ISSUE 44

29 November 2014

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

This week sees the second instalment of the Shield of Baal campaign arrive: the mighty Deathstorm boxed set, in which the Blood Angels themselves take to the field of battle to stop the unrelenting predations of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

Stuffed full of fantastic Citadel miniatures – not least an exclusive Broodlord, the Spawn of Cryptus, and Captain Karlaen of the Blood Angels’ 1st Company – Deathstorm also continues the story of Shield of Baal in thrilling fashion. You can just how thrilling it is as we play through the missions in our special Deathstorm Battle Report.

Elsewhere in this issue we’ve also got an in-depth look at the heroes of the Blood Angels and a Paint Splatter on how to paint Captain Karlaen, along with Codex: Apocrypha, pots of new releases and much more. Enjoy the issue!

The Cryptus System is falling to the inexorable forces of Hive Fleet Leviathan and the Shieldworlds are soaked in the blood of the fallen. Yet hope is at hand: the Blood Angels, glorious sons of Sanguinius, have come, bringing the fury of the Black Rage against the foe.

The Blood Angels harbour a dark secret, a blood curse that not only bestows upon them their renowned ferocity, but also drives them to unnatural appetites. As the Cryptus System burns, the Blood Angels arrive, not only to fight the Tyranids but also in search of a cure for the Red Thirst, one they hope lies within one Augustus Flax, governor of Asphodex, a world already in the grip of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

Tasked with rescuing the governor from the Tyranid invasion are Captain Karlaen and the Blood Angels of Strike Force Deathstorm, but their mission is far from simple. For Phodia, the capital city, lies in the clutches of a monstrous Broodlord known as the Spawn of Cryptus. This malign creature leads a sizeable Tyranid force through the ruins, and its destiny is intertwined with that of the Blood Angels.

Deathstorm is the second instalment in the Shield of Baal campaign, a fantastic boxed set containing miniatures, rules and a riveting Campaign Supplement.

Shield of Baal: Deathstorm positively bulges with fantastic models and books. Within it you’ll find a Blood Angels strike force and the Phodian Annihilation Swarm – 25 plastic Citadel miniatures including two never-before-released models, the Spawn of Cryptus, a hulking Genestealer Broodlord, and Captain Karlaen, Commander of the Blood Angels First Company (for more on these two centrepiece models, see overleaf). The remainder of the Phodian Annihilation Swarm includes a brood of eight Genestealers, a trio of Tyranid Warriors and a Carnifex. For the Blood Angels you’ll find five Death Company, complete with jump packs, a Death Company Dreadnought and a five-man Terminator Squad. All of these models are exactly the same as those found elsewhere in the Tyranids and Blood Angels miniatures ranges, so you get the same array of spare parts and options that you would expect. But, before you build them, make sure you check out the Campaign Supplement included in the box. This 40-page booklet is loaded with the story of Deathstorm, three missions to refight the campaign and full rules and datasheets for all the models! If you build the models in the set to match the units described within it, you can use them as special formations (Strike Force Deathstorm and the Phodian Annihilation Swarm), powerful battlefield units that have an awesome backstory and are utterly brilliant on the tabletop.

Last, but not least, the box also contains a small-format Warhammer 40,000 rulebook (with Blood Angels art on the front).

Above - Inside Shield of Baal: Deathstorm you get a small-format rulebook for Warhammer 40,000 which contains all the rules you need to play a game. It’s even themed for Deathstorm with a Blood Angels Space Marine on the front. The Campaign Supplement is a 40-page volume which tells the story of Strike Force Deathstorm’s mission into Phodia and their dire battles against the Tyranids. It also includes rules for all the models in the set, including special weapons, psychic powers and two devastating formations. There are also comprehensive assembly guides for all the models.

Above - The cover of Shield of Baal: Deathstorm.

Above, left - Deathstorm is loaded with new artwork and photography, including this stunning battle scene.

Above, right - Much of the Campaign Supplement tells the story of Karlaen and his men as they take on the Tyranids deep within the ruined city of Phodia.

Below, left - A gallery of pictures showcases the glorious ’Eavy Metal models, the perfect inspiration for your own Deathstorm painting projects.

Below, right - Complete rules for all the models in the set include deadly new formations, Strike Force Deathstorm and the Phodian Annihilation Swarm.

CAPTAIN KARLAEN

The leader of Strike Force Deathstorm is Captain Karlaen, a seasoned veteran of countless missions against the Great Devourer. Karlaen is the master of the Blood Angels First Company, commanding the Chapter’s most experienced and deadly fighters, a force that is arguably one of the most vaunted assemblies of warriors in the entire galaxy. Although Karlaen would rather be leading a full-scale offensive onto Asphodex to slaughter the Tyranids en masse, he takes his duty to recover Governor Flax seriously, for the future of his Chapter is at stake.

The First Company is synonymous with Terminator armour, and Captain Karlaen’s is perhaps the ultimate example of this rare and precious wargear. Chapter honours and Terminator icons hang from fine chains around Karlaen’s chest, indicators of the many glories the Captain has won, and his left shoulder pad bears his own unique heraldry. Above Karlaen’s head shines an iron halo, adorned with a blood chalice icon, a symbolic connection to the rituals that link them to their Primarch. In his fist, he carries the Hammer of Baal, a relic of the Chapter entrusted to the Captain by Commander Dante, the Blood Angels Chapter Master.

Above, left - Karlaen carries a storm bolter in his left hand, a powerful, fully-automatic weapon with a targeter that feeds critical data directly to his bionic eye.

Above, right - Karlaen’s face boasts the clean, handsome features of the Blood Angels Chapter, but is marred by the marks of war, with a bionic eye replacement, and shows the curse of his blood with pronounced fangs.

Below, left - The Hammer of Baal is a precious Blood Angels relic weapon, a master-crafted hammer that has been in the Chapter for millennia.

Below, right - Even Karlaen’s cloak is hung with chains bearing honour badges.

THE SPAWN OF CRYPTUS

Above, left - The Spawn of Cryptus stands atop a strange Tyranid growth that bulges out from the ground, a sure sign that the advanced stages of the Tyranid invasion are well underway.

Above, right - Long, nimble – and entirely too human – fingers hint at the genetic origins of the Spawn of Cryptus.

Below, left - A long, whip-like tongue protrudes from the Spawn’s mouth. Even this is adapted as a weapon with a razor-sharp spike on the end of it.

Below, right - As all Tyranids, the Spawn of Cryptus has a bony carapace along its back, complete with vents to allow its inner heat to dissipate.

As their great adventure draws to a close, Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins prepare for battle.

As the last of his noble line, Thorin Oakenshield is the rightful heir to Erebor and King Under the Mountain. Having roused Smaug™ from his slumber, Thorin’s Company roam the deserted halls of The Lonely Mountain, piles of gold and gemstones stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s from one of these treasure troves that Thorin Oakenshield retrieves a suit of fine Dwarven armour and a regal coat much like those worn by his father and his grandfather before him.

