ISSUE 13 - 26th APRIL 2014

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Assistant Editor: Matt Keefe
mattk@whitedwarf.co.uk

Senior Staff Writer: Adam Troke
adam@whitedwarf.co.uk

Staff Writer: Daniel Harden
dan@whitedwarf.co.uk

Production Lead:
Rebecca Ferguson
rebecca@whitedwarf.co.uk

Digital Editor: Melissa Roberts
melissa@whitedwarf.co.uk

Lead Designer: Matthew Hutson
matt@whitedwarf.co.uk

Designer: Kristian Shield
kris@whitedwarf.co.uk

Designer: Ben Humber
ben@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photo Editor: Glenn More
glenn@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photographer: Erik Niemz
erik@whitedwarf.co.uk

Photographer: Martyn Lyon
martyn@whitedwarf.co.uk

Distribution Lead: Andy Keddie
andy@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

If you go down to the woods today… be wary of monstrous living trees who don’t take kindly to interlopers! The Wood Elves return to the Warhammer world this week in grand fashion, spearheaded by an astonishing new Treeman kit (that also makes a Treeman Ancient and the special character Durthu). It’s quite something to behold, and is buttressed by the arrival of Araloth, a new hero for the Wood Elves, and a brand new army book. Adam chats to Mat Ward, author of both the background and the rules of said book, later in the issue. If you’re at all familiar with the history of the Wood Elves, you’ll find it fascinating reading, I’m sure.

We’ve also got painting guides and rules for the new miniatures, making this issue of White Dwarf something of a treat for fans of the Warhammer world’s ferocious forest denizens. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get my drybrush out and see if I can get Durthu’s bark as realistic as possible… I hope you enjoy the issue!

Animated by the most powerful forest spirits, Treeman Ancients are incredibly old, even by Elven standards. Lying dormant for years at a time, they awaken in times of dire need to lead their kindred into battle, crushing their foes with elemental fury.

From head to root, Treeman Ancients are the embodiment of Athel Loren, a combination of nature, magic and personified rage. Towering over both Elves and other Tree Spirits, the Treeman Ancient bellows a challenge to the enemy, his face a jagged mask of anger crowned with a forest of curving branches.

The Treeman Ancient is built from the same plastic kit as the Treeman, but holds a long silver birch staff in his clawed hand, a symbol of his status as a powerful magic user. From the top of the staff sprouts a huge orchid, from which strangleroot vines can be seen emerging, ready to grapple with unwanted intruders into the forest.

He is also better groomed than other Treemen, his hempen beard plaited by Dryad attendants during his long winter slumber, his loincloth a woven arrangement of reeds and cloth in place of fallen leaves.

What may not be immediately obvious about this kit is the variety of poses you can make. There are four shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle joints, enabling you to construct the Treeman in a variety of different poses, from standing at ease or striding forward, to throwing out a clutch of strangleroot vines or, as shown here, casting a spell upon his foes. DH

Left - The Treeman Ancient’s forehead is marked with glowing Elven runes.

Right - The height of three men, the Treeman Ancient’s staff is made from the fallen trunk of a silver birch tree, the bark rotten and peeling.

Left - Spites hide amongst the Treeman’s foliage.

Right - The Treeman’s gnarled fist is marked with a rune of eternity.

Treemen are Athel Loren’s oldest and wisest denizens. Though they treat the lesser creatures of their forest home kindly, all who enter with malicious intent, and the children of Chaos, are smashed asunder by blows mighty enough to shatter stone.

Treemen are the mightiest creatures that dwell in Athel Loren. Formed of wood and spirit, they are roughly humanoid in shape with arms and legs in the form of trunk and bower, and a face crowned by a thicket of waving branches. In battle, Treemen crush the enemy with sweeping blows of their branch-like limbs and pulverise them with stomps of their feet.

The Treeman is a multi-part plastic kit, and within it you’ll find various options for posing your woodland giant. The kit also comes with a multitude of Spites, each of them a strange eldritch creature, for you to decorate the Treeman’s branches and base. There are 13 Spites in the kit, and my favourite is the three-eyed owl, which is at once endearing and a little unsettling. These provide a welcome opportunity for you to customise your Treeman, and if you don’t use all of them on the model, you can always scatter them throughout the rest of your army. They would make great familiars for your Spellsingers and Wood Elf Lords. AT

Top - Bursting from the bark of the Treeman’s outstretched hands are the strangleroots. These can drag a foe beneath the ground, where their tendrils can feast on flesh and bone.

Bottom Left - The bark skin of a Treeman has whorls of eldritch energy flowing across it, a sign of their magical origin.

Bottom Right - The arms can be posed at different angles using components that fit into the elbow.

The long wars and horrors wrought against the Wood Elves and their home have turned the once wise and kindly Durthu into a figure of towering wrath. Driven mad by grief, Durthu is now eager to wreak vengeance on those whose atrocities have robbed him of his sanity.

Durthu is the greatest remaining Ancient, a Treeman so aged that even the lives of the Elves are fleeting in comparison. Millennia of war, suffering and death have robbed Durthu of his once gentle character. In anguish he turned to Daith, master smith of the Elves, to forge him a blade, and now he strides forth seeking vengeance.

