EditorialWD 312 · Inside cover
Owen Rees introduces himself as White Dwarf’s new editor, a Yorkshire hobbyist whose career has ranged from stores to the Studio and web team. His favourite armies connect long-standing Dark Angels enthusiasm with the Tahnelian Drop Troops he is currently expanding. He praises the sectional layout and practical hobby material established by his predecessors, and explains his own enjoyment of tournaments as social gatherings that generate new ideas.
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer Fantasy Battles
CommunityWD 312 · pp. 9–11
The news previews Vespid Stingwings through Andy Hoare’s explanation of their ideological alliance with the Tau and their dependence on a technological communion helm. Roberto Cirillo’s concepts and Juan Diaz’s sculpts combine alien biology with Tau equipment. Other reports show a towering Forge World Giant, brass Imperial eagles, roleplaying adventures in Nuln and Bretonnia, historical books and new collectible card sets. A club-starting guide and revised doubles-format Conflicts connect the releases with organized hobby activity.
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer Fantasy BattlesTau Empire
InterviewWD 312 · p. 9
Andy Hoare distinguishes the Vespid from mercenary Kroot: the Stingwings fight for the Greater Good rather than payment. Their communion helm mediates communication with the Tau, and losing its wearer disrupts their battlefield cohesion. The preview follows those ideas into their mixed-technology weapons and Tau-made armour, showing how concept artist Roberto Cirillo and sculptor Juan Diaz integrated a new auxiliary species into an existing army.
Warhammer 40,000Tau Empire
LoreWD 312 · pp. 18–25
Graham McNeill recounts six Black Templar crusades and pairs each history with models made to embody it. Boarding actions at Nimbosa, the disappearance of the Ophidium Gulf force, Lastrati’s perverted purity cult and the assault on Vandire’s palace establish very different meanings of zeal. The Vinculus and Jerulas campaigns then connect hazardous fortress assaults with the Chapter’s armoured tactics. Heraldic banners, trophies, squires and mixed armour turn the written histories into distinct miniature forces.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 19
Castellan Folker’s warriors overcome Tau resistance aboard Orbital Primus by splitting into small teams and breaking through bulkheads rather than persisting with a frontal assault. Capturing the guns exposes the remaining stations to the Imperial fleet, after which the Templars send the captured orbital plunging into the planet. Graham McNeill represents the crusade with damaged battlesuit trophies, a Tau head on the banner and its particular crusade seal.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 20
A joint attack with the Dark Angels drives Castellan Raimer’s Sword Brethren into the palace of an alien empire’s mysterious ruler. Emperor’s Champion Korbinian finds a black-armoured Space Marine who recognizes the Lion’s followers and submits without a fight. Raimer’s decision to retain the prisoner brings him into conflict with his allies; the crusade subsequently disappears from Helbrecht’s communications, leaving its fate ominously unresolved.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 21
Marshal Gervhart discovers that Lastrati’s outward devotion conceals blood rituals, extermination camps and forbidden genetic experimentation. The Templars overthrow the Quintarchs and destroy their Divine Army at the Hill of Heretics, but the years spent liberating the population later count against Gervhart’s reputation for ruthless efficiency. Matt Hutson’s accompanying force uses white helmet crosses and matching Neophyte facial tattoos to connect individual models with the crusade’s heraldry.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 22
Navarre’s vision leads him into a nearly suicidal assault on the Tempest Wall during the war against Gage Vandire. Holding the fallen banner despite terrible wounds, he inspires Imperial Fists and Fire Hawks to carry the breach and receives a new title as guardian of its honour. Neil Hodgeson’s models explore the new sprues without conversions first, using their poses to generate later ideas and a split red-and-white crusade badge to identify the veterans.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 23
