Nagash - The Spoils of War

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here with a more personal update than previously. Today I participated in my local Games Workshop stores' birthday - the staff are awesome and the shop is great! I had a pre-order to claim including the Nagash model, the Limited Edition Nagash and End Times set in addition to the Lore of Undeath Magic Cards. This was all purchased as a result of having stayed up until 4:30am in the early hours of Saturday morning so that I wouldn't miss out, and suffice it to say that I lucked out - heavily!

Nagash Model and Rules Review

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here with an early look at the Nagash model, his prowess on the battlefield and what they could mean for competitive Warhammer Fantasy gaming. This is easily one of Games Workshops' best Warhammer Fantasy releases in the last decade and ranks as one of the most important by far; if the return of Nagash wasn't enough, we also have classic heroes and heroines of all kinds returning to the fray. From Neferata - the original Vampire - to Valten - oft described as Sigmar reborn - the End Times is shaping up to be a truly epic and tumultuous rule-set for Warhammer Fantasy and will surely give it the revamp it needs to gain the popularity it deserves as a game system.

Tactica Astra Militarum - Ogryns and Bullgryns

Greeting ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the latest entry in my Astra Militarum Tactica series! Today is a special day dedicated to all those players that have ever inducted mercenaries or subhumans into the ranks of their Imperial Guard regiments; all may serve the Emperor faithfully even if His blessing is not meant for them! I speak of course of the lovable Ogryns - and the newly formed Bullgryns! - the huge and brutish soldiers in the employ of the Astra Militarum, proving that even those lacking in intelligence can use their strength or other assets for a good cause under an able commanders' leadership. I hope you enjoy this article!

Tactica Astra Militarum - Taurox and Taurox Prime

Hello there everyone, my name is Learn2Eel (also known as "the Merciless") and today sees my first full review of the all new Taurox vehicles. Billed as competitors for the Chimera as a wide-spread Dedicated Transport, the Taurox variants are certainly interesting attempts at pushing the aging Chimera out of the fore-front but ultimately fail in that regard. Still, as an intriguing new option with a few unique traits to distinguish it from the mostly superior Chimera, the Taurox - and the Taurox Prime by extension - are worth a try even if only to break up the monopoly the Chimera chassis has in mechanized Astra Militarum army lists.

Tactica Astra Militarum - Chimera

Hello there everyone, my name is Learn2Eel and welcome to the first of two Dedicated Transport articles for my ongoing Astra Militarum Tactica series! Today sees the first fully fledged review of the famous Chimera that has been a staple of Imperial Guard army lists for several years, a tank that is only outshone by the Space Marine Rhino as the archetypal "transport tank". Even with a significant change in how the Chimera functions with the new codex, this is still the premier transport option for Astra Militarum armies and well worth the price.

Nagash and the End Times

Hey guys, I've got a quick update today with some exciting news. Obviously by now I think everyone will have seen the new Nagash model, his rules and possibly also the leaks concerning future releases - the Blood Queen, progenitor of all Vampires, is returning! As a Vampire Counts player following the Lahmian blood-line this is irresistible news for me and it means my Undead army is coming back in full force after several months of inactivity. While Warhammer 40,000 is very much my focus at the moment with Astra Militarum, Orks, Space Wolves and now Grey Knights still to sift through, my attention will be somewhat diverted to Warhammer Fantasy during these exciting few months.

You can expect a full review of the Undead Legion army list, Nagash himself and the various characters within the coming weeks - seeing as there shouldn't be too much to discuss in terms of full rules I feel I can get this particular review finished in a short time and then move on to other projects. We will see how it works out though as I am notoriously terrible when it comes to fulfilling blog-related promises! As a side note, at 1000 points Nagash may seem prohibitively expensive but from what I have seen the Great Necromancer is easily the most powerful special character in Warhammer Fantasy now and his points cost reflects that! With all that said, have a nice day and I hope you enjoy my Astra Militarum: Chimera article to be released later today!

