Forge World Releases Fellblade for The Horus Heresy!

Forgeworld has released the Fellblade and it is awesome.  of course it looks a lot like all the Fellblades from Tom McBride, but I guess great minds think alike (or they like what he did!).

The Fellblade clocks in at 155 GBP which is $ 251.  So a very expensive kit!

From Forgeworld:

Based upon the same STC data as the Baneblade and Deathhammer super-heavy tanks, which are a mainstay of the vast brigades of the Imperial Army, the Fellblade is a more advanced variant that first saw widespread service with the Legiones Astartes in the last decades of the Great Crusade.

It is most noted for its use of Mechanicum atomantic arc-reactor technology and a reinforced metaplas alloy chassis superior even to that of the Baneblade, alongside an advanced accelerator cannon as its primary armament. These systems are all fruits of Dark Age technologies rediscovered and restored to humanity shortly before the nightmare of the Great Heresy.

The mighty Space Marine Fellblade is a huge multi-part resin kit designed by Stuart Williamson, containing two Space Marine crew designed by Mark Bedford. Packed with detail, this immense vehicle will be available to buy in limited numbers at Games Day UK on Sunday 23rd September.

New Chaos Photos & White Dwarf Relaunch

Well, these photos surfaced on a Spanish site and have made the rounds.  Looks like Chaos is due for some AMAZING new models.  Not sure how much I like the new Chaos flyer though.  (More photos coming later today).

WHITE DWARF RELAUNCH

This was posted by Games Workshop here:

In just over a week's time the pages of White Dwarf will change forever. Miniatures will be shown in a new light, battle reports will be reborn and new articles will be read for the first time. Even the classic logo that sat at the head of the magazine for the last 20 years will disappear into the Hall of Legends.

On September 22nd 2012, White Dwarf will be reborn; bigger, better and more exciting than ever before.

As news goes, that's pretty exciting stuff, I think you'll agree. For the last half-year a crack team of designers have been pulling White Dwarf apart at the seams, re-forging it into something incredibly exciting. Everything is new, nothing's the same. Even the paper is a higher quality, that's the degree to which the magazine has changed.

Of course a new magazine needs a new team to work on it and so, without further ado, here's the new White Dwarf team:  

From left to right we have:

Dan Harden (that's me, just in case you didn't know) - Staff Writer
Erik Niemz - Photographer
Matthew Hutson - Lead Designer
Beth Beynon-Hughes - Digital Editor
Andrew Kenrick - Deputy Editor
Kris Shield - Designer
Glenn More - Photo Editor
Jes Bickham - Editor
Adam Troke - Senior Staff Writer

Some of these names you'll recognise. Matt, Kris and Andrew have been working on White Dwarf for several years now. In fact, Matt has been working on it almost as long as White Dwarf has been around (OK, so that's a slight exaggeration, but he has been around for quite some time). Adam and Glenn have moved into White Dwarf from games development and book production respectively, while Beth and Erik are both new to Games Workshop. And last, but certainly not least, we also have a new White Dwarf editor, and the latest scion of Grombrindal himself, Jes Bickham. While this is his first time working on White Dwarf, Jes has worked at Games Workshop before as the editor of Battle Games of Middle-earth, back when The Lord of the Rings first appeared in cinemas and hair was more plentiful. 

Australia Games Day News and Notes

Collegia Titanica put out this blog entry with information from GW staff and seminars at Games Day Australia.


Forge World

- Warlord Titan? Big kits are a balance of cost in time vs how much they’ll sell realistically. For instance the Manta took one and a half years for Will Hayes to produce, during which time he wasn’t getting much else done. Could he have made fifteen other kits that would have sold more in that time? That’s the numbers they run and why big kits are rarer. They do want to make a Warlord though.

- That Bran Redmaw mini seen but not released? Gone. Mark wasn’t happy with the quality so asked for it not to be released. Another sculptor has taken over the character.

- They monitor the GW studio release schedule to avoid putting something out just before a new codex (ie why Necrons are due now, not last year).

- Some units are designed for a specific book, some are designed just for the hell of it.

- They deliberately put extra characters in books, Badab being a prime example, so that if they have a spare moment they have a backlog to draw on for ideas.

- Next book is Necrons, Minotaurs and Death Corps of Krieg.

