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Howdy Howdy Mates
I Used to Play WHFB back in the day and I have been out the hobby for nearly 10 years and When I started the hobby back up I noticed that it had changed to AoS.
I played as empire but now empire is no more, I'm kinda lost in the AoS world!
Gotta admit that I have no idea on what race to pick up and start or where to even start in AoS.
Any help is much appreciated and thanks for the help in advance!

Do you still have your Empire army? If so, there are warscrolls for most of the units if you look under the Free Peoples.

Welcome to Age of Sigmar. You can still play your Empire. There are rules for them and you can download them for free on GW website. Just go to their minis and download the rules, or download the AoS app on apple iPad/phone or Android device.

If you don't want to go empire route what to take? Hard to say. What kind of player are you? Are you a shoot or assautly player? Hordes or elite few? Magic heavy light, none? Combination of all of them?

I would say go for what you like/love the minis of. Then read the fluff. Check out this link, someone on Dakka made this and curse him I started a new army because of him.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/710601.page

So read what he did, you should get a real handle on the fluff of Age of Sigmar.

Don't forget the rules and stats/warscrolls are free. There are some paid features on the AoS app for formations, but all stats are free. So you can still use your empire to start playing and you can learn the rules and make another army as well.

Hope this helps.

Prolly first thing to ask is, did you like fantasy?

Old fantasy and aos are completely different in playstyle and rules and cant be compared.

If you like your old fantasy then there is some fanmade rules for 9th edition somewhere here on the forum. last official rulebook was 8th edition.
If you want to try aos then all you need to begin is here: https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NO/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar-Rules

however a strong warning!
Standard aos is a mess and very unfair + casual.
If you find that you like aos after trying a few standard games whit the free rules, you realy need the generals handbook that contains a point system whit unit limitations.

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
however a strong warning!
Standard aos is a mess and very unfair + casual.
If you find that you like aos after trying a few standard games whit the free rules, you realy need the generals handbook that contains a point system whit unit limitations.

Unfair? Not sure what this is suppose to mean. Fantasy was unfair. 40K is unfair. From playing and 3 games and from reading lots of comments Age of Sigmar seems a lot more fair than the previous mentioned games. It's not perfect but so much better balanced than Fantasy.

Please explain unfair because I don't see it.

 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:
Do you still have your Empire army? If so, there are warscrolls for most of the units if you look under the Free Peoples.

Sadly not :( I gave all my old warhammer stuff away when I gave up the hobby years ago.
I'm aware that they are under as free people but had no idea that they still had any in game value.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Davor wrote:
Welcome to Age of Sigmar. You can still play your Empire. There are rules for them and you can download them for free on GW website. Just go to their minis and download the rules, or download the AoS app on apple iPad/phone or Android device.

If you don't want to go empire route what to take? Hard to say. What kind of player are you? Are you a shoot or assautly player? Hordes or elite few? Magic heavy light, none? Combination of all of them?

I would say go for what you like/love the minis of. Then read the fluff. Check out this link, someone on Dakka made this and curse him I started a new army because of him.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/710601.page

So read what he did, you should get a real handle on the fluff of Age of Sigmar.

Don't forget the rules and stats/warscrolls are free. There are some paid features on the AoS app for formations, but all stats are free. So you can still use your empire to start playing and you can learn the rules and make another army as well.

Hope this helps.

Sadly I don't have my empire anymore :(
It was kind of a mixture of them all to be fair but more focused on shooting and close combat!
Thanks for the thread link, I'll give it a wee look after I post this
I plan on getting started AoS but have no idea on which race is the route to take :(
Cheers again for the help!



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
Prolly first thing to ask is, did you like fantasy?

Old fantasy and aos are completely different in playstyle and rules and cant be compared.

If you like your old fantasy then there is some fanmade rules for 9th edition somewhere here on the forum. last official rulebook was 8th edition.
If you want to try aos then all you need to begin is here: https://www.games-workshop.com/en-NO/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar-Rules

however a strong warning!
Standard aos is a mess and very unfair + casual.
If you find that you like aos after trying a few standard games whit the free rules, you realy need the generals handbook that contains a point system whit unit limitations.

Yes I was quite fond of the old WHFB back in the day XD
Would like to get started on the official rule set, as down the line I would like to play in Tournys
In which way is it unfair and a mess compared to old WHFB?
Cheers again for the help ><

Just note that AoS is nothing like WHFB, and plays more like a streamlined 40K game. Bit dont let the simple ruleset fool you into thinking there is no strategy here. Its just very different.

Rheumatoid wrote:

I played as empire but now empire is no more, I'm kinda lost in the AoS world!
Gotta admit that I have no idea on what race to pick up and start or where to even start in AoS.
Any help is much appreciated and thanks for the help in advance!

Why AoS, in particular?

Sorry I can't help you in play style, still learning myself. So what I did was I went by the minis I love first, then read the fluff. I never cared for Ironguts I think they were called but once I saw the Icewind Assault, I knew that Beastclaw Riders were for me.

