LotR: Gondor by the Numbers

Hi Guys, Bulwark here, and I love War of the Ring.

War of the Rings is still new and most of us are in the stage of trying to get our head wrapped around it. In order to help us all out, this is a quick and dirty analysis of Gondor unit choices. I do not have a great number of battles under my belt, so take my analysis with a grain of salt and feel free to correct me when I am wrong or I miss the value in a particular unit.

I'm breaking down the units into 4 broad categories; infantry, archers, cavalry (not to be confused with Calvary, those are two different things; pet peeve) and Heros. Yes, I know, there are several units that fall into more than one category. But we'll use this breakdown for simplicity's sake.

Infantry:

Minas Tirith Warriors. These guys are pretty good. Low cost, high defence and average courage. Their only downside is low fight value and strength. They are the epitome of the Anvil, now we only need a Hammer to go with them. For their price, I see them as one of the best defence units in the game. I like to use these as a baseline for comparing the other unit's stats.

Numenorean Warriors. One greater fight and one less defence than Minas Tirith warriors for the same price. Not terrible, but getting the 1 extra attack per company probably does not offset the one less defence. However, if you are building your army around a theme, they will work fine.

Warriors or Arnor. These guys are good. Low cost and high defence and better than Minas Tirith warriors in a fight. Their only down side is their poor courage value. Keep an Epic hero with Inspiring Leader nearby and you should have nothing to worry about. Fortunately, Gondor has several inspiring leaders to choose from.

Citadel Guards. These guys are the big brothers of the Minas Tirith warriors. Better fight and better strength. Unfortunately, they are also about 40% more expensive.

Men-at-Arms of Dol Amroth. A good choice if you know you will be facing cavalry, but why would you choose these guys over Axemen of Lossarnach. Higher cost and less versatility with same Pike ability. This entry doesn't make sense from a game play perspective. These guys are good for making a themed list, but little else.

Foot Knights of Dol Amroth. These guys are very nice. Citadel Guards that get bonus attacks half the time? yes, I will take some. If only they were not all metal.

Guards of the Fountain Court. It seems like GW put these guys, Citadel Guards, and Men-at-arms all in the same bucket and randomly moved one or two of their stats around. Not spectacular, but not awful either. The models are nice, but costly for a decent sized formation.

Army of the Dead. This is a fun unit that is very situational. They are great at taking on those high defence, low courage troops. Fortunately for Gondor, Evil is full of those sorts of units. Their price is a bit high though. Look at the Court of the Dead King for a better priced alternative when taking a large formation.

Axemen of Lossarnach. Finally, a good offensive unit. A few of these hidden around your Minas Tirith warriors will make those orcs think twice about charging you.

Clansmen of Lamedon. Another good offense unit. And they charge like cavalry...it must be the skirts.

Denethor's Guard. Another fluff choice. The Citadel Guards are exactly the same, but you have to take a couple of special characters with no real advantages.

Court of the Dead King. Army of the Dead on speed. Look at the per unit price of this formation and then look at the price for Army of the dead. Notice anything? Yep, once you count in the cost of a hero and banner bearer, these guys are a steal. And shadowstride is great.

Royal Guard of Arnor. Warriors of Armor with a 6+ invulnerable save. For the points, you are probably better off just buying another company (or two) of warriors.

Wardens of the Keys. These guys have the best defence you can buy, unfortunately buying them costs a lot. For a maxxed size formation, you could buy 3 times as many Warriors of Minas Tirith, and still have points left over.

Archers:

Minas Tirith Archers. I'm not a huge fan of these guys. They have good armor for archers, but their shoot value isn't spectacular. For the points cost, I'd look at one of the Ranger companies.

Numenorean Archers. Just like in the Numenorean Warriors, a little more fight and a little less defence than their Minas Tirith counterparts. But, unlike the warriors, they will probably see less fighting so are not as good of a deal.

Rangers of Gondor. Probably the best archers for the price in the Gondor list. Good shoot value and low cost mean you can fill the air with lots of arrows.

Rangers of Arnor. Same price as Rangers of Gondor but with lower courage and better pathfinding skills. Unless you are building an army for fluff, I would go with the Gondor rangers.

Citadel Guards with Bows. Adding bows to these guys really adds on the points. If you want a 'do anything' unit, these guys can do it. Personally, I'm more of a unit specialization fan.

