Hi everyone. As my last book review went down so well I figured I will make a bit of a habit of these things. I’ve read quite a bit of 40k fiction in my time so at least I can make posts on a semi regular basis. They will also help keep my mind ticking over whilst I work on bigger topics (which are coming soon).

So, for a while I’m going to focus on the Horus Heresy series, with occasional breaks for regular 40k books (probably when I get round to reading something that catches my eye). No rules as such other than they must be worth reading because they add to the 40k universe in some way. Be it a different style, new expansions of the background or just a refinement of elements that work. I just don’t want to highlight mediocrity. After all, we all only have a finite time on this earth, so we don’t want to be stumbling across the next C.S. Goto and I certainly don’t want to be reading that kind of drek either. So no frigging bolter porn, unless it’s really, really good bolter porn.

HH wise, even though I’m reading the books as fast as I can I’m still about 2/3 years behind the publishing schedule. But thats ok. The first actually decent HH novel doesn’t start until about 7 books in anyway* [Thems fighting words. - Ed.]. The book in question? Legion by Dan Abnett.

The story itself concerns regular army grunts of the Imperial Army undergoing a rather unsuccessful Compliance Action on a planet called Nurth, where the occupants are using magic to aid their fight. Caught up in the machinations of the Alpha Legion, are Hurtado Bronzi, Peto Soneka and Rukhsana Saiid, who amidst all the devastation and betrayals are trying to find out just what exactly why the Alpha Legion are really on Nurth.

In turn, the Alpha Legion have been drawn to the planet by the enigmatic John Grammaticus, a being who has lived long enough to remember meeting the Emperor himself, and the Cabal, a shadowy network of races all conspiring to destroy the ‘Primordial Annihilator’ (Chaos is a much more catchy name don’t you think?) using humanity as its tool to do that.

It sounds very confusing and on my first read through it was. Subsequent readings have made given me a bit more clarity, but as benefits the shadowy 20th Legion, the truth of what is going on behind the scenes is only ever really inferred and is covered in many half-truths.

As is the case with a lot of the early Horus Heresy books, the action is mostly contextualized from the view of humans in the Imperial Army rather than from the view-point of the Astartes. Whilst I would normally complain about this, I think its fitting considering the legion being examined. It’s obvious a lot of thought has been put into this and that Abnett is trying to keep to the spirit of the universe, so even as we are reading the truth of what is now legend in the 41st millennium, the reader is finding there are still many unexplained mysteries and hidden depths to explore.

I did find most of the third act on Eolith a little redundant (beyond the reveal) and found myself a little puzzled as to why the Alpha Legion took an entire Imperial fleet with them other than the mechanical story element of needing access to certain characters later. But my quibbles are more with Abnett’s style of writing, which always seems quite detached and cold to me.

Still, those are minor quibbles. Legion explores the Horus Heresy and the Imperium from the perspective of outsiders to it, or else those who are starting to realise the Emperor’s claims about the universe aren’t quite as true as he may want them to think they are.

Dan Abnett as always delivers a solid, if not exactly gripping, tale with enough twists and reveals to keep you guessing until the next book on the Alpha Legion. In John Grammaticus I found a very likeable character, his world weary visage slowly peeling back to reveal someone, who, whilst not necessarily on our side, is still recognizably human and very relatable.

As a bonus, for those of us who want glimpses of the Rouge Trader and 2nd edition 40K background to appear again, John’s descriptions of the Emperor will bring welcome tidings indeed.

It’s a recommended read from me.

Legion is available from The Black Library, Amazon and most highstreet booksellers

*I’m going to pop back to Fulgrim one day as it has a kernel of a good idea about Slannesh, but I’ve heard it gets squandered later on in the series by sending Slannesh back to being the domain of just ‘naughty bum sex’, so I shall give it a pass until I can read those stories and decide for myself.

Broadside Support Team O’ran by Wolfs16

So in my short series of Tacticas on Tau units, I’ve covered not only the bread and butter troops, but the rising stars of the new codex. Now let’s go to the other end of the spectrum: those who lost out. The head of this group? Broadside teams. Once a name to strike fear into mechanised armies and monstrous creatures everywhere, they took a bit of a hit this book, with the dreaded railgun being downgraded from S10 to “only” S8.

This, as with all things on the internet, has resulted in many a person calling them crap and useless. For these people I cry, because it’s not so much they are now useless, it’s just the unit have undergone refinement and now have a different use.  I’m here to show you how to get the best out of them. 

The Broadsides we know are dead and gone. Long live Broadsides!

So, first off. The heavy rail rifle. Admittedly not so much of a threat now to armour 14 vehicles. It’s still fine and dandy with just about everything else though and the gun has remained twin-linked and AP1 to help balance an otherwise average Ballistic Skill of 3. With a range of 60″ ignoring Nightfight, I think its fair to say the unit will still be popping vehicles and monstrous creatures with ease.

The other basic armament, a smart missile system, seems a little mismatched with the rail rifle, so I think its worth swapping it for the plasma rifles to be able to knock off those extra wounds/hull points once an opponents units start to close (and they will, you don’t leave a Tau army to shoot you unless you are pretty sure you can out range or out shoot them). So that’s your basic layout. There are a few more loadouts I can see that will make it worth it.

For one, when choosing your support systems for Heavy Rail Rifle Broadsides, it’s a toss-up between Target Lock and a Velocity Tracker. What with Tau Heavy Support being a contested slot, you probably won’t want more than 1 unit, which means you need them to be flexible so they don’t run out of things to shoot midgame.

Probably best for now in such a target rich environment is to take Velocity Trackers for guaranteed flyer kills. After they go down, the unit can spend the rest of the game ganging up on vehicles that are still around.

There is different option to test out and that is the High yield Missile Pod/SMS combo. 9 shots a turn per broadside is nothing to sniff at and if kept close to the rest of the Tau Line with a Counterfire Defense System, should be able to cause a lot of damage from supporting fire.

Drone wise, I’m convinced it worth taking at least a missile drone or two and perhaps a trusty shield drone for protection from retaliatory fire. Just don’t expect the unit to be cheap after adding them.

So there you have it. Though not the must haves they used to be, Broadsides Teams are able to serve as vehicle/flyer killers as well as be the bane of infantry. An example of just how good the Tau codex is now, the unit can do pretty much anything you want them to, you just have to be careful not to spend too many points on them!

See you soon for another Short Tau Tactica

Perturabo was always meant for greater things. Like many of his brothers, the Emperor had great plans for his taciturn son that far out stripped the crude living Perturabo would find himself locked in to following the scattering of the Primarchs and his eventual reuniting with his father.

Perturabo was a Primarch like any other and so possessed a remarkable mind and tremendous physical strength. But unlike his brothers, when Perturabo found himself alone on his adopted homeworld of Olympia he didn’t seek to dominate his environment like Manus, overthrow a despot like Mortarion or unite a world like Johnson, he simply sought to understand it.

Even when Perturabo was brought before the Tyrant of Lochos and other humans he paid them little interest and certainly bore them no love or trust. This wasn’t because Perturabo was incapable of such emotions – as most assumed – but because Perturabo was a remarkably complex soul to whom words were of little interest, and the lasting deeds of a man gave his true measure. However, for all his distance he also abhorred the loss of life, waiting until he was reunited with his father to oust the Tyrant of Lochos in a bloodless revolution.

He was an artisan of superlative skill, fascinated with architecture and how it interacted with the world much in the same way as his brother in Ultramar. Such was his ability that he could turn this creative flair to any form of manufacture, including the fortresses he built for the Tyrant.

As Perturabo took command of his legion he suddenly found himself responsible for the tens of thousands of lives. A responsibility he’d never had any interest in. Although natural leadership was locked within his living cells he lacked the charisma of Horus or the turn of phrase of Guilliman. Perturabo found himself conflicted. Charged with leadership despite no interest in doing so yet possessed by a powerful need to preserve life. He was an artist and artisan, forever pre-occupied with the creation of great works yet charged with destruction. He also discovered that, like his brothers, he had tremendous potential to undo the great works of other civilisations through the strength of his legion and his innate knowledge of construction.

It was inevitable really that his Iron Warriors would become siege masters, learning all they could from their distant and unloving father. Indeed they mimicked him in all things, as did all the legions with their Primarchs. However his Iron Warriors misunderstood austerity and independence with a crushing sense of displacement. Perturabo simply didn’t possess the ability to care for his sons beyond a keeper of livestock caring for his flock. He simply couldn’t draw his mind from far grander ideals.

The result, as the decades wore on and the Iron Warriors reputation as siege breakers preceded them they were flung into the absolute worst fighting the Crusade had to offer. At first Perturabo and his legion bore this duty with the misperceived indifference when in fact Perturabo was being driven ever deeper into himself, isolating him from his brothers and gradually leaving himself open to manipulation by anyone shrewd enough to realise that Perturabo was never destined for the fore front of war but to lead the sternguard, raising great monuments in the name of the Emperor.

