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I haven't seen this mentioned at least in this sub-forum so far, but there was a relatively stealthy removal of Gitmob grots in their entirety (with even the plastic grot shaman model being changed to being considered a generic Moonclan wizard) from the GW webstore. I can see why they did it, given that the current AoS direction is avoiding armies with a generic feeling (or at least consolidating them into a single battle tome). Gitmob grots certainly lacked a cohesive identity, outside of being the center for warmachines for destruction, and the main battleline units of grots and wolf riders have certainly not aged well or match with the aesthetic of moonclan units. Will this mean that they will be omitted for points updates for the next General's Handbook? Personally, I'm holding out that they'll return in the form of the Sky Pirates mentioned in the KO battletome, which would match with Doom Divers. Alternatively, they could be combined with Greenskins in a battletome ala Legions of Nagash/Beasts of Chaos. Unfortunately, I find the latter to be more unlikely, given that Greenskinz also seem to be on the squatting line, which would suck given how much utility a WAAAAGH! Banner Warboss on Boar is for Ironjawz and Bonesplitterz.

What do you guys think? Who else is on the chopping block?

Don't forget some of what has come back in new sculpts is just old stuff reimagined. So sometimes its not so much gone its just going away for a while.

As for what could get the chop - anything really. GW are tight lipped about the future of AoS facitons that don't yet have a Battletome so we've really no idea.

Them featuring in the lore is no protection at all - Araby and Amazons appeared in the Lore as did Cathay and a few others and they never had an army in the whole history of Warhammer Fantasy - though Araby did get a Warmaster Army but never a 35mm one.

I would say those armies that have a profile in the General's Handbook are fairly safe (note I said armies not models) as an army, though a few models might be at risk.

Anything finecast is likely up for the chop; or which doesn't share half a duel kit with another "protected" faction (ergo one iwth a Battletome).

One thing I would expect to see is some alterations to many of the old Wanderer, Free People, and Dispossessed model lines. Basically they will be changed and altered to be very iconically Warhammer and less traditional in their design schemes.

The Wanderers and Dispossessed look too classic in their fantasy themes, so we can expect them to be altered to represent their new titles and still be identifiable and separable from Tolkien/D&D.

The Free Peoples will probably lose the more Renaissance look to them, and possibly double down on human skulls in the motifs, that sort of thing.

We may even see that their new titles may be dropped along with the old models, but your old models will still find representation in whatever new representative name that they give. For example, Dispossessed may be changed to the Deep Dwellers, and everything take on heavy mining aspects with iconography for whatever new elders/gods they apply to the fiction as they reveal encampments of these tribes in the Realms.

I'm not sure about Dwarves and their longevity all I know is that I am pulling the trigger on the large skirmish warband I had been pondering for years now, before they can be (rather ironically) squatted.

I'll only be playing skirmish, a box of Ironbreakers/Irondrakes, a box of Hammerers/Longbeards, and a Runelord and Cogsmith ought to set me for awhile. Debating a Gyrocopter, but that reallly is only because it might disappear, rather than whether it might 'fit' the feel of skirmish games.

Grabbing the plastic Grot shaman, too, while it lasts, even as a lackey for a Greenskinz warband.

 Grimskul wrote:
I haven't seen this mentioned at least in this sub-forum so far, but there was a relatively stealthy removal of Gitmob grots in their entirety (with even the plastic grot shaman model being changed to being considered a generic Moonclan wizard) from the GW webstore. I can see why they did it, given that the current AoS direction is avoiding armies with a generic feeling (or at least consolidating them into a single battle tome). Gitmob grots certainly lacked a cohesive identity, outside of being the center for warmachines for destruction, and the main battleline units of grots and wolf riders have certainly not aged well or match with the aesthetic of moonclan units. Will this mean that they will be omitted for points updates for the next General's Handbook? Personally, I'm holding out that they'll return in the form of the Sky Pirates mentioned in the KO battletome, which would match with Doom Divers. Alternatively, they could be combined with Greenskins in a battletome ala Legions of Nagash/Beasts of Chaos. Unfortunately, I find the latter to be more unlikely, given that Greenskinz also seem to be on the squatting line, which would suck given how much utility a WAAAAGH! Banner Warboss on Boar is for Ironjawz and Bonesplitterz.

What do you guys think? Who else is on the chopping block?

