ISSUE 17

24th May 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

Today’s the day – the new Warhammer 40,000 goes on sale! And so to celebrate, Adam and I took to the White Dwarf hobby room gaming table to enact a fittingly epic Battle Report. The forces of the Imperium went to war against the Black Legion in a game as brutal as you can imagine, and which really showed off all the cool new rules in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. I hope your games are going to be just as fun! Just watch out for Malefic Daemonology…

It’s not all far-future warfare, though, as in other news a host of new painting sets go up for pre-order, which has given us the perfect excuse to go right back to basics and look at the Citadel Painting System. It’s a brilliant way to not only get paint on your models in the most straightforward manner possible, but to also get them looking fantastic. (I’m a real convert to the Dry paints – I used Necron Compound to drybrush the skeletons of my Imperial Knights and it’s just brilliant.)

Enjoy the issue!

Terminators are veterans of a Chapter’s First Company, indefatigable warriors deployed to the most hostile battlefields in the galaxy, their Tactical Dreadnought Armour affording them the protection and firepower they require to carry out their mission.

Space Marine Strike Force Ultra represents a fearsome deployment of Terminators, a certified death warrant for the foes of the Imperium. This all-plastic boxed set contains 10 Space Marine Terminators, 10 Space Marine Assault Terminators, an exclusive Terminator Captain (see more of him over the page), a Venerable Dreadnought, a Stormraven Gunship and a Land Raider Crusader. A formidable army in its own right, Strike Force Ultra would also make an excellent addition to an existing Space Marine collection.

All the units in the Strike Force come with a selection of weapon options, enabling you to tailor them to your needs. The Terminators come with a selection of heavy weapons such as the assault cannon and cyclone missile launcher, while the Assault Terminators can be equipped with either lightning claws, or thunder hammers and storm shields. All three vehicles come with weapon options, too, so you can equip them for pounding infantry, busting open tanks, or create a tactically sound combination of the two.

The Terminator Captain is a brand new plastic model available exclusively as part of Space Marines Strike Force Ultra. Clad in finely-wrought Tactical Dreadnought Armour, he is one of the highest-ranking warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, the epitome of the First Company and a shining example of what it means to be one of the Emperor’s finest warriors.

As befits a celebrated hero of the Chapter, the Terminator Captain wears an ancient suit of armour, the greaves and breastplate trimmed with steel bands, a cast iron halo above his head. In his left hand he holds aloft a relic blade easily as long as he is tall, while in his right he holds a storm bolter with a leather strap, his shoulder guard left blank so that it can be painted in the heraldry of your chosen Chapter. His right arm also has a universal fitting, so it can be swapped for another Terminator arm should you wish to equip him differently. The Terminator Captain comes with two bare heads, one scowling from behind a rebreather while the other has a bionic eye. However, should you prefer your Captain to take to the field of battle with a helmet on, the cavity where the heads sits can comfortably take a Terminator helmet, of which there are several spare in the Strike Force box. DH

Left Above - The Captain’s Terminator Armour has many subtle details, from aquilas and purity seals to his heraldic shield.

Right Above - An impressive iron halo dominates the top of the Captain’s armour, the centre emblazoned with an Imperial eagle.

Left Above - The Captain’s right shoulder pad carries a Crux Terminatus, a mark of honour for all Space Marine Terminators. It is said that every crux carries a tiny sliver of the Emperor’s own armour and that his benevolence protects them in even the most dire situations.

Right Above - A ceremonial dagger with an eagle pommel hangs on the Captain’s belt.

Excited by the possibilities that Strike Force Ultra presents, Adam invades the new releases section to have his say…

Adam: The Strike Force Ultra set released this week is a deadly formation on the battlefield and a superb addition for any Space Marines collection, but it is especially poignant for Ultramarines collectors. This legendary force is described in great detail in A Galaxy at War, the book dedicated to collecting Warhammer 40,000 armies contained in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000.

In the latter years of the 41st Millennium, Strike Force Ultra was a fearsome tactical deployment the Ultramarines used to great effect against the Necrons at Santarro, a sledgehammer of cobalt-armoured warriors deployed by First Captain Agemman to bludgeon the alien invaders. In A Galaxy at War, this elite unit is described in thrilling detail, complete with information on the alliances, loyalties and oaths that drive them into battle. In my opinion, this makes Strike Force Ultra even more exciting. While any Space Marine player would be thrilled to have these noble warriors and their thunderous vehicles in their army, it’s an irresistible lure for the sons of Guilliman. AT

Tempestus Scions are regarded as some of the finest fighters in the Astra Militarum. They are brutal, uncompromising troopers with a do or die attitude to warfare that marks them out as both heroes and mavericks, earning them respect and loathing in equal measure.

Due to their intense training, Tempestus Scions are often deployed as a dedicated assault force, utilising fast-moving vehicles and aircraft to get them to the heart of the warzone ahead of other Imperial forces.

This multi-part plastic boxed set contains 25 Tempestus Scions, an Officio Prefectus Commissar, a Valkyrie and two Taurox Primes, making it the perfect start to a dedicated Militarum Tempestus force or a hard-hitting addition to an existing Astra Militarum collection.

The Tempestus Scions are immensely versatile, with a range of equipment and weapons, from meltaguns and hot-shot volley guns to a vox-caster and regimental banner, plus options for a Tempestor Prime, should you wish to field a regiment, or even an entire army, of Tempestus Scions. The Taurox Primes have access to three different weapon systems – a Taurox battlecannon, a gatling cannon and a missile launcher – while the Valkyrie is easily one of the largest and most impressive flyers around. DH

More of the mysteries and secrets of the Horus Heresy are laid bare in this pair of audio dramas.

By Guy Haley & Graham McNeill Audio CD

Approx. 75mins

Hunter’s Moon and Thief of Revelations are a pair of Horus Heresy audio dramas that at first bear no obvious relation to one another. Hunter’s Moon shows mortals caught up in the Heresy, and culminates in a revelation concerning the fate of the Watch Packs despatched by Leman Russ and Malcador the Sigillite. Thief of Revelation examines the plight of the Thousand Sons in the wake of the burning of Prospero. While Azhek Ahriman contends with the fate of his Legion, wracked by the flesh-change, Magnus the Red ponders a decision that will change the fate of the whole galaxy. Both these tales are thoroughly intriguing; thoughtful rather than violent, and united by the insight they give into the loyalties of some of the Heresy’s protagonists. AT

Broken after the murder of their Primarch, the Nightlords descend into bitterness and cruelty.

By Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Paperback | 768 pages

Bringing together the trilogy of Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver and Void Stalker, this volume collects the entire tale of Talos and his treacherous Nightlords warband as they fight for survival and strive for vengeance after the assassination of their Primarch and into the 41st Millennium. The omnibus details the wars the Night Lords become embroiled in throughout their descent from powerful Legion into ever-more corrupted warbands. The dialogue, flashbacks and dark, in-your-face savagery employed by Dembski-Bowden portray the tragedy and decline of these superbly-written characters, masterfully riding the line between sympathetic and compelling on the one hand, and asking you to force yourself not to look away from their depravity on the other. SW

FURTHER READING

If Chaos Space Marines causing carnage in the 41st Millennium is up your street, you might like to check out Ahriman Exile by John French, which casts a light onto the galaxy’s foremost sorcerer. There’s also the Word Bearers Omnibus by Anthony Reyolds, which follows the fortunes of First Acolyte Marduk of the Word Bearers Legion, an action-packed series which will have you torn between cheering for the Chaos Space Marines and their Imperial enemies.

Finally, consider having a read of a Black Library classic in the form of Graham McNeill’s Storm of Iron. Ostensibly, the book is one massive battle between the Iron Warriors and the defenders of Hydra Cordatus, but more than that, it’s also a brilliant insight into the workings of the Iron Warriors Legion.

Every hobby journey begins somewhere, and the Citadel Hobby Starter Set is the best entrance to the hobby of building and painting Citadel miniatures you could hope for. Within it you’ll find everything you need to build and paint your first miniatures.

Assembling and painting Citadel minatures is a very fulfilling aspect of the Games Workshop hobby. It takes time and dedication, but rewards you with beautiful miniatures you can be proud of. Of course, before you can build and paint your models, you need the right tools for the job, and that’s where the Citadel Hobby Starter Set comes in. Within it there are a selection of paints and tools to help you take your first steps into the world of painting Citadel miniatures.

Within the Citadel Hobby Starter Set you will find: 11 Citadel Base Paints, one Citadel Shade, a Citadel Starter Brush, a pair of Citadel Fine Detail Cutters, a sheet of Middenland Tufts and a bottle of Plastic Glue: Thick. That means you can clip your plastic models from their frames, glue them together and basecoat them. There’s a Texture paint in the set so you can detail the base, and even add a Middenland Tuft or two to complete the effect.

This set really is the perfect way to step into building and painting Citadel miniatures. The paints in the kit are useful to a hobbyist whatever they’re painting, and the Nuln Oil shade in the set is one of the most used colours in the Citadel range, utilised for shading anything from fur to chainmail. Likewise, any experienced hobbyist will agree that a good pair of plastic cutters is essential for getting your models off the frame and ready for assembly. In short, this set contains nothing but hobby essentials, making it an ideal first purchase for beginners, and a compelling addition for established hobbyists looking to restock. AT

The Citadel Hobby Starter Set contains one pot each of Leadbelcher, Macragge Blue, Waaagh! Flesh, Bugman’s Glow, Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown, Abaddon Black, Ceramite White, Zandri Dust, Averland Sunset, Balthasar Gold, Armageddon Dust and Agrax Earthshade. It also contains one Citadel Starter Brush, one pair of Fine Detail Cutters, one sheet of Middenland Tufts and a pot of Citadel Plastic Glue: Thick.

Basecoating is the first step towards getting your Citadel miniatures fully painted.

Almost every model you paint will have one or more (often several) different basecoats painted onto it. A basecoat is the foundation upon which a good paint job is built.

Each of the 11 paints in this set is formulated with an exceptionally high pigment content, meaning you get great results over both black and white undercoats with only one or two careful applications. The consistency of the paints also helps to ensure you get a smooth, clean basecoat onto which you can apply shades, drybrushes and layers. Citadel Base Paints are probably the paints you will use the most, and this set is a very good way of getting the complete set or replenishing your supplies. AT

The Citadel Base Set contains one pot each of Leadbelcher, Macragge Blue, Waaagh! Flesh, Bugman’s Glow, Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown, Abaddon Black, Ceramite White, Averland Sunset, Zandri Dust and Balthasar Gold. It also includes a Citadel Basecoat Brush.

Applying Shades to your models picks out details and provides contrast in the recesses.

Once you have basecoated your model, a great next step is to apply a layer of Citadel shade to accentuate the areas of detail such as fur and armour, and to give a rich shade in the recesses, such as the folds of cloth or the lines on a face.

The Citadel Shade set contains eight Citadel Shade colours. When applied to your miniature, Shades run into the recessed areas, and dry with a matt finish, giving your models a natural sense of contrast and shadow. Citadel Shades are incredibly easy to use, and have proven very popular over the years – just a single application turns flat colour into rich, shaded detail. Because Citadel Shades are used so regularly, this is a fine way of keeping your supply stocked up. AT

The Citadel Shade Set contains one pot each of Nuln Oil, Carroburg Crimson, Drakenhof Nightshade, Biel-Tan Green, Cassandora Yellow, Agrax Earthshade, Reikland Fleshshade and Seraphim Sepia. It also includes a Citadel Wash Brush.

Drybrushing is a simple technique used by hobbyists to quickly and easily pick out areas of detail.

One of the first and most useful techniques many painters learn is drybrushing. It’s a simple enough skill that picks out raised details, while leaving recessed areas untouched, an ideal technique to use after applying Citadel Shade to a model. The higher the detail content on the area you’re drybrushing, such as fur, feathers or scales, the more effective drybrushing is.

The Citadel Dry Set contains 10 Dry Paints, all formulated to make drybrushing easier than ever before. The consistency of a Dry Paint is quite a lot thicker than other paints, which helps you prepare it for use in drybrushing, and the high pigment content in the compound means they provide excellent coverage. AT

The Citadel Dry Set contains one pot each of Longbeard Grey, Necron Compound, Kindleflame, Etherium Blue, Underhive Ash, Hexos Palesun, Tyrant Skull, Golden Griffon, Eldar Flesh and Praxetii White. It also includes a Citadel Medium Drybrush.

Layering is a technique that enables you to produce attractive natural highlights on your models.

The Citadel Layer Paints are designed to enable painters to add rich, vibrant highlights to their models in a couple of simple stages, directly over a Citadel Base Paint. Typically, layers are applied in two stages, and thus this set contains 10 pairs of two Layer Paints, designed to be applied over the Base colours found in the Citadel Base Set. Layer Paints are formulated to be slightly transparent in comparison to the opacity of the Base Paints, so they provide a natural transition to the paints over which they are applied.

This set contains 20 Layer Paints and it is specifically intended to complement the Citadel Base Set. When you combine the two sets, you have a massive swathe of Citadel colours. AT

The Citadel Layer Set contains one pot each of Eshin Grey, Dawnstone, Ironbreaker, Runefang Steel, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red, Altdorf Guard Blue, Calgar Blue, Warboss Green, Skarsnik Green, Yriel Yellow, Flash Gitz Yellow, Skrag Brown, Deathclaw Brown, Gehenna’s Gold, Auric Armour Gold, Cadian Fleshtone, Kislev Flesh, Ushabti Bone and Screaming Skull. It also includes a Citadel Detail Brush.

