Each Datacard has three distinct sections; Charge Chance, Resilience and Average Damage Output.
Charge Chance
This graph shows the move and charge distances each unit can achieve and shows the chance of them achieving this distance as a percentage.
Resilience
This table shows how much damage would be required on average to destroy the unit. This is split into the various rend types most commonly found in Age of Sigmar. For example, the unit shown in the image above would need 18 damage from -2 rend weapons for the enemy to have a chance at destroying it.
This can be cross-referenced with another units average damage output to see what kind of damage they’ll do to it.
Average Damage Output
This simply shows how much damage on average the unit is expected to inflict after saves against the various save types. If there are multiple load-out choices, then these are shown separately, as is any missile damage.
Each Datacard has three distinct sections; Charge Chance, Resilience and Average Damage Output.
Charge Chance
This graph shows the move and charge distances each unit can achieve and shows the chance of them achieving this distance as a percentage.
Resilience
This table shows how much damage would be required on average to destroy the unit. This is split into the various rend types most commonly found in Age of Sigmar. For example, the unit shown in the image above would need 18 damage from -2 rend weapons for the enemy to have a chance at destroying it.
This can be cross-referenced with another units average damage output to see what kind of damage they’ll do to it.
Average Damage Output
This simply shows how much damage on average the unit is expected to inflict after saves against the various save types. If there are multiple load-out choices, then these are shown separately, as is any missile damage.
This one has taken a while! But I’m pleased to say that all of the warscrolls for Slaves to Darkness have now been translated into Datacards.
Reading the Datacards
Each Datacard has three distinct sections; Charge Chance, Resilience and Average Damage Output.
Charge Chance
This graph shows the move and charge distances each unit can achieve and shows the chance of them achieving this distance as a percentage.
Resilience
This table shows how much damage would be required on average to destroy the unit. This is split into the various rend types most commonly found in Age of Sigmar. For example, the unit shown in the image above would need 18 damage from -2 rend weapons for the enemy to have a chance at destroying it.
This can be cross-referenced with another units average damage output to see what kind of damage they’ll do to it.
Average Damage Output
This simply shows how much damage on average the unit is expected to inflict after saves against the various save types. If there are multiple load-out choices, then these are shown separately, as is any missile damage.
Change Log
16th February 2023 – Chaos Spawn resilience corrected. Thanks to Max in the comments for pointing it out.
It’s always an interesting time when there’s a new season of matched play on the horizon. All the subtle reflexes, lists and tricks you’ve built up over the last 6 months are about to be obliterated by a new set of realm rules and battleplans – including points adjustments and therefore significant list changes.
Rest assured, we’re here to help you get a head start on the practical stuff you need to know ahead of Season 2 – Galletian Champions – kicking off next week. Your author has glimpsed the new rules slightly ahead of their official publication date and has played a fair few games with the new rules already (with the new Slaves to Darkness book, in fact) with his club-mates, Sigmar’s Pilgrims, who recently finished 8th at the Brotherhood Teams Event.
So read on for a few tips, insights, and general things you should start thinking about for the forthcoming season. And what a season it’s going to be – as we guessed in our Hot Takes article – it’s a fantastic new set of rules that offer a welcome reduction in book-keeping from the previous season, helping make it smoother and more accessible, while adding in some awesome new levels of depth.
Identify your Galletian Champions (aka Galley Champs, aka GCs)
Put simply, this season is all about non-unique foot heroes under 10 wounds. A number of the new battle tactics require them, and multiple battleplans will either award bonus points for objectives being controlled by a GC, or give GCs priority when contesting them (i.e. if a GC is contesting the objective, only other GCs can).
This, as you have probably surmised, means you need to have a good look at what GCs your army has available, and start re-thinking their role in your army. Traditionally, most of these kinds of heroes have been underwhelming – why take a piddly foot-slogging dude when you can take a pure chad riding a giant monster? The answer, as it turns out, is because this season tells you it’s the cooler thing to do. If you want to win.
If your army has GCs who are either strong in their own right (Ironjaws are happy here) or simply cheap and durable, or highly mobile (hence the Knight Zephyros suddenly being S tier) – you’re laughing. If, like Soulblight, all your non-unique foot heroes just kind of suck, well, have a think about how best to protect them and then get them to where they need to be! Which brings us to…
2. Pay the Ferryman
Chris de Burgh HATES this guy
Lauchon stonks.
