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So I've been playing 40k for quite a while and have thought about delving into AoS, but I don't want to try something too radically different . So my big question is what are the major differences between the games and is it an easy transition?

DeathKorp_Rider wrote:
So I've been playing 40k for quite a while and have thought about delving into AoS, but I don't want to try something too radically different . So my big question is what are the major differences between the games and is it an easy transition?

Force organization is a bit different, as generally you build around a single force, but you can get special 'detachments'.
Special detachments have special rules that have a points value, but give extra Command Points every turn.
You start with a few Command Points and get some every turn, so you can't blow 15 CP in turn one.
No stratagems, your commanders determine what your Command Points do.
Magic happens before movement/ranged/melee - this is probably the biggest change you'll have to deal with, as you have to position your wizards this turn for next turn's spellcasting.
Things get hurt pretty fast, as a 4+ save is pretty good and not that common. Some things have lots of wound to counterbalance this, but expect attrition. Large units are way more common in AoS than 40k.
Ranged attacks are generally fairly short ranged - 18"-24" is long range for a lot of stuff.

Broadly speaking they are quite similar now, movement and most things function exactly the same so the differences are more in how things are laid out along iwth a few differences such as variation between things like prayers and spells and the introduction of things like Endless Spells.


So you should have no trouble slipping from 40K into AoS.

Army construction is quite easy and quick for matched play; you've got your leaders, troops, behemoths and artillery (noting that some models can be two categories - eg a leader can also count as a behemoth as well because its so huge).

Leaders, behemoths and artillery are all capped depending on the point level of the match; whilst troops have no cap at all. However there are two kinds of troop - regular and battleline. Whilst there is no cap, you do have to take a minimum number of units which varies on the points level.
You also have to take at least 1 leader no matter the point value (each army has 1 general and that can only be selected from the leaders so gotta have at least 1)


For example at 2K you have a maximum of:
6 leaders (minimum of 1)
4 behemoths
4 artillery

And need a minimum of 3 units of battleline troops.



Armies have Battletomes (equivalent to a codex) which list out the warscrolls (profiles) for each model type in the army. The book also outlines spells, abilities and artificats that leaders/mages can be equipped with as well as Alliance abilities. Alliance abilities are unique to each faction and apply to only units of that faction (its based on them having the right key-word in their warscroll profile so there are some limited cases where units from outside the tome can be assigned the right key word to gain ability access).

By this means it encourages you to use formal armies rather than souping things. This is also supported by the fact that you can only take 1/4 in allies (each army is limited on what other armies they can take allies from - noted in the battletome) in points and unit count.

So at 2K you can only take 400 points of allies. This really helps you focus on the core of an army and the support it with a bit of specific flavour from outside of the army if you want.




All the factions are broadly broken into 4 grand alliances ( not all armies within each alliance can ally with each other of course). And there are Grand Alliance armies which have their own alliance abilities and books; but they are very old (first generation rules for AoS) and have not kept up well with the changes. They might be updated later by GW; but as of right now most armies are quite pure. This helps keep things a bit more sane than some of the soup issues that 40K has suffered with.

And just in case...

https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Rulesheets/ENG_AoSSW_Rules_booklet_web.pdf

I usually do a single faction army anyway so that's not an issue

Going to re-iterate a few things here but here it goes:
-Like 40k all the unit info is on their Warscroll
-All Warscrolls are free and can be downloaded from the GW website or on the app.
-There is no Toughness/Attack values, instead all units have a static To-Hit/To-Wound roll with # of attacks and these are weapon based.
-Matched Play points are by "block" not by individual models. Basic Troops are usually up to 10 models for 100 points (20 models are 200 ect.) and you do not pay any points for upgrades like Banners, special weapons, ect. You still pay for a full "block" even if you don't have the models. Meaning you still pay 200 points even if you only bring a unit with 15 models. (Open Play has no points). You will need the Generals Handbook for up-to-date Point values.
-Command Points are generated at the start of each turn and are spent on Command Abilities that are determined by your factions Leaders. You can start with bonus CP if you are either under points or bring Battalions. Battletomes give you access to Faction Specific Command Abilities.
-Battalions are special Force Organizations that require a set of certain Units to use and cost Points to bring (usually around 120-150ish) but grant special abilities or upgrades to the included units. There are also Super Battalions that require other Battalions to use. These are, naturally, very high point lists.
-You can "Soup" by running one of the 4 generic factions: Order, Chaos, Death, and Destruction. You give up Faction specific abilities and Relics if you do. Most faction Leaders have abilities that only effect units from their specific faction which promotes single-faction armies.
-Every Battle turn players roll to see who goes first. This can lead to either really swingy or really one-sided matches as players can get a double-turn.
-The Command Phase happens before the Movement phase. This is when you use spells and most Command Abilities.
-Things die fast. Standard infantry have 1 wound with a 5+ save and very few things have save-after-the-save. Invulnerability/ward saves are not a thing. Anything with a higher save or more wounds can be pretty tanky, excluding monsters of course.
-You can shoot into combat. Things in combat can only shoot at what they are in melee with.
-Minimal distance you can be from enemies is over 3". If you're within 3" you're in combat. So yes you can fail a charge at any time (rolling a 2 on a 3" charge feels soo bad)
-Charge targets don't have to be declared, just roll and see what you can get. There is no Overwatch
-Melee weapons have a range, usually 1".
-Units get +1 Morale for every 10 models so larger units can be harder to break. Otherwise works the same as in 40k