As the old saying goes, to make an omelette you have to… break a few miniatures? Or something like that. Or, rather, you can only spend so much time around the little fellas before you end up breaking a few. Phil Kelly looks at dealing with the heartbreak…

Most of us, at some point or other, have accidentally broken a Citadel miniature. That pang when a finished model takes a nosedive is not a great feeling, and neither is attempting to find a gun barrel or jutting horn that has blended Lictor-like with the carpet. Inevitable breakage is part of a hobbyist’s life. It’s how you deal with it that counts.

If breaking one of your own painted Citadel miniatures is bad, damaging someone else’s is something of a hobby taboo. It’s somehow worse than accidentally breaking a plate, or even Auntie’s bone china – it’s more akin to shattering a porcelain sculpture that the old girl’s hand-painted herself (though it’s a lot less likely to be covered with depictions of blood-spattered skulls).

Ever since I started work in the Design Studio, back when the years still had a 1 at the front, I have had a secret fear. We goblin-wrangling types have the privilege of being surrounded by the best painted models in the world, lovingly displayed in tall glass cabinets that line the corridors a bit like dominos side by side. You can probably see where I’m going with this.

The fear in question is the Cabinet Apocalypse, and I’m not referring to the shelves with all the Baneblades and Tesseract Vaults on. I’m talking about accidentally bumping or otherwise colliding with a cabinet, causing its internal shelves to fall one by one onto on the little masterpieces beneath until the whole thing is a mess of broken glass and shattered soldiers. Just imagine the crashing noises, the awkward silence afterwards, and the forlorn salvage operation that follows. Yikes. Thankfully that has never happened, not to me or to anyone else that I know of (if anyone has a four-leafed clover or a lucky rabbit’s foot to hand, please break it out on my behalf).

That’s not to say I haven’t broken a fair few ’Eavy Metal miniatures over the years. When I did my own stint on this illustrious magazine, I had the occasional mishap in the photographic studio, followed by the walk of shame to ’Eavy Metal and a heartfelt apology, delivered – sometimes quite literally – on bended knee.

You might be thinking I’ve all the dexterity of a punch-drunk Krootox, but it’s not just me this has happened to. One of our photographers has a great story about dropping a miniature and shooting out a foot to cushion its fall, only to misjudge it and end up punting the thing across the room. There are even whispered legends of the dreaded Backboard Smash – the tipping point where, just as the perfect photo is about to be taken, the heavy wooden backdrop topples forward to smash the battle scene beneath.

There are other kinds of hobby cataclysms, of course. One of my gaming group had his prized brayherd stolen last year, and has been muttering darkly of revenge ever since. White Dwarf’s own Mr. Adam Troke lost a case of Balin’s finest on a train platform in Austria, a tragic but oddly Tolkienesque story. Perhaps the Dwarves took a fancy to the idyllic mountains thereabouts and are digging away happily to this day.

Not long after that, I managed to put a shelf containing my Tomb Kings army on a trestle table that wasn’t quite large enough to support the Realm of Battle perched on top of it. I turned my back to get some terrain, a board section hinged over and… you can guess the rest. Suffice to say, Settra the Imperishable did not live up to his name. I can hear the sound of Tomb Kings crunching into ruin even now.

This sort of thing will likely never happen to most hobbyists out there. For a start, we’ve come a long way from the leaden days of yore. Most of our kits are plastic or resin these days and, when stuck together with the appropriate glue, they can be amazingly resilient. Even a vehicle model can take a tumble and have not so much as a bent aerial to show for it. But the fact remains that models do sometimes break, no matter how well assembled they are. The trick is to take the role of medic instead of mortician.

I have a smattering of bits and bobs on my desk at the moment, pieces from my own collections that have been the victims of Wobbly Model Syndrome or otherwise taken a tumble. The impetus to fix these could be the number of injured models reaching a sort of critical mass that sees me repair them all in a flurry of activity. It could be a big game for which I intend to bring every model I have from a particular faction. It could be my desire to put one of my armies on display, restored to its former glory. Or, and this is the most likely reason, it could be because that army has a new set of models coming out that month. I’ve always found the arrival of the new inspires me to revisit the old.

As I’ve been alluding to, the trick is getting back on the horse. After losing his case-full of Dwarves, Adam made it to his tournament nonetheless, borrowed a spare army from a sympathetic attendee, and went on to take first place. Since then, Mr. Troke has started afresh, and Balin and the lads now number four times as many as in their previous incarnation. A fortnight ago, my gaming buddy charged my Chaos Warriors with a brand new tide of Beastmen, his brayherd angrier and quite possibly hairier than ever before. I recently fixed up my Daemonhunter-themed Imperial Guard army, and the act of doing so has reinvigorated the whole project. Revisiting an army is one of my favourite aspects of the hobby, because I get to see the older models with new eyes, adding the exciting new kits knowing I have a solid force to back them up with.

In truth, it’s easy as pie to fix up a model; daunting as it may seem, it’s really the work of moments, but it could lead to a whole new lease of life for that army. In short: don’t give up on models and armies that might have taken a bit of a battering over the years; each and every one of those models and armies can be beloved once more. Time to take my own advice, then. If you want me, I’ll be by the super glue. Or scouring the carpet…

Phil is one of the Design Studio’s background writers and has worked on Codexes and army books from Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts to Codex: Eldar.

The new Citadel Paint sets make accessing the Citadel Paint system easier and more intuitive than ever. This week in Paint Splatter, we look at how the Citadel system can transform your hobby.

“With the Citadel Paint system we wanted to give people more choice and options than ever before,” says Dave Cross, one of the masterminds behind the system.

“The painting system relies on a two stage approach,” Dave explains. “First, work out what techniques you want to use to paint your models, and secondly choose the colours you will need. That might sound backwards, but the nature of the range is that it scales to the preferences of the painter. If you want to paint models quickly, you might want to just use a basecoat and a wash. If you’re after an extra highlight, you could add a layer or drybrush, then you pick the paints you need. The great thing about the range is that it’s adaptable, favouring newcomers and experts equally.

“For many hobbyists, painting their models is the most satisfying aspect of the whole Citadel hobby – there’s a feeling of achievement and satisfaction that only comes from pouring time, effort and skill into something,” Dave adds. “The range gives people the encouragement they need, and these new paint sets are a part of that. Each contains enough paints to help you master the technique they are for, giving you another route into collecting up the paints you need and giving it a go.”

“That point Dave’s made is key to these paint sets,” says painter Duncan Rhodes. “Each set focuses on a specific part of the Citadel Paint system, and with the help of the guides in How to Paint Citadel Miniatures, as well as the online tutorials we’ve made, there’s nothing standing between a hobbyist and painting an army they’re proud of, except for a bit of effort.”

USING THE SYSTEM

Below you can see four examples of a Space Marine painted in the colours of the Ultramarines Chapter. This is an ideal example of how flexible the Citadel Paint system can be. “There are no complicated tricks used here, just basic techniques that you can follow along with in the painting section of the Games Workshop website,” says Duncan. “Choose some techniques you like the look of, select your colours and try your hand at it.”