Thorin Oakenshield is accompanied by Bilbo Baggins, who still carries Sting™, his Elven blade. Though seemingly unarmoured, appearances can be deceiving, for beneath the Hobbit’s jacket you can see a glimpse of his famous Mithril shirt.

With axe, mace and sword, Balin, Dwalin and Oin are ready for battle on the slopes of Erebor.

Despite being two of the oldest members of Thorin’s Company and not as sprightly as they used to be, Balin and Oin are still fearsome warriors when their ire is roused. Dwalin, on the other hand, is always ready for a fight.

These three Citadel Finecast miniatures wear the finery of lost Erebor, suits of regal armour found buried beneath Smaug’s treasure hoard. Having discarded his battered ear-trumpet, Oin now carries a Dwarven shield and sword, while Balin wields a heavy double-handed mace above his head. Dwalin is fully prepared for war, striding into battle in a long scale mail coat. He also comes with two weapon options, a huge double-headed axe (shown left) or a pair of axes.

Having been left behind in Lake-town, Fili, Kili and Bofur are finally reunited with Thorin’s Company.

Badly wounded on their flight down the Forest River, Kili was left in Lake-town when Thorin’s Company left for The Lonely Mountain. Not wanting to leave his brother’s side, Fili stayed with him. Bofur had no excuse, he was asleep (some might say drunk) under a table and missed the boat.

Now reunited with their fellows, the three most intrepid members of Thorin’s Company have armed themselves with weapons from Erebor’s great halls. The Citadel Finecast miniatures of Fili and Kili carry Dwarf swords and wear suits of regal armour inlaid with precious metals. In contrast, Bofur wears scale mail and wields a hefty hammer similar to his trademark pick. Somehow, he’s also managed to hold on to his hat and scarf.

Clad in the finest Dwarven armour, Bifur, Bombur and Ori charge into the fray.

Though relatively quiet members of Thorin’s Company, Bifur, Bombur and Ori are all courageous and resourceful warriors. As the Orc hordes approach Erebor, they don armour and ready themselves for war.

Though not natural warriors, Bombur and his cousin Bifur take to their new armour like veteran Grim Hammers. Swinging a massive flail about his head, this Citadel Finecast rendition of Bombur strikes a heroic pose, though quite how the Dwarves of Thorin’s Company found a breastplate large enough for him to wear is a mystery. Even Ori, the most studious and gentle of the group, is dressed for battle in a suit of segmented Mithril armour. He wields a two-handed great axe, a far cry from the slingshot he once carried.

Nori, Dori and Gloin are a trio of battle-hardened warriors all ready to defend Erebor with their lives.

Gloin is one of the most formidable warriors in Thorin’s Company, having fought at the Battle of Azanulbizar alongside his cousins Balin and Dwalin. Gloin’s weapon of choice is a stout Dwarven axe and, having lost his in Mirkwood, managed to find one of a similar design amongst the treasures of Erebor. He even managed to find a suit of red leather and Mithril armour like the one he wore at the start of their adventure.

Like Gloin, the brothers Nori and Dori have also donned suits of Mithril armour from the halls of The Lonely Mountain. Dori stands with a flanged mace over his shoulder, ready to swing at his foes, while Nori, who also wields a mace, carries an ancient Dwarf shield before him.

By Josh Reynolds
Hardback | 128 pages

Captain Karlaen is charged with a deadly rescue mission that will test his warriors to their limit.

Deathstorm takes the story laid out in the Shield of Baal Campaign Supplement and brings it vividly to life as Josh Reynolds gives us an undiluted glimpse into the fury and heroism of Captain Karlaen’s mission to Phodia. The dialogue is snappy and precise, the action visceral and easy to follow, but our favourite bit about this novella is how Reynolds brings character to warriors of Strike Force Deathstorm – the relationship between the jocular Aphrae and the taciturn Bartelo is amusing, and at times quite emotional, while the uncanny one-ness of the twins Damaris and Leonos gave Squad Alphaeus a very special feel. Best of all, Deathstorm brought the characters in the game to life, and made using the models in our games even more satisfying.

These Black Library books are also available as eBooks. For more information visit - www.blacklibrary.com

By Andy Smillie Hardback

128 pages

When there’s bloodletting to be done, it’s time for the Flesh Tearers to get involved.

This week sees the re-release of Flesh of Cretacia, a hugely popular novella by master of chainswords Andy Smillie.

Set in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, Flesh of Cretacia tells the tale of the Flesh Tearers as they search for an end to the Red Thirst that seeks to consume them. Pursuing a force of Orks, the Flesh Tearers find themselves on the planet of Cretacia, a death world as bloody, violent and unforgiving as they are. Flesh of Cretacia is everything a story about Space Marines should be: it’s violent, thought provoking, exciting, unrelenting and inspirational. If you don’t find yourself wanting to paint an army of Flesh Tearers (and covering them in Blood for the Blood God) when you finish, you’re in the wrong hobby.

Hardback
128 pages

A hardback collection of inspirational artwork from the Space Marine Battles novels.

If you enjoy the art of Warhammer 40,000, you’ll love Visions of War, a collection of 52 cover illustrations from the Space Marine Battles series by Black Library.

Each piece of art is presented in full, free from book titles and blurbs, enabling you to enjoy them in all their epic glory. There are even two gatefold sections featuring the artwork for Overfiend and The Shape of the Hunt. Every illustration is a masterpiece in its own right, but there are two pieces by Kai Lim that really stand out. ‘Armageddon’ features Chaplain Grimaldus fighting back to back with a Celestial Lion against a horde of Orks. Cleverly, ‘Blood and Fire’ features the same two warriors in the same desperate fight, but a couple of seconds later from a different angle.

Left - The cover art for Damocles shown in all its glory. Commander Shadowsun may well have bitten off more than she can chew…

Right - ‘Heloth’ by Jon Sullivan. A short story by LJ Goulding (one of two in the book) accompanies this new piece of art.

Forge World make highly-detailed resin models, large-scale kits and books for Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and the Horus Heresy. Here we take a look at their latest releases, the Iron Warriors Contemptor Dreadnought and The Horus Heresy Book Four – Conquest.

IRON WARRIORS LEGION CONTEMPTOR DREADNOUGHT

The Legionnaires of the Iron Warriors Legion are implacable, merciless warriors, their every action dedicated to the science of siege warfare. When one of their heroes falls in battle, it is with great reverence that they are interred within the sarcophagus of a Contemptor Dreadnought, enabling them to continue the Great Crusade and offer their wisdom to new recruits.

Following Horus’s betrayal, many of the Iron Warriors sided with the Warmaster, taking their war machines with them. This Contemptor Dreadnought bears all the hallmarks of the Iron Warriors Legion, including additional cabling, targeting arrays and numerous armour plates welded to the front of its torso, indicative of its role as a siege Dreadnought. The distinctive (traditionally black and yellow when painted) chevrons worn by all Iron Warriors have been sculpted onto the Dreadnought’s shoulder and right leg, while its head has been fashioned to represent the Iron Warriors Legion symbol – a stylised silver skull – which can be seen on the Dreadnought’s left knee.