Avenger Bolt Thrower. A good number of shots at a decent strength, but the short range and low number of wounds will leave these on the shelf most of the time. For just a few points more, ally in some dwarf ballistas for a much better option.

Battlecry Trebuchet. The big brother of artillery. I have to admit, I haven't see this one in action. But I can't help but think that with only 3 guys manning the gun that it won't last past turn 2 or 3.

Rangers of Ithilien. Spend the points for the 2 special characters and your Gondor Ranger formation gets the ambush ability. Not bad.

Osgiliath Veterans. Good offence, good defence. They fill the same role as the Citadel Guards with Bows, but a steeper initial cost.

The Dunedain of Arnor. Expensive initial cost, but you do get longbows in the deal. I think Blackroot Vale Archers may be a better choice.

The Grey Company. Another expensive 'do anything' formation. Though, probably a better choice than the Citadel Guards. I'm not sure if the banner of the King is worth it; I'd like to see it in action a few times before I make up my mind.

Blackroot Vale Archers. Ambushing with Longbows. Need I say more?


Cavalry:

Minas Tirith Knights. A good all around unit. Like the Minas Tirith Warriors, they are inexpensive and have good armor. They're still not wonderful in a fight, but their lances go a long way towards helping that. If sticking with a pure Gondor list, I would take these as the hammer to the warriors anvil. I also think the shields are worth it most of the time (ok, half the time, but don't go all mathhammer on me).

Knights of Dol Amroth. Beautiful models, high defence, good in a fight, and bonus attacks on the charge like no ones business. A good choice for cavalry, if you don't mind the points cost...and paying for the metal.

Riders of the Dead. Same cool rules as the Warriors of the dead. But, without the lance rule of Gondor's other cavalry choices, they are just a faster version of warriors of the dead with less wounds.


Epic Heros:

Boromir. This guy is a hero killer. No doubt about it. Tons of might, epic strike and treating everyone as R 1. Don't challenge this guy unless you have a death wish. Unfortunately, outside of duels, he doesn't lend a great deal to his formation. Unless you know you are going to face some seriously tough epic heros, he's probably not worth the loss of 7 companies of warriors.

Aragorn. That sword. That amazing sword. Sure, he has good leadership free might and some nice epic skills, but the bonus his sword gives is worth it.

Faramir. Little brother of Boromir. This guy is great for his points. Inspiring leader and a lots of might makes him a good choice in smaller games.

Peregrin Took. Why? Seriously, unless you are building a theme list, spend the few extra points and get Faramir.

Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Not a bad guy, but I still think Farimir is 90% as good for 70% the price.

High King Elendil. Other than his permanent Epic strike, Aragorn is probably a better choice.
Isildur. Not a bad character. I put him on equal footing with Faramir. A little better here, a little worse there. But all around, they are about the same.

And there you have it, Gondor by the numbers. What is your take on the forces of Gondor? Who is over priced and who is a bargain?

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Warhammer Poll: Tabletop Painting Standards

This one goes out to all of us Warhammer players, on both the 40k and Fantasy side.

Its a sticky subject, but lets get right to it: What painting quality level do you like to see on the tabletop when you play, and what standards do you hold yourself to?

Lets go over the major schools of thought and see where you guys come down:

Fully Painted:
These folks feel the game is a visual experience, and take great pleasure in fielding fully painted armies. Throwing down with a viable list is secondary to having everything fully painted, and if they lose a few games with an unbalanced aarmy along the way...well so be it.

Mostly Painted:
These folks are like the fully painted people, but will occasionally field one or two unpainted minis in bare metal or plastic to try them out on the board. They are reliable painters, but want to play effective armies, and wont let a couple of unpainted units spoil their fun.

Primed/Tabletop Quality:
These people are all about playing the game, and may paint up an occasional squad or slowly move through their army, painting the easy three-color minimums standards you often see. They are primarily focussed on the rules and tactics of the game, not painting the minis and are perfectly happy with many of thier models assembled and spray-painted.

Unpainted:
Hey guys, its a tactical game, so lets get playing. These folks dont paint their Monopoly pieces, so why should they paint their Warhammer 40k/WFB pieces. They love the playing of the game above all else and have no problems fielding entire armies of just assembled models.