SET, MATCH

The Citadel Paint sets are designed to be collected in line with your evolving skill, and are numbered to indicate their stage in your painting journey. A beginner would benefit from the paints and tools found in the Citadel Starter set or, if they already had some basics, the Citadel Base Set – hence they are both numbered 1 on the box.

Once you have got to grips with basecoating, using Citadel Shades is the best way to enhance the quality of your painting. The Citadel Shade set (number 2) contains a selection of eight Citadel Shades.

Drybrushing is among the easiest painting methods to master. It enables you to get effective highlights on your models quickly. Drybrush paints are also invaluable for quick and dirty tasks such as painting terrain and bases. The Citadel Dry Set (number 3) contains 10 Dry paints, more than enough to perfect the art of drybrushing.

The Citadel Layer Set (4) is a great introduction to layering, since it contains 20 Layer paints (10 sets of two) for you to hone your skill on – in time, you’ll doubtless expand to include more.

CHOOSING YOUR OWN STEPS TO BRILLIANCE

“The key to employing the Citadel system is to remember that it’s a guide and not a hard-and-fast rule,” advises Duncan. “Take the example of painting an Ultramarine’s armour, for example. There are six colours laid out, starting with Macragge Blue. Some hobbyists will be happy to stop with a simple basecoat, while others will fancy proceeding further, maybe adding a wash of Drakenhof Nightshade to accentuate the recesses, followed by a drybrush of Etherium Blue. Other painters will want to apply one or two layers, and maybe glaze it afterwards. The key is to paint your models using the techniques and skills that you want to, and then choosing the colours that allow you to do so.”

The Black Legion have laid waste to Crixos and now advance on the last remaining hive city, ready to unleash a bloody slaughter on the populace. An Imperial taskforce has been hastily despatched to halt the invaders, and must stop them at all costs: Adam Troke takes on Jes Bickham in this week’s special Warhammer 40,000 battle report.

PREPARING FOR WAR

Adam: Jes set up our battlefield to look like a shattered wasteland on the outskirts of an industrialised area or hive city – it’s clearly been fought over bitterly in the past. We rolled ‘The Spoils of War’, a mission in the Maelstrom of War list that is fast becoming a favourite among the team. It required us to set up six objective markers on the battlefield before determining table edges. You can see them on the photograph to the left as follows: Objective 1 is sighted near the large vent [A], Objective 2 is found among the ruins on the hill [B], Objective 3 is found amid the large crater in front of the Obliterators [C], Objective 4 is beside the ruined Rhino APC [D], Objective 5 is inside the crater to the extreme left of Adam’s board edge [E] and Objective 6 is in front of the Space Marine statue [F].

I won deployment and chose to place my army first, hoping to also get the first turn. I then placed my army so all my troops were in cover or vehicles, poised to seize objectives early in the game. Jes placed his force towards one flank, with the Forgefiend and Maulerfiend holding the other. His Daemon Prince and Heldrake started play in reserve.

The scenario, The Spoils of War, uses the Tactical Objective cards with a fantastic twist – either player can claim any Secure Objective cards in play, not just their own. Since my army was Battle-forged this would give me a little bit of an advantage, because my Troops gain the Objective Secured special rule (and I had five Troops units!). The player who had earned the most Victory Points by the end of the game would be the winner.

Adam: With the release of the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, the White Dwarf team has gone crazy painting new models for our collections and wearing out the gaming table trying all the new rules.

The Maelstrom of War missions have provided us with a host of new tactics to get our heads around, and armies are evolving as we try out Unbound and Battle-forged forces. With all that in mind, Jes and I decided to fight a battle, keeping a weather-eye out for interesting tactical tidbits and rules to showcase as we wage war across the tabletop.

In a classic Warhammer 40,000 match-up, Jes would be using his trusty (should that be untrustworthy) Black Legion army, while I would be pushing the limits of selecting a Battle-forged army with my Imperial alliance. The stage was set for a thrilling encounter. Let the games begin.

Adam: I was delighted to get the first turn, since staring down the barrels of all of Jes’s lascannons and ectoplasma cannons gave me a solid idea of what I was in for if I didn’t take a few of his models down early. I spurred several of my units forward, the Imperial Knight Crucible of Wrath leading the Devil Dog in a frontal assault while Inquisitor Rex’s Chimera and the Land Speeder Storm rushed on Objective 1. My shooting phase was astounding. The Knight’s thermal cannon opened negotiations with a direct hit, killing an Obliterator and damaging the Helbrute and Defiler. The Devil Dog finished off the Defiler, while my Scouts killed the other Obliterator. Even worse for Jes, my Minotaurs Space Marines on the Imperial Bunker used the Icarus lascannon to shoot the Forgefiend, and managed to kill it in a single shot – take that, Chaos scum!

Victory Points scored: 4 (Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 5 x 2, First Blood)

TACTICAL OBJECTIVES

Adam: In Maelstrom of War missions, both players get to use Tactical Objectives throughout the game. In the Spoils of War mission, at the start of their turn, each player makes sure they have three Tactical Objective cards in play (so we drew three cards each in our first turn, and then topped up our hand each turn after that).

Achieving Tactical Objectives can require anything from getting a unit into the enemy’s deployment area to killing an enemy psyker or shooting down a flyer. Of particular note in this scenario, of course, were the Secure Objective cards. Among the 36 cards within the Tactical Objectives deck there are 18 such cards, and in my first turn I was lucky enough to draw three – and in a position to quickly grab each of them, giving me an early Victory Points lead of 4-0 (including the extra point I scored for First Blood).

Jes: That was a devastating first turn, with two of my heaviest hitters swiftly put out of commission! Ouch. I retaliated where I could, and such was my fear of the Imperial Knight that I concentrated most of my fire on it. Sadly, the Land Raider, Chaos Space Marine Bikers and Helbrute only knocked off one Hull Point with their lascannons. (The damaged Helbrute rolled ‘Blood Rage’ on the Crazed table, but alas didn’t get in to assault.) Elsewhere, the Chaos Space Marines stripped a Hull Point from the Land Speeder Storm and immobilised it into the bargain, the Maulerfiend headed off after Commander Pask, who was skulking in the far corner, and I grabbed a Victory Point for keeping my table edge clear of the enemy…

Victory Points scored: 1 (Hold The Line)

Adam: I’ll admit to feeling confident, and things continued to go rather well. Knight Commander Pask, with supporting fire from two squads of Veteran Guardsmen and two Chimeras, felled the Maulerfiend. Crucible of Wrath missed the Helbrute with its thermal cannon but still killed a Chaos Biker in the blast. The rest he finished off in a bloody close combat.

