White Dwarf Subscription Miniature

The happy (or in many cases, unhappy) folks at Gamesday were shown the new White Dwarf Subsciption Miniature (shown left).

Are Squats on their way back?

Space Wolves Codex Summary

The Dude from Warseer recently posted the following information:

"General info

Codex: Space Wolves - £15.00 US$25.00 €22.50 AU$42.00

To be released Saturday October 3 2009

Advance-order Saturday September 20 2009

Written by Phil Kelly

Rules

Army-wide Special Rules and Wargear

All Space Wolves have ATSKNF, Acute Senses, and Counter Attack.

Sagas – Characters can take special skills called Sagas. You may not double up on Sagas, although Special Characters do not count towards this.
Saga of Majesty - All friendly units within 6" get to re-roll failed morale checks
Saga of the Beast Killer - Re-roll to hit and wound against Walkers and models of T5 or higher
Saga of the Iron Wolf (Iron Priest only) - Adds D3" to the vehicle they are in and +1 to repair rolls
Saga of the Wolf - Fenrisian Wolves get Ld7 and I5
Saga of the bear - Eternal Warrior
Saga of the Warrior Born - +1 attack for each kill in previous Assault Phase
Saga of the Hunter - Outflank and Stealth

Belt of Russ – 4+ Inv Sv
Chooser of the Slain - Allows a "chooser" marker to be deployed prior to enemy deployment. Enemy cannot infiltrate within 18 inches, and the chooser model cannot be destroyed. Chooser model must be smaller than rune priest.
Fang of Morkai - Makes Space Wolves in attached squad Fearless
Frostblade - +1 Strength Power Weapon
Mark of the Wulfen Model replaces their Attack Characteristic with D6+1 Attacks and also gets Rending. This cannot be combined with special Close Combat Weapons.
Runic Weapons Force weapons, negate any psychic powers on a 4+, and wound daemons on a 2+.
Runic Armour 2+ save and 5+ inv save against psychic shooting attacks.
Thunder Wolf Mount - Grants +1 S and T, Rending and model becomes Cavalry.
Wolf Amulet - 4+ inv Sv
Wolf Claws – The Space Wolf version of Lightning Claws, allow you to choose to either re-roll “to hit” or “to wound”.
Wolf Tail Talisman - negates psychic powers targeting the model on a 5+
Wolf Tooth Necklace - hit on 3's in combat

HQ

Leaders of the Pack - HQs are 2 per slot (this does include Special Characters), no two characters may have the same saga, the same psychic powers or the same wargear combination

Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf – WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W3 I5 A5 Ld10 Sv2+
Eternal Warrior, Stubborn. Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Storm Bolter, Belt of Russ, Saga of Majesty.
The Great Wolf - Wolf Guard units count as Troops
Living Legend - Once per battle +1A to all friendly units within 18" until the end of the SW player turn
The High King – Logan and the squad he joins may choose one of the following special rules each turn: Fearless, Tank Hunters, Relentless or Preferred enemy.
The Axe Morkai - allows him to attack as either a Frostblade, or a Power Fist, and can split his attacks between these two attack types.

Njal Stormcaller, Lord of Tempests – WS5 BS4 S4 T4 W2 I4 A3 Ld10 Sv2+
Runic Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak grenades saga of Majesty.
Can replace Runic Armour and grenades with Runic Terminator Armour (2+ save, 4+ inv against everything).
Nightwing the Cyber Raven – Chooser of the Slain. Also cause D3 I5 S3 hits on one model in contact with Njal.
Staff of the Stormcaller – Runic Weapon that negate any psychic powers on a 3+.
Master Psyker – Knows all SW Psychic Powers. May cast 3 powers per turn
Lord of Tempests – Njal is shrouded by a storm that gets worse as the game progresses. Roll a D3 and add the turn number:
2) Nothing
3) All enemy units within 24" get -1BS
4) All enemy units count open ground within 24" of Njal as Difficult terrain
5) All unengaged enemy units within 18" take a Break Test
6) One unit within 18" takes D6 S9 hits, vehicles get hit on side armour
7+) All unengaged enemy units within 12" take D6 S8 AP5 hits.

