Art by Tim Divar
Editorial
“That’s the end of that one.
Atmospheric conditions in
outer space often interfere with
transmitting.” - General Roberts,
‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’
Time for release already?! It’s already been three months since I wrote my last editorial?! It hasn’t been an easy three months for many of us, and I must admit how proud of the staff and myself I am this issue. Despite many of us being full time students, having a career, raising children and having to deal with the variety of life we’ve still managed to put together yet another astounding issue. I sincerely hope you will agree.This issue we’ve been working on making a great magazine better. I’ve been very fortunate in my
search for devoted staff to help with Firebase - okay, so some did approach me themselves, but I’m glad they did! In this issue you’ll fi nd we have some talented new artists and writers who will become regular contributors to Firebase. We’ve got a fan-made codex that is nothing short of excellent, complete with instructions on making your own terrain and a battle report. Comprehensive event coverage from both sides of the world is included, and even a peek into what our staff are working on themselves; I hope, faithful readers, that you will be pleased with our efforts. We’re already working on Issue 8, amongst other fun stuff for you, and I think you’re going to be in for a treat.
I’ve got one more bit to say, summer is here! Have a safe and fun one!
-Gabriel “Gabe” Schrock, Editor
FIREBASE STAFF
Editor . . . .Gabriel Schrock Gaming Sub-Editor . . . . Michael Glaeser Modelling Sub-Editor. . . Stephen Gair Advisor. . . .Adam Smith Design & Layout . . . Jon Mattison Proofreaders . . . Greg Alexander Huw Davies James Maliska Matthew PhelpsSTAFF
Cover Art . . . Tim Divar Art . . . Travis Andrews
Nacho Fernandez Tim Solosy Comics. . . Brian Solomon Paul Wantland Writers . . . Timo Lorenz David McGuire Geoffrey Snider
FIREBASE is published every three months in association with Warseer.com. All text and layout remains the copyright of FIREBASE. FIREBASE is a fully independent publication and its views are not the views of any company mentioned herein. All characters and artwork shown in this magazine remain the © and trademark of their respective owners. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the Editor or Deputy Editor. FIREBASE can accept no responsibility for inaccuracies or complaints arising from editorial or advertising within this magazine. All letters and emails received will be considered for publication, but we cannot always provide personal replies. This fanzine is completely unoffi cial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. FIREBASE is a nonprofi t making fanzine with the aim of promoting Games Workshop games, products and hobby.
Table of Contents
IN THIS ISSUE
Staff Work-in-Progress . . . 4
News from the Library . . . 11
Adepticon Travelogue . . . 14
Open Bash Coverage. . . 18
APOC Datasheet: Stormhammer . . . 30
The Imperial Register . . . 31
What’s Wrong with my Bolter? . . . 34
Tips & Tactics: Army List Effi ciency . . . 36
Ruleset: Jungles of Death battlezone. . . . 43
Battle Report: Jungles of Death . . . 51
Modeling: Jungles . . . 69
Modeling: Advanced CoD Ruins. . . 77
Scratchbuilding: Tau Orca . . . 89
APOC Datasheet: Tau Orca . . . 103
Scratchbuilding: Tyranid Meiotic Spore . 106 Stripping Forgeworld Tanks. . . 110
Comics. . . 112
Fiction: Four Horsemen Amateur Night. 115 Fiction: Titans Anamnesis . . . 120
BoLS: 5th Edition First Impressions. . . 129
Interview: Ross Watson . . . 130
Dark Heresy: Daemonhosts . . . 133
Specialist Games Section . . . 135
18
51
Staff Work-in-Progress
BEN SKINNER
Top Left: I’m putting together a new 40k Marine Army for 5th edition; each squad is going to be painted as if they’re fi ghting at night with a light shining on it.
Top Right: An example of the light effect as used on the Terminator Squad.
Right: I’m also working on some Epic Chaos Space Marines. The Daemon Prince is scratchbuilt.
HUW DAVIES Wolfi e
I had a crazy idea to make a really distinctive Spawn based on the ‘Loper’ creatures from the ‘Return To Castle Wolfenstein’ game, and after some brainstorming this... thing was the result. The basis for the torso is the top half of an Ogre body, with sprue forming the ‘skeleton’ of the arms; I wanted to use the same technique CGI artists use to get realistic body proportions, building muscles over skeleton and adding skin last of all. In the second shot you can see how far I’ve gotten with this, just needing now to blend in the claws and add horrible Nurgly skin...
