WHITE DWARF · OCTOBER 2009
The Space Wolves launch brings design notes, two painting approaches and a heroic battle against Daemons. Blood and Sand links two Middle-earth games, while special characters, modelling and studio scenery offer further inspiration.
COVER TO COVER
In printed page order
The Space Wolves’ long-awaited return dominates the issue. The editor introduces their new book and models alongside the wider collection of gaming and painting material. Middle-earth reinforcements and a linked campaign provide another major theme. The month’s projects connect characterful armies to stories on the battlefield.
The new ninety-six-page book combines the Chapter’s sagas, home world and fighting forces. Expanded background supports the image of proud warriors who temper ferocity with cunning. An army list and model gallery connect those stories to collecting and play. The release establishes the source explored in the main designer interview.
Ten plastic figures can become Grey Hunters, Blood Claws or power-armoured Wolf Guard. Extensive spare parts allow different weapons and personalities. Compatibility with other Marine kits spreads that identity across a larger force. The kit is presented as both the core of an army and a source of conversion material.
Five veterans receive ornate armour and a wide variety of equipment. Each can carry a different weapon combination. Spare heads and decorations support leaders or individually modelled survivors as well as a conventional pack. The notice links the kit’s physical variety to the Wolf Guard’s flexible place within the army.
Two pack kits form the main infantry component of the bundle. Scouts and a Drop Pod add reconnaissance and deployment options. Spare parts can also personalise the Scouts and other models. The collection offers a starting force whose components remain useful as the army expands.
The mounted hero rides Fangir, an immense Thunderwolf. Paired claws make him especially threatening to massed opponents. The metal model gives the new wolf-rider theme a conspicuous centrepiece. The battle report later tests the character’s fighting style against an unusually dangerous enemy.
Njal returns in rune-covered Terminator armour with his psyber-familiar. Lukas’s expression instead communicates cunning and defiance. Their contrasting appearances embody different aspects of the Chapter. The two releases provide character focal points beyond the ordinary packs.
The set gathers the full contemporary Colour, Foundation and Wash ranges. Brushes, sand and several grasses accompany the paints. Custom foam stores the contents in a figure case. The notice presents a broad hobby collection rather than a recipe for a particular miniature.
A wealthy ruler travels on a litter carried by his guards. Matching warriors extend the visual identity into a larger formation. Their design communicates luxury protected by loyal force. The main feature develops the trading city’s background and the formation-game importance of a prized hoard.
Command figures add standards, music and specialist leaders to southern and eastern armies. Harad gains a taskmaster while the Easterling set includes a Dragon Knight and War Priest. Their appearance builds on the established troop designs. The release broadens leadership choices without printing the forthcoming skirmish update here.
Large shields and brutal blades distinguish Mordor’s elite guards. A Captain, Drummer and Banner Bearer support the ordinary warriors. The models give an Evil force a heavily protected infantry core. Their formation-game role is discussed separately from the next issue’s promised skirmish profiles.
Two named Nazgûl receive mounted and foot figures. Armour suggests the Knight’s origin, while southern robes connect the Betrayer to Harad. The designs preserve the shared Ringwraith identity while allowing individual histories. The accompanying main article explains how their abilities support different formations.
A leaping flame gives the Orc shaman a visible display of destructive power. The sculpt’s texture supplies useful opportunities for a painter. The notice places him among the new Evil reinforcements. It introduces the character without substituting for the complete rules promised later.
Gotrek and Felix head north into another dangerous journey. Discovering Chaos at work turns their personal adventure into a threat to the Empire. Their struggle involves honour as well as survival. The notice places the novel within the continuing sequence of the famous travelling pair.
The collection follows Ragnar through assassination plots and battles against Chaos. Three novels bring together different stages of his adventures. A new introduction accompanies Wolfblade, Sons of Fenris and Wolf’s Honour. The release offers background reading alongside the Chapter’s renewed tabletop range.
Cadians are sent to recover a shrine world overtaken by plague. Parmenion Thade faces an unexpected command responsibility amid the infected masses. The mission conceals consequences beyond the initial reclamation. The notice introduces a Guard story centred on duty in an increasingly desperate situation.
