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 Overread wrote:
To be fair people love mascots. One Page Rules did some for their ratman army and people liked them so much they are now doing them for all their other armies.

Tyranid players love rippers
Ork players Squigs
Imperial servitors
Sisters of Battle cherubs
Dogs - dogs everywhere and anywhere
The odd Eldar Cat
of course the mentioned Nurglings.



I also think that for all the amazing fantasy we've got with AoS there are a LOT of creatures in their stories which don't have any artwork nor models of which are the wildlife that we have to kind of make up on our own, hwich is odd for such a visual company to have.
Old World mostly ran on "everything is normal and there's giant rat/lizard men running around.

AoS has whole fantasy realms, but much of the art is still very much "hero character" or battle scenes.
So I like the idea of companion pets and critters; it helps reinforce the high fantasy setting and its starting to actually put some meat on the bare-bones of AoS lore

You forgot crab.

Also, I always thought the Orks mascot critter were grots? Squigs get too much respect.

And octopus and fish - yeah Deepkin have a lot of pets!

Well looks like the box is hitting the wild, so pre-order next week likely.

Seraphon Vanguard finally makes an appearance:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2023/07/31/vanguard-seraphon-goes-for-the-throat-in-a-display-of-saurian-fury/

Good box if you want to base around Saurus, not so much if you're going Skink heavy.

It's fine for Skink heavy too. Oracle and Kroxigors!

Given how most bundles recently were very skink heavy, this is a nice change

I have no interest in starting an army, but if I were to get some Lizardmen just to paint, this box has all my favorites. Nice.

Hmm.

Not a particularly exciting box, but it works.
I avoided the previous box (start collecting) because of the old saurus, despite the value in the big lizard mounted character. But this seems largely worthwhile.

Are these guys new?

Yes, but they're an Underworlds warband.

John D Law wrote:
Are these guys new?

Is GW ever going to get off the pot and actually redo the Skaven range?
Feel like they have had drips of new models not amounting to much.
And a lot of their range looks like ass.

 dan2026 wrote:

John D Law wrote:
Are these guys new?

Is GW ever going to get off the pot and actually redo the Skaven range?
Feel like they have had drips of new models not amounting to much.
And a lot of their range looks like ass.

I think there are rumours (not sure how reliable) of Skaven being one of the factions in the 4th Starter next year.

It would be nice. It would just leave poor Beastmen sitting on the pot for a full range redo. Although Ogors could do with some love, but they're not desperate for it.

AoS is a mess of armies that need big updates or additoins.


You've got the likes of Skaven running around with a huge roster of models but a LOT of old stuff; armies like Flesheaters and Fyreslayers with honestly pitiful unit rosters; armies like Daughters of Khaine and Deepkin who feel like they are doing good but need another block of models adding

It's not as quite as dramatic as you make it. The only two that need significant work are skaven and Beastmen. Skaven of which are getting stronger rumours for next edition.

Flesheaters are again another strong rumour for a chunky wave with their book in winter. Having built and played Fyreslayers recently, I don't agree they actually need much more. Maybe a small cavalry type and a heavier infantry, but they work well as they are at the moment.

Pretty much all the armies "work" mechanically. My point is more about variety of builds, quality and modern models as well as variety of choice within the army.

Fyreslayers work, but there's no denying that for a high fantasy army they are very short on options - not even a single war engine or weapon and only one fantasy beast in the magmadroth.


Same for how the game has 4 unit limit slots (leader, troop, monster, artillery) and yet most armies don't have any artillery models to speak of.

It's by no means as bad as it was at launch; but you compare an army like Stormcast or Skaven to forces like Ossiarchs, Flesheaters, etc... .and there's a world of difference in the model range.

 dan2026 wrote:

John D Law wrote:
Are these guys new?

Is GW ever going to get off the pot and actually redo the Skaven range?
Feel like they have had drips of new models not amounting to much.
And a lot of their range looks like ass.