Wolf Lord Ragnar Blackmane – WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W3 I5 A4 Ld10 Sv3+
Bolt Pistol, Frost Blade, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Melta Bombs, Frag and Krak grenades, Saga of the Warrior Born.
May take up to 2 Fenrisian Wolves, Svangir and Ulfgir – WS4 BS0 S4 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld6 Sv5+
Insane Bravado - Grants himself and the unit he joins d3 extra attacks on the charge instead of +1.
War Howl – Grants himself and his unit Furious Charge. Also, once per game grants Furious Charge to all units within 12".
Incredible Reflexes - 4+ inv Dodge Save.

Ulrik the Slayer – WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A3 Ld10 Sv2+
Plasma Pistol, Power Weapon, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Amulet, Fang of Morkai, Frag and Krak grenades. Fearless.
Wolf Helm of Russ - Whenever an enemy IC chooses to allocate attacks to Ulrik they first must pass a Ld test, if the test is failed the IC attacking Ulrik will loose all it's attacks.
Slayer’s Oath - Allows Preferred Enemy against one unit type (infantry, tanks etc) chosen at the start of the game.
Mentor - At the start of the game, nominate one model (not a unique unit) to have been mentored by Ulrik, this model gets +1 WS to a maximum of 6.

Canis Wolfborn – WS5 BS2 S5 T5 W3 I5 A5 Ld8 Sv3+
2 Wolf Claws, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Frag and Krak grenades.
Mounted on a Thunder Wolf (Fangir). Rending.
Wrath of the Savage - Can substitute his base number of attacks for attacks equal to the number of enemies in base to base contact with him (only useful if more than 5 models in B2B).
Lord of the Wolf Kin - Gives Fenrisian Wolves within 12” Ld8.
The Wolf King - Fenrisian Wolves count as Troops.

Björn the Fellhanded – WS6 BS6 S7 13/12/10 I3 A4
Venerable Dreadnought. Assault Cannon, Dreadnaught CCW (with Built in Heavy Flamer), Wolf Tail Talisman, Smoke Launchers, Saga of Majesty.
May replace Assault Cannon with a Plasma Cannon for Free or Twin Linked Lascannon.
Living relic - If killed he counts as an objective and makes all Space Wolves Fearless.
Ward of the Primarch - 5+ inv save
Ancient Tactician – Space Wolf player may re-roll the dice to determine who gets first turn.

Wolf Lords – WS6 BS5 S4 T4 W3 I5 A4 Ld10 Sv3+
Bolt Pistol, CCW. Frag and Krak grenades.
May replace BP and/or CCW with: Bolter, Storm Bolter, Combi-weapon, Power Weapon, Plasma Pistol, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield.
May replace Power Armour with Runic Armour
May replace all wargear with Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter & Power Weapon. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist. May replace Terminator Armour Power Weapon with Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist.
If not Terminator Armour, may take Bike, Jump Pack or Thunder Wolf.
May take any of the following: Melta Bombs, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Mark of the Wulfen, Belt of Russ, up to 2 Fenrisian Wolves.
May take Saga of the Beastslayer, Saga of Majesty, Saga of the Wolfkin, Saga of the Warrior Born, Saga of the Bear.

Rune Priests – WS5 BS4 S4 T4 W2 I4 A2 Ld10 Sv3+
Runic Weapon, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak grenades.
May upgrade to Master of Runes (2 Power per Turn)
May replace Bolt Pistol with Bolter, Plasma Pistol or Storm Bolter.
May replace Power Armour with Runic Armour.
May replace all wargear except Runic Weapon with Terminator Armour & Storm Bolter. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon.
If not Terminator Armour, may take Bike or Jump Pack
May take any of the following: Melta Bombs, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, May take Chooser of the Slain
If enemy unit has line of sight to chooser, and the RP makes a shooting attack at that unit his BS is increased by one.
May take Saga of the Beastslayer or Saga of the Warrior Born.
May take any 2 of the following Psychic Powers:
Thunderclap - Psychic shooting attack. Large Blast template has to touch the Rune Priest. Anything touched takes a S3 AP5 hit.
Living Lightning - D6 S7 AP5 shots with infinite range.
Storm Caller - Cast at start of turn, lasts until the beginning of the next SW Turn. ALL friendly squads within 6" get a 5+ cover save.
Tempest’s Wrath - Cast at start of turn, lasts until the beginning of the next SW Turn. All Skimmers, Jetbikes, Jump Infantry, and units arriving from Deep Strike that end their turn within 24” of the Rune Priest treat all terrain as both Difficult and Dangerous
Fury of the Wold Spirits Psychic shooting attack that can be shot in Freki mode or Greki mode. Both are 12". Freki is S5 AP- Assault 3 and Greki is S4 AP2 Assault 2. Any units taking casualties from it must take a Morale check.
Murderous Hurricane Psychic shooting attack. 1 enemy unit within 18” takes 3d6 S3 AP- hits. Next Turn that unit treats all terrain as both Difficult and Dangerous.
Jaws of the World Wolf - Psychic shooting attack. Measure out 24" and any MCs, Beasts, Cavalry, Bikes, or Infantry touched by the line must pass an Initiative test or be removed from play. Monstrous creatures may subtract 1 from their dice roll.