Denied the driving force of his soul to create it was little wonder that he and Dorn developed a resentment of one another. Perturabo was jealous of who he perceived to be a favoured son. In reality Perturabo’s own stoic and indomitable character was the reason he was so pigeon-holed. Equally, Dorn misunderstood the plain, relentless and seemingly callous approach to war. In fact it was nothing more than Perturabo trying to get the job done as quickly and as painlessly as possible. All in the hope that he could return to the calling of his heart at the Crusade’s conclusion.

The burden of a poet’s heart forged into the body of a killer was terrible for Perturabo to bear and often was ill-suited to cope with it, his frustrations manifesting themselves in explosive fits of rage that his legion and enemies alike felt the brunt of. Like an artist forced to work in a mine, he was gradually being starved of creativity and his soul began to whither. And as he wandered into darkness his legion weren’t far behind, their tactics becoming every more brutal, culminating with the genocide on Olympia. The condemnation the Iron Warriors received from the Imperium was the final straw. It’s entirely possible that had the Heresy not broken out the Iron Warriors would have seceded anyway.

By the time the Horus Heresy was on the verge of breaking, Perturabo was embittered and all but ostracised from his father and brothers, with no other voice than Horus’ promising a life free from the festering misery of the siege line. Of course it’s entirely possible that Horus engineered this isolation to make Perturabo easier to manipulate into breaking his bonds of fealty.

The simple tragedy of Perturabo was that he was a dreamer and a shaper. He was equally cursed and blessed with profound understanding of the working of all things and the ability to make and destroy. Necessity forced him into being something he was never meant to be and was left to wrestle with his resentments and self perceived inadequacies. From the moment he was cast through the heavens Perturabo was trapped on a path of betrayal, isolation and bitterness.

As we’re approaching that time of year once more the rumour mill has made an abrupt gear change. All the indications were that the next limited edition boxed game would be Blood Bowl.

I, personally, wasn’t that excited because I’m not a fan of the game. I was when I was 12 but then I learned the importance of balanced rules and good models so quickly fell out of love.

But it seems that the limited edition release will, in fact, be…Warhammer 40,000: Inquisition. Although it’s welcome news that it’ll be something a little more original, it’s a bitter pill for many to swallow  considering the Specialist Games range has only just been sacked off.

From what I’ve found on various rumour sites the indications are as follows…

Inquisition is designed for 2-4 players and each side will use custom cards and dice.
Army sizes consist of about 5-10 models per side.
A whole new set of models drawn from Blanche artwork will accompany. No indication of scale yet.
The game should be flexible as you can make and design your own Inquisitorial retinue.
As for rules complexity that is anyone’s guess, but the general marketing goal for Inquisition is a gateway game into the greater Warhammer 40k universe.

Beyond that GW, seems to be taking cues from Kickstarter projects like Sedition Wars and home-brewed rules like Inq28 for Inquisitor. This also might not end up as a limited edition run, but that all depends on sales, and if any support is continued will be done through digital expansions and updates.
As it is that is all I have for now, but if my sources hold true expect more information as it comes!

Full Control have released the pre-order trailer for the soon to be released Space Hulk video game.

The finished product is leagues ahead of the early shots and goes to show how hard Full Control have worked. Needless to say I will be reviewing it as soon as possible.

Tau Pathfinder conversion by Douglas Furen

These past few tacticas I’ve talked quite a bit about the synergies of units and how the Tau army works better as a series of units aiding another rather than in isolation. So its time to start covering just how Tau armies can do that. The best place to start? Well, it’s not called Short Tau Tactica: Pathfinders for nothing!

One thing. The unit can do a lot of things and to truly get the best out of them you will have to pick one, because choosing several impedes the units ability to do the others well. When you consider the cost of the unit, compared to others in the list, and just how fragile it is, you will only get a few turns worth of use out of them before they are blown away in a hail of fire from your opponent.

That’s because, if they aren’t already considered a deadly unit, they soon will be. They are that good.

Use one is to load up on either Ion or Rail rifles (Ion for light infantry and tank killing, Rail for heavy infantry), hunker down in cover and then shoot the hell out of whatever target is needed. If you go for Ion Rifles, its worth perhaps shelling out a pulse accelerator, so as your opponents units get closer, you get an extra turn or two of shooting with a higher weight of firepower from the pulse rifles which are now range 24″. It’s not much, but at the same time, don’t turn your nose up at another 2-14 shots at strength 5 (dependent on unit size).

The other, far superior use of the unit (to me at least), is to use those markerlights. Wonderful little things, they can increase your units BS, strip cover from enemy units or help guide seeker missiles. A unit or two of pathfinders will easily be racking up 4 or more markers a turn, which will equally delight you as much as it

annoys your opponent! Though they can’t be relied upon, taking a unit of 6-8 will produce a decent number of hits a turn, keep them alive long enough to be useful and greatly increase what your units are capable of doing each turn.

However you use them, to keep the unit hanging around longer, it’s probably worth spending a few points to buy a Shas’ui (+1Ld and the ability to buy a black sun filter- yes please!) and, if you have the points left over, springing for the bonding knife ritual so they can regroup regardless of size.

Now the big conundrum to me is if you should bother taking a Devilfish. Whilst they have their uses, being able to scout means you will probably be able to set the squad up in a good position before the game anyway and each turn they spend in a transport is one less turn they are capable of being useful. The option of taking a Recon Drone seems ok, but for the cost (and the rules being a bit unclear as to if it can stay a part of the Devilfish after the Pathfinders have disembarked), I’m not too sure if it’s a good use for the unit, unless you have a strategy that relies upon a part of your army being able to deep strike or appear on the flanks reliably.

All in all, Pathfinders make a great addition to a Tau force. Though forced to be static in nature, in an army that can be otherwise be flexible and on the move at all times, they make up for it by providing such a valuable commodity synchronicity. Also, no need to take markerlights in other units now either, so those units can focus on killing enemy units or securing objectives.

An example of the different approach the Tau Empire take to warfare, Pathfinders will probably make their way into your list at some point. Once used, I’m not sure if they will ever be removed from it.

Just a quick question to the community, how are people finding the Farsight supplement? I’ve yet to read it as I like my hardcover books, but has it affected how people play their armies? Or is it another nice addition that doesn’t add too much unless you like a certain type of list, ala the Iyanden supplement? I’m interested to hear peoples opinions on this, so post in the comments section your experiences.

Anyway, see you soon for another Short Tau Tactica.

Tau pathfinders painted by Kevin Auld

Looking back on Inquisitor, there was a lot wrong with it when it came out. The models, whilst beautiful, were far too big compared to anything similar of the same type of gaming, which made getting into it quite hard and conversions harder. It also required a completely different painting style that only a handful of GW staffers were trained in at launch. The rules were this sort of weird hybrid of loosely defined gameplay mechanics with a smattering of RPG elements. The inclusion of Space Marines pretty much broke the game system, with long-term players having to adopt a no space marine policy except on special occasions.

Yet some of my fondest memories of wargaming are from playing Inquisitor. So what gives? I think it’s because Inquisitor, at its heart, encouraged creativity and experimentation. By having rules that were detailed, but not too thorough, it encouraged players to be a bit looser with the rules themselves, all in the aid of fun and the cinematic. I’ll never forget the trials of my friend’s Priest character with one cybernetic testicle that stopped him from running, (he had to take a toughness test if he did, due to the poorly made bionic smashing against his other gentleman plum) or the Elder Ranger that somehow always managed to miss every shot he took. Or the one time a group of us had nearly escaped a planet via shuttle, until a rogue Techpriest crashed a digger into it, causing much laughter from us all.

What I’m trying to get at is that, despite a slightly dodgy rule system, Inquisitor was all about having fun. I think in a way it wasn’t as successful because it required a bit of a shift of perspective from Games Workshop’s usual approach to wargaming. Whilst 40k or Necromunda may have narrative elements as a part of them, the underlying goal is still all about winning. Whereas Inquisitor was more about entering into a contract with other players, to have as fun a time a possible and create a fun story in the 40k universe. In that way, it was more akin to something like Dungeons and Dragons or other roleplaying games. It’s the only Games Workshop game I can remember that suggested you have a GM or ‘games master’, to help direct players actions and game flow.

But there’s a bigger factor to Inquisitor than the gameplay side of things. It’s a fun game, but Inquisitor is more than that. The game has a legacy that fundamentally reshaped the approach people took to the 40k universe and its background. Inquisitor offered us a view of the Imperium away from the battlefield and expanded upon just how things worked on a local and sector wide scale in more detail than ever before. It let the Imperium of Man become a place people lived in, rather than a series of clichés and, more to the point, planetary punch ups. In many ways, though it’s a horrible place, the new direction to the background humanised the Imperium and made me actually care for it.

That was the joy of all the Specialist Games I suppose. They provided an outlet for their creators to truly experiment and play with the 40k universe and it came out the richer for it. Every small bit of artwork, every supposedly superfluous bit of detail fleshed out a universe that, whist epic in scale, never bothered much to explain exactly who, after all the world ending epic conflict, would wash the dishes*.

