White Dwarf 468 - September 2021 - PDFCOFFEE.COM (2024)

WARHAMMER

FLASHPOINT MECHANICUS KILL TEAMS ASTARTES: THE WOLFSPEAR TOME CELESTIAL: SLAVES TO DARKNESS EAVY METAL

MORTIFACTORS BLACK LIBRARY SHORT STORY AND MUCH MORE FOR WMff nMMWCIC 40,000

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Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2021 excepting all materials pertaining to the New Line theatrical productions: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES which are © 2021 New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG. THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s21) All quotations from J.R.R. Tolkien's literary trilogy The Lord of the Rings (including any of the volumes thereof) © The Tolkien Estate 1954-55,1966.

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WHITE DWARF ISSUE 468

KILLTEAM ENGAGE

LYLE LOWERY Managing Editor

The Wolfspear have arrived in force! In this issue, the Wolfspear are revealed in glorious detail in their own Index Astartes article, supported by a painting guide, a model gallery, and a free transfer sheet packaged with this issue! That gives you everything you need to learn all about the Wolfspear and start your own collection of them!

Kill Team is back and better than ever, and the techmagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus were eager to get in the fight. In this issue, they get a mighty 'mini-codex' treatment! Expect more of that in future issues! We have enjoyed putting the new Kill Team through its paces, so we thought it would be fun and cool to offer some supplemental measuring tools on this issue's tear-out card sheet. These will complement the plastic

measuring device designed for the game, and usually the plastic gauge will be your first choice for making measurements in Kill Team. There will be some times that these cardstock measuring tools are particularly handy, though, like when you need to use more than one of them end to end, or when you need to reach into a spot where the full-sized gauge might be too big to fit. Here's a couple of tips to make full use out of your measuring gauges. Using a steel ruler as a guide, carefully use a sharp hobby knife to neatly cut out the gauges. Then, roll the gauge down its length of the barrel of a thick highlighter or marker. This will give your gauges a slightly convex shape, similar to that of a tape measure's tape. This will help it stand out straight and rigid, and it will make it quite a bit easier to pick up off the board as well. Alternatively, if you really want to go all out, you can glue the gauges to a strong backing material like plastic card. 1

4 CONTACT! Letters, painting advice and beautifully painted miniatures. Plus: quarantine time and a question about salvage rights.

CONTENTS

10 WORLDS OF WARHAMMER War correspondent Nick Horth discusses writing battlefield action and how it's not always about blood and gore. WARHAMMER 40,000 16 INDEX ASTARTES: THE WOLFSPEAR A deep dive into the mysterious Wolfspear, one of the few known successors of the Space Wolves. Awoo! Plus, new rules! WARHAMMER 40.000 26 GALLERY OF GRIMW0LVES Three pages of stunningly painted Wolfspear miniatures, plus a guide to the Chapter's insignia and heraldry. WARHAMMER 40,000 30 PAINT SPLATTER: SONS OF THE WOLFSPEAR Two painting guides for the young Sons of Russ - one using the Contrast paints, the other using Classic techniques. WARHAMMER 40,000 34 A TALE OF FOUR WARLORDS We're at 100 Power! Joel, Jonathan, Drew and Lydia show off their latest creations for their ever-growing armies. WARHAMMER 40,000 KILL TEAM 44 OPERATION BRIEFING Games developer Elliot Hamer joins us to talk about the new edition of Kill Team and some of the game's major changes. 48 AGENTS OF THE MACHINE GOD An in-depth look at the Kill Teams assembled by the acquisitive TechPriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. 54 EYES OF THE OMNISSIAH All become one with the Motive Force! The Adeptus Mechanicus take on the Tyranids in this short story. 58 HUNTER GLADE KILL TEAM A hefty 16 pages of shiny new rules for fielding the Adeptus Mechanicus in the latest edition of Kill Team. 74 BATTLE REPORT: AWAKEN THE DATA-SPIRITS The Death Korps of Krieg take on a team of Ork Kommandos in a deadly mission to reactivate a secret weapons system. 2

KILITEAM

THERE’S A NEW EDITION OF KILL TEAM! HERE WE FIND 0UTAD0UTTHE GENESIS OF THE GAME, SH0W.0FFS0ME NEW RULES AND PLAY AtiATTLE REPORT.

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92 GALACTIC WAR HOSTS: HIVE FLEET LEVIATHAN Eight pages of painting and modelling inspiration for the purple-and-white aliens from beyond the stars. Includes tentacles. You have been warned.

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WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR 102 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT Lord-Aquilor Louis Aguilar joins us to discuss Pitched Battles in the latest General s Handbook. WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR FLASHPOINT CLASH 106 REALMSCAPES: THE REALM OF DEATH A closer look at the land of afterlives, where the dead do not rest easy. Nor the living, come to think of it ... 112 THE TOME CELESTIAL: SLAVES TO DARKNESS Across the Mortal Realms, the servants of the Dark Gods bring corruption and ruination to all they touch. Also includes a major update for Battletome: Slaves to Darkness. 124 USURPATION OF POWER Can Belakor wrestle the Banelands from Archaon's grasp, or will he be sent packing in this Chaos-on-Chaos campaign set in the Realm of Death?

ON THIS ISSUE’S TEAR-OUT SHEET

This issue's card insert features three unique Stratagems for the Wolfspear - Killing Blow, Track and Hunt, and On the Scent - enabling you to really get to grips with these ferocious warriors on the battlefield. The card section also includes a set of Kill Team measuring devices set at all the ranges you need to play the game.

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'EAVY METAL 130 BRUSH TIPS Max Faleij explains how the Eavy Metal team develop a colour scheme for a new army. Here he looks at the colour palette for the Kruleboyz.

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BLACK LIBRARY 134 LEGACY OF POSUL Blood is spilt and skulls taken in this short story that pits the Mortifactors against the World Eaters. Rated G for Gory! 142 INSIDE THE STUDIO We talk about some of the models we've painted and the games we've played over the last month. 3

CONTACT

Where we feature your thoughts, questions and painted miniatures. Send us your letters and pictures, and we ll print the best ones we get.

Celestine, the Livinq Saint by Brandon Ryan

Blood Bowl Black Ore And Goblins by Moritz Pcltc

SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY Hey White Dwarfers. First of all, thank you for such a good magazine (I really enjoy the Battle Reports). The last two years were tough for me, but as always, the community looks out for you. I had surgery on my knee, meaning I missed out on leading my school for the Kill Team School League semi-final (the day of the surgery) and many other things besides. When 1 vented my misgivings on a group, they responded amazingly and with great humour, and I read their responses while in hospital. Painting is something I’ve always struggled with, as I have a hidden disability called dyspraxia. This means my hands shake quite a bit, and this doesn't help when I’m a perfectionist! Anyway, I've attached pictures of what I've managed to paint successfully, with encouragement and pointers from my local community. George Whall-Young Bedford, UK 4

It certainly has been a tough few years, George, and no mistake. We imagine it must have been even harder stuck in hospital for some of it. Not much fun at all! Fortunately, knees aren't often required when painting Warhammer models, and it looks like your painting is coming along excellently, even with shaky hands. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that your work is exceptional. There are plenty of hobbyists out there who would love to be able to paint a miniature this well! It just goes to show you can achieve anything with the right attitude and some determination.

EMAIL US: [emailprotected] FIND US ON FACEBOOK: ©WARHAMMEROFFICIAL

QUARANTINE: DAY ONE Hello from Australia! My son Max and I have just landed in Perth, and we are starting our fourteen-day quarantine in a small hotel room. Our first request was for a table so we could get our dice-rolling underway. We packed a new box of Aeronautica Imperialis and Kill Team to keep us sane. Max brought his Necrons, and I'm using an Orky mob led by Boss Sniksmash. QUARANTINE UPDATE: DAY THIRTEEN We should be out tomorrow if the latest tests come back okay. Max started with Necrons in Kill Team but painted a squad of Deathwatch that have been slaughtering my Orks left, right and centre. We almost finished painting our aircraft, and I painted some of my Orks. 1 do think Warhammer is fantastic for quarantine situations, especially if you are travelling with kids. My advice: take pre-primed models if possible. If not, then watered-down Corax White does the same job. You only need five to ten paints to be able to do almost any colour. Brushes are light as well. Make sure you ask the place where you are staying for a small table for gaming. Blood Bowl could be an awesome option, due to the self-contained nature of the game.

WRITE TO US: THE WHITE DWARF BUNKER GAMES WORKSHOP NOTTINGHAM NG7 2WS UNITED KINGDOM

By submitting letters, articles or photographs, you give Games Workshop permission to feature them in White Dwarf, on the Warhammer Community page or on Facebook at any time in the future. To read our full privacy policy, see the White Dwarf Privacy Notice in the Customer Services section on: www.games-workshop.com

company and will be fixing Max up with opponents his age. Me personally, I’ve read W/iite Dwarf since 1979 when my own father brought me a copy home, and I have played 40K and other games for many years. The last couple of years have been, in my view, fantastic for the hobby, and 1 can’t wait to see a new Tyranid codex. Hint: make Lictors scary again. Gavin Coles Victoria, Australia Fourteen days stuck in a hotel room with Warhammer to keep you occupied. Sounds ... awesome! We're glad to hear that your quarantine time went well and that you managed to get plenty of models painted and lots of games in. More importantly, you can now enjoy freedom, fresh air, corks on hats, shrimps on barbies and other outdoor things. Huzzah! We hope Max has a great time studying in Australia and gets plenty of games in at the Geelong store. Well put in a request for scary Lictors for you, too. Anything with noodles for a face has to be nasty, right?

QUARANTINE UPDATE: FREEDOM! Morning from Victoria! We are out of quarantine! We got almost everything painted except for a set of Necron terrain. Overall, Max won the Kill Team series, and I won the air war. Good results! Max has moved to Australia to study for a few years, so he will be raiding my army collections for his gaming whilst here. Our local Warhammer store in Geelong is run by a really excellent guy, Bradley, who is a credit to your

Gotrek Gurnisson by Domenico DiBello

Stormcast Eternals Retnbutors by Shane Hickman

CONVERSION CORNER - NURGLE S FALLEN CHILDREN This issue's conversion corner has been taken over by a hideous (in a good way) Nurgle warband. Their creator, Lucas Levieux, tells us about his inspiration. Lucas: I’ve always been a fan of John Blanche's artwork. His style has had a major influence on my painting and vision of the hobby. 1 always work on one mini at a time because the soul of the model is very important to me. My process? Chup and glue together some bits I like, then add some modelling putty and some Agrellan Earth here and there before undercoating. When 1 paint, 1 u^.e lighting and high contrast as a texture, applying White Scar as a highlight and Typhus Corrosion in the deep shadows. On these models, the skin is painted with Cadian Fleshtone and Kislev Flesh and glazed with Xereus Purple, Plaguebearer Flesh and Skeleton Horde. The armour plates are rusted with Typhus Corrosion, Mournfang Brown and Fire Dragon Bright. The clothes are mostly made with a mix of several Contrast paints and Screaming Skull.

CONTACT Adepta Sororitas Canoness and Battle Sisters by Aleix Gibert

Chaos Magister by Bas van der Schaaf

Tyranid Warrior by Philipp Hdppner^ »■

Gottret de Montbard and Watch Captain Artemis by Beniamin Fryxelius

PAINTING QUESTION: PALANITE ENFORCERS Hello W/i/te Dwarf Team, I fell in love with the Palanite Enforcers kit and the darkness that creeps in the Necromunda hives. As I want to help justice to be done, 1 want to paint an Enforcer team of my own and wanted to ask you if you could give me the colour recipe to paint them like the painter on your website did. They look awesome! Andreas Berger Dusseldorf, Germany

BLACK ARMOUR Etauuai. Abaddun Black Highlight: Dark Reaper

BLACK CLOTH UNDERSUIT Basecoat: Abaddon Black

Highlighf Thnnderhawk RIiir

Highlight: Skavenblight Dingo

Highlight: Russ Grey

Highlight: Stormvermin Fur

Highlight: Fenrisian Grey

Highlight: Karak Stone

Highlight: Blue Horror

YELLOW Undercoat: Corax White Basecoat: Averland Sunset Shade: Mournfanq Brown & Gorthor Brown 1:1 Glaze: Ynel Yellow Highlight: Flash Gitz Yellow Highlight: Phalanx Yellow

That's an excellent suggestion for a painting question, Andreas. The lawless underhive could use some more Enforcers on the streets to keep the gangs in check! We had a chat to the painters, and the colours below are what they used for the three main areas on the models. They advise using a Chaos Black undercoat, as the majority of the models are pretty dark, but then rebasing the yellow areas with Corax White to ensure they really pop. You get a much more vibrant colour than painting straight over black.

MODEL OF THE MONTH: DEATH RIDER OF KRIEG This issue’s model of the month is an impressive Death Koips Death Rider dioiarna (I r y saying I ha I live* I imes

fast!) painted by Michael Kurz.

Michael: I wanted to make a trench scene for my diorama. I created the body of the diorama from insulation foam and then cut down some wooden coffee stirrers to make the planks. The support beams are made out of plastic card. 1 primed the base black and then painted the boards Rhinox I lide followed by a 1:1 highlight of Rhinox Hide and Cadian Fleshtone. I used Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade to add depth. For the mud, I used a whole pot of Stirland Mud with some extra added dirt from the garden. The wet effect was achieved by adding 'Ardcoat gloss varnish to the mud and clear resin in the puddles. I also added some natural sticks and grasses, painting them black and highlighting them with grey and white to create a burned effect. The barbed wire received some blood by using glue and Blood for the Blood God. The horse was primed black and painted with several highlights in grey to give it a grimdark look. I also painted the armour in nommetallic metals, adding scratches and dark-brown tones into the shadows to show the armour has been well used. The cloak from the rider is painted Thunderhawk Blue mixed with white and a small amount of Guilliman Blue to make him stand out. The final touches were the green eyes on the horse’s gas mask, some extra mud around its legs and a shovel to the base of the trench. Every trench needs a shovel!

Chaos Warriors of Nurgle by Malte Graffelmann

i Treeman & Akhorne the Squirrel by Roop Pandya

CONTACT

ASK GROMBRINDAL

Oh wise one, I seek your knowledge on the Kharadron! If a savvy duardin happened upon a crashed t skyvessel, could they salvage it and become a privateer? Surely ' there’s a provision in the Code for salvaging lost, crashed or misplaced skyvessels ...

Nick MeierUspiring privateer) Yeppoon Sky-port, Australia . :

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Technically yes, hut they'd be pjay\n&a dangerous game. The Kharadron Code is very strict when it comes to matters of salvage and recoverygand each sky-port would aggressively try to recover any property they consider stolen. Ships are rarely owned by individuals, but rather they are contractually leased, and there's lots of legalese to ensure that a ship is returned to its rightful owners. Also, an officer’s commission is only ever granted by the Admiral’s Council, so this privateer would be an outlaw and thus not protected by the Code, if they could deal with all that, plus continue to find enough aether-gold to keep them in the sky, then good luck to them!

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Sister Superior by Dylan Ashe

T'au Cadre Fireblade by Dean Lecoq

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TOP PHOTO TIPS

In Contact, we want to show off the very best miniatures painted by you, our readers. Of course, great miniatures need great pictures, so we came up with a useful guide to help you out: WWW.

\\ Space Wulves Wolf Lord * by Lorenzo Benuzzi

Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig by Liam Hopkins

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If you follow all the advice in that article, you really can't go far wrong. Our top tips are: Always use a white background. Make sure you've got good lighting.

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Ensure the whole model is in focus, including the base and all its weapons. Find the model's golden angle. If in doubt, take a look at the same model on the Games Workshop website to see how it was photographed.

Warhammer

WORLDS OF WARHAMMER NICK NORTH By day, Nick is one of the background writers for the Warhammer Age of Sigmar team. By night, he is a masked vigilante, bringing justice to the dark places of the world. No, wait ... he's a Black Library author who writes about vigilantes bringing justice to the dark places of the world. That's right! He still wears the mask, though. We re not sure why. s the very name of the game so eloquently suggests, conflict is at the heart of the Warhammer universe. For background writers like myself, warfare is our bread and butter; swords, axes and lasguns are our specialities. That's not to say that there isn't a vast amount of depth and complexity to the worlds we create, but perhaps the most important tool at our disposal is the ability to bring the tabletop wargaming experience to life, immersing our readers in the bloody battlefields of the Mortal Realms and the 41st Millennium. One might think that action scenes are as simple to write as they are thrilling to read, but actually they can be tricky devils. Without careful planning, even the most riotously over-the-top encounter can easily turn into a damp squib, lacking in excitement and meaningful stakes. If you’re a fan of Warhammer, you’ve likely read dozens, if not hundreds, of tales of high-octane destruction in your time. It's an enjoyably difficult challenge to ensure that every time we take to the battlefield, we show our readers something new and unexpected. So what are the secrets to this noble discipline? In my mind, there are four key components required for an exciting battle scene. Together, they will form a sturdy framework upon which to assemble your own bloody masterpiece.

1 Apart from Flesh Fearers, perhaps. There are always exceptions. 2 With the understanding that 'regular'is a relative concept in the Mortal Realms. 10

WHITE DWARF

1. THE STAKES The first questions you need to answer are simple ones: why is this battle taking place, and what are the possible repercussions for those involved? Every faction in the Warhammer universe has its own reasons for going to war, whether for plunder, glory or the uncomplicated pleasure of hacking someone to bits with an axe. On the strategic level, too, motivation is important. Space Marines don’t simply find the biggest blob of enemy troops and hurl themselves at it;1 they strike where they can cause the greatest damage

possible to their opponent, whether that's by attacking a vulnerable flank, decapitating the foe's command structure or denying them their most potent weapons. Think about what it is exactly the armies depicted are trying to achieve, even if their motivation is just to claim as many skulls as possible for the Blood God. This will ensure that your action scene has an internal logic and aid you in choreographing the specifics later. You will need to pick a point-of-view character, so think about what their goals might be, as well as the stakes (besides gruesome death) if they fail. Characters are the heart and soul of Warhammer. Their struggles and tribulations are the driving force for every tale we tell, from the briefest short story that takes up no more than half a page to a sprawling narrative spanning multiple books. On the battlefield, characters provide invaluable focal points, their desperate heroics or acts of villainy anchoring the action for the reader and providing clarity in the chaos. Rather than trying to cover the whole engagement by jumping back and forth between perspectives, it's typically best to stick to a single protagonist. This helps embed the reader in the midst of the fighting, offering a first-hand glimpse of the thunder and fury of battle. It also allows us to get inside our characters' heads. What is it like to be a hard-bitten trooper taking on the most horrific abominations in the galaxy armed with nothing but a standard-issue lasgun? Or a Slaaneshi Hedonite lost to the thrilling sensations of slaughter? Exploring how these regular folks2 think and feel is key to understanding their faction as a whole; why do they fight, and what passions, compulsions or emotions drive them? Once you understand the motivations of your cast of belligerents and how they will likely behave in combat, you’ll find that you're ready to move on to the specifics of the battlefield itself. 2. THE STAGE A bellowing mob of Ork Boyz is storming a T'au gun line that has arrayed in close formation along a steep and rocky ridge. The greenskins hope to force their way through a blistering fusillade of pulse rounds and get within dismembering distance of the puny Fire Warriors, where they can make their greater size and strength count. For all their terrifyingly deadly technology, the soldiers of Vior'la are heavily outnumbered, and

Worlds of Warhammer delves into the background of the Age of Sigmar and the 41st Millennium, looking at how stories are created and legends are born. This time, Nick joins us to talk about mastering the battlefield. By which we mean writing thrilling war stories! they know they must hold their ground and maintain discipline at all costs. If a single Ork breaks through their barrage, no amount of pamphlets extolling the virtues of the Greater Good will prevent their gruesome demise. The terrain - jagged volcanic mountain slopes favours the defenders, but there is an oozing channel of lava at the T'au's backs, and their Devilfish carriers are still nineteen clicks away ...

3. THE CRUNCH This is my favourite bit. After planning your battle out in painstaking detail like Ursarkar Creed himself, you finally arrive at the climactic moment when battle is joined. Two armies meet, each determined to wet the earth with the blood of their foes. This is when the high drama of Warhammer comes to life, with gunshots, clashing swords and the stench of burning promethium.

The above is an example of a relatively straightforward battlefield, but the vast worlds of Warhammer offer a limitless variety of wild and dangerous ground upon which to stage our stories, from the arcane maelstrom of Chamon's Spiral Crux to the shadowed vaults of a drifting space hulk. Combat in each of these arenas is going to be wildly different, with its own challenges, hazards and limitations. Moreover, each faction has a preferred environment that suits their style of warfare. Taking them out of that comfort zone is a great way to explore how these varied cultures think and adapt. For example, a formation of elite Lumineth cavalry that dominates the sun-baked deserts of Hysh is going to swiftly run into trouble when it strays into the stinking swamplands of southern Ghur where tribes of Bonesplitterz dwell.

Action is best delivered in rapid, exhilarating bursts. Eschew lengthy prose in favour of short, sharp sentences. Refrain from overchoreographing the fighting and instead rely on sensory details to get across the chaos; descriptions of sounds and smells instantly take root in the reader's imagination. Describe the

Almost immediately, that concept presents a striking image, doesn't it? Imagine a shining host of Vanari Dawnriders, struggling and sloshing their way through a sucking, acidic quagmire, while whooping orruks rain down rocks and flint-headed arrows upon them. More than simply offering a level of complexity to the battle in question, this also affords us the opportunity to say something interesting about each faction: the Vanari might be peerless riders, utterly deadly with their sunmetal lances, but despite their splendour they are not invincible, and sometimes their arrogance can lead them into grave danger. Likewise, despite their crude armaments, the Bonesplitterz are heavily muscled brutes that are tough to slay. Moreover, they are possessed of a low cunning that can easily take overconfident or unprepared foes by surprise. Create a battlefield that will provide an interesting dilemma for one or both of your belligerents. Quickly establish its areas of importance and pick a clear tactical goal for each side involved. Then, with the pieces set and the board assembled, it's time to have some fun.

WORLDS OF WARHAMMER concussive punch of friendly artillery landing far too close, the hot reek of the enemy's breath as our hero plunges his sword into their chest and stumbles down atop them. Descriptions of terrain - no matter how fantastical - are best delivered vibrantly yet succinctly, without unnecessary embellishment that can create a geometrical mess in the reader’s head. It's the same with the strikes and feints of the fighters themselves; describing every stage of an aelven warrior’s triple-looping-somersaultpirouette bogs things down and robs the drama of its immediacy. Instead, try to structure your sentences so that they have the flow and rhythm of a martial arts fight, cutting each action down to its barest essentials wherever possible. Simplicity and brevity works best for the cutand-thrust of melee combat, but when it comes to Warhammer's magical phenomena or more technologically advanced weaponry, feel free to indulge your inner movie director. Describe exactly what happens when a Purple Sun of Shyish glides over the battlefield, leaving twisted crystal corpses in its wake. Try to get across the mind-shredding horror of a Necron Monolith drifting out of the smoke, its weapons systems glowing like a dying star before unleashing a blinding torrent of antimatter that turns a half-dozen tanks to liquid metal. By employing just one or two of these epic moments in your action scene, you can make them feel truly special and terrifying. 4. THE TWIST Every good battle scene needs a twist, an unexpected event that alters the momentum of combat and throws up new challenges for our protagonists to deal with. Think of the most famous battles in fiction and in history, and how many of them turn upon a single decisive moment, a fateful flip of the coin that changed everything. The Warhammer universe is no different. Sigmar may perhaps have triumphed at the climactic Battle of Burning Skies against the assembled forces of Chaos, had he not lost his mighty weapon Ghal Maraz through Tzeentchian trickery. Only the sacrifice of an Emperor-class battleship prevented the majority of the Ultramarines Chapter from becoming Tyranid snacks during the Battle of Macragge. Charging into the heart of Hive Fleet Behemoth, it detonated its warp engines, destroying countless alien vessels and hurling the invasion force into disarray. The lore of both Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 is filled with such climactic occurrences. You can translate this down to the smallest ground-level engagements. Lull the reader into thinking the battle is headed one

way, then switch things up. Perhaps our beleaguered T’au Fire Warriors are retreating to the lip of a fiery precipice, firing from the hip with their pulse rifles at four hundred charging Orks. All seems lost. Yet just as the greenskins close in for the kill, a blinding spotlight envelops our protagonists. The scream of anti-grav engines splits the air as two Devilfish transports soar down from above, seeker missiles raining down to engulf the advancing enemy in a series of blossoming explosions. Of course, the addition of a twist does not mean the underdog always needs to triumph or that every single battle needs to end in an upset. It can simply consist of an unexpected complication, a spanner thrown in the works that hurls everything into disarray. Extreme conditions make for exciting and unpredictable catalysts. Imagine a sudden storm of scalding blood that sweeps across the battlefield, leaving the warriors wading through gore, unable to pick out friend from foe in the gruesome deluge. Picture two warbands battling atop a rocky outcrop in Ghur when suddenly the very ground beneath their feet rises up with a guttural bellow of outrage, revealing itself to be some slavering, rocky behemoth, enraged to be woken from its slumber. The twist will add some unpredictability to your action scene, but it should be followed by a satisfying resolution. When the dust finally settles, there should be no doubt as to which army triumphed and which succumbed to ignoble defeat. THE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE Battles are always fought for a reason. Each side is hoping to get something from the encounter, and the tale doesn’t suddenly come to an end when the last shot is fired. In many ways, the aftermath of a battle is the most dramatically interesting moment, for it is here that we get to explore the ramifications of defeat and the consequences for our characters. Obviously, not every action scene needs a sweeping coda in which the resolution is recounted in exhaustive detail. If you're telling the story of a particular battle in isolation, perhaps the sweet taste of victory is all that is required. I hope this gives you some insight into how to go about writing a Warhammer dust-up. Perhaps you can use this structure to write your own exciting tales of death-defying action, possibly starring heroes - or villains - from your own miniatures collection. In my opinion, there’s no better way to forge an attachment to your favourite army than to recount their tabletop deeds in narrative form, transforming the humble act of dice-rolling into grand, theatrical drama.

A LITTLE EXTRA READING

What would you like to read about in Worlds of Warhammer? Let us know your thoughts, and well pass them on to the writers! team@ whitedwarfco.uk

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/ In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war! This issue’s no exception as we feature Index Astartes: Wolfspear, a modelling guide for Hive Fleet Leviathan and a whole host of Kill Team articles! / •hi

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KILL TEAM There's a new edilion of Kill Team! Turn to page 44 for the Operation Briefing, which is followed by 44 pages of action-packed Kill Team content!

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espite their relatively recent foundation, the grim Space Marine brotherhood known as the Wolfspear have already proved themselves to be fearsome and ruthless hunters, honouring the genetic legacy of their forefather, Leman Russ. Wherever they stalk, the Wolfspear prey upon the enemies of Mankind with a dark hunger intensified by blood-sworn battle oaths and a fierce loyalty to kith and kin.

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ASTARTES

Founded during the early years of the Era Indomitus. the Wolfspear are blood brothers of the fabled Space Wolves and descendants of the Primarch Leman Russ. Cold and taciturn, they are nevertheless possessed by a powerful wyrd, a spiritual force that makes them excellent hunters. Some may even say predators...

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The Wolfspear Chapter owes its origin to Roboute Guilliman's arrival on Fenris at the head of an Indomitus Crusade fleet. Responding to the calamity of the Great Rift, the Primarch came in person to the Space Wolves, bringing with him Primaris Space Marines drawn from the Chapter's own gene-seed and the technological means to forge more of their kind. Some, he proposed, would join the ranks of the Space Wolves themselves, while others could be used to form new Chapters, furthering the lineage of Leman Russ while adopting the weapons and doctrines that characterised the Ultima Founding. Guilliman's gifts evoked complex emotions from all Chapters they reached, but few responses were as fractious and fiery as those voiced in the Fang. Though the Great Companies had been severely depleted by recent campaigning, the Primaris warriors presented to the gathered Wolf Lords were not initially embraced as pack-mates. Lips curled and hands tightened around weapon grips at the scent of the newcomers. The Space Wolves had not fought alongside these warriors; they had not welcomed them back, bloody but unbowed, from the Lone Hunt, nor shared fireside tales and flagons of burning mjod with them in the halls of the Fang. As such, some Wolf Lords argued for the outright rejection of the reinforcements. When Gunnar Red Moon roared that he would sooner hunt his quarry alongside a dozen true Sky Warriors than a hundred others with whom he had never feasted, there were several growls of agreement. Others held their tongues but brooded warily, distrusting what they saw as an effort to curb the independent tactical traditions of Fenris, but sensing in the Greyshields the keen instincts and proud bearing of true sons of Russ. As Great Wolf, it fell to Logan Grimnar to rule on the matter. Having sternly counselled his Wolf Lords to respect the will of Lord Commander Guilliman during his visit, Grimnar afterwards voiced the Kin-pack Declaration - a formal recognition of the Space Wolves’ successors. Whether forged in the Fang or otherwise, all were scions of the Wolf King, and all should be permitted to prove their mettle in battle or earn the scorn of their brothers. However, it was also the Great Wolf's duty to safeguard the fighting creed of his kin, and Grimnar's declaration made clear that the new Chapters - and any Primaris warriors joining the Space Wolves themselves - should uphold the ancient customs of the Space Wolves, not an Ultramarian ideal. Thus each Primaris pack assumed the traditional roles of blood claws, grey hunters and so on, as befitted their tactical strengths and experience.