Ludoldus leads a strike force through a volcanic fortress’s lava sluice while Inquisitor Vinculus and the Adepta Sororitas attack its walls. A mistimed opening costs the main force heavily, making the Templars’ successful seizure and defence of the internal gate controls decisive. Pete Jarman’s squad mixes old armour, Bretonnian squire heads, a Pit Slave bionic arm and flame-bearing decorations; sculpted Dryad parts become daemonic residue around the bases.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 24
Helbrecht defeats the massive Kill-Krusha by capturing four damaged Ork battleships and driving them into the asteroid fortress. The combined Space Marine fleet’s boarding actions create a weapon more effective than its conventional guns. Pete Gosling explains how the new Templar components refreshed his existing Armageddon force, including a banner-bearing Scout and plans for Neophytes carrying their masters’ extra equipment.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · p. 25
The development of the Land Raider Crusader enables Ludoldus’s force to smash through Jerulas’s fortified hives rather than endure a prolonged siege. Multi-meltas open the gatehouse and assault Terminators exploit the breach, establishing the tank’s line-breaking role. The narration acknowledges inconsistent accounts placing Ludoldus in campaigns separated by millennia. Mark Bedford’s accompanying warriors use Guard heads, putty tabards and warmed resin Rhino doors bent into storm shields.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
ModellingWD 312 · pp. 26–31
Steve Cumiskey builds a Black Templar Land Raider Crusader with reinforced metal weapon assemblies and Chapter-specific doors, shields and relics. Dry fitting, drilling barrels and painting the interior before closing the hull prevent problems later in construction. The painting stages combine grey drybrushing over black with metal chips, layered earth around the tracks and optional snow. Alternative Chapter recipes and restrained liturgy make the same methods useful beyond the Templars.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars18 paint colours
ModellingWD 312 · pp. 26–29
The construction workshop recommends deciding how much of the detailed interior should remain visible before assembling the hull. Templar doors and hatch establish the Chapter identity, while optional chains, seals and swords personalize its history. Separate sequences pin the hurricane bolters and multi-melta and test-fit the assault cannon’s metal feeds. Left and right sponsons need opposite arrangements despite using identical parts, and heavy metal components benefit from mechanical reinforcement.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars1 paint colour
PaintingWD 312 · pp. 30–31
A black undercoat receives Codex Grey drybrushing and sharper Fortress Grey edges, with fragile fittings attached after the forceful brushing is finished. Boltgun Metal marks chips, while Scorched Brown, Vermin Brown and Graveyard Earth build dirt near the running gear; white spray and snow scatter offer a winter alternative. Small irregular lines of thinned paint suggest liturgy without overwhelming the vehicle or requiring readable miniature text.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars8 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · p. 31
The alternative blue recipe begins on black, builds through Ultramarines Blue and Shadow Grey, then mixes the latter with Space Wolves Grey. A final Space Wolves Grey highlight defines the tank’s edges. The sequence adapts the article’s drybrushing method to broad armour panels while keeping the darkest undercoat in the recesses.
Warhammer 40,000Ultramarines4 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · p. 31
The red vehicle scheme starts from black and Dark Flesh, progressing through Scab Red and Blood Red. Blazing Orange supplies the final highlight rather than a pale pink, maintaining a warm, saturated finish. The photographed tank demonstrates how the same construction and weathering advice can serve a different Chapter.
Warhammer 40,000Blood Angels5 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · p. 31
Shadow Grey and Space Wolves Grey build the blue-grey armour over a black undercoat. Mixing Skull White into Space Wolves Grey provides the final edge highlight. The abbreviated recipe keeps the article’s gradual layered treatment while changing the armour’s hue and overall brightness.
Warhammer 40,000Space Wolves4 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · p. 31
Dark Angels Green establishes the vehicle’s dark armour over black, followed by Snot Green and Camo Green highlights. The accompanying example applies those stages to the same Crusader chassis. It offers a compact colour substitution for painters following the longer Templar assembly and detailing workshop.
