StrangerOrders

Poking around GW's different regions and the FLGS I know in a few different places? This has been such a weird release. Normal discount in some places, none in others and some things sold out instantly while others have a weirdly long-lived stock. I am genuinely perplexed at just how badly to LoV box did in my regions at least, its usually the last to go and is around still even on GW's site. I sort of figured the lack if a named character and their now fairly ample range would help them out. EC box isn't doing great either but thats not a surprise, can't imagine that many people did what I did and waited for Fulgrim to be in a bundle. And he's honestly the draw. Kinda nice to for once have an army's beneath the scalper's notice lol.

Chairon for Redemptor Ironclad variant! Give him a chance to punch a Lord Discordant to death with a Siege Claw. GW can and definitely would just soft retcon on the grounds of 'Dreadnoughts are technically considered dead'.

On one hand, at least Chairon made Lieutenant before his death (guess he overcame Gadriel in ranks only to die, makes me recall FMA for some reason). On the other, thats two captains of Second Company Leandros either got killed or nearly did lol.

The image beside it definitely has the Necron spine thing right?

Oh sorry, I must have misunderstood the new rumour vid, my apologies.

I'd put money on them doing what they did with MKIII, it will be done halfway into 3.0 as part of a set. I recall Valrak saying something about Catas being part of a set but his latest rumour is both them and Tarts coming out around the same time. Makes me think Breachers are the most probable, along with a vehicle (maybe a Knight or less-demanding Baneblade alt-build) if we are lucky. 40k is def going to be the campaign chars I imagine.

The Khan has a helmet after all according to the model description on the article. Great cause I could recall it being mentioned. WS helms sre usually great.

Best we got is the Chapter that publically humiliated the Ordo Malleus and cost the GK more resources than most Daemonic incursions. So hyped for these, the Scouts look especially great.

I am very torn on Sicarius... the model is good, very good. But it weirdly seems more arrogant and grandstanding than his old model... idk, it doesn't radiate who Sicarius is in the current lore. I kind of expected a more subdued, world-weary model... this doesn't really convey his 'nihilistic contempt for everything and sardonically rolling with it' aura. I am going to guess this means UMs are going to ironically end up being a fully fledged splinter Marine faction now (can't really say non-Compliant)... which is more or less what I want for all the bloodlines anyway (a few unique chars and a bloodline-specific unit). Dual gladius is such an unreasonably cool thing, love it. Axes are also welcomed, a nice reversion to 30k.

Its balanced by her stylists' lives literally hanging on how fast/well they do it I'm sure.

This will sound weird but my only complaint is that the way they painted Malys seems... idk, like she is too healthy looking... Great sculpts though! GW seems to be making good progress on face sculpts (provided they are just Eldar for some reason). Archon seems to have at least 3 weapon types, 2 off hand options and three heads.

I really love the combinations offered by the Provenances, and the potential for new ones. This might also be a hot take, but one consistently positive thing over 2.0 is the inclusion of more lore snippets. I feel like 2.0 and even late 1.0 started to forget that alot of us are definitely interested to know what something is other than a model with a stat. Now, does anyone know how well the Felgor Beastment kit goes with Van Saar stuff?

Looking at the book cover next to the model helped me realize what's bugging me about it. They absolutely massacred the man's awesome hair.

Problem there is that you can't really say 'for nought' when most of the factors I said don't relate to direct combat. Two monkeys fighting in the vines doesn't mean their conflict is equivalent to two crabs. If anything it goes to show how bloody weird a battle between two Astartes forces would be because their tempo, considerations and rates would look nothing like two conventional armies. To give credit, the first Black Book did this very well with commanders being jarred by how cumulatively quick and difficult to unengage from Astartes v. Astartes warfare turned out to be. As well as how hard it is for one side to meaningfully erase the other without ending up playing whack-a-mole (given the difficulty to permanently kill, starve or mentally break both sides are). As far as Xenos, we know alot actually from the books, and I think there is a risk is assuming frequency and other considerations. Including our letting ourselves be tricked into thinking the Imperium is more primitive than it actually. Still room for very interesting directions.

I mean... you are right but I also disagree. As written? Astartes are honestly not really exploited when you look at the spreadsheet of what they can do beyond 'big man with big gun'. You have soldiers that don't need sleep, barely eat, can jog in full kit for days at the speed that outstrips an Olympic runner's best, aren't bothered by most enviro conditions, can literally/smell and hear enemy heartbeats dozens of meters away, don't get sick, are basically impossible to traumatize or disable for a long period. Each one of those things shave a hundred logistical considerations, tactical realities, strategic options and so on. To say nothing of attrition and experience gain which works in such a whacky way for an immortal that doesn't decline with age that its silly. And the fact that most Astartes can be very easily cross-trained to hotswap roles on the fly and with next to no difficulty. They are also next to impossible to kill in narrow space, They Shall Know No Fear was brilliant for stopping to consider this. If an Astartes is in a space they can control or that you can't afford to completely level... you are kind of boned. Couple that with the decision makers theoretically having hundreds of campaign of direct experience and a functional blend of knowledge-absorption, training and personal prestige that you just can't have irl. That's off the top of my head. And few authors and frankly alot of fraters in the fanbase completely disregard. The failure of imagination isn't the numbers, its what those numbers MEAN from a campaign perspective. The problem with Astartes usage isn't really at all the scale, its a much bigger difference than that. Its even funnier in set pieces when you compare the novels to the Forgeworld Black Books description of how Legion pitched warfare works. Can you imagine every pilot literally mind-synched with their vehicles and able to coordinate combined arms by instinct? Cheap artillery generally not doing jack because positioning data needs to outpace an army that moves with preternatural speed and precision? An Astartes army as written there seems so divorced from reality of how an actual battle works that it actually makes sense that we hear about them crushing enemy civs before they can react. Honestly their size and guns are the least scary thing about Astartes when you think about it, especially in numbers.