Left - The Contemptor’s forward-facing armour has been reinforced with additional metal plates to protect it from incoming fire during a siege.

Right - This Contemptor Dreadnought has been constructed with a twin-linked heavy bolter and a chainfist, available separately (along with other weapons) from - www.forgeworld.co.uk

THE HORUS HERESY BOOK FOUR – CONQUEST

If you’re a fan of the Horus Heresy then you’ll definitely want to get your hands on Forge World’s latest supplement, the Horus Heresy Book Four – Conquest.

Like its predecessors – Betrayal, Massacre and Extermination – Conquest is a weighty 158-page leather-bound tome, a treasure-trove of new background material from the Horus Heresy including two new army lists and embellished with illustrations and evocative shots of miniatures.

Conquest follows on from the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V. His Legions on a war footing, Horus begins his conquest of the galaxy, starting with the now-famous Port Maw. The breadth of the Warmaster’s assault is almost beyond comprehension, and the myriad worlds and systems mentioned in the book are the perfect setting for the campaign system presented in Conquest. Add to that the in-depth background sections on the Solar Auxilia and Questoris Knights, pages upon pages of uniforms and heraldry, new army lists, new special characters including Archmagos Yelav Draykavac, weapons such as the Nostraman mancatcher and the grav gauntlet and more. Welcome to the Age of Darkness.

SPECIAL EDITION

For the die-hard Horus Heresy fans, there’s a special edition of Conquest available. This leather-bound book comes in its own slipcase that matches the one that came with the special edition of Extermination. If you got that one, you’ll certainly want this one to add to your collection, too.

Inside the slipcase you’ll also find a huge 594mm x 841mm (23.4” x 33.1” if you prefer Imperial measurements to traitor ones) poster featuring the book’s cover art on one side and profiles of Imperial Knights on the other. It also includes four quick-reference cards with weapon profiles on for mid-battle rules emergencies.

In the ancient days before biotransference, the crownworld of Gidrim was a powerful bulwark of the Sautekh dynasty, its might thanks in large part to the heroic generalship of the vaunted Nemesor Zahndrekh…

Nemesor Zahndrekh was a hero whose conquests were legend throughout the Necron empire. Things have changed much since those days, yet still the embers of Gidrim’s glory glow bright…

THE GLORY OF GIDRIM

In the time before the great sleep, Nemesor Zahndrekh was a beacon of strength and discipline. His conduct was honourable, his tactical brilliance renowned, and his loyalty to the Sautekhi Phaeron absolute. Along with the looming figure of his ever-present Vargard, Obyron, the old Nemesor was a constant sight at the forefront of the Sautekh dynasty’s campaigns. The duo were much loved by the common soldiery, and the absolute terror of the separatists against whom they fought. Now, however, Zahndrekh’s mind is addled by damage wrought during the great sleep. The old Nemesor is trapped in the past like a fly in amber.

Zahndrekh sees separatists where others see aliens, he insists upon strict adherence to the Triarch’s ancient codes of honour, and he maintains a cadre of four-score food tasters despite having consumed his last meal before Mankind discovered fire.

Yet for all this, he is Imotekh’s greatest weapon against the menace of the Orks. Long have the greenskins confounded the Phaeron of the Sautekh dynasty, for how can one apply logical counter-measures to a race so impossible to predict? Time and again the Orks of the Charadon Empire have driven Imotekh to distraction, yet to Zahndrekh they are mere secessionists to be brought to heel. So it is that in recent years the Stormlord has left Zahndrekh to handle the greenskins that threaten his realm, a task at which the old Nemesor has singularly excelled.

THE BATTLE FOR ANKHABYR

One of Zahndrekh’s more recent – and bloody – battles against the Orks of Charadon took place upon the searing desert sands of Ankhabyr. This prosperous coreworld played host to a notable conclave of Crypteks, known as the Eyes of Eternity, and was renowned for the arcane armaments produced within its famed Maelstrom Chambers. Whether it was the vast power signatures of the Crypteks’ industry that brought them, or simple ill chance, in 962.M41 the space hulk Mork’s Mangla dropped out of the Warp and made straight for Ankhabyr, crammed with a horde of Orks.

Shrugging off the searing blasts of the Gauss Pylons that had risen from the planet’s sands, the monstrous Ork ship settled into orbit and began to rain explosives and landing craft of every stripe onto Ankhabyr’s southern pole. Phalanxes of Necron Warriors, Immortals and Lychguard marched out to meet the invaders head on, yet the Orks’ numbers were vast and the space hulk’s firepower as devastating as it was indiscriminate. In the first days of the conflict, thousands of Necrons were torn apart by bellowing greenskins or blasted to ash by thundering orbital bombardments that vitrified the desert sands with their heat and fury.

Ramshackle landing craft ploughed massive furrows through the desert sands as they fishtailed to a stop. From yawning holds poured thousands upon thousands of Orks, darkening the sands with their numbers and swiftly besieging Ankhabyr’s southern cities. The Eyes of Eternity led the planet’s defence, their incredible weaponry blasting the Orks to atoms or hurling them into dimensional rents. Yet still the greenskins came on, clambering over the corpses of their fallen while their Meks unleashed madcap weaponry of their own. Singled out as the Mekboyz’ favoured victims, the Cryptek conclave found their numbers swiftly dwindling as they were teleported into solid stone, riddled with shrieking alien vermin, or torn apart by impossible force-field weapons that defied all logic. Ankhabyr’s plight looked grim.

It was as the Ork horde overran the outer defences of Khamatek that the war shifted in the Necrons’ favour. Even as the two race’s aircraft duelled furiously in the skies, the mighty Dolmen Gate at the heart of the tomb city flickered to life. First established during the War in Heaven, Dolmen Gates use shackled sections of the Old Ones’ precious Webway to connect planets many hundreds of light years distant. Now, as the surface of this ancient portal rippled and flared, Nemesor Zahndrekh strode solemnly from its depths, Vargard Obyron as ever at his shoulder and the mighty legions of Gidrim at his heels.

Even over the crash of metal feet and the screech of tesla blasts, the towering colonnades of Khamatek echoed with the sound of Zahndrekh’s amplified, rambling reminiscences. The old general continued his inspirational address to his uncomprehending underlings even as the Orks poured into the city in their thousands. Yet even while regaling his soldiery with the story of the Third Battle of Thantanar, Zahndrekh absentmindedly directed them with the skill of the wily old master of war he once was.

