Masked Thespian
08-29-2009, 03:49 PM
So, I was in Coventry on Thursday and came across their Games Workshop completely by accident. The last time I'd been there was over a decade ago when I'd attended their Grand Opening Sale and the shopping centre front seemed familiar to me. Inside, I found a brand new copy of The Siege of Vraks Part Three and immediately purchased it. Seeing as it's only been out for five days now, I thought I'd give it a review.
This is a copy of an identical thread I made over at Tau Online (http://forums.tauonline.org/index.php/topic,88012.0.html).
What is it?
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/imperialarmourbooks/iav3cover.jpg
Imperial Armour Volume Seven: The Siege of Vraks Part Three is, as evidenced by its title, the seventh Imperial Armour book produced by Forgeworld and the third in the Siege of Vraks series. Like its predecessors, Imperial Armour Seven is a hardback book and consists of 224 pages of glossy, high quality paper of a size slightly larger than A4.
What's inside?
For those interested, the contents of Imperial Armour Seven: The Siege of Vraks Part Three can be seen here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7.htm). Sample page spreads can be found here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7a.htm) and here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7flip.htm).
In addition to the book itself you receive a hard slipcase so you can store all three parts of The Siege of Vraks together. The slipcase is made of fairly sturdy cardboard and is covered in a good quality covering, decorated with inset silver-coloured Aquilas, the Imperial Armour logo and 'The Siege of Vraks' along the bottom. Though the slipcase is nothing especially special, it is a very nice touch.
Also, you receive a double-sided poster (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/acatalog/QUATERMASTERS_STORE_IMPERIAL_ARMOUR_BOOKS_12.html# aBK_2dPUB_2dB_2d016) detailing a Reaver Titan on one side and a mural of Hector Rex's arrival on the other. Both sides are lovely pieces of artwork to the point that I almost cannot decide which side I'd want displayed.
The Siege of Vraks Part Three can be effectively divided up into three separate parts; the story, informative background (such as on certain vehicles or individuals) and rules.
The Story (pages 6-89)
The story is the continuation of the plot detailed in The Siege of Vraks parts One and Two and details the final three years of the eighteen year siege. Starting off with the Conclave of Scarus, which gives us some insight into the machinations of the various branches of the Inquisition, the narrative quickly returns to Vraks itself, where we see the Inquisition start to take a direct hand in the fighting. But the presence of the Ordo Malleus is indicative of a greater problem. The forces of Chaos soon call upon their daemonic allies and the fighting devolves into a bloodbath. Nurgle smiles down proudly upon Vraks for the wastelands created by the ancient and virulent weapons and Khorne exalts in the bloodshed; both lend the aid of their greatest daemonic minions. But Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex has allies of his own in the form of the Grey Knights. With all of these increasingly powerful beings converging on Vraks, how will the story end? Obviously I know how, but I'm not going to spoil it here.
The narrative is written in a similar manner to the other books in the Vraks series, though chapter twelve (The Conclave of Scarus) is a refreshing change to the pace of the story, even if it does come at the start of this book. There are relatively few plot twists in the story though it is interesting to see the politicking of the Inquisition come into play as a result of the events of the aforementioned Conclave. The ending of the story is fairly predictable; despite this, the ending is highly appropriate given the subject matter and universe.
Overall, the story is nothing spectacular but is a worthy addition to the background of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
The Background (spread throughout the book)
As can be expected for Forgeworld's hardcover books, The Siege of Vraks Part Three is filled with interesting portions of background information. From pictures of the uniform of the Death Korps of Krieg Death Riders to a detailed and annotated map of the Citadel of Vraks, this book certainly delivers. In a similar manner to Xenology, we even have 'in universe' reports and sketchings of some of the daemonic adversaries, printed as if on some kind of parchment and emblazoned with 'classified' stamps and Inquisitorial seals.
Overall, I can't really fault the background information given to us. It is almost universally interesting to read or, in the case of pictures, look at. About the only criticism I have is that some information given is placed in painfully random places, such as in the middle of a chapter of the story or in the middle of one of the army lists. It tends to delineate my reading and thus my enjoyment.
