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Hi all,

Little background, started with GW way back in 1987, back when you had 1 army book and 1 rule book for fantasy, also picked up a copy of epic.

Those where my go to games for years, dipping my toes into other systems like space hulk, Advanced Hero Quest and mighty empires.

I collected 40k but never ever played a game ( regret that now ) and my main love was WFB.

Due to moving, real life, having kids, I drifted away from the hobby just after battle of skull pass, so would have been around 2007.

But I always had the itch to come back and now I have a chance, due to ill health I have a ton of time, I have a ton of old models, for both 40k and WFB, mainly 5th / 6th edition stuff, seems to have lost a lot also, which makes me sad, I did give all my books away to my friends son who was heavy into the lore ( another regret when the blow the old world up ) and half my 40k stuff to people.

So I didn't really follow much about games workshop for years, heard the end times killed WFB off etc, but just didn't follow hobby news at all.

so with that in mind, coming back everything seems to have changed a lot, with GW going back to boxed games and with the news epic could be coming back, really exciting me, but I took a look at AoS and wow what an interesting model range mixed in with a lot of models I know from the past.

Now as per the title, is it worth coming back now to AoS or should I wait for new editions to drop, it seems the game systems have seasons now, is that right?

are the other fantasy games , war cry and underworlds worth getting into, are they different modes of AoS?

I was tempted to try 40k for once, but AoS seems to have some stunning models now, still on the fence a bit so reaching out for some advice.

If its fine to jump in mid season, should I just get a starter set, I can get a hold of the dominion set from a model shop really cheap, but when I checked on GW its not there so I guess OOP?

anyway any advice on where to go to fill in on the lore, how to get started etc would be very helpful on the main game and the others, just joined up here so sorry for the long post and all.

Dominion is indeed what you can find at stores is what is. If one faction interest it's a steal. Especially kruleboy. If you plan starting either one worse ideas than grab it. If not no point.

Don't need big rulebook unless you plan to play path to glory. General's handbook has core rules and matched play on more easy to carry around format with ring binder and cheaper if you don't get dominion.

Warcry etc you can use in aos well.

4th ed coming next year summer so bit over year. Now whatever faction you play will have tome except cities of sigmar(avoid as no idea what you can buy that's safe in new tome) and flesh eater court. So in that sense good to start.

Balance is also surprisingly good for gw game.

If fantasy was your first love you might want to wait for the old world that’s going to be very similar to WHFB, and your old army if you still have it will be usable.

johnpjones1775 wrote:
If fantasy was your first love you might want to wait for the old world that’s going to be very similar to WHFB, and your old army if you still have it will be usable.

That did cross my mind, but after Warhammer fest, I get the feeling it could be a little while off, if we had been told base sizes I could have started some work, I have whole old armies still on sprues, old army deals that I impulse brought ( I am terrible at that ) Plus I got stuck playing horde armies, loved a good theme back then.


Couple of more questions.

So I checked out the Dominion box at my local model shop and compared it to the current starter set, it seems the book has more pages in Dominion set and no terrain compared to extremis and the dominion box doesn't say starter set, so would the one saying starter set be the best buy?

The shop also has a couple of battle boxes ( is that the right name ), are these like then old army boxes, could I grab 2 battle boxes and have two equal armies for playing?

Due to my health issues, I wont be going to local stores for gaming, so its purely for gaming with my son and wife ( both who aren't super interested in the hobby, but are willing to give it ago ) Is AoS newbie to table top gaming friendly, is it real easy to pick up?

I will admit I was looking at 40k due to a new release and the fact its been said the combat boxes are ready to go, so no real list building, which may make it easier to get into, are the starter boxes in AoS the same idea, just pick up a box and its pretty equal to play against another box?

thanks for the replies and the info, its really helpful, coming back to the hobby after so much has changed, really dont want to make the wrong choice and throw more plastic on the pile of shame hehe.

Dominion has the big brick rulebook that has fluff etc. Pretty book but rather heavy. Not sure does starter set have path to glory rules.

Dominion lacks terrain but has more models. Does mean need terrain elsewhere but model discount is very good value if you want both sides or 1 but can sell other half.

But key thing is finding out faction(s) you want to get. Sounds like you are going for at least 2? Then cash wise dominion is good value and terrain one isn't bad either(skip other 2 and get terrain one or dominion then). Could even consider both(i did. And 2nd half of dominion minus winged lady).

But if only reason for those 2 would be cheap then odds are you get bored and quit later. Do they look like fun to paint? Do playstyle appeal? What kind of armies you want to play? Kruleboyz aren't ideal if you want to rush into combat all speed yelling waagh for example (good thing about kruleboyz is you can expand with 2 other orc factions and eventually possibly have up to 4 armies in one. You can play cunning shootier kruleboyz, fast elite melee of ironjaws, fast horde of less elite savage orcs or mlx of 3).