Durthu is a sinister echo of the other Treemen. Rather than the budding signs of new life, the branches that sprout from Durthu’s shoulders bear skulls, trophies of the slain worn like some sickening fruit. More skulls hang from the vines that cling to his waist. Durthu’s face is not the fey masque of other Treemen, but a scarred ruin. In ages past, the malicious Dwarfs wounded Durthu with their axes and alchemical flame: his face is now drawn back in utter hate. The most striking detail of this model, of course, is Durthu’s mighty sword, etched with swirling runes. The sword’s design may seem fragile but once painted it looks both magical and mighty, and capable of sundering any foe. AT

Left - Durthu strides over the ruins of his hated Dwarf enemies.

Right - Hanging on vines from Durthu’s waist are a series of skulls, grim trophies that reflect his maddened state.

Left - Spites clamber through his boughs, urging him on to war.

Right - Durthu’s face was scarred by the axe-blades of Dwarfs long ago.

Once a cowardly and self-serving Wood Elf noble, Araloth is now the Lord of Talsyn, commander of the greatest realm of Athel Loren, changed forever when an ill-fated hunting trip became a chance encounter with an Elven Goddess.

When Araloth stumbled into a mysterious glade and witnessed an Elf maiden being attacked by a Daemon, he put aside his selfish and craven ways and rushed to her defence. By courage, and the help of his hawk, Skaryn, Araloth triumphed, though all was not as it seemed. This encounter was, in truth, a test, and through his valour Araloth was chosen as a champion by a mysterious Elven goddess. Now the Lord of Talsyn, is a fearless hero of the Wood Elves of Athel Loren.

This single frame plastic miniature shows Araloth, his outstretched hand launching his faithful companion Skaryn into action, ready to gouge the eyes from his foe. Araloth carries the same hunting spear he wielded on that fateful day, a mark of humility from one once possessed of such towering arrogance.

Araloth’s tall kite shield is emblazoned with a stylised crown of horns, the rune of Talsyn, his home realm, of which he is now lord and master. The crest of horns framing his war helm are redolent in shape of the branches that sprout from the head and shoulders of both Treemen and Dryads, and the finery of his robes marks him out as one of the greatest of Elven lords. AT

Left - Skaryn the Eye Thief is Araloth’s faithful companion, and has the ability to tear the eyes of Araloth’s foes from their sockets.

Right - Beneath his flowing cloak Araloth wears a suit of Elven armour. The breastplate is carved with the same curved horns motif as appears on his shield.

Left - Araloth’s foot is resting upon a skull, which is in turn entangled by roots.

Right - A cord of charms hangs from Araloth’s back.

Like their Wardancer brethren, Shadowdancers are wild and unpredictable warriors, but they are also devious magicians.

Re-released in Citadel Finecast, the Shadowdancer is perched on a fallen oak branch, ready to burst into action at a moment’s notice. Like all Wardancers, she is a lithe and nimble warrior, her clothing rustic, bordering on feral, a sign of her nomadic lifestyle as she travels between the Elven cities of Athel Loren.

The Shadowdancer carries a simple blade and a long spear wrapped around with colourful streamers which in her hands are as much a weapon as the spear they’re attached to. As is often the case with Wood Elf heroes, a Spite can be seen scampering around the vine-covered branch on her base, just one of the many malicious forest spirits that inhabit Athel Loren. DH

Warhammer: Visions is the monthly magazine from the creators of White Dwarf.

By the White Dwarf Team

Magazine |236 pages

This week our latest issue of Warhammer: Visions is unleashed, containing a cornucopia of sensational Citadel miniatures. This impressive 236 page magazine is spearheaded by a gallery of the latest additions to the Astra Militarum army, photographed in all their glory. There is also a showcase of some of the latest and greatest kits from Forge World, including the new miniature for the arch-traitor himself, the Warmaster Horus.

Other features in the magazine include a gorgeous Army of the Month featuring the World Eaters army of James Karch, a 50 page celebration of entries from Golden Demon in Cologne (the Wolf Rider diorama is a must-see), a Daemon Prince Kit Bash article and much more. AT

Keep your White Dwarf collection in pristine order with this splendid new binder.

If you’re anything like us, you like to keep your White Dwarfs nice and organised and within easy reach for reference (if only just to look again at Glenn’s astonishing Imperial Knight Freeblade from issue 5. What an inspiration!)

This new binder allows your wildest organisational dreams to come true. Sporting a black, textured cover with a gold-embossed White Dwarf logo, it can hold 13 issues of White Dwarf via tough-wearing sprung cords. Available from the Games Workshop website and available for delivery to your door or to your local Games Workshop store (where you can pick it up with your next White Dwarf), it’ll make both your magazines and your shelves very happy indeed. JB

Nestling between the borders of Bretonnia and the Empire is Athel Loren, the mystical home of the Wood Elves. These wild and capricious warriors fight a constant battle for survival, protecting their woodland home from all who would trespass its sacred glades.

Warhammer: Wood Elves is the ultimate companion for collectors of Wood Elf armies, a 96 page hardbound volume that contains the history and culture of the Asrai, along with all the rules you need to use them in your games of Warhammer.

In ancient times, in the wake of the terrible wars with the Daemons, many Elves from Ulthuan settled beneath the fulsome boughs of Athel Loren, and made both home and common cause with the powerful tree spirits dwelling there. Warhammer: Wood Elves introduces this history with a graceful narrative that explains how the fates of Athel Loren and the Wood Elves were intertwined at a far earlier point in history than most would expect, and how the foresight of a wise and mighty being planned their unison as a protection for both. Their history is filled with startling revelations, heroic battles and a narrative arc that takes the Elves from their earliest tragedies to the latest world-changing events.

