Warhammer Toys

Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or simply 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1988 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics. Expansions for Warhammer 40,000 are released from time to time which give rules for urban, planetary siege and large-scale combat, respectively. The game is currently in its fifth edition. Players can assemble and paint individual 28 mm (1.1 in) scale miniature figures that represent futuristic soldiers, creatures and vehicles of war. These figurines are collected to comprise squads in armies that can be pitted against those of other players. Each player brings a roughly equal complement of units to a tabletop battlefield with handmade or purchased terrain. The players then decide upon a scenario, ranging from simple skirmishes to complex battles involving defended objectives and reinforcements. The models are physically moved across the table and the actual distance between models plays a role in the outcome of combat. Play is turn based, with various outcomes determined by tables and the roll of dice. Battles may last anywhere from a half hour to several days, and battles may be strung together to form campaigns. Some game and hobby stores host games periodically, and official tournaments are held on a regular basis. Warhammer 40,000's space fantasy setting spans a vast fictional universe. Its various factions and races include the Imperium of Man (the human race 38,000 years hence), the Orks (similar to Warhammer Fantasy Orcs), and the Eldar (similar to Elves in Warhammer Fantasy Battle), among others. These races, along with their playing rules, are covered in the game's rule books and supplemental army 'codexes' (called this by Games Workshop despite the correct plural being codices, hence this spelling is used throughout this article), along with articles in the Games Workshop magazines, White Dwarf and Imperial Armour. Lines of these miniatures are produced by Citadel Miniatures and Forge World. The Warhammer 40,000 setting is used for several related tabletop games, video games, and various works of fiction, including licensed works published by Black Library, a subsidiary of Games Workshop.

Warhammer

The Warhammer 40,000 game takes place in a highly-dystopic, science-fantasy universe.[2] Set in the 41st millennium, most of the major storylines that provide the backdrop and history span over millennia. Central to the Warhammer 40,000 universe are the Space Marines, giant, genetically-enhanced super-soldiers with world-destroying firepower and unswerving, fanatical loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind. While Space Marines act as the special forces of the Imperium, the bulk of mankind's military power is found in the Imperial Guard, which consist of billions of regiments, each thousands of soldiers strong.[3] Their quintessential opposition is the Chaos Space Marines, who betrayed the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, led by Warmaster Horus (who was eventually killed by the Emperor). Much of the Milky Way galaxy is controlled by the Imperium [4] the Tau, a young and technologically-sophisticated civilization of aliens that work for the "greater good" of their empire and its inhabitants; the Necrons, soulless, living-metal constructs tricked into slavery by space entities; and the Tyranids, an all-consuming, all-organic, bio-engineered, extragalactic hive-swarm.[5] Each of these races have playable armies. Other playable armies include the Witch Hunters and Daemonhunters, organizations within the Imperium, as well as the fallen Dark Eldar and the capricious Daemons of Chaos.[6]

