Beastgrave Models

Hi all

I have now assembled both of the new warbands for Beastgrave, and here they are. 

Skaeth’s Wild Hunt

Although I do like the sculpts first these, I wish there was not the beast legs. Just do a range of good wood elves. They do not need another gimmick. 

Grashrak’s Despoikers

These I absolutely love. Amazing sculpts and if there was an entire range of these, I’m sure a lot of people would be very interested. 

Both warbands were incredibly easy to build, and I didn’t have to use any glue. One of the best selling points of the Shadespire warbands for me has always been the option incorporate these in your Age of Sigmar army, adding a bit of variety, which is never to a bad thing.

Let me know what you think in the comments down below. 

Last, but by no means least, I will be reviewing an actually game of Beastgrave 

Go to our friends at Battleground gaming an use the code BEAST to get 24% off Beastgrave now. https://battlegroundgaming.co.uk

Stay tuned :-)

Beastgrave Lore

Hi all

Next up, I will going through briefly the lore included in the rulebook for Beastgrave. 

The region called Beastgrave is a craggy a brutal land. At the centre of the region is a mountain so immense that the top is hidden within the clouds. There are many rumours regarding the mountain, from the mountain dragging itself across the landscape with huge talons, to the idea that the mountain itself is a trapped god.

Whatever the origin of the mountain is, it is believed that it lures explorers and adventures to it, by invading their dreams and promising treasure. 

Surrounding Beastgrave are many tribes that any would be explorers would have to travel through first. Those who dare pass, find themselves in a land of deep gulleys and razor sharp rocks that would tear the flesh of the unwary. 

As the adventurers draw ever nearer, they feel a sense of watchfulness. This could be the eyes of the pallid, ink-skinned tribesman, stalking them with flint spears and knives. Or maybe it’s the disembodied gauge of the mountain itself, watching, waiting.

Once they reach the foot of the mountain, the adventurers find its slopes surprisingly easy to climb, as there have been dozens of trials worn over time. Despite passing destroyed camps of previous adventures, and there remains, they continue to climb the mountain, being ushered on by whispers and promises of treasure.

The moment they set foot inside the mountain, it has them. Tunnels wind and twist like a knot of writhing snakes. Dead ends and sudden drops abound, while even the largest open spaces are honeycombed with side entrances and twisted columns. Only a steady nerve and a predator’s merciless guile will see them through the horrors that lie ahead. 

Nor is it only the mountain and it’s hazards that explorers must face, rival adventuring bands bring their own perils. Soon, many forget their original intent altogether. Thoughts of escape fade, drowned by the instinct to hunt, to slay and to revel in the bloody joy of the kill. 

If all of this wasn’t enough, the Katophrane Curse from Shadespire, has bled into Beastgrave as a direct resale of the Necroquake. Now, once an adventure dies, the next day they find themselves resurrected, just to go through the whole circle again. 

 Skaeth’s Wild Hunt

Skaeth and his companions are worshippers of Kurnoth, the god of the hunt. They prey solely upon those bringers of ruin, who desecrate the natural order. They rely on speed and agility to evade the many dangers of the battlefield. They wear lightweight armour, made to allow the swift and relentless pursuit of their prey. 

Skaeth and his followers have plunged into the depths of Beastgrave upon what they believe may be their most important ever hunt. They seek to track down those beings infected by the Katophrane curse and slay them to ensure they do not spread their corruption further. Alarielle has sent them visions of the horrors that will transpire should the curse break free of the mountain. Skaeth also wishes to fight their way to the very heart of Beastgrave to slay the mountain itself. 

Grashrak’s Despoilers

The gor-kin of Grashrak’s Despoilers hate all things pure with a bestial vehemence that knows neither reason nor restraint. Having butchered a gore-slick path from the depths of the Gnawing Forest to the Wrything Hills, this herd of bestial brutes have now plunged into the tunnels of Beastgrave in search of fresh victims. 

Grashrak Fellhoof is a Bray-Shaman who speaks the foul words of the bloodspittle tongue and conjures the mutating energies of Chaos to rend his victims’ flesh and broil their souls. He rules his herd through absolute fear. 

