The Big Game - Crimson Templars, Part II

 

More photos of the Crimson Templars as they March on Memphis!

The Big Game - Crimson Templars

The Games Workshop Memphis Battle Bunker had one amazing table of Cityfight terrain.  And I just had to use it to take some photos of my Crimson Templar army.   

More Tau Photos and Rules

Just for the record, I love Giant Robots!  Even if they have scrawny Tau in them.  The latest Tau rules and pics from Kirby's 3++ are out and we will be seeing the Tau in two weeks!

Tau Photos and details

 "Sun Shark Bomber"/"Razor Shark Fighter" combo kit

Tau are coming April 6th.  A new flyer combo kit and an enormous XV-104 Riptide Battlesuit.

via neko over on Warseer 


Looking at the double spread:
- The flyer on the left is a gunship. The chin-mounted burst cannon you can see, but the main weapon is actually mounted on the underside of the tail, and is some sort of turreted array of ion weapons. My first thought is that this should make the flyer easier to use, as you don't need to be pointing at the target. It also has 2 pop-up seeker missiles.
- The flyer on the right is the bomber. It doesn't actually carry any bombs, but instead has a generator for forming bombs out of plasma as they're needed. It also has a detachable drone fighter in each wing for defense.
- Below the bomber, you should be able to make out a lot of white missile tips. These all belong to a Broadside model. The uppermost bundle of missiles is a shoulder-mounted pod, whilst a bit lower you can see 2 more bundles of missiles in arm mounted pods. Also, to the right of the shoulder pod you may be able to make out a seeker missile pointing straight up - this is the suit mounted seeker I mentioned.
- To the right of that you have the XV104 Riptide. You should be able to make out an ion cannon of some sort on its right arm, and a shield on its left. 

- Here we can see the box art for the XV104, this time armed with some sort of uber-burst cannon. On this shot you might be able to make out the twin support weapons mounted under the main gun. It also comes with 2 shielded missile drones.
- And another picture of the bomber.

- Pathfinders. You can't really make out the new experimental weapons I'm afraid, but you can certainly see that one of the drones is beefier than the rest. If I understand right, this drone can sit in place of the cupola on the devilfish, and grant some sort of C3 bonuses.
- Broadside suit. In this shot you can see it built with the twin heavy rail rifle (the rifle you can see is actually 2 heavy rail rifles side by side).
- Crisis team. It's just the current suits repacked into boxes of 3.

Redone plastic Pathfinders Kit (10 Pathfinders, 3 drones)
Broadsides in a single-model plastic kit (1 suit, 2 drones)
Crisis Suits in a three-model plastic kit (3 suits, 6 drones)

Another tidbit not shown:
- The XV8 variant is a finecast commander's varient. It looks similar to the XV8 (maybe with longer limbs?), and may well have the same rules, but is posed with the hand units deployed. 

A much needed upgrade for Tau and some cool new kits.  Sadly, the Crisis suits arent being redone.  I think they needed all to be redone as Forge World style suits.

Loken

The Big Game III Memphis Photos and Results

Well, the Big Game is over and reports from the 25 World Wide locations are trickling in.  At the Memphis Battle Bunker, we had just under 275,000 points, which was the biggest game ever at Memphis.

The Imperial side went first but in the end, Xenos carried the day, winning 38 to 32.  A big thank you to the guys from Siege World, who made the drive and brought 87,000 points themselves!

The Siegeworld Crew

Hornato and his Astral Claws, with attached Warlord Titan

Big Kahuna and his Eldar and Space Wolves

Siegeworld founder Kirk, aka Grand Master Spectre

Don got in the spirit with appropriate head gear

The Rest of the Memphis Gang

The Drew family brought 5 players total!  Kids were well represented in Memphis

The view from Big Kauna's (Patrick) side.  Me in the background behind his Warlock and Phantom Titans, and his custom made Storm Bird

Sean was an awesome player who had his two Reavers and my Leviathan blown up, brought back, and blown up again!  Yet he maintained a great attitude.

Reserves!

Imperial Fists by GW Trade Sales' Chris Cailor

I am driving to Atlanta today, so will get more photos and info up tonight.

