WHITE DWARF · APRIL 2019
Tony Cottrell guest-edits Forge World weathering, Legion colours, Steel Souls lore and underhive battles.
COVER TO COVER
In printed page order
Tony Cottrell reflects on changes in magazine production and the enduring enthusiasm behind White Dwarf. The renewed Necromunda and Middle-earth games connect past experience to new miniatures and stories, while tank weathering gives the guest editor an opportunity to include a longstanding personal passion.
Readers share their first hobby successes, request missing factions and ask about studio modelling materials. The replies give a yellow-armour recipe, recommend textured gap filler for large bases and answer a lore question, connecting practical help with encouragement for new collectors.
A reader gallery ranges from richly coloured Chaos figures to sombre Space Marines, alien creatures and a detailed Imperial pilot. Photography tips support future submissions, while a highlighted shield demonstrates how tiny scratches can make black and yellow armour appear battle-worn.
Phil considers why memorable named heroes combine recognisable archetypes with flaws and exceptions to their faction’s usual behaviour. Established characters and a list of questions about origin, motive and past deeds show how players can develop their own leaders and turn battlefield results into a continuing personal saga.
Four collectors begin armies for the contest over newly revealed Stormvaults. The introduction explains manageable collecting stages and the varied experience of the participants, encouraging readers to join in with their own painting goals and eventual games.
Matt invents a Stormhost from Ulgu to join his existing shadow-themed Order collection. Red armour and ghostly magical elements establish its appearance, while plans for a Sacrosanct force and lantern-bearing heroes connect the army’s organisation to its realm.
Alex begins her first army after being drawn to Nurgle’s background and unusual miniatures. Several flesh recipes let Plaguebearers look as though they carry different diseases while still forming a coherent collection, turning early colour experiments into a practical painting plan.
Steve adds Idoneth to an existing Sylvaneth collection, aiming to improve his gaming while maintaining a strong painting standard. Teal details and natural colours support the alliance, while quickly applied overlapping patches create organic mottling on the Allopex.
Ben aims to assemble and paint a new army rapidly enough to take it to events. Bright red squigs, dark cloth and strange luminous basing colours emphasise the Gitz’s unnatural setting, with sprayed transitions and drybrushing making the large project manageable.
Shyish offers many visual possibilities beyond black robes and grey tombs because its underworlds reflect the beliefs of their dead. Mood boards and army examples connect amethyst sand, pale flesh, spectral accents and decaying materials to personal interpretations of the realm.
Black armour, aged brass and cold blue aethermatics make Barak-Glöm’s skyfleet look at home in lifeless underworlds. A violet wash beneath grey base highlights supplies the decisive Shyish connection, making the environment as important as the miniatures’ clothing.
A grotesque Arachnarok appears to have been stitched together from different spiders, its mismatched legs and milky eyes supported by pale, deathly grots. Skull-covered ruins and fallen pillars turn its base into a clear statement of the Shyish setting.
An hourglass replaces the Soulrender’s noose above a burning skeleton, presenting the soul harvest as a visible act. A grave marker underfoot reinforces the scene and turns a few small component changes into a strong narrative conversion.
A sculpted scenic base and a weapon imagined as solid realmstone connect this orruk leader to Shyish. Dark purple on the cleaver communicates supernatural material, allowing the model to retain its crude silhouette while gaining a specific regional identity.
A tomb, Spirit Hosts and a Necromancer become a battlefield objective depicting the theft of a hero’s soul. Replacing the tomb occupant’s head with a spectral part makes the magical process readable without needing a large or elaborate diorama.
A Battlemage body, skeletal parts and a Spite-Revenant head create a gaunt Vampire Lord. The stolen chalice suggests a Goblet of Draining, showing how an artefact can guide a model’s physical design as well as its background.
A Coven Throne torso joins a Vampire Lord’s lower body, with Witch Aelf arms providing a pair of sinister blades. A scenic Hero Base finishes a conversion whose weapons can represent several Shyishian artefacts.
