News: Ultramarines movie

Hey all, some interesting new info was revealed regarding the making of an Ultramarines movie. The movie is being developed (ironically) by Codex Studios. Not too much info is currently available on it but check out the link above and stay tuned.

I realize it's extremely early, but what do you guys think? Will it be good or bad, or fall somewhere in the middle?

Tactica: Duelists

Hello all, it's time for another Dogs of War tactica. This time I would like to discuss perhaps the best unit in the entire army, namely Duelists. If you think of Dogs of War, the terms 'elite' or 'powerful' are not typically associated with the army. Nevertheless, Duelists occupy a key spot in the Dogs of War army and are a true multi-tasking unit, and to top things off, they are also a Core choice. In short, you can have as many units as you can afford. There are no restrictions as with Special and Rare choices, and no army-specific constraints such as the 'mainstay unit' rules. Quite simply, Duelists are the best unit available to the Dogs of War general for a variety of reasons which I will discuss in greater detail below.

As I mentioned, Duelists are a Core choice for Dogs of War and are an infantry unit. Unlike the rather static blocks of pikemen, Duelists are much more mobile as they have the Skirmishers special rule. Statistically, they also stack up favorable to other generic Dogs of War units as they have both a Weapon Skill (WS) and Initiative (I) of 4. In an army where 3 is the average stat, it is quite an improvement. Their other statistics are all average and their leadership is also the average 7 for most humans. What makes them such a useful unit then?

Their equipment options for duelists, one option in particular, make them an indespensible unit for the army and one of the few mercenary units that actually stacks up fairly well against other armies out there. Duelists come standard with a hand weapon but may purchase an additional hand weapon, pistols, and throwing knives. Duelists are also extremely fragile (as are most skirmishers) in that they have no armor, but may opt to purchase bucklers for a scant bit of protection in combat.

Of the 3 main weapon configurations, purchasing throwing knives is perhaps the least desirable choice (unless you are doing this for fluff or thematic reasons). For a few points more than throwing knives you can purchase a pistol for your Duelists. Armed in this manner, Duelists become quite a fearsome unit as they provide a bit of punch (albeit short-ranged) in the shooting phase while also getting an additional attack in the close combat phase again, thanks to the ruling regarding pistols in the most recent Warhammer FAQ. What makes the pistol-armed Duelists so special? Let us briefly examine the profile of the pistol. You have a range of 8", Strength 4, and as with all firearms, you also benefit from the Armor-Piercing special rule. Lightly armed troops and even medium cavalry will come to fear a big volley from a Duelist unit. To make things even better, a unit armed with pistols may ALWAYS stand-and-shoot, regardless of how close the enemy chargers are, thus an opponent will have to weigh their options before recklessly charging the Duelists. The major downside with the Duelists' shooting, is that they languish at the average ballistic skill (BS) of 3, which means you'll be hitting on 5s at best, on a Stand-and-Shoot. Nevertheless, their potential damage should give opponents pause unless they're charging in with a Deathstar unit.

In combat, Duelists armed with pistols or an additional hand weapon are no slouches. They will be throwing out 2 WS4 attacks each which means most enemy troops will need a 4+ to hit them. If charged, you cannot expect the Duelists to survive in combat as their lack of real armor means they will be dropping fast. Even equipping a buckler only provides the bare minimum of armor saves, and let's face it, there are so many S4 or greater attacks in the current Warhammer environment that those points would be best spent elsewhere. Where Duelists excel in combat is against small or lightly armored units, or weak individual characters such as wizards, or in certain cases getting a flank or rear charge in support of other units such as pikes, ogres, and cavalry.

Where Duelists can truly excel is in the role of baiting enemy troops into bad (read failed) charges. Duelists work well as screening units, keeping lightly armored units such as pikes and ogres safe from direct missile fire for a few turns. As part of the screening role you can employ the Duelists as bait, only to flee when charge, hopefully setting up good charges for your main combat units on your turn. Allow me to provide a few examples of using the Duelists to devastating effect as baiting units:

There are two parts to effectively using this tactic and it requires 2 of your units - it can contain more units, but at its heart, 2 units are at the heart of it.

You need both a screening unit and the hammer unit.

Ideally the screening unit will be a group of skirmishers --- for me this is almost always going to be pistol armed duellists. While we do have other skirmishing units available (Lumpin Croop's, Mengil's Manflayers etc), the RoR skirmishers are far too expensive to be used as front line shields for the hammer units.