My Scouts in the Land Speeder Storm disembarked and took the fight to the large unit of Chaos Space Marines near Objective 1(A). While I knew they couldn’t win a fight against such a massive unit of Chaos Space Marines, I had the Hungry for Glory Tactical Objective, so I gamely sent them into the fray intent on issuing a challenge to the Sorcerer with my Veteran Sergeant – who duly died, but gave me another Victory Point into the bargain, and I got another thanks to Secure Objective 1.

Victory Points scored: 2 (Secure Objective 1, Hungry for Glory) Victory Points total: 6

HUNGRY FOR GLORY

Adam: Some of the Tactical Objectives require you to achieve some very specific conditions. In Jes’s first turn he was able to claim a Victory Point for Hold the Line, which required him to have at least three units within 12” of his starting edge – that’s a handy objective to have in the early offing, but potentially difficult to achieve if you’ve already rushed halfway across the battlefield.

In my second turn, I drew Hungry for Glory, which spelled a death sentence for my first squad of Space Marine Scouts, who earned me a Victory Point when they suicidally charged the Chaos Space Marines and issued a challenge.

Jes: Out of the frying pan and into the fire! The Imperium had hit me hard again. Fortunately, both my Heldrake and Daemon Prince Vorarr the Infernal arrived, the Heldrake adding Hades autocannon fire to another round of shooting against Crucible of Wrath. The Knight stood unscathed, however. I realised at this point just what a mistake it was to divert my remaining resources into felling the beast. In the Psychic phase, the Daemon Prince tore a rent open in reality and used Summoning (the Malefic Daemonology Primaris power) to call forth a unit of 10 Bloodletters in a bid to stop Inquisitor Rex from claiming Objective 1 again (and to aid my beleaguered Sorcerer and Chaos Space Marines). Finally, my Helbrute, in a fit of insane fury, charged the Imperial Knight, failed to hurt it, and was smashed to bits as a result.

Victory Points scored: 0
Victory Points total: 1

Adam: Jes’s Daemon Prince summoning a new unit of Bloodletters out of the Immaterium made me a little twitchy, so I did what seemed right and directed every weapon I could at Vorarr, peppering him with fire for negligible effect. Crucible of Wrath took a potshot at the Chaos Space Marines who had been menacing my Inquisitor, and in an astoundingly lucky shot killed all of them, even the Sorcerer (netting me the No Prisoners Tactical Objective). I also consigned my second Scout squad to an unfortunate demise, rushing past the new Bloodletters and onto Objective 1, where I snatched double points for the two Secure Objective 1 cards, one which I had drawn and the other which belonged to Jes (see the Battle-forged box).

Victory Points scored: 3 (Secure Objective 1 x 2, No Prisoners) Victory Points total: 9

FAVOUR OF THE GODS

Adam: Sometimes the ever elusive card gods will put a real advantage in your hands, and both Jes and I felt their tender mercies as the game progressed. Most obvious was the fact that of the six Secure Objective 1 cards we could draw between us, five came into play – and I was in a position to take advantage of them almost instantly.

Jes experienced luck, in an entirely different way, when in Turn 6 he drew the Recon card – which simply gives you a Victory Point if all of the mysterious objectives have been revealed by the end of your turn. The fact that it came up in Turn 6 made this a foregone conclusion, so Jes happily cashed in his Tactical Objective card and added an extra Victory Point to his total.

Jes: My options were running out at this point, but salvation perhaps lay in the hands of Vorarr the Infernal, who swooped across the table into Adam’s deployment zone to summon a squad of Pink Horrors near Objective 4. (I had drawn the Secure Objective 4 card, but a squad of Guardsmen were camped too near it to let me score.) The Heldrake followed the Daemon Prince and both performed Vector Strikes on the Minotaurs Space Marines they flew over, killing two. The Heldrake and Land Raider also combined their fire to destroy the Devil Dog, the Land Raider also claiming an objective.

Victory Points scored: 2 (Secure Objective 2, Behind Enemy Lines)
Victory Points total: 3

BATTLE-FORGED

Adam: During the course of the game, the great advantage of having a Battle-forged army occurred to me when I realised I could snatch Secure Objective 1 again, right under Jes’s nose. Before this point, Jes’s Bloodletters were contesting the objective, and preventing my Inquisitor and his Chimera from laying claim to it.

Since my force was built from a Combined Arms detachment, it received the Objective Secured special rule, which meant my Troops choices could claim an objective, even if it was contested by a Troops unit from Jes’s Unbound army – for that reason, I sent my unfortunate Space Marine Scouts into the fray, sentencing them to death at the hands of the Bloodletters rather than let Jes claim the Victory Points for Objective 1. It was worth it, as at the end of my turn I grabbed two Victory Points for Objective 1.

Adam: My fourth turn was brief, as I reacted to Jes’s new arrivals. Crucible of Wrath stomped after the Land Raider while everything else on that side of the field opened fire on the Daemon Prince or Pink Horrors. A Combat Squad of Minotaurs charged the Horrors, intending to claim my Assassination Tactical Objective, but the Pink Horror’s champion was too lucky. Meanwhile, Inquisitor Rex and his surviving Acolytes charged the Bloodletters, but after the Daemons’ slaughter only the Inquisitor remained.

Victory Points scored: 0
Victory Points total: 9

Jes: Turn four saw my psychic luck run out, as I failed to summon anything. The Heldrake attempted to savage Pask before flying off the board and entering Ongoing Reserves, but otherwise I managed to claw back a Victory Point by sniping Adam’s Icarus Defence Laser with my Land Raider. Thank you, Demolitions!

Victory Points scored: 1 (Demolitions) Victory Points total: 4

Adam: Granted a reprieve by the Daemon Prince’s failure to summon more minions, I attempted to slay Vorarr the Infernal once again, and failed, although I wounded him badly. The highlight of the turn was my Inquisitor botching his attempt at manifesting Prescience once again – the result on the Perils of the Warp test granted him a Warp Surge! Meanwhile, Crucible of Wrath damaged the Land Raider, but failed to charge it, and Captain Thoul made a heroic intervention against the champion in the Pink Horrors unit, but Tzeentch protected his nasty servant.

Victory Points scored: 0
Victory Points total: 9

Jes: My Daemon Prince had weathered a truly horrific amount of fire, but survived to summon more of his kin! Three Plague Drones buzzed into reality near Objective 4. Having drawn the No Prisoners Tactical Objective, I had a chance to score several Victory Points: I would get one for killing an enemy unit, or D3 for destroying three. I managed to obliterate Inquisitor Rex’s Chimera with the Heldrake and blow up the immobilised Land Speeder with the Land Raider, but alas the Bloodletters couldn’t quite finish off Inquisitor Rex.

Victory Points scored: 1 (No Prisoners) Victory Points total: 5

Adam: Jes was catching up and I had to do something to stay ahead, so I nabbed Jes’s Secure Objective 4 with some Guardsmen. For the third time, I attempted to kill his Daemon Prince (which would also net me Clear the Skies), and finally the combined fire of two Veteran Squads, two Chimeras and a Razorback felled Vorarr the Infernal. Crucible of Wrath finally destroyed the Land Raider on the hill and, in a moment of tragedy, the good Inquisitor was felled by the remaining Bloodletters.

