Games Workshop did something really smart with the Helsmiths of Hashut army roll out. It’s a blueprint for future releases.
This weekend marks the official launch of the Helsmiths of Hashut army. Yes, they did have an army box that was released previously. But that was a limited run. Now, the battletome as well as rest of the army are going out for pre-order. But that’s not really the blueprint I’m talking about. That’s all been done by GW before. No, what I’m referring to is how these kits all work. With the exception of two kits, every single one of these releases has two different builds for them. That’s what we need to see more of from GW’s new army releases.
“But GW has released tons of dual-purpose kits before. This isn’t new at all!” Yes, they have indeed released loads of dual-kits. But go check out the recent new armies. Their launches didn’t contain this many dual-purpose kits. For example, the Leagues of Votann from 40k. If you look at what that army initially rolled out with there really wasn’t a ton of diversity from their launch.
They had a handful of units and while it made the core of the army, you basically had to copy+paste the same batch of units to get to a 2000 point list. “Oh but that’s just how 40k is with units.” Okay, sure. I get that you’ll likely want multiple squads of Hearthkyn Warriors as your basic troop. But what about the Cities of Sigmar launch?
When the Cities of Sigmar came out, all of their units were basically one-and-done options. The Freeguild Steelhelms couldn’t also be built as Freeguild Fusiliers. The Ironweld Great Cannon can’t be built as a mortar or some other variant. And the Freeguild Cavaliers are just that…there’s not a different version based on the same kit.
I don’t think that’s inherently a bad thing for these kits to just be used as one unit. There’s less waste in terms of bits. However, that means when the army launches, you really need to have a LOT of new boxes ready to go. So how about the Helsmiths of Hashut?
The Helsmith Blueprint
Their core unit of Infernal Cohorts can have either swords or spears. That’s actually pretty common for most of the “line infantry” for the AoS range. But it doesn’t stop there. The Infernal Razers can have Grizmalok Blunderbusses or Karagthrun Flamehurlers. This can radically change how you want to position and use this unit.
The Helsmiths of Hashut have one kit for their artillery that can be built as the Deathshrieker Rocket Battery or a Tormentor Bombard. Or the Dominator Engine can be built for melee with bane maces or with immolation cannons for more of a ranged threat. Not to mention all the various bits in that kit for further customization.
The Bull Centaurs are back with two different versions, the Daemonsmith is a character that can be also be built as an Ashen Elder. Shoot, even their bit centerpiece kit, the Infernal Taurus, can be a generic hero or the named character Urak Taar.
That’s the point I’m trying to drive home here. And these are all part of the initial launch. In fact, the only two kits that aren’t dual-kits are the War Despot (that still has multiple build options) and the Hobgrot Vandalz. For a new army launch that means fewer SKUs for stores to stock and more “units” from the same set of new releases. That’s a win for any store looking to carry this new army and a win for anyone looking to start playing this army.
That doesn’t mean that the Helsmiths of Hashut are done as an army either. I’m sure there’s new stuff GW could add to this army in the future. But the core of the army is set — and it’s coming out swinging. That’s nine boxes that allow for 16 different units to be built (depending on how you’re counting the Infernal Cohorts spears vs swords). For a new army launch that’s waaaay better than having nice boxes for nine different units.
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In the future, I hope new armies also get the same treatment. Having combo kits is a good way to fill out a roster for a new army and to give players options. GW did it right with the Helsmith’s new release!
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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