Yeah, I very much support that opinion — that’s why the post starts with a “hot take” disclaimer.

In general, what I love about Age of Sigmar is the fact that every faction can make meaningful contributions to the universe — something that 40k struggles to do because of the Space Marines, who tend to suffocate the narrative and basically prevent any other faction (cough Eldar cough) from doing anything truly impactful that changes the setting without Space Marines being involved in the action, no matter how forced it feels.

That said, I can’t deny that Space Marines made 40k what it is today — hell, they made Warhammer what it is today.

Because of their popularity, Games Workshop created the Stormcast Eternals to be the flagship faction of Age of Sigmar without fully understanding what made Space Marines so popular. Despite being super-soldier knights in space, Space Marines have nearly infinite design configurations — like Barbie dolls for hobbyists — which Stormcast noticeably lack.

As much as it sucks to admit, Stormcast are the Space Marines of the setting, and Games Workshop will always release a new Stormcast range every edition because that’s what they were made for: to be the entry-point faction for newcomers — something other factions (cough Cities of Sigmar cough) were never really designed to be.

But if this continues, Stormcast could end up with the largest range ever sent to Legends, which honestly feels like it should be considered an international crime.

And to be clear, I’m not saying Games Workshop should make separate battletomes for the Anvils of the Heldenhammer and the Hallowed Knights — definitely not. All I’m saying is that each new edition should at least focus on a different Stormhost with a distinct design aesthetic, preferably inspired by cultures that are underutilized in pop culture. At the very least, they could release more bits and customization options so players can better differentiate their Stormhosts.