As a bit of fun, and because we’re just a couple of days away from the release of Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition, I have put together two new name generators to help you do just that – generate some names. As well as the Primaris Marine Chapter Name Generator, there’s a Death Guard War Band Name Generator too – how’s that for a slice of fried adamantium?!
Let’s start off with the “Good” guys; The Primaris Marines. Now of course, you can add these hulking, super-sized killing machines to any existing chapter, from Blood Angels to Space Wolves, from Nova Marines to Howling Griffins, but if you’re one of the people thinking about collecting a brand new chapter, made purely of Primaris Marines, you can do that too. And that’s where this name generator comes in. As with before in the classic marine variant, you take your initials to get your chapter name. Here’s it is:
Now, I’ll come clean, there are some repetitions in there from the original because some of the more high-scoring-in-scrabble letters just don’t have that many useful words. You shouldn’t get something completely the same, but if you do, try using your middle initial, or the name of a loved one instead. As my initials are JRA, I would be the ‘Jade Avengers’ but if I wanted to change things up a little, I could always switch to ‘Jade Redeemers’ or ‘Revenant Avengers’. What did you get? And how do you like it?
And now for the really fun one; the Nurgle Name Generator. If you’re starting a new Nurgle marine force and you don’t want to go with the Death Guard or any of the other existing War Bands that venerate the generous Grandfather, here’s a war band name generator for you:
Sorry to all the Dave Greens in this world – you’re stuck with it. It was so much fun coming up with this one. All those lovely, plague-ridden words. Everything should sound gribbly, rotten, horrible and gross. In this iteration, I would be building the ‘Jagged Afflicters’ War Band, but if I wasn’t too happy with that (I am – I may well work on those soon!), then I could go with The ‘Jagged Rot’ or even ‘Rusting Afflicters’. How about you? Have you found something suitably gross and disgusting?
I hope you had fun with those – I certainly enjoyed making them. And it definitely helped me stave off the ravenous hunger I have to get hold of the 8th Box set. Speaking of which, I’m likely picking it up on Sunday, but will do a review for it here next week. Onwards!
=][=
Update: The very clever and talented Dan at Ritual Miniatures has created a far prettier and slightly more randomised version of these Name Generators over at his site. Check out his name generator now!
It’s getting closer. Are you looking forward to it? Am I? You know I am. Yes, Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition is just a few days away from landing on the shelves, and I for one am excited. Not only that, I feel that I already know so much about the game, that I’m genuinely eager to play it. And that’s what I want to talk about now – the benefits of knowing a game before you play it.
Think about it like this; You’re new to a country or community and one day your friends invite you to play a game. It’s a local game called, I dunno, ‘Dooperball’. You like playing games and meeting people, so you agree to come along. When you get there, you find that Dooperball looks like a bizarre combination of Rugby, Monopoly, Chess and Water Polo. There are a billion and one things going on and you have no idea what any of them are. You give it a go, and make a lot of mistakes but you carry on. And then, a couple of years later, when you’ve got your head around playing Dooperball, your mate says ‘We’ve updated Dooperball’s rules!’ and everyone else has read them except you, and you find out that it’s more of a cross between American Football, Scrabble, Checkers and Synchronised Swimming. Similar, but different, and it feels like you’re learning it all over again, and by the time you master it, another new set of rules come out.
That’s what Warhammer 40,000 used to be like. You’d get good, get your army list set how you liked it, and then a new edition (or even just a new codex) would come out and change all of that. Well, no more.
In yet another example of GW opening up and talking to their fans and the community is the fact that 8th Edition has been play tested by external players who have a better understanding of what the people want. And on top of that, we heard all about it long before release. Articles about each faction, interviews with designers and a steady stream of information about all the changes have allowed us to ready ourselves and, dare I say it, look forward to the changes to come. You can even go into your local GW store and have a game right now! It’s like we’re goldfish and, very thoughtfully, they left us in the bag before tipping us into the tank, allowing us time to adjust and not suffer a goldfish-heart-attack (or whatever happens to them).
And of course, just as Rogue Trader borrowed from Oldhammer Fantasy way back when, 40k 8th has borrowed heavily from AoS. I won’t profess to being an expert in AoS having only played a handful of games, but it’s a much better system for someone like me in comparison to the old WFB system. And what’s more, it hasn’t made it like for like – there are some subtle differences that very much retain the feel of 40k, and 8th Ed looks like it’s taken the very best bits of AoS that make the game genuinely fun and enjoyable to play, while still keeping it challenging. This is not AoS – It’s 40k that nods to a system that has surprised many by how popular it is.
On top of all of that, Games Workshop has been working with other content producers to help get the word out there, while using its own Twitch channel to further give people plenty of insight. At the moment, I’m loving watching the guys from MiniWarGaming get to grips with their factions and test out the games. We’re getting some insight into tactics, but not the full breakdown – it’s revealing while still being enticing. It’s a classic marketing tactic and I’m thrilled that GW are using it, because my interest is growing with every round of gaming that I see.
Now I’ll confess; 7th Ed passed me by. I got in a couple of games, but I didn’t play nearly as often as I did with 6th, or even 5th. I just never had the desperate urge to play it. But now, I’m actually thinking that I could become much more of a gamer. I might even push myself to enter a tournament at some point. I’m not coming into this like a Dooperball noob – I already feel like I know pretty much what I’ll be playing, and I’ve got the basic rules lodged in my head. And that is a nice feeling.