Wolf Priests – WS5 BS4 S4 T4 W2 I4 A2 Ld10 Sv3+
Crozius Arcanum (Power weapon), Bolt Pistol, Wolf Amulet, Fang of Morkai, Frag and Krak grenades. Fearless.
May replace Bolt Pistol with Bolter, Plasma Pistol, Storm Bolter, Combi-weapon.
May replace Power Armour with Runic Armour.
May replace all wargear except Crozius Arcanum with Terminator Armour & Storm Bolter. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon.
If not Terminator Armour, may take Bike or Jump Pack
May take any of the following: Melta Bombs, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman
May take Saga of the Beastslayer, Saga of the Wolfkin, Saga of the Warrior Born. May take Saga of the Hunter if they don’t have a Jump Pack or Bike.
Oath of War - Allows Preferred Enemy against one unit type (infantry, tanks etc) chosen at the start of the game.

Battle Leader – WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A3 Ld9 Sv3+
Bolt Pistol, CCW. Frag and Krak grenades.
May replace BP and/or CCW with: Bolter, Storm Bolter, Combi-weapon, Power Weapon, Plasma Pistol, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield.
May replace Power Armour with Runic Armour
May replace all wargear with Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter & Power Weapon. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist. May replace Terminator Armour Power Weapon with Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist.
If not Terminator Armour, may take Bike, Jump Pack or Thunder Wolf.
May take any of the following: Melta Bombs, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Mark of the Wulfen, up to 2 Fenrisian Wolves.
May take Saga of the Beastslayer, Saga of the Wolfkin, Saga of the Warrior Born. May take Saga of the Hunter if they don’t have a Jump Pack or Bike.

Elites

Wolf Guard – WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld9 Sv3+
3-10 Wolf Guard. Bolt Pistol & CCW Frag and Krak grenades.
Can be assigned to Blood Claw, Swift Claw, Grey Hunter, and Long Fang squads before the game (1 per squad). If they don’t have Terminator Armour, Jump Packs, or Bikes, they can go with Wolf Scouts.
May replace BP and/or CCW with: Bolter, Storm Bolter, Combi-weapon, Power Weapon, Plasma Pistol, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield.
May replace all wargear with Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter & Power Weapon. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist. May replace Terminator Armour Power Weapon with Wolf Claw, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist.
For every 5 models in the squad, 1 Terminator may replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Assault Cannon, or take a Cyclone.
If not Terminator Armour, may take Bike or Jump Pack.
Any WG may take Melta Bombs.
One WG may take the Mark of the Wulfen.
One WG may be upgraded to Arjak Rockfist, the Anvil of Fenris.
Terminators cannot Teleport. May take a Drop Pod, Rhino or Razorback. One unit may take a Land Raider as a dedicated transport

Arjak Rockfist, the Anvil of Fenris (+170pts) - WS5 BS5 S5 T4 W2 I4 A3 Ld9 Sv2+
Wolf Guard Upgrade. Stubborn, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Saga of the bear.
Grimnar’s Champion – May reroll to hit against Independent Characters and Monstrous Creature models.
Foehammer - Thunder Hammer that can be thrown as a 6" S10 AP1 assault 1 shooting attack before returning to his hands.
Anvil Shield - Storm Shield that grants a bonus attack on the charge (so +2 total)

