ISSUE 61
28 March 2015

Editor: Jes Bickham
jes@whitedwarf.co.uk

Publisher: Paul Lyons
paul@whitedwarf.co.uk

This is a momentous issue of White Dwarf, as we’re proud to introduce a brand-new army for Warhamer 40,000: say hello to the Skitarii, the vast and horrific military legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

These cybernetically-altered individuals stop at nothing in their pursuit of the holy Quest for Knowledge – an endless search for ancient archaeotech and forgotten science – and are armed with a terrifying wealth of arcane and destructive weaponry, from radium carbines and galvanic rifles to the transuranic arquebus. The Adeptus Mechanicus jealously hoard their eldritch arsenal from all others, and so the Skitarii are possessed of unique and very frightening tools of war. We think you’re going to love them, and you can also find full painting guides and rules for this week’s new releases in this very issue of White Dwarf: all hail the lords of Mars!

The Skitarii are the holy warriors of the Machine God, eternal crusaders in the Adeptus Mechanicus’s Quest for Knowledge. At the forefront of the Skitarii Legions march the Vanguard, solemn rad-troopers who fight in the most inhospitable war zones in the galaxy.

Each Skitarii Vanguard is both more and less than human, altered mentally and physically by their Tech-Priest overseers. Their feeble, fleshy legs (and often arms, eyes and internal organs) are excised and upgraded with cybernetic enhancements, for constant radiation poisoning means their organic limbs will soon wither and fail. Their mutilated but mechanically-pleasing bodies are then housed for years at a time in a suit of Skitarii war plate, its arcane life support systems a mystery to all but the Adeptus Mechanicus.

In addition to their archaic armour, the 10 warriors in this plastic kit all wear robes to signify their role as holy warriors of Mars, and carry radium carbines – baroque weapons designed to irradiate their targets and, indeed, the battlefields they stand on. There are dozens of additional options in the kit, including 14 heads, wargear upgrades such as the enhanced data-tether and omnispex, and new weapons including the arc rifle, the plasma caliver, the phosphor blast pistol and the tank-busting transuranic arquebus.

Above: The Vanguard stand amidst the rubble, radium carbines ready to fire.

Left: The Vanguard Alpha has access to a wide range of wargear, including the phosphor blast pistol, the radium pistol and this, the deadly arc pistol that fires bolts of electricity.

Centre: The Vanguard Alpha carries a power sword – one of three close combat weapon upgrades he can take.

Right: The plasma caliver is a relic of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Numerous fuel cells and heat sinks are testament to its astonishing rate of fire.

Left: From left to right, a data spike, rad-censer and atmosphere monitor hang from the belt of every Skitarii Vanguard.

Left centre: The lower legs of every Skitarii have been replaced with augmetics.

Right centre: Each Vanguard wears a backpack covered in read-outs, rebreather tubes, scanners and comms equipment.

Right: The omnispex enables the Skitarii Vanguard to pinpoint weaknesses in the enemy’s armour.

Skitarii Rangers are the relentless huntsmen of the Skitarii Legions, indefatigable killers who possess both unnerving accuracy and relentless tenacity. They can stalk their prey for months without faltering, before delivering a lethal salvo with their galvanic rifles.

As with all Skitarii, the Rangers have had the blessings of the Omnissiah poured out upon their physical forms to enable them to wage war on behalf of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Fragile human legs and feet, unsuitable for treading the corrosive rad-dunes of Mars, have been hacked off at the knee and replaced with advanced bionics; eyelids, unseen beneath glowing goggles, have been removed so that the Skitarii Rangers remain ever vigilant and always watchful. Complex rebreathers filter out toxins and radiation.

The Skitarii Rangers kit consists of 10 multi-part models, including a host of optional parts. There are galvanic rifles for each model and 12 heads to choose from (10 hooded in the style of the faithful of Mars), along with a trio of optional special weapons: the arc rifle, plasma caliver and transuranic arquebus. To the Adeptus Mechanicus, wargear is both a technological marvel and a treasured relic, and this is shown in the polished wood stocks, brass fittings and exquisite detailing of the Rangers’ weapons.

Above: The Skitarii Rangers stalk their prey for days, if not weeks or months, finally, inexorably bringing them to heel.

Left: As well as a galvanic rifle for each model in the unit, the set also includes three special weapons, including this arc rifle, which fires bolts of blue-white lightning.

Centre: The Ranger Alpha who leads the squad can take a selection of close combat wargear: a taser goad, power sword or arc maul (shown here). A victim struck by an arc maul is not just bludgeoned, but also assailed by an incredible burst of riotous energy.

Right: The Ranger Alpha can also carry various weapons unique to the Skitarii, such as the phosphor blast pistol shown here. The kit also has a radium pistol and arc pistol.

Above: The transuranic arquebus is a weapon synonymous with the Skitarii Rangers, a multi-purpose sniper rifle as capable of blowing a Space Marine’s head off as punching a hole in a tank with its depleted transuranium shells.

Sydonian Dragoons are the cavalry of the Skitarii cohorts, skilled warriors who ride to war on Ironstrider engines – stilt-legged machines that never stop moving. Ceaseless in their pursuit of war, the Dragoons are the perfect riders for these bizarre metal steeds.

The Ironstrider engines are the closest the Adeptus Mechanicus have ever come to a perpetual motion machine. The secrets of their creation now long lost, they must be kept moving at all times, for if they stop, they will never walk again. It’s for this reason they are employed as assault units by the Skitarii, their pilots charging them into battle where their titanium hooves can run roughshod over the enemy.

Each Ironstrider has two crew – a monotask servitor permanently wired into the gyro-stabilised body of the machine and a Sydonian Dragoon who pilots it into battle. There are plenty of options for the rider in this plastic kit, including the fearsome taser lance (pictured left), which delivers a fatal electric shock to those it hits, the radium jezzail for executing enemy heroes at range, and the rare phosphor serpenta which lights up the Dragoon’s target like a supernova, leaving them easy prey for his fellow riders. The Ironstrider itself also has a nifty design feature enabling the legs to be mounted on either side of the hull to achieve different poses.

Above: This Sydonian Dragoon carries the radium jezzail, a deadly sniper rifle.

Left: The monotask servitor is hardwired into the body of the Ironstrider engine, the stumps of his amputated legs wired into the war machine, his arms and eyes permanently integrated into the steering matrix.

Right: The Sydonian Dragoon surveys his data screens in search of his next target. The handlebars, though basic, enable him to control the actions of the servitor below.

Left: The Ironstrider is festooned with scanner equipment and manipulator arms for identifying enemy units.

