Black Library Verified by Visa

This is a frustrating problem that has been going on for days now, but I am unable to purchase the books from Black Library with my visa. Apparently Verified by Visa is blocking me from using my card, even though I'm pretty sure I filled out the right details.

As such, the book reviews will not be coming for a very long time. Either I'll have to call them soon, or I'll have to visit a TCF bank branch and check with them what this is all about. I think I'll give up eventually. It's just too much hassle, and the total cost of the books I tried to buy is over US$300. Not exactly a luxury I can spend on my student stipend. So...all right, I give up. Sigh.

On other news, I did pre-order the Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia and the Triumvirate of the Imperium, but once again the Verified by Visa thing bugged me and I resorted to paying for my purchase through PayPal. That means I'll at least be able to write a review and the usual spoiler summary for Fall of Cadia like I did for Mont'ka and Wrath of Magnus. So don't worry about it. I'll at least get that settled without any problems. Funnily enough, the Triumvirate of the Imperium is listed as temporarily out of stock so I've no idea how I managed to pre-order it, but whatever. I paid for it, and if they can't deliver it, I should get a refund. I hope. The book itself should arrive without a hitch or so I hope. Or maybe they'll delay the delivery until the Triumivrate of the Imperium becomes available again.

So the Black Library books are most likely not coming while Fall of Cadia will definitely be arriving - if it's late, it's late. Not that people are checking my blog for spoilers and reviews/analyses anyway, so I don't think that matters. I'm looking forward to analyzing the Adeptus Mechanicus Grand Convocation and the Conclave Acquisitorius. I might actually have the models to form the Conclave Acquisitorius once I get my hand on the good old Archmagos Belisarius Cawl. I think I might actually get a second Tech-priest Dominus, and either convert my Kataphron Destroyers into Kataphron Breachers or buy 2 sets of Kataphron Breachers for the Holy Requisitioner formation. Well, it's unconfirmed, but I can field the Battle Maniple (I already have one for my Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation), I just need a 2nd Tech-Priest Dominus and the 6 Breachers (or convert my Destroyers) for the Holy Requisitioner, and I already have the Cybernetica Cohort and Baronial Court. Of course, if I field everything, it'll probably cost over 4,000 points. Uh, okay...yeah, that's a lot.

My Imperial Knights in a Baronial Court costs about 1,665 alone. My Battle Maniple should be about 110+75+170+185+75+450= 1,065. Holy Requistioner should be 105+2x180=465. Cybernetica Cohort would be 290x2+60+30+135=805. If I'm not mistaken, Archmagos Belisarius Cawl himself costs 200 points. The total tally or total required points of Conclave Acquisitorius should add up to 1,665+1,065+465+805+200=4,200. Okay, that's a lot of points. And I mean a lot. As much as I'm proud to own a Conclave Acquisitorius, who the hell is going to play 4,200 points with me?! Hell, never mind 4,200, who's going to play 4,000-point games with me? It makes for a fluffy army, but let's be serious. I will hardly find an opponent willing to face down 4 Imperial Knights alongside with a full Skitarii Battle Maniple and 4 Kastelan robots...and if I do, it'll probably be Wraithknight spam anyway.

So what should I do? Well, we'll think over it some more when I finally get the book.

Fall of Cadia Detachments and Formations

Well, look what Warhammer Community brought us today! They have a post on the detachments and formations available in the Fall of Cadia. This is going to be awesome!

They have a few details on the Triumvirate, Mars United (Not a football team), and Crusade for Cadia. The Adeptus Mechanicus formations allows you to form detachments from Cult Mechanicus, Skitarii and Imperial Knights into a combined single army, apparently, and features power of the machine spirit. Wait, that's the Grand Convocation we're talking about here. The other formation, the Conclave Acquisitorius is a super big formation that grants all the characters master-crafted weapons and I think free relics and wargear (I could be wrong). Grand Convocation is a more flexible choice that allows you to mix and match, while Conclave Acquisitorius is more rigid, but allows your Mechanicus forces to grant each other a mix of abilities from all the armies. Or something. We shall see.

On the other hand, we have the Wrathful Crusade, which combines the Black Templars, Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard, jeez), and Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle), all of whom are led by Celestine and Inquisitor Katarina Greyfax. It's a troops-heavy formation, apparently, but the awesome part is that everyone gains Hatred AND you can bring Troops back from the dead, just like the Lost and the Damned from the Traitor's Hatred thing. I think. I can't remember (sorry, I'm not a Chaos player). For the Emperor!