Warhammer Gameplay

Games are held between two or more players,[7] each of whom fields a group of units they have purchased, painted and assembled. The size and composition of these groups, referred to as armies, are determined on a point system, with each unit (figurine) assigned a value in points roughly proportional to its worth on the battlefield (a better unit or model is worth more points). Before a game, the gamers agree on how many points will be used as the maximum army size and each assembles an army up to that maximum limit. The composition of these armies is usually constrained by rules contained within the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, as well as in several army-specific rulebooks called 'codexes'. These rules and preparations are generally taken seriously among players.[8] Common game sizes are between 500 and 2,000 points and played on tables four feet in width and four to eight feet in length, but it is possible to play much larger games given the time and inclination (larger point battles tend to be played by multiple gamers on larger tables).[9] At the onset of each game, a set of rules and goals is determined for that battle. These are collectively referred to as the scenario or mission being played. Players are assigned basic goals which range from the defense or capture of sections of the board to the destruction of enemy units. Additional rules may represent conditions for fighting at night or in environments that affect troops' abilities. These scenarios may be straightforward, taking only an hour or so to complete, or they may be quite complex and require several hours or even days to play out.[10] A series of scenarios may be organized into a campaign, where two or more players fight against each other in a number of battles. These campaigns may feature their own special rules, and are typically tied together by a storyline that can evolve based on the results of each scenario.[11] Many scenarios and campaigns are designed by Games Workshop and printed in the 'codexes', rulebooks or White Dwarf. Alternately, gamers may design their own scenarios or build new campaigns from premade scenarios.[12] A ForgeWorld Tyranid Trygon resin kitPlay is divided into "phases" where each player moves, shoots, and/or engages in close combat with various units. In the movement phase, a player determines the direction and distance individual units will travel, unless a special rule states otherwise. Some units can travel further than others in a single move, and terrain may inhibit movement. In the shooting phase, the player has the opportunity to make long-distance attacks with units that are within range of the enemy. In the Assault Phase, units may engage in close-quarters fighting with enemy units in close proximity. After one player completes all three phases play is turned over to the opposing player. Contingent events such as weapon hits and misses are determined by the roll of a six sided die (note that the rulebooks use the word "dice" to refer to a single die) and unit characteristics.[13] A specialty die called a scatter die is used to determine deviation for less accurate events such as artillery barrages or reserve units deploying onto the battlefield through irregular means.[14] Unlike some wargames, Warhammer 40,000 is not played on a hex map or any kind of pre-defined gameboard. Instead, units can be placed at almost any physical location on the table. Range between and among units is important in all three phases of play. Distance is measured in inches using a ruler. Determination of line of sight, is made at "model's eye view"—gamers may bend down to observe the board from the specific model's point of view.[15] Victory is determined by points, awarded for completing objectives and/or destroying enemy units.

Sunday, 2 May 2010

40K RUMORS: Dark Eldar Rumor Control

So where are we with the Dark Eldar in the aftermath of all the recent craziness? Not nearly as lost as one might think. To set us back on track lets take stock of some of the more recent and grounded tidbits so we regain our rumor bearings...

The BoLS Lounge's Eldargal put this roundup together:
•Dark Eldar not Necrons for late 2010 (ColonalKlink, OP, source GW employee)
•Harry indicates complete revisit, rules to do justice to a brand new snazzy model range. Every model redone. Release probable within 12 months.
•Harry ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ to see Gamesday announcement.
•Possible Christmas release. (others mention October-November)
•Harry certain they are coming this time, not certain of when.
•GW committed best resources to DE revisit, including Jes Goodwin as head sculptor
•GW expects DE to be popular and sell well if they do a decent job this time.
•New range described as ‘mind-numbingly’ awesome, unclear if this is from eye witness account or wishful thinking.
•New range to be released in waves, not all waves in production or ready for production.
•Mix of plastic and metal models, no all plastic plans.
•Harry confident of his accuracy re DE.
•“I don't think GW would consider the work of their finest to be any risk at all. The studio have always been of the mindset that if they make the very best toy soldiers they can ... folks will buy them.

There has been no waffle and no delay.

When they have said anything at all they have said very clearly what is going on and why. They have said things like: 'We are doing Dark Eldar', "We have asked Jes to have a crack at them', 'The whole range needs attention', 'It is a big project and we are going to give it the time it deserves', 'We are going to give Jes the time he needs to nail them' There has been no waffle or ambiguity in any statements I have heard about this project ... in fact they have been more open and up front about the development of this project than almost any other., 'They will be released when they are done' 'This won't be for a while'.” “They will not be pushed back, nor will they be late. They will, much like a wizard, arrive exactly when they are supposed to.”
•DE team given as much time as they need to get things right
Some newer tidbits say that:
-Codex author is Phil Kelly
-First Wave kits are complete

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Saturday, 1 May 2010

Wargaming ASKEW: Don't Let the Soft Scores Get You Down

I know you have trained your whole life for these moments. You just cannot get enough of that competitive smell. You know the kind of funk reserved for Moroccan bathrooms and Thai hostels. It is day two of a five game tournament and you wonder to yourself, "Was I fake enough to get the max points on the soft scores"?

