"Soul Wars - AoS 2 review" Topic

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Seems to have been very favourably received.

I'm looking to get mine in 10 days – and kick off our summer AoS league.

Interesting….

The last couple starter sets GW has released have been impressive indeed. The Dark Imperium boxed set inspired me to get into 40k, and now this new AOS starter even tops that.

Even you cling to the strongest anti-GW sentiments, you cannot deny that they are putting out QUALITY products and at some seriously great prices.

I've been looking at the sprues for the Primaris Marines in the 40k starter and the detail is simply the best of any sci-fi minis. I've ever seen. The crispness and clarity of each surface and detail makes them genuinely fun to paint and gives you an advantage and confidence of being to easily pick out the smallest things when painting them.

The Nighthaunt models are beyond belief! Even if I never play a death army I might still get these just to have them to paint and display. But if you get the starter set you get them any way along with their warscrolls so you might as well just pick up the whole thing!

Both this and the 40k starter have the full, hard-cover rulebooks and two armies of some of the best miniatures they have ever released. Plus as the article says, AOS is being fully fleshed out as a legitimate, points-based competitive skirmish/mass hybrid fantasy game.

Still not Warhammer Fantasy Battle and looks like GW is speeding up their Editions since AoS came out around three years ago.

So they must feel that it is time to gouge their customers again.

Even you cling to the strongest anti-GW sentiments, you cannot deny that they are putting out QUALITY products and at some seriously great prices.

Well yes I can since I do not think they are QUALITY products or at great prices.

Oh and maybe they will write these guys into their new Warhammer Adventures.

Mithmee,

So good to see your cheery face here to sabotage yet another review of a GW product. Why do you even bother?

"So they must feel that it is time to gouge their customers again."

Gouging their customers with the free 2nd edition rules.

People are going to be crying when they see the $0 USD deducted from their bank account to pay for this edition.

It is going to hurt them to have to work 0 hours to pay the money to play their game.

PDF link

Looks free to me. Maybe I misunderstood.
I will look again.

If they want that box set it will cost them $160 USD

If they want the new Army books and data cards for units they will pay.

One thing GW is very good at is gouging their customers.

So good to see your cheery face here to sabotage yet another review of a GW product. Why do you even bother?

Well I am not the only individual who is not a big fan of GW, or thinks that their miniatures are the greatest on the planet.

There are better and cheaper miniatures that individuals could be buying if they want.

Plus better sets of rules as well.

Sure GW has been doing quite well over the past year or two but that is mostly due to putting out overprice stand-alone games along with how they have packaged the Army Books, Datacards etc…

Plus they are planning on putting out EPIC again but at a bigger scale, just so that individuals like me who has quite a lot of their old EPIC miniatures won't be able to use them with these new miniatures/rules.

They know what is out there from two plus decades ago and they don't want individuals to use that stuff.

So they put out something new but at a bigger scale.

"If they want that box set it will cost them $160 USD "

But they don't need it for the rules.

"If they want the new Army books and data cards for units they will pay."

If they have the army books and data cards from 1st edition AoS they won't have to pay, they still work.

"One thing GW is very good at is gouging their customers."

Actually a more accurate statement would look like:

"One thing Mithmee is very good at is being wrong about GW."

"Plus better sets of rules as well."

This is, of course, subjective, however I would say that there are no better rules out there for warband sized fantasy combat than Age of Sigmar at this time.

"Plus they are planning on putting out EPIC again but at a bigger scale, just so that individuals like me who has quite a lot of their old EPIC miniatures won't be able to use them with these new miniatures/rules."

This is just a lack of imagination on your part. I'm going to use my old Epic stuff with the the rules and, if I need more of them, miniatures.

"Sure GW has been doing quite well over the past year or two but that is mostly due to putting out overprice stand-alone games along with how they have packaged the Army Books, Datacards etc…"

The games are obviously, by definition, not "overprice" (sic) if people are buying them.

And people are buying them by the load.

Did you see that GW profits just about doubled last year?

Did you see that GW profits just about doubled last year?

Yes and I have already mentioned why.

Oh and those games are not selling like hotcakes in my neck of the woods.

I have already mentioned before that they don't even sell when the FLGS puts them on sale for half the price.

But we have already established that your reasoning is incorrect.

I walked away from GW fantasy (Warhammer) when they blew the Old World up. But I do like the look of the Nighthaunt figures and I'll study the free rules to see if I'm interested in coming back to GW AoS.