Though it’s tempting to leave it there, I will elucidate. If you army doesn’t just happen to have a teleporting GC (or like Fyreslayers, one that can also teleport their own bodyguard…!), then you’re quite possible going to want a way to zoom a GC onto a flank objective – and this season has lots that are less reachable.
The endless spell, Lauchon – aka the Bringy Dinghy – is perfect for this. You just need your GC to be a wizard (not hard with Arcane Tome doing the rounds) and for their base to fit within 6″ of the boat, and they’re eligible for a 21”+ whatever your hero has move. Then they can score points, and on the off-chance the boat doesn’t get Dispelled, at the end of the following hero phase they can zoom right back to safety! So it’s obviously best done with a GC on the cheaper side of things as it may be a one-way trip…
He’s not the only way to get around in style however, which brings us to…
3. Tunnel Mastery
There’s also another way of getting where you want to go – and it takes the form of what I imagine will quickly become the pick of choice from the new selection of free GC enhancements you now get to choose from. There are some excellent effects and combos but Tunnel Master – which allows your GC a standard teleport (so no closer than 9” to enemy units) – is obviously tasty. In general it’s risky to chuck even a 100 pt GC onto an objective on their own, so timing will be everything here – it’s well worth thinking if your army has a good way to support this play (or bringing a Soulscream Bridge!) so that the hero can have some backup, or some way to do it early then escape if the enemy starts hunting them down.
Alternatively, if you can work out a way – like the Fyreslayer example above – that you don’t have to pick Tunnel Master, then that will open up the slot for another enhancement instead.
4. The New Drop Off
There are three new battalions in the new Season, but the two that will shake things up the most are the ones GW previewed themselves. It’s not hard to see the respective merits of each, but what we’ve realised after a few games is that you really need to plan around the potential of your opponent taking Sharpshooters. GC scoring is so important that if you don’t have a genuine bodyguard unit to protect your GC from being sniped, you are going to want something in your list to try and deal with the shooting units.
What this means for the average drops is that, in our humble prediction, the new most common drops will be 3 (battle regiment + Sworn Guard) and 4 (Battle reg + Sharpshooters). If you really think dictating turn order is really important to your list, it might mean giving up Sworn Guard.
It’s also possible we’ll see a lot more ‘who gives a crap’ drops due to the following point…
5. 2nd Time Lucky
One of the coolest mechanics of the new season is that the player who takes the second turn gets to perform a second heroic action in their hero phase. This suddenly makes taking second in the first turn even more valuable, but that’s balanced by there now being an incentive not to take the double. And of course if you do get doubled – you can think about how that second action can keep you in the game rather than just sweating bricks.
Now, there are two new heroic actions revolving around fighting in the hero phase with your GC, potentially then followed by their Sworn Guard – which we’ll go into more detail on shortly – but we’ve found in reality they rarely actually get used. And as such, aren’t worth planning your turn priority around. However, you’ll obviously want to have them in your back pocket for when it’s important to be able to move in your turn rather than wait until the fight phase to get stuck in. The most important thing as ever will be reading the board-state, but do start thinking about whether your army can handle giving away first, as you can now potentially really punish over-reaches from your opponent.
6. Remembering Realm Rules The author is a big fan of the new realm rules, but it pays to be aware of their subtleties, and not lean too much into them for list building.
For example, the obvious, most game-changing benefit to GCs is the Key to Victory rule, meaning they can’t be targeted by ranged attacks while they stand within 1” of a friendly battleline unit, unless the attacking unit is in the aforementioned Sharpshooter battalion. Now it’s easy to mix up Battleline and Sworn Guard – so bear in mind it’s any battleline unit that can protedt your precious and flimsy GC from shooting.
Now, the new heroic actions have an obvious combination with the new rule for getting two heroic actions – bear in mind they both have to be issued from the same hero in your hero phase. The first allows GC within 3” of an enemy unit to fight, but then gains ‘fight last’ for the rest of the TURN. The second allows the Sworn Guard wholly within 6” of the GC that just fought, and is also within 3” of any enemy unit – i.e. doesn’t have to be the same one the GC fought – to also fight – with the same fight last modifier being added.
