RUMORS: Codex Ruinous Powers

So some rumors on this upcoming product are dripping out of woodwork.

Apparently, the "Big Surprise" mentioned in the earlier 2008 rumor roundup is this Codex, and it sounds like a very unique and unusual offering from GW.

• Sources say that this codex will be a large over sized book; possibly even hardcover.
• It will detail each of the 4 chaos powers in depth, and fully describe their background, place in the GW universe and their warp-spawned minions from the Majors on down to the beasts.
• It will cover BOTH Warhammer Fantasy, and 40k.
• There will be 2 full stand alone lists (one for each game system) that will let you play a fully warp-spawned army of the Ruinous Powers.
• There will be roughly a dozen named characters spread across the 4 powers some of which can be used in both game universes. Foulspawn and Doombreed will make a reappearance as well as several Warhammer Fantasy ICs gone for several editions.
• The list is NOT compatible with Codex: CSMs, and some say it is not a tournament-legal publication at all, but only for use in Apocalypse, casual pickup games, and other "fun/narrative games".

Now that would indeed be a return to the ooooooooolllllllllllllllldddd days of GW, and sounds more than anything like a revamp of the ancient Realms of Chaos hardcovers from the late 1980s (see the images above). If any of you have ever gotten a chance to flip through those old tomes, you will agree that they were some of the highest quality GW books ever released. They were dark in tone, and full of universe expanding background and so many fun rules and lists as to boggle the mind.

-It would seem that the studio may have been quite serious in re-balancing the game away from the "min-max tourney" scene and returning the fun, wonder, and hobby to the game. First Apocalypse, and now this. If the company has the guts to put out a codex designed from the get-go to not be used on the tournament scene, it would be something to see...and quite a risk. What do you guys think of it?

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Austin TX: Heresy League ~ coming soon

Hi everyone!

You all didn't think everyone here at BoLSs cranked out our Age of Heresy codex just because. We did it because we are going to play it! For the past couple of months folks have been furiously buying, converting, and painting, and starting next week it begins...

• Over 2 dozen players


• All 18 Legions


• Tons of Xenos threats


• 9 Weeks of Hardened Battle.


• The Imperium will BURN, Heroes will rise and fall!


• Austin TX, Age of Heresy League 2007 is on!

And BoLSs will be covering it fully over the next 2 months with weekly updates, battle reports, and tons of pics. Fasten your seatbelts folks, its going to be a fun ride. What is your gaming club doing this fall?

-bigred

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RUMOR/SNEAK PEAK: Stompa stats???

Lets just continue with the last few day's theme of Orks. Look what showed up in my email box.

Unit: 1 Stompa
WS:4 BS:2 S:10 F:13 S:13 R:12 I:1 A:4

Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 4
Transport: 20
Access Points: 1 (rear hatch)
Fire Points: 3 (hull)

Weapons and Equipment:
One Titan close combat weapon (extra attacks included in profile) and the following weapons that can be fired in its front arc:
-Deth kannon with co-axial supa-gatler
-Supa-skorcha
-Twin-linked big shoota
-Two big shootas
-Three supa-rokkits
It also has a rear-mounted big shoota that can only fire in a 18o-degree fire arc to the Stompa's rear.

Special Rules:
Effigy: The Slompa is a roaring, belching personification of the warrior god Gork (or possibly Mork) that hums with pure Orkiness. All Ork mobs within 12" are Fearless.

Deth Cannon 72" S:10 AP:1 Ordnance 1, 7" blast, Primary weapon

Supa-Rokkit* Unlimited S:8 AP:3 Heavy 1, One-shot

Supa-skorcha** Template S:6 AP:3 Assault 1

Supa-gatler*** 48" S:7 AP:3 Heavy 2d6, Co-axial, Psycho-Dakka-Blasta!

Big Shoota 36" S:5 AP:5 Assault 3

*A supa-rokkit is a grot-guided weapon that hits on a result of 2+. It can only be fired once per game.

* * To fire the supa-skorcha place the flame template so that the narrow end is within 12" of the weapon and the large end is no closer to the weapon than the narrow end. The supa-skorcha is then treated like any other template weapon.

* * * Psycho-Dakka-Blasta! Once fired, the supa-gatler continues to fire until all of its ammunition is expended - all the gunner can do is sweep it across the enemy and hope that some of its many, many shots hit home. After firing the supa-gatler you must nominate another enemy unit within 12" from the original target unit and fire again. You must then target another enemy unit within 12" (this may be the previous unit ). The supa-gatler keeps firing as long as it has got ammunition left - if the number of shots rolled for the second or subsequent burst is a double, the supa-gatler has run out of ammunition and stops firing immediately and for the rest of the battle (do not resolve any shots against the final target). For purposes of the co-axial rule, the Deth kannon must be fired against the last unit that the Supa-gatler has fired at (and if the target suffered at least one hit from the Supa-gatler, the Deth Kannon may re-roll its scatter dice).