If this was Ard' Boyz you would have already made a few 12 years old cry, but not this tournament. Faced with soft scores (sportsmanship and composition) you have no choice, but to keep everything under control. Keeping the inner douche in check is hard because some judge had a bad day and thinks Eldrad is soooo overpowered.

Why can't you be yourself? You want to yell at your opponent when they dare make a few good rolls. You just want to quick play-- avoiding the inane chit-chat that actually might make you feel guilt for being a tabletop tough guy. You just want your three of the three same units to do there job and have the game over by the end of the deployment phase.

Sadly you're once mighty Netlist is forced to take things like Swooping Hawks and Ogryns to appease the comp gods. This is the horrible burden every win at all cost player (WAAC) has when soft scores are involved. Why should his list and your list be hampered by soft scores?

Let me tell you why we need these soft scores. Running tournaments for me feeds both my love of math and love for judging the subjective. Making things more complicated is fun for everyone anyway. My goal is never to make a simple tournament, instead one that requires late night trips to Kinkos and have meetings making sure I didn't miss a broken unit combination by searching forums.

Why would I want to keep track of only battle scores? I mean if all I had to do was sit and count the points of who won and loss it would be pretty dull for everyone. I can also tell players love filling out convoluted score sheets to feed my spread sheet fetish.

If I don't have these soft scores it means the WAAC player doesn't spend that extra hour finding the loop holes in my system. Isn't that what we want: the illusion of a fair system that really doesn't keep the WAAC player under control.

You know what else is great about my patented soft score system is? It is easy to hide behind the system itself. Instead of confronting a WAAC player and setting them straight, I have the system to take blame away from him (and me) while puting all the responsibility on everyone else.

I am all for judging if I can use my beloved Excel spreadsheet, I rather avoid human contact. Oh, precious Excel spreadsheet how I just love how you get when you sort all those different scores. Not only does my system wash my hands of bad players it also makes sure that his opponents are too scared to speak up.The WAAC player has no problem calling me over to make a ruling, his opponent on the other hand is bound by some weird "benefit of the doubt" notion. Hmm, or is he afraid that if I am called over the WAAC player will give him a zero sportsmanship. I really don't have time to police games, I am too busy having an intimate conversation with my spreadsheet. Should I either use paint scores or comp scores for tiebreakers?

Another problem with ditching soft scores; you are left with doing the unthinkable-- playing by the actual rules. I know I should get an enema for even thinking it. It would require putting my purely subjective and untested system against the professionally play-tested system.Who would want to play with rules they are familiar with, when you can play with rules I made up after a few too many beers? I am glad that no one wants to blame me because often I am the only tournament in town and as long as I put the word tournament in the title, then at least we can all pretend it is competitive.

The eternal question, what if any do soft scores have in competitive play? Come on over to Blood of Kittens for even more puzzling questions.
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Friday, 30 April 2010

FFG: Horus Heresy Rules Available

Remember back a few months when FFG announced their new suuper fancy Horus Heresy boxed game? Well they recently put out a PDF of the entire ruleset for you guys to snag.

Not only do you get the full fancy rules, but a good look at the board, and the cool game pieces including Loyalist and Traitor titans, Custodes, Legionnaires, the IG, cultists, and even the Primarchs.

Grab it here

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Thursday, 29 April 2010

BFG: Corsair Eldar

GothicComp09 Submission

Today we shall take examine the naval equipment and tactics of that most beguiling of xenos, the Eldar.

Background.
Of all the biological races, the Eldar are the oldest still interactive with the younger races such as humans, orks, and tau. As old as their civilization is, their technology is as expected more advanced than these other races. Despite their technological prowess, they have an ancient foe that is even older and more advanced, the Necrons. In BFG, they are a very strong fleet against all but the Necrons. In BFG the Eldar are represented by three lists, Corsair Eldar, Craftworld Eldar and Dark Eldar to represent their current fractured and scattered state. Corsair Eldar is likely the one most likely to be encountered in space by merchants and patrols alike (and equally likely to be the last encounters by these ships as well.) Craftworld Eldar and Dark Eldar will be discussed in the future.

