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Our region is not representing this faction very well at all.

We don't even have enough to buy a decent starter force in KC and not hearing a whole lot about how they are played except on the GW pod casts.

So need some thoughts here for the slayer army.

They don't have a Start Collecting box, they are EXTREMELY expensive (points and $$$) and don't seem to have many options available as far as playstyle.

Someone help me here understand what we are dealing with

Did GW miss the mark here?

Just started collecting fyreslayers after reading their batttome. Bloody hell their fluff is really interesting.

I do feel they really need a start collecting box I think that will help em.

The problem is their release was set before GW woke up from its stupor. Accordingly they are stupidly expensive, and there is a general lack of 3rd part options. They aren't OP or super-elite, so it ends up being an army only die-hard Fyreslayer fans will collect. Or to sum up the answer: they aren't anywhere because there aren't many of them.

First, there were quite a few comments, here on dakka, regarding their looks - many people here did not like them. Some pointed that they were too cookie-cutter designed, being all alike, other pointed the not so inspirational poses, lack of customisation etc. In short their looks worked against them at release time.
Second, there's still no Start Collecting box for them. Stormcast are expensive,but their starter box made them reasonably affordable for me so I got one. If there was one for fyreslayers with say a zharr' priest, 10 vulkite berserkers and five hearthguard they would be more easily purchasable. I suspect that such a box is on its way.

I like the look but I do agree they lack variety. Im not sure why they broke the entire dwarf line up or Elves for that matter.

I've got a small force coming along:

Here's what I got painted in Volstarg colors and based:

1 Runefather on Magmadroth, and all the Characters on foot.

1 Unit of 10 Hearthguard Berzerkers with their two handed axes.
1 Unit of 10 Hearthguard with firepikes
1 Unit of 20 Vulkite Berzerkers with double weapons.
1 Unit of 10 Vulkite Berzerkers with shields

Unpainted:

20 Vulkite Bezerkers, 5 of which will go to the shield unit and the other 15 will be another unit of dual wielders.

Planned Purchase after the unpainted are finished:

4-6 more boxes of Hearthguard for various loadouts. Probably half will be firepikes, the rest the fiery fail option.
1 Runeson on Magmadroth.

Its coming along rather nicely and I'm loving the look.

There is also a fairly long episode of Garagehammer that goes in depth in the lore, warscroll and tactics. It was pretty helpful for me.

They are not what you call cheese so I would say that is why you don't see them much.

They don't really have anything over the top and as already stated are expensive point and dollar wise.

They rely on survivablility and baring hearth guard berserkers don't pack much of a punch. low on the mortal wound causing as so many other newer armies can do.

That being said I still think they can be a viable army just limited on what you can use. You NEED the teleporting guy or they aint getting around much.

Id probably make a teleporting army have multiple hearth guard pop up and attempt to charge as their pole ability of you hit then on a 3+ you also cause a mortal wound is pretty beast!

those models are fugly, dwarves on their tippy toes, symmetrical beards and the price killed all interest for me.

hobojebus wrote:
those models are fugly, dwarves on their tippy toes...

But not as ugly as Mantic's 100 <whatever models> for 5 pence KoW line

My impression is they are a support piece, not really an army on it's own.

It just happens to have it's own army book, which is why I'm wondering overall.

I'm hoping there is synergy for the Steampunk Duardin and we have Party up front and in the rear!

Yeah could be hoping those steam punk come out sooner rather than later and going to cross my fingers they are dispossessed

yeah, its such a shame how expensive they are.
I cant believe they haven't revisited pricing or given these guys a proper get started box.

Yeah I'm sure their main battleline option being downright terrible for the point cost doesn't help either. 480pts for a 30-man vulkite unit (where they are most points efficient...) is ridiculous. Skarbrand costs less than that.

I would think they go along the lines of a Runesmith on Megamom, 5 Elite Zerkers and 10 zerker troops.

Magmadroths do however look cool.

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
Yeah I'm sure their main battleline option being downright terrible for the point cost doesn't help either. 480pts for a 30-man vulkite unit (where they are most points efficient...) is ridiculous. Skarbrand costs less than that.

If you take a specific hero auric rune father you open the hearth guard as battle line. so in 2k if you do somthing along the lines of maybe 4 units of 10 (hearth gaurd) with the teleport dude auric rune smiter your looking at 1200 points of teleport in your face with a potential charge if not hope you roll for going first next turn and that can be a pretty brutal charge with the hero that lets you re-roll to wounds (auric rune smiter) so its basically 10 attacks hitting on 3's so 7 hits and then you roll 7 dice on any 3+ you get a mortal wound that should be 5 mortal wound on average plus your regular attacks. Not to bad and they get a 4+ invulnerable save if they are within a certain number of inches of a hero which they will always be.

With the rest of your 600 points take a rune father to make hearth guard battle line plop him on a monster and he becomes pretty tough and then two 5 man berserkers to hold points. this leaves you with 120 points to maybe make a hearth guard unit bigger or take a formation if you can.

I'm not saying this is the best list but I think it would do pretty good against a few armies.

I bought a box on release and painted them up for my Desperados (mixed Order) army. They're fun to play with and work well as a speed bump (most players usually throw way to much at them, expecting the unit to be much nastier haha).

The biggest problem with them and what puts me off making an army is the lack of variety. 3 Infantry units - 1 monster, 7 heroes (including the Doomseeker). But that's not the whole story because those units are made out of 7 kits total - and that's not the whole story, because apart from the magmadroth everything is just a naked dwarf with a mowhawk, add to that the fact that they have probably the most expensive kits in AoS and they're pretty much a horde army...

Yeah, I've got nothing but respect for someone who can paint up 2000 points of these guys. In the meantime I'll wait for them to get some cavalry or warmachines - or just keep them as auxiliary units in an expanded Steamhead army later on.

