Shadespire

[The Other Dave]

Yeah, the "whoda thunk Dreadfane would do so well" starter set looks interesting - not least because an evergreen, good-value start set is just a really good idea - although I'm really liking the look of the savage orcs too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTfYZH3vXYo

It looks like their inspire condition is "choose a fighter to inspire when you get the primacy token," which could be really hard, though.

[me_in_japan]

I'm not sure about the starter box. I mean, there's nowt inherently wrong with it, but if its the starter box, what's Direchasm? I can foresee a lot of irritated customers who buy the starter box only to find that it actually isnt what they need to play the game. I kinda want the warbands in it, but it really would just be a purchase for the minis inside. Are they available as an easy-build box elsewhere, perchance? Because if they are, and there's nothing else at all in the starter box that I might need aside from faction cards, I may just get the easy-builds and proxy their cards. Does anyone know what else is in the starter box, and particularly, if there's any universal cards in there?

[The Other Dave]

Yeah, the set isn't really useful for anybody who's not new to the game and doesn't want the warbands - just as Dreadfane was, really. I think the idea is it's a "starter" because it won't have any universal cards, so there'll be no worries about deckbuilding and nothing in the set will ever cycle out. My guess is they'd always have this set as the "Warhammer Underworlds Starter Set" (at a slightly cheaper price point) and then the Shadespire / Nightvault / Beastgrave / Direchasm sets will be the season starter sets, if that makes sense, which mark card cycling and introduce new mechanics and lore.

Basically, from seeing chatter online, "what do I really need to get started" is actually a bit confusing now for a stone-cold newbie, as there have been four "starter" sets, some of which are no longer available and some of which have cards you can't use. "Wait, wasn't that game called Shadespire? What's Dreadfane? I saw Nightvault in the store a while back, what's that?" sorts of questions. Having a single evergreen box you can point to and say "Want to try the game out? Get this! It's labeled starter set and everything!" is a good idea. Hopefully the rulebook in there would provide an explanation of "what's the deal with the seasonal starter sets" too.

[Jye Nicolson]

Are they available as an easy-build box elsewhere, perchance? Because if they are, and there's nothing else at all in the starter box that I might need aside from faction cards, I may just get the easy-builds and proxy their cards.

Yep, they're available separately and in some Age of Sigmar starter boxes as easy to build sets (that's why my Castigators are half painted already, I got them for Warcry). I don't think there's anything you'd need in this box if you're happy to proxy.

edit: https://www.games-workshop.com/en-JP/Ag ... e-2018-jap

Stormstrike is exactly the Dreadfane + these new warbands, so if you're happy to proxy you can get the figures for both boxes for less than the price of either.

[me_in_japan]

@jye - many thanks. That’s good to know. On second thought, I may hold off on buying the starter set warbands. I mean, I already have a ton of unpainted warbands, and if I ever feel a desperate need for more stormcast or ghosties I can always pick them up later. I’m feeling a bit buyer’s-remorsey just now, so I’m taking the opportunity to dial back on unnecessary expenses. Maybe sometime in the future, though

@dave - that’s a good point about the actual season boxes being a bit confusing for absolutely new players re which one is currently legal. It might even be handy to label them with a valid season label (2020 - 2022 for direchasm, for example), so’s it’s clear even to the uninitiated. But aye - I can see the justification for a non-rotating starter kit.

[Jye Nicolson]

@jye - many thanks. That’s good to know. On second thought, I may hold off on buying the starter set warbands. I mean, I already have a ton of unpainted warbands, and if I ever feel a desperate need for more stormcast or ghosties I can always pick them up later. I’m feeling a bit buyer’s-remorsey just now, so I’m taking the opportunity to dial back on unnecessary expenses. Maybe sometime in the future, though

This expense is deeply unnecessary, not least because as stock Stormcast and Nighthaunt units, even if somehow the ETB sprues became hard to source (which has happened to a few of their 40k equivalents), you'd have zero problems getting appropriate figures. There's no FOMO here even within the context of our hobby full of completely inessential stuff

Even if you do get the urge someday feel free to borrow the cards/figures for a game day and give them a whirl before commiting.

[The Other Dave]

Heck, it even looks like the boards are recycled designs!

[Primarch]

@M_i_J - I think I have those figures, you can have them if you want them. The ghosts and banshees are built and undercoated. The Stormcast are already painted though.

[The Other Dave]

There's a new Underworlds-oriented YouTube channel I've been watching, Tabletop Sydney. It's nice because not only are they churning out battle reports, but the way they're doing it they have the two players and then the camera guy provides a running commentary and asks the players for insight about why they're doing what they're doing, which is probably nice for people newer to the game. Worth a look!

(They also have what appear to my American eye to be some of the most quintessentially Australian names on YouTube. In what other country are people called Jacko?)

[The Other Dave]

Wampyr!

They look interesting, and actually pretty dang strong for a four-model warband. Very solid stats*, and the inspiration vs. bloodthirst tension could be powerful - some of the fighters, against some opponents, will prefer one or the other, so basically being able to choose from two slightly-different inspired states is neat if a bit finesse-y, and there are enough hunger-management cards that you could probably control which way you go with some reliability (especially if you give Gorath the +1 wizard level upgrade). On the other hand, it's technically possible for your opponent to mess with it (and losing inspiration is unique), although they'd have to spec pretty hard into Hunger to do it reliably, and that's not super powerful at the moment.

*Defense is a bit weak, but movement is good, and while their damage output is lackluster there are enough damage bonus cards that it won't really be an issue I reckon.