Summer Narrative Campaign Confirmed!

[Mr Mystery]

Posting on the fly, as on me phone.

Campaign info lands June 11 according to Aos Facebook group.

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/s960x960/13329367_483120501884748_3798650062615440213_o.jpg

[Erik Setzer]

To quote my response on the FB page:

It'll be like a Storm of Chaos from the Eye of Terror, a virtual Armageddon!

I doubt many of those kids will get the references. That's three "shape the future of the game" campaigns, and two of them were retconned almost immediately (the two that promised to do actual reshaping), while the one that stuck was a draw.

Hey, I like the concepts, but I'm a little sick of GW wiping them out or moving the goalposts because they don't like the results. I don't want to hear excuses from apologists, we've already seen two retconned entirely, so there's no reason to believe they won't do the same if it's not the result they want, until we've seen the results last a few years.

[Mr Mystery]

Except this time we have an actual evolving narrative, rather than a set background.

My money is on this being The Allpoints/Eightpoints, and the attempted seizing thereof.

[Auticus]

I can see this one sticking because there is no set narrative yet. I played in the other three and I do hope they don't retcon like they did before.

[Kirsten]

there isn't really anything to retcon it to this time around, no pre-existing narrative to protect. so why not? might as well go crazy with it.

[Mr Mystery]

Yup.

Pretty sure there's a set outcome anyways - but every journey begins with a set destination...

[grimmas]

Storm of Chaos and Eye of Terror weren't retconed they were erased because nothing of concequence actually happened in them. The results were inconclusive and a little dull (other than Grimgor smacking Archaon around but not killing him) pretty much status quo ante bellum . Medusa V did give rise to an increase in the Tau Empire and a codex of the same name. Dark Shadows added some funky magic items to the better performing races and let's not forget Ichar IV which is now well ingrained in Ultramarine Lore.

I'd agree this one has much more scope although I wouldn't expect Archaon, Sigmar or Nagash to buy it or indeed Sigmaron to burn. Still it'll looks like fun and as others have pointed out the background in AoS is still in its infancy so there's plenty of room to forge a narative with a Global campaign

[Path Walker]

Those other global campaigns, once the internet was involved anyway, were subject to massive amounts of cheating. With this one once more only counting in-game victories, there will be less of that.

[Erik Setzer]

I just love the home page...

"The campaign itself will be centered around GW retail locations, for recordkeeping, to prevent the vote-tampering"

Bollocks. It's centered around GW retail locations because they need people to come into the stores and buy direct from them to help boost their sales, even if it means they take something big like this and flip a giant middle finger to the FLGS's that helped them become a big enough company to think they can do this stuff.

I've switched my GW purchasing to the FLGS's in this town for that reason. If I'm going to buy something GW-based, might as well help support a local guy who's been around longer than Warhammer. They already got their money from him anyway at that point. (And one of those purchases was Warhammer Quest this past weekend, so not that small.)

[Mr Mystery]

Except they make more money selling to third party stores than they do through their own.

[Mr Mystery]

So, very potted version of The Story So Far.

Sigmar has kicked off his Realmgate War.

Having caught Chaos forces entirely by surprise, rapid gains were made, and each seized territory reinforce by auxiliary forces from Azyr (millions upon millions dwell there).

Whilst Archaon got his Ming On, and set about driving back the Stormcast's early gain, he's also plotting to finally invade Azyr itself.

In the meantime, Sigmar has been planning to besiege the Eightpoints/Allpoints, which is presently Archaon's stronghold - the point connecting all the Mortal Realms. Whoever holds it has a massive advantage, as they can send forces wherever they're needed. And he's been seeking to reunite his pantheon, starting with Nagash, Alarielle and Gorkamorka.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I love gains

[Erik Setzer]

Wait, what? Both are in a strong position to assault the other's main center of power? At the same time?

I get that they want to sell people on "high stakes," even though they already told us Chaos can never actually win (at least, after they did win and blew up the whole world), but that's just ludicrous. It has to be something other than that.


Also, RE: making more selling through others... Maybe you're looking at total retail vs indy numbers, but since they're already paying for their stores, it's preferable to the bean counters to sell their products through those stores, where they get more profit per item.

[Mr Mystery]

Well, Sigmar's attention is focussed on taking The Allpoints/Eightpoints. Take that back, and Chaos' ability to go wherever is seriously hit, unless they want to cost up with Skaven.

Archaon seems intent on using this distraction to assault Azyr itself, diminishing or indeed destroying Sigmar's power base.

And the Eightpoints will be no easy task. It's described and encountered in Call of Archaon. Yeesh!

[Erik Setzer]

Neither would be an easy task. It'd require a massive buildup of forces. For one of them to take the other's base, they'd pretty much have to leave their own so poorly defended as to be easily captured by the other. So either they swap bases (which would probably screw up the story, because Chaos might lose access to go everywhere easily, but Sigmar would lose his Sigmarine factories), or they just hammer weakly at each other's doors and see a stalemate. At that point, GW just runs with the story they were going to use all along anyway.

(Again, given how these things have gone so far, they deserve this level of cynicism, much like it's fair to be cynical of EA releases each year.)

[Mr Mystery]

Well, when you run a campaign on that scale, a 50/50 outcome is the most likely outcome after all.

But, if you've read Godbeasts (and every AoS player really should), well things could get very, very interesting.