Rules
The Siege of Vraks Part Three gives us a multitude of rules for models released over the past year or so, including Zhufor the Impaler and the Grey Knight Land Raider Redeemer; this is nothing unusual for Forgeworld. As seen in The Siege of Vraks: Part Two, all Super Heavy Vehicle, Gargantuan Creature, and Flier rules are as seen in Apocalypse, indicating Forgeworld's stance on these matters; I'm not the biggest fan of this as I considered Forgeworld's pre-Apocalypse rules to be far more balanced than their Apocalypse contemporaries and I worry that the quality of Forgeworld's rules may degrade as a result of this. Whether this will happen or not is yet to be seen.
In addition to the new model rules, we are given two new army lists; the Krieg Armoured Battlegroup and the Servants of Decay Renegades and Heretics list. The former is a Death Korps-themed Armoured Company, and takes the new Imperial Guard Codex into account. By this I mean it refers to units and rules solely found in the new Codex and is designed to be used alongside it. On the other hand, the new Renegade army list, representing a Renegade army fallen deep into the worship of the ruinous powers, even more so than those found within Parts One and Two, is representative of the former Imperial Guard Codex (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/c/c5/Codex_Imperial_Guard_4th_FCover.jpg), though that publication is not required to use the army list (however, there are several entries that refer to the other parts of The Siege of Vraks making those necessary to use this army list to its fullest potential). I personally like this as it creates yet another distinction between the two forces.
We are also given 8 new scenarios representative of actual battles from The Siege of Vraks, allowing players to fight out the conflict themselves. As in previous books these scenarios come with the historical forces that took part and, as such, are more like set piece battles than generic scenarios for you to use in regular games of Warhammer 40,000. In addition to these, we are given a multiplayer campaign system allowing you and your friends to refight the entire Siege of Vraks. At the core of this is a node campaign superimposed upon a copy of the Vraks map as included with Part Two.
Finally, in the Appendices, we are given 8 new Apocalypse Formations that range from the Damnators Assault Force (multiple Chaos Dreadnoughts who all get Crazed together) to Venatarii Reaver Titan Maniple (Warhound Titans acting as scouts for Reaver Titans). These are all very characterful and worthy of inclusion in any appropriate Apocalypse game.
Conclusions
As with the other books in the Imperial Armour hardback range, the book does suffer somewhat from an apparent lack of final proofreading and grammar checking, which does tend to put me off somewhat considering the price of the book itself (£45). However, apart from this, I find little to disparage about the book. I would give it a rating of 7/10 as a standalone book and a 9/10 for the Siege of Vraks series as a whole.
I would highly recommend this book, as part of the Siege of Vraks series, to any player interested in the background of the Imperial Guard, the Inquisition, and Chaos in all its forms. Whilst being a good read, I would not consider recommending it as a general standalone purchase; whilst the story can be understood, a lot of it builds upon the previous two books in the series. For players wishing to purchase the book as a standalone purchase for the purpose of rules and new units, I would consider only recommending it to Daemonhunter and Chaos Daemon players, as the majority of new units presented within are for one of those two armies. Indeed, I would almost consider The Siege of Vraks as important for those two armies as The Taros Campaign is for Tau and The Anphelion Project is for Tyranids.
A semi in-depth look at the new rules presented within Imperial Armour Seven
Something I'm sure that a lot of people would be interested in is the rules for all the models that have been released over the past year or so, so I'm dedicating this final section of the review to looking over the new rules.
Grey Knight Land Raider Redeemer
Very similar to the Space Marine tank of the same name, though obviously replacing the TL Assault Cannons with TL Psycannons, this is a very useful addition to the Daemonhunters arsenal, especially when you consider the Ordo Malleus Covenant of Destruction Apocalypse Formation (see later). The Psyk-out Assault Launchers grant a charging unit a slightly different ability than regular Assault Launchers making the use of this tank a different tactical experience. Sadly, despite hoping that there could be new rules or abilities representative of a new Codex, in the same way the Chimera had new rules in the IA2 Update, there appear to be no new rules or abilities indicative of an upcoming codex.