So here is my declaration to you – I will be playing more games of 40k this edition, and any that I do play, you’ll hear about here. And GW deserve a lot of credit for that pledge and attitude because of their own attitude. The openness is refreshing, and it’s got me very excited for the new edition. And that seems ti be true for many – not all of course, and many have their gripes, both legitimate concerns and not. To those people, I would urge them to wait and see – I think it’s going to be a good game. And if you hate it, no-one’s stopping you from playing 7th. But I, for one, can’t wait. With excitement; Onwards!
Yes, I am taking a break from 40k, albeit a brief one, because I am getting into Blood Bowl again with my Orc team – Da Mighty Redz. In an homage to old-school basing practices, and my beloved Liverpool FC, this team will soon be taking to the pitch, and I even hope to get a couple of tournaments under my belt by the end of the year. So let’s meet the players…
Only four players have passed through the paintbrush process so far, but I was happy enough that I wanted to show them off. Two linemen and two throwers are ready to take the field, and I’m very happy with them so far.
Starting from the bottom, yes, those are goblin green bases. Well, Skarsnik Green (as it is these days) to be exact, but it’s as close as I’m going to get. It suits the “field of play” look that a Blood Bowl team should to have, and is gloriously retro to boot. I’ve been able to use flock again for the first time in years, and there are a few rocks on those bases too – well, this is an orc pitch. To them, the rocks just make the game more fun.
Their bases also feature their names; Brute Goblar, Hip-Prya, Stabya Lonzo and Burnz. For those of you who don’t get the references, that’s Bruce Grobbelaar, Sami Hyypia, Xabi Alonso and John Barnes – a selection of my footballing heroes. The rest will have equally orc-y monikers too.
So of course, they have a red strip (well, the armour is red), and their kit sponsor is Orcidas. Their team badge is a flaming torch, and they all feature their numbers – the same as those of their name-inspiring Liverpool players. Goblar even has “YNWA” painted on his chest plate, but rather than standing for “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, it stands for the far more orc-appropriate “Yu’ll Neva Walk Again”.
I didn’t know how I’d feel about there being two of each model in this team, but I’ve found that with some minor mods, and a few change ups in the paint jobs, that this isn’t an issue. As someone who briefly played American Football, a uniformity in stances is actually a good thing. What’s more, I like my Orcs being different shades of green. It really does help to give them each an individual look.
And finally, I wanted to show these guys off against my old Dark Elf team. These particular Dark Elves were only painted (by me) perhaps four years ago (too many models have passed over my painting table since then to recall exactly) but you can see how far I’ve come since then. At least I hope you can – I can and that’s what’s important. Not only that, but it gives you an idea of how much larger and more impressive the new models are. I can’t wait to see the Elven Union team and, dare I dream, a Dark Elf team in the future too.
That’s your lot for now. More Scouse Orcs (Scorcs?) to come in the near future. But for now, that’s all on my models.
-=-=-=-
On a sadder note, I just wanted to pay my own little tribute to Alan Bligh who unfortunately passed away a few days ago. I had the privilege of meeting him on more than one occasion at Forge World Open Days and other GW events, and he was such a nice person, and a genuine fan of the game as well. He was funny too – some of his Q&A answers at the Warhammer Fest I attended a couple of years back had the room in stitches.
For me, his work on the Badab War books was a glorious achievement. I read those two hefty tomes from cover to cover and loved every word of it. Thanks for that, Alan.
So, a new day is dawning on the 41st Millennium and all those power lists, death stars and WAAC tactics are going to be knocked out of the park by the nerf bat of newhammer. But if I know one thing about this community, it’s that there is an element within our ranks who, within hours of the new game’s release, will have worked out exactly how to crush everything in their path.
The rules may change, but the game’s the same and with all those math-hammer freaks and keyword and rules stackers out there, you can be sure of seeing something “broken” very early on. Of course, GW has vowed to respond to these sorts of things with a little more alacrity than it has done before, but the serious player, in the words of the immortal Jeff Goldblum (no, he actually is immortal – I checked), finds a way. I get all this. It’s part of the game. I just want to see some cool, fluffy units get their turn in the limelight.
With all that in mind, here are my Top 10 units that I want to see performing better in 8th Ed. The units that have for too long lived in the backs of draws and the bottom levels of carry cases. The units that are reserved purely for ‘fluffy’ lists. And even some of the units that were perfectly alright. in 7th, but just a bit underwhelming. Let’s take a look at the list…
Gorka/Morkanaut
When these leviathans were released, Ork players were enraptured to see their beleaguered army get something big and stompy that could match the giants that other armies were enjoying. Alas, all of that excitement was for naut (get it?) and as cool and orky as they looked, the rules just didn’t back up the looks. It was a little too slow, not quite tough enough, and for a horde army, a transport capacity of 6 wasn’t ideal. Giving it a couple extra wounds, and doing some fun things with its weaponry meansthere’s no reason why this couldn’t be a star of 8th Ed.