First off, that supa-gatler is CRAZY! Maybe the craziest weapon the design studio has ever brewed up. If even half this stuff is true, I can't imagine why GW wouldn't want to make as many plastic Stompa kits as they can. I don't even play orks, but I might even start an army just to field that monster! -bigred

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NEWSFLASH: GW Ork Sneak Peaks

And on queue, courtesy of GW...

I'm dreaming of a green Christmas...

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GD 2007 Wrapup & 2008 Rumblings...

Images brought to the community by Dionysus from Dystartes

Well, Games Day 2007 has come and gone, and left us all with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

With the minis on display an several corroborating sources it looks like 2008 may be shaping up to look something like this:

• Codex: Orks (Jan)
• Codex: Ruinous Powers (around March-April)
• The Big Mystery
• Codex:??? (Necrons would seem to be a strong contender for this slot)

Various sources are saying that after Codex: Ruinous Powers things will be getting very interesting, so we're not just talking about another expected codex release. Various rumors and speculation include possibilities such as:

• Plastic Stompa (supposedly put off till late next year)
• Plastic Thunderhawk (some low-level chatter on this one has persisted for several months now)
• Warhammer 40k 5th Edition (perhaps moved up by the devs to address some serious design issues they wish to clear up before proceeding onto other codices)
• Space Marine Redux (seems unlikely as it was said to be punted at least a year down the road)

Thrown into the 2008 mix will be 1-2 Imperial Armor books from Forgeworld

• IA:6 Siege of Vraks Part 2 (rumored to include chaos-engines and the reaver titan)
• IA:7 Rumored to be about Adeptus Mechanicus

There is also background talk of the Necrons coming along nicely, so they may be a contender for any late year releases.

Finally, here are a couple of additional GD:2007 pics we didn't get in yesterday.

How does all this jive with what you all are hearing?

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Gamesday 2007: FW Reaver, Orks, & More!!!

Images brought to the community from Warseer's philbrad, lomo and kaine

Straight from Games Day 2007

That puppy is BIG, and do believe I spy a set of TRIPLE-barreled Turbo Laser Destructors!!! Its obviously still in progress, but WOW!!!






Now the Orks are just fantastic. I can't believe GW pulled off that Ork Trukk. Just fantastic for an plastic kit.

More pics as they come in...








And still more... Here we see some lovely plastics apparently from the upcoming Codex: Ruinous Powers, and that new Eldar jetbike is awesome. Something tells me that with an accessory sprue, that could be used for both Craftworld and Dark Eldar.

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Weekly roundup

It's been a sleepy Friday folks. Onto our daily news.

Codex: CSM: The Chaos codex officially hit stores yesterday, and I say "Ding, Dong, Siren (and all minor psychic powers) is gone" Good riddance! The day we all never have to face another Siren-bomb army is a good day for the community. In the end, Lash is beatable, and is nowhere as broken as Siren was.

The codex itself is pretty much what we expected, and I like it overall. MUCH clearer for new players, and still has a good amount of variety (except the loss of plaguebearers, bloodletters, ect... which should be dealt with with next year's CODEX:Ruinous Powers). The best part is building your Chaos Lord doesn't feel so much like filling out a 1040 form.

Updated Necrons: While I was skeptical at first, the rumormill just keeps clucking along on this and we keep getting little drips and drabs regarding the upgrading of Codex: Necrons (possibly in 08). The core rumors which have seemed to stick are:

• Replacement of WBB with Feel No Pain USR
• Increase in the Toughness of Warriors and Immortals
• Removal of Phase Out and Res Orbs

All in all, not a bad set of rumors there, as it would make the army easier to handle rules wise with FNP being much clearer mechanic that all the wierd situations WBB can cause (especially to newbies). The upping of the toughness combined with removing Phase Out and Res Orbs is probably a wash but makes Necrons viable for tournaments at last. The Bell will keep their ears to the ground to see how this stuff pans out.


40k 5th edition: This is the really hot gossip flying fast about the forums. Scuttlebutt says GW may be planing on updating the core rulebook sometime in 08. The "scheduled" 5 year plan would put it in 09, but several folks are hearing that GW may bump it up a year to deal with a host of rule issues the design studio really want to change to move the game forward. Sources also say to take a close look at the newer "Jervis" codices and compare them to early releases such as CODEX: Space Marines for subtle hints of what is coming down the pipe in the new 5th edition (say where did all the retinues go???)

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FORGEWORLD: Upcoming releases

Lots of cool new stuff up for pre-order today from Forgeworld.

• Eldar Avatar with Spear


• New Mk.2 Eldar Wave Serpent


• IG Malcador with Las-cannon turret

I'm liking that Avatar, MUCH better than the previous one. I can almost imagine him spearing a Thunderhawk ...hehe

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RUMORS: New Apocalypse Strategic Assets

Hi folks,

Apparently there are several categories of Strategic Assets an army can purchase in apocalypse, in the following categories:

Tactical Assets: Things that directly effect your models and deployment.