I do use Lumpin Croop's in my army (much to the annoyance of my opponents), and they have never failed to perform. Their role is one of harassing and annoying the enemy, hopefully putting wounds on small weak units (fast cav, and generally anything T3 within their range, and of course as marchblockers).

Why duellists? Why not? They are one of the best units available to a DOW general. There are several different equipment options available. Lets break these down briefly:

Vanilla Duellists - comes with a handweapon - not really good for much of anything - these guys will struggle to kill anything

Duellist w/2 handweapons - 2 WS4, I4 attacks are great, and they can chop up small weak units with relative success, although they lack staying power

Duelist w/Pistol - I realize there is some debate as to whether this version should count as having 2 attacks in close combat - I certainly think they should, and most opponents will see the light of reason. Now we have a duellist with 2 WS4, I4 attacks in close combat, but perhaps most importantly, we have a fairly powerful and often underestimated ranged attack (several of my opponents learned this when my duellists proceeded to tear their units apart in the shooting phase). One key ability the pistol armed duellist possesses over other ranged units (bows etc) is that you can always stand and shoot with a pistol (-1 to hit still applies). Opponents will often reconsider charging for fear of potentially getting whiped out on the charge. Yet for me, close combat is not the primary role for the duellists, unless the situation is just too good to pass up (judgment call).

Duellists w/Buckler - give you a wimpy 6+ save vs shooting and 5+ in CC - While the 5+ in CC could give you some survivability vs your average S3 footslogger, it really isn't worth it IMO, as their primary purpose for me is to be shooting the enemy and acting as tempting bait.

Duellists w/Throwing Knives - the other missile option for these guys - with a range of 6" at S3, is it really worth it over the pistol? NO! Unless you're going this route for fluff reasons, leave the knives at home and pack on the black powder.

Duellist w/maximum equipment - This will easily bring your duelists past the 10pts/mini margin and frankly isn't worth it either. Yes, they will be a shooting and CC threat, but with their average T3 and 6+ AS while out in the open they just will not survive, despite being at -1 to hit from being skirmishers. Your points are really better spent elsewhere.

As DOW, I would say we have access to perhaps the most diverse array of troops among the various Warhammer Fantasy armies (if not always the best or flashiest troops). Its always fun beating down opponents with their power units, decked out with magic banners, and expensive characters and their various magic items. No sir, we win with skill and a few common magic items.

In my army I use what I will refer to as 'hammer' units. I'll explain my reasoning behind these choices, and possible alternatives.

Hammer unit 1 --- 20+ Leo's Leopoard CompanyHammer unit 2 - 3 Maneaters.

What do both of these units have in common?

Both are immune to psychology.

This is crucial on various levels. Both units are also very capable of beating most units that they will face.Leo's Leopard Company - now I know many will say to just use vanilla pikes, or even go for Ricco's, Alcatani, or Pirazzo's, but I have found the Leopard Company to be winners. Their cost (most expensive pike unit) can be prohibitive, but I have found them to be worth it. My first few outings with DOW were without duellists and after Leo's demolished one of my opponent's units, they began drawing heavy fire in subsequent games, leaving them to be less than effective. Be well aware, with only light armor, pikes will die in droves to handguns and xbows, to say nothing of warmachines. Hence, the duellist screen. Yes, opponents, can still target them from hills etc. I try to make sure my opponents have so many things to worry about, that if they focus too much attention on eradicating the pikes, other parts of my army can and will make them pay dearly.

Now, back to the immune to psychology ability. You will get shot at and you will lose pikemen, but you will not be running away from these losses. I also find the ability extremely valuable, as I play against WE (who uses a lot of dryads, treekin, treemen), VC (undead - duh), Ogres (more fear). I can't have an expensive block of troops failing a fear check and leaving a gap in the battle line.Pikes oddly enough work best vs infantry, light cavalry, ogres, and units of that size/toughness. Pike will struggle vs 1+ or 2+ save knights (even with the +1 str bonus). I find that the sheer number of attacks + the fact that you go first (except versus HE and magical ASF) allows you to easily wipe out the front rank if not 2 ranks of most infantry units.