Ordo Malleus Razorback
Practically identical to a Space Marine Razorback, only with TL Psycannons in the turret (with no option to swap them out). This is a transport option for Inquisitorial Storm Troopers and Inquisitors with their Retinue. My personal opinion on this unit is that it's a decent way to get additional mobile firepower in a DH army though not so useful as a transport, but your mileage may vary.
Minotaur
Only just a Super-Heavy, the Minotaur is an odd beast. It features rear-facing TL Earthshaker Cannons and has a higher Rear armour than Side or Front! It is obviously designed to shove its rear end at the enemy and shoot away to its heart's content. The TL Earthshakers grant it a slightly larger template than normal (7" as opposed to 5") but it's not a Primary Weapon, meaning that you could lose the vehicle's only weapon to a lucky glance. It's fairly cheap, though, for a SHV.
Valdor Tank Hunter
An interesting vehicle featuring the Neutron Laser Projector. As the name suggests, it is a Tank Hunter with its main weapon having basic stats equal to a Tau Railgun! The Neutron Laser Projector has additional rules representing both its sheer power but also unreliability, including a potentially nasty rule named 'Feedback' that can cause a glancing hit on the Valdor if you fail to penetrate an enemy vehicle! Again, it's barely a SHV but it's also fairly cheap. As a slight aside to anyone in possession of the V1 rules for this from the website, the rules have changed significantly so you really ought to buy the book for the updated rules.
Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex
My word... If a Daemonhunters' player wanted a decent close combat Inquisitor then Hector Rex would be my first recommendation. Most of his gear is standard to the DH codex, though his Storm Shield shares the same rules as that of its Space Marine counterpart. He also gains a slight stat increase compared to a regular Inquisitor Lord, making his Anointed Force Weapon even more useful (combining the effects of an Anointed Weapon and a Daemonhunters-specific Force Weapon). He can also use two of his three Psychic Powers per turn. His Retinue must come with a Mystic, Hierophant and Acolyte (the models for which come with him) but you may still purchase up to another 9 Henchmen using the regular rules from the codex. All in all, a worthy addition to the normal Special Characters in the codex.
Krieg Armoured Battlegroup
Not much to say on this matter. It's a Tank Company, based on the latest Codex's rules. Do note, however, that despite using the latest Codex's rules, Death Korps infantry in this army STILL gain the equivalent benefits of Hardened Fighters, Iron Discipline, and Die Hards from the old Codex.
Necrosius
The Sorcerer of Nurgle model. Not too dissimilar from a regular Sorcerer of Nurgle from Codex: Chaos Space Marines, Necrosius brings a few decent additions to the generic Sorcerer. To begin with, as appropriate for the Death Guard, of whom he is a member, he comes with Fearless and Feel No Pain as standard, features lacking from the regular Sorcerer. He also comes with a Poisoned Bolt Pistol and grants Plague Zombies (see the Servants of Decay later) a decent additional ability. All in all, definitely worth considering, especially if you play Death Guard.
Defiler
For some reason, the Defiler entry is reprinted in its entirety from Codex: Chaos Space Marines. No changes to its rules that I can see. It does, however, give us a moderate amount of new background information on these machines, which some might say is just as good as new rules.
'Great' Brass Scorpion of Khorne
The Forgeworld Brass Scorpion represents a larger, tougher version of the Brass Scorpion than that described in the Apocalypse core rulebook. It costs 37.5% more but gains an additional Structure Point, doubles its attacks and gains an additional point of Front Armour. The rules are definitely worthy of the model, especially when compared to the double-Defiler kit bashes.
Blight Drones
Wow. Just wow. These can be taken as Fast Attack choices for Chaos Space Marine or Chaos Daemon armies (though the Marines must include Plague Marines to do so). Despite being as fast as a Land Speeder, these guys have the armour of a Devilfish! They have a poor BS but are armed with a Reaper Autocannon and a Mawcannon with Vomit and Phlegm options (so you could move up to 6" and fire both weapons or 12" and fire 1) meaning that the lower BS is not so much of a nuisance (seeing as all the weapons are either twin-linked or use blast markers or the teardrop template). Available in squadrons of 1-3, I can see a great deal of Daemon armies taking these, and perhaps a bunch of CSM armies too.
