The New Skaven Models from Warhammer Cannot Take Away From The Big Picture<br>

I can’t wait to play the new Skaven in Age of Sigmar 4th Edition. I have already begun to work on my force, transforming my own extreme religious group prepared to unleash the Vermintide on the world of mortals in the name of the Horned Rat, who has now advanced to his proper position in the Chaos pantheon.

Apart from converting to Ushoran, I’m now working on some rat riders (trailers for a later post) and brainstorming concepts for a portable prayer totem that can be used as a Screaming Bell. It will resemble a fantastical version of the Popemobile, complete with a massive rodent effigy and maybe some stained glass. My first plan was to base the conversion on the Beastmen Herdstone, but I will need to reconsider. Later, more on that.


Clanrats are one thing I haven’t given much attention to. Clanrats are a lock for new models with a new beginning box in the works that will undoubtedly include the Stormcast and Skaven from last month’s epic teaser. The foundation of most Skaven forces consists of these pitiful, snivelling vermin, and the equipment currently in use is getting old.

Games Workshop unveiled the new models yesterday. They’re excellent. The rats are more detailed, more streamlined, and more visually appealing. Unlike the previous version, the sculpts have been changed to fit modern stands, but they also exude personality now. Even though they continue to resemble a motley crew of rodent militia and maintain their recognizable hunch, clanrats appear better than ever as they foment discord and spread disease. Even if the new Skaven are fascinating, they can’t overshadow the other announcements made by Games Workshop last week.


A total of eighty-two miniatures boxes are being retired from the Age of Sigmar line in advance of 4th Edition. The Beasts of Chaos and Bonesplitterz are two factions that are being sunsetted entirely, and many more are being dismantled.

In the hobby, removing an entire army from a range is referred to as “squatting,” a term inspired by the Squats that were abruptly withdrawn from Warhammer 40K in 1998. Though the Squats have since resurfaced as the Leagues of Votann, the phrase has endured.

The Stormcast Eternals line of units has had the most heinous deletions. These units range in age from nine years old to just nine. Some are even more recent. As late as last year, a few were part of repackaged box sets. The exclusion of 23 units from the Stormcast range has caused players to lose whole armies. This is just as apocalyptic as destroying the Old World or unleashing Primaris Space Marines. The worst part was that it was done covertly, on an arbitrary Thursday, in a covert Warhammer Community piece.


The Skaven armies arguably fare the best out of all the afflicted forces. Many models are being retired, although some of these kits are almost as old as I am, and others (Clanrats, for example) will be replaced in the next edition with brand-new kits. If you play Skaven, you’ll survive the cull, although you might want to take any models you have a special fondness for.

Formerly called Savage Orcs, Bonesplitterz have long since been eliminated. I’m surprised these kits survived as long as they did because this is not the route that Games Workshop has desired to take its Orruks in the current era. It’s not like this will make Orruk players feel any better, and I’m especially sad about the Wurrgog Prophet. Before the end of time, I might need to get another one for my collection.

Similar in situation are the Slaves to Darkness, usurped by the Darkoath range that was always meant to supplant them. The most disturbing news, though, is that a large number of Warcry and Underworlds warband units are being withdrawn. These units are fascinating cultists in their own right, each with lots of personality. Ravens are the inspiration for The Corvus Cabal, snakes are reminiscent of Splintered Fang, and The Unmade are merely horrific Silent Hill-esque creatures.




Although these troops are ideal for use as Warcry units, they never truly seem to fit in with the bigger Chaos armies seen in Age of Sigmar. It felt more like a ruse to sell additional boxes than a natural match, thus they should never have been put to the main game. But it’s unfortunate that these extraordinarily rare sculptures are no longer being produced.

For the time being, several of these units have Legends warscrolls, so you can use them in friendly encounters for a year or two. However, find out from any Firstborn Space Marine player how that will work in the future.

The Beastmen (Beasts of Chaos) line is being eliminated entirely. They’ve really already been removed entirely from the webstore. One bright spot, though, is that Games Workshop plans to rerelease these kits and eventually add them to The Old World. Hopefully, the Beastmen won’t end up like Cathay and Kislev, which the firm has silently abandoned despite multiple articles detailing their redesigns for the rank and flank wargame.


Gamers of Warhammer are insane, and with good reason. Not only is a corporation discontinuing its outdated models, but it’s also devaluing entire armies. Armies that have taken dozens of hours to construct and paint, and that have cost hundreds of dollars. Of course, you could always play Age of Sigmar III again, but who does that? I wish you success in getting your surplus army to play a competitive game.

The same kits cannot be produced indefinitely by Games Workshop. Now that they are so old, the Skaven Gutter Runners ought to have their life support systems disabled. They’ve been doing well. However, models as lovely as the new Clanrats should also take their place. The Stormcast units also do so. On a whim, players shouldn’t have their entire army destroyed.