AoS: Secrets of the Under-Empire – Rules Video Breakdown
Preview videos are always a good time, but what do these cryptic rules previews mean for the game?
Welcome in, Generals of the Realms! The new edition of Age of Sigmar will be upon us in just a few months, and there’s a lot of excitement about the new rules. The Skaven have risen from their subterranean realm to assail the Mortal Realms, and a new breed of Stormcast has been unleashed to face them. 4.0 will be unlike any edition we’ve seen, which seems amazing. But what exactly will the new edition bring? Games Workshop has given us a short preview but doesn’t reveal much.
What does all this mean? Based on the information we have, we can draw a few theories.
Spearhead
Spearhead boxes are replacing Vanguard boxes. These starter boxes are more balanced and ready to play right out of the box, giving you and your opponent a fast, easy way to jump into the game. Spearhead games take around an hour to play, perfect for a lunch break game or teaching your friend with a few quick rolls. This is a perfect change since many Vanguard boxes are unbalanced, so they’re hard to use as fair comparisons. Spearhead will be the ideal way to start playing the game.
Double Turn Penalty
For a long time, the coveted double turn was one of the best things to snag in a game of AoS. Getting two activations back to back was a game changer and could quickly shift the game’s balance in a few rolls. However, according to this video, that’s all going to change. You can still take that double turn, but it will come at a heavy cost. I wonder if that means objectives will be worth less on a double turn or if your opponent will get some kind of bonus. Whatever it means, it will bring an exciting balance to competitive games since the double turn is no longer a game-ender.
Modular Rules
Now this one I’m not sure about. The video talks about “modular rules”, where you will only need to learn the rules you need when you need them. That…sounds a little dubious. After all, if the rules are such that you don’t need all of them, how does gameplay continue? I’m sure the actual rule is much more nuanced, but it sounds a little dangerous at this point. We’ll have to wait and see what the final ruleset looks like before we draw too many conclusions.
Are you excited for the new edition?