Blood Slaughterers
Mini-Soulgrinders, available as a squadron of 1-3 as a Heavy Support choice for Daemons or Chaos Marines with Berzerkers. Great Weapon Skill and Initiative compared to other Daemonic engines make them a great choice and they are fairly cheap too. They have the option of a ranged upgrade but with the worst possible BS in the game I wouldn't recommend doing so (the ranged upgrade is amusing though; it's a harpoon that drags enemies towards the unit!). And it doesn't hurt that the models are pretty nice too.
Gorefeaster
For all intents and purposes, this is a Unique, Khornate version of the Spined Chaos Beast model, but only available for a Chaos Daemons army. It's fairly cheap and rather nasty and almost any Daemon army could benefit from taking him in place of a generic Daemon Prince.
Jibberjaw
Like Gorefeaster, Jibberjaw is a Unique model, only he is a Giant Chaos Spawn and aligned to Nurgle. Slow, but very tough, Jibberjaw represents Nurgle magnificently, and is again only available to Chaos Daemons. As an aside, I really like how Forgeworld has created new rules for these older models but for the newer Daemons army.
Chaos Reaver Titan
No real difference from the regular Reaver Titan as previously published.
An'ggrath the Unbound
No real change from his previous appearance in Imperial Armour: Apocalypse though this time he uses his alternative rules as presented in the downloadable update (i.e. can be used in a Chaos Daemons army of 2000 points or more that contains a unit of Bloodletters).
Scabeiathrax the Bloated
Like his Khornate cousin above, Scabeiathrax hasn't changed other than the rules given in the downloadable update.
Uraka the Warfiend
This chap is the massive Daemon Prince of Khorne. Breaking tradition, he is actually an HQ choice for a Chaos Daemons army instead of a Heavy Support choice. He is not especially fast but is stronger and quicker (in combat) than a regular Daemon Prince. Unless you specifically wanted him and his relatively mundane special rules, I probably wouldn't bother fielding him as him, though the model is rather splendid.
Mamon
The Deacon who started all the problems by whispering in the Cardinal's ear has been elevated to a Daemon Prince of Nurgle. His rules can actually be seen in the last picture here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7a.htm) so there's little for me to add.
Zhufor the Impaler
Zhufor, with his awesome helmet, comes with a decent set of rules and is a good addition to anyone with Terminators of Khorne (whom he can actually take as a Retinue!). He also comes with a slight stat increase, a unique Bolter-based gun and is an Eternal Warrior. Definitely worth considering taking in any Khorne-based CSM army.
Servants of Decay
A Renegades and Heretics list that is actually based on the old Imperial Guard Codex. New units include Rogue Psykers of Nurgle, Plague Zombies (who have a much better representation than that given in that Apocalypse Datasheet), and Plague Ogryns (who are stronger, tougher and more resilient than regular Ogryns).
Venatarii Reaver Titan Maniple
1+ Reaver Titans and 2+ Warhounds... :eek: I don't reckon I'll be seeing this on the battlefield any time soon but if I do I'll be wary. The Warhounds act as scouts for the Reavers, making the Reavers' weapons more accurate.
Ordo Malleus Covenant of Destruction
2-5 Land Raiders (any type) each transporting an Inquisitor Lord or Grey Knights (any type). This formation may, once per game, choose a significant enemy Daemon and gain bonuses against it, including counting as scoring an additional objective if they kill it! Very in character for the forces of the Ordo Malleus.
'Forlorn Hope' Death Rider Charge
Loads of Death Korps Death Riders that gain some decent special rules, including a cover save when running due to the dust kicked up by the steeds.
The Purge
Nurgle-themed Chaos Space Marines (Lords, Plague Marines, CSMs and Terminators) who are literally armed with 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'. Very characterful for any Nurgle player.
Blight Drone Infestation
9-15 of these guys swarm the battlefield granting a bonus to new units entering play. They also get an ability similar to the Eldar's Cloudstrike Squadron and thus can redeploy almost anywhere on the board.
Blood Slaughterer Onslaught
7-13 Blood Slaughters who gain strength from their numbers and become even faster on the battlefield.
'Thunderstrike' Tank Destroyer Squadron
Malcador/Malcador Annihilator leads 2-4 Valdors, allowing them to concentrate their firepower to very nasty levels.