Think about factions before deciding what to buy.

If you are settled on 2 then dominion, extremis or even both would work. I would get dominion if only one though and maybe get non-gw terrain.

Generally the battleboxes aren't quite balanced vs each other as one has bit more. They are more of balanced over saving. Each give good discount but if box has 120 pts for 40e and other 100pts for 40e the 120pts one will be more powerful.

Dominion also suffers especially due to winged lady. Could leave that or add bit orcs. Troll riding orc and box of gutrippas or bolt boys for example to even up

tneva82 wrote:
Dominion has the big brick rulebook that has fluff etc. Pretty book but rather heavy. Not sure does starter set have path to glory rules.

Dominion lacks terrain but has more models. Does mean need terrain elsewhere but model discount is very good value if you want both sides or 1 but can sell other half.

But key thing is finding out faction(s) you want to get. Sounds like you are going for at least 2? Then cash wise dominion is good value and terrain one isn't bad either(skip other 2 and get terrain one or dominion then). Could even consider both(i did. And 2nd half of dominion minus winged lady).

But if only reason for those 2 would be cheap then odds are you get bored and quit later. Do they look like fun to paint? Do playstyle appeal? What kind of armies you want to play? Kruleboyz aren't ideal if you want to rush into combat all speed yelling waagh for example (good thing about kruleboyz is you can expand with 2 other orc factions and eventually possibly have up to 4 armies in one. You can play cunning shootier kruleboyz, fast elite melee of ironjaws, fast horde of less elite savage orcs or mlx of 3).

Think about factions before deciding what to buy.

If you are settled on 2 then dominion, extremis or even both would work. I would get dominion if only one though and maybe get non-gw terrain.

Generally the battleboxes aren't quite balanced vs each other as one has bit more. They are more of balanced over saving. Each give good discount but if box has 120 pts for 40e and other 100pts for 40e the 120pts one will be more powerful.

Dominion also suffers especially due to winged lady. Could leave that or add bit orcs. Troll riding orc and box of gutrippas or bolt boys for example to even up

Thank you for your replies, it is super helpful, so I am very grateful you have spent the time to explain some things to me.

You make some good points.

My road map ( hehe )

Learn a game systems basics with my family and relearn how to paint and then settle on 3 armies 1 for the each of us.

I seem to have lucked out that my local store has a couple of oop items in.

Daughters of Khaine : Khainite Slaughter-Coven
Sylvaneth: Revenant Wargrove
Age of Sigmar: Arcane Cataclysm
Nighthaunt: Legion Of Grief
plus a copy of Dominion and can order a discounted copy of extremis.

I first thought about a starter set and one of the boxes above to get started, then thought maybe just 2 armies to learn the game would be better, my son and wife wouldnt be into list building at the start and would just want to play the game, I am hoping they take to war gaming as will be my only chance to play ( unless some kind of solo rules out there )

I did think about using my old models, but with ToW coming one day and old models getting released, I thought maybe best to leave the old stuff for then, plus who doesn't like new models hehe.

we are open to either system 40k or AoS, bit if its true epic is coming back, I think that would be the better pew pew game and have AoS as my fantasy game, not sure my wife and son would play a rank and file game, but I am hoping!

I also get the sense AoS is the easier to play game and some of the new models look stunning, I am hoping an easy to play good looking game gets both the wife and son hooked.

thanks again for your help, been reading and watch stuff on lore atm, its very different to fantasy that I knew thats for sure.

For starter set along dominion would complement well. For 3rd army if you there"s interested party legion of grief would be nice one. All 3 would be different grand alliances, battles make easily sense and 3 different playstyles so games should be varied enough.

Dominion plus starter would make stormcast and kruleboy bigger than ghosts so first to expand would be ghosts, then orcs. Of course no need to throw everything against whole of other. Stormcast can drop stuff to get about even forces.

Ghosts nightmare to store and transport but that's not an issue in home games so that's good.

its a pity GW stopped with the free downloadable copies of the data cards, ok lacking all the faction rules but it made it easy to have a look at what army sort of does what with a few to some simple knock about games to get the feel of a faction before getting the book.

especially since the cards they sell seem to always be a splash release

have ghosts here, they are not that bad to transport outside a few of the larger ones, the contact points are small but they also don't weigh much and I've found a box with them sort of jumbled in works with a bit of care better than magnetised bases and the associated vibration issues (i.e. they basically are transported on their sides)

App has every warcroll full and free.

tneva82 wrote:
App has every warcroll full and free.

given the age of my phone you lost me at "app", pity its not on the website where it would be somewhat more accessible

such is progress I guess