I should also mention I place my paymaster in my Leopard Company unit - if the paymaster dies (likely in CC) then you will have pikes + hatred vs the unit that killed him - very nice! We also can't ignore Leo himself, a fairly generic captain, although he 'technically' gets an additional attack as he carries a pistol. Leo also carries heavy armor so he has a bit more staying power than the rank and file pikemen of the unit. I also arm my paymaster with the following wargear: pistol, heavy armor, shield, morningstar. This makes the entire pike unit able to throw out 2 pistols shots at nearby units to either boost the duelist shooting or put a few wounds on another unit. These two shots may not seem like much but anything casualty you inflict on your opponent is worth it. Most opponents also don't expect to be shot at from an infantry unit, so its just another little surprise I use. These two shots will also hit most of the time - Leo is BS5, and the paymaster comes in at a respectable BS4. Again, they can always stand and shoot as well which can take out a couple of enemies before you unleash the massive number of pike attacks in CC.

Hammer Unit 2 ---A unit of 3 maneaters. I have seen lists use units of 3 with a braces of handguns (pistols for the maneaters) to great effect and I might build of unit of these in the near future. My unit of three contains 2 maneaters with cathayan longswords and one with a great weapon who is placed in the middle. Maneaters already come with an impressive statline and several nice abilities (immune to psych, stubborn, cause fear). I find the WS + I boost of the longswords nice because it lets these guys compete with most hero level characters in terms of speed and the extra WS ensure you should be hitting most enemy units on a 3+, and with a S5, you can expect to usually wound on a 3+, and often a 2+. The one maneater with a great weapon is there to have a S7 chariot killing machine (4 S7 attacks is nothing to scoff at). With a S7 this guy will also put fear into heavily armed cavalry with a nice -4 modifier to their armor save.

On to the actual implementation of the tactic: I deploy my duelist units as screens directly in front of my hammer units to prevent them from getting shot up as much as possible. During the first few movement phases the duelists units advance so that they are anywhere from 5-8 inches in front of the hammer units. I also try to keep the rest of the batteline roughly even with my hammer units so that flank charges on the hammers do not present themselves.What do I do with each unit?

The duelists will engage enemy units within range using their pistols, hopefully inflicting a few casualties. I will rarely charge with duelists unless I see a strategic advantage in doing so which will help me in the following turns. There is no point in wiping out an enemy unit only to get yourself out of position in their turn. If the duelists are in range to shoot then anyone but dwarfs should be able to charge them. Depending on the enemy and the opponent, you will likely get charged. If its a weak enough enemy or if my shooting phase has inflicted a decent amount of casualties, I might stand and shoot. Typically, I will choose to flee (remember - 5-8 inches away from the hammers). I typically roll fairly high, so my duelists will flee through either of my immune to psych units who will ignore the fleeing troops. Make sure you do not have any other friendlies in their path who might be affected. It will also take some careful positioning so that your duelists flee through your hammers and not in a direction which will cause other units to panic. Depending on the type of unit that charged the duelists, the enemy will either get a failed charge or carry on through to your hammer unit. I should mention I leave a tiny gap so that my hammer unit can see the enemy unit in question so that they could be a legal charge target.Preferably, I want my pike unit charged, whereas I want a unit getting a failed charge and stopping short of my maneaters who will of course charge that unit in my turn. Thus I usually leave the duelists screening the maneaters a bit further out than the ones screening my pikes.

As outlined above, the combat prowess of these units ensure they will win most fights, and hopefully the duelists will have put some wounds on the opposing enemy units. If everything works well, the duelists will rally in the subsequent turn and will again work their way forward to support the battleline. It can of course happen that you do not flee far enough with your duelists resulting in their death. If the duelists die, then they die.

The pikemen who will have their static combat resolution (paymaster helps here as well) in addition to the wounds they cause in combat will likely break most units. The maneaters undoubtedly can dish out lots of punishment which should mean that they will face few if any return attacks depending on the situation of course. As they cause fear and with a starting US9 they should auto-break a lot of opponents (in the unlikely event someone rolls insane courage). I've used this tactic quite successfully. My opponent can either charge the duellists, shoot them (which is their major weakness), or try to maneuver around them. If they are ignored, I continue to put pistol shots into whichever enemy is in range.

