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I'm back again, due to investing in my new Necron army I wasn't able to get the Slaves to Darkness army up and running but now that TOW has launched I'm wondering if I should try it instead of AOS. I liked TOW from playing TWW3 even though I never got into the OW before it came back. However, I get a lot of lore behind it due to historical undertones, some even more so than AOS. I'm trying to weigh my options between the two games to see which one would fit my tastes first.

Some things about what I'm looking for between Warhammer TOW and AOS:

1.I want an expansive universe where 'my dudes' can be their own little force, I love lore but I also love customization.

2.Looking for expansive lore.

3.I'm going to start smaller with hobby projects here or there in between models and armies.

4.Support, I'm not sure if the OW will get more support in AOS and if they're going to pull the plug eventually with AOS.

5.Model options, I love having options. Hence why I like Orks and Necrons.

6.Creatures, I'm into armies with a lot of monsters, cryptids, and overall weird things. Humans bore me.

7.In game atmosphere, I'm a huge fan of dark fantasy such as Mordheim: City of the Damned and Witcher 3. I love it spooky and filled with monsters.

8.Characters, but not really big centerpiece models but ones I can get here or there to fluff out my army.

9.Painting, I'm not the best painter but I love armies that it's easy to paint and get on the tabletop no mater my abysmal skill level.

I know there's plenty of overlap between the two, but I'm curious as of right now which fantasy system would be more suited for me?

Warhammer Fantasy (The Old World) has a lot of lore that you can dig into. Really, what makes you decide to go with TOW is:

You like the idea of massed battles. TOW is a ranks n flanks game, where units move & wheel like regiments, whereas AoS is more like a skirmish game. While I don't think TOW defines figure scale at all, they did back in 6e, & there is an implied figure scale (based on ground scale) of around 1/20. So that 100 figure army represents on the tabletop an army of around 2000 troops. Some differ on this, so YMMV.

Damon.

In terms of customisation, in many cases the relatively older kits in TOW actually benefit a bit due to multi-part plastics where as well as combinations with the different toro/body parts, can angle them differently so a two models made of identical parts can look quite different to each other. This isn't true of all kits but was common (I would say the norm for non starter-set plastics, 6th edition onwards). This is much more flexible than the modern way which has very fixed poses, and can lead to units looking odd with weird patterns of repetition.

For characters, in game customisation, characters get to pick from a pool of magic items and often have their own armour and mundane weapon choices, and mount choices (though the mount choice changes the character a lot, and obviously you need the model mount).

If you're after lots of unusual monsters or more monstrous units, there's quite a few options to go for.

 Daba wrote:
In terms of customisation, in many cases the relatively older kits in TOW actually benefit a bit due to multi-part plastics where as well as combinations with the different toro/body parts, can angle them differently so a two models made of identical parts can look quite different to each other.

To take this thought one step further, it also allows for more interchangeability between kits. For example, the High Elf Archers plastic kit is pretty terrible. But if you swap/use the extra heads from the Spearmen set, the models are 100% better. Still not great figures, but workable. This is what I did on my first go-around, & what I plan to do with my 2nd go-around with this army.

Damon.

AOS 4th edition is approaching. While my first game of Old World is scheduled, we have not played it yet.

AOS 4E is going to be less complex, and Spearhead will offer a way to play the game with just a starter box and board.

AOS is by no means a skirmish game at 2,000 points, it is units of troops (sometimes a lot of models) activating together in squad based style combat. But if you like the thought of Rank and File warfare, the look or the style, ToW is both mechanically and visually different than AOS. You can also customize units a lot more, make them more personal. I think my question is: what are people playing in your area, if you are keen on both or either one?

1.
This is equally possible/limited in both, you can make your dudes with colours and conversions but list building is around certain key models/units

2.
for now, TOW has not seen much in lore except that things are different from what was there before and no one knows if they expand it further with novels while AoS already has some novels and will get more

3.
AoS is going to see a new Edition that has a dedicated entry level game mode for small forces (though we don't know if this is useful to expand into a bigger army or not) while TOW kind of starts with 1000/1250 points

4.
AoS is there to stay, for TOW we don't know what is going to happen after all the old models are re-released and how much support there will be

5.
From GW, both equally limited

6.
available in both

7.
can be done with both

8.
Neither, though with AoS getting a new Edition it might be different but GW in general focus on those and for TOW it only would work if all players in a group agree on not using them

9.
can be done with any army, though with GW models you need to ignore the details most of the time for that

If I can make a suggestion, you should try to find PDF copies of all the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 4th ed. Army Books, and read the lore in them. It's a wonderful introduction to that world, back when GW had their game fluff written by people who were overqualified for the job. And the army lists will give you a feel for the different kinds of troops in the game.

Here's a webpage that lists the different 4th Army Books you'd want to look for: https://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Army_Books_4th_Edition