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I honestly thought I was burned out from fantasy games for the rest of my life from playing too much D&D when I was younger. However, I find myself both playing D&D and being partially convinced to play Age of Sigmar as I have a couple players in my Kill Team group saying they like it better than 40k.

While I have already have a backlog or miniatures I still want to get painted, I am not not so strapped for cash that I couldn't perhaps pickup a Start Collecting box from a Black Friday sale. I figure I can supplement that box with the miniatures from the Warcry starter as well as some demons I have from previous Khorne Start Collecting, Tzeentch Start Collecting and blue/yellow horrors. And depending on how picky about models my opponent might be, I might be able to sneak in some of my Black Legion dudebros as filler to see if I actually enjoy the game until I can get real AoS models painted up. I mean they pretty darkly painted so they might kinda blend in as long as no one looks at them directly.

I kinda wanted to get some feedback on playing AoS as a Slaves of Darkness player in terms of about how much money (United States dollar) I might need to speed for a very modest army. I also kinda wanted to get an idea if I would like AoS as someone that is a very melee focused CSM player. Basically, I am looking for a bit of an excuse to pick up the Start Collecting box during a Black Friday sale. I do think I will ask those Kill Team players if they wouldn't mind a demo game where I can try and proxy my Black Legion 40k models and use the daemon models I have just to see what the game is about. Still, I wouldn't mind getting some outside advice/suggestions.

Slaves to Darkness are getting a new battletome this December, along with a new Start Collecting box that has new sculpts for Warriors & Knights, as well as a new mounted Lord. As of right now StDs are literally the worst army in the game, by an immense margin. But like I said, new battletome could be anything.

In terms of budget Ogors are your best bet for cheap army building.

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:

I kinda wanted to get some feedback on playing AoS as a Slaves of Darkness player in terms of about how much money (United States dollar) I might need to speed for a very modest army.

Not counting the codex/main rule book? About $200 - $300 - depending upon what your idea of modest is, what you actually want, & where you shop/what deals you find.
Current start box is $90 - whatever the faction, two generally make for a decent (if limited) small army.
Army box is $194
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Warhammer?N=2070689437+2116757992&Nr=AND%28sku.siteId%3AUS_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_US_gw%29&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bproduct.startDate+%3C%3D+1573071660000+and+product.endDate+%3E%3D+1573071660000%5D
Adding Archaon adds another +$170....

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:
I also kinda wanted to get an idea if I would like AoS as someone that is a very melee focused CSM player.

That's good that you like melee. Because that's pretty much all Slaves (& Khorne) do.....
AoS is more melee focused than 40k, but you can definitely run into some heavy shooting/ranged magic.

I'd wait for the book to drop before getting too excited.

Has GW even released a bad battletome this year? From what I recall there's only two armies that seem to get a lot more attention for being weaker - one is Nighthaunt and the other is Stormcast (who are not bad just not as good and have some odd conflicts internally within their tome).

By and large the AoS tomes have been doing really well. I'd say if you want to go slaves now's a good time. The last year christmas battalion is still around in some places so you can get a nice discount. Far as we know manticore, warshrine and chariot shouldn't be going anywhere and the old knight kit is still pretty good.

This is what's being referred to when people mention the "new" stuff. This stuff will be out on the 14th of December.


If you want some 'safe' purchases for a Black Friday sale? Varanguard or Archaon definitely fall under that category.

Has GW even released a bad battletome this year?

It is virtually impossible for slaves to darkness to get weaker than they already are.

When I say I would wait that means a few things:

OP has indicated they don't want to spend a ton of money. You need the book to know what the GW-trap units are and what the GW-always-take units are so that you can plan your spending.

Additionally if OP wants to do any form of competitive play, you need to see if the book is Khorne/Gitz level, or if the book is slaanesh/skaven/DOK level.

I’ve had a chaos knight army sitting in pieces in a bag for years, I kinda want that new Lord...yikes!

Thanks for all the responses. I didn't even know there was a new Start Collecting box and battletome (which I assume is like a codex) on the horizon. I will admit the models look really good, and I already liked the old Chaos Warrior/Knight models quite a bit. While money is a concern as I don't know how interested I'll be in AoS, at this point; I am more worried about my painting backlog being too full to start yet another project. I am hoping to get either my CSM or SM armies done by the end of the year (both would be kinda amazing), and I still have a bunch of kill teams that need have been sitting at about 80% complete since most of them I have all the models I needed from a particular box and haven't got around to painting the rest. I am glad that I am mostly caught up on terrain painting though.