Warhammer 40,000Dark Angels4 paint colours
TacticsWD 312 · pp. 32–37
Matt Hutson rebuilds his long-standing Black Templar army around a combat core and supporting firepower. Twenty Crusaders attract enemy attention and exploit Righteous Zeal, while a smaller plasma-and-missile squad, lascannon Razorback and Venerable Dreadnought answer threats from a distance. A jump Chaplain strengthens the Assault Marines and assault-cannon Terminators supply a flexible reserve. His complete 1,500-point list and discussion of opponent-dependent vows explain how the selections support one another.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
TacticsWD 312 · p. 35
Matt compares the four vows according to likely opponents rather than treating one as universally best. Accept Any Challenge rewards fights against similarly skilled troops, Abhor the Witch offers an early move and protection against psychic attacks, and Suffer Not the Unclean increases the damage inflicted on foes such as Eldar. Uphold the Honour is his inexpensive default against unknown opposition, providing an invulnerable save when powerful guns negate normal armour.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
LoreWD 312 · pp. 38–41
Graham McNeill, Andy Hoare and Adam Troke revisit a war fought by millions of soldiers and at least twenty-three Space Marine Chapters. The Season of Fire forces armies into shelter and intensifies battles for hives and jungle refuges; the following Season of Shadows promises renewed offensives. This overview connects environmental conditions, overstretched supply networks and the struggle for orbital control with a Kill-team mission against a contaminated pumping station.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
RulesWD 312 · p. 40
Nine Black Templar Initiates infiltrate Eagle Demos to destroy two poisoned water tanks while preserving the pumping station serving the hives. Seven small Ork Brute squads and a power-claw Nob guard the objectives; the Templars receive distraction and camouflage equipment, while the Nob carries a doomsday device. Both tanks must be destroyed for a Templar victory, creating a race between a carefully concealed approach and the defender’s catastrophic demolition option.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
RulesWD 312 · p. 40
Three optional tables relocate the pumping-station mission to hostile regions of Armageddon. Fire Wastes hazards interrupt movement or erupt beneath fighters, Deadlands conditions affect visibility and footing, and jungle sounds, predators and snapped twigs alter the infiltration battle. Rolling each turn makes the location an active influence on both forces. The printed crevasse result unusually removes a model after a passed armour save, a wording that players should resolve before use.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
Battle reportWD 312 · p. 41
Graham McNeill initially sneaks his Initiates toward the first tank, but a detected patrol raises the alarm and costs him a Marine. A well-timed distraction opens the way to the first objective, after which the Templars shoot and fight toward the second. Adam Troke deliberately exchanges Brutes for alarm counters and a concentrated defence, keeping Gutgob alive long enough to trigger his doomsday device. The explosion annihilates the battlefield and hands the Orks their destructive victory.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
ModellingWD 312 · pp. 42–43
Steve Cumiskey transforms the previous issue’s shuttle-crash objectives into small scenes on approximately 40mm bases. A half-buried power pack, damaged banner, ammunition crate, wounded warriors and Chapter relics give the markers recognizable identities without dictating their rules. Limb repositioning produces convincing injured poses, and spare seals or equipment hide joins. A separate cockpit conversion turns the crashed shuttle into a characterful centrepiece with a removable pilot objective.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars1 paint colour
ModellingWD 312 · p. 43
An Attack Bike sidecar supplies the seated pilot’s legs and seat, while a vehicle hatch frame provides his torso, controls and head. Polystyrene fills the damaged cockpit, with wire and plastic rod suggesting torn machinery beneath a thin card floor. Leaving the pilot removable lets the same model function as scenery and a recoverable objective, linking a dramatic wreck to the scenario without changing its mechanics.
Warhammer 40,000Space Marines
LoreWD 312 · pp. 44–47
Andy Hoare follows an aspirant from genetic implantation into the Scout squads of the 10th Company. Experienced sergeants supervise both combat training and gradual admission to Chapter secrets, while the rigours of induction leave some failures serving as serfs or Servitors. Scouts learn infiltration and reconnaissance through practical deployment, using specialized communications, optics and lighter ceramite armour. The closing camouflage examples show how environmental concealment coexists with the overt shock tactics of full battle companies.