Right: The Dragoon wears the enclosed helm of a Vanguard warrior. There are five heads in the kit, all interchangeable with the ones in the Skitarii Vanguard boxed set.

The Ironstrider Ballistarii are mobile fire platforms that tirelessly stalk into battle at the flanks of the Skitarii war hosts. Armed with cognis heavy weapons, they rain fire into the enemy, harnessing enhanced data on their targets to ensure every shot is a death blow.

The Ironstrider is an innovation that could only stem from the Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a bipedal firing platform that combines bewildering technology with cruel disregard for the lives of its crew. The Ironstrider stalks swiftly and steadily across almost any terrain, elegant strides mirroring the stunted movements of the slaved servitor located beneath the gunner’s position. As his steed lopes along at the flanks of the Skitarii Legions, the gunner, drawn from the ranks of the Skitarii Rangers, provides precision fire with heavy weapons.

This multi-part plastic kit includes numerous options to customise your Ironstrider Ballistarius. There are four Ranger heads to choose from for your gunner as well as two options for the weapon mount: the tank-killing twin-linked cognis lascannons or multi-purpose twin-linked cognis autocannons. The Ironstrider also has a choice of leg poses, which combine with the options listed above to ensure that no two in your squadron need look quite the same.

Above: Legs striding gracefully across a pock-marked battlefield, the Ironstrider closes with its foe.

Left: For tank-hunting duties the Ballistarii can be armed with cognis lascannons. Cognis weapons have had their machine spirit fully awakened. This gives them an enhanced ability to make decisions – the gun itself is able to assist in choosing targets and can even take over in desperate situations.

Right: Enhanced antennae can downlink targeting data on any species or war machine the Ballistarius might face.

Left: The embedded servitor controls the Ironstrider’s movement and pace. When he dies, he is quickly replaced while the machine walks on.

Right: The Ballistarius’s twin-linked autocannons are also cognis weapons.

The Skitarii are organised into cohorts and maniples, each warrior and war machine wearing complex markings to show its place in the order of battle. The Mars Skitarii Transfer Sheet is ideal for taking your Skitarii to the next level of detail.

Loaded with literally hundreds of separate transfers (999 by our count), this large transfer sheet builds upon the one contained in the Skitarii Rangers, Vanguard and Ironstrider kits, and adds an incredible amount of variety. With it you can detail multiple Battle Maniples with unique numbering for each unit. As an example of the astounding variety on the sheet, it contains 48 different Mars-stamped maker’s plates in three different sizes (that’s 16 vehicles with three on each, if you went the whole hog). There are also honour markings galore, warning stripes and sigils, cog trim, astrolabes and more besides. Just have a look at the pictures of the Skitarii throughout this issue to see how great they look with full unit markings.

1 - Skitarii squad markings. These include a squad number, Mars-allegiance symbol, and a maniple designator for the Alpha.

2 - Maniple designators.

3 - Vehicle recognition numbers (the maniple designator is shown as superscript).

4 - Warning stripes and cog trims. Use anywhere.

5 - Forge World origin stamps. (These ones are all Mars, of course!)

6 - Forge World maker’s plates. Placed on machine to show origin.

7 - Archeoscript. This can be placed anywhere. (And whatever could it mean?).

8 - Rad counters.

9 - Optical recognition sigils.

10 - Cohort designators.

11 - Archeoscript and icons. These can be used anywhere.

12 - Honour badges and kill markings.

13 - Port markings.

14 - Astrolabes.

15 - Hazard markings. Most likely to be found on mechanical parts, power sources, and around weapons.

Skulls (of different sizes). You can use these wherever you like, or combine them with other elements to make your own markings.

Cogs. You can use these as symbols of the Forge World of Mars, or combine them with other elements to make your own markings.

Numbers. You can use these to make you own squad markings, recognition numbers and cohort designators.

Citadel Technical Paint 12ml

Base your models with the rust-choked soil of Mars using this new Citadel Technical Paint.

The Forge World of Mars is renowned for the massive red rust deserts and arid rad-plains between the industrial hives and manufactoria. Martian Ironearth is a new Citadel Technical Paint that enables you to recreate the iconic, rust-choked soil of Mars on the bases of your models. Just paint it on and leave it to dry – within minutes it will begin to crack and peel to look like the industrially-scarred plains of Mars. Once the Martian Ironearth has dried (which only takes half an hour or so), you can leave it as it is or, if you want to take your painting further, apply a quick drybrush to add highlights to the texture.

Using this Technical Paint is incredibly simple – see how we used it in The Week in White Dwarf.

Left: A pot of Martian Ironearth on a Realm of Battle Gameboard painted with Martian Ironearth… quite fitting, we thought.

Right: Martian Ironearth can be painted straight onto your model’s base and once dry, it looks great. You can, of course, take it to the next level with a drybrush of Kindleflame.

Basecoat Spray 400ml

Accelerate your painting with Leadbelcher spray, the perfect metallic basecoat.

As any seasoned painter will attest, getting a smooth and even basecoat on your models is essential for a great paint job, and anything that can speed up that process is a godsend. The new Leadbelcher spray is designed to give you a perfect coat of the eponymous paint quickly and easily – just undercoat your models with Chaos Black spray as normal and then, once it has dried, let rip with your can of Leadbelcher, before washing and highlighting as usual.

Made with metallic models in mind, this spray would be ideal for basecoating the new Ironstrider, not to mention Grey Knights, Necrons, Imperial Knights, Iron Warriors, Dwarfs and anything else of the heavily-armoured variety.

Left: Leadbelcher in all its glory. Just remember to shake well before use.

Right: A Necron Warrior basecoated with Leadbelcher spray. Loads of miniatures would benefit from this basecoat, including Grey Knights, Imperial Knights and most Dwarfs.

By Ben Counter
Hardback | 336 pages

The Necrons’ great war machine, the World Engine, must be stopped whatever the cost.

As the Necrons scour the Vidar Sector, killing world after world with the power of the World Engine – a planet-sized weapon capable of scouring all life from a world – the Imperium scrambles to halt them. The stage is set for an epic battle between the Astral Knights Chapter and the Necron Legions of Borsis.

Throughout The World Engine, Ben Counter’s flair for brutal battles comes to the fore, as we get a blow-by-blow account of the Astral Knights’ heroic efforts to destroy the World Engine (they crash their Battle Barge into it for starters). Each chapter in the book is given from a different perspective, so they coalesce into a whole narrative. It’s an interesting way to tell a story and it pays off superbly.