I suppose I will have enough time to ask those in my Kill Team group if it would be possible to put together a demo game. I blame them for causing this interest anyways. If not them, my FLGS owner has goblin/squig army. I am sure he would really like to sell me on a Slaves to Darkness force.

I am not so worried about competitive gaming. I actively avoid tournaments as they aren't my thing. I mostly war game to show off my average painting skills and scratch my tabletop RPG combat itch. That is why I mostly lean to the really bad guy armies since under my generalship, they are probably going to lose--badly. I just figured that Slaves to Darkness being a relatively elite army similar to CSM, I wouldn't need too many models. Plus, they look like they can ally with daemons which I already have bunch painted up that that never see the table.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their input. It has been most enlightening.

The only thing I will note is that we know, for certain, that the new Start Collecting is supposed to be Shadowspear styled monopose models.

In case that helps/hinders your decision.

 Kanluwen wrote:
The only thing I will note is that we know, for certain, that the new Start Collecting is supposed to be Shadowspear styled monopose models.

In case that helps/hinders your decision.

Monopose doesn't really bother me that much. Modeling is my least favorite aspect of the hobby so I like not having to worry about which options for what I build or have worry about building things wrong. I am typically only bothered by twin models, but I don't know at this point if I would get more than a single Start Collecting (and maybe try to find good deals on the old models) anyways. If I do end up getting more, the models don't look too bad to modify since each arm is independent (read: not holding a two-handed weapon), and concealed under a cloak/cape in most cases. Only a few of the poses look like they will limit what can be done like the swinging a weapon down pose.

As of now, we don't know if stuff will be discontinued with the launch of the new SC.

I've been considering a STD army myself with this announcement, I've been holding off looking seriously at AOS until an army that suits my tastes is put out, and StD may be it so hopefully it'll be good. if it is I might take the plunge.

Yeah I’ve had Archaon sitting around for a good long time and with these new models and a proper tome, I’m super keen to leap in to them.

I was talking to one of the players in my Kill Team group who has convinced me to that starting an Age of Sigmar army isn't such bad of an idea. It sounds like an escalation league is starting up in my area. I have always wanted to join one of them, but my usual model collection/hobby-ing never really worked out to do so. Personally, I do think the league probably should have held off a couple of more weeks to allow players to capitalize on Black Friday (nothing quite lubricates starting a new army like XX% off at the FLGS) a little better but whatever.

I will have to get more details, but I think I will tryout the league so long as I will be allowed for me to hold off on picking up the battletome until the new comes out. That seems reasonable to me to not buy a book I will only get about a month of use out of. I will just have to struggle a bit until then, and by the sound of the current Slaves to Darkness rules, I would be struggling anyways. I am thinking to begin by picking up the Gaming Book and the current Slaves to Darkness starter. The Gaming Book is a bit more expensive than I would like for a small softcover but cheaper than the full sized one and sounds more up to date. I also don't mind mixing and matching old and new as that is what my current Black Legion army already does anyways. Not sure if the escalation league will be over by the time that the new box comes out. I kinda hope not. I am hoping to get more details today to figure out exactly how the league is going to work.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Tiberius501 wrote:
Yeah I’ve had Archaon sitting around for a good long time and with these new models and a proper tome, I’m super keen to leap in to them.

I just got around to continuing to paint Abbadon this month (spoiler below has the WIP). For the longest time I have the hobby fear of messing him up. It was only recently that I could convince myself that he was no more expensive than any Primaris squad and I think I did an okay job with painting all of them.

However, I saw the price tag on Archaon, and the mind trick I used to help me paint Abbadon just wouldn't work. I wish you the best in painting that most excellent centerpiece model.

I know I have so much StD but alas, I just picked up the Ogor book because that was my other main army in Fantasy that I now use for AoS. I think this release (StD) is going to be good for the game because it will bring old players back in due to the sizable collections floating about, as well as appeal of the fine new models.

All I know is that if they are disgustingly OP I will give Auticus no end to sarcastic teasing about how he just bandwagoned onto the new cheese

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:

 Tiberius501 wrote:
Yeah I’ve had Archaon sitting around for a good long time and with these new models and a proper tome, I’m super keen to leap in to them.

I just got around to continuing to paint Abbadon this month (spoiler below has the WIP). For the longest time I have the hobby fear of messing him up. It was only recently that I could convince myself that he was no more expensive than any Primaris squad and I think I did an okay job with painting all of them.