Noise Marines
Well, well, if it ain’t my favourite broken record. I know, I bang on about my favourite ever unit ever a little too much, but I just think that the new setup of rules and keywords and all the rest of it… there must be a way to make these guys awesome. We just got good again thanks to the traitor legions book and now the game is changing so new rules and (here comes the crescendo of that broken record) a new kit would be a joy to behold. Please, GW? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Vespids
Because this is what the whole Tau mantra is supposed to be about. It’s their bit, their gag and their gimmick – the greater good. But aside from the extremely occasional Kroot, this side of the fishface army has been largely neglected of late, and boy, are the Vespids symptomatic of this. They’re a relatively cheap unit yet they seem overcosted – that’s how bad they are. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen any on a table in real life. If the Tau are going to maintain this aspect of their identity into 8th Ed, the Vespid, and the Kroot too, need some attention.
Mutilators
Ah, the slow-witted step child of the warp. Used by absolutely no-one and I imagine routinely made fun of by their gun-toting tool-kit cousins, the Obliterators, these guys need a real helping hand. More wounds for a start, and a drop in points costs will get them some of the way there, but they also just need to be a little more interesting in general. This is a unit in real dire need of assistance.
Carnifex
I’ve said it before on this blog, but I remember when the Tyranid Carnifex, then called the Screamer Killer (yes, I’m old), was the scariest thing that anyone could put on the table. In fairness, it’s still plenty scary in 7th Ed, but it can also be cut down a little too easy with massed firepower for the points it costs. I want this chappy to return to the status of ‘nightmare tank’ again. I want it to regain its mantle as the Tyranids’ most potent, end-of-level boss-style hulk. And even with larger bugs in existence, we can just say that he suffers somewhat from short-man syndrome. Easy.
Striking Scorpions
I’m already excited about this. By far the coolest of all the aspect warriors, the Scorpions have already had their rules announced and they look awesome. In previous editions, the Eldar’s lack of assault vehicles and the preference of Howling Banshees has meant the Scorpions were relegated to fluffy lists. I’ve always been their champion, but now, I won’t have to do so much flag waving as they’ll be able to leap from Wave Serpents, chain blades whirring and madiblasters inflicting wounds a plenty. If they can get past the overwatch, they’ll be perfect for ripping down infantry units.
Chaplains
Something tells me that the Space Marines won’t be needing much more help in the new setting, but I’ve been feeling sorry for the vanilla Chaplain for a while now. For his points cost, he doesn’t add enough to an army to make him worth taking, and thanks to the big impact of the psychic phase in recent editions, Librarians are far more attractive option. Chaplains need to be a truly inspiring presence on the battlefield. How does a big bubble that negates morale tests sound?
Hunter/Stalker
I’m not sure that 8th Ed can fix these, and in fairness, they don’t actually need fixing. The problem is that they’re a risky option to take because if you’re opponent doesn’t have any flyers, they’re completely useless. But even then, Devs with flakk/skyfire are just better. Stick said Devs behind a defence line with a quad gun and you make the H/S tanks look more than a bit superfluous. Interceptor (or the new equivalent) if they don’t move? Another cool looking unit that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on the battlefield.
Maleceptors
A unit statistically more likely to hurt itself than the enemy with its fluffiest attack. I shall say no more.
Ogryns
It’s annoying, because their current rules and stats broadly fit their fluff, but when their fluff makes them out to be stupid, easily confused… what’s like one step above ‘cowards’? They should be able to punch a tank to death, but instead they have guns they can’t shoot and a toughness that is rarely tested as they draw so much fire and their poor save can rarely handle it. They have their issues. So some sort of ‘stupidly determined’ rule would help them avoid morale issues, while an extra couple of wounds could keep them alive for a lot longer.
=][=
And that’s my list. I could have gone on – there are plenty of cool units that need rules to back them up, and if you think that there is a glaring omission to this list, stick a comment below. I know that there are more than a few players praying that their favourite looking units get a boost, and it will be exciting to see what is revealed in the coming weeks. Until then; Onwards!
That’s right. You heard it here last (probably – I sincerely doubt that H&H has broken the news to you, but if it did, yay me). June 17th is the day that we’ll all be able to get our hands on the brand new rules and, excitingly, the new box set as well. In an article that will be a repeat of many of those facts with a few of my opinions thrown in, here’s what’s up…
What’s In The Box!?
Well, shockingly, there are Space Marines in the starter box (I don’t think anyone would have guessed that, do you?) and, once again, the forces of Chaos show up in the opposite corner. What is kind of new, is that we haven’t got a standard marine or tactical squad in sight. The Primaris Marines will take on the role of “goodies” this time around, and I have to say that Jes Goodwin’s newly designed Super Marines have got me itching to get the brushes out. They’ve taken the existing, much loved Space Marine template and subtly improved on that, though not in a way that invalidates the old miniatures. These are cool because they’re new and different, and not because the old ones were bad or boring (Oh, I can feel the xenos players itching to write a contradictory comment to that).
My one criticism of the loyalist force in this box is that they’ve given them a unit of five Primarines (I invented that – you read that here first) with plasma guns. I hate plasma weapons. Not only do I tend to fail more than my fair share of ‘gets hot’ rolls (and my subsequent saves) but I’m also getting slightly tired of the over-done lighting effects that are often done with them. Seriously, the OSL used with plasma is reaching ridiculous levels. But the rest of the loyalist force is looking great. Especially the lieutenants who are going to be really fun to work on. I haven’t seen a Space Marine Lieutenant in a long time so it’s good to have them back.