INDEX ASTARTES Amongst these newly formed brotherhoods was the Wolfspear. The Chapter began life as an under-strength, fleet-based force combining Primaris brethren who had voyaged with Guilliman and other Fenrisian initiates elevated to the status of Sky Warriors in the traditional way, the Wolf Priests being unwilling to close off the recruitment path they themselves had once walked. These first Wolfspear warriors showed clear signs of their ancestry: keen-eyed and hungry for the hunt, their pointed canines marked them out as sons of Russ. They bared these fangs only rarely, however, showing little emotion behind their cold predator’s poise. To those amongst the Space Wolves accustomed to bullish camaraderie, this brooding mien made the Wolfspear seem aloof and untrustworthy, but the more calculating of the Wolf Lords looked beyond the coldness of their new kin and saw a fiercely loyal spirit. Erik Morkai was particularly struck by the focus and killer instinct the Wolfspear displayed during their early deployments. The Chapter showed a preference for swift terror tactics and brutal executions such as Morkai favoured himself, and in a rare gesture of respect the taciturn Wolf Lord seconded some of his most experienced wolf scouts to the Wolfspear to impart their deadly hunting methods. The Wolfspear also found favour with Logan Grimnar, who saw much in them that the Wolf King himself would have praised. The dour warriors of the Wolfspear possessed a strong wyrd - even Njal Stormcaller spoke of it. They would be the Grimwolves, the Dark Terror, sent into the void to slaughter without mercy. To bolster their numbers, Grimnar granted the Chapter additional warriors drawn from his own Great Company. A small number of these were hoary veterans who stoically crossed the Rubicon Primaris to guide their new packbrothers in battle; others were initiates earmarked for Grimnar's Champions of Fenris, who became some of the first Fenrisians to receive the gifts of Cawl at the hands of the Wolf Priests in the Fang. This influx of warriors young and old forged close bonds of brotherhood between the Wolfspear and their parent Chapter, and being as yet lacking a home world of their own, the Wolfspear began to regard Fenris in a totemic sense; a primal presence reaching out to them across the stars, like a moon obscured by cloud but known by its diffused light. Many Fenrisian customs are maintained by the Wolfspear aboard their vessels and during battle, and though pride in their own pack identity comes first, the Chapter's Rune Priests and Wolf Priests speak well of the Space Wolves as their elder kindred.

THE FIRST-SLAIN Before Roboute Guilliman's crusade fleet reached Fenris, the Primaris warriors that voyaged with him faced the flames of battle many times. From ambushes in the void to full-scale confrontations on planets of high strategic worth, Greyshields drawn from many genetic lineages fought side by side at the Primarch's command. Nonetheless, in these early hostilities the scions of Leman Russ quickly gravitated towards each other, forming hunting packs with those they instinctively trusted as brothers and keeping others at a measured distance. Amongst these warriors, those of a similar disposition found further common ground, forming bonds that endured within the Space Wolves successor Chapters. Hence many of the psychically inclined amongst them became the nucleus of the esoteric Icefangs Chapter, while the grim-faced huntsmen who preyed from the shadows found a natural home in the Wolfspear. 17

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In the course of these bloody conflicts, there were many Greyshields who fell before their Chapter service could begin. To the Primaris sons of Russ, those lost from their bloodline came to be known as the First-slain, held in great honour for the feats of arms that bought their kin passage to Fenris. This is particularly true of the Wolfspear, and for them an oath sworn upon the First-slain is as sombre and binding as any they can utter. Indeed, it is thought that the pale grey livery of the Wolfspear may owe something to the colourless plate in which the Greyshields fought, and though often embellished with runic detail and furs, it serves to remind them of the grey-clad heroes who await them in the realm of Morkai.

GRIM STARFARERS

Since their inception the Wolfspear have been predominantly an itinerant hunting force, prowling the stars without a home world to call

their own. This absence of a permanent planetary headquarters suits their combat doctrine well; those who dwell in shadow can choose their battles, encircling their foe unseen before leaping for the kill. Drawing parallels with the denizens of ancient Fenris, the Chapter's Wolf Priests assert that the ocean-borne kraken is a more elusive foe than the ice bears who dig their dens all too predictably in the mountains. Nonetheless, prolonged campaigning puts logistical strains on even the most resourceful commanders, and like other roaming Chapters the Wolfspear have established clandestine outposts in a number of key strategic systems. Whether veiled by inhospitable cloud storms or delved deep into the rock of seemingly barren moons, these secret hunting lairs allow the Wolfspear to re-arm and plan their next excursions far from the gaze of their enemies. In rare cases these scattered sites also serve an additional purpose as recruitment points, when the Human populace is deemed rugged and strong-willed enough to yield potential aspirants. Not by chance was the Chapter’s name chosen. The Wolf Lords of Fenris had agreed that a force should be formed that could be cast like a javelin deep into the Imperium Nihilus and other forsaken reaches, ranging far ahead of the war zones prioritised by the Indomitus Crusade fleets. The name also held a deeper resonance for some, evoking the legendary Spear of Russ gifted to their Primarch by the Emperor. Just as Russ had received that artefact reluctantly but

INDEX ASTARTES learnt to respect its great power, so now Guilliman offered the Primaris Space Marines to the Wolf King's sons; a potent new weapon at a time of peril. The Wolfspear maintain no single capital ship that can be likened to the mobile fortressmonasteries of some Chapters, prioritising stealth and agility over sheer tonnage. Instead, each of the Chapter's seven Jarls - the alpha warriors largely comparable to Wolf Lords - operates from a personal strike cruiser, accompanied by a fleet of smaller attack craft. The strike cruiser Umbral Claw, for example, is the vessel that bears High Jarl Irik Stianolf through the void, acting at once as the armoury, spiritual sanctum and lordly court of his jarldom. While several of these forces will gladly work in concert to harry and bring down high value targets, each Jarl's flotilla is fully autonomous, capable of hunting alone for years if need be. This has inevitably led to subtle variations of culture and fighting style between the different roaming fleets of the Wolfspear, and on the rare occasions when the Chapter convenes in full, the warriors of each Jarldom gather to exchange hunting tales and scrutinise the deeds of their peers. Unburdened by a home planet to protect or a wider battle line to support, the Wolfspear are free to track their prey into the furthest wilds of the galaxy, pausing only to seize what supplies they need from the beleaguered planets they find. Though they would be quick to deny it, this

THE OATHBOUND

Like their parent Chapter, the Wolfspear place great importance in tradition, and the ancient practice of oath making is central to their culture. As the Chapter's saga grows more lengthy with each passing battle, the deeds of their fallen heroes weigh heavier upon those that still live - valorous acts must be honoured with yet greater heroism, and the slain must be avenged. To bind themselves to this duty, Wolfspear warriors make solemn vows before battle and carve runic representations of them into their weapons and armour, often inlaying these with burnished metal or the powdered bones of lost comrades. Some warriors also ink their oaths into their very flesh, so that to look upon the bared face of a Wolfspear veteran is like viewing an ancient runestone covered in sigils. When several Wolfspear brethren are pledged to a similar cause, they will sometimes form into sub-packs dedicated to their shared oath. Whether sworn to hunt down the killer of their fallen alpha or to destroy a fastness used by heretical cults, these Oathbound drink together in firelit halls and salute their common purpose with raised horns of mead. Though ever loyal to their Jarl and the goals of the Chapter, few factors can stay the wrath of such warriors when their sworn objective comes within reach.

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TEMPESTS OF TERROR

Amongst the Wolfspear and most other Ultima Founding successors of the Space Wolves, there are a select few who possess tempestuous psychic abilities. Like the Rune Priests of Fenris, these powerful battle-psykers wield their mental might to aid their brothers and call down ruinous storms upon their foes. Wolfspear Rune Priests are particularly sinister specimens of their kind. Often wreathed in billowing shadow through which only their ice-blue eyes can be seen, they use their elemental gifts to strike terror and panic into the enemy, plunging the battlefield into eerie darkness before wreaking havoc with flensing blizzards and deadly lightning blasts.

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The Wolfspear also make frequent use of the psyker-hunting packs known as Hounds of Morkai. Marked beneath their Phobos armour with powerful runes of warding, these specialist killers are a formidable threat to enemy warpwielders, and their chilling presence has been known to reduce their psychic quarry to whimpering wretches even before their knives and pistols complete the kill.

lack of a permanent home world colours the psyche of the Wolfspear on a subliminal level. As sons of Russ they are innately territorial beings, and their deployment deep into the Sea of Stars offers the Chapter scant opportunity to claim long-term hunting grounds or win victories in the name of a planetary fastness of their own. Amongst other descendants of Russ, there are those who scent in their Wolfspear kin a silent yearning tor a hearth that will one day be theirs to fortify and defend with the same ferocity that the Fang is defended; a stronghold that, like the Fang, will echo with the chanting of sagas and the remembrance of the battle-slain. Perhaps for this reason, Wolfspear forces have been known to punish dug-in foes without mercy, razing fortifications and butchering their garrisons far beyond the needs of victory. Outwardly they would explain this savagery as retribution against static foes who robbed them of the thrill of pursuit, but equally likely is that they view any attempt to hold fortified positions against them as a mockery of their nomadic state.

COMBAT DOCTRINE The warriors of the Wolfspear are master packhunters, every aspect of their combat doctrine focused on the coordinated tracking, pursuit and destruction of their quarry. The first scent of the foe can be picked up in many ways - sometimes a single psychic ripple will reach a Wolfspear Rune Priest and give rise to a chase, while other trails may arise by following signs left amidst the rubble of broken cities or the wreckage of ambushed fleets. Whatever the initial trace, the Wolfspear close upon their enemy in complete stealth, observing their behaviour and movements until their weaknesses become clear. Phobos-armoured Infiltrator packs excel in this role, prowling behind enemy lines to probe defences and quickly silence threats that would slow the main Wolfspear assault. Next, Eliminator packs begin a campaign of terror that relents only when the battle is won, sowing panic and confusion with long-ranged assassinations from the shadows. With the enemy wrong-footed and bleeding, the full Wolfspear attack begins. Utilising speed and surprise, squadrons of Outriders and swift gravitic transports strike from multiple angles, severing avenues of escape and drawing valuable targets away from the protection of their allies. Thunderwolf Cavalry and other close support packs then encircle their isolated foes and move in for the killing bite, capitalising on the fear their battle-brothers have instilled in the prey. As much as possible, the Wolfspear translate these same tactics to the void, terrorising and outmanoeuvring larger fleets and launching

INDEX ASTARTES BAIILHSKUIHER IGURD BRYN A stern and stalwart warrior ot the Wolfspear battleline, Igurd Bryn has served his Jarl with honour since the earliest days of the Chapter's formal foundation. Bryn was born on Fenris and passed into the service of Jarl Halga Hyrdred after his physical elevation as a Primaris Space Marine was completed in the Fang. Though he now hunts in the galactic darkness tar from hie birth world, Bryn wears beneath his armour many ritualistic reminders ot his I enrisian heritage Jagged runes and oath sigils pattern his pale skin in red and black ink, attesting to his descent from Russ while also marking his deeds as a Wolfspear warrior. Bryn's battle-plate is more reserved in its ornamentation by comparison - bold, practical markings signify his role within the Chapter - but this too will likely become graven with further totemic signs of his own choosing as his war-voyage goes on.

Chapter Icon

A red diamond worn on the right pauldron is the symbol for a hanlellne unit.

The right knee pad features the Jarldom (company) marking. A red triangle on a black background represents Halga's Jarldnm

Wolfspear battlebrothers do not wear squad numbers. Instead they have pack markings, which are often displayed on their leg or backpack. Battle-brother Igurd Bryn, 2nd Battleline Squad, Flalga's Jarldom

precision strikes to tear the throats from the most vulnerable targets. Where such clashes can differ markedly from ground operations is the pursuit phase, however, owing to the vastness of space. Once the Wolfspear have made contact with enemy vessels, they will gladly chase those who attempt to evade them. Whether the trail spans systems, sectors, or even the nether-realms of the warp, the Wolfspear regard such pursuits as a test of their stamina and patience, knowing that their targets will eventually tire or succumb to the wounds dealt to them at the battle’s outset. Bled dry and haunted by spectral pursuers they cannot shake off, many targets lose the will to flee, and yield easily when the Wolfspear boarding craft finally make impact. ORGANISATION

For all their ties of brotherhood with the Space Wolves, the Wolfspear organise themselves in a highly independent fashion, modelling their practice on neither the Great Companies of Fenris nor the tenets of the Codex Astartes. The Chapter functions as a heptarchy, grouping its warriors into seven distinct battle hosts known as larldoms. These trace their origin to the earliest engagements fought by the Greyshields who were later sworn to the Wolfspear. Battle by battle, they gradually gathered into seven hunting packs, each small and agile enough to pursue elusive targets and fight on the move. Never recognised officially while attached to the Indomitus Crusade, these seven packs grew tighter as they hunted and bled together, and when addressing the matter of the Wolfspear Chapter's organisation, Logan Grimnar

HIGH JARL IRIK STIANOLF The first Jarl to be raised to a position of overlordship in the Wolfspear was Irik Stianolf, whose nomination came as the entire Chapter prepared to brave the Nachmund Gauntlet and hunt in the haunted void beyond. What fragmentary reports escaped the Imperium Nihilus spoke of nightmarish conditions and blasphemies beyond count, and the Jarls agreed that one amongst them should be their chief, should a coordinated assault prove possible. Stianolf first won the respect of his pack-mates while fighting as an unliveried warrior in Roboutc Guilliman's Crusade fleet. Sparing with words but always at the forefront of ambushes and precision strikes, he showed an uncanny ability to direct those around him, executing encirclements and kill missions as though his brethren were extensions of his own will. Irik himself attributes his successes to the hunting traits innate to every son of Russ, which he simply directs towards the destruction of the enemy, leading by example. To those outside the Chapter, Stianolf is an unsettling character who seems to draw unnatural sustenance from the fear elicited from his foes. While it is true that the scent of panic does stoke cold fires in the High )arl’s eyes and intensifies his battle lust, he views the tormenting of his enemies as simply a means to an end, and derives no pleasure from it; the more fearful the prey, the more easily they can be outwitted and slain.

recognised that only a fool would prise apart such battle-forged loyalties. While he sanctioned the Woltspcar's chosen unorthodoxies, Grimnar ruled that each hunting pack should formally elect an alpha from amongst their number - a proven warrior who would marshal their kin in the same manner as the Wolf Lords of Fenris. Like the Wolf Lords, these leaders were granted all the resources needed to wage war in an autonomous way, and each now sails the stars with a powerful arsenal of weapons and war machines at his disposal, along with enough Space Marines to at least equal the fighting strength of a conventional Codex Astartes company. Due to the wide-ranging nature of the Wolfspear's mission and fighting style, the Chapter is highly decentralised in its command structure, and each Jarl - as its Wolf Lords choose to be known leads his own warriors as he sees fit, consulting with the Wolf Priests, Rune Priests and Iron Priests who accompany him. Only at times of utmost need do the Jarls look to a higher authority to govern their actions, and in these circ*mstances a High Jarl is nominated from amongst the seven: one tasked with uniting the Jarldoms to bring down a formidable foe or lend the full weight of the Chapter to wider Imperial objectives. Like much of Wolfspear custom, this practice is rooted in pragmatic spoken oaths rather than codified law, and may yet evolve as the Chapter grows longer of tooth. To date, the fraternal instincts of the Wolfspear have proved stronger than any differences of character 22

between the Jarls, and the Chapter has shown an almost preternatural ability to coordinate their scattered forces when the need arises. HUNTERS IN DARKNESS Founded beneath Fenrisian skies stained by the fell light of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Wolfspear have never known respite from the war to salvage and renew the Allfather's realm. They are the grim scions of the Era Indomitus, bred for a desperate hour and well adapted to hunt in the darkness. The earliest deployments of the Wolfspear Chapter were vanguard strikes ahead of major Indomitus Crusade offensives. Before the massed forces of the Astra Militarum and other Imperial agents made impact, the Wolfspear would seek out and destroy the enemy’s deadliest assets, severing chains of command and sowing disarray before leaping back into the shadows. In these missions the Jarldoms competed with each other to demonstrate their prowess, mocking their peers for any operations they deemed too slow, too scattered in their application of force. Imperial allies soon found the Wolfspear to be restless of spirit, quickly jaded by protracted battle; sooner rather than later, the wilderness of space would call them away, and a fresh pursuit would begin. Before long, this fact turned the gaze of the whole Chapter towards the Imperium Nihilus. This benighted expanse had been proposed as the Wolfspear's eventual hunting ground even while Guilliman sat in the hall of the Great Wolf,

INDEX ASTARTES

but few had foreseen the draw that region would so quickly exert upon the Chapter. In a rare mustering of their full strength, the seven Jarls gathered their fleets at the mouth of the Nachmund Gauntlet and prepared to hunt on an unprecedented scale. Carving momentous oaths upon their blades and battle-plate and howling the Wolf King's name, they embarked into the abyss. How the Wolfspear have fared on this perilous voyage can be gleaned only from distorted fragments and nightmarish echoes. All that is certain is that the Jarls’ fleets soon became separated, and that the Chapter’s scattered sons now stalk the Emperor's foes in numerous sectors cut oft from the Astronomican’s light. Whether they remain the hunters or are now hunted themselves by horrors untold, nothing but death will break the oaths they have sworn. GENE-SEED

The Wolfspear are proud sons of Leman Russ, and feel a strong sense of kinship with all who share the Wolf King's genetic legacy. Like their forefather, they exhibit the keen senses and instinctive aggression of born hunters, and though they rarely show the fiery emotions that mark out many of their kind, the Wolfspear's struggle to contain their inner beast is no less intense. When the Primaris technologies were first presented to the Space Wolves, Ulrik the Slayer proposed that they might be the key to overcoming the bestial genetic flaw that resides

THE TEST OF MORKAI As a fleet-based Chapter with no single recruitment source, the Wolfspear have yet to establish fixed initiation rites akin to those practised for millennia on Fenris. While the Space Wolves test their aspirants in the wilderness beyond the Fang after gifting them with the Canis Helix, the Wolfspear must be adaptable, and conduct their own Tests of Moikai across various secret, inhospitable environments. One such proving ground is the death world Zordion, whose parched deserts are a far cry from the icy terrain of Fenris. Those cast into this desolate place must master the monstrous transformations triggered within them by the Canis Helix and fight Iheit way back to the Wolfspear drop zone, hewing a path through the xenos horrors that erupt from the sands around them. Othei aspirants stiuggle through landscapes more comparable with the Space Wolves' frigid home world, such as the perilous ice moon Xindos II. Wherever they are tested, these warriors face the same gauntlet as their counterparts on Fenris, and only the strongest progress into the elite brotherhood of the Wolfspear.

within every son of Russ: the Curse of the Wulfen. The Wolf High Priest’s hopes were not borne out, however. In the Wolfspear and all other Primaris descendants of Russ, this genetic anomaly lives on, and from the moment aspirants receive the Canis Helix, a lifelong physical and mental battle begins. Like unnumbered Space Wolves before them, any Wolfspear warrior may become overwhelmed by his inner savagery during the heat of battle, and descend into a berserk frenzy. For some this state subsides with the ceasing of combat; for others the transformation is too complete, and they serve the Wolfspear as feral Wulfen from that point onwards. 23

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CODEX SUPPLEMENT: WOLFSPEAR

This section presents the rules for fielding an army formed from

the Wolfspear Chapter, a Space Wolves successor Chapter. If your army is Battle-forged and includes any Wolfspear units, the rules in this section can be used in addition to those presented in Codex Supplement: Space Wolves. Designer’s Note: The Wolfspear are an Ultima Founding successor Chapter of the Space Wolves. They are a brooding pack ofgrim hunters with little humour or levity among the ranks. They are proud inheritors of Leman Russ’ legacy, and display much of the warrior culture associated with their forefather and brothers in the Space Wolves. The Chapter prefers to hunt their enemies, stalking them at every angle and engaging them from the shadows, all the while waitingfor the key moment to strike. For this reason, Vanguard squads are particularly suitable. When the opportunity presents itself, they go for the throat, an overwhelming display of aggression against a weakened prey.

CHAPTER TACTIC

The Chapter Tactic (see Codex: Space Marines) gained by Wolfspear units is Dark Terror.

WOLFSPEAR: DARKTERROR Like terrifying beasts in the dark, the Wolfspear hunt their prey from the shadows. When their quarry is weak and fearful, they descend with all haste to deliver the killing blow. • Add 1 to Advance rolls and charge rolls made for units with this tactic. • Each time a ranged attack is made against a unit with this tactic by a model that is more than 18" away, the unit with this tactic is treated as having the benefits of light cover against that attack (see the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book).

RELICS

If your army is led by a Wolfspear Warlord, you can, when mustering your army, give one of the following Chapter Relics to a Wolfspear Character model from your army. Named characters and Vehicle models cannot be given any of the following Relics. Note that some Relics replace one of the models existing items of wargear. Where this is the case, you must, if you are using points values, still pay the cost of the wargear that is being replaced. Write down any Chapter Relics your models have on your army roster.

ELEMENTALSHROUD The weave of this camo cloak emulates the movements of the elements. As a gust of wind passes, as rainfalls across the battlefield, as the haze of heat shimmers the air, the bearers form flickers in and out of perception. If the bearer remains stationary, they are clouded entirely, a ghost lost to the wilds. • Each time an attack is made against the bearer, subtract 1 from that attacks hit roll. • The bearer is not an eligible target for ranged attacks if it is more than 18" away from the firing model. If the bearer makes any kind of move, it loses the benefit of this part of this Relic until the start of your next Movement phase.

TOTEM OF STORMS I his runic totem empowers the rune priest who bears it. As they channel their energy, the totem awakens, gathering a tempest overhead. Its presence is a reservoir of psychic energy the psyker draws from, giving them mastery ofpsychic powers manifested in the battle. Psyker model only. Once per battle round, you can re-roll one Psychic test or Deny the Witch test taken for this model.

BLACKTOOTH Blacktooth is kept under the watchful eye of the Chapters rune priests, for it is whispered that dark spirits empower its edge. It is bestowed only to warriors who hunt alone, for the bind between blade and bearer takes a toll on the bonds of brotherhood. When the bearer is seemingly lost to the hunt, the rune priests reclaim blacktooth and return it to the vaults as the bearer is brought back into the fold. Model equipped with a combat knife or paired combat blades only. This Relic replaces a combat knife or paired combat blades and has the following profile:

WEAPON

RANGE

TYPE

Blacktooth

Melee

Abilities: Each time the bearer fights, it makes 2 additional attacks with this weapon. Each time an attack is made with this weapon, if the wound roll is successful, the target suffers 1 mortal wound and the attack sequence ends.

NEW RULES

WARLORD TRAITS

If a Wolfspear Character model is your Warlord, you can use the Wolfspear Warlord Traits table below to determine what Warlord Trait they have. You can either roll one D3 to randomly generate one, or you can select one.

1. STRIKE FOR THE THROAT

3. HOWLING BEAST

This warlord is terror made manifest, a beast that feasts on the

This warlord embodies the Chapters battle tactics, striking hard and true where the enemy is weakest.

fear of lesser souls.

Each time this Warlord makes a melee attack:

While this Warlord is within Engagement Range of any enemy models with a Leadership characteristic of 7 or less, add 2 to its

• You can re-roll the hit roll. • Improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of that attack

Attacks characteristic.

by 1.

2. HUNT FROM AFAR

This warlord is a danger in the shadows, its designated prey never safe from its gunsight. Each time this Warlord makes a ranged attack against a nonVehicle, non-MoNSTER unit, an unmodified hit roll of 2+ is successful and an unmodified wound roll of 2+ is successful.

STRATAGEMS

If your army includes any Wolfspear Detachments (excluding Auxiliary Support, Super-heavy Auxiliary or Fortification Network Detachments), you have access to these Stratagems, and can spend CPs to use them.

TRACK AND HUNT

ICP^ON THE SCENT

1CP

Wolfspear - Battle Tactic Stratagem

Wolfspear - Strategic Ploy Stratagem

No foe can escape the hunt, nor hide from the master trackers of

Sensing when an enemy is weakened and fearing for its survival, the Wolfspear emerge from the shadows for a rapid strike.

the Wolfspear. Use this Stratagem at the end of your Movement phase. Select one friendly Wolfspear Core unit, then select one enemy unit within 24" of it. Until the end of your turn, each time a model in that unit makes an attack against that enemy unit, that enemy unit does not receive the benefits of cover for that attack.

KILLING BLOW

Use this Stratagem at the start of your Charge phase. Select one enemy unit that had models destroyed or lost any wounds this turn. Until the end of the turn, each time a charge roll is made by a friendly Wolfspear Core unit, if that enemy unit was selected as a target of that charge, you can re-roll the charge roll.

1CP.

Wolfspear - Battle Tactic Stratagem When their prey is bleeding out, the Wolfspear strike hardest to deliver the killing blow. Use this Stratagem in your Shooting phase or the Fight phase, when a Wolfspear Core unit from your army is selected to shoot or fight. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in that unit makes an attack, if the target of that attack was below Half Strength when it was selected as the target, or if the target has a Starting Strength of 1 and had half or less of its wounds remaining when it was selected as the target, add 1 to the wound roll.

WARKAMMcR 40,000 /£”:£. :.'Cy

GALLERY OF GRIMWOLVES The Wolfspear are one of the many Space Marine Chapters that were forged during the Ultima Founding at the behest of Roboute Guilliman. Here we explain the insignia of the Wolfspear and show off a gallery of miniatures painted by members of the studio.

he Wolfspear are one of the few successor Chapters of the Space Wolves. Though they were forged alongside other Primaris Space Marines by Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, the warriors of the Wolfspear still bear the genetic code of the Primarch Leman Russ and, as such, have much in common with both him and their parent Chapter. CODEX COMPLIANCE Like their illustrious forebears, the Wolfspear flout the tenets of the Codex Astartes, ignoring Codex-approved insignia in favour of their own tribal markings and heraldry. Most feature stylised claw or fang marks, while others resemble the spearhead of the Spear of Russ - a potent artefact wielded by the Allfather during the days of the Homs Heresy. Squad numbers are similarly replaced with Fenrisian runes.

THE GRIMWOLVES UNLEASHED Over the page, you’ll find a collection of Wolfspear miniatures painted by members of the studio team. There’s an impressive kill team painted by ’Eavy Metal painter Martin Peterson (also shown below), two units of Intercessors and a Wolf Guard Battle Leader painted by Warhammer World studio manager James Karch and an Intercessor painted as a display piece by 'Eavy Metal painter Max Faleij. If you’re thinking of collecting a Wolfspear force of your own, the descriptive iconography guide shown opposite will be very useful. This guide to the Wolfspear's insignia will help you decide how you want to use the Wolfspear transfer sheet included with this issue. Be sure to check out the stage-by-stage painting guide that follows!

GALLERY INSIGNIUM WOLFSPEAR

Here is an in-depth investigation into the heraldry and insignia of the Wolfspear, successor Chapter of the Space Wolves and genetic sons of the Primarch Leman Russ. CHAPTER SYMBOL AND BATTLEFIELD RULES

From left to right: Chapter ; symbol, hattleline, close support and fire support insignia. The Chapter symbol is featured on the left pauldron. Other insignia are featured on the right.

Mk A JARLDOM MARKINGS

HELMET MARKINGS

The Chapter is comprised of seven Jarldoms, each the equivalent of a regular Battle Company. They are led by a Jarl with close to full autonomy. The eighth 'all black' emblem is used by scout squads across all the seven Jarldoms. Jarldom markings arc featured on tho right knoo.

Personal markings and variant helmet designs are common across the Chapter.

o o PACK RUNES

Every battle-brother in a unit bears the same pack rune somewhere on their armour or equipment. These runes are similar to unit numbers for Codex Chapters, though the Wolfspear do not specify where ! they must be placed. Knee pads, tasset plates and backpacks are all common places for the pack rune to be found.

4TW

VETERAN MARKINGS

Veterans. Wolf Guard. Battle Leaders, Honour Guard and Ancients all replace the battlefield-role iconography with bespoke pack-marking designs in a combination of white, black and red on their right shoulder. A Jarl may use similar designs in their own personal heraldry.

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WMItnAMMCK 40.000 ........

WOLF GUARD BATTLE LEADER BY JAMES KARCH

James has been a fan of Space Wolves for years and happily took on the challenge of painting the Wolfspear. This Wolf Guard Battle Leader was converted from a Primaris Lieutenant with a bearded head from the Bladeguard Veterans box. His right kneepad marks him out as a warrior of the first Jarldom.

ASSAULT INTERCESSORS BY JAMES KARCH

James used an undercoat of Grey Seer for his Wolfspear. He then lightly shaded the armour panels with a glaze of Grey Seer mixed with Dark Reaper. A further shade of Dark Reaper was then applied to the recesses of the armour panels. The armour was then highlighted with Ulthuan Grey mixed with Grey Seer followed by an edge highlight of Ulthuan Grey and finally a dot ot White Scar on the top edges. Battle damage was achieved using tine lines of Rhlnox Hide, which were then highlighted with Ulthuan Grey.