The Vendetta conversion adds gunship components to a separately owned Valkyrie. The Vulture kit instead provides a complete model, trading troop capacity for a dedicated armed role. Both extend the airborne collection beyond the basic carrier. The notice carefully distinguishes the conversion pack from a full vehicle.
Three updates bring new careers, live conflict and a Tomb Kings storyline. Bitter Rivals adds Slayers and Choppas, while Beyond the Sands develops the emerging threat through realm warfare. Rise of the Tomb Kings opens a new area and dungeon. The news account records the contemporary expansion sequence and its free availability at the time.
Relic announces a console action game intended to put the player directly into a Marine’s battles. The preview describes the project at an early development stage. Separately, the Rogue Trader Game Master’s Kit supplies a screen and introductory adventure. These are contemporary announcements rather than descriptions of later finished products.
Phil explains how Fenris, sagas and independent warrior traditions shape the revised Chapter. Characters and flexible Wolf Guard leadership give the force the character of linked warbands. New units include Thunderwolf riders and tragic Lone Wolves, while established troops receive revised roles. Dom’s collecting response, Robin’s example army and a quick painting method turn the design discussion into practical projects.
Dom considers how the new codex changes a collection developed over ten years. Flexible character choices let him field leaders that once competed for too few slots. Blood Claws, Rune Priests and saga rules support several different themes. New plastic parts renew his interest in giving every warrior an individual appearance.
Robin builds a two-thousand-point force around a Terminator hammer carried by a Land Raider. Grey Hunters protect objectives while Blood Claws attack them. Wolf Guard leaders, a Rune Priest, Scouts and bikes fill supporting roles. Saga choices and character equipment are explained through the jobs expected of each model.
Chris recommends a production line that starts with undercoat and armour before moving to darker details. Short three-stage recipes cover red and grey hair, pale armour, yellow pads and fur. Spraying can scale the foundation to whole packs, although the armour wash is better controlled by hand. The method aims at a coherent army while leaving room for more refined character work.
Mat and Michael discuss expanding Sauron’s followers beyond figures seen directly in the films. Established motifs connect new priests, commanders and guards to their armies. Abrakhan’s wealth explains its ruler and protective retinue. Nick then describes combinations of infantry, cavalry and Nazgûl, while complete new skirmish profiles are deferred to the next issue.
Nick anchors his army with strong Easterling infantry and supporting formations. Amdûr strengthens the attacking swordsmen while the Betrayer improves sustained missile fire. Raiders provide mobile pressure with the Knight of Umbar borrowing an opponent’s strengths. The advice explains combinations rather than treating each hero as an isolated purchase.
Adam organises six players into teams for a Gondor invasion of Harad. Each turn links a skirmish to a larger formation battle, with the first result affecting the second. Injuries and losses carry consequences into later games. Three initial scenario packs, army restrictions and participant profiles establish a fixed campaign intended to culminate in a shared finale.
Teams assign players to scenarios independently before the matchups are revealed. Each participant maintains separate forces within a combined campaign allowance. Post-battle tables treat skirmish casualties, destroyed companies, monsters and duelling heroes differently. Accumulated campaign points buy advantages in the final battle rather than determining the winner on their own.
Vanguards contest relics left on an ancient battlefield. Controlled markers can permanently add useful Fortunes or Fates to the larger force. The skirmish winner also gains deployment choices when the main armies arrive. The following formation battle uses a pass-like encounter and rewards slain leaders and captured standards.
Scouting forces fight for rooftops in a small Haradrim village. Dazzling sunlight makes shooting up at the defenders more difficult. Winning that encounter grants a favourable position when the main armies deploy. The larger battle contests the village as daylight fades and the game approaches an uncertain ending.
Both vanguards seek a central rise before the armies reach the coastal approach. The skirmish is a sustained contest for nearby ground. Its winner chooses terrain and deployment zones for the larger battle, with an explicit appeal to keep the resulting game playable. The grand battle then becomes a direct struggle to destroy the opposing force.
Adam considers special characters as starting points for collecting and storytelling. Historical events can inspire scenarios, while some heroes directly change an army’s selection rules. Other themes require only a collector’s choice of units and appearance. An Azhag force demonstrates assembling a substantial army from details scattered across older background sources.