As a yellow-daubed Morkanaut rampaged its way up the Avenue of Whispers, it was cut apart by the synchronised fire of no less than six perfectly positioned Annihilation Barges. When the Orks’ Battlewagons ground across the Graevmarkh’s Square and into Zahndrekh’s Warriors, he sent his Lychguard forward with instructions to tear apart the separatists’ strange arks, and put their passengers to death for their disloyalty to the Sautekh dynasty. So it went on, Zahndrekh’s clouded perceptions doing nothing to dull his exceptional strategic skill, while Obyron’s tireless blade hacked down any bellowing savage that got too close to his master. By the day’s end, Ork bodies carpeted Khamatek like gory green sand dunes, and the invaders’ strength was shattered. Though it would be many weeks before Zahndrekh finished subduing the scattered foe, the Ork threat to Ankhabyr was done. This came as no surprise to the old Nemesor – as he explained at painstaking length to the surviving Eyes of Eternity, no separatist would ever defeat him while his beloved Necrontyr empire endured.

Codex: Apocrypha is a regular feature exploring the infinite background of the Warhammer universe.

The legacy of the Blood Angels Chapter is one of unswerving loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind. They are shining heroes, famed for their beatific countenances and pure hearts and led by some of the finest warriors, but their blood harbours a dark and terrible curse.

The Blood Angels are a Chapter with a fearsome legacy to live up to. Since the days of the Great Crusade to conquer the galaxy in the Emperor’s name, they have always been counted among the foremost champions of humanity. Their Primarch, Sanguinius, was as powerful in battle as he was beautiful to behold, a towering warrior with the strength to break a Bloodthirster’s back, and a visage that can only be compared to a winged angel. In the long years that have followed, the Blood Angels and their successors have always striven to echo Sanguinius, not only in appearance, but in his mighty deeds.

This pursuit of heroism has made the Blood Angels one of the most recognisable and lauded forces in the Imperium – many are the Imperial commanders who have witnessed the descent of angels and felt the stirring of hope push aside the agony of despair. Just as noble Sanguinius crushed the morale of the Chaos hordes and buoyed up the loyalists as he vanquished the Chaos Champions atop the walls of the Emperor’s palace, even now, generations later, his sons echo his courage with their deeds. By their hand are worlds are liberated from the clutches of aliens and heretics are cast down.

What few, save the Blood Angels and their successor Chapters, know about the sons of Sanguinius is that they are heroes despite a terrible curse that lies upon them. A physical and spiritual malaise threatens to drag them into damnation.

All Blood Angels share a thirst for battle and a blood-hunger that must be guarded against every moment of their lives. In battle this can be unleashed in a controlled frenzy, but all must watch for its signs lest the curse overtake a warrior and transform him from paragon to monster. Legends abound of the victims of this Red Thirst, of the local populace going missing, only to be discovered drained of blood. Every passing year this Red Thirst overcomes more of their number, and more brothers are taken to the Tower of Amareo. At night, the tower rings with screams and desperate cries for the blood of the living. The opposite side of the flaw is the curse of the psyche known as the Black Rage, a spiritual sickness that can afflict a Blood Angel on the eve of battle, drawing his mind to recall the suffering and sacrifice of Sanguinius in his last hours. As this curse sets in, the Blood Angel becomes detached from reality and mad with fury, seeing his foe, whatever their nature, as Horus and his lackeys.

Every Blood Angel, from Commander Dante to the lowliest Scout, must battle the flaw, lest he is stripped of his sanity and reduced to animalistic appetites. Even so, for the sons of Baal, there is a sliver of hope. On the soil of Armageddon, Librarian Calistarius overcame the flaw and was reborn anew as Mephiston, the Lord of Death. Others look to Chaplain Lemartes, who holds the Black Rage at bay through supreme strength of will. In these, the Blood Angels see hope that they and their Chapter might not be doomed.

For the Blood Angels, their curse brings with it a curious side effect, knowledge of their fate bestows them a humility and nobility that truly makes the Sons of distant Baal the noblest of Space Marines, determined to make the greatest difference while the chance remains.

COMMANDER DANTE

The golden armoured hero known as Commander Dante is the oldest living Space Marine, save only those interred within the sarcophagi of Dreadnoughts. Dante has led his Chapter for centuries and excelled in every discipline of war.

Not only is Dante’s service record exemplary, but he is also highly thought of by his brother Chapter Masters. In the 2nd War of Armageddon he was unanimously elected as the commander of the Imperial war effort, a decision none regretted.

BROTHER CORBULO

The Sanguinary High Priest of the Blood Angels Chapter is Corbulo, a doughty warrior whose wisdom and foresight has saved the Chapter from disaster time and again. Some say he is blessed with the uncanny insight of the Primarch himself, and that he can discern patterns and events yet to unfold.

As the leader of the Sanguinary Cult within the Chapter, Corbulo’s chief interest is in the physical health of his brethren and he has toiled ceaselessly to find a cure for the Red Thirst assailing his brothers. This quest has taken him far and wide, searching for something that might put an end to the unnatural hungers wracking his Chapter and, on Asphodex, Corbulo believes he may have found just such a thing, for the Flaxian dynasty appears utterly resilient to the pollution and that besets their world. Thus the Sanguinary High Priest has urged Dante and Karlaen to secure a sample of their genes, no matter the cost.

FIRST CAPTAIN KARLAEN

Arenos Karlaen is a wily Blood Angels veteran with hundreds of years of service to the Chapter. He is the current master of the ‘Archangels’, the Chapter’s 1st Company, and many consider him the greatest battle leader among the angelic host, save Dante only. In his long service Karlaen has accrued victories over almost every enemy of mankind and, as Hive Fleet Leviathan looms large in the Cryptus System, Dante has turned to his strong right hand again.

Karlaen has fought the Tyranid menace many times before and owns several of the Blood Angels’ greatest victories against the Great Devourer. Whether wielding his relic thunder hammer face to face against the foe aboard a space hulk or a beleaguered world, or directing the wrath of the fleet in a decisive battle, Karlaen’s tactical nous and controlled rage have proven a match for the Hive Mind over and over again.

The world of Asphodex is awash with blood, drowning beneath the fury of Hive Fleet Leviathan’s invasion. Into this maelstrom of battle Captain Karlaen leads a strike force of Blood Angels, determined to rescue the planetary governor from the jaws of death.

The Cryptus System is in ruins, overrun by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Already the blood of millions of heroic warriors stains the soil of a host of worlds, from Ixoi to Asphodex. As the Imperium reels from the savagery of the Tyranid attack, and the implacable fury with which it has bested each and every effort to halt its inexorable advance, a new force enters the fray – the Blood Angels, honoured sons of Sanguinius at last come to the aid of the stricken Cryptus System. But their first mission is not to drive away the Tyranid hordes, but instead to ensure the survival of their Chapter.

Asphodex is a world wreathed in a morbid atmosphere, laced with deadly pollutants. Those upon its surface need regular doses of the mysterious elixir satryx just to survive. All except for the planetary governor, Augustus Flax, and his family, that is, who appear to have some natural immunity to the dreadful conditions on Asphodex. As the planet teeters on the brink of destruction, the Blood Angels’ Sanguinary High Priest Corbulo urges Commander Dante to despatch a rescue mission to bring back Flax, whatever the cost. For Corbulo believes his extraordinary genetic material could harbour a cure for the Red Thirst that afflicts the Blood Angels Chapter.