I was pretty amazed recently when I visited the Sigmar web store (for the first time in about 8 months) only to find that the factions have been considerably trimmed down.

I think this is a good thing, there used to be tons of factions, many that literally had one model in it. It would be very confusing for me to peruse the site sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if Aleves get replaced this year or the next.

 Togusa wrote:

 Grimskul wrote:
I haven't seen this mentioned at least in this sub-forum so far, but there was a relatively stealthy removal of Gitmob grots in their entirety (with even the plastic grot shaman model being changed to being considered a generic Moonclan wizard) from the GW webstore. I can see why they did it, given that the current AoS direction is avoiding armies with a generic feeling (or at least consolidating them into a single battle tome). Gitmob grots certainly lacked a cohesive identity, outside of being the center for warmachines for destruction, and the main battleline units of grots and wolf riders have certainly not aged well or match with the aesthetic of moonclan units. Will this mean that they will be omitted for points updates for the next General's Handbook? Personally, I'm holding out that they'll return in the form of the Sky Pirates mentioned in the KO battletome, which would match with Doom Divers. Alternatively, they could be combined with Greenskins in a battletome ala Legions of Nagash/Beasts of Chaos. Unfortunately, I find the latter to be more unlikely, given that Greenskinz also seem to be on the squatting line, which would suck given how much utility a WAAAAGH! Banner Warboss on Boar is for Ironjawz and Bonesplitterz.

What do you guys think? Who else is on the chopping block?

I was pretty amazed recently when I visited the Sigmar web store (for the first time in about 8 months) only to find that the factions have been considerably trimmed down.

I think this is a good thing, there used to be tons of factions, many that literally had one model in it. It would be very confusing for me to peruse the site sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if Aleves get replaced this year or the next.

Yeah, it's weird not having to click on like 3 different tiny check boxes just to get to one model you wanted to peruse (sure there's the search bar, but that's cheating!). I'm kind of up for this consolidation since the weird fragmentation that GW originally did on launch was clearly to semi-appease older WFB players that they could still use their models in some capacity, but by now AoS has found its thematic/high fantasy drive and a lot of the older range either don't match it or hold back the current progression of army development. Aelves I think are top priority IMO, in terms of being consolidated, its mainly a question of how much and which ones. There's still the Hyish and Ulgu realm esque elves that will definitely be their own thing, I'm not sure if any of the other more normal Dark/High/Wood Elves really can be incorporated into them. More likely than not, I can see them basically reforming the Dark Elf, High Elf and Wood Elves back into their own armies, just with copyrighted names.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I'm not sure about Dwarves and their longevity all I know is that I am pulling the trigger on the large skirmish warband I had been pondering for years now, before they can be (rather ironically) squatted.

I'll only be playing skirmish, a box of Ironbreakers/Irondrakes, a box of Hammerers/Longbeards, and a Runelord and Cogsmith ought to set me for awhile. Debating a Gyrocopter, but that reallly is only because it might disappear, rather than whether it might 'fit' the feel of skirmish games.

Grabbing the plastic Grot shaman, too, while it lasts, even as a lackey for a Greenskinz warband.

I think Dwarves/Dispossessed are fairly safe IMO, given that they have their own set of army and command traits in GH2. Only their basic warriors/thunderers/quarrellers don't quite match the AoS aesthetic, so they might a slight reboot (or not judging that they didn't touch basic night gobbos) and instead just focus on giving normal dwarves ancestor war statues/golems.

Don’t rule out rebasing reboxing.

Stuff comes and goes in that range. Doesn’t mean it’s gone forever

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Don’t rule out rebasing reboxing.

Stuff comes and goes in that range. Doesn’t mean it’s gone forever

That's true as well. Though in the case of older metal/finecast models, I don't believe it applies sadly.

Grimskul wrote:I think Dwarves/Dispossessed are fairly safe IMO, given that they have their own set of army and command traits in GH2. Only their basic warriors/thunderers/quarrellers don't quite match the AoS aesthetic, so they might a slight reboot (or not judging that they didn't touch basic night gobbos) and instead just focus on giving normal dwarves ancestor war statues/golems.

Yeah, if they were going to totally get rid of the classic Dwarfs all together, it would have been done at the same time as the Bretonnians and Tomb Kings, so they are safe. At most, they'll be rebranded like the night gobbos with the latest Tome.