~So what do you consider yourself to be, and what do you see in your area? Be honest, and lets hear about WHY you play the way you do and what you would like to see in your area. Of course crazy funny stories are always appreciated.

Poll, right hand column, ATTACK!

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40K TACTICA: Necron Phase Out

Since 5th edition's release, the Necron "phase out" rule which was originally intended for balance, is now a major weakness. Unlike all other armies, your opponent mearly has to kill 75% of your Necron forces to achieve a complete victory, regardless of any other mission considerations. This means that even the Monolith, one of the most feared vehicles in the game can effectively be ignored for victory purposes. It will just disappear once you've killed enough.

There is really only two ways to try and combat phase out as a necron player. The first way I've named...

"Wow, That's Big!!"

If you're fielding 3 monolith's and a C'tan in 2000 points, it can be quite scary for your opponent. The kind of fear only invoked by 16 nob bikers, or 9 leman russ tanks. Unfortunately for the Necron player, the big stuff is not actually as frightening as the other two examples. If the big stuff doesn't kill a lot very quickly, the opposing force will just kill every other thing on the board. Thankfully, those 4 models can hit pretty hard and definitely presents a ticking clock for your opponent. This is the method I've been playing recently with my Necrons, with marginal and occasional success.

The second method that I'm going to be testing out this week with my new forces is called...

"You Can't Kill THIS Many!"

This method centers around a gigantic force of Necron Warriors that makes phasing out unlikely. This concept centers around a minimum of 60+ warriors with supporting necron forces with specialized purposes scattered throughout the FOC. Though this method leaves you vulnerable to assault, there are enough gauss guns to prevent a second round from just about any squad. Combined with some speed bump squads like scarabs, as well as some dirty tricks, it can be reasonably hard to deal with. I'll have more information after I do some testing with this method this week.

Any other Necron players out there have any other ideas or methods you've used to help you avoid getting phased out? We're not getting a new codex for a bit, so lets hear what you fellow Necron Lords scattered around the globe have to offer.

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FANTASY: Austin CCC Tournament

Hi guys,

This weekend, a whole load of the Fly Lords threw down at the Capitol City Carnage tournament in Austin. Minus67 took home the best general prize with his Dark Elf list, and a good time was had by all.

Here is a gallery of pics in no particular order to give you a taste of the Warhammer Fantasy tournament.




Minus67's Dark Elves




Goatboy's Warriors of Chaos


And your mother smelled of Elderberries...




Your petty magic is no match for the Imperial Guard!


Fly Lords signing out...

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40K NEWS: Imperial Guard Apocalypse Datasheets

Hi Guys,

Games Workshop threw up some new Apoclaypse Datasheets for the Imperial Guard, so go check them out. We have:

Heavy Weapons Company
Armageddon Stompa Hunters
Stormtrooper Strike Force
Roughrider Company

~As usual, its nice to see continued support for Apocalypse. Its even nicer to see it integrated into the Warhammer 40000's overall release schedule. Also, that Stormtrooper force is MEAN!

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Goatboy's 40k Thoughts: What would I play in a Tournament.

I know not everyone plays in a tournament. Heck, the majority of our 40k and Fantasy readers here don’t even throw down at a local event. But if they did decide to play at one, what kind of army should they play? Right now, the army I feel, as having the best overall shot versus just about any opponent is Chaos Space Marines.

Fearless

The basic trooper of the Chaos Space Marines can be fearless. Yes I know only the cult troops are fearless, but if you are not taking them then you are not taking what is one of the strong points of the codex. Fearless helps you ignore an annoying part of the game. We all like our armies to be heroic, and losing a leadership test makes you feel like you are a weak general. Ignoring that one factor of the game lets you have less of a chance to fail.

Masters of Equipment

Chaos’s troops basic load out of a bolter, bolt pistol, and CCW allows you to have 3 attacks apiece on the charge. This is huge, as your normal troopers are as good as most assault elements in any other army. You mix this with one of the best basic weapons in the game and you have something that can fulfill whatever role you need on the battlefield.

This is still not even going into the fact that they can have a large loadout of heavy weapons. The army is one of the few that can take a large amount of melta weapons. Melta is the new plasma of 5th edition, and if you can’t take them in numbers, your fight versus vehicles will be a tough one.