Possessed 2
This one is a weird m i s h - m a s h o f Ogre, Spawn and Possessed bits, with a Terminator helm added for good measure; as much as anything else, I wanted to see how smoothly I could get such disparate body parts to match up. Ideally I think any conversion should look homogenous, with no obviously alien parts or a neon sign pointing to a certain part of
the miniature saying “Here Is The Green-Stuffed Bit” - I spend a lot of time trying to match up contours and surface textures on things for this very reason. So far I’m pretty pleased with this guy, I think his posture looks pretty businesslike for such a smorgasbord of components...
Staff Work-in-Progress
Huw Davies’ Possessed 2
Jaws
Inspired in roughly equal quantites by the Possessed torso with the teeth embedded in it and the ‘Butterball’ Cenobite from the ‘Hellraiser’ movies, Jaws is as much an exercise in stretching my sculpting abilities as anything else. Again I used an Ogre torso as the basis, this time fi lling the centre-body cavity with green-stuffed flesh then painting it with Chaos Black, Blood Red and Chestnut ink to give a shiny dark meat colour to the whole thing which is just visible enough behind the teeth to look suitably disturbing and gross. So far I’m very pleased with how the mouth and the various fl esh textures have come out...he should end up being a very distinctive-looking miniature on the table.
Staff Work-in-Progress
GABRIEL SCHROCK UNSC M12 Warthog LRV
So I recently discovered these beauties. As it turns out, McFarlane Toys has made a Halo 3 vehicle series. In the fi rst series we have the Ghost, Brute Chopper and the Warthog. I couldn’t help picking up three of these. Their scale is perfect for 28mm uses. They cost me only $10 each and I’ve had to stop myself from buying the Brute Choppers, as I feel they would make excellent bikes for Space Marines or Orks. I replaced the antennae with a bit of brass wire because the original one is a bit too thick for my tastes. The original M41 Light Anti-Aircraft gun barrels were replaced by plastic rod and greenstuff binding. The bigger barrels look a
lot more imposing. Here you can see my triplets lined up. Once completed they will receive a data sheet.
JON MATTISON
My whole hobby life is a work in progress, but really, here’s what I’ve actually touched in the last few weeks.
I’ve loved the Bretonnian’s as Imperial Guard ever since Dave Taylor got published several years ago. So a few months ago I began hunting for bitz on eBay and the Warstore. I’d originally intended to only do a squad for use with Dark Heresy but then I kept winning auctions... uh, yeah.
Once I counted them all up it totalled 50 models. Oops. This actually works out just fi ne since I’d been working on a Traitor Guard datasheet for Apocalypse which was a mix between Lost and the Damned (EoT) traitors and the Imperial Guard codex. My datasheet has you taking a Traitor Command squad and 2-5 squads of up to 15 traitors.
As you see above, all fl amer operators must be crazy and have to wear the silly clown hat.
Next up, all pewter Deathwing. Staff Work-in-Progress
I grabbed every available Deathwing model when my local game store went out of business a couple of years ago. When the new Dark Angel’s codex came out I headed to eBay to fi ll out the roster. I ended up with 7 squads with Assault Cannons and a Chain Fist, 1 Lightning Claw squad and 4 each of Cyclones and Heavy Flamers to swap in as alternate heavy weapons. Belial “Wolverine” (magnatized arms) and a Chaplain round out the fi gures. I’m two storm shields short of completing a Hammer squad. I will probably resort to using plastic shields from the new kit.
Currently basecoated bleached bone, I am now undecided which of the new washes to use on them (Mud or Sepia). Staff Work-in-Progress
Left: Jon’s Belial “Wolverine” with magnetized arms Above: Two shields short of a Hammer squad
‘HAMMER OF DAEMONS’ - BEN COUNTER
When you pick up a C.S. Goto book you can be pretty sure that there will be a couple of Eldar in it. Ben Counter’s books are kind of like that, except that his forte is the forces of Chaos. When the planet Sarthis Majoris is attacked by Chaos, the Inquisition sends Justicar Alaric along with four other Grey Knights. The outcome is devastating; not only do the forces of the
Imperium suffer a crushing loss, but Alaric is captured alive and carried off to the Daemon world Drakaasi in the Eye Of Terror.
Upon arriving, he realizes what his tormentors expect of him: he becomes a gladiator, fi ghting for his master’s reputation as well as that of his master’s god Khorne in the planet’s arenas. A legend about the ‘Hammer of Daemons’ circulates on Drakaasi. Will Alaric fi nd it before he is killed in one of the fi ghts or, worse yet, before his soul is corrupted by Khorne? What is the Hammer of Daemons anyway?