I’m also very excited about the Plague Marines. I’ve got an old Death Guard army somewhere (not very well painted) and these could be some damn fine reinforcements for them (though, thinking about it, the old army is so badly painted, I may as well just start afresh here). The plague cultists look like a lot of fun, the new drone isn’t quite as nice as the Forge World miniature but it still looks top notch and it’s still great to see – makes a change from a dread/brute. The Death Guard themselves look brilliant – all puss-oozing, horn-covered and disease-ridden – as it should be. The characters look like a lot of joy to paint and play with too, though I’m not a huge fan of the sorcerer – kind of has a little baby head, and unless there’s a story behind that, I’m not sold on it. He kind of looks like he needs a dummy.
Miniatures aside, we’ve got a rulebook, a couple of specific guides to the forces included, a set of templates – oh, wait, sorry; force of habit. No templates (RIP), but we do get some dice, rulers and rules cheat sheets as well. It looks like a good set, and I will definitely be getting my pre-order in on June 3rd.
Too Much To Take In
I’ve been a bit quiet on this blog for the last month, and while some of this is down to being rather busy (started a new job), I’ve also been somewhat overwhelmed. There’s been an unprecedented amount of information coming out of Nottingham over the last couple of months and with so much to take in, I’ve barely been able to get my head around the idea of writing any articles.
That’s not in any way a complaint. Don’t get me wrong; it’s amazing to be getting so much information out of GW at the moment, but with such a high level of breaking news pieces, it’s been hard to get one’s head around it all. Every time I think I’ve got the bones of an article in my head, another bit of news hits! I think ‘Wow, the Imperial Knights are going to be good. I could write and articles abou- ooh, the Tyranids are going to be top notch now, I better wri- wow, the new starter set is out…’ and it’s been like that for a month at least! Brilliant but exhausting.
So What Are The Official H&H Stances On 8th?
Well, they are pretty much all positive. I generally like what GW does, but I don’t think I’ve ever been scared to take a pop at them when GW does something I don’t like. And try as I might to find any real negatives surrounding 8th Edition, I really can’t. As was covered in a previous post, even the invalidation of codices was handled very well by Games Workshop. So here’s the official line: We (yes, I’m using the royal Imperial ‘we’) are remaining positive. To break that down a little:
Primaris Marines look cool. You don’t have to take a single one of them if you don’t but I just can’t understand why you wouldn’t want to.
The Death Guard also look cool (apart from Babyhead) and the Drone is really exciting).
The story is going in a really cool direction – Bobby G doing his thing. But what’s happened to the Blood Angels and others on the far side of the warp rift!?
The game looks easy to play, fun to play, and well thought out.
Change is good.
You should put the cream onto the scone first, and then the jam.
Jet Fuel Doesn’t Melt Steel Beams.
The word ‘queue’ is just ‘q’ with four silent letters after it.
I appear to have gone wildly off topic.
So there you have it. Whether you care or not, them’s my opinions.
What’s Next On H&H
Well, as you’ve been very good boys and girls, and suffered through another rambling and run-of-the-mill article of little substance, I’ll give you a sneak peek at what I’ve been working on over the last couple of days. It’s not 40k related, but I’m enjoying it, and I hope you like it to. 😉
More on this chap and his soon to be painted team mates soon. In the meantime, I shall be keeping my eyes fixed on the rumour sites and official channels as more of 8th Edition and the future of 40k is revealed. If anything else pops up, I will let you know. Onwards!
Finally! My Blood Angels Veteran Tactical Squad is, at last, done. The Horus Heresy now welcomes Squad Castor – The Black Helms, 1st Squad of the XIIIth Chapter of the IX Legion. It’s a bit of a long title, so let’s just call them the Black Helms, shall we? It’s taken me a couple of months to find the time to finish them, but I’m happy I took the time – not too shabby looking, and certainly unique, even if I do say so myself.
This marks the last bit of the Betrayal of Calth box and the penultimate unit of ‘Phase 1’ of my 30k Blood Angels Legion project. And boy, do these chaps like setting fire to things. I showed them off in the WIP from last month, but you can see better above that these guys are certainly packing plenty of templates (which should still be around in 30k for a little while at least, even if they’re not long for 40k). Let’s take a look at the rest of the squad shall we?
So, why the black helmets? Well, I initially planned to paint them gold, as per the conventions regarding Blood Angels vets, but for whatever reason, this didn’t sit quite right when I was imagining them. This project, as long term readers will recall, has drawn a lot from the 2nd Ed 40k box art from John Blanche, and there’s not a whole lot of gold going on there. I guess there could be, but there isn’t and the effect felt a little alien to the rest of the army’s aesthetics. Then I realised that, without the Death Company around in this era, and with no other unit claiming the colour for their helmets, I thought; why not? I used mostly Forge World upgrade BA heads and I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. Also, this can add to the unique narrative I’m forging for the XIIIth of the IX. Black means death to the Blood Angels, and maybe these warriors have cheated death for so long, that they wear its own colours in defiance. Something like that, anyway.