Warhammer 40,000Space Marines
LoreWD 312 · p. 47
The camouflage catalogue situates Scout patterns in particular deployments, ranging from sub-arctic mountains and tundra to tropical forest and unusual mineral deserts. Subjugators, White Scars, Novamarines, Ultramarines, Dark Angels and Raptor Legion examples connect visual designs with named campaigns. A Codex urban variation for Medusa V and hundreds of temperate patterns emphasize that Scouts must understand concealment even when their Chapter’s main forces prefer conspicuous shock attacks.
Warhammer 40,000Space Marines
ModellingWD 312 · pp. 48–51
Adrian Wood and five fellow hobbyists use the new plastic Scouts to express different battlefield roles and Chapter customs. Defensive Ultramarines, aggressive Blood Ravens, customized Dark Angels and veteran Space Wolves show how weapon arms, extra equipment and selected head swaps alter the same basic figures. Black Templar Neophytes become their Initiates’ squires, while Iron Knights carry a personal Chapter scheme. Only the Ultramarines example names a flesh recipe; the other photographed colours are not specified.
Warhammer 40,000Ultramarines2 paint colours
ModellingWD 312 · p. 49
Adrian Wood gives his Scouts low, cautious weapon poses and reconstructs the heavy bolter’s arms so it points directly ahead. Adjustments are made while the glue remains workable, allowing the pose to settle naturally. Codex shoulder markings tie the squad to his Terminators, while Tanned Flesh followed by Elf Flesh creates strongly contrasted faces.
Warhammer 40,000Ultramarines2 paint colours
ModellingWD 312 · p. 49
Rik Turner adds a close-combat Scout squad to the sniper and heavy-bolter units already in his Dawn of War-inspired army. Bolt pistols, knives and dramatic poses distinguish its forward role. The plastic kit supplies enough combinations to suggest fighters cutting through undergrowth without the anticipated limb surgery, and numerous pouches make them look capable of operating independently.
Warhammer 40,000Blood Ravens
ModellingWD 312 · p. 50
Neil Hodgson transfers his personal Iron Knights identity to the Scouts through metallic armour, dark shoulder plates and contrasting pale fatigues. The veteran sergeant carries the Chapter device directly on a shoulder rather than a tilting plate, retaining a common visual hierarchy across troop types. A purity seal and Tactical Marine auspex finish the leader without a major structural conversion.
Warhammer 40,000Iron Knights
ModellingWD 312 · p. 50
James Griffiths hangs the sergeant’s boltgun from a plasticard strap and uses a Cadian pointing hand with sculpted armour to create a commanding pose. A second Scout carries a deliberately reduced teleport homer, made from plasticard, putty and an auspex handle. Subtle camouflage on the fatigues connects these heavily equipped models with their reconnaissance duties.
Warhammer 40,000Dark Angels
ModellingWD 312 · p. 51
Matt Hutson models the Neophytes as squires who learn from and carry equipment for individual Initiates. Aggressive knife-and-pistol poses suit their place within Crusader squads, while swords, banners and scrolls explain their duties outside combat. Their relatively plain armour contrasts with veterans’ liturgy, and facial cross tattoos echo the white crosses painted on the older warriors’ helmets.
Warhammer 40,000Black Templars
ModellingWD 312 · p. 51
Simon Grant’s Scouts represent seasoned tank hunters rather than recruits. Space Wolf heads and power weapons establish their veteran status, while a rebuilt trigger hand and support arm accommodate a meltagun. Lighter cloth separates fatigues from armour, snow connects the bases, and the absence of Great Company insignia reinforces the squad’s independent character.
Warhammer 40,000Space Wolves
TacticsWD 312 · pp. 52–55
Mat Ward values Scouts for inexpensive Marine statistics, Troops availability and the flexibility of infiltration. Four sample forces use them as an expendable forward screen, the bulk of a surgical strike, guides for an armoured spearhead or suppressing troops supporting rapid assaults. Their weaker armour, restricted heavy weapons and limited transports require careful role selection. He also stresses having a fallback plan for missions where infiltration is unavailable.