Damnators Assault Force
3+ Chaos Dreadnoughts who share the result of their 'Crazed' roll, gaining bonuses to the roll if there are enough of them.
This is a copy of an identical thread I made over at Tau Online (http://forums.tauonline.org/index.php/topic,88012.0.html).
What is it?
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/imperialarmourbooks/iav3cover.jpg
Imperial Armour Volume Seven: The Siege of Vraks Part Three is, as evidenced by its title, the seventh Imperial Armour book produced by Forgeworld and the third in the Siege of Vraks series. Like its predecessors, Imperial Armour Seven is a hardback book and consists of 224 pages of glossy, high quality paper of a size slightly larger than A4.
What's inside?
For those interested, the contents of Imperial Armour Seven: The Siege of Vraks Part Three can be seen here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7.htm). Sample page spreads can be found here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7a.htm) and here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7flip.htm).
In addition to the book itself you receive a hard slipcase so you can store all three parts of The Siege of Vraks together. The slipcase is made of fairly sturdy cardboard and is covered in a good quality covering, decorated with inset silver-coloured Aquilas, the Imperial Armour logo and 'The Siege of Vraks' along the bottom. Though the slipcase is nothing especially special, it is a very nice touch.
Also, you receive a double-sided poster (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/acatalog/QUATERMASTERS_STORE_IMPERIAL_ARMOUR_BOOKS_12.html# aBK_2dPUB_2dB_2d016) detailing a Reaver Titan on one side and a mural of Hector Rex's arrival on the other. Both sides are lovely pieces of artwork to the point that I almost cannot decide which side I'd want displayed.
The Siege of Vraks Part Three can be effectively divided up into three separate parts; the story, informative background (such as on certain vehicles or individuals) and rules.
The Story (pages 6-89)
The story is the continuation of the plot detailed in The Siege of Vraks parts One and Two and details the final three years of the eighteen year siege. Starting off with the Conclave of Scarus, which gives us some insight into the machinations of the various branches of the Inquisition, the narrative quickly returns to Vraks itself, where we see the Inquisition start to take a direct hand in the fighting. But the presence of the Ordo Malleus is indicative of a greater problem. The forces of Chaos soon call upon their daemonic allies and the fighting devolves into a bloodbath. Nurgle smiles down proudly upon Vraks for the wastelands created by the ancient and virulent weapons and Khorne exalts in the bloodshed; both lend the aid of their greatest daemonic minions. But Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex has allies of his own in the form of the Grey Knights. With all of these increasingly powerful beings converging on Vraks, how will the story end? Obviously I know how, but I'm not going to spoil it here.
The narrative is written in a similar manner to the other books in the Vraks series, though chapter twelve (The Conclave of Scarus) is a refreshing change to the pace of the story, even if it does come at the start of this book. There are relatively few plot twists in the story though it is interesting to see the politicking of the Inquisition come into play as a result of the events of the aforementioned Conclave. The ending of the story is fairly predictable; despite this, the ending is highly appropriate given the subject matter and universe.
Overall, the story is nothing spectacular but is a worthy addition to the background of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
The Background (spread throughout the book)
As can be expected for Forgeworld's hardcover books, The Siege of Vraks Part Three is filled with interesting portions of background information. From pictures of the uniform of the Death Korps of Krieg Death Riders to a detailed and annotated map of the Citadel of Vraks, this book certainly delivers. In a similar manner to Xenology, we even have 'in universe' reports and sketchings of some of the daemonic adversaries, printed as if on some kind of parchment and emblazoned with 'classified' stamps and Inquisitorial seals.
Overall, I can't really fault the background information given to us. It is almost universally interesting to read or, in the case of pictures, look at. About the only criticism I have is that some information given is placed in painfully random places, such as in the middle of a chapter of the story or in the middle of one of the army lists. It tends to delineate my reading and thus my enjoyment.