Mithmee:
What are the better miniatures and better rules? I'm not going to bash the rules, but I will say they weren't for me.

Mithmee, Mortarch of Wrong.

If you don't want the miniatures, you do not need to buy the boxed set. If you don't want the new fluff you don't need to buy the core rules. You only need to buy the General's Handbook and you will be able to play the new edition.

You don't even need to buy that.

You are correct. I should have said, you probably would WANT to buy the GH2018. The new rules and datasheets can be downloaded for free. But whether you are a Narrative or Matched Play gamer, you would probably want the GH2018 at some point.

But we have already established that your reasoning is incorrect.

Just shows that you are wrong and think GW can do no wrong.

You also think that they are giving everything away for free.

you would probably want the GH2018 at some point.

No I would not.

What are the better miniatures and better rules?

Well for rules there is – Kings of War

For miniatures though there are others as well.

GW's stuff is way overpriced and quite frankly not as good.

I have those miniatures too. They are not as crisp or detailed as GW. GW's are better on a technical level, though these miniatures are great and I can understand why people may like them better due to their style. I like them better for non-GW games because they fit better. (not as over the top). But as far as objective measures, the GW miniatures are better. (and higher priced).

"Just shows that you are wrong and think GW can do no wrong."

You stated that 2nd edition is a chance for GW to gouge its customers. I proved that no such thing has to happen. No one has to buy a single dollar worth of product to play second edition.

Your continued muddled thinking blinds you to the facts so far that when you are proved wrong, absolutely wrong, you accuse others of being wrong.

As far as thinking GW can do no wrong, I guess my recent comments on the Idoneth Deepkin can just be ignored.

But this is not the first time you have not allowed facts to get in the way of your conformational bias.

In fact, it is likely that if you were to pay attention to reality instead of your hate-filled fantasy world, it would have been one of the first times.

Mithmee sez:

Oh and those games are not selling like hotcakes in my neck of the woods.

I have already mentioned before that they don't even sell when the FLGS puts them on sale for half the price.

I see you skipped debate club. If you didn't you would know that personal experiences are not proof.

Mithmee sez:

Plus they are planning on putting out EPIC again but at a bigger scale, just so that individuals like me who has quite a lot of their old EPIC miniatures won't be able to use them with these new miniatures/rules.

They know what is out there from two plus decades ago and they don't want individuals to use that stuff.

So they put out something new but at a bigger scale.

God forbid that a company wants to revise a product line that has essentially been OOP for 20 years…

…oh wait! They're doing this to personally inconvenience you, because you are SO VERY important.

Mithmee,

Whenever you see AoS stuff at 50% off, please send me a message on here so I can contact your store and buy it.

thanks

I did it the last time and bought their last copy of BaC for $75. USD Shipping was expensive but it still worked out cheaper than retail.

I went to my local game store to check out the various claims made on this thread.

Here are the findings: I priced Oathmark's Dwarves (they also have Goblins and Elves), they come in a box of 30 and full retail is $38. USD I priced a box of GW Dwarves they come in sets of 10 and retail for $50. USD So a similar GW product was figure for figure over 4 times the market price. As to quality I much preferred the look of the Oathmark figures to the garish and cartoonish GW product (both appeared well cast so its a matter of taste).

I liked the Oathmark stuff enough to buy a box and when painted they will appear in our next Knights and Knaves Olde World campaign.

But this is a personal not a moral issue; if gamers choose to pay 4X market price – its their money. GW has cleverly created an effective monopoly by having games for which you must use their figures and then through marketing saturated the market.

Nevertheless there are independent game companies that produce rules for which you may use any figures so that consumers can choose the best figure for the price and manufacturers compete to provide quality. That is how capitalism is supposed to work.

GW has beaten the system within the gaming world hence their high prices and high returns.

Consumers exercising their right to choose is the solution but no one is required to make wise chooses and can continue to purchase GW products regardless of quadruple mark ups.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame & Glory Games

Yes. If you buy GW's most expensive dwarf infantry vs. Oathmark's dwarfs they do appear expensive.

Depending on which ones you looked at that box may contains parts that could make them into dwarfs with guns or hammer and shield.

A more fair comparison would be with the rank and file Dwarfs. You get 16 of those for $35 USD retail. Still about twice as much as the oathmark dwarfs.