Battlefield Assets: Enhancements to the board to strengthen your forces.

Frontline Assets: Exotic pieces of equipment that will effect the game.

Support Assets: Abstracted off-table help to improve your forces.

While most of these have been described in other forums, I've been informed of a few new ones that may catch your eye by a little bird named JF...

• Disruptor Beacon: This piece of equipment lets the owning player on a 4+ relocate any enemy forces who reserve on within 48" of it to any location on the board of his choice!
• Anti-plant Barrage: On a 2+ each pieces of vegetation-based terrain is removed from the table.
• Recon: All your forces reroll failed difficult and dangerous terrain checks.
• Bunkers: You get 6 bunkers to place as you wish.
• Long Range AAA: You may force a single enemy flyer off the board immediately, or force it to take several automatic hits!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting more pumped for Apocalypse every day. Now I gust need to get cracking on finishing out my Heresy-Era Death Guard Century....

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Warhammer 30,000: Age of Heresy v.2.5

OK, everybody, I have something very special today. You've all been waiting for it, and at long last it's here. Myself, Mkerr, bulwark, and many, many others have wrapped up the second edition of the Warhammer 30,000: Age of Heresy sourcebook. Within its 88 pages you will find a set of rules to allow you all to play games in the Age of the Horus Heresy.

Here is the link to download the 10mb Adobe Acrobat file for the rule-set.

Download Here

Within you will find general rules for each of the First Founding legions, rules to reflect the different technological period of the Heresy-Era and a large set of new Named Characters to offer something to every Legion and modeler out there. There are also time lines, and suggestions for using other codices in your games as well as a suggested reading list for Heresy-Era enthusiasts.

We have added a full color hobby section, tons of new characters, an improved campaign, a full set of Apocalypse Legion formations, and several new units such as the Sisters of Silence. Here are a few teaser pictures of battles, maps, and Independent Characters to whet your appetite.

Is it perfect or comprehensive? No, but I hope this serves as a starting point to get your creative juices flowing and give groups of Heresy-Era enthusiasts a mutual set of rules they can use to start modeling and playing games.

Enjoy, and by all means, leave comments.

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SNEAK PEAK: Baneblade Sprues

These images come to the community from Warseer's Hellfury. original thread here

A little late but still very impressive. Check out the Sprues for the Baneblade kit. After building scale models for many years, it is my opinion, that if GW is capable of putting out a kit of this complexity and size, they can easily handle anything.

From a manufacturing and technology point of view, Thunderhawks, and even the Mighty Warlord titan are possible (limited edition Gundam kits of that size have been available from Japan for many years). Now its just a matter of making a business case for the kits.

Something tells me GW's future is going to be "big" if you know what I mean.

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Ork Apocalypse Datafaxes

IJW over at Warseer had this to say about the ork datafaxes in Apoc.

BattleFortress
The Photo in teh book is of a converted Baneblade (surprise!)
Most stats as per Baneblade, but it's Fast.
Transport: 30, and counts as open-topped for disembarking only.
Has a couple of different-size Kannon and 2-3 T-L Big Shootas, I was a bit surprised at the lack of Dakka.
Points: ~26 Marines

Stompa & Mekboy Stompa
No lack of Dakka here, photos for the Stompa and Mekboy Stompa are the two scratch-builds shown in WD.
Loadsa Structure Points, plus Powerfields.
I don't remember how many gun slots they had, but each has a choice of about eight different ones.
Deffkannon (Stompa only) has a co-axial Gatling Blasta with the special rules that fire at loads of units. Best I can remember, it went something like: S6 AP3 Heavy 2d6, once it's fired at a unit, it can fire again at another unit within 12" of the last target unit, and keep going until you roll a double on the number of shots. Only fires for one turn, then runs out of ammo.
The Mekboy Stompa had the option for some kind of Gatling weapon which is Heavy 6d6.
It also has access to the Lifta Droppa, as has previously been rumoured. Pick an enemy vehicle within range, roll a scatter die. On a hit, it gets lifted and dropped on the spot, taking d6 glancing hits. On an arrow, it gets dropped in that direction, up to 24", again taking d6 glancing hits. If it lands on units, the units each take 2?d6 hits, can't remember S or AP. If it lands on a vehicle they both take 2d6 glances.
Stompa has Transport: 20, not sure about the MS.
Points: ~40 and 43 Marines respectively.


Dread Mob
All Dreads/kans in the mob are covered by a KFF if within 12" of the lead Dred. other rumors says it can be lead by a stompa.

Gargantuan Squigoth
It's a beast. T8 W8. A couple of Lobbas and three TLBS, with the option of another three TLBS for a total of 18 TLBS shots! No idea of points, but it almost has more Dakka than the Battlefortress...

Kult of Speed
Loadsa Bikes, Buggies and Trukks, gains a single Strategic Redeployment asset, like the Windrider host and Sentinel sheet.

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