Rules
The Siege of Vraks Part Three gives us a multitude of rules for models released over the past year or so, including Zhufor the Impaler and the Grey Knight Land Raider Redeemer; this is nothing unusual for Forgeworld. As seen in The Siege of Vraks: Part Two, all Super Heavy Vehicle, Gargantuan Creature, and Flier rules are as seen in Apocalypse, indicating Forgeworld's stance on these matters; I'm not the biggest fan of this as I considered Forgeworld's pre-Apocalypse rules to be far more balanced than their Apocalypse contemporaries and I worry that the quality of Forgeworld's rules may degrade as a result of this. Whether this will happen or not is yet to be seen.
In addition to the new model rules, we are given two new army lists; the Krieg Armoured Battlegroup and the Servants of Decay Renegades and Heretics list. The former is a Death Korps-themed Armoured Company, and takes the new Imperial Guard Codex into account. By this I mean it refers to units and rules solely found in the new Codex and is designed to be used alongside it. On the other hand, the new Renegade army list, representing a Renegade army fallen deep into the worship of the ruinous powers, even more so than those found within Parts One and Two, is representative of the former Imperial Guard Codex (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/c/c5/Codex_Imperial_Guard_4th_FCover.jpg), though that publication is not required to use the army list (however, there are several entries that refer to the other parts of The Siege of Vraks making those necessary to use this army list to its fullest potential). I personally like this as it creates yet another distinction between the two forces.
We are also given 8 new scenarios representative of actual battles from The Siege of Vraks, allowing players to fight out the conflict themselves. As in previous books these scenarios come with the historical forces that took part and, as such, are more like set piece battles than generic scenarios for you to use in regular games of Warhammer 40,000. In addition to these, we are given a multiplayer campaign system allowing you and your friends to refight the entire Siege of Vraks. At the core of this is a node campaign superimposed upon a copy of the Vraks map as included with Part Two.
Finally, in the Appendices, we are given 8 new Apocalypse Formations that range from the Damnators Assault Force (multiple Chaos Dreadnoughts who all get Crazed together) to Venatarii Reaver Titan Maniple (Warhound Titans acting as scouts for Reaver Titans). These are all very characterful and worthy of inclusion in any appropriate Apocalypse game.
Conclusions
As with the other books in the Imperial Armour hardback range, the book does suffer somewhat from an apparent lack of final proofreading and grammar checking, which does tend to put me off somewhat considering the price of the book itself (£45). However, apart from this, I find little to disparage about the book. I would give it a rating of 7/10 as a standalone book and a 9/10 for the Siege of Vraks series as a whole.
I would highly recommend this book, as part of the Siege of Vraks series, to any player interested in the background of the Imperial Guard, the Inquisition, and Chaos in all its forms. Whilst being a good read, I would not consider recommending it as a general standalone purchase; whilst the story can be understood, a lot of it builds upon the previous two books in the series. For players wishing to purchase the book as a standalone purchase for the purpose of rules and new units, I would consider only recommending it to Daemonhunter and Chaos Daemon players, as the majority of new units presented within are for one of those two armies. Indeed, I would almost consider The Siege of Vraks as important for those two armies as The Taros Campaign is for Tau and The Anphelion Project is for Tyranids.
A semi in-depth look at the new rules presented within Imperial Armour Seven
Something I'm sure that a lot of people would be interested in is the rules for all the models that have been released over the past year or so, so I'm dedicating this final section of the review to looking over the new rules.
Grey Knight Land Raider Redeemer
Very similar to the Space Marine tank of the same name, though obviously replacing the TL Assault Cannons with TL Psycannons, this is a very useful addition to the Daemonhunters arsenal, especially when you consider the Ordo Malleus Covenant of Destruction Apocalypse Formation (see later). The Psyk-out Assault Launchers grant a charging unit a slightly different ability than regular Assault Launchers making the use of this tank a different tactical experience. Sadly, despite hoping that there could be new rules or abilities representative of a new Codex, in the same way the Chimera had new rules in the IA2 Update, there appear to be no new rules or abilities indicative of an upcoming codex.
Ordo Malleus Razorback
Practically identical to a Space Marine Razorback, only with TL Psycannons in the turret (with no option to swap them out). This is a transport option for Inquisitorial Storm Troopers and Inquisitors with their Retinue. My personal opinion on this unit is that it's a decent way to get additional mobile firepower in a DH army though not so useful as a transport, but your mileage may vary.