Alec

The Ignitus Tank from Machinator

Tom McBride, aka Machinator, who runs Blood and Skulls Industry, has created another super heavy marvel.  And this one will be the grand prize for the Best Army at The Big Game III in Memphis.  The parts will, of course, be available in Tom's Shop soon.

The main weapon has a swappable flamethrower and thermal cannon piece held in place by magnets that allows you to switch barrels out very easily.

 

Flamethrower

Thermic Cannon

The Big Game III - We March for Memphis!

Well, I just arrived in Memphis after a 3 day, 1,800 mile car journey.  That's right, I drove across the USA in order to run The Big Game III at the Games Workshop Memphis Battle Bunker.  This is the North American HQ for GW and has what is now the biggest Games Workshop store in the USA.  My car was packed with 20,000+ points of 40K.  James Bell, former L.A. Battle Bunker manager is now the manager in Memphis and why I agreed to this madness!  The Bunker opens at 11:30 tomorrow and we will start setting up then.  

Players are coming from all over the USA, including Michigan - Tom McBride (aka Machinator, of Blood & Skulls Industry), Missouri - Kirk Damann (SiegeWorld) and North Carolina - Matt Plonski (Apoc-Eclipse).

Stay tuned here or to our Facebook group for photos and battle reports!

WORLD WIDE

We are now in 25 locations World Wide in SEVEN countries!

US (14 locations)
Russia (5 locations)
United Kingdom (2 locations)
Australia
Belgium
Norway
Finland

RUSSIA
Max Govalnov, the Czar of Russian Apocalypse, has confirmed that The Big Game III will be played in  5 Russian cities!   In addition to Max's native Moscow, Apocalypse games will be played in St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Ryazan, and Kiev (the Ukrainian capital).

FINLAND

I just heard today from Toni of Tapiolan Pelikauppa in Mikkeli, Finland.  His store has just joined the Big Game III!   Better late than never!

 And here is the very first photo as I set my army up for a photo shoot

Stay posted!

Loken

Kustom Grot Battle-Krooza - Part I

More Ork mega-vehicles from Greg Teeuwen.  This time, a Grot Battle-Krooza!

Forge World Releases Necrons

Forge World has started releasing Necrons in advance of the release of the new Imperial Armour book

From Forge World:

The Night Shroud is a dedicated bomber, larger than the more numerous Night Scythe and Doom Scythe craft alongside which it operates, whose origins date back countless aeons to the lost battles of the War in Heaven.

The Night Shroud was built to carry a relic of that ancient and apocalyptic conflict – so-called Death Spheres – containment vessels imprisoning the merest fragment of anti-matter. This potent warhead is kept out of phase with the material universe until the sphere detonates, unleashing an energy blast capable of annihilating anything it touches.

The Night Shroud is a complete resin and plastic kit. Model designed by Daren Parrwood.

This model is available to pre-order now and will be despatched from Friday April 5th.


The Night Shroud costs 70 GBP, about $ 105.

Forge World has also released a Necron Realm of Battle board.

From Forge World:

The stasis-crypts of the Necrons are protected by great defensive structures; near-impregnable fortifications designed to stand against the ravages of eternity, hostile action and deadly environments. Tomb Citadels often stand on the outermost borders of a wider complex. They act as watchtowers and outposts that are often the merest tip of the iceberg; the fathomless depths of silent galleries and stasis-chambers that make up the nameless cities of the Necrons extending far below them.

A Tomb Citadel is far more than an inert relic of strange aeons past, however. Each is a near-living war machine in its own right, and Imperial combat records record these brutish structures rising from the very earth, or phasing strangely into existence in the midst of a Necron assault. If not quickly destroyed, these dread ziggurats will form a beachhead from which the undying legions pour forth to destroy their foes

The Realm of Battle Necron Tomb Citadel, designed by Blake Spence, is a 2' x 2' (609mm x 609mm) tile which can fit onto a Citadel Realm of Battle board.

This model is available to pre-order now and will be despatched commencing Friday April 5th.

It looks great, but it would be nice to have 4 different boards so you could make an entire, non-repeating, table.

Make sure you check out the Forge World site.