I also wanted a bit of yellow throughout to make them pop. Maybe this shows off that they have the ability to operate as assault vets, though on this occasion they’re favouring a tactical load out. The knee pads, and yellow blood drops on their shoulders help to liven them up a bit, and help to tie them in to the themes of my army as a whole.
You’ll notice that my Legion Vexilla is a little different for this squad too – a piece borrowed from the Sanguinary Guard kit that helps these guys to both fit in and stand out in the army. The heavy flamers are a great looking bit of kit but if you want to avoid hobby-inspired rage, you should be warned that fitting the fuel line from the tanks on their backs to the weapons can be a nightmare. They actually led to me thumping a model with my fist (don’t worry, I pulled the punch) for the first time in decades. “Fiddly” doesn’t begin to describe it. But hey, that’s what super glue, green stuff and therapy are for, right? Oh, and as with other minis in this army, heavy flamers mean white flames and their shoulder pads do help them to pop a little more.
I’ve given the squad a bit of height and variation with some very simple but effective basing too. Half on slate, half not – it’s a very easy way to keep things interesting and it takes very little effort to do. Oh, and the sergeant is wearing the Master of Signals’ backpack. It was meant to be the nuncio vox upgrade from Forge World, but I mixed them up, and in the end decided to stick with this. I’m not intending on using my Master of Signals any time soon, and it does look rather fancy – again, it helps to make him a little different from the other sergeants.
Speaking of the sarge, meet Sergeant Castor. He’s got his black flames, yellow cloth, and even a golden Sanguinius mask to be getting along with. He also has his trusty hand flamer and a stonking great power fist for no other reason than it looks cool, and when you’re packing a squad like this full of bells and whistles, the additional points involved with power fists… well, you just think ‘Why not?’. And there’s the “SaOlNpS hOaF lHeOgRiUoSn” (read the caps and lower case letters separately) helmet on his base, with its bolt hole. I’m really happy with various parts of this particular mini. The power fist looks good, it’s one of the best bare heads I’ve done, and that’s some of my best ever script work on both the fist and his shoulder. Winner.
And there you have them! All done, and on to the next project. Which will definitely not be another 10 man squad. Not for a while at least. No, I think these guys need a unique and fancy ride… but more on that later.
Was a pleasure working on these, and I hope you like them too. Any comments, or questions, just let me know in the section below. I hope your own hobby efforts are bringing you plenty of satisfaction. Onwards!
With the ever-present publication that is the one and only White Dwarf turning 40 this month, I thought I’d pay my own tribute to Grombrindal’s rag right here on H&H. I’ve even pulled out a few of my favourite issues and covers – the sight of which still enthuse me with the hobby spirit (though I’ll confess that a couple were from before my time). I, like nearly every gamer, have a stack of these magazines at home, and though all my older editions long since were thrown away, I still remember those old monthlies like it was yesterday…
When I was but a slip of a lad (the lad in question being my father, and the slip being me) I, like several other children, enjoyed toys. And, being that I was a boy child, I liked guns and swords and tanks and all the really fun things that I’m now told aren’t fun and are in fact a stereotypical cage with which to assign children their future gender roles based on patriarchal pigeon holing (which sounds like an incestuous sex act but moving swiftly on) but I, as a child, didn’t really care about all that. I liked guns, and I didn’t like dolls, and I don’t think that did me any harm (nor would it have done any harm if I’d liked dolls instead of guns of course). What’s more, being an avid reader, I liked comic books because these were like books but thinner, cheaper, and full of guns and swords and silly words like ‘Waz-Bo!’ and ‘Zoorp!’.
I remember all those years ago that I was once in a news agents when I was of an age to still be receiving pocket money (which narrows it down to anywhere up to the age of 31) and I saw what looked like a comic book, and it had a free toy on it. What’s more, that toy was holding a gun! Just as a pizza covered in curry sauce and topped with chocolate bars would be a combination of my three favourite foods now, this was a combination of my three favourite things then. Incidentally, my three favourite foods back then would have been chips, bread and roast potatoes which, while nice, wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting. I scraped together what little pocket money I had, and bought a chocolate bar which I used as a distraction while I stole the magazine. And I haven’t looked back (or gone back into that news agents) since.
That pinched magazine was White Dwarf Issue 166 from 1993. I was almost 10 years old. And it was glorious. I didn’t understand half of what was going on inside, and it certainly wasn’t a comic book (which was a little annoying at the time) but it was so much fun. It was a new world full of strange words like ‘Space Orks’ and ‘Norse Raiders’ and ‘Man O’War’. And then I discovered that you could actually buy all of these things! Oh, the elation! Well, you can see how many exclamation marks I’ve been using here – that should give you some idea of how exciting this all was back then. But just in case I haven’t quite conveyed that, here are some more!!
My birthday was a few days later and I actually asked for a subscription to the magazine for my main present. This was unusual because it wasn’t made of lego and, as far as my mum could tell, wasn’t covered in guns and swords. Then she opened my copy and saw that it was full of guns and swords at which point she rolled her eyes (she got a 3 and a 2), shrugged her shoulders and sent off for what would be one of the most influential birthday gifts I ever got. Thanks, mum.