I certainly don’t think there would be half the current background on the Inquisition, nay the Imperium itself, that there is today without it. It explored this prior untapped resource, shadowy figures who toil unceasingly to protect the Imperium by whatever means necessary. It also introduced us to Radicals and in doing so, allowed 40k’s concept of a morally grey universe to finally take centre stage once more. We see this reflected in novels by the Black Library, in Fantasy Flights’ wonderful RPG games (in many ways spiritual successors to Inquisitor). Let us not forget that Inquisitor gave rise to the Eisenhorn trilogy which was vital to the success of the Black Library and the ever-expanding 40k universe found in their huge range of novels.

Though the 40k codices tend deal a bit more with absolutes these days, Inquisitors’ legacy is still in there, nipping at the heels of every ‘definitive’ statement and every ‘fact’. It makes me question everything I’m told about the Imperium of Man. Very apt for a game that starts with the phrase “Everything you have been told is a lie”. It really is a staggeringly good book to read.

I’m not sure how the rumored box set revival will change things up, but I bet it won’t allow for a priest with a bionic testicle. I’ll be watching from the shadows though, just in case.

*That phrase comes from a line that I remember a comedian saying on a late night show when I was younger, “If there were a new popular film to come out about an alien attack or a worldwide event, British people would be more interested in finding out about who cleans up afterwards and does the dishes”. It struck me as pretty apt and ever since I’ve referred to our cultural obsession with the small details and the underdog by that phrase.

The rumours were true and thoroughly unsurprising as these dudes have been knocking around since the Horus Heresy collectible card game. And actually I’m quite impressed that they stayed as loyal as they did to the art work. Obviously the photos aren’t brilliant but I actually think these could be pretty cool….

Indicative price is 3 for £50 so start saving boys and girls.

And as a bonus, here’s a blurry shot of the anti-air craft Rhino Variant…

If this is a stand alone I reckon it’ll be about £25. If it’s going to be rolled into the Rhino/Razorback box, it’ll be about £25…

The release must be imminent as here’s another Space Marine leak. This time it’s the new Vanguard Veterans…

Another day, another leaked photo.
This time it’s the Space Marine command in the form of a badly needed new captain, a chaplain and a bearded librarian.

I’ve also included a clearer shot of the Centurions with heavy weapon load out. Enjoy.

They’re coming thick and fast now. This small shot shows the new plastic Sternguard toting combi weapons which is…nice. The even smaller shot shows a vet rocking a beard. I have no problem with the face fungus but I do feel that the models are more Ultramarine and if the rumours about the Codex are to be believed it’ll be less Ultramarines… Food for thought.

And just because I like to spoil you, here’s another shot of the anti-air Rhino variant.

And a big thanks to @TheBlueHeretic & @Jipin for sharing the links.

Yes, even more leaked Space Marine images. This time the all important Tactical Squad. Rejoice wargamers because it looks like they’ll be a squad of 10 after all but goodness knows how much they’ll be.

They look like they’ve just been tidied up rather than anything too mental done with them, which is good. In fact it looks like there’s just been sharpening of detail and improving some of the poses. I heard a rumour that they’ll be some bits to make pre-heresy armour variants but we’ll see.

And here’s some snaps of the new Sternguard models as well. Which look awesome. And thankfully in keeping enough with the previous Veteran models that I won’t need to replace them. Hurrah!

So the time has come for me to cast my eye over the supplement that has had both sides of the community foaming at the mouth but for very different reasons. I of course can only mean the second iteration of the 40k supplement: Apocalypse.

It’s an aptly named book because it’s fooking huge. And were you to drop it on any gaming board containing any models at all – especially those of a resin persuasion – much mayhem and destruction would ensue. Not to mention what your opponent would do to you.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well it takes 40k and tries to turn it into Epic. As I say, there are those that get hot and hard at the merest mention of 9,000+ points of aside of 40k. There are others who roll their eyes and think back to the old days when epic battles were fought with tiny wee space marines and titans a bit smaller than 40k dreadnoughts. I fall somewhere in the middle of these two groups. So I suppose that would mean I have a semi…

I fall in the middle because I have two companies of Ultramarines. The 1st and 5th. The former rocks in at about 6,500 points, the latter about 3,000. Or there abouts. That’s a lot of blue blokes. At least they would be if they were painted. But anyway, it does mean that I rarely get to use all my toys at once. Apocalypse, despite being a bit mental, does make that a bit easier.

Now let’s clear two things up. The first is the book is beautifully presented. Lots of gorgeous artwork. Lots of fold outs. There is however 30 pages of photos. Thirty. Now I’m all for a showcase but they could have made the book twenty pages thinner and knocked a fiver off the price. The second issue is to address the elephant in the room dressed in the suit made of money, there is a case to be made that Apocalypse exists purely to sell shit loads of toys but you know what? I don’t think the Games Workshop’s motives are entirely sinister. I think this for the following reasons: 1. It’s fun to have shit loads of toys. 2. It’s fun to use shit loads or toys. 3. It’s fun to roll shit loads of dice whilst using shit loads of toys and 4. the book brings more to the table than just taking massive formations of stuff.

What makes Apocalypse interesting is that, at its heart, its driving force is to make Warhammer 40,000 as close to the novels as is possible to do within the existing mechanic. For a start there are various tables that juice your heroes to legendary levels. The Sons of the Primarch table is ace. And it makes me immeasurably glad I collect Ultramarines because there’s is awesome. Not that any of them are to be sniffed at. Space Wolves players get to double the strength of their character in an assault. I mean really? Chuck in the right weapon combo and that is one choppy bastard.

Equally the strategic asset cards add a nice flavour to the game which can easily be migrated across to standard games of 40k. As can the formation special rules from most, if not all, of the formation profiles in the book. With the emphasis on flavour, the special rules do add a characterful something extra rather than charging a additional points for something you were going to take in the first place as seemed to be the case with the first book.

Obviously you also get the added bonus of rules for super heavy tanks, super heavy flyers (including the Thunderhawk Gunship – huzzah!) and Titans. Now although the likelihood of you taking a Titan in anything other than an Apocalypse style game the fact that the rules are now available to me is rather nice to know.

And I think that’s this book’s greatest asset: it gives you a lot of cool stuff, like the character boots, the profile for all the big kits, the strategic assets and the like and lets you have fun with them. I’d happily adopt the formation rules in my standard games of 40k. I think it’d also be fun using the Sons of the Primarch and Exemplar tables. But I’m a Space Marine player, so I would. Especially as it does feel like Space Marines on both sides of the divide do rather well on the cool rules front.

A really nice touch is, aside from the usual scenario chuff, narrative campaigns around the third war for Armageddon. It’s got lots of lovely fluff, specific scenarios as well as formation cards specific to the factions that were there. It was this addition that convinced me that maybe, just maybe, the writers were trying to make Apocalypse like Epic and this was a small tribute to its origins.

So it’s all rosy then? Well…not quite. Apocalypse is still played using the 40k mechanic. Nothing strips anything down or speeds anything up. So instead of moving 60 blokes around a board you’re moving 215 blokes around the board. And that means you’re also rolling nearly four times as many dice. All of which takes time. The book doesn’t make any bones about how long it’ll take to play, which it suggests will be a full day. In response to this issue the writers came up with the simple, if inelegant, solution of just blowing massive holes in everything. Templates are bigger as are many of the weapons.

The object of the exercise can rather seem like whoever gets the first turn wins as, providing you’ve taken the biggest of the big toys you can afford, you get to unleash hell upon your opponent first and wipe out entire sections of the board. In a turn. No matter how many blokes you started with no one can lose a significant part of their force and keep fighting the good fight.

And this is the part of the book that certain people struggle with. They’ve made a lot of models with the Destroyer special rule (which may as well be changed to Death Ray) which inflicts untold misery and harm. But just to really speed things along, they’ve introduced unnatural disasters. Now, I’m not saying that they serve no purpose. I am saying that I think that there is an element of speeding up a game that would take forever by blowing up huge swathes of the board as quickly possible. That’s not to say that they don’t add flavour to the game, I’m just not sure if you’d like the taste.

The affect of all this wanton carnage is that you can very quickly find yourself playing a standard game of 40k with the odd super heavy chucked in for good measure. At least that would be the case for me and The Chaps and, I dare say, most gamers out there. Apocalypse is designed for huge games. So take whatever points value you were thinking of and double it. Then possibly double it again. Looking at the size of the templates and option to take, and the overwhelming urge to buy, the biggest baddest war machines going, this really is Epic, 40k style. And that’s not a bad thing, it’s just a bit of a mind fuck.

Arguably to get the best out of Apocalypse you need either one of the following:

1. Lots of toys to us against a mate with an equally vast collection.

2. Lots of mates with reasonable numbers of toys.

The latter is more likely. But then we’re into the murky waters of justifying why Tau would be fighting alongside Tyranids or Chaos with Imperial Guard. But, as Apocalypse is, quite literally, Epic 40k let’s take a leaf out of the grand an honourable Epic Space Marine. Which is to not give a shit. I lost count of the number of games I played when arrayed against my Space Marine Legions were Chaos, Guard & Orks. It just didn’t matter because it was all about the scale and the ambition. Apocalypse is exactly the same. It’ s about fun. It’s about grand tales, epic sagas and legend forging battles.