- “So we’ll be doing a big Necron vehicle.”
“It’s not just going to be a bigger pyramid, is it?”
“No… it’s an upside down sandcastle.”

- A Dark Eldar superheavy would fit their raider aesthetic, but still be big, “like and ocean liner”.

- I asked later about the low content of xenos in some books (particularly corsairs in IA12). Mark’s reply indicated there will be more in the Dark Eldar book, and that sometimes they hit time constraints or ideas just don’t work and they don’t have time to redo them.


Horus Heresy

- “Will you be making the Primarchs?”
“If you’ve read the Black Library books you’ll understand when I tell you ‘I can’t say’.”

- They want to make all the weapon options/units available they can to “stop little companies springing up in Poland”.

- The Marine armour variants were testing the waters for a HH series, which they have been working on for a year or so.

- They are working closely with Black Library to include bits of each other’s work (the Caestus appears in Fear to Tread for example). This also means they don’t mess anything up, and might even lead to BL characters appearing in mini form.

- Mechanicus? Almost certainly, but not for a while - it’s something Mark really really wants to do.

- They know it can’t be all marines all the time, and there will be xenos and non-marine forces dealt with in time.

- First book will begin at the start of the Heresy, but the lists will be designed to show off pre-Heresy forces and their fighting styles, as no divergence into chaos had happened yet.

- The Horus Heresy series is going to be ongoing, much like the Imperial Armour books, and each line will have a separate team working on it.

- The HH series is designed in such a way that people can use their existing armies as much as possible.

- Running quotes: “It’ll be like Christmas… it’ll blow your minds.”

This seminar was literally just under an hour, and it was straight into the design team one with Jes, Kevin Chin and Jeremy Vetock.


Design Seminar

- Jes loves plastic. LOVES it. If he could he’d do everything in it as for a sculptor it’s far better with almost no distortion or deformation. He foresees a future with only special characters being finecast, and generic characters all being single frame plastics like the recent Warhammer releases and the limited Dark Vengeance Chaplain.

- They want to continue putting every unit option on a frame where possible. And lots of head options.

- They’re aiming to expand the digital aspect of the company. Jeremy got very excited about the prospect, but no specifics.

- Don't call the background "fluff" around Jes. One guy did and he corrected him, pointing out that it was Jeremy's job to create that, and calling it fluff devalued it. The questioner corrected himself by saying "the expanded universe background setting", which pleased Jes no end.

- A young lad asked the following “How come Tau and Space Marines are ‘battle brothers’?” and got a huge cheer and round of applause from the audience. The reply was that yes, Tau and Marines often murdered each other on sight, but there were enough times when they didn’t to justify it. The allies matrix is there as a guide, not a proscription.

- "Why did they swap Marine chapter symbols from right to left shoulder?"
"I don't remember."
One of the attendees ventured that it was so (in universe), that when advancing the enemy would see the chapter symbol on a PA guy and know who's killing them, while terminators shoot one handed, so keep it on their right.
Jes thought that was a superb explaination, so he was going to accept that. He then went on a ramble about contradictory history and so on for a bit.

- If they can they would like to introduce 40k Dogs of War type units to use as allies to bring in lesser races. One of the reasons they brought allies back.

- There is a mathematical formula for points cost, based off a man (Warhammer) or a Marine (40k). This is then adjusted by feel for how the unit works within a given army or theme of the army.

- No release date/info for Sisters, but they definitely aren’t canned and will be re-done properly.

Forgeworld Releases Typhon Land Raider, more.

Forgeworld has released even more items for Games Day UK!  Damn, now that is 4 Land Raiders I need to buy.  And teh Realm of Battle boards look very cool.

Space Marine Typhon Heavy Siege Tank

Named for the ‘Great Beast’ of Ancient Terran myth, this immense siege tank was developed by the Mechanicum alongside the Spartan, with which it shares a basic chassis design.

The Typhon’s primary armament is the massive Dreadhammer cannon, and was created in response to a request from the Primarch Peturabo, master of the Iron Warriors. He demanded a Legiones Astartes war engine that could rival the great batteries of the Imperial Crusade Army in firepower, but manoeuvre and deploy at the speed of a Space Marine force.

