Kingsblade from Black Library

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been busy. Graduate school and all that, plus I have no money for the Burning of Prospero set, or I will be all over it. Thousand Sons was my favorite pre-Heresy Legion, after all.

However, this was something that caught my eye. Black Library has announced a list of books that are "coming soon", and one of the books due to be released in February is something I am really looking forward to.

Yup. Kingsblade by Andy Clark. It's one of the very few Imperial Knights novel (the first and only so far has been written by Graham McNeill, Knights of the Imperium, which I have already written a review for on this blog), so I am looking forward to getting my hands on it. It's not up for pre-order, but I do have a Remind Me option to remind me of the book's release in February next year. I can't wait!

It's an Imperial Knights novel, and the details on the Black Library website are as follows:

When a tragedy occurs and an Imperial retribution force is shattered, two young Imperial Knight pilots must work together and learn the ways of war if they – or the world of Donatos – are to survive.

The Knight Houses of Adrastapol are both noble and righteous, and when the Imperial world of Donatos falls to the heresy of the Word Bearers, they are foremost in the vanguard to retake it. Led by High King Tolwyn Draconis, the Knights are peerless in battle and strike deep into the enemy’s ranks. But the war soon turns when a terrible tragedy strikes, casting the Imperial campaign into anarchy. As desperation grows, unblooded Knights Errant Danial and Luk must quickly learn the ways of war to prevent an unholy ritual or Donatos will be lost and all the noble Houses of Adrastapol with it.

YAY! At long last, we're getting an Imperial Knights novel (c'mon, Knights of the Imperium can only be counted as a short novella at best)! Praise the Emperor! You can take a closer look on the Black Library website!

Oh, and there's also The Devine Adoratrice by Graham McNeill, which is a short story set in the Horus Heresy series regarding House Devine and the Knight Raeven Devine. It's a prequel to Vengful Spirit, so to be honest, I'm not very excited about this one because I didn't really like Vengeful Spirit. I didn't read the whole book (I will eventually when I have the money, but I basically skimmed through it in the bookstore, and honestly...it was a mess. Too many characters, too many things happening all at once, overused conspiracy cliches and ugh...a messy plot) so I can't write a fair review about it, but from what I read, I wasn't very fond of it. You can check the details of The Devine Adoratrice again on its specific Black Library webpage.

As an aside, please visit the Regimental Standard for your weekly dose of Guardsmen news. This time they have a hilarious article regarding the Sisters of Silence. I actually burst out laughing reading this particular article, at Guardsman Perkins's expense. That's how funny it is. Read it, I assure you it's worth it. Otherwise, I'll use my Commissariat authority to summarily punish you.

Forge World Mechanicum

It looks like Forge World is coming out with new Mechanicum models for you to use in your Horus Heresy battles! Just awesome!

On their Facebook page, they apparently pasted this picture fr the Open Days of Warhammer World on 5-6th November:



Hell yeah! We're finally getting a model for the Mechanicum Macrocarid Explorator! It's about time! It's not a brand new tank as its profile and rules are already inside the red Mechanicum: Taghmata book, so you can check that out. It's great to see that this awesome Macrocarid Explorator finally get its own model, and no more converting Land Raiders or whatever!

Not only that, we have a new model for another Mechanicum unit! Presenting the...



...Vultarax Stratos-Automata! It's an airborne unit, a flyer similar to the Valkyrie or Vendetta we are all so familiar with - as you can see, with those hover pods, it looks like an exotic gunship. However, it's not a flying vehicle, but counts as a Monstrous Flying Creature instead. You can pre-order it on its Forge World page, and the rules are also available. To sum it up, the Vultarax is a Monstrous Flying Creature with Toughness 7 and 4 wounds (can you say awesome!?), and is equipped with blast weapons AND Haywire weapons. That means those Land Raiders will die to your Vultarax arc blasters because they are Heavy 3 with Shred! And Haywire! Its havoc launchers are heavy 2, blast, twin-linked AND forces your opponent to re-roll successful cover saves! Plus you have 2 of them! Can you say awesome?