Thus the Blood Angels first gambit in the Cryptus System is not a full-scale invasion to crush the Tyranid attackers, nor even a deadly space battle against the hive fleet surrounding Asphodex. Instead, First Captain Karlaen and a hand-picked band of warriors find themselves thundering over the ruined city of Phodia, the capital of Asphodex, with one mission: bring back the governor’s blood, no matter the cost.

MISSION 1: HUNTERS IN THE DARK

Phodia lay in ruins, shattered buildings belching palls of black smoke into the darkened sky. Every road and wall bore marks of bloody fighting, with shell marks, craters and battle damage everywhere. The Stormravens had delivered Captain Karlaen and his strike force as close to the Governor’s palace as possible, but they would have to complete the attack on foot.

A veteran of fighting Tyranids, Sergeant Alphaeus ordered his men to spread out, Bartelo striding to the fore with the squad’s heavy flamer while the remainder tracked the shadows with their storm bolters as they advanced down the long road. The Tyranid attack came soon enough, as hunchbacked creatures exploded out of ruined hab-blocks and darkened alleyways. Genestealers, their claws skittering on the plascrete road, raced to tear at the Blood Angels. With icy calm the Terminators opened fire, deadly salvoes ripping into the Tyranids. A pair of Genestealers were cut down by Brothers Aphrae and Leonos, but the remaining Genestealers were upon them in an instant. Brother Leonos was borne to the ground, slashing claws leaving his chest a red ruin. Undaunted, the Blood Angels pressed on, never halting in their advance as the belching roar of Bartelos’s heavy flamer swept Genestealers from gantries and doorways while Captain Karlaen and Sergeant Alphaeus kept up a steady stream of fire on the road ahead.

In a moment they were through the press, the Genestealers dead or dying around them. But distant shadows hinted at another ambush to come. Brothers Aphrae and Bartelo loped ahead of the rest, seeking to drive the Tyranids out of their cover, but as they stalked beneath a dilapidated walkway the Genestealers attacked again. Bartelo stood firm, burning one to death, and smiting another with his power fist. Aphrae was too slow as a pair cut him down and charged into Captain Karlaen. Their claws opened huge gouges in Karlaen’s armour and flesh, but he fought on, smashing them into paste with his thunder hammer before striding on. The Blood Angels had broken through.

MISSION 1

Forces: Captain Karlaen and Squad Alphaeus versus the Children of Cryptus.

The first mission sees the Blood Angels breaking through a Genestealer ambush. The game is played on a long, thin board with the Blood Angels having to run its length, avoiding charging Genestealers who attack in never-ending waves.

A great twist in the tail of this scenario is that every model operates as an individual, so Karlaen and his men are six separate Space Marines and the Genestealers (who recycle back into play if killed) are able to act as a band of ambushers. In our game the Genestealers made a major attack at the beginning, which was repulsed, and then rallied again for a (nearly successful) assassination attempt right at the end. Wounded, Karlaen limped off to victory.

FULL OF CHARACTER

One of the things that stood out about Deathstorm in our games was the character of the different warriors and squads in the box. Having read Josh Reynolds’s new novella, Shield of Baal: Deathstorm, we were familiar with the character of the different models in the story and found that their heroics (and failures) took on new meaning.

In our first game the Genestealers were desperate to kill Bartelo, the Terminator with the heavy flamer, after he set several of their number ablaze. Their frenzied attacks, coupled with Bartelo’s stoic refusal to die, created a brilliant narrative for our game as he strode ahead of his brothers drawing Genestealers like blood sharks to a fresh corpse.

MISSION 2: STORM OF BLOOD

With their Captain trapped beneath the crushing weight of an ecclesiarchal statue, and their minds reeling from a deadly psychic assault, Terminator Squad Alphaeus could only watch in disgust as vile alien shapes approached through the ruins of the outer courtyard. Genestealers, drools of phlegm hanging from their fangs, crept across broken masonry towards the prone form of their Captain, while further away one of the trio of Tyranid Warriors levelled the barrel of a huge alien cannon at them. The shot from the Tyranid’s gun exploded within their ranks, showering their armour in corrosive ichor but failing to kill any of the doughty Space Marines.

Although the situation for the Terminators looked bleak, help was at hand as the roaring of jet engines signalled the arrival of the Death Company, who plummeted to the battlefield, their jump packs leaving fiery trails through the murky sky. With bolt pistols blazing they landed within striking distance of the Phodian Hive Warriors. They were joined moments later by the hulking silhouette of Cassor, a massive Death Company Dreadnought that barrelled through nearby buildings, smashing walls apart in its haste to join the action. Together these new arrivals poured fire into the Tyranid Warriors, blasting chunks of chitin from the aliens in a welter of blood, but not felling any.

MISSION 2

Forces: Squad Alphaeus, Squad Raphen and Cassor the Damned versus the Phodian Hive Warriors, the Beast of Phodia and the Children of Cryptus.

In this mission the Blood Angels player must hold the centre of the battlefield (where Karlaen lies injured) against Genestealers, Tyranid Warriors and even a lumbering Carnifex. Against such odds victory seems impossible, except that help is at hand – Brother Raphen leads the Death Company and the indomitable form of Cassor the Damned to the rescue.

The game is won by the side which controls the centre of the battlefield. Although in our game it was closely contested, in the end the Blood Angels held the objective by the narrowest of margins.

Their withering hail of fire was interrupted by an unexpected arrival as a Carnifex, the Beast of Phodia, drawn to the battlefield in pursuit of Cassor the Damned, smashed its way into the courtyard. Braying out a deafening alien shriek, the Beast of Phodia fired at Cassor, denting his armour plates and drawing his attention from the Tyranid Warriors, who instead headed towards the Terminators at the centre of the battlefield. As if by some ungiven signal, the Children of Cryptus broke cover and also started off towards Squad Alphaeus, the Hive Mind guiding its minions to attack in a deadly rush.

Spurred on by the descending madness of the Black Rage, Squad Raphen and Cassor the Damned hurled themselves at the Beast of Phodia, guns blazing and deadly power weapons swinging in to deliver a deathblow. Despite its preternatural resilience, the Carnifex was no match for such unbound fury, and the Dreadnought’s shimmering blood talons and the concussive power of Raphen’s thunder hammer quickly smashed the life out of the gigantic Tyranid beast.

In the centre of the field, with Tyranid Warriors and Genestealers closing in on his position, Sergeant Alphaeus ordered his men to open fire on the Genestealers, a wall of bolter shells hammering into the skittering creatures. Despite precise shooting orchestrated by a skilled Tyranid hunter, the Genestealers avoided the worst of the fusillade, the aliens sticking to the shadows and darting between cover so as to baffle the Terminators’ aim.