This week Ghostmaker is being reissued. This iconic paperback is the second instalment in the long-running Gaunt’s Ghosts series. These are must-read novels that give you an unequalled view into life on the frontlines of the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. Check it out.

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

From the White Dwarf Team
236 pages

Behold, the blood-soaked scions of Khorne are unleashed upon the world to claim skulls for their god.

This week the world trembles with the coming of the Daemons of the Blood God, as Warhammer: Visions presents a round-up of the latest releases, including the Bloodthirster and Skullreapers for Warhammer, and the Daemonkin for Warhammer 40,000.

This issue also includes a stunning Daemons of Chaos horde in Army of the Month, a gallery of gorgeous Warhammer 40,000 vehicles, more than 50 pages of Golden Demon, Readers Parade Ground and more. Feast your eyes.

Warhammer: Visions is available in print from Games Workshop stores, independent stockists and newsstands, and in an enhanced digital edition for iPad. For more information, visit the App Store.

Forge World make highly-detailed resin models, upgrade packs, large-scale kits and books for the worlds of Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and the Horus Heresy. This week’s offerings are the blade-fisted Auxilia Ogryn Charonite Squad.

Armoured, angry and impervious to pain, the Ogryn Charonites are the perfect shock-troops for the Solar Auxilia, their piston-driven claws more than capable of tearing apart a Traitor Space Marine.

During the Age of Strife, the abhumans known as Ogryns were experimented on by twisted scientists, biochemically and cybernetically altered to make them into frenzied killing machines. Though widely condemned by the Tech-Priests of Mars, the Solar Auxilia continued to create new Charonites, their size, resilience and ferocity much-needed during the dark days of the Horus Heresy.

Like the Solar Auxilia they fight alongside, the Ogryn Charonites wear suits of functional void armour designed for living and fighting in the depths of space. Far larger than the suits worn by regular troopers, the shoulders are reinforced with steel beams that enable the Charonites to barge through enemy troopers and smash through doors and walls. The steel frame also protects the Charonite’s life support systems and the hydraulic pump that powers the Ogryn’s claws. This resin kit includes six of these brutal close-combat implements – two each of blades, clamps and saws – which can be fitted to any of the three Ogryn Charonite bodies. There are also two heads for the unit leader, one with the face mask closed, the other open to reveal his enraged face.

These kits and the rest of the Forge World range are available directly from Forge World. To find out more visit:
www.forgeworld.co.uk

The forge worlds of the Imperium are home to the Skitarii Legions, the vast military wing of the Adeptus Mechanicus. When called to war they march without pause, fight without sleep and die without regret, expendable cogs in the eternal Quest for Knowledge.

To fully understand the purpose of the Skitarii, you must first learn of the Adeptus Mechanicus, their technocratic masters.

Thousands of years ago, before the birth of the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus – then the Mechanicum – ruled the world of Mars. As fabricators and scientists they were beyond peer and their knowledge and understanding of the galaxy was phenomenal. Then came the Age of Strife. Millennia of constant warfare took its toll on Humanity; what was created was destroyed, what was learnt was forgotten and Mankind’s understanding of the universe regressed. In a nightmare galaxy, beset on all sides, the human race was on the brink of extinction.

Such a destructive course could not be allowed to continue and the Martians turned their attention to the preservation of Humanity. Beseeching their Machine God, they realised a concerted effort had to be made to reclaim what was lost, to discover what had been forgotten and to learn everything there was to know about the universe and put that information to practical use. Buoyed on by the emergence of the Emperor and the subsequent reunification with Terra, the Tech-Priests of Mars took to the stars with what little they knew and set out on their Quest for Knowledge.

For knowledge is power.

THE NOOSPHERE

Unique to the Adeptus Mechanicus is the noosphere, a form of communication that, much like a data cloud, shares information. Appearing as a ghostly aura of data static around the Skitarii cohorts, an individual Skitarius can use their cranial data-tethers to upload battlefield information to the noosphere, where it will be assimilated by the gestalt consciousness of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

THE SKITARII LEGIONS

At the forefront of the Quest for Knowledge march the Skitarii, the martial wing of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Hailing from thousands of forge worlds across the galaxy, it is their duty to reclaim lost technology and discover new information about the galaxy for their Tech-Priest masters. In some cases this involves little more than escorting a Tech-Priest to a long-lost data repository to collect information. More often than not, entire legions – numbering millions of Skitarii – are sent out into the galaxy to further the knowledge (and therefore power) of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Every battle they fight yields data, every world they claim becomes a resource to be exploited and every scrap of ancient technology they recover a cause for celebration on Mars.

STANDARD TEMPLATE CONSTRUCTS

Standard Template Constructs (STCs for short) were created during the Dark Age of Technology, powerful computers with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all human endeavours. As Mankind spread throughout the stars, they took the STCs with them, enabling Humanity to establish new colonies with the same level of technology as Terra. Yet within ten millennia, many of the STCs had been destroyed or lost in countless wars, including those still on Terra and Mars. Those that remained were broken, incomplete or corrupted beyond use, their secrets lost forever. The Adeptus Mechanicus are ever-vigilant for these STC fragments, going to extraordinary lengths to recover even a single blueprint from one.

BECOMING SKITARIUS

The ranks of the Skitarii are filled with warriors from many different backgrounds. Some are little more than criminals, others are cloned simply to fight and die in the pursuit of knowledge. Some are feral warriors or hive gangers, upgraded and enhanced, others are hab-workers, factory labourers or simply people in the wrong place at the wrong time, press-ganged into service. An intense regime of psycho-indoctrination ensures obedience and loyalty, followed by significant cranial implants that stymie creativity and imagination and promote logic, swift cogitation and an unquenchable desire to serve the Machine God. These are just the first of many changes that make the Skitarii both more and less than human.

The teachings of the Adeptus Mechanicus state that a man is only worth as much as he knows and that his body is merely a repository for that knowledge. By that extension, should parts of him prove weak and ineffective, they should be replaced with something more suitable for the acquisition, absorption and storage of information; something mechanical. The first physical modification is the amputation of the legs below the knee, whether the surgery is required or not. Some claim this is a tradition – almost a religious observance – that traces its roots back to the first settlers on Mars who, it’s said, ground their limbs to stumps on the rocky dunes of the red planet. More likely it’s out of necessity, for the forge worlds where the Skitarii are stationed are so polluted and steeped in radiation that contact with the ground is virtually a death sentence. Instead, they march to war on titanium limbs that can be replaced when worn out and repaired quickly when broken. High attrition rates ensure there’s never a shortage of spare parts.

