StrangerOrders

Idk why but something about it makes me think of the Necromunda Squats...

Largely agree on the need to consolidate but I am not sure GW will ever be in favor of modular kits in terms of 40k, they've been coming around a bit lately with the more ample chapter sprues but I don't see it getting to 30k levels. And to be clear, we need 30k levels as we currently have like 5 units of tactius that is literally just the Tactical Support Squad from Heresy (Hellblasters, Infernus, etc). Same goes for Phobos and most chars as others have said. In terms of wishlist, I kind of want a Rhino replacement in terms of Gameplay (the Repulsor being too heavily armed and expensive to count), the Impulsor's limited transport capacity are very annoying in light of GW killing squad size flexibility. So either up the Impulsor's capacity or give us a proper new Rhino. The range itself is mostly fine aside from weird limitations on mobility, especially with regards to chars. We need more Jump and Bike sculpts and they would be best left as wargear rather than individual units. Assault Termies and Vanguard would fill up the last big hole. As for the Divergent Chapters, honestly GW hit the nail on the head with the BT & DA model, even if it means some painful cuts. Limit the Wolves to a Wolfguard Troop and Termie Kit, limit the BA to Death Company and Sanguinary kit. I have and love my Viking and Psychic Dreads but I am not sure they are essential, I love Thunderwolves but they are not as important to the core as elites covered in runes, trophies and knotwork. Throw in a generous upgrade sprue in line with the two previous and we are golden. Then it can be a steady stream of chars each edition and we can get all the priests and specialists back at a comfortable pace. Not sure this really jives with the Stormcast-esque "New functional army each edition that is distinct so you have to buy' model, but it would return us to a comfortably stable identity with room for touchups here and there. If we indulge in the wacky, I would like to see each bloodline get a unique unit for the parent chapter and their successors but thats a pipedream (I forever crave a unit of IF Terminators with upgraded stormbolters and Storm Shields, but thats a fairly distinct fetish lol).

Those are some unexpectedly cheap little ducklings. Cheap too....

To echo the others, there is actually an entire spread in Black Book I: Betrayal that explains how the titles are used and why they vary so wildly. Obviously out of universe its that BL writers can be a microcosm of GW as a whole, they each have their own ideas of what the setting should be and tend to only begrudgingly compromise. So one book has a captain leading a weirdly small force of like 20 guys and another book has a captain with a thousand men. So the BBs try to ultimately assign responsibility to the only beings with the hubris to match an unchecked author, the Primarchs. The SoH section for example details that Horus, being something of a control-freak, actively tried to dissolve ranks above captain and just retain the control over which captain go to do what. A lunatic approach for anyone else but also kind of fitting his whole 'Alaric' thing which essentially made his approval and proven success the only valid status indicators in the legion. Its an interesting approach actually as the book positions the Luna Wolves slip from strict regimentation to barbarism as the result of a long-standing but previously subtle degradation. There is even a nifty chart actually that specifies what ranks might be reasonably assigned to a Praetor versus a Centurian. And each legion had a section in their BB giving you a rough idea of how they fit into that framework (UM labeling a unit of 10,000 a Chapter, for example).

If you look at the Terminator Praetor for the EC in 30k you actually kind of get both, the termi cowl has a raised grill back that is kind of like an amp. Actually seems like a bridge design and might be suggestive. Just take it from discreet to swollen and they look like they have speakers on their back. Alot of room to make it grotesque and fill it with graffity, bling and drug injectors. My bigger question is what level of bare skin we are getting! I am kind of expecting to have even more bare skin than Chaos Possessed!

Lords of Excess just came out and follows the template of the Fabius warbands but is set in the 'present' so it wouldnt be impossible. Mid book but the Noise Marines were insane in it! I love their attacks literally momentarily snapping reality and regenerating from headshots lol (with more amps sprouting from the wounds!). Some cool EC concepts in it too. A fat cannibal champion with a claymore. A money-obsessed terminator that melts down wargear to pour on himself. And a vain pseudo-clone gifted from Fabius with Fulgrim's eyes! I don't begrudge folks but the option but not requirement approach would be nice! That art is awesome incidentally! I kinda want a guy like the Orchestrator in the Fabius books. Boom box shoulders and Amps for hands! Literally a 'person' shaped metal stage lol

I am referring to the novels... I am aware of the tabletop option (not requirement) to do so but I am arguing from a place of conceptually. The table also lets you run an all terminator army and calls it First Company, I would hardly say that means they eat up the entire conceptual bandwidth or that First Companies are said to be all terminators despite their usually being the showpiece and their association. In the novels they are by far the exception. And in most every piece of lore I've read since 4th ed, which I am afraid is when I started (I am aware that makes me something of a neophyte to some but it is quite a while still). Perfectly possible I am misremembering of course, unlike Fulgrim I am still imperfect. Probably because I havent had lizard skin stapled to a penguin lately.

