WHITE DWARF · DECEMBER 2009
The year closes with the Siege of Umbar, a campaign-building discussion and Planetstrike defence advice. Two large terrain workshops accompany the Fortress of Redemption launch, while John Blanche and a Vermin Lord masterclass explore distinctive painting techniques.
COVER TO COVER
In printed page order
Mark reviews the introduction of Army Masters, Hall of Fame and Old War Stories. Reader armies and conversations with sculptors have broadened the magazine’s coverage. Unusual battle reports also encourage new approaches to gaming. A forthcoming Army Workshop series promises to follow the complete development of a collection.
The new plastic fortress combines a tall central tower with two armed bunker annexes. Interlocking parts support a substantial battlefield centrepiece rather than a small isolated ruin. Heavy bolters, a missile silo and a lascannon make its defensive purpose visible. Later articles explain assembly, painting and its use both in Planetstrike and ordinary games.
Two large bundles offer different foundations for a new army. The Marines combine infantry with transports and armoured support. The Orks emphasise numerous Boyz, fast bikes and specialist weapon options. The notice presents both as substantial construction projects for the holiday period.
The Empire bundle gathers state infantry, elite troops, cavalry and artillery. Its greenskin counterpart combines Orcs with several distinct Goblin units and a chariot. Both extend the smaller battalion concept into a much larger starting collection. Their variety allows a player to establish different battlefield roles at once.
Two additional flat tiles expand the modular board’s size and layout choices. They can create a larger field or vary the arrangement of a smaller one. New game-branded cases address the transport of a substantial infantry collection. The paired releases support both displaying and carrying an expanding army.
Young dragons, hatched eggs and a detailed nest form a small narrative collection. The models explore a creature’s life outside its usual role as a giant battlefield monster. The notice places them beside other collector-oriented vignettes. Its emphasis is sculptural character rather than a new unit profile.
The omnibus continues the bargain binding Malus to the Daemon Tz’arkan. Four recovered artefacts leave the Warpsword of Khaine as the remaining objective. The premise connects personal survival to a dangerous final search. A Darkblade graphic novel accompanies the collected prose.
The Ravenhost prepares to attack the Empire while seeking greater destructive power. Kormak must venture into the Bastion Stair to help unleash that force. His task risks the wrath of Khorne rather than merely an enemy army. The release links the novel to the conflict surrounding the Order of the Griffon.
An exhausted Titan Legion stops at Orestes while travelling toward another campaign. A Chaos assault turns that pause into a new battle. The Princeps must commit his engines before the expected recovery is complete. The notice announces a paperback edition of the forge-world war story.
A band of Thunderwolf riders confronts war and a zombie plague on the ice world of Skorbad. The story presents the mounted warriors as a legendary brotherhood within the Chapter. Its frozen setting connects with the season’s wider Space Wolf coverage. The release is an audio story read by Toby Longworth.
The resin super-heavy tank combines an oversized gun platform with extensive interior detail. Gretchin crew reinforce the vehicle’s crowded and improvised character. The notice points to experimental online rules intended for a later Imperial Armour book. Those external rules are announced rather than reproduced on the page.
A February preview announces the Beastmen’s return from the forests. The short introduction emphasises their hostility toward civilisation and the threat of gathering warherds. It promises a closer look at the army book and models in a later issue. No new profiles or army rules are supplied here.
A new service is intended to return older books and source material to circulation. The first announced selection includes Space Marine, The Gothic War Omnibus and Insignium Astartes. Further monthly additions are planned across several publication formats. The notice explains access to previously unavailable material rather than reviewing a newly written story.
A returning ice planet draws the Blood Ravens into another Aurelia crisis. New wargear and abilities accompany choices about resisting or accepting corruption. The Black Legion becomes a central enemy and a multiplayer force. The preview connects the expansion’s narrative decisions to the Chapter’s internal danger.
The new boxed roleplaying edition combines books with custom dice, cards, counters and character sheets. Its components are intended to support both the Game Master and the adventuring party. The notice presents a different set of tools for telling stories in the Old World. It announces the edition without printing its game mechanics.