Victory Points scored: 4 (Slay the Warlord, Clear the Skies, Secure objective 4 and Behind Enemy Lines)
Victory Points total: 13

Jes: And so to what proved to be the final turn. It was only my summoned Daemons that were keeping me in the game – the returning Heldrake failed to destroy the Minotaur’s Rhino but I managed an endgame Victory Point grab thanks to Secure Objective 1 and Recon, which I scored, all the mysterious objective markers having already been identified. Too little, too late, but what a game!

Victory Points scored: 2 (Secure Objective 1, Recon) Victory Points total: 7

AS LONG AS THE BLOOD FLOWS

Jes: Blimey. To be honest, I thought that was all over by Turn 2, but two of the new additions to Warhammer 40,000 definitely prove that you’re always in with a chance of winning, even when the chips are way, way down. The first thing is the Tactical Objectives: every turn you can get new ways to score Victory Points, which is fantastic fun. The second thing is Malefic Daemonology; despite the devastation wrought on my ground troops, my Daemon Prince swooping over the table and summoning fell denizens of the Warp in an infernal effort to claw back triumph was not only further proof that it ain’t over ’til it’s over, but also looked thrilling to boot. You can imagine Imperial Guardsmen quaking in fear as the skies above them darken in the shadow of leathern pinions, while reality itself is rent asunder and the gibbering minions of insane gods materialise. Brilliant stuff!

FROM THE FIRST BELL…

Adam: Jes had a rough time of things from the very beginning of this battle, but thanks to the way that Victory Points can quickly mount up in Maelstrom of War missions, it’s never wise to count someone out until the very end. That adage was borne out by the comeback Jes made in the middle and later phase of the game, as his Daemon Prince summoned three different units of Daemons onto the battlefield – over three turns he added 10 Bloodletters (who slaughtered my Scouts and killed my dear old Inquisitor), 10 Pink Horrors and three Plague Drones – if his losses hadn’t been so heavy at the start of the battle, I think the reinforcements might well have been too much for my army to deal with.

Thankfully, the light of the Emperor shone on the faithful, and persistent and consistent firepower won through.

WARP RIFT

Adam: From the moment Vorarr the Infernal flew onto the battlefield the timbre of the battle began to change, as turn after turn he tore open the fabric of reality, allowing Chaos Daemons to pour into the material world.

Both Jes and I agreed that this added a very exciting, and distinctly Chaotic aspect to the proceedings. On the one hand, it provided Jes with much-needed reinforcements, which had very interesting tactical implications when you consider that they were in addition to the models we had included in our armies. On the other hand, there was something very richly rewarding as the Daemon Prince’s mortal followers died only to be replaced by freshly summoned legions from the Realm of Chaos.

HARD TO KILL

Adam: One of the changes to the Warhammer 40,000 rules that we witnessed during this game was the slight adjustment to the Vehicle Damage table – to destroy a vehicle outright you now need to score a 7+ on the table, which means that only dedicated anti-tank weaponry will get the job done in a single shot.

With eight vehicles in my force and six in Jes’s we quickly saw that more vehicles were killed by weight of fire inflicting multiple glancing hits than by single shots – but when powerful anti-armour weapons did hit their targets, the effect was profound. Both the melta cannon on the Devil Dog and the twin-linked Lascannons on the Chaos Land Raider proved that with the right tools, no vehicle is safe.

With the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 comes a new allies matrix and with it a world of possibilities where alliances, both likely and unlikely, are forged and broken. Here, Dan explores what it means to field an allied army in the 41st Millennium.

Veteran hobbyists will notice that the allies matrix (shown below) has changed in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules. Where some alliances have blossomed, others have descended into desperate alliances. The biggest change, however, comes at the most extreme end. Come the Apocalypse once meant the armies concerned would only work together in the direst circumstances (like the end of the world). But these are the End Times and the apocalypse is upon us, prompting the races of the galaxy to form alliances they wouldn’t normally consider. Now, any faction can ally with any other. Yes, that means even Tyranids can form alliances, albeit with some serious downsides.

We’ve found the best approach to creating an allied force is to come up with a characterful story and theme your new allied army around it. The army to the right is a great example of an allied army based around a particular snippet of background from Codex: Blood Angels. It represents Dante’s army joining forces with the Silent King’s Necrons during the Gehenna Campaign. Ordinarily, neither force would ally with the other, the Imperium being xenophobic and the Necrons psychotic robots with a god complex, but they quickly realised that the Tyranids were a much greater threat, prompting an uneasy alliance for the short term.

Units that have the following Factions are considered to be Armies of the Imperium: Adepta Sororitas, Astra Militarum, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Grey Knights, Imperial Knights, Inquisition, Space Marines, Space Wolves

In the case of older publications, the Faction of all the units described in a codex is the same as the codex’s title. In the case of codex supplements, the Faction of all the units described in that publication is the same as the codex it is a supplement of.

The possibilities for this army (and armies like it) are virtually endless. You could convert the models in your collection to show the two armies fighting together, create thematic Objective Markers, build your own Silent King model, put bits of Necron on Blood Angel bases and vice-versa, or spare Tyranid body parts and bio-goo on both to tie them together.

On the battlefield, the army has both strengths and weaknesses. It’s Unbound, making it hard to hold Objective Markers when up against a Battle-forged force, and the two armies are so phenomenally distrustful that they can’t set up near each other, making for some awkward, though potentially amusing, deployments. They’ll also spend the entire battle eyeing each other suspiciously. Having fallen foul of the One Eye Open rule when my Tau allied with Dr. Cruddace and the Howling Griffons (which could easily be the name of a band), I know how challenging it can be to coordinate an army of Desperate Allies. On the plus side, this force combines Necron firepower with the ferocious close combat abilities of the Blood Angels. If you can keep the two forces distant from each other then they might be able to work together effectively.

The army to the right is another example of an uneasy relationship forged in the heat of battle. “There’s a really nasty story in Codex: Dark Eldar,” says Adam, “where the Master Haemonculus Urien Rakarth suggests a ‘cultural exchange’ with the Tau, who are in a life or death struggle with the Tyranids. The naive young race are more than willing to ally and the two forces give the Tyranids a serious kicking. Sadly for the Tau, Urien Rakarth had other plans and the ‘cultural exchange’ turns into an experiment, his next Grotesques having suspiciously blue skin. Despite this horrible treachery, the poor Tau remain allied to them out of sheer hopelessness. Of course, the alliance falls flat once the Tyranids are defeated, but it’s a great example of a truly desperate alliance.”

Again, the modelling potential is huge. Imagine Grotesques painted with blue-grey skin and bits of Tau armour bolted to their shoulders, or Kabalite warriors with Tau helmets on their trophy racks. The Dark Eldar are so outrageous they’d have no qualms about flaunting their evil nature in front of their allies.