Within the book there is also all the rules you would expect for the warriors and creatures that fight as part of the Wood Elf army. Each of these is accompanied by a bestiary entry that explains their place within Athel Loren, along with glorious illustrations to set the scene. There is also an extensive gallery of miniatures from the Studio collection, including all the latest Wood Elf models painted by the ’Eavy Metal team. The examples of models painted in the colours of the realms and seasons of Athel Loren are nothing short of inspiring, and will be a fertile source of ideas for hobbyists. AT

The cover of Warhammer Wood Elves, illustrated by Paul Dainton.

Dazzling new artwork sits alongside classic Wood Elf illustrations to create a visual feast.

The Studio collection is arrayed in all its splendour in the showcase section, where you can see all the latest miniatures alongside the existing Wood Elf Range.

Defenders of Athel Loren, the Wood Elves army book is also available as a limited edition!

In keeping with the sylvan feel of the Wood Elves, the Limited Edition army book has been lovingly crafted from real trees. The glossy dust jacket features the full-colour artwork from the cover of the hardback army book while the book cover itself shows the twin sisters Naestra and Arahan preparing to unleash a volley of arrows at an unsuspecting enemy.

Along the spine of the book can be seen a series of Wood Elf runes representing, among other things, doom, ending and hatred, the same runes shown on both the High Elves and Dark Elves Limited Edition books. This limited edition book is available exclusively through the Games Workshop website. Head there now to add it to your collection before they run out. DH

Noble yet sinister, the Wood Elves have mastered the Lores of both Dark and High magic.

16 large-format cards

Though they appear wild and uncivilised alongside the Elves of Ulthuan or even Naggaroth, the Wood Elves of Athel Loren are no less the masters of magic. The most powerful Wood Elf mages are the Spellweavers, who have access to the Lores of High and Dark Magic, in addition to the eight Lores found in the Warhammer rulebook.

Warhammer Battle Magic: Wood Elves contains 16 cards – all of the spells for both lores, including the Wood Elves’ unique Lore Attributes for each, providing a handy alternative to shuffling through the book while playing your games. AT

As the Warmaster prepares for the next, brutal phase of his rebellion, the loyalists move to destroy him.

By Graham McNeill

Hardback | 544 pages

Vengeful Spirit hurls the narrative of the Horus Heresy forward as the Warmaster and his traitor brothers unleash the next phase of their offensive. But Horus is not the only Primarch with plans, and while he seeks to claim Molech as the next step on the long road to Terra, other minds conspire against him and the Knights Errant are unleashed on their most deadly assignment so far. From the darkest intrigue of brother plotting against brother to the staggering carnage of Titan war, Vengeful Spirit is an epic. The characters, many of whom we have come to love (or hate), are beautifully rendered, the story is tense and ever McNeill saves a secret or two for the conclusion. By the end of the book my pulse was pounding and my heart was in my mouth. AT

Corax and the Raven Guard work to liberate Carandiru, but find a world with many sinister secrets.

By Gav Thorpe

Hardback Novella | 128 pages

Gav Thorpe continues his run of Horus Heresy Raven Guard stories with Ravenlord. It’s worth noting that while this novella is a stand-alone story, it’s a good idea to listen to Raven’s Flight and read Deliverance Lost first, as you’ll get a better feel for the main characters and the dilemmas they face, particularly their reluctance to trust anyone. The story follows the liberation of Carandiru, a world held by traitor Legionnaires, and home to several very dark secrets. Corax is a fascinating character and I’d be inclined to say that he’s the most human Primarch we’ve read about so far. He’s kind, emotional, thoughtful and lacks the arrogance of his brothers. Don’t mistake him for a weakling, though; when he gets to work with his lightning claws he’s a combat monster. DH

This week sees How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Wood Elves go on pre-order for iBook devices. Packed with stage-by-stage painting guides, it’s the best way to learn how to paint your new Wood Elf miniatures.

Last month, Jervis spoke about how many different ways there are of playing games. This month, he discusses a logical next step: two very significantly different ways of deciding who wins, and why the difference matters…

Some of the games I have been playing recently have been making me think about the difference between giving each player a set of objectives to achieve, instead of the game having a set of victory conditions. Before I carry on, I should explain that when I say ‘objectives’ here, I am not referring to things like the objective markers that are used in Warhammer 40,000; rather, I mean a set of goals or things that the army the player is in command of is meant to achieve. For example, “Your objective is to capture Strongpoint 52 and hold it against any enemy counter-attacks,” or “Your objective is to escort the Tau Water Caste Envoy across the battlefield and ensure her safety.” Or that kind of thing.

Anyway, on the face of it, objectives and victory conditions appear to be very similar – indeed, their purpose is the same, which is to help to decide who has won a battle – but I’ve found that in practice they have quite different effects in the way that players view and play a game. It’s these differences that I want to take a look at in this month’s column.

I would imagine that victory conditions are familiar to anyone who reads this column. Almost all of the scenarios and missions for our games use them in one form or another. They tend to come towards the end of the instructions for the scenario or mission, and will often use victory points to determine the winner. In many Warhammer scenarios, for example, you score a number of victory points equal to the points value of each enemy unit you destroy or that flees the table, and the player with the most victory points at the end of the battle is the winner.