And so it has been ever since. Well almost. During my teenage years, I replaced White Dwarf with Loaded for a while (along with some much studied copies of Playboy that I purchased with a deep voice which, at the time, was more valuable than Sterling) but even when I was trying to be all cool, I would keep myself up to date. But before that, I saw some amazing things in those old White Dwarf issues. 4vs4 battle reports, the birth of characters like Captain Tycho, games like Epic 40,000, Titan Legions and the 3rd Edition of 40k being announced, and so much more. Names like Jervis Johnson, John Blanche, Adrian Smith, Mike McVey, Andy Chambers, Rick Priestly, Gavin Thorpe and so many others became familiar monickers that were uttered with the same levels of veneration that popes typically reserve for saints.
From one of those amazing 4vs4 battle reports
In later years, those personalities have all but disappeared from regular issues, and the magazine has gone through many changes. We had the recent run of weekly mini-Dwarf and monthly Visions magazines, and while I was fine with this, it didn’t really feel like White Dwarf (though issue 16 of Visions is a sure classic because some of my miniatures are in that one). As the hobby has grown, so have the depth of features and now these magazines are full of useful painting tips, conversion ideas and inspiring armies and miniatures from very talented painters. Not that those haven’t always been there, but it’s amazing to be able to chart the progression of the talent involved in this hobby.
Even today, as a sour, embittered middle aged man who has to deal with things like paying council tax, tinder dates, and morning commutes, I still get a wee pang of joy when I get my hands on the latest White Dwarf. It’s an escape that lives in my rucksack for much of the month, and is taken out to quietly enliven long train journeys and boring periods of waiting around (often waiting for those trains). It has been a near constant in my life since the age of 9, and it has brought me so much joy and inspiration that has lead me to be the hobbyist that I am today. Thanks, White Dwarf.
So, as this sickly sweet and saccharine puff piece of a blog post draws to a close, and my trip down memory lane leads me back to the fast moving motorway of modern responsibilities, I shall simply say this; I like White Dwarf. It is not the perfect magazine, but it is one that I read religiously. It has its issues with its issues but I am forever glad that it is there, and for the most part, it oft plays a blinder. And I’d like to thank the thieving little git that I once was for swiping me my first copy. It was good enough that I have paid for every issue since.
So, you may have noticed this little thing about a new edition of 40k appearing some time in the very near future. No? Not heard anything? I don’t blame you. It’s not like everyone everywhere within the wargaming community has been obsessing over it for the last month. It’s not like the battle lines between those excited and optimistic, and those already googling “how to set fire to my Tyranid army” and rage quitting have been drawn. Nothing like that. All is as calm as a mill pond in the hobby at the moment.
Though it’s hard to convey sarcasm through the written word, I think you can probably tell that the above statement was made with the lowest form of wit. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t witnessed people running around inside GW stores shouting ‘The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!’. And given that everyone is weighing in on the subject of the new iteration of everyone’s favourite grimdark game, I thought I’d start shouting as well.
The Basics
You know what TV news items I hate? When there’s something big going on, and the guys in the news room “go live” with their reporter on the scene – usually some poor journalist who is stood out in the torrential rain. They ask him something like “what can you tell us?” and he starts with “Well, we don’t know anything for sure just yet, Jim but things are certainly happening!”. It’s at this point that I typically throw my remote at the TV and resolve to never watch rolling news again.
My point is, that there are so many sites already dealing in what we don’t know right now, and I really don’t want to do this. Let’s focus on what we do know first, eh? We know that a new edition is coming. We know that it has been simplified (though not “dumbed down”) and that existing codices will no longer be valid. We know that templates are gone, WS/BS rolls have been standardised/simplified and that charging armies strike first in combat.
We also know that it’s going to be Death Guard and Space Marines (likely smurfs) in the starter box. The movement stat is back, there isn’t a different profile for vehicles anymore, and that the core rules will be free. In this blogger’s opinion (humble or otherwise), I can’t see anything to be upset about here. What’s more we know that there are going to be three ways to play the game (casual, story-driven, competitive) and that there will be two ways to work out your army points – simple and detailed. Can this addition really be all things to all wargamers?
The Details: Books
So, your codices are going to be ‘useless’ in this addition. That’s not entirely true though. Yes, the rules won’t work, but given that most codices are filled with fluff, artwork and painted minis anyway, they’re still a great source of inspiration. And the fact that GW will refund (with a voucher) any codices that have been purchased in the eight weeks prior to 8th’s launch is pretty awesome of them. That being said, yes, it is still annoying. But a sacrifice I’m willing to make for progress. But then again, I haven’t recently spent £30 on a big book.
The counter to this is that the core rules, and the stats for all existing miniatures (and one presumes a few new ones at launch – plus-sized space marines if a few grainy snaps are to be believed) will be free for the new edition is pretty huge. GW giving away free rules!? GW giving anything away for free!? What’s not to love about that?
What’s more, those who love to clutch their codex as they fall asleep at night (I may have done this once or twice) will still have the option of picking up new books in the future. GW confirmed that books are not a thing of the past, and just like with AoS, army tomes will still be published. If you don’t want them however, you will probably get free rules still, but at the very least you’ll be able to spend a couple of quid to get them in a new 40k app.