Wulf GiihiiI whhi elaborate pack markings on their right shoulder pad. Wolf Guard Battle Leaders will either retain that pack marking nr develop their own heraldry based on it.

INTERCESSORS BY JAMES KARCH

For the black armour, James applied a basecoat of Abaddon Black followed by a chunky highlight of Dark Reaper and Abaddon Black in a 1:1 mix. He followed this up with a highlight of Dark Reaper, another of Dark Reaper mixed with Administratum Grey and then finally a highlight of pure Administratum Grey. The red areas are Mephiston Red highlighted with Evil Sunz Scarlet and shaded with Khorne Red.

James wanted to give his Intercessors a wolf feel without going over the top. He used talismans and wulf tails fmm the upgrade kit (1) and markings from the transfer sheet (2) Lu help show some of the unique fcaturoc of the Space Wolves successors. He deliberately used a bare, scarred head for the pack leader to show his aggressive temperament (3). He also wears a wolf-tooth talisman around his gorget.

Aside from the first Jarldom icon on their right knee pads, James has also applied diamond battleline markings to their right pauldrons (1), Chapter symbols to their left ones and pack markings wherever they could fit, such as on knee pads and backpack reactor covers. Some warriors also carry Fenrisian trinkets (2).

GALLERY The Chapter icon (1) developed by Max is now available as a transfer. Huzzah!

INTERCESSOR BY MAX FALEIJ

Max painted this display model to celebrate the development of the Wolfspear's background and imagery. He used an Intercessor as the base of the model with the head of a Repulsor gunner. The knife sheath is from the Space Wolves Primaris Upgrades set. Max used the same colours as James's models on the opposite page, but with a deeper basecoat to the main armour colour plus loads of extra weathering and paint chips.

Max sees the Wolfspear as the sombre, calculating cousins of the brash Space Wolves, so he used a dark colour scheme accented with stark red markings (2). The industrial base (3) represents the interior of a starship, as the Wolfspear are a fleet-based Chapter.

Skarde is the Sniper specialist. Martin painted him with a black camo cape for night missions (1). A transfer on his gun marks him out as a veteran.

KILL TEAM BY MARTIN PETERSON

Martin converted and painted this Wolfspear kill team for games of Kill Team (kind of obvious, really!). He converted all of his models using various Primaris kits, the Space Wolves Primaris Upgrades frame and all manner of pieces from his bits box. You'll notice that his operatives don't all have Fenrisiansounding names. This is because the Wolfspear is a fleet-based Chapter that recruits aspirants from many different worlds. Some may change their names, while others may keep those of their birth worlds.

Skarde the Voiceless, Eliminator

Trondek Witch-Breaker, Intercessor Sergeant

Martin converted an Assault Intercessor with Haldor Icepelt's head to make his team leader. His heraldry was created using new Wolfspear icons (2), while trinkets from the upgrade frame adorn his belt (3). Kaius combines Intercessor parts with a Reiver knife drawing arm. The helmet is also from Haldor. His knee features the Chapter symbol (4), while his pauldron shows a battleline icon (5). Zubin Iron-hound is an Infiltrator Helix Adept and Medic specialist. His medipack can be seen on his belt (6).

Kaius Longtooth, Intercessor

Zubin Iron-hound, Infiltrator Helix Adept

Gurg the Stalker, Intercessor

Ghafek of the Red Ice, Reiver

Gurg the Stalker is an Intercessor. He wears a wolf pelt and a helmet from the upgrade frame. An honour mark adorns his tasset (7) while a pack marking can be seen on his backpack (8). Ghafek is the combat specialist and sports a bionic arm. His shoulder pad shows the close support icon (9).

, _.

- —

VVARHAMMER 40.000

SONS OF THE WOLFSPEAR

You’ve read all about the Wolfspear in Index Astartes. Now’s your chance to paint these scions of Leman Russ. Over the next four pages, you’ll find two painting guides for them one using Classic techniques, the other using Contrast paints.

he Wolfspear wear cool grey power armour with black shoulder pads, backpacks and weapons. While the colour scheme itself is relatively simple, it leaves plenty of space for you to add spot colours to your models such as pack and Jarldom markings and even crusade symbols. Wolf-tooth necklaces and runic charms are also a great place to add a dash of colour.

RATTLE READY Using the stages to the right, this Assault Intercessor has been painted to a Battle Ready standard. An army painted to this level would look awesome!

CLASSIC STYLE The main armour colour is actually very easy to achieve with the Classic style but does take a little patience to get used to. After applying a Grey Seer basecoat, the recesses of the armour (often called the panel lines) are shaded with Dark Reaper. The paint is thinned down a lot with water until it is closer to the consistency of a Shade paint. GREY POWER ARMOUR

Basecoat; Grey Seer

RLACK ARMOUR

Basecoat: Abaddon Black M Base

Recess Wash: Dark Reaper S Layer

PARADE READY With a few extra highlights to each area of the model, the Battle Ready Intercessor has been made Parade Ready. He is now a true paragon of the Wolfspear!

Highlight: Grey Seer & Ulthuan Grey 1:1

Highlight: Dark Reaper

S Layer

WHITE FACEPLATE

PAINT SPLATTER A small, thin brush (S Layer in this case) is then used to apply this wash to the recesses of the armour. Make sure the tip of the brush comes to a point before you apply the wash to avoid too much paint going on the white armour panels. Basecoat all the black areas next before applying the highlights to the white armour. This way, you can tidy up any mistakes from the black and the Dark Reaper wash with Grey Seer before applying the white highlights. It’s far easier to tidy up black than it is to tidy up pure white! The first armour highlight is a chunky highlight that can be applied around all the edges of the armour. The second highlight should be applied only to the very edge. Try using the side of the brush for better control when applying it. AQUILA

WEAPON CASING

PAINTING LEXICON Basecoat: A wellapplied basecoat makes for a strong foundation for later stages. If using a Base paint, thin the paint with a little water and apply several coats for even coverage. If using a Contrast paint, it can be applied directly to the miniature.

FIFTY SHADES OF ...

The Wolfspear wear pale grey-white armour, but there are many ways you can paint grey with Citadel paints. If you head over to our Warhammer YouTube page, you will find loads of painting guides for grey armour. Search for Space Wolves, Storm Reapers, Carcharodons, Red Scorpions (they are grey, we promise - don't let the name fool you). Grey Hunters and plenty more besides.

EYE LENSES & GEMS

Basecoat- Runelord Brass

Basecoat: Abaddon Black

Basecoat: Evil Sunz Scarlet

S Base

M Layer

POUCHES & BELTS

GUN METAL

Recess Wash: Sometimes you will want to focus a wash in the recesses, leaving the surface colour as it is. For these focused washes, use a smaller brush and carefully apply the wash directly into the recesses.

Wash: Reikland Reshshade

Wash: Rhinox Hide & Lahmian Medium

M Shade

M Glaze

Wash: A wash is an easy way to bring out details and textures on a model. Shade paints are designed for this, though Contrast paints thinned with Contrast Medium also work well. When you apply a wash, most of it will run into the recesses, but some will dry over the whole area, creating all-over shading.

Layer: Layering helps bring out the detail on a model. A layer is applied all over the area you're painting except in the recesses. Layer paints are ideal, as are Base paints thinned with water. Highlight: Highlights represent light falling on a raised edge and help define an area of your model. Highlights are applied like a Layer but only to the very edge of the area.

Highlight: Skraq Brown

Highlight: Ironbreaker

S Layer

XS Artificer Layer

Drybrush: Drybrushing captures raised details and creates natural highlights quickly. To drybrush, load a brush with paint and then wipe most of it off on a paper towel, then flick the almost dry bristles across the model to catch the raised areas. Glaze: A glaze is a very thin wash applied to an area to tint the colour or to help blend two colours together. Layer and Shade paints thinned with Lahmian Medium are ideal for this technique.

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WMItnMMIviCK r 40.000

COhlTRAST STYLE As we've shown in several Paint Splatter guides over the last few years, Space Marines can be effectively painted with Contrast paints, and the Wolfspear are no exception. This model was undercoated with Corax White to give the armour a cool basecoat, then washed with Apothecary White - the perfect light tone grey for the job. It's important not to douse the model in paint but to apply a neat, even coat to the whole model. It's often easiest to start at the top of the miniature and work your way down, as excess paint will naturally run down the model, and you can tidy it up as you go before it pools. TRANSITIONAL SHADING The same advice also works when shading the eye lenses, punches and belt. First, make sure there is only a little bit of paint on your brush, as you’re working in a relatively small area. Apply the brush to the area you're painting and

BATTLE READY Using the stages to the right, this Wolfspear warrior has been painted to a Battle Ready standard. An army could be painted like this in no time!

PARADE READY With a few extra highlights to each area of the model, the Assault Intercessor has been made Parade Ready. Those extra highlights make quite a difference!

gently pull the bristles towards the area that you want to be darkest. The vast majority of the paint will settle where you end your brush stroke, so painting in this way helps create a transition. In the example below, the Gore-Grunta Fur on Step 2 of the pouches was applied at the base of the pouch, and the brush was dragged up to the lid of the pouch. As you can see, the majority of the paint has dried around that lip, thereby creating a natural shadow. It may be that sometimes you have to hold your miniature upside down to get this effect. You may even have to let it dry upside down! PAINTING FUR Painting fur is particularly easy with Contrast paints. On this model, the main colour of the wolf tail was achieved with Skeleton Horde, and it could easily be left at that stage and look great. However, to add an extra level of depth, Agrax Earthshade was then applied to the top half GREY POWER ARMOUR

BLACK ARMOUR

WHITE FACEPLATE

Basecoat: Corax White

Spiay tliideicual

Spray Undercoat

Wash: Apothecary White

Wash: Black Templar

L Shade

M Shade

\ i

Highlight: Ulthuan Grey

PAINT SPLATTER of the tail. To achieve this effect, start the brush stroke in the middle of the tail and pull it towards the top. This will deposit most of the paint at the top where the pelt will be darkest. Remember, Contrast paints and Shade paints might look similar, but Contrast paints stain the entire area of a model whereas Shade paints sit in the recesses, creating a more translucent finish perfect for shading the fur on the wolf tail.

BASES: CHOOSING YOUR COLOURS

Basing is an important consideration for any model, especially so when you're going to apply it to a whole collection of miniatures. The Assault Intercessors in this article were based with a warm brown, as it contrasts well with the Wolfspear's cool-white armour and sits within the same colour palette as the pouches and belts. However, you could opt for a more monochrome grey urban base (or even snow) to match the armour. Think carefully before choosing a really bright basing scheme like jungle flora or even lava, as it may draw attention away from the miniature.

TOP TIP When using vibrant colours around a pigmentlight colour like white, it’s best to get the potentially messy bits out of the way first. Try highlighting the red eye lenses before you apply the final white highlight to the helmet. You can then use the white to tidy up any areas where the red might have gone over the lines. AQUILA

WEAPON CASING

EYE LENSES b GEMS

Basecoat: Corax White

Spray Undercoat

POUCHES Et BELTS

Basecoat: Corax White

Basecoat: Corax White S Base

2 Wash: Black Templar

Wash: Flesh Tearers Red

Wash: Gore-Grunta Fur

Wash: Skeleton Horde

M Shade

M Layer

M Glaze

M Shade

3 Highlight: Mechanicus Standard Grey S Layer

Highlight: Administratum Grey

Drybrush: Ushabti Bone

XS Artificer Layer

S Dry

. WARHAM M ER.

40.000

A TALE OF FOUR

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WARLORDS 2

In a galaxy sundered by an eternity of battle, four mighty warlords are assembling their armies. Will they defend the Imperium of Mankind, or do they seek to crush it underfoot? In the fifth instalment of the series, our warlords hit 100 Power Level!

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A TALE OF FOUR WARLORDS

et out the party poppers and cake - our four warlords have reached the 100 Power Level mark! That's right, after many intense months of modelling and painting (they knew what they were getting in to at the start!), our warlords have breached the three-digit Power limit and are well on their way to completing our year-long challenge. At time of writing, we're still in lockdown here in the UK, so all our miniatures have to remain at least 2" apart, making gaming pretty tricky. We're hoping that lockdown restrictions in the UK will ease soon, enabling our warlords to play some games against each other for the first time. In the meantime, here’s what they’ve been painting. Iron Thane Joel Martin has added more armoured vehicles to his Sons of Medusa in the shape of an Impulsor and a Gladiator Lancer. His goal of creating a mechanised Space Marines force is very definitely underway, and he's champing at the mechanical bit to field them in battle.

Our other Imperial servant is Preacher Drew Palies, whose Order of the Argent Shroud strike force is equally well mechanised. He can now field six transport vehicles, four of which are Immolators! Apparently, Drew has a thing for flamer and melta weapons, as you’ll soon find out. Representing the xenos forces at work in the galaxy is Necron Overlord Jonathan Stapleton, whose Thokt Dynasty Necrons have been bolstered by the arrival of some Lokhust Heavy Destroyers and a moving fortress! We've been advised not to go knocking on the front door ... Meanwhile, Grot Champion Lydia Grant has also added a huge war machine to her force in the shape of a Gorkanaut. Not content with building the kit as it is, she cut off its legs and gave it some tracks powered by grots (of course!). Turn the page to see what our warlords have been up to over the last couple of months!

BECOME A WARLORD

As with previous years, we encourage you at home to join in with our challenge. Many Warhammer stores, independent stockists and gaming clubs like to run A Tale of Four Warlords alongside the series in the magazine, so why not ask them if they're planning anything this time around? If you do get involved, make sure you send some pictures of your creations to team@ whitedwarf.co.uk We would love to see what you've been working on.

THE ONGOING CRUSADES

For this edition of A Tale of Four Warlords, our four hobbyists will be using the narrative play Crusade rules, which begin on page 313 of the XNarfiammer 40,000 Core Book. For those of your new to Crusade, the premise is simple. Once you have established the core of youi Crusade force, you can fight any number of battles against any number of different opponents, and as you play more games, your army will grow in size and experience. For A Tale of Four Warlords, we decided that our warlords would need to paint 25 Power of new units to add to their force every two months. While this may be more than can ordinarily be added to a battle roster, it would give them plenty of options for picking and choosing which units and heroes they added to their force, while providing an exciting visual feast for everyone reading the article.

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Top: The warriors of the Thokt Dynasty find the Death Guard to be a particularly troublesome (and unwholesome) foe. Jonathan has yet to defeat them in battle. Bottom: Dan's Orks were a different story entirely! Though his Warboss and Boyz caused grievous casualties in combat, the Skorpekh Destroyers proved even more destructive!

As with the rest of this series, gaming has proven a little tricky due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but both Jonathan and Joel managed to get some games in. Jonathan played games against Calum and Harry two of the studio photographers - with their Death Guard and Sisters of Battle, respectively. Then he took on Dan and his Orks. Overlord Onryx defeated many foes over the course of these three games, his honorific titles becoming somewhat longer (and more inconvenient in a spreadsheet) as a result. Meanwhile, Joel finally ventured into the light of the real world, his eyes burned by the harsh sun, to fight a couple of games of Gardenhammer against his friend Richard. It was men who want to be machines against machines who want to be men in that classic pairing of Space Marines versus Necrons. WHITE DWARF

WaKriHMIviEK .

40.000

SPACE MARINES

THE SONS OF MEDUSA

Merciless and aggressive, the Sons of Medusa have requested armoured war assets to aid them in the prosecution of their wars. Backed up by the firepower of a Gladiator Lancer, they take the fight to the enemy with chainblades and power swords.

JOEL MARTIN

As a successor son of the Iron Hands, Joel believes that the flesh is weak and the future is made entirely of shiny metal bionics. Strangely he declined our offer to chop off his fingers and replace them with hex keys and spanners. His loss, we say!

Joel: This month, I’ve added more vehicle units to my force. My aim right at the start of the challenge was to create an armoured strike force with both firepower and mobility that reflected the tactics and creed of the Sons of Medusa. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. A lot of edge highlighting was involved!

that try to charge it before it reaches its destination. The Outriders were great fun to paint, and I had to think how I wanted to tie them into the force as a whole. I decided the riders would match the Assault Intercessors by wielding distinct hazard-stripe chainswords, while the bikes link into the majority of my other vehicles. I went for black armour plates with a diagonal green stripe for a place to display the Chapter badge. As a small detail, I decided to use Black Templar contrast for the tyres just to add some variation to the black tones that I used across the unit.

IMPULSIVE DECISION The first vehicle I decided to paint was an Impulsor with a shield dome. It will act as a transport for last instalment's Assault Intercessors, allowing them to move around the battlefield quickly and get them to where they need to be (with the added protection of the shield dome, of course). I decided to change tack slightly when painting the Impulsor transport, going for an all-green hull instead of the black with green accents that I have used on some of my other vehicles. This was mostly an aesthetic choice to add a block of green back into the vehicles portion of my army but also to designate the vehicle as a light transport and set it apart on the battlefield. The Impulsor displays markings that link it with Assault Intercessor Squad Acchus and denote it as their designated transport.

LASER DEATH! While my new assault units get stuck into the fray, the backfield will be dominated by a Gladiator Lancer - the centrepiece of this instalment's additions. Named Medusa’s Wrath, the Lancer will take centre stage as part of my army's gun line, hopefully turning enemy vehicles to ash! The tank’s livery is primarily black with some green armour panels to help break up the miniature. In the same way as the Outriders, I chose to paint a diagonal stripe down each side of the hull as a place for markings and Chapter heraldry. I may only have painted five models this month, but two of them are beefy vehicles, while the other three are pretty huge bikes. I think the end result adds some significant bulk to my up-tillnow mostly infantry force.

RIDE TO VICTORY My Assault Intercessors will be supported by Outrider Squad Varrdon. They can move alongside the Impulsor and intercept enemy units

THE 100 POWER MARK

Space Marines cost a lot of power, so my army has relatively few units and models compared to the other warlords, but they are all extremely powerful. Overall the force is extremely mobile, with the Repulsor and Impulsor providing transport for up to fifteen battle-brothers, while the Outriders race alongside them and the Infiltrators sneak up on the flanks. It means I can put pressure on my opponent straight away while my big guns pick off their key units. I think 1 might paint a unit of Aggressors soon to ride in the Repulsor. That will be a nasty surprise for someone! WHITE DWARF

CRUSADE CARDS

POWER

CRUSADE

RATING

POINTS

UNIT 1:

Primaris Captain Morn Graevarr

UNIT2

2 Primaris Lieutenants

UNIT 3

Primaris Ancient Maarkol Dourr

UNIT 4

Squad Torvokh: 5 Intercessors

UNITS

Squad Ghorrean: 10 Infiltrators

UNIT 6

Squad Acchus: 5 Assault Intercessors

UNIT ?

Squad Skorrgok: 5 Hellblasters

UNIT 8

Squad Draak: 3 Eliminators

UNIT 9

Squad Varrdon: 3 Outriders

UNIT 10

Xeriis the Unrelenting: Redemptor Dreadnought

UNIT 11

Medusa’s Wrath: Gladiator Lancer

UNIT 12

The Emperor’s Retribution: Repulsor

UNIT 13

Cawl’s Gift: Impulsor

DREADNOUGHT DEMOLITION I actually managed to play my first games this month! Having been stuck at home for over a year, I was finally able to play a couple of games in the garden against my friend Richard. We played the first two missions from the Beyond the Veil campaign mission pack. I used just the first 25 Power of my force just to get used to playing again, while Richard used his Necrons. As it turns out, Dreadnoughts are very useful! In the Survey and Secure mission, you have to lock down objectives using Infantry, which I did with my Intercessors. I then used the Dreadnought to stay on an objective and keep enemy units at bay, preventing them from using the lock it down' action. I won the first game and Richard won the second, so a good result really.

NEXT TIME...

I want to try my hand at some more conversion work and create a centrepiece character and, ultimately, the grand warlord for my army. The Sons of Medusa do not have a Chapter Master. Instead, they are ruled by three Iron Thanes, each representing a war clan. My goal is to convert the Iron Thane for my Atropos War Clan and represent him on the battlefield as a Master of the Forge.

WMItOMMIviCK w -T 40,000 ,—

NEGRONS

THE THOKT DYNASTY

The rad-wreathed warriors of the Thokt Dynasty have begun their crusade in earnest, urged ever onwards by the emissaries of the Silent King. With the crownworld’s armouries now fully open, there is no limit to what its legions may deploy next.

JONATHAN STAPLETON

Quarantined in the photography studio with the other photographers, Jonathan is one of the few warlords able to play regular games at the moment. He's also completed his biggest painting project to date which he informs us barely took any time at all...

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GAME FLOW From the outset, we wanted Kill Team to be a dynamic and intense firefight. Imagine it as a scene from a grimdark action movie with your models (known as ‘operatives' in the game) sliding into cover, bursting through a window to

charge an enemy, or landing the perfect headshot from a rooftop. If the skirmish were taking place in-universe, in real time, we imagine it to be a brutal clash lasting for just a single minute,1 with split-second decisions and bold and decisive actions at every step. In many larger-scale or more traditional war games, one player activates all their models before passing activation to their opponent. In the new Kill Team, however, the pacing is a little different to this. A model is activated and performs actions such as moving, shooting or fighting, and then your opponent activates one of their models. As key actions can be game changing (scoring you victory points, incapacitating an enemy or keeping an essential operative alive), it has enabled us to create an engaging back-and-forth experience. Determining the right action at the right time is a thought-provoking and impactful choice that you'll have to make at the table. What's more, your opponent will have the same opportunity to make decisions that are just as impactful, creating an interesting interaction between you. Will your opponent activate and press the attack? Will they consolidate position? Will they attempt to bait and bluff you? We wanted the implementation of your own strategy to be important, but crucially, we wanted it to be just as important to account for your opponent’s. Then, if they take some unpredictable steps, or embark upon a plan of attack you weren’t expecting, it can really test your generalship, requiring you to adapt on the fly and re-evaluate your plan to account for the enemy’s movements.

PULLING THE TRIGGER The previous version of Kill Team used the attack sequence of Warhammer 40,000. While that made it familiar to many players, our internal analysis found that such a sequence works best when you are rolling higher volumes of dice - something that a single model in Kill Team couldn't really provide. For example, an Imperial Guardsman shooting at an Intercessor with their lasgun would need dozens of shots to reliably get the Intercessor down to 0 wounds, at which point the Intercessor could shrug off the effects as a flesh wound. Such situations meant that attacking with a lasgun often felt like a futile exercise, and certain

To coincide with the launch of the new edition of Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team, the game s developer has started a brand-new column to discuss the gameplay, design and rules of the game. In his first diplomatic mission, Elliot Hamer briefs us on what’s changed. weapons - such as plasma guns - became near essential in the game, reducing that regular Imperial Guardsman to a holding or sacrificial role, This didn’t quite fit our image of kill teams, in which each operative is a highly trained and dangerous elite, capable of conducting specialist operations. As such, we looked at readjusting characteristics and the attack sequence to account for this a little more closely. We began by increasing the amount of dice thrown for an attack. Even if, narratively, an operative is attacking with a single-shot weapon like a sniper rifle, you roll at least four dice (equal to the weapon’s Attacks characteristic). Each dice isn’t necessarily an attack in its own right, but all the dice together will determine how successful that shot will be. Your opponent then rolls a number of dice equal to their operative's Defence characteristic (usually three), with each success cancelling out one of the attacker’s successes. Any remaining attack dice inflict damage on the target. Crucially, the attacker is rolling more dice than the defender, meaning they are more likely to inflict damage.

Nonetheless, tough and stoic operatives such as Space Marines should be able to shrug off damage more easily than an Imperial Guardsman. Therefore, Damage and Wounds characteristics have been vastly altered. A simple lasgun does 2/3 damage (the latter value being critical damage), while an Intercessor has a mighty 13 wounds. The end result preserves the imagery of a Space Marine requiring concentrated small-arms fire to bring him down. Equally, the attacker doesn't feel like their efforts are worthless, as damage adds up, and those hits can be crucial in the end. When the game’s most destructive weaponry is brought to bear - missile launchers, dark lances, ion rifles and the like - it can be absolutely devastating, disintegrating the target in one attack under the right circ*mstances. This was a very deliberate design decision - getting hit by a meltagun should reliably incapacitate an operative. However, the most fundamental feature of the game involves controlling the circ*mstances in which those weapons can be brought to bear. This is done with an entirely new take on Line of Sight and targeting.

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OPERATION BRIEFING DRAWING A BEAD We wanted movement and positioning to be a key factor in the game. We also wanted to create a targeting system that worked regardless of your type of terrain or how you’ve modelled your miniatures. To this end, we created a hybrid set of Line of Sight rules that uses both abstract and realistic methods to determine if an enemy operative is a valid target for a shooting attack.

lanes and having your operatives on an Engage order - could give you an edge, safe in the knowledge that the positioning of Heavy Cover minimises the chance of return fire. Overall, Cover and Obscuring mean the killzone is a feature that needs to be mastered as much as your kill team. Using the killzone wisely by positioning and moving your operatives around it to get the best benefits is crucial for a successful strategy.

In the game, each operative must be given one of two orders: Conceal or Engage. Conceal is when your operatives are looking to keep themselves safe by taking cover behind terrain features. If an operative has a Conceal order and is in Cover, it is not a valid target for shooting attacks.2 This is paramount to the game, giving you the agency to keep your models alive. Equally, it doesn’t matter if there's a slight crack in a wall or a trailing cape that makes your operative visible from across the killzone; they are assumed to be ducking down to make the most of the available cover. So, if your kill team finds itself outgunned, you will have some tactical options on how to respond to the situation.

CLASH OF BLADES With terrain and the Conceal order playing such a crucial part in preventing your operatives from getting shot, what can you do if a sneaky kill team stays on Conceal orders all game, preventing you from bringing your guns to bear? Draw your blades and charge them!

The catch? An operative on a Conceal order cannot make shooting attacks themselves, nor can they charge. We wanted you to have to make careful choices on when to Conceal your operatives to keep them alive and take up better positions, and when to break from cover to engage the enemy. The Engage order, then, is very much the opposite - your operatives pop up to attack. Operatives can only make shooting attacks or charge while they have an Engage order.3 The killzone itself plays an important part in making this all work. In general terms, terrain features are categorised into Light (barricades, pipes, barrels, etc.) and Heavy (buildings, industrial structures, munitorum containers, etc.). An operative can always Conceal itself behind any type of Cover. However, if an enemy operative is on a Vantage Point, Light Cover isn’t substantial or high enough to protect your operatives. This means an operative that climbs up high can shoot down at all enemy operatives in Light Cover, so height can become an effective strategy in a firefight. Note, however, that Heavy Cover is substantial enough to provide Cover even in these circ*mstances. In addition to providing Cover, Heavy Cover is also Obscuring, meaning operatives can only see so far through the windows and gaps of Heavy Cover before their Line of Sight is prohibited. We wanted to ensure that positioning your models appropriately - such as setting up firing

The sequence for fighting in combat has had a big overhaul, and it is also different to the shooting sequence. We wanted fighting to feel more like an interactive duel and be decisive.4 To this end, when an operative performs a Fight action, both the attacker and the target fight. Each player rolls their attack dice. Then, starting with the player who performed the Fight action, each player takes it in turns to resolve their successful hits. Each time you resolve a hit, you can either strike or parry. If you strike, you immediately inflict either normal damage or critical damage on the target, depending on the roll. No armour save, no invulnerable save, straight-up damage! If you parry, it causes one of your opponent's successful hits to be discarded. Overall, this makes combat a consistent and reliable way of dealing damage. If you are the attacker and score at least one hit, you know you can always strike with it to cause damage. However, as your opponent now resolves a successful hit (assuming they haven’t been incapacitated), they can strike back, meaning you’ll be taking damage in return. This means charging and fighting can be an effective way of dealing with certain enemy operatives. However, if you rely solely on this tactic, you’ll find your operatives lose steam over the course of the battle. Every fight they have can cause damage, slowly chipping away at their wounds and bringing them down. Equally, charging can get you out of position; while you might have dealt with the target of the fight, it can leave you vulnerable to return fire. Therefore, you have to think about balancing your approach between shooting and fighting alike. These are just some of the key features for the new edition of Kill Team. The future is bright (or dark? - Ed) for skirmish combat in the 41st Millennium, and we look forward to taking you on this awesome journey over the coming years.

2 Unless the attacker is at point-blank range or lobs a grenade into your Cover Operatives can't hide from that! 3 There are rare exceptions to this, such as Ork Kommandos and their Throat Slittas ability. 4 In such a short skirmish, it's not fitting to be bogged down in protracted combats. Specialist combat operatives should, on average, incapacitate all but the toughest targets in one Fight action. We've also made melee weapons more damaging in general compared to ranged weapons, as it requires more work to use them.

DEBRIEF

Let us know what you think of the new edition via email at: Killteam@ gwplc.com We may not be able to reply to your email, but we love hearing your thoughts, so everything will be read!