Having a set of objectives for each player is rather rarer, even though it happens to be the way I play quite a few of my own games when I’m not playtesting new rules. In these objective-based games, we will set up a game, come up with a backstory for why the battle is taking place, and then give each player their own personal set of objectives based on the background of the battle we are about to fight. At the end of the game we will decide who has best achieved their objectives and that player will be the winner. Here is an example of a set of objectives from the refight of Blood Bath at Orc’s Drift that I refought recently:

“You are the Orc Big Boss known as Fangor Deathskull. You plan to destroy the garrison at Gore Pass before moving out of the mountains and on to Orc’s Drift. This objective must be achieved with as few losses as possible, for this is only a preliminary to a major battle. Your own personal objective is to kill the Goblin spy who is at present being held by the Empire garrison. The Goblin knows that you opted out from the battle of Fendal Plain last year, preferring to carry on looting the burning ruins of a nearby Empire settlement. If word of this should get out, your chieftainship and probably your life will be forfeit.”

“…sit down with your opponent before deploying, and come up with a background story explaining why the battle is taking place…”

As you can see, the objective-based system is very different to the standard victory conditions that we generally use in our published scenarios. For a start, it is not nearly as clear-cut, relying on judgement and discussion to decide the winner of each game, rather than the adding up of points or the capture of a certain number of markers. To be honest, this rarely proves much of a problem in the games that I play, as we can usually tell at a glance who has won, and because the people that I play with are happy to agree that a battle is a draw if fair-minded discussion can’t determine otherwise. In fact, we find that it usually gives a fairer result than using victory points and such like, as it can take into account factors that the victory points method has to ignore, such as the overall condition of the two armies, or the positions occupied by the two armies at the end of the battle. It is quite possible to win a victory point game with your army surrounded and reduced to tatters, for example, which is something that doesn’t really come up in our objective-based games.

Nonetheless, I know that many players will not be comfortable with this very subjective method of deciding the winner of a game, and if this were the only difference between the two methods, I would tend to agree with them. However, there is another – and for me a much more compelling – reason to play objective-based games, and that is that I find them to be more immersive than games played using victory conditions. It may be just me, but when I get a set of objectives like those given to Fangor (from the example above), I feel differently about the game than when I get a set of victory conditions saying I need to score as many points as possible in order to win. One is more of a story I am part of, the other more of a puzzle to be solved, if that makes sense.

Fortunately for me, I enjoy both stories and puzzles, and so I am very happy to play using either method. However, if you’ve only played our games using the standard victory condition system, I really would recommend giving an objective-based game a try. Just decide on which scenario or mission you are going to play normally, but then sit down with your opponent before deploying, and come up with a background story explaining why the battle is taking place. This done, replace the victory conditions with a set of objectives for each side based on the background you have come up with, and then proceed to set up your armies and fight the battle. At the end of the game, discuss who has won with your opponent – if you can’t agree, then the battle is clearly a draw! I think (and hope) that you will be surprised how much difference this small change can make to the way that the game feels and plays.

Jervis Johnson is a 30-year veteran of games development and has had a hand in the design of most of our classic games.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s new releases. This week, we look at the new Treeman.

This Treeman is part of the Studio’s Wood Elf collection and was painted by Chad Mierzwa. The colour scheme is reminiscent of a beech tree covered in years of moss and algae. Having fully assembled the Treeman, Chad basecoated the whole model Straken Green using the Citadel Spray Gun. He then painted all the wood using various shades and drybrushes (shown to the left) applying additional highlights to the head and torso of the Treeman to draw the eye to the middle of the model. With the main body done, Chad set to work on the details of the kit, starting with the leaves and working through to the glowing runes.

A useful tip when painting Tree Spirits is to choose a limited palette for the model. There’s a temptation to paint the leaves and bark in a lot of different colours, but that can make the model look incoherent and unnatural. Yes, it is a magical tree, but it doesn’t need to be multi-coloured. The primary colour for this Treeman is green, with highlights and leaves picked out in creams and yellows, while the runes are a vibrant blue, the colours either side of green on the colour wheel. Durthu, on the other hand, is painted a burnt brown, with details picked out in reds, oranges and yellows, all of which are adjacent on the colour wheel. DH

This week, the mighty Wood Elf lord Araloth and the greatest of the Ancient forest spirits, Durthu, are available to order. Here we present their rules, along with tactical advice from Adam and Dan on how to use them in your battles.

ARALOTH

Lord, 260 points

TROOP TYPE: Infantry (Special Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Always Strikes First, Stubborn

Boldest of the Bold: Whilst Araloth is a lone character, he has the Unbreakable special rule (this replaces Stubborn).

Favour of the Goddess: Araloth has a 4+ ward save.

Skaryn the Eye Thief: At the start of each of your turns, nominate a single enemy model within 18” of Araloth. That model takes a Strength 4 hit. If the Wound is unsaved, and the To Wound roll was a 6, the model suffers a -5 penalty to Weapon Skill and Initiative (to a minimum of 1) for the rest of the game. A model can only suffer this penalty once.

EQUIPMENT: Hand Weapon, Shield, Asrai Spear

Asrai Spear: The spears of the Wood Elves are almost impossibly sharp. The blades, shaped and sharpened upon enchanted whetstones, slide between the links of chainmail as easily as they do the ribs.

Range - Combat

Strength - User

Special Rules: Armour Piercing, Fight in Extra Ranks

THE LORD OF TALSYN

Adam: Araloth’s greatest ability lies in his capacity to harass, thanks in no small part to Skaryn, who can be a real menace to enemy characters and heroes (just imagine the look on your opponent’s face if you can rob their best fighters of their Ballistic Skill or Weapon Skill). Now, I acknowledge that the odds of Skaryn stealing an eye are slim (only a 1 in 6 chance), but across the course of a game they even out quite well and, even without it, a guaranteed Strength 4 hit on a model of your choice within 18” is not to be sniffed at.

