Taking Stock, Part 1

Warcry Warbands, Allies & Thralls

As shops re-opened in England, I rushed to the Warhammer Manchester store, where my copies of the Warcry Grand Alliance books and the Tome of Champions 2020 were waiting for me since last December. That's a long time but that's what happens when you are abroad on release day and then a lockdown is called while you are quarantining... I guess we all have similar stories from the past year!
Anyway, I sat down with the books and my collection of Age of Sigmar models. Now that every infantry, cavalry and some monster kit has rules for Warcry, I can arrange them into 8 warbands and a few assorted Allies and Thralls I can use to spice up games. Here they are!

Destruction: Ironjaw Krushamob - Badruk’s Boyz (1350 points)

1 x Ardboy Boss (Leader), 190 points
3 x Ardboys with ardboy choppas, 330 points
3 x Ardboys with big choppa, 330 points
4 x Ardboys with ardboy choppa & orruk-forged shield, 500 points

These boyz are my plainest warband, assembled out of the box and painted for mass ranking during the 7th edition of Warhammer Fantasy. They can be used in all type of games, but I will mostly keep them as Adversaries in Challenge Battles and as NPCs in campaigns.

Destruction: Mawtribe Wanderglutt - The Ironforged (1470 points)

1 x Tyrant (Leader), 335 points
1 x Crusher (Hero), 285 points
2 x Maneaters, 440 points
2 x Ogor Gluttons with clubs, 410 points

The Maneaters were done for Mordheim, as Ogre Mercenaries to go with my Dwarfs and Witch Hunters, which are now Cities of Sigmar warbands (scroll down for them!). The Tyrant and the Gluttons were done, together with the Free Companies of the Gilded Hand (they too are further down!) as a tribute to the 4th edition range of Dogs of War and Regiments of Renown. Like Badruk's Boyz, they can be used for all kind of play and I'm sure they'll see some action as main characters at some point.

Destruction: Allies and Thralls/Roaming Beasts (1250 points)

1 x Loonsboss (Ally), 175 points
1 x Fungoid Cave-Shaman (Ally), 175 points
1 x Wardokk (Ally), 205 points
1 x Savage Arrow Boss (Ally), 125 points
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (Thralls/Roaming Beasts), 570 points

Ruglud, together with his whole Regiment of Renown was done at the same time as the Ironforged Gluttons and the Free Companies. The other models, like Badruk's Boyz, were part of my Warhammer Fantasy Orcs & Goblins. I have some rebased Gloomspite Gitz and old-style Orruks that could stand in as Bonesplitterz, but they are all out of the box and 'badly' painted, plus I'm using them as adversaries in my current solo campaing, so I'm not really motivated to turn them into Warcry warbands. But who knows, some day I may!

Order: Anvilgard Shieldband - The Grudgebreakers (2185 points)

1 x Ironbeard with drakefire pistol & cinderblast bomb (Leader), 175 points
1 x Cogsmith (Hero), 185 points
1 x Freeguild Sergeant (Hero), 130 points
1 x Battlemage (Hero), 175 points
8 x Irondrakes, 760 points
8 x Ironbreakers, 760 points

These Duardin Privateers and their human mates started their life as a Mordheim warband, while at the same time being an unconscious tribute to Long Drong's Slayers. They make for another warband ready for all type of play. Given the amount of shooters, chosing the rules for Greywater Fastness would have been a sensible gameplay choice, but they are privateers and rule of cool demands to use the rules for Anvilgard! I'm most likely to use them only with regular opponents as they are on the extreme end of the 'count-as' acceptability. Let's face it, crossbows don't look anything like flamethrowers, pistols and cudgels are a far cry from hand weapons and shields, not to mention the complete lack of heavy armour...

Phoenicium Shieldband - The Church of Sigmar’s Retribution (1725 points)

1 x Freeguild General (Leader), 180 points
1 x Prophet (Hero), 130 points
1 x Keeper of the Gate (Hero), 175 points
7 x Freeguild Handgunners, 560 points
2 x Freeguild Crossbowmen, 160
8 x Flagellants, 520 points

Here's another former Mordheim warband, bashed from Empire Militia and Flagellants, ready for all kind of Warcry play. With the recent announcement of Witch Hunters returning to the Age of Sigmar range, I hope we'll know more about the Order of Azyr and get Warcry rules for them as well. Should that happen, I'll have to rework the roster, but until then the Phoenicium rules are great to represent a god-touched, fanatical rabble.

