The Dark Prince Returns To Age Of Sigmar As Slaanesh Is Unleashed
March 28, 2019 by brennon
Wow, so it was a big night for Games Workshop at AdeptiCon. A lot of Age Of Sigmar news dropped so we're going to be taking a look at that today starting with the return of Slaanesh. The Hedonites Of Slaanesh herald the return of The Dark Prince and that means an entirely new and revamped Keeper Of Secrets.
This masterful new model takes a lot of inspiration from the previous iteration of the model but updates things a significant amount. There is a lot more alien grace given to the Keeper Of Secrets this time around and I think it stands out more. You could imagine it sauntering across the battlefield without a care in the world, scything down enemies with that elegant sword.
The Keeper Of Secrets is then flanked by allies, some returning and some new. For example, The Masque returns, ready to do her masters bidding.
She is then joined by some fascinating new creations which really draw on that idea of Slaanesh as this hedonistic cult, driven by ideas of subservience and domination.
Yes, as you can see, the previews so far have been pretty crazy! It's really awesome to see this other aspect of Chaos being brought back to the tabletop in such force. I think they've been able to really deliver in the idea of Slaanesh as this pleasure-loving daemon without having to result to titillation and, to be quite frank, boobs everywhere.
The choice of clothing, armour, weapons and of course their posing all goes towards helping to create that image rather than being cheap about it. Credit has to go to the Games Workshop sculptors for this one as it can't have been easy at all!
As will all of the new releases alongside the new Hedonites Of Slaanesh Battletome...
...we will also be seeing them work in some new Endless Spells for this daemonic force to use on the tabletop. No doubt all of these will be about confusing and misdirecting your enemies before slicing them apart.
As someone who has been a big lover of both Khorne and Slaanesh when it comes to my choice of Chaos Gods, I welcome the new additions to Age Of Sigmar. Hopefully, we'll get a better look at all of this in the coming weeks as we learn about the new units and of course the background surrounding the release of Slaanesh.
It seems like all of the crazy things going on in the Mortal Realms, especially Nagash's Necroquake, were able to shake the shackles free of this wild and dangerous daemon.
Forbidden Power Unleashed
Talking of the Necroquake it seems like this has unlocked something new for all of the factions to embrace in Forbidden Power.
Power, never meant to be used by mortals, was hidden away long ago by Sigmar and Teclis. Now, with the advent of the Necroquake and forces running wild across the realms these vaults have opened and in this next chapter of Soul Wars, they are becoming able to harness these powers.
EVERY faction is going to get access to spells that draw on the Realm Of Death. This (obviously) has pretty big ramifications for all involved, especially Sigmar and the forces of Order. It will be fascinating to see how the story now unfolds following on from Soul Wars and what's next for the Mortal Realms.
The Fires Of The Forge
Another new Battletome is on the way soon for the forces of Order too. The Fyreslayers are getting an updated book packed with tweaked rules and of course the introduction of new Magmic Invocations (Endless Spells).
The new Battletome will continue the story of the Fyreslayers, bringing their storyline with the events of Soul Wars and how their quest for ur-gold brought them into the conflict.
As mentioned above, this means the introduction of spells which bring creatures like this freckin' magic salamander to the tabletop!
You'll also find new terrain thrown into the ring including this mighty forge which is no doubt there to help imbue your warriors with power as they battle across the Mortal Realms.
I don't think I'm really still sold on the idea of the Fyreslayers as an army. I like the option to field an entire army of slayers but I think they might work well alongside some more of their Duardin allies, be they the Kharadron Overlords or even the regular Duardin who joined Sigmar in Azyrheim. Either way, this will offer up fun new projects for many!
Fortune Hunters
Talking of other Duardian, a new warband has been added into the mix for Warhammer Underworlds. Thundrik's Profiteers are hunting for treasures and more!
It's neat to see more of these privateers and adventurers getting a run out on the tabletop.
I can imagine this is going to be a heavily ranged theme warband (durr...look at all the guns) which should make for a very different warband to play in Warhammer Underworlds.
Flora Vs Fungus?
We also got teased with some news that Looncurse is on the way.
