Games Workshop delivers a new edition of The Horus Heresy with Age of Darkness and the box is absolutely massive!
Fans of The Horus Heresy rejoice as the latest edition has not only arrived but it is by far one of the largest boxed releases WE have ever seen. Age of Darkness includes 54 total miniatures including a Dreadnought and a Spartan Assault Tank. Even better is that you can use the entire box for a single army or divide it among factions for smaller games. 40 Marines make for a considerable value especially when paired with the heavy ordinance. When adding the two army books as well players can choose from any of the Space Marine Chapters and here’s my favorite part, when playing one of the heretical armies you can choose to play them as a loyalist chapter from before their fall OR as purely heretical after their fall. The choice is yours.
I have never seen so much versatility in a single box before. Considering all the lore already released for this period of time having so many options is amazing. I honestly was expecting very different stats and rules between the Chapters but there really isn’t much difference other than which characters or special rules you can take with your army. If you are planning to play within the 30K timeline this is an amazing value for your money and the perfect jumping on point. Over the rest of this year we should see further releases to go along with this box. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for The Horus Hesesy!
Fireteam is meant to be a way to introduce Warhammer 40k to new players, giving them essentially a small kill team that can easily be a starting force towards a solid 1000 point army when they graduate to a true tabletop experience. Being a skirmish type game it is meant to be quick paced and the designers have more than achieved it. As tabletop gamers we have have those friends or family members we want to bring into our hobby and box is a perfect way to do that with 40k.
One of the best things about this release is the value. It sells for about $50 at book stores and if you were to take the same models from Games Workshop directly would easily cost at least $100! Gameplay is easy to learn and the campaign mechanic is a great way to bring experienced gamers and newer players together for a story where the war is not decided by a single battle. Essentially you mix and match key elements of a campaign to tell the tale of this fight you are waging while unlocking special gear that will benefit you later. Overall this is a great value to players starting out with either Space Marines or Necrons and will make for an engaging way to introduce other players to this wonderful world of 40k.
It feels like ages ago that Games Workshop announced Bladeborn, a game that appeared to mix Underworlds with Warcry but did they deliver the goods?
Games Workshop shared a copy of Bladeborn with us and almost immediately asked us to hold onto any recordings we made for a while due to the misprinting of some of the cards. At the time we were lucky enough to have been behind on our recording schedule and hadn’t recorded anything yet on this game. Once the replacement cards had arrived we finally got down to recording and shortly after playing. The link to that video is at the bottom of the article.
Before we get into gameplay I must admit that in the video below I made some mistakes. Specifically I felt that the quality of the minis were of a lower quality than their counterparts from Warhammer Underworlds. I was so wrong on this. About a month later I revisited the models along with their counterparts and the quality was exactly the same so I apologize my words that were so wrong. I hope this didn’t affect anyone and their decision in picking this game up.
If you have ever played Warcry and Underworlds will love this game because it truly is the daemonic love-child of them both. Combat is very much like Warcry (of the two games this is the better system so a huge win) and movement feels more akin to Underworlds. Even better it gives you cards for ALL of the Chaos Warbands from Underworlds released so far. Best yet is that these cards can also be used in Warcry! If you are a fan of Warcry or Underworlds this game will be a great addition to your library and is easier to learn. This means it is a great starting point for new players as well.
Without further adieu here is our official unboxing video of Bladeborn :
Space Marine Adventures is back for another round of murder fun with Doomsday Countdown courtesy of Games Workshop and local bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
With the first volume of Space Marine Adventures players took turns facing down the Necron threat, however this time, in Doomsday countdown, it’s time for hunting Chaos cultists. Players take on the roles of three Space Marines and move about the map trying to defuse a bomb before it detonates. All three Marines are members of the illustrious Ultramarines Chapter and facing off against seven cultists, these particular models were previously featured alongside Warhammer Quest Blackstone Fortress.
These Adventure boxes are intended to be an introduction into the world of Warhammer 40,000. The models for both the Space Marines and Cultists are push to fit and easy to assemble, making that part of the hobby much less difficult to ease in to. Even in this game there will be lots of dice rolling to be had so it feels like a Warhammer game in that respect while using common model types.
The previous release had used tokens instead of models for the enemies so the fact they return to models, especially these cultist models, is a huge improvement. The mechanics are very much the same to the previous version so if you’ve played before this is very much a continuation. Even though this is the third volume you don’t need to have played the previous iterations to get into this one. Beyond getting additional Chaos cultists (which I always need) you also get some great tiles that can easily work along with tiles for Blackstone Fortress. This is another great way to introduce your friends and family to the world that is Warhammer 40,000!
Slitherine Ltd brings us the latest in Warhammer 40k console gaming with Battlesector, a fight between Blood Angels and Tyranids.
Our friends at Slitherine Ltd shared their latest game from the Warhammer 40k universe (Battlesector) with us and from launch it is already available for Xbox Gamepass members! We were able to receive this at launch but only recently got to try the game out due to some technical difficulties that required a hardware replacement. With the issue resolved we jumped right in. The tutorial is relatively extensive, showing many features of gameplay, plus there are several hard to earn achievements you can get here with very little difficulty at all as they are stacked in your favor!