Then they have their eyelids removed. Like many of the bizarre practices of the Adeptus Mechanicus, there’s a method to the madness. The Skitarii are the eyes and ears of the Adeptus Mechanicus and must remain ever-vigilant for important data. Because all information is important to their Tech-Priest masters, their eyes must remain open at all times. Fortunately, blinking is an inconvenience easily solved. Following the removal of their eyelids, they are gifted with ocular augmetics filled with blessed salves that protect their eyes from the detritus of battle and the constant pollution of their home worlds.

A Skitarius may be augmented many times throughout his life, constantly ‘upgraded’ due to injury or out of necessity. The greatest honour is to reach the Crux Mechanicus, the point where a Skitarius becomes more machine than man, a true sign of the Omnissiah’s blessing. Those that reach this point invariably become Skitarii Alphas, or even an Alpha Primus, leading whole maniples of Skitarii to war.

STANDARD TEMPLATE CONSTRUCTS

Standard Template Constructs (STCs for short) were created during the Dark Age of Technology, powerful computers with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all human endeavours. As Mankind spread throughout the stars, they took the STCs with them, enabling Humanity to establish new colonies with the same level of technology as Terra. Yet within ten millennia, many of the STCs had been destroyed or lost in countless wars, including those still on Terra and Mars. Those that remained were broken, incomplete or corrupted beyond use, their secrets lost forever. The Adeptus Mechanicus are ever-vigilant for these STC fragments, going to extraordinary lengths to recover even a single blueprint from one.

THE UNSEEN MANIPULATORS

Skitarii cohorts are rarely accompanied by their Tech-Priest overseers when they march to war. Instead, their masters remain aboard their explorator vessels, not for their own safety, but so they can experience the full panoply of war through the senses of their troops and adjust their actions accordingly. As the noosphere swells with battlefield data, lexmechanics and logisticians rationalise the information and calculate new statistics, probabilities and forecasts, which are then turned into tactics and manoeuvres to be uploaded and carried out by the Skitarii Legions below.

To the Skitarii, this sudden reprogramming feels like the touch of the Omnissiah himself, a holy command backed up divine guidance. Spurred on, they will carry out their task to the letter, even if it leads to their own demise in the process. Misguided devotion? Perhaps. Effective? Unquestionably.

THE BLESSED RAIMENTS OF WAR

The Skitarii are frequently deployed to some of the most hazardous war zones in the galaxy, places where the soldiers of the Astra Militarum would not survive and where the deployment of the Adeptus Astartes would seem like a terrible waste.

Though not as heavily armoured as a Space Marine, the Skitarii are, nonetheless, well-equipped to deal with such perilous environments.

The Skitarii war suit consists of three parts: the pressure suit, the war plate and the holy robes. The war plate, traditionally constructed from titanium, houses the warrior’s life-support systems. These include a rebreather, stim-injectors and monitors for vital signs. It also houses targeting arrays, communications equipment and a data-tether that links the Skitarius to the noosphere. The holy robes mark out the Skitarii as holy crusaders of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are also lined with lead leech-spheres that protect the wearer from radiation and harmful energies. The last, and most disturbing, of the armour components is the pressure suit worn beneath the robes and armour. A Skitarii warrior may be on active duty for months, if not years, without respite. During that time they remain in their armour, ever ready for battle. The pressure suit not only protects their mortal flesh from the caustic environments the Skitarii are subjected to, but ensures their body operates at peak efficiency during their deployment. Every ounce of bodily waste is recycled, to be fed back to the wearer intravenously or made into a greasy lubricant that’s pumped throughout the suit to preserve his waxen skin.

WEAPONS OF MARS

Following the belief that old technology is superior in every way, the weapons used by the Skitarii are often based on ancient templates and blueprints tens of thousands of years old. These include the galvanic rifle used by the Skitarii Rangers, which fires servitor-guided bullets, and the transuranic arquebus, which is capable of punching clean through the armour of a tank.

More disturbing are the weapons employed by the Skitarii Vanguard, who frequently employ plasma, radium and phosphor weapons to annihilate their foes. Though incredibly powerful, in time they will claim the life of the user, either through radiation exposure, ballistic feedback or a catastrophic meltdown.

THE MACHINE GOD’S DUE

Armed, armoured and upgraded, the Skitarii are the cogs in the well-oiled machine that is the Adeptus Mechanicus, a resource to be used and expended in the pursuit of knowledge. Utterly devoted to the Quest for Knowledge and the glory of the Omnissiah, they fight not for pride and honour, but for the future of Mankind and glorious enlightenment.

At least, that’s what they are led to believe by the Tech-Priests. What their masters truly desire may be something else entirely. For the Skitarii, such political, ethical and ecumenical considerations are beyond their station. They simply live and die to serve the Machine God.

LEGIONS OF MARS

Though often fielded in Battle Maniples, War Cohorts or even entire legions on their own, the Skitarii will often fight alongside other followers of the Cult Mechanicus, including the battle robots of the Legio Cybernetica, the vast war engines of the Centurio Ordinatus and the God-Machines of the Titan Legions.

The Skitarii have also been known to fight alongside the Astra Militarum, the Adeptus Astartes and the Adepta Sororitas when their interests converge. Their methods and motives are often considered dubious by Imperial forces, though none can deny their efficiency and determination in the crucible of war. That is, until the Tech-Priests decide they’ve got what they came for and recall their units…

FOLLOWERS OF THE CULT MECHANICUS

The Skitarii are just one faction of the Cult Mechanicus, the martial wing of an organisation that stretches the length and breadth of the galaxy. Many members of the Cult Mechanicus are noncombatants: artisans, logisticians, genetors, transmechanics and billions upon billions of indentured servitors who ensure the forge worlds, factories, war machines and starships of the Adeptus Mechanicus operate at peak efficiency. Without them, the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, indeed, the armies of the entire Imperium, would cease to function. Weapons would malfunction, war machines would topple, worlds would fall and holy crusades would grind to a halt.

It is no secret that the Adeptus Terra are both wary and grudgingly respectful of the Cult Mechanicus, for collectively it wields immense power. In reliable hands it can be used for the good of Mankind. In the wrong hands, however…

The symbol of the Cult Mechanicus is the 12-toothed cog, painted white on the left and black on the right. In the centre is a half-augmetic skull, representing the symbiosis between man and machine, the right side of the skull (classically the creative side of the human brain) replaced by less fanciful cybernetics.

