Age of Sigmar: New Battlepacks & Battleplans Explored
Games Workshop is showcasing how the new Battlepacks and Battleplans will be used in the new edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.
If you’re currently playing Warhammer: Age of Sigmar then the updates to how the Battleplans and Battlepacks won’t be a huge shock. In fact, they are easier to follow and perfect for changing things up. Everything you’ll need will be included in the core rules. Additionally, the upcoming General’s Handbook will be out at the same time for the Matched Play season of 2024-2025. But let’s learn how the new edition will be updating things.
“Before playing any game of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, you’ll pick a battlepack – Spearhead, Path to Glory, Matched Play, etc. This will tell you which Advanced Rules Modules you’re using, and provides a selection of missions – known as battleplans – and sometimes other modifiers on top of that. The First Blood Battlepack is in the Core Rules for the new edition, and uses all the Advanced Rules modules found therein.”
Packs and Plans of the Battle Variety
If you’re just cracking open the Core Rules, the First Blood Battlepack is where you’ll start for most games. There’s three different battleplans (think missions or scenarios) to fight out. Each of these games are designed to last four rounds — this is a new change as well! Scoring has also been updated slightly, too:
” …at the end of their turn, a player scores two points for holding one objective, two further points for holding two or more objectives, another two points for holding more objectives than their opponent, and four if they scored their battle tactic.”
Also note if you’re a current player, in this particular battlepack, there’s no points for Grand Strategies. In fact, GW says they aren’t a part of Matched Play this season either.
In the First Blood Battlepack, each mission also comes with a specific map/objective layout and a unique twist. The twist can change how you score points and/or give the underdog (the army with fewer victory points at the start of the round) a boon or change something else up. In the example above, the underdog can choose an objective that cannot be scored this battle round.
Again, First Blood is designed to be your first entrance into the new edition’s Matched Play rules. However, if you’re looking to expand your horizons and really test your mettle, that’s where the General’s Handbook comes into play.
“For the first time ever, all of your battleplans, battle tactics, and the 2024-25 Season Rules will be included in the launch set, so you’ll have everything you need to start playing matched play games right away. Let’s find out what they look like.”
The Game Changer Is Back – General’s Handbook
The General’s Handbook is designed as your Matched Play Tournament framework. It’s got a standardized ruleset for events that anyone can use in the world. This is great because that means if you’re traveling out of your local scene and going across the State/country/continent, that you’ll still know what to expect at events using the same General’s Handbook framework. It also lays out the seasonal rules we’ll all be playing with as well.
“The first of these books for the new edition of Age of Sigmar is the General’s Handbook 2024-25. It features 12 battleplans plucked from the past eight years of competitive play and reimagined for the new edition, as voted for by the Warhammer Studio, playtesters, and tournament organisers – a thrilling trip down memory lane for veterans, and a guarantee of robust battleplans for new players. “
Also note that each of the games in this battlepack are designed to run for five rounds — this should be a lot more familiar with current players and fits the “throwback” nature of these battleplans. Each of the battleplans also explains the objective placements, scoring, and any twists that will be used.
In this scenario there are some slight tweaks to the scoring that you might want to pay attention to:
“The underdog earns a little more bite when they attempt to contest the enemy’s home objective, and caps the scoring from objectives at six per turn. Battle tactics score four victory points on every battleplan here – this new scoring split makes battle tactics very important, so taking priority for the double turn becomes an even tougher decision.”
Additionally, each battleplan in the GHB has the scoring of VPs designed to add up to a max of 10 per round for a total of 50 points per battle. This should make scoring and tracking easy for Tournament and Event Organizers.
Another feature that’s been updated/added to the new GHB are the suggested terrain placement maps. Now, there are still rules for player-placed terrain so you don’t have to use these maps…but they are a nice addition regardless.
“…the Core Rules provide an extensive glossary of terrain features, noting which size they are classified as and exactly which rules apply to them, which will give you a foundation to create balanced battlefields and provide event organisers with extra resources.”
Seasonal Rules Update
As with the previous General’s Handbooks, there are also Seasonal Rules to contend with. These provide an extra layer of game-defining “nuance and theming” for the 2024-2025 season. With the release of the new edition, this seasonal rule is Honour Guard.
It looks like taking on the enemy general and their bodyguard is going to lead to quite the brawl…
I’m really excited to see the rest of the missions and give Matched Play a go in the new edition. These are looking like a lot of good quality of life changes that folks have wanted. The scoring looks cleaner and easier to follow. Plus there’s a reason to keep playing until the end with the underdog boons. Bring on the new edition!
What do you think of the new Battlepacks and Battleplans?
