Age of Sigmar's Cover Art Unveiled

Cubicle 7 has just unveiled John Grenier's cover art for the upcoming Age of Sigmar RPG, coming later this year.


sigmar.jpg

"On the cover itself, you can see a band of heroes from across the Mortal Realms facing down the forces of Chaos and the undead legions of Nagash, the Lord of Death. Our group of heroes is made up of a valiant Knight-Questor of the Stormcast Eternals, a devoted Excelsior Warpriest, an Isharann Tidecaster of the mysterious Idoneth Deepkin, a resourceful Endrinrigger of the Kharadron Overlords, and a towering Kurnoth Hunter of the Sylvaneth."


Age of Sigmar is a d6 dice pool game set after the Age of Chaos, at a time where Sigmar's return kindles hope in the world. However, the Age of Death looms, heralded by Nagash the Undying King, and the players take on the roles of the heroes tasked to drive back the evil forces.

Below is the full press release.

The Age of Sigmar

The Age of Chaos saw the Mortal Realms overrun with violence and death, but Sigmar’s return and the beginning of the Age of Sigmar saw hope rekindled. But now Nagash, the Undying King and Lord of Death, has set a thousand-year plan in motion. The dead stalk the lands and the mighty Stormcast Eternals are stretched to the brink. The Realms need heroes or risk falling into a new age: The Age of Death.

When you play the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game you will be taking on the roles of heroes of the Mortal Realms. Your disparate group are a beacon of hope in the Realms and it is up to you to ensure that light isn’t extinguished. You will drive back the forces of Chaos, Death, and Destruction and help to return life and civilisation to the Realms.

The System


The Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game uses a D6 dice pool system. You’ll create your dice pool by adding your Attributes together with any Skills you are proficient with. Attributes describe your innate capabilities such as physical prowess, intelligence, and strength of will, while Skills represent your competency and experience in a particular area. Each character has 3 Attributes — Body, Mind, and Soul — and can choose from up to 24 unique Skills.

As well as Attributes and Skills, you will also have Talents. Talents are unique abilities and features that further define what you are capable of, such as spellcasting, aethercraft, or channeling the power of Sigmar into your strikes. When you choose your Archetype (read on for more on Archetypes!) you will have a predetermined list of Skills and Talents to choose from, but as your character grows you will be able to select from a wide array of unique options. This will give you a huge amount of freedom with how you grow and shape your character.

We also have a number of systems within the corebook centred on having your party work together, interacting with the factions of the realms, crafting, pets and mounts, and creating your own spells. We will discuss these and more in future updates.

The Archetypes

Your Archetype is who you are when you begin playing the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game. It may be your job, a calling, a military rank, or something a little more esoteric, but whatever it is it represents who you are when you first pick up the dice. Your Archetype is who you are now, but who, or what, you might become has yet to be decided.

Each Archetype presents your Species, your starting Attributes, your Core Skill and a number of other Skills to choose from, your Core Talent and a number of other Talents to choose from, your faction Influence, your starting equipment, and anything else that is important for your character.

The Archetypes presented in the corebook are drawn from some of the most well-known heroes of the Forces of Order. We will share more details and artwork for each Archetype in a future update, but for now we are happy to confirm the Knight-Questor and Knight-Incantor of the Stormcast Eternals, Auric Runesmiter of the Fyreslayers, Aether-Khemist of the Kharadron Overlords, Isharann Tidecaster of the Idoneth Deepkin, Witch Aelf of the Daughters of Khaine, Excelsior Warpriest of the Devoted of Sigmar, Former Freeguild Soldier of the Free Peoples, Kurnoth Hunter of the Sylvaneth, Skink Starpriest of the Seraphon, and the mysterious Realmswalker.

For players who prefer a more free-form approach to character creation, we also present rules for creating characters without Archetypes. Future products will introduce expanded player options, including Archetypes from outside the Forces of Order.

The Setting

The Mortal Realms are almost endless, so packing them into a single book would be impossible. The Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game presents an overview of each of the Mortal Realms and what life is like for the people who live there. These give players and GMs an idea of what it would be like to adventure in these lands, who they might meet, and the threats they might face. It provides a grounding for you to set your adventure in any Realm you choose.