Keep in mind that none of this is occurring in a vacuum - the rest of the army is there as well as the rest of your opponent's forces + the terrain. Every unit in my list works in concert with the other units of my army. I try to make sure that any of my opponent's units which I try to draw into these baits have been shot at by either my xbows, cannons, halflings, duellists, and if possible by either of my wizards. The tactic isn't going to be a guaranteed success, as anything can happen at any point in the battle. You also shouldn't limit yourself to one strategy. It takes a combination efforts in all phases of the game to be successful. There are many issues within the metagame which can help make you a more successful general, but that is for another tactica.

As good as the pistol-armed Duelists are, they are not the only option in fielding Duelists as multiple such units can get expensive. If you are worried about protecting your war machines such as Mercenary Cannons and Hot Pots yo could take a small unit of bare-bones or two hand weapon equipped Duelists to protect your vulnerable war machines. These Duelists can then serve to either harass, redirect, or directly engage units such as scouts, miners, waywatchers etc.

Duelists are suited to virtually every army build for Dogs of War armies. They complement infantry heavy armies as well as more mobile armies, as their skirmishing rule allows them to keep up with the fast moving elements of an army. Beginning generals may find them hard to use but with experience and practice you will learn how to employ them to devastating effect. Hopefully the above tactica has been helpful to you.

Warhammer Indy GT: Update

Hey all, just a quick update on the tourney. I've received most of the prizes and the rest are currently in transit. Trophies have also been ordered and will be ready in time for the tourney. For more info check the tourney site here.

News: Forgeworld Newsletter #221

The FW newsletters just keep pouring in. Here is the latest:

Hi There,
Games Day UK is at last upon us and so I have our last preview newsletter for you, featuring some exciting last minute additions to our line up of models in the shape of two daemon engines and a brand new Tau battlesuit! We hope to see many of you on the day, and we`ll have a few more surprises for you on our studio stand as well.

Thanks
Alan Bligh

The Plague Hulk of Nurgle A lurching, rotting monstrosity that befouls and taints the very ground it walks on, the Plague Hulk is a daemon engine sacred to Nurgle, the Chaos God of Decay and corruption. Designed by Sean Green and Phil Stutcinskas, this huge, nightmarish fusion of bloated daemon-thing and Chaos Defiler is redolent with the marks of decay and corrosion as you can see Here. It will make a fantastically characterful addition to any army devoted to the Plague God, not to mention a great painting project in its own right thanks to the model’s lavish (if unpleasant!) detail. The Plague Hulk of Nurgle is a hybrid kit using resin components and elements from the plastic Chaos Defiler kit and sold as a complete model. We should have a limited supply of this model available at Games Day UK, and the model will go on general release later in the year. You can find experimental rules for the Plague Hulk Here

Blood Slaughterer of Khorne with Impaler A variant of our previously released Blood Slaughterer of Khorne, featuring a fantastically detailed and savage looking barbed harpoon launcher arm and a new head which you can see Here, this model has been designed by Phil Stutcinskas and Simon Egan. Using its Impaler, this murderous war machine is able to harpoon its enemies and drag them into range of its slashing claws, ensuring that none can escape the wrath of the Blood God’s armies. We should have a limited supply of this model available at Games Day UK, and the model will go on general release later in the year. Rules for the Blood Slaughterer with Impaler can be found in Imperial Armour Volume Seven, The Siege of Vraks Part Three Games Day UK 09 Forge World will be in attendance in force at Games Day UK. You can look forward to meeting our whole design and studio team. Well also have lots of display models including a Chaos Reaver Titan painted by the inimitable Phil Stutcinskas, terrain boards including a fantastic new Ork wrecking yard, previews of two forthcoming books and previously unseen new models! Keep an eye on our updated Games day UK webpage, which you can find Here for more information and previews. Unfortunately it`s too late to place a reservation order for the show if you have not already done so, but as always we will have our huge sales stand at the event with a massive range of stock. This will include our events only models such as the Mounted Death Korps of Krieg Commissar, Reaver Titan Princeps, Imperial Thunderbolt Pilot, Ork Squadron Kommander, and the last few Renegade Ogyrn with Death Korps Victim, as well as brand new releases in limited numbers, not to mention our new Weathering Powders. The latest Forge World catalogue supplement is also available to download Here, featuring some of our latest releases, including some of the new models we will have available at the show.