Eidolon is considered the first Noise Marine for a reason tbh. And he is generally depicted as fairly unique among their breed for still having mundane interests like politics. And in fairness Lucius's fragrant cheating and then claiming to be unrivaled is well... blatant hypocracy is a... I was about to say 'aristocratic trait' but I realized it applies to every single Astartes geneline so I guess Lucius isn't exactly unique there. I think some emphasis on drugs to balance out the noise would be more palatable to me. That and a grotesque amount of gold trim and gemstones. And noise assault marines would be cool. Only issue is that GW seems to have a clinical hatred of cult marines on motorcycles and jump packs. Two things the sense freaks generally adore. Praying they don't make literally everyone bald though... Also, if they deny Eidolon his thunder hammer and Jump Pack it will be a tragedy. The man's strat of zooming into a guy, screaming him mostly to death and then wacking him with a Thunder Hammer is entirely too funny not to keep.

Thats fair enough! But, much like alot of stuff from the early editions, maybe sometimes the past is best forgotten? Its a bit of a crossroads. Some Cult legions got alot more interesting when they evolved into a range, their old and new concepts hybridized and expanded upon in an interesting way. See Deathguard and not just from number of models. Others have been made so one-dimensional its actually kind if painful with alot of their depth going up in smoke (still somewhat bitter at Sekhmet SOMEHOW not being psychic enough to avoid the Rubric). The EC have been fortunate enough to get quite alot of brilliant books and characterization. Their weird desire to call back to aristocratic origins and perfectionist hubris warring with their varied depravity and extreme selfishness (and yes, that is also fairly aristocratic tbf but you get the idea). Its usually even a point of conflict with the Noise Marines which are almost enlightened in their single minded obsession and reverence for the song of Slaanesh. It lends them that elemental quality that leads to stunning character design. And since the writing is in many ways directed by the models, I'd rather see the EC keep that depth. And army of 'oops, all noise' would be really damned sad. Especially as that would ironically enough also break the current (really cool) identity of the Noise marines into having to accommodate every EC char moving forward. I'd rather see something like the DG in that their core is a recognizable mutation of their 30k units and designs. Which do incorporate noise implants into nearly everyone without making them literally 'everyone is a noise marine' and that would be reasonable I think. Different strokes and folks but those are just my two disks of solified warp-cocaine enameled with the solidified tears of orphans and glitter.

I am very curious what the role of the Noise Marines will be given their history and lore because, uniquely for Cult Marines, they have never been a majority presence. Rubrics, Berserkers and Plague Marines, those have always been understood as line troops of their legion. Noise Marines have on the other hand always had a smell of the elite, blessed or - more cynically - the damned. They are more like a force of nature to be carefully unleashed than the go-to chaff. So will the codex bastardize them into 'every EC, an infamously martial legion of duelists, is now purely ranged' or will the Noise Marines remain elite and a new unit of debouched Astartes will represent the 'normal' depraved EC? Personally hope for the latter as that would allow a range of expression in terms of differing obsessions! If its WE scale that would: -Fulgrim -Lucius -Eidolon/Generic Lord -Noise Marines/Noisier Marines -Line Hedonites -Cultist. Obviously one would hope for more but it seems sensible!

Idk why but I thought both had mustaches at first glance... Strangely disappointed to have been wrong. Neat models though, and good proxies appropriately enough!

I think this is the real concern and some folks here and elsewhere are missing it. Its not that Stormcast are being nuked or that some of their 'oldest' kits are going away. Its that nearly the entire range from scarcely two editions (a mere blip these days with GWs accelerated cycle) got fully nuked. Its like having everything in Indomitus suddenly getting nuked at once right now! Thats insane, especially since most collectors I know at least tend to build their armies over fairly long spans of time, this is peak 'if only someone could help me spend my bags of money!' thinking.

Such a good model but dear god am I disappointed by the sword and board. I wanted the giant Berserk-style weapon described in the books, not yet another generic longsword. And nothing about little Horus, especially post-fall aligns with a shield of all things. A bizarre and needless change that takes away from an otherwise great model. Especially when it affects a part of the character which is discussed with an unusual frequency (in terms of the discussion of his weapon).

Well... keep an eye out for space marines doing a fortnite dance, that will be a good indicator that our time has passed Incidentally:

I have no idea about how it was done irl but in quite a few books they show Astartes tying their hair down under the armor or wrapping braids tight before putting the armor over it. But horsehair crests are a pretty common design element for officers historically irl arent they? The bizarre part to me is that the prime vector in a few books for the actual hair as straight topknot fashion among Astartes is Cthonia. Never really clicked for me since for some reason they wrote the planet to be so cramped and decrepid that I am not sure how any custom can realistically form. Its not even the crazy kind of decrepid like Necromunda, its just plain giga-poverty with nothing demonstrably cool or interesting. Especially since long and healthy hair, which is the usual purpose for it in the irl past as a status symbol, seems completely impossible. Went off topic there, can't help but be annoyed at how they made Cthonia just the most boring breed of 'suck' in 40k, seems do at odds with the culture we are told comes from it.