The game features multiple difficulties but none of them seem to affect the achievements you can unlock, at least this early in the game and only affect gameplay difficulty. Visually the graphics are really good, especially considering the number of troops you may have at one time on the screen and that some move randomly like real soldiers would while waiting to receive their orders. The terrain on the maps match classic pieces we’ve seen on the tabletop as well with common Imperium iconography throughout but even better show a solid amount of detail, especially if you are zooming in.
Overall I found the game quite enjoyable, this easily fills the need for an electronic version of the table top game of Warhammer 40k. It fills this need so well that it actually feels like one of the most accurate adaptations of the game I have ever played. Of course some of the rules and mechanics are not a perfect comparison but it is similar enough that it feels like something I’ve been missing from my current gaming library. My only complaint so far, I am still rather early into the story, is that the only army options are Tyranids and Blood Angles. I hope we see some expansions that allow you to play multiplayer with other factions as well. If you are a fan of RTS games or the Warhammer 40k table top game and looking for a video game counterpart this game will scratch those itches.
Warzone Octarius has come to give us new rules for Orks and Tyranids as well as for using Rogue Traders and even Kill Teams.
Warhammer 40k is constantly evolving and over this year 9th edition is no different. The Warzone supplements expand on rules for existing factions and share the story of a particular warzone. The second round of this is Warzone Octarius with books 1and 2. The previous books were based on Charadon but I suspect Octarius was chosen due to the recent release of Kill Team: Octarius which featured exclusive models and terrain.
Book 1 brings us rules Cadia, Tyranids and the Armies of Renown: Kill Team. Now with the branding of Kill Team I originally assumed this would be the squads from Kill Team: Octarius but instead these Kill Teams are part of the Deathwatch and are comprised of Space Marines. Book 2 however brings the Kill Team flavor with rules for the Blood Axes, the Ork team from the Octarius box, along with Rogue Traders (Astra Cartographica) and the Speed Freeks Speed Mob as this book’s Army of Renown.
These books are less for casual or competitive players but more for those that like to follow an official campaign. Charadon did not see a Kill Team release but with Octarius receiving it’s own warzone books so soon after it’s Kill Team release I am fully expecting that the next warzone will be centered around Chalnath.
The Genestealer Cults are facing off against the Adeptus Custodes on Terra in Shadow throne from Games Workshop for Warhammer 40,000.
About once, sometimes twice a year, Games Workshop releases a new starter, typically surrounding a specific theme. To end 2021 they brought us Shadow Throne and it is centered around the Genestealer Cults infiltrating Terra. These days it seems like there is some form of Genestealer Cult activity on nearly every planet so it was only a matter of time before some reached Terra. You would think that there would be ways of preventing this in a place where the Emperor of Mankind himself resides.
Originally this release was meant to coincide with the release of codices for both the Genestealer Cults and the Adeptus Custodes but due to delays with production they have been delayed until January of next year. Currently the Shadow throne boxset is on preorder and will be released this Saturday. Games Workshop also promises that any preorders made beyond their initial run will be done as part of a second production run! The majority of this box has been released previously but that doesn’t make it any less worth picking up. For the GSC the Genestealer Patriarch is by far one of the greatest sculpts released thus far for the army and is joined by an exclusive Reductus Saboteur. The GSC though are not the only ones to get a new model- enter the Blade Champion for the Custodes! This is possibly the MOST dynamic model we have seen in quite some time for them and the pose reminds me of the Black Templar’s new champion.
What I am most looking forward to with this release though is the fact that I get to revisit one of my favorite armies from 40k- Tyranids, if only slightly with a single model. Additionally though both factions come with nearly enough to be full kill team patrols for the aptly named Kill Team.
With the recent release of Dominion and the more recent release of Battletomes for Stormcast Eternals and Kruelboyz Games Workshop is releasing the next tome and this is for the Maggotkin of Nurgle!
At the time of writing/publishing the new Battletome for the Maggotkin of Nurgle is officially available for preorder and the official release date is December 18th, just in time for my birthday! Games Workshop was kind enough to share the tome and even a few models with us to prepare you with the pending release!
To start with we will be focusing on the Battletome itself. The cover art is amazing and only Games Workshop can take a truly revolting army as the Maggotkin, really anything that is Nurgle based, and do it so beautifully! I mean look at that ugly Rotbringer on the there, he not only looks fantastic but there is even a matching model available for preorder as well! There are already more exclamation points in this article than most I write, that should tell you something about this release. I have always been a fan of Grandfather Nurgle and that hasn’t changed but I’ve been focusing my Chaos forces to be more Undivided because of the amazing Warcry warbands but nothing makes disgusting fun like a Nurgle based army.
The tome has many new rules as well as others that have been tweaked. My favorite of these new rules is Diseased. Basically for each diseased model near an enemy you add one disease point (up to seven) and at the start of the Battleshock Phase you roll a dice for each point and on each 4+ the enemy receives one mortal wound. Just walking around the stench and viral output of the Maggotkin is so high that you can kill your enemies by just being close to them. If only we could do this with a horde style list.