Ben Counter does what he does best - he write about Chaos and its followers, with convoluted schemes and power struggles nestling amidst bloody battles and obscure daemons. The book
also offers a few surprises; ever since ‘Daemon World’, I stick to Ben Counter when wanting to read about a planet in the Eye of Terror. If you liked Conan, you’ll love the new Alaric!
‘RELENTLESS’
- RICHARD WILLIAMS
With his first novel, Richard W illiams delivers a story of the Imperial Navy.
When the captain of the Relentless dies, it takes a few years before a decision concerning his replacement his made; in the meantime, First Offi cer Ward is in command. He is not exactly delighted to fi nd out that it’s not him but hardliner Captain Becket who will be promoted to Captain of the Relentless. There’s only one way to cover up his corruption: Becket must die in order for the status quo to be upheld. With help from his squad of offi cers Ward devises a diabolical plan, bumping off the disagreeable novice during a visit to the planet.
After being declared dead, Becket returns to the ship as a work slave; seeking revenge, he makes his way up to the commando deck. ‘Relentless’ is exciting and new. The plot is a refreshment within the 40k universe, and First Offi cer Ward’s schemes are diabolical, yet the ending seems rushed, as if the author ran out of ideas towards the last third of this book.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
Book Reviews
Dear Brothers, dear Enemies:
Before we get to the reviews, I would like to recommend the following ritual to get into the spirit of things: go three days without shaving and watch the movie ‘Conan The Barbarian’, at least once.
Things get barbaric in this issue! We’ve got a new Space Wolves novel, the third Grey Knights novel (in which Justicar Alaric mutates into a type of Conan) and a Firebase premiere. For the fi rst - and probably only - time we are presenting a piece of Warhammer Fantasy; when a book about Sigmar is published, especially bearing a grandiose title like ‘Heldenhammer’, even us 40K fanatics can’t just ignore it. We’ve got several other interesting topics for you as well, of course... On to the reviews!
Timo Lorenz
The elements that make this book so unique within the fi rst 200 pages are somewhat lost towards the end. Had Williams managed to retain this style through the last page, this book would have been my top recommendation for this issue.
‘HELDENHAMMER,
THE LEGEND OF SIGMAR’ - GRAHAM MCNEILL
F i n a l l y s o m e o n e provides us with a novel about the primary hero of the Warhammer universe. The Fantasy series ‘Time of Legends’ is the equivalent of 40K’s cornerstone literature series, the Horus Heresy. But, enough digression… on to Sigmar!
The book describes the time in Sigmar’s life between the Battle of Astofen and the Battle at Black Fire Pass. If you’re expecting a myth like the Iliad or the Nibelungen I have to say you will be disappointed because this book focuses more on Sigmar as a person, his dreams, feelings, and goals in creating his empire than on the epic story line and the complete life of Sigmar. If that’s what you’re after I would recommend reading the ‘Artefact’ book ‘The Life of Sigmar’ by Matt Ralphs.
He combines the most disparate human tribes into a unit by means of war, diplomacy and
progress, losing everything he holds dear on the way. Graham McNeill is a good choice for an author because he brought us many novels including the great ‘Fulgrim’ whose protagonist is an enigmatic and tragic hero, much like Sigmar.
He skillfully shows us the facets of a man with big dreams and goals, and it never gets boring; this book is a must for all Warhammer fans, not just because of its magnifi cent title.
‘PLANETKILL’ - SHORT STORIES
It’s fun to get my hands on a book of short stories every now and then, despite my love for long, epic stories. It’s always possible to fi nd little gems within these collections of stories, even if they are only 50 pages long. ‘Planetkill’ offers a few of these gems, so let’s have a look.
The book doesn’t start off all that glamorously; ‘Voidsong’ by Henry Zou is an average 40k story, easy enough to see through for old-timers. In the treasure-chest of short stories, this is more of a copper piece than anything else. ‘Mortal Fuel’ by Richard Williams and ‘The Heraclitus Effect’ by Graham McNeill raise the bar. However, they don’t diverge from the characters covered in each authors’ novels, so Williams writes about the Relentless and McNeill about Uriel Ventris.
Obviously, this is a matter of taste - but when reading a short story, I’m looking to discover something new instead of obtaining some extra information for already existing stories. Alas, every hoard of treasure contains a few silver coins as well. The last four stories are the reason I will keep reading short stories, since they’re the gems I was referring to.
Both Simon Dyton’s ‘The Emperor Wept’ and ‘Phobos Worked in Adamant’ by Robey Jenkins both shed some light on the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are suspenseful, intelligent stories regarding this often-bypassed part of the 40k universe. With his story ‘Seven Views of Ulguth’s Passing’ Matthew Farrer delivers the obscure tale of a warp entity looking for its master. In the course of 39 confusing and refreshingly different pages, this entity is being described from the viewpoint of seven different beings/existences. This story alone makes ‘Planetkill’ worth reading.