Chaos also has one of the better transport options in the game. Yes they don’t have something that can fly but they still have a basic option that has become one of the best workhorses of the game. The lowly Rhino is more then just a box to hide guys in; it has now become one of the most useful units in the game.

Great Choices all around

Every choice in the codex has some sort of merit, even if they do not have the greatest advantage. Each unit can give something to the army, even the lowly Raptor, Biker, or Possessed. It is one of the few armies that can be built in multiple ways and still have a chance to win. I might play a Death Guard list most of the time, but I have had luck with Slaanesh, Tzeentch, as well as Khorne builds. Even the crazy dreadnought is not a bad choice when it comes down to needing a mobile multi-melta.

All of these advantages make CSM a great choice in the upcoming tournament scene. What I want to do now is go through some of the matchups you might see when playing with our beloved Traitor Marines.

IG: The new IG have some crazy build outs. Luckily enough for every rough IG army coming, there are a ton of builds that just don’t have enough to put a hurt on your evil marines. Concentrate on a side and try to use your rhinos to keep your guys alive from the initial barrage of templates. Move forward with your rhinos and try to get at least 24 inches of movement out of them if you can. If you can get close you can slowly chew through their units.

Orks: Orks will get a beating from IG, needing to change out how they are built. You will probably see more big mek builds with fields protecting BW coming at you. This is a change from the normal Nob Bikerz and helps keep the psyker squads from doing a ton of damage and making your 750+ point squads run away. With Chaos, you want to bring the hurt to them. If you can charge them, you can put huge dents in any of their squads. You limit their strength as well as attacks which can help out. Watching a squad of bezerkers butcher through a 30 man mob is pretty hilarious and satisfying as a Chaos player.

Space Marines: The drop pod build is something interesting, as and I see an all pod army to be a weak choice versus other builds you commonly see. If you are playing against one with CSM, just concentrate on a side and use your mix of units to make a marine player have to choose what they can try to deal with. Your guys can assault better then most marines and you usually have just as many weapons to bring to deal with any LRC’s that are running around. TH/SS termies are still scary, but you can bait them around and try to pull them away from you.

Daemons: I don’t think this army is the greatest choice in the upcoming tournament scene, but it is still something you have to worry about. If they are playing Khorne daemons, move into cover and watch as you strike first before they get at you. With daemons remember that your dreadnoughts and defilers can assault just about any basic unit and they won’t be able to do anything to you. Also, the simple bolter is one of the greatest weapons versus any daemon horde you might be fighting.

Nids: Not the best army choice right now, but they can put a lot of hurt on some of the new armies out there. IG can get pinned a lot by the change out to barbed stranglers, so it isn’t a bad choice in the upcoming metagame. As a CSM player the best thing is to use your rhinos to move and take out different sides of their army. Your heavy weapons should give you an advantage and let you kill MC’s pretty quickly.

As you can see CSM have a lot of advantages that let them have a chance versus any army you might see. I know I didn’t go over all the army match ups, but as you can see that using the APC’s to move quickly and create different concentrations of fire is the strategy to use in 5th Edition 40k. Mixed that with an army full of distinct advantages as well as different roles lets CSM be my army of choice when I decided to play in a competitive tournament.

As usual, shoot me an email if you have any questions, want me to review army lists, or anything else. I answer them as fast as I can and I have a ton of random lists floating around in my head.

Now some pics, here are some converted lootas and a nurgle dp.

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40k PAINTING: Space Sharks are JAWESOME!

Hi guys,

If you remember the Badab APC Challenge, you will of course remember ZiggyQubert's great Space Shark Razorback entry. Well, I had the pleasure of runing into Ziggy at Adepticon and lo and behold he was fielding an entire Space Shark's army.

He has kindly sent all of us a set of his beautiful Astartes for all the BoLS readerbase to enjoy.









~Lets give it up for ZiggyQubert guys. I thing we can all look forward to seeing lots more of these guys in the upcoming Badab War campaign book. This is exactly the type of thing that makes the BoLS logosheet project worth it. Cool armies on the tabletop that give the game more depth.

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40K Valkyrie Painting Contest: Win A Skyshield!