Included in the rule book, are some small passages or some upcoming warbands. The first of these is The Grymwatch. These are Flesh Eater Courts, who of course believe themselves to be noble knights. The king, Ghorphang has charged his greatest courtier, Duke Crakmarrow with a truly heroic undertaking. He is to slay the great monster that King Ghorphang believes lurks in the depths of Beastgrave. The next one is Rippa’s Snarlfangs. Rippa Narkbad is a disgraced, exiled Bossboy, formally in high favour of Gitlord Skraggle. Vowed that he would have revenge on Gitlord Skraggle, Rippa have gone to Beastgrave with his two best ladz, in search of a magnificent loppa, that he believes will take the head of Gitlord Skraggle in one fell swoop. 

Overall, I really like the lore behind the warbands we currently know about, however, I really do not like the whole part about the mountain having a will and luring people there. I feel that there are cases where less is more, and this is one of those cases. It’s just not needed.

Let me know what you think in the comments down below.

Go to our friends at Battleground gaming an use the code BEAST to get 24% off Beastgrave now. https://battlegroundgaming.co.uk 

Next up I will show of the actual models that come in the boxset. 

Stay tuned :-)

Beastgrave Unboxing

Hi all

We have been fortunate enough to have received the new Beastgrave boxset to review.  

On my first post I will show you what comes with the set in an unboxing. 

First up, of course we have the warbands. 

Grashrak’s Despoikers

Skaeth’s Wild Hunt

Lots of new cards

Dice

New Boards

Last, but by no means least, loads of new tokens.

My first impressions of this box set is very good. The models look incredible, and I love the amount of character in the new boards. 

The set also contains a Rulebook, and an assembly guide.  

Next up, I will give a brief overview of the lore behind Beastgrave. 

Go to our friends at Battleground gaming an use the code BEAST to get 24% off Beastgrave now. https://battlegroundgaming.co.uk

Stay tuned :-)

Combos available in Shadespire

Hi all

Posted on the Warhammer Community today, is 5 fun combos you will be able to use in Shadespire 

The new Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire – Leaders card set is available to pre-order now, and we’ve been going over the new cards in the office and putting together cunning combos (or kunnin’ kombos, for the orruk players among us) using the new cards. We wanted to share some with you – so here are our top 5 combos using just the cards from the new expansion.

Who Can Use It: Any warband

Turn your leader and one of his allies into a nigh-invulnerable duo with this pair of upgrades which makes either of them count as two supporting fighters when supporting the other – add in some weapon upgrades and you’ll have a truly fearsome fighting team… as long as they stay together. (If you have Linchpin among your objectives, it can also be good for a glory point if your paired fighters are in the thick of the action.)

Who Can Use It: Any warband

Undefeated is a great objective for any warband that relies on keeping its leader around, allowing you to grab an extra glory point at the end of the third phase if your leader is still on the battlefield – but to make it even more likely they’ll still be alive and kicking (or stabbing, or bludgeoning), you might want to include Look Out! among your ploys – sure, it’ll mean one of your other fighters takes a lot of damage, but your leader will be safe. And if you’re playing with the Sepulchral Guard or Spiteclaw’s Swarm, you can probably bring that fighter right back anyway.

Who Can Use It: Magore’s Fiends

An obvious one, this, but it’s so much fun to try, and forces the Magore’s Fiends player to play very much in the spirit of a Khorne warband, putting their Blood Warriors (and Riptooth, of course) in harm’s way with the intention of getting them killed, while Magore takes down the enemy’s hardest hitters and is the last man standing – for a massive 9 (yes, 9!) glory points. Add in Gory Visage to make Magore more survivable, or if you want some risk for your reward, the Cursed Shield might be fun

Who Can Use It: Garrek’s Reavers

Like to get Garrek in fast and furious and take the enemy leader down before he can make an impact on the game? The new objective Neutralise rewards that with two glory points (plus the one for the kill) – and when Garrek takes that skull (and if it’s the Sepulchral Warden’s, he won’t even have to clean all that messy flesh off it), you can play Coveted Trophy for a sneaky extra point. If you’re able to upgrade Garrek before he goes in for the kill, then Apex Predator works well for yet another glory point, taking your total to a sweet five for one kill.

