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40K has Tyranids. There is the Zerg Swarm of Starcraft fame. Dungeons & Dragons has the Thri-keen. Raymond E Feist introduced the Cho-ja in his Riftwar series. Basically, there are a few bug/hive/swarm species out there, yet Age of Sigmar does not officially have one.

I am aware of the fan-tome of the Tyranids, and that's all well and good.

BUT, would you welcome a bug/hive/swarm species in to the high fantasy of Age of Sigmar? It could be an alternate form of Tyranids officially presented, or a completely new set up all together. Would you like to see it to either build or to play against?

I wouldn't mind them, provided they weren't the same old "all consuming hive mind" trope. However, I wonder if they'd be able to fit with the other races looks-wise.

The spiders of Mirkwood spring to mind. I think that there’s a possible place for such a race.

I'm open to any new type of race provided they are done properly and don't jack up the game via being OP.

I have yet to see a bug race in a fantasy setting that I felt made the setting better for being there. At best I have seen it as not dragging the setting down. To my eyes many settings, especially D&D analogues, basically have a checklist of every flavor of anthropomorphic humanoid that they fill out just for the sake of it. When a world has 50+ sentient races they all blend together and mean nothing.

I have yet to see a bug race in a fantasy setting that I felt made the setting better for being there.

So they are the same as the 100th flavor of Elf and beared short persons with drinking problems ?

Cronch wrote:

I have yet to see a bug race in a fantasy setting that I felt made the setting better for being there.

So they are the same as the 100th flavor of Elf and beared short persons with drinking problems ?

Yes...? I feel like you are implying something that I am missing.

Given how genuinely weird eusocial insects are, and how so many people don't get why they're like why they are, I'm content that GW isn't offering up their take on it.

I think insect races fit better in sci-fi space settings. Just don't see an insect hive caring about certain planes of existence or Sigmar & the Chaos Gods.

Maybe they would fit into Destruction.

I'd rather see existing armies improved than add a new one at this stage of the game.

I dont want a bug race, we already have many swarm lists that fit that (Skaven for one), Goblins already can swarm with them and adding spiders.

If anything new came out that would resemble bug/swarm i would rather see something completely new, born from magic and chaos of the realms being split apart, something like Mushi from that anime.

What would it add? More armies from GW usually just means more power creep and/or more old stuff to be rendered unplayable by new-army-wins syndrome.

The Mortal Realms are large enough for lots of interesting non humanoid races.

Happy to see them - could be a good new Order race, structured and with a very different mind set.

Enjoyed playing a Gaim in Baylon 5 - whole new perspective on life and death.


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 Mr Morden wrote:
The Mortal Realms are large enough for lots of interesting non humanoid races.

Happy to see them - could be a good new Order race, structured and with a very different mind set.

Enjoyed playing a Gaim in Baylon 5 - whole new perspective on life and death.

IIRC Gotrek and Felix fought a insideous Insect race that was taking over a Dwarf hold.

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
I have yet to see a bug race in a fantasy setting that I felt made the setting better for being there. At best I have seen it as not dragging the setting down. To my eyes many settings, especially D&D analogues, basically have a checklist of every flavor of anthropomorphic humanoid that they fill out just for the sake of it. When a world has 50+ sentient races they all blend together and mean nothing.

Honestly, the best bug/swarm race I feel was in Jim Butcher's "Alera" series of novels.

But yeah. In a fantastic setting(even one like AoS) it would be difficult to do well.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
What would it add? More armies from GW usually just means more power creep and/or more old stuff to be rendered unplayable by new-army-wins syndrome.

You know 1/2 the new books are not power creep right? And a new army doesnt make other things unplayable....

To be honest I was hoping Spiderfang would of gotten nonridden Spiders are a unit option, the spiderfang answer to squigs.

Other than that, Im not too fussed, as a Tyranid player I'd like the idea, but the more I think about it, it'd be better suited and left to Sci fi.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
I have yet to see a bug race in a fantasy setting that I felt made the setting better for being there. At best I have seen it as not dragging the setting down. To my eyes many settings, especially D&D analogues, basically have a checklist of every flavor of anthropomorphic humanoid that they fill out just for the sake of it. When a world has 50+ sentient races they all blend together and mean nothing.

