A summary of major changes in 2.0:
Magic has been reworked. It's way less random - spells are selected, there's less variation in power dice availability, and there aren't the big nuke spells. All of which means that you don't need to put a bunch of points into magic for the off chance that you roll well and annihilate your opponent's army in one turn. I'm a huge supporter of the new magic rules - I think that 7th edition introduced a new level of randomness into an already unpredictable phase, and 8th edition brought it to an absurd level of reliance on luck. Redesigning that was one of my earliest hopes for the 9th Age, and I'm glad to finally see it executed.
Characteristic profiles have been redone, as well. Weapon Skill, for example, has been split into Offensive and Defensive. For now, most units have the same O and D as the WS that they had in previous versions, so there's little impact, but in the future it will allow units to be more precisely designed to fill a given role. There are a few changes like that, which open up new possibilities but don't really change anything in the short term.
Armor Piercing is a new attribute (characteristic?), separate from Strength. This long-awaited change helps address the problem of "high-strength attacks are everywhere" problem that was inherited from 7th and 8th edition Warhammer. Now armor can be worth something again!
I think those two are the big ones for game-wide rules...there are a few smaller changes, as well.
With these BRB changes, the armies have all been given a new rulebook with relatively minor changes, pending a complete overhaul when possible. I'm pretty excited about the process for these changes and rewrites - namely, the Background Team is developing the character of each army, and those are finally driving the rules, so that we have a fun and characterful game to play. The people who are on the current team to provide input on the Saurians are doing a really good job, and have breathed new life into some of our units that were useless yet central before (*cough* Saurus *cough*). So
@Pinktaco might be able to correct me if I get any of these wrong, but here are some of the big changes to the SA:
Saurian Warriors:
Totems got tweaked, and recosted, plus some changes towards favoring blocks of these guys rather than the 10-man MSU.
Temple Guard:
Finally got some serious changes. They now carry a "Cobalt Club" instead of a halberd, allowing them to gain +2S on a one-handed weapon, so that they still have their shields in CC. As mentioned above, AP is now separate from S, and the new club doesn't give any AP. So there are new challenges, but overall their damage output has become better while also making them more resilient, and helping them to function as the immovable brick they were always supposed to be.
Thyroscutus (heir to the Bastiladon for you 8thers):
The Ankylosaurus is now Unbreakable. Still not a massive monster on its own, and there are definitely some who say that this isn't enough, but the goal is for it to better hold up troublesome enemy units.
Salamanders:
...can March and Shoot again. Together with some BRB changes to how Flame Throwers work, these guys are once again going to strike terror into the hearts of our enemies.
Caiman Ancient:
Dropping the situational bonus to his unit's WS, together with the ability to be the BSB, seems to have made this guy playable and fun.
Snake Swarms:
They used to have the rule that basically gave Poison to friendly units engaged in the same fight as them, but that was hard to ever actually use profitably. Now, opposing units that successfully charge them have to take Dangerous Terrain tests. I'm upbeat about this, as I think it solidifies their role in bogging down enemy units.
EDIT:
Raptor Riders! Changes in the BRB seem to have made them competitive again. I don't have a detailed explanation, but I'm very excited to see them actually work!
I hope all that's helpful! Overall I'm really pleased with the changes - we have more sensible units, being designed to actually do the jobs they're supposed to do, with both character and playstyle in mind.