Tau XV-9 ‘Hazard’ Close Support Armour New for the Tau is the XV-9 ‘Hazard’ Close Support Armour, an original battlesuit design intended to act as a powerful counter-attack unit and mobile weapons platform. A recent addition to the Tau arsenal created in response to heavy losses incurred during the bloodiest phases of the Third Sphere Expansion, the XV-9 is one of the most complex and advanced combat systems the Tau have ever put into wide production, requiring a veteran’s skills to master in combat in service of the greater good. Designed by Daren Parrwood, the XV-9 is larger than a standard crisis suit as you can see Here and looks sleekly lethal. This first version comes equipped with two twin-linked burst cannon. We should have a limited supply of this model available at Games Day UK, and the model will go on general release later in the year. Preliminary experimental rules for the Tau XV-9 can be found Here

Another imperssive first glimpse at future releases, and gasp!, they're not just more variations on Imperial Guard tanks and alternate turrets etc. In other words, there are some xenos releases coming! Chaos is getting a hefty dose of new stuff, and even the Tau are seeing a new battlesuit, which looks pretty impressive in my opinion. It will be interesting to see when and how new Tau stuff will feature in upcoming issues of Imperial Armor. Your thoughts?

News: Games Workshop Newsletter #61

Hey all, time for another GW newsletter. This time there is some info for the Space Wolves and lo and behold, reinforcements for Easterlings in WotR among other things:

ssue 61 The Games Workshop Newsletter 21.09.2009

In this issue: Space Wolves | Legions of the Eye

Space Wolves The Space Wolves are the most fierce and barbaric of all the Space Marine Chapters. They are proud, ferocious warriors who like nothing more that to feast and slay in their Primarch’s name. With an all-new Codex, two new multi-part plastic sets and three new metal models there’s never been a better time to collect the descendants of Russ. Check out the full range of new Space Wolves in the Warhammer 40,000 Advance Order section. Space Wolves Back to Top

Legions of the Eye The forces of Mordor and the Fallen Realms religiously carry out the will of Sauron and have been involved in every major conflict in Middle-earth’s history. This month the armies of the Dark Lord are swelled by nine new metal sets, including two all-new Ringwraiths: The Knight of Umbar and The Betrayer. Advance Order these and the other great new The Lord of The Rings miniatures here.

Legions of the Eye

It's nice to see the bad guys getting some new minis for WotR. However, what they really need are more plastic sets instead of metal ones. The costs for several metal units in the evil armies are simply prohibitive. What do you guys think?

Forgeworld: Newsletter #220

Hey all, the Forgeworld newsletters keep coming fast and furious! Plenty of new goodies in this too for you Ork players out there. That new dread and Kill Krusha tank are amazing!:

"Hi There,

Another Games Day UK update for you, and this time some heavy reinforcements for the Orks in the shape of two major releases; the savage Kill Krusha ‘Eavy Tank and the armour-shredding mechanised power of the Mega-Dread, backed up by a new Ork vehicle upgrade of Grot Sponsons. Meanwhile Forge World is in fevered preparation for the fast-approaching Games Day event, and we should have some more surprises for you yet to come.

Thanks
Alan Bligh

Ork Kill Krusha ‘Eavy Tank Rolling onto the battlefields of the 41st millennium for the first time is our new Kill Krusha ‘Eavy Tank for the Orks. This fearsome model is a huge full resin super-heavy tank kit for the Orks, and is designed by Daren Parrwood with crew by Mark Bedford. The intricate detail on this model really has to be seen to be believed, and it includes some incredible interior work as you can see Here as well as one Ork tank ‘Kommanda’ three Grots (and a Squig!) as crew. This giant tank is a combination of the Ork`s love of speed and violence, with overcharged engines to launch it across the battlefield (well most of the time), and a main ‘Kannon’ able to fire a number of different shell types to rain carnage down on their enemies. You can find experimental rules for the Kill Krusha Here. We should have some Kill Krushas for sale at Games Day UK, and the model is available for pre-order Now for release the week commencing the 28th of September.

