WHITE DWARF · MARCH 2023
A conveyor-filled Herald of Misery, multiplayer Gallowdark missions, six Regiments of Renown and an underwater war in the Green Gulch.
COVER TO COVER
In printed page order
Readers describe a reunion through a casual Kill Team tournament and the solace of commemorating family in their collections. Questions cover the permanent interaction of Salamanders gene-seed with Nocturne’s radiation and why the Mortal Realms resist a complete map. Painted reader models accompany these conversations, while the practical answers range from intensely orange bases to a narrative Necron conversion.
Lydia explains the vivid cracked earth beneath her Goff Orks. A dark brown base keeps the gaps visibly deep beneath the red crackle paint; successive orange and yellow drybrushes brighten its surface. Letting a little orange remain in the brush softens the transition, before a fresh yellow pass supplies the final highlight.
John Cain reimagines a Command Barge as a Canoptek-bodied Overlord awakening above a doomed excavation. A Spyder chassis and parts from two Overlords preserve the vehicle’s size and implied mobility. Beneath it, Scarabs consume the last Tech-Priest, while light emerging from the tomb helps connect the miniature’s pose to the disaster on its base.
The new series begins with an open studio challenge: paint and optionally convert an easy-to-build Intercessor or Vindictor, then explain its identity. Thirty-four entrants provide the pool from which judges will select eight candidates for each game. The judges weigh technique and contrast alongside heraldry, background and whether a scheme would work across an army.
Warsmith Czagra exploits the depleted naval defence of the divided Lume System, scattering his Balefleet across mining worlds, the void port and Lume IV’s orbital platforms. The Herald of Misery survives the shrine world’s return fire and supports landings by Iron Warriors, cultists and Titans, while mistrust weakens the Imperial defence. Rhalion identifies a narrow boarding opportunity but must convince his officers to risk their frigate before the Ark’s escorts return.
Rhalion’s torpedoes cross the Ark’s formidable fire and breach a manufactorum as the Star of Dawn is crippled behind them. Blood Angels push through cultists to link their landing zones, with Techmarine Chalmo coordinating scattered survivors. Contact with Tome Keepers Librarian Bhakir confirms another foothold, but leaves the boarding force facing a vast hostile interior without its planned escape ship.
Moving conveyor belts turn Boarding Actions into a hazardous industrial battlefield. At each round’s end, units and cover are carried along the tiles; straddling squads must risk jumping on or off, and troops pushed out of the battlefield suffer damage before returning to reserves. Supplementary terrain rules treat containers as walls and pipes as impediments, while the Manufactorum Mayhem sequence explains deployment, squad splitting, reserves and scoring for the six missions.
Both patrols fight for military supplies around a conveyor moving two tiles each round. Progressive scoring rewards holding multiple objectives and out-controlling the opponent, but designated prime caches offer a substantial final bonus. The rotated board and moving obstructions complicate the choice between keeping a scoring position and using the belt to reach more valuable ground.
Cargo evacuation changes the valuable objectives over time: Alpha positions matter first, Beta next and Delta last. Fast conveyors carry units three tiles per round while a second objective rewards control of several caches. Players must plan successive occupations rather than expect an early captured area to remain the best source of points throughout the battle.
Patrols cross a slower industrial flow to reach objectives that carry sharply different values for attacker and defender. Once fighting begins, their initial patrol entry zones cease to accept reserves, forcing reinforcements to use forward routes. The mission therefore rewards penetrating the opponent’s side while preserving access, with occasional gaps in incoming material making the conveyor less predictable.
The defender secretly hides archeotech in one of two locked containers. Attackers can obtain access codes by controlling terminals or sacrifice combat to break a container open, then score for surrounding unlocked cargo at the finish. Defenders instead earn points from destroyed enemy squads, creating an asymmetric contest between accepting losses for a prize and making the raid prohibitively expensive.
A looping fast conveyor can run in either direction, and squads in its control zones can attempt to reverse it. Control of ordinary objectives earns steady points, while a randomly selected data terminal offers another round-end bonus. Contesting the switch becomes a means to reshape movement and cover around the same consoles both sides need to hold.
An attacking patrol seeks to sabotage the manufactorum, taking the first turn and scoring for each objective it holds at its turn’s end. The defender earns its objective points only when the battle finishes. Moving conveyor belts make the difference between temporary occupation and lasting control central to this deliberately asymmetric clash.