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Don’t rule out rebasing reboxing.

Good thing the bases are separate in the packaging department, so it streamlines that aspect considerably. Same with the boxes, really. It's only changing what you put in to the line itself. The bases are there now, since they've been building them by the truck-load from 40K days. The boxes are a little harder, as a graphic designer will be employed to recreate the box's print, and there's no point in creating a new box print if you're going to be replacing the sprues with the update.

Honestly, I think that's what has been holding back the High/Dark/Wood Elves, classic Dwari, and the old Empire lines from getting their Tomes. They haven't decided what in those lines will be replaced and updated to match the current lore and also be Sigmarized as well (or it has been decided in some cases and their implementation timing hasn't reached us, yet).

Consider this, if you change Empire from puff and slash, that affects a LOT of model sprues, but if you keep it up, it stays in a Renaissance theme which people will grab from other historical games to put in their place. The Wood Elf and classic Dwarf lines are very Tolkienesque in their current iteration, and some were quite new when Age of Sigmar was launched, so where do you go to make them Sigmarized, but without causing older players to rage quit?

I find it hard to believe that the models were simply discontinued without a "Last Chance to Buy" period. Those last-minute rush sales are basically free money for GW.

 EnTyme wrote:
I find it hard to believe that the models were simply discontinued without a "Last Chance to Buy" period. Those last-minute rush sales are basically free money for GW.

From the Warhammer TV Facebook page:

Warhammer TV wrote:Generally, when miniatures are removed from the range we try to put them in Last Chance to Buy, but we aren't always able to do this. With this in mind, we will pass this feedback on up the chain.

No explanation as to why they're not always able to put them up in the 'Last Chance to Buy' category. Maybe the stock has already been depleted before the decision is made to remove the miniatures from the range?

Noticed last night that there is a Orcs & Goblins warscroll compendium on Warhammer Legends.

That kind of threw a red flag to me that Greenskinz are going away. I asked this in my Facebook group and was told to stop fear monger.

Though I like that O&G now has a Legends compendium, it's a bummer that they can only be used in open play and narrative play.

I don't play much AoS so I don't know if those two modes of play are great or so-so.

 Ghaz wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:
I find it hard to believe that the models were simply discontinued without a "Last Chance to Buy" period. Those last-minute rush sales are basically free money for GW.

From the Warhammer TV Facebook page:

Warhammer TV wrote:Generally, when miniatures are removed from the range we try to put them in Last Chance to Buy, but we aren't always able to do this. With this in mind, we will pass this feedback on up the chain.

No explanation as to why they're not always able to put them up in the 'Last Chance to Buy' category. Maybe the stock has already been depleted before the decision is made to remove the miniatures from the range?

A lot of the old Ork models were old and things like boar riders had been repeated in the other two ork armies with more modern sculpts. Plus we know that GW is under production pressure so chances are they are not building nor holding much stock that isn't required. OF course mould condition also comes into it; we've no idea what condition they were in they imght have had a few castings in them but not enough to do a mass "last chance" production run

The Orc Boar Boys were a relatively new kit (newer than the Night Goblins I believe). I would have loved a faction that matched those models.

I don't play much AoS so I don't know if those two modes of play are great or so-so.

If you're a tournament player then you likely wouldn't like narrative play.

If you are playing for fun, most narrative games I have ever seen are simply matched play points only with the narrative scenarios so things are not "standard".

I'd hope, at the very least, that they potentially revisit them in some way, even if they were to retire their existing kits now. I don't know if this was mentioned before somewhere, but there is a fair bit of fluff on the actual Gitmob Grots themselves in the Gloomspite Gitz book, at least being the effective primogenitors/baseline of most Gobbos before they split off into their own sub-tribes. So at least being mentioned at all might give them and Grotbag Scuttlers a chance of being given new models.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Ghaz wrote:
The Orc Boar Boys were a relatively new kit (newer than the Night Goblins I believe). I would have loved a faction that matched those models.

Absolutely, they were the highlight of the last release for Orcs n Gobbos to me back in 8th ed besides the Arachnarok. Sadly, rules-wise they don't add much compared to other Destruction calvary units (the Boingrotz Bounderz are better than them in basically every way except consistent movement) and I feel like the lack of a proper battle trait/command trait/relics means they're relegated to mainly narrative games anyhow.