The last story is ‘Mercy Run’ by Steve Parker, author of the Imperial guard novel ‘Rebel Winter’; here Parker again focuses on Imperial soldiers. Three tanks are sent on a special mission just hours before the destruction of a planet; a race against time and against their own morals ensues. A perfect Imperial Guard story! All in all, ‘Planetkill’ is actually a pretty good compilation. After all, as we all know, a treasure-chest is never fi lled solely with diamonds… Book Reviews
‘BATTLE FOR THE ABYSS’ - BEN COUNTER
Volume 8 of the Horus Heresy saga is presented by Ben Counter, who also penned the third volume, ’Galaxy in Flames’.
Horus’ allies among the Mechanicum of Mars are secretly building a battleship of massive proportions, the Furious Abyss, which they bestow upon the fanatic, scheming World Bearers. A race within the warp ensues after testing the new super-ship against a smaller fl eet; will the survivors of the attack be able to warn the Ultramarines’ home planet of the approaching destruction on time? And how do you handle your brother turning into the enemy?
I prefer not to go into the content of the Horus Heresy books because they need to be explored by the reader. I would hate to give away too much, but ‘Battle for the Abyss’ is a gripping novel and can hold its own in the range of Horus Heresy books.
A big plus here is the fact that Ultramarines are fighting on the same side as Space Wolves, Thousand Sons, and World Eaters, and we all know that this is a highly volatile mixture. Ben Counter really allows the reader to become part of the book and its moods,
and he perfectly displays the individual traits of the different Astartes Legions.
If the series remains this exciting, and if the likes of Dan Abnett, Ben Counter, and Graham McNeill can keep bouncing the story back and forth so perfectly, there’s hope for many more instalments here. I look forward to the 9th volume with great anticipation: the war reaches Mars in this one. ‘Battle for the Abyss’ and the Horus Heresy series are a must for all fans of Sci-Fi, and furthermore basic literature for all 40k fans. This is my recommendation for this issue!
‘WOLF´S HONOUR’ - LEE LIGHTNER Lee Lightner’s attempt to continue the Space Wolf saga turns out to be a difficult task. What Nathan Long’s ‘Gotrek and Felix’ accomplished with grandeur (the continuation of a William King series) is not a successful u n d e r t a k i n g f o r L i g h t n e r. T h e protagonist is lacking some new substance in the sixth novel of this series.
As usual, this Space Wolf novel begins and ends on a scene set in the present which sparks the memory of the main story around which the novel revolves. Upon succumbing to the beast within himself while boarding an
enemy ship, and being chased by Ragnar, an old Space Marine remembers how he came this close to the abyss.
The old nemesis, Madox, makes an appearance in order to perform a dark ritual with the lost Spear Of Russ. The Space Wolves’ territory is attacked by followers of Chaos on all sides; Ragnar is sent on a special mission to stop the hated Thousand Sons and also to return the Spear of Russ and thus fi nd salvation. Upon entering a “mirror world” of the planet within the Warp, a long kept secret of the Space Wolves is revealed.
Wolf’s Honour is a not a bad book, but Lee Lightner does not manage to fully capture the Space Wolves’ esprit and charm as William King did. After all, who could ever forget the farting Space Marine? Of course, this story is absolutely necessary for the closure of the saga but I fi nd it a bit too predictable. Compared to other Black Library releases, this book doesn’t really have what it takes to enthrall me. It’s neither magnifi cent nor terrible, it’s just plain average.
By Brian “Lexington” Solomon
AdeptiCon is a cultural event that’s entirely unparalleled in its scope, scale and prestige within the world of the Warhammer 40K community. In past years it has equalled or even replaced Games Day as the première 40K hobby event in North America. It is here that the armies which go on to terrorise the tournament scene for the next year are previewed and perfected. It was at AdeptiCon in 2007 that Jervis Johnson gave his now-famous talk on the ‘future of 40K,’ laying out what we would eventually come to know as the design philosophy behind 5th Edition. Teams of players prepare year-round to take part in the much-hyped Team Tournaments. For anyone who thinks their game of 40K is a competitive one, it’s as near as one gets to the National Championships.
I’m not such a person; as a somewhat recent ‘re-convert’ to 40K, and never the most spectacular tabletop general, the idea of attending the largest and most prestigious of tournaments seemed like a self-defeating endeavour. But I like people. I like 40K. What’s more, I’m constantly impressed by the amount of dedication and hard work that so many people put into this hobby. Thus it was with that in mind, along with the prodding of a few friends online, that I packed up my camera and some notepads and started the trip out to Chicago to take in three days of observing the biggest 40K event around.