Everything about it screams ‘yes we know it’s a bit daft but, who cares, look at all the toys!’. And that’s fine with me. It’s not for everyone. Some gamers won’t have the desire to play big games. Or the time. Or, arguably, the money. But the great thing about the book is that it gives the core rules some nice optional extras, and most importantly puts the narrative and the spectacle of war in the 41st millennium firmly in the driving seat. Yes you might end up spending loads of money and yes you may only play Apocalypse a handful of times but that’s true of any gamer who plays multiple systems. And if we really worried about the money we wouldn’t be in the hobby, let alone playing Games Workshop games.

Apocalypse is all about what we as gamers choose to take away from it. There’s no shortage of coolness in there to jazz up standard games, or to make standard games bigger. And with a little organising an ‘epic’ sized game of Apocalypse is well within reach. Certainly if you attend a games club with any regularity.

I’m still not sold on the power of some of the unnatural disasters. They’re just a bit too mental and feel like they’re designed out of lunacy rather than because they work. That said, who doesn’t want a zombie uprising mid game? But Apocalypse is a book that you can take from rather than use verbatim. Leaving them out or toning them down won’t have a detrimental effect and quite possibly make it a bit more appealing. Some of the weapons and the sizes of the templates, too, bother me as most games could be won by fielding two Shadowswords. Because they’re mental. But with all things in balance, if you’re fielding two Shadowswords, your opponent will be fielding something that can stomp on them.

I began reading Apocalypse almost determined to dislike it and write it off as little more than a money making exercise by the Games Workshop. Although I can’t deny they will no doubt do very well from it, I do feel that this book is about fun first and foremost. It’s that teenager in all of us that just wants to get all the toys out and have a big scrap. And its a thin but tangible link Epic and all it did for the Games Workshop hobby. And for that reason alone I’m happy to dust off my Ultramarines, buy a super heavy, slap some blue paint on the lot and challenge all to a battle for the fate of the world.

Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse is available from Firestorm Games priced £40.50.

Shots of this bad boy popped up a little while ago across the interwebs. And from the 30th August you can own one from the good people from Forge World. Providing you have £72 notes.

It looks completely awesome and I want one slightly more than I’ve wanted anything ever. And I’m just going to ignore how all of these awesome tanks and weapons were utterly wiped from Imperial history after the Heresy…

I’m not even going to pretend I had anything to do with this. It’s shamelessly robbed from someone else’s site but it covers so many questions that I had to share it despite my policy on rumours. This set of Question and Answers have come from 40k Radio and compiled by others. 40k Radio apparently have a Final Print Copy, which is very close to the finished product so the information below should be fairly accurate.

This is done in two sections, the first, is the most recent and the shortest. A previous Q&A is listed below. Basically there is just tons of information so make sure you’ve got the time to read it. Or, for those at work, doesn’t have a pressing deadline…

via 40k radio and compiled by Zion from Talkwargaming

Q: Is it true that what you guys have is an early playtest material, not the actual printed C:SM codex?
A: I have the final print copy.

Q: Are their any new Special Characters?
A: No.

Q: Is honour guard still 3-10 models, or only available as 5 models similar to command squads or BA honour guard?
A: 3-10

Q: Is relic blade still S+2 AP3 two-handed?
A: Yes

Q: Do Legion of the Damned get Soulblaze like in Apoc?
A: No

Q: Can the LotD still Deep Strike?
A: Yes

Q: Does the LotD still have Slow and Purposeful?
A: Yes

Q: Can the LotD be joined by characters?
A: No

Q: Does Cassius have the Zealot rule?
A: Yes

Q: Do the AA tanks have an alternate fire mode that lets them shoot at ground targets?
A: No, only one firing mode

Q: Can child chapters take the SCs of their parent chapters?
A: No (those are unique to their chapter)

Q: Can Pedro and Lysander be in the same army without using allies?
A: No (CF is one chapter, IF is another)

Q: Are Techmarines slotless HQs like the DA book?
A: Yes

Q: Can Captains still take Artificer Armor?
A: Yes

Q: Do Sternguard combi-weapons still cost 5 points?
A: No, they’re 10 points

Q: Does Helbrecht have any other special rules besides the once a game rule that gives fleet/hatred?
A: No

Q: What is the cost of a five man scout squad with a Vet Sergeant?
A: 65 Points

Q: Any changes on Kantor’s rules?
A: Basically the same (will be covered on show)

Q: Do bikes and centurions get combat squads rule?
A: Bikes yes, Centurions no.

Q: Is there is any vehicle able to get grav weapons?
A: No

Q: Are neophytes of crusade squad an independent squad that can join the main unit as it was rumoured, or crusade squads are a full unit option?
A: No, like last BT Dex.

Q: Is there option for crusade squads of getting two special weapons?
A: No.

Q: If one crusader squads takes a CLR as transport, it has any point cost reduction?
A: I don’t have the BT Dex to check.

Q: Have black templars access to biker scouts?
A: Yes. They have access to everything except Librarians.

Q: Marneus Calgar “God of War” rule is still in there? Has it been replaced by the 3 warlord traits rule?
A: It’s different and cool (will be covered on the show).

Q: How many points cost a grav-gun as special weapon on a tac squad?
A: 15 points.

Q: How many points are the lascannon and missle launcher upgrades on the Centurion Devastators?
A: Lascannon is 10, Missile is 10

Q: How much do Relic Blades Cost?
A: Chapter Master and Captain get it for 25 points.

Q: Does the codex include a Power Field Generator (DA Wargear that generates a 4++ for a unit)?
A: No

Q: Can Tactical Marines take a Special Weapon at 5 models?
A: A Squad of 5 can have a special weapon or heavy weapon.

Q: Can Calgar still take up to 3 units of Honor Guard?
A: Yes

Q: Additionally, does his still have the rule that lets him choose to pass or fail morale checks at will?
A: Yes (more in the show)

Q: Are Black Templar Characters required and/or accept challenges?
A: Not required, but they will be sick in challenges

Q: Bikes squads that can be made troops, a minimum of 5 models or 5 models max? there is some conflicting sounding information so people just want to confirm.
A: At least 5 (max 9 with Attack Bike) and if your Captain or Chapter Master is on a bike you make take them as troops.

Q: So Chapter Masters on bikes can unlock bike squads of at least 5 models as troops too?
A: Yes.

Q: Do LotD still have their 3++ save?
A: Yes

Q: Can the Bikers take the grav gun options?
A: Yes

Q: Can Scout Squads take locator beacons or teleport homes?
A: Teleport Homers.

Q: Does Shrike have any other rules?
A: No.

Q: Do Chapter Tactics cost anything?
A: No.

Q: The Stalker, does it have 4 shots total that it can split fire with or does each gun fire 4 shots each?
A: 4 shots each (this will be covered on the show)

Q: Do any of the SC’s have Stubborn or Fearless?
A: No

Q: Does the Emperor’s Champion take up an HQ slot?
A: Yes

Q: Does Sicarius still re-roll his Sieze Initiative attempts?
A: No

Q: Any change to Razorbacks?
A: I believe they went up 5 points

Q: Does the Ultramarines Tactical Chapter Tactic affect Sternguard special ammo?
A: I believe so.

Q: Also, are bike upgrades for Space Marine Captains cheaper?
A: I think the upgrade stayed the same.

Q: Are normal bikes cheaper?
A: Yes

Q: Are all these answers from an early rendition or playtest and subject to change? Or are these concrete answers from a full codex?
A: The book I have looks like the final. If this is a fake then a ton of effort has gone into this.

Q: Is there any way to assault from vehicles besides assault ramps on land raiders and stormravens?
A: The Land Speeder Storm.

Q: How do Successor Chapters work exactly?
A: This will be covered on the 1 Sept show. The answer is really long and it’s easier to just explain it verbally than type it out.

Q: If you have two different chapters that use the same chapter tactic, can they ally to each other?
A: This will als be covered on the 1 Sept show.

Q: How do Camo Cloaks work?
A: +1 to cover, or 6+ cover if not in cover

Q: Can any of the HQs get Camo Cloaks?
A: No

Q: Is there a way to get Eternal Warrior?
A: Yes (will be covered in show (Zion’s Speculation: It’s a Relic))

Q: Can any of the HQs buy any special rules?
A: No

Q: Do the HQs still have access to Hellfire rounds?
A: No

Q: Can we get a rundown on what Grav Weapons will cost?
A: Grav will be on the show.

Q: In 5th Edition you were encouraged to use SCs as “Count-As” special characters to give you some new/interesting combinations. Is there anything in the new book that allows you to do this?
A: You can no longer do that due to Chapter Tactics.

Q: Just to confirm, this means the Camo Cloaks and the Raven Guard Chapter Tactic stack, right? +2 to their cover saves for having both?
A: They do stack, but there is a caveat to the Raven Guard rule that will be covered on the show. All Chapter Tactics will be covered on the show.