Orcs and Goblins are my biggest WFB army, I have enough to basically run a Common Orc and Goblin army and a separate Night Goblin army. All the same, I went and picked up a Start Collecting Greenskinz (urgh, these names. I mean honestly, is Squig Hopper not protectable enough for them?) to complete my army with another Boar Chariot, a Battle Standard Bearer and fill out my plastic Boar Boyz to 10 models. Now I can run the regiment of 15 I always wanted since I saw some of the huge armies back in the day.

It is a shame that it has happened. Common Orcs and Goblins were a real mainstay of Warhammer, and now they apparently going to vanish. I guess the aesthetic lives on in a way with the Ironjawz, but I find those models pretty hideous.

Luckily, GW's aesthetic had enough of an impact on the industry that there are plenty of options in the same style out there, from Shieldwolf to Mantic to Avatars of War.

Plus there's always Ebay. Hell, it's still cheap to get the old monopose dual choppa and Arrer boyz from one of the old WHFB starter sets. Frankly, its really the only way to get boyz with bows, anyway.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Plus there's always Ebay. Hell, it's still cheap to get the old monopose dual choppa and Arrer boyz from one of the old WHFB starter sets. Frankly, its really the only way to get boyz with bows, anyway.

Ebay is always hit and miss. Currently a lot of the metal Skaven models sell for more on ebay than they do on the GW store brand new and by quite a large margin.

I am super glad I have a bunch of those old plastic Arrer boys.

My Orc army is my most "complete" project, so I should be more at peace with this. And I can see that GW want to move on.

Sometimes that's good - the new trolls are friggin' lovely, and they will be something I pick up in the future. I don't need more trolls, but feck it. I also like the new squig hoppers.

But it is sad when they discard an old aesthetic that I like for something I really do not like, and that is pretty much what happened with Ironjawz.

If you ask me who’s next to be culled, I’d say that all the older elf models (especially the finecast ones) are most likely. That’s not to say that the armies themselves will go, as both the Wanderers and the Darkling Covens have GHB abilities, but they are little bit too Tolkien for the current game. Having said this, I do hope that as many minis as possible can be ‘saved’ and divided out among the new ‘light’ and ‘dark’ elves.

I’m also looking at the dispossessed range. While the newer plastics (the ironbreakers, the long beards etc.) are some of the nicest minis GW have ever made (and thus are probably safe), the warrior and marksmen kits are showing their age a bit. And again, they’re a bit too Tolkien like too. Not to mention the weird number they come in (16). They might be replaced...they might also be reboxed with an extra sprue to make up the numbers when the dispossessed get a book (and I really think that they will).

Here’s a question; what are the odds that the Sylvaneth and Wanderers might be reconciled under one book again?

 Future War Cultist wrote:
If you ask me who’s next to be culled, I’d say that all the older elf models (especially the finecast ones) are most likely. That’s not to say that the armies themselves will go, as both the Wanderers and the Darkling Covens have GHB abilities, but they are little bit too Tolkien for the current game. Having said this, I do hope that as many minis as possible can be ‘saved’ and divided out among the new ‘light’ and ‘dark’ elves.

I’m also looking at the dispossessed range. While the newer plastics (the ironbreakers, the long beards etc.) are some of the nicest minis GW have ever made (and thus are probably safe), the warrior and marksmen kits are showing their age a bit. And again, they’re a bit too Tolkien like too. Not to mention the weird number they come in (16). They might be replaced...they might also be reboxed with an extra sprue to make up the numbers when the dispossessed get a book (and I really think that they will).

Here’s a question; what are the odds that the Sylvaneth and Wanderers might be reconciled under one book again?

I feel like they won't mix them together, mainly because of the fluff changes regarding the two. Furthermore, I feel that, unless they do some significant aesthetic changes, the Wanderers don't really match the design of Sylvaneth anymore, outside of maybe the Wild Riders.

I feel like there'll be an Aelf Legions of Nagash-esque Battletome, with the Wanderers and Switfhawk Agents being the Vanguard elements, the Darkling Covens being the mainstay, and the others being specialist elements.

 Grimskul wrote:
I feel like they won't mix them together, mainly because of the fluff changes regarding the two. Furthermore, I feel that, unless they do some significant aesthetic changes, the Wanderers don't really match the design of Sylvaneth anymore, outside of maybe the Wild Riders.