THE TOURNAMENTS
Beneath all the fanfare and brouhaha, AdeptiCon is a tournament. The tournament, actually, if you happen to reside within the greater continental area. My own experience with tournaments was, and continues to be, fairly minimal; but there’s a certain magic to seeing so many Games Workshop gamers together under one roof, playing to win.
It is apparently something of a running controversy within the community as to the viability of tournaments which demand that players bring armies with paint tastefully applied to their models, but the effect it has to the casual observer is defi nitely positive – never before have I been witness to so many brilliant conversions and stunning paint jobs all in one place. The Gladiator tournament in particular, which allows Forgeworld and Apocalypse units, was far and away the most visually spectacular. I don’t believe it would have been physically Special Report: My First Adepticon
possible to safely store more Gargants in a single room.
The tournament scene, however, is unfortunately much less than the sum of its more delicious parts. My observations, confi rmed by independent (often ranting and inebriated) analysis, put the number of Tyranid and Eldar forces at roughly a combined 80% of the population, the rest peppered with Orks and Space Marines. The contents of these lists need no extrapolation here – suffi ce to say that they were exactly what one would expect from such a set-up. It’s a grim premise, and makes the introduction of a fresh set of rules seem that much more enticing.
THE SEMINARS
One of the highlights of AdeptiCon is the set of sessions that are set up every year, led by dedicated hobbyists and even some GW Studio members. My fi rst seminar was Friday’s chat with Phil Kelly, Dark Xenos Overfi end of the 40K Design Studio and the man responsible for the Eldar and Ork Codexes; which are, in my opinion, some of the most delightful additions to the game in some time. Phil’s a treat to talk with, and he answered our small group’s questions with an enthusiasm that drove home his dedication to the game as a hobby and a fun-generating device. “If you write up an army list to use your toy dinosaurs, it’s not something you want to bring to a tournament,” he said. “But if you’re playing in your mate’s garage...well, by God, bring those dinosaurs, man!”
At the seminar, Phil explained that the processes in the design studio have changed a bit recently, becoming more formalised and less random than previously. The Codexes, especially, will now be less of the formatting and typeset pipe-bomb that previous releases have been. Indeed, we’ve seen this since the release of the Eldar Codex, but he explained in more detail that there is now a “Codex: Codex” that lays down the rules for formatting and that the Studio intends to follow this from here on out.
The other seminar I attended was with Dave Taylor, the head of GW’s US Community Team, who explained GW’s new direction for community development - which is to say that they now actually have one. Dave’s a trooper and carried on with the session long after its allotted running time, even though his poor British body had been wracked by one of our foul American diseases. As Dave explained, GW Special Report: My First Adepticon
From the Team Tournament; top to bottom: Eldar display, team Flying Hellfi sh, and the Four Horsemen banner
is now focused on supplementing and assisting existing clubs, tournaments and conventions, rather than creating their own offi cial structures. Their past efforts at trying to expand their offi cial reach have not done well, and they’ve found that for the cost of one tournament run by themselves they can simply support three or four community-run tournaments. In addition, they’ve set up the new Kommando program, which will be something of a store-based (rather than area-store-based) version of the old Outrider program. All in all, one gets the idea that GW is serious about supporting its player base without putting such a dividing line between ‘offi cial’ and ‘unoffi cial’ anymore. THE TEAM DISPLAY GALLERY
The Team Tournament is a tradition at AdeptiCon, and teams from across the country come to show their colours – and their efforts. Several teams brought displays this year,
including a massive, show-stopping diorama piece from the 300+ that sat in the middle of the showroom. Enjoy!
From the Team Tournament; top to bottom: team Howling Griffons, team Threes Krumpany and team Ulthwe.
More Team Tournament; team Space Wolf
“If no one else turns up we are going to look like the fat kid that no one wants to pick for the sports team…” I had uttered those words on several occasions in the run-up to this day, most of the time keeping the thought to myself although in moments of weakness I had shared this concern with others whose general demeanour gave off the same mixture of excitement and utter dread.
To explain, I will take you back a few months… I’m a member of a forum called Ammobunker. A moderator, in fact, though the reason behind this often eludes me but that’s life in my world - I just go where the tide takes me and hope I don’t drown on the journey. Those of us who are, for want of a better phrase, ‘in charge’ decided to have a gathering of members where we can all get to meet each other in person and introduce ourselves to those who have not yet seen the light that is Ammobunker.