Tactica Astra Militarum - Veterans

Greetings my fellow hobbyists and war-gamers, may your day be blessed and your aim true in the face of adversity. It is such deeds that bespoke the Veterans of the Astra Militarum, soldiers that have amassed a wealth of experience through countless conflicts and close encounters with the jaws of death. These well trained Guardsmen and Guardswomen are among the finest warriors the Imperial Guard has to offer for they have the distinction of surviving past the horror of a humans' first battle in this Age of Darkness. For the Emperor and the glory of the Imperium!

Tactica Astra Militarum - Conscripts

Hello there my family, friends and fans and welcome to the last look at the Infantry Platoons with my review of Conscripts. This is a unit that serves a similar role to a Combined Squad composed of anywhere between two and five Infantry Squads, providing a cost-effective horde unit at the lowest cost imaginable given their abilities. That this unit is completely restricted in options offsets its incredible points efficiency per model compared to contemporaries like Gretchin or Cultists, providing the Astra Militarum player with the potential for two massive horde units in the one Troops slot. Chuck in a Ministorum Priest or Commissar to ensure they never run and Conscripts will make for one of the cheapest yet surprisingly tough Objective Secured scoring units around.

Tactica Astra Militarum - Special Weapons Squad

Hello there everyone, my name is Learn2Eel and today sees the continuation of my five-stage review of Infantry Platoons! Where a Heavy Weapon Squad strips out the regular Guardsmen and is focused purely on providing powerful long ranged firepower, a Special Weapons Squad is built to take out either tanks or concentrated infantry positions at close to medium ranges. This is a similarly inexpensive but small and fragile unit that sacrifices bodies for raw firepower; it also coincidentally features a squad size that fits perfectly into a Vendetta. It's probably no small surprise how I would recommend running this unit and I also hope you enjoy this article regardless of its apparent predictability.

This is the fourth of five Infantry Platoon articles.

 

The Time of Ending has come!

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”   

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. 

Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 

Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 

They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sack cloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 

The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

- Revelations, Chapter 6, the Holy Bible

Who shall guide us through the darkness of the End Times? 

Who will be a light shining bright in the face of unfathomable evil? 

Who must take up the mantle of the divine and gird our hearts against this blight? 

Even as the shadows shroud all in despair, remember always; the beating heart of the Sun shall return in all its glorious splendor to vanquish the dark.

Take up arms, my brothers and sisters. 

May the blessings of Sigmar save our souls so that we might purge this world of eternal night. 

And if we die, our children will remember our sacrifice - to fight unyielding, to face fear uncaring, to honour always. 

For the Empire, for blood and home, for Sigmar and the promise of a new dawn!

Tactica Astra Militarum - Heavy Weapons Squad

If the Imperial Guard are famous for anything then surely it must be the devastating firepower they can bring to a battlefield in quantities and quality unseen anywhere else in the grim darkness of Warhammer 40,000. While the heavy guns are usually restricted to the tanks and artillery, the infantry corps are capable of maintaining and firing many of the much larger weapons - even if it takes two pairs of hands to operate them! These Heavy Weapon Squads give an Infantry Platoon its greatest punch and offset the significantly weaker lasguns to pound all foes into submission - so long as it bleeds blood or oil and is deemed unworthy of the Emperor's gaze, it is a target just like any other. I hope you enjoy this article!

This is the third of five Infantry Platoon articles.

Tactica Astra Militarum - Infantry Squad

Greetings ladies and gentlemen, my name is Learn2Eel and today I will be reviewing the second core component and defining unit of Infantry Platoons, the Infantry Squad. Before we begin though, I would like to direct you all to a sentence published on the third page of the Astra Militarum Codex in the introductory paragraph, specifically the second half of that sentence. It reads as follows; "but remember, victory in the Emperor's name justifies any sacrifice, for a dutiful death is its own reward". These brave men and women that fight to defend humanity from the threat of traitors and xenos die in their billions every day; attachment to each soldier is futile, for they grind out their victories through numbers and determination alone. With that in mind, I hope you find my advice useful and enjoy the article!

