Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is a tabletop where the battle strategies decide the fate of the mortal realms. You play with models to create your army and command them throughout the game. This game is mainly based on your intellect to form strategies but also has an element of luck since your moveset may be affected by the number you roll upon throwing the dice.
Understanding the game is one stage that most people quit, but you’re in the right place if you have decided to get started with this game. This guide will cover everything you need to start with the Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
Overview of Warhammer Age of Sigmar
In this game, the players take turns performing a series of actions, including casting spells, moving the army and other units, or going head-on in combat. You can play it with various techniques, but the most basic is winning the war against your opponent by building your army. This army is represented by miniature models that include humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves, among other creatures.
This game continues the story of its prequel game, Warhammer Fantasy Battles, where the Warhammer world ended and created eight mortal realms that are discussed in this game.
What Do You Need to Buy Before Playing Warhammer Age of Sigmar?
This game is not only ruled as complex but also considered expensive to start with. Like every other tabletop game, you need a few things before playing. The items you need to bring are mentioned below:
Dice
Playing Warhammer requires no particular dice; a simple D6 would do just fine. The game only needs one, but playing for some different objective may require two or even three dice. This saves you a trip to a local store for another type of dice. Although the game has its own specially designed dice they offer to sell, considering it is already too expensive, their themed dice feel like a waste of money.
Measuring Tape
It would be best to have a measuring tape to measure the distances required in the game. It is recommended to buy one from a game store rather than a hardware store because the one from the hardware store is sharp on the edges and is extremely fast when sliding back in. This puts you at a risk of knocking down the models that stand in the way. A 12-foot tape is enough for what you need in this game.
Battlefield
For setting up the game, you need a battlefield that is just a flat, wide-area surface where you can set all the models for the game. A kitchen table, pool table, or a custom-made gaming table is enough. A table is unnecessary as you can also set your battlefield on the floor; make sure no passers can knock over your models on the battlefield.
Terrain
You can get multiple terrain types specifically designed for different factions. These unique terrains have other powers that affect the game’s dynamics. You can also get generalized terrains like Sigmarite Mausoleum and Azyrite Ruined Chapel.
Models
The most important item you need for the game is the model of different armies. For starters, get a set of a simple army, as others may get too complicated for a beginner as every army operates differently. Dominion Starter Set is the recommended option for beginners, but as soon as your skills improve, start collecting more units as you please.
What Is Hobby in Warhammer Age of Sigmar?
While you assemble your army, the game requires you to paint them before starting. It requires a special paint for plastic miniatures. The new players should use GW Citadel’s range of paints or other brands. However, finding a new paint brand can be challenging as the colors vary.
How Do You Organize Your Army in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar?
Warscroll
Every unit in the game has a warscroll card used to progress the game. It has different attributes, like the name of the unit and its characteristics. It also includes the weapon characteristics of the team that will be later used in the combat phase of the game. It also features the description and abilities of the team that might help you get a better understanding of building an army.
To get all the warscroll, get the book from your nearest game store with all the warscrolls or download the official Warhammer app.
Battalion
Use battalion core cards to organize your army units. Each card has different icons in the center, which tell what type of units you can deploy on the battlefield. Beneath those icons is the symbol of the battalion’s ability, representing the advantages the player may get for using that battalion. Each has its unique units and abilities.
How to Play the Warhammer Age of Sigmar?
The Battle Round
The game begins with the battle round that consists of a priority roll and then distributes command points on every match. Whoever rolls out the highest number gets to go first, along with a single command point, and the one who goes second gets two command points. If there is a tie, the person who made the second move in the last round gets to go first.
Every player gets to pick a General, and if it is placed on the table before the round starts, they get an extra command point.
The Turn Sequence
Hero Phase
In this part of the game, the player uses the command points he has collected to perform command abilities. Besides that, you can perform heroic actions like Heroic Leadership, Heroic Willpower, and Heroic Recovery or other activities that are limited to your specific army. In this phase, you can also use wizards to cast spells and cancel the opponent’s attacks.
Movement Phase
In this phase, you use the character to make a standard move (moving at a specified movement rate) or retreat (exit the game). You can also make a run at your turn by rolling a dice and moving the dice number after adding the movement rate. Note that if you decide to retreat or run, you are not banned from making another move in this turn.
If a terrain stands in your way, moving through is decided by the game’s rules about that terrain.
Shooting Phase
After you make a normal move, you are eligible for a shooting attack on the opponent’s army. According to the rule book, the person shooting needs to determine a target and check if it is in the shooter’s range and that nothing stands between the shooter and the target.
Combat Phase
Once you enter the combat phase, you can attack the opponent using the dice and reading the character’s warscroll. To attack, roll the dice and check if the number is greater than the “To Hit” number on the warscroll.
If you successfully make a hit, you need to roll the dice again to determine if you will wound the opponent. The opponent can save the attack if the number on the dice is higher than the number on the warscroll. The opponent will roll the dice if the number on the dice is greater than the “To save” number on the target’s warscroll. If the opponent cannot save the attack, the wounds are dealt according to the damage characteristics of the weapon. If the wounds are more than the wound characteristic on the target’s warscroll, it is considered dead and removed from the battlefield.
You might note the Rend characteristic on the weapon’s warscroll. This means that the opponent must roll a number equal to or more than the sum of the formula (Target’s save number – Weapon’s Rend). For example, if a weapon has a rend of “-2” and the target’s save number is “3”, the opponent must roll five or more to save the target.
Charge Phase
To charge an enemy, the player must declare a charge and roll two dice to move that many inches. If the charging unit moves and makes it within half the boundary of the opponent, the charge is successful. But if it is not, the charging unit goes back to where it starts from.
Attack Phase
If you close in on the enemy unit, the attack phase comes after the combat phase. All the units within a half inch of a radius of the enemy unit can attack it or pass. Its process is the same as mentioned in the combat phase.
Once the player is done attacking or passing, the opponent will strike, and this process will repeat until both players pass or if they are out of units to shoot with.
Battleshock Phase
This phase comes after every unit loses its models, so the team must take a battleshock test to see if any models escape the battlefield. We use the bravery characteristic of the unit that is taking the test.
An example best explains this: if the player’s three models are dead in one unit and the unit’s bravery characteristic is 6, the player rolls the dice and adds the number of models killed. Let’s say you rolled 4, and now the total is 7. This number is greater by one from the bravery characteristic, so one model will flee the scene.
End of Battle
The game ends when one player conquers another or the objectives are met. If not, repeat the process and start from the priority roll.
What Are the Different Ways to Play Warhammer Age of Sigmar?
Game Workshop has built three game-playing methods for the players’ ease and to grasp more of the audience. These methods are:
Open Play
Open play is the most commonly used mode of playing the game. In this, the players can bring out any troops they want and may bend or add the rules with mutual understanding.
Narrative Play
Playing the game in narrative mode is the most fun way to experience the game. The players create their own stories by choosing their realm and building their territory before going against the opponent. In the narrative play, you are not just playing against the opponent but fulfilling your determined quest as well.
Matched Play
Matches play is a tournament where the rules define the smallest detail of the game. The types of units you are allowed to deploy are mentioned, along with the size of the table. This mode gives the most fair gameplay as the terrain is set symmetrically so that no player gets the slightest advantage over his opponent. This game has more rules than a normal one, so it is not recommended for beginners.
Conclusion
With this detailed guide, explore the game and use this knowledge to defeat your opponent’s army, securing your dominance over the land. Get ready for an exciting journey of conquest!
