Review: Flesh-eater Courts Army Set

Introducing the latest addition to the Era of the Beast – the Flesh-eater Courts army set. Packed with a formidable Abhorrant Gorewarden, a revered Varghulf Courtier, a loyal unit of 20 Cryptguard, and three gallant Morbheg Knights, this collection finally brings the delusions of the courts to life. Stay tuned as we explore the contents of this set, including the exclusive launch edition Battletome.

The new Flesh-eater Courts army box can be preordered from Saturday, December 2, 2023. It goes on sale two weeks later, following a two-week preorder window. Please note that there will be only one production run, so it’s available only until stocks last.

Included in the box are all new models:

• an Abhorrent Gorewarden
• a Varghulf Courtier
• 3 Morbheg Knights
• 2x 10 Cryptguard
• exclusive launch edition Battletome
• 27 warscroll cards, 33 enhancement cards, and two cardboard token sheets

Flesh-Eater Courts army set models review

The Flesh-eater Courts have a “horrific” history. The dated models originate from the Vampire Counts range in Warhammer Fantasy, so they have been around for quite a few years. During the first edition of Age of Sigmar, when many sub-factions were turned into their own armies, they were given a completely new lore. Instead of simple cannibalistic ghouls, they became deluded creatures who see themselves as champions of an imaginary royal court. However, the models did not reflect this, which always felt inconsistent and forced to me. With the new Flesh-eater Courts army set, that finally changed, and I was very excited to unbox the miniatures.

Cryptguard review

For the Flesh-eater Cryptguard, you get 20 miniatures distributed on two identical sprue pairs, each containing 10 Ghouls. This is by the way the sprue that was leaked on Reddit several months ago. The 10 models are the same size as the old Crypt Ghouls and come on 25mm bases. I had hoped for them to be bigger, like the Gore-squires from the Royal Beastflayers. Essentially, they serve as replacements for the old models, even though Crypt Ghouls are still included in the army list. Each sprue includes the following models:

• 10 bodies
• 10 pairs of arms with swords
• 10 pairs of arms with two-handed weapons
• 17 interchangeable heads (including 6 with feminine features)
• an extra leg with tactical rock for the champion, along with an additional mane with a small banner, an extra head, and an extra pair of arms with a sword, and an extra pair of arms with a two-handed weapon
• an extra pair of arms with a drum for the musician
• an extra pair of arms with a banner for the standard bearer
• an extra right arm and head, depicting a Ghoul nibbling on a severed arm

In comparison to the old Crypt Ghouls, the details are cast sharper, and the poses are more varied. As with most current infantry kits, the upper and lower bodies are interconnected, and each pair of arms only fits a specific body. However, there is variety in weapon options and interchangeable heads, providing some diversity. There is no distinction in the army list between the weapon choices, as both swords and two-handed weapons count as Cursed Weapons, which seems a bit like a wasted opportunity.

Flesh-eater Courts Morbheg Knights review

The Morbheg Knights are a brand-new addition to the Flesh-eater Courts. These cavaliers are amongst the proudest warriors of a host and ride atop nightshriekers, which are essentially mini-Terrorgheists. In my opinion, they are one of the highlights of the box. You get three medium-size sprues that build three models on 75mm oval bases:

• Morbheg Knight A can be built as either a Champion, which has a unique head, or a regular Knight. There is a choice of two shields, and either a sword (which is meant for the Champion) or a spear.
• Morbheg Knight B can be built as either a standard bearer or a regular Knight. There is a choice of two shields, and either a standard or a spear for the right arm.
• Morbheg Knight C can be built as either a musician or a regular Knight. There is a choice of two shields, and either a trumpet or a spear for the right arm.
• There are also 5 interchangeable heads for Knight A and B, and 3 for Knight C, as well as 5 interchangeable heads for the nightshrieker mounts.

The models are brilliant and perfectly capture the twisted “noble” background of the Flesh-eater Courts. Unfortunately, apart from the interchangeable parts, there is no flexibility in the poses of the rider and mount, which could lead to noticeable duplications when assembling multiple units.

Abhorrant Gorewarden & Varghulf Courtier review

Here I can keep it brief. Both the Abhorrant Gorewarden and the Varghulf Courtier are monopose models without additional bits or assembly/posing options. Both models come on small sprues, with the Gorewarden standing on a 40mm base and the Varghulf on a 90mm oval base. I like both models, especially the pose of the Varghulf Courtier. The Varghulf’s design changed quite a lot, and mysteriously, the vestigial wings are missing compared to the previous model.

Flesh-eater Courts Battletome review

With 88 pages, the Battletome is one of the thinner ones, and despite the many new models, the army list is still compact. The army set exclusive version of the Flesh-eater Courts Battletome features gold foil on the matte cover, as well as a stylish gold edge, but I find the cover design is somewhat dull.

The lore section has some new content and artworks and the layout is more atmospherically compared to the previous Battletome. The showcase part mainly features the new models, as well as various alternative color schemes, and the painting section has been completely revised. However, the quality of the tutorials and photos was slightly better in the previous version in my opinion. The back part of the book consists of the rules section, with the army rules and rules for the four different Grand Courts subfactions, enhancements, warscrolls, and Path to Glory rules.

Value

The Flesh-eater Courts army set has an RRP of £120 / 155 € / $200, matching the price of the last several army sets. This is nice, as is the fact that the box only contains new models. For Flesh-eater Courts collectors, the box is a must-buy, as army boxes usually offer a savings of about one-third compared to individual purchases. Since the Flesh-eaters have quite a lot of fans (including Garfy, be sure to check out his collection and tutorial here on Tale of Painters), I can imagine that the box will sell out relatively quickly. You can check if it is still available here:

You can find the latest hobby products at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 10–15% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.