This is the second of five Infantry Platoon articles.

Tactica Astra Militarum - Platoon Command Squad

Greetings fellow war-gamers and welcome to another addition to my long-running Astra Militarum Tactica series! Today marks the beginning of my review of Infantry Platoons where I will be analyzing each individual unit in their own separate article, starting with the Platoon Command Squad. As one of the three mandatory squads in an Infantry Platoon, the Command Squad is a native supporting element that acts as a cheaper five-strong equivalent to a Primaris Psyker in terms of providing essential efficiency boosts to your main damage dealing core units. Infantry Squads are good value by themselves but become so much more with the help of a Command Squad, a unit that definitely helps to justify taking Infantry Platoons over Veterans.

This is the first of five separate Infantry Platoon articles. 

Tactica Astra Militarum - Regimental Specialists

Greetings ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another addition for my long-running Astra Militarum Tactica series! The day has finally come to review the Regimental Specialists, three incredibly cheap characters that can serve almost any force well with their low cost and powerful support abilities. While none of them are great at doing any real damage on their own, their methods of war operate similarly to other Astra Militarum characters in that they make your otherwise imprecise squads far more efficient on the field of battle. May the Emperor and the Codex: Imperator guide your forces to victory!

Tactica Astra Militarum - Lord Commissar

Greetings comrades and welcome to the latest in my Tactica Astra Militarum Tactica series! Today we will be analyzing the various applications of a Lord Commissar as well as how they still prove useful even despite the aggressive pricing and competition from the Ministorum Priest. As one of the few true Independent Characters that eats up a HQ slot, Lord Commissars can be useful in almost any army list and fit in wherever you need that crucial immunity to falling back. I hope you find these ramblings useful in your defence of the Imperium! This can be considered a review for both Lord Commissars and standard Commissars given the similarity between the two.

An Ork-Sized Problem

Hey guys, just a quick update tonight on the latest content I've been putting out for Imperator Guides. I have come to realize that working on the Astra Militarum Codex is a far greater effort than even my Tyranid Tactica series, something that I didn't foresee at all given the much smaller and focused nature of the articles. This is because of the immense amount of units present that are essentially derivations of each other and my unfamiliarity with the army (compared to Tyranids); these are issues that cause me to lose interest in writing for them very quickly and give me writer's block within minutes. This is why I've taken a break and did up some Warriors of Chaos articles I had on the back-burner but with those now finished I should be heading back into the Astra Militarum series with all haste. Lord Commissars are next and I am still figuring out just how useful they are; they are certainly much better than my initial overview suggested though I am unsure as to just how much that is.

Warriors of Chaos Unit Overview - Rare

Hey there everyone, my name is Learn2Eel and today I wanted to discuss perhaps the most dangerous and proficient warriors in the world of Warhammer Fantasy; the Warriors of Chaos. These savage northmen model their culture entirely around the worship and veneration of the Chaos Gods, earning their status and rank through blood and sacrifice. This warrior-driven society translates incredibly well to the table-top, providing the most elite fighting force in Warhammer Fantasy and some of the most destructive unit options available to any army with some incredibly versatile army building potential due to the Marks system. To dedicate ones-self to a Chaos God is to damn their soul for eternity, but the gifts and punishments all vary on the Path of Ascension!

Warriors of Chaos Unit Overview - Special

Hey there everyone, my name is Learn2Eel and today I wanted to discuss perhaps the most dangerous and proficient warriors in the world of Warhammer Fantasy; the Warriors of Chaos. These savage northmen model their culture entirely around the worship and veneration of the Chaos Gods, earning their status and rank through blood and sacrifice. This warrior-driven society translates incredibly well to the table-top, providing the most elite fighting force in Warhammer Fantasy and some of the most destructive unit options available to any army with some incredibly versatile army building potential due to the Marks system. To dedicate ones-self to a Chaos God is to damn their soul for eternity, but the gifts and punishments all vary on the Path of Ascension!