The Typhon Heavy Siege Tank is a detailed multi-part resin model, designed by Phil Stutcinskas which will be on sale in limited numbers at Games Day UK. This mighty siege tank makes for an intimidating centrepiece indeed, and rules for fielding it as part of a Space Marine Legion are printed in The Horus Heresy Book I: Betrayal.

Realm of Battle Cityscape Tiles

In a galaxy beset by war, Imperial architecture is by necessity brutal and fortified. Should the Alien, the Traitor or the Heretic attempt to assault an Imperial world, more often than not it is the great cities of humanity that become battlegrounds; open plazas turning into killing grounds while shattered hab-blocks and ruined Administratum complexes become garrisoned redoubts. The humble tools of civilian infrastructure are transformed into key objectives, with generatorum waypoints becoming vital sources of power and sewer networks being pressed into service as guerrilla highways and concealed ambush points.

Forge World scenery designer Blake Spence has been hard at work over the past few months creating four modular Realm of Battle Cityscape tiles. Each is light weight and durable thanks to the hollow resin method we use, and each 2' x 2' (610 mm x 610 mm) tile is a blank canvas which is fully compatible with your plastic Citadel scenery.

The Shattered Plaza, Generatorum Sector, Primus Sector and Concourse Sector will each be on sale in limited numbers for the first time at UK Games Day, in advance of their scheduled release.

Forgeworld releases The Horus Heresy!

Forgeworld has released a bunch of stuff for the launch of The Horus Heresy.  First the book will be released at Games Day UK.  It is 70 GBP which is about $ 114.

Also, we get models!

Scimitar Pattern Space Marine Legion Jetbike

Squadrons of ‘Sky Hunters’ are fielded by almost all of the Legiones Astartes. These feared strike units are heavily armed and mounted upon sophisticated and powerful craft more akin to small flyers than ground bikes. There are several patterns of jetbike produced by the Mechanicum, all of which are modified from designs that pre-date the Imperium, and all of which are in considerable demand by the Space Marine Legions.

The Scimitar Pattern Space Marine Legion Jetbike, designed by Daren Parrwood, is a single multi-part resin model which features four weapons options: a Heavy Bolter, Plasma Cannon, Multi-melta or Volkite Culverin. This detailed resin kit will be available to buy at Games Day, in limited numbers.

Alongside this is the Scimitar Pattern Legion Jetbike Squadron – this kit contains three Jetbikes and will also be available to purchase in limited numbers at Games Day.

They are 25 GBP or about $ 41 each.

There are also shoulder pads, decals and brass etched for the Sons of Horus, World Eaters and Death Guard!

Let the carnage begin!

Loken

Scibor Releases Marine Shoulder Pads, Land Raider Upgrades

Scibor continues to release new products at an amazing pace.  The latest are two different sets of shoulder pads.  

The first set is a lion based set.  The detail looks impressive and you get 10 shoulder pads for about $ 7.

The Templar shoulder pad set is pretty interesting and I already ordered some for my Crimson Templars.

These two sets are Land Raider upgrade plates that are simply amazing.  They have released a Lion based set and an Angel based set.

Check out the entire Scibor range on their website.


Loken

Wreck Age - Updated stretch bonuses! Act Fast!

With only hours left, now is the time to get in on the Wreck Age Kickstarter! They've very recently updated their stretch goals to make them stack-able and are well along the way to reaching $15,000 before the end of their pledge period.

But, what is Wreck Age?
via Kickstarter page:

Wreck Age depicts the desperate struggle of humanity after betrayal and disaster have decimated Earth as we know it. Your introduction to Wreck Age begins in the 26th century - in what we now call the Resurgence… “Year Zero.” 200 years previously, the world’s elite and privileged abandoned a desperate planet on the verge of complete collapse. They promised that subsequent waves would follow once they had cleared a proper path.
They lied.

It's a unique blend of RPG and tabletop skirmish game set after a post apocalyptic event. It's a very interesting game in that in can appeal to two groups of gamers in its design and play. The Kickstarter itself is to get the first 4 box sets of models off the ground and to get a printed rulebook. The models are fantastic looking and there are a slew of photos available on the Kickstarter page.

But what's all this nonsense about stretch goals? Well, they're already nearing their 5th one (at the time of this writing) and for each box of models or rulebook copy you pledge for, you'll receive a bonus from the stretch goals. That's right, the stack! I'll be getting a box and rulebook for double on each of the bonus models, myself.