When it comes to printed words, I think this is a slight win for GW. Killing the current codices wasn’t the kindest of moves, but by giving a lot away for free, they’ve probably made up for this.
The Details: Rules
We’ve seen only a fraction of these so far. The two wound terminator stat line was a great thing to see, and details of how the template-less flamer will work already have some people declaring it OP, while others think that they will suck. By the looks of it, I think they’ll operate much the same, and it means we won’t have to worry so much about wasting time spreading models wide to avoid those deadly transparent plastic discs and shapes being placed over them.
The movement stat is actually a great call. And getting rid of vehicle profiles and unit types, while moving to a keyword based system is a stroke of genius. Not only does this mean that people who get all pissy about larger Tau suits being called ‘Gargantuan Creatures’ will be silenced, but it also means that the cross-codex death star will become a thing of the past (one can hope).
Charging armies fighting first in close combat is a good call, and it does away with the initiative step (though I now wonder what boon of Chaos the Emperor’s Children will get instead – we just got good, guys!!) and the simplifying of the BS stat is a godsend. No more explaining to people that ‘it’s the opposite side of the die’ or ‘subtract it from 7’ – that needless nonsense is gone.
The two methods of costing your armies is also a great idea. A time saver for those who need it, or a detailed system for those who want it.
So when it comes to individual rules, I think GW have scored very well at first glance. The proof of the plasma is in the firing though, so we’ll see how that goes when we know a little more.
The Details: Sigmar-isation
So, all those people who were panicking and threatening to rage quit if the game went down the AoS route are still a little upset about this, but given the resurgent popularity of the fantasy system, and that it looks like GW are cherry picking the best bits of this and applying it to 40k, I’m pretty happy about this.
Again, we don’t know enough to comment (oh, God! Now I’m doing it!!), but based on what I’ve seen and heard, I’m optimistic. The three ways to play being introduced to 40k is a great shout – fun for everyone. If you want a super competitive matchup, you can enjoy that sort of game while someone else plays something else that’s super narrative.
That’s what i think we’ll get. All the best bits of 40k, smushed together with the best bits of AoS. Not bad at all.
Then There’s The New Stuff
We know that the Death Guard are on their way. And we know that Papa Smurf (aka Roboute Guilliman) is working on some super-sized new Space Marines. Ok, this isn’t new edition dependent, but it is something that we can expect sooner rather than later. And to all those moaning that they’re going to have to remake entire armies with new Sigmarite-Sized Marines (Wait, does this mean we’ll have to call these Sigmarines as well!?), you won’t. Your old minis will all be valid, but you will be able to add to your armies with the new breed of super soldier. That’s what I’m hoping at least. And if I’m proved right, how’s that for a win?
We’ve also been promised a bit of a return for close combat so suddenly those Orks and Nids aren’t looking so bottom tier any more, are they?
That’s Probably Enough For Now
Quite right. This has rambled on for long enough now. One of the reasons that I kept going was that I was looking for some genuine negatives because, going by what I can see above, I am feeling really good about this. The codices thing is annoying, but GW have done enough to deal with this as far as I’m concerned. What’s more, they have dealt with one of the main issues that was making the game a real pain to play – the rules bloat. I welcome the simplification, but I’m glad that, from what we can see, it hasn’t gone full AoS. Taking the best from the Mortal Realms, and marrying it to the Grimdark is a great idea, and I look forward to seeing more details emerge in the coming days and weeks. Onwards!
In what has now become an annual tradition, I bring you reports from my yearly trip to London’s cavernous Excel Centre and Salute which occurred this Saturday just gone. For those who don’t know about this festival of all things geeky and game related, it’s run by the chaps over at South London Warlords. Every year, they rent out a couple of halls (think aircraft hangers) at London’s biggest building (in terms of area covered), the Excel. From heavyweights like Forge World and Wayland Games, to the smallest of independent traders and the most obscure games, there are a vast amount of stalls selling everything from miniatures to stencils, from books to boardgames, and from paints to scenery. It’s a great place to shop, and for a few years now, it has been a fixture in my calendar.
Allow me briefly, as I am wont to do, to set the scene for you. The Excel is on the other side of London from me, and for someone who lives West (because West is best), it takes an hour to get there via trains, tubes and the faded, once futuristic driverless trains of the DLR. Once there, you are confronted with thousands of people, and not just those who are there for Salute. Our nerdiest of conventions always falls on the same weekend as the London Marathon, and those mad fools who are readying themselves for a 26 mile run the next day, all turn up at the Excel for orientation. The chaps outside Salute in their High Vis vests were shouting “Wargamers in here! Runners keep moving!” as if anyone could confuse the two. Not many long distance runners have the builds of sedentary pie eating champions, and very few of the wargamers in the queue for Salute could spell the word “exercise” without running out of breath. That being said, many of those wargamers smelled more of sweat at 10am on Saturday as those Marathon runners did after reaching the Mall on Sunday.
That all sounds a bit mean, but it’s a yearly bugbear. Applying deodorant shouldn’t be a complicated instruction to master. Washing is not optional. And, speaking as a fat guy who feels model thin when I go to Salute, some of these guys need to understand that Doritos are not a fruit. But there you go, rant over. Back to the day in hand.
