apologist

Courtesy of of Twisted Titanicus, we have stat leaks for the new Reaver arms: Nothing particularly astonishing there – in comparison with the carapace version, the Volkite benefits from a hint more range and no negative modifiers to hit, making it more reliable when you opt not to use beam. Is it worth an extra 10pts? I'm not convinced. Grav looks a lot of fun – while perhaps not the most competitive choice in Adeptus Titanicus, it's at least fun to use and – unlike using lasers – you won't feel like you're handicapping yourself.

While putting together a pack for a 13th Black Crusade/Eye of Terror event later in the year, I've stumbled over a few bits and bobs and wondered if you could help out with some background/lore notes, as (whisper it low) I largely missed out on the Eye of Terror campaign. +++ + Location + The event will focus on Kasr Holn, the fifth planet in the Cadian system. I opted for this as it was a pretty clean slate – but having done some research, I didn't realise quite how clean a slate it was! There's barely anything that I can find which describes the planet. Canonically, it was 'swallowed up by a warp cloud' – but does anyone have any other details, however small, about it? I'm led to understand that the latest release for 10th/11th mentions that there are (post-Cicatrix) embattled Imperial survivors there, but can't verify that. Was there any suggestion on what caused the warpcloud, or who/what was involved? In general, I'd love to hear whether there are any references to specific characters, armies, locations or descriptions of the planet. For example: Is Kasr Holn a Fortress world or something else? Do we have any sense of its population? What's the climate and atmosphere like? Are there any famous figures from here? Are there references to battles that have happened here, or with troops from here? +++ + Belligerents + The Cadians will doubtless have a presence on this planet, so I've opted to station two (I believe) new Regiments there: the 136th and 281st (a reference to the White Dwarf issue that announced the original worldwide campaign). Firstly, have these Regiment numbers have been referenced anywhere? Secondly, are all Cadian Shock Troops specifically from Cadia (i.e. Cadia Prime), or do all planets in the system produce Cadian Shock Troopers? Thirdly, would Kasr Holn have its own PDF/Imperial Guard force? Would-be troopers of the 281st +++ And as for the Chaos forces, I was planning to have one of Abaddon's Chosen spearheading the campaign – while we can make up personalities, I'd prefer to have someone who's both referenced (as a fun Easter egg), and definitely not mentioned as elsewhere at the time. Ygethmor seemed an option, but I understand that: a) it turns out this is an honorific, rather than a name; and b) Ygethmor fought on Cadia Prime. The back-up was Zaraphiston, who I'm sure used to be a 'canon' Sorceror for the Black Legion, but I'm struggling to verify that. ... and finally, Sorcerer Lord Xorphas is a third choice. Is there any reason one or other of the listed figures might/might not lead the assault on Kasr Holn? Do you have a better option to lead the assault and conduct a sorcerous ritual to swallow up the planet? +++ + Extras + I love including references and Easter eggs in these campaigns, so if there's any tiny little reference, idea or concept that you think might add to the atmosphere, please do share. :) +++ Thank you in advance for your help!

While putting together a pack for a 13th Black Crusade/Eye of Terror event later in the year, I've stumbled over a few bits and bobs and wondered if you could help out with some background/lore notes, as I largely missed out on the Eye of Terror campaign. + Location + The event will focus on Kasr Holn, the fifth planet in the Cadian system. I opted for this as it was a pretty clean slate – but having done some research, I didn't realise quite how clean a slate it was! There's barely anything that I can find which describes the planet. Canonically, it was 'swallowed up by a warp cloud' – but does anyone have any other details, however small, about it? I'm led to understand that the latest release for 10th/11th mentions that there are (post-Cicatrix) embattled Imperial survivors there, but can't verify that. Was there any suggestion on what caused the warpcloud, or who/what was involved? In general, I'd love to hear whether there are any references to specific characters, armies, locations or descriptions of the planet. For example, Is it a Fortress world or something else? Do we have any sense of its population? What's the climate and atmosphere like? Are there any famous figures or battles that have happened here? + Belligerents + The Cadians will doubtless have a presence on this planet, so I've opted to station two (I believe) new Regiments there: the 136th and 281st (a reference to the White Dwarf issue that announced the original worldwide campaign). Firstly, have these Regiment numbers have been referenced anywhere? Secondly, are all Cadian Shock Troops specifically from Cadia (i.e. Cadia Prime), or do all planets in the system produce Cadian Shock Troopers? Thirdly, would Kasr Holn have its own PDF/Imperial Guard force? Would-be troopers of the 281st +++ And as for the Chaos forces, I was planning to have one of Abaddon's Chosen spearheading the campaign – while we can make up personalities, I'd prefer to have someone who's both referenced (as a fun Easter egg), and definitely not mentioned as elsewhere at the time. Ygethmor seemed an option, but I understand that: a) it turns out this is an honorific, rather than a name; and b) Ygethmor fought on Cadia Prime. The back-up was Zaraphiston, who I'm sure used to be a 'canon' Sorceror for the Black Legion, but I'm struggling to verify that. ... and finally, Sorcerer Lord Xorphas is a third choice. Is there any reason one or other of the listed figures might/might not lead the assault on Kasr Holn? Do you have a better option to lead the assault and conduct a sorcerous ritual to swallow up the planet? +++ + Extras + I love including references and Easter eggs in these campaigns, so if there's any tiny little reference, idea or concept that you think might add to the atmosphere, please do share. :) +++ Thank you in advance for your help!

