There is a lot of chatter about his game and what it will bring to the community. Today a lot of people are getting their first impressions of the game, doing playtests, reviews etc. So I have gathered a compilation of some of the those comments, and posted them up to get an overall feel for what we will be seeing as this game gets settled in.
Lets start off with this.... a great review of the game from over on the Tale of Painters. I've posted the conclusion but there are pics and a more detailed look at it over on their site. Its one of the best early reviews I have seen so far.
http://taleofpainters.blogspot.de/2015/07/review-warhammer-age-of-sigmar-starter.html
Conclusion
So, what do I think. Well, first things first, the models included are absolutely fantastic and prove why Games Workshop makes the best plastic soldiers in the world. You can like the aesthetics or not, but the wealth of details, the sharpness of the casts, and the clever way the parts are laid out in the sprues are miles ahead of the competition. I also like the new lore. It is new and unfamiliar, and unlike the old setting. But to be honest, it’s just as crazy or silly as the 40K background. I think it will grow onto people. As a designer, I can also understand the need to take generic Fantasy names and turn them into something of your own (apart from obvious IP protection measures).
When it comes to the game, I appreciate the freely available rules and especially the backwards compatibility. It is great to see Games Workshop engaging the hobbyists this way. It could show there is a lot at stake with this release. This theory could also be reinforced by the fact we’re getting a free Sigmarite with White Dwarf and also sending Tale of Painters a review sample, free and completely unrequested (!).
But I ask myself, who does this game cater to? A lot of die hard Fantasy players are probably unhappy that the Warhammer they love has been killed off. People who never played a tabletop game might have a hard time because of the unintuive presentation of the rules and the lack of pictures that show you how to actually play this game. The price tag of 75 pounds/100 Euro, while providing decent value for the contents to veterans of the hobby, might seem a high entrance fee to new players when compared to adult boardgames, the starter set of the highly successfull X-Wing game or video games in general. People who enjoy other tabletop games like Warmachine or Infinity, might be put off by the lack of structured play that points costs brings.
I think Age of Sigmar is lacking modern, reactive gameplay, that keeps both players occupied no matter whose turn it is; decent intern and extern balancing; a tight yet intuitive ruleset that provides a slick gaming experience no matter whether in casual pick up games or competative games .
Modern, reactive gameplay, that keeps both players occupied no matter whose turn it is; decent intern and extern balancing; a tight yet intuitive ruleset that provides a slick gaming experience no matter whether in casual pick up games or competative games – all of this can't be found in Age of Sigmar. It appears to me that Games Workshop has lost the sense of what people's expectation from a tabletop game of today.
Instead, it’s a bring all you got, free for all, like playing 40k unbound without caring for point costs. I've never seen anyone play a game like this honestly, apart from maybe 12 year olds. It seems to me that one of the iron laws of tabletop gaming is to bring two even armies to a battle. Age of Sigmar breaks with that rule, and while a tabletop game is always a social affair, and you are encouraged to have a chat with a potential opponent before a game, it can create all sorts of problems. Not only does it seem that you might spend more time discussing the army selection with your opponent, than actual gaming. How can you ever be sure whether a game is fair or not? I'm sure, the lack of point values alone might be a deal-breaker for most people who already have experience with other tabletop games.
Age of Sigmar might struggle to find its place in today's tabletop industry. The lack of communication from Games Workshop has left existing Fantasy players in the dark about the future of their system, even now they still don't know, whether this box is it, or whether there will be more or expanded "expert level" rules, or where the journey will go for Age of Sigmar. Maybe the next couple of White Dwarfs will shed some light. They better do, before people lose their interest and move on.
A Battle Report
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?410791-First-AOS-game-report
via Scuzgob in the comments here on Faeit 212
Ive seen the models in the plasticstormflesh at my local GW, they are very good! the pictures dont do them justice. personally, my fave is the skull face storm banner guy
also had a game of it. its deeper than it seems, the positioning of your models, when and where you activate buffs, and the order you do combat in is very important, a lot more than the four pages of rules let on
the downsides for me are the lack of points (quick games with randoms are going to be difficult, its very trust based) and the lack of magic items to fiddle with. characters are very 'fixed', with only a few weapon options
via Jula30 on Faeit 212 comments
Had a game tonight and it was really fun. Seraphon vs orruks it took us about 5 minutes to balance it by just talking to each other and deciding what was fair. No big headache. The games fast, combat is hardcore, the ruleset is actually deceptively tactical and best of all it took me back to how warhammer used to be with some crazy funny shit but not so much it took away from the battle, just added character
Realm of Battle Board from Atia
the RoB is a full 6 tile set (like the old ones), two tiles are unique, the other two are twice in it