Honestly, the best bug/swarm race I feel was in Jim Butcher's "Alera" series of novels.

But yeah. In a fantastic setting(even one like AoS) it would be difficult to do well.

That was a cool series. Made me want to collect 'nids.

I think a bug list could be fun, but thematically they would fit best into Order which is already way too bloated. I guess something like hordes of centipedes and other scavengers could fit into Destruction. I would be fine with either.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/08/12/tarnished-silver/
"Year of the Clockwork Mantis"


Clockwork insect race for AoS!!

Their queens are vast bloated machines that build more of their young; huge harvesters devour raw materials like armours and metals and bore into the ground; consuming all and rendering it down into a sludge for queens to feed off; warriors, mantis machines and all tick tocking along with a suitable huge number of cogs and gears and such!

A joy to behold - the worlds worst nightmare to clean the mould lines off with all the cog gears!

If.another race is added to AoS.is must be the long awaited release of deep one style fish men! (Obviously, the fish-elves the.idoneth deepkin don't count).

If not Fishman, the only acceptable is to reintroduce the Fimir.

Sorry Nids, you'll need to stay in your reality.

Honestly, I would like to see Chaos swarms.

Something about that really says Chaos to me. But over all it does seem like AoS has a lot on their plate and should focus on what's there instead of adding more.

Something like the insectoid Shadow Demons from Aow II could work.

Personally I am not a huge fan or a swam or hive mind race.
Would love to see wasps, sentient and smart with wicked looking weapons.

A little alien, but enough understandable to give them some story.
They could also be fairly unique, without stepping on other races looks and feel.
Possibly a strict caste system, 4 arms and wings on some units. Would give them quite a look on the battlefield.
And I think also leaves possibility’s for the future.

I would say no. The main reason being there are too many armies for GW to support properly now. When AOS started someone had the bright idea of splitting up various factions, creating many new armies and then not supporting them all adequately. We are finally getting a Free Cities battletome after all these years. Look at the armies that need a new battletome _ K. Overlords for eg.

Look at how oruks are supposed to be recombined into one battletome (which is a good idea); rumours that Beastclaws and Gutbusters will be combined (hope so its needed). Seems it is a realization that there are too many armies out there.

Regardless whether bugs work in the AOS setting, its important to first get your house in order before adding new armies and GW hasn't done that.

That's one of the reasons I put option #3 in. I understand the mess that is the list of armies in AoS, and that riot of a list would make it less desirable for ANY new faction to be brought in until it was cleaned up and in order.

Even worse when they have effectively completely dropped two factions from Fantasy Battles, one of which had more character separating it out from its cohorts than Savage Orcs do from Orruks.

Carlovonsexron wrote:
If.another race is added to AoS.is must be the long awaited release of deep one style fish men! (Obviously, the fish-elves the.idoneth deepkin don't count).

If not Fishman, the only acceptable is to reintroduce the Fimir.

Sorry Nids, you'll need to stay in your reality.

Fimir are already in AOS?

the K'Chain Che'Malle from the Malzan Empire books are an interesting swarmesque race -

Honestly, something along the lines of GOW's dark and light elves in terms of aesthetics would be cool.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/godofwar/images/a/a1/Elves.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180608150124

A swarm of vampire bats of varying sizes. Quite weak compared to the other races but balanced with greater numbers and the ability to take flight - at least to ignore most terrain. Anne Rice's vampires can read each others thoughts, and maybe the larger creatures of the swarm are the older and stronger minded leaders. Some creatures in the bat swarm are so ancient they are brutal and powerful, but showing signs of madness, making them a dangerous threat on the battle field.

For Nagash they are not only a vanguard force but also his eyes and ears. Ummm...maybe share the Varghulf's with the Flesheater courts? Or just expand that faction to allow swarming?

 Overread wrote:
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/08/12/tarnished-silver/
"Year of the Clockwork Mantis"


Clockwork insect race for AoS!!

Their queens are vast bloated machines that build more of their young; huge harvesters devour raw materials like armours and metals and bore into the ground; consuming all and rendering it down into a sludge for queens to feed off; warriors, mantis machines and all tick tocking along with a suitable huge number of cogs and gears and such!

A joy to behold - the worlds worst nightmare to clean the mould lines off with all the cog gears!

replicators in AoS sounds fun