I recommend keeping him away from fights against the greatest enemies (use Treemen or Orion, King of the Woods for that). Instead, hold him in your battle line with Glade Guard or Eternal Guard and let his excellent Leadership of 10, and significant fighting prowess (5 Attacks) take a toll on enemy warriors.

Dan: Araloth is the nasty sort of character you’d expect from the Wood Elves. He’s not overtly threatening enough to be a game winner (or a primary target if you’re fighting against him) but he can have a significant impact on a battle if left to his own devices. The first thing to remember is that he is an Elf and as such he’s as delicate as wet paper. Aside from his shield, he has the Favour of the Goddess to protect him, but that won’t slow down the best of enemy heroes for long. The best place for Araloth is amongst a unit of Glade Guard. Because he conveys the Stubborn ability, your opponent will probably have to kill the whole unit to get rid of Araloth or challenge him to single combat, something easier said than done with Always Strikes First, Weapon Skill 8 and 5 Attacks. If you keep him in a wood, he’ll be able to re-roll To Wound rolls of 1 as well, which can tip things in his favour.

DURTHU

Lord, 385 points

TROOP TYPE: Monster (Special Character).

MAGIC: Durthu is a level 1 Wizard who uses spells from the Lore of Beasts.

SPECIAL RULES: Blessings of the Ancients, Flammable, Frenzy, Hatred, Large Target, Scaly Skin (3+), Stubborn, Terror

A Lamentation of Despairs: Durthu can make the following shooting attack:

Range - 12”

Strength - 2

Special Rules - Killing Blow, Multiple Shots (2D6)

EQUIPMENT: Hand Weapon, Shield, Asrai Spear

Tree Whack: A model with this special rule can choose to make a single Tree Whack in place of making his normal close combat attacks. If a model is making a Tree Whack, it must be declared before rolling To Hit.

To resolve a Tree Whack, nominate an enemy model in base contact. That model must pass an Initiative test or suffer D6 Wounds with no armour saves allowed. A character with this special rule may make a Tree Whack in a challenge.

Forest Spirit: A model with this special rule has the Forest Strider special rule and its attacks (close combat and shooting) are magical. In addition, if the model is not a mount, it has a 6+ ward save and the Immune to Psychology special rule.

BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

Dan: My thoughts on Durthu are simple: rend, smash and stomp everything in his path until you run out of things to rend, smash and stomp. Durthu is a close combat monster, plain and simple, and he should be able to deal with most enemy infantry units single-handedly. While he’s not especially quick in combat, his high Toughness and 3+ scaly skin save means he should be able to survive most attacks thrown at him before dishing out some serious punishment in return. His high number of Attacks combined with Frenzy and Hatred should leave most units reeling. He can then hit them with his Thunderstomp and, hopefully, win the combat pretty convincingly.

Having tried out a few different units against him in our hobby room, it became obvious that heavily-armoured units like Knights weren’t much of a problem for Durthu (you’d certainly hope not when you’re hitting that hard) but those with great weapons were, as they had a much better chance of wounding him and seriously compromising his scaly skin. My advice is to avoid these hard-hitting units where possible (though that’s easier said than done when you’re Frenzied) and get stuck into the lesser troopers where Durthu’s power will be unstoppable. If you’re playing an army where fighting these units is unavoidable, then charge with another combat unit such as Eternal Guard and smash Durthu into the flank.

Interestingly, Durthu does have an ace up his sleeve for fighting against these units. He’s a Level 1 Wizard with access to the Lore of Beasts. You can’t guarantee that you’ll get a particular spell other than Wyssan’s Wildform, the Signature Spell, but even that could prove immensely useful as it grants the target unit +1 Strength and +1 Toughness. If Durthu casts it on himself (made easier by the Lore Attribute because he’s a monster) then he has a good chance of punching through even the most heavily armoured target. DH

TO WHACK OR NOT TO WHACK?

Adam: I wholeheartedly agree with what Dan has to say – Durthu really is a prime contender within the Warhammer world’s heavyweight category. With his good advice acknowledged, I want to talk about the choices you have to make when Durthu gets into close combat. Essentially Durthu, like all Treemen, can substitute his Attacks in any given round of close combat for a Tree Whack. Thematically this is the coolest thing in the world! Your towering wood-giant winds up for an almighty stone-shattering blow that can only be avoided if your victim passes an Initiative test. If the test is failed, it causes D6 Wounds with no armour save allowed!

That sounds all well and good, but Durthu has so many Attacks he’s almost always better off just battering the enemy with his normal Attacks. So here’s my golden rule: Only Tree Whack if your victim is Initiative 1 or 2 and has a Toughness of 7 or higher. Otherwise it’s simply not worth the reduction in overall hitting power. This means victims such as Necrosphinxes, Warsphinxes, Lizardmen monsters, Thundertusks, Steam Tanks and so on. Any of these are well worth a Tree Whack.

Something else I would offer as advice for this almighty killing machine is a tip on keeping him going. He’s likely to get shot by as many enemy artillery pieces as possible, and it only takes a cannon or two to end his wrathful striding once and for all. Unless you have no other choice, never place Durthu so that he can be fired at by cannons, bolt throwers and the like at the start of the game – you don’t want him getting felled before you even get a turn. Instead, try and interpose terrain, (such as the free wood all Wood Elf armies get) between him and such monstrosities, and advance across the battlefield avoiding the worst of the incoming ordnance. That sounds simple, I’ll grant you, but the fact of the matter is that reducing the amount of damage he takes on the way into battle ensures he’ll last longer when he arrives. AT

With Warhammer: Wood Elves released this week, we turned to the Design Studio’s resident Elf expert, Mat Ward, to learn more about the mysteries and histories of Athel Loren. We talk about Wood Elves, the pacts that bind them, and the mysterious worldroots.