No-one is entirely sure what this is just yet but it seems to be pitting the Grots of this world against the wilderness itself. Perhaps we could see a new boxed game featuring Slyvaneth versus the Gloomspite Gitz?
Warcry - Iron Golem Tribe Revealed & NINE Non-Chaos Factions
Phew, and as if that wasn't enough the team also revealed more on one of the warbands for Warcry. See what you make of Iron Golem...
Warcry is Games Workshop's way of exploring life for the Chaos factions when they are not just the big bad guy. Instead, we get a look at the different tribes and the Iron Golem are one that dwell in the Realm Of Metal running the forges and smithing weapons for the Slaves Of Darkness.
They are a warband made up of not just humans but also Ogors and Duardin too, drawing from those that have succumbed to the will of Chaos and now forge weapons to win favour with shadowy benefactors.
I immediately thought that they were going to be Khorne focused but I like that we're stepping away from these warbands HAVING to be aligned to one of the pantheon. It brings new life to Chaos as a whole and means we're going to see a much more diverse collection of sculpts.
In addition to these warriors wielding dangerous weapons, we're also introduced to more of the fauna from the Mortal Realms. I wouldn't want to go wildlife spotting in any part of the Realm where Chaos has its hooks though as Furies don't look like they want to have their picture taken.
I really hope that these creatures we're seeing here are going to be the A.I in your games of Warcry. It's always nice to have wandering monsters finding their way towards battlefields and getting themselves embroiled in the chaos.
I mean, check out this Raptory which could be swooping in to steal way one of your warriors.
Also, as we hinted about in the title for this little segment there are going to be NINE Non-Chaos factions included in the mix alongside the Chaos warbands. From the image we've seen over on the blog we're thinking Stormcast Eternals, Orruks, Ogors, Gloomspit Gitz/Grots, Aleves of some kind and something Vampiric...maybe Flesh-eater Court to begin with.
There is a LOT to like about all of the new releases coming our way for Warhammer Age Of Sigmar and we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below...
Get stuck in!
"There is a LOT to like about all of the new releases coming our way for Warhammer Age Of Sigmar..."
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I’m no heretic but that is the first greater daemon that I have actually thought about parting cash for. It’s a really good sculpt it has enough subtle sensual/sexuality to be Slaanesh without it being in your face which can be I assume was a down side of the old boob sculpts of the previous stuff if your aiming for something a bit more pg/snowflake friendly .
I think the redesign is just more ‘mature’ rather than simply just to make it more palatable to modern wargamers – they are all pretty ace though.
I wouldn’t say it’s more mature, quite the opposite. Portrayals of sex and sexuality are not immature, nor is the concept of “sex horror”. Would you say that Kingdom Death is immature? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t describe this version of Slaanesh is “immature” but it’s definitely watered down. What I would say is it’s more “family friendly” or “has a wider appeal”, these are a positive way to convey that it is suitable for a less mature audience. It’s definitely not “more mature” though. One of the things about being a mature adult is to be able deal… Read more »
On the other side of the coin, isn’t being more mature not needing to have obvious sexual elements represent sexuality? I think they’ve still managed to get that almost uncanny alien weirdness across here too.
Either way, it’s good to see GW confronting this and bringing back Slaanesh in a proper way!
No, not really. In order to represent sexuality, you need sexual things in much the same way as if you want to represent disease you need diseased things, if you want to represent savagery you need savage things. It’s ok to not want to represent sexuality (I’m not actually a huge fan of sex horror, or actually any kind of fan at all), but it’s not possible to represent it without emphasising certain things. The new Slaanesh range isn’t really sexualised, and whilst I completely understand the reasoning behind that, it’s incorrect to describe it as “more mature” when it’s… Read more »
I would argue that sexual desire isn’t the point of this design at all. Judging by the regal decadence, and subtle arrogance in its body language, the direction they’ve gone for here is vanity and perhaps narcissism. I would also argue that this IS a step in a more mature direction, but not for the reasons you might imagine. There is nothing wrong with sexuality, it is fundamental to our humanity after all, but the almost single minded focus on this aspect of slaanesh, in my opinion, results in a missed opportunity to delve into the more nuanced aspects of… Read more »
I’m not disputing what the point of the revamped Slaanesh is. I well understand why GW have opted NOT to include sex as a theme any more. It was entirely predictable too. But we should be honest about WHY it’s been done and descriptions like “more mature” are incorrect and inaccurate, the inference being that themes of sex and/or nudity are somehow immature when in fact the opposite is true.