I am also doing a Tzeentch army as well. Not because of the fluff but just love the minis.

So what army appeals to you mini look wise?

Rheumatoid wrote:
Howdy Howdy Mates
I Used to Play WHFB back in the day and I have been out the hobby for nearly 10 years and When I started the hobby back up I noticed that it had changed to AoS.
I played as empire but now empire is no more, I'm kinda lost in the AoS world!
Gotta admit that I have no idea on what race to pick up and start or where to even start in AoS.
Any help is much appreciated and thanks for the help in advance!

The people who have claimed things get unfair are talking about 'Open play' which is one of the 3 modes of play available in Age of Sigmar. Since you played warhammer fantasy you probably don't want to start with open play (it's also the least commonly used mode so finding opponents can be difficult)

What you want is Matched play, which uses points in a similar way to what you're used to and is arguably the best balanced system GW has come out with since 5th ed 40k or 6-7th fantasy. For this I strongly recommend picking up a copy of the general's handbook for between 10-25$ depending on digital or not.

After you've flipped through the rules I'd look at the available model ranges on the app and pick w/e looks the coolest and start there. Pretty much everything in the game is usable, if not totally efficient and the game works pretty well from about 700pts on which is where pretty much all the start collecring boxes are.

to thouse asking why standard Aos is unfair.
AoS can be played in 3 ways: open play(standard), narrative and matched play as described in the generals handbook.

open play is the basic game, narrative introduses storytelling/campains to open play and then there is matched play whit point system and limitations.

open play rules has 0 limitations. if you want to field 10 steamtanks you can do that, if you want to field 15 nagash you do that, if you wanted to bring 20 hydras you do that.
there was no limits to the amount of models in a infantry unit(to my knowlage, i never played aos untill GHB) and there was no limitations to how many copys of single model units to bring.

open rules was ment only as a temp stopgap between fantasy and aos so old fantasy players did not need to buy new models to play aos.
problem was that whit 0 limitations it all begame just about bringing the moust overpowered units/models to the game, and it quickly became unplayable whitout inhouse regulations.
narrative play is the same, no limitations BUT narrative can be mixed whit matched play!

matched has limitations on both infantry unit max and min size and how many single model units to bring, plus a points value system. so if you want to play narrative or multiplayer games you need to have matched rules as the basis.

as sutch matched play rules is the only viable way to play AoS that is not unfair. some armies are currently cheesy, but we are getting a new generals handbook sometime this year.

 Vermis wrote:

Rheumatoid wrote:

I played as empire but now empire is no more, I'm kinda lost in the AoS world!
Gotta admit that I have no idea on what race to pick up and start or where to even start in AoS.
Any help is much appreciated and thanks for the help in advance!

Why AoS, in particular?

He wants to try it? Seriously, playing a game is not selecting your career, just do it if you like it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
to thouse asking why standard Aos is unfair.
AoS can be played in 3 ways: open play(standard), narrative and matched play as described in the generals handbook.

open play is the basic game, narrative introduses storytelling/campains to open play and then there is matched play whit point system and limitations.

open play rules has 0 limitations. if you want to field 10 steamtanks you can do that, if you want to field 15 nagash you do that, if you wanted to bring 20 hydras you do that.
there was no limits to the amount of models in a infantry unit(to my knowlage, i never played aos untill GHB) and there was no limitations to how many copys of single model units to bring.

open rules was ment only as a temp stopgap between fantasy and aos so old fantasy players did not need to buy new models to play aos.
problem was that whit 0 limitations it all begame just about bringing the moust overpowered units/models to the game, and it quickly became unplayable whitout inhouse regulations.
narrative play is the same, no limitations BUT narrative can be mixed whit matched play!

matched has limitations on both infantry unit max and min size and how many single model units to bring, plus a points value system. so if you want to play narrative or multiplayer games you need to have matched rules as the basis.

as sutch matched play rules is the only viable way to play AoS that is not unfair. some armies are currently cheesy, but we are getting a new generals handbook sometime this year.

There's so much wrong in these paragraphs that I don't know where to begin. The strawman is too big to tackle.

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
to thouse asking why standard Aos is unfair.
AoS can be played in 3 ways: open play(standard), narrative and matched play as described in the generals handbook.

open play is the basic game, narrative introduses storytelling/campains to open play and then there is matched play whit point system and limitations.

open play rules has 0 limitations. if you want to field 10 steamtanks you can do that, if you want to field 15 nagash you do that, if you wanted to bring 20 hydras you do that.
there was no limits to the amount of models in a infantry unit(to my knowlage, i never played aos untill GHB) and there was no limitations to how many copys of single model units to bring.

open rules was ment only as a temp stopgap between fantasy and aos so old fantasy players did not need to buy new models to play aos.
problem was that whit 0 limitations it all begame just about bringing the moust overpowered units/models to the game, and it quickly became unplayable whitout inhouse regulations.
narrative play is the same, no limitations BUT narrative can be mixed whit matched play!

matched has limitations on both infantry unit max and min size and how many single model units to bring, plus a points value system. so if you want to play narrative or multiplayer games you need to have matched rules as the basis.

as sutch matched play rules is the only viable way to play AoS that is not unfair. some armies are currently cheesy, but we are getting a new generals handbook sometime this year.