Owners of the new Imperial Guard Valkyrie might be interested to know that Games Workshop is sponsoring a Valkyrie model painting contest with an interesting prize. Judging will be on May 16 and the winner will receive a new Skyshield Landing Platform when it is released! Details of the contest can be found on the GW website along with the details of another Imperial Guard themed painting contest. Good luck to all you model painters out there!

I used a gift card I had from the last GW Bizarre Bazaar to Advance Order myself a couple Valkyries. They arrived last Thursday and I've already assembled them up to the point where I need to stop and paint the interior before proceeding further. I also snagged a copy of the new IG Codex and the new Primaris Psyker on Saturday morning at my favorite GW store as soon as the door opened; good thing too because the Codex was sold out before the end of the day! Meanwhile, I'm getting set for Games Day Baltimore, which is this coming Saturday, May 9 and I'm looking forward to the next GW Bizarre Bazaar the last weekend of May.

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40k SNEAK PEEK: Ironclad Dreadnought Pics

Hot off the Games Workshop presses...

~Wipe that drool off your faces Marine Commanders. The big guy hits the tabletop this July (just in time to punch some dreadnought sized holes in all those new plastic barricades and bastions).

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FANTASY: Bigred's Druchii Update

Hi guys. I've been heads down over the last couple of weeks becuase I have been painting up a storm...of Dark Elves.

With the impending tsunami of Imperial Guard coming my way, I told myself to get these guys cranked out now or never. They have come a long way since the last time you guys saw them, and there are still a few big units to go, but I'm now "over the hump". I can see light at the end of the tunnel!





~As for my Fantasy generalship, well lets say I still have a long road ahead of me. I can officially beat players who are just starting the game, but crumple like a paper cup to any regular Warhammer Fantasy player. It would be so much easier if my primative Dark Eldar could just have Raiders and Dark Lances... :)

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40K RUMORS: Space Marine Wave 2

Hi guys,

July is shaping up to quite the hot month for Warhammer 40000. Not only is Planetstrike coming our way, but the Marines are finally getting their 2nd wave minis.

We hear the following are lining up to hit the shelves in just 2 months:

-Ironclad Dreadnought
-Land Speeder Storm (reportedly with a full set of snazzy scout crew)
-Vulkan Hes'tan
-Korsarro Khan

~Oh, July is going to hurt my wallet coming so fast on the heels of the IG...

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40K TACTICA: Arvus Lighter

Hi all,

Last month we went to Adepticon, which was as always, really fun. The most surprising thing about the Gladiator event was how incredibly annoyed people are about Flyers. I’ll list a few facts about Flyers, and then go into dirty tricks.

Flyers 101
-First, Flyers are hard to shoot. 6s to hit, 12” further than the tape measure shows them, 4+ cover. No blasts or templates can be used on flyers, either.
-Second, Flyers move fast – at least 36” a turn. This means closing with them isn’t possible.
-Third, Flyers cannot be assaulted or rammed.
-Fourth, Flyers occupy space just like any other model
-Fifth, Flyers can leave the board. So if your flyer is shaken or there is no good place to put it on the board, just move it off and bring it on again next turn.
-Sixth, Flyers can always fire all their weapons. So if you give them guns, Flyers can move across the board and fire everything. Which isn’t that big of a deal since Flyers always hit the side armor of ground vehicles, regardless of the facing they are actually on.

Evil Flyer Tricks
Flyers enter the board and are anywhere you want them to be. This means your Flyers can be exactly in the axis of your opponents’ most critical advance and keep them from moving where they need to be. Since they have to move at least 36” each turn, constant blocking require lots of Flyers – and that’s where the Arvus comes into play. At 75 points and a transport option of Imperial Guard (a cheap army), it is possible to have a veritable fleet of Arvus Lighters screening your army against the advancing hordes of enemies while your guns blaze away without fear of assaults.

Flyers can deliver troops anywhere you want them to be, and without the disadvantages of deep strike. Again, the Arvus Lighter is cheap and carries cheap troops, so it is a joy to use in this way.
Flyers can block objectives, just like any other large enough model. The Arvus is big enough for this, but something like an Eldar Vampire can block an objective so that even in the next turn the enemy cannot get to it.

Closing Thoughts
For some reason, people hate Flyers. Maybe it’s the big pretty models dancing around in their backfields, or maybe since they almost all have AV:10 on all facings, they seem easy to kill, but whatever the reason, even solid players will shoot at Flyers they ought to ignore.
On the flip side, smart players almost never fire at Flyers. Which means you can fly them all over the board.