I understand where you’re coming from, but my implication is not that sexual themes are inherently immature, but rather the obsessive singular focus on sexual themes. Perhaps from a semantic perspective immature may be the wrong descriptor, but the general broadening of the scope of Slaaneshi themes feels a little more developed. After all, Slaanesh is supposed to be insidious and gradual in their corruption, with initial temptations just subtle enough to entice even the most guarded individual – eventually leading to them spiraling into unfathomable depths of depravity. My point is that that initial temptation may in some cases… Read more »
It’s harking back to Victorian era sensibility where they lopped off todgers from statues or if your Justin from beserkers encase someone got flustered over this naked arty thing
Thing is what is often considered “mature” actually isn’t that. Nudity and sexuality by themselves is only mature from 14 year old boy’s perspective but those need to be handled mature in order for those to be actually mature instead of just juvenile. More often than not that’s not how those are handled and end result tends to be clumsy because lot of times those 14 year old boys tend to be target audience.
But I still don’t get why they did this. I really had my hopes up once they rolled out these fantastic topless Daughters of Khaine. Not that I really need the KoS to have boob(s) on display, the model looks fantastic. I just wished they’d go more into the sexual depravity theme with at least a few sculpts. With those Daughters out they really have no excuse now.
I agree with you Ben… a more nuanced approach.
Interesting conversation and I have to say I’m inclined to agree with onlyonepinman here. While overt use of genitalia can be immature, nudity and sexuality certainly are not. Personally I’ve always felt Slaanesh is best personified by Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ (or at least the origins of that story). Visions of torture, deprivation, dependence and the allure of something forever out of reach. However as much as I’d like to see something truly ‘dark’ on the table top, I appreciate that GW is not prepared to slap an 18+ advisory on any of their IP’s. I really like this new Keeper… Read more »
It is odd to see a Nurgle army with all kinds of different types of rot & disease in all of its disgusting glory. Slaanesh gets reduced to a sanitized version of the entire basis of the entity. Which is kind of sad because the models definitely are cool. I just wished they would do the disgustingly grotesque freak show side as well. Not because it is ‘mature’ but because the complete lack of restraint fits this demonic power too. IT kind of sucks that because of the size of the market that GW needs to reach it can’t do… Read more »
No boobs? Not one? oO
Well, they do still have them. They’re just covered up now.
So you’re saying they are straying from the path of pure slaanesh? XD
Maybe Slaanesh is now all about the tease…
Those Slaanesh minis look great! Its really good to see that they are able to present this faction without having to resort to sticking massive pair(s) of boobs on everything, good job GW.
Games workshop are doing some brilliant work at the moment. The slaneesh stuff is spot on although it’s the looncurse that has me the most intrigued.
As predicted, no more boobehs for Slaanesh. Entirely predictable and understandable given their desire to cater to a wide audience, but I still think something is lost. No question that these are better sculpts but the ambience that surrounds them isn’t as good.
Keeper is still a nice model but it’s lost some of the disturbing androgynous elements of the original. Love all the followers though, really nice.
Hmm, I would say that’ve managed to retain that androgynous look. It’s still very much a combination of male and female there in terms of the anatomy. It’s not so much in the ‘body horror’ area though comparably.
It has feminine hips and face, masculine shoulders and maybe (although it’s hard to tell) a boob on the right hand side of its chest. But they don’t seem to blend seamlessly, it’s quite easy to delineate the masculine bits from the feminine; It feels more of some kind if weird Frankenstein’s monster than a truly androgynous creature. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a better model than the original, which didn’t really capture any of these elements, but it doesn’t capture androgyny quite like the Forge World version.
Greater Daemon looks cool – I’m really hoping for some mortal 40k Slaanesh forces though – noise marines especially. I’d love a full squad in the style of the special edition figure but this seems doubtful – mebbe as a sub-type? (I’m assuming there will be some re-imagined Slaanesh marines at some point).