In practical terms, this hero phase fight with a unit is frankly unlikely to come off. It will be useful here and there – especially against pin lists like whoops all Nurgle flies or Beastclaw Raiders – but it’s probably a mistake to plan on it. Likewise, if you are hunting frantically through your Tome for the fightiest hero so they can get some hero phase action, just bear in mind that unless they kill that unit, they’re either going to have to stick around and try again or retreat.
Of course, if your hero has a fight first ability – this will cancel out the fight last and they will attack as normal in the fight phase – or likewise, if you have the ability (such as the new Slaves spell) to make an enemy unit fight last, you can much more safely activate this ability and still charge your GC into combat in your turn.
So there you have it – we’re super excited for the new Season and we hope you are too. Let us know in the Discord what your thoughts are once you start getting games in – and we hope these little offerings help you to get a head start on taking names at the table!
I’m addition to our Hobby Golf for 2023, we’re also running a Hobby Bingo card this year. Slightly different to the Games Workshop one, as it does not specify any games systems, releasing you from the GW only theme.
And, for those interested. If you join our friendly Discord server and post your finished pictures inside the #hobbybingo channel I will update your Hobby card personally with your pictures.
Hopefully with our WoePoints and also other sites like Pile of Potential we’ll all be battling against the pile of grey in 2023.
29th December 2022 – Update to correct name on Chainrasps
29th December 2022 – Correction to the damage output of Bladegheist Revenants
It’s taken a while, but thanks to the help of Patrick our first faction data cards are now ready!
We’ve started with Nighthaunt but have a lot of others in the pipeline and close to completion.
Each card shows the following information:
Resilience – Specifies how much damage is requited at the various rend values to destroy the unit or to destroy the unit via battleshick (if this is possible).
Threat Range – This will tell you how far the unit can move and then charge. If the unit had any missile weapons, then the card will also show how far the unit can move and then shoot.
Average Damage Output – The main focus of each card, this shows how much damage a unit should cause (as an average) to each of the save values. I.e. how much damage is unsaved.
Leaders
Awlrach the Drowner Cairn WraithDreadblade HarrowGuardian of SoulsKnight of ShroudsKnight of Shrouds on Ethereal SteedKrulghast CruciatorKurdoss ValentianLady OlynderLord ExecutionerNagashReikenor the GrimhailerScriptor MortisSpirit TormentThe Briar QueenTomb Banshee
Battleline
ChainraspsGrimghast ReapersHexwraithsSpirit Hosts
Behemoth
Black Coach
Other
Bladegheist RevenantsChainghastsCraventhrone GuardDreadscythe HarridansGlaivewraith StalkersMyrmourn BansheesThorns of the Briar Queen
Who’s Next?
Next up will be the Slaves to Darkness. Keep an eye out!
I’ve often visited the idea of creating unit stat cards for reference purposes. These would show things like a units resilience (i.e. How much damage should be allocated to it on average before saves are made to have a chance of destroying it in the battleshock phase). What the units threat range is and how much damage it does on average.
I’ve knocked a few designs up over the last few months but have started to settle on the ones below.
Eventually I’m hoping to do these for each unit in the game……
Before I begin, I wanted to clarify that when I discuss anything that involves a dice roll then I will refer to the average dice roll. For example, an average run roll being 3-4″ (average of 3.5 on one die).
This does mean that depending on how lucky your dice rolls are you can achieve more or less than the amount specified. But to keep it simple and for comparison purposes we will always refer to the average.
Possibly one of the most loved units in the Orruk factions. The Rogue Idol looks great as a model and hits like a tonne of bricks on the tabletop. Averaging out at roughly 12.6 on its damage output per turn (15.8 when it charges), plus a 50% chance of doing a mortal wound to each unit within 3″ at the end of the combat phase, it’s hard overlook in a fight. Then even if he is killed by your opponent he still has another 50% chance to do an additional D3 mortal wounds to every unit within 3″ when he’s slain (Ok, that includes yours too, but even so)!
His other benefit is giving nearby friendly casters +1 on their casting roll. This is particularly good for models like Gobsprakk The “That’s right, there’s no bonus to casting!” Mouth of Mork. Your Swampcalla Shamans won’t benefit as much because most of the time you’ll be using them to get poison on nearby units.
