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They're right there when the rules mention your can use your entire collection.
It's the price, as in money, the only thing corporations care about, and GW long have been told to be pricing their models according to tabletop performance.
And if anything we can always rely on them to update their prices based on whats overselling (hence currently imbalanced).
So i will soon be testing the theory that fielding armies with models of equal price will result in a balanced game as soon as i can.
Sadly the local community is small and quite negative at the moment so any outside playtets will be most helpful.
BTW i'm not trolling this test is happening as soon as i can make it happen.

You just blew my mind... and it might actually work. I have yet to have my 1st AoS game but from battle reports I hear that the blood Knights are pretty strong... having 5 cost 100 dlls totally makes sense... or 20 clan rats costing the same as 10 warriors or chaos

There's a flaw, skeletons are about £15 for 10, less if you buy the 5 man box. They are worth a lot more than that in game, purely for the summoning spell they grant.

Skeletons have always been able to break the agreed upon "points" limit that way, adding new units/models during game is hardly a new thing in GW games.
Besides this still means you need to have extras prepared, like in the past.

I thought of this. It will work great with my friends, as limited budgets will put off the dodgy mass summoning spells we can expect of some players

I thought this was kind of silly at first, but on further investigation it is the best way to generate points cost for models and far superior to every other system in that its accurate and incredibly simple.

if you look at units in their individual boxes (outside of bundles)

and break down the cost in points per model, based on cost in currency you get pretty even points.

I decided to use the UK currency, since that is where GW is located.

Here are skaven points per model for example based on cost:

Thanquol+boneripper = 47pts
Stormfiends = 13pts per model
Screaming Bell = 38pts
Plague Furnace = 38pts
Warplock Jezzails= 12pts+10pts per each additional model
Stormvermin= 2pts+1.5pts per each additional model
Clanrats= 2pts +1 pt per each additional model
Nightrunners= 2pts +1pt per each additional model
Plaguemonks=2pts +1pt per each additional model
Warplightning cannon=21pts
Packmasters = 2pts per model
Giant rates =1pt per model
Rat ogres= 7pts per model
Doomwheel= 21pts per model
Plagueclaw Catapult= 21pts per model
Doomflayer= 16pts per model
Greyseer= 14pts
Warlord = 14pts
Warlock Engineers= 6pts
Queek= 11pts
Snickh= 11pts
Ikit = 11pts
Warp grinder team = 9pts
Ratling gun= 9 pts
Packmaster skweel = 9pts
Gutter runners = 3 pts per model
Plague censer bearers= 3pts per model
Tretch craventail= 9 pts
Spinetail= 8pts
Skrolk= 8 pts
Assassin- 8 pts
Poison wind globadiers= 7 pts

there are some obvious issues with the characters the new sculpts cost more money wise than old sculpts, so you have situations where special characters cost less than generic characters, for example warlord= 14pts in this system but some of the named characters with similar stats = 11 or 8 pts. In the case of older sculpts I would count them as being the same in points cost as newer sculpts ie queek, craventail, etc=14pts.

you may also notice the packmasters/rat ogres/ giant rats cost, they come from a box that combos all of them. The packmasters were counted as a starting model, so 2 pts each, giant rats were 1 wound so 1 pt each, and the remaining points were given to rat ogres, giving 7 points each.

This took about 15min to generate the cost for the models and then type them here, there are warscrolls that are not listed here, but it is an easy way to get a good points system very quickly. It does in many cases accurately reflect the models usefulness on the tabletop, and gives a way to have different costs for models that have the same wounds (ie stormvermin versus clan rats) that otherwise would involve making up costs for saves/weapons/special rules. It also requires you pick a currency, in this case I picked UK currency, and that you only consider the cost for models from their basic individual packaged boxes, so you cannot consider the cost for combo battleboxes and army boxes as they have some discounts for buying models in bulk/reduced packaging.

This is either genius or insane. Or both. I'll compare tonight with my game.

blaktoof wrote:
I thought this was kind of silly at first, but on further investigation it is the best way to generate points cost for models and far superior to every other system in that its accurate and incredibly simple.

if you look at units in their individual boxes (outside of bundles)

and break down the cost in points per model, based on cost in currency you get pretty even points.

I decided to use the UK currency, since that is where GW is located.

