From 2000 Points to Beer Coasters: Our AoS List-Building Night
Trying to make the game fit the table
Sometimes army-building is less about the perfect list and more about what we can realistically fit onto the table.
That was exactly the mood this time. We started by counting what we actually had available. end3r had 950 points, and if Staś brought the Spearhead box contents, that would add 690 points, for a total of 1640. There was also the tempting option of adding Drekki Flynt for another 150 points.
Meanwhile, Michał was looking at his own collection and immediately ran into the classic problem: cutting a list down is harder than building it up. He said he could bring 1710 points, because trimming it further would be awkward, but then the options started piling up:
- Thundrik’s Profiteers for 150 points
- The Crimson Court for 210 points
And just like that, we had a neat 2000 points and the possibility for Michał to play his regular league list, without weird compromises.
The practical side of list-building
Of course, this is Warhammer, so as soon as the points started to make sense, the table size became the next boss fight.
Michał pointed out that his table is narrower than 112 cm, so a full-size mat simply would not fit. That immediately pushed us toward a more practical solution: play at 1000 points on a smaller surface if needed.
The backup plan was gloriously improvised:
- use a Spearhead-sized board
- extend it with a Warcry board
- or just measure the table directly and mark objectives ourselves
- if all else failed, use plain cardboard
It would not necessarily look pretty, but it would work — and honestly, that is a very familiar hobby energy.
Rules homework before the game
Michał also dropped a very sensible pre-game checklist for everyone, especially for people still getting comfortable with Age of Sigmar 4th edition army rules.
Before the game, it made sense to read up on:
- Battle Traits — the faction rules you can always use
- Battle Formation — where you pick one option
- Heroic Traits — one hero can take one
- Artefacts — same idea, one hero gets one
- Spell Lore and Manifestation Lore — if the army includes a wizard
- Prayer Lore — if the army includes a priest
And for now, the advice was simple: ignore Armies of Renown.
That is honestly one of the nicest parts of arranging casual games like this. We are not just throwing models on the table — we are slowly learning how our factions actually work.
Kharadron, Vampires, and a little bit of “Legends”
The factions in the mix this time were a very fun combination:
- Kharadron Overlords
- Soulblight Gravelords
Michał linked the faction rules for both, plus the warscrolls for The Crimson Court and Thundrik’s Profiteers. There was one small catch: Thundrik’s crew turned out to be Legends, so they are not legal for matched play. But since this was clearly a game arranged for fun first, that was not really a deal-breaker.
That casual attitude carried the whole discussion. We were not trying to solve the meta. We just wanted to get some toy soldiers onto the table and roll dice.
Priorities: terrain first, pirate later
Naturally, the hobby side also entered the conversation.
end3r asked about printing Drekki Flynt, but Michał had a more urgent print queue already lined up: terrain. There was also talk of printing a custom Clawlord, possibly together with other stuff on one overnight plate.
That felt very familiar too — the eternal balancing act between:
- things we need for the next game,
- things we want because they are cool,
- and things we suddenly decide to print because we had one dangerous idea at 10 PM.
In the end, the verdict was simple: terrain was the higher priority, and Drekki could happen later.
The most important conclusion: just play something
The best line in the whole exchange was probably the simplest one: whatever gets decided, as long as we get a game in.
That really sums up the spirit of these planning chats. Yes, we care about points. Yes, we care about legal options, board sizes, and whether a list still works after trimming. But the actual goal is much more basic:
play a game, have fun, and make the most of the models we already have.
Objective markers, but make them improvised
Once it became clear that a smaller table was likely, the conversation moved to objective markers. If there was no proper mat available, we could just mark out the battlefield ourselves.
And this is where true hobby engineering appeared: beer coasters.
end3r suggested using a pile of coasters he had lying around, and after a quick discussion about objective size and control radius, the scientific conclusion was basically: close enough.
Honestly, that image captures the whole vibe perfectly. Not polished. Not official. But absolutely good enough to get a game going.
Final plan?
At that stage, the most likely outcome seemed to be:
- Age of Sigmar
- probably 1000 points
- on a smaller improvised battlefield
- with objectives marked however we could
- and with a relaxed approach to list-building if it helped make the game happen
And really, we love this kind of planning. It is half logistics, half list-crafting, half nonsense — which is more than 100%, but that sounds about right for Warhammer.
The important bit is that even when the ideal setup is not available, we can still make it work with a tape measure, some markers, and enough enthusiasm.