THE MACHINE GOD

All members of the Cult Mechanicus worship the Machine God in one form or another. According to the Adeptus Mechanicus, knowledge is the supreme manifestation of divinity and, because the Emperor of Mankind comprehends so much, he is widely accepted by members of the Cult Mechanicus as the physical incarnation of the Machine God – the Omnissiah.

However, ‘widely accepted’ does not mean completely accepted. There are some within the Cult Mechanicus who worship the Omnissiah as a mortal prophet of the Machine God, rather than a god in his own right. To an outsider, the difference would seem inconsequential as the end result is the same; within the Cult Mechanicus it’s considered a serious religious deviation that could, one day, lead to a schism within their holy ranks.

Paint Splatter provides handy tips and stage-by-stage painting guides for the week’s key releases. This week we look at how to paint the new Skitarii, focussing on the Sydonian Dragoon, and how those techniques can be used on your other Skitarii models.

The Skitarii Legions of Mars wear a very distinctive uniform, from the red and cream robes worn by the Rangers and Vanguard to the rubberised pressure suits and oily metal armour and augmetics that sit beneath them. For Paint Splatter this week, we decided to focus on the most complex of the new models, the Sydonian Dragoon. You can use the same stages to paint the Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers, and we’ve provided a key over the page.

When painting a model such as the Sydonian Dragoon (or indeed any of the Skitarii, with their billowing cloaks) it’s usually a good idea to paint the parts of the model on the ‘inside’ first. With the Ironstrider, that usually means tackling parts like the metal first, and then the enamelled armour plates afterwards. This can help you keep painted areas clean – after all, there is nothing more annoying than getting paint on an area that was already completed (and then having to tidy it all up). Working from the inside outwards helps eliminate this completely.

Top tip: on the Sydonian Dragoon the gunner’s cloak is easy to get at, but for the Rangers and Vanguard they are a bit trickier. A good tip for them is to hold off gluing the model to its base until you have painted the inner cloak.

SKITARII TRANSFERS

The transfer sheet in the box includes all the markings you need for your Skitarii warriors.

Each Skitarii bears these markings on the bottom left of their blessed vestments. The dominant symbol is the forge world icon – for instance, the cog and skull of Mars. Beneath this sits the individual squad number. The Alphas also wear a small designator rune above their squad number, indicating the maniple to which they belong. As a mark of their status, the Alphas often also display a different form of the forge world allegiance symbol – a large skull instead of the usual cog, for instance.

When it came to the details on the Skitarii, the Studio painters made sure to use the same colours and techniques across the whole range of Skitarii models, which is why the ‘eye’ lenses on the front of the Ironstrider match those on the goggles worn by the Rangers, and the brass detailing on a radium carbine is the same as on a galvanic rifle, for instance.

Below you can see an example of a Skitarii Ranger, and a key showing which of the stages were used on each part of the model. Applying these to the Skitarii Rangers and Vanguard is simple. Just bear in mind which parts of the model you’re painting to best bring out the different textures. The suits worn by Skitarii, for instance, are of a rubbery material, designed to completely seal them in from the caustic outside atmosphere. As a result, the painters gave these suits stark grey highlights to simulate the shiny rubber material catching the light, while the wooden finish on the rifles is a simple two-stage highlight, to look like antique, varnished wood.

PAINTING SKITARII RANGERS

1 - Robes (outer)

2 - Robes (inner)

3 - Rider armour

4 - Pressure suit

5 - Blue glow

6 - Purity seal (on rear)

7 - Leather pack (on rear)

8 - Galvanic rifle

Next week: sneaking around…

The Skitarii are famed for their relentless nature in battle and the precision with which they wage war. Here we present the rules for the Skitarii Rangers, Vanguard, Ironstrider Ballistarii and Sydonian Dragoons, as well as some advice on using them in your games.

RELENTLESS ADVANCE

Both the Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers are able to march inexorably across the Martian wastes without faltering. In games this lets them manoeuvre swiftly and still maintain a constant rate of fire, even with special and heavy weapons. In your games you can use this to your advantage – while other troops must pause to fire at full effect, the Skitarii can fire on the move.

The forces of the Skitarii fight with a mechanical efficiency on the battlefield. The Vanguard form the sturdy battle line of the Skitarii Legions, a bristling wall of radium carbines and burnished helms around which the maniples form up. Their radioactive firepower can scythe down infantry in droves, enabling the Skitarii Vanguard to obliterate hordes, such as Orks and Tyranids.

The Rangers use the greater precision of their galvanic rifles to take more measured shots. Have them pick off the leaders and special weapons lurking in squads – perfect for gunning down Nobz, Sergeants and the like.

Beside these stalk the Ironstrider Ballistarii, whose autocannons and lascannons can also single out targets in squads with precision fire or knock out enemy vehicles. Use their speed to get into prime firing positions and round the flanks of enemy vehicles, and send your Sydonian Dragoons striding into enemy heavy weapon teams or vehicles, where their taser lances will wreak havoc.

ARC WEAPONS

Arc pistol
Range - 12”
S - 6
AP - 5
Type - Pistol, Haywire

Arc rifle
Range - 24”
S - 6
AP - 5
Type - Rapid Fire, Haywire

COGNIS WEAPONS

Cognis autocannon
Range - 48”
S - 7
AP - 4
Type - Heavy 2, Cognis

Cognis lascannon
Rnge - 48”
S - 9
AP - 2
Type - Heavy 1, Cognis

Cognis: When a model makes Snap Shots (including Overwatch) with a weapon that has the Cognis special rule, its Ballistic Skill is counted as being 2 instead of 1.

GALVANIC RIFLE

Galvanic Rifle
Range - 30”
S - 4
AP - 4
Type - Rapid Fire, Precision Shots

PHOSPHOR WEAPONS

Phosphor blast pistol
Range - 12”
S - 5
AP - 4
Type - Pistol, Luminagen

Phosphor serpenta
Range - 18”
S - 5
AP - 4
Type - Assault 1, Luminagen

Luminagen: A unit that suffers one or more unsaved Wounds, glancing or penetrating hits caused by a weapon with this special rule counts its cover saves as being 1 point worse than normal until the end of the phase. Furthermore, units can re-roll the dice to determine their charge range against the afflicted unit until the end of the turn.

PLASMA CALIVER

Plasma Caliver
Range - 18”
S - 7
AP - 2
Type - Assault 3, Gets Hot

RADIUM WEAPONS
Radium pistol
Range - 12”
S - 3
AP - 5
Type - Pistol, Rad Poisoning

Radium carbine
Range - 18”
S - 3
AP- 5
Type - Assault 3, Rad Poisoning

Radium jezzail
Range - 30”
S - X
AP - 5
Type - Heavy 2, Sniper, Rad Poisoning

Rad Poisoning: When firing a weapon that has this special rule, a To Wound roll of 6 causes 2 Wounds on the target unit, regardless of the target’s Toughness. Each Wound is allocated and saved against separately.

