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Here is my overly optimistic theory of AoS:

Its "dumbed down" to the point of childishness because its goal is to give kids a gateway into the hobby. Paint a few models! Beat up your friends!

For those who want a "real game", WHFB will come out with 9th in a few months. It'll be 8th, plus some changes. Same points system. Probably same - or at least similar - stats. And the return of the tables. It may pick up some AoS things (hello, Sigmarines. At least they shouldn't get the "they were always there" treatment...), but not its simplicity.

Ideally, new players would start AoS. Get a taste of the models. Kill some dudes. No need to be so reliant on veterans leading you through your first few games, or reading a textbook or two cover to cover. Just enjoy the modelling, then glance over the rules, then kill something!

Eventually, the player's collection will get too large for AoS, and/or their understanding of the game will show it to be the simple thing it is. Then they are ready for the glory of WHFB, and the mass of rules required for it. For adults, might take just a few games. For kids, could take years.

More of a wishlist than a theory, but there is a lot of sense for GW to have a simple gateway game for those unable to commit to a WHFB game. I'd have preferred another version of Mordheim, but they do want the accessibility of a 3-page rulebook. Just look at the attention "One Page 40k" got.

What do you think the odds are that this is their strategy? I'd put it around 25% myself. I can dream.

I like this thought except GW has rmoved all the fantasy books from existing. Meaning that there are no longer any rules available for traditional WHFB. All current books are invalidated. So if they released 9th then you would have to get new books for every single army.

I would love this to lead to a new 9th but wont hold my breathe.

Well, considering the rules are apparently going to be free, unless they release A LOT of new and cool models I don't see any incentive for veterans to put any money towards Age of Sigmar.

Which means, to me at least, that it's fairly likely that this is to grab the attention of new players and that they'll try to get money out of the veterans in some other way (possibly 9th, or maybe just with cool new models)

It is a good idea and nice if true however I think it is more likely that GW have decided to drop Fantasy and AOS is the thing from now on.

I was under the impression is that the '4-page' free rules were for the box set game for skirmish and what-not (which is why so many of the rules are meant to be cut and dry) and that there will be a 'wargame' version

Nobody knows. There are two scenarios:
1) AOS is all there will be. No 9th.
2) GW will make us think AOS is all there ever will be. Cash on the AOS sales. Then a long time down the road, when 8th is well dead and forgotten, GW releases 9th. And cash in on the sales for that.

 Chootum wrote:
Nobody knows. There are two scenarios:
1) AOS is all there will be. No 9th.
2) GW will make us think AOS is all there ever will be. Cash on the AOS sales. Then a long time down the road, when 8th is well dead and forgotten, GW releases 9th. And cash in on the sales for that.

3) GW will make us think AOS is all there ever will be. Cash on the AOS sales. Then two weeks to a month later, 9th is released. And cash in on the sales for that.

I thought I read somewhere that the fantasy kits were being rebased. If that's the case, classic WHFB is truly dead.

 docdoom77 wrote:
I thought I read somewhere that the fantasy kits were being rebased. If that's the case, classic WHFB is truly dead.

Nowhere reliable said this, I bet.

 Icelord wrote:
I like this thought except GW has rmoved all the fantasy books from existing. Meaning that there are no longer any rules available for traditional WHFB. All current books are invalidated. So if they released 9th then you would have to get new books for every single army.

They could release preliminary army lists for all the existing factions and release proper codexes eventually (sort of like what they did for 40k 3rd edition).

Well, if they re-release the books, they'll have to go back in and edit all of the names of most races, since they've been largely changed.

There were rumours surrounding this iirc, though most of it may have been wishful thinking. Still, the guy at my local FLGS said that the email he got from GW stated that Age of Sigmar was a "standalone game" and "not 9th Edition Warhammer" and that seems to leave it open to the possibility of a 9th edition WHFB as we know it.

Still, like others have said, it seems unlikely, due to the advancement of the storyline, change in factions etc. The only thing I can see GW doing that is similar is releasing an expansion/ruleset that is to AoS what War of the Ring was to LotR. I.e. it's basically the same but is scaled up for larger battles and will see models ranked into units more akin to what we're used to seeing in WHFB (maybe with the same WotR movement trays).

Still, I'm not holding my breath and will continue to play 8th to get my mass-battle fix.