As the juddering fire of the Terminators ceased, the aliens raced forwards at breakneck pace. The Tyranid Warriors swept in, their venom cannon spitting another volley that splashed across the pitted and scarred armour of the Terminators before they charged in, claws and boneswords sweeping in for the kill. Even the deadly tide of fire from brother Bartelo’s heavy flamer couldn’t hold the attack at bay, as Tyranids and Genestealers caught the Terminators between them.

Despite the ferocity of their charge, however, the tremendous quality of the Blood Angels’ armour shone through, as boneswords and scything talons raked their armour and only two brothers fell to the onslaught. In reply, Alphaeus impaled a pair of Genestealers upon his gleaming power sword and Aphrae cut a Tyranid Warrior in two with his revving chainfist. As the Tyranid attack broke upon the red armour plates of the Terminators like a tidal wave, the black-armoured Death Company rushed to the rescue, their final charge slaughtering the remaining Tyranids. The Blood Angels held the field.

A CLASH OF BEASTS

In this game all eyes were on the incredible match up between Cassor the Damned and the Beast of Phodia – a real heavyweight battle between the biggest and most impressive models in the Deathstorm boxed set. In our game, Cassor the Damned was backed up ably by the assistance of Squad Raphen, whose deadly mix of close combat weapons (a thunder hammer, power fist and power sword) meant that they were more than a match for the Carnifex.

In the end, victory went to the Imperium, but we couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the Beast had got the opportunity to charge into Cassor – the Living Battering Ram special rule offers to make mincemeat of anything the Carnifex hits.

ALTERNATIVE ENDING

Something we quickly realised with the missions in Deathstorm is how finely balanced they are – a small misstep can quickly cost you the entire battle if you don’t recover from it. A great example of that occurred in Mission 2: Storm of Blood. The Genestealers infiltrated close to Terminator Squad Alphaeus, but held off from launching their assault until the third turn of the game – perhaps if they had braved an attack on the Blood Angels sooner they might have contested the objective at the centre of the battlefield. Likewise, what if the Beast of Phodia had made its entry elsewhere and avoided the Dreadnought and Death Company? Already we’re planning a set of rematches.

MISSION 3: SHADOW OF THE BEAST

With the Governor secured, and Captain Karlaen rescued from beneath the fallen statuary, strike force Deathstorm had rallied at their extraction point, a courtyard clearing in the grounds of the Imperial palace. All eyes scanned the surrounding ruins for signs of attack while ears strained to hear the ramjets of their rescuers.

As they waited, the Tyranid attack struck. The Beast of Phodia, having risen from the bloody wounds inflicted on it in the previous encounter, ploughed through debris and rubble to fire its stranglethorn cannon at Squad Alphaeus. The shot struck home, the explosive growth of the seed pod it unleashed pulling down a Terminator and killing him outright. Beside the Beast of Phodia, the Phodian Hive Warriors added their own fire, the shot from their venom cannon blasting another battle brother apart with its explosive force. In an instant two veteran warriors were dead. It was as if a greater alien intelligence now led the Tyranid attack.

Shocked, the Blood Angels took stock of their situation, opting to fall back and seek out cover. As the Death Company leapt into the skies to secure a safe fallback point, the remaining Terminators and Cassor stalked slowly backwards, pumping out shot after shot from their bolters – but the Tyranids were now stealthier than ever and their explosive rounds found only shadows. Ahead, the Death Company dashed into cover, all eyes scanning for more targets. To their horror they found them as a brood of Genestealers, led by the Spawn of Cryptus, broke cover to charge at them.

MISSION 3

Forces: Strike Force Deathstorm versus the Phodian Annihilation Swarm.

The last mission pits all of the models in the set in a final clash. The survivors of Strike Force Deathstorm must hold on for extraction as waves of Tyranids attack them.

In this scenario the Blood Angels start in the centre of the battlefield, surrounded by Tyranids. Worse still, whenever a Tyranid unit (except for the Spawn of Cryptus) is slain it can re-enter play in the next Tyranid turn, creating endless waves of Tyranid creatures.

To win the Blood Angels must hold out until their evacuation arrives, while the Tyranids’ only objective is to slay all of the Space Marines before they can escape from Phodia.

Hurtling across open ground the Genestealers rushed at the black-clad Death Company, nimbly dodging grenades and bolter shells fired at them as they leapt amongst the Death Company, claws scything downwards. Although the Blood Angels were fast, and few are better warriors than the famous Death Company, the Genestealers were faster still, and in a welter of blood and gore they hacked the Blood Angels to pieces. Diamond-hard claws ripped armour and flesh, tearing out vital organs with startling ease. In an instant all five of the Death Company lay dead upon the dusty ground of Phodia.

Incensed, Captain Karlaen and the remaining Terminators turned their ire on the Genestealers, a wave of burning promethium from Bartelo’s heavy flamer cut down several of the hunched brood creatures and the staccato bark of their storm bolters slew more, before the Blood Angels charged the remainder, determined to smite them. While Alphaeus and Bartelos bludgeoned and chopped down Genestealers, Karlaen stood toe-to-toe with the hulking Spawn of Cryptus. The beast, far faster than the captain, hacked into his flesh, wounding him grievously, but Karlaen smote him back with blows from the Hammer of Baal, killing the beast. Their chests heaving from the fight, the Terminators stood atop the ruin of the Genestealers, the Spawn of Cryptus lying dead at Karlaen’s feet.

Any jubilation they might have felt was cut short a moment later as the advancing Tyranid Warriors and Carnifex continued to fire into the Terminators, their exotic alien weapons continuing to take a heavy toll on the Terminators; finally Alphaeus and Bartelo succumbed to their wounds. Now Karlaen stood alone with Cassor the Damned, two heroes against an onrushing Tyranid horde.

Undaunted, they charged the foe, Cassor rushing at the Carnifex in a reprise of the fight from their previous mission. Channelling his rage, Cassor sundered the Carnifex with his blood talons, while Karlaen smashed the Phodian Hive Warriors with the Hammer of Baal, pulping heads with every swing to emerge gore-soaked but triumphant. Even as Cassor and Karlaen exulted, more Tyranids emerged, Genestealers, Warriors and another Carnifex rushing towards the wounded heroes. Any doubt was washed away however, by the howl of approaching jets. Their rescuers had arrived and Strike Force Deathstorm was victorious.

THE CLOSEST VICTORY

As our game began the Tyranids gained the upper hand with a steady bombardment of the Blood Angels. While the Spawn of Cryptus lived all of the models in the Phodian Annihilation Swarm received the Preferred Enemy rule, making them even more deadly than usual. In short order two Terminators were dead, and the Blood Angels were running for cover. Things got even worse for the Blood Angels when the Spawn of Cryptus led his children into the Death Company with spectacular results.