Loken

Video Battle Report! - Eldar vs Imperial Fists

A Battle Report from Apocalypse 40K's own Son of Dorn!

Are Tau coming in April?

A pre-release copy of the new Black Library novella "Shadowsun" is on eBay right now and rumors are all over about Tau being the April codex release.  

RUMORS

shaso iceborn on Warseer posted this:
  *There will be no new races (no Demiurge after all).  *Kroot will be expanded,  *New Vespid were play-tested I am awaiting confirmation as to whether or not they made into final print. *There are multiple fliers and and new units. 
This post is intentionally vague until I can gain confirmation of units.


Shaso Iceborn also left a comment on Faeit 212:

For Tau lovers, I wouldn't worry about a backache in April as your wallet might just become a lot lighter.

Shaso seems to be a credible source and  I would tend to believe this rumor.  Call it wishful thinking maybe!
 

THE EBAY AD

Braden Campbell SHADOWSUN 1st/HB MINT Warhammer 40K Tau Novella Pre-Release
Jizzlefinger brings you SHADOWSUN by Braden Campbell. Published in 2013 by Black Library. MINT condition, brand new and unread. A nice surprise to find this 128 page Tau Hardback Novella sitting on the table at the 2013 Black Library Live! event. I can't find any other details about this book yet, all I know is it's a pre-release and have found vague mentions of it being out as a general release sometime in March, but have found no mention of it yet on the Black Library website. I'm guessing it will be released as a direct exclusive much like Yarrick : Golgotha Unchained and Flesh Of Cretacia. 

THE BOOK

SHADOWSUN - The Last Of Kirku's Line

Commander Shadowsun, child of the famed Kiru and protege of the legendary Commander Puretide, is destined to lead the next phase of the Tau Empire's expansion... if she can survive the trials before her. Crash-landed on an enemy-held planet, with foes all around and a seemingly impossible mission to complete. Shadowsun is determined to achieve victory, even at the cost of her life. But when she receives a message that tears her world apart, Shadowsun must make a choice unthinkable to most Tau; to abandon her duty for the sake of family, or continue to fight for the Greater Good.


So there you go.  I know there are a lot of Tau players who will be very happy when the new codex comes out.  And I especially hope that GW pushes the Tau along fluff wise, giving them new technology, as it is cool to have a race that is constantly evolving (well, besides the Nids!).  Crisis Suits are due for a replacement as the Forgeworld models have been cooler for about 7 years now!

Loken

Forge World Open Day Tickets On Sale

The next Forge World Open Day is coming and the tickets went on sale:

From Forge World: 

Sunday 7th April will see Forge World and Warhammer Forge abandon our top-secret Manufactorum for our annual Open Day. This year’s event will be ticketed, due to its incredible popularity, and Open Day tickets are exclusively available to purchase from the Forge World website priced at £7.50.

The entirety of both the Forge World and Warhammer Forge design teams will be attending the Open Day, showcasing all manner of work-in-progress models and recent releases.Simon Egan, Blake Spence, Stuart Williamson, Daren Parrwood, Will Hayes, Phil Stutcinskas, Mark Bedford, Edgar Skomorowski, Keith Robertson, Steve Whitehead, Trish Carden, Matt Murphy-Kane and Neil Cook, along with new designers Israel Gonzalez, Alfonso Giraldo and Peter Hutchins, have been hard at work on a variety of Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Forge and Horus Heresy models of a variously armoured, flying, and walking nature; all these and more will be on display, along with fantastically painted models and a selection of our stunning display boards.

The Art and Book Design team will also be at the Open Day. Paul Rudge, Rhys Pugh, Ian Strickland, Kenton Mills, Rachel Pierce and Dominik Oedinger will be showcasing the process by which Imperial Armour books are created, and may even be seen working on artwork for future book projects on their advanced cogitator devices. Writers Alan Bligh, Talima Fox and Neil Wylie will be on hand to talk about the process of writing an Imperial Armour book, and the forthcoming Imperial Armour Volume 12: The Fall of Orpheus. They may even be tempted into dropping a few hints about future projects…

Our Sales stands will be packed with a huge selection of resin kits, books and modelling supplies, including some pre-release kits that will be announced in future newsletters. We hope to have copies of Imperial Armour Volume 12: The Fall of Orpheus on sale, and we’ll be confirming this in the near future. As always the Open Day will be the first chance to purchase this year’s Event Only models. For 2013, we’ve designed both a Warhammer Forge model and a Forge World model once again, and while we can’t tell you what they are just yet, suffice to say we think they’re great!