Warhammer 40,000Space Marines
TacticsWD 312 · pp. 52–54
The example lists assign Scouts jobs rather than simply substituting them for Tactical Marines. A piquet force places small units in inconvenient positions to divert enemy fire; a Scout-heavy surgical force brings in a Terminator command squad through homers. A third army protects a Crusader and Predators while guiding Terminators, and the last disrupts enemy support before jump troops and a drop-pod Dreadnought attack. Weapon loadouts and supporting units change with each intended role.
Warhammer 40,000Space Marines
CommunityWD 312 · pp. 56–61
Pete Haines visits the March 2005 Grand Tournament final and describes a competitive environment sustained by consistent rules, sportsmanship and friendships between returning players. Jervis Johnson recalls the difficult first event and its broad hobby ambitions, while regional reports describe independent and team-based alternatives. Simone Di Tomasa’s Ulthwé army retains the championship ahead of Max Barton and Max Horseman. The article closes by explaining how painted 1,500-point armies and local events provide an entry into that community.
Warhammer 40,000Ulthwé
CommunityWD 312 · p. 57
Jervis Johnson remembers promoting the first Grand Tournament when a two-day Warhammer gathering was an unfamiliar proposition. Finding enough players, a venue and entirely new terrain demanded intensive work from a small volunteer team. The founding goal was a weekend among like-minded hobbyists, with painting and sporting behaviour considered alongside victories. He sees those priorities surviving even as the events expand to other countries and games.
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer Fantasy Battles
CommunityWD 312 · p. 58
Dave Taylor describes an American tournament scene dominated by independent Rogue Trader events that judge modelling, painting and sportsmanship alongside games. More narrowly competitive formats coexist with growing local initiatives such as Battle for the Lone Star and Adepticon. Adepticon’s four-person team event makes cooperation and themed armies central, illustrating how community organizers can change the social dynamics of a tournament.
Warhammer 40,000
CommunityWD 312 · p. 58
Bo Tolstrup explains how a region with relatively few Games Workshop stores depends heavily on clubs and local retailers. Grand Tournaments, small multi-day Fanatic festivals and planned Warhammer Frenzy events provide different ways into organized gaming. The new format seeks to combine beginner activities, low-level tournaments and established doubles events, with increased local support and online event submissions helping players find one another.
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer Fantasy Battles
LoreWD 312 · pp. 64–69
Nick Kyme previews the returning Dwarfs through their ancient holds, ancestral obligations and new miniature range. Thorgrim’s throne, shield-bearing lords and oathstones express authority on the battlefield, while plastic Warriors and missile troops offer Longbeard and Ranger variants. The discussion highlights redesigned artillery, separate crew Engineers and Master Engineers, revised runes and a shooting-phase Anvil of Doom. These are previews of the forthcoming book, framed by the culture of a people who record and remember every grudge.
Warhammer Fantasy BattlesDwarfs
RulesWD 312 · p. 69
The preview answers common complaints about the previous Dwarf list with its forthcoming changes. Shield Bearers and Oathstones give leaders new options, Slayer characters permit extra Slayer units, and Miners lose their single-unit restriction while gaining equipment to improve arrival and deter charges. The Organ Gun, Engineers, Longbeards and runes receive new roles or stronger effects. Moving the Anvil into the Shooting phase is presented as a way to escape normal dispelling and improve movement as well as damage.
Warhammer Fantasy BattlesDwarfs
Battle reportWD 312 · pp. 72–89
Owen Barnes’s High Elves defend Ulthuan against Jervis Johnson’s returning Dark Elf raiders in a 2,000-point battle. Early High Elf magic delays and destroys elite attackers, but crossbowmen repel the Silver Helms and threaten the Spearmen’s flank. Repeated failed Break tests turn combats into sudden routs, while the White Lions and artillery preserve Owen’s most valuable units. The High Elves win 2,021 to 1,192 after a costly struggle; both players reflect on leadership, magic and the value of smaller practice games.