Minotaur
Only just a Super-Heavy, the Minotaur is an odd beast. It features rear-facing TL Earthshaker Cannons and has a higher Rear armour than Side or Front! It is obviously designed to shove its rear end at the enemy and shoot away to its heart's content. The TL Earthshakers grant it a slightly larger template than normal (7" as opposed to 5") but it's not a Primary Weapon, meaning that you could lose the vehicle's only weapon to a lucky glance. It's fairly cheap, though, for a SHV.
Valdor Tank Hunter
An interesting vehicle featuring the Neutron Laser Projector. As the name suggests, it is a Tank Hunter with its main weapon having basic stats equal to a Tau Railgun! The Neutron Laser Projector has additional rules representing both its sheer power but also unreliability, including a potentially nasty rule named 'Feedback' that can cause a glancing hit on the Valdor if you fail to penetrate an enemy vehicle! Again, it's barely a SHV but it's also fairly cheap. As a slight aside to anyone in possession of the V1 rules for this from the website, the rules have changed significantly so you really ought to buy the book for the updated rules.
Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex
My word... If a Daemonhunters' player wanted a decent close combat Inquisitor then Hector Rex would be my first recommendation. Most of his gear is standard to the DH codex, though his Storm Shield shares the same rules as that of its Space Marine counterpart. He also gains a slight stat increase compared to a regular Inquisitor Lord, making his Anointed Force Weapon even more useful (combining the effects of an Anointed Weapon and a Daemonhunters-specific Force Weapon). He can also use two of his three Psychic Powers per turn. His Retinue must come with a Mystic, Hierophant and Acolyte (the models for which come with him) but you may still purchase up to another 9 Henchmen using the regular rules from the codex. All in all, a worthy addition to the normal Special Characters in the codex.
Krieg Armoured Battlegroup
Not much to say on this matter. It's a Tank Company, based on the latest Codex's rules. Do note, however, that despite using the latest Codex's rules, Death Korps infantry in this army STILL gain the equivalent benefits of Hardened Fighters, Iron Discipline, and Die Hards from the old Codex.
Necrosius
The Sorcerer of Nurgle model. Not too dissimilar from a regular Sorcerer of Nurgle from Codex: Chaos Space Marines, Necrosius brings a few decent additions to the generic Sorcerer. To begin with, as appropriate for the Death Guard, of whom he is a member, he comes with Fearless and Feel No Pain as standard, features lacking from the regular Sorcerer. He also comes with a Poisoned Bolt Pistol and grants Plague Zombies (see the Servants of Decay later) a decent additional ability. All in all, definitely worth considering, especially if you play Death Guard.
Defiler
For some reason, the Defiler entry is reprinted in its entirety from Codex: Chaos Space Marines. No changes to its rules that I can see. It does, however, give us a moderate amount of new background information on these machines, which some might say is just as good as new rules.
'Great' Brass Scorpion of Khorne
The Forgeworld Brass Scorpion represents a larger, tougher version of the Brass Scorpion than that described in the Apocalypse core rulebook. It costs 37.5% more but gains an additional Structure Point, doubles its attacks and gains an additional point of Front Armour. The rules are definitely worthy of the model, especially when compared to the double-Defiler kit bashes.
Blight Drones
Wow. Just wow. These can be taken as Fast Attack choices for Chaos Space Marine or Chaos Daemon armies (though the Marines must include Plague Marines to do so). Despite being as fast as a Land Speeder, these guys have the armour of a Devilfish! They have a poor BS but are armed with a Reaper Autocannon and a Mawcannon with Vomit and Phlegm options (so you could move up to 6" and fire both weapons or 12" and fire 1) meaning that the lower BS is not so much of a nuisance (seeing as all the weapons are either twin-linked or use blast markers or the teardrop template). Available in squadrons of 1-3, I can see a great deal of Daemon armies taking these, and perhaps a bunch of CSM armies too.
Blood Slaughterers
Mini-Soulgrinders, available as a squadron of 1-3 as a Heavy Support choice for Daemons or Chaos Marines with Berzerkers. Great Weapon Skill and Initiative compared to other Daemonic engines make them a great choice and they are fairly cheap too. They have the option of a ranged upgrade but with the worst possible BS in the game I wouldn't recommend doing so (the ranged upgrade is amusing though; it's a harpoon that drags enemies towards the unit!). And it doesn't hurt that the models are pretty nice too.