I got the 4 Hero pack for Silver Tower and I liked the Auric Runemaster.

So I got a box Auric Hearthguard and was disappointed. 3 half sprues instead of 2 full ones or even 4 half sprues with 1 repeated.

I may get a pack of Berserkers next month because I also need some paint.

I think part of the problem with the Berserkers is that they have very dynamic unique poses, so it stands out alot when they are repeated.

 CoreCommander wrote:

hobojebus wrote:
those models are fugly, dwarves on their tippy toes...

But not as ugly as Mantic's 100 <whatever models> for 5 pence KoW line

Yeah but if your choice is ugly or ugly then cheapest wins.

And honestly they are ahead of where GW was at this point in their existence.

hobojebus wrote:

And honestly they are ahead of where GW was at this point in their existence.

Isn't that due to GW's existence though?

We're on the Fyreslayers (Age of Sigmar) group on Facebook, over 200 now. Started it in February? For tactics and fluff and hobby inspiration. Check us out.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
@OP also the AoS podcasts sometimes mention. Garagehammer did a big show on them, mortal realms ep 10 as well. Granted, as a solo Fyreslayer players, I'm involved in those episodes.
If you wanna know anything about the Lodges do check out the facebook group

 StygianBeach wrote:

hobojebus wrote:

And honestly they are ahead of where GW was at this point in their existence.

Isn't that due to GW's existence though?

Sure but GW only exist because of Tolkien, they didn't invent fantasy.

And most agree mantics now surpassed them in terms of games design, give them time and they'll get there with the models.

Especially as GW's design quality is going backwards, Urgh those wulfen models are terrible they've gone from semi realistic to cartoony.

hobojebus wrote:

 StygianBeach wrote:

hobojebus wrote:

And honestly they are ahead of where GW was at this point in their existence.

Isn't that due to GW's existence though?

Sure but GW only exist because of Tolkien, they didn't invent fantasy.

And most agree mantics now surpassed them in terms of games design, give them time and they'll get there with the models.

Especially as GW's design quality is going backwards, Urgh those wulfen models are terrible they've gone from semi realistic to cartoony.

I am feeling Trolled by this comment... seriously Trolled... ghhh, it feels slimy...

Sure, Tolkien has had a tremendous influence on the whole Fantasy genre, well spotted, but if I were to make a claim as to what outside entity has contributed the most to the early success of GW it would be D&D. The influence of D&D is always been a part of the 'history of GW' stories I have read anyway.

D&D, Tolkien, Howard, Herbert, Lovecraft, Monty Python, and real life History all contributed parts to GW's foundations. Mantics foundations came from........ GW?

Mantic mainly markets to unsatisfied GW players, which I must admit is a huge (in wargaming terms) market. Without the market that GW created (then neglected), where would Mantic be now?

Sure I was unhappy with my Hearthguard when I opened the box, but it is not the look of them that bothered me, it is just that I was expecting more bits.

Sure, Tolkien has had a tremendous influence on the whole Fantasy genre, well spotted, but if I were to make a claim as to what outside entity has contributed the most to the early success of GW it would be D&D. The influence of D&D is always been a part of the 'history of GW' stories I have read anyway.

The same D&D that originally had Balrogs, Hobbits, Ents, and ran afoul of Cthulu Mythos intellectual property?

Balrogs, Hobbits and Ents are not part of AD&D. AD&D has Pit Fiends, Halflings, and my Monster Manual is not handy but I'm pretty sure "Ent" is not in it.

It may surprise you that TSR got permission to use the Cthulhu and melonbonian mythos for their second printing of Deities & Demigods; from the wiki:

For the first 1980 printing, TSR obtained permission from Michael Moorcock for inclusion of Melnibonéan material (from his Elric series of books). The Cthulhu Mythos was believed to be in the public domain, so TSR assumed they could legally use it without any special permission. However, Arkham House, who claimed to hold the copyrights on a number of works by H.P. Lovecraft, had already licensed the Cthulhu property to the game company Chaosium. Furthermore, Chaosium had also licensed the Melnibonéan copyright from Moorcock. When Chaosium threatened legal action, the first printing was halted and the two companies agreed on a compromise: TSR could continue to use the material but must provide a credit to Chaosium to do so. TSR added the credit for the second printing of the book.

Balrogs, Hobbits and Ents are not part of AD&D

Quite good then, because most of those were changed before AD&D. (There's Treants in the MM)

It may surprise you that TSR got permission to use the Cthulhu and melonbonian mythos for their second printing of Deities & Demigods; from the wiki:

And that negates what I said before? I said they ran afoul of the Intellectual Property, I mostly knew of the issues after where they tried to do everything to remove "Mind Flayer", but regardless that doesn't remove the point that D&D was heavily inspired by other estates which then went on to partially inspire Games Workshop.

And Tolkien was heavily inspired by German folklore. Are we really going to have the "nothing is truly original" conversation?

I don't actually care myself, I was just amused by that whole "It was D&D that inspired GW mostly instead of Tolkien". When D&D was also inspired by Tolkien.

Regardless, Slayers have a bit of problem, I do wish they had other color themes introduced..

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:
I don't actually care myself, I was just amused by that whole "It was D&D that inspired GW mostly instead of Tolkien". When D&D was also inspired by Tolkien.

Regardless, Slayers have a bit of problem, I do wish they had other color themes introduced..

They do it's in the battle tome there is a killer one where a lodge has sworn oaths with the shadowkin/dark aelves for a very long time they tattooed black like flames on their skin.

Hmmm, then I wish that was represented elsewhere, all the art seen outside the tome (Do not have) is essentially the bright orange sort.