Ork Mega-Dread Just what every mekboy wants; an even bigger `Dread! This large new model which you can see Here is a great addition the Ork ranks; a smoke-belching, hydraulic monster able to tear apart enemy tanks and smash a side lesser war machines with contemptuous ease. Designed by Phil Stutcinskas with pilot by Mark Bedford, this is another amazingly detailed model which, standing at over 5” tall, dwarves a Space Marine Dreadnought. Just as with our Space Marine Dreadnoughts we are selling the main body of the Mega-Dread (which also comes with two ‘Gatling gun style’ big Shootas) and its weapon arms separately. The two arms we are releasing with it are the Mega-Dread Killkannon arm and the Mega-Dread Rippa-Claw arm. Both of these weapon arms are designed to fit on either side of the Mega-Dread’s body allowing you to customise it as you wish. Ork Mega-Dread Killkannon The Mega-Dread Killkannon is a large bore cannon which is fed shells revolver-style from a rotary magazine, and allows the Mega-Dread to tote an artillery piece as easily as an Ork Boy would his shoota, blasting the Mega-Dread’s path through the enemy. Ork Mega-Dread Rippa-Claw The Mega-Dread Rippa-Claw is a huge mechanical pincer-claw designed to punch through the toughest armour, and it lets the Mega-Dread rip great chunks of wreckage from enemy vehicles and dismantle siege defences and bunkers piece by piece. You can find experimental rules for the Ork Mega-Dread Here. We should have some Mega-Dreads, Mega-Dread Killkannons and Mega-Dread Rippa-Claws for sale at Games Day UK, and the model is available for pre-order Now for release the week commencing the 28th of September.

Ork Grot Sponsons Our last new Ork Preview is our Grot Sponsons designed by Mark Bedford and Daren Parrwood, designed to be added onto existing Ork vehicles to give them a little more firepower in the shape of Big Shootas with Gretchen gunners. The packet contains two different Grot Sponsons to add to your Big Trukks, Battlewagons, Kill Krushas and custom Ork builds. For pictures of Grot Sponsons on Ork vehicles click Here. You can find experimental rules for the Grot Sponsons Here. As with this newsletter’s other previews the Grot Sponsons should be available to buy at Games Day UK and will go on general release in October. Upcoming Events Forge World will be in attendance in force at Games Day UK. You can look forward to meeting our whole design and studio team. W`ell also have lots of display models, terrain boards, book previews and our huge sales stand with a massive range of stock, including our events only models and brand new releases in limited numbers for the day itself. Keep an eye on our updated Games day UK webpage, which you can find Here, for more information and previews. If you would like to place a reservation order for Games Day UK, send us an email to ForgeworldReservations@games-workshop.co.uk or give us a ring on 0115 916 8177 with your name and order details by the 21st of September."

Imperial Guard: Leman Russ Destroyer

Hey all, time for another Guard update. Here are a few pics of the completed Leman Russ Destroyer. I went back and redid the barrel for it since I didn't like the earlier attempt. This guy will be sniping enemy tanks on a battlefield soon :) Comments welcome!

Imperial Guard: Hellhammer WIP

Well it's been about 10 days since the last update, for which I apoligize (too much school stuff etc to deal with). Let's start the updates right with some WIP pics of the Helhammer I previewed a while back. I've made quite a bit of progress since this pic and should hopefully be finished with it by the end of the week. Comments welcome!

Forgeworld: Newsletter #219

Hey all, hot on the heels of the last FW Newsletter, here is #219:

"

Hi There,
Another Games Day UK update for you this newsletter and the great news that we have our range of Forge World Weathering Powders now available to pre-order, and will be available at the show!
Look out for some more updates soon.

Thanks
Alan Bligh
Forge World

Forge World Weathering Powders Forge World is proud to present our new range of weathering powders, designed to let you create a wide range of realistic effects on your models, allowing you to affect the battle-scared, aged and weathered appearance of real-world fighting vehicles on your own Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer models with ease. Two of our resident painting and modelling gurus Phil Stutcinskas and Paul Rudge have prepared a brief guide on how to use them, which you can find Here. We have six different weathering powders available, which you can either purchase individually or as a set, more information can be found Here. Forge World Weathering Powders are available for pre-order now for release the week commencing the 28th of September, and we will also have plenty available for sale at Games Day UK.

Games Day UK Update
Forge World will be in attendance in force at Games Day UK. You can look forward to meeting our whole design and studio team. W`ell also have lots of display models, terrain boards, book previews and our huge sales stand with a massive range of stock, including our events only models and brand new releases in limited numbers for the day itself. Keep an eye on our updated Games day UK webpage, which you can find Here, for more information and previews.

If you would like to place a reservation order for Games Day UK, send us an email to ForgeworldReservations@games-workshop.co.uk or give us a ring on 0115 916 8177 with your name and order details by the 21st of September."