Conclave Acquisitorius and Grand Convocation

Guess what? It seems that we have new Adeptus Mechanicus formations in the Fall of Cadia book, and pre-orders for them are already available on the Games Workshop webstore. The first one is Conclave Acquisitorius, and here's the description on the website:

Description

Belisarius Cawl does not take his rank – that of Archmagos Dominatus – lightly. Each time he ventures out into the cold gulfs of space to gather materials for his secret labours, he uses his absolute authority to requisition impressive swathes of combined Mechanicus forces to aid him. Maniples of Skitarii and chanting Electro-Priests stride into battle, their confidence bolstered by the hulking silhouette of a towering Imperial Knight. Enhanced above their already-sinister capabilities by Cawl’s datapsalms, the combined Mechanicus forces brazenly appropriate all information for the glory of the Omnissiah.


This bundle collects together the miniatures necessary to assemble the Conclave Acquisitorius, a formation from The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia. You’ll receive an impressive array of miniatures, including the Triumvirate of the Imperium (Belisarius Cawl, Celestine, the Living Saint and Inquisitor Greyfax) as well as a veritable wealth of Adeptus Mechanicus:


-        a framed and signed commemorative art print by Paul Dainton limited to a mere 50 individually-numbered copies, as well as 3 artwork cards featuring the heroic Triumvirate of the Imperium from The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia;
-        10 Skitarii Vanguard;
-        10 Skitarii Rangers;
-        5 Sicarian Ruststalkers;
-        5 Sicarian Infiltrators;
-        3 Sydonian Dragoons;
-        an Onager Dunecrawler;
-        2 Kataphron Breachers;
-        an Imperial Knight Warden;
-        a Kastelan Robot Maniple (4 Kastelan Robots and 2 attendant Datasmiths);
-        2 Fulgurite Electro-Priests;
-        2 Corpuscarii Electro-Priests;
-        a Start Collecting! Skitarii set – this adds another 10 Skitarii Vanguard, another Onager Dunecrawler and a Tech-Priest Dominus.

So yeah. I've no idea what the rules are for this formation, but it's evidently a massive one. All those points add up together and give you quite the massive army that's definitely more than 2,000 points even if we get free upgrades. I think. Well, I'll let you know when I get the book and view the formations.

You can pre-order this Conclave Acquisitorius on the Games Workshop webstore, but be warned: it's very pricey. Costs US$1,200. So watch your credit card.

The second Adeptus Mechanicus formation is the Grand Convocation.



It's a smaller formation, which doesn't seem to include Imperial Knights, and costs a lot less. Again, here's the description:

Description

Giving praise to the Omnissiah as they wage war using revered and advanced technology, the various forces at the disposal of the Adeptus Mechanicus will often work in concert under the direction of the Martian priesthood.


This bundle contains the miniatures necessary to assemble the Grand Convocation, a Detachment for The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia that combines the various forces of the Machine God into a single army, unified in mechanical devotion. Included:


-        a framed and signed commemorative art print by Paul Dainton limited to a mere 50 individually-numbered copies, as well as 3 artwork cards featuring the heroic Triumvirate of the Imperium from The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia;
-        a Tech-Priest Enginseer;
-        10 Skitarii Vanguard;
-        10 Skitarii Rangers;
-        3 Kataphron Destroyers;
-        3 Kataphron Breachers;
-        3 Ironstrider Ballistarii;
-        2 sets of 5 Electro-Priests – a set of Coruscarii and a set of Fulgurite;
-        5 Sicarian Infiltrators;
-        5 Sicarian Ruststalkers;
-        a Start Collecting! Skitarii set – this adds another 10 Skitarii Vanguard, another Onager Dunecrawler and a Tech-Priest Dominus.

So it's a smaller formation that you can field under 1,850 points, but no Imperial Knight and no Kastelan robots either. You can pre-order the Grand Convocation on the Games Workshop webstore as well, and it's a lot more affordable at US$470. It's entirely up to you. Again, I've no idea what the formation bonus is, but we'll see. This looks good, and I hope to find out more.

By the way, the pre-orders for the Triumvirate of the Imperium have run out, they're temporarily out of stock. So I can no longer pre-order the Gathering Storm collection bundle as I intended. It always happens to me - my visa doesn't acknowledge me when I tried to order the Black Library books online (I'll visit my bank when the semester begins to fix the problem) so the book reviews are on hold. Guess I'll make do with the book itself. Not as if I have the time to build the models anyway, and the Triumvirate wouldn't be doing anything on their own since the rest of my army is left in Singapore. Ugh, I need to shuttle my Draconian Armor Imperial Guard regiment and the Adeptus Mechanicus military forces of the Forge World of Draconis IV to Cadia and help them...