Without knowing how it was going to work, or who was going to turn up, or in fact any other detail whatsoever Warhammer World was booked. We were now committed to the endeavour. Were we mad, and taking our fi rst step on the road to infamy and damnation? We hadn’t a clue; we just knew we had the possibility of something great on our hands… or to end up like the aforementioned sports outcast.
The event was called ‘The Open Bash’ as it was to be open to anyone who wanted to come, member or not. The call was put out and the response was good; even though we knew that half to two thirds of the ‘defi nitely be there’ replies would have become a ‘sorry, can’t make it’ by the day itself we could see we’d still be left with a decent turnout.
As the day grew closer, the worries increased. Not just the obvious worry about people turning up but also will those who do turn up have an enjoyable day… or would they be disappointed as the day descends into pandemonium or boredom? Most of us began building more models in earnest to make the centrepiece of the day – a bloody huge game of Apocalypse – as spectacular as possible.
My role on the day would be threefold - refereeing, taking pictures and covering a WIP area to show some projects being undertaken by people from Ammobunker. However, I also wanted to contribute to the Apocalypse battle by providing some models. The fi nal week had me building tanks – two tank squadrons (one of Vanquishers and one of Demolishers), a single Destroyer Tank Hunter and to round my contribution off there was my Decimator (a
ONE HALL, TWO DAYS, 113,000 POINTS –
ONE MAN’S TALE OF TRAGEDY AND DESPAIR
1
FORUM ALIASES HAVE BEEN USED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT
1 Ok, I admit half of the title is pretty meaningless, but I liked the sound of it. The sign that greeted us at Warhammer World
Shadowsword look-a-like). “As long as they’re undercoated they can get in on the game” was my mantra in those couple of weeks. As well as tanks for the Apocalypse game I was trying to get as many interesting projects together for the WIP table as possible but I was running short of time. The thought of calling in sick surfaced, but that wouldn’t look good right before time I’d already booked off as holiday…
THE FRIDAY BEFORE
It’s the Friday before the Bash arrives; I’ve booked the day off work so I can pack everything in the morning, drive to Nottingham and be at Warhammer World for early afternoon.
I fi nd myself packing tanks that still smell of paint from the undercoat I gave them the night before. If I wasn’t annoyed enough that I didn’t get them 100% fi nished, I had three things break as I pack them. My Nurgle Dreadnought is carefully packed away along with as many finished and WIP projects I can muster, including my Earthshaker emplacement and its WIP sibling. To round off the packing I grab
a selection of glue and knives for those last minute repairs.
It’s not long before I am pulling into the Mecca of all that is Warhammer. I’ve always liked Warhammer World; it certainly beats the usual corporate headquarters. And how many gaming venues have a bar?
The main thought behind today was a quick refresher in Apocalypse and giving us the opportunity to sort out a few details with WHW itself. I met up with fellow
Everything I took with me bar a bag of fi gures, it was enough…
The Skeleton Guard of Digits
Ammobunker moderators Digits and Jasevx, whose bright idea this was in the fi rst place (do I thank him or kill him? That was yet to be decided) as well as a gentleman known simply as “Big Bad” Col who - due to the pathetic excuse of ‘working’ - could not make it to the Open Bash itself. After lunch in Bugmans2,
we got down to a little bit of Apocalypse.
2 Including a small mix up involving Col’s wife and some mushrooms - “The amount of money I’ve given them over the years and they forget the mushrooms… I should get mushrooms with everything as a thank you… Rhino and mushrooms, Land Raider and mushrooms. Those mushrooms probably cost me fi ve grand…”
The Imperial Guard armies of Jase and Digits will be the backbone of the Open Bash Apocalypse game and the two armies are
really something to see in the fl esh (although for Digits’ Skeleton Guard army that may not be the most appropriate way to put it).
Jase had spent many hours slaving away in the run up to this day building a Stormhammer; it was his pride and joy, the pinnacle of his tank-building skill. Unfortunately I was on the opposing team and my Decimator tore apart his precious tank like a mid life crisis on a man nearing forty3.
3 Which, in fact, Jase is.
Turn three soon rolled around and as Digits proceeded to mop up what was left of Jase and Col’s forces I had a look round the hall. The tables for our Apocalypse games were set up ready for tomorrow. Set out was terrain we had seen countless times in White Dwarf and on the GW website, such as the huge
The Imperial Cathedral
The Tau Outpost
ruined cathedral4 and the Tau Outpost5. Also
reserved were some more regular generic tables plus some Mordheim and Necromunda tables.
4 “I think I can fi t that in my car. I’m sure I could fi t that in my car,” Digits was overheard muttering under his breath more than once. 5 Which doesn’t appear to have any doors.