Rotbringer Sorcerer
I don’t recall the last time, in Age of Sigmar, we saw new releases for the forces under Nurgle, with the exception of the Great Unclean One and a few other daemons which also worked for 40k. This is the first Rotbringer of any sort I have seen since returning to the hobby about five years ago and the sculpt is fantastic. Not only that but it comes with two alternative heads, one is a fly head. I understand why flies are so prevalent in the Nurgle forces but I have never been a fan of the fly heads themselves, they always looked a little goofy to me BUT this one is by far one of the best I’ve seen so far. Of course if you were to also purchase the next item we will discuss you will have many other heads to choose from.
Vanguard: Maggotkin of Nurgle
The Vanguard box is the Age of Sigmar third edition version of the Start Collecting Box. Both featured the two Pusgoyle Blightlords and the five Putrid Blightkings. The difference between the two is the Start Collecting Box, while still available, comes with these and the Lord of Blights but this Vanguard box includes ten Plaguebearers of Nurgle and Spoilpox Scrivener. Literally every item in this box was something I wanted to get my hands on to build and paint as is but with all the customization options I think two boxes will be necessary.
Perhaps this is also the perfect time for me to get myself that Feculent Gnarlmaw I’ve been trying to justify picking up?
Over the last two months Black Templars have released not only their codex but also a huge selection of models to compliment it!
Since Gen Con this year Games Workshop have been ramping up their releases for the Black Templars, starting with a collector’s edition Army Box. This Army Box even featured a special edition of the codex with art by John Blanche. Even better is this is the same art that was featured on the Third edition starter of Warhammer 40k! For me that made this box even more special because that was the first starter I ever played of the game so this box was a must have for me (see the featured image). The Templars have always been the only “good” Space Marine faction I’ve ever been interested and it’s not just because of all the black armor (I use a lot of black in my painting for uniforms). It’s all about that classic Templar knight aesthetic. I’ve always been fascinated by the Templar knights from the Crusades in history and their iconography. The fact that you get all the black armor AND the iconography on these soldiers is a win.
Black Templar Start Collecting box
Features 16 units and a Primaris Impulsor! This box is the first time I will have ever built an Impulsor and I can’t wait to do so. The Impulsor is the only model that was NOT a new release that came in this box. This includes the Crusader Squad which is available by itself as well- see below.
Crusader Squad
Sword Bretheren
This is by far one of the most intimidating Space Marine squads (that fight for the Emperor anyway) and I kind of want to paint the one like Wolverine- you know the one I mean.
High Marshal Helbrecht
This is a massive improvement of the original sculpt and is an amazing model on it’s own. I have seen some recent conversions using this that made for a fantastic Stormcast Eternal- I’m leaning towards doing the same with mine.
Chaplain Grimaldus & Retinue
Grimaldus doesn’t seem to have that standard Skull helmet that we usually see on Chaplains but his retinue are what REALLY make him stand out. I love the fact that the standard itself already has those details on the model and it is not done freehand, it gives me hope that I will do this model some justice when I paint it.
Black Templars Castellan
Out of all of the new sculpts this was probably the one I was most excited to receive (Games Workshop provided each of the items listed on this page for our review) because it is based on the artwork by John Blanche and is the FIRST time this model has been officially created. The porportions are more along the lines of the classic chunky Space Marines and I don’t even care. Between the massive axe and the skull-engraved shoulder pad, this is one bad ass model.
In summary I am ACTUALLY looking forward to building and painting my first ever Space Marine army and can’t wait to see what else they might come out with for the Black Templars!
Dungeon Bowl is back but is it as good as expected and what impact does it hold for Blood Bowl going forward?
What do you get when you cross a scavenger hunt in a dungeon and American Football? You get Dungeon Bowl from Games Workshop. Dungeon Bowl is a lesser known version of Blood Bowl, similar to how Kill Team is a branch of Warhammer 40K. It’s the same world but entirely different mechanics, rules and points. Play styles that work well in Blood Bowl may not work as well in the Dungeon.
At $160 this boxset comes with everything needed for a match but also give options to expand. Teams are divided into Colleges and it comes with teams for the Colleges of Fire and Shadow. Map tiles allow you an almost endless number of customizations so that you never have to play the same map twice. Two teams enter the particular Dungeon and in search of the game ball and if found must survive to score a touchdown. One touchdown is all that is needed to win but just finding it and delivering the ball is enough. Players must survive traps and other players who will stop at nothing to prevent them from scoring.
Regular Blood Bowl players will have options to further customize their teams using their players and creatures to fill out the roster for their chosen College. The models look fantastic and the map tiles can be used in other games like Cursed City to keep those maps fresh as well. Without purchasing other Blood Bowl teams however will mean your kit-bashing options will be quite limited as you only have a couple models for each faction as part of the game. As a stand-alone game though I don’t see this title as a replacement for Blood Bowl, merely as a new way to play. This game is chaotic, fast paced and immensely enjoyable.
