Frater Antodeniel

I personally don't understand when some people says, i quote, "... his stories, while great, are not exactly moneymakers..." . All his books have been selling rather well if i am to judge by their availability. As for his "weirdness" it is the defining element of his works, it is what allow him to create and expand on the 40k universe. On the other hand, i believe that the problem between Fehervari and GW/BL is of a different nature, as it is now. And to picture it, i will take into account the recents works of other authors such as Guy Haley or ADB. Now, if you compare PF and GH/ADB you can see a difference. To me that difference is summed up in one word "Primaris". Remember that BL narrative exist mainly to push the sells and promote GW miniatures. ADB Spears of the Emperor, or Guy Haley Darkness in the Blood / Astorath, thoses recents novels all present Primaris marines, even to some excesses (For me, Darkness in the Blood felt rather bland in the end mostly due to push for Primaris, and the new Primaris Mephiston. In the end it felt like the novel itself was but an excuse to introduce the miniature, for the most part.). On the contrary, all PF works still features non-primaris space marines, because his setting is still set in the 40K Universe before the Great Rift opening. I believe that this simple difference is, for the main part, the explication as to why BL seems to treat PF rather poorly despite his talent and the quality of the work he produced for the 40k Universe. To me, Peter Fehervari is number one Black Library author. =)

Unlikely, but yesterday, when i ordered a Ravenwing Command Squad at my local retailler, i checked both the RCS and the classic Bike squad. The RCS was 42.5 and today it is 45, same goes for the Bike Squad that was at 31 an today is at 34. And i won't even speak of the lone Razorback that i came to buy on impulse last week as i was looking for bikes, i got it for 33, and today it is at 40.

I happened to check some Space Marines boxes on GW website, and i noticed an increase in their prices.....one that come on top of previously announced that was made on march 7th. Some kits prices seems to have increased by 5-10% just today. Yesterday i was checking in order to add the "venerable classic" bike squad, it were 31 euros, and today it is 34. And it look to be the same for pretty much all kits, classic or primaris. just to picture, but the price of the Venerable Dreadnought as go up from 40-42.5 to 47.5, and the classic Tactical Squad from 35-38 to 42.5 today. I don't know where this is going, with all the tensions on energy prices, but it don't looks good for hobby. I come to regret not having bought more last year, i was unwilling to add to my "pile of plastic", but i'm not longer sure it was the wisest choice.

"Primaris don't exist, Primaris a rescaled Space Marines." Repeat this when painting Space Marines and you will be fine. In the end, the whole thing about Primaris is a bad joke GW played on itself. The division in the community was created by the very bad presentation of the Primaris range when it was implemented. Negativity stems from this initial presentation of the Primaris, and GW negation of the problem. With the expansion of the Primaris range, in the years to come the implementation of the chapter specifics (Death Company, Sanguinary Guard...etc), the whole Primaris thing will solve itself. Also, fluff wise, you are free to either embrace the whole Primaris thing or reject it, in part or entirely. If you like the new style but not the Primaris enhancements, nothing stop you from considering the classic space marines just got new power armour, vehicles and weapons with Roboute Guilliman return. People are sometimes close minded and are often prone to trap themselves in problems of their owns. Open your mind, play the way you like, and enjoy the hobby/game. If you want to build/paint/play an army of Night Lords with AOS Nighthaunt miniatures for example, then do it, don't restrain yourself. That the way it see the hobby on my part. Thought for the Day : In an hour of Darkness a blind man is the best guide. In an age of Insanity look to the madman to show the way. (This citation is so relevant nowdays, after all, we lives in an age of insanity.)

Interresting Fact, to remind everyone, regarding space marine size and their personal power armours : In the Lore it is stated numerous times that some space marines are above standard, even in chapters whose gene-seeds is not only marked by the variety of genetic material it can support, but also known for the change it can induce on some physical traits. For the best example at hand, regarding the Imperial Fist, there is the case of Alexis Polux. A giant amongst his Astartes kind, who, if i remember correctly, was nearly as tall as a Guilliman. Other examples i remember can be found in the Flesh Tearers (Harahel), Space Wolves, Carcharodons (Tyberos), even Ultramarines (Pasanius). So in the end, Space Marines are not clones (except in some chapters depending on the gene-seed and base material), but instead are subject to differences, both physicals and psychologicals.