A Nurgling birthday cake and a giant Squig cake translate familiar monsters into edible creations. One comes from a local hobbyist, while the other was commissioned for Games Day Baltimore. The latter also connects to a television bakery programme. The small feature shows an unusual extension of the hobby’s visual humour.
A short behind-the-scenes notice introduces the enormous Space Wolves display from UK Games Day. Planning sketches and a view of the assembled terrain show the project’s scale. The display turns a collection of models into a coherent battlefield scene. The same large terrain project is discussed again in the Warhammer World feature.
The Winter Crusade programme links collecting plans to painting, modelling and gaming sessions. A collector’s card records army goals and scheduled activities. Participants can also work on boards and scenery rather than only units. The announcement gives the seasonal store events a longer project culminating in half-term games.
Andy revisits a year dominated by large kits, expanded battlefields and ambitious reports. Ork engines, Imperial tanks and new Empire models lead into Planetstrike and the return of Space Hulk. War of the Ring turns existing Middle-earth collections into formation armies. Painting masterclasses, a new Hall of Fame series and improved online assembly coverage round out the retrospective.
Dave and Jeremy report on their slow-running invasion of Toggenheim. They alter cumbersome procedures, develop casualty recovery and let notable battles generate new models and stories. A dangerous treasure and prospective river crossing show how the map produces special encounters. The final discussion adapts those principles to linked space and planetary warfare.
Armies travel across a Mighty Empires map before meeting on the tabletop. Roads, mobile forces and forced marches change their movement. The players abandon hidden positions when the bookkeeping proves too awkward. A numbered account of earlier clashes explains how the invasion has reached its current position.
Simple recovery rules prevent battered armies from dwindling into unusable fragments. A separate table gives defeated characters outcomes ranging from death or capture to a heroic escape. Monsters and engines receive harsher treatment to preserve the campaign’s infantry emphasis. A progressively easier recruitment roll eventually brings fresh armies onto the map.
A labelled map location becomes the site of an unstable magical prize. Once activated, the skull can injure its bearer or grant extraordinary powers. The random outcomes include sorcery, spectral allies and supernatural protection. The accompanying account explains how desperation eventually persuaded an Empire commander to use it.
A defended crossing forces Jeremy to weigh a direct assault against building a fleet of crude rafts. Preparing an alternative crossing takes visible time on the map. The discussion also considers the unreliable possibility of Giants carrying troops through the water. Converted survivors, baggage and a self-appointed Giant knight show how campaign events inspire modelling.
Dave proposes linking Planetary Empires, Planetstrike, Cities of Death and Apocalypse. Battlefleet Gothic can determine which reinforcements reach the surface, followed by a boarding action against the Ork leader. Jeremy expands the idea toward several planets and distinct environments. They advise starting with manageable linked battles before attempting an elaborate strategic system.
Phil draws on studio games and a lengthy invasion campaign to explain defending in Planetstrike. Protected strongholds, deliberate landing zones and coordinated interception can blunt the initial attack. Mobile reserves turn a passive defence into a counter-invasion. Advice for the Fortress of Redemption connects its different weapons and access points to the plan.
Twelve faction-specific options expand the invasion game’s asymmetric tools. Defenders can improve morale, protect strongholds or survive the opening bombardment. Attackers gain psychic disruption, darkness, inspiring arrivals and even individually dropped Orks. Each entry supplies its cost, declaration timing and effect, linking the mechanic to the army’s background.
The fortress becomes three linked building sections with common access and substantial protection. Its annexes provide firing positions while units can move between the sections. Phil adds house rules allowing occupants to operate the attached weapons instead of their own. The article warns that these guns can make placement important to the balance of a normal mission.
Andy tracks a year-long attempt to improve through regular play. Early tournament defeats give way to better recall of profiles, equipment and small tactical details. By the fifty-third recorded game his wins narrowly outnumber his losses, though the social experience matters as much as the statistic. Campaign rivalries and playtesting lead him toward another practical weekly target for painting.
The participants return a year after their large battle-report finale. Neil adds Drop Pods, Matt develops corrupted strongholds and Fil expands his Orks into airborne warfare. Pete has instead moved into several tournament-driven Fantasy projects. The update shows how collections continue through changing interests after a formal painting challenge ends.