Only the ferocious counter attack by the Terminators (and Bartelo’s heavy flamer once again) saved the day. In the end, Cassor and Karlaen alone survived in the face of the Tyranid hordes.

ACTS OF HEROISM

As the smoke cleared on our campaign we had a clear winner – the Blood Angels had achieved victory by the skin of their teeth in each of the missions, just as they did in the story in Deathstorm.

The best bit about the game wasn’t the fact that there was a winner and a loser, however, but the great moments and memories that came from the games.

For the Blood Angels the highlight of the campaign was Captain Karlaen and Cassor the Damned fighting back to back in the final mission, creating a scene on the tabletop that could have been plucked from the pages of a Black Library novel. For the Tyranids it was the brutal slaughter of the Death Company as the Spawn of Cryptus leapt into the fray.

Shield of Baal: Deathstorm contains two fantastic forces which can either be added to existing collections or serve as the perfect springboard for a brand new army. Here we look at using the Phodian Annihilation Swarm as the basis for a Tyranid force.

THE DEVASTATION OF PHODIA

By the time the Blood Angels cruisers reach striking distance of the smog-wreathed world of Asphodex, it is already largely under the control of the Tyranids. Phodia, the continent-sized capital city, is ablaze, damaged nearly as much by the defenders as the Tyranids that now stalk its ruins. The force shown on the page opposite is inspired by the inexorable Tyranid horde that laid the Cadian Urban Elite low and lies in wait for Captain Karlaen and the Blood Angels vanguard, with the Phodian Annihilation Swarm from Shield of Baal: Deathstorm forming the heart of the force.

The Spawn of Cryptus, leader of the Phodian Annihilation Swarm, is an intriguing creature in its own right, the perfect foil for the Blood Angels of Strike Force Deathstorm. As we read the story in the Campaign Supplement, cooed over the fantastic model and played through the missions in our hobby room, we realised the Spawn, with its fascinating backstory, would be the perfect leader for a much bigger army. Along with the rest of the Phodian Annihilation Swarm it now sits in the middle of the force opposite. All of the models in this special formation have been painted with subtle striations on their carapace, giving them a distinct appearance and identity within the army.

We’ve complemented the Phodian Annihilation Swarm with other Tyranid ‘vanguard’ elements from the army, the kind of creatures you can imagine skulking around the ruins of a city or crawling through a jungle to scout out the enemy. We’ve included a Lictor, the notorious Deathleaper and another brood of Genestealers. You can just imagine these advance elements sneaking into position ahead of the main force, killing off enemy sentries and locating prime targets for the broods and monsters to follow.

The next part of the force is a selection of larger Tyranid bio-creatures. Gun beasts, such as the Tyrannofex and Exocrine, provide the army with some heavy firepower while a Tervigon enables you to create new swarms of Termagants as the battle progresses. The Skytyrant Swarm (the Hive Tyrant surrounded by the flock of Gargoyles) is inspired by a datasheet from Shield of Baal: Leviathan. These fly together as a single massive swarm, a cloud of winged monstrosities with the Gargoyles protecting the Hive Tyrant from incoming fire. It’s easy to imagine these swooping down to attack concentrations of enemy troops detected by the Spawn of Cryptus and the vanguard elements.

If you are really struck by the background of the Phodian Annihilation Swarm, and the warriors that fight alongside them, there’s no reason you can’t detail your models to look like they are battling through the Phodian megametropolis too. The Citadel Warhammer 40,000 Basing Kit contains loads of cool accessories such as sewer grates, rubble and urban scatter to make your bases look like your models are fighting in an urban environment. Likewise, if you wanted, you could further personalise your models by adding unifying markings across all the broods in your force or by adding trophies and the corpses of fallen foes on their bases.

UNLEASH DEATHSTORM

While this article focuses on the Tyranids found in Deathstorm, there’s equal opportunity to use the Blood Angels as the heart of a new army too. Karlaen’s strike force could easily be joined by more 1st Company Veterans, with Terminator and Terminator Assault Squads bolstering their ranks. Likewise, troop transporters, such as the Stormraven, could spirit them into the fray.

STAGGERING VERSATILITY

When you are collecting new units and formations for your army it’s a good idea to cast your net for ideas as widely as possible. For Tyranids there are several great sources for collecting ideas including the Codex, Shield of Baal: Leviathan and the Invasion Swarms painting guide book, which contains several fantastic themed Tyranid armies.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s new releases. With Deathstorm available to pre-order this week, we gave Blood Angels Captain Karlaen the Paint Splatter treatment.

Captain Karlaen was basecoated using the Mephiston Red basecoat spray, though you can always use the Citadel Spray Gun or even a Basecoat Brush. Essentially, use whatever you prefer or have to hand.

When painting character models, it’s worth spending a little extra time on them so they stand out from the crowd. Captain Karlaen’s armour was highlighted one stage further than regular Blood Angels, with Ungor Flesh applied to the corners to make it more visually striking. A similar technique was used on the metalwork, but with a shade instead of a highlight. In this case, Rhinox Hide was slightly watered down and painted into the recesses between the gold details and the red armour to make it stand out more.

Karlaen’s face and hair were the last areas of the model to be painted. As the focal point of the miniature, it’s worth painting a model’s head last, making the skin tone lighter or darker so it stands out from the armour around it.

SEEING RED

This stage-by-stage painting guide features Captain Karlaen, but you can use it to paint any Blood Angels in your collection. You could even use it for Khorne Berzerkers, Ork Speed Freaks or any other models you want to paint red. Why not give it a go?

Next Week: the tactical approach.

Join us for a round-up of the week as we share comment, opinion and trivia on all the latest releases, plus other fun tidbits that have cropped up in the White Dwarf bunker. This week we look at Deathstorm, Port Maw and examine some sinister surgical tools.

THE STRIKE FORCE AND THE ANNIHILATION SWARM

Within Shield of Baal: Leviathan you get two opposing forces, and all the rules you need to use them in your games. These rules and stories describe a particular band of warriors, and enable you to unleash them in your games – so it’s not just a squad of Terminators, it’s Squad Alphaeus, led by the renowned Tyranid-slayer Sergeant Alphaeus. It’s not just a Carnifex, it’s the Beast of Phodia, a powerful Tyranid beast armed with the incredible ability to heal even debilitating wounds over time.

Our favourite bit about the rules for all these models, however, is that each side also gets its own formation, the Phodian Annihilation Swarm and Strike Force Deathstorm. These are brilliant, because they give you some big advantages when you use all the units as one. Take the Phodian Annihilation Swarm, under the malign leadership of the Spawn of Cryptus, for example. The Tyranids in this formation are better at finding cover from enemy fire, and the Genestealers are the out-and-out masters of concealment. Trying to shoot at the Children of Cryptus when they are in city ruins becomes a bit like firing at shadows! The feel of these rules is spot on, because they connect the character of the models to the games you are playing.