Still GW has other options for buying them like the Start Collecting set for the Kharadron overlords which gets you only 5 of the Arkanauts, but also 3 air assault dwarfs, a character figure and a steamship for only $85. USD

If you look at Goblins the comparison is slightly better still.

GW has 20 for $35 USD, Oathmark has 30 for $38. USD

The GW ones come with full command, which the Oathmark ones do not, although if you're will to sacrifice a musician they would still work.

The big difference is that GW has some fantastic deals on bigger sets, for which it is difficult to calculate the cost of the individual model.

If you got the escape from Goblintown set from the LotR line it is $125 USD and contains 38 goblins but also a goblin king, 15 good guy characters and some scenery.

The old 7th edition WHFB game had something like 110 figures for $105. USD I don't remember the exact numbers but it was about $1 USD a figure.

Saying that it is 4x the price across the board is not accurate though.

Speaking of Soul Wars, here is a fab new model. Probably going in hole hog on this new Death faction:

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Much cooler in concept than the Spongebob Elfpants figures.

And to fight him the Stormcast have their own new leader guy:

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Saying that it is 4x the price across the board is not accurate though.

Pictors putting the spin on again.

It is completely accurate.

Yes the above where for the Dwarf Hammers, which are $50 USD+ for just 10 miniatures.

So lets look at there Common troops, which you can only get Crossbows or Guns, since GW does not have any normal Dwarven troops any more.

They come in box sets of 16 miniatures for $35 USD+ so around $2.20 USD+ per miniature.

Those Oathmarker Dwarves are 30 miniatures for $38 USD+ so around $1.30 USD+ per miniature.

Oh and those old Battalion Box Sets that GW use to have…

Well they don't anymore because they were for WFB and had to go.

As for their LoTR miniatures they are smaller then the old WFB and current AoS miniatures.

We have covered this before and each and every time GW miniatures have been proven to be more expensive and their current miniatures are tending to blend together since whoever seems to only have one style.

As Thomas Thomas has pointed out if you want to spend more that is totally up to you to do so.

Just remember there are individuals who are more interested in fielding a larger army and will go elsewhere to buy.

Oh and we are not at all interested in over the top miniatures that will cost over $50 USD-$75 dollars or more.

Mithmee attempts to prove me wrong, uses math, proves me right.

I don't even have anything to add.

Care to explain to me how $2.20 USD per miniature is less expensive than $1.30 USD per miniature.

Must be some of that new math that they are doing these days.

It isn't 4x as expensive. Which is what I said.

And you quoted.

And said that 4x across the board is "completely accurate."

Care to show how 2.20 is 4x 1.30?

LOL. Mithmee, you proved what pictors said. You have merely clarified what Pictors stated before. But actually, you proved he made a conservative estimate… the Oathmark dwarves a little MORE than have the price of GW.

Also there are "normal Dwarven troops" that are not "Crossbows or Guns". They are called "Warriors" and you do get 16 for $35. USD

I have the Oathmark dwarves and I think they are vastly superior to the older GW dwarves.

The GW dwarves are too fat and their legs and arms are too short. The newer GW dwarves have better body proportions.

I would never buy a GW dwarf army for this reason. I would consider buying Kharadron Overlords, and I have some Fyreslayers but not an entire army. (Fyreslayers are one of the most expensive AoS armies to buy, I think).

I really like the looks of the Oathmark Dwarves and use them for NPCs and PCs in RPGS.

I don't base everything I buy on pure price. I base my purchasing on how much I like something, how useful it is, and if the price is worth it to me. Otherwise I would buy/own generic EVERYTHING.

"Fyreslayers are one of the most expensive AoS armies to buy, I think"

Not so much now they finally have one of the Start Collecting box sets, which includes a Magmadroth (plus two spare characters on foot) and ten Vulkite Berserkers for $85. USD The Magmadroth alone was already $110 USD and $50 USD for the berserkers so practically half price :)

I have 3 of those boxes.

Fyreslayers are a horde type army and the best battleline are the Vulkite Berserkers at $60 USD for 10 models.

Vulkite Berserkers get exponentially better as you add more to the unit.

If you are playing a decent Fyreslayers army you will have 2 units of 30 Vulkites. If you are playing a tournament army you will have 3 units of 30 Vulkites.

Auric Heathguard are $40 USD for 5 models.

The box is a good deal but you only need so many Magmadroths.