Phil’s Space Wolves face Alessio’s symmetrical host of four Greater Daemons in an agreed exception to normal army selection. Heroic combats and psychic powers remove the largest models on both sides. The remaining troops contest the centre while each army holds one other objective. The five-turn game ends in a draw, with the players valuing its chain of memorable sacrifices as much as the result.
Mark explains building deep snow over shaped filler or adding lighter deposits in successive layers. Chad mixes the powder with earth-coloured paint and water effects to create wet mud. Nick uses it to suggest froth around fast water or rocks. The examples show one modelling material serving several different surface effects.
Studio production nights began as a way to prepare enormous Middle-earth armies. Jervis finds their social value as important as their productivity. Shared sessions also spread techniques and make ambitious terrain or mega-battle projects achievable. His advice covers a suitable location, reminders, materials and allowing a group to grow gradually.
The new frames combine with existing Marines to create varied packs and individual heroes. Posing, head direction and weapon placement communicate temperament as well as battlefield role. Wolf Guard, Lone Wolves and Scouts offer especially broad conversion opportunities. Vehicles then extend the same identity through crew, trophies and Chapter symbols.
The background describes the Chapter’s machines through the language of hunting beasts and legend. Converted examples use crew changes, trophies, etched symbols and parts from other ranges. Skaven blades turn a Dreadnought hand into an aggressive claw. The gallery shows that a few deliberate additions can link otherwise standard vehicles to the army.
Dave chooses an ordinary-looking companion whose simple surfaces offer unusual freedom to a painter. He has returned to Gui repeatedly with very different palettes. The figure’s posture and restrained detail communicate character without elaborate equipment. A winning diorama and related Bretonnian characters place the sculpt within Michael’s classic range.
Neil paints Juan’s claw-armed veteran with a pale expressive face and restrained blue-grey armour. Carefully highlighted fur contrasts with freehand energy on the weapons. Damage, rich yellow pads and glowing runes extend the figure’s story and finish. The guide explains each principal area and the final details, with the backpack kept separate to preserve access.
Thin flesh layers retain the aggressive expression and a darker boundary defines the hairline. Bone-coloured teeth and carefully placed eyes complete the face. Orange hair receives repeated warm washes and pale strand highlights. A final red glaze connects the result to the surrounding warm details.
A three-colour foundation establishes the Chapter’s characteristic grey-blue. Brown-grey recesses and pale edges define the plates. The brightest highlights favour upper surfaces to maintain a consistent overhead light source. The text explains this as a general method that can accept further weathering.
Neil mostly paints separate clumps instead of relying on broad drybrushing. Darker centres and lighter edges follow observations of animal fur. Tails lighten toward their ends, while the underside of the pelt receives a contrasting red-grey treatment. Two warm washes bring the highlighted surface back together.
An irregular blue foundation supplies the pattern for the first energy lines. Successively finer turquoise and bone mixtures build the glow. Thin glazes soften each stage across the whole weapon. Denser lines on the underside imply energy concentrated where the claws strike.
Small dark and pale marks suggest chips without overwhelming the armour colour. Placement follows areas likely to see wear around joints, hands and lower legs. Varying depth and brightness implies damage accumulated over time. Related vehicle and Marine examples demonstrate a metallic treatment for more severe scratches.
A short brown-to-bone recipe produces rich yellow shoulder pads after warm shading. Silver rims and gold wolf heads supply controlled metallic accents. Successively lighter blues shrink toward the centre of each glowing rune. The remaining notes cover skulls, gems, cables and the sculpted base, including explicit reuse of earlier methods.
Mark, Dave and Chad discuss terrain built for both photography and games. Familiar plastic buildings become a landing installation, overgrown ruins and a Space Wolves waystation. Scratch-built Orthanc scenery balances film recognition with the needs of a battle. A corrupted Dwarf tower and diseased tree demonstrate more personal invention from collected parts.
Chad builds a possessed tree over wire mesh with several sculpting materials. Plastic woodland branches and roots give it a recognisable starting form. Skeleton pieces and a hanging gibbet reinforce the corrupted setting. Repeated water-effect coatings make the painted sores glisten as part of the finished diseased appearance.
All substantive release reviews, design features, campaign rules and scenarios, army advice, battle report, painting guides and modelling coverage in the supplied 124-page source are indexed. The new Evil skirmish profiles are promised for the following issue and are not invented here. Routine product tables, local store listings and calendars are not separate articles.