Speaking of which, from what I've seen so far, the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation still seems to be the preferable Adeptus Mechanicus formation, even with the addition of these two. The Conclave Acquisitorius seems too unwieldy and huge to field in proper games, and the Grand Convocation...well, I guess you can ally in an Oathsworn Detachment of Imperial Knights if you really want to. We shall see.

For the Omnissiah! Uh...I mean, ave Omnissiah?

Fall of Cadia, Triumvirate of the Imperium video

Warhammer TV has just released a trailer for the Triumvirate today! Go ahead and watch it. Basically the Chaos fleet has flown into orbit around Cadia and commenced their bombardment while the Triumvirate of the Imperium stands firm. You have Celestine, the Living Saint and her loyal Geminae Superia (Sisters Genevieve and Eleanor), Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax of the Ordo Hereticus and Archmagos Belisarius Cawl who leads the Cybernetica legion (Kastelan robots!) and Skitarii (Onager Dunecrawlers!).

You can pre-order the Triumvirate of the Imperium here at the Games Workshop webstore.  The Gathering Storm Collection looks good to me too. I think I don't mind spending a bit extra to get all 3 dudes and the book, since I've given up on the Thousand Sons anyway. In addition to them you also get a deck of Empyric Storm Cards.

For those invested in the tabletop game and not just the fluff, what does Fall of Cadia bring for us? Well, we get the rules for the three dudes, Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax, Saint Celestine and Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, their individual rules at least so that you can field them with any army of the Imperium. Or you can combine the three of them into one single formation. For us Adeptus Mechanicus fans, we get 6 new Arcana Mechanicum, essentially relics for Cult Mechanicus. Yay. As for formations, the Sisters of Battle get a Imperial Crusade Detachment where you can field Black Templars and the Adepta Sororitas in one army.

And we Adeptus Mechanicus fans get the Grand Convocation, which combines Cult Mechanicus, Skitarii and Mechanicus Knights in one army. I believe it's different from the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation that I've been using since 2015, which is a Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation detachment combined with a Skitarii Battle Maniple and an Imperial Knight Oathsworn detachment. That's the War Convocation while this one is called the Grand Convocation. So we get new rules. Yay! Awesome!

I'll let you guys know more when I get more information. I'll probably get the Gathering Storm Collection because my Thousand Sons project looks dead. As usual, I'll post a detailed spoiler about the fluff and an analysis of the new detachments and formations. For the Emperor! Cadia shall not fall!

Well, spoiler alert: Cadia does fall (obviously, if you've not figured that out from the title), and the Pylons apparently detonate and blow up the entire planet. Ouch. The vaunted Cadians have lost their homeworld. Makes me want to cry. I believe we defeated Abaddon the Despoiler and the Chaos fleet, though, from what I've heard they're forced to retreat. I don't know how reliable these rumors are, but I'll confirm them and let you know in the detailed spoiler eventually.

For the Emperor!

The Gathering Storm

White Dwarf has released a preview regarding Fall of Cadia: The Gathering Storm! This is the January issue, so make sure to get it if you're interested!

Here it is:



If you're unable to read the words, I'll type them out for you.

The Gathering Storm
Now is the Time of Ending and the fate of Humanity hangs in the balance. Yet a storm is gathering that will eclipse all the wars that have come before it. We sent Dan, our most experienced Stormseer, into the Warp (also known as the Design Studio) to find out more.

The year is 999.M41 and the Imperium teeters on the brink of destruction. On the Eastern Fringe, the Tau Empire encroaches upon the Damocles sector. To the galactic north-east, the shieldworlds of Baal are consumed by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan, while Baal itself - home world of the Blood Angels Chapter - is assailed by Daemons. In the Diamor system, Kharn the Betrayer leaves red ruin in his wake.

Fenris is broken and the Space Wolves bloodied, following an invasion by the Daemon Primarch Magus the Red, whose slaughter of Fenris's people enabled him to pull the Planet of the Sorcerers across the threshold of reality and into the galaxy. Warp storms tear across the galaxy like a crimson scar across the heavens. The Malestrom waxes strong and the Eye of Terror burns with the ferocity of the Dark Gods.

Cadia
The Cadian system lies on the edge of the Eye of Terror, the rift between the material realm and the Immaterium. It is the duty of the worlds in the Cadian system to guard the Cadian Gate, the only stable Warp corridor from the Eye of Terror - the path that Abaddon's Black Crusades have often taken. Though many of the planets in the Cadian system are home to shipyards, orbital defenses and Astra Militarum forces, it is Cadia Prime that bears the full brunt of the system's responsibilities, training billions of new recruits every year to defend the Imperium.