TRANSURANIC ARQUEBUS
Transuranic arquebus
Range - 60”
S - X
AP - 3
Type - Heavy 1, Sniper, Armourbane

ARC MAUL
Arc Maul
Range -
S - +2
AP - 4
Type - Melee, Concussive, Haywire

TASER WEAPONS
Taser goad
Range -
S - +2
AP -
Type - Melee, Taser

Taser lance
Range -
S - +3/+2*
AP -
Type - Melee, Joust, Taser

* Taser lances have two profiles for Strength. The first is used only on a turn in which a model charges; the second is used at all other times.

Joust: A model attacking with a weapon with this special rule doubles its Initiative characteristic on a turn in which it makes a successful charge.

Taser: When making an attack with a weapon that has this special rule, a To Hit roll of a 6 causes 2 additional hits on the target.

SKITARII WAR PLATE
Skitarii War Plate confers a 4+ Armour Save.

BROAD SPECTRUM DATA-TETHER
All models in friendly units with the Skitarii Faction that are within 6” of at least one model with a broad spectrum data-tether and are affected by a Doctrina Imperative add 1 to the Leadership characteristic on their profile until the start of your next turn. Note this is not cumulative with the effects of an enhanced data-tether.

CONVERSION FIELD
A conversion field confers a 4+ invulnerable save. At the end of a phase in which the bearer passes one or more invulnerable saves granted by the conversion field, all units within D6” of the bearer must test as if they had been hit by a weapon with the Blind special rule. Friendly units can re-roll this test.

DIGITAL WEAPONS
A model armed with digital weapons can re-roll a single failed roll To Wound in each Assault phase.

ENHANCED TETHER
Whenever a unit with an enhanced data-tether is affected by a Doctrina Imperative, all models in the unit add 1 to the Leadership characteristic on their profile until the start of your next turn. Note this is not cumulative with the effects of a broad spectrum data-tether (see above).

OMNISPEX
Cover saves taken against attacks made by a unit that contains at least one model equipped with an omnispex are made with a -1 modifier.

REFRACTOR FIELD
A refractor field confers a 5+ invulnerable save.

WARGEAR LIST

RANGED WEAPONS
A model may replace its ranged weapon with one of the following:
- Phosphor blast pistol - 5 pts
- Radium pistol - 5 pts
- Arc pistol - 10 pts

MELEE WEAPONS
A model may take one of the following:
- Taser goad - 10 pts
- Power sword - 15 pts
- Arc maul - 20 pts

SPECIAL WEAPONS
A model may replace its ranged weapon with one of the following:
- Arc rifle - 15 pts
- Transuranic arquebus - 25 pts
- Plasma caliver - 30 pts

SPECIAL ISSUE WARGEAR
A model may take any of the following:
- Refractor field - 5 pts
- Conversion field(1) - 10 pts
- Digital weapons - 10 pts

(1)May not be taken by a model equipped with a refractor field.

The Vanguard of the Skitarii cohorts are feared throughout the Imperium, for they use the baleful energies of the forge worlds as their weapon. Equipped with pack generators that bleed potent energy by-products, these Omnissian martyrs are so saturated in radiation that even to approach them is to succumb to their peculiar curse. Their baroque carbines fill the air around the foe with harmful emanations, corrupting the atmosphere itself even as they punch hyper-irradiated shot into the flesh of their victims. Should their foes survive the worst of the shooting, critical levels of rad-poisoning may still be achieved by the very proximity of the Skitarii Vanguard, who will look on in silent interest as an enemy that thought the worst was over stumbles, chokes, and dies.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Skitarii war plate
Radium carbine

SPECIAL RULES:
Doctrina Imperatives
Feel No Pain (6+)
Relentless

Rad-saturation: While a unit is locked in combat with one or more models with this special rule all models in that unit subtract 1 from their Toughness (to a minimum of 1).

OPTIONS:
May include up to five additional Skitarii Vanguard - 9 pts/model

The Vanguard Alpha may take items from the Ranged Weapons, Melee Weapons, Special Issue Wargear and Relics of Mars lists.

One Skitarii Vanguard may carry one of the following:
Enhanced data-tether - 5 pts
Omnispex - 10 pts

Up to two other Skitarii Vanguard may replace their radium carbines with one item from the Special Weapons list.

If the squad numbers ten models, one additional Skitarii Vanguard may replace his radium carbine with one item from the Special Weapons list.

Where the Tech-Priests are hunters of knowledge, their Skitarii Rangers are hunters of sentient creatures – the enemies of the Omnissiah in particular. These unstoppable cyborgs do not rest until the bloody deed is done, for they are driven ever onward by the imperative to locate their foes and ensure their destruction. They do this not in Drop Pod strikes launched from above, nor by sudden teleportation into the midst of the enemy, but by stalking their quarry over the course of weeks or even months until it can run no more. Once the designated target is in their crosshairs the air fills with the thump and crackle of galvanic weaponry, even as the Skitarii continue their relentless advance. The stink of electrocuted corpses is never far behind.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Skitarii war plate
Galvanic rifle

SPECIAL RULES:
Doctrina Imperatives
Feel No Pain (6+)
Move Through Cover
Relentless

OPTIONS:
May include up to five additional Skitarii Rangers - 11 pts/model

The Ranger Alpha may take items from the Ranged Weapons, Melee Weapons, Special Issue Wargear and Relics of Mars lists.

One Skitarii Ranger may carry one of the following:
Enhanced data-tether - 5 pts
Omnispex - 10 pts

Up to two other Skitarii Rangers may replace their galvanic rifles with one item from the Special Weapons list.

If the squad numbers ten models, one additional Skitarii Ranger may replace his galvanic rifle with one item from the Special Weapons list.

To witness the charge of the Sydonian Dragoons is to see the genius of the Tech-Priests made real. The ground shakes with the pounding of Ironstrider engines thundering forth at full speed, and crackling trails of electricity fill the air with the scent of ozone. Behind each Dragoon, robes flutter and umbilical cables writhe in the incense-scented mist.