Warhammer Fantasy BattlesHigh Elves
FictionWD 312 · pp. 72–89
Syndillian first believes the Dark Elf ships threaten the river approach, then realizes they conceal an attack through the forest and sounds the shrine’s alarm. The closing passage returns to her after the battle as she watches the defenders gather their dead, including her own son. Victory has preserved the sanctuary at an unbearable personal price, and grief drives her to join the spell-weavers preparing vengeance on the retreating enemy.
Warhammer Fantasy BattlesHigh Elves
ModellingWD 312 · p. 92
Jason Buyaki and John Schaffer turn Wood Elf plastics into a themed undead force. Damaged Spites become Spirit Hosts, while hollowed Glade Guard torsos attached to cloaks suggest disembodied armour and spirits. Combining Skeleton and Glade Guard parts creates visibly Elven dead, with a skeletal Glade Rider and sculpted leather armour extending the idea into Black Knights. Logical cuts and joins preserve the original models’ identity while changing their allegiance.
Warhammer Fantasy BattlesVampire Counts
LoreWD 312 · pp. 94–97
Mat Ward argues that the end of the film trilogy opens rather than closes the game’s exploration of Tolkien’s world. The new rules manual and starter set underpin supplements combining scenarios, figures, painting and terrain projects. A Shadow in the East introduces expanded Easterling forces, Khandish warriors and chariots, and new Good heroes; Fall of the Necromancer turns to Dol Guldur, the White Council and Mirkwood. The previews show how future releases can draw on periods and places beyond the films’ immediate action.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameEasterlings
LoreWD 312 · pp. 95–96
The campaign preview pits Gondor and allied heroes against an enlarged eastern threat shortly before the War of the Ring. Plastic Easterlings and heavily armoured Kataphrakts broaden Sauron’s forces, while the Variags of Khand bring infantry, cavalry, mercenaries and the game’s first chariots. Murin and Drár appear among the Good reinforcements. Concept art and unfinished sculpts emphasize the breadth of the planned range without supplying complete unit rules.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameEasterlings
LoreWD 312 · p. 97
The second preview moves back before Frodo’s possession of the Ring, when the White Council discovers the Necromancer’s true identity and prepares to assault Dol Guldur. Wood Elves and some of Middle-earth’s mightiest heroes face Sauron in Mirkwood. Images of a Castellan, Wood Elf Sentinel and Glorfindel indicate how the supplement will connect new models with a confrontation largely outside the films’ main chronology.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameWhite Council
CampaignWD 312 · pp. 98–99
Alessio Cavatore announces a narrow Good victory in the public War of the Ring campaign, 145 points to Evil’s 142. An initially overwhelming Good lead eroded as Evil recovered strongholds, leaving the final struggle balanced until success in Mordor settled the result. Charts, regional statistics and acknowledgements document 27,239 games and 3,007 registered players. The report credits both organizers and player-created strategy groups for maintaining the campaign’s momentum.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameFree Peoples
CampaignWD 312 · pp. 100–105
Mat Ward creates a five-turn campaign around Azghûr’s Goblin raids on settlements of Men, Elves and Dwarves. Good secretly allocates small mobile armies and decoy counters while Evil chooses three targets, forcing each side to anticipate the other’s deployments. Loot translates into plunder, with valuable artefacts attracting wandering heroes and later increasing the Goblin king’s final force. New Ravagers and Scavengers, a caravan ambush and village-burning scenario supply the opening battles.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
RulesWD 312 · p. 102
The nine-point Ravager mounts a Moria Goblin on a Warg, giving the raiding force a fast reconnaissance troop with optional bow and shield. That mobility comes with an unreliable partnership: each move can throw the rider, after which the Warg must test Courage to remain. The profile ties the creature’s independence directly to battlefield risk instead of treating it as a straightforward cavalry upgrade.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
RulesWD 312 · p. 102
Azghûr’s five-point Scavengers carry mismatched weapons taken from defeated enemies. Bows, shields or two-handed weapons can be purchased, but their defining ability is Backstabbers: they gain a bonus to wound trapped opponents. The unit therefore rewards the encircling tactics of a numerically superior Goblin force and gives the campaign’s stolen equipment a specific rules identity.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