So head on over and check out all four starting factions and tidbits of those to follow!
via Kickstarter
The Stakers: Almost immediately after the Exodus, the resilient, the far-sighted, the idealistic, and the indolent banded together to form the closest approximation of stability they could imagine. Many of these communities now lay buried under heaping piles of ash, bone, and e-waste, but those that remain are known as Staker communities, the modest and hopeful amidst a world of cruel opportunism.

The Hy Planes Drifters: Drifters are nomadic warbands descended from criminal gangs that had been left wandering during the Exodus and subsequent collapse. They value strength and live by a strict hierarchical code of violence and plunder. They believe that anything and everything should be taken and that the world is a massive plain ripe for their harvesting.

The Order of the Reclaimers: – Reclaimers are the world's foremost authority on scavenging. The e-wastes of North America and the rest of the world hold a veritable trove of disjointed information and oddly situated technology. With single-minded zealotry, the Reclaimers aim only to collect and to re-assemble the pieces of this grand technological mystery, to learn about the sins of the past, and to intuit how technology might someday lead the diligent back toward humanity's rightful place.

The Stitchmen: During the Exodus, a ship carrying specialized medical personnel crash-landed before exiting atmosphere. The carnage was horrific, but the ill-fated flight had been loaded with skilled experts in the common field of life-longevity and practical medicine. The despairing but resigned survivors began their macabre practice immediately, and soon set out both in small bands and as individuals in order to carve, quite literally, a place for themselves in the harsh environment of North America. Some of these hapless few are rumored to exist even today...

These are just a small sampling of what's available. Head on over to their Kickstarter, or check out some interviews and game play mechanics on their Youtube channel.

Get it before it's gone!

Son of Dorn

Forgeworld Reveals Horus Heresy - The Betrayal

The Horus Heresy is coming from Forgeworld and it looks great!  Volume I: Betrayal is going to rock your world!  New forces, new models, familiar characters and more!




From Forgeworld:

The Horus Heresy Book I: Betrayal will be on sale for the very first time, in limited numbers, at Games Day UK on Sunday 23rd September. Lavishly decorated, this book is leather-bound with inlaid metal detailing and foil-blocked page edging, and also features metal cleats to the corners of the book’s casing impressed with the Imperial Aquila. 

 It is a stand-alone supplement for Warhammer 40,000 and contains a vast array of colour profiles, maps and artwork. Also included is a full Space Marine Legion army list and background, histories, character profiles and special rules for the Death Guard, Sons of Horus, World Eaters and Emperor’s Children Legions.

Damn I want one NOW!

Loken

New 6th Edition FAQs up!

New 6th Edition FAQs are up here.

Been a crazy two weeks with Dragon Con, my back spasming and then Con Crud!  UGH.  

Anyway, more consistent updates starting TOMORROW!

Loken

White Scars and the Khan face The Horus Heresy

Of course, I get tired of promos of promos.  Black Library is basically releasing a trailer of the release of the cover art.  Geez.  How about some red meat guys?  Well, you have to wait till Sept. 21st for that!

Well, I am looking forward to this.  Just give it to me and not endless trailers and promos!

Loken

Dark Vengence Unboxing video

A nice little blog named "Watching Paint Dry" posted this and it is worth re-posting.  Go check out their blog!

From Watching Paint Dry:

Bike, Bikes, Bikes.......

Two new bikes hitting the market.  

First, the Scibor Work in Progress.

Second, the new Thunder Jet Bike from Blood and Skulls Industry:

And the Assault versions have room to carry troops:

I just got 10 of the Thunder Jet Bikes and you should get some too!

Loken

The Mystery of the Black Templars

Howdy, Apocalypse 40k readers. A short while back, I did a post on my speculations for the future of Psychic Powers and Warlord Traits. After the apparent confirmation with recent rumors, I thought it was safe to make another attempt at farseeing the future of 40k. So come along with me while we look at the mystery of the Black Templars.

Now, as some of you may know, the Black Templars are conspicuously absent from the 6th edition rulebook. Seriously. They are entirely absent. No artwork, no codex coverage, no models posed in epic battles, nothing. Where are they? Their only appearance is on page 246 where they're grouped with the Space Marine codex! Every other marine codex has their own pages dedicated to their models. The only other place I caught what I thought might be a Templar is on page 47.