Has that happened though? I haven't herd anyone fielding 10 Nageshs. I never herd anyone field 20 Hydras. Also let's talk about 40K. It has points. It has structure. Lets talk about Fantasy. It had points. It had structure. Those two game systems are really unfair depending on what army you choose. So I am not so sure what your point is. Just because something doesn't have points or structure doesn't mean it's bad. If someone is going to be a donkey cave with no points or structure they are going to be a donkey cave with points and structure.

So people are still going to play that donkey cave even with the General's Handbook. Unless you are one of those people who say "because it's in the rule book it's legal and I paid my points for it so it's ok" type of people there is nothing wrong in playing a game with no points or point structure. I have played Age of Sigmar with no points or structure and I find it funny me and my opponents had fun and if something got lopsided we would adjust it while we play to keep having fun. I don't know, funny how two adults who talk can have fun. It's not like we are in a sports competition to see who the better athlete is.

"as such matched play rules is the only viable way to play AOS that is not unfair"

Strongly disagree.

Matched play is a far cry from being "fair". It provides structure. The GHB Points provide structure. They are not very good at providing "fair" or "balance". There are still builds that are head and shoulders above others in terms of mathematical power. Competitive powergamers will gravitate towards those because it makes winning easier.

Matched play is no more balanced than narrative play. Matched play has more structure since narrative play structure is based on the campaign or on what the players want to bring, but more structure is not the same as balance or fair.

Lord Kragan wrote:

He wants to try it? Seriously, playing a game is not selecting your career, just do it if you like it.

Does he like it? I don't remember it from the OP. Or has he dropped into a GW shop for the first time in years, and is considering playing AoS 'because it's there'? Is he aware of other games and possibilities that've popped up since (or have always been there) that he might 'like' more? That's what I want to find out.

And it's not like selecting a career (thanks for the hyperbole) but with the outlay needed to buy a couple of hundred minis for a competitive force, it's no flippant decision either.

 Vermis wrote:

Lord Kragan wrote:

He wants to try it? Seriously, playing a game is not selecting your career, just do it if you like it.

Does he like it? I don't remember it from the OP. Or has he dropped into a GW shop for the first time in years, and is considering playing AoS 'because it's there'? Is he aware of other games and possibilities that've popped up since (or have always been there) that he might 'like' more? That's what I want to find out.

And it's not like selecting a career (thanks for the hyperbole) but with the outlay needed to buy a couple of hundred minis for a competitive force, it's no flippant decision either.

True, though you shouldn't gun inmediately for a competiitve force if you ask me. You know, the adage of one headquarter (leader) and two troops (battellines) like a start collecting. Then again, I went for poor wording on my previous statement: if you like to try and get a bit into it would have been a better term.

Since you liked how WHB worked, I will add a link to The Ninth Age. It plays similar enough to WFB (Rank and File instead of skirmish for example), has an equivalent to all factions and IME plays smoother and is more fair for both players, independent on faction. Since it is a living system, unbalances and problems in the rules are fixed pretty fast. And all the material is free .

Here is the link: http://www.the-ninth-age.com/index.php?simple-page/

You can look on the map for a gaming group or someone to give you a demo.

Thanks for the input Ya'll!
Think that the best option for me is to go into my local GW and get a demo and see whats what.
So much information to try and process, so many pros and cons.
PS What are the best races ?

Rheumatoid wrote:
Thanks for the input Ya'll!
Think that the best option for me is to go into my local GW and get a demo and see whats what.
So much information to try and process, so many pros and cons.
PS What are the best races ?

All are great.

Crazy wee Spaniard
I'm thinking dwarfs, wood elves or maybe chaos ?

Rheumatoid wrote:
Crazy wee Spaniard
I'm thinking dwarfs, wood elves or maybe chaos ?

I only charge at windmills on thursdays.

Ehm... It's hard to tell. Mainly because, apparently, we are getting dwarves mid-march so I cannot make my mind. But as it is NOW, tzeentch flavoured chaos is the most awesome of the three (though it would change this very same month).

Ohh the choices
Now you have made it more difficult for me to choose!
I May buy some of each and see where it takes me, Nothing wrong with having more than one army in my head ><
Viva la Espana!
Te amo mi amigo
Olvidé todo mi español de la escuela :(

Rheumatoid wrote:
Ohh the choices
Now you have made it more difficult for me to choose!
I May buy some of each and see where it takes me, Nothing wrong with having more than one army in my head ><
Viva la Espana!
Te amo mi amigo
Olvidé todo mi español de la escuela :(

Exactly... or you could do a bit of mix and match. Gladeguard from wanderers are generic battleline (that is, they are always considered a "troop") so you could build an aelf army but make additions with the newer stunties.