Neil returns to his Crimson Fists after time spent on other projects. Two Drop Pods provide safer delivery than his earlier deep-striking experiences. Planetstrike gives those reinforcements a particular purpose against defended compounds. The new heraldic components promise further additions to the army.
Matt builds three Chaos Bastions to give his Red Corsairs a recognisable home battlefield. Modular construction varies their height while defaced Imperial symbols and slogans establish ownership. A salvaged tank turret becomes a heavy defensive weapon. Additional Terminators supply either invading elites or a mobile defensive reserve.
Pete’s Eldar are being used for playtesting while he pursues new tournament deadlines. Empire, Vampire Counts and Warriors of Chaos projects replace further additions to the original collection. His Chaos list combines small objective-holding units with powerful fighting regiments. Tomb Kings and Rohirrim remain possible next projects once another event provides a deadline.
Fil adds a converted Stompa alongside Nobz and a growing airborne force. Zagstruk’s Stormboyz have a themed aircraft for larger games. Their spectacular arrivals are not always safe, creating a practical reason to enlarge the unit. Spare components and a Battlewagon upgrade frame provide further conversion ideas.
The campaign ends with a wall assault followed by a large battle outside Umbar. The skirmish finishes level, so neither team gains its possible follow-on reinforcements. Mat and Nick then win the formation battle after destroying several leading heroes and holding the gate. Duncan’s late cavalry breakthrough nearly reverses the result, making the finale considerably closer than its early losses suggested.
Mat defeats Dom around Abrakhan and Nick wins both encounters against Duncan in the valley. At Karna, a temporary truce allows the players to overcome the interfering dead before resuming their own struggle. Chris eventually secures the larger battle’s plunder through his Osgiliath Veterans. The results set up the teams’ spending choices before the finale.
Accumulated campaign points purchase reinforcements for the two final games. Options include siege weapons, ordinary troops, named formations and additional Fortunes or Fates. Some enter with the starting army while others arrive later from specified edges. The separate menus turn earlier achievements into concrete advantages rather than simply a running score.
Gondor attacks four wall towers defended by Easterlings and Corsairs. Boromir falls in a duel with Amdûr, but the attackers gain the two central positions. The defenders keep the remaining towers to secure a draw. Substitute players complete the battle after its original participants are called away, and the equal result denies both sides reinforcements in the larger encounter.
A six-turn Field of Swords battle adds a substantial reward for controlling the gate. Wall-mounted missile formations gain special protection but cannot claim that objective. Earlier results determine potential reinforcements, and both teams present their full forces and plans. Gondor relies on heavy cavalry and artillery while its opponents combine durable infantry, monsters and three Ringwraiths.
John describes modelling as a way to turn persistent imaginative ideas into physical objects. Skaven-derived mutants and Bloodletters illustrate the tangents those ideas can take. He explains a flexible painting sequence that combines neat detail with texture, washes and heavy weathering. A restrained final highlight and selectively glossy surfaces help create the worn character associated with his work.
A short Chapter history connects the Crimson Fists’ long service to their survival on Rynn’s World. New heraldic parts help collectors carry that identity across troops, leaders and vehicles. Keith’s showcase supplies a concise blue-armour and red-detail recipe. Examples also demonstrate how the fist symbols can serve related Chapters.
Chad develops two large defensive terrain pieces through practical construction and painting. The Fortress of Redemption uses its designed connections while the coaching inn combines interchangeable scenery with spare details. Stage photographs explain the main assembly decisions and colour sequences. Both become settings for a battle rather than isolated display buildings.
Preparation removes mould lines before the large walls are joined. The tower, weapon platforms and walkways are assembled in a sequence that gives important bonds time to set. Leaving selected fittings loose preserves options for the silo and lascannon. Drilled and cut damage gives the finished walls a sense of previous fighting.
Drybrushed layers make the large black and stone areas manageable. Brown weathering prevents the walls from appearing newly built. Green floors, a red hatch and tarnished metal break up the major surfaces. Painted chips and metallic edges reinforce the physical damage added during construction.