The Open Day painting competition will again be judged by our Studio team, and all attendees can enter. Your entry should consist of a single Forge World model of any type, although we do advise that cabinet space may be limited. The prize, of course, is the prestigious Forge World Open Day trophy.

We’ll also be running our Charity Titan Raffle, which is always incredibly popular. Tickets will be on sale throughout the day for a mere £1 each; all proceeds will be donated to Children In Need and the prize will be a complete mighty Imperial Reaver Titan.

The Open Day runs from 10am to 4pm and all the Warhammer World facilities are available throughout the day, especially Bugman’s Bar for breakfast, lunch, and refreshments. Tickets are on sale now and we look forward to seeing you there!


I am considering going to the Horus Heresy Weekend, so this is out.  But I urge anyone going to contact me so we can arrange some live blogging and photos!

Loken

Forge World Previews Imperial Armour 12

A cool video showing some of the great art that will be in the upcoming Imperial Armour 12: The Fall of Orpheus.

This looks like it will be even better than the last volume.  Which I hated, because, well, basically I hate Space Wolves!  :-)

But these books are true labors of love.  You can tell being an author of one of them is a great job, and I heartly reccomend them!

Loken

Six Countries to play in The Big game III

The Big Game III will be played in 16 locations across SIX countries!  

Horus Heresy Drop Site Massacre Apoc Game!

The guys at Templar Crusade did a fantastic recreation of the Horus Heresy Drop Site Massacre in the form of an Apocalypse game. 

Dragon Forge Releases Weapons Base.

Sorry about the absence this week.  I was moving from Newport Beach to Los Angeles (about an hour drive) and so was just buried with moving and fitting stuff into my office/warehouse that didn't fit in my new, smaller apartment.

Forge World Releases Abaddon and Loken - Photos and Video

These are good times to be a fan of the Horus Heresy.  The first three novels in the series introduced us to the pre-heresy Horus, and his Mournival, which included 40K legend Ezekyle Abaddon and the new character of Garviel Loken.  Well, Forge World has finally released the model of Abaddon and Loken, and it is a beauty.  It also costs a hefty $ 84!

From Forge World:

Ezekyle Abaddon, First Captain of the Sons of Horus and Master of the Justaerin, was one of the most renowned and fanatically loyal commanders of the XVIth Legion. A hulking brute of a Space Marine, whispered rumour had long speculated that he was the clone-progeny of the Warmaster himself. Regardless, Abaddon walked willingly into treachery alongside his master, slaughtering many of his former comrades on the blasted fields of Isstvan III, and soon his name was amongst the most feared and despised of the traitor Horus’ followers.

Garviel Loken once commanded the 10th Company of the Luna Wolves Legion; later the Sons of Horus. He was a well-respected and senior commander, and one of the Mournival, the unofficial cadre of Horus’ closest advisors. His idealism and staunch loyalty to the Emperor and Humanity saw him selected to command the Sons of Horus contingent in the assault against the recidivists of Isstvan III. When the true scope of betrayal was revealed, Loken and his comrades cast aside their Legion name and proclaimed themselves Luna Wolves once more.

Set of two multi-part resin models packed with Legion-specific iconography and supplied in a black presentation box. The figures slot into a large scenic base to allow the fateful duel between the two to be represented. Also supplied with one 40mm and one 20mm base for gaming purposes. Models designed by Simon Egan. You can watch an interview with Simon about his approach to sculpting these fantastic figures here. Available to pre-order now for despatch from Friday the 1st of March.

You can see more photos of Abbadon and Loken and buy a set at Forge World here.

And here is an interview with designer Simon Egan:

Storm Raven and Storm Talon Rules

New rules for the Storm Raven and Storm Talon are coming up in Death from the Skies.  And here they are!