Dreadnought – WS4 BS4 S6 12/12/10 I4 A2
Assault Cannon, Dreadnought CCW (built in Storm Bolter) Smoke Launchers, Searchlight.
Replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer
Replace Assault Cannon with Multi Melta, TL Heavy Flamer, TL Heavy Bolter, TL Autocannon, Plasma Cannon, TL Lascannon.
Dreadnought CCW with TL Autocannon, Missile Launcher
May take Extra Armour, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman
May take Drop Pod

Venerable Dreadnought - WS5 BS5 S6 12/12/10 I4 A2
Assault Cannon, Dreadnought CCW (built in Storm Bolter) Smoke Launchers, Searchlight.
Replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer
Replace Assault Cannon with Multi Melta, TL Heavy Flamer, TL Heavy Bolter, TL Autocannon, Plasma Cannon, TL Lascannon.
Dreadnought CCW with TL Autocannon, Missile Launcher
May take Extra Armour, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Saga of Majesty
May take Drop Pod

Ironclad Dreadnought - Not included.

Iron Priests – WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld8 Sv2+
Thrall Servitors – WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+
Cyber Wolves – WS4 BS0 S4 T5 W1 I4 A3 Ld6 Sv4+
Runic Armour, Servo Arm, Bolt Pistol or Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Frag and Krak grenades.
May take up to 3 Thrall Servitors (+1 to repair roll for each one with a Servo Arm, 2 may replace Arm with Heavy Bolter, Multi Melta, Plasma Cannon) and 4 Cyber Wolves.
May be mounted on a Bike or Thunder Wolf
May take Extra Armour, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Saga of the Iron Wolf.
Battlesmith - 5+ repairs weapon or restores mobility.

Wolf Scouts – WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Sv4+
5-10 Wolf Scouts. Bolt Pistol, CCW. Frag and Krak grenades. Infiltrate, Scout, Move Through Cover.
May replace BP or CCW with Bolter or Sniper Rifle.
Squad may take Melta Bombs.
One Scout may replace Bolt Pistol with Flamer, Meltagun, Plasmagun, Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher.
Two Scouts may replace Bolt Pistol with Power Weapon or Plasma Pistol.
One Wolf Scout may take The Mark of the Wulfen.
Behind Enemy Lines - If held in reserve, may deploy from any board edge on a 3+.

Lone Wolf– WS5 BS4 S4 T4 W2 I4 A2 Ld8 Sv3+
1 Lone Wolf. Bolt Pistol, CCW. Frag and Krak grenades. Fearless.
May replace BP and/or CCW with: Power Weapon, Plasma Pistol, Wolf Claw, Power Fist, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield.
May replace all wargear with Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter & Power Weapon. May replace Terminator Armour Storm Bolter with Combi Weapon, Wolf Claw, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist. May replace Terminator Armour Power Weapon with Wolf Claw, Frost Blade, Frost Axe, Power Fist, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chainfist.
May take Melta Bombs Mark of the Wulfen, up to 2 Fenrisian Wolves
A Glorious Death - Concede a Kill Point if they aren’t killed. Feel No Pain and Eternal Warrior
Beastslayer – May re-roll To-Hit against Walkers, Monstrous Creatures and things above T5.
Pack of One – Are not Independent Characters and my never join another unit.
Fenrisian Wolves – WS4 BS0 S4 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld5 Sv6+

Wulfen – Removed

Troops

Grey Hunters– WS4 BS4 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Sv3+
5-10 Grey Hunters. Bolter, Bolt Pistol & CCW Frag and Krak grenades.
One Grey Hunter may replace their Bolter with a Flamer, Meltagun, Plasmagun.
If the squad numbers 10 models an additional model may replace their Bolter with one of the above weapons at no additional cost.
One Grey Hunter may replace their Bolt Pistol with Plasma Pistol.
One Grey Hunter may replace their CCW with Power Weapon, Power Fist.
True Grit is gone. May take up to one special Close Combat Weapon.
One Grey Hunter may take The Mark of the Wulfen.
One Grey Hunter may take a Wolf Standard - One use only. Grants a re-roll to any rolls of 1, to hit, to wound, armour saves and possibly Ld in the NEXT assault phase.
May take a Drop Pod, Rhino or Razorback.