However, I saw the price tag on Archaon, and the mind trick I used to help me paint Abbadon just wouldn't work. I wish you the best in painting that most excellent centerpiece model.

Spoiler:

He’s looking great so far!
And thanks, I’ve actually had the exact same fear with Archaon to be honest. He’s been sitting around unpainted because I haven’t been able to bring myself to paint him and potentially ruin such an expensive and awesome centrepiece. But I’m about a quarter of the way through him now and, while it’s incredibly stressful haha, I’m having a good time. The glow affect between the cracks he has all over him are really the main thing that is getting me and taking the most time. The rest of him is really just like painting any other model.
I hope you can bring yourself to paint your own if you ever get one.

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
All I know is that if they are disgustingly OP I will give Auticus no end to sarcastic teasing about how he just bandwagoned onto the new cheese

They are going to be used in my Kings of War army

 auticus wrote:

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
All I know is that if they are disgustingly OP I will give Auticus no end to sarcastic teasing about how he just bandwagoned onto the new cheese

They are going to be used in my Kings of War army

We all know you won't be able to resist the lure of AoS once they are released! You're addicted like the rest of us!!

Escape is impossible!

yeah it took a bit before I was comfortable with Abaddon, but I worked my way up to him by doing chaos space marines first until I was comfortable with the black armor.

BTW as a quick tip for abaddon.. snag some Blood for the Blood god and coat his talon's claws with it. it's a touch that really brings home the evil.

There's gotta be a better acronym than StD. Sounds like a Slaanesh/Nurgle party.

@Shrapnesmile and NinthMusketeer

Well depending on how superstitious you are, I did start a Space Marine army months before the current codex dropped without knowing that was going to happen too. Maybe me starting a Slaves of Darkness army will have the same effect. Of course, I am not superstitious (or at least try not to be). I think it is more likely that a decent battletomb for Slave to Darkness would coax old players back being far more likely.

If they are good, I do expect one of players that got me into AoS to give me no end of a hard time about picking the OP faction since I joked with him about picking Deathwatch in Kill Team.


@Tiberius501

Thank you very much. I took a gander at your gallery, and from what I saw there, I think you will do a great job with Acrhaon.


@BrianDavion

It isn't the most impressive, but I have my black armor technique where I want it. I think going with German Gray (dark grey) for the cables does help make the armor look blacker. I personally am not typically a fan of edge highly either so that makes it easier even if a lot of details are masked. I am going to have to consider the blood effect. I was going to leave the claws clean, but I do think that is going to leave the silver looking a bit out of place.


@Charistoph

Yeah, I agree with you there. That is why I am writing it out every time.

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:



@BrianDavion

It isn't the most impressive, but I have my black armor technique where I want it. I think going with German Gray (dark grey) for the cables does help make the armor look blacker. I personally am not typically a fan of edge highly either so that makes it easier even if a lot of details are masked. I am going to have to consider the blood effect. I was going to leave the claws clean, but I do think that is going to leave the silver looking a bit out of place.

I hate edge highlighting too, the trick I developed for my black legion was to dry brush the entire model eshen grey. it worked nicely.

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:

@Tiberius501

Thank you very much. I took a gander at your gallery, and from what I saw there, I think you will do a great job with Acrhaon.

Ah cheers I hope so.

 Saturmorn Carvilli wrote:


However, I saw the price tag on Archaon, and the mind trick I used to help me paint Abbadon just wouldn't work. I wish you the best in painting that most excellent centerpiece model.

Yeah, that'll give you sticker shock. I got lucky and managed to pick up all three versions of Archaon (metal on foot, resin on Dhorgar, and the new plastic) for $100 USD (see my gallery). I'm still expecting him to "call upon me for a favor" to justify that kind of deal.

I let the one on foot go, but I still have both mounted ones. I traded a BUNCH of old metal Chaos models to get the new Archaon. $165 was just too much...but if he isn’t the biggest damn plastic model GW, I don’t know what is. He’s bigger than any knight.

I've got all of the archaon's over the years. Even the special edition one from like 2003 that was a Games Day only (the one on foot).

I haven't put the new one together, he's still in a box in my closet.

Archaon, Grand High Marshall of the Apocalypse (the newest model) has easily been my favorite painting project so far. I plan to add a box of Varangard when the new codex drops.

What about S2D?

Anyway, I love the new models and will be grabbing some for a Khorne marked S2D army.