which is precisely the sort of too-simple mechanism which GW should avoid with the new "Matched Play" rules.

Factoring in the Battalion special rules will be interesting, too. Given how hugely these vary in effect (compare, for example, the Deep-Striking Stormcast Eternals formations against the somewhat-more-naff 4" hero phase move which Arkhan's Skeleton Guard gets if they're within 9" of him), it seems inconceivable that in matched play there won't be some points allocated to the decision to take units in a formation.

Of course, this may all be moot, and these may be outright terrible rules. We'll have to wait and see.
"The wrath of a good man is not to be feared. They have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not a good time to find out why I have so many."
User avatar
Daeron
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 3975
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 7:36 pm
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Contact:

Re: New play modes for AoS incoming

Post by Daeron »

Some prominent podcasts were invited to join some inside testing. Cool stuff!
Image
From:
https://www.facebook.com/GWWarhammerAge ... =3&fref=nf

The podcast is available at heelanhammer:
http://heelanhammer.com/onlythefaithful/
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
Post Reply