John replaces the Eidolon’s fish with skulls to imagine a manifestation summoned from dying Namarti. A skull mask and storm-dark blue-green palette connect the sea spirit to Shyish and borrow the visual language of Nighthaunt.
The mausoleum guide separates tombs from their bases so that enclosed graves and stonework remain accessible. Cool walls, aged metal and traces of violet establish an underworld setting, while rotating each wall upwards during washing helps prevent streaks and unwanted pooling.
Oscar Lars pushes an entire Stormcast army towards a reflective non-metallic finish, drawing on both painting ambitions and tournament experience. Converted heroes, detailed bases and luminous effects personalise the force, while his account of a desperate game argues that a good shared story can matter more than the final result.
Oscar blends blue, black and brown into a foundation for reflective dark armour, then increases contrast through carefully placed lighter mixtures. Gold and other surfaces receive related attention to lighting, with the advice stressing experimentation and community knowledge rather than expecting the first attempt to succeed.
Jervis explains why respect, honesty and consideration improve games beyond what formal rules can enforce. Time-wasting, collusion and complaints about luck all affect an opponent’s enjoyment, and the included code provides practical reminders for friendly competition while keeping the desire to win compatible with fair conduct.
The Hallowed Knights build their identity around intense faith, public devotion and protection of the people they liberate. Gardus’s Steel Souls carry that culture through repeated death and reforging, with personal relics, sacred memories and a detailed chamber organisation explaining how spiritual duty shapes their wars.
Gardus’s mortal courage as a healer becomes the model for a commander who shares the dangers faced by his soldiers. Repeated sacrifice and the ordeal of Nurgle’s realm strengthen his reputation for purity, yet his private desire remains to rebuild the hospital he once lost.
The chamber’s officers embody different aspects of its devotional warfare, from defensive discipline to inspiring light and relentless marksmanship. Personal histories and recorded deeds give Gardus’s supporting cast identities beyond their ranks, showing how a shared faith can sustain very different warriors.
A campaign chronology follows the Steel Souls through the Gates of Dawn, Alarielle’s defence and later wars after the necroquake. Their sacrifices build alliances and protect civilians, while encounters with newly awakened horrors leave unresolved threats for future crusades.
Four linked battalions let players represent the Steel Souls’ hierarchy and different battlefield conclaves. Healing, coordinated assaults and resistance to enemy magic turn their background of faith and endurance into benefits for a specifically organised Hallowed Knights army.
A Sequitor-Prime demonstrates bright silver with a cool blue cast, contrasting gold and rich magenta cloth. The guide begins with a metallic spray, works from recessed areas outwards and uses differently treated weapon metal and a tinted vial to keep small details distinct from the armour.
Robin traces how flexible keywords solve awkward restrictions while allowing sub-factions to develop distinct identities. Stratagems move situational rules away from crowded datasheets and make Command Points an active resource, though the prevalence of the re-roll option illustrates how a simple tool can shape the whole game.
Mark Bedford and Phil Stutcinskas explain how plausible damage tells a vehicle’s story. Textured corrosion, rust, oil and chips are concentrated where wear would actually occur, with contrast between clean and damaged areas preventing an elaborate finish from becoming an indistinct coat of dirt.
Phil paints an Imperial Fists Sicaran through yellow armour, sponged scratches, deep damage and accumulated dust. Airbrushed shades and carefully placed powders develop the finish in controlled layers, with final metallic marks on the tracks providing the contrast needed to make extensive weathering believable.
Forge World powders provide a way to connect vehicles and bases to the ground they cross. Further examples consider dust in recesses and lighter damage on dark armour, emphasising that the size, colour and material of a model all influence how its wear should be shown.
A sea-green mixture establishes the Legion’s recognisable armour before dark weapons, gold and silver details break up the figure. Green-brown shading and a light dusty base keep the finish muted but readable, with gloss layers protecting the transfers before weathering.
Successive pale sprays over black create natural shadows in the armour before green details and metal are added. Brown-green washes turn the bright foundation into a warmer dirty white, and light dust completes the campaign-worn legionary.