Q: BT High Marshal (Chapter Master equivalent?) Helbrecht has no Orbital Bombardment, but BT can take a “regular” Chapter Master and get the OB from him?
A: Correct, Helbrecht does not have it, but regular Chapter Masters do.

Q: Have Razorback weapon upgrades gotten cheaper, more expensive or stayed the same?
A: Some went down.

Q: How much do Relic Blades cost for Honor Guard?
A: 10 points.

Q: You mentioned that the Raven Guard Chapter Tactics have a caveat. Do all the Chapter Tactics have special caveats in how they can be used?
A: No, there are other rules for RG we didn’t mention.

Q: Do these caveats require certain minumum requirements of units or wargear?
A: No.

Q: Are the Drop Pods priced like the DA ones (to include upgrades)?
A: Similiar.

Q: When making an army, are you required to take a chapter trait?
A: Yes.

Q: Is the Exorcists Chapter covered in the list of different Marine chapters/successors in the book?
A: Yes, there is a small blurb, but the do not have a parent chapter.

Q: Are any of these caveats negative things (like the old 4th edition flaws)?
A: No. The caveat is we have not revealed all the abilities for some chapters.

Q: Is there any clue you can give us on the nature of these caveats?
A: There are many layers to the CTs (no negatives).

Q: Did the points cost change for Power Weapons?
A: Generally the same, per units choices.

Q: Did the points cost change for Power Fists?
A: PF same.

Q: How much do Crusader Squads pay for Power Weapons?
A: 15.

Q: Can the Initiate in a Crusader Squad take a Power Fist?
A: Yes at 25 points.

Q: How does the limit for the extra power weapon in the Crusader squad work. Is it just 1 Initiate or is it 1 per X number of models in the squad?
A: 1 Initiate and then upgrade one to Sword Brother and you can get another.

Previous QnA
Q: How do scouts look?
A: The scouts went down 2 points and they can now take a Storm as a dedicated transport. They mostly stayed the same.

Q: How about Marines?
A: Tactical Marines are 14 points each.

Q: What do Raven Guard get?
A: Raven guard get stealth and the ability to use their jump packs in the movement and assault phase.

Q: What are the Imperial Fists chapter traits?
A: IF get bolter drill and that allows them to re-roll any 1s, it does not work with sternguard special rounds. Also Devs and Centurion Devs get Tank Hunters special Rules with a +1 on damaging buildings.

Q: What did Salamanders get?
A: Sallies get to re-roll any failed armor saves from flame based weapons, also with their flame weapons they get to re-roll any failed wounds or armor penetration that fail to cause a penetration or glancing hit. Also any character gets to master craft one weapon for free points.

Q: What’s up with the new tanks?
A: both weapons are S7. The Hunter is AP2 and has armorbane so it should handle most flyers out there.

Q: What do the Templars look like?
A: Vows are gone. BT come with Chapter Tactics just like all the other marine army. One allows you to re-roll to hits rolls and rending, when you’re in challenges. The other one gives you Adamantium Will and Crusader. Also their ally matrix did not change.

Q: How do homebrew/unknown lineage chapters work?
A: If you’re an unknow founding or a home brew chapter you can pick what Chapter Tactics you want.

Q: What’s the situation with Crusader Squads?
A: The crusader squads are cool because you can have up to two power weapons in the squad, if you take a Sword Brother. The Initiates are fourteen points and come with bolter, bolt pistol, frag, and krak. You may exchange the bolter for a ccw for the price of free.

Q: Any new wargear (along the lines of auspex from DA codex)?
A: There is new wargear for Chapter relics, 6 of them.

Q: How high is the rate of fire for the other AA tank?
A: Stalker has RoF 4 and the Hunter has RoF 1.

Q: Can you please confirm whether or not pure bike armies are no longer legal to field?
A: No you can not. You get the option to take 5 bikes as a troop if your captain has a bike, also your command squad can have bikes.

Q: Are storm ravens/storm talons in the book. or are we required to use “Death from the Skies”?
A: Yes they are in the book and you do not need Death from the Skies.

Q: Do UM retain their “fall-back from combat and may act normally” ability? Thanks in advance!
A: No that rule does not exist anymore. Like all the chapters their Chapter Tactics are set.

Q: What is going on with the Emperor’s Champion?
A: The Emperor Champion is and HQ choice and for his points will be a good character hunter. Those abilities no longer exist, they’re just gone. The chapter Tactics they get are called “Accept any Challenge, No Matter what the Odds” and “Crusaders”

Q: Does special characters still add the USRs/special rules that they have in this codex to your army/squad? EX: Shrike and Infiltrate? Pedro and +1 Attack aura?
A: Yes some SC still have USR that boost their army.

Q: Is it finally possible to take jump packs for our command squads?
A: No, Only bikes.

Q: Can you confirm/disprove the “special” Rhino variants that were rumoured? EX: Medical, Recovery, etc.
A: Those do not exist. That was wish listing.

Q: Could you shed some light on the UM special rules?
A: Ultra marines are a little lengthy but they choose the doctrines of Tactical, Assault, or Devstator. The Tactical detachment re-roll ones, unless they’re tactical marines and they re-roll all failed to hit rolls in the shooting phase. The Assault detachment re-rolls charges, unless they’re assault squads, bikes, attack bikes and they get fleet. The Devastator detachment get to re-rolls on snap shots and overwatch shots, unless they’re Devastators and they gain relentless as long as they’re not disembarking from a transport in the movement phase.

Q: Are there any special banners that can be taken? EX: Banner of Devastation from DA Codex, etc.
A: No, that is more wish listing. You can have the good old Chapter Banner.

Q: Did sternguard special ammo change at all?
A: Remained the same, SG went down to 22 points

Q: Are there any other scoring units besides sternguard, tac, and scouts?
A: Only Tac and scouts. SG if you take Kantor and 5 man bike squad if you take a Captain on a bike.

Q: Any changes at all to the Black Sword or is the EC just some sort of challenge monkey now? I wonder what “for his points will be a good character hunter” could mean.
A: EC has an AP2 sword striking at initiative and if you add the BT Chapter Tactics be becomes a challenge machine. He also has 2+/4+.

Q: Thank you so much, a final question, the BT situation sounds like we were better off with a 4th ed codex, do the special characters give anything special? What does Helbrecht and Grimaldus look like and do for the army?
A: No they do not add anything. They’ve been basically upgraded to 6th ed. For a BT will be happy with all the options they will have.

Q: Just out of curiosity, does Accept any challenge give them rending in Challenges, or allows them to reroll rending throws?
A: They have rending.

Q: Is there any way for Templars to have access to CC boosting USRs via characters?
A: Once per game Helbrecht can give Hatred and Fleet in the Assault phase. It only works on units with Chapter Tactics(Black Templars)

Q: Any idea if the Champion is still BT-only or they opened it up for other chapters that have them in the fluff (IF and CF for example)?
A: EC are only for BT armies.

Q: Is that 3-5 man bike squad as troops, or 5-10 man bike squads to count as troops? Also, is the attack bike still an upgrade to a bike squad, as well as a separate choice?
A: Its a 3-5 man. You can upgrade one to an attack bike.

Q: how big can a crusader squad be?
A: Up to 10 Initiates and up to 10 Neos.

Q: what USRs do Helbrecht and Grimaldus provide?
A: Grimaldus gives Zaelot

Q: what units are restricted to Templars?
A: Only librarians

Q: how do Castellans work?
A: You pick either a SM captain, Chapter Master or Termie Captain.

Q: Does the Emperor’s Champion’s sword still have the +2 to strength in addition to being AP2?
A: Yes if you pick that stances, but counts as two-handed. the other stances gives you rending.

Q: And does the 4++ invulnerability now work outside of close combat, too?
A: Yes he is always 2+/4+.

Q: can castellans/marshals take command squads
A: Yes they can take command squads, but they are just Captains now.

Q: can Helbrecht take an honor guard
A: Yes because he is a Chapter Master

Q: what USRs and where in the Force Org chart are normal chaplains
A: Chaplains are HQ and Zealot.

Q: which HQ choices actually take up a slot, and which ones don’t
A: Chapter Masters, Captains, Chaplians, and Librarians. BT can not take librarians.

Q: did the costs of dedicated transports change?
A: Only major change to dedicated transports is the Storm moving there.

Q: also, do you mind sharing any changes to devestator costs or the potential load-outs for tac squads?
A: Devs went down. Close to Dark Angel book.

Q: any way to get 2 special weapons?
A: No way to get 2 specials.

Q: Are grav weapons solid shots or blast? Do they have any other special rules ex: haywire?
A: Solid shot and they have concussive

Q: Any improvements to dreads?
A: Dreads are basically the same.

Q: Are the whole range of Ultramarines Special Characters still in there?
Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius, Chronus, Telion, and Sicarius?
What do they do nowadays?
A: Yes all Ultra characters are in and are Virtually the same. Calgar can take three Warlord traits and went up in points. He’s a beast.

Q: If BT indeed use regular SM Chaplain entry, do the chaplains have two or three wounds, and two or three base attacks?
A: W2 A2

Q: Does Lysander give any special rules?
A: No. He went up in points but he is still gnarly.