Here are skaven points per model for example based on cost:

Thanquol+boneripper = 47pts
Stormfiends = 13pts per model
Screaming Bell = 38pts
Plague Furnace = 38pts
Warplock Jezzails= 12pts+10pts per each additional model
Stormvermin= 2pts+1.5pts per each additional model
Clanrats= 2pts +1 pt per each additional model
Nightrunners= 2pts +1pt per each additional model
Plaguemonks=2pts +1pt per each additional model
Warplightning cannon=21pts
Packmasters = 2pts per model
Giant rates =1pt per model
Rat ogres= 7pts per model
Doomwheel= 21pts per model
Plagueclaw Catapult= 21pts per model
Doomflayer= 16pts per model
Greyseer= 14pts
Warlord = 14pts
Warlock Engineers= 6pts
Queek= 11pts
Snickh= 11pts
Ikit = 11pts
Warp grinder team = 9pts
Ratling gun= 9 pts
Packmaster skweel = 9pts
Gutter runners = 3 pts per model
Plague censer bearers= 3pts per model
Tretch craventail= 9 pts
Spinetail= 8pts
Skrolk= 8 pts
Assassin- 8 pts
Poison wind globadiers= 7 pts

there are some obvious issues with the characters the new sculpts cost more money wise than old sculpts, so you have situations where special characters cost less than generic characters, for example warlord= 14pts in this system but some of the named characters with similar stats = 11 or 8 pts. In the case of older sculpts I would count them as being the same in points cost as newer sculpts ie queek, craventail, etc=14pts.

you may also notice the packmasters/rat ogres/ giant rats cost, they come from a box that combos all of them. The packmasters were counted as a starting model, so 2 pts each, giant rats were 1 wound so 1 pt each, and the remaining points were given to rat ogres, giving 7 points each.

This took about 15min to generate the cost for the models and then type them here, there are warscrolls that are not listed here, but it is an easy way to get a good points system very quickly. It does in many cases accurately reflect the models usefulness on the tabletop, and gives a way to have different costs for models that have the same wounds (ie stormvermin versus clan rats) that otherwise would involve making up costs for saves/weapons/special rules. It also requires you pick a currency, in this case I picked UK currency, and that you only consider the cost for models from their basic individual packaged boxes, so you cannot consider the cost for combo battleboxes and army boxes as they have some discounts for buying models in bulk/reduced packaging.

How is it this cheap? Warlords are $27 over here.

Due to GW shipping policies to AUS they rob you blind.

But I am using the UK sterling price in the above. Technically you can use the current currency rate and multiply it by the points cost above to get a points value for your domestic currency

Using the sterling price has some advantages, GW is based in UK so it makes some weird sense, and secondly it has a high worth so it gives the lowest points costs, considering both sides will be equal points it does not much matter but its nicer to say a 500pt tournament than a 2000pt tournament for example. It also reminds me of the original WFB where models could cost fractions of points

using a straight US dollar msrp, we gave it a go between ironbreakers and vargheists, the vargeists cost more but lost 5 out of 5, 3 of which were complete trouncings. will step it up slowly, but we have found battallions are working "ok" against each other.

This is new, and very very clever. And it might just work. Recently, at least, GW does seem to be pricing stronger models higher. There'll be a few units where this theory will fall through (off the top of my head, DE Executioners are clearly better than Black Guard, despite costing the same) but the same goes for every points system that people have dreamt up so far.

If this works, you may have just won the internet

Weird, I suggested this when it first came out and was told it was bs.

If you want a perfect formula here you go

Add one point per square inch the model's base covers round up.

Add 1 point if the model is mounted or a chariot

Add 5 points each for being a hero, monster, warmachine, and/or named character.

Ad 1 point for 6+ save, 2 points for 5+ save, 4 points for 4+ save

Then, divide the price in British pounds by the number of models that comes in the box.

Done. You now have an accurate representation of the power of every model in the game.

Is my Thanquol I got in the 90's a better value for the same stat line? Are LE characters a worse value than non-LE equivalents? What about old freebies or combo boxes or things that only come boxed in other sets? What about flashy upgrade sprues? Do they make your models worth more? How about things where they're packed in cheaper intro monopose boxes or more expensive regiment ones- are they more points-efficient if you get the crappy sculpts? Do models suddenly change point value when they're remade from finecast to plastic? Are OOP minis worth nothing? What they cost 10 years back? A fluctuating market value? How about when GW hikes up the prices on random kits- does that effect everyones' army value as you get the same quantity for a worse point value?

Yeah, it's kinda' fun to think about, no, it's not really a stable point structure.

You use the price level of the model currently for sale from games workshop. In the event of it not existing (the Archer cavalry from high elves, for example) then use the closest unit type for its price (so the dragon princes of caledor in relation to the aforementioned archers.) If a unit gets new models, but the rules remain the same, then do not change the point totals. If they do however come with new gear, or an altered statlines you should definitely change the points total.

I am not going to go through the trouble because I enjoy not having to worry about points limits in AoS. But the formula is there if you want to use it.

thekingofkings wrote:
using a straight US dollar msrp, we gave it a go between ironbreakers and vargheists, the vargeists cost more but lost 5 out of 5, 3 of which were complete trouncings. will step it up slowly, but we have found battallions are working "ok" against each other.

Oh its not perfect, there will always be units that are straight up better for their cost than equivalents, sometimes even in the same army. But when has that not been the case with GW games, this isn't about perfect balance their games never have been, it's about getting it as fair as previous editions were, and i feel it works fine.