On my opinion, while the addition of new Successors to the Blood Angels can be welcomed, i believe that it would have been better to aknowledge the already known/hinted color scheme of other Blood Angels Chapter, which are cited numerous times in fluff, such as : - Red Seraph (Citation from the short story Tradition's Last Breath, from White Dwarf) : "The first brother wears ceramite armour of royal red draped elegantly with a cloth loros tailored by slaves, the linen dyed the shade of precious ivory. The ceramite protecting his pale flesh is marked with oblique runes and decorated with talismans of faith and fury. Here, a vial of cloned blood hangs chained to his wrist, clanking softly with his gestures. There, bound to his breastplate, is a winged symbol of his ancestral Legion, forged by artisans from grotesquely rare Terran marble. He is beautiful the way a noble lie is beautiful, the way statues of the Emperor’s Angels of Death show divinity without flaw. Even his scars are threaded with tiny jewels, giving him a face repaired by ostentation where it would otherwise be marred by war. This is Ynoch. The symbol on his pauldron declares his Chapter with naked pride: the winged figure clasping a chalice in its gauntlets proclaiming this immortal to be a lord of the Red Seraphs." - Angels Numinous (Citation from the short story Tradition's Last Breath, from White Dwarf) : "The second brother wears armour of scratched bronze. He had to fight to get here and it shows in a hundred ways, some visible to mortal eyes, others detectable only by immortal senses. The chainsword at his hip has thrown several teeth in previous battles, giving the blade a beggar’s leer. He seeks to hide his weariness from his brothers, though they can hear the dull thunder of his heart, the calm rhythm yet betraying his recent exertions, just as they can smell the scent of the battle-sweat that dried hours ago on his dark skin. Verdigris shows in the joints of his ceramite, speaking of a long war fought far from the foundries of his home world and the forges aboard his flagship. The Unspoken Need – also called the Craving, the Red Thirst, the Bitter Hunger – shows in his fanged smile, another sign of exhaustion getting the better of him. This is Jagudir. On his shoulder, stark in its funereal majesty, is a pale skull crowned by a bladed halo: the sigil of the Angels Numinous." - Charnel Guard (Citation from the short story Tradition's Last Breath, from White Dwarf) : "The third and final brother wears armour fashioned to mimic the polished black of volcanic glass. This immortal, clad in obsidian edged with deep-vein red, shows no emotion at all. His skin is the grey of the grave-born. His breath taints the air with the smell of old gore, of meat that was rotten even before it was devoured. His skin stinks of a stasis-crypt. His long cloak reeks of sepulchral dust. He could be a statue but for the slow drift of his gaze; eyes the white of clean mist miss no movement in the ruined chamber. This is Mordath. His pauldron displays the ornate, stylised cross of the Charnel Guard." - Golden Sons (Citation from the Novel Devastation of Baal) : "A warrior in black and gold stood from his chair. A swift-moving servo-skull went to hover over his head, bathing him in a soft lumen glow. ‘Captain Cantar of the Golden Sons,’ it said. ‘Keeper of the Wheel, Slayer of Danrane of the Fifteenth Path, Bloodlord of Kathoi, Exterminator of the Skaal.’ Cantar let the herald skull say its piece. In the light the skin of his bare head was a deep, nut brown of lustrous hue, and his hair was tightly plaited and gathered into a short braid at the back. Golden tattoos glimmered in the light." - Angels Excelsis (Citation from the Novel Devastation of Baal) : "...The last time I looked, you wore the winged axe of the Angels Excelsis upon your pauldron and not the blood drip of Baal..." "Gas sighed as the cables detached themselves from the rear of Erwin’s armour. He stood with difficulty, the armour briefly dead on him with neither power pack nor ship to provide energy to its systems. His backpack descended from the ceiling above, the stabilisation nozzles delicately grasped by long-nosed grips. Like the ceramite of his arms and legs, it was a marbled white, setting off the deep crimson of his torso plate. His golden helm followed on a telescopic arm." (Golden Helm because the character is a Captain.) And that make it five.^^