As a Tzeentchian and Hashutite, even I think that KoS is very well done; think they’ve finally managed to bring out a Slaaneshi thing that can top the Juan Diaz daemonettes.
Something I find amusing about the Iron Golems is that their fluff is that they’re the blacksmiths for Chaos, yet they have massive gaps in their armour. ?. I think the Ogre would make a great basis for converting an Ogre Pit Fighter or an Ogryn servitor.
,,,( being an argumentive @r$ehole ….ie don’t take this to heart) …. To be fair the fluff did say they ere the “Weaponsmiths” not the the blacksmith’s …..armour is for the weak. 🙂 and Archeon (which speaks volumes to me about his physical courage …. the big nancy)
That Iron Ogor would make a great conversion for a Necromunda Servitor-Ogryn with augmentic fists and furnace plate armour – see GANG WAR III 🙂
Looks like the Fortune Hunters shall be converted soon to be on Space Hoppers!
Something I missed from the announcements…NINE Non-Chaos Factions for Warcry. So, there is something for everyone in there.
From the symbols I am predicting, working clockwise from top right:
some kind of Stormcast
Possibly Nighthaunt
Orruks
Not sure, Idoneth maybe (looks trident-ish)
Gloomspite Gits
Flesh Eater Courts
Daughters of Khaine
Ogors
I have no idea about the one in the middle
The portcullis symbol in the middle is for the Iron Golems; no idea why it’s highlighted along with the non-Chaos factions.
I think it was because they were the highlight of this particular article.
Unless I am miscounting, there’s only 8 non-chaos factions. The dark grey ones in the middle plus the Iron Golems are all Chaos. The other 8 are none chaos. I know, the warhammer community does say 9 but that means one of the ones in the middle is also not chaos.
I really, really like that new Keeper of secrets model for Slannesh, and 2 of the endless spells sculpts – I’ve pretty much given up on 40k rules now which means I can just cherry pick the models I want to paint without worrying about making legal balanced armies and having to buy models I don’t like. Some of the other slaaneshi models just don’t grab me – maybe they look a little static whereas I’ve always imagined daemonettes as lithe and dancing around at great speed. It’s a bit like the new space ork vehicles – great sculpts but… Read more »
Ok, question. Why does any discussion of Slaanesh devolve into “Slaanesh = sex, and sex = boobs? Slaanesh is a god of sensation and excess of all kinds. In many ways it’s about pleasure from extremes of sensation that have nothing to do with sexy. 40k noise marines obtain it through extremes of audible sensation. Gluttony would also fit within Slaanesh perbview as an extreme of satisfying taste. Slaanesh followers quickly become to overwhelmed by extreme stimulae that a “normal” stimulae (like a bare breast) wouldn’t even register. Similarly Khorne isn’t the god of normal violence and bloodshed, otherwise everyone… Read more »
Which is why I’m saying that the toning down of ‘sex’ and ‘boobs’ is good here. It focuses in on the grace and elegance of them as hunters and killers rather than just ‘perversion’.
I think this strikes a good balance between that old ‘view’ of Slaanesh and the wider interpretation that you’ve mentioned here.
Although Slaanesh is the god of all forms of excess, two of the other three gods kind of cover violence (Khorne) and gluttony (Nurgle to a degree). Other taboos that you could include are vice (sex and substances), however drugs is a difficult one to portray and possibly even less acceptable which sort of leaves you with sex and one of the few ways that you can really portray that in a miniature and still stay with the bounds of what is acceptable (or indeed believable on a battlefield) is breasts. Thats why, in terms of miniatures, breasts = sex.… Read more »
I thought the size and shape of the Nurgle figures had more to do with blotting (diseases building up ready to burst) rather than gluttony. I agree with @reviresco that narcissism would be a good avenue for GW to explore with regard to Slaanesh. You asked the question “You have to ask yourself, for whom do demons assume their visage?” and offer the options ” Is it for their followers or for their enemies.” There is another option… Themselves (leads back to vanity, which, taken to an extreme is narcissism – and Slaanesh can be about extremes). I built a… Read more »
Narcissism and vanity, like many other themes, while fun to explore are difficult to express in miniature. Slaanesh works much better in an RPG where you can really go into narrative detail, than it does on a tabletop Wargame where all you want is warriors. It would be quite difficult to make a model appear to be vain, especially a demon. I don’t think that the Lord of Excess actually works particularly well in any game that you want to aim at audiences as young as 12. By definition, the Lord of Excess is the guy who does the things… Read more »
Vanity in miniatures:
Mirrors or mirror like surfaces – could include shields and armour.