As well as giving an overview of each of the Realms, the corebook has a chapter dedicated to the lands of the Great Parch in Aqshy, the Realm of Fire. This chapter gives an insight into the daily life of the inhabitants of Aqshy, how they survive, how they trade and who they trade with, and how they have recovered from the events of the Age of Chaos. The great cities of Aqshy are explored, as are the havens of Chaos, Death, and Destruction. This chapter presents all the information a GM will need to run a campaign in The Great Parch.

The Team

To help us create the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game we sought out some of the authors who have helped to shape the Mortal Realms into what we know today. David Guymer (Realmslayer, Hamilcar: Champion of the Gods), Josh Reynolds (Soul Wars, Plague Garden), and Clint Werner (The Tainted Heart, Overlords of the Iron Dragon) have all contributed to the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game. Their input, insight, and knowledge of the Realms has been immense. These talented folk are some of the people who know the Realms best so to be able to pick their brains has been great. Expect to see more from them as the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game grows and we explore more of the Mortal Realms.

What’s Next?

In the coming months we will continue to share more information on the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game. Future updates will focus in detail on how Archetypes work, showcase some of our talented artists, explore the complicated relationships of the factions of the Realms, and look into the future of what you can expect from the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game. Be sure to keep an eye on our website and social media channels as we announce where you can come meet us, including which events to attend for a chance to be one of the first people in the world to play the Age of Sigmar Roleplaying Game.

Until then, blessings of Sigmar be upon you!
 

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I've played all the editions of WHFRPG. And maybe it's less fiddly than the older ones (it's been a little while, so my memory is fuzzy), but comparing it to modern games such as D&D 5e, Numenera, Star Wars, Call of Cthulhu 8th edition, Seventh Sea, or any of the Apocalypse Engine games, I'd say it's fiddly.
Rolling a check, comparing it to another check, subtracting those numbers, dividing to get a success level. Then using that success level to modify your damage roll, which is then reversed, compared to a hit location chart, which then the armor in that location of your target further subtracts the damage. Oh my Lord. I closed the file and considered my money wasted.
It's not super complex to me, and it is way more intuitive in play then said out loud. But I can understand those that feel it looks complex.

I really loved the Old World setting. In fact, it continues to shape my default fantasy campaigns in D&D and other games. Age of Sigmar just seems... weird for the sake of weird. It's abandoned most familiar fantasy tropes for the explicit purpose of creating a copyrightable IP.
It's not actually that super weird anymore. It's just a decently different high fantasy setting. I feel like too many people are ignoring the lore and what it can be, out of a bad first impression.

I love the Old World too, but the Mortal Realms are a different beast and a interesting setting in their own right.
 

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Retreater

Legend
I approach most new games from the angle of "how am I going to sell this to my group?" which requires buy-in from me and an easy explanation.
Most of us are still operating under the "d20 Default" from nearly two decades ago. For us, trying to get another game played had better be similar to d20 or rules lite.
I think a WHFRPG with a percentage based mechanic similar to Call of Cthulhu would've been ok. This is just too much.
 

I approach most new games from the angle of "how am I going to sell this to my group?" which requires buy-in from me and an easy explanation.
Most of us are still operating under the "d20 Default" from nearly two decades ago. For us, trying to get another game played had better be similar to d20 or rules lite.
I think a WHFRPG with a percentage based mechanic similar to Call of Cthulhu would've been ok. This is just too much.

That is what it has. The system is a ton like Call of Cthulhu. If you can play Call of Cthulhu you can play Warhammer Fantasy 4e.
 
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Retreater

Legend
That is what it has. The system is a ton like Call of Cthulhu. If you can play Call of Cthulhu you can play Warhammer Fantasy 4e.

I got only the Starter Set, so maybe it doesn't have the full rules? Or maybe what I was reading are optional? The charts, degrees of success, hit locations, etc, all made it seem much more complex than CoC.
 

