Age of Sigmar and Warhammer+ 2021 Year in Review
As we continue our look back at the year I thought it would be good to highlight some other games besides 40k.
Age of Sigmar
This was a big year for Age of Sigmar not simply due to the release of the new edition but also for the other releases as well. This year saw the conclusion of the Broken Realms books with Teclis, Be’lakor and Kragnos being released. Total Battletome releases also rose despite the new edition with seven new releases in 2021 (well maybe less depending on how you count the Lumineth debacle) compared to five in 2020.
Personally both armies I play got new battletomes (Daughters of Khaine and Soulblight), although I am less happy about that now after seeing the new Path to Glory rules and knowing I will likely have to wait a while to get my own. Speaking of…. Path to Glory was released as part of the new edition. This is another aspect of the game I have yet to explore (likely because my local AoS group is locked in to playing at 10 AM on Sunday morning….really guys?) but I am very excited about diving in when given a chance. Comparing the system to Crusade, I think it has a lot of strengths including: a lower amount of book-keeping and more reasonable unit upgrade rules.
Overall I really like the new edition and think it has a lot of strengths. I am not a huge fan of only focusing on one realm at a time for an edition, but I am willing to give it time to see how it plays out. I do have to confess I dislike the types of armies that consist of: “[Overpowered named character] and his 6 friends” and worry that the focus on monsters will push the game this way. At the same time, this has been an issue going back all the way to the Warhammer Fantasy days. Age of Sigmar has always felt like it’s a work in progress however with the arrival of this edition it feels much more complete then in years past.
Warhammer+
While many prominent events occurred in 2021, I think few are as divisive as Warhammer+. Announced in 2020 Warhammer+ was the long awaited foray by Games Workshop into the world of content development. While it was widely agreed that moving into this area was a good thing, just about everyone had their own ideas on how it should be done. One of the biggest concerns was that there would be a lack of content when released. Thus we waited with baited breath for the release in August. As expected, there wasn’t much when released, and while they have added to it with each month you can comfortably watch all the shows over a weekend. If you are interested in their painting tutorials, lore etc. they do have some other programs but many of these seemed geared towards newer players.
For the most part the new shows are pretty good. I enjoyed Angels of Death far more then I anticipated and found the artistic style to be enjoyable once I got used to it. Hammer and Bolter has been a little hit-or-miss (as all good anthology shows are) but the stories mostly shine through the lower budget animation. One of the important things is that they have been able to craft a few stories that have a lot of heart. I think this will be a vital skill to develop going forward as most people won’t tune in just to see over-muscled men slice up Orks for an hour but will be interested in programs that show captivating and engaging stories.
While I agree that there is a lack of content as it stands now it’s also good to remember that other streaming platforms faced similar issues (heck even Disney+ did). I am not concerned with whether Games Workshop will be able to develop new content for this platform but I am very concerned that they maintain or increase the quality of the programs they offer. Games Workshop rarely takes huge risks, and typically prefers to slowly ease its way into new areas. I think they are trying to build experience in the realms of show management as a way to set themselves up for the future. While they will need to partner with a larger studio if they want to break out into the mass-market I think this strategy can work to broaden the appeal of their IP. Let’s not forget this service also creates a way to monetize fans who love the lore and the setting but don’t have the money, patience and/or time to play the tabletop games.
The Future
With 40k already well established I believe Warhammer+ and Age of Sigmar stand to grow the most in the coming year. Both of these units are alike in that they are quite young, and weren’t born into extreme fanfare. For Age of Sigmar the game is poised to grow both in its competitive setting (I believe this is one of tightest and understandable rule sets they have developed) and in its narrative setting (as soon as I can find someone to play Path to Glory with me). As for Warhammer+ I think people will complain about content for any service for the first year or so and then once they have some good shows will switch to complaining solely about the slow release. I think right now, for its price Warhammer+ is an “okay” service that will likely get better.
I do worry that GW will stretch themselves too thin when factoring in maintaining this alongside their apps (which need a lot of help). I also think that newer players will get a lot more out of it then established players who know the lore, or who are more interested in competitive content.