On the other hand, their weapons' AP are pretty low - AP5 for all of them, so you might have trouble clearing out Space Marines in Power Armor with their 3+ armor save. That said, the purpose of this guy is to take out enemy vehicles (and probably blobs), so leave that Space Marine or Terminator to your Thanatar. The Vultarax will be getting rid of those Dreadnaughts, Sicarian Tanks and whatever vehicles or flyers (as long as tehy're not Monstrous Flying Creatures). They also cost a whooping 175 points each, so think long and hard before throwing in a squadron of them in your army because the points will add up. On the other hand, it counts as Fast Attack, so you should have available slots for it.

Here's the description from Forge World:

The Vultarax was the most common Stratos-automata in widespread use by the Mechanicum Taghmata at the outbreak of the wars of the Horus Heresy. A robust, multi-role war engine, heavily armed and fitted with sophisticated sensory gear and able to operate in diverse and hostile environments, it proved itself a keystone of Mechanicum Explorator Expedition forces both as an armed, high mobility scout and as a hunter-killer and rapid response unit in open battle.

The Vultarax Stratos-automata is Flying Monstrous Creature armed with a Vultarax arc blaster, a versatile weapon capable of burning out the cogitators and engines of enemy vehicles, and two Setheno pattern havoc launchers, long ranged missile systems designed to wipe out infantry units, even in heavy cover. These armaments alongside it's impressive armour, flare shield and enhanced targeting array, make the Vultarax Stratos-automata a formidable force on the battlefield.


So what are you waiting for? Pre-order the Vultarax now! Unless you're broke like me.

Official Space Hulk: Deathwing website is now live!

Yes, you read that right. The official Space Hulk: Deathwing website is now live! According to the Space Hulk: Deathwing official Facebook page, the official website is finally up and running (not like it was dead before this, it always existed). But they have added plenty of content, such as Overview, Gameplay, Lore, Classes, Weapons, Coop and Bestiary. Check them out if you're interested!

Here's the home page of the official Space Hulk: Deathwing website, and if you want to skip to the Games page, you can access it here.

Remember, the game is released for PC on November this year (2016), and you get 15% off AND a free weapon if you pre-order it! I've already pre-ordered my copy on Steam, so yay. For the Emperor!

Above is a peek of what the revamped website looks like! Please enjoy!

Thousand Sons

And now...Games Workshop has released a teaser image for the Thousand Sons themselves!

I'm not going to lie, the Thousand Sons are my favorite Space Marine Legion pre-heresy. It's unfortunate what happened, and how they ended up going into Chaos, but...I'll see what I can do. I have always loved psyker armies, and the Thousand Sons fall right into that favorite category of mine. It's just too bad the Imperial Guard Primaris and Wyrdvane Psykers are not as reliable, but I did consider building a Grey Knights army back in the day just to spam Psychic Terminators. In the end I didn't, but hey, whatever.



At least we have the Blood Ravens, who are supposedly the successor chapter to a Loyalist company of Thousand Sons who escaped the burning of Prospero.

Who are the Adeptus Custodes?

I'm sure everyone is getting really excited for the Burning of Prospero release. I know I am, even if I am unable to afford the box set or the models. Actually...I might just say to hell with it and splash my savings on it, ha ha ha...then again, I might actually wait for the Thousand Sons codex and Rubric Marines before combining everything together. We shall see. In any case, this isn't about what I might or might not buy, it's about the Adeptus Custodes.

The official Warhammer 40K Facebook page has released a tidbit about the Adeptus Custodes. For those of you not familiar with the lore, the Adeptus Custodes are basically Super Space Marines. The very best of the best, the cream of the crop of what is the most elite forces, and basically each one is a Primarch equivalent in his own right. Well, the details are below.