This Blood Angels Boarding Patrol must contain a Primaris Librarian and forgo Troops. Two enhancements let its commander pass through enemies on a charge or deny Overwatch, while six stratagems support duelling, sustained melee, unusual psychic knowledge and independent objective work. The rules turn Rhalion’s specialised force into an aggressive close-quarters option with tools to keep advancing through a crowded Ark.
An annotated battlefield examines Space Marines containing a Chaos force that must escape in Hunt the Damned. The Marine Captain blocks one flank while early-arriving Assault Terminators threaten the exits; their allies must keep Chaos units boxed in without losing mobility. Possessed have to hunt the exposed Assault Intercessors, while small Torment units show why powerful combatants can still struggle to earn an evacuation score.
Mark Bedford builds the Herald of Misery’s photographic battlefield as an advanced state of industrial decay. Abandoned factories, wrecks and submerged vessels inform the wet corroded metal, while selective yellow door trims, red machinery and brass nodes keep it legible in play. Small generators, pipes and other additional pieces act as cover or objectives; he encourages adding detail gradually as games suggest further weathering.
A twelve-stage method gives Boarding Action walls flaking metal, rust, dust and oily runoff. Crackle texture and sponged corrosion sit over dark metallic sprays, then water-assisted washes and orange staining build decay. Selective brass, bone and bright metal retain definition, while gloss mixed with grime makes the final streaks look wet rather than merely dark.
Jamie Farquhar and Dan Harden translate four Herald of Misery characters into conversions. Abaddon supplies Czagra’s bulk, while Techmarine and Warpsmith bionics establish the Iron Warriors’ mechanical identity. Rhalion receives Blood Angels details on a Tigurius body; changed staff angles and head choices distinguish his enemies and let Czagra’s advisers flank their commander in a coherent group.
Te’cha’s depleted Kroot kinband follows the scent of battle through the Gallowdark, seeking strong prey and an escape. Nearby, an Exaction Squad confronts Kasrkin survivors who want evacuation rather than another hunt. The Arbitrators’ insistence on duty nearly turns the meeting violent before their persistent Aeldari stalkers arrive.
Six Gallowdark missions extend close-quarters play to three or four kill teams using two joined boards. Shared player-order rolls govern drop-zone selection and activation, while the usual scouting step is omitted. Tac Ops are discouraged and the mission scoring ceiling rises, directing attention towards the common objectives without requiring players to retrofit every two-player secondary.
Three teams compete for a repeatedly fought-over junction. Objectives remain captured after their holders move away, but enemy control can take them back. Round-end points double when opponents are sufficiently distant, rewarding both expansion and the ability to push rivals away from already claimed ground.
Stranded teams fight over transmission nodes while deciding where to boost communications. One action makes a terminal an Alpha objective, and another establishes a team’s transmission until the next Turning Point or an enemy replacement. Boosted transmitters score more, making communications work compete with movement and combat for scarce actions.
Explorers gain a limited pool of points for scouting each unfamiliar objective, then continue scoring by holding the area. An objective taken from an enemy during the current Turning Point is worth extra. The combination rewards early investigation but keeps later rounds active by encouraging teams to overturn one another’s positions.
Four teams contest holds whose varying condition is reflected in objective values. Captured positions remain under a team’s control until another takes them, allowing operatives to move on, but Alpha holds score more than Beta or Gamma locations. Teams must balance the security of scattered claims with the attraction and danger of the most lucrative chambers.
Each team identifies its own Alpha terminal during deployment, then uses actions to programme systems across the control centre. Programming lasts only until the next Turning Point or a rival overwrites it. Capturing an opponent’s Alpha terminal doubles its value, turning the four chosen strongpoints into invitations for raids rather than permanent safe scoring areas.
Teams spend actions empowering dormant generator nodes, earning immediate points while increasing each node’s eventual value. A terminal can be empowered only once per Turning Point, and its accumulated power is shared regardless of who supplied it. Final control therefore matters as much as the work of restoring systems, exposing productive teams to a late enemy seizure.
Elliot Hamer turns the hazards and inhabitants of a space hulk into optional narrative rules. An insane survivor may emerge behind a sealed door, machine spirits slam hatchways, and failing communications disrupt orders or supporting abilities. Trading with local communities, discovering troves and fighting amid toxic pools or warp-mutated walls give the environment an active role alongside the opposing kill team.