~What are your thoughts on flyers? Do you use them regularly or find them to fickle or overpriced for most games? If you do like to use them, lets hear what your regualr types and tactics are.

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Hobby: Obedience School for Paint

Have you ever painted a model with feathers or fur and seem to have the toughest time getting the paint into the nooks and crannies? Or maybe you have been putting a wash down only to have it turn into a ring instead of a nice shadow in the recesses? The culprit is water surface tension, and the cure is Flow Improver.

Flow Improver is known by many names. The most common name, which also describes its function, is surfactant. Surfactants are typically detergents or chemicals which reduce the natural surface tension of water. This is why liquid dish soap, floor wax, and widow cleaners are usually included in articles about using inks or making washes. I prefer to use additives specifically formulated for use in paint instead of household cleaners because true paint additives are formulated to work with paint. Household cleaners are formulated for cleaning, and can interact with paint poorly.

Many Flow Improvers are actually water conditioners. What this means is that the mixture is based on a ratio of water to flow improver, and once added to water your water will actually not act like regular water. Once you have made up a batch you can add it directly to your paint pots, or if you use a palette you can use the mixture to thin your paints on the palette.

The flow improver I use is Flow Aid from Liquitex. It is water conditioner that mixes at a ratio of 20:1 water to Flow Aid. The nice part about this is if I buy a 6 ounce bottle I can buy a gallon of distilled water, pour off 8 (US) ounces, and have my water proportion ready to introduce the Flow Aid. I still haven’t used it the entire last batch I made, and I made it about a year ago, so I think that it has value in longevity.

So what other painting products and techniques would you like to know about? Sound off and let me know.

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Valkyrie Logo Sheet

In celebration of the squadrons of Valkyries which are soon to be appearing on tabletops across the globe, BoLS proudly presents our over-sized Valkyrie logo sheet.

As we gather together our flights of Valkyries, one of the most fun parts is designing the iconography for our air-cav. Here is a logo sheet providing a set of oversized logos designed for the wings of the Valkyries and the sides of the forward fuselage surrounding the aircrew.

Here is the link to the PDF file for the logo sheet you can freely pull down and use:

Download Here

The sheet is designed for printout on Decal printer paper which is easily available online. These decals are designed for the WHITE or CLEAR decal paper. The procedure is as follows:

WHITE PAPER: Use this paper for any of the colored logos that you plan to use against a non-white background. You will need to cut the logos out exactly, and can then apply them to any color background. They will completely cover any background color.

CLEAR PAPER: Use this for any of the black logos. You do not need to cut them out right up to the edge.

Click here for a detailed Custom Decal Tutorial

Enjoy and have fun buzzing the enemies of the Emperor with your new Valkyries!

~Please feel free to leave comments if there is a special Chapter, Craftworld, or something else you would love to collect, but have no GW decal options, and I will see what I can do.

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40K NEWS: The Imperial Guard have Shipped

Hi all,

Watch out foes of the Imperium of Man, because the Imperial Guard are available today! Games Workshop also just threw up a slew of new tactics, assembly and painting guides to coincide with the new Imperial Guard releases.

Imperial Guard: Getting Started
Imperial Guard Command Squad Tactics

Cadian Assembly and Painting Guide
Catachan Assembly and Painting Guide
Sentinel Assembly and Painting Guide
Valkyrie Assembly and Painting Guide


~The new Imperial Guard are HERE, like RIGHT NOW, in a store near you! After so many months of rumors and speculation, let the Armored Fist of the Emperor let fly fellows! I'm off to my FLGS to get my brand spanking new IG Codex and a Valkyrie. What are you Warhammer 40k fanatics grabbing right away?

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40K: Dawn of War II Soundtrack Available

Those fine folks over at THQ wanted everybody to know that there is now yet another level of crazed addiction for Warhammer 40k fans.

The Dawn of War II official soundtrack is now available to download for free, via Steam.

There are 20 tracks - details on these can be found on the news article on Steam: http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=news&id=2455

The link to download appears on the Dawn of War II game page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/15620/

~Its free... Just saying.

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BoLS Minidexes: Titans and Flyers OH MY!