Blood Claws – WS3 BS3 S4 T4 W1 I4 A1 Ld8 Sv3+
5 -15 Blood Claws. Bolt Pistol & CCW Frag and Krak grenades.
One Blood Claw may replace their Bolt Pistol with a Flamer, Meltagun, Plasmagun.
If the squad numbers 15 models an additional model may replace their Bolt Pistol with one of the above weapons at no additional cost.
One Blood Claw may replace their Bolt Pistol with Plasma Pistol.
One Blood Claw may replace their CCW with Power Weapon, Power Fist.
One Blood Claw may be upgraded to Lukas the Trickster.
Berserk Charge - supposedly grants +2 attacks on the charge (but not for Counter Attack). Headstrong - if the Blood Claw unit is within 6" of an enemy unit and doesn’t have a wolf guard leading them they can't shoot.
May take a Drop Pod, Rhino or Razorback

Lukas the Trickster - WS5 BS5 S4 T4 W2 I5 A3 Ld8 Sv3+
Had his secondary heart ripped out by a Dark Eldar, and replaced it with a stasis bomb. He is supposedly over 300 years old and although “the equivalent of a captain, his unruly manners cannot be accepted among the battle brothers”. He also apparently stole one of the Chapter's Thunderhawks and crashed it.
Blood Claw upgrade. Plasma Pistol, Wolf Tooth Necklace, Wolf Tail Talisman, Wolf Claw.
Pelt of the Doppegangrel - All successful To Hit rolls allocated to Lukas (not his squad) must be re-rolled.
Rebellious - Causes his Squad to be capped at his Ld8 regardless of other upgrades.
The Last Laugh - On his death Lukas and the model that killed him are removed then both players roll a D6. If the SW player rolls equal to or higher than their opponent, all models within Base to Base contact with Lukas (friend or foe) are removed.
*note – It seems both of Lukas’ Special Rules will not work until all of his squad has died.

Transports

Rhino – BS4 11/11/10
Storm Bolter, Smoke Launchers, Searchlight.
Transport capacity 10
May take Dozerblade, Additional Storm Bolter, HK Missile, Seige Shield, Extra Armour.

Razorback – BS4 11/11/10
TL Heavy Bolter, Smoke Launchers, Searchlight.
Transport capacity 6
Replace TL Heavy Bolter with TL Heavy Flamer, TL Assault Cannon, TL Lascannon, Lascannon & TL Plasmagun.
May take Dozerblade, Storm Bolter, HK Missile, Seige Shield, Extra Armour.

Drop Pod – BS4 12/12/12
Storm Bolter
Replace Storm Bolter with Deathwind Launcher.
Transport Capacity of 10 models or 1 Dreadnought.
Inertial Guidance System, Immobile, Drop Pod Assault."

Irish Brigade Preview

Warlord Games have added a preview of their new Irish Brigade miniatures.

"The Irish Brigade was made up of 3 regiments.They were good fighters for sure, and even stopped a Covenant cavalry charge with a barrage of thrown stones!!! We’re not sure why musket fire would not have worked better. Supply perhaps?

While being led by Mac Colla under Montrose, the Irish Brigade waged a successful campaign during the Scottish Civil War and saw success in the battles of Aberdeen, Auldearn, and many others. Mac Colla’s sworn enemies were Clan Campbell and he wasted no opportunity to punish and butcher them whenever possible.

Montrose and Mac Colla eventually parted ways as Mac Colla’s interest lay in the Highlands of Scotland while Montrose wanted to control the Lowlands. However, by this time, The Irish Brigade were some of the most seasoned troops in the English Civil War due to their time spent fighting on the continent and their pillaging of Campbell territory whenever possible.

These troops may have carried half pikes, which makes them look a bit different on the tabletop. To represent this you can either snip off bits of our pikes, make your own, or even use the spears we have in The Armoury.