A TALE OF BOUGH AND BOW

Something that is abundantly clear when you talk with Mat Ward about the Wood Elves, is how enthusiastic he is about them and their place in the Warhammer world. “Wood Elves were my first Warhammer army, and have remained my favourite in the decades since,” Mat explains. “With the new Wood Elves book I was mindful of the background that had been laid out for them, and wanted to explore new nuances and themes. Exploring it in new ways was very exciting, and there were a number of different subjects to examine. For a start, the relationship between Wood Elves, High Elves and Dark Elves is fascinating. In the past we have talked about how the Wood Elves are neither light nor dark, but a force of nature, that reflects both Athel Loren, and the character of Ariel and Orion the King and Queen of the Woods. For instance, when Ariel finds herself at odds with Morathi of Ghrond for a time, all Athel Loren changes as she does.”

As well as delving into the character of the Wood Elf race as a whole, Matt has also focused in on a couple of specific characters. “Araloth is a new addition for this book, and he has an important role to play in the future of the Wood Elves,” Mat says. “His story has a resonance with a classic fairy tale – an unworthy noble who is given a chance to change, to become something more than he once was. In Athel Loren, all actions have consequences, for good or ill, no matter how long they take to bear fruit.

“The appearance of the worldroots is another example of consequences,” Mat adds. “For a long time we reasoned that the Wood Elves have their hand in events far beyond the boundaries of Athel Loren, but the explanation for how and why they are so far-travelled was not always clear. There was once a forest that spanned the whole of the Warhammer world, and a being possessed of the correct knowledge and power could travel anywhere within this forest, as if striding through the roots. Athel Loren is all that remains of that great forest now, though, for in earlier epochs great change was wrought upon it. Recently, Daemons have damaged the worldroots even more, and now Skaven gnaw them away. In the new book you will learn how Ariel reopened these worldroots, having gained the lore from a most unlikely, and untrustworthy source.”

Before I finished talking with Mat about Wood Elves, I had one last question to raise, that touched on their very origins. Before now, we have always assumed that the Wood Elves that settled Athel Loren were abandoned colonists, separated from Ulthuan by the Sundering and the War of the Beard. Warhammer: Wood Elves contains some serious revelations on that matter. “As there always is, there’s more to this story than first meets the eye,” Mat smiles, knowing which gem of background information I have seized on. “The Wood Elves were predestined from ancient times. In the darkest hour of all Elfkind, the Daemons of Chaos sought to kill the Everqueen and her daughter, and thus destroy the resolve of the Elves forever. In desperation, Astarielle the Everqueen struck a terrible bargain with the spirits of the forest to save her children, the future of her race, for its present.

“What has never been revealed before is the true cost of that bargain,” Mat concludes. “Until now. The consequences have great meaning for the Wood Elves.” AT

THE SEEDS HAVE TAKEN ROOT

Seb Perbet: When I started work on the new Treeman I had several key ideas in mind. It needed to be big, it needed to be customisable and it needed to look Elven. My first spark of inspiration came from the Dryads. I’ve always liked the models. They’re not Elves, but they clearly have an Elven aesthetic to them with their sleek physique, high waist, long legs and cat-like eyes. Even without an Elf standing next to them you can tell that they’ve got something to do with them. That’s the feel I wanted to capture with the Treeman.

Neil Langdown: I recall you went through quite a few designs before you settled on this one, though.

Seb: Yeah, it was a tough one to crack because I was coming at it from the wrong direction. My initial thought was to take a tree and make it into a humanoid creature, whereas the final design was actually the other way around. Rather than sculpting roots and branches, I made arms and legs instead, using the Elf shape as a basis. Interestingly, the biggest design cues at this point came from the Eldar Wraithlord and Wraithknight, both of which are tall and lithe, but incredibly powerful warriors. The Treeman follows a similar design, with long, back-jointed legs, hoofed feet and broad shoulders.

I was also really keen to get as many options in the kit as possible. We’ve had rules for a Treeman Ancient for years, but no model to represent him, so options for him were definitely going on the sprue. I also really wanted to make a special character, which is where Durthu made his triumphant return.

Neil: Durthu is one crazy Treeman. And he’s got a sword! I remember you talking about the different options you were giving each model and we both said, “He needs a sword.” You can imagine him, all burnt and chopped up, smashing into the Elven cities and demanding a sword be made for him so that he can wreak revenge on the Dwarfs that set him alight.

Seb: It speaks of Durthu’s tragic nature, that sword. Treemen are the embodiment of the forest and should exemplify it at all times. I liked the idea that after thousands of years alive, Durthu was so horribly mauled that he went off the rails and picked up a weapon for the first time. It’s desperate and hate-fuelled. It’s also an excuse to put a beautiful-looking weapon on such a horrifically charred Treeman.

The other options in the kit are for the Treeman and the Treeman Ancient. The Treeman is deliberately quite wild, the branches on his head and back unkempt, while his loincloth is made of leaves and patches of cloth. The Treeman Ancient, on the other hand, has a woven loincloth and his beard has been neatly plaited. I imagine that while he’s slumbering between battles the Dryads come and arrange it for him. It’s like topiary for Treemen. I also gave him a gnarly old staff. He is a wise and powerful wizard, after all, and, in my mind, a wizard needs a staff. Like the Treeman Ancient, it’s old and worn, emphasising his great age. By contrast, the younger Treeman is firing a Strangleroot from his hand, a sign of the life and fertility coursing through him.