Not too much new stuff here. Again, the new weathering powders are simply phenomenal! Anyone lucky enough to attend GD UK should see a lot of new release and upcoming releases such as the Skaven and beyond!

News: Games Workshop Newsletter #60

Hey all, here is the info from the latest GW newsletter:

Issue 60 The Games Workshop Newsletter 18.09.2009

In this issue: Imperial Guard Catachan Characters | Tank Upgrades & Accessories | New Basing Material

Imperial Guard Catachan Characters This week the armies of the Imperial Guard are bolstered by two of Catachan’s most famous heroes. Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken and Gunnery Sergeant Harker both have their own special rules that lend extra weight to an aggressive, assault-focused Imperial Guard army. Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ StrakenAugmented by extensive bionics and indifferent to the darkest horrors, Straken is a powerful close combat opponent who confers the Furious Charge special rule to nearby squads. Have Straken lead the charge of your Imperial Guard army. Gunnery Sergeant HarkerGunnery Sergeant Harker is able to move and fire with his heavy bolter, and has a Ballistic Skill to match a Space Marine. Add this giant Catachan to your Imperial Guard army. Back to Top

Tank Upgrades & Accessories There are five new Bitz Packs this week and each can be used to personalise your Imperial Guard vehicles and squads. With a bit of imagination they even make great objective markers. Imperial Guard Tank Commanders This set of three Tank Commanders can be used with any Imperial Guard tank kit from the Chimera right up to a Baneblade. Imperial Guard Crew These two Imperial Guard crew can be added to your Imperial vehicles, and are also great for dioramas. Imperial AquilasThis set of Imperial Aquilas can be used to personalise your Space Marine or Imperial Guard tanks, and your Warhammer 40,000 scenery. Imperial Guard Tank Stowage Add some extra stowage to any tank with this versatile set that can also be used to create objective markers. Imperial Guard Heads Individualise your Imperial Guard squads with this selection of 10 different metal heads. Back to Top

New Basing Material There’s an old saying amongst miniature painters that ‘good bases make good armies’. Well, with the Warhammer Basing Kit and two new types of basing grass out this week, you’ll have everything you need to create evocative bases for your models.
		Warhammer Basing KitThe Warhammer Basing Kit is packed with 20mm and 25mm pieces of resin detailing, slate, and brass-etched leaf foliage. Add extra detail to the bases of your miniatures with this all-new set.
	Citadel Dead GrassIdeal for decorating the bases of evil armies, such as Vampire Counts and Warriors of Chaos, Dead Grass can also be used to add sun-bleached areas or barren desert to a Gameboard.		Citadel Burnt Grass Another new colour of basing material, Burnt Grass can be used on its own or to mark out areas of scorched or blackened ground.

Looks like the Imperial Guard are getting spoiled with some more releases. The tank crew look pretty cool as do the new Catachan special characters. The big new release is the Warhammer Basing Kit. Having bought the previous 40k one, I can say this new Fantasy one is pretty sweet. Our store just got in some copies of it and it is actually worth buying for the sheer amount of basing options you get in there! The new static grasses are also a nice addition. What do you guys think?

Warhammer Fantasy: New Chaos Dwarf Book (unofficial) Available (free pdf)!

For all you Chaos Dwarf players out there, here is the next best thing to GW actually redoing your army (in some ways better). Look at the cover, one would think it's a GW production. That would also be completely wrong. This book is the culmination of a lot of effort by a dedicated group of people. The quality is definitely at GW level in all aspects, in short this is a professionally done army book. The book is available as a free PDF, just click HERE or the picture. At some point I will have to read through this thing to get an opinion of the rules. If they're anything like the visuals, it should be a fantastic addition to the Warhammer Fantasy world. Comments welcome!

Imperial Guard: Leman Russ Destroyer (WIP)

Hey all, time for another Guard update, this time some WIP pics of my Leman Russ Destroyer. This thing is quite the beast, sporting the equivalent of a rail gun. There are still a bunch of spots that need finishing and touching up. I'm probably going to redo the camo on the barrel as well. Comments welcome!

FW: Newsletter #218

Hey all, another FW newsletter hot on the heels of the last one:

"Hello again,

I`ve some fantastic preview shots for you this newsletter of a major release that will début at Games Day UK; the Chaos Reaver Titan in all its diabolic glory! As well as this great new model, I also have some more details about what Forge World will be up to at UK Games Day as well.

