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 jonolikespie wrote:
It lookes like they are called (I can't read Norwegian or whatever it is, perhaps their called Vanguard?), Knights of Ruin.

If so, they will not replace the current knights. If they did replace the current knights they would have to change the battalion box too, with the half assed AoS support we have seen so far I can't imagine them doing that.

It's German

And all unit names are now in English in every language. So they are Varanguards, Knights of Ruin. Not Chaos Knights (could be rebranding, though).

Is 'Varanguard' supposed to mean something or...?

I like the models.

That price, though, is atrocious.

 jonolikespie wrote:
Is 'Varanguard' supposed to mean something or...?

It could have meaning. I haven't read the "Archaon" books, but he was a hero of the Empire originally.

I quite like them. But the price is too much.

 jonolikespie wrote:
Is 'Varanguard' supposed to mean something or...?

My first thought was some play on Varangian guard, vikings in byzantine service. But I've no real idea, maybe there is someone who is just called Varan and they are his guard.

They are the guardians of Varanspire, Archaon's base of operations.

Was "Varan" Archaon's pre-Archaon name?

 jonolikespie wrote:
Is 'Varanguard' supposed to mean something or...?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangian_Guard

It was Norse Vikings (Swedish, Danish, Norwegians) working as mercenary for the Byzantium (Greek and Turkey) Empire one thousand years ago.

At least it's not the Skull guard, guardians of Skull Keep atop Skull Mountain.

3 for $100 ?!?!?!?one!?!?

They couldn't squeeze a fourth one in to at least get a 4 horsemen theme going?

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
3 for $100 ?!?!?!?one!?!?

They couldn't squeeze a fourth one in to at least get a 4 horsemen theme going?

Now that would have been cool! Well three riders and a Empty saddle as one is lost or the 4th looking a bit raty

 Lithlandis Stormcrow wrote:
At least it's not the Skull guard, guardians of Skull Keep atop Skull Mountain.

Indeed. In context the name actually seems cool.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
3 for $100 ?!?!?!?one!?!?

They couldn't squeeze a fourth one in to at least get a 4 horsemen theme going?

Maybe the theme of AOS is that you need to forge your own narrative harder and not rely on decades to centuries to millenia of fluff and backstory and existing interest? Trashing all that unnecessary stuff along with the new value in an almost 100% price increase is what AOS is all about, baby!

Perhaps they hope for people to use them in the KoW Varangur list.

Would it be otiose to mention the price?

I've been in wargaming a long time and inside my head is a world where I can buy a whole DBA 15mm army for about £20.

In all fairness, you could probably fit that DBA army within one of the knights (minus the bases of course!). It's probably best to compare the $100 trio of knights to the $55 trio of bloodcrushers. If they are the same size, that is a doubling of price in 5 years.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Would it be otiose to mention the price?

I've been in wargaming a long time and inside my head is a world where I can buy a whole DBA 15mm army for about £20.

I remember when a HE battalion box would cost about 80€... with a Limited Edition Standard Bearer to boot.

Why the obsession with size? I'm sure you can get a chunk of plastic 10 times the weight and size of those knights for a pittance.

Surely what's important is the quality and quantity of the sculpts?

 Zywus wrote:
Why the obsession with size? I'm sure you can get a chunk of plastic 10 times the weight and size of those knights for a pittance.

Surely what's important is the quality and quantity of the sculpts?

Bigger miniatures = easier to (try to) justify the current insane pricing.

 Zywus wrote:
Why the obsession with size? I'm sure you can get a chunk of plastic 10 times the weight and size of those knights for a pittance.

Surely what's important is the quality and quantity of the sculpts?

You obviously can't ignore size when looking at value. Big beasties are always more expensive.

 Mymearan wrote:

 Zywus wrote:
Why the obsession with size? I'm sure you can get a chunk of plastic 10 times the weight and size of those knights for a pittance.

Surely what's important is the quality and quantity of the sculpts?

You obviously can't ignore size when looking at value. Big beasties are always more expensive.

Indeed - It's really just another marketing ploy to make you pay more cash for less actual models

Age of Sigmar is a fun game, but I just can't get behind the pricing or the new aesthetics.

It's true that bigger models can be more expensive to create due to more sprues needed and that we are (for some reason) prepared to pay more for bigger things.

Still, equaling a DBA army with one of these knights, as if the volume of plastic was of any concern to anyone is just silly. Ot's completely different products.

 Mymearan wrote:

 Zywus wrote:
Why the obsession with size? I'm sure you can get a chunk of plastic 10 times the weight and size of those knights for a pittance.

Surely what's important is the quality and quantity of the sculpts?

You obviously can't ignore size when looking at value. Big beasties are always more expensive.

Size doesn't matter, it's what you do with it.

This message brought to you by the Campaign to Retrieve the Dark Prince

...that said, I honestly kinda like the looks of these guys. They seem about what I'd expect a horrifically mutated servant of Chaos to look like. Something that would have been trapped waaaaay up in the Wastes in the Old World...no longer entirely mortal but not quite a daemon, not seen except in the most dire of incursions, the sort of thing Archaon would use for a bodyguard, no skull acne...looks like some definite effort went into the design.

The price, of course, is disgustingly hilarious. Or hilariously disgusting. I can't decide which.

I can't use bigger models in KoW, at least.. not without hurting myself in game.

I bought more GW stuff in the past 3 months for my Twilight Kin than I had all of 8th edition. If the new Aelf stuff is all supersized models and double price, I don't think I will be able to justify any purchases. But I'm not even sure if GW will be supporting the game in a year or two.

I hope Mantic can somehow buy GW's WHFB molds and sell them at sane prices.

 Zywus wrote:
It's true that bigger models can be more expensive to create due to more sprues needed and that we are (for some reason) prepared to pay more for bigger things.

Bigger models don't necessarily need more sprues - especially when they are boxed in such small numbers. I'd argue (out of the top of my head, because we don't have access to the sprues for the knights yet) that the amount of sprues/plastic used for those three knights won't be that much more than the amount used for say... a current SM tactical squad, or even HE Silver Helm box (horses included).

Now, if it's easier to bullgak customers into believing it's more expensive because they're a tiny bit bigger? Sure - look at the Stormcast.

Sprue count doesn't enter the equation for GW pricing, so that's not something we can really look at. It's usually size of model+amount you would need in an army, with a few exceptions. So Elites are almost always more expensive, as are big models. Lately they've been making all their Elite model way bigger, so that = gakfeth expensive kits.

Well the price isnt bad and like I said I want 10 so my problem is I need to buy four boxes and have two worthless extra.

Not inclined to do an Archaon faction so its easy to skip these... If they released Nurgle things then it would be more problematic.
Design is different of what I would expect so its a 50/50 for me, the price kills any potential impulse buy though.