Who Can Use It: Spiteclaw’s Swarm

Sometimes your leader’s gonna die – it’s just a fact of life, especially among skaven. Fortunately, Krrk the Almost Trusted always has plans in place for when his “master” succumbs to enemy blades (or one of Krrk’s schemes). And you can get an easy two glory points just for letting Spiteclaw get taken down – one immediately with Treacherous Second, and the other in an end phase – as long as Krrk survives long enough to claim it. Spend a glory on Rising to the Challenge to give Krrk an extra Wound and attack dice, and he’ll be sure to come out on top.

These are just the tip of the iceberg regarding what you can do with the new cards – when you start looking at combos with all the existing ploys, upgrades and objectives, the possibilities are endless. We can’t wait to see what you all come up with – if you have any particularly nasty combos in mind, let us know on Facebook, so we can try them ourselves. You can pre-order the Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire – Leaders card set now – check it out!

Some of these combos really do sound interesting, especially the one for Garrek’s Reavers

Let me know if anyone have used any of these in a game, and also how it went. Also, I’d be interested in any other combos you have found that work. 

Take care :-) 

New Chaos hero and Shadespire War band

Hi all. 

Warhammer Community has treated us to 2 previews of new models. 

Firstly we have a Darkoath Warqueen.  

This is a really great looking model, and would make a really cool addition to a Chaos army. From the description, it appears this model is far more focus on dealing damage, than providing buffs the army. I for one will defiantly be getting this.

 Next, we have the next war band for Shadespire. Skaven unit called  Spitesclaws swarm

These are also really great looking models. Any new war bands for Shadespire is defiantly a plus for me, but what I really like, is the opportunity to have a unique  squad join your army. Something which I’m sure our Skaven player will take advantage of.

Let us know what you guys think in the comments below. 

Take care :-) 

Shadespire competition winner!

Hi everyone!

First of all, I'd like to thank everybody for their entries. We've had an exceptional response, and we've enjoyed reading every one. 

We'd also like to thank Natfka and War of Sigmar for helping us spread the word. 

Each member of Age of Warhammer selected a favourite entry, which went into a hat and the winner was drawn at random. We each found it very difficult to choose a favourite, because every entry was great, and there were some fantastic, well written ideas. 

Below is the winning entry. Congratulations Jonathan Campbell, please confirm your email address underneath your comment, and we'll reach out to you. 

Bale Keep, the Sunken City

“You there. Yes, you. Come closer. My eyes may not see as well as they once did, but they can still tell a stranger from a friend. And a stranger is what you are, no? I have not seen you around here before, though I cannot imagine why one so young would wish to come here. The Realm of Shadows does not take kindly to strangers. In Ulgu, you are just as likely to lose your way in the fog, as you are to lose your life. But tell me, what brings you here? Perhaps you have heard tell of the Bale Keep and its fabled treasures? That legend has lured many adventures to an early grave. But they don’t know the true story behind the Sunken City. For if they did, they would be wise enough to stay away…

The Bale Keep’s true name has been lost for many year now. Although that is known of its past was that it was built during the Age of Myth. Hewn from the living rock of the Shrouded Peaks, the city stood as testament of goodwill between the Realms. For you see, the wealth of Bale Keep was not in jewels or precious ore, but knowledge. Lorekeepers from every Realm would travel to Bale Keep, where they would impart their knowledge into great tomes that were placed within the fabled libraries beneath the city. How much knowledge, 

now forgotten, can be found on those pages, I cannot say…

In the long centuries that followed the Age of Myth, entire civilizations were lost as the tide of Chaos swept through the realms. Marauding followers of the Dark Gods put kingdoms to the torch, their inhabitants slaughtered in foul rituals to appease the Ruinous Powers. Those that wished to survive fled to Azyr, for the God-King Sigmar protected those in the Realm of Heavens. Others did their best to hide themselves from the marauders, hoping to outlast the storm of Chaos. The men of Bale Keep would not abandon the city so easily, and so they chose the latter. A great many sorcerers were gathered, and together, they cast a spell to cloak Bale Keep from the wandering eyes of the Chaos Gods. A mist descended around the city, hiding it from the rest of the world, and for a time, all was well. 