Q: Can Sternguard become Troops?
A: No they can not. Kantor allows them to be scoring.

Q: Does Lysander still have Eternal Warrior?
A: Yes, he still has EW.

Q: You covered BT, UM, Ravenguard, Fists, Salamanders, and Iron Hands. Is that all of the chapters? Or are there more special chapter rules for other chapters?
A: If you play a successor chapter you will use the Chapter Tactics of the Founding Chapters. The codex covers a lot of the successor chapters.

Q: So to confirm, you can’t take an all bike army?
A: Yes but you have to take 2 captains so you can get two bike squads to be troops.

Q: Any change to Honor Guard?
A: They went down in points. That is their big change.

Q: Is there any way to get an extra attack on tacticals? Such as a combat blade?
A: There is no way to do that.

Q: Did Vindicators change in price or function?
A: Right about same points. No big change, basically the same.

Remember that CF with use the Imperial Fist Chapter Tactics.

Vanguard Veterans are 19pts without jump pack and 22 points with jump pack. Heroic Intervention does not work the same as last codex.

Q: Can we just get the whole Centurion statline out of the way once and for all?
A: WS/BS 4 S/T 5 W2 I4 LD8/9 Sv 2+

Q: Any changes to Shrike or Kor’sarro?
A: Shrike can only infiltrate with jump infantry.
Khan give scout to bikes and mounted troops. His bike does D3 Hammer of Wrath hits.

Q: For salamanders. Do flame weapons include melta and flamestom cannon. Also what does vulkan do for the army?
A: Only for flame weapons covered on page 56 of the Rulebook. Meltas get twin-linked if you take Vulkan.

Q: For BT Chapter tactics, is the reroll and rending only in a challenge? Or is it reroll all the time and rending in challenge?
A: Yes that is only in a challenge. When in a challenge you get to re-roll your To Hit rolls and all attacks have rending.

Q: How many attacks do the Centurians have?
A: 1A and Sgt 2A. The drills give a bonus attack to the assault version…

Q: Would you happen to know if the capacity on the land raider is still 12?
A: LR = 10, LRC = 16, and LRR = 12

Q: Are there terminator command squads?
A: No Termie command squads.

Q: What buffs does Lysander have other than EW?
A: Gives all units in 12″ with Chapter Tactics (IF), re-roll on morale and pinning test.

Q: So only characters benefit from the BT chapter tactic?
A: Yes for challenges. Your army also gets Crusader USR and Adamantium Will USR.

Q: What does Grimauldus specifically give? You mentioned Zealot, is that army wide?
A: No army wide rule. Zealot USR works for him and the unit he is in. If a units is within 6″ of the servitors they get a 6+ invul.

Q: Any special characters for Iron Hands?
A: No Iron Hands Characters.

Q: Any changes to the Master of the Forge?
A: Master of the forge is almost the same. He will get “It Will not Die” USR and a 1+ to Blessing of the Omnissiah from the IH Chapter Tactics.

Q: Is it possible to give the MoF invl save now? < big iron hands player wanna run a themed force with ironfather HQ but i think ill need the invl for CC
A: Looks like 6+ FNP will be the best you can get unless you take a Chapter Relic, which gives a 6+ invul.

Q: Is that +1 to the blessing for IHs a specific rule of the MoF or part of the IH traits that applied to all techmarines?
A: +1 is only for IH Chapter Tactics

Q: And does bolter drill still work on all bolt weapons (minus the sternguards) or just rifles/combirifles?
A: All Bloters on page 56 of Rulebook and combi-wepon bolters. You can not use it on the special ammo that the sternguard use.

Q: What are the White Scars Chapter Traits?
A: +1 to jink save, Auto pass on dangerous terrain, +1 to Hammer of Wrath attacks, Hit and Run except for termies and both sets of Centurions.

Q: What does Khan do?
A: He gives Bikes and Transports the Scout USR

Q: What are the options for the Crusader Squads?
A: Crusader squads are basically the same as last BT. You get the option of a Sword Brother upgrade(Vet sgt). So you could put 2 power weapons in one squad. There can still be up to 20 models in one unit.

Q: Has Marneus Calgar changed at all?
A: Calgar gets three warlord traits, his armor does not prevent him from preforming a sweeping advance, and he went up in points. He’s a supreme badass but you pay for it.

Q: Are those big fists on the shooty Centurions powerfists? What about the assault version- do they strike at initiative because they have Ironclad assault launchers?
A: Centurion Devs do not have PF. The Assult Centurions do strike at initiative, the drills are not unwieldy.

Q: Are black templar’s still prohibited from allying with non-grey knight psykers? (Sanctified Psykers, Inquisitors with Psionics, etc)
A: BT are still Ally of Convenience. You will still follow the rule book.

Q: And does the Emperor’s champion take up a force organization slot?
A: No.

Q: What chief librarian tigurius? Is going to give other pysker’s a run for their money?
A: I think Tigurius is easily the most improved SC. He will be very tempting for Ultramarine players and he comes in relatively cheap. Overall A+ over last edition.

Q: Can the Emperor’s Champion be taken as the Warlord?
A: Yes because he is taken as a HQ choice.

Q: Is Calgar above 300 points?
A: Calgar is 275

Q: Have TH/SS termies gone up in price?
A: TH/SS Terminators cost +5 points

Q: What’re the rules for the Assault Centurion’s drills?
A: S9 AP2 Melee, Specialist Weapon, armorbane, strikes at initiative

Q: What is Grimaldus’ stat line like? Any variations from a standard chaplain? And does he have anything like Eternal warrior or IWND?
A: He has “It will not Die”, no EW.

Q: Any special BT items or upgrades?
A: Nothing special for Black Templars, you just get the full access to the codex. So you get Vanguard, Sternguard, Centurion and so on. You have the ability to put multiple power weapons in crusader squads. One is a non-character which can not be challenged. You get to hide a power weapon.

Q: Is there any limitations to the EC? Can anybody take one?
A: EC can only be taken by BT and they’re a HQ choice.

Q: Is a “Castellan” a BT sgt in a vet squad?
A: Castellans are gone. Vet Sgts are Sword Brothers.

Q: Mind a rundown of the 6 Chapter Relics?
A: he relics consist of two swords, one bolter, set of armor, one storm shield and one banner.

Q: Are there Space Marine Warlord Traits?
A: Yes, one chart for all armies.

Q: Does Imperial Fist Bolter drill give rerolls to hit and to wound of 1? Or just to hit?
A: To hit rolls of 1′s.

Q: Is Telion cheaper/different?
A: Telion is the same points and all updated with sniper rules for 6th

Q: Same with Chronus? Is he worth considering now?
A: Chronus is cheaper but still not worth it. Just increases the BS by 1

Q: Is the basic Chapter Master differentiated from a Captain with more than orbital bombardment?
A: CM has A4 and W4 and access to honor guard as command squad.

Q: Does the command squad of a master have better/different options than a captain?
A: It’s Honor Guard.

Q: Is the Storm Raven more expensive in these new rules? Different in any other ways?
A: Storm Raven stayed 200 points.

Q: What sort of special tricks does Tigirius bring to the list?
A: Tight is ML 3, knows all disciplines, he can re-roll his dice when determining his psychic powers, he can re-roll reserves(even successful ones), HoH is a psychic hood and he can re-roll failed psychic test.

Q: are drop pods still 12 to a pod?
A: Dop pod is back to 10.

Q: Landraider redeemer the same?
A: LRR is 12

Q: How is Heroic Intervention different?
A: They do not get the penalty for disordered charge and Sgt auto passes initiative check for Glorious Intervention.

Q: Two small questions on the new tanks: what are their AV values? And do either of them have interceptor?
A: AV 12 12 10 and no interceptor, I repeat no interceptor.

Q: Do the Vanguard Veterans still get to assault the turn they deep strike jump packs then?
A: No. That rule is gone.

Q: How many wounds and attacks does Grimaldus have?
A: Grim is W3/A3

Q: And are Reclusiarchs in the codex?
A: Reclusiarchs are gone. There is one Chaplain to chose from.

Q: For those with non first founding chapter & BT, is there a system of making your own chapter tactics(like the chapter traits from the 4th edition codex)?
A: No. You will have to chose out of the Chapter Tactics provide.

Q: Did the predator tanks and devestators have their prices modified in the codex?
A: They both got point decreases.

Q: Is the old Power Armored Marneus Calgar mini nonexistent?
A: He’s in Artificer armor. For 10 points more he gets Termie armor.

Q: Are there any new Ultramarine Characters?
A: No new characters.

Q: Does Orbital Bombardment still exist?
A: Yes

Q: Is Calgar’s Termie Armor the same? Built in Teleport Homer, or does it do anything special?
A: Same, but let’s you sweeping advance in Terminator Armor and still has homer.

Q: There are so many BT on because we are getting screwed by GW who is basically trying to make us in to a lame variant of a codex chapter, something we are definitely not. The more I read, the less I want to continue playing 40K.
A: I think the BT are better. You have more options than you know what to do with and most if not all of your troops are cheaper. It’s not that bad.