RulesWD 312 · p. 103
Goblin raiders attack a trading party around six baggage ponies, while half the defenders arrive later from a board edge. The ponies move unpredictably under the priority player’s control, and a Goblin must take a light loot counter off the table to steal it. Victory depends on the number removed rather than merely occupying the caravan. This combines a shifting objective with a pressing decision between surrounding the guards and escaping with goods.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
RulesWD 312 · pp. 104–105
Three buildings stand between a village’s defenders and Goblins attacking from opposite sides. Raiders can collect loot or spend their actions trying to ignite the structures, while defenders attempt to douse the flames. Fire accumulates each turn until a priority roll brings a building down, inflicting severe damage on occupants. The result depends on buildings destroyed, so evacuation, protection and pursuit compete with the raiders’ desire to escape carrying plunder.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
RulesWD 312 · pp. 106–111
Adam Troke expands Battle Companies with purchasable equipment, hired allies and terrain that affects play. Influence points buy ropes, cloaks, poison, torches, maps and horns, or recruit a scout, wandering Elf or hunting dog. Active equipment must be visibly modelled, turning advancement into conversion projects. Ruins and statues gain alignment-sensitive effects, and the Valley of Shadows scenario offers extra experience at the cost of more dangerous injuries.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
RulesWD 312 · pp. 106–107
The equipment list makes Influence a way to customize established fighters. Grapnels improve climbing and can leave a shared route; concealed cloaks help stationary ambushers; maps allow limited redeployment; and Dwarven Courage trades skill for bravery. Evil poison and whips add offensive tools, while torches illuminate darkness, can burn objectives and push defeated opponents farther away at a handling cost. A rallying horn improves reinforcement rolls. Every game-affecting purchase must be represented on the model.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
RulesWD 312 · p. 107
Three recruitable allies extend a company even beyond its normal fifteen-model limit. A wandering Elf is a powerful Good hero with continuing Influence upkeep, but does not advance or share heroic leadership with the company. A local scout can move terrain before deployment and may leave after a battle unless paid to stay. A hunting dog supplies its owner with a fast additional fighter. The allies retain injury risks while following different restrictions from ordinary advancing members.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameElves
RulesWD 312 · pp. 108–109
Adam Troke gives scenery effects that can matter as much as the objective placed within it. A statue supports nearby warriors of whichever alignment has priority, while Elven and haunted buildings impose Courage penalties on different inhabitants. Overgrown ruins slow everyone, including Elves, and count defeated fighters as trapped. The rules turn otherwise similar terrain pieces into distinct tactical spaces without requiring entirely new collections of scenery.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
RulesWD 312 · pp. 110–111
Players build a dense valley of small ruins, alternating placement at a fixed distance from existing structures and rolling to determine each building’s nature. The battle ends when a company falls to one quarter of its starting strength. Wounds inflicted within ruins yield double experience, but models slain there suffer a penalty on their post-game injury roll. The scenario deliberately tempts advancing fighters into places where both rewards and long-term costs are greater.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
ShowcaseWD 312 · pp. 112–115
Frode Rage Olsen develops a Moria collection by painting the models needed for scenarios instead of buying an unfocused mass of figures. Numerous Goblins surround opponents while Captains provide decisive Might, a Shaman supplies limited magical support and the drum bolsters combat and Courage. Cave Trolls add power but need protection from arrows and encirclement. A compact, darkened palette, quick drybrushing and broken-stone bases keep the whole army visually coherent.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins11 paint colours
TacticsWD 312 · p. 113