But the Gods of Chaos are not so easily deceived. Deep beneath the Shrouded Peaks, foul creatures had made their home. Twisted beings, half man, half rat, gnawed their way up through the rock, until they had reached the city. With a rumble, the ground collapsed, 

dragging the city down into darkness. And in the dark, the ratmen came to feed.

Those that survived the collapse prayed to Sigmar for salvation. The prayers to the God-King fell on deaf ears, but other, darker Gods were listening. Nagash, the Lord of Undeath, blessed Bale Keep with a portion of his dark might. No men in the Bale Keep survived the Age of Chaos, but they continue to protect their city to this day. Where once the Bale Keep shared its secrets openly, the Undead now jealously guard it. Anyone foolish or brave enough to enter the tunnels of that cursed mountain never leave. 

For Bale Keep is a city that keeps its secrets and the dead tell no tales.”

Thanks again everyone for your entries.

Danariel x

Shadespire competition closing soon!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick reminder that the opportunity to win our review copy of Shadespire will soon be over. 

Entries close at 23:59 GMT tonight (Friday 20th October)!

Click here to see our previous post, where you'll find all details of the competition.

Good luck!

Danariel x

Win a copy of Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire

Hi everyone,

Age of Warhammer have decided to run a competition so that you can all have the chance to win our review copy of Shadespire!

In order to enter, you must create fluff for a city using the Warhammer Community city generator. You must then write a description of your city with a brief history and post it in the comments section - the more detail the better. Entries close at 23:59 GMT on Friday 20th October. 

You can find the city generator link here, or use the images shown below. 

Each member of the Age of Warhammer team will then choose their favourite city and 4 names will be put into a hat. The winner will be chosen at random and announced here on the blog the day of Shadespire's release (21st October).

If you are a winner and not based in the United Kingdom, we will ask that you pay towards the postage and packaging. 

Looking forward to reading your entries and good luck!

Danariel x

Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire Gameplay

Hi everyone,

This weekend Kaelo, Ghroll and I have put together the models, read the rulebook and had our first 'Quick-Start' game of Shadespire.

Firstly, I'm pleased that the models are as easy as they look to put together, if not easier. Kaelo was timed clipping, trimming and assembling one of the miniatures, and it took 1minute and 11secs. The only thing that I think lets the models down are that they seem to be made with quite a soft plastic, and I think it'd be quite easy to scratch or break some of the more delicate pieces.

We started playing the game with the Quick-Start Sheet, as it gives a well-rounded explanation of the basics of moving, charging, attacking and defending. It gives enough to be able to move into playing the game confidently with all of its additional cards, objectives etc. without feeling overwhelmed. You are required to assemble four fighters - the Liberators Severin Steelheart and Angharad Brightshield, and the Bloodreavers Garrek Gorebeard and Blooded Saek, and also find their fighter cards.  Pictures included below of our Quick-Start Sheet game:

As part of the Quick-Start sheet, two fighters Severin Steelheart (blue) and Garrek Gorebeard (red) are placed on the board, at least 3 hexes apart.




When you move a character, you can move them up to a number of hexes that is equal to their Move characteristic. Severin can move up to 3 hexes, and does so as below. Once a character has moved, they cannot move again until the next round. So a move token is put next to Severin as a reminder.

It is now Garrek's turn. An attack with a Range characteristic of 1 means it can only be used against an adjacent fighter, meaning that Garrek can attack in this scenario. When you attack, you roll the number of dice that is detailed on the fighter's card. The fighter card also details a symbol and this tells you what symbol you need to roll for a successful hit, and there is also a 'critical' symbol which hits regardless.