Another BT player raising his complaints….
Q: More options but if CC crusaders are not getting any bonus in CC then BT are WORSE in CC then with the 4th ed book and because termies will get 1 less heavy weapon in a squad of 5 BT Gunline will have less missiles
A: Those things had gone they way of the dodo bird a half a decade ago. Even if they got their own dex there ways no way that you were still going to get two heavy weapons in five termies and other outdated rules.

Squads are just as good as there 4th codex iteration. They’re cheaper, they come with frag/krak grenades, up to two power weapons, 2 flyer types, and the list goes on. There are far more pluses than minuses.

If you were banking on rules that are old and outdated then you will be disappointed. If you look at all the options then you will be excited about the possibility and the flexibility that the new dex offers.

Back to the Q&A:

Q: Ironclads the same?
A: Ironclads are the same.

Q: About Honor Guard, have they gotten cheaper? Has the chapter champion got more bad ass or is he still…meh?
A: Honorguard are cheaper and the company champion is the same, at least he’s cheaper.

Q: landspeeders the same? Or similar to the dark angels cost wise? Doubt they get 1-5 too.
A: Speeders are 1-3

Q: What about Cassius and Sicarius?
A: 1)Sicarius is 15 points cheaper and basically the same.2)Cassius is 5 points more.

Q: Any change regarding the Whirlwind?
A: Nope. Missiles do the same and its 65 points.

Q: Does IF bolter drill only apply to boltguns/bolt pistols (minus special ammo) or does it apply to hvy and hurricane bolters as well?
A: It works on every bolter on page 56 of the rule book. Hurricane bolters already get a re-roll and you can’t re-roll a re-roll.

Q: Can you give the full breakdown of grav-weapons? S value? how do they work v. vehicles? difference between grav gun and grav cannon?
A: Grav weapons wound the target based on their armor save. For example a terminator has a 2+ save so they would be wounded on a die roll of 2+. Against vehicles roll a die, 1-5 does nothing and on a 6 the vehicle is immobilized and loses a HP.

Q: Did the Codex Powers change?
A: They use the psychic powers out of the rule book, so null zone and the other powers are gone.

Q: What are te ranges on the new Grav Guns? Are they rapid fire?
A: Pistol: Range 12″, Gun: 18″ salvo 2/3, and Cannon: 24″ salvo 3/5

Q: Did the dreadnoughts gain any rules (like the rumored Inspiring Presence)?
A: No, I think that’s more wish listing.

Q:  Do the Devs get Flakk Missles?
A: Yes. They have to pay and additional 10 points.

Q: Can Honor Guard get and invunerable now (storm shields)?
A: No.

Q: Is there some caveat to the first half of the UM tactical rule (like..i don’t know,does not work on heavy weapons for example…) or is it just a plain better version of the IF one even without the extra bonus for tactical squads?
A: It will work on any weapon that rolls a 1, while the IF only works on bolter type weapons.

Q: How many points are the Scout Bikes?
A: 18 points

Q: Did they change the Cereberus launcher on the LS storm? used to be -2 leadership to enemies assaulted after disembarking.
A: It’s not the same. It’s range 18″ S 2 large blast Blind.

Q: Do BT get Land Raider Redeemers as Dedicated, or only Land Raider Crusaders?
A: Just LRC.

Q: Out of intrest, is there anything in the book that stops BT from allying with a psyker? (I know they cant take one)
A: Im not seeing anything that will stop you from allying.

Q: Any change to the Sternguard ammo types?
A: Same as before

Q: Who can take the Grav Weapons?
A: Basically anyone who can take special weapons or pistol upgrades. They heavy one is only on the Dev Centurions.

Q: How much cheaper are Honor Guard exactly?
A: They dropped 25 points.

Q: Does the Signum still work the same?
A: Yes it give one member BS5

Q: So they actually gave the straight better rule to ultramarines (at least with other chapters they have different rules…Here it’s just…better)…That makes me kind of sad.
A: Not really you have to invest a lot points into Tac squads and there essentially picking your army for you.

Q: Do you have the points cost for AA tanks?
A: Stalker = 70, Hunter = 75

Q: Do any units have Interceptor?
A: No.

Q: Has libby base cost decreased?
A: Yes, Psyker down to 65 points.

Q: Oh, do the Chaplains get any melee weapon options, or are they stuck with Crozius only?
A: They have other power weapon options and they can also have Chapter Relics.

Q: With the Ultramarines Chapter Trait do you choose, or is it based on how you build your army?
A: You choose but it will kind of force yourhand to build a certain way to take advantage of CT.

Q: Do Grav have haywire as some early rumors suggested?
A: Grav have concussive.

Q: On the stalker model it seems that its two weapon turrets can move seperatly, there was also a rumour before that they could split fire. Is there any indication of this or does the stalker simply have a s7 heavy 4 gun?
A: You’re very astute. There is an option to fire at two targets with a lowered BS.

Q: What are the specs of the flame launcher on LoD with ignores cover USR?
A:  All shooting attacks ignore cover saves.

Q: Do we get interrogator chappie/reclusiarch?
A: No, basic Chaplain for all.

Q: Did shooty Terminators get better/cheaper?
A: Heavy Flamer went up in points, while assault cannon and cyclone saw a same points decrease.

Q: How many points costs Tigurius now?
A: 165 points. Down 65 points.

Q: How much do ML 1 and 2 librarians cost?
A: ML1 = 65 and ML2 is a 25 point upgrade.

Q: Does Thunderfire Cannons get any advantage of IH Chapter Tactics? I mean, FNP or It never dies? Their techmarine gets de +1 on Omnissiah’s blessing?
A: Yes the Techmarine would get FNP, +1 Omniissiah, and it will not die.

Q: Has auxillary grenade launcher changed?
A: 24″ rapid fire.

Q: Are Tactical Squads basically the same as in Codex:DA, as far as organisation and equipment options go?
A: Yes

Q: Grav Amp lets you reroll wounds, that’s the only information on it that has come out so far.
A: Grav Amp allows you to re-roll failed wounds and armor penetration with grav weapons.

Q: Are Vanguard Vets for sure FA or Elites?
A: They are elite.

Q: Does Vulkan get Eternal Warrior?
A: No.

Q: How many points is Vukan and does he still mastercraft Thunder Hammers?
A: Vulcan is 190 and he no longer upgrades thunder hammers to MC.

Q: Can you mix your army. Like have some units be ultra marines and others be salamanders?
A: Yes. They’re allowed to ally out of the same codex.

Q: Can Independent Characters (captain, chapter masters, techmarines,etc) take centurion armour as part of their wargear?
A: No, that is not a wargear option.

Q: Can non-Black Templar armies (homebrew/unknown founding chapters) choose the Black Templar Chapter Trait? If they can do they have to take Crusader Squads instead of Tactical Squads?
A: The writing on it is a little vague. I would say yes but it may need a FAQ to clear it up.

Q: Any Salamander Relics?
A: No Sally Relics. The are space marine relics shared by all chapters.

Q: Any idea how grav weapons work against units with mixed armor saves ie Dlord + Wraiths?
A: It does not but I would figure you would wound on the majority armor save.

Q: And do Chapter traits work for allied detachments?
A: No, some SC characters have abilities that effect other units but they must have the same CT to receive that bonus.

Q: Any new pieces of common wargear like DA got (auspexes, infravisors, power field generators, etc.)?
A: Mostly grav weapons, Omniscopes, new weapon types for the AA weapons and generally moving wargear to be inline with 6th Ed.

Q:  I keep hearing Vulkan twinlinks Melta and is the same, although it would be a mercy if someone came out and said there are no MC thunder hammers. Can you please confirm? Also I just saw on Natfka that Sallies get to re-roll armour saves from flame weapons including Melta- does this mean invul saves as well?
A: 1)Vulkan TL meltas
2) He does not master craft TH anymore.
3) Only works on flame weapons which are on 56 of the Rulebook.

Q: How many points for Kantor and Vulcan?
A: 1)Kantor 185
2)Vulkan 190

Q: Sorry – meant if you have an allied detachment of say Ultramarines with Tau, do the Ultramarines still benefit from CT despite being Allies?
A: Yes, their abilities will work on that detachment. They do not lose CT for allying.

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1397751#post1397751

Q: Do the AA tanks have to snapshot at ground targets (i.e. do they only have skyfire, but no interceptor?)
A: AA tanks do not have interceptor.

Q: Does honour guard get to keep both their weapon and 2+ save for their new low price?
A: HG get Arti armor and power weapons.

Q: Does Helbrecht gain Orbital Bombardment?
A: Helbrecht does not.

Q: Does Kantor still keep his 12″ +1A bubble?
A: yes Kantor does.

Q: Thanks for the answer, do crusader squads have any other special rule besides ATSKNF and Chapter tactics?
A: No BT do not.

Q: How many points is a LS typhoon?
A: Typhoon 75 points

Q: How many points for a Dakka Pred/Las Pred?
A: Las 140 and Dakka 95

Q: Did they reduce the cost of the Captain?
A: Captain is 90

Q: Can models with different chapter tactics be in the same detachment? i.e. Can I take UM and IF in the same primary army then ally in some DA if I wanted them?
A: No they would have to ally those detachments together.