And now, at the end of the 41st Millennium, Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade pours forth from the Eye of Terror. Thousands of starships carrying millions of warriors emerge from the Warp to lay waste to the Imperium of Man. Among Abaddon's forces march Legionaires of the Great Crusade, embittered warriors over 10,000 years old who wish only to see the galaxy burn. Renegade Space Marines and traitor Guardsmen fight alongside them, followed by hordes of Cultists and Warp-tainted psykers. Daemons caper in the wake of the Black Crusade, waiting for the boundary between realities to shatter so they can pour forth and sate their hunger on souls that burn bright with with life. Beset on all sides by aliens, heretics and witches, the Imperium can only watch as Cadia is assailed by the greatest army Abaddon the Despoiler has ever assembled...

...and weep as Cadia fights its last war.

"The Fall of Cadia is one of those events we all secretly hoped would happen, but never expected to," says Creative Writing Manager Jes Bickham, who's currently overseeing the rules and background writers working on the Gathering Storm project. "Cadia, and the people of Cadia, are symbols of Imperial defiance, forever fighting against the forces of Chaos. Cadia has always stood firm where lesser worlds, and lesser people, would long have fallen to the Dark Gods. Indeed, Abaddon the Despoiler has conducted no fewer than 12 Black Crusades up to this point and Cadia has always stood in his way. The 13th Black Crusade is different. This time Abaddon's full military might is aimed at Cadia and he intends to destroy it. He's totally motivated by hubris - he will destroy Cadia. But that's not solely what this book is about, because the events that take place in Cadia, and the characters that fight for the world's survival, will set in motion other events that will have massive ramifications for the future of the Imperium. It's safe to say nothing will be the same again!"

That becomes abundantly clear when you read the introduction to the book, which describes in no uncertain terms that Cadia is doomed. Abaddon's invasion has already ravaged the world, millions have died, millions more are dying and Chaos, in every sense, is rife. Daemons...

Inquisitor Greyfax of the Ordo Hereticus
Inquisitor Katarina Greyfax is a member of the Ordo Hereticus, the Ordo responsible for hunting down witches. She was sculpted by miniatures designer Steve Buddle.

"I've wanted to sculpt a female Inquisitor for some time," says Steve. "I was inspired by a piece of John Blanche's artwork - several pieces, actually - and I thought it would be great to design a female member of the Ordo Hereticus. She's meant to be from another time, captured by Trazyn the Infinite hundreds if not thousands of years ago, which is why her wargear looks a little more archaic than that of other Inquisitors. Her power pack has exhaust pipes sticking out of it, her bionic eye is directly linked to a candle on her hat and she carries a condemnor pattern boltgun - essentially a crossbow for slaying heretics. I also wanted her power armor to look like the suits worn by the Adepta Sororitas, with the cabling on the thigh plates, the under-bust corset, the high greaves and armored boots. It suggests she might once have been a battle sister herself - her haircut certainly indicates that - or that perhaps her armor was given to her by them many years ago."

For more details and content, please purchase the January issue of the White Dwarf! For the Emperor! For Cadia! UGH! NOOO! CADIA WILL NOT FALL! NEVER! NOOOO!!!!

Cadia - Gateway to the Eye

Warhammer community has posted about Cadia - Gateway to the Eye. It gives a detailed and interesting background about Cadia, so it'll be a great read! Read more if you want to know about the awesome Cadian Shock Troops! They're the best Imperial Guard regiment in the Imperium of Man!

Cadia will NOT fall! For Cadia! For the Emperor!

Cadian Armored Fist

Do you remember this? Cadian Armored Fist? A squad of Veterans in a Chimera? Well, it's back.



Actually, it's not just for us Imperial Guardsmen (yeah, it says Cadian, but you can just paint them however you like, and Draconians just copy the Cadian uniform and armor anyway). Apparently a whole bunch of armies, Imperial, Traitor and Xenos, are all getting their various armored assault boxes. Warhammer Community has posted about this, so check that out for the full range!

Apparently this box is about your Troop slot in a Dedicated Transport, so yeah. Armored infantry. Or infantry in an armored personnel carrier. In this case, it's your squad of Guardsmen in a Chimera APC, so you'll be driving them around to capture objectives, hence the title of the Warhammer Community's post, Objective Secured! Dedicated Transport also gains Objective Secured if you purchase them for your Troops, so that's why.

None for Adeptus Mechanicus, sadly enough...because we don't have Dedicated Transports for our Troops or Elites. Oh well. But hey, it doesn't matter. For the Emperor!