When these mighty contraptions burst from their shrouding fogs, they strike like a spear cast by the Machine God himself. These fearless cavaliers thunder through enemy fire to plunge lance-first into the thick of the enemy’s ranks, the pent-up energies of their taser weaponry blasting the foe back in a blazing storm of sparks. Those foolish enough to mount a counter-assault are kicked across the battlefield or stamped unceremoniously into the dirt by the Ironstrider engine the Dragoon rides to war. Shouting praise to the Omnissiah, the mechanical knight kicks away the blackened corpses of his victims, already wheeling his steed in search of fresh prey.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Taser lance
Broad spectrum data-tether
Searchlight

SPECIAL RULES:
Crusader
Doctrina Imperatives
Dunestrider Incense Cloud: A model with this special rule counts as obscured, receiving a 5+ cover save.

OPTIONS:
May include up to five additional Sydonian Dragoons - 45 pts/model
Any model may replace its taser lance with a radium jezzail - free
Any model may take a phosphor serpenta - 10 pts/model

DUNESTRIDER

A unit with this special rule adds 3” to its maximum move distance when it moves in the Movement phase, when it Runs and when it makes charge moves.

Ironstrider Ballistarii are peerless marksmen. Stalking at the fringes of each Skitarii maniple, the Ballistarii hunt down enemy commanders and spiritual leaders, knowing that to slay such individuals is an efficient way to degrade the enemy’s operative capabilities. Equally capable of disabling the war engines of the enemy, these unmatched riflemen will trample down those who block their passage until they have the perfect vantage point for their shot. They are truly indefatigable foes, relentless in pursuit of the perfect ranged kill. Given the extensive data the Adeptus Mechanicus keep on the flaws of every species and war construct they have encountered, it is small wonder the Ballistarii achieve such feats of marksmanship upon every battlefield they stride.

Double tap image for a full screen preview.

WARGEAR:
Twin-linked cognis autocannon
Broad spectrum data-tether
Searchlight

SPECIAL RULES:
Crusader
Doctrina Imperatives
Dunestrider
Precision Shots

OPTIONS:
May include up to five additional Ironstrider Ballistarii - 55 pts/model
Any model may replace its twin-linked cognis autocannon with a twin-linked cognis lascannon - 20 pts/model

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 the Skitarii Rangers and Vanguard, miraculous technology and something blue.

THE WARGEAR OF THE SKITARII RANGERS

The wargear of the Adeptus Mechanicus is unusual in its complexity, designed to keep the Skitarii warriors alive in the harshest of environments. Here is a breakdown of the kit they are equipped with, and what it’s for:

1 - Light sensor and data-recorder: captures data for upload to the Skitarii’s Tech-Priest overseers.

2 - Armoured carapace. Designed to be worn for years at a time.

3 - Adeptus Mechanicus seal, covering power hub.

4 - Galvanic rifle. Fires advanced servitor bullets. Galvanic force causes the potential energy of the target to burn out in a blast of electric force.

5 - Enhanced rebreather.

6 - Pressure suit. This rubberised suit keeps the hostile elements out, and traps and reuses all bodily secretions.

7 - Augmetic legs for traversing rad-deserts.

8 - Data-tether for information transfer.

9 - Air filtration unit for scrubbing airborne toxins. Also stores limited air supplies.

10 - Suit data and rad-dials, to be read and adjusted by squad-mates.

11 - Hand-held gauge for recording and assessing environmental threats.

12 - Umbilical for power recharge.

13 - Holy robes, lined with leech-spheres.

14 - Rad-censer for detecting rad-zones.

EXPLORATORS

FLEETS OF DISCOVERY

The Adeptus Mechanicus have always been at the forefront of exploration and discovery within the burgeoning Imperium, advancing side-by-side with (and sometimes ahead of) the Crusade Fleets that set off from ancient Terra.

The principle concern of these Explorator Fleets is the rediscovery of lost technology, and the Adeptus Mechanicus will react swiftly and in great force at the slightest hint or rumour that some lost relic of Humanity’s past has been rediscovered on some backwater planet or lost world. In the past this has caused friction between the branches of the Imperium. An encounter with the Adeptus Mechanicus set the Soul Drinkers Chapter on their collision course with heresy, and the Blood Drinkers and Novamarines found themselves facing similar threats during the events surrounding the space hulk Death of Integrity.

These Explorator Fleets include hundreds of vessels, some of which are among the largest in the Imperium, and boast armies of hundreds of thousands of Skitarii.

The Skitarii have been a part of the Warhammer 40,000 background for decades, yet up until now there have never been miniatures to represent them on the battlefields of the 41st millennium. We interrogated a mysterious cowled design-servitor about them…

The Skitarii are pretty high-tech for human warriors, combining numerous augmetics and advanced wargear with unfathomable technology. From the description you’d imagine they were super-elite, elegant cyber-warriors of the future, yet their appearance completely contradicts that.

The Adeptus Mechanicus revere old technology and ancient wargear, which is why their equipment looks anachronistic, like it’s something from our past, not the far future. They’ve got leather covers on their backpacks, snaking pipes and cables, gas mask-like rebreathers, blocky hand-held gauges and rifles with wooden stocks. Even their war plate looks old, like a cross between ancient chevalier armour and a brass diving suit. This is all intended to convey the inhumanity of the Skitarii, which is why most of them wear helmets or hoods, and why their eyes are covered by goggles. You assume, because of their physical shape, that they’re human, but they’re really not; not any more. That’s echoed by their wargear, all of it horrific in nature. They kill you with radiation, depleted transuranium rounds, burning phosphor and guns that fire arcs of lightning. It’s grim technology, entirely unwholesome. You’d rather be shot by a bolter. At least that way it’s a quick death.

INFLUENCE OF MARS

Though we’ve never seen the Skitarii before, you’ll recognise some of their design elements from miniatures that precede them. The spiked fleur-de-lys they wear is a common motif on the Militarum Tempestus Scions, while the design of their armour is reminiscent of that worn by Enginseers and Techmarines. Even the organic bone-like shape of the Ironstrider’s legs is familiar – just take a look at the Imperial Knight.

Notes from the worlds of Warhammer.
This week: forge worlds.

AGRIPINAA
Sited perilously close to the Eye of Terror, Agripinaa finds itself on a constant war footing as the forces sworn to the Dark Gods seek to plunder its incredible secrets. Obliterator Cults, Traitor Legions and Daemon Engines have all tried and failed to successfully invade it. The ground, once golden, is now scarred and ruined, but Agripinaa remains inviolate.

RYZA
Most famous for manufacturing containment fields and plasma weaponry, Ryza has become embroiled in a long and grinding war against not one Ork Waaagh!, but two. As Waaagh! Grax and Waaagh! Rarguts batter against its impenetrable manufactoria, the Adeptus Mechanicus overseers revel in witnessing the supremacy of their creations first-hand.