He also adds +1 to the Bravery of nearby Orruk units which is nothing to be sniffed at.
He can benefit from the Kruleboyz Command Trait Supa Sneaky meaning he’ll be in your enemies lines in no time of you wanted him there. He can also benefit from the Warchanter’s +1 damage making him particularly tough in Ironjawz and Big Waaagh armies.
Where he’ll really shine is inside Bonesplitterz, Ironjawz and Big Waaagh! armies. If you include him in a Bonesplitterz army you can place him near a Wardokk who can either heal him D3 wounds each turn or give him +1 to his save. Don’t forget that as the Rogue Idol has the Bonesplitterz keyword he can also benefit from exploding 6’s vastly improving his damage output. Similar effects can be done with Ironjawz via the Warchanter as well.
However, I’m going to be controversial here and say that he’s not quite worth his points inside Kruleboyz. In fact if you have 430 points sitting around, you may be better off buying two Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth instead as combined they’ll have much more damage output than the Rogue Idol and will be able to cause many more mortal wounds.
Combinations
Source
Ability
Description
Kragnos, the End of Empires
The End of Empires
If a friendly DESTRUCTION unit is wholly within 12″ of this unit, you can attempt a charge with that unit if it is within 18″ of an enemy unit instead of 12″. In addition, when making a charge roll for a friendly DESTRUCTION unit wholly within 12″ of this unit, roll 3D6 instead of 2D6.
Kruleboyz Command Trait
Supa Sneaky
If the General is on the battlefield at the start of the first battle round, before determining who has the first turn, you can pick 1 friendly KRULEBOYZ unit and set it up again anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9″ away from all enemy units.
Kruleboyz Command Trait
Egomaniak
If the General is within 3″ of another friendly unit, roll a dice before you allocate a wound or mortal wounds to the General or instead of making a ward roll for the General. On a 4+ pick 1 other friendly unit within 3″ of the General. That wound is allocated to that unit instead and cannot be negated.
Kruleboyz Battle Traits
Kruleboyz Waaagh!
Once per battle, in the combat phase, when you pick a friendly KRULEBOYZ General to fight, you can say that they are calling a Kruleboyz Waaagh! If you do so, pick up to 2 other friendly KRULEBOYZ units wholly within 18″ of that General and that have not yet fought in that combat phase. That general and the units you picked can fight one after the other in the order of your choice.
Gosprakk, the Mouth of Mork
Mouth of Mork
If this unit issues a redeploy command to a KRULEBOYZ unit, you can re-roll the dice that determines the distance the unit that receives the command can move.
Kruleboyz Wizard
Sneaky Miasma
Sneaky Miasma is a spell that has a casting value of 6 and range of 18″. If successfully cast, pick 1 friendly KRULEBOYZ MONSTER within range and visible to the caster. That MONSTER can make a normal move.
Savage Big Boss
Let Me At ‘Em
After this unit has fought in the combat phase for the first time, you can pick 1 friendly BONESPLITTERZ unit that has not yet fought in that combat phase, that is within 3″ of an enemy unit and that is wholly within 12″ of this unit. That unit fights immediately.
Wardokk
Grimdokk Dance
Pick 1 friendly BONESPLITTERZ model within 12″ of this unit and roll a dice. On a 3+, heal up to D3 wounds allocated to that model.
Wardokk
Glyphdokk Dance
Pick 1 friendly BONESPLITTERZ unit wholly within 12″ of this unit and roll a dice. On a 3+, add 1 to save rolls for attacks that target that unit until your next hero phase. A unit cannot be affected by this dance more than once per phase.
Orruk Warchanter
Violent Fury
In your hero phase, you can pick 1 friendly IRONJAWZ unit wholly within 15″ of this unit. Until your next hero phase, add 1 to the damage inflicted by attacks made with melee weapons by that unit. A unit cannot benefit from this ability more than once per phase.
Orruk Warchanter
Fixin’ Beat
This warbeat can be attempted in your hero phase. If the attempt is successful, This unit, pick 1 friendly model within 12″ of this unit and heal up to D3 wounds allocated to that model.