I feel like there'll be an Aelf Legions of Nagash-esque Battletome, with the Wanderers and Switfhawk Agents being the Vanguard elements, the Darkling Covens being the mainstay, and the others being specialist elements.

A LoN style army made up of the ‘old’ elves would be nice and workable. However, I wouldn’t be able to shake the feeling that it would come across as a ‘dumping ground’ for old unloved minis. I mean, it could be done, but I’m just not sure if it’s the best way forward.

Is there no way that the Wanderers could even start reconciling with the Sylvaneth? They don’t have to go back to being best friends (hell, the animosity is an interesting fluff angle) but faced with Chaos, death and destruction, and maybe with a bit of facilitating from Sigmar, surely they could begin to?

Wanderers could stay as Wanderers, given a quest of redemption to roam the realms planting waystones to start regrowing the forests, and then the Sylvaneth move in afterwards. I still think that theres enough common ground there to make it happen (remember, deepkin and daughters of khaine are ‘order’ despite being quite evil in themselves). As for aesthetics, the Moonclan and Spiderfang happily share a tome despite looking quite different in appearance. Imo, the Wanderers and Sylvaneth are even closer than that.

If they did this, then give the future ‘light elves’ the old high elf units, and the ‘shadow elves’ the old dark elf units, you’d have 3 armies with very different but strong themes. And that would make five very distinct elf armies for AoS: ‘Light elves’, ‘Shadow elves’, ‘wood elves’, ‘sea elves’ and ‘snake elves’.

Disclaimer: Although I’ve played AoS from the beginning, I think they ballsed up when they broke everything down into such tiny factions. Everything since then sometimes comes across as repairing the damage done.

Really sucks I missed my chance to grab a box of Orcs, for if I ever expand my small Orc force.

 Grimskul wrote:
What do you guys think? Who else is on the chopping block?

It's obvious that anything that's generic Tolkien Fantasy (Dorfs & Orks), anything straight historical (Empire), anything ripped from movies (Vampire Counts) is going away.

One does wonder why the hell Clanrats are no longer available, unless maybe they are being reboxed with round bases?

However, conversations I’ve had on TGA show lots of ideas for the dispossessed, and since they have a GHB entry, I’m almost positive that they can stay on. The older warrior kits, with their generic Viking look, might be on the chopping block though.

The old Slayer design was novel,far better than the current one

 Overread wrote:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Plus there's always Ebay. Hell, it's still cheap to get the old monopose dual choppa and Arrer boyz from one of the old WHFB starter sets. Frankly, its really the only way to get boyz with bows, anyway.

Ebay is always hit and miss. Currently a lot of the metal Skaven models sell for more on ebay than they do on the GW store brand new and by quite a large margin.

The trick to using ebay is to apply patience, if a lot is offered at too high a price or there is too much interest bidding drop it. It will come around again sooner than you might expect.
I have seen items get bid into silly money one week then the next be ignored and sell to the initial bidder for £1. I try to make sure that bidder is me.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

 Grimskul wrote:
What do you guys think? Who else is on the chopping block?

It's obvious that anything that's generic Tolkien Fantasy (Dorfs & Orks), anything straight historical (Empire), anything ripped from movies (Vampire Counts) is going away.

See I don't agree with the whole movies thing. See Daughters of Khaine got Melusai - if they are not ripped right out of Clash of the Titans and the depiction of medusa then its rather a shock. They've even got a bow and arrow version!


Personally I think Vampire Counts are something that could have a resurgence if/when GW pays attention to them. They are one of the groups that could be made into a new full bigger and more focused army by GW; if just because GW also could with adding another faction to Death Grand Alliance.


I don't think "old fantasy" or "unique appearance" or any of those kinds of argument are holding water. We still have generic orks in AoS, GW just removed one half of them. We still have goblins with spiders (lord of the rings); we still have Aelves (Aelf apparently being an older world spelling of elf); we still have dwarves (who apparently are selling well according to rumours).

I think its more that GW are stripping out armies that are not selling; that repeat other forces or which have way too many old models to update within their current line up of production. I think What stays and what goes will vary a lot and its nearly impossible to predict for us on the outside. AoS is going to have at least one to two more years of these major changes that will be hard to predict until they happen. Then I think the setting should settle down some in terms of the volume of changes.