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I play a lot of table games, 40k being one of them. I like modeling and painting them. So I took a look at the new "Start Collecting" boxes and the AoS Slaves to Darkness kit looked pretty cool. So i have a few questions I would love to be answered:

1. Is the box good price wise?
2. Are the units good?
3. What are the pros and cons of AoS versus a game like 40k?
4. Do they come with round bases and/or square bases and which should I use?
5. What else should I be asking and what would the answers be?

A big THANK YOU in advance!

1. Yes.
2. Yes?
3. The same as the pros and cons of apples versus oranges.
4. AoS uses round bases. WHFB used square bases. The box might include square and round bases, but GW is pretty much all round bases now.
5. I don't know?

Longer answers to 2 + 3 is that AoS is a lighter game that isn't as competitive. There's no point system, so how "good" a unit is depends largely with how you and your opponent decide to set up the game. Because AoS has many different scenarios, even a unit's relative combat potential doesn't represent the totality of its quality. Probably the most important quality of a unit in AoS is whether or not you like it. There are several comp systems available if you want points.

Basically, AoS is what you make it, and if you are creative and adventurous, you can set up many different types of games to experience. If you are competitive and only like to play one specific type of tournament pitched battled, AoS is probably not for you. All the major rules you need to play, including unit rules and core rules (all 4 pages of it), are free on GW's website. There are scenarios, formations, and optional rules specific to the expensive books, but they are the definition of optional. So the advantages AoS has over 40k is the FREE, SHORT rules and the freedom to play whatever you like, however you like. The disadvantages of AoS is that it isn't competitive at all, it isn't a very complicated or detail heavy game, it isn't very popular at the moment, and there's a few posters on Dakka that are rather unpleasant towards AoS supporters.

1) In terms of % off they're all good deals - especially if you order from an independant retailer for further discount.

2) Haven't read the warscrolls for them myself. They are free and available. Should come with a formation rule too (in the box).

3) More relaxed, quicker games, scenario focused vs units don't have point values (in summary)

4) Round.

5) If playing, you need right (i.e. same) minded people.

I don't think you can go wrong with that set. It's great value and looks to be a very fun force with all the variety in there. You get a wizard, some core infantry, 5 cavalry and a bigger chariot. For me the fun in AoS comes from having a diverse force where each unit feels unique - you've certainly got that here. Plus that £50 box is all you'll need as all the rules are free.

If you enjoy the game, you'll no doubt be looking to expand on the set. The obvious choices are some sort of Lord and perhaps a bigger monster too.

The only thing to consider if you are collecting Chaos, is the starter set is only £25 more and you get two whole armies with that rather than just one

 Bottle wrote:

The only thing to consider if you are collecting Chaos, is the starter set is only £25 more and you get two whole armies with that rather than just one

Well, the Bloodbound is one, specific faction of Chaos, while the Warriors of Chaos cooperate with any of the Chaos factions by choosing their own faction keyword. So, if you aren't going Khorne, or haven't decided on a faction, the WoC are a more general purpose Chaos army. However, they do seem to be in the process of being phased out as more faction-specific models (like Blood Warriors/Blight Kings) are introduced, so when they get around to Tzeentch or Slaanesh (who knows when), the WoC may fade away - their battlescrolls haven't been in any of the BattleTomes yet, and I can't help but think that's intentional.

Personally, I'm planning on picking up the WoC collection. It's a pretty good deal and I like the models - but I think they are going to be superseded eventually.

 Bottle wrote:
I don't think you can go wrong with that set. It's great value and looks to be a very fun force with all the variety in there. You get a wizard, some core infantry, 5 cavalry and a bigger chariot. For me the fun in AoS comes from having a diverse force where each unit feels unique - you've certainly got that here. Plus that £50 box is all you'll need as all the rules are free.

If you enjoy the game, you'll no doubt be looking to expand on the set. The obvious choices are some sort of Lord and perhaps a bigger monster too.