I got only the Starter Set, so maybe it doesn't have the full rules? Or maybe what I was reading are optional? The charts, degrees of success, hit locations, etc, all made it seem much more complex than CoC.

It has most of the rules. Degrees of Success are in CoC as well.

Here is an attack example straight from the Starter Set.

"Example: Molrella shoots her sling at an Entertainer for her
Action, so attempts a Dramatic Ballistic Skill Test. She rolls 13
against her BS of 39. Because it is a ranged attack, the Entertainer
cannot defend, so this is not an Opposed Test. Molrella scored
+2 SL, and her Sling has +6 Damage, which equals a total of 8
Damage. Molrella reverses the Test roll of 13 for Hit Location,
scoring a 31 — right arm! The Entertainer has no Armour on the
Right Arm, and Toughness Bonus 3, so loses 5 Wounds (8 − 3 =
5). The Entertainer started with 12 Wounds, but now only has 7
Wounds remaining"

For Melee the only difference is that the Entertainer would make a similar roll to defend and hope to get a better result.
 

Retreater

Legend
Maybe it just seems more of an issue because CoC has combat as a last resort?
I ran a months long Masks of Nyarlahotep campaign and we never once had to look up combat charts, etc. If I remember the only time degrees of success came up was in critical hits (impales).
 

Dragonblade

Adventurer
Do you even know anything about the setting.


Thats not really how Age of Sigmar's setting works. It's more heroic fantasy.

I don't really know anything about the setting. So if its just Warhammer with a different coat of paint, I'll pass. But I've heard its different, so tell me what you think about it and why you like or don't like it.
 

Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
I don't really know anything about the setting. So if its just Warhammer with a different coat of paint, I'll pass. But I've heard its different, so tell me what you think about it and why you like or don't like it.

Well, it *is* Warhammer.
 

Dragonblade

Adventurer
Ha! Yes, well played. :)

That is true, but is it all doom and gloom? Every victory you manage to eke out just delays the inevitable as chaos and corruption continually grow stronger? I'm not interested in that. But I Googled some of the setting lore and while its certainly still a brutal world, Chaos is actually in retreat to some extent, and the other factions including Order, are just as powerful. That interests me much more than traditional Warhammer.
 

Ha! Yes, well played. :)

That is true, but is it all doom and gloom? Every victory you manage to eke out just delays the inevitable as chaos and corruption continually grow stronger? I'm not interested in that. But I Googled some of the setting lore and while its certainly still a brutal world, Chaos is actually in retreat to some extent, and the other factions including Order, are just as powerful. That interests me much more than traditional Warhammer.

It's not all Doom and Gloom.

To be exact there are three ages in the setting. The Age of Myth, were the Gods united the lands and formed a great Pantheon. Mighty Kingdoms and Empires rose and fell, and while there were problems, nothing was really bad. Near the end of the this age Chaos came and started warring with the Pantheon, which started to crumble it's membership deciding to pursue their own interests over that of the collective. It came to a head at a great battle where Sigmar's last remaining Ally in the Pantheon Nagash did not show and he did not send his forces to aid him at the crucial moment leading to Sigmar's defeat. Sigmar was forced to retreat to his Realm of Azyr and reluctantly sealed all entrances to it, leaving the denizens of the other Realms to their fates.

This leads to the Age of Chaos, with the Pantheon's fracturing Chaos's forces had free range over the Mortal Realms with the exception of Azyr for 500 years. Most of the mighty Kingdoms and Empires from the Age of Myth fell during this time, and large amounts of the Mortal Realms were reduced to ruins.

Then the Age of Sigmar the current period happened. Sigmar had not been spending the 500 years doing nothing, and at last launched his counter attack on Chaos. Opening the Realm Gates and sending his warriors forth to drive chaos back and rebuild the world. Sigmar's counter attack had a lot of momentum and he managed to establish alliances with some of the gods of the former pantheon. Sigmar then sent his forces to work in establishing new cities, towns and forts throughout the area claimed, while sending forces to check the ruins of empires of the age of Myth for any artifacts that can help. As of the now, chaos has been pushed back, and the forces of Order are resurging.
 

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