Two purple stages establish a bright foundation that can safely be shaded down later. Gold and silver details remain relatively clean, with controlled purple and brown washes preserving the Legion’s fastidious appearance instead of burying it under heavy weathering.
Grey drybrushing lifts the black armour enough for a later wash to remain visible. Bright metal and a sepia-black shade produce an oily industrial look, while a light dust glaze ties the feet into the intended battlefield.
A metallic spray supplies most of the armour quickly, leaving dark panels and brass to define its details. Shared washes weather the metal, and a masked spray of dust at the feet creates a convincing ground effect without dirtying the whole figure.
Layered blues and bright metal establish the legionary before transfers and gloss coats are sealed into the finish. Blue-black shading and dusty feet produce a subdued campaign appearance while preserving the clarity of the Legion’s lightning markings.
The armour begins lighter than pure black so a blue-black wash can give it depth and distinguish it from the Iron Hands. Silver and red details remain clear above lightly dusted feet, creating a cool, restrained Legion scheme.
Three successive sprayed tones create strong green armour transitions before dirty washes reduce their brightness. Painting several figures together makes use of drying time, while brass and black details keep the result suitable for rapid army production.
A dark foundation and a lighter overhead red establish the armour without requiring a separate all-over armour shade. Metal receives its own dirty wash, and small paper additions create impurity seals that distinguish the figure within an efficiently painted force.
Pale armour is prepared like the Death Guard but shaded cool blue to separate the two Legions visually. Blue panels, bright trim and blood on the weapons provide strong accents while maintaining a cold white foundation beneath the grime.
Tony Cottrell recalls hand-built tanks, early photography and the production work that preceded Forge World. The interview follows resin upgrade kits towards Titans, Primarchs and revived specialist games, presenting teamwork and model-making enthusiasm as the constant behind decades of technical and commercial change.
Jay Clare introduces a new Battle Companies campaign with Fiefdoms, Iron Hills, Gundabad and Harad forces. The players explain their recruitment and development plans while the revised hero paths offer different ways for ordinary warriors to earn distinctive careers through the battles ahead.
Both companies race into ruined streets for scattered valuables, and the struggle turns on the close fighting around the prizes. The aftermath gives Jay a useful Clansman reinforcement while Sam’s survivors escape lasting wounds, showing that even a short encounter can shape the next roster.
Haradrim archers try to exploit their position against the slow but resilient Dwarves. Bruni’s crossbow shooting proves decisive for the Iron Hills and earns him a ranger path upgrade, while the surviving Haradrim retain their strength for later battles.
A suddenly important location draws both forces into a direct contest for ground. Gundabad fighters break through to claim it, then the campaign rewards add fresh bodies and a fast Fell Warg, while Harad’s new Serpent Rider provides some consolation after another setback.
A hidden relic forces both sides to search across a line of possible locations before escaping with the prize. Jay’s Clansman finds glory and becomes a hero, while injuries and Bruni’s capture leave the Dwarves needing a rescue rather than simply another ordinary battle.
A rampaging Troll threatens both companies, turning mutual hostility into an awkward hunt for glory. Neither side secures the intended victory after the beast kills a key opponent, but surviving heroes gain new paths and reinforcements that keep the campaign moving.
The Dwarves try to retrieve captured Bruni from an Orc camp, but a desperate escape cannot outrun the enemy’s new mobility. He is captured again, leaving the rescue unresolved, while injuries and additional fighters further change the two companies’ prospects.
Updated rosters record how six close encounters transform the four fledgling companies. New mounts, heroic promotions, special skills and reinforcements create promising futures, while Harad’s losses and the Dwarves’ repeated rescue problem show that a campaign’s story can develop through setbacks as readily as victories.
Necromunda artists explain how physical details communicate each house’s identity. Industrial wear, sickly technology, scavenged religious clothing and exaggerated silhouettes make the characters legible as products of the same hostile setting while preserving sharp differences in culture and personality.