We have done the Irish Brigade in their distinctive trews rather than breeches and they wear a predominance of knitted caps - said to be native of Ireland. We have also mixed in other styles as they won 11 battles in a row and had plenty of opportunity to loot all manner of Government coats, hats etc…

We also have had great fun in “distressing” some of the troopers to show the effects of harsh campaigning in the Highlands of Scotland in a famously cold period of history. Some are bare legged, some shoeless, and some have tattered doublets and plaids. Many of these will also serve quite well as generic campaigning ECW soldiers, for surely that is how many infantry would have looked.

We’ll have more to show you of this savage regiment in the near future, as well as The Devastator himself. All alleged 7 feet of him! No matter what his true height he surely was a loony and not to be trifled with. While you’re waiting for us to finish these savage miniatures up, make sure you get the rest of your Royalist forces in our in the Warlord webstore. Next: Highlanders!!!"

Forgeworld Weathering Powders Pre-Order

Forgeworld is releasing a line of weathering powders for advanced modelers looking for that extra bit of superdetail on their models.

The full set of 6 is 14.70 Pounds (also available as individuals), and these ship out on September 28.

Imperial Guard FAQ

Games Workshop just posted a new FAQ for the Imperial Guard Codex. The FAQ can be found here:

Space Wolves Codex Cover?

The cover for October's White Dwarf was recently added to the Games Workshop website along with the following description of it's contents:

In the Company of Wolves

The Space Wolves are the descendants of Leman Russ. They are proud, heroic warriors who like
nothing more than to feast and slay in their Primarch's name. We find out all there is to know
about this fearsome Chapter.

Legions of The Eye

Dark-hearted Men, Uruk-hai with massive tower shields, and Nazgûl invade from the East. Mat
Ward and Michael Perry explain all that's new in War of The Ring.



Blood and Sand

The first chapter of an exciting three-part campaign by Adam Troke. Can Gondor stand against
the armies of Easterlings and Harad?

Mighty Heroes and Legendary Deeds

We delve into Warhammer's rich history, explaining what it takes to be a hero and how to use
special characters in your army.

Super-Interchangeable Space Wolves

Just how versatile are the new plastic kits? Well, we put them through their paces and find
out!

Due to the Imperial Guard codex being the same as White Dwarf's cover, many suspect that the above image is the new Space Wolves codex.

Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment below!

Space Hulk Shortages

We are currently in the process of informing our customers that we are unable to supply them with their pre-order of Space Hulk despite Games Workshop's trade department guarenteeing that we would recieve 15 copies...

Ramblings Of A Mad Gamer recently posted the following:

So, in all the years I’ve worked in the gaming industry, one company continues to baffle me with their marketing strategy, product support, and internal organization.

That company is Games Workshop. No other company I know of has such a disorganized, subdivided, and incomprehensible catalog of products, part codes, and ordering guidelines.

For example: I want a product I’ve seen on their website, but I want to support my FLGS. So, I print out the page, trying to be helpful, and bring it in (Chaos Land Raider:9912010201). On the GW Web store, they use a product code called their “global code”, which is completely useless to retailers. They have to open up a “translation” spreadsheet given to them by GW, find that global code, and translate it into the “trade sales code” they can use to order (Chaos Land Raider:43-17). But, that’s not all! Once a retail store gets in product, they usually update their inventory with a scanner, entering the BARCODE into their system (Chaos Land Raider:5011921942510).

Of course, after all of this translation headache, they still need to offer it back to you, retranslating the entire code path to what you’d ordered.

To make it worse, GW re-uses the “trade sales code”, so without much advance warning, the 43-17 Chaos Land Raider could suddenly become a 43-17 Chaos Smurf Champion.

So, what’s all this have to do with Space Hulk? Games Workshop also offers “ordering caps” on various “short term, limited availability” items, based on the amount of their stock you maintain. Even at the largest Stocking level, Games Workshop offered a maximum of 20 copies of Space Hulk per store. The standard stock level received only 10 copies, and the smallest level “got some if there are any left”.

Distributors were similarly limited, so stores had no avenue to receive more. With this model, Games Workshop effectively turned all the power for profit on this product to eBay. Most stores sold out of pre-orders in less than 48 hours, regardless of “level”. This model doesn’t net GW any extra money for a popular product. It doesn’t help FLGS to bring in more players, or increase their profit potential. It only helps resellers, who are already salivating at the massive profits they expect to reap for their early pre-order work.

This is what continues to frustrate me about this company…