AoS: ‘Hold The Line’ With The Free Peoples Preview
The Mortal Realms are filled with Mighty Armies and Magical Artefacts – so how do the ‘regular’ folks get by? By joining the Free Peoples! Come take a look at how the ‘Normies’ get by in the Age of Sigmar 2.0!
Sigmar created the Stormcast Eternals to take the fight to Chaos and free the realms from their clutches. And while that worked, the Stormcast Eternals were never meant to be be an occupying force. When they take ground, the Free Peoples move in and hold it – they are the ones who settle the lands and actually live life there. They form the armies and militias as well as the city-states of people who actually live in the realms. They are the Regular Joes of the Realms and their struggle for survival is real. Fortunately, they have one big advantage: Gunpowder!
In battle, the Free Peoples draw strength not from natural might but from superb coordination, fighting in tightly drilled detachments that allow them to tackle foes that alone they would find insurmountable. It is not merely the spirit of cooperation that drives them on, however – they are notoriously effective at range, scything through the ranks of Chaos Warriors with hails of crossbow fire or coordinated volleys from simple firearms.
The Free Peoples success derives from cooperation, coordination, and training. They aren’t the strongest, toughest, fasted or the brightest – but they know how to work together in concert to bring down foes that could crush them individually.
Bullets. We got lots of Bullets.
In the new edition, gunpowder isn’t the only tool savvy generals can use to tip the scales in their favor. They will have some new mechanics to help them along as well. Like many armies, Command Points and Abilities will be key for them and thanks to the Battle-Tested Veteran Trait, you’ll get more bang for your CP Bucks!
Hold the Line! is back and it’s going to help bolster your combat elements when you need them to stay in the fight and do damage:
And thanks to the new way that Command Abilities work, you’ll be able to pair that with things like a General on a Griffon’s ability:
For icing on the cake, you can also bring along a handy Writ of Dominion artefact which will net you another +1 to wound:
If you do it correctly, you can turn a unit of 30 Crossbowmen in to a porcupine of death unit! You’ll be able to generate up to 60 attacks that all hit and wound on a 2+, and if you get charged you can fire AGAIN. That’s a LOT of wounds heading down range.
Bolts and Bolts and Bolts and Bolts and Bolts…
That is just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t forget some of those beefier units like Greatswords, Demigryphs and the mighty Steam Tank! You’ll be able to add more stuff to your list as well thanks to the points getting shifted downward, too.
One last artefact that GW previewed is the Gryph-Feather Charm. It’s thematic and appropriate for your Generals on Griffons:
Not only is your character faster, it’s also going to be harder to hit. Always a welcome buff to any unit!
The Free Peoples are going to be ready to rock-and-roll in the new Edition. Keep an eye out for all those changes when AoS 2.0 lands in June!
