Age of Sigmar: 5 Things I’m Looking Forward to in Battletome: Skaven
I’ve been a Skaven Player since I started the hobby in 2004, and I was sad when I returned to Age of Sigmar to find them scattered over several books and, arguable, sub-par. However, very soon we dedicated followers of the Horned Rat are being rewarded for our faith with a brand new battletome. Here’s 5 things I’m looking forward to in the new book:
United Clans
One of my favorite things about old Skaven was the character of each of the Great Clans. I enjoyed running Moulder monsters alongside Skryre war machines, or bunkering an Eshin Assassin in a block of Plague Censer Bearers. The new battletome promises to allow just that, while still maintaining all the unique clan abilities.
New Allegiance Abilities
When Skaven were released inside Grand Alliance: Chaos, I was admittedly disappointed. The Skaven playstyle didn’t seem to fit with the abilities and artefacts from the Chaos book, and they had lost a lot of their signature flavor. However, the new book looks to reward playing the way they used to, such as Strength In Numbers, which rewards having large units of Skaven, or Scurry Away, which allows a Skaven hero to pick their fights more strategically.
New Endless Spells
Skaven are gaining access to three very powerful Endless Spells: Vermintide, Warp Lightning Vortex, and Bell of Doom. Vermintide is my favorite by far. It summons a moving wave of hungry rats to harry your opponents while ignoring your own Skaven models. Bell of Doom, however, feels the most Skaven, as it has the potential to randomly detonate and hurt your units rather than help them as intended. But, of course, Skaven life is cheap, so the potential outweighs the risk.
New Items/Characters
When it initially premiered in Fantasy, I loved the idea of the Doomrocket. A slapped together, highly volatile explosive weapon sounded exactly like the insane Steampunk mad science that drew me to Skryre in the first place. With the new battlebox, Skaven Warlords can field a Warlock Bombardier, a new variant of the Warlock Engineer.
they have all the spell punch of a Warplock Engineer plus a brand new Doomrocket. This feels like the Doomrocket I always wanted, as it could potentially deal 2d6 damage to its target, but on a poor role could detonate in the hands of its unfortunate wielder.
New Clan Abilities
Even though I love that Skaven can be taken as a unified whole, my favorite thing about the new book is that each Great Clan gets its own unique flavor. There are benefits to focusing on a Clan, such as new battleline or special abilities and battalions. That way, you can pick your favorite Clan and bring some of their individual units as your main force. I can’t wait to try out each clan individually (with the exception of Pestilens…never was particularly fond of them).
Squeak Havoc, and let slip the Rats of War!
What are you looking forward to in the new book?
Will you be dusting off an old Skaven army like me, starting a brand new one, or will you perhaps delve into the new Flesh-Eater Courts? Let us know in the comments!