Redoing ranges just takes time while they are also working on other stuff. Also, with a really old range like Skaven I imagine something like an edition release would be the best moment to do a refresh like they did with Necrons and Tyranids.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
It's not as quite as dramatic as you make it. The only two that need significant work are skaven and Beastmen. Skaven of which are getting stronger rumours for next edition.

Flesheaters are again another strong rumour for a chunky wave with their book in winter. Having built and played Fyreslayers recently, I don't agree they actually need much more. Maybe a small cavalry type and a heavier infantry, but they work well as they are at the moment.

Fyreslayers may play fine (and I don't keep up with the newest tournament results so I don't know about this), but for a model company GW has left them out in the cold. Two nearly identical unit boxes and a monster is crazy.

I am also just curious about responses like yours. Do you not want more attention on AoS? You don't want to concede the game you like needs any help?

I want attention where it's needed, not just for the sake of it. You do that, you get junk like the space marine dex where it outdoes every other range by 3:1. I'd rather that stuff like Skaven and Beastmen get the full attention and then go back and revisit.

I don't think anyone ever expects GW to go full marine attention on any other army - even their attempts to do it with Stormcast were shelved in the end.

Indeed that kind of hyper attention can be detrimental to the creative freedom of the model range because so much gets soaked up making models along the same design concepts for one faction and its myriad of subfactions.


That said when you've armies like fyrslayers who have so little variety and choice in a game where most armies are well equipped with variety and choice; its just good sense for most to hope that GW will one way revisit them and give them more options. We don't expect 12 subfactions worth of models; just 1 full faction's worth.

Different models; more troops; more beasts; more war engines; more than just endless leaders


Plus just look at Lumineth - more diverse model ranges let you work in more design niches; more options; more variety and more visual identity which helps drive popularity and sales. Genestealer Cults are another where their big second wave of models helped further separate them from the Imperial Guard. Cults look FAR better as a single army of rag-tag miners and repurposed vehicles than one or two miners and then an Imperial Guard army with a few symbols tacked on.

Personally I get the feeling GW is focusing on phasing out all kinds of metals and resins from their core products. Skaven tend to be a huge part of that problem whereas Fyreslayers are not, so I can easily imagine Skaven getting attention first.

 Eldarsif wrote:
Personally I get the feeling GW is focusing on phasing out all kinds of metals and resins from their core products. Skaven tend to be a huge part of that problem whereas Fyreslayers are not, so I can easily imagine Skaven getting attention first.

Skaven are in the 4th edition launch box. They'll be getting a full revamp next year with a whole bunch of kits.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I want attention where it's needed, not just for the sake of it. You do that, you get junk like the space marine dex where it outdoes every other range by 3:1. I'd rather that stuff like Skaven and Beastmen get the full attention and then go back and revisit.

Those have vast range already. Far from most pressing need

 ImAGeek wrote:

 dan2026 wrote:

John D Law wrote:
Are these guys new?

Is GW ever going to get off the pot and actually redo the Skaven range?
Feel like they have had drips of new models not amounting to much.
And a lot of their range looks like ass.

I think there are rumours (not sure how reliable) of Skaven being one of the factions in the 4th Starter next year.

IIRC it's strongly hinted at by Whitefang over at TGA, which is about as solid as rumours get nowadays.

tneva82 wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I want attention where it's needed, not just for the sake of it. You do that, you get junk like the space marine dex where it outdoes every other range by 3:1. I'd rather that stuff like Skaven and Beastmen get the full attention and then go back and revisit.

Those have vast range already. Far from most pressing need

It's about getting them up to standard. Both of those are well beyond time for a redo.

Well yes. Yes. And also yes.

But is there MOAR?

I like this rework.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Well yes. Yes. And also yes.

Ooh, yes! The gargoylian needs just some wings to be a proper ddraig goch, and the Pontifex has potential for so many conversions beyond his already really cool look.

And a PLAGUE DOCTOR MASK!!!

The pontifex is about to have a bumpy ride when they have to drop down off that rock...

Well, at least the Surgeon and Whisperblade will be convertable into something I'd be willing to use.