[Erik Setzer]

That's why it's better to have a less "grandiose" campaign. When they've done that, they were able to have meaningful endings, rather than a weird ending that feels like someone waving a magic wand, and then a few months later it's treated in the fluff like it never happened.

[grimmas]

Well, when you run a campaign on that scale, a 50/50 outcome is the most likely outcome after all.

But, if you've read Godbeasts (and every AoS player really should), well things could get very, very interesting.

Well it could mean some very very large models 😳

[Mr Mystery]

Stupendously large!

But I suspect not :)

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Very excited. Accelerated my painting already. :)

[Mr Mystery]

I need to settle on a force!

Ironjawz? Ogres? Vampires?

[Cap'nSmurfs]

I'm doing Death, mate. Just finished Neferata herself, just got to crack on with her Dread Abyssal... then she probably needs some troops, I guess, hmm...

Might pick up King Vlagorescu's Host, then make almost none of it as what the box tells you to. ;)

[Mr Mystery]

I've got 20 Skellingtons, 5 Hexwraiths, Ghostything, 3 Spirit Hosts, Arkhan, 20 Ghouls, 10 Direwolves and a Corpse Cart (which I probably won't field due to no Zombies)

Might add some muscle in the form of Morghast?

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Morghasts are good for what ails ye! I've never tried them but they look rock hard, and the models are lovely. Plus, Arkhan needs his bodyguard, right?

[Mr Mystery]

Indeed.

Might go with the Harbingers for the more reliable charge reach. Plus, if I roll well, they'll kill betterer than Archai. Not as tough, mind. But tough enough!

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Heh, I much prefer the Archai, mostly for aesthetics. Might get two and put together the Blood Court formation. There's a half-finished Coven Throne here somewhere...

[Mr Mystery]

Nice.

Should probably look at the formations.

I've got the 'Getting Started' one, which is nice.

Oh, and I defo need a Necromancer.

Right, scratch the Archai for now. I need to get Corax White Spray, Zandri Dust Spray, and a Necromancer this week. The rest can wait a week or two!

Will likely get the Skellington set soon too - bulk out the Hexwraiths and Skellingtons, and probs build Neferata.

[Mr Mystery]

Looks like we're kicking off 14 July, and it's for the Realm of Life.

Much excite!

[Jared van Kell]

So this campaign is to determine if the forces of Nurgle are cast out of the Realm of Life. It should be interesting. I am hoping we see more development of the story of Torgun the Redeemed as he looks to help reclaim for the Forces of Order all that he once took for the Forces of Chaos. I would also like to see him get his own formation where his hatred of Nurgle is manifested in the form of a special rule.

JvK :cool:

[Mr Mystery]

Defo looking forward to it.

From what I've made out in the background, Ghyran is the Realm worst affected by Chaos, having been virtually turned into the Garden of Nurgle. But we also know it's within Alairelle's capability to undo it, given the chance.

[Jared van Kell]

Well if anyone is good at renewal it would be Allarielle. I just hope that it does not become a stalemate like so many of these campaigns have done in the past.

JvK :cool:

[Mr Mystery]

I kind of suspect they have some endings pre-written.

But given this is an evolving background, I'm not ruling any result out :)

Far as I'm concerned - the Dead stand with the Living.

Because **** chaos. **** it right in the ear. With a spear.

[Jared van Kell]

I can see Order winning, but only just and whilst they will have gained a significant foothold in the Realm of Life, war will continue to rage with the Sylvaneth continuing to fight off continued assaults by Nurgle Rotbringers, Daemons of Nurgle and Clan Pestilens.

JvK :cool:

[Erik Setzer]

Far as I'm concerned - the Dead stand with the Living.

Because **** chaos. **** it right in the ear. With a spear.

Didn't Nagash make it clear he was opposed to Chaos? Chaos steals the souls that are rightfully his as the lord of the dead. Also pretty much why he's opposed to Sigmar now (who seems to have really taken the whole "if you can't beat them, join them" thing to heart, at least with tactics).

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Nagash's dream is of a perfect unchanging order enslaved to his will, as such he's opposed utterly to Chaos, yes. Chaos is vibrancy, change, life unbound, rage and excess; Nagash's realm of death would be the cold stillness of the grave.

[grimmas]

Is there a website for this campaign? I'm no longer on Facebook and there's no mention of it in WD or in the Warhammer app.

[Mr Mystery]

Nothing as yet. I expect further details closer to the time.

Currently, the link on their FB post just takes you to the AoS section of their website.

[grimmas]

Ta. To be fair it is the place to go to muster your forces. I might be grabbing some Bullgors myself just had a scan of the rules, -2 rend and 3 damage with great axes is awesome (and would add some anti armour to my Bloodbound)

[Mr Mystery]

And they let you go 'Mooooooo'.

[grimmas]

And they let you go 'Mooooooo'.

It's a win win then.

[Mr Mystery]

Indeed!

Seems the scrap is over three newly established Cities in Ghyran....

I'm in!

[Kirsten]

bloody immigrants, coming to our realm, taking our cities.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

bloody immigrants, coming to our realm, taking our cities.

Have your wood elves been reading the daily mail? :P

[Kirsten]

only for the crosswords they said

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I'm glad my Witch-elves only read Lady Death comics...

[Erik Setzer]

bloody immigrants, coming to our realm, taking our cities.

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