Sounds awesome. While the Wormwood Sons are a bit half-hearted as followers of the Returned Primarch, individuals can use the Caputmori if they so desire. In any case, the Silver Star icon is also used as a catch-all for identifying Partisans, as are turquoise and rose stripes, so those might also provide some ideas. Looking forward to seeing 'em!

This period is a favourite of mine, precisely because it's so thinly-documented. (If it's helpful, I explored it a bit in Nova Terra Interregnum – The Alien Wars, which tried to use as much 'canon' stuff as possible, so that might have some specifics that have otherwise eluded my mem-bank recall.) A lot of the broad strokes have been outlined above, but I think we can probably be a bit more helpful if you're happy for us to narrow things down a bit – whether that's by picking a smaller date range (say just the first 500 years of M37 or whatever); or by focussing on a particular set of factions – 'what are the differences between the Imperium in M37 and M41?'; 'what were the Necrons and orks up to during the M36?' etc.

There’s info on the Marines Mendicant colour scheme and iconography in this article [+noosphericexloadlink embedded+]; though it’s pretty opaque! In short, the reversed silver star is really the main key to the icon, so that would work well. Since the Mendicants were mostly (all?) drawn from the Partisan side, it’s unlikely any returned to parent Chapters – but then, half the point of the project is highlighting how little the Imperium really knows, so do feel free to go crazy. If it’s of interest, you might look at the Vigilants, who are effectively an Orthodox equivalent – a sort of Deathwatch group for the Ordo Astartes.

‘Believe in gods again.’ Bluff? Bravado? Intent to dissemble or dissimulate? All of the above; doubtless. Such was the task – perhaps nature – of the Marines Mendicant. From his non-standard armour to the seemingly meaningless glyphs and logographs adorning his plate, everything about the pseudolegionary rang false. Regardless of his intent, the Golden Hands weren’t going to allow the Mendicant to escape this time. They had already assembled a formidable doc-ident on their target. Perhaps an Argent Herald – that much was suggested by armour-spoor – but the Hands didn’t put credence into that. No; more likely one of the orphan Firebreak. Such had been surmised when he used that blade of his to open up Brother Utigent – and then escape. Not before the rest of his clade had been killed, mind (so the Golden Hands noted proudly); and nor had the Mendicant escaped unharmed. He was hurt; bleeding. And irreparably so, judged the Hands, for they had employed Inquisitorial anti-coagulants. Chaem-magick that had taken the Stars and the Mendicant quite by surprise…

Voila! https://tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?p=646945#p646945 With the proviso that I've not used it myself, GlynG is a very experienced and thoughtful writer, so I'd be confident that it'll be enjoyable to use.

A late reply, but I’m not aware of any Necron lists for LI. I know it’s not quite what you were after, but have you considered Epic: Armageddon rules? Those have very thoroughly playtested lists for all the above armies, and also have a list for Heresy-era Marines, if it’s specifically 30k you want.

Made up to see new options for these amazing kits. There are so many lovely little details here, both aesthetic (like the Lucius Alpha head at last) and practical. The new Reaver arm options will also breathe some new life into AT, which remains the best game in the GW stable.

I’d certainly love to hear any playtesting results; making sure the basic stats actually work in practise is key. Trying to get formations and things working before the stats are solid is putting the cart before the horse.

What dreadful news. A genuine one-off, Blanche will be sorely missed. His influence on modern GW is deep and difficult to quantify – his style varied, often divisive but always engaging – and he was undeniably a titan of the industry as well as a really distinctive artistic voice. My sympathies to his family and friends; a sad loss to the artistic and tabletop gaming communities alike.

Am I right in thinking previous ‘end-of-edition’ expansions have effectively been playtest/previews of the next edition?

Speculation, but given the overarching Chaos Space Marine Codex has been balkanised – so we have individual Legions and Renegades (like Red Corsairs) in separate books, it'd be nice to see a similar division in Imperial Space Marines between Imperium Nihilus and Imperium Sanctus; one with more of the new shiny stuff like grav-tanks, and the other relying on more time-tested (and locally available!) tech. (I'm not suggesting a formal split between Primaris and non-Primaris, for what it's worth.) +++ On the rumours themselves, while I don't have a horse in the race, it's nice to see Dark Eldar and Tau get some attention. More suits is perhaps the least exciting option I can think of for Tau when minor xenos auxiliaries and tanks are right these, but they are an iconic part of the force. Vect making a return with a Jabba's Sailbarge vibe of weirdo aliens sounds promising, and could be very cool.

Received safely ; thanks @cactus – you're a star!