I was also really keen to make each Treeman look different on the battlefield. It’s likely that Wood Elf players will have more than one of them in their collection and no one wants their iconic centrepiece miniatures looking identical. To that end, I made lots of individual limb joints (elbow, shoulder, knee and ankle) so each Treeman can be posed in a different way. While there are specific joints for each version of the Treeman in the instructions, they can be swapped around to give you loads more different poses.

Lastly there are the Spites. I was inspired by the illustration in the previous army book, which showed them to be really creepy and sinister. So I combined birds, insects, snakes, everything really, to make 13 of the little monsters. Oh, and a three-eyed owl. I also made them separate pieces so you can put them on other models in your collection if you want to. DH

LORD OF TALSYN

Neil: Elves, whether High, Dark or Wood, are inherently arrogant and proud. This is reflected in their wargear, which is always of exceptional quality. The majority of Wood Elves are rustic, living out in the wilds of Athel Loren, but Araloth is the ruler of Talsyn and, as such, needed to look more lordly. Much of my inspiration came from an older illustration by John Blanche, which showed a Wood Elf lord wearing a helmet with massive antlers. High Elves have winged helms and Dark Elves have bladed ones, so the idea of Wood Elves having antlers fitted nicely. I also gave him a hunting spear, which ties in nicely with that woodland hunting theme. His falcon, Skaryn, was a nod back to an old Wood Elf character called Skaw the Falconer. The Wood Elves are very in tune with nature and the creatures of the forest, so it seemed logical that they’d work together to defend their homes. I especially like the idea of Skaryn plucking out an enemy’s eyes. Go, falcon!

Join us for a round-up of the week as we share comment, opinion and trivia on the all latest releases, plus other fun tidbits that have cropped up in the White Dwarf bunker this week. This week, we leaf through the mysteries of Athel Loren.

THE CONTRAST OF DARK AND LIGHT

One of the most fascinating aspects of the new Wood Elf rules is the fact that their Spellweavers have access to the Lores of High and Dark Magic. Mat Ward has the following to say about it. “Dark Magic comes into the courts of Athel Loren towards the end of the Season of Vengeance,” Mat explains. “Initially it leads to some profound problems, especially for Ariel, but in time it becomes a real boon to the Wood Elves.

“Whereas the High Elves fear the consequences of dabbling with the forces that exist within Dark Magic, and the Dark Elves are too arrogant to believe any consequences could ever effect them, the Wood Elves have a slightly more pragmatic view,” Mat says. “The Wood Elves act expecting consequences, and so all aspects of magic are taught in their courts, and often under the tutelage of Ariel herself. This prevents the overweening arrogance of their cousins, and frees them to understand both dark and light.

“What this means for Wood Elf players is that Spellweavers can reflect both sides of the Wood Elf pysche, dark and light,” Mat says. “The power to heal, and to banish Daemons, and the power to crush and kill with the impunity of nature itself.”

ATHEL LOREN

THE ETERNAL REALMS

Athel Loren is divided into 12 realms, each ruled over by a Lord or Lady. Though each of the realms differs in size, power and appearance, they each contribute to the ruling of Athel Loren through the great council.

The greatest of these is Talsyn, which is the domain of Araloth. Here is found the heart of the worldroots that stretch out from Athel Loren and across the world. The Wood Elves of Talsyn have long held the closest bond to the forest spirits, and within this realm the ancient pacts are closely honoured.

Many of the realms have curious attributes, such as Modryn, known as the Night Glens. Modryn is a place of perpetual night, apparently cursed when the darkness of Ariel’s spirit spread throughout Athel Loren many years ago.

Another realm of great renown is Torgovann, the Forge of Starlight. Here Lord Daith holds court and, though blind, fashions magical weapons and armour the power and quality of which are unmatched in all the world.

Warhammer: Visions issue 3 is out next week and features James Karch’s glorious World Eaters army. We caught up with James to find out more about them.

James: There were a couple of factors that influenced my decision to collect World Eaters. Firstly, I love playing my games up close and personal, so their gaming style really suits me. I also wanted to paint a dirty army for a change, something covered in blood. It really wasn’t a hard choice! I also stippled on battle damage using a sponge and applied Forge World weathering powders to make my legionnaires look totally war-worn. While I have Angron in my force, I am actually a staunch follower of the Emperor and fought on the loyalist side at the Horus Heresy campaign weekend at Warhammer World. The new Red Butchers and Khârn are really cool, though, so I have a feeling I’m being drawn to the Warmaster’s side…

The new Treeman Ancient kit has loads of tiny Spites on it, diminutive forest spirits that hover around their Treeman kin, nibbling, biting and scratching at those who dare enter the forest. “Once I’d finished work on the Treeman I filled every available space on the sprue with a Spite,” says designer Seb Perbet. “Empty sprue is wasted sprue and I wanted to give hobbyists as many cool little extras as possible. There’s a little dragon-like creature, a fanged snake emerging from a skull, a trio of scarabs-cum-butterflies with huge mandibles, a feathery dragonfly and, my favourite, a three-eyed owl affectionately known as Blinky.”

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: some famous Wood Elves.

ORION

Orion is the King in the Woods, the embodiment of the Elven God Kurnous. Every year Orion is reborn, led from the Oak of Ages by his wife, Ariel. Orion is a powerful warrior, far taller than any Elf, with a fierce and noble head set upon a mighty torso, and the legs of a mighty forest stag. Ever the first to fight for Athel Loren, he is fearless in battle, leading his Wild Hunt to sweep Athel Loren clear of all intruders.

