AoS: Soul Wars vs General’s Handbook Points Discrepancy
Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soul Wars is up for pre-order and we’ve got our copy already. However, we noticed a curious thing when it came time to point out the two armies inside the box – the Soul Wars Points and the General’s Handbook 2018 don’t match-up. Let’s see if we can clear this up.
With preview copies of AoS: Soul Wars and the new General’s Handbook floating around this discussion was bound to pop-up. So lets lay this all out on the table and go from there. This weekend, we took a look at the point totals for both factions included in the Boxed Set. However, when we pulled our numbers from the General’s Handbook:
Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-Charger – 240
Knight-Incantor – 140
3x Evocators – 200 (min unit of 5, 200 per segment)
5x Castigators – 160 (min unit of 3, 80 per segment)
8x Sequitors – 240 (min unit of 5, 120 per segment)
Celestar Ballista – 100
Total = 1080 points
Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed – 140
Lord Executioner – 80
Guardian of Souls – 140
Spirit Torment – 120
4x Grimghast Reapers – 140 (min unit 10, 140 per segment)
5x Glaivewraith Stalkers – 120 (min unit 4, 60 per segment)
20x Chainrasps – 160 (min unit 10, 80 per segment)
Total = 900
Now, we initially chalked this up to the idea that the AoS: Soul Wars Box has some specific scenarios and that’s probably why the points are different (ie, 180 point imbalance). But we did some more digging and noticed that the Battle of Glymmsforge (the mini-campaign book) doesn’t have any other special scenarios. The “Start Here” Book has the First Blood Battleplan and the Battle of Glymmsforge actually has it’s own set of Pitched Battle Profiles as well. Right off the bat, you can see some points differences:
3x Evocators – 200 (min unit of 5, 200 per segment) vs 140 points / 3 per segment
8x Sequitors – 240 (min unit of 5, 120 per segment) vs 240 points / 3 per segment
Celestar Ballista – 100 vs 120 points
Stormcast Eternals Soul Wars Total = 1040
Lord Executioner – 80 vs 100 points
Guardian of Souls – 140 vs 120 points
4x Grimghast Reapers – 140 (min unit 10, 140 per segment) vs 60 points / 4 per segment
5x Glaivewraith Stalkers – 120 (min unit 4, 60 per segment) vs 80 points / 5 per segment
20x Chainrasps – 160 (min unit 10, 80 per segment) vs 200 points
Nighthaunt Soul Wars Total = 820
We’re still looking at a difference of 220 points – it’s actually worse for the Nighthaunts! Given the fact that the “Start Here” book only has First Blood this seem a little slanted in the Stormcast favor. However, the win condition of that scenario is the number of wounds inflicted. Suddenly it’s starting to make sense:
Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-Charger – 7 wounds
Knight-Incantor – 5 wounds
3x Evocators – 9 wounds (3 each)
5x Castigators – 10 wounds (2 each)
8x Sequitors – 16 wounds (2 each)
Celestar Ballista – 7 wounds
Total Wounds: 54
Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed – 6
Lord Executioner – 5
Guardian of Souls – 5
Spirit Torment – 5
4x Grimghast Reapers – 4 wounds (1 each)
5x Glaivewraith Stalkers – 5 wounds (1 each)
20x Chainrasps – 20 wounds (1 each)
Total Wounds: 50
Now we’re looking at 4 wound difference. That’s not THAT large of a difference, right? Eh…it’s still not perfect and the Stormcasts also have a range advantage while the Nighthaunts have speed on their side. Both factions are surprisingly durable, too. The Nighthaunts are all Ethereal so Rending doesn’t impact them and the Stormcast have good armor all-around. I think these two force just might end-up being pretty even if you’re playing First Blood. Just keep those points in mind when you start expanding your armies.
Don’t forget the Core Book – Lots more battleplans to play in there!
One last thing – no matter which version of the points you’re playing with don’t forget about COMMAND POINTS! They cost 50 points a pop and can absolutely help balance things out. Just something to keep in mind.
Well I hope this has been at least a little bit insightful as to how Games Workshop “balanced” the forces in Soul Wars. I do wish they would have make the units round numbers – would have make expanding the army a lot easier…
Which side are you going to root for? The Gleaming Golden Good Guys or the Rag-tag Underdog Undead? Let us know in the comments below!