_______

VVARHAMMER

KII.I.TEAM 40.000

AGENTS OF THE MACHINE GOD The Adeptus Mechanicus is an ancient and powerful organisation, and the tech-magi who rule it are the manufacturers of technology for all Mankind. They guard their knowledge and resources jealously, using mighty armies, fleets, vehicles and god-engines to do so.

he Adeptus Mechanicus worship the Emperor in his aspect as the Omnissiah, the Machine God. To them, the acquisition of ever more knowledge and technology is a holy directive, one they pursue with merciless zeal. Such is their adoration of the machine and the mechanical that they see flesh as weak and seek to replace their organic parts with cybernetic components. In doing so, they venerate the machine, strengthen their bodies and move towards replacing what they see as weak human emotion with implacable, cold logic. The majority of worlds that the Adeptus Mechanicus holds are the forge worlds, which include such famed locations as Holy Mars itself, Ryza, Metalica and Gryphonne IV. These are more than just worlds dedicated entirely to continental-scale industrial production. They are also mighty fortresses, garrisoned by enough troops to conquer entire star systems as well as producing enough weapons to arm, in some cases, entire sub-sectors. Though the tech-magi of Mars have an alliance with the Imperium dating back ten thousand years, and thus the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus are frequently seen fighting alongside all other elements of the Imperial armed forces, they still have their own imperatives. In 48

fact, each forge world, though it owes its allegiance to Mars, is ruled by its own Fabricator-General or some kind of ruling council. These immensely powerful individuals command huge forces and all have their own goals, dictated by their world's needs, local galactic conditions and their personal desires. A forge world’s armies are one mechanism by which the tech-magi achieve their aims; they are a lever to be pulled when necessary. The bulk of a forge world's infantry is made up of cyborg Skitarii. They care for nothing including their own lives - besides serving the Machine God. They see the conflicts they partake in as nothing less than wars of auto-religious conquest, holy acts for which the reward is martyrdom or victory. When they march to battle and fight the enemies of the Omnissiah, the Skitarii praise their god with the incantation of binharic psalms. Like all members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Skitarii are human at their core. But they are no longer fully human, having been dismembered and rebuilt with mechanical improvements. Much of their flesh is replaced with circuitry, bio-plastic and metal. This helps them to survive in the harsh, polluted, even radiation-soaked

ADEPTUS MECHANICUS KILL TEAMS environments that most forge worlds have become over the millennia. A crucial upgrade the Skitarii are fitted with by their masters are neurosync implants which make them completely obedient, in battle, Skitarii use these implants to record every scrap of data about their enemies. The Tech-Priests then inload new programs into the Skitarii using this information to continuously improve combat efficiency even during combat. The Tech-Priests can use these implants to send their minions on suicide missions or even possess and take over them completely. To them, the Skitarii are merely tools to be expended as required to achieve whichever task they deem necessary. ADEPTUS MECHANICUS KILL TEAMS Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priests make extensive use of Skitarii in unconventional and small-unit warfare. These kill teams may engage in missions ranging from secret, independent operations where no other forge world forces are present, to enormous system-wide campaigns where they serve as but a small cog in an enormous war machine. Hunter Clades include Skitarii Rangers, Vanguard, Sicarian Ruststalkers and Infiltrators and are led by a Princeps. Though they have primary missions and targets, completing these tasks requires them to be able to perform all manner of other functions. They might have to sneak through layers of enemy defences, plant explosives to form a distraction, seize archeotech in the possession of their quarry and fight their way through numerous enemies. Adeptus Mechanicus kill teams perform numerous roles. Some kill teams are forged specifically by the Tech-Priests of a forge world for particular missions and programmed to carry them out with logical perfection. Others are assembled as and when the need for small units arises, and they are mechanically optimised and programmed for PURGATION-LINKAGE 00172 Hailing from the forge system of Estaban, PurgationLinkage 00172 was specifically created to root out hereteks and tech-deviants who sought to blemish and tamper with the holy machine. Estaban forces deployed to the Survardosha System in the Pankallis Sub-sector, with Purgation-Linkage 00172 dispatched to the factory world of Visberg. Here heretical cults and rogue

whichever tasks they are expected to perform. Some are deployed on explorator missions, either alone or in multi-team groups, their task to seek out new territories to claim for the Omnissiah and eliminate those who taint it with their presence. Others are dispatched to discover lost archeotech, artefacts and relics from heretic or alien-held planets, dead worlds or planets long lost from the Imperium. The Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus cling tightly to their techno-dogmas, and they are merciless when dealing with those who would tamper with or taint such blessed machines. Thus, Adeptus Mechanicus Hunter Clades are sent to assassinate the hereteks of the Dark Mechanicum, tech-dissidents who dare challenge the wisdom of the Omnissiah and those who would teach false testaments about the Machine God. When the Pankallis Sub-sector was invaded by warring lyranid swarms and Ork hordes, the forge world of Kernak III came undei allack. Forces from the forge world of Ryza and the forge system of Estaban deployed in the subsector’s aid. Forces from other forge worlds were deployed across the system in smaller numbers. They were constructing fortifications and installing defensive weapons platforms in preparation for what were, at the time, only potential xenos invasions. All of these forces deployed Hunter Clades on all manner of missions to slay alien leaders and the demagogues of heretical uprisings in order to stall enemy inroads while the tech-magi of the forge worlds continued their building work. 'As the Otnnissiah-blessed weapons shall serve you, so shall you serve them. Guard them well from the shame of defeat.’ - Excerpt from Battle Benediction of the Omnissiah

sorcerers were attempting to taint elements of the planet's manufactorum infrastructure with warp energy. Only Sicarian units were ever included in PurgationLinkage 00172, and they tore their way through cult after cult to get to their leaders. In addition to preventing the spread of Chaos taint, their actions ensured many factorums could be returned to Imperial hands.

WARHAMMER 40.000

KILL TEAM These clades conducted all manner of assassination missions, such as Kill Squad 15023 of Forge World Ryza, who were sent into an Ork-infested forge-sprawl on Kernak III. The Skilarii Rangers who made up the unit were given the singular task of killing the greenskin’s Nobs wherever they were found. The tech-magi who commanded them programmed no withdraw or retreat codums. Without fear, the Skitarii marched into the maze-like networks of forge shrines, made more labyrinthine by piles of greenskin detritus and shanty towns. They methodically culled their way through Ork patrols, prioritising greenskin leaders. One by one they were cut down, the last of their number putting a galvanic round between the eyes of an Ork boss before being cleaved in half by another brute's chainaxe. It is not just knowledge of human technology that the Adeptus Mechanicus seeks out. Knowledge of the alien is also valuable to many Tech-Priests, especially those of the Divisio Biologis. The tech-magi of Estaban encountered Genestealer Cults among the sand-scavenger nomads on the desert world of Eunixi. Intrigued by the unique genetic-manipulation capabilities of these xenosworshippers, they formed many Hunter Clades to take live FORGE RIVALRIES Many forge worlds lay claim to technology that cannot be found elsewhere, whether because their tech-magi discovered it, they happen to be the last functioning forge world with said technology, or for some other, darker reason. Regardless, Tech-Priests guard this knowledge particularly closely, and many obsessively seek to claim it from others. Not only are such resources, which can include precious STCs, a source of great wealth for a forge world, but Tech-Priests seek these for their own sake, for all are a symbol of the Omnissiah's greatness. Tech-magi will even gladly sacrifice thousands of their own troops to claim technology that has long since failed to function. To them it retains value in and of itself, regardless of whether anything can be produced with it.

captives and bring back corpses of alpha-specimens for experimentation. Sample-collection team 77777 included many Skitarii Vanguard, who, despite taking casualties, successfully took specimens from each of a Genestealer Cult’s multiple breeding cycles. Their Tech-Priest masters were particularly intrigued by how the radiation that soaked the Skitarii affected the bizarre hybrid genetics of the xenos. ‘We walk with the will of the Omnissiah. Where he sends us we will go. It is ours to trust and to obey. Receiving incoming datafeed. I hear and I obey. Shoptec 11 autosanctified and acknowledging receipt of blessing. Datafeed captured. Translating codified data upon signal. Translation complete. Imperative successful. Binharic Omniscience received. Switching maximum power to optics upon signal. Engaged. Firing at will; I hear and obey. Blessed be the Omnissiah.’ “ Skoptec 11, 2nd Maniple, 3rd Cohort

The tech-magi of Ryza, whilst ostensibly coming to the aid of beleaguered Kernak III, did not waste the chance to look for secret technology hoarded by their allies whilst the Kernak HI Tech-Priests were preoccupied with a xenos invasion. Holy Reclamation Team 87821 and Recovery-Linkage 91949 were just two of dozens of Hunter Clades sent on missions theoretically designed to infiltrate Ork positions, kill greenskin leaders and claim xenos weapons for later study. However, they were in fact assigned secret orders to hunt and kill minor Kernak HI Tech-Priests, eliminate all witnesses and hack numerous tech-vaults in the middle of Ork-claimed territory, bringing their discoveries back to their masters.

ADEPTUS MECHANICUS KILL TEAMS ADEPTUS MECHANICUS WEAPONS AND WARGEAR The Adeptus Mechanicus controls some of the most arcane weapons in the Imperium. Many of the technologies they use are no longer known or used by other elements of the Imperial military, the Tech-Priests keeping knowledge of them a closely guarded secret. It matters not whether a foe is at range from a forge world's troops or in close combat; the followers of the Machine God will use highly sophisticated weapons to smite them. Radium weapons are so volatile they eventually kill their wielders. The bullet cylinders of these firearms are so thoroughly drenched in radium that a volley of rounds can cause a localised rad-storm. Against such an onslaught, foes are left blackening and sloughing away. Galvanic rifles, meanwhile, are precision tools that fire advanced servitor-bullets. When these rounds strike a foe, they cause all of the potential energy of that target to burn out in a killing blast of electric force. On the other hand, if the burning spheres fired by phosphor weapons do not slay their unfortunate victims, the blinding white flame caused by these firearms marks them as a target for later volleys of Skitarii fire. In turn, arc weapons are powered by bulky permacapacitors, which are zinc-plated blocks. They discharge with a loud crack, firing bolts of blue-white electricity that can fry a being’s brain.

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A weapon particularly favoured by Skitarii Rangers is the transuranic arquebus. This long-barrelled heavy weapon fires shells of depleted transuranium that can puncture some of the heaviest armour and reduce biological matter to a pulp. These firearms are perfect for Hunter Glades whether they be hunting enemy generals or war machines. Sicarian Ruststalkers and Infiltrators make considerable use of rapid firing, short-ranged weapons such as the flechette blaster and the stubcarbine. The former is a lightweight firearm that discharges hundreds of tiny darts, each of which bears a dormant cerebral cell. After hitting home, one of these darts emits a bioelectric pulse that attracts more of its kind to the target. The latter fires an enormous volume of solid shot at the enemy, bringing them down with a hail of lead. Taser and transonic technology are widely used by Adeptus Mechanicus warriors and are incorporated into melee weapons such as taser goads, transonic blades, transonic razors and chordclaws. Taser weapons store an immense amount of potential energy. When a foe is struck with these weapons, the energy is unleashed in a scorching blast. Transonic blades, meanwhile, emit a continuous, low buzz that can turn stomachs. When they strike armour, these weapons adjust their hostile sonic field to match the armour’s resonant frequency, slicing straight through it.

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KILL TEAM NAMES AND DEMEANOURS

Every Hunter Clade has an official designation, as do the warriors that fight within it. Some clades stick rigidly to these alpha-numeric codes, while others choose to embellish them. »gj||||«j his section is a tool to help you determine the gf I names of your Adeptus Mechanicus warriors as |f 1 well as the title of your Hunter elade and its ■MRU quirks and background. If you wish to generate any of these randomly, roll the number of dice as indicated by the appropriate table(s). Otherwise, choose whichever are your favourites. KILL TEAM NAME

The tech-magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus are beings who care much for order and logic. Thus, when they form kill teams, they have an official designation that is highly functional, with a simple task and alpha-numeric

table D6

First Component

Second Component

TABLE 3 D6

Result

Rust

Ghosts

Resolution Zero

Cog

Hackers

Cog-Circuit-Theta 2-7

Night

Stalkers

Nullifier Axiom

Purgation

Hunters

Circuit Prima

Nemesis

Linkage

Nemesis Linkage 8-2-4

Circuit

Purgers

Actuator Alpha

TABLE 2 - NUMERICAL DESIGNATIONS D6

Result

1 3

00183 55332 93845

12985

03845

76427

designation. An example of such a name is Hunter Clade 93756. However, for all their affinity with the machine, Tech-Priests are still human at their core and can be vain, eccentric, ambitious and even borderline insane. Thus, unofficially, many Hunter Clades are given all manner of monikers, with some named for the Tech-Priest who formed them. Some earn a degree of battlefield notoriety and are given names by their foes. You can use any of the tables below to name your kill team. They are not intended to be rolled together, but if you would like to do so, you are free to. Additionally, you are welcome to invent your own name for your kill team; these tables should provide helpful inspiration.

'Know, absolutely, that your life means nothing. Cogitate this fad. Recognise its veracity. Assess every implication that it has regarding the nature of your existence. Make it the core logical constant around which you order your menial, biological and mechanical subroutines. Accept, then, that only your service to the Omnissiah gives you meaning, purpose. Thus can you best condition yourself to be a vessel of his will.’ - Magos-Didactus Tartholomyr Drox to Skitarii Maniple Typhor-998/56-c

ADEPTUS MECHANICUS KILL TEAMS HUNTER CLADE OPERATIVE NAMES Skitarii typically have entirely functional names, though some tech-magi may give some of their favoured units more personal names if they are so inclined. To name your

TABLE 2

TABLE 1 D6

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Second Element

First Element

Second Element

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Dos

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Delpha

~66.75/Mk98

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Decima

-1010

-1111

Zhu

-0.44/K

Lho

-XXVII

Sy-gex

-6e20F

Protos-Reductus

BASE OF OPERATIONS D6

Rhy

Skitarii, use either of the two tables below. You can roll on the charts or choose your favourite combination of names from them. You can also use them as inspiration for names of your own making.

Location

Armoury-vault: Buried deep below the ground, an armoury-vault is an ideal place for a kill team to resupply and to amass its collected archeo-relics.

Forge-temple: At a forge-temple, a kill team can venerate the Machine Cod and equally receive newly produced weaponry.

Servitor Repair-works: Though not a glorious dedication to the Machine Cod like other edifices of the Adeptus Mechanicus, servitor repair-works will surely see restored any kill team that uses it as a base.

BACKGROUND D6

Designation

Explorator Team: The members of this kill team are conquerors who use the light of knowledge to drive back the shadow of ignorance amidst a galaxy of darkness and superstition.

Archeotech Hunters: These warriors hunt down ancient lore and holy technologies, such as archeotech troves and sacred STCs, claiming it from the heretics and aliens who hold it.

Campaign Veterans: These are surviving Skitarii from a long-fought conflict, meshing like cogs to form a deadly machine. Their experience makes them able hunters.

Titan Guards: These Skitarii are blessed garrison guardians of a mighty god-engine, hunting down those who would dare threaten their sacred charge.

Cogitator Shrine: When not at war, the warriors of this kill team are spiritually replenished being in the mere presence of a cogitator shrine.

Archaeopter Wing: The kill team is delivered swiftly to its missions by its wing of Archaeopter Transvectors.

Skorpius Duneriders: The kill team crosses even the most hazardous of terrain in its column of implacable Skorpius Duneriders.

Infiltrator Team: This is a fast-moving band of elite hunters who are experts in infiltrating enemy positions to claim the heads of their targets.

Rad-zone Corps: These hunters bathe the battlefield in purifying radiation, seeking to fashion a promised land in which only true servants of the Qmnissiah can endure.

SQUAD QUIRK DG

Unsanctioned Divergence

Acquisitive: Offer unto the Omnissiah his due, regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way or the false priorities imposed by those of the flesh.

Requiring Re-sanctification: Skitarii too long in the field become corrupted by fragments of scrap data that can make them sluggish or unpredictable.

Pursuing Auto-perfection: Whether it be a blade thrust or the pull of a carbine's trigger, a deed must be repeated ad infinitum until it attains the perfection of worship.

Mercilessly Decisive: Logic dictates that the enemy must be annihilated regardless of the cost, and to you, logic is all.

Secretive: Behind screens of stealth technology and auspex-obfuscation, your hidden holy works proceed apace.

Beyond the Crux Mechanicus: Your warriors are now so blessed that they are more machine than flesh, and all the more resilient for it. 53

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KILL TEAM

__ .

40.000

EYES OF THE OMNISSIAH

An alien menace has taken root beneath Hive Castelleion. Unable to bring her big guns to bear, Tech-Priest Akhthra Mu-Psi must send in smaller kill clades to investigate. Through their eyes she will see what they see. The Omnissiah’s will be done! enos numbers spiking, said Sicarian Infiltrator Teppa"Nyxos-6e20F over the noosphere as he severed the face of a Tyianid Termagant with his power sword. >Data corroborated, confirmed Infiltrator Princeps Decima0.44/K as she unleashed a hail of rounds from her flechette blaster into a pair of Hormagaunts, shredding their flesh. >Hypothesis: They wish we go no further, so they move to stop us, said Nyxos. >Hypothesis amended: There is something ahead they do not wish us to discover, said Decima. >Conclusion: we continue. She jammed her taser goad into the neck of a Termagant. It shook violently for a second before collapsing to a heap. The alien’s pale skin was scorched black and brown by the intense heat of her weapon’s electrical discharge. This fresh wave of Tyranid organisms thrashed and bit and clawed at the Adeptus Mechanicus warrior clade. Here in the maze of ancient tunnels in the bowels of Hive Castelleion of Kusolst Prime, the Sicarians were seeking out any xenos that might undermine the defences of the fortress-city, over which a titanic war was being waged between Imperial and Tyranid forces. Decima's squad had detected an anomaly - Tyranid creatures their internal xenolysis nodes could not identify. The creatures were similar to beasts of burden, large and ungainly. They appeared to lack weapon biomorphs and followed each

other in an orderly line along the tunnels. Each carried a number of dead humans. The creatures paid no heed to the fight raging between the Sicarians and other lyranid bioforms as they plodded on. They passed by behind the fighting, moving from one tunnel to another. >We must follow them, said Decima. >We must find their destination. The pure and righteous Omnissiah claims all knowledge. Even as she parried lashing claw attacks from xenos creatures, Decima calculated relative force strength and chances of mission success. Sicarians: nine. Correction. Eight. Xenos engaged: lower tier bioforms - twenty-nine and increasing. Probability of defeating local Tyranids in isolation: seventy-six-pointseven-three per cent. Acceptable. Probability of preceding calculation correlated with successful pursuit of unidentified foe: impossible to fully calculate. Approximately seventeen-point-one-three per cent. We must have the knowledge. No price is too high. >Teppa-Nyxos-6e20E >Yes, Princeps, said the Infiltrator. His noospheric voice was completely flat and clear even though he was duelling two thrashing Tyranids at once. >A path will be cleared through the xenos. You will take it. You will follow the unidentified foes. You will upload the sacred knowledge you find so that those closer to our most glorious Machine God can use it. >Yes, Princeps. It was time to give the order. She switched to a wider-band transmission. >Sicarians, Decima said. >Enact Pathforcer Protocols. Make way for Infiltrator Teppa-Nyxos-6e20F. To him has fallen the task of following the unidentified xenos. The Omnissiah demands this of you. >Yes, Princeps, chorused eight monotone noospheric voices. The Ruststalkers of her team surged into the fray, driving a wedge in between the bioforms closest to the Tyranid beasts of burden. They carved through xenos after xenos with transonic razors and blades. Following them came the

FICTION Infiltrators, amplifying the white-noise signals emanating from their domed helms and jutting antennae. All Decima could hear were the sweet, soothing words of psalms praising the Machine God’s glory. But she knew the xenos would be buffeted by horrific sounds that would inspire fear and confusion. This helped drive the momentum of the Ruststalkers as they dove in amongst the distracted xenos. Decima amplified her own signal. Even the fury of this renewed attack was not enough to break the Tyranids. One Sicarian then another was dragged to the floor, pierced with claws or savaged with point-blank blasts of bio-weapons loaded with flesh-hungry living ammunition. But the followers of the Machine God were covering ground. At the centre of the wedge was Nyxos. The Infiltrator fired bursts from his stubcarbine when opportunities arose in support of his fellow warriors. His dome amplified a terrible signal just as the others of his kind did. Where he had the chance, he stabbed, hacked and cut Tyranids. They were getting close to the end of the xenos swarm. Once they had broken through, Nyxos could race free. Decima cut down bioform after bioform with her taser goad and flechette blaster in a rapid series of moves. She stretched the capabilities of her mechanical limbs to their limit to avoid claw strikes and jaws full of fangs as well as to deliver blows with killing momentum. >For tfie Omnissiafil Decima was so caught up in her own duels that she only noticed that Nyxos had made it through when she could no longer hear the psalms emitted from his antennae. For the Machine God, she thought, just as another wave of bioforms appeared at the head of a nearby tunnel and raced towards her remaining warriors.

Mu-Psi took careful aim. A Hormagaunt was racing towards her. Saliva dripped from its open maw, which was home to rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its cranium, armoured with chitin plates, sat square in the crosshairs of her radium carbine. She pulled the trigger. There was a flash of light at the end of her weapon’s barrel. The Hormagaunt dropped. Mu-Psi felt a divine sense of satisfaction.

She adjusted her aim. She filed again. Another alien fell. She scanned tor a new target. She turned. A creature leapt at her, driving talons into her head and chest. Mu-Psi’s vision was filled with binharic static. She blurted out a binharic imprecation. Too slow.

Again. With a thought, Mu-Psi took over the mind of the next Skitarius. The Hormagaunt that had slain her previous host was close. It ran across her field of vision, racing for a Skilaiii Ranger wielding a transuranic arquebus. She took aim and fired. The shot ripped through one of the creature’s hind legs, sending it crashing to the ground. She fired again, the second shot piercing the creature's thorax. Ichor pumped from the grievous wound. It was as good as dead. This Skitarii Hunter Clade had come under heavy attack in the complex of tunnels beneath Hive Castelleion, which

WhRHAMMER •1" 000

Kill. TEAM was full of dark shafts and alcoves. Whatever the Tyranids were doing down here in this warren of underhive tunnels, they appeared to be fighting furiously lo keep her patrols from finding it.

The Electro-Priests took one step forward, their bodies humming with energy.

A good opportunity to practise my skills.

‘All Feel the Nimbus Rising,’

She felt an impact in her left side, something burrowing inside her host’s flesh and mechanical components. It could not hurt her, but the neurolink she shared with this unit told her it was there.

They stepped forward again. Blue-white power threaded across their grey skin like shooting stars across a night sky.

Thrice-damned xenos.

In rigidly rehearsed syncopation, they took another pace. By now the Electro-Priests throbbed with energy barely contained within their bodies and implanted apparatuses.

It was only a matter of time before this unit was slain as well. She fought on for as long as possible before all she saw was a field of static. She checked her chronometer. It read 25.86 local seconds. Longer than last time. I am getting better. Again. Combat was addictive. A weakness of the flesh. Yet my skills are objectively improving. With a blink, she became another Skitarius. By now, the Hunter Clade she was among had slain most of the Tyranids. They were conducting dispersal and eradication operations. Many of the Skitarii spread out as a result, and so did Mu-Psi. She moved slowly, her radium carbine pressed into her shoulder. She was ready to fire if anything else came at her. She was entirely focused, straining to see or hear anything that might be a threat. The Hormagaunt that attacked her barely made it from the rubble heap it was hiding behind before the round she fired slammed into its skull. Another creature swiftly followed it, bursting out from a hidden alcove. She fired, the shot tearing off one of its clawed forelimbs. The creature leapt straight at her. Holding her carbine from the barrel like a club, she swung the weapon at the beast with all her strength. The stock smashed into the beast's head, sending it sprawling to the ground. Ichor dripped from its cranium. Within two more seconds, she put another round into it, ending its life. There were no more Tyianidb. She advanced, with the rest of the Hunter Clade, down their tunnel. When they came to an opening, they cautiously went through. When she saw what was there, she entered the minds of all of them and commanded them to take cover immediately.

tl ■:

‘All Praise the Ebb and Flow,'

‘All Sing the Body Electric.'

‘Feel the Full Charge Crackle!' As one, they levelled their wrists, palms facing the Tyranids. Lightning poured out from their electrostatic gauntlets and struck the onrushing Tyranids. Pale alien flesh, purple chitin and crimson claws were charred black by the energy's fury and heat. Fire erupted from alien eye sockets. The onslaught of power lit the whole cavern, revealing a swarm of creatures who, mere seconds before, were climbing over each other in their rush to reach the Adeptus Mechanicus warriors. Now those that were not killed by millions of volts of power screeched. ‘All Praise the Blinding Wrath,' Another group of Electro-Priests stepped forward, ahead of their fellows. They wielded two-handed electroleech staves. ‘All Douse the Unfaithful's Aura,' cried the Fulgurites. The Fulgurites culled the Tyranids that still lived, caving in skulls with crunching downward strikes.

FICTION ‘All Unleash the Power Voltaic/ shouted the Corpuscarii.

The Electro-Priests stopped at the tunnel mouth.

The two bodies of Martian Electro-Priests proceeded through their own versions of the Chant of Electro-traction as they fought within the tunnels of the underhive beneath Kusolst Prime’s Hive Castelleion. Each recited louder to outdo the other. Their own crimson robes and pallid skin were being scorched black by their assault. Their skin was blistered by the backwash of their own voltagheist fields, confined as it was by the tunnels. These passageways had to be cleansed, for Castelleion would not hold if the enemy could arise from below.

Delpha-8U2 walked to the front lo see whal was before them.

‘All Bleed the Heathen Spark,' roared the Fulgurites. Skitarii Alpha Delpha-802 followed in their wake, driving his shock maul into the few alien survivors he passed. 'All Imbibe the Divine Current, Despite the thunderous roar of the lightning, the alien cries and the relentless thrumming of energy racing through the bodies of the Electro-Priests, still their words rang out. ‘All Become one with the Motive Force,’ A Tyranid leapt upon one of the Electro-Priests, ripping him apart with savage bites and rapid claw stabs. In an instant, a Fulgurite sent it flying with a great swing of his stave. The creature collapsed in a broken heap several metres away, its corpse reduced to a husk after its bio electrical energy had been drained from it. The Fulgurite took the place of the fallen Corpuscarii brother, imbibing the fanatic’s remaining energy reserves as he passed. Delpha-802 could not smell the burning alien flesh, for such a sensation had been taken from him and replaced with neuro-cogitators and analysers that converted simple 'smell' into applicable battlefield data that was transmitted to his commanders for their holy purpose. It was not his task to consider smell, however. It was his task to fight, to kill, to win and to lead others in such a purpose. ‘All Let the Blessed Charges Arc,’ cried the Corpuscarii. Up ahead, the tunnel had an opening. Tyranid bones cracked beneath Delpha-802’s feet. He did not let the obstacle allow him to lose the marching pace. The metronomic advance was to him all a part of his worship of the Omnissiah. The Machine God gave them order and precision. Delpha802's frail form, which was still biological in part, was not perfect like the machine. But he could make it as close to the machine as was possible. ‘All Hail the Purity of the Omnissiah's Power.’

Another, a distant being, saw through his eyes.

Cogitating ... Tech-Priest Akhthra Mu-Psi was seated in a control throne aboard a Basilikon Astra vessel in orbit around Kusolst Prime. Dozens of cables fed into sockets fixed into her brain. Her tentacle-like mechadendrites pushed buttons and pulled levers as she issued noospheric orders to her peons. Though Akhthra could follow dozens of clades of her warriors operating on Kusolst Prime's surface thanks to the neurolinks embedded in her Skitarii, now she was focusing on three. She looked out through the eyes of them into a cavern deep beneath Hive Castelleion. They had found something. A Tyranid apex-beast. It had no eyes, an enormous cranium and a large, bulbous abdomen. Twenty pairs of legs reached out from its armoured thorax. It feasted on a mound of dead humans. A trail of Tyranid creatures entered the cavern, each bringing fresh sustenance for it. Identified creature matches no known Tyranid genus. Behaviour of creatures around it suggests ‘Synapse’ prime-classification. Their apparent devotion to it speaks much. Determined threat level: Alpha-Vermillion-Primus. Orders issued: Purge. No withdrawal. So decrees the Omnissiah.

HUNTER CLADE KILL TEAM

Armed with the very best wargear the forge worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus can provide, Skitarii make excellent kill team operatives. Fearless, well trained and coldly logical in the face of adversity, they get the job done or die selflessly in the attempt.

he Adeptus Mechanicus are ever acquisitive and highly territorial. Their Tech-Priests will go to great lengths to obtain what their believe to be rightfully theirs, and they will remove anything that stands in their way with overwhelming prejudice. Though total annihilation through extreme application of force is the preferred method of warfare for the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are times when a surgical approach is required. In these moments, specialised Hunter Clade teams are sent on dangerous missions, often behind enemy lines, sometimes with very little chance of survival. Such is the fate of the Skitarii cohorts. ASSEMBLING YOUR KILL TEAM Over the next fifteen pages, you will find all the rules you need to assemble a Hunter Clade kill team from the Adeptus Mechanicus for use in open, narrative and matched play games. 58

NEW EDITION!

As you've probably noticed from all the Kill Team content in this issue, there's a new edition of the game! The rules presented here for an Adeptus Mechanicus Hunter Clade kill team are designed to work with the rules found in the Kill Team Core Book and expansions.