Hi guys,

There is officially NOTHING going on this Saturday morning. And that means its time for a little BoLS announcement.

As you know we are hard at work on the Badab War and that is keeping everyone heads down. While the Fly Lords are chained to the grindstone, I would like to let you guys in on our plans for minidexes after that. We can go in two different directions and I would like your guys input as to the kind of things you would like to see and which one you want more.

Minidex Idea (a): Codex Aeronautica
This book in the same vein as our Lords of Battle minidex will focus exclusively on the flyers of the 40k universe. It will feature:
-New aircraft for various races
-Apocalypse Formation Datasheets for squarons and flights of the various races and their special abilities.
-Rules for pilot/crew skill levels, and advanced maneuvers.
-Named characters for the famous aces of the various races.

Minidex Idea (b): Codex Titanicus
This book in the same vein as our Lords of Battle minidex will focus exclusively on the titan legions/orders of the 40k universe. It will feature:
-Titans and knights for various races
-A full armory of rare titan weapon hardpoints and upgrades (fire control towers, corvus assault pods, etc...)
-Apocalypse Formation Datasheets for titan formations of the various races and their special abilities.
-Rules for titan crew skill levels, and advanced titan maneuvers and special abilities.
-Named characters/crews for the famous titans of the various races.

~OK, the floor is yours. What sounds more interesting and what kind of things would you most want to see in either of these books? No poll on this one, just your thoughts and interest levels please.

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40K Hobby: Flying Stand Closeup

I've noticed that in spite of the excitement over the new flying stand that comes with Games Workshop's Valkyrie kit, there has been little in the way of detailed reviews of it, so I thought I'd fill in that bit of a gap right here.

Here are some hard facts about the flying stand. The transparent stand itself is 5 inches in height. Each of the four flanges of the base is an eighth of an inch thick which combined with its shape makes it quite sturdy.

The black plastic oval base that comes with the flying stand is the same one that comes with GW's metal dragon model for the Lord of the Rings game. It has a beveled edge and sits about one eighth of an inch high. It is nearly 4.75" long and 3.75" wide.

As for personal thoughts on the stand, I like it a lot. I think it supports and shows off the hefty new Valkyrie model quite nicely. I hope this stand is eventually sold by GW Direct so that it is available for other uses. It would make a great stand for converted flying models (e.g., Silver Towers of Tzeentch), small Forge World fliers (e.g., Hellblades, Lightnings) and who knows what else.



The new Valkyrie model with flying stand hits shelves at your local game store this coming Saturday, May 2. There's also a GW sponsored Valkyrie painting contest beginning that day. For details, visit the GW website.

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40K NEWS: Forgeworld Vraks 3 Goodies

Hi guys,

Forgeworld has just put out thier latest set of Warhammer 40k goodies intended for Siege of Vraks: Part 3 up for preorder. We can now get decent shots of the Chaos models they showed off at this year's Forgeworld: Openday

Khorne Blood Slaughterer
360 view

Nurgle Blight Drone
360 view

Khorne Daemon Prince
360 view

They have also announced word that Warhounds will now be available as chassis kits, with individually offered weapons, similar to how they offer thier dreadnought kits.

~These are available for pre-order now, and ship out the week of May 26th.

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40K NEWS: Forgeworld 2009 Catalog

Get em while they're hot... The Forgeworld 2009 catalog is available for free. Just send them an email with your contact details and its off.

Get it here

~Its a slow news day, so this is a Forgeworld Open Thread. You can comment on anything Forgeworld related. Models, rules, great stories, likes, dislikes. Its all Forgeworld, all the time. Jump in!

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40K REVIEW: Heroes of the Space Marines

A guest review by Timo

Here comes another collection of Warhammer 40000 short stories, this time with a slightly misleading tittle. Really, this novel would have been better named (Anti)Heros of the Space Marines. You might share this view toward the end of this article, but for now, let’s get to the first story without further ado:

The Skull Harvest – Graham McNeill
Huron Blackheart is treating Warbands to a tournament. They can send their champion in to duel, and the winner will receive the loser’s Warband, up until there is only one leader left among the competitors. Uriel Ventis’ nemesis Hounsou is taking part in this competition, planning to gather together a force for the attack on Macgragge.