I would venture that i know less than anyone on this board about the Necrons and it hasn't spoilt my enjoyment one bit... I don't know how but it just keeps getting better! I'm a few chapter on from this morning and really don't want it to end! I was reading this and thought to myself " no physical release, pretty sure they released hardback two weeks ago when it came out" . But now I see at Games Workshop its already sold out. How tiny was that print run BL?? My god... I completely missed that, thanks for the heads up! You're right though, must have sold fast! Fortunately Goblin Gaming has got a ruck of em, yoink!! Since i did not knew the author and awaited some reviews before deciding myself, i'm now stuck in the situation where i have to wait for the paperback release because the hardback is sold out...^^ Another book to buy, another book to read...when it will be release in paperback.

On my opinion, the concept of "World Spirit/Soul" is interresting, if well handed for two major reason : - First, from the Navigators point of view, it could explain how the Navigators see the Warp while guiding their ship through the currents of the Warp. The same way, worlds like Fenris, Baal, Chogoris, and many others could end up being more "visible" to the Navigators attuned to the world's soul, expanding the Navigator lore, and explaining some warp sheinanigans as to why some, seamingly, far away worlds are more accessibles than worlds that are "closer" from the initial jump point. To resume my thoughts : Navigator X, from the House Y, is attuned and familiar with the strong world spirit of Baal, but isn't familiar with that of Fenris. So because of this, when he enter the Warp, he can better "sense" the world of Baal than Fenris, making the travel to Baal safer/quicker, than it would be for Fenris, and should he be asked to go to Fenris, while looking for the World spirit in the warp, the Navigator could experience sensorial interactions, like earing the howls of wolves, tasting the salt of its oceans, perhaps even fear as to the ferocious world soul...etc. Also, the better to located the world, the Navigator could rely on physical tokens that are relatated to the world he wish to travel to, be it a rock that he could held in his hand, of a vial of water from its oceans....etc. - Secondly, from a Warp perspective, a world like any other "object" could grow a Soul through time and thanks to the living creature that worship it and/or inhabit it. It has already been stated in the fluff that object could grow a soul and become "sentient" to some extend, be it a weapon or a world, an effect that is amplified with the exposure to the energies of the Warp. To resume my thoughts : A Knight world could grow a noble/warlike soul akin to that of the Knights that for millenia have lived upon the world, something that could be amplified if the world is revered and not simply "used" by its inhabitants. On the other hand, a Hive world could grow a depressive soul, one that suffer from its sufferings and those of its inhabitants. As for a last example, a Religious world's soul would grow to become a bright light in the warp for those that worship the same faith, even able to "call" for help through dreams. (A Black Templars or a simple, mortal preacher or any other faithful, could hear in their dreams the call for help that the Cardinal world of XYZ emit, even if they are on the other galactic side from this world.)

MAYBE....It is not only the Land Speeder but also the......BAAL REPULSOR. I did not look to it before, but when you observe the picture with attention, the Repulsor have many features that make it different from the other Repulsor. First, the cannon muzzle, which remind me of the Baal flamestorm cannon. Second, the turret place upon the vehicle itself, attached at the back of the vehicle, instead of the front, as it is upon current Repulsors. Far enough from the front that you can see the form and lenses of a hatch just below the flamestorm cannon. (See at the green lenses below). Third, the turret is devoid of missiles / explosives launchers, which would make sense if the turret come with a flamestorm cannon. (But what is the big chunky part attached to the turret and who appears below the comms array, sort of black sphere, it is a complete mystery.) So, mainly for those three reasons and other more subtles, we can seriously consider that alongside Land Speeders, there will be a Baal Repulsor.

