



The only way to carry your dice.

Yesterday the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook page teased some “Big News” to be announced in 24 hours time. Instantly the internet was alight with all sorts of speculation. Would we finally get a points system for AoS? The more cynical members of that Facebook group insisted that the “Big News” was just the FAQ that Games Workshop has been putting together (more on that in a bit). I personally was hoping for some sort of points system, as that was my one big hang up. I understand plenty of people enjoy AoS the way it is, but it just wasn’t for me. That is a sentiment that seems to be consistent across the board. People either truly enjoy AoS as it is, or they do not. There is no middle ground it seems when AoS is concerned.

Well early this morning the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook page revealed they have been working on a whole new way to play. Enter Matched play.

Matched play is bringing order to chaos. No longer are you reliant on the “social contract” of your opponent to bring roughly the same amount of models. Now there are actual point values designed for competitive play!

Not to leave the player base currently enjoying of AoS in the dust, GW also included Open Play (which is basically the current game) and Narrative Play, another new mode which will presumably focus more on the storytelling aspect of the game by re-enacting scenarios in the fluff.

Why this was never a thing from the start I guess we will never know. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks this was the plan all along for AoS. Release a game with basic rules and let the community balance it out. However, releasing an unfinished product this way seems like a giant middle finger to the player base, and plenty of people took it that way. But despite the negative perception, something was said in the post announcing Matched Play that has me thinking maybe GW had good intentions and planned for Matched Play all along (that is, if my conspiracy theory is correct).

Finally, Matched Play is something we know a lot of you have been keen to see. We’ve put these rules together in association with some of the world’s biggest tournament organisers, to create a new standard for balanced competitive play. And yes, it includes points values.

Did you catch what was said? World’s biggest tournament organizers. Games Workshop has actually worked with an outside party on the balancing of their game?

This, to me, is the real shocker. Games Workshop has actively sought out leaders of the community, those leading the charge so to speak, and asked for help. Couple this with the fact that Games Workshop has listed bundles for AoS on their webstore that are the best performing armies/lists from a recent AoS tournament and I can’t help but believe this was their plan all along. My head is spinning right now. Is this the same Games Workshop that seemed so incompetent in the past? All I can say is that I love the direction this company is heading.

This announcement is more than just a new way to play AoS. It shows us the new direction of this company, and that they are listening to their player base. I look forward to seeing what Games Workshop has in store for us.

What do you all think of this announcement from Games Workshop?