Gorefeaster
For all intents and purposes, this is a Unique, Khornate version of the Spined Chaos Beast model, but only available for a Chaos Daemons army. It's fairly cheap and rather nasty and almost any Daemon army could benefit from taking him in place of a generic Daemon Prince.
Jibberjaw
Like Gorefeaster, Jibberjaw is a Unique model, only he is a Giant Chaos Spawn and aligned to Nurgle. Slow, but very tough, Jibberjaw represents Nurgle magnificently, and is again only available to Chaos Daemons. As an aside, I really like how Forgeworld has created new rules for these older models but for the newer Daemons army.
Chaos Reaver Titan
No real difference from the regular Reaver Titan as previously published.
An'ggrath the Unbound
No real change from his previous appearance in Imperial Armour: Apocalypse though this time he uses his alternative rules as presented in the downloadable update (i.e. can be used in a Chaos Daemons army of 2000 points or more that contains a unit of Bloodletters).
Scabeiathrax the Bloated
Like his Khornate cousin above, Scabeiathrax hasn't changed other than the rules given in the downloadable update.
Uraka the Warfiend
This chap is the massive Daemon Prince of Khorne. Breaking tradition, he is actually an HQ choice for a Chaos Daemons army instead of a Heavy Support choice. He is not especially fast but is stronger and quicker (in combat) than a regular Daemon Prince. Unless you specifically wanted him and his relatively mundane special rules, I probably wouldn't bother fielding him as him, though the model is rather splendid.
Mamon
The Deacon who started all the problems by whispering in the Cardinal's ear has been elevated to a Daemon Prince of Nurgle. His rules can actually be seen in the last picture here (http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/iav-7a.htm) so there's little for me to add.
Zhufor the Impaler
Zhufor, with his awesome helmet, comes with a decent set of rules and is a good addition to anyone with Terminators of Khorne (whom he can actually take as a Retinue!). He also comes with a slight stat increase, a unique Bolter-based gun and is an Eternal Warrior. Definitely worth considering taking in any Khorne-based CSM army.
Servants of Decay
A Renegades and Heretics list that is actually based on the old Imperial Guard Codex. New units include Rogue Psykers of Nurgle, Plague Zombies (who have a much better representation than that given in that Apocalypse Datasheet), and Plague Ogryns (who are stronger, tougher and more resilient than regular Ogryns).
Venatarii Reaver Titan Maniple
1+ Reaver Titans and 2+ Warhounds... :eek: I don't reckon I'll be seeing this on the battlefield any time soon but if I do I'll be wary. The Warhounds act as scouts for the Reavers, making the Reavers' weapons more accurate.
Ordo Malleus Covenant of Destruction
2-5 Land Raiders (any type) each transporting an Inquisitor Lord or Grey Knights (any type). This formation may, once per game, choose a significant enemy Daemon and gain bonuses against it, including counting as scoring an additional objective if they kill it! Very in character for the forces of the Ordo Malleus.
'Forlorn Hope' Death Rider Charge
Loads of Death Korps Death Riders that gain some decent special rules, including a cover save when running due to the dust kicked up by the steeds.
The Purge
Nurgle-themed Chaos Space Marines (Lords, Plague Marines, CSMs and Terminators) who are literally armed with 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'. Very characterful for any Nurgle player.
Blight Drone Infestation
9-15 of these guys swarm the battlefield granting a bonus to new units entering play. They also get an ability similar to the Eldar's Cloudstrike Squadron and thus can redeploy almost anywhere on the board.
Blood Slaughterer Onslaught
7-13 Blood Slaughters who gain strength from their numbers and become even faster on the battlefield.
'Thunderstrike' Tank Destroyer Squadron
Malcador/Malcador Annihilator leads 2-4 Valdors, allowing them to concentrate their firepower to very nasty levels.
Damnators Assault Force
3+ Chaos Dreadnoughts who share the result of their 'Crazed' roll, gaining bonuses to the roll if there are enough of them.