Chad changes the Fortified Manor into a busy roadside inn using compatible parts and simple cuts. Dormers, a balcony, sharpened stakes and spare decorative pieces establish its silhouette. Filler records horseshoe marks in the courtyard while a gnarled tree and graves add atmosphere. Small objects such as barrels and a hidden rat help the building imply its own stories.
Warm walls contrast with a cool slate roof and neutral stone details. Drybrushing gives the large textured areas definition without requiring individual highlights. Rust, droppings and wet mud establish a neglected building. Water Effects turns the courtyard into a convincingly churned surface after the underlying browns are complete.
A small garrison holds a central stronghold while the attacker commits an army to capture it. The defender’s relief force arrives once an accumulating dice total reaches the required threshold. Only occupation of the fort determines victory, so casualties elsewhere are a distraction. Jervis explains how the same tactical problem works in both Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000.
Joe updates the classic sculpt with a larger scenic base, a replacement weapon blade and an extended tail. Pale flesh, dark fur and weathered metals establish the creature’s contrasting materials. Glowing warpstone then adds a controlled directional-lighting effect. The masterclass explains both the complete painting project and the broader principles behind believable reflected light.
Pale skin and nearly black fur create a strong material contrast. A foundation-colour base is shaded before increasingly light blends build the flesh. Red and purple glazes restore life to selected areas. The fur instead uses a restrained progression through grey, applied with attention to its raised texture.
Joe compares dark-to-light blending with a pale base followed by shading. The latter makes the exposed skull and horns stand out without excessive layers. Hooves use a darker sequence and fine vertical lines for texture. Small chips and cracks connect these hard surfaces to the creature’s aged appearance.
Metallic bases are shaded and rebuilt to retain a worn sheen. Purple and turquoise glazes create irregular tarnish around the collar. The bells follow a shorter dark-metal sequence. Joe advises observing real corrosion and avoiding so much wash that the underlying metal becomes completely flat.
The replacement blade receives a dark metallic progression before coloured glazes age the surface. Stippled pale corrosion creates a patchy finish. Separate sequences distinguish wood grain from the handle’s pale wrapping. The treatments let a single weapon communicate three different materials.
The painted light source must remain brighter than the surrounding surfaces it illuminates. Glazes work well over pale areas while darker surfaces may require altered paint mixtures. A small torch can reveal where the model’s shapes would actually catch the light. Suggested red, green, yellow and blue progressions provide starting palettes for different sources.
Green shards progress toward yellow and white at their sharpest points. Nearby surfaces receive a deliberately small radius of translucent colour. Highlights grow stronger toward each shard to preserve the impression of an internal source. Repeating the effect in several places creates menace without overwhelming the underlying skin.
A flesh-and-red mixture establishes the tail before washing and pale edge highlights. The finished paintwork conceals the sculpted extension. Small skulls and chains reuse earlier methods while a bright eye provides a tiny focal point. A companion rat receives a brown fur treatment tied to the larger model.
Four examples demonstrate different applications of painted light. A hanging phial and Frodo’s surroundings create local glows, while larger scenes show illumination interacting with multiple surfaces. The selection includes prize-winning work and an older diorama. It extends the masterclass from a single green effect to a broader set of narrative possibilities.
Joe starts pale paper with a bone or stone foundation and a dark wash. Reapplying the base and adding white gives cleaner parchment, while darker alternatives imply age. Fine marks suggest writing without reproducing legible script. Different ink colours and illuminated initials offer variations for larger documents.
The feature surveys gaming tables, guided hobby sessions and exhibitions as a seasonal visit. Parts of the enormous Games Day board have been divided into usable gaming spaces. Original Space Marine artwork and the miniatures displays provide further inspiration. Bugman’s completes the account with a social setting around the hobby activities.
All substantial features, rules, painting guides, releases and community coverage have been read and indexed, including the separate parchment answer and directional-lighting gallery. Routine product catalogues, directory listings, event calendars, advertisements and ordering pages are omitted. Advertised website articles are not represented as rules printed in the magazine.