Big hats and big feathers – like musketeers.
Flowing robes.
But that’s the thing, the “daemon miniatures” we see on the tabletop are, for lack of a better term, their “battlefield avatars”. Its how they would manifest for combat. I am sure if a Slaanesh daemon manifested in some sort of religious ritual they would take a different form. In combat, Slaanesh daemons would manifest those features that are beneficial on the battlefield. They are lithe creatures, with an appearance that is both “attractive” and “wrong” at the same time. They move with a speed and grace that is both “beguiling” and “super human”. Their style of fighting is lethal,… Read more »
Oh no, you don’t get to play that card. At no point have I actually complained about the lack of nudity. I have commented on having predicted that it would be the case. I have suggested that it is not “more mature” to exclude nudity. I haven’t actually complained about it not being there. It’s not a sign of maturity to avoid nudity, quite the opposite. And if your goal is to appeal to a younger audience then it is necessary to make your product less mature by removing certain themes – such as sex. So while the reasoning behind… Read more »
Yes, Slaanesh is back! Dark Prince has needed some love (pun intended) for some time now so I am happy to see these.
I like these subtler Slaanesh types (Subtle for chaos anyway) They do have that androgynous look to them a certain strange, otherworldly look that looks slightly off in a way.
Also keeper of secrets sculpt is immense.
That new Keeper is sublime. What an absolutely gorgeous mini!
I know why they did it but I kinda wish Warcry was chaos warbands only.
No reason it can’t be far you. Just buy Chaos Warbands
Looking at the Keeper of Secrets I agree that it is a good remake of the figure. It seems static though when compared to other sculpts in the range. As Nurgle was reimagined to run along the concept of flies my first thought from the Keeper was the Egyptian god Khnum from the ram sculptures I remember from Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark. I’d get one and reposed the pincer arms and see if I could sculpt a throng of ecstatic cultists at its feet like Greebo has for Lucretia Borgia (not having them as undead) https://www.greebo-games.com/21117-lucrezia-borgia.html The… Read more »
That Slaanesh stuff. Blimey! A couple I’m not keen on but opinions vary.
I’m definitely after that very flying lad. He’s a superb generic demon for my Frostgrave box o fun!
Is it just me, but that Dwarven terrain makes me think of Pizza Oven. I didn’t realise the Dawi were big into outdoor eating.
It’s all just so goddamn beautiful!
Love that KoS! I have the Creature Caster Pincer Demon one but this knocks it into a cocked hat. Compared to the Foreworld version it feel like a more coherent and well executed sculpt to me, which seems to be going for a more sensual rather than sexual vibe.
so pendulum is a Slaanesh band? all the figures are great especially the lava beast an the dwarf forge.
Yesss, Sssslaaanesh is back! I’ve been waiting a long time for this. I prefer the Creature Caster keepers and my Forgeworld one too, but I will be getting this one too because those are all kind of female-androgynous but this one is more like male-androgynous (if there’s such an expression) I love those spells that make sense with all the Slaanesh stuff I already have. (chariots and riders, etc) All the new Slaanesh stuff and the Battletome shall be mine! I like the look of the Fyreslayers forge too, although I’m not much into the super-powered Fyreslayers themselves. I wish… Read more »
Hats off to the sculptor of the Keeper of Secrets for creating something truly sublime. It somehow exhibits strong masculine and feminine characteristics along with a brooding presence. I’m not that sold on the big claw arms, never really have been. I think keeping them back and out of the way was a smart move.
The refocus on hedonism and narcissism with Slaanesh is genius from GW. These are the vices of our time (with Instagram and social media in general). The Keeper of Secrets especially looks like a staged glamour shot! It is a good refresh of this faction.