Invulnerability/ward saves are not a thing <-- with the exception of nighthaunt spooky ghosts who have the ethereal rule that their save isn't modified. So you can have an entire army of ward save guys if they're all ghosts.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The biggest difference is probably the potential for double turn. If you're playing to see what happens than the surprises it can generate are great. If you're playing to win then you need to give a lot of thought to what happens if you don't have the turn order go your way.

What it sucks for are the people who are sort of in the middle. Who aren't playing to see what happens and aren't giving each turn tons of thought in terms of what happens based on the roll for next turn (or the one there after). So if you're sort of semi-serious or maybe only semi-narrative focused it can seem super swingy.

 frozenwastes wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:
The biggest difference is probably the potential for double turn. If you're playing to see what happens than the surprises it can generate are great. If you're playing to win then you need to give a lot of thought to what happens if you don't have the turn order go your way.

What it sucks for are the people who are sort of in the middle. Who aren't playing to see what happens and aren't giving each turn tons of thought in terms of what happens based on the roll for next turn (or the one there after). So if you're sort of semi-serious or maybe only semi-narrative focused it can seem super swingy.

What it is, no matter what type of player you are, is damned irritating. The first few games it can be kind of novel. After that though....

the transition is easy. the rules will feel better and more "correct" as 40k 8th edition is based of AoS rules.
what you will notice is that AoS is mutch more clouse combat army oriented while 40k is shooty oriented. in AoS you have whole grand alliances whitout a single ranged unit.
"soup armies" do exist but they are weaker then mono battletomes(codexes) so it is very rare to see that shait in AoS.

if there is one single BIG negative thing to talk about in AoS it is the double turn. the dice determins who gets 2nd turn and that in many, many situations has a huge negative result for the player that dont get 2 activations in a row.
the system is basicly fubar and should be housed ruled to alternative turns only until the doubleturn hopefully is removed from the game.

Double turns are great. I've played loads of games and have not gotten sick of them. And I think the increasing attendance at AoS events shows that even highly competitive players find it to be an interesting game challenge. It's a deal breaker for only a tiny minority of people.

It is however a major difference, so it's worth thinking about.

The CP system in AoS is, in my opinion, far superior. Others explain how it works above.

Due to the limited numbers in AoS, CP feels more weighted and their use takes far more careful consideration. In 40k you've got a ridiculous number of CP and a strategem for every situation (unless you play mono-Death Guard... which I do... not that I'm bitter).

The biggest differences are the way you construct an army and command points system. Everything else will be familiar and generally similar to 40k.

EVERY command ability (which would equate to stratagems) uses one command point. You automatically generate one CP at the start of your turns. You can also buy them for 50 points each when you construct an army. You also get a bonus CP for each warscroll battalion you take (see below)

There are no detachments in Age of Sigmar. You start by selecting either a generic Grand alliance (order, chaos, destruction or death) OR by further zooming into a specific faction within one of those Grand Alliances (i.e. storm cast eternals or Blades of Khorne). By doing this you unlock POWERFUL allegiance abilities ONLY afforded to aligned yourself to that faction. BUT you do give up flexibility in list building. You MUST take units with the relevant keywords. But by selecting a specific faction, you also unlock more command abilities ( to spend command points - similar to unlocking faction stratagems), artefacts, command traits (warlord traits) and factions specific spells.

You may also opt to use a warscroll battalion. They are similar to formations of 7th edition, but the battalion itself costs points. It grants a buff or ability to the units that make up the batalion, and must consist of specific combination of units. These have several benefits. They grant a bonus CP, allow you to equip one of your heros with an additional artefact, and the battalion can be deployed all at once (lowering the amount of drops you have - therefore giving you a better chance to choose or delegate first turn. In AoS whomever finishes deploying first choose first turn) But remeber they cost points... and some aint cheap!