Q: How does work sergeants on tac squads? there is an extra cost for sergeant and veteran sergeant like dark angels?
A: Same as DA

Q: Any changes on attack bikes in cost, size of unit, etc.?
A: Attack bikes are now 45

Q: Is there any unit or weapon in the new codex with Interceptor rule?
A: No

Q: Any changes on Land Speeders?
A: Same

Q: Are crusader squad availabe to other chapter tactics than BT?
A: No

Q: Do Kantor and Helbrecht both have W4 A4 like the generic chapter masters now apparently get?
A: Yes

Q: Are Lysander’s stats the same, wounds and such?
A: Same

Q: Legion of the damned weapon costs and special rules?
A: Went down and all their shooting attacks ignore cover.

Q: Can you go a little bit deeper into what the Chapter Relics are?
A: Going to cover on the show.

Q: Am I right to assume that generaly speaking, the costs of units and vehicles that are also in the DA book are the same as they are in that book?
A: Pretty close to each other.

Q: Is the Storm Talon the same cost as in Death from the Skies?
A: Yes.

Q: Can you use characters from a different Chapter than the one whose trait you are using? In other words, can I make an Iron Hands chapter but still use Tigurius, for example?
A: No.

Q: Does the Tactical trait affect only infantry units or does it affect vehicles too?
A: Yes.

Q: Do SM get their own Warlord Traits table, and if so, what are the traits?
A: Yes, we will cover it on the show.

Q: Does Calgar get to pick his traits or does he just get 3 rolls on the tables?
A: Three rolls on the chart, re-roll doubles.

Q: how do Grav weapons work on models who don’t have armor saves (like Daemons)?
A: I would say a 5+, might be FAQed.

Q: Any change to shotguns?
A: Shotguns S4 assault 2.

Q: When you say you can ally out of the same codex, is that through the actual ally rules, or that you can mix two armies and their Chapter tactics?
A: You have to ally the two detachments.

Q: Raven Guard CT: is Stealth handed out to Vehicles too?
A: Yes, models in the detachment gain stealth.

Q: Khan: How much does he cost? How much does Moondrakkan cost?
A: Khan 125 and bike 25.

Q: Has the war gear for normal terminators changed …. Ie Can they take combi weapons?
A: No

Q: Any improvements to regular captains not previously mentioned? ie cheaper or wargear options besides the relics?
A: Pretty close to the same.

Q: Terminators of either type cheaper?
A: No.

Q: Scout bikers still lay mines or is that different?
A: Yes.

Q: Can we get elaboration on the Stalker? All I know right now is “S:7 Heavy4″
A: S7 AP4 Range 48″

Q: Can it split fire or something?
A: You can split fire

Q: Any special rules, or is it basically just two glorified AA-Autocannons?
A: Glorified Autocannon

Q: What is the range on the Hunter’s gun?
A: 60″

Q: The Ultramarines’ Tactical Doctrine only re-rolls 1′s for shooting, right?

Q: Have Tigurius’ stats changed at all?
A: Stats are the same.

Q:  Does a bike Captain only make a bike squad a Troop if it numbers exactly 5 bikes, or or can it be a full “8 man + attack bike” squad?
A: At least 5 bikes can be up to 8.

Q: Anything changed with assault squads? Can they be taken as troops?
A: 17pts and can’t be troops.

Q: Can command and honor guard take jump packs?
A: No.

Q: Do librarians have invuln saves? If not, can they buy them as upgrades?
A: Only in Terminator Armor.

Q: Do any of the characters or chapter tactics give fearless or stubborn?
A: No

Q: What about assault squads? Did their cost decrease a little too? Can they finally take meltaguns?
A: 17 Points and No Melta Guns.

Q: So for clarification on the bikes: any 1 bike unit of at least 5 models (of which one may be upgraded to an attack bike) can be a troop choice per captain on a bike in your army?
A: Correct.

Q: How many base attacks do Centurions have?
A: Centurions have A1. Centurion Sergeants have A2.

Q: Beyond being 15 pts cheaper, any changes to Sicarius?
A: You get +1 to reserves and no longer seize the initiative on a 5 or 6.

Q: How many power weapons can a Crusader squad take (besides the Sergeant) and is there an option to take a pair of lighting claws (either for normal BT marines or the Sergeant)
A: Power Weapon or Power Fist.

Q: Just to make sure I got it right, Honor Guard get: artificer armour, power weapon, Bolter and bolt pistol for 25 points? That sounds like a good deal even if they don’t have a invul save.
A: Yes, but don’t forget about the frag and krak grenades.

Q: Does the Ultramarine Tactical Doctrine trait (Rerolling Ones for non-tatical marines) apply to vehicles? (The answer before was unclear)
A: Yes, it says “models” in the detatchment. Vehicles are models.

Q: Does the rule for not taking non-chapter characters apply to Telion?
A: Telion is marked as an Ultramarine character and has CT(Ultramarines).

Q: Just to confirm, chapter tactics affect all models in a detachment, to include vehicles, unless otherwise stated, correct?
A: Yes.

Q: Lastly, is each gun on the Stalker Heavy 4 or is each gun Heavy 2?
A: Stalker is Heavy 4. There is an ability to fire at two separate targets. That will be covered on the next show.

Q: Does the Stalker and Hunter have Skyfire?

A: Yes, but they do not have interceptor.

Oh. My. God. So much pant yearning want.

Although initially only available as digital downloads, they’ll be out in hardcopy December/January time.

I’ll be honest, I kinda want them all…

White Scars

Ultramarines

Salamanders

Raven Guard

Iron Hands

Imperial Fists

Another release, another teaser less than a week before release. No point in belly aching about it though, it’s Space Marines so we all know the money will magically come from somewhere. It may be instead of the food shop or the kid’s new shoes though…

So far this year, we have seen the release of three of the new Codex Supplements for Warhammer 40,000. Of the three, two (Iyanden and Farsight Enclaves) have been generally well received. On the other hand the Black Legion supplement seems to have had a more mixed reception.

I was initially quite sceptical about the Codex Supplements. This is probably due to my negative memories of the ‘mini-codices’ of 3rd Edition 40k which were deeply uninspiring little pamphlets (though in all fairness the main codices were pretty meagre in those days too). Also, it seemed vaguely unfair that some gamers were having to pay extra in order to get the core codex and the additional mini-’dex.

In most respects, allowing ‘off-shoot’ armies like Space Wolves or Blood Angels to have their own full codices seems like the ideal solution. That said however the onus then falls upon the folks at the Design Studio to make that army genuinely different enough to justify the separate codex. The fate of Black Templars being reabsorbed into the main Space Marine Codex demonstrates the importance of introducing some genuine distinction that works on the table top and in terms of fluff.

So I was hostile to the Codex Supplements at first – especially when it became clear that they would be the same price as a real codex. But my feelings mellowed when it became clear that no one needs to buy the supplement in order to do, say, an Iyanden style wraith construct army, the supplement merely allows you the option to further emphasise and deepen the theme and character of your chosen force.  This is really important, as in the past variant lists like Iyanden or White Scars were made possible by artificially limiting the main list – so it was only until 5th edition that Space Marine Chapters other than the White Scars got to deploy their bike companies (which they almost all have) to the table top. So you can still do an Eldar wraith army or a Tau army led by Farsight without the Codex and you only have to buy the supplement if you want to take the theme up to eleven.

Of course, the supplements also bring you scenarios, and extra stuff to enhance your games of Apocalypse and/or Cities of Death. Obviously the appeal of those sections will depend on your own views of those particular game variants. I never had much time for either (though I can imagine a few people being swayed out of the desire to try out something in the supplement).

The question hanging over this issue is whether any current Space Marine armies might be relegated to a mere supplement. Obviously Dark Angels already have a 6th edition codex, and the Space Wolves are probably too distinct for this to work, but one does wonder about the Blood Angels. In some respects this might be a helpful as it would prevent some of the inter-Astartes rules clashes that developed over previous editions (eg what save does a Storm Shield grant?) and reduce the need for FAQs about whether existing books get the latest shiny toys in the core book (eg, can Dark Angels take Hunters?).

So surprisingly, GW seen to have hit the right level here rather than make the supplements a blatant cash grab, allowing the journeyman gamer to stick to the main codex and the more dedicated fluff gamer to choose to upgrade their gaming experience with the supplement. Choose wisely which path to take, as it’s a £30 decision.

I’m not quite sure what happened with Episode 8. We were reduced to a skeleton crew either due to scheduling conflicts or Ashley not getting her emails. The result? Content. Now you all know how I feel about talking about actual things so I was eternally grateful when Jason joined in half way through the show.

With special guest Kevin Bryant (@KevinBryant76), we talk about Warmachine (a lot), the Horus Heresy and Special Characters. And I think there was some prattling on about fluff.

As always our shows have bad language from the start so it’s now for young ears. Or, at least, easily offended ears…

Episode 8 – Now with Added Content