Sunday, October 30, 2005

White Dwarf (UK) 311 Highlights

In France recently I took a look at their White Dwarf and noticed that content gets staggered between the different editions. Some of the content there I saw a while ago - other stuff, such as the Dawn of War preview, took a while to filter through to the UK edition.

I'll concentrate on the news stuff here.

Anyhow, 311 isn't quite as good as 310, but is closer to that level of quality than to most of the issues that came out during the weaker period that preceded it (the end of a Tale of Four Gamers probably helped). Probably part of this is that the WD development team merged with the website team as of 310, and in fact Owen Rees of the website team takes over from Guy Haley as WDUK editor as of next issue.

New releases this month concentrate on the Black Templars, the list includes the Battle Force (£50, 5/11 release), Codex (£12, 5/11), Crusader Squad (£20, 19/11), Assault Squad (£18, 19/11), Command Squad (£20, 12/11), Chaplain (£6, 12/11, 4 variants). The Battle Squad includes the following components:

- BT command squad
- BT crusader squad
- regular SM combat squad
- rhino

One thing, it doesn't mention, but which is in the 2006 catalogue, is that there'll be a space marines upgrade kit, containing the additional new sprues, released 7 Jan at £15.

Additional releases include the Terminator Close Combat squad (£20, 5/11), Wargear book (basically a mini-codex which summarises all the wargear information from the other 40k codices), Orion (£18, 29/10),the Lizardmen collectors guide (£5, 19/11) and the "modular gaming hills" (£15, 5/11). In this last case, you get 2 quarter hill pieces for your money, which "slot together in two different configurations" - maybe I'm being a little dense but I can only see one configuration if you only have the one (£15!) half-hill.

Anyhow, for LotR - Goblin Captains (£6 for 2, 12/11), Lurtz with Bow (£5, 19/11), Evil of Isengard Battleforce (20 Uruk-Hai, 18 Warg Riders, £40, 12/11), Valiant Rohirrim Battleforce (18 Riders, 24 Warriors, £40, 12/11) and a preview of the upcoming LotR Easterlings supplement, with some concept art and a couple of sculpts by the Perrys.

Hobby - the Mega Paint Set (complete 72 pot paint range, 7 brushes, flocks, labels (put them on the paintpots in the first place, dammit), glue, carrycase, £150!!!!, 5/11, if you're going to spend this kind of money buy 2 cases of Vallejo VGC is my advice), Master Brush Set (Wooden case, 5 "masters" brushes, soap, cloth, a brass waterpot, wooden case, £75!!! that's £15 a brush!!!), Army Figure Case (twice the size of the regular one, otherwise the same (£50, 5/11), Tank Figure case (the regular one but with a different foam insert, £30, 5/11). As to the brush set, the most significant improvement I've made to my painting is to stop using GW brushes - I use the Pro Arte acrylic range, available from most decent art stores for about £2 a brush.

From Forgeworld, the Phaeton outpost, Imperial Armour update 2005, Keep of Secrets greater daemon.

Black Library - Dawn of War: Ascension (by C.S. Goto, second in that series, 40k), The Broken Lance (Nathan Long, second in Blackhearts series, WHFB), the Vampire Genevieve (Kim Newman writing as Jack Yeovil, repackaging of the Genevieve four novels in one volume, WHFB), Realms of Sorcery (WHFRP). Preview of next Ciaphas Cain novel (Death or Glory).

Warp Artefacts - 13 new prints by John Blanche.

Sabertooth - Dawn of War battlebox for Dark Millenium (basically a fancy packaging exercise).

Warhammer Ancient Battles - Vlad the Impaler supplement.

And as for the actual content:

40k - Black Templars designer notes
40k - Black Templars battle reports (3 linked batreps - first versus Dark Eldar, second two versus Lost and Damned
40k - painting Black Templars (clue - use black). Actually a good and detailed article.
40k - preview of Wargear book
40k - modelling weapons damage (another good modelling/painting article, something of a feature of the last two issues)
40k - Index Xenos - article on the Dark Eldar, illustrated by some decent models. Basically a trailer for the new Eldar/Dark Eldar collectors' guide, which is presumably now out.
LotR - (this section is now in the middle, as of last issue it seems the LotR this section is going to float around in the same way the others do) Alternative Scenarios for Mines of Moria
LotR - updated rules for Battle Companies
LotR - scenario - the Ringwraiths vs Fatty Bolger (somewhat one sided)
LotR - painting Elrond and his High Elves
LotR - 2nd Age mini scenario
WHFB - Return of the Lichemaster campaign part 3, includes a Lichemaster Battle of the Cairns army list
WHFB - painting Wood Elf tree spirits
WHFB - Wayfarer's Companion, a guide to Hell Pit, stronghold of Clan Moulder. Hell Pit army list, plus some decent conversions
General - an article on brushes, and why you should pay £15 for one
Konvershun Klinic - Lustrian Heroes

Advanced Orders (some of these are now up on the website)
Black Templars Rhino (from 29/10)
BT Sword Brethren squad (from 29/10)
BT Chaplain Grimaldus and Revenue (from 29/10 - it's this set that's persuaded me to do a BT army)
Dwarf Army Set (!!!) (from 29/10)
Specialist Games Catalogue (from 1/11, and it will be interesting, given how little SG content has been released recently, to see if this has changed from last year. I guess it will have the 10mm LotR content.)
BT Sword Brethren blisters (from 6/11)

By the way, the letters page says they'll be running the house Mordheim campaign in WD, hopefully a little better than the Necromunda articles - the best articles of this type recently were the Battle Company ones, which almost got me to go out and start buying LotR stuff ("must ... resist ...").

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