Strengths.
Even before any ships are placed, the Corsair Eldar fleet is at an advantage with leadership values at
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Wednesday, 28 April 2010

40K Conundrum: Descent of Angels Edition

So we have a new codex, and a new contentious rules question. Today lets talk about Descent of Angels and exactly how it applies in certain sticky conditions on the tabletop.

First of all some basics on the rule itself:

"...A Blood Angels unit with this special rule can re-roll failed reserve rolls if arriving by Deep Strike. Also due to the precision of their descent... "
Later in the Equipment section we learn under the JUMP PACK rules that:
"...a Blood Angels model with a jump pack has the Descent of Angels special rule..."
Now lets look at some units from the Army List:

Assault Squads possess the Descent of Angels rule in their unit entry. They come with jump packs but can remove them if desired. They can then be loaded in deep striking Land Raiders (without packs) or deep striking Storm Ravens (with or without packs).

In the case of the Storm Raven, many ICs and units with Descent of Angels can be loaded onboard.

The big question is, does Descent of Angels affect the unit if they deepstrike while onboard a transport?

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Tuesday, 27 April 2010

FFG REVIEW: Dark Heresy Ascension

Ascension, the latest supplement for FFG's Dark Heresy RPG, finally allows us to play the Inquisitorial characters that we have been waiting to play since the game came out. Namely, Inquisitors.

The book is hardback and full color, same as all of the other DH books, and weighs in at 252 pages plus a few extra for a character sheet in the back. The art runs the gamut from high-quality full color pieces, to the typical little black and white John Blanch-esq pieces in the margins. (not to say that those are bad or anything)

The books contents cover everything you need to pump up the power level, and the stakes, of your Dark Heresy game. Whether you want to just start fresh with new characters, or take your already existing game to the next level.

Chapter one introduces some extra rules for ascended characters that give them new ways to kick the impossible to the curb but also keep them from getting too out of hand. It also introduces the Influence rules, which are central to an Ascended Dark Heresy game. They resemble the Profit mechanic from Rogue Trader, and replace the need for tracking concrete currency, as well as provide an abstracted mechanic for the tremendous power that an Inquisitor can wield.

Chapter two and three focus on making Ascended characters, whether from scratch or by ascending a regular Dark Heresy character. Ascended characters can climb all the way to rank 16 in one of 12 different ascended careers, including Inquisitor (of course), Magos, Vindicare Assassin, and Storm Trooper. One of the coolest things that really sets the Ascended careers apart though is that each one gets to choose from a small selection of unique "Ascended Traits" that let you do all sorts of wacky stuff, like auto-confirm righteous fury rolls and the like.

Chapter four details the ascended skills and talents, which not only provide new abilities and powers, but also replace and compact many other skills and talents to reduce clutter. This is really one of the best things about Ascension. Unlike the careers in regular Dark Heresy, which might have 20-30 advance options in each rank, ascended careers generally only have around 15. This goes a long way towards making those high rank characters comprehensible.

Chapter five details the ascended psychic powers, which gives psychers all sorts of new ways to melt peoples faces. (or id's as the case may be)

Chapter six has rules for dealing with particularly fancy pieces of wargear, as well as including a few more mundane items. Of particular note are the Cadian pattern hellgun and hellpistol, which brings Dark Heresy up to speed with the new Imperial Guard codex's AP 3 hellguns.

Chapter seven has a huge wealth of information on the Inquisition, its various factions, and how they all work together. (or against each-other) and is definitely a must read for anyone who is into the big
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Monday, 26 April 2010

FoW REVIEW : Fortress Europe Campaign Book (video)

Hi guys, lets take a quick look at the Flames of War "Fortress Europe" campaign book. This is the big primary Battlefront's campaign book for Late-War. Let's take a look.

As you can see this lavishly illustrated 160 page full color tome gives you or a group of players everything you need to play in the final drive into Germany, Late-war, and covers 4 nations, with over 20 army lists. It is one of the "core" campaign books that any group of Flames of War players should own. It has a list price of $40.

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