Hammerhall Shieldband - Free Companies of the Gilded Hand (1925 points)

1 x Freeguild General (Leader), 180 points
1 x Battlemage (Hero), 175 points
5 x Freeguild Guard with spear, 325 points
5 x Freeguild Guard with sword and shield, 400 points
5 x Freeguild Crossbowmen, 400 points
1 x Freeguild Outrider, 165 points
2 x Freeguild Pistoliers, 280 points

They have seen plenty of AoS Skirmish action in the past few years, but I'm still madly in love with my tribute to the Regiments of Renown. The Hammerhall rules, with their emphasis on disciplined shieldwalls fighting around inspirational leaders work perfectly with the fluff I have developed for them so far. And like all the other warbands so far, they are ready for all styles of play.

Khainite Shadowstalkers - The Shadowflames (1330 points)

1 x Shroud Queen (Leader), 190 points
1 x Auric Runefather (Ally), 195 points
1 x Vulkite Berzerker Karl (Ally), 170 points
1 x Hearthguard Berzerker Karl with berzerker broadaxe (Ally), 185 points
5 x Darkflame Warlocks with repeater crossbows, 500 points
1 x Shroudblade with cursed swords, 90 points

That's my only Order warband exclusively rooted into the Age of Sigmar background and only using recent models. I first thought of running them as Free Cities with Fyreslayers allies, as I had done in Age of Sigmar Skirmish. However, none of the Free Cities abilities really captured the fighting style I envisaged for the aelfs. The Khainite Shadowstalker, on the other hand, are perfect. For now, they are about 2-3 Shadowstalker models short for using them in campaign play, but deploying all the aelfs and the Runefather they work perfectly for open and matched play. And of course, they can always be used as Adversaries in Challenge battles. Needless to say, I fully intend to add those 2-3 models needed for campaign play...

Order: Allies (600 points)

1 x Doomseeker, 180 points
1 x Knight-Questor, 245 points
1 x Assassin, 175 points

Like for the assorted Destruction models, I don't see myself building warbands around these models right now. However, a mercenary Fyreslayer will sit nicely as an Ally for the Free Companies, while the Knight-Questor and the Assassin scream to fight alongside the Church of Sigmar's Retribution. They will definetely not fight with the Grudgebreakers and the Shadowflames as they don't fit their themes... not to mention that the Hero/Ally allocation for those warbands is already fully taken up.

Chaos: Tzeentch Arcanite Coven - Denizens of the Silver Tower (1135 points)

1 x Kairic Adept (Leader/Hero), 150 points
1 x Gaunt Summoner (Leader/Hero), 195 points
1 x Ogroid Thamaturge (Leader/Hero), 265 points
1 x Tzaangor with pair of savage blades, 75 points
1 x Tzaangor with savage blade and arcanite shield, 85 points
1 x Tzaangors with savage greatblade, 105 points
1 x Kairic Acolytes with cursed blade and arcanite shield, 85 points
1 x Kairic Acolytes with cursed glaive and arcanite shield, 90 points
1 x Kairic Acolyte with paired cursed blades, 85 points

Like the Shadowstalkers, this Tzeentch coven is 2-3 models short for campaign play except as Adversaries in Challenge battles. Using the Gaunt Summoner and the Ogroid Thaumaturge as Leader and Hero respectively, they are perfect for open and matched play. Technically, I have enough extra Silver Tower Acolytes and Tzaangors to make them playable in a campaign, but that will mean deploying a few identical models and that's against the rule of cool!

Chaos: Allies (775 points)

1 x Darkoath Chieftain, 190 points
1 x Deathmaster, 200 points
1 x Iridescent Horror, 190 points
2 Blue Horrors and 2 Brimstone Horrors (free with Split abilities)
1 x Great Bray-Shaman, 195 points

Another bunch of models for which I have no immediate plans, but that can be used alongisde the Denizens of the Silver Tower in open and matched play or as Adversaries.

Death: Legions of Nagash Thrallband - Kalyustar’s Cursed Company (1210 points)

1 x Necromancer (Leader), 195 points
2 x Grave Guards with great wight blade, 170 points
3 x Skeleton Champions, 240 points
5 x Skeletons with ancient spears, 275 points
6 x Skeletons with ancient blades, 330 points

And that's my last tribute to the Regiments of Renown, and my favourite narrative-driven warband as it emerged from the campaigns we played. I haven't taken a new picture of them, just recycled the one I took when I made the first batch. You can see them all in action in the battle reports for our campaign that got frozen by the pandemic. Once we resume that, they'll be slightly limited in the later stages of the campaign when you can deploy more fighters. Of course, I'm planning to add a few more fighters and the release of the new Soulblight range could have not come at a better time! And, obviously, the Skeletons and Grave Guards can all be used as Restless Dead!