The box set for fantasy flight's 'rune wars' minis game is out, with a number of box unit expansions slated to release in the coming months. The game includes an undead faction, and thus presents an new 3rd parti minis alternative beyond mantic & whatever else, for players who aren't restricted exclusively to GW models. Quality of models is, as one might expect, slightly lower than GW. The plastic a bit softer, the detail less crisp. They're noticeably more cartoony than most of the existing undead range, though whether that's a good or bad thing is a subjective choice. The scale is slightly larger than the current GW skeletons. They are more in line with the discontinued tomb kings in their proportions. There is a bit of a hot dogs/hot dog buns mismatch, since runewars stuff tends to come in multiples of 2s and 4s, rather than the 3s, 5s, and 10s favored by most Age of Sigmar units.
The prices for most of these aren't all that much better than gw stuff, so the main point of interest is that some of the rune wars undead units are close analogs to to AoS models that have been lost to various discontinuation purges, including:
Carrion Lancers (necroknight substitute)
Not as long as necroknights, but close to as tall, the size is a pretty good approximation. 2 in a box for us$35 gets you a fieldable 3 for $70, or 6 for $105. Maggot monsters are a conceptually suitable substitute for snakes, though they may look a bit too nurgle for some players. You'd have to convert the command, which may be an issue given that, as mentioned, the scale doesn't really match the current GW undead line.
Reanimate Archers (skeleton archers substitute)
us$25 for 8, or $125 for a block of 40. Not the best deal, but you may or may not like them better than mantic's skeletal archers.
Ankaur Maro (mounted necromancer)
us$35 for this hero on foot and mounted on swirl of bones and necromantic energy. Could potentially substitute for a mounted necromancer, which GW currently doesn't sell.
Overall, the game looks interesting. Not a good substitute for GW models altogether, due to the prices not really being better overall and the model quality not being quite as good, imo, but some interesting potential options for people looking to represent a couple undead units that GW no longer produces.
The prices for most of these aren't all that much better than gw stuff, so the main point of interest is that some of the rune wars undead units are close analogs to to AoS models that have been lost to various discontinuation purges, including:
Carrion Lancers (necroknight substitute)
Not as long as necroknights, but close to as tall, the size is a pretty good approximation. 2 in a box for us$35 gets you a fieldable 3 for $70, or 6 for $105. Maggot monsters are a conceptually suitable substitute for snakes, though they may look a bit too nurgle for some players. You'd have to convert the command, which may be an issue given that, as mentioned, the scale doesn't really match the current GW undead line.
Reanimate Archers (skeleton archers substitute)
us$25 for 8, or $125 for a block of 40. Not the best deal, but you may or may not like them better than mantic's skeletal archers.
Ankaur Maro (mounted necromancer)
us$35 for this hero on foot and mounted on swirl of bones and necromantic energy. Could potentially substitute for a mounted necromancer, which GW currently doesn't sell.
Overall, the game looks interesting. Not a good substitute for GW models altogether, due to the prices not really being better overall and the model quality not being quite as good, imo, but some interesting potential options for people looking to represent a couple undead units that GW no longer produces.