Opposite, you will find the first step: selecting your operatives. These include Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers and Sicarian Ruststalkers and Infiltrators, all led by an Alpha or Princeps. Following this are Doctrina Imperatives - rules unique to the Adeptus Mechanicus - plus factionspecific Strategic and Tactical Ploys. The next sections include datacards for all your operatives, plus optional equipment that you can pick for them, such as a servo-skull or a refractor field (for a lucky leader!).

WARHAMHER

KIM. TEAM

Lastly, you’ll find three faction-specific Tac Ops that you can pick for your kill team, plus a veritable data-cache of information on how to use your newly formed kill team in a Spec Ops narrative campaign. This includes Battle Honours, Requisitions, Rare Equipment and Strategic Assets. It's enough to make your bionics tingle!

NEW RULES ARCHETYPE: RECON / SEEK ANO OESTROY

ER GLADE KILL TEAI

Below you will find a list of the operatives that make up a wargear those operatives must be equipped with.

OPERATIVES

1 HUNTER CLADEf operative selected from the following list: SKITARII RANGER ALPHA operative equipped with one of the following: Galvanic rifle; gun butt Master-crafted radium pistol; power weapon Or one option from each of the following: Arc pistol or phosphor blast pistol Arc maul or taser goad SKITARII VANGUARD ALPHA operative equipped with one of the following: Radium carbine; gun butt Master-crafted radium pistol; power weapon Or one option from each of the following; Arc pistol or phosphor blast pistol Arc maul or taser goad SICARIAN RUSTSTALKER PRINCEPS SICARIAN INFILTRATOR PRINCEPS operative equipped with one option from each of the following: Flechette blaster or stubcarbine o Power weapon or taser goad 9 HUNTER CLADEf operatives selected from the following list: SKITARII RANGER MARKSMAN SKITARII RANGER DIKTAT SKITARII RANGER GUNNER operative equipped with a gun butt and one of the following: Arc rifle, plasma caliver or transuranic arquebus

SING THE SONG OF THE MACHINE GOD. NONE MAY STAY OUR MARCH. LET THE MERCILESS LOGIC OF THE MACHINE GOD INVEST THEE. NONE MAY STAY OUR MARCH. PRAISE AND GLORY BE TO THE MACHINE GOD. NONE MAY STAY OUR MARCH.’ -Translation of binharic static chorus Litany of Praise

kill team, including, where relevant, any

• SKITARII RANGER SURVEYOR SKITARII VANGUARD SHOCKTROOPER SKITARII VANGUARD DIKTAT SKITARII VANGUARD GUNNER operative equipped with a gun butt and one of the following: Arc rifle, plasma caliver or transuranic arquebus SKITARII VANGUARD SURVEYOR SICARIAN RUSTSTALKER ASSASSIN operative equipped with one of the following: Chordclaw and transonic razor or transonic blades SICARIAN INFILTRATOR TRACKER operative equipped with one option from each of the following: o Flechette blaster or stubcarbine Power weapon or taser goad Your kill team must include more SKITARII RANGER and SKITARII VANGUARD operatives than it does SICARIAN operatives. Your kill team can only include up to two GUNNER operatives, unless it contains three or fewer SICARIAN operatives, in which case it can include up to three GUNNER operatives. Each GUNNER operative must be equipped with different ranged weapons. Your kill team can only include up to one DIKTAT and one SURVEYOR operative.

WARHAMMER 40,000

KILL TEAM

ABILITY

On this page you will find a common ability of the HUNTER CLADEf kill team.

DOCTRINA IMPERATIVES

In the Strategy phase of the first Turning Point, when it is your turn to use a Strategic Ploy or pass, you must select one Doctrina Imperative below to become active for your kill team instead. That Imperative is active until the end of the battle, or until you change it to a different Imperative, whichever comes first. In the Strategy phase of a subsequent Turning Point, when it is your turn to use a Strategic Ploy or pass, you can select one different Imperative below to become active for your kill team instead. That Imperative is active until the end of the battle (you cannot change your active Imperative again). Each Imperative has an Optimisation and a Deprecation effect. Both are in effect while that Imperative is active for your kill team.

Pntectir Imperative

Optimisation: Each time a friendly operative makes a shooting attack, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that shooting attack, before any other re-rolls, if you rolled two or more failed hits, you can re-roll one of your attack dice. Deprecation: Each time a friendly operative fights in combat, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that combat, before any other re-rolls, you must re-roll one of your critical hits (if any).

Coiiieror Imperative

Optimisation: Each time a friendly operative fights in combat, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that combat, you can re-roll one of your attack dice. Deprecation: Each time a friendly operative makes a shooting attack, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that shooting attack, before any other re-rolls, you must re-roll one of your critical hits (if any).

Bulwark imperative

Optimisation: Each time a shooting attack is made operative, in the Roll against a friendly Defense Dice step of that shooting attack, before any other rules take effect, if you rolled two or more failed saves, you can re-roll one of your defence dice. Deprecation: Subtract # from the Movement characteristic of friendly operatives,

Aggressor Imperative

Optimisation; Add of friendly

to the Movement characteristic operatives.

Deprecation: Each time a shooting attack is made operative, defence against a friendly dice cannot be automatically retained as a result of Cover (they must be rolled instead).

Egealised Imperative

Optimisation: No effect. Deprecation: No effect.

NEW RULES

STRATEGIC PLOYS

TACTICAL PLOYS

If your faction is HUNTER CLADE9, you can use the following Strategic Ploys during a game.

If your faction is HUNTER CLADE9, you can use the following Tactical Ploys during a game.

MARTIAL PROTOCOL (1CP)

PURSUERS (1 CP)

Until the end of the Turning Point:

• Each time a friendly HUNTER CLADEf VANGUARD operative that is within CJ of an objective marker or within ^ of your opponent's drop zone makes a shooting attack, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that shooting attack, you can re-roll one of your attack dice. • Each time a friendly HUNTER CLADEf RANGER operative that has not moved during the Turning Point makes a shooting attack, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that shooting attack, you can re-roll one of your attack dice.

ACCELERANT AGENTS (1 CP)

Until the end of the Turning Point, each time a friendly HUNTER CLADEf RUSTSTALKER operative is activated: • It can perform a free Fight action during that activation. • It can perform two Fight actions during that activation.

Use this lactical Ploy in the Scouting step of die mission sequence, when you resolve your scouting option. • If you selected the Recon option, you can also perform a free Dash action with up to two friendly HUNTER CLADEf RANGER operatives that are wholly within your drop zone. • If you selected the Infiltrate option, during the first Turning Point, you can also change the order of up to two ready friendly HUNTER CLADEf RANGER operatives when each of them are activated.

COMMAND OVERRIDE (1CP) Use this Tactical Ploy when a ready friendly HUNTER CLADE f operative is activated. Select one Doctrina Imperative (py 60) that is not active for your kill team. Until the end of the Turning Point, that Imperative is treated as being active for that operative instead of the current active Imperative.

NEUROSTATIC INTERFERENCE (1 CP)

CONCEALED POSITION (1 CP)

Until the end of the Turning Point, while an enemy operative is within of a friendly HUNTER CLADEf INFILTRATOR operative, each time that enemy operative fights in combat or makes a shooting attack, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that combat or shooting attack, your opponent cannot re-roll their attack dice.

Use this lactical Ploy in the Set Up Operatives step uf the mission sequence. Select one friendly HUNTER CLADEf INFILTRATOR operative. That operative can be set up with a Conceal order anywhere in the killzone that is within Ak of Heavy terrain and more than ^ from enemy operatives and the enemy drop zone. That operative cannot have its order changed during the first Turning Point as a result of the Infiltrate option in the Scouting step. You can only use this Tactical Ploy once.

CALCULATED APPROACH (1CP)

Until the end of the Turning Point, each time a shooting attack is made against a friendly HUNTER CLADEf operative that is more than 0 from enemy operatives, in the Roll Defence Dice step of that shooting attack, if you retain any critical saves, you can select one of your failed saves to be retained as a successful normal save.

•

EXPEDITIOUS ASSASS NAT ONS

M..

The command ark has uploaded numerous targets to the noosphere. The kill team must hunt down and assassinate each as quickly as possible before seeking extraction. OPERATION 1: ASSASSINATIONS

illlll

Various enemy targets must be tracked and assassinated as quickly as possible before word of the Hunter Clade's objective spreads and the Skitarii can be contained or evaded. Complete five games in which you scored victory points from the 'Headhunter' and/or Assassination Order' Tac Op.

OPERATION 2: SIGNAL LANDER FOR EXTRACTION

The enemy is reacting to your presence and your mission is now at an end. With your kill team's communications with HQ blocked, they must secure a landing zone and guide in their source of extraction in a more primitive fashion.

Complete a game in which you scored victory points from the 'Vantage' Tac Op.

COMMENDATION:

You gain one Requisition point. After the battle, all friendly operatives pass Casualty and Recovery tests. You can add one item of rare equipment to your stash, or you can increase your asset capacity by one.

SPEC OPS BONUS:

For the purposes of a mission's Spec Ops bonus, this Spec Op is considered an 'Elimination' Spec Op.

sill

VVARHAMMER

KILL TEAM .

40.000

AWAKEN THE DATA-SPIRITS

The Epsilon-356 Skywarden battery is silent. It must be awakened, lest the skies be filled with xenos dropcraft. The 158th Krieg Special Operations unit have been sent in to reactivate the weapons system. But the Orks have sent in their own operatives...

ELLIOT HAMER & WES SZMAGLIK

Elliot is the lead games developer for Kill Team, and Wes is one of the key playtesters. Who better to fight the first battle than the world's two most experienced operatives?

arhammer 40,000: Kill Team is back, and it’s bigger and better than ever before! New miniatures, new rules, new scenery - it's all very exciting! As you’ve probably noticed already in this issue, there's a whole lot of Kill Team content to delve into, and this month’s Battle Report is no exception. Over the next chunk of pages, you’ll witness the Death Korps of Krieg take on Ork Kommandos in a desperate mission to control a powerful weapons system. Alongside the usual action, we’ll also be highlighting some of the new rules from the game to give you an idea of how it all works. KILL TEAM COMMANDERS Bossing the Ork Kommandos around in this Battle Report is Warhammer 40,000 games developer Elliot Hamer, who worked tirelessly on the new rules system for Kill Team. As one of the game's major contributors, he was an obvious

choice for its first Battle Report. On the opposite side of the battlefield stands playtester Wes Szmaglik, who will be taking command of the Death Korps of Krieg. Like Elliot, Wes knows the game inside out, having played it virtually non-stop for the last year! THE MISSION Elliot and Wes are playing the Awaken the Data-Spirits matched play mission from page 124 of the Core Book. Both players must use their operatives to disconnect a data firewall before taking control of the uplink nodes for a powerful weapons battery. Victory points (VPs) are awarded for completing this primary mission as well as for completing their three Tac Ops secondary missions that can involve controlling areas of the battlefield, incapacitating key enemy operatives or simply krumpin’ some 'eads!

BATTLE REPORT

Trooper Kabil raised a pair of magnoculars to the lenses of his gas mask and surveyed the ruins. The Orks had laid waste to this sector several months ago, leaving devastation in their wake. Derelict factorums and abandoned oil rigs showed the signs of their passing. Most had been violently demolished. Those that remained were daubed with crude xenos glyphs. From his vantage point, Kabil could see a pair of data cables hidden amongst the wreckage. The two uplink nodes also appeared to be undamaged. A blessed relief, then - their mission could proceed. ‘Seven-three-eight-eight-oh Kabil reporting.’ The comms line crackled then beeped an acknowledgement that it was connected. Objective in sight, Watchmaster.’ Understood. Advancing. Hold position.' The response was clipped and terse. No need for small talk.

Kabil rested on his haunches and checked his lasgun was charged before continuing his vigil, his dark eyes surveying the scene. Dust billowed. Scraps of paper and tattered cloth blew in the wind. Long shadows lay across the ground, cast by the slowly setting sun. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, one of the shadows began to move. What Kabil had assumed was a pile of discarded sacks resting against the building in the darkness rose up and edged forwards along the wall of one of the buildings. Another shadow detached itself nearby, a hulking green body revealing itself as it stepped briefly into a patch of light. 'Enemy sighted,' voxed Kabil. 'Xenos operatives. Two confirmed.’ He watched the Orks advancing. One of them scuffed its boot over the data cables and grunted to the other boy. 'You might want to hurry,' said Kabil. *

tti-im-zm ■

■

—._____________________________________ —.

BEIN' A SNEAKY GIT Elliot: My kill team consists of lots of different specialists. I plan to sneak them up the board, completing objectives as I go, then pounce on any Death Korps wandering a little too far from their drop zone. Kommandos don't have great armour, so they might take a beating from enemy shooting, but when they get into combat with the Guardsmen, they will duff them up good! The Nob and Comms Boy both have abilities that give another operative an extra action point, which can be very handy when dashing to objectives and completing mission actions, while the team’s Throat Slittas ability means that the Orks can charge even when they're on the Conceal order. The Snipa Boy and Rokkit Boy will help keep the Guardsmen’s heads down, while the Grot can nip and take objectives when no one is looking. I equipped a few of my Boyz with stun and smoke grenades, too, to give me some tactical flexibility. 76 .

1. Nazbok Smashead

KUTTIN' KREW 5. Grug "Yella" Snotkicka

Nob equipped with slugga and power klaw 2. Grodd “Beanie" Badfang Dakka Boy equipped with dakka shoota 3. Breaka Slazbag Breacha Boy equipped with breacha ram and slugga 4. Madeye Dakkafist Snipa Boy equipped with scoped big shoota

Corns Boy equipped with shokko pistol and choppo [2EP]

6. Zogger Spleenrippa

Rokkit Boy equipped with rokkit launcher 7. Stugbrog Facestabba Slasha Boy equipped with throwing knives, twin choppas and stun grenade C2EP1

8. Nargrunt da Shiv

Boy equipped with slugga, choppa and smoke grenade (3EP] 9. Ugul Umiechewa

Boy equipped with slugga, choppa and smoke grenade [3EP] 10. Flippaz Grot equipped with grot choppa

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THE DUST RUNNERS" 7. Gunner Jent

1. Watchmaster Kraust Sergeant Veteran equipped with bolt pistol flower weapon and topographical

2. Medic "Fixer" Varpok Medic Veteran equipped with lasgun and bayonet

Gunner Veteran equipped with meltagun and rosary [2EP1 8. Trooper Lensk

Trooper Veteran equipped with lasgun, bayonet and hot-shot capacitor pack 9. Trooper Venner

3. Trooper Kabil Spotter Veteran equipped with lasgun, bayonet and mortar barrage

Trooper Veteran equipped with lasgun and bayonet

4. Trooper Arnim Sniper Veteran equipped with long-las and bayonet

Trooper Veteran equipped with lasgun, bayonet and chronometer [3ER]

W'* v i i4.*srJ

5. Gunner Jonkar Gunner Veteran equipped with grenade launcher 6. Gunner “Ork” Tyborc Gunner Veteran equipped with flamer

10. Trooper Game

INTO ENEMY TERRITORY Wes: I picked a kill team with lots of guns! My plan is to station a load of operatives on a firebase with a good Vantage Point, commanded by the Sergeant. Meanwhile, the more expendable Troopers can run out to take the objectives. The Spotter can help the Sniper target enemies he wouldn’t normally be able to shoot, and then he can call down mortar shots where they’re required. Meanwhile, on the front line, the Gunner armed with the meltagun will need to get close and personal to cause the most damage, so I gave him a rosary to try and keep him alive a little longer. I also picked the topographical chart as a piece of equipment in the hope that I can outfox Elliot at the scouting stage. Lastly, I’ve picked the guided missile and artillery barrage options from the Ancillary Support section of my list. The Orks will want to get close, so I’ll need all the shooting I can muster! 77

KILL TEAM DEPLOYMENT: ENEMY SIGHTED

Having reached the data uplink point for the Skywarden battery, the Dust Runners find the objective hotly contested by a mob of Ork Kommandos. Violence is imminent. THE MISSION

A player scores 1VP if one of their operatives disconnects a Firewall (objectives 2,3,5 and 6). They score further victory points if they control an Uplink node (objectives 1 and 4)-1VP if one of its Firewalls is disconnected, 2VPs if both are. A total of 12VPs can be scored from the mission. A further 2VPs can be scored from each Tac Op secondary objective for a total of 6VPs. 2VPs are awarded for a fully painted Kill Team for a full score of 20VPs.

Before deploying their kill teams, Elliot and Wes set up two barricades each to give their operatives some additional protection. Both opt to Fortify during the scouting stage, giving them each a third barricade. As Hie defender, Elliul dupluyt iho Ork Kommandos first. Fie gives every Ork the Conceal

order except Grodd

the Oakka Roy

Madeye the Smpa Buy (1), NaigtuiU (2), Boss Nazbok (3), Stugbrog tho Slasha Boy (4) and /ogger the Hokkit Boy (5) set up on the roof of the main building in his deployment zone, while Brco*ko the Breacha Boy (6) and Grodd (7) set up below. Flippaz the grot (8), Grug the Comms Boy (9) and Ugul (10) set up to the east behind a ruined wall.

Wll

ommando Boss Nazbok Smashead watched the humies from the window of a ruined manufactorum. They were trying to be sneaky, but he could see them all. There were three, four, five ... lotz of them. Exactly how many didn't really matter to Nazbok - his Boyz would sort them out. He beckoned Grug the Comms Boy over and ordered him to head to the eastern flank of the battlefield with Ugul and Flippaz the grot. Between them they should be able to deactivate the humie systems before moving into position around the data uplink terminal. He gathered the rest of the Boyz around him, ordering Madeye, Stugbrog, Nargrunt and Zogger to head upstairs, giving them a better line of sight across the

battlefield. Before he followed them, he told Grodd to shoot anything that moved and Breaka to wait until he yelled for him to get stuck in. Being left out of the fighting might annoy the Breacha Boy, but he was Nazbok's secret weapon, and he needed to be patient. Joining his Boyz on top of the building, Nazbok could see the humies converging on the data cables and uplink terminals. The humie boss was also on top of a building, wavin’ his sword around as he told his ladz where to go. Nazbok wasn’t too worried about the humies armed with lasguns, but he’d spied a few larger shootas among the enemy ranks that he was not too keen to get involved with. He told his Boyz to keep their heads down while he came up with a plan.

BATTLE REPORT

As the attacker, Wes then sets up the Guardsmen. He gives all of them the Conceal order. Gunner Tyborc takes the western flank (11), with Troopers Venner (12) and Lensk (13) in close

support,

Atop the main

building, Arnim the Sniper (14), Watchmactcr Kiausl (15), Spullui Kubil (16), Medic Varpok (17), and Gunner Jonkar (18) watch over the ubjeulives in the centre of the battlefield. Trooper Game (1H) sets up

In the building

below them, with

Gunnel .ihiiI (20)

holding the eastern flank.

..-.....

WMK

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-....-

KILL TEAM

TURNING POINT ONE: TREAD CAREFULLY

Desperate to activate the weapons system, both forces send out operatives to cut the firewall cables and activate the uplink nodes. The ruined manufactorums soon become a killing ground. THE TURN SEQUENCE INITIATIVE PHASE

At the start of each Turning Point, players roll off to determine who will take the first activation.

STRATEGY PHASE

In the Strategy phase, hnth players generate a Command Point that can be used to play Stmtegir. Ploys or lactical Ploys (sneaky stuff that might help them out during the turn). At this point, any Tac Ops that need to be declared in the Target Reveal stage are revealed.

FIREFIGHT PHASE

In the Firefight phase, players alternate activating operatives or groups of operatives to perform actions, such as moving, shooting, fighting in combat and, in this miesion, deactivating a Firewall system.

Having played Into the Breach, Wes moves Gunner Tyborc onto objective 5 (1) and deactivates the firewall, earning him 1VR Elliot activates Nob Nazbok and plays Get it Dun! on Nargrunt, increasing his API (Action Point Limit) by 1. Elliot then climbs Nazbok down from the building and dashes him into cover behind one of the uenlial buildings (2). Nargrunt joins him and, with his extra action point, deactivates the Firewall on objective 6, also earning Elliot 1VP

azhnk watched the Imperial Guardsmen with interest. They were certainly keen, he’d give them that. To the west, three of them were advancing quickly into the ruins, while another of their number was racing forward to the east. They were clearly trying to get to the data terminals his Boyz had discovered in the ruins. Nazbok wasn't entirely sure what the terminals did, but he had a feeling it was linked to a nearby weapons system that his Boss had been unable to activate. That's why they'd been sent back - to fix it. He watched carefully as one of the Guardsmen ran forwards, dropped his flamer, pulled out a pair of heavy-duty wire cutters and cut through a cable. He nudged Nargrunt and pointed at a nearby wire close to the building they were standing in. ‘Get it Dun,’ he growled. Nargrunt looked perplexed for a moment, then climbed down the building to cut the cable. Nazbok knew that violence was imminent. He could taste it. He wasn't disappointed. A small explosion to the east indicated that the humies had started firing. Ugul had a piece of shrapnel stuck in his shoulder but was otherwise unharmed as he set about chopping his way through another one of the cables. The retaliatory fire was, by comparison, deafening. Racing from cover, Grodd unleashed the full fury of his dakka shoota on the unfortunate Guardsman with the grenade launcher, blasting him from his feet, (cont.)

BATTLE REPORT

> Affirmative, Watchmaster. Advancing now, The Orks seem to have had the same idea. They're cutting the wires to the uplink node. How can they possibly know what it does? Orks never show that level of intellect. > Throne knows. Wire is cut > Acknowledged. Venner, try to activate the uplink node. If the Orks have deactivated their end of the firewall, they may actually have done us a favour. > Venner here. Understood,

> Acknowledged. On my way, watchmaster. > Kabil, any chance of flushing out some of those Orks? > I've got my eyes on one of them. Reckon you can drop a grenade on it if I spot you, Jonkar? > Worth a shot, [sound of grenade launcher firing] Anything? > Not even close. > I'll move up, see if I can ge- [sounds of heavy gunfire] Aargh! > Jonkar's down. Someone recover his gear if he doesn't make it.

Troopers Venner (3) and Lensk (4) use a Group Activation (Trooper Veterans are activated in

groups of two) to

move onto objective 4, the Uplink node. On the other side of the battlefield, Grug (5) uses his Listen In action to give Ugul (6) an extra API. The Kommando Boy races forward to deactivate the Firewall on objective 3. Aidnd by his topographical map, Wes turns Gunner Jonkar's (7) order status to Engaged. Then, guided by Spotter Kabil, he fires a krak grenade at Ugul but misses even with a command re-roll. Grodd the Dakka Boy (8) performs a Dakka Dash, shooting Jonkar while running into Cover. His shots cause two critical hits, incapacitating the Guardsman and taking him out of the battle. Many of Wes's operatives pass on their actions (9), preferring to wait for the Orks to advance first.

MTE

____

The Kommando Boss grinned with satisfaction as the Guardsman hit the floor and lay still, blood pouring from his wounds. As he ordered Stugbrog down from his vantage point, a whistling noise caught the Nob's ear. He dived for cover just in time, a barrage of shells raining down from the sky around Nargrunt and him. As the dust settled, he pulled a lump of metal out of his chest. A flesh wound, nothing more. Perhaps now was the time to strike. ‘Hit ’em 'ard, Breaka!’ he bellowed. He was answered by an equally enthusiastic roar as the Brcacha Boy slammed open the door of the Orks’ hideout, raced across the road and pile-drived his way through the nearest wall with his battering ram. A muffled scream, a jet of red blood and another jubilant Orky roar indicated that Breaka had hit something significantly softer than steel. 82 _

DISTANCES

In Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team, distances are displayed in iiiciements represented by coloured shapes. le triangle is 1" m • The circle is 2"

The square is 3" The pentagon is 6"

So an Ork. for example, has a iiiuvumeiil uf 3#, while a Dash move is . Most pistols have a range of . These graded distances are all represented on the game's combat gauges.

LINE OF SIGHT

Line of Sight (page 70 in the Core Book) is of critical importance in Kill Team. A target must be visible to the active operative, but if they are obscured by terrain, then they may not be a viable target. Operatives on an Engage order make for easier targets, which is why both Wes and Elliot began the game with most of their operatives Concealed. This way if they are in Cover they cannot be viable targets if they are too far away from the active operative

CRITICAL HITS

All weapons have two damage profiles. The first number Is the Normal Damage, the second is the Critical Damage. A critical hit is scored when a 6 is rolled to hit in either shooting or melee. An Ork slugga, for example, has a damage profile of 3/4, meaning that a critical hit will cause 4 damage unless the shot can he stopped by the target's armour. Critical saves are also possible on a roll of a 6 and are the best way to negate critical damage

> Jonkar's out of it. I've patched him up, but he's lost a lot of blood. > Understood. You'll have to take his place, Garric. Can you reach the firewall cable? > Affirmative. You want me to cut it? > Negative. Stand fast. We're not sure what the Orks are up to. Hold position until I give further orders. Stay out of sight. > No complaints here. > Anything on your end, Lensk? > Orks have gone quiet since the barrage. Reckon they're on the other side of this wall. > Keep an eye out, we don't want th- [sound of rending metal] > THRONE, WHERE DID- VENNER! EMPEROR'S TEETH! VENNER! The Orks have breached the wall! Some kind of battering ram. It got Venner. There's ... I ... he's gone! « Stugbrog the Slasha Boy (1) leaps down from his Vantage Point and runs out to the western flank. Wes drops an artillery barrage on Boss Nazbok and Nargrunt (2), who can be seen by Uunner lybuic (3). He rolls six dice for each attack and scores a regular hit and a critical hit on Nargrunt. Elliot saves the critical hit, but Nargrunt still takes 2 damage. Boss Narbok is also hit for 3 damage. Trooper Garric takes objective 2 but doesn't deactivate the Firewall (4). This is because Wes has the Stand Fast Tac Op that means ho will score 1VP if he holds two objectives at the end of the Turning Point. Flippaz uses his grappling hook to swing into cover near objective 1 (5) -the Uplink node. With nothing to shoot, Elliot passes with Madeye and Zogger (6). Breaka uses his breacha ram to charge through a blast door, then a wall and into Trooper Venner (7). All three of his attacks hit (two of them critical), and he pulverises the Guardsman. He also denies Wes a lot of victory points!

______

WARHAMMER

KIM. TEAM 40.000

TURNING POINT TWO: KRUMPIN’ TIME

Having denied the Death Korps troopers access to the uplink node, Boss Nazbok’s Kuttin’ Krew begin to outflank the Imperial position. But the Astra Militarum are determined to complete their mission. PLOYS AND ORDERS

At the start of the second Turning Point, instead of playing a Strategic Ploy, Wes issues the Take Aim! order with his Sergeant Veteran. This enables operatives within of his Sergeant to re-roll Is when shooting. Elliot then plays the Skulk About ploy, which means any Ork on the Conceal order automatically passes one Normal Save each time they are shot at. Wes then plays Clear the Line, which means his Guardsmen automatically hit with one of their attacks in combat.

Elliot reveals the Rout and Get Stuck In! Tac Ops which, broadly speaking, involve running al the enemy and hitting theml He then wins the roll-ott tor initiative. Mot wanting Elliot tn get the upper hand. Wes uses the chronometer held by Trooper Garric tn rn roll hie dice, stealing the initiative from Elliot, Gunnel Tyborc moves onto the Uplink node and turns his flamer on Breaka (1). Wes scores only three out of five hits despite needing a 2+ to hit. Breaka is badly burned but survives. The Ork then charges both Lensk and Tyborc before turning his breacha ram on Lensk. With Tyborc's help, Lensk manages to wound the rampaging Ork, but he is then swiftly (and messily) incapacitated by the Breacha Boy.

he sound of a humie being pulverised always brought a smile to Boss Nazbok's face. Breaka was causing carnage in the uplink terminal building, and Nazbok was fair-minded enough to let him continue. After all, he'd made Breaka wait before joining the action; he would want to make up for lost time. A gout of flame erupted from the hole that the Breacha Boy had punched in the wall. Nazbok knew that flamer-wielding humie was around somewhere, but by the sounds of screaming and shouting coming from the inside of the ruins, Breaka was still alive and causing even more destruction. This could perhaps work in Nazbok’s favour. He raised his power klaw and waved over Stugbrog. Tapping Nargrunt on the shoulder, he gestured for the two Orks to sneak along the outside wall of the building. Over the comms he yelled for his grot assistant to join them. A few seconds later, the wetsuit-clad Flippaz swung into view on his grappling rope and then promptly dived for cover. Narbok shook his head in despair.

Watchmaster Kraust watched the carnage taking place in the uplink terminal building with cold professionalism. He was born of Krieg, a dour man who was ever pragmatic and serious about his work. His mission was being compromised, and his soldiers, despite their zeal, were beginning to come undone by their alien foes. Even now the Orks were moving to outflank his soldiers' positions. This would have to be stopped - they must reclaim the uplink terminal. With Jonkar, Venner and Lensk all out of action, Kraust called for his Guardsmen to draw whatever beads they could on the Orks and punish them for their temerity. Gunner Jent called in coordinates for a guided missile strike, and Kraust approved them immediately. The detonation tore apart a barricade and flung an Ork body high into the air. On the ground below, Trooper Garric reached out and, with a vox acknowledgement from Kraust, cut the firewall cable to the second terminal. He retreated back behind cover ready to secure the uplink node, (cont.)