ARIEL

Ariel is Orion’s wife, the embodiment of Isha, mother Goddess of the Elves. She is Orion’s beloved and the spiritual (and often actual) leader of the Wood Elves. Through her ability to harness the magic of the forest, Athel Loren has been healed of many of its ills.

NAIETH

Naieth is a powerful sorceress and a prophetess within Athel Loren. During the Season of Doom she received a vision of the fall of Athel Loren. Since then she has been instrumental in galvanising the Wood Elves to fight for the future of their land, and has marched to war beside Araloth of Talsyn many times to thwart the machinations of the Children of Chaos, most specifically the mutating power of Morghur, Master of Skulls.

SCARLOC

A Wood Elf archer and scout of incredible skill, Scarloc was entrusted with a sojourn into the realms of Men to learn their ways. Many times Scarloc’s valour and his skill with a bow have earned the victory, not just for the Wood Elves, but for the races that have been blessed by his aid when it was needed most.

This week, our hobby room has been the source of much laughter, merriment and backstabbing as Jes, Matt, Erik and Andy played a game of Triumph & Treachery during their lunch breaks. Jes proudly rolled out his Ogres, only to find his Mournfang Cavalry screamed at by Andy’s Terrorgheist, reducing his best warriors to gibbering wrecks before they could fight. However, the highlight of the game came when Matt’s lone Ellyrian Reaver chose to Stand and Shoot at Erik’s Giant, stripping it of its final Wound. Erik, sad at the loss of his biggest unit, was then delighted to find that Matt’s Reaver was actually too close to Stand and Shoot. Placing the Giant back on the table, Erik’s joy was shortlived as Matt’s Elf struck first and killed the Giant in combat instead.

This Treeman has a wonderful red tone to its bark. We asked Anja Wettergren from ’Eavy Metal how she painted it. “I used Rhinox Hide and Dryad Bark,” says Anja, “working up to Deathclaw Brown and Tau Light Ochre. The red hue is many thin glazes of Reikland Fleshshade and Bloodletter applied over the top.” When asked if she used pictures of trees for reference, Anja shook her head. “I’m from Sweden, I know trees. You can quote me on that.”

The deffgun is the Ork Loota’s best friend. Cunningly crafted (read: cobbled together) by Meks, they are something of a lottery to the Loota carrying it into battle. What looks like a lascannon crammed into a shoota may actually be a rokkit launcha, while a burst cannon is more likely to be a meltagun with spanners for ammunition. What’s guaranteed is that the deffgun will bring death (deff) to the enemy and deafness (also deff) to the user.

The White Dwarf team is a font of hobby knowledge, a metaphorical repository of useful facts. If you have a question about Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer, need a bit of painting advice or you’re after a few tactical tips, drop us a line: team@whitedwarf.co.uk

QUESTION

My Ork Warboss and his Meganobz don’t like walkin’. What’s the best, most killy wagon to get them into battle?
- Alex Maaagh!

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Orks? Nobz? Wagons? We’re talking about greenskins in shoddy wooden chariots, right? I despair. Here’s Dan to give you some help with your ride.

Dan: While a Trukk is the quickest way to get your Warboss into battle, they are pretty flimsy, even by Ork standards. A Battlewagon is much more in keeping with his status as Da Boss. While there’s a temptation to give it an ’ard case, that upgrade will stop it from being an assault vehicle, so I’d leave it open-topped. I’d also stick a killkannon on it for some firepower once it’s dropped off the Warboss, and a deff rolla to squish humies. Running over enemy units is just as much fun as shooting them and definitely more accurate.

- Grombrindal (and Dan)

This week’s model of the week was sent in to us by Matthieu Favresse, who has built a Dark Angels Master from the Deathwing Command squad box with the addition of a censer and a heraldic shield from the Dark Angels Veterans kit. Matthieu’s commander, known as Bloody Moon, uses the head from the Deathwing Champion, but with the hair very carefully shaved off and replaced with a tribal tattoo, which, according to Matthieu, involved “a tiny brush, and a lot of patience.” Adam, our resident Dark Angel, is incredibly jealous of this gorgeous model, though he’s eyeing the black armour with suspicion.

If you’ve painted a miniature that you think is worthy of a place in White Dwarf then why not send a picture to:

team@whitedwarf.co.uk

If it’s something we can use, we’ll be sure to get in touch.

“It’s a missile with teeth,” says Jes, zooming it around the room. “You get four of them on the Hive Crone, but if you build the Harpy then you’ll have them spare. They’d make great objectives or cool pieces for Tyranid conversions.”

This week, we raided Dan’s collection of miniatures to show off some of his latest additions. “While I have painted Ghazghkull recently, it conceals a secret shame,” Dan says ominously. The truth is this exact model has sat built but unpainted in his collection since the day it was released back in 2002. “I’m hoping, now I’ve painted their prophet, Gork and Mork will show me their favour,” he adds.

“As for the Tau models, I painted them for an Apocalypse game I played with Jes,” Dan says. “Having Commander Longstrike pilot a Hammerhead is a good idea when you’re going up against the baddest stuff in the galaxy. I’ve modelled it hovering over some ruins (from the Urban Barricades and Walls kit), and painted a command stripe on the hull to mark it out. My new Battlesuit Commander, Starstrider, has been kitbashed with spare plasma rifles and a head from the Riptide kit.”

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