As a further elaboration, the Adeptus Custodes are mnown as the Custodians, and they are charged with the sacred duty of protecting the Imperial Palace and the Golden Throne itself (that coffin-like thing that the rotting carcass of the Emperor writhes inside, barely sustaining his life). They are the Guardians of Terra, never leaving Terra itself and rarely departing from the Imperial Palace. They are the ones who decide who gets to enter the throne room, and when.

That sounds badass enough to you?

Anyway, they answer only to the God-Emperor himself! I think their overall commander is the Captain-General or something and he is one of the High Lords of Terra. A small section of three hundred Custodians are known as the Companions and they will never leave the Emperor's side. Ever.

The Custodians themselves are larger and much more powerful than the normal Space Marines, so expect their rules to scale up otherwise. I wouldn't be surprise if a single squad of Custodian costs as much as an Imperial Knight itself, with S10 and 6 Wounds or something, ha ha.

Anyway, we shall see what their rules are like! They will be awesome! However, despite their legendary status, the Custodians still die as easily as everyone else, even to the psychic powers of the Thousand Sons! The quest for knowledge will persevere! Ahem...sorry, I'm not committing heresy, honest. Don't report me to the Commissar.

Let's all look forward to the release!

Space Wolves burn Prospero

The official Warhammer 40K Facebook page has released a new video for the Burning of Prospero (click on the link to watch it). This time, it's the Space Wolves justifying their heinous crime of assaulting and razing Prospero to the ground.

I take offence to the bastard Greigor Fell-Hand claiming that the Space Wolves warned the Thousand Sons. They did no such thing, merely scoffed and insulted the Thousand Sons' beliefs and values! And then he claimed the Emperor (All-Father, because of his supposedly Nordic tendencies...well, Space Wolves take after the Norse mythology) pointed his blade at the Thousand Sons. He did no such thing! It was Horus who twisted the Emperor's messages! You were only supposed to bring Magnus back to Terra, not burn Prospero! Preposteros!

Magnus and the Thousand Sons have always been loyal to the Emperor! The Light of Knowledge will never die! FOR THE EMPEROR!

And did the Space Wolves not notice it was strange the Thousand Sons weren't fighting back and doing anything while they indulge in their freaking murderous tendencies? This is why I don't really like the Space Wolves. Then again, my perception has been altered by the novels Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns so I'm pretty biased toward the Thousand Sons and developed a prejudice against the Space Wolves.

Man...I really want to build a Thousand Sons army once the codex is released, but with my meager student stipend and probably my lack of time because I need to study, research and write papers, I really doubt I'll ever get around to it. At least my loyalist Imperial Guard army and Imperial Knights, and my Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation are complete. Too bad they're still stuck in Singapore, and it's pretty hard for me to commute to a Wargaming place from New Hope City. Ugh. We shall see. The light of knowledge shall shine once more!

Made to Order Imperial Guardsmen

Good news for Imperial Guardsmen! For a limited time only, Games Workshop has decided to release Made to Order Imperial Guardsmen for you to add to your collection! They are the classic Imperial Guardsmen that we all know and love. The range includes Cadian Kasrkin, Mordian Iron Guard, Valhallan Ice Warriors, Tallarn Desert Raiders, Armageddon Steel Legion, all with special and heavy weapons, officers and sergeants if you so desire. Special characters are back too, with Sly Marbo (but he's no longer in the codex?!), Captain Al'Rahem, Lord Solar Macharius (uh, he's not in the codex either, is he?), and Commander Chenkov (thank the Emperor this guy isn't in the codex, though while he's brutal and cruel, he does lead from the front like a badass). There's also an Astra Militarum Tank Crew and Techpriest Enginseer in there for some reason (I thought you could get the Techpriest Enginseer normally).

Anyway, if you're interested in purchasing these awesome classic models, please visit Games Workshop's official website for more details and order them online!