Warband is a set of add-on rules and amendments to Warhammer: Age of Sigmar to support much smaller battles in the Mortal Realms. The extra rules and rules amendments all aim to add to the narrative of the setting, and to help balance certain things that can be overpowering in smaller games – e.g. shooting, magic, mortal wounds, etc.
AoS28: Warband isn’t about just playing Age of Sigmar with smaller armies though; it is about taking control of a small warband of soldiers, scribes or sages, each with their own ambitions and secrets. It isn’t about grand battles with Archaons Everchosen facing a legion of Stormcast Eternals either; it is about telling the unsung tales of the forgotten, feeble or forsaken. A Free Peoples Flagellant isn’t just a raging sack of self loathing; he or she has a backstory, a reason for becoming a flagellant, and perhaps an ambition of achieving redemption. He or she will evolve over the course of the games you play with the character, gain experience, gain skills, and will take part in an ongoing story. The “Dark Age of Sigmar” is a fitting subtitle as well – AoS28: Warband is also about exporing the darker side of the mortal realms – the back alleys of a small town, the sewers of a brimming city or cobwebbed corridors of an ancient crypt.
Warband is about the models and the background, first and foremost. It isn’t about achieving perfect balance – such a thing is impossible, and, dare we say, ultimately pointless; perfect balance isn’t a guarantee of fun – lots of people find no joy in chess. It is about building a warband of your own, converting and/or painting great models, and telling their story through pieces of background and through the game. We heartily encourage you to think outside the box when creating your warband; the mortal realms are incredibly vast places, and your imagination is the limit. There is no reason why Skaven Sky-pirates, Undead Bretonnians caught in the afterlife, still seeking the grail, or any other crazy idea you have shouldn’t exist. Let creativity rule, grab the opportunity to get some of those models you’ve wanted for a long time, and tell a great story.
You can read more about AoS28: Warband here.
by Rasmus Rask