Alan Bligh
Forge World

Chaos Reaver Titan
Ready to make the earth tremble and sow fear in the hearts of the enemies of the dark gods we have our new Chaos Reaver Titan. This monster of a war machine, a corrupted version of the Imperial Reaver Titan should be available in limited numbers at Games Day UK and released to general sale later in the year. This mammoth kit stands approximately 400mm/16 inches high and has been designed by Will Hayes and Simon Egan. The model, as you can see from the pictures Here, has been lavishly detailed with the marks of Chaos and the mechanical corruption both on its external surfaces and internal compartments, which include bladed armour, the Eye of Chaos on its upper carapace, and three damned crew cyberneticaly fused with its twisted structure. Towering over the battlefield, jagged and vicious, the Chaos Reaver Titan will make a fantastic centrepiece for any Chaos army as well as a great modelling project in its own right for the collector, not to mention tipping the Balance in the favour of the Ruinous Powers in your Apocalypse games.

Rules for the Chaos Reaver Titan can be found in Imperial Armour Seven, the Siege of Vraks Part Three.

As with our Imperial Reaver Titan, the Chaos Reaver Titan is available as a separate Main Body and Weapons. The main body also comes with a sprue of large Chaos symbols allowing you to convert any of the Imperial Reaver Titan Weapons to traitor service (as all the Imperial Reaver Weapons will also fit this Chaos version allowing you to customise your model as you wish). We also have two new Chaos weapons for the Titan as well, the brutal and predatory firepower of Chaos Apocalypse Launcher and the wickedly barbed Chaos Reaver Power Claw."

Big news here obviously being the Chaos Reaver finally being released. Looks like they were able to solve whatever detail issues they had back when it was first unveiled as a WIP. Certainly this makes a crowning jewel for any Chaos Space Marine collection.

40K: New Imperial Guard FAQ is out!

Hey all,

for all you Guard players out there comes the important FAQ addressing some issues with the new codex. Check it out here. For GW, this is actually quite the speedy release, as FAQ releases normally take a rather long time.

What do you guys think? Did the FAQ address all the issues you had with Guard, both playing with and against them? Comments welcome!

40K: Spacehulk Soundboard (free download)

Hey all,

the folks over at Beasts of War have come up with this awesome soundboard to really add some atmosphere to your Space Hulk games! Check out the video




or download the soundboard here.

Seems pretty cool although I don't think you'd necessarily be playing Space Hulk by your computer. Still, it's a cool idea. Comment away!

Imperial Guard: Vanquisher

Hey all, what better way to ring in the new month than with some heavy armor? This is a Leman Russ Vanquisher converted by simply cutting off a regular Russ cannon and adding a spare plastic Baneblade cannon. I've still got some detailing and cleaning up work to do on it but it's ready to use in battle now. Eventually I'm gonna write up some fluff about this elite tank and its crew, perhaps a house rule special character for campaigns, apocalypse etc. Commanding this first tank in the company is Maj. D. von Baumann. I'll post up some more pics once I add some more detail work to this behemoth. Comments welcome!

Apocalypse: Lucky 13s Battle #4

Hey all, just a couple of pics from the last Lucky 13s game we played. Unfortunately there are only these few pics to share as everyone else forgot their cameras and my camera died after these 3 pics lol. This was perhaps the most fun game out of the four thus far, as there were no Guard armies clogging the battlefield with dozens and dozens of tanks. Play proceeded rather quickly allowing us to get in more turns than the previous games. In the end, it was another resounding victory for the good guys (Blood Angels x2 & Grey Knights), as we destroyed their bastion and made a major feint there. In actuality our plan was to simply hang on to our objectives as we had chosen a vital objecive from the assets. The game swung decidely in our favor after wiping out about 2k pts of Tyranids that had used flank march to deploy behind our bastion. Their shooting didn't do much and so on our following turn about 1k pts of Blood Angels and as many Grey Knights deployed after them, and with some insane rolling, especially my Death Company & Chappy, as well as a full assault squad, we annihilated all of the nids on that side of the board. We were contesting both of their objectives as well until the last turns when they shored up their defenses. End result, a 3-2 victory for us although with two of their players virtually tabled it would've been a complete massacre had we played another turn.