BATTLE REPORT g

+++ Mission Transcript 45885/6 +++

> BURN! Burn, alien scum! Feel the Emperors wrath! [sound of gouting flame] > Fall back, Tyborc. I can't see a thing with all that smoke. It's gone! Where did it- Aargh! > Lensk! > Throne, help me! [sounds of grunting and struggling] Grab ... the ... power cable. Anything! > It's too qakkin' strong! > Stab it, hit it! Just ... > Oh f- [sound of industrial equipment being used] > AAAAAARRGGGGHHH! > Tyborc, leave him. Fall back, Tyborc, that's nn nrdor! There are more greenskins coming up behind you. You can't do anything for him now, Tyborc!

Quick, before...

Being out of range will 11 us meltagurt. Gunner Jent calls in a guided missile strike on Grodd. The attack causes a mighty 12 damage, taking the Dakka Boy out of action (2). Flippaz uses his grappling hook to zip across the battlefield, where he then takes cover behind one of the Death Korps' barricades (3). Stugbrog and Nargrunt sneak along behind the wall, knowing that the primary objective is on the other side but not wanting to venture out into the open where the Guardsmen can shoot them (4). Along with Flippaz, Elliot now has three operatives within # of Wes's drop zone, scoring him 1VP for the Get Stuck In! Tac Op, Zogger jumps down from his Vantage Point and runs along behind the barricade to the east (5), ready to target Gunner Jent should he be foolish enough to come off his Conceal order.

VVARHAMMER 40.000 .

KIU. TEAM OVERWATCH

When it is your turn to activate an operative, if you do not have any ready operatives left to activate, but your opponent has not yet activated all of their operatives, you can select a friendly operative that has an Engage order and has already activated this phase to perform a single Overwatch action (see page 63 of the Core Book). This ability is especially useful if one player has fewer operatives than their opponent, enabling them to sneak in a few extra shots here and there. For this reason, Wes places Gunner Jent on Engage orders just in case Ugul charges and kills Trooper Garric (see below). It proves to be a prudent but puiiilless lactic! Wes uses the Spotter to spot the Ork Snipa Boy for the Death Korps' own sniper, Trooper Arnim. Wes then activates Arnim, puts him on Engage orders (so he can Overwatch later) and fires at the now visible Madeye. He scores four hits including one critical, causing 9 damage - not quite enough to kill the Ork (1). Elliot retaliates by firing back with his Snipa. Madeye scores three critical hits, causing six mortal wounds. A further shot Incapacitates Arnim. Wes quickly uses the Medic! ability on Varpok to keep Arnim in the gamo with 1 wound remaining, but both nperntives lose lAPforthe next Turning Point. Madeye moves downstairs and into Cover (2).

___

Shots rang out as Arnim - guided by Kabil - fired on the Ork Snipa lurking in the manufactorum on the other side of the battlefield. There was a moment's silence, a complete lull in the din of battle, before a torrent of shots came thundering back. Several of them hit Arnim, and he fell to the floor, Varpok running to his side, medikit already open. Below them, Kraust could see Garric duelling a hulking Ork wearing what appeared to be a diving mask. Unable to get a clear shot at the Ork with his meltagun, Gunner Jent could only watch helplessly. In Nazbok’s opinion, everything was going to plan. He’d lost a couple of Boyz, but all the rest of his Krew were driving the humies back and having a pretty good fight to boot. He stuck his head round the corner of the building to see Breaka stomping on the chest of a fallen Guardsman while holding another at arm’s length. The flamer trooper! Nazbok did like flamers! Strutting through the hole in the wall left by Breaka, he grabbed the struggling Guardsman, held him up in his bare hand and snipped him in half with his power klaw. Highly satisfying. A buzzing noise caught Nazbok’s attention. With unusual dexterity, he peeled the Guardsman's helmet off and put it to his ear. There was a shouty box inside. He could have some fun with that. He took the flamer, too, as a memento.

BATTLE REPORT Mission Transcript 45885/G +++

> I hove one of the xenos in my sights. Amim, end of the monufoctorm behind the black panel. > I see it. Tight shot. Authorised? > Take it, Amim - we need to kill some of these brutes. ; > [sound of a long-las being fired] > Target hit. Did it fall, Kabil? I can't see fro- [sound of heavy incoming fire] Gah! I'm hit! I ... MEDIC! > I got you, trooper. Hold still, keep your head down. It's a flesh wound, nothing serious. Injecting stimms and anti-coags. > You know how to have a good time. Doc. > Enough! The filth is still alive, and we're becoming overwhelmed. Garric, hold ground. Jent, cover him. > Acknowledged. > Understood. Holding. > Tyborc, you still alive down there? Tyborc? > WAAAGH! Cornin' ta get ya, humies! > ThronCi the vox is compromised! Switch to secondary band.

Grodd uses Listen In to give Ugul an extra API. The Kommando then E charges Irooper Garric (3) Garric takes G damage and Ugul 3, but neither is taken out.

* /V

Boss Nazbok plays Get It Dun! on ri : himsolfand charges Gunner Tyborc (4). A single m puwei klaw hit is ^ all he needs to give BHI the Guardsman the snip. At this point 3 Elliot reveals his last Tac Op - Rob and Ransack which awards him 1VP nowand a further 1VP if the Kommando Boss survives until the end of the battle when he can inspect the loot he stole from Tyborc. ■

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WARHAMMER

Kill. TEAM 40.000

TURNING POINT THREE: GRENADES AT DAWN

The Dust Runners find themselves pushed back as the Orks converge on their position with ruthless efficiency. But the greenskins are starting to look a little worse for wear. VANTAGE POINTS

A Vantage Point is a terrain feature with a vertical element, such as a level higher than the floor of the killzone that operatives can be placed upon. When an operative on a Vantage Point makes a shooting attack, they treat targets that have a Conceal order, that are in Cover provided by Light terrain or another operative, and that are at least • lower than them as having an Engage order for that attack instead. Put simply, being up high in Kill Team is very handy indeed! Elliot activates Nazbok, plays the Get it Dun! ability on the Breacha Boy, then moves the Nob behind the wall of the building. Unable to fire into Game's fight with Ugul, Gunner Jent moves away from the fight and fires his meltagun into Breaka's back (1). The shot causes a massive 8 mortal wounds before any other damage is worked out, easily incapacitating the Ork. Behind him, Ugul finishes off Trnnper Garrir. Arnim (2) is given Oiiiiuhh!

iimIhis hmi.I

fircc at Grodd the Comms Boy. Despite his Vantage Point, he only causes 3 damage on the Ork. Stugbrog runs out (3) and throws a stun grenade into the building where the Guardsmen are hiding. He stuns Arnim, but the others escape unscathed.

WHITE

ort ’em out, Breaka!’ yelled Nazbok as he dived back behind cover. He knew his own strength, knew he was more powerful than any of these pitiful humies. He also knew a meltagun when he saw one. Even behind the wall he could feel the air superheating, hear the hiss as moisture evaporated then turned into a roar as Breaka was vaporised by the cooka-gun.

Watchmaster Kraust stepped round the ruined wall and plunged his power sword into the Kommando’s shoulder. The Ork roared in pain behind its face mask and made a backhanded swing with its choppa at his head. The crude axe glanced off Kraust’s shoulder pad and slammed into his helmet. Kraust reeled with the force of the blow but struck back, his powered blade slicing through the Ork’s neck.

The Nob shoved Slasha Stugbrog out into the open to see if the coast was clear. The Kommando gave him a dirty look then ran for cover, grabbed a stun grenade from his bandolier and lobbed it up into the building where the Guardsmen were hiding. There was a yell of surprise followed by a loud detonation and a blinding light. Nazbok shoved Nargrunt out into the open, too. The Kommando ran towards the building slugga first, ready to blast holes in anything that moved. Flippaz the grot followed in his wake, his choppa out, ready to plunge it into some unfortunate victim.

Head still ringing, Kraust almost didn't see the diminutive creature sneaking up on him. More from instinct than awareness, he raised his sword and parried the small but sharp cutting blade that was thrust at his midsection. He lashed out with the sword, striking something small and soft that screeched wildly before slumping to the ground. Kraust kicked it to make sure it was dead and then prepared to climb back up to his vantage point. Reports were coming in over the vox. Garric was down, and the Orks had control of the Skywarden uplink nodes. His mission was slowly but inexorably failing.

BATTLE REPORT

■

VICTORY POINTS

14 2

Astra Militarum

89 __

WARHAMMER 4n,oon

KILL TEAM TURNING POINT FOUR: DUTY IN DEATH

Watchmaster Kraust orders his squad to take aim and finish the foe. If they can’t secure the uplink nodes, they will just have to kill every Ork instead! CUMULATIVE BENEFITS

While many of the Orks were wounded throughout the battle (several of them close to death!), the main reason so many of them were still alive was because of Elliot's tactics. By using the Startegic Ploy Skulk About, he was able to give any Kommando using the Conceal order on automatic normal save every time they got shot, even if they were in the open. Combine that with the benefits of Cover, and his Orks became very hard

to incapacitate.

Wes wins the roll-off for the fourth and final Turning Point. Hn gives the order for his troopers to Fix Bayonets and prepare for combat. In a moment ot role reversal, Elliot plays the Ddkkal Dakkal Dakka! Strategic Pluy lu improve his Kommandos' sliuuling. Watchmaster Kraust moves back up tn his Vantage Point and then uses the Inspirational Leadership Tactical Ploy to issue the Take Aim! order (1) Sniper Arnim kills the Ork Snipa while Medic Varpok fires his lasgun and incapacitates the Rokkit Boy. Elliot places Ugul on an Enqaqe order, moves him out of Cover and fires his slugga at Varpok (2). Two critical hits and no successful saves are enough to drop the Medic and take him out of action.

h ______

baking his battered head, Kraust ordered his squad to fix bayonets in case the Orks charged. As he climbed back up to the roof of the building, he saw Gunner lent vaporise another Ork before being blasted across the rubble by a flurry of rockets fired at him by one of the Kommandos lurking in the uplink building. Back on the roof with his troopers, Kraust gave every one of them a specific target. Arnim easily dispatched the Ork Snipa, though not before the hulking brute fired another barrage of shots up at

the Guardsmen, wounding Arnim once again. Kabil called in a mortar strike on the Rokkit Boy lurking in the ruins before Varpok shot the creature in the head. It fell heavily and did not rise. But the Guardsmen’s victories were short-lived. Unbeknownst to them, the Ork that took out Garric had snuck up on their fortified position and fired a burst of shots at Varpok, sending the medic plummeting from the roof. With just two troopers left alive, one of them wounded, Kraust prepared to sell his life dearly in service to the Emperor. Their mission had nearly been successful, too ...

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THE LIFE AND DEATH OF GUNNER JENT

Wes moves Gunner dent towards Stugbrog despite already being in range with his meltagun. This is because the Slasha Buy is in Cover and will get an automatic normal cave against Wes's shooting. By moving dent closer, he is able to get within • of the Ork, thereby denying him his Cover save (he's just too close to hide!), dent's meltagun makes a mess of the Ork with three normal hits, causing 18 damage! However, dent's selfless act leaves him in the open. Because Wes gave him an Engage order, the melta trooper becomes a viable target tnr /ngger the

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BATTLE REPORT WOT DOES IT DO?

As the dust settles and the Kommandos finish off the last few Guardsmen, Boss Nazbok tries to work out exactly what the big red button on the uplink console does.

1 knew you would want to play defensively, so I picked Tac Ops that involved moving forward and being aggressive.’ - Elliot I felt my Guardsmen Orders and Strategic Ploy combos would have worked well if your Orks had shown their faces!’ - Wes Wes: Well now, that didn’t quite go as planned! I thought my tactics for the first Turning Point were really sound - use Into the Breach to dash forwards, turn off one Firewall, keep the other online, secure the Uplink objective and bag myself a load of victory points (at least 5VPs for securing the objectives and completing the Stand Fast Tac Op - Ed). Then the Breacha Boy happened. Elliot: I think that move had a big impact on the rest of the game, as the Breacha Boy stopped you from scoring that objective. Activating him last and using the Breach ability meant I could pounce, and when you did shoot him next turn, the Skulk About Strategic Ploy reduced the effects. I took a lot of bullets. Well, lasers. Wes: Skulk About is a really good ploy for Orks. It does mean they put out less damage, but it makes them perfect for taking objectives. In the end that was what the mission was about, and you played it perfectly. Elliot: I knew you would want to play defensively, so I picked Tac Ops that involved moving forward and being aggressive. I was happy to take the primary objectives first, then move in closer to score the Tac Ops later in the game. Timing is crucial with Tac Ops, as you found in the first turn. Play too early and your plan can come undone if something unexpected happens. Too late and you may not score as many VPs from them. Wes: I definitely played too defensively. I had hoped my ground operatives would be enough to hold the objectives, but once you'd killed a few of them, you had the advantage of numbers and could control the objectives easily. Holding my Vantage Point was fine, but in a four-turn game,

you can't afford to wait for the enemy to come to you. I think next time I will take the Trooper Veterans Ancillary Support option instead of the artillery to give myself more operatives. Elliot: Saying that, 1 was really surprised you didn't use your artillery barrage right at the start of the game when all my operatives were gathered together on one building. They would have made a lovely target. Wes: I got too excited about moving all my operatives! I totally forgot until you had moved a few of the Kommandos. That's the problem with an asset that isn't physically there - you need to remember it! I was pretty pleased with how I managed to stack my abilities throughout the game, though. Like right at the start when I outguessed you in the Scouting step, Fortified, then used the topographical chart to Infiltrate and change the order on my grenade launcher so that he could shoot. Then he did nothing. The tactics were there; the dice rolls weren't. I felt my Guardsmen Orders and Strategic Ploy combos would have worked well if your Orks had shown their faces! Elliot: That wasn’t going to happen; these are sneaky Orks. The Nob’s Get it Dun! ability and the Comms Boy’s Listen In really helped me move about the table pretty quickly and safely. Those extra action points are so helpful.

GREENIE OF DA MATCH

Elliot: It has to be the Breacha Boy. He smashed through two walls and then a man that's a real war story! That one action probably won me the game. It would certainly have been a lot closer if he hadn't killed Trooper Venner.

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miM TROOPER OF THE MATCH

Wes: I reckon it has to be Varpok the Medic. He kept my Sniper alive (twice!) and shot an Ork hiding in Cover from a pretty good distance. He had a really good narrative feel to him, like he was part of the action all of the time.

Wes: Agreed. I think I’ll invest in a Comms Veteran next time, too. Not only can they increase another operative's APL, they can also relay the leader’s Guardsmen Orders across the whole killzone. That's a pretty big deal!

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HIVE FLEET LEVIATHAN

Galactic War Hosts is a series of modelling and painting articles focusing on the many factions and sub-factions of the 41st Millennium. Ready your feeder tendrils, because there’s a Hive Fleet Leviathan hobby feast to devour over the next few pages.

ith all the grace of an apex predator, the PERFECTLY ADAPTED IMPERIAL swarm emerges from the depths of The Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan are driven DESIGNATION space, a single entity made up of billions As far as Imperial • by a strong synaptic imperative and will stop at scholars are aware, upon billions of alien bodies. Stars blink nothing to achieve their goals. To the unknowable Tyranids bear no out as it passes. The light of the Astronomican is Hive Mind that urges them ever onwards, no iconography save snuffed out like a candle. Darkness falls. Invasion the colours of their world is unconquerable, no foe unkillable, no skin and narapann is imminent. Colossal bio ships drsrrnd from the biomass inconsumable. I ike other Hive heavens, seeding the victim world's atmosphere Fleets, Leviathan with alien spores. Clouds split as bio-electric forces are often Imperial scholars have noted that the bioforms of marked on Imperial storms tear apart the skies. The extra-galactic star Hive Fleet Leviathan often continue to fight mnps with n nnilnd ships open like maws, xenos creatures beyond despite grievous wounds that should surely kill serpent icon, count spilling from their fleshy insides. The normally purple. them, and that the synaptic link that bonds them Tyranids are perfectly adapted for war, born to is stronger than that displayed by previously rend and shred, designed to reduce their foes to observed Hive Fleets. It has been surmised i 4 organic matter. Driven by the psychic might of the (some might say heretically so) that the Tyranids Hive Mind, the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan ^ J of Hive Fleet Leviathan have adapted more are as one - unstoppable, insatiable, horrifying successfully than their predecessors to the nature agents of the Great Devourer. of the galaxy and its many hostile inhabitants. 92

GALACTIC WAR HOSTS O INVADE. ADAPT. OVERCOME, DEVOUR What could an alien invasion force from Hive Fleet Leviathan look like? Perhaps they have adapted their colours to match those of the planet they are fighting on, darkening their skin to fit in better with a night world or mottling their carapace to blend in with gloomy jungle flora. Perhaps they are fighting on a high-gravity world and have grown new biomorphs to augment their limbs. Maybe they are fighting in a cramped hive city and their carapaces have become gnarled to better survive the rigours of tunnel warfare. In some cases, they may become aquatic, developing gills and fins to swim beneath turbulent seas. In others, they may grow feeder tendrils or flesh hooks to devour biodiverse foes or scale cliff faces.

CHILDREN OF THE STARS This Tyranid Warrior is a great example of what a bioform from Hive Fleet Leviathan can look like. Their body and limbs what humans would describe as skin - are a pale cream or white inlaid with hints of pink around the joints, while their chitinous carapace is a deep purple and often features growth striations. Their bio-weapons are an extension of their bodies and often take on a deep-red hue. Eyes are notably yellow and well protected by the cranial carapace, while venom sacs (located on the backs of the arms) are most commonly green.

Tyranids are not known for taking grisly trophies, but covering their bases with fallen enemies is a great way to show who they most often fight. The Blood Angels have suffered greatly at the hands of Leviathan's creatures, as have the Orks of the Octarius Sector. Perhaps your regular gaming opponents could donate some bodies or spare parts for you to convert your models’ bases. We hope this article provides you with useful inspiration for how to create your very own army from Hive Fleet Leviathan. If you have an idea you would like to share with us, send us pictures of your own creations to [emailprotected].

Hive Fleet Leviathan has invaded countless worlds across the galaxy. from desert planets and water worlds to icy tundras and urban hive planets. This gives you plenty of opportunity to find a unique and exciting basing scheme for your miniatures.

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PAINTING YOUR MODELS

A well-painted army is an inspiring sight on the battlefield, so here are some useful tips for painting the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan and some of its many splinter fleets. Hive Fleet Leviathan has a traditional colour scheme (shown opposite), but there are many different ways you can adapt that scheme to suit your style of painting or the environment you want your army to fight in. You could paint the skin darker to represent your army fighting on a SPLINTER FLEET TARSIS MAJORIS This Tyranid s dark skin tone was achieved using Slaanesh Grey as a basecoat followed by a drybrush of Pallid Wych Flesh and all-over wash of Druchii Violet.

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night world, or the carapace brighter to help them blend in with snow. Markings or carapace patterns are a great way to indicate particular splinter fleets or swarms. Consider experimenting with Contrast paints on the flesh areas for really quick results.

THE SKAROK SWARM Seeded on the ever-shifting salt plains of Skarok, the winged beasts of the Skarok Swarm all feature a diamond-liklNr pattern on their carapaces, while their skin is darker to protect them from the radiation of the planet’s balefflrsun.

SPLINTER FLEET GRYPHONNE PRIME Naggaroth Night was used to paint th^, markings on this Hormagaiint’s skin, wmle Sotek Green was washed onto the carapace to give it a bluer tone. PALE SKIN Undercoat: Corax White Basecoat: Rakarth Flesh Wash: Agrax Earthshade | Layer: Karak Stone Glaze: Carroburg Crimson J| (vents and joints) Highlight: Screaming Skull

SPLINTER FLE SOLSTICE OMEGA A wash of Druchii Violet over Pallid Wych Flesh

gives this Tyranid

Warrior's skin

a darker-thannormal tone.

Carroburg

Crimson was used around

the mouth to

make it stand

out. 94

CARAPACE fr MARKINGS Basecoat: Naggaroth Night Wash: Nuln Oil ;! Highlight- Warfifiend Grey Highlight: Pallid Wych Flesh

WEAPON SYMBIOTE Basecoat: Wazdakka Red Wash: Carroburg Crimson Highlight: Evil Sunz Scarlet

WINGS Basecoat: Rakarth Flesh Wash: Carroburg Crimson Layer: Druchii Violet (veins):

SPLINTER FLEET GRAEL ALPHA .. . ; . '6 ‘ Screamer Pink and Lahmian Medium were used to shade the joints of this Hormajminb Screamer Pink was used to create the 1 striations and tidied up with Screarmng Skull :

GALACTIC WAR HOSTS tH COLOURS OF THE LEVIATHAN The traditional colours of Hive Fleet Leviathan include pale white skin and a dark purple carapace. Because the majority of the colour scheme is quite light, a pale undercoat such as Corax White or Wraithbone is recommended.

When it comes to the pink tones on the skin, this Tyranid Warrior was painted with Screamer Pink mixed with Lahmian Medium to turn the Base paint into a wash. You could also try using the Volupus Pink Contrast paint, which will give a similar result. The striations on the carapace are achieved by highlighting the edges and middle ridge of each carapace section as normal. Then, fine lines are painted running upwards from the lower edge of each panel. These are then highlighted like the edges.

TONGUE

TEETH

ALIEN FLESH

% Basecoat: Screaming Skull LBase

Layer: Screaming Skull M Layer

Basecoat: Abaddon Black

Basecoat: Rhinox Hide

Basecoat: Yriel Yellow

M Base

M Layer

Layer: Xereus Purple

Layer: Khorne Red

Wash: Agrax Earthshade

M Layer

M Glaze

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Highlight: Pallid Wych Flesh

Highlight: Wild Rider Red

S Layer

XS Artificer Layer

i Highlight: Screaming Skull XS Artificer Layer

XS Artificer Layer

M Glaze

6sr I lighlight: Cadion I Icohtonc XS Artificer Layer

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PAINTING YOUR MODELS... CONTINUED!

When we challenged the studio to show us their take on Hive Fleet Leviathan, we were inundated with beautifully painted models. Here are a few of our favourites!

James's colour scheme was inspired by the cover art for the 2005 edition of the codex. He drybrushed the skin Pallid Wych Flesh and used Volupus Pink to shade it.

The psychic glow is Nihilakh Oxide. The urban bases are covered in weathering powders to contrast with the organic alien textures of the Tyranids.

CONVERTING YOUR MODELS

Conversions are a great way to personalise your models and show that they come from a particular world, war zone or force. Over the page we’ve got some cool Leviathan conversions, But first, Hybrids! Peter McMullin makes many of the assembly guides that come with our kits. When he's not painting his own models, he loves creating digital kitbashes. This time he was inspired by the background of the war in Octarius to create some Genestealer/Ork Hybrids! While Orks abhor

mutants among their ranks, Kommandos live on the fringes of Ork society, making them the perfect victims for a sneaky alien takeover. For these conversions, Peter combined Genestealer Cult Aberrants and Acolyte Hybrids with the new Ork Kommandos.

'For the Nob-strain Flybrid, build the Nob as normal but leave off the arms,' says Peter. 'Make sure you use an Ork head that covers the face (la), as these Orks will want to try and hide their worst mutations. Use one of the Flybrid arms in place of the Kommando Nob melee weapon arm (1b). Make sure the arm hole where you want to place this new arm is also a fiat edge. It will just need a little filing down. For the other arm. take the Aberrant arm piece, cut the arm away, file the join flat and glue in place.

Key:

J Acolyte Ftybrids

Ork Kommandos

Aberrants

'For the Kommando Flybrid, build the body of the Ork, including the covered face, but leave off one leg. Cut a pair of acolyte legs in half and then gently file the leg down to match the curve of the Ork's groin (2a) before gluing it in place. Add the Hybrid arms (2b). Again, you may need to file down the joins slightly to got them to fit neatly into the sockets.'

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^ WMKnMMMCK v. 40.000 CARNIFEX BY STEVE BARRETT Steve's aquatic monster was converted from a Carnifex with fins taken from an Akhelian Leviadon and the tail of a Fangmora Eel. The mottled colour scheme on the skin inspired by a coconut crab. . ■-

HIVE TYRANT BY LUKE BUCK Luke's serpentine Hive Tyrant is converted from a Trygon with the addition of a Hive Tyrant's barbed strangler (lower limbs), scything talons (mid limbs) arid wings (upper (imbs): The head is a combination of a Mawloc's face and jaws with a Zoanthrope's carapace. Luk< . used an airbrush to paint his Hive Tyrant and oil paints to give it a grimy, wet, alien appearance. 98

GALACTIC WAR HOSTS tl HIVE TYRANT BY MARTYN CASHMORE Combining parts from a Toxicrene, a Hive Tyrant and the tail of an Idoneth Deepmare, Martyn created an octopoid creature That stalks its deei sea prey. Maintaining the traditional colour scheme of Hive Fleet Leviathan, Martyn painted his creation using a combination of Contrast, Base and Layer paints. He blended blues ancl reds into the purple to create a varied final tone. The base uses fish-tank plants to create a seabed.

TERVIGON BY KRYSTAL TOOKER Krystal converted her Terv replacing its entire fear b< the abdomen of an Arachnarok Spider. The eight legs ar^ also from the Arachnarok kit.

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From the maelstrom of a sundered world, the Eight Realms were born. And with their birth began a war to claim them. This issue: Slaves to Darkness, Be’lakor being treacherous and a trip to Shyish. Lovely!

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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT LOUIS AGUILAR Louis is one of the games developers for the Age of Sigmar team. Since joining the studio a few years ago, he has worked on many battletomes and rules sets, including the latest edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. He can often be found writing theoretical army lists that will, theoretically, crush all before them. Luck of the dice permitting, of course.

t's certainly an exciting time to play Warhammer Age of Sigmar! The third edition of the game has recently arrived, new miniatures have been unleashed, and hours upon hours of improved and refined gameplay await us all. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as we did during its development.

Alongside the release of the third edition, as you might expect, came a General's Handbook with new rules for Pitched Battles. We're taking a different direction with how we present these annual rules to you by focusing on specific ‘regions of war' in the Mortal Realms. Every year will see a new set of Pitched Battle rules that will apply to a year's worth of gameplay called a

‘season’. In addition to laying out the rules for Pitched Battles, these battlepacks are designed to provide each season with a suite of themed rules based on its region of war. This year, it is in the Ghurish Heartlands where your generalship will be tested. One of the primary goals of this battlepack is to reflect the style of games players will be accustomed to from the Contest of Generals battlepack inside the VJarhammer kge of Sigmar Core Book. Pitched Battles 2021 expands on the foundations of the Contest of Generals rules set (choosing grand strategies before a battle and picking battle tactics in each of your turns), and it is designed as a natural progression for players wanting to take their matched play games to the next level. In this issue’s column, I talk about the new Pitched Battles 2021 rules, how they’re going to change the way we look at matched play and what you can expect from our most focused effort on Pitched Battles to date. REGION OF WAR: THE GHURISH HEARTLANDS Among the most exciting changes brought to Pitched Battles are the new and improved realm rules. As well as reflecting current events in the story of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, these new rules add a different set of tactical challenges to your games according to the season you are playing. These seasonal rules are inspired by the rich and ongoing narrative of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, allowing you and your armies to fight in the grand struggles that define the realms. Realm rules capture the nature of the lands where the factions of the Mortal Realms will be battling during the season, and they have a substantial impact on the conditions in which different battleplans are won. These rules apply to all battles fought using the Pitched Battles 2021 battlepack, and it will be vital for generals to learn them so they don't get caught out by the primal tendencies of Ghur. One of this year’s realm rules is Predators and Prey. Throughout the battlepack, you will find that Monsters have an edge in this year's season, allowing those who have them to secure more victory points, whether it be through holding objectives or completing grand strategies and battle tactics. Because of this, we wanted to ensure there was a natural balance for those factions who don’t have access to multiple Monsters, and we decided to make Monsters

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Rules of Engagement - curated by the Age of Sigmar games developers - focuses on the creation, design and evolution of the rules for Warhammer Age of Sigmar. This month, we have a designer’s notes about Pitched Battles in the General’s Handbook 2021. themselves a victory condition. In Ghur, monstrous beasts are far from uncommon, so laying low one of these great opponents is a reward in and of itself. Predators and Prey: Ghur is a land of monsters, where the laws of the hunt are paramount. Only armies possessed of the greatest strength and cunning can triumph here, whether by unleashing their own great warbeasts or by slaying those of their enemies. Once per battle round, you score 1 additional victory point if any enemy Monsters were slain in that battle round.

Another exciting realm rule is one that will keep your battles engaging right up to the final battle round. Seismic Shift captures the imagery of the very lands of Ghur splitting themselves to drastically change the landscape and its attributes. Halfway during a battle fought in the Ghurish Heartlands comes a change to the battlefield, with a single objective marker being consumed by Ghur’s tectonic movement and removed from play. This creates an element of urgency for those who like to play at a certain pace, and it greatly rewards generals who can plan for turns ahead. In the Ghurish Heartlands, there is no guarantee that the objectives you hold will be there to score in the next battle round. And to add to this twist in gameplay, you have to take the second turn in order to guarantee control of which objective gets removed - a choice that can have severe consequences toward the endgame of a battle. Seismic Shift: The continent ofThondia is no less feral than the creatures that call it home. Periodically, the ground rumbles and cracks with violent tremors, and what may have been a key strategic position is suddenly reduced to rubble. At the start of the third battle round, after the players roll off to determine who has the first turn, the player taking the second turn in that battle round can pick 1 objective marker on the battlefield and remove it from play.