Frode’s tactical overview treats cheap Goblins as a surrounding force supported by specialist models. Captains’ Might redirects attacks and counters enemy movement, while a Shaman’s few Will points are reserved for useful late opportunities. The drum’s wide combat and Courage effects justify careful protection, and a Troll’s impressive profile still fails if arrows or unsupported engagements isolate it. The discussion emphasizes coordinated roles rather than trusting a monster to win alone.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins
ModellingWD 312 · p. 113
Rough card squares create the shattered flagstones of Moria, with modelling sand filling the intervening ground. Small torn pieces of cartridge paper suggest abandoned pages among the ruins. A Brown Ink wash ages the paper and connects these small narrative details to the subterranean setting. Matching the remaining ground to the army’s existing bases keeps the extra texture from fragmenting its appearance.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins1 paint colour
PaintingWD 312 · p. 114
Frode darkens a small set of colours with black to produce unified, worn Goblins quickly. Armour begins as black mixed with Chainmail, receives patchy Scorched Brown rust and then bright metallic edges. Dark green skin is highlighted with a green-yellow mixture, red clothing builds from a blackened base, and bone-coloured eyes and teeth complete the face. Grey sand and pale drybrushing finish the bases without introducing a competing palette.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameMoria Goblins8 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · p. 115
Bronzed Flesh darkened with black establishes the Cave Troll’s skin, including the areas between its back scales. Black drybrushing feathers the boundary between the flesh and the darker body. A diluted Scorched Brown and Bestial Brown wash shades the surface, after which increasing Skull White in the original flesh mix builds a textured highlight. The stages solve the transition between skin and scales while preserving the army’s subdued finish.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameCave Trolls5 paint colours
PaintingWD 312 · pp. 116–117
Adrian Wood introduces beginners to painting the Fellowship through the plastic Legolas from Mines of Moria. Neatly applied flat colours distinguish his grey clothing, green tunic, brown equipment, metal fittings, flesh and pale hair over a black undercoat. Thin repeat coats improve coverage, while a mixed grey or Codex Grey finishes the base. Brush care, fresh water and braced hands accompany the sequence so the same habits can transfer to the other characters.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameFellowship of the Ring9 paint colours
ShowcaseWD 312 · p. 118
The gallery presents prize-winning Middle-earth miniatures from the Baltimore and Los Angeles Golden Demon events. Zach Lanier’s Gandalf, Brian Okey’s Captain of Gondor and Saruman scene, Adam Roe’s Elrohir and Brett Dewald’s mounted Théoden show character portraits and more narrative presentation together. Award captions identify their makers and placements, while the photographs provide visual inspiration without publishing paint recipes.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameFellowship of the Ring
ModellingWD 312 · pp. 140–141
Steve Cumiskey demonstrates a water-based alternative to clear resin for scenery and miniature bases. A thin coat supplies shine to coastal terrain, while repeated shallow layers create depth in a fountain or enclosed pond. Depressions can be built into bases, and darker pond interiors imply wet ground beneath the clear surface. The workshop stresses letting each layer dry fully and keeping it only a few millimetres thick so the lower material can cure.
Warhammer 40,000Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
CommunityWD 312 · p. 142
Readers ask for Elven Battle Companies and practical support vehicles for Imperial Guard armies, prompting Owen Rees to discuss upcoming online rules and existing Forge World transports. James Glendinning submits his 182-man Praetorian infantry force to the magazine’s horde challenge. A returning hobbyist’s letter links new Cadian models to renewed interest, while the editorial replies explain why full photographed battle reports require more time than simply attending an event.
Warhammer 40,000Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameImperial Guard
EditorialWD 312 · p. 143
Christian Byrne finishes High Elves while adding rescued models to his Chaos collection, and Rik Turner converts spare Riders of Rohan into cavalry for his Last Alliance army. Nick Kyme settles on an allied Inquisitorial force that can use his existing Witch Hunter and Daemonhunter figures. Owen Rees completes a dug-in mortar platoon for the Tahnelians, linking transportable weapons and sandbagged positions with his film-inspired vision of Drop Troops.
Warhammer 40,000Warhammer Fantasy BattlesHigh Elves
