It’s already been five years since GW debuted the Age of Sigmar and sent hobbyists on a roller coaster ride of emotion. Here’s how far AoS has come!
We’re coming up on a big milestone for Games Workshop. It’s almost been five years since they killed off a game and birthed a new one from it. If you’re new to the hobby, we’ll be filling you in on the details of everything that happened.
The 5th Anniversary Of The Time GW Set The Hobby On Fire
So, to talk about where Age of Sigmar 2.0 is currently, we have to look back to the game they killed. Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WFB) is the “old Age of Sigmar” game that used square bases. It didn’t play much like Age of Sigmar currently, but the latest Age of Sigmar platform still uses some models for factions that made it through the End Times.
Speaking of the End Times, that’s how GW thematically killed their own game. A dude called Archaon basically brought about the end of the world and killed all sorts of factions through Chaos. Check out his full story at the Warhammer Fantasy Wiki.
Another move that GW thought was a good idea was to release a set of books that had stories and rules supplements just a few months before killing the game off completely. That meant that people got hyped, got new rules, and then watched their faction become unplayable. Feels bads man…
Now, when we say they made the game unplayable, we mean UNPLAYABLE. Once Age of Sigmar (the first version, not 2.0) was announced, GW kept things sort of vague. We only knew a new game was coming that sprang from the ashes of Fantasy. It was the hope that people were holding onto to be able to play their army again.
Once Age of Sigmar dropped in 2015, there was a massive backlash from the community. There was no warning that people would have to rebase their minis from squares to all rounds. On top of that, there wasn’t even a points system in place for the game until over a year later.
Some People Had Adverse Reactions…
Games were so insanely unbalanced that people completely lost interest in the hobby altogether, and some even in 40k too. It even escalated to some people setting their armies on fire and others making their own rules for Fantasy calling it the 9th Age.
2016 General’s Handbook
Over a year after Age of Sigmar was rolled out as a game, GW put out 2016’s General’s Handbook with unit points. While they DID get around to releasing points, with over a year passing by, it seemed most of the community had pretty much lost interest in the “unplayable” game.
Age of Sigmar 2.0 Rises From the Ashes
There was a small “cult following” that kept Age of Sigmar alive by a strand of dedicated fans over that first year, and it eventually grew more and more as GW nurtured the game into something that fans were more accustomed too. Fast forward a few more years, we saw Age of Sigmar 2.0 drop in 2018 with refined rules from the old General’s Handbooks.
Age of Sigmar Has Never Been Healthier (Happy 5th Anniversary)
Since 2015, we’ve seen GW take Age of Sigmar to all-new levels of depth. With faction overhauls dropping monthly on top of the occasional brand new faction release, the game has grown a lot in the past little bit.
Lumineth Realm-Lords Avalenor, the Stoneheart King
Flesh-eater Courts Endless Spells
We’ve also seen new mechanics hit the game like Endless Spells and unique missions that add a big draw to the game as well.
It’s been a long road and GW has made some questionable moves for the game over the years. But we can all probably agree that things have gotten better and the models they continue to release are gorgeous.
Keep in mind that GW also looks to be resurrecting Fantasy, calling it Warhammer: The Old World too. What a time to be a hobbyist!
Have you played since Warhammer Fantasy? Is Age of Sigmar the healthiest its been? What are your thoughts on GW bringing back square bases in the Old World?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today! This post contains affiliate links, as an eBay Associate Spikey Bits earns from qualifying purchases.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