METALICA
A world stripped barren of all plant life, Forge World Metalica is, perhaps ironically, known as the Gleaming Giant of the Ultima Segmentum. It is a world of endless clamour, the tin of industry ringing out night and day across skies clogged and choked by vile pollutants. It is also famed for the ferocity of its Skitarii legions and the mighty Titan Legio Metalica who make their home there. Known as the Iron Skulls, the Legion Metalica are perhaps the best known of their kind anywhere in the galaxy.

LUCIUS
A hollow world with a giant fusion reactor set at its heart, Lucius is an impossibly strange planet. The core of the world gives it an almost limitless supply of energy, something that has kept it at the forefront of innovation among its sister worlds.

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 DO THE WINGS COME FROM?

Hello Grombrindal, I wonder if you can help. In my quest to find the answer I have journeyed to my local Games Workshop store, interrogated the internet and, quite frankly, you are my last hope. I want to recreate the Sven Bloodhowl miniature in Companies of Fenris, but I can’t work out where the jump pack is from. Can you use your connections to find out for me?

- David Dophied

GROMBRINDAL SAYS

I’ve always rather liked Sven, and I also appreciate a supplicant who has quested for his answers, so I shall assist you. The model in question is a conversion, based primarily on the Space Marine Captain: Lord Executioner. The major difference is that the skulls on the side of his jump pack have been snipped away and replaced by wolf head icons plundered from the spares you get left over when you make a Stormfang Gunship (the diamond backing is cut away).

- Grombrindal

Aaron Hawthorn sent us this picture of his Ahriman miniature, which was actually painted for him by his friend Dan Withers. Dan has painted the most notorious of Thousand Sons in a subtly different way to the model in the Studio collection, with clean white robes and sinister red eyes looking out from the slit in his golden helm (and another, reminiscent of the Eye of Horus, set into the staff). Our favourite thing about this model is how Dan has mounted it on a rocky outcrop – as if Ahriman is brandishing his sorcerous staff above the heads of his assembled followers, or perhaps the ranks of the foe.

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 miserable, sulking Blue Horrors of Tzeentch are found in the Flaming Chariot of Tzeentch kit. These glum Daemons also make great extras to spread about in your Daemons of Chaos army, ideal for accompanying Heralds and Daemon Princes into battle.

Warhammer: Visions 15 goes on sale this week and those of you with the Warhammer App on your iOS devices can look forward to a free preview of the forthcoming issue. Keep your eyes peeled for it this week! The Warhammer App is available for iPad and iPhone and is completely free from the Apple App Store. It’s your source for all the latest news from White Dwarf, Black Library, Forge World and everything else from the wonderful world of Games Workshop.

The new Martian Ironearth paint is perfect for painting the arid deserts of Mars (or infernal hellscapes of Khorne for that matter). Here’s how:

1. Paint it onto your base. Ours was undercoated with Chaos Black.

2. Once painted, the surface will look like this.

3. Leave it to dry, until the paint is cracked and split and is completely dry to the touch.

4. Finally, you can highlight it with a light drybrush of Kindleflame.

Sunfang is the ancestral weapon wielded in battle by Prince Tyrion of Ulthuan, a formidable magical blade fashioned in the time of Aenarion. Legend tells how the sword was forged by none other than Caledor Dragontamer, Aenarion’s closest ally and one of the greatest heroes of the Elven race, and he in turn passed it on to the Defender, that he might drive back the Daemons assailing Ulthuan. For a time Sunfang served well, until it was discarded for the cursed Widowmaker.

History, it seems was doomed to repeat itself as Prince Tyrion, too, took up Sunfang and with it won many great battles for his people. Like his famous ancestor he too set it aside for the Widowmaker, an ill-fated sword for an ill-fated time. Unlike the great Aenarion, however, Tyrion would return from the brink of insanity, and take up glorious Sunfang once again.

The Deathskull horde of Big Mek Blagnutz brought their impressive firepower and questionable concept of ownership to the war for Kavardia, where Blagnutz’s inspired leadership saw them attack dozens of different foes, almost at random and (unfortunately for the Orks) often ending in defeat.

After a particularly crushing defeat against a Space Wolves force, the miraculously unharmed Big Mek was forced to throw his lot in with a surprising ally, Overlord Agdabekh of the Oroskh Dynasty. Though unimpressed at the Necron’s manner, and the unnerving silence with which his legions marched to war, Blagnutz and his lads at last found a modicum of success and an occasional victory. In spite of their alliance, and the chance for loot that it gave Blagnutz and his lads, his remaining boyz looked on their metallic allies with suspicion, though more than one had his eye on a set of shiny super-kickin’ legs – a Deathskull can’t change his face paint...

Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2015 excepting all materials pertaining to the New Line theatrical productions: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES which are © 2015 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s15)

All quotations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary trilogy The Lord of the Rings (including any of the volumes thereof) © The Tolkien Estate 1954-55, 1966.

Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, ’Eavy Metal, Citadel and the Citadel device are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2015, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. All Rights Reserved.

Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, GW, Citadel, the Citadel device, Citadel Finecast, Warhammer, Warhammer logo, Warhammer Armies, The Game of Fantasy Battles, the twin-tailed comet device, Warhammer 40,000, the Warhammer 40,000 logo, 40K, 40,000, the double-headed eagle/Aquila design, White Dwarf and all associated marks, logos, names, places, characters, creatures, races and race insignia, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world and Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, ™ and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2015 variably registered around the world. All Rights Reserved.

Please be aware that Games Workshop products are usually sold unpainted and unassembled and the contents of any products may vary from those shown herein (for example, any banners shown may not necessarily be included). Pictures are used for illustrative purposes only. In accordance with national laws, Games Workshop is prohibited from selling spray paints and bladed equipment to certain age groups. Further, certain Citadel products may be dangerous if used incorrectly and Games Workshop does not recommend them for use by children under the age of 16 without adult supervision. Whatever your age, be careful when using glues, bladed equipment and sprays and make sure that you read and follow the instructions on the packaging. Prices correct at time of going to press. Customers are advised to contact Games Workshop for current availability and current Games Workshop prices. Prices quoted are for products sold by Games Workshop through its own stores, catalogue or website. Independent retailers are responsible for determining their own prices.

Editor: Jes Bickham. Publisher: Paul Lyons

Produced by the White Dwarf Team

Email: team@whitedwarf.co.uk

Printed by Artisan Press Limited in the UK.

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

Registered in England and Wales
– Company No. 01467092.

ISSN 2055-2653

Product code: 60659999061