CORE BATTALIONS In the Amber Realm, beasts are at the top of the food chain, so naturally the Monster-focused armies of Age of Sigmar will have an edge this season, letting the generals who use them run riot with their beloved brutes. Inside this year's realm rules, we’ve included two new core battalions. The first is the Alpha-beast Pack, a group of Behemoths that benefit from picking up the scent of the foe before the battle begins, letting them move into an advantageous position. ALPHA-BEAST PACK

Scent Tracking: These apex creatures use their acute senses to detect the whereabouts of their prey and close in with unnerving speed. After armies have been set up but before the first battle round begins, you can make a normal move of up to D6" with each unit in this battalion.

The second core battalion is a natural counterbalance to the above. Hunters of the Heartlands represents a veteran band of hunters so accustomed to the savagery of Ghur's denizens that they are experts at evading the beasts’ usual tricks, specifically monstrous rampages. This core battalion removes the concern of monstrous rampage effects on vital units in your army, giving you ample opportunity to answer a Behemoth’s challenge. One final point to note here is that both of these core battalions can only be included once in your army, so you must choose the units you wish to include wisely. HUNTERS OF THE HEARTLANDS

Expert Underdogs: To survive the Realm of Beasts, one must learn to compete with its many predators. These hunters have studied the movements and behaviours of Ghur’s mightiest denizens, the better to overcome them despite the odds. Units from this battalion cannot be picked when your opponent carries out a monstrous rampage.

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GRAND STRATEGIES AND BATTLE TACTICS With this new setting comes new grand strategies and battle tactics for you to employ in each battle. We have expanded on those found in the Contest of Generals battlepack to bring you themed challenges that key into this season's narrative and victory conditions. You may recognise some of these already, as some have made their way from the Core Book to this battlepack, both to create a familiar choice of options for Contest of Generals players and because they are established secondary objectives that can apply to any game. Out of the eight grand strategies and eight battle tactics provided for this season, I’ve picked out a couple of the new ones for us to take a look at. One of the biggest areas that the grand strategies and battle tactics aims to cover is the difference between factions that can reliably contest objectives and those that rely more on combat to impact the final outcome of a battle. Dominating Presence is designed to allow players to consider more than just objectives to obtain vital extra victory points when a battle ends. Dominating Presence: When the battle ends, you complete this grand strategy if there are more units from your starting army on the battlefield than there are units from your opponent’s starting army on the battlefield.

Many of the battle tactics this season focus on Monsters, unludung Iheir potential as both mighty units and objective holders. Wilh the changes brought by the new edition to the number of models these beasts count as, they have serious potential to significantly disrupt your opponent's plans and score you some extra victory points to boot. Monstrous Takeover requires a friendly Monster to lay claim to an objective marker and beat any opposition away from it by the end of the turn. Monstrous Takeover: When you reveal this battle tactic, pick 1 Monster from your starting army on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that Monster is contesting an objective marker that you control at the end of this turn, and that objective marker is not contested by an enemy Monster.

BATTLEPLANS Now for the part that I'm most excited about: the battleplans. They are twelve themed scenarios that tie in with the realm rules, core battalions, grand strategies and battle tactics to provide compelling games of Age of Sigmar that will keep players hooked from start to finish. With the support of the other rules in the battlepack, each battleplan has its own unique twist on conventional objective play to reflect the everchanging Realm of Beasts and the survival skills needed to find glory upon its plains. As much as I would love to cover all twelve battleplans, I’ve spared you all of my waffling and picked out some of my favourites from this year’s season. Survival of the Fittest is a new battleplan that sees both generals picking their predators at the start of the battle. Alongside victory points players score from objectives, extra points can be scored by destroying your opponent's predators with your own. With extra victory points now available for completing battle tactics with Monsters, and Monsters themselves awarding extra victory points when they are slain, there are plenty of extra ways to close the gap in score with your opponent. Just make sure you don’t take your eyes off your prey.

TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN

After armies have been set up, before determining who has the ftrst turn in the first battle round, each player must pick 3 different friendly units on the battlefield, starting with the attacker. These units are your predator units for the battle. Power Struggle turns the traditional way of controlling objectives on its head by forcing players to control objective markers for at least 2 turns before they can score victory points from them. This battleplan will reward generals who try to stay a step ahead of their opponents, and with so many objectives on the tabletop to control, you may find that correctly timed battle tactics will be the difference between victory and defeat.

HOLD YOUR GROUND

In this battle, some victory points are only scored for objectives you control once you have controlled that objective for two of your turns consecutively. These turns can carry over into the next battle round.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT Tooth and Nail depicts a gruelling battle between two rival armies in the Drowned Lands of Thondia, a place plagued by mystic bogs and marshes that sap the stamina of any warrior that treads there. You’re on your own in this battle, with no aid from reserve units possible. To add to this obstacle, there's the limitation the Drowned Lands bring to summoned units, giving no edge to the summoning player when they add new units to their army.

NO RESERVES

All units must be set up on the battlefield before the battle begins. If a unit is set up in reserve, all of the models in the unit are slain and the unit is destroyed.

FATIGUED WARRIORS

Summoned units cannot shoot or charge in the turn in which they were added to your army. ENDLESS SPELLS ERRATA This year’s General’s Handbook also provides new warscrolls for the endless spells from Warhammer Age ofSigmar: Malign Sorcery and Soul Wars: Forbidden Power. They have all had their rules updated to be compatible with the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, giving them greater appeal to more armies. We combed through each of these warscrolls with the desire to really drive at the new mechanics for predatory endless spells in the new edition. Now moving twice in a battle round, predatory endless spells have effectively doubled in efficiency, threatening units much faster and dishing out twice the damage they previously would have. Because of this, we took the opportunity to update each of the endless spell warscrolls found in Malign Sorcery and Forbidden Power to make them work better with the new core rules and to give each a unique role.

I’ve included a couple of my favourite changes below, both of which serve as really useful utility pieces. The first is the updated rule for the Quicksilver Swords. It's more useful now across the board instead of against units with specific keywords, meaning that you won’t be at a disadvantage when playing with it or against it. Its ability now ignores ward rolls for the mortal wounds it inflicts, making it a key choice for taking out enemy units that rely on negating wounds.

Dancing Blades: WUh startling rapidity and efficiency, and seemingly possessed of vengeful purpose, the Quicksilver Swords cut through the enemy lines, their keenedged blades severing not only limbs but also spirits from their bodies. After this endless spell has moved, the commanding player can pick 1 unit that has any models it passed across and roll 12 dice. For each 6, that unit suffers 1 mortal wound, in addition, ward rolls cannot be made for mortal wounds caused by this ability. The second is the updated rule for the Soulsnare Shackles. It now serves as a key defensive piece for controlling areas of the battlefield for things like protecting flanks or areas around key objectives and units. The threat of its mortal wounds still lingers on, making this endless spell a powerful disruption option for your army if you think your opponent’s units are getting too close for comfort. Bound for the Great Oubliette: These manacles latch onto not just the bodies of combatants but their very souls, draining them of vigour and life as they drag their quarry to a vast dungeon in Shyish. Units within 6" of this endless spell cannot run or attempt a charge. In addition, at the start of the movement phase, roll a dice for each unit within 6" of this endless spell. On a 6, that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. So concludes this designer's commentary on the General's Handbook Pitched Battles 2021.1 hope you all are enjoying its thriving narrative and enthralling gameplay. Now venture forth and make fond memories in your battles across the Ghurish Heartlands. Until next time, good luck and have fun!

A LITTLE EXTRA READING

What would you like to read about in Rules Of Engagement? Let us know your thoughts and we'll pass them oni team® whitedwarf.co.uk

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FLASHPOINT CLASH

THE REALM OF DEATH

Shyish is the realm of endings, formed from afterlives dreamed into being by mortalkind * Here, the living coexist alongside the dead, though they do so under the shadow of oblivion, for the Great Necromancer Nagash has staked his claim to this realm.

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To Nagashizzar and the Shyish Nadir

REALMSCAPES V hyish is perhaps the most mysterious and least understood of the realms, bar shadowy Ulgu. It is shaped by the beliefs of mortals; if enough living beings give credence to a particular image of what awaits them after death, that underworld will crystallise and form at the edge ot the Amethyst Realm. Upon death, these faithful souls will travel to that afterlife, finding paradise, purgatory or torment, depending upon the peculiarities of their faith. The lands of Shyish, therefore, can be as varied and strange as the boundaries of the mortal imagination allow. One afterlife might consist of rolling, verdant fields and great lakes of sweet wine, while another might consist of a continent-sized battlefield where the spirits of great warriors wage eternal war against a never-ending tide of monsters. During the Age of Myth, this strange realm was a utopia of sorts, though suffused with melancholy. Yet since those halcyon days it has been dominated twice, and both conquerors have lefl their grim mark upon the lands.

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It was Nagash who first laid claim to Shyish; as the Great Necromancer and a being of godlike power, he saw it as his rightful domain. This claim was warily accepted by Sigmar the God-King and his Pantheon of Order, for at first Nagash played the role of tireless ally, even as he laid the foundations of a new order - a 'necrotopia' for the undcad. Gradually, he began to usurp afterlife after afterlife, consuming any would-be death gods before they could challenge his position. Before Nagash could fully enact his plans, however, the Age of Chaos dawned in blood and fire, and the Great Necromancer was forced to flee his stronghold in the face of a thousand ravaging Chaos hordes. Thus it was that for many centuries the powers ot Chaos rampaged almost unopposed across Shyish, burning and destroying underworld after underworld and raising hellish monuments to the Dark Gods in their wake. These hungering entities greatly prized the Realm of Death, for it was filled with souls beyond counting, morsels they considered theirs to devour. Thus it was that the serene underworlds of countless civilisations were despoiled and twisted hideously, so that only an eternity of horror awaited those believers who passed there upon death. Even now that Nagash has returned to reclaim his domain, great swathes of Shyish remain in thrall to Chaos. Yet such is the deathly hunger of the Shyish Nadir - the vortex of nothingness torn open by the Great Necromancer at the realm's core - that these holdings are in grave danger. With every passing day they draw nearer to the lip of the Nadir, where they shall be dragged into darkness and oblivion. As is their nature, however, the Slaves to Darkness native to Shyish will not willingly submit to the Death God's tyranny. Across the Prime Innerlands and beyond, they fight on with zealous fury against wave after wave of lifeless legions dispatched to cleanse them from Nagash's territory. 107

THE PRIME INNERLANDS

Few regions in all of Shyish are as fiercely contested as the Prime Innerlands, those ancient underworlds that lie on the very border of the Nadir. While Nagash has dominated many of these afterlives, others yet remain in the hands of mortals, and they will not give them up without a fight.

names of one’s ancestors backwards and scattering salt and silver dust in a circle might confuse a vengeful gheist long enough for its intended victim to make their escape. It is even whispered that the priesthood of the Order Posthumous can inter a being’s remains in such a fashion as to prevent their spirit from being taken by necromancy.

The Prime Innerlands are a group of continental underworlds endangered by the relentless draw of the Shyish Nadir. Many of the edgeward lands furthest from the Nadir are temperate and habitable, and they are home to several important free cities, as well as the raiding camps of the Dark Gods’ worshippers. Yet most of those nearer to the core are thoroughly doused in amethyst magic, so barren and moribund that few but the dead can thrive there. These grim lands have been fortified by Nagash’s legions, turned into bastions from which fresh invasions can be launched upon the living.

Despite the constant threat from Nagashizzar and the Ossiarch Empire, Sigmar has made great gains across the Innerlands, establishing mighty cities such as Lethis, Glymmsforge and Thanator's Manse. These strongholds are shining beacons of faith and hope, spiritual anchors that have proven robust enough to keep the entropy of the Great Necromancer at bay. Sigmar knows well that should the people of the Innerlands fall to despair, the region’s collapse into the mouth of the Nadir will greatly hasten. Thus, he dispatches many Dawnbringer Crusades across the Innerlands, seeking to create new strongpoints to tighten his grip upon this expanse of underworlds.

Those regions of the Innerlands that remain unconquered by death are notable by their wild variation, for they are crystallisations of mortal faith more than geographical structures. Stygxx is a windblown region of soaring mountains and gloomy woodland, while the deserts of Penultima are arid and strewn with flecks of bone. To the north lie the dread lands of Charnelcourt, where deranged cannibal-kings rule over kingdoms of rotting flesh. All of these regions are plagued by the underlings of Nagash, who feast and prey upon the living whenever possible, seeking to drive them from their master's domain. To survive in the Prime Innerlands, one must observe the most ancient and often bizarre traditions. Deceased relatives must be embalmed with sacred oils and buried in the light of the High Star to prevent them rising from the grave as flesh-eating monsters, while reciting the

Ironically enough, the God-King’s greatest foes are waging a similarly fraught war of faith against Nagash. The Chaos holdings within the Prime Innerlands have been greatly eroded ever since the Great Necromancer's actions unleashed the Necroquake, yet in lands such as Bacchanalia and the war-torn Banelands, the servants of ruin still hold sway. The Slaves to Darkness who dwell there have become ever more frenzied and aggressive in recent times, launching attack after attack upon both the armies of Death and the Sigmarites. Only through endless slaughter and sacrifice can they strengthen the Dark Gods' grasp upon the Innerlands and thus avoid the fate that threatens to befall their hated enemies. 'I don’t fear dying. It's the thought of what might happen afterwards that chills my soul’ - Captain Marian Lavris of the Blackshore Guard

REALMSCAPES ^

f There are many areas within the Prime Innerlands marked by a sombre sense of grandeur, a tragic wonder that

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Known as the City of Bleak Ravens, Lethis is situated upon the shore of a vast, plunging lake of glassy blackness Whose waters are prized by healers the realms over for their ability to erase traumatic memories and soothe the spirit. The folk of this city still venerate Morrda, an ancient and benevolent deity of death that most believe was consumed by Nagash centuries ago.

ZHARR VYXA This smoke-belching industrial complex rises from the gloomy waters of the Sea of Drowned Sorrows. It was constructed i|y Chaos-worshipping duardin who dredge up. potent death magic from the ocean bed.

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CARSTINIA This mist-shrouded underworld is the domain of Mannfred von Carstein. It was gifted to him in a mocking gesture by Nagash, |or it bears an uncanny resemblance to a long-lost kingdom that the vampire failed to conquer.

THE SHYISH NADIR This all-devouring vortex of pure death magic is the product of Nagash s deranged attempts to c transform the Mortal ReaImsyinto a lifeless necrotopia. It slowly devours one underworld after another, each afterlife consumed fuelling the

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Many are the mortal servants of Chaos, those cursed souls who have turned to worshipping the Dark Gods in pursuit of power and glory. These Slaves to Darkness rampage across the realms in vast hordes, despoiling all in their path in a ceaseless quest to gain the favour of their dreadful patrons.

SLAVES TO DARKNESS 112

he coming of the Slaves to Darkness is heralded by the ominous tramp of heavy boots, the guttural bellowing of profane oaths and the sight of tattered banners on the horizon, emblazoned with icons of ruin and defilement. Clad in hellforged iron and wielding cruel axes and runemarked blades, the mortal champions of the Dark Gods come sweeping down upon their foes, hacking and carving in an exultant frenzy. The very presence of these fell beings warps and scars the land, for they are vessels for the nightmarish horror of Chaos. All warriors of the Dark Gods walk the Path to Glory, a treacherous journey to immortality that most often ends in madness, death or worse. Yet for the mightiest few, the rewards are great indeed. As they burn, kill and conquer, they accrue manifold dark blessings from their gods. Their bodies swell with unnatural power and sprout hideous mutations, such as lashing tentacles or razor-sharp horns. The greater their glories, the more potent their aura of power becomes, and the higher they climb in the brutal hierarchy of the Slaves to Darkness. Worshippers flock to their side from distant lands, eager for a share of plunder, and kings and heroes fall before them by the score. For these rare and terrible tyrants, the ultimate prize awaits: ascension to the rank of Daemon Prince and an eternity of slaughter in the name of Chaos. THE FALL TO DARKNESS Long has the warping power of Chaos held sway over the Mortal Realms. Yet it was not always so. All through the Age of Myth, the Dark Gods brooded in the Realm of Chaos, that nightmarish, ever-shifting hellscape that lies beyond the veil of reality. They observed the glorious civilisation nurtured by the God-King Sigmar and his pantheon with covetous eyes, yet they were unable to manifest their will. Instead, they turned to subtler methods, whispering temptations into the ears of mortals. Preying upon the weaknesses of humans, duardin and aelves, they incited depravity and rebellion wherever they could. It took many years for their designs to come to pass, but eventually the seeds of corruption sprouted throughout Sigmar's well ordered society, and the Dark Gods finally found the power to tear their way into reality. Civilisation collapsed into anarchy. Daemonic legions spilled across the lands in an orgy of violence, and the God-King’s unprepared and divided Pantheon of Order was unable to check their relentless march. Faced with an inevitable and torturous demise, many kingdoms and city-states threw their lot in with the advancing hordes of Chaos, flocking to the banner of Archaon the Everchosen - the Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse and the greatest mortal champion of the Dark Gods. These would become the first Slaves to Darkness, the first tribes ot man, aelt and duardin to damn their souls forever in exchange for

THE TOME CELESTIAL V the strength to survive. They would not be the last to make such a choice. As Archaon's armies swelled, so did those of Order diminish, worsened by internal divisions and the sheer fury of the Chaos assault. Despite a fierce resistance, Sigmar was ultimately forced to retreat to safety in Azyr, sealing the gates of the Realm of Heavens behind him. So it was that the light of hope was snuffed out and an Age of Chaos began. During this era of unimaginable horror, those tribes and kingdoms of mortals left to fend for themselves across the vast expanse of the Mortal Realms were wiped out one by one. Many were entirely obliterated, their populace slaughtered in a frenzy of horrific bloodletting. Yet countless others chose the path of the Slaves to Darkness, devoting themselves to the new and unquestioned masters of the realms and accepting a life of callous brutality in exchange for their survival. Some turned to the worship of a single Chaos God, most often the one that laid claim to their territories. Others embraced the entire Dark Pantheon, seeing the different deities as aspects of a greater and infinitely more terrible whole. Sometimes, the process was more subtle; many tribes fell to damnation without making a conscious choice, swayed by the unseen machinations of daemonic entities and gradually becoming as debased and cruel as any of their kind. The God-King and his armies have since returned to reclaim their lost territories, and the Stormcast Eternals

Cease your prattling, priest. Do you still believe your God-King will deliver you from this agony? Did his miracles keep my warriors from breaking through these walls, from burning and killing as they willed? You have wasted your life in worship of a weakling and a coward. Die as you lived then, in servile wretchedness/

and their allies have achieved great victories and resettled many lands. Yet these reclaimed regions represent a mere fraction of the realms’ vast expanse, and most of this wilderness remains in the grip of the Dark Gods and their servants. From the verdant jungles of 1 hyria to the silver mountains of Chamon, the taint of ruin has seeped into the foundations of reality, twisting the landscape and wildlife alike into shapes more pleasing to the Dark Gods. Each of these primordial beings has claimed a vast swathe of territory, tiansforming the environment into a dark mirror of their own hellish domains. Khorne's holdings are wracked by violent volcanic upheavals and storms of boiling blood, while Nurgle prefers to drown the pristine woods and gardens of the realms in filth and putrescence. Izeentch, the chaos God of Soicery, delights in unleashing magical storms and rampant mutation upon the lands, while those nations in thrall to Slaanesh are marked by grotesquely beautiful fusions of living tissue and a sicklysweet aroma that intoxicates and repels in equal measure. For many mortal tribes scraping out an existence far from the relative safety of Sigmar's great cities, this mysterious, all-encompassing power is the only master they have ever known. They dwell in regions cursed by unimaginable horrors: hungering, shapeless mutants, storms of soul shredding magic and tar worse besides. To such people, worship of Chaos - whatever form that might take - is not a sign of corruption or spiritual decay but a simple necessity of survival. For all their alien malice, the Dark

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Gods grant those who worship them the strength and force of will to endure an existence of unimaginable savagery. Regardless of the tragedy behind their fall to Chaos, the Slaves to Darkness have chosen to worship deities whose influence is inherently corrupting. To rise high in the eyes of the Dark Gods require one to partake in the most vile acts, and moreover to seek joy in them. Chaos worshippers are eternally bound to walk a path that will corrupt their spirit, and in doing so utterly destroy the essence of the person they once were. To walk the Path of Glory is to embrace damnation. ASPECTS OF THE DARK PANTHEON Most mortals lack the clarity to comprehend the true nature of the Dark Gods, and thus the Slaves to Darkness worship Chaos in any number of different guises and aspects. Countless warlike tribes pay tribute to Khorne, for example, but they do not all share a unified vision of their patron. The coastal raiders of Ghur's Coast of Thorns see him as the Blood Kraken, a monstrous flesh-eating creature of the deep ocean, while the cannibal horselords of the northern Aridian ashplains speak of mighty Kharsk, a red-eyed giant atop a steed of flame whose coming will herald the explosive destruction of the Realm of Fire. So long as they continue their gory rampages, providing him with a constant flow of blood and skulls, Khorne cares nothing for the specifics of their worship. Any act of violence and rage empowers the Blood God, after all. Even those who heed the call of the Everchosen and make the unholy pilgrimage to his domain in the 114

Eightpoints are merely taking the first ignorant steps upon the path to damnation. The warbands that battle for dominance across that horrific wasteland hail from many different cultures and locations, and their interpretations of Chaos itself are similarly divergent. The Cypher Lords worship it as a protean entity of trickery and madness, while the Unmade of Shyish seek a grotesque spiritual awakening through the practice of torture and self-mutilation. These warbands stand at the threshold of a terrible enlightenment. Some feel the call of a particular deity most strongly. The avian Great Gatherer worshipped by the Corvus Cabal certainly embodies many qualities prized by Tzeentch - trickery, subterfuge and avarice. Likewise, the bone-shattering martial brutality of the Iron Golems would surely please the Blood God. Yet the destinies of these tribes are not assured, for they are yet to pledge their souls to a specific deity. Chaos is evermutable and anarchic, and if a warband was to come under the charismatic sway of a warlord or sorcerer who worshipped a particular god, they might in time come to embrace this new patron wholeheaitedly. AN AGE OF TOOTH AND CLAW The Era of the Beast has come upon the forces of Chaos at a moment of great upheaval. Though Archaon’s grasp upon the majority of his territories remains firm, his armies have suffered a number of setbacks. The legions of Death have forced their way into the Eightpoints, establishing a fortress near to the very heart of the Everchosen's domain. To the surprise and anger of many of his lieutenants, Archaon has not yet ordered a

Indeed, they take great amusem*nt in the act and the bloody repercussions that ensue. Despite their anarchic nature, however, all Chaos tribes owe allegiance to Archaon, the Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse. A demigod of ruin and tyranny, Archaon is the Everchosen of the Ruinous Powers, the chosen high commander of their infernal hosts. By his hand have the armies of Chaos laid waste to the Mortal Realms, and those that defy him are soon cleaved in half by the Slayer of Kings - his fearsome daemonblade. This fate might be kinder than being devoured by Archaon's colossal three-headed steed, Dorghar, for such unfortunates are condemned to an eternity of torment in the monster's belly. Archaon is an ancient being whose origins are shrouded in mystery but whose ruthlessness and might are legendary. Even daemon lords grow uneasy in his presence. Few can match the Everchosen in the domain of strategy, and for many long years he had plotted how to smash open the Gates of Azyr and lay waste to the Celestial Realm. Sigmar is his greatest nemesis, and the Everchosen has brought death to the God-King's servants since the time of the Worldthat-Was. Only when Azyrhelm burns and daemons defile the ruins of Sigmaron will the Everchosen know satisfaction, though only the foolish believe that his campaign of terror will end there.

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BE LAKOR, THE DARK MASTER

The self-proclaimed First Prince of Chaos, Be’lakor is a creature of ancient malice whose schemes and cruel machinations have plagued mortalkind since the days of the World-that-Was. His exact origins are shrouded in mystery. Some say that Be'lakor once claimed the favour of the entire Ruinous Powers, only to be stripped of this honour when he tried to overthrow the Dark Gods themselves. Others claim that this fall from grace was a simple result of the pantheon's capricious nature, a mocking insult to their most ambitious servant. There are stranger rumours too; some say that the Dark Master - as Be'lakor desires to be known has a strange connection to Ulgu, Realm of Shadow, and perhaps once ruled over that twilight place before the coming of Malerion. This might explain Be'lakor's ability to manipulate shadow and darkness with particular skill.

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Regardless of the truth, what is certain is that Be’lakor is a formidable being, and not solely due to his daemonic strength and mastery of magic. The First Prince is no mere brutish champion of ruin; his monstrous appearance belies a manipulative cunning. He is endlessly patient and calculating, and he delights in weaving realms-spanning plots to undermine and isolate his foes before emerging to unleash the killing blow himself. This arch manipulator showed the full extent of his talents when he unleashed the cursed skies upon the unsuspecting realms. These vile, roiling full-scale assault to destroy the Arx Terminus. Were he any other warlord, such a display of laxness would surely have sealed Archaon's doom, but there are few beings brave or foolish enough to question the Everchosen’s methods. That is not to say that his position is unassailable. The success of Be'lakor's plot to curse the very skies of the realms has earned the Dark Master great favour from the Ruinous Powers and thus given rise to Archaon's first true rival for dominance in many long centuries. Be’lakor is a subtle creature, and he dares not risk open conflict with his hated nemesis. Yet even the Everchosen cannot be everywhere at once; in distant corners of his domain the cursed skies descend, smothering the lands in a pall of shadow and crackling sorcery. This cover masks a flurry of troop movements as the Dark Master’s acolytes swiftly seize locations chosen by their overlord: key strategic assets such as varanite mines, realmgates and sites of arcane power. Be’lakor’s faithful have infiltrated several major Chaos nations, subverting or gruesomely slaying those who remain loyal to the Everchosen. Though it seems unlikely that Archaon is unaware of this building threat within his own empire, there is much else that requires the Everchosen’s attention. The surging revival of the orruk tribes under the Earthquake God, Kragnos, has gravely threatened Chaos territories in Ghur as Kruleboyz and Ironjawz spill out of the mountains and 116

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storm clouds of Chaos energy have sent many Stormcast Eternals to a final, agonising death, forever cutting their souls off from Azyr. The mighty free city of Vindicarum nearly fell to Be'lakor's machinations; only the reemergence of the smith-god Grungni prevented its destruction, though despite this disappointment, the Dark Gods were greatly impressed by Be’lakor's cruelty. In the wake of this success, Be'lakor has moved to secure his gains, and to threaten Archaon's position as the Everchosen. As the first being to claim the favour of all four Chaos Gods, the Dark Master believes this title is his by right. His grand army - the Legion of the First Prince - launches waves of attacks under the cover of the cursed skies, seizing vital strategic assets and slaughtering those who would stand In the way of their overlord's ascension. As yet, Be'lakor has not dared to declare open war against the Everchosen. Instead he ensures that his true intentions remain hidden behind a veil of deniability and misdirection, disguising them as nothing more than bouts of anarchic bloodshed that periodically erupt amongst the forces of Chaos. Yet Archaon is no fool, and even Be’lakor does not doubt that his rival suspects that something is afoot. It seems only a matter of time before the ancient grudge between the two must be decided for good. Already there are rumours of mortal hosts abroad that proudly hold aloft not the banners of the Everchosen but the dread sigils of the Dark Master. marshes in great, hollering mobs, intent on plunder and destruction. These attacks coincide with a great wave of feral energy sweeping across the Realm of Beasts and beyond, infecting all it touches with a savage madness. Those Slaves to Darkness tribes that call Ghur their home have become even more aggressive in its wake, many losing themselves to mindless bloodlust or even degenerating into twisted beasts. Archaon's Ghurish strongholds have suffered particularly grievously at the hands of the Kruleboyz, who have proven a most devious foe. Taking advantage of their Chaos foes’ propensity for blunt aggression - only heightened by the fug of savage fury that shrouds the Realm of Beasts - the swamp-dwelling greenskins have lured many of the Dark Gods' hosts into lands perfect for ambush. Wading through thigh-high bogs, choking on foul-smelling vapours, these Chaos forces were struck by volley after volley of poisoned bolts, hurled gas-bombs and other deadly missiles, before lanky, spear-wielding orruks rushed out of the mists to seal their fate. It is a testament to the might of the Slaves to Darkness that even in the face of such effective ambushes, they have held on to much of their territory, repelling every Kruleboyz attack with furious zeal. Still, the orruks show no sign of relenting, and the thumping drumbeat of Ghur sends more Chaos Warriors into a berserk fury with every passing day, making them as much a danger to their kin as to the enemy. mmmm

Though they too have suffered in the face of repeated greenskin incursions, old enemies of the Dark Gods remain a threat to Chaos hegemony. Nagash may have retreated to Shyish to lick his wounds after his great duel with Teclis, but his armies remain vast - vaster, perhaps, than even the Everchosen’s legions. They sweep across Chaos-held lands in great tides of bone and rotting flesh, conquering underworld after underworld and replacing smouldering corruption with sterile lifelessness. The Lumineth are emboldened by recent successes, and their radiant glyphs have been seared into the land in many places, a brazen affront to the Dark Gods that must be answered in blood. Khainites, ocean-dwelling Idoneth and the truculent duardin empires of fire and air - all are unrelenting foes. And then, of course, there is the God-King - the ancient enemy, bolstered by the return of his ally Grungni. Warriors clad in Thunderstrike battle-plate have engaged Archaon’s armies on multiple fronts and proven immensely dangerous foes. With new tactics and weapons, they have redoubled their attempts to seize territories dedicated to the Dark Gods, and even Be’lakor’s cursed skies have proven an ineffective barrier against their lightning assaults. There seems to be a new momentum to Sigmar’s war; for every Dawnbringer Crusade that is encircled and butchered, another seems to emerge from the gates of the free cities. New cities, strongpoints and settlements are founded with every HPVPSOPK

passing season, and even the Everchosen's numberless hosts cannot burn them all to rubble. Despite the manifold threats gnawing at the borders of his domain - and from within - Archaon has been sighted rarely since his defeat of Orpheon Katakros at the Battle of the Varanspire. The Everchosen pursues his own nefarious ends, all of which are intended to bring about the final defeat of Sigmar and unquestioned domination of the cosmos in the name of Chaos. The immensity of his ambitions transcends simple territorial struggles; beyond the borders of the known realms there are endless battles to be waged and unimaginably powerful foes to be slain or brought to heel. The Everchosen plays a long game, and the full blessings of the Dark Gods are still upon him. Fuelled by molten icalinslonc, the hell-forges of the Varanspire constantly churn and roar, belching flames and flesh-corroding gases as fresh hosts of ruin are armed and armoured. Hulking, twin-horned brutes emerge from the gates of Archaon’s fortress in massed ranks, snorting and spitting as they clutch cleavers that could hack a rhinox in two with a single blow. Though Archaon's precise movements might remain a mystery to all but his trusted Varanguard, the iron-spiked wheels of his immense war machine have begun to churn with renewed energy. Few doubt that the hour will soon come when the Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse will return to lead his unholy armies into a new era of ruin and tyranny. mmummm.