Orruk Warchanter
Get ‘Em Beat
This warbeat can be attempted at the start of your charge phase. If the attempt is successful, pick 1 friendly IRONJAWZ unit wholly within 12″ of this unit. In that charge phase, you can attempt a charge with that friendly IRONJAWZ unit if it is within 18″ of an enemy unit instead of 12″. In addition, roll 3D6 instead of 2D6 when making a charge roll for that unit in the charge phase.
Big Waaagh! Battle Traits
Mighty Destroyers
You can use this command ability in your hero phase. The model that issues the command must be an IRONJAWZ model and the unit that receives the command must be an IRONJAWZ unit.
– If the unit that received the command is more than 12″ from all enemy units, you must make a normal move with the unit.
– If the unit that received the command is within 3″ of an enemy unit, you must make a pile-in move with each model in that unit.
– If the unit is within 12″ of any enemy unit and more than 3″ from all enemy units, you must attempt a charge with the unit.
Bonesplitterz Battle Trait
Spirit of Gorkamorka
If the unmodified hit roll for an attack made with a melee weapon by a friendly BONESPLITTERZ unit is 6, that attack scores 2 hits on the target instead of 1 (make a wound roll and save roll for each hit).
Bonesplitterz Battle Trait
Tireless Trackers
After deployment begins but before the first battle round begins, half of the BONESPLITTERZ units in your army (rounding up) can move 5″. If both players can move units before the first battle round begins, they must roll off, and the winner chooses who moves their units first.
Ironjawz Battle Traits
Ironjawz Waaagh!
Once per battle, at the start of your charge phase, you can pick 1 friendly IRONJAWZ general on the battlefield and say that they are calling an Ironjawz Waaagh! Until the end of that turn, add 1 to charge rolls for friendly IRONJAWZ units and improve the rend characteristic of melee weapons used by friendly IRONJAWZ units by 1.
Ironjawz Battle Traits
Smashing and Bashing
In the combat phase, after a friendly IRONJAWZ unit has fought, if any enemy units were destroyed by an attack made by that unit, you can pick 1 friendly IRONJAWZ unit that has not yet fought in that combat phase and that is within 3″ of an enemy unit. That friendly IRONJAWZ unit fights immediately.
Megaboss Command Traits
Mighty Waaagh! Leader
If this general calls an IRONJAWZ Waaagh! You can re-roll charge rolls for friendly IRONJAWZ units wholly within 12″ of them until the end of that turn.
Savage Big Boss Command Traits
Great Hunter
If this general is part of your army, when you use the Tireless Trackers battle trait, you can move eligible units up to 8″ instead of 5″.
Missile Attacks
This unit has no missile attacks.
Melee Attacks
This boy can stomp face! Managing on average 10.5 damage AFTER saves against targets with a 4+ save, everything should be scared of him!
Attack
Av Threat Range
Av # of Attacks
Av # of Hits
Av # of Wounds
Damage Output (Pre-save)
Boulder Fists
17″
2
1.3
1.1
3.8
Stompin’ Feet
17″
10
6.6
4.4
8.8
Boulder Fists (Charge)
17″
2
1.7
1.4
4.8
Stompin’ Feet (Charge)
17″
10
8.3
5.5
11.0
Based on average dice rolls
Looking at the damage after saves:
Save
Boulder Fists
Stompin’ Feet
–
3.8
8.8
6+
3.8
8.8
5+
3.8
8.8
4+
3.2
7.3
3+
2.5
5.8
Amount of damage after saves based on average dice rolls
The chance of this units charge connecting:
Distance
Chance
13″
97%
14″
92%
15″
83%
16″
72%
17″
58%
18″
42%
19″
28%
20″
17%
21″
8%
22″
3%
Chance of making a charge (including movement)
Resilience
With 16 wounds a 4+ save, and a 5+ ward save, he’ll need on average 48 damage from zero rend weapons allocated to it BEFORE any saves in order to have a chance of destroying this in a single turn.
Before I begin, I wanted to clarify that when I discuss anything that involves a dice roll then I will refer to the average dice roll. For example, an average run roll being 3-4″ (average of 3.5 on one die).
This does mean that depending on how lucky your dice rolls are you can achieve more or less than th