Fixed mercenary formations can join armies led by the appropriate Grand Alliance general, subject to restrictions that exclude their parent faction. Each regiment brings an organised group of units, a points total and a one-drop battalion with deployment requirements. The system can exceed the normal allied allowance if no other allies are taken, offering themed additions rather than unrestricted individual recruitment.
A Corpse Cart and twenty Deadwalker Zombies form a mutually supporting undead regiment. Nearby zombies gain protection, the cart becomes more resilient when close to its dead, and its brazier weakens enemy wards. Veremord’s grave-robbing background explains the repurposed magical protections behind a compact formation available to other Death armies.
Thryx’s Magister and Horrors accompany three endless spells, beginning with an automatically summoned manifestation. As nearby Horrors die, their essence can replace a summoned spell with another of the coven’s choices and trigger its effect at an unusual moment. Their inability to Split and Split Again trades ordinary Horror endurance for flexible arcane support in other Chaos armies.
An exiled Ogroid Myrmidon leads a Fomoroid Crusher and Mindstealer Sphiranx in search of worthy monsters. Hargax can direct either beast with a free attack or defence command once per phase. When his creatures engage an enemy monster, a successful roll can make both strike last, reflecting a gladiatorial struggle rather than a simple unconditional combat bonus.
Grikk’s Killbow leads two Boltboy units after a suspicious incident with his former boss’s vulture. Their toxin-coated bolts turn exceptional hit rolls into mortal wounds. If the Killbow damages a monster, other members gain extra missile attacks when concentrating on that same creature, making the regiment a focused anti-monster addition for other Destruction armies.
A Runelord, Irondrakes and Longbeards seek lost rune-lore after the fall of their ancestral kingdom. Once per battle Norgrimm can mark a nearby objective, granting his regiment stronger contesting presence and a protective ward while fighting over it. This concentrates its distinctive power on a chosen location for the remainder of the game.
Elthwin’s Arch-Revenant supports five Gossamid Archers as the traumatised regiment seeks Alarielle’s court. Her proximity improves the archers’ wound rolls and enables their retreat ability to relocate both units near terrain. The formation combines ranged support with a coordinated escape route for Order armies outside its parent Sylvaneth faction.
Korghos Khul questions why Khorne sends him to Rondhol instead of granting a decisive encounter with Vandus Hammerhand. An orruk’s casual murder of its own companion challenges Khul’s distinction between worthy slaughter and mere killing. Back in camp, he hears his Gorechosen doubt him, executes the challenger and resumes the march with renewed bloody purpose; an in-world warning sheet recounts the threat he represents.
Advice for inventing an orruk warclan connects its name, realm, history, leader and colour scheme. Established clans illustrate the relationship between identity and appearance, with the Bloodtoofs’ realmgate-hopping rampage providing a worked example. The introduction frames the following painted forces as different answers to the same army-building challenge.
Six contributor projects show how realm and setting can shape an orruk character. A lakeside troggoth, orange-skinned Ghur Megaboss and deathly Shyish warrior use different contrasts, while Da Choppas blue armour receives warmer skin beneath it. Lava light powers a Weirdnob, and added Spirit Hosts turn another pair into haunted graveyard wanderers; the accompanying recipes explain their key surfaces.
Rhuairidh James outfits Ironjawz with spare Kruleboyz skareshields as masks, creating a clan from Aqshy’s punishing deserts. Rusted armour, pale protective shields and sun-like spikes on the Maw-krusha connect the conversions to its climate. Simple washes and stippling establish the worn metal, while a diluted flesh glaze colours the orruks over a pale base.
Fermin Morillo aims for a complete Kruleboyz army painted quickly through Contrast colours with selected edge highlights. Purple clothing and conspicuously yellow shields give his would-be sneaky warriors a humorous visual contradiction. The recipes layer green washes for flesh and use a small set of colours to keep the larger collection consistent and efficient.
Michael De Luca imagines Savage Orruks copying the misunderstood culture of an abandoned Seraphon city. Shields, weapons and glyphs borrowed from Seraphon kits transform the force, with a Carnosaur serving as Kro’Kak’s mount. Turquoise tattoos unknowingly honour the slann, while recipes for green skin and red hides hold the varied conversions together.
James Ashbey’s warboss wins followers after defeating his Maw-krusha in a head-butting contest. The mob follows his taste for bright yellow armour and rusty additions, painted with a consistent green, yellow and metallic palette. Sponged brown chips edged in pale yellow give the plates a battered finish without losing their strong battlefield colour.