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BATTLETOME: SLAVES TO DARKNESS UPDATE

A battletome update contaim official new rules that are considered to be part of the buUlelurne ihul is being updated. Treat them exactly

Welcome to the Battletome: Slaves to Darkness update. Over the following pages, you will find a host of new and exciting rules to use alongside Battletome: Slaves to Darkness in open, narrative and matched play.

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ALLEGIANCE ABILITIES This section of this article adds a new battle trait to the allegiance abilities section ol Battletome: Slaves to Darkness. The new battle trait allows you to take a Mark of Chaos for Cultists units and their leaders. It also allows you to take Cultists units as Battleline units that have the same Mark of Chaos as the army general.

CORE BATTALIONS This section of this article includes 2 core

battalions that can be included in any Slaves to Darkness army. ‘Chaos Warband’ is for Champions of Chaos and their retinue, while the ‘Overlords of Chaos’ is for elite formations of Archaons chosen warriors. Both of these core battalions have the ‘Unified’ battalion ability,

giving you lots of flexibility in matched play games.

OPEN PLAY

Tliis section includes twists and a i use that can only be used by a Slaves to Darkness army.

^ MATCHED PLAY ^ This section includes grand strategies and battle tactics that can only be used by a Slaves to Darkness army

^ PATH TO GLORY ^ This section contains rules for using your Slaves to Darkness collection in a Path to Glory campaign.

USURPATION OF POWER The last section is a campaign arc for your Slaves to Darkness to play through. It tells the story of BeTakor’s attempt to bring the Banelands under his control. The campaign arc lasts for three to five battles in total. It works with any of the following battlepacks: Open War, Path to Glory or Contest of Generals.

ALLEGIANCE ABILITIES

Add the following battle trait to the allegiance abilities in Battletome: Slaves to Darkness.

CULTISTS OF THE DARK GODS Most Chaos Cultists either knowingly or unwittingly bear the mark of one of the Ruinous Powers. a.

When you select an Ogroid Myrmidon, Darkoath Warqueen, Darkoath Chieftain or Cultists unit to be part of a Slaves to Darkness army, you can give it one of the following Mark of Chaos keywords: Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, Slaanesh or Undivided.

CUI US I batTT KLINES Chaos Cultist warbands often make up the bulk of the rank-and-file warriors in Slaves to Darkness armies. If you give a Cultist unit a Mark of Chaos keyword, it has the Battleline battlefield role if it has the

same Mark of Chaos keyword as the model that was picked to be the army’s general.

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CORE BATTALIONS

You can include the following core battalions in a Slaves to Darkness army if the battlepack you are using says that you can use core battalions. CHAOS WARBAND

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Slaves to Darkness Leader.

Slaves to Darkness unit that is not A Leader, Behemoth or Varanguard.

Slaves to Darkness Behemoth. Varanguard unit.

BATTALION ABILITY ICONS

iff Unified: One-drop Deployment (core rules, 26.2.1). 0 Expert: Once per battle, 1 unit from this battalion can receive the All-out Attack or All-out Defence command without the command being issued and without a command point being spent. ^ Magnificent: When you pick enhancements for your army (core rules, 27.3), you can pick 1 extra enhancement. Slayers: Once per battle, 1 unit from this battalion can receive the All-out Attack or Unleash Hell command without the command being issued and without a command point being spent. Strategists: Once per battle, when you receive command points at the start ot your hero phase, you can receive 1 extra command point. ^ Swift: Once per battle, 1 unit from this battalion can receive the At the Double or Forward to Victory command without the command being issued and without a command point being spent.

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OPEN PLAY

If the players are using the Open War battlepack from the WarhammerAge ofSigmar Core Book, players using a Slaves to Darkness army can use the following rules as well as those found in the battlepack.

SLAVES TO DARKNESS TWIST

If the roll on the Twist table is a 1, you can ignore the No twist result and roll on the following table instead. If both players can roll on a Twist table in this way, so long as those twist tables are different, each player can roll on their Twist table and both twists are used for the battle (each twist applies to each player, as normal).

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SLAVES TO DARKNESS TWIST TABLE D6 1

Twist The Gods Hold No Interest Here: The Ruinous Powers have deemed there is too little at stake to entertain this conflict. This twist has no effect on the battle.

Furious Bloodstorm: Scalding crimson rain lashes down across the battlefield, inspiring a mindless rage in all it touches. Subtract 1 from casting rolls for Wizards. In addition, you can re-roll wound rolls of 1 for attacks made with melee weapons by units that made a charge move in the same turn.

Drifting Chokespores: A nearby copse of mouldering trees vomits clouds of toxic spores into the air, severely limiting sight and movement.

Crystal Wyrdshards: Fragments from Tzeentch’s realm have rained down from the skies. Those who wield the arcane can draw upon the power contained within these iridescent shards - at their own risk, of course.

Units cannot fly. In addition, subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made with missile weapons.

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You can re-roll casting rolls for friendly Wizards. However, if you do so, that Wizard suffers D3 mortal wounds after the effects of the spell have been resolved.

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Exultant Melody: A soul-piercing note rings out across the battlefield, igniting the senses of all who hear it. Units can run and still charge later in the turn. However, units that run and charge in the same turn suffer D3 mortal wounds at the end of the charge phase of that turn. The Great Game: The Gods wager on the victor of this conflict, each lending their power to the battlefield to tip the scales in theirfavour.

At the start of each battle round, after priority has been determined, the player who lost the priority roll decides which 1 of the following twists will apply in that battle round: Furious Bloodstorm, Drifting Chokespores, Crystal Wyrdshards or Exultant Melody.

SLAVES TO DARKNESS RUSE

When you generate your ruse, you can use the following ruse instead of the one you generate on the Ruse table (choose which to use after you have made your roll on the Ruse table). Chosen One: Sometimes a Champion of Chaos will catch the eye of their patron god and be blessed before the bailie even begins.

After deployment but before the first battle round begins, pick 1 friendly Slaves to Darkness Hero that has the Eye of the Gods keyword. You can make 1 roll on the Eye of the Cods table for that friendly Slaves to Darkness Hero.

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If the battlepack you are using says that you must pick grand strategies and battle tactics for your army, you can pick from the following lists as well as those found in the battlepack you are using.

GRAND STRAliiGlliS

After you have picked your army, you can pick 1 of the grand strategies trom the list below and record it on your army roster. CONQUERORS OF THE REALMS Slaves to Darkness army only. Dominating Presence: From the Flamescar Plateau in Aqshy to the haunted Banelands of Shyish, the Mortal Realms belong to Chaos. So it was, and so shall it always be. When the battle ends, you complete this grand strategy if there is at least 1 friendly St.avfs to Darkness unit wholly within each large quarter of the battlefield.

BATTLE TACTICS

At the start ot your hero phase, you can pick 1 battle tactic from the list below. You must reveal your choice to your opponent, and if your battle tactic instructs you to pick something, you must tell your opponent what you pick. You have until the end of that turn to complete the battle tactic. You cannot pick the same battle tactic more than once per battle. TRIUMPH OF CHAOS Slaves to Darkness army only. In Thrall to Chaos: Those lands in thrall to the Slaves to Darkness were won through acts of terror and slaughter. Pick 1 objective on the battlefield that is within 12" of any enemy units. You complete this battle tactic if there are no enemy units within 12" of that objective at the end of this turn. Lust for Power: A Champion of Chaos soon becomes addicted to accumulating more and more glory in order to gain powerful rewards from their patron god. Pick 1 friendly Slaves to Darkness Hero that has the Eye of the Gods keyword. You complete this battle tactic if you roll on the Eye of the Gods table for that Hero during this turn.

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PATH TO GLORY

This section contains rules for using a Slaves to Darkness army on a Path to Glory campaign. It includes additional rules, quests, veteran abilities and unique territories that can only be used by a Slaves to Darkness army.

MARK OF CHAOS When you add a Slaves to Darkness unit to your order of battle, you must record its Mark of Chaos if it has one. That unit must always be given that Mark of Chaos when you include it in an army.

EYE OF THE GODS Rolls on the Rye of the Gods table have the following additional effects on a Slaves to Darkness Path to Glory army. fW

Eye of the Gods

2 Spawndom If a friendly Slaves to Darkness Hero is replaced with a Slaves to Darkness Chaos Spawn in a Slaves to Darkness Path to Glory army, then that Hero is removed from the army’s order of battle in step 2 of the aftermath sequence and replaced with a Slaves to Darkness Chaos Spawn unit that has 1 model. 3-8 Various Rewards Unless the roll was Snubbed by the Gods, record the reward taken for the Hero on the army’s order of battle in step 2 of the aftermath sequence. That Hero cannot receive those rewards again in any future battle (count the roll as a Snubbed by the Gods result). If you fight a middle or higher tier battle against another Path to Glory army, then the Hero has these rewards at the start of the battle.

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9-10 Daemonic Legions The Daemon unit returns to the Realm of Chaos at the end of the battle (do not add it to your order of battle.) 11-12 Dark Apotheosis If a friendly Slaves to Darkness Hero is replaced with a Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince in a Slaves to Darkness Path to Glory army, then that Hero is removed from the army’s order of battle in step 2 of the aftermath sequence and replaced with a Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince unit.

ST AYES TO DARKNESS QUESTS If your army is a Slaves to Darkness army, you can pick the following quest for your Path to Glory roster. QUEST GLORY OF CHAOS To gain greater power, and ultimately to attain immortality through ascension to daemonhood, is the ambition of all Slaves to Darkness. Pick 1 Slaves to Darkness Hero that has the Eye of the Gods keyword At the end of each Path to Glory battle, add 1 quest point to the progress section of youx quest lug for each roll you made tor that Hero on the liye of the God s table that was not a roll of 2, 7, 11 or 12, if that Hero has not been slain or replaced with another model at the end of the battle. Once you have gained 3 or more quest points, yon complete this quest, and you can upgrade that Hero to a Daemon Prince in step / of the aftermath sequence (see Heroic Upgrades, next page). If the roll on the Eye of the Gods table for that Hero was 2, 7, 11 or 12, then this quest ends; remove it from your quest log.

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THE TOME CELESTIAL VETERAN ABILITIES

Each time a Slaves to Darkness unit on your Path to Glory roster gains a veteran ability, you can pick from the following veteran abilities in addition to those in the Core Book. Slaves to Darkness Veteran Abilities Countless Recruits: Such is the renown of this regiment that countess Cultists and Marauders are drawn to its ranks. Cultists and Chaos Marauders units only. Once per battle, in your hero phase, you can return D6 slain models to this unit. Favoured of the Gods: The exploits of these mighty warriors have captured the eye of their patron, who has rewarded them with an aura of dark power. Units with a Mark of Chaos only. Once per battle, at the start of any phase, you can pick 1 model in this unit. If you do so, until the end of that phase, that model is treated as a Slaves to Darkness Hero for the purposes of the Aura of Chaos battle trait.

TERRITORIES

When making an exploration roll, if the roll is 61-66, that roll will correspond to a territory on the table below. Alternatively, you can pick 1 result from the Territories table in the Core Book that corresponds to a roll of 21-42. SLAVES TO DARKNESS FACTION TERRITORIES (D66) 61-63 CHAOS DREADHOLD This is the perfect location to build a dominating fortress, solidifying your claim over these conquered lands and instillingfear in the hearts ofyour enemies for leagues around. This territory has no effect until it is upgraded. [Upgrade 5GP] Chaos Dreadhold: Each time you upgrade a territory or your stronghold, reduce the cost in glory points by D6 (to a minimum of 0).

64-66 CHAOS WASTES In a cataclysm long ago, a breach was caused in this region that links it to the Realm of Chaos, allowing the corrupting energy of the Ruinous Powers to bleed through and creating a more favourable environment for daemons. You can never have more than 1 territory of this type. Increase the Allied Units limit on your order of battle by 2. However, any allied units you include on your order of battle because of this territory must have the Daemon keyword. [Upgrade 15GP] Wastelands Expand: Increase the limit by 4 instead of 2.I

HEROIC UPGRADES

During your Path to Glory campaign, you may be able to pick heroic upgrades for your Heroes. A heroic upgrade replaces the warscroll of a Hero with another, more powerful one and represents them becoming a mighty champion in your army. You can pick a heroic upgrade in step 7 of the aftermath sequence. To do so, consult the table below and pick 1 of the eligible options. Each heroic upgrade lists the warscroll the Hero will be upgraded to, which warscroll is required, the amount of renown points that Hero must have and the amount of glory points you must spend. Once you have picked a heroic upgrade, replace your Hero's warscroll on your order of battle with the new one chosen. You can only pick 1 heroic upgrade in each aftermath sequence. If the new warscroll is a type that is limited on your order of battle - for example, if it is a Monster you will need to have increased your order of battle limits to accommodate it before it can be upgraded. CORE ENHANCEMENTS When you pick a heroic upgrade for a Hero, they keep their renown points and any core enhancements that they are still eligible for. If your Hero had any core enhancements that they are no longer eligible for, they lose those core enhancements. If this enables you to pick a new core enhancement for your order of battle, you can do so. Required Renown Points

Glory Points Cost

Chaos Lord

Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount

Chaos Lord

Chaos Lord on Karkadrak

Chaos Lord

Upgraded Warscroll

Required Warscroll

Chaos Lord on Manticore

4 15 Exalted Hero of Chaos Chaos Lord 6 35 Chaos Sorcerer Lord Chaos Sorcerer Lord on Manticore Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince In order to pick this heroic upgrade, the Hero must have completed the Glory of Chaos quest (see previous page). As long as this is the case, you can pick the Hero and upgrade them to a Slaves to Darkness Daemon Prince. *****

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AGF OF SIGMAR

FLASHPOINT CLASH

USURPATION OF POWER

The Banelands are a strategically valuable territory that Be lakor plans to seize from the clutches of Archaon. While the Everchosen fights greater wars elsewhere, Belakor’s agents move to claim the region s realmgates in the name of the Dark Master.

he underworld of Penultima was once an eternal haven for the souls of great innovators and thinkers, a place where mortals and spirits alike came together to ponder the nature of existence and the secrets of the soul. Yet the depredations of Chaos and the tyranny of Nagash have transformed it into a hellish, war-tom wasteland littered with the ashes of the slain. The Banelands have ever been a bastion of Chaos strength in the Prime Innerlands, a festering sore that remains to this day, despite Nagash’s relentless attempts to scour them. Mighty hosts of the Slaves to Darkness hold sway here, having transformed the cities of reason and arcane study that once dotted the land into gruesome bastions of slaughter and debauchery daubed with symbols of min. The Banelands’ bone-littered dunes and freezing, wind-blown deserts have become graves for countless invading armies. There is a reason that Archaon the Everchosen ordered the Banelands to be held at all costs when Nagash made clear his Intention to conquer Shyish: Us oddly high concentration of realmgates. Part of the wider network known to some as the Penultiman Nexus, these scattered arcane portals offered access to several regions in the Realm of Beasts, as well as distant parts of Shyish. This allowed the Chaos tribes of the Banelands to raid far and wide, amassing significant plunder and many captives. In time, this aggressive reaving became ever more vital, for the Chaos-worshippers required a constant supply of sacrificial offerings. Only through constant, gmesome rituals of bloodshed could they strengthen the grip of the Dark Cods upon the Banelands and thus keep it from slipping towards the mouth of the Shyish Nadir. Through such means did the Banelands endure the tremors of the Necroquake, their barbarous sentinels repulsing many undead armies sent to purge them. Then came the cursed skies, that malevolent phenomenon that polluted the heavens with Chaos cormption and tore great wounds in the firmament. At first, the defenders of the Banelands rejoiced to witness the bleeding, howling vortices of magic above them, for they were seen as a sign of the Dark Gods’ favour and their own imminent victory. Yet in their wake, a darkness descended across Penultima, so impenetrable that it isolated the region entirely. It was Be’lakor who had brought about the cursed skies, for he desired to usurp Archaon’s position as the foremost champion of Chaos Undivided. The first amongst Daemon

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Princes had spent many centuries preparing for this moment, and now he began to consolidate his power through a series of violent insurrections. The Banelands were just one of many small but strategically valuable territories he sought to seize from the clutches of Archaon while the Everchosen was distracted fighting greater wars elsewhere. Be lakor’s agents - they who bore the profane mark of the First Prince had embedded themselves into the mortal tribes of the Banelands at every level. As soon as the shadows descended, these traitors revealed themselves, turning upon their own kind as they sought to claim the area’s vital realmgates in the name of their true overlord. Once more, the tribes of the Banelands found themselves under attack, not from without this time but from within. Be’lakor’s agents moved swiftly to seize the key realmgates scattered across the region, for they knew that the cover of the cursed skies would not obscure their insurrection forever. Confusion reigned supreme as these servants of the Dark Master turned their axes upon their own kind, hacking them down without mercy. Many powerful Chaos Lords were slain in that initial bout of butchery. Yet for all the shocking effectiveness of Be’lakor’s sudden assault, his warriors faced formidable foes, hardened champions of min who had battled against the most terrible horrors of the Realm of Death. These loyalists of the Everchosen rallied swiftly. Though the enemy seemed to hold every advantage, their own boiling outrage was a potent weapon. Where the Dark Master’s agents waged war through subterfuge and misdirection, the loyalists met them with blunt and furious aggression, attacking their foe ceaselessly in an attempt to recapture the Penultiman realmgates in the name of Archaon. As these two forces clashed, the Banelands empted into anarchy and gmesome violence.

INTRODUCTION

On these pages, you will find a campaign arc for 2 players. Each player takes the role of the leader of a Slaves to Darkness army, one that is loyal to Archaon and one that is loyal to Be’lakor. In the campaign, you will fight a series of battles to decide who controls the Banelands. FORGING A DIFFERENT NARRATIVE If either player does not have a Slaves to Darkness army, they should feel free to use a different army.

WHAT S A CAMPAIGN ARC? A campaign arc is a self-contained mini campaign that can either be played as a standalone campaign in open or matched play, or as part of a Path to Glory campaign.

THE BATTLEPACK

This campaign arc can be played with either the Open War battlepack, the Path to Glory battlepack or the Contest of Generals battlepack. If you play through the campaign with Path to Glory armies, there are extra rewards to add to your Path to Glory roster at the end of the campaign.

GETTING READY

Each player in the campaign commands a Slaves to Darkness army. The players roll off, and the winner can choose which player is the loyalist (supporter of Archaon) and which player is the usurper (supporter of Be’lakor). As both Archaon and Be’lakor are engaged elsewhere, neither can be included in the armies used for the campaign. The campaign map shows the locations that each player is attempting to gain control of. There are four types of location, which are (in order of importance): Major Realmgates, Minor Realmgates, Major Settlements and Minor Settlements. Each location also has a name. For example, Dreadhold Traguska is a location with the Major Settlement type and the Dreadhold Traguska name.

FACTION BATTLE TRAIT

Each army has a special battle trait that it can use in addition to the battle traits included in its allegiance abilities. The loyalist army has the Cultist Reinforcements battle trait, and the usurper army has the Daemonic Reinforcements battle trait. Cultist Reinforcements: In battle, those loyal to Archaon can call upon Cultist reinforcements from the Mortal Realms. Once per battle, at the end of your movement phase, you can pick 1 friendly Hero that is on the battlefield and roll 3D6. Add the number of the current battle round to the roll. On a 10+, you can summon 1 Cultists unit to the battlefield and add it to your army. The summoned unit cannot be reinforced and must be set up wholly within 6" of the edge of the battlefield and more than 9" from any enemy units. Daemonic Reinforcements: In battle, those loyal to Be’lakor can call upon daemonic reinforcements from the Realm of Chaos. Once per battle, at the end of your movement phase, you can pick 1 friendly Hero with a Mark of Chaos that is on the battlefield and roll 3D6. Add the number of the current battle round to the roll. On a 10+, you can summon 1 of the following units to the battlefield and add it to your army. The unit that you can summon is determined by the Hero’s Mark of Chaos as shown: • Khorne: 10 Bloodletters • Tzeentch: 5 Horrors of Tzeentch • Nurgle: 10 Plaguebearers • Slaanesh: 10 Daemonettes • Undivided: 6 Furies The summoned unit must be set up wholly within 12" of the Hero you picked and more than 9 from all enemy units.

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INFLUENCE POINTS

During the campaign, each player will gain influence points for each of the locations shown on the map. A location is controlled by the player with the most influence points for it. In the case of a tie, neither player controls the location. Before the campaign begins, each player must secretly record the number of influence points they have for each location by writing down the name of each location and the number of influence points they have for it. Each player starts with 1 influence point for each location and has a pool of 10 extra influence points that they can distribute amongst the locations as they see fit. The maximum amount of influence points a player can have for an individual location is 3. Once both players have determined how much influence they have for each location on the map, their choices are revealed and control of each location can be determined.

WINNING THE CAMPAIGN

Each location is worth a number of campaign victory points (CVPs) for the player who controls it as shown below. At the end of a round, a player wins immediately if they control locations that are worth 30 or more campaign victory points. If neither player has won by the end of the fifth battle in the campaign, it is won by whichever player has control of locations that are worth more campaign victory points than their opponent s. If both players have the same number of victory points at the end of the fifth battle round, the player that won the fifth battle is the winner of the campaign (if the fifth battle was a draw, the campaign is a tie). Location

CVPs

Major Settlement

Major Realmgate

Minor Realmgate

Minor Settlement

CAMPAIGN LENGTH You can shorten the length of the campaign by playing 3 or 4 games rather than 5. If you like the idea of a longer campaign, keep playing until one player has amassed 30 or more campaign victory points.

PLAYING THE CAMPAIGN

The campaign will consist of 5 battles in total. Each battle is fought to gain control of one of the locations on the map. To determine which location is being fought over, carry out the following steps in the order shown: 1.

Find those locations that are not controlled by either player (e.g. each player has the same amount of influence for that location). If there are no uncontrolled locations, find the locations where the difference between the player’s influence points is 1. If there are no locations where this is the case, use all of the locations.

From amongst the locations chosen in step 1, pick out the locations that are worth the most campaign victory points.

If there is only one location remaining, the battle is fought there. If not, proceed to step 4.

The players roll off, and the winner decides which of the remaining locations is used. The player cannot choose a location to fight a battle in if it was the location where the last battle in the campaign took place.

PICKING CAMPAIGN ARMIES

Each player chooses their army following the instructions from the battlepack they are using. Unless they have agreed otherwise, the players must both use Slaves to Darkness armies, and neither army can include Archaon or Be’lakor.

STRATEGIC MODIFIERS

The amount of influence each player has for the location where the battle takes place, and the number of settlements and realmgates each player controls, affects how armies are selected in the following ways: Influence: If one player has more influence over the location where the battle is being fought than their opponent, then they can increase the number of points for their army by 10% for each point more of influence that they have. For example, if you had 3 influence points for the location and your opponent had 2 influence points, then you would be allowed to increase the points for your army by 10%.

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Settlements: If one player controls more settlements than their opponent, then they can increase the number of points for their army by 5%. If they have more settlements and one of them is a Major Settlement, then they can increase the number of points for their army by 10% instead of 5%. Realmgates: If one player controls more realmgates than their opponent, then they can take 1 extra enhancement for their army. If they have more realmgates and they also control more Major Realmgates than their opponent, then they can take 2 extra enhancements instead of 1.

SELECTING THE BATTLEPLAN

Each of the different types of location has a location table associated with it (see next page). These describe which battleplan you will use based on the battlepack you are using, and what rewards are given to the player that wins the battle. If the battleplan is randomly determined, it is chosen after armies have been picked.

FIGHTING THE BATTLE

After the armies have been picked and the battleplan you are using selected, you can fight the battle using the Warhammer Age of Sigmar rules.

THE AFTERMATH

After the first battle has been fought, the winner of the battle gains control of the location where the battle took place. Reduce the loser’s influence for that location to 0, and if the winner won a major victory, increase the winner’s influence for that location by 1 point to a maximum of 3. If the battle was a draw, reduce the influence of both players for that location by 1, to a minimum influence of 0. Check to see if one player has won the campaign (see previous page). If neither player has won the campaign, the player who controls locations worth the least number of campaign victory points can add 1 influence to a location of their choice, up to a maximum influence of 3. The players then fight the next battle in the campaign. Designer’s Note: It is the player with the fewest number of campaign victory points that gets to add an extra influence point to a location of their choice. Desperate to turn the tables on their foe, they use every bribe, threat and trick they can think of to gather more followers to their cause!

REWARDS FOR PATH TO GLORY ARMIES

For players using Path to Glory armies in this campaign arc, they gain the following benefits: 1.

In step 3 of the aftermath sequence after each battle, units involved gain a bonus D3 renown points each.

The winner of the campaign can immediately add 1 artefact of power to their vault.

CAMPAIGN MAP

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Major Realmgate

] Major Settlement

J Minor Realmgate

Minor Settlement

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LOCATION TABLES

The following tables are used to determine which battleplan to use for a campaign game. Just find the table for the location where the battle is taking place and follow the instructions on the table to determine the battleplan you will use. MAJOR SETTLEMENT BATTLEPLANS Open War

Path to Glory

Contest of Generals

Use the Battle for Dreadhold Traguska battleplan (next page).

MAJOR OR MINOR REALMGATE BATTLEPLANS Open War Use the Open War Battleplan Generator. The Victory Condition is Field of Glory (do not roll on the table).

Path to Glory Roll a D6:

Contest of Generals Rising Power

1-2 - The Ritual 3-6 - Hold or Die MINOR SETTLEMENT BATTLEPLANS

Open War Use the Open War Battleplan Generator.

Path to Glory Roll a D6: 1-3 - The Watchtower 4-6 - Hold or Die

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Contest of Generals Frontal Assault

CAMPAIGN BATTLEPLAN

THE BATTLE FOR DREADHOLD TRAGUSKA Once Be’lakor’s machinations come to light, followers from the two factions spill out onto the streets of Dreadhold 1 raguska, and bloody battle erupts in every quarter.

THE ARMIES

hacli player chooses their army following the instructions from the battiepack they arc using. Unless they have agreed otherwise, the players must both use Slaves to Darkness armies, and neither army can include Archaon or BeTakor.

THE BATTLEFIELD

The players roll off. The winner sets up the battlefield. The number of terrain features they must set up is shown on the table below. Each terrain feature must be set up morn than 3" from the battlefield edge and more than 3" from all other terrain features. If it is impossible for a terrain feature to be set up, it is not used.

! DEPLOYMENT

The players alternate setting up units one at a time, starting with the player who did not set up the terrain features. Units can be set up anywhere on the battietieid that is more Ilian 3" iiom all enemy units. The players continue to set up units until both armies have been set up. If one player finishes setting up their army first, their opponent must set up the rest of the units in their army, one after another.

BATTLE LENGTH

The battle lasts for 5 or more battle rounds (see Glorious Victory).

BUSTLING METROPOLIS

VICTORY POINTS

At the end of the battle, each player scores 1 victory point tor each LcTiain fculuic ihey control (core rules, 18.2).

GLORIOUS VICTORY

If one playei has at least 3 more victory points than their opponent, they win a major victory. If one playei- has 1 or 2 more victory points than their opponent, they win a uiiiiOi victory. If both players have the same number of victory points, another battle round is played, and the game will continue until one player has more victory points at the end of a battle round

The inhabitants of Dreadhold Traguska will take yp nrm