The only thing to consider if you are collecting Chaos, is the starter set is only £25 more and you get two whole armies with that rather than just one

Heck, you can get the starter for $70 on eBay/Amazon!

Well, I think its a good deal. If you want to start AoS, then it should be considered. With two starter sets you already have a playable army at the 1500 pt level (according to the SDK pt system).

 WonderAliceLand wrote:
I play a lot of table games, 40k being one of them. I like modeling and painting them. So I took a look at the new "Start Collecting" boxes and the AoS Slaves to Darkness kit looked pretty cool. So i have a few questions I would love to be answered:

1. Is the box good price wise?
2. Are the units good?
3. What are the pros and cons of AoS versus a game like 40k?
4. Do they come with round bases and/or square bases and which should I use?
5. What else should I be asking and what would the answers be?

Welcome on board. Like you, I am a big 40k player, and while I had a fantasy army, I effectively treated AoS as a brand new game and started from scratch.

1. Yes - all the starter sets are very good on price. Some, like the Seraphon are amazing (buy a Carnosaur, get two units free), but all are good.

2. They are good, solid units, and whether you stick with them or expand outwards, will make for a good, core force.

3. This, I suspect, will be the big one AoS tends to need a completely different approach to 40k because there are no points involved (there are various fan-made points systems which many people champion, but I will leave those aside for now). Army list building is not involved at all, and you really can take whatever you like. Think of it being scenario-driven rather than army list- or points-driven.

This is a very, very different approach and 90% of any hate towards AoS you see online stems from this. It is not for everyone.

However, if you are in the right frame of mind (and your opponent is, very important), then it is unbelievably liberating. You really are free to do what you want with your forces, and you no longer need to stick to rigid army list guidelines - the whole idea of needing 1 HQ and 2 Troops before you begin thinking about your army is gone. And you can mix and match forces to build the army you want instead of staying within one Codex.

Coming from 40k, it may seem very strange at first, but I would urge anyone to at least give it a try. Avoid taking forces that are massively over-powered compared to that of your opponent (though those games can certainly work, just leave them until you have played a few times) and always use Battleplans rather than Pitched Battles/Dawn Attack equivalents, and you might just find yourself wondering why 40k does not go down the same route

I'll put it another way. If the game is your thing and army list trimming is your thing, AoS may not be for you. If you are more interested in cool looking models and getting into the actual background/storylines, there is a lot to recommend in AoS. And you have a bunch of chaps on this forum who will always be happy to point you towards what works for them!

4. As others have said, bases really don't matter in AoS the way they do in 40k. But in the starter sets, they will be round.

5. Heh Have a read through my answer to Number 3, and see what occurs to you. This will be the biggest hurdle, the whole new (well, to GW games, anyway) approach to gaming. If you (or your opponents) just go for all the big, nasty, vicious models because they can (think Nagash, the Glottkin and Archaon), your time with AoS will be seriously limited and it will not be fun. If you can find it within yourselves to limit such models to special occasions and think about your opponent's fun as much as your own. then AoS is a seriously cool game.

Come back and let us know how you get on!

Another thing about this particular box is that, since Chaos models tend to have better stats then other units, you don't actually need to buy anything else. This one box is a decent force all on it's own. If you pick up this and a single character you'll be able to play loads of games to get a feel for it with fairly minimal investment of about $100. Each box gives 3-5 Warscrolls and 35-45 wounds so they're decent starter armies and roughly on par with the forces in the starter set (if you add another character) which I think makes them better than the 40k boxes.

Here is an easy one.

Age of Sigmar is UNBOUND. 40K can be Unbound if you like it.

Also there is no points. So no point limits. You can field 2000 points and your opponent can field 100 points. Then you play. Actually that is how 40K is being played now anyways

The Slaves of the Darkness box is more than 792 pts according to the SDK warscrolls. Seems to be a good deal for games at the 1500 pt level.