The Ambot illustration fuses the creature’s recognisable head, claws and carapace with battered mining machinery. Rust and damage establish underhive service while purple markings identify its Escher owners.
Reworked house symbols retain Wayne England’s original identities while becoming grittier and less brightly coloured. Materials and imagery distinguish industrial hammers and cogs, scavenged devotional objects and Delaque’s tightly knotted serpent plots.
Flamboyant equipment, bright hair and aggressive expressions give the illustrated Escher women a restless energy. Familiar yellow armour and exotic fabrics communicate gang allegiance while differences in pose establish an individual leader and ganger.
Axon’s stim collar, scarred armour and massive cleaver express direct industrial brutality. Scuffed and pitted equipment shows a fighter concerned with effectiveness rather than appearance, making every detail support the house’s physical identity.
Work belts, greasy clothing and chain tattoos identify Orlocks as practical labourers as well as brawlers. Slate Merdena’s face and bearing deliberately suggest greater age and experience than the ordinary gangers around him.
Hansvet’s clean advanced equipment contrasts with an unhealthy face marked by radiation sickness. The disparity communicates both the house’s technological advantage and the physical price paid for using it.
Sackcloth, discarded mining gear and bandaged bodies give Cawdor the appearance of impoverished zealots. Elaborate worn textures make both clothing and weapons look reclaimed, while wrapped equipment reflects their belief that their filthy hands are unworthy to touch it.
Elongated proportions, pale skin and black lips make the Delaque leader appear almost alien. The ambiguous face and snake-like silhouette reinforce a house built around secrecy, leaving deliberate uncertainty about even the character’s physical appearance.
Kal Jerico and hired companions are ambushed by Delaque and Goliath gangs while Orlock allies rush to intervene. Darkness, dangerous falls and chaotic close fights repeatedly threaten the escape, but Kal’s improbable survival and the defenders’ distractions carry him off the battlefield with only a single wound remaining.
Scabbs recounts the impossible luck and dangerous entanglements of his celebrated partner. Rival hunters, family connections and supposed victories blur into a life of recurring enemies and unlikely escapes, leaving the narrator loyal to Kal while decidedly less convinced that companionship brings fair rewards.
Dave Sanders starts a deck with its scoring plan, then chooses upgrades and gambits that help accomplish those objectives. Reliable small scores, multiple useful applications and deliberate card limits matter more than isolated dramatic effects, while the final difficult cuts keep the deck focused without making it entirely predictable.
Andrew Hackard and John Kovalic describe translating Warhammer’s factions and bleak humour into Munchkin. Familiar miniatures become exaggerated cards, temporary alliances enable unlikely combinations and everyday hobby mishaps inspire jokes, creating a competitive game whose humour still depends on recognising the setting.
John French traces his route from hobby writing and roleplaying books to opening the Siege with The Solar War. He explores the tension between readers knowing the ending and characters still facing uncertain choices, while the planned finale lets the authors bring long-running stories together without exhausting every possible tale.
The guide resumes with the gathering traitors, Imperium Secundus and the shattered loyal Legions before following individual Primarchs towards Terra. Parallel branches and optional related reading organise the expanding conflict into manageable stories, culminating in the opening of the Siege.
Studio games include an explosive Titan duel, new battles and revived Necromunda enthusiasm. Brief model updates show hobbyists returning to established collections, while a conversation about older campaigns highlights the emotional investment created by fighter development and permanent losses.
Ben paints UR-025 for Blackstone Fortress with a green body and lighter mixed highlights. Yellow and brass accents imply replaced or upgraded components, giving the robot the appearance of a machine that has changed itself over time.
Nyle gives a Foul Blightspawn pale green armour for use as a Kill Team Commander. Dark washes and renewed highlights preserve the soft colour, while heavy orange-rust powder over metal makes the equipment look markedly more corroded than the armour.
Andy Clark’s map campaign encourages invented scenarios, unusual units and collaborative narrative play. Strategic locations provide rewards while dangerous impassable areas shape movement, letting control of the planet develop through the studio’s regular lunchtime and evening games.