Well, at 120 €, it does not really surprise me. It look like the price is too much for many people, which once again is not really surprising. From my point of view, the bling, while solid are not what i await from a book^^. Most notably, i see no interest in the "Blood Angels journal" (which i would consider too precious to even write on it^^) and the Sand timer. As for the rest of the bling, only the dice and coins are really appealing, and they would have fair better if released separately. As for the Book itself, a price between 55 € (the Dante limited edition price if i remember correctly) and 70 € would have been better. Personnaly, 55 € or even 60 would have been fine for me given the apparent quality + , of the limited edition. But at 120 €, i'm not that rich^^.

I can imagine that with the new Flesh Tearers rules, Terminator Assault Squad with Lighting Claws could greatly benefit from the -1 AP, since they can reroll Wound rolls, maximising the natural 6 rolls, while becoming very resistant when backed by a Sanguinary Priest with the Flesh Tearers narthecium relic. (Note that in the fluff, Flesh Tearers do not have Sanguinary Guard, mostly due to the fact that Nassir Amit and Azkaellon weren't really friends. So their Sanguinary Guard is basically a Terminator "Honor Guard", and certainly one specialised in melee.^^)

While i still wait for the standart Hardback version to purchase the Novel, i looked at the spoilers, and for a time i was wondering about how the, Could make sense in the Lore. While it is just my interpretation of things, it is always important in the 40K Lore to remember that all Warp-related things are by nature related to the viewer point of view. Plus considering the other spoiler about the nature of the warp, It can be assumed that the Blood Angels point of view of the first spoiler may not be the truth, nor can it be false, it may not even be consistent/permanent. The nature of the Warp is a matter of concepts rather than absolute. For example, Khorne represent the concept of War, but in its dark form, mindless, unending, absolute, uncarring, tyrannical, fearfull and of dark glory. Yet, on the other side of the coin, the concept of War also carry the concept of honor, glory, righteousness, protection, fearlessness. Concepts that can be tied to the Sanguinor or other warp entities related to, as said in the first spoilers, and they can even be "Shards" of a main belief, where every entity can be the crystalisation of one aspect of a greater Concept. There is no good without evil, and even the interpretation of this fact is simplist. For example, a servant of Chaos, a true devote of Khorne, killing peoples is an act of faith, something he consider to be right and "Good", he make what pleases his god and so fulfill his purpose in life. While for a Blood Angel the notion of war is an act of necessity, it exist to fight those who wage war. This way, it could be say that Blood Angels purpose in life is to limit/control/stop the madness of war....by waging war, fire against fire, and while it may not be the same fire, it remain a fire. See the logic ?^^. For what is worth, i will conclude that concept are a matter of point of view and like all things are open to interpretations.

I add to your disatisfaction regarding the announcement of this book. It is sad to consider that while since many years, GW have greatly improved his communication, in the recent months, the one around Black Library books have faired poorer. Like you said the whole marketing around the book appears to be a failure, and like you, i wouldn't know about it if not for the Weekender article, and it look like it won't be the only one, since many books are coming in the next few months that are as much communicated about. I truly miss the Black Library listing with the release dates of what was to be release within the next three month. For myself, it truly helped budgeting the needed savings for what i was going to buy. ------- As for the book itself, Mark of Faith, it looks very interresting. (Also, i do like the cover of the Hardback version, it make me think of the one that had Mephiston:Blood of Sanguinius.)

I just watched Chapter Master Valrak new codex indomitus edition unboxing video, and i saw one new thing for the Flesh Tearers displayed on the Adeptus Astartes galactic map : - Cretacia is now officially located in the Segmentum Tempestus. (Until now, the information was only hinted in the Flesh Tearers Omnibus book description on Black Library, if i remember correctly.)

I think that i will re-read the Primaris stuff of the Space Marine codex, and the new Blood Angels fluff of the new codex. Personally, the Primaris stuff is complicated, also i think that for Astartes, i will stay in the 40k era^^, with a Hive Fleet Kraken army for the 41k era^^. =)