We got pretty excited when Games Workshop’s latest ‘big box of models and rules’ arrived at STARBURST Towers. Skaventide is the ‘launch box’ for the new edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, Games Workshop’s gritty high fantasy setting. It’s a very heavy box packed with all the stuff fantasy wargamers need.
Much like their previous big launch, Leviathan, this is not a starter set – you won’t find dice here, though there are some fancy range rulers. It does have a big rule book and a big scenario guide (more on those later). It is a big box of models and rules that will get you started on the new edition.
We get a lot of very well-designed plastic models (and some plastic scenery) in two factions: Stormcast Eternals and Skaven. There are over seventy models (mostly Skaven) and some terrain bits. We also get a double-sided board that will fit on most tables.
Oh, and there’s also a little bit of paper in the box with a QR code; the idea is that you play your first battle and let Games Workshop know who won; this is part of a campaign called The Slaughter at Hel Crown, which doubles as a giveaway to get more models from GW. We predict the Skaven will win. Based on no evidence, just vibes.
The Stormcast Eternals are near-super human elites. These sorts of factions are always very popular; in game, they pack a lot of punch for a low model count and tend to be very intricate, interesting sculpts. Setting-wise, they’re appropriately dark (it is Warhammer). They’re meant to be these shining eternal warriors, constantly rising, phoenix-like, to defend the weak. In reality, every time they come back, they become a bit less human, making them questionable heroes.
Starburst had a couple of ‘hang out and hobby’ sessions whilst putting the Stormcast models together, and the low model count means you really spent a lot of time making them look pretty. The front-line troops (called Liberators) are the right mix of detailed and straightforward, fun to look at and paint. Next up are the winged Prosecutors. Aerial units can be fiddly, but they’ve thought of that. We also get a unit of Reclusians, near robotic, heavily armoured knights who came with a couple of fun pieces called Memorians; these are basically monks who serve to remind the knights that they are still, technically, human.
It wouldn’t be a Stormcast team without some stunning character models. The Knight-Questor looks like they’ve stepped straight out of some Fangorn artwork, teeth gritted, torch in hand. The Lord Veritant (and pets) is a blindfolded knight wielding a flaming sword and brazier, striking a pose. Similarly, the ‘person with a huge axe’ is Lord Terminos, who also has a very Gothic look. Finally, this faction ‘tank’ is the Lord Vigilant, a big knight on a huge, Gryphon-like beast. It’s a gorgeous model that’s honestly a little intimidating to paint.
The bulk of the models in the box are Skaven, an inhuman horde of Rat-like humanoids that are one of Games Workshop’s most iconic villains. The idea behind these horrors is unchanged from previous iterations of Warhammer’s fantasy offering. They are horde-like, plague-ridden, self-serving monsters that lurk underground and then pop up in full force to loot and destroy anything that isn’t Skaven.
These models are a little trickier; they’re organic, furry monsters rather than shiny knights, but they’re so much fun. The bulk of the models are Clanrats. Dressed in rags and wielding the most wicked-looking weapon they can scavenge, these horrible little monsters are evocative of a high fantasy setting and are just a joy to clip together.
We also get three sets of Warplock Jezzails; these are rat-men with fantasy rifles. There are two creature teams, and they look great, though you do feel a little sorry for the Skaven who isn’t holding the gun; that must be a high-risk job. Speaking of guns, we also get a Ratling Warpblaster, a big steampunk-style cannon piece inspired by cannons, Gatling guns and someone’s worst nightmares. Gorgeous piece with simplified lines for both storage and modelling reasons.
There are three Rat Ogors, ogre-like rat men, who again have a crude arcano-tech vibe to them. Of all the models in the set, these have the biggest scope for conversions. We, of course, get some generals: a rat-wizard Grey Seer, which is one of the best versions of this particular character we’ve ever seen, and a Warlock Engineer, who looks like he’s about to charge someone a lot of money to repair something expensive. Finally, we get Clawlord on Gnaw-beast, a mounted commander who’s the ’counter’ to the Lord Vigilant.
The Skaven are, bluntly, worth the cost of the box. They’re fabulous.
The models slot together fairly easily, but it’s worth putting in the extra effort when assembling. You’re not expected to own basic modelling tools, but they’re easy to pick up if you don’t have a modelling knife, file, and clippers. (Don’t make the mistake of using a manicure set, as one of the STARBURST team did in their youth; you’ll ruin the nail file.) The instructions are detailed, and the options are broad, but Games Workshop has spent the time to make sure that most people can put these together without having to worry about precision glueing tiny objects onto tiny people.
Rules-wise, we’ll take a proper look at them (and the campaign supplement, Fire & Jade) in another review, but the short version is that they’re very good, and this version of the game makes it easier than ever before to get into Warhammer. This is the sort of box that, if you gave it to a geeky teenager, they’d probably be playing Warhammer for the rest of their life.
This is the best Age of Sigmar box we’ve seen, and if you haven’t gotten into this gloriously dark fantasy setting, maybe it’s time you did. We strongly advise you to pre-order, which you can do here.