On the gaming table, this army fights just like the background suggests. The Tau provide the long-range fire support while the Dark Eldar pile into combat. While this is a Battle-forged army (with the Tau as the Allied Detachment), they are Desperate Allies, so they will need to be kept apart if they’re to operate effectively. This is all part of the fun of creating an allied army. You can play it safe and combine similarly-minded forces, like Adam did in this week’s Battle Report, or create a diabolical alliance and suffer the inevitable fallout. It makes for some very interesting and tactically challenging battles.

From a personal point of view, I often field my Tau and Eldar together, a relatively tame alliance compared to the previous examples. As Allies of Convenience, the Tau are the primary force, with the Eldar acting as advisors to Shadowsun’s cadre. No doubt the Eldar are plotting and scheming, manipulating the Tau to their own ends, but it’s a happy alliance for now.

“Will you use your Imperial Knight in our next game?” asked my regular opponent, Damien, who is keen to add it to his kill tally. “Probably not,” I replied. This is not because I can’t, but because I choose not to. I wouldn’t hesitate to field him alongside my Astra Militarum, but in the background I wrote for him, he was badly wounded by Eldar from Craftworld Mymeara, which I ally with my Tau. I can’t see it being a happy alliance. Maybe if the Eldar weren’t around he’d be more amenable. Our next game is several months away, though, so there’s still plenty of time to get creative. DH

COME THE APOCALYPSE!

Whereas before Come the Apocalypse disallowed certain factions from allying, it now means that units from any faction can potentially form alliances. Tyranids, for example can ally with Imperial forces. A simple coincidence, with both forces faced fleetingly with a common enemy, perhaps? Surely it couldn’t be something more sinister, could it?

Similarly, Necrons can fight side by side with the Eldar. Perhaps this particular Necron Lord awoke with the wrong re-animation protocols, forgetting his enmity towards the Eldar race. Or maybe the Eldar are subtly manipulating their hated foes, controlling them like puppets for a particular battle before slaughtering them. These alliances are likely to be short-lived and will almost certainly devolve into war between the factions concerned as soon as their common enemy is eliminated.

Allies formed under ‘Come the Apocalypse’ follow the rules for Desperate Allies as presented in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules, with the addition that units from each faction cannot deploy within 12” of each other. So, while it may seem like a great idea to ally two very different armies together, bear in mind that they will not benefit from abilities generated by the other faction and they may even stop fighting entirely if they get within 6” of each other.

Also remember that Unbound armies must abide by the Allies Matrix; while Unbound armies let you take what you like from your collection, the Factions present still have relationships you need to take into account when fielding them together.

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, we look at army lists, Space Marine Captains and a round-robin of interesting factoids.

The new Citadel paint sets have art covers that will look very familiar to veterans of the Games Workshop hobby. “The Golden Demon is the iconic image of Citadel paints,” says Studio artist and former ’Eavy Metal painter Mark Holmes. “I remember the face of this guy, with his cheeky assistant, on the covers of the sets I bought when I was young. Re-introducing him all this time later is one of the coolest tasks I’ve ever had. My favourite of the box covers I have done is for the Citadel Layer Set. Those final highlights are when your model comes to life, and I’m really happy with how both the Demon and his familiar look – the Demon has his tongue poking out in that classic concentration pose, while the familiar looks overjoyed that he’s nearly finished.”

If you’re looking for good advice when it comes to painting your miniatures, get onto the Games Workshop website and check out the new painting tutorials put together by the Games Workshop TV guys. “We’ve tried to make painting more accessible than ever before,” says Duncan, who is the voice and hands of the hobby in these high definition tutorials. “Following these videos lets you see exactly what painting with the Citadel system is like, how much paint we use, how it’s applied, what it looks like when it’s going on. They’re designed to improve your confidence and skill. Go to: games-workshop.com/paint.”

Adam and Jes approached assembling their army lists in two very different ways. “For years now, I’ve been compiling an Imperial army,” says Adam, referring to his force. “All of the models in the force are linked by careful use of complimentary colours. I kept my army Battle-forged by choosing my Primary Detachment and Allied Detachment carefully, and then adding in an Imperial Knights and Inquisition Detachment on top of them.”

“I went Unbound because I wanted to focus on Vorarr and a menagerie of Daemonic and mutated units,” says Jes in contrast. “It let me choose all of my Daemon Engines, as well as the Obliterators and my faithful Land Raider.”

VORARR’S DAEMON PACT

HQ

Vorarr the Infernal: Daemon Prince with wings, power armour, three mastery levels and the Mark of Slaanesh.

Pradesh the Inscrutable: Chaos Sorcerer with two mastery levels and Sigil of Corruption.

TROOPS

Black Edgar’s Reavers: 12 Chaos Space Marines with melta gun, plasma gun, power fist and plasma pistol.

FAST ATTACK

The Dreadwing: 5 Bikers with melta gun and plasma gun, and Aspiring Champion with power sword.

Drakrang the Sky-blooded: Heldrake with Hades autocannon.

HEAVY SUPPORT

Quakekill the Unforgiven: Defiler.

Magmaximus: Forgefiend with three ectoplasma cannons.

Hate Tearer: Maulerfiend.

The Brotherhood of the Unholy Barrage: 2 Obliterators.

Revered Terminus: Chaos Land Raider.

1966 Points

BATTLEGROUP THOUL-REX

PRIMARY DETACHMENT

HQ

Captain Thoul: Space Marine Captain with the Burning Blade.

TROOPS

Tactical Squad Myros: 10 Space Marines with missile launcher, grav-gun and sergeant with combi-grav. Mounted in Razorback Glory of Krata.

Scout squad Kydon: 5 Scouts with Astartes shotguns, sergeant with power fist. Mounted in a Landspeeder Storm.

Scout Squad Deimos. 5 Scouts with sniper rifles and camo cloaks.

ALLIED DETACHMENT

HQ

Knight Commander Pask: Mounted in Leman Russ Vanquisher Steel Fury, with hull mounted lascannon and heavy bolters.

TROOPS

Squad Kroth: Veteran squad with grenade launcher and missile launcher, mounted in a Chimera, The Solar, with dozer blade and pintle-mounted heavy stubber.

Squad Stein: Veteran squad with grenade launcher and missile launcher, mounted in a Chimera, Gun Pig, with pintle-mounted heavy stubber.

FAST ATTACK

First Degree: Devil Dog with melta cannon and heavy flamer.

IMPERIAL KNIGHTS DETACHMENT

Crucible of Wrath: Imperial Knight Errant.

INQUISITION DETACHMENT

HQ

Inquisitor Caspiel Rex: Ordos Malleus Inquisitor with Nemesis Daemon Hammer, power armour and Grimoire of True Names.

Troops

The Coterie: Inquisitorial Retinue including 4 Acolytes, one with power axe and power armour, Ministorum Priest with Eviscerator. Mounted in a Chimera.