PHODIA

THE CRIME CAPITAL

Although Phodia is the capital city of Asphodex, it is far from an ideal domain, not so much ruled by the Governor, Augustus Flax, as the criminal syndicates which dominate almost every aspect of life.

The sprawling city, with its towering cloudscrapers, is in truth almost entirely funded by criminal enterprises which have done far more to develop their world in recent years than their governor ever has. Their stranglehold on the world is so tight, in fact, that Governor Flax is said to have retreated beneath the surface of the world into a subterranean demesne of staggering opulence. There he and his family have whiled away their lives, protected by the well-staffed and heavily armed Flaxian militia.

As for the crime lords, their only formal opposition was the understaffed, over-stretched Adeptus Arbites, who were just as ill-equipped to deal with the criminality surrounding them as the Flaxian militias were to halt the Tyranid invasion.

The missions in the Deathstorm Campaign Supplement are linked together so that you can play them in order and work out which side ‘wins’ the overall campaign. All you need to do is record the results of each battle – and tally them up from one game to another to see whether the Blood Angels or Tyranids are victorious.

What this does is give you tremendous replay ability with the missions – both you and your opponent can play each and record the scores to see who has done the best, even re-fighting them to see if you can better your performance.

The Horus Heresy Book Four: Conquest is centred around an area known as the Coronid Reach, which is bordered by the Cyclops Cluster, and the Manachean Commonwealth. Central to these three areas is the Hive World of Port Maw, where one of the greatest war fleets of its time lay at anchor – the Port Maw Armada. From his flagship, Vengeful Spirit, Horus led the Sons of Horus into battle against the defenders of Port Maw, overwhelming the Solar Auxilia stationed there and claiming the planet (and the ships in orbit around it) for his own.

The astute hobbyists among you may recognise Port Maw as the Imperial Naval base where Battlefleet Gothic was stationed over 10,000 years later. Between 139.M41 and 160.M41, the Gothic Sector around Port Maw came under attack from Abaddon’s 12th Black Crusade. Like father, like son, eh?

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer. This week: Space Marine Terminator weapons.

STORM BOLTER

The standard sidearm of Space Marines clad in tactical dreadnought armour, the storm bolter is a double-barrelled, fully-automatic assault weapon. Possessed of a fearsome rate of fire and loaded with the same deadly, self-propelled, mass reactive, high explosive shells as a bolter, the storm bolter is capable of sweeping rooms clear of enemy fighters, cutting down Orks, Genestealers and Chaos Cultists with deafening bursts of fire.

CHAINFIST

In many ways the Chainfist can be likened to the more commonly sighted chainswords used by Imperial agents and soldiers of almost every stripe. The ‘chain’ part of the weapon is essentially a saw of rapidly spinning adamantine teeth, powered by a compact and highly effective engine. These are more than capable of shredding light armour and bone, but when coupled with the energy field of the powerfist they become far more dangerous, chewing through the bulkheads of space hulks, the armoured hulls of tanks and the chitinous armour of alien beasts with utmost ease.

ASSAULT CANNON

Probably the most feared weapon carried by Terminators, the assault cannon is a rotary barrelled weapon that fires solid slugs at a staggering rate. The heft of the rounds loosed from the gun, along with the phenomenal velocity at which they are unleashed and the brutal rate of fire makes this a weapon equally fitted for obliterating crowds of enemy fighters or rending through heavy armour.

When painting your Deathstorm set, don’t forget Invasion Swarms, the Tyranids Painting Guide that came out a few weeks ago. Inside you’ll find 54 pages of painting guides for four Tyranid collections based on the primary Hive Fleets. One of these armies, the Talon of Gorgo, is a Tyranid Swarm from Hive Fleet Leviathan and the colours used are perfect for painting the Phodian Annihilation Swarm in the Deathstorm box, the only difference being the yellow markings on their backs. Fortunately, one of the other Tyranid forces in Invasion Swarms, the Court of the Nephilim King (shown in the picture to the right), shows you how to paint them.

Markings like these are a great way to make your Tyranid collection stand out. By painting subtly different markings on each unit, you can make them easier to identify on the battlefield – very handy when you’ve got carpets of Gaunts swarming around next to each other.

According to the Imperial Infantryman’s Handbook, a Genestealer’s claws are weak and puny, nothing a good medi-kit can’t fix. We all know that’s a lie. A big lie.

A Genestealer’s claws are so sharp they can tear through flak armour with ease. They’re also pretty handy against power armour and, in the right conditions (i.e. the cramped confines of a Space Hulk), they can rip open a suit of Terminator armour like a tin of processed meat. Not so useful for pressing buttons, though…

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

SCATTERED TO THE FOUR WINDS

So, my question might not have an answer, but I was wondering how the Primarchs originally came to be scattered around the galaxy in the first place?
- Al ‘The Historian’ Grieve

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

Funny you should ask that, we were talking about it in the bunker just the other week. Turns out not all of my beardlings knew the answer either. Here we go:

Aware that the Emperor was creating his superhuman sons, the powers of Chaos plucked them up and out of his grasp and flung them through the Warp to land on distant worlds far across the stars. What is perhaps most interesting is that they didn’t just destroy them. We’ve been arguing about whether this means they couldn’t or they wanted to corrupt them for their own aims. Either way, it was a nuisance for the Emperor, who had to spend years finding them all again.
- Grombrindal

Earlier in the magazine we featured the brand new miniatures for Thorin’s Company, the Dwarves having armoured up for the battle to come. As we mentioned last week, their rules will be included in a free supplement in issue 46 of White Dwarf.

The supplement will also include rules for Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood; Tauriel, Mirkwood Exile; Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm, Mirkwood Armoured Elves and plenty more besides. Can’t possibly imagine what, though…

Nork Deddog’s favourite hat sits atop a vox caster mounted on his shoulder. We’re not sure who the hat originally belonged to (presumably the owner of the skull it’s sitting on) but we’re sure he offers a cool head.

Our Reader’s Model of the week is this Ork Painboy painted by Ian Powell. Ork medics tend to get quite messy when performing a surjical operashun and Ian’s is no exception, the Painboy’s tabard covered in old, dry blood. Our favourite detail, though, is the blood sloshing around in his various vials and syringes, all of it carefully painted to appear horizontal.

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.

The Savage Spectres are a unit of Black Legion shock troops. Though only seven in number, they are often recruited for missions where stealth and violence are both required. On the world of Carvinia, the Savage Spectres infiltrated an Astra Militarum command bunker, slaughtering all inside without firing a shot. When the main assault began, the troops outside found themselves completely leaderless. The Dark Eldar Reavers known as the Neon Ecliptic are a trio of half-born brothers from the dark depths of Low Commorragh. As regular competitors in the sky-arenas of Commorragh, they have built up a reputation as daredevils and exceptional cheats. Though not members of a Kabal, they have been employed by both Lady Malys and Duke Sliscus for realspace raids in recent years.

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– Company No. 01467092.

ISSN 2055-2653

Product code: 60659999044