The Black Templars aren't here, but where have they gone? That's the question that's on my mind. Now, before I carry on with my explanation, let me preface it by saying that I have no rumor confirmation or any secret information to ratify what I have to say. This is entirely based on my own speculation. That being said, however, if you've got any hard info on this theory, please feel free to send an email my way.

Well, before we go jumping to conclusions, where is the last place we saw the Black Templars? The last time we had any solid rumors was in January. Heck, the flow of them was pretty good and we had a decent idea of many of the new characters and the direction of the codex. Then, a bombshell. Ghost21, one of the main rumor mongers providing information on the codex recanted everything he'd put forth and vanished.

Fast forward eight months; we're now into the new edition and rumors for many fourth edition codices are now beginning to come to the fore, again. Well, that is, except for the Black Templars. After extensive perusal of the new rulebook, I've realized that where the Black Templars have gone could be right under our nose. Now, this is where it gets a little crazy, but stick with me...

Codex Imperial Fists. I know. Makes you a little uncomfortable doesn't it. And where do get the nerve to throw something so crazy and off the wall in your face? Well, please allow me to elaborate. The idea for all of this started mulling around in my noggin not too long ago when we saw the 2013 releases list posted by Natfka. While there are many glorious new additions to 40k in this list that I'm excited for, there were several that really stuck in my craw.

200462312010203 Space Marine Astartes Battle Fortress Defence Wall PL
200462412010202 Space Marine Astartes Battle Fortress Tower / Pillar of Heroes PL 02 cc
200462512340209 Space Marine Astartes Battle Fortress Monastery PL
200470231080276 Space Marine Defender Upgrade Pack RE

While I'm not saying that these alone form a basis for this idea, they did get me thinking as they all seem distinctly 'Fisty' to me. I also understand that there are several new Black Templars box sets and HQ units list in the list, but stick with me a little longer.

The designers have told us to pay attention to the rulebook for the direction they're going and what's going to be coming out. I'll bet you didn't notice the special appearance of the Helbrute in the rulebook. I'm totally serious; check it out. You'll find it at the bottom of page 397. While it's not an exact copy, it does 'bear' a striking resemblence to the final model we see in the starter set. We see the big paw of a fist, the mutated and decked out multimelta, and the occupant's mutated head coming out the front. Guess even Games Workshop didn't know how organic the final one would come out, but there it is. Feast your eyes...



So you can see, they hinted a bit in the rulebook at what the new model would look like. But what does this have to do with Imperial Fists and Black Templars? Well, on page 185, get a load of the Imperial Fist pictured there. Notice anything different? He's got different armor. Notice the crenelated leg plates? Could this be part of the Defender Upgrade Pack? All of the other models have standard armor, with the exception of the Iron Hands guy, but that's to be expected. Also note that the Black Templars aren't even mentioned in the Second Founding section. Odd, right?



Now I know what you're going to say. Why would there be new Black Templars boxes and upgrades slated for release? Why basis is there for roping them into another codex? Why are they on the allies chart? These are all hugely valid points, and I'll remind you that this entirely speculative, but there's one more thing that has me largely convinced. Check out the following diagram. We have every marine codex represented but the Black Templars. Who is filling in for them here? The Imperial Fists...



Back in the Blood Angels codex, we saw a Flesh Tearers HQ added. Anyone who has been watching the subtle changes in Matt Wards marine codices will notice he tends to build upon experimentation from the previous ones.Wouldn't it be great to see a Codex Imperial Fists, with rules for fielding Black Templars and Crimson Fists? Between Special Characters and Warlord traits, it would be easy to create some very unique differences among the 3 that allow the book to play different ways. It would also explain why the Black Templars still have an entry in the Allies chart. Also, it explains the very Fists/Templars-esque Universal Special Rules: ADAMANTIUM WILL; CRUSADER; HATRED; and ZEALOT.

However, if I'm entirely wrong about this, I won't be too heart broken. There's always the Forge World codex and White Dwarf mini-codices to bank on. And even failing that, there's bound to be more Fists in the new Codex Space Marines. Who thinks we'll see the 13th Legion's codex for Christmas of 2013?

Well, there you have my theory. What do you think? Feel free to hit me up with questions and comments.

Son of Dorn