Falling seas threaten Briomdar’s hidden sanctuary, prompting Soulscryer Amathar to attack Sylvaneth druids conducting Alarielle’s ritual. Her attempt at restitution ends with her execution by the embittered Umothil, whose vengeful followers invade the submerged forests. The Deepkin fight to preserve Crannstok’s secrecy and gain time for envoys to alert more reasonable Sylvaneth allies, turning an ancient partnership into an underwater war.
A two-player campaign lets the Deepkin secretly distribute three different army strengths among underwater locations before the Sylvaneth choose their attack. Initial victories confer rewards and determine whether the invaders reach Crannstok after two or three battles. Realm rules make terrain govern Sylvaneth movement and provide Idoneth reserve refuges, with optional Path to Glory renown and artefact rewards preserving continuity beyond the mini-campaign.
The campaign finale uses siege rules for an assault on Briomdar’s hidden fortress. The defending Idoneth army has fewer points, but its presence protects objectives from capture; the stronger Sylvaneth attacker must seize and pillage them over five rounds. The number destroyed determines the victory margin, giving defenders a concrete reason to retain even one stubborn pocket of resistance.
Dave Sanders combines Gryselle’s Arenai with Beastbound Assault in a Nemesis deck built around Flourishes and Denizen upgrades. He starts from objectives that reward aggression, retaining enough cards to make both mechanics reliable, then cuts positional restrictions and defensive options that dilute the plan. Card draw, damage boosts and a concentrated set of upgrades make the resulting deck pursue repeated advantageous attacks.
Gryselle’s Arenai gain Bladeborn profiles and abilities for Warcry. The article explains same-faction recruitment, Grand Alliance allies and narrative restrictions on injuries, renown and artefacts. Their specific reaction reduces incoming damage, while combination attacks and a toughness aura complement ordinary Daughters of Khaine abilities, offering mobile gladiators as a warband core or supporting group.
Rob Crouchley follows the first Succession campaign cycle as the Great Darkness leaves Sump City exposed to cultists. Jelena’s evacuation and destruction of the settlement supply the narrative backdrop for Fall of Badzones Outpost. In the studio game, Orlocks lose their escape opportunity by pursuing a final Goliath instead of withdrawing; fictional Tribune reports record other gangs’ victories, rumours and deaths.
Gareth Harvey portrays Van Saar scouts moving between underhive and ash wastes through travel-worn browns, black armour and antique copper. Orange accents suggest poisonous spiders and energy-filled equipment, while pale skin with coloured sores represents radiation damage. Repurposed exploratory vehicles and dusty mixed-environment bases extend the same practical identity across the gang.
Shima Sjarsdottir’s renegade ironclad approaches Karak Thorga under the guidance of a Hyshian swordswoman. A Nighthaunt attack recalls the disastrous sea hunt that first brought them together, when Sjarsdottir escaped a corsair’s attempt to poison a godbeast and rescued the stranded aelf. Their skills defeat the spectral boarders, but a white-bearded stranger has already protected the lower decks.
The studio reports a team Crusade event adapted from the Rising Tomb map campaign and a busy thirty-player Underworlds league. Hobby bingo tracks work across several systems, including film-inspired Gothmog, weathered Imperial Fists and rave-coloured Goliaths. Two longer contributor accounts supply recipes for a nostalgic Corsair kill team and distinctive blue Spire Tyrants.
Harvey Snape combines a Rogue Trader-era Corsair drawing with its later Doom of Mymeara interpretation. Warm yellow armour, red helmets and historically inspired banners establish a Sunblitz Brotherhood kill team intended eventually to join a Lugganath force. The recipes use restrained brown shading and selective pale highlights to keep the yellow luminous.
Steve Barrett personalises Spire Tyrants with replacement horns, shields and a clear blue armour scheme. A steel-lined picture frame lets the magnetised fighters travel on their display base, textured with filler, sand and cork. Separate blue plate and dark skin recipes give the converted warband a consistent finish.
Studio hobbyists describe their early bingo progress and a lively 30-player Underworlds league. Andrew King matches Gothmog to his Mordor collection by studying the film and practising fur textures, while Matt Hutson adds heavily weathered Fafnir Rann to his Imperial Fists. Dan Harden’s rave-inspired Goliath Cybercanids combine neon green accents with purple equipment, and his campaign diary records two recent gang deaths.