Age of Sigmar: Hedonites of Slaanesh Rules Bring The Pain, Thematically Speaking
Games Workshop’s rules team really did a great job nailing the theme of the Hedonites of Slaanesh in rules form.
Let’s me just start off by saying I wasn’t a big fan of the Hedonites of Slaanesh‘s last battletome. While it was serviceable it just didn’t impress me that much — the updated models in the range were cool and there were some great new characters and a few returning ones that were nice…but rules-wise it just kind of felt a little off.
The new and improved bonuses for Depravity Points.
Their Depravity Points were a source of contention because of how they were generated. And really folks just wanted to know “how many points they needed to rack-up before they could bring in another Keeper of Secrets?” That was another sore spot and it took a few balance passes before that got changed, too.
The new answer is 36 Depravity Points…but how you get there is going to be a lot different.
But that’s in the past. Now, the Hedonites have some new rules and they look a lot more impressive and flavorful than their previous iterations. GW has managed to create some new rules and force some more engaging interactions and choices for both players and I think that’s a win.
Temptation Dice Are A Fun Mechanic
Normally, I’m not a fan of these dice manipulation mechanics where you just replace a die with another, predetermined die. Why? Because they normally are pretty boring and it feels a little cheaty. “Oh that instant-death attack that missed? I’ll just swap that out with a 6 and now it triggers and you die.” Or “Oh do I only pass this battleshock test on a 1 or I lose the entire unit? Cool, I’ll just swap out my die and I’m good.” Yeah…you know which armies I’m talking about. But the Temptation Dice are different.
For starters I love that these dice are used as a way to tempt your opponent into taking them. The Hedonites player doesn’t get to swap them out instantly — they offer them to the other player. And just by doing that the game suddenly got a lot more interactive. Keep in mind the Hedonite player does get to choose which roll they can offer the dice for. So there is a penalty for them in the sense that a failed roll is now going to succeed. That could end up costing them, too.
On the flip side, the other player now has two options, both of which could be bad times. Do they take the short term pain of D3 mortal wounds on the unit? Or do they delay the hurt and give the Hedonites player D6 Depravity Points? Keep in mind those mortal wounds trigger after all the relevant attacks have been resolved so the damage doesn’t kill them before they do their thing. But still…the timing creates a lot of chances for this little mini game for both players.
The Three Hosts Armies Feel Distinct
On the army construction side the Hedonites of Slaanesh have three different Hosts of Slaanesh to choose from: The Invaders, the Pretenders, and the Godseekers. These aren’t really new. However, the implementation in the new battletome feels a lot more unique and flavorful.
The Invaders can have multiple “generals” and get to double down on Heroic Actions. I’m also pretty sure that combos with the current AoS Seasonal rules so the champions could cascade quite a few Heroic Actions around.
It’s also thematic for this sub-faction within the army. These Invaders are a loose alliance of groups and each one basically has their own warlord — it’s extremely fitting that these warlords try to one-up each other with their selfish use of Heroic Actions.
The Pretenders get to generate quite a few commands in a turn from a single hero. The ability is called Warlord Supreme and it’s also pretty clear that this rule is a nod to their ego. It allows them to issue the same command up to 3 times to different units. Rules-wise, this is already pretty potent! But, combined with the theme, it highlights the Pretender’s mentality and it all clicks.
The Godseekers have always been the “move fast and ask questions later” type of sub-faction. They are on the hunt for their hidden god so all the speed boosts fit perfectly. Tactically, I like their ability to re-roll charges and I also like the Maniacal Hunters rule that allows them to shuffle D6″ at the start of the battle round if they are outside of 3″. They aren’t Khorne so they don’t get to use that bonus move to get into combat. But it can help them get there sooner. Or, if you’re a cunning general, you could use that to stay further out of combat in the hopes you can counter-charge next turn.
If you’re already a Hedonites of Slaanesh player this book is going to be a welcomed change. And if you’re being tempted by this new battletome, I feel you — I can see the appeal for sure. Will we see them jump up the meta ranks? Well, they can’t really get much worse!
Slaanesh might be missing but the Hedonites are about to be back in a big way.