After queuing for about 10 minutes, in a queue that covered an actual kilometre (my Pokemon Go told me so), we get in through the door and of course, as with every year, the queue for the Forge World Store is already so long that it’s going back out of the door. It’s always the most popular stall and I dare say they do very well from this event.
But many other stalls too are already thronged with eager gamers and painters trying to get their hands on products while stocks last. A smattering of Cosplayers, including our resident Blood Angel and Guardswoman (who I’ve met before – lovely people) were stomping around. Speaking of women, again, there were definitely a few more ladies at this year’s event, and not just tolerant and long suffering wags – actual gamers. That’s a great thing to see, and it’s always pleasing to se our hobby’s appeal growing outside of the typical audience.
Already by this early point in the day, a lot of games are being played. Each year, I usually see some really fun, interesting or amazing boards, but this year there wasn’t a whole lot new in the super impressive and noteworthy stakes. There was a big Apocalypse battle going on of course – always good to see some Titans stomping around, and that was impressive enough. One other game that did catch my eye was a Jurassic Park game which looked like a lot of fun if nothing else. The dinosaur-loving kid that I once was really enjoyed seeing that experience going on.
The Painting Competition remains a popular centrepiece to Salute and there were a lot of fantastic looking entries there, all vying to pick up one of the shiny new trophies which looked very good on display. I’m going to let South London Warlords show those off – its very hard to give credit, but I would like to show you the diorama that I liked the most. I can’t give any credit because I couldn’t see the name, but if you know who did it, do give me a shout – they deserve much praise for this Batman/Only Fools And Horses/Goblin mashup. Made me laugh – always a great bit of praise that you can give to a mini.
So what did I pick up? let’s have a look at the haul…
I eventually managed to get close to the Forge World store, but by the time the queue had died down sufficiently, the Moritat with Volkite Serpenta that I wanted was sold out. In fact, when I went to Nottingham a couple of days later, the guys in the Forge World store told me that there is now a 10 day delay on what has been one of their most popular Space Marine kits ever. It’s now on order for me. I did manage to pick up a couple of Blood Bowl special characters (including the event exclusive Star Player Duo), but more on that in a later post.
I popped along to MDP’s stall – something I do every year, and picked up many useful things. Rods to fashion pipes and girders, some snake chain to make pipes and some mesh to make fences. Oh, and a cutting mat because mine got, well, cut through. Finally, aside from all of the bits that were in the goody bag (and there were many bits in that bag) I picked up an elephant. My first 75mm scale miniature, which is a tad daunting. I want to try working properly on a larger scale, and i shall do this later in the year. I got it from Figone, which is run by Jeremie Bonamant Teboul who makes some wonderful pieces – truly beautiful figures and busts. The elephant was just too pretty to pass up.
A couple of other stalls I should mention, include Mierce Miniatures who almost got my large scale miniature money with one of their wonderful sculpts. Their beastmen particularly are worth looking at, but the whole range is splendid enough. Also, a new game that was getting plenty of attention was Rumbleslam – a fantasy wrestling game. The miniatures aren’t much to shout about, but the game looks like a lot of fun and it’s worth taking a look. Great to see these fun sort of ideas coming through each year.
I think I’ve written enough on Salute now. It’s always a pleasure to go there, and an annual event that I thoroughly enjoy. What’s more, I got to meet a couple of heroes this year as well. Running into Jes Goodwin was rather lovely, and I had a proper fan girl moment when I bumped into Rick Priestly as well (on a day when a big announcement was being made about the game he invented – more on that later). And then, I shall leave you with my favourite encounter of the day. It was like looking into a mirror…
So, it’s been a little while since I gave you an update on my hobby progress and I wanted to share with you where I am with my BA Vets. The good news is that the torsos and weapons (between them the longest, most time consuming and frustrating parts of the process) are now almost complete. As you can see above, these guys are a little fancier than the standard tactical squads, and I’ve added plenty of yellows, and even a dash or two of gold to help them stand out.
And yes, you can see two heavy flamers in this squad. These are Blood Angels vets – they know a thing or two about shock and awe, and they do like setting fire to things, so I expect to have some real fun with these fellows drop-podding in and burninating everyone around them. It will of course make this one hell of an expensive squad to bring to the table, but the rule of cool dictates that it must be done. But what of their own mighty leader…
Yep, that power fist is going to make them even more expensive. But it looks so cool. I can win games with ‘cool’, right? Also happy with the helmet on his base there. Is it Sons of Horus, or is it Alpha Legion…? Well, instead of trying to be mysterious, I’ll just say that it kind of works as either. Which is fine. I mixed the paint myself so it’s a little too green for Alpha Legion and a little too blue for the SoH. Works either way, so I’m calling that a win. And what will my sergeant have in his other hand?
Yes indeed, that is a hand flamer. Because why have two template weapons in a squad when you can have three? And again, it looks cool. Winning.
Once this is painted up and put in place, it will be shoulders, backpacks and heads. Of course, I will keep you up to date with progress here as and when I can. I hope your own hobby-related endeavours are going well for you. Onwards!
40kaddict
4gotowar
Castigator's Chaos
convertorum
darkfuturegaming
ftgtgaming
Mind of the Daemon
taleofpainters
talkwargaming
Twisted Brushes
weemen
Heresy & Heroes 