Hounsou, the sociopathic Chaos Marine, has been an interesting character since the novel Black Sky, Black Sun, and lets us look forward to McNeill's upcoming novels. Hopefully here we will finally experience the climax of the Ultramarines saga.
The short story is bloody and entertaining.


Gauntlet Run – Chris Roberson
Gauntlet Run is a prequel to Chris Roberson’s upcoming Imperial Fists novel (s).
The plot is set around a chase between a few Scouts and Orks (on red bikes, of course). Are the hunted really just the victims or do they have ulterior plans?

Neither the writing style nor the story really soared with me, so lets move on to the next.


Renegade – Gav Thorpe
A group of the Avenging Sons is defending the last hideaways of soldiers loyal to the Imperium on a planet that has succumbed to a Chaos cult. When their Librarian is troubled by a vision it is quite clear: the planet is doomed to fall victim to the hordes of the Warp. To fulfill the mission or save the valuable brothers’ lives, which will it be? This question can only be answered in the course of a bloody conflict, Brother against Brother.

The name Gav Thorpe seems to entail some negative connotations but I am always surprised by his stories and the topics he choses. I recommend this story.


Honour Among Friends – Dylan Owen
A group of Black Legion warriors lands on a planet with a very special mission because their leader is more interested in a specific person than the large-scale conflicts between loyal troops and the hordes of Chaos. An ancient oath, spoken centuries ago, has to be fulfilled.

Dylan Owen delivers an intelligent story that gives some insight into a Chaos Marine’s personal goals as well as his self-doubt. An enthralling style of writing combined with a great idea: what more could one want?

Fires of War – Nick Kyme
Much like Gauntlet Run is a small taste of the Imperial Fists, Fires of War is a short introduction to Nick Kyme’s upcoming novel “Salamander”.

The Salamanders are fighting against a town occupied by cultists, while an older enemy is lurking behind this obvious threat.

The story really is more tantalizing than my short synopsis might lead you to think, however it is sitting amongst stronger material, so lets use this space for some of the other stories.


The Labyrinth – Richard Ford
The Labyrinth is one of these.
The Sons of Malice make us of a labyrinth to select those truly worthy to join the elite Doomed Ones. Only those brave enough to face these dangers enter this contest.

After about half of this thrilling story I stumbled upon a fountain of youth! The setting totally reminded me of Ian Livingstone’s 1984 novel “Death trap Dungeon”. And since the story is so nicely exciting and “Chaos”, it successfully wowed me.

Headhunted – Steve Parker
Although Steve Parker is better known for his Imperial Guards novels, he gives us some insight into a Deathwatch-Kill teams’ world.

The small team races against time across a Green Skins’s space ship with the mission to kill a specific Ork. Headhunter would make the perfect action film; it is fast-paced, gory and exciting.


And They Shall Know No Fear – Darren Cox
A group of Black Templars joins the Imperial troops with a secret agenda, turning a mission into a cover-up of their lies.

I’m actually quite a Black Templars fan but somehow no author has yet managed to capture their charm, although Helbrecht the Neophyte make me crack a smile now and then.


Nightfall – Peter Fehervari
Nightfall on the other hand is one of this collection’s gems.
The time to select new recruits has come, and this process is a bloody one. Since we are dealing with Chaos here, a simple selection process would be way too mundane: some Marines are convinced that it’s time for a change in leadership, and then there’s this secret power thats coursing through a boy. The Warp moves in mysterious ways.

This is a Chaos story as it should be, full of blood, intrigues, and fast-paced action. Two thumbs up for Peter Fehervari.

One Hate – Aaron Dembski-Bowden
This story’s main character is a young Crimson Fists Chaplain that lands on a planet with a small brigade. The planet has recently been turned over to Imperial troops after intense battles with the Orks. The Imperial Guard have obviously blown their mission, and now the green tide is once again threatening to submerge this planet.

Can a handful of Crimson Fists be of any help here or do their have an agenda of their own?

Concluding Thoughts
Maybe my suggestion of a title change to (Anti)Heroes of the Space Marine make more sense now. The Chaos side of this collection delivers the more interesting tales, so the Warp definitely wins this battle of the Space Marines. Beside those few more staid stories, this collection is worth your time, and he who finds a collection of short stories that has no shortcomings, may cast the first stone... or fire the first bolter. Go check it out.

4 Stars (out of 5)

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