When a fighter is a target of an attack, you roll a number of defence dice equal to the Defence characteristic detailed on their fighter card. Similar to attacking, when you defend, you roll the number of dice that is detailed on the fighter's card along with a symbol. The fighter card also details a symbol and this tells you what symbol you need to roll for a successful save, and there is also a 'critical' symbol which saves regardless.

Once all the dice have been rolled, whichever fighter has more successes wins. If the attacker wins, the target suffers damage equal to the Damage characteristic of the Attack action. That number of wound tokens is then put on the target's fighter card. When they have as many wound tokens as their Wounds characteristic, they are taken out of action and removed from the game.

If the target wins, or if it is a draw, the target suffers no damage.  If the attacker wins or if it is a draw, the attacker can push the target back one hex.  In the example shown below, it is assumed that Severin wins and doesn't take any damage.




Next, we're going into charging. It's the Liberators' turn to act, and Angharad is placed on a hex on the game board, within 3 hexes of Garrek.




Angharad will now charge at Garrek. When a fighter makes a Charge action, they can move and attack at the same time. It's very powerful, but means that they cannot do anything for the rest of the round so must be used wisely. Angharad moves so that she is adjacent to Garrek and attacks. As she is next to Severin, she has support in attack. When you have friendly fighters adjacent to the same enemy fighter they assist each other, making it easier to land a hit or fend off a foe. When Angharad makes an attack with Severin standing next to her, an additional symbol on the dice also counts as a success (this works the same for defence). Once Angharad has made her attack, a charge token will need to be placed next to her, as a reminder that she can't do anything for the rest of the round.




As you can see on Garrek Gorebeard's fighter card, he has a total of 4 wounds on his Wounds characteristic. During Angharad's Charge attack, Garrek has taken 2 wounds and so the same amount of wound tokens are placed on his card.




At this point, the Liberators have each had 2 activations (a Move and a Charge) while the Bloodreavers have only had one (an Attack). In each action phase, each side can take 4 activations (which is in most cases, simply taking an action with a fighter). If no one can move or attack, you can pass, doing nothing, and this will count as one of the activations. Once both sides have taken 4 activations, the action phase is over and the end phase begins. 

Blooded Saek is placed anywhere on the game board for this next section.  It is now the Bloodreavers' turn to take an action, and we continue to finish the action phase. 




Blooded Saek attacks Severin Steelheart and he takes 3 wounds as he is unable to defend himself, even with the support in defence in place.




As Severin has taken 3 wounds, he has had 3 wound tokens placed on his fighter card, and he is left with only 1 wound remaining.




The Liberators take their next turn, attacking Garrek Gorebeard.

Garrek is unable to defend himself and takes another 2 wounds. As he has already had 2 wounds and his Wound characteristic is 4, an additional 2 tokens are placed on Garrek's fighter card and he has been removed from the board.

It is the Bloodreavers' turn, and Blooded Saek attacks Severin Steelheart. The attack is defended, and Severin loses no wounds. Severin fights back and his attack hits. As Blooded Saek has no support in defence, he's already at a disadvantage and his defence lets him down.

Blooded Saek has been removed from the board, as he has taken 3 wounds from this attack, which is equal to his Wounds characteristic.




3 wound tokens are added to his fighter card as an added measure. At this point, we will have reached the end phase, where all tokens are cleared from the board and any fighters who have moved or charged will once again be able to do so. It's then the end of the round, and the next round begins.




You would continue playing this until all of the fighters on one side are taken out of action (which is what happened in our run through), or you reach the end of the third round. When a fighter is taken out of action, the other side wins a glory point. Whichever side has the most glory points at the end of the third round wins.

It's worth noting that this is a very simplified start to the game, in order to introduce you to the basics of the game before bringing in the more complicated aspects.

Age of Warhammer will be looking to play and review a full game of Shadespire within the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for some more detail on that.

If you have anything you'd like us to cover on the game, please comment below and let us know! :)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for further content in the coming weeks.

Danariel x