Fortifications

The Walls of Faith: Imperial Bunker with Icarus-pattern lascannon.

1999 Points

Something many hobbyists like to do is consider one of the models within their army as ‘them’ on the battlefield. Typically this is the Warlord or General in a game of Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer.

Within Adam’s army is the Inquisitor Caspiel Rex who, as it happens, has been Adam’s in-game persona for many years. “I’ve actually lost track of when Inquisitor Rex was created, but for more than 15 years now I’ve had a model in my collection who goes by that name,” Adam says. “Of course, as my hobby skills improve, and the Citadel design team make ever more tempting miniatures, he has changed his image. The original Inquisitor Rex was a badly converted ganger from Necromunda. Over the years his look (and wargear) have evolved. The current incarnation is based on the utterly fantastic Torquemada Coteaz model, one of my favourite miniatures of all time – with the addition of a beard and hair.

“What I like about having my own avatar on the table is it encourages me to play a role,” Adam adds. “In my mind’s eye, Inquisitor Rex is my fearless alter-ego, so I use him in that way. More often that not he ends up in sticky situations, but his death is never permanent. Somehow, he lives to fight another day.”

Our Reader’s Model of the week is this crisply painted Tau Crisis Battlesuit, painted by Martin Peterson. Martin entered this model into The Fang painting contest in Stockholm last year and won the Warhammer 40,000 large model category for his efforts.

Martin has painted his Battlesuit Shas’vre (as denoted by his plain white helmet) in the red livery of the Farsight Enclave, highlighting the armour with smooth blends of reds and ochres. Martin finished off his winning model with subtle source lighting around the lights and lenses.

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.

Our first ever weapon of the week was Bloodreaver, the massive two-handed chainsword wielded by the excessively bloody hero, Gabriel Seth. This week we one-up his gore-splattered blade with the XXL close combat weapon of the Imperial Knights Paladin and Errant. The Reaper Chainsword was, at the time the first Imperial Knight suits were created, probably intended as much for the role of clearing jungle foliage as sawing through the chitinous hides of pan-galactic monsters or gigantic enemy war machines; it has proven equally useful for both. Our favourite thing about it is the fact that teeth of that size send debris (or bits of ragged meat) flying in every direction as it hacks through its prey.

This sinister skull can be found lurking on the Beastmen Ungor sprue. “It’s a great banner top,” says Dan, “but it could easily be put to use on a model’s base or even as a macabre head on a converted model.”

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

WHERE SHOULD I START?

Grombrindal, I’ve just started reading some Black Library novels and I was wondering which stories you recommend reading first?
- R. ‘The Reader’ Ferguson

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Ah, a question dear to my heart. The only book I read is the Book of Grudges, and such are the calumnies, treacheries and betrayals contained therein that the fires of wrath never grow dim…

But my minions say that answer isn’t ‘sufficient’. In which case I recommend the tales of the tragic hero (and part-time shieldbearer) Gotrek, by Bill King. Gotrek & Felix is a good place to start. It’s really quite impressive the lengths a Dwarf will go to in the effort to earn a good death. If the Dark Millennium is more to your tastes, Adam won’t shut up about the wonders of the Eisenhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett… but what I want to know is why nobody has written a book about me?
- Grombrindal

This weekend Adam and a band of friends from Germany descended on Warhammer World for a day of gaming (and a slap-up lunch in Bugman’s bar). There were lots of games played, but the highlight was a massive battle as Adam’s Dark Angels took on Felix and Alex (Sisters of Battle and Grey Knights). Although Adam made a spirited attempt at upholding the White Dwarf team’s honour, in the end the righteous might (and tactics) of his adversaries proved too great.

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: uneasy alliances.

THE COUNTS UNITED

In the year 2522 (by Imperial reckoning), Mannfred von Carstein joins forces with the Empire against Archaon’s vast Chaos horde. Yet all is not as its seems, for within the year, Mannfred throws down a gauntlet and claims Sylvania for his own while the Empire is busy fighting.

THE BATTLE OF LA MAISONTAAL ABBEY

In 2491, the Skaven army of Grey Seer Gnawdoom fought alongside the Undead legions of Heinrich Kemmler in an effort to recapture a powerful artefact from the Bretonnian abbey at Maisontaal. Though they had struck an accord, the Skaven had no desire to share the prize with the Lichemaster. Several Warpfire Thrower incidents later and the brief alliance was fractured, the Skaven running off with the artefact, leaving Kemmler’s Undead minions to deal with Duc Tancred’s Bretonnian Knights

REKKFIST’S DOWNFALL

In 991.M41, the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden found themselves under attack by the Orks of Waaagh! Rekkfist. The Craftworld swarming with greenskins, the Eldar were on the verge of defeat when their webway portal flared into life, their dark kin emerging to fight alongside them. Joined by Dark Eldar of the Wraithkind Kabal and the Cult of the Flayed Hand, the warriors of Iyanden were able to defeat Rekkfist’s fleet, the Ork Warlord slain by Prince Yriel. When asked why they came to aid them, the Dark Eldar replied that they found Iyanden’s necromantic Ghost Warriors most amusing and delightfully entertaining. They departed with thousands of Ork prisoners, which didn’t bother their Craftworld cousins in the slightest.

The White Dwarf bunker has had a distinctly Warhammer feel this week, with Mel, Erik and Andy all completing new models for their collections. Mel has recently finished two character models, the diminutive Goblin Shaman and the insane blood-witch Crone Hellebron. Erik and Andy, meanwhile, have been hard at work on their Dwarf armies in preparation for a Warhammer Doubles event they’re attending later in the year. Erik has just finished a unit of Irondrakes, while Andy has completed a regiment of Thunderers. There have been rumours that they’re now both working on Gyrocopters and Gyrobombers, but we’ll have to wait a few weeks to see the fruits of their labours.

Above - “Blood for the Blood God!” exclaimed Mel, when we asked her about painting Crone Hellebron. “I love that paint, it’s so gory and perfect for the blood-mad Hag Queen. I imagine getting all that blood out of her clothes is quite a task, which is probably why she doesn’t wear many…”

Above - “I imagine the Dwarfs mine lots of different ores from their mountain holds,” says Erik, “which is why my Irondrakes have red-tinted armour. I followed the Paint Splatter guide that we made for painting them, but used Carroburg Crimson instead of Nuln Oil for the wash. I also glazed them with Bloodletter afterwards to make them really red.”

Above - Andy’s Dwarfs hail from a hold of his own devising, known as Tarak Nor, the Emerald City. Rather than base his Dwarfs on mud or grass, Andy has made tiled bases for them out of Modular Movement Tray offcuts and painted them green to represent the rich gemstones found in his Dwarf hold.

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Games Workshop Limited
Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham, United Kingdom, NG7 2WS

Registered in England and Wales
– Company No. 01467092.

ISSN 2055-2653

Product code: 60659999017