Arriving amongst us was another ‘Bunkerian’ in the shape of Asmodai Dark, a fellow Moderator who for the Open Bash had fi endish plans involving zombies and a monkey called Sunshine6.
6 It has never been made clear just how much infl uence the monkey has had in the direction of Asmodai’s life; all we know is at times AD can be heard muttering “the organ grinder, the organ grinder…”
The day had gone well, the hall was looking good and we had managed a small 4K-a-side game of Apocalypse without coming to the Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
conclusion that the larger Open Bash game was going to be a disaster. Throughout the day we’d had people approaching us and showing an interest, not only in the armies we were playing with but - crucially - in what we had planned for the next day. Things were looking good.
After packing our models away to be stored overnight in the GW storeroom we left Warhammer World aiming to meet up later… While I shall skip the events of the Friday night I will mention it involved people turning up from ‘Up North’, a birthday cake for someone who
wasn’t celebrating a birthday, a monkey being accused of molesting itself, arguments over a smoked sausage and all of us wondering if we would hear on the news the following day why one of the group hadn’t turned up at the railway station or let any of us know where the hell he was…
THE BIG DAY.
After a slight detour through the middle of Nottingham City Centre7 I arrived at
Warhammer World at the ungodly hour of nine in the morning. I turned up just as the other Mods and their various hangers-on (you know who you are…) arrived. We now had six Ammobunker Moderators together in a room; I was starting to worry that we were approaching an ‘all your eggs in one basket’ scenario, I mean one airstrike and AB would be crippled… I have these odd thoughts sometimes, not sure why.
7 Stupid bloody directions.
We got down to the business of setting up. It was decided that two Apocalypse boards just weren’t right so we joined the two up for one huge game instead. We now had a gaming table forty-eight feet long by six feet wide giving us two hundred and eighty-eight square feet of gaming area.
Asmodai quickly claimed a table for his Necromunda style game ‘Something Something Something Zombies (‘SSSZ’)’, and while he and Deserter got down to working out what they were doing the rest of us began setting up the Apocalypse game. Start time was meant to be about half ten with those Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
Guys looking worried as they see what has just appeared before them…
…a Bug that needs more than a big glass and a bit of card to get rid of.
already present deploying on the board for the fi rst turn while later arrivals would then join in as reserves. Games Workshop leant us three Baneblades from their cabinets increasing even further the number of super-heavies we had, also loaned to us was the stunning Forge World Hierophant which was put to use bolstering the Tyranid ranks at the centre of the board. GW also provided us with a Stompa but as no one turned up with any Orks it had to sit by the side, looking forlornly at the mayhem it couldn’t join in with.
It was around this time that a man by the name of Brian introduced himself, head honcho of Warhammer World (and Games Day organiser no less) and here to oversee the event. A brief speech welcoming us and giving us the
low down on health and safety etc. followed; my attention began to drift off at this point, though fi nding out there was a fi re escape hidden behind the façade tower door got my attention. You never know when you may need one. I’m not sure if being Warhammer World Number One really constitutes a proper job, but I have to give it to him he made us all welcome and was generous beyond the call of duty… especially when you consider the bunch of reprobates he had to deal with.
“Darn, blast and damnation” aren’t the exact words I used when I realised I had left the Nurgle Dreadnought I had spent so long working on specially for the day at the hotel, but our esteemed editor8 won’t let me
print what I actually said. Getting over that
annoyance I set about getting the WIP table set up and unpacking the tanks I had brought to be used in the Apocalypse battle. More expletives followed upon the realisation that I’d also left the glue, the knives and the Decimator Datasheet at the hotel. Not a good start.
8 Who used the lame excuse of living in a different country for his non-attendance.
Taking advantage of a wi-fi internet connection and a great big flat screen TV that GW
First turn action
Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
wheeled out, the being known only as ‘Schoolcormorant’ set up his laptop so we could have images from the forum in the background. People would also be able to sign up there and then if they felt the inclination.
In a brilliant show of timing the most inappropriate advert then appeared at the top of the forum page – ‘sexy sounds for your mobile…’ – damn Google ads and its keyword-based advertising system! For the rest of the day we took turns making sure the page was always scrolled down enough to hide it… oh well, it’s the little things in life that make it interesting. Just ask Snow White. More people arrived. Hallelujah! We were all thanking whatever deity we believed in that people were actually arriving. So we had the boards, we had the terrain set up and we had the players and their armies in place…after a briefi ng by Jase regarding objectives and other game related details during which I really did drift off - I have no idea what he was saying - I left them all to it and wandered off to look at the Vampire Counts artwork on display. The game began…
The fi rst turn kicked off and not long after I was called upon to fulfil my duty as a referee. I made the life of TheGrizz happy by confi rming that a Gargantuan Creature can fi re its two guns at separate targets and then assault a third. The joy that can be brought to someone by one little sentence should not be overestimated9.
Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
9 More short sentences that bring joy…”It’s negative”, “I’m not pregnant”, “No charges are being pressed” and “Yes, we have it in stock” disappointingly that one wasn’t heard much over the weekend due to low FW stock levels.
While everyone else got down to butchering each other like they were in a Rwandan refugee camp, I decided to take a wander. I’ve been to Warhammer World a fair number of times, but it’s always worth looking in the Museum to see if anything interesting has appeared since the last time. So, dragging a reluctant SC like a parent taking their fi ve year old to school for the fi rst day,
we went upstairs to have a butchers10.
10 Translation for our non-British readers: ‘A butchers’ = ‘a butchers hook’ = ‘a look’.
In the museum you not only get to see the whole range of Studio produced armies but also a selection of classic dioramas such as Mike McVey’s ‘Horus versus The Emperor’, the Space Hulk Corridor section I remember from many, many years ago11 and a selection of models from the
personal collections of ‘Eavy Metal painters and other Games Workshop staff.
11 Long live Space Hulk!
Meanwhile downstairs the games continued; miniatures were dispatched in huge numbers, and tank formations took what seemed an age to move.
Several turns later…
In our absence a Warhammer Fantasy game had begun not far from a Lord of the Rings game, both quite a rarity in our circles.
Midday the restaurant opened; with a silent ‘huzzah!’ (for I had missed breakfast at the hotel12) I quickly took the opportunity to eat
before the rush. As the fi rst turn came to a close the players emptied out of the hall as their own hunger pangs took priority over the carnage; while they sated their appetite, reinforcements arrived in the shape of another Eldar force. The best part of the day - and our main objective for the event - was meeting the other members of Ammobunker. So I thought it was fi tting for me to take the opportunity to say hello; I don’t
think I scared anyone off, so no harm done.
12 Even though I had pre-paid for one. Stupid bloody early time to start.
As the players returned from lunch I drifted back to the WIP table. I spent most of the afternoon talking about styrene and tank conversions; giving the same spiel about four times but enjoying it nonetheless. A couple of Dutch gentlemen on a visit to Warhammer World arrived at the table interested to hear what was going on. Two more potential recruits, I thought; as they left it occurred to me we really should have had fl yers printed out to hand to people, as those two will never have remembered the website address by the time
they get home. Something added to the list for future events.
The Apocalypse game continued, tanks seeming to dominate the board. Only two aircraft made an appearance (both from an Eldar force) which was a bit disappointing as I was hoping for a Thunderbolt squadron or two. To my surprise the Hierophant appeared on my table as a casualty; it had absorbed the combined fi repower from more than 5000 points of Guard and Marines and two Baneblades before it was brought down. Poor bugger. The day proceeded along these lines: talking, laughing, taking breaks in Bugmans, meeting people new to me and those to whom I have Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker
spoken plenty of times but never actually met, trying to fi nd out if GW had any Forge World items in stock I wanted while hoping I didn’t get carried away by pre-ordering a damn Reaver Titan, checking the football scores with ‘Warhammer World’s Brian’ and taking a time out to have a look at his Dark Angel army. For a Liverpool FC supporter he had a surprisingly good choice in Marines.
It didn’t seem long before the day was drawing to a close. The Apocalypse game lasted its three turns with the Imperial Force taking the win by claiming two of the four Objectives and contesting a third; for the fi rst time that any of us had taken part in a huge multiplayer game like this, it went surprisingly well. With plenty of lessons learned, the models began to be packed away followed by goodbyes and promises for next years Bash and various
meet-ups beforehand. THE FINAL RECKONING.
The day proved to be everything we hoped for. The fi rst objective was simply to meet up in the fi rst place and have a laugh; I think we can tick that objective off as met.
The second was to introduce more people to Ammobunker, and throughout the day we had people coming up to us with questions and the Apocalypse players were not just forum members but also people who had come along after hearing about the day.
The third objective was to set a great big points value for the Apocalypse game, the fi nal tally
ran at 113,330 points, which you have to admit is pretty damn big.
On a personal note I was happy that the WIP table had garnered some interest, as it would
have been depressing if no one had come over. As I left the First Annual Ammobunker Open Bash my thoughts had already turned to what I could do for the next one…including, fi rst and foremost, not to leave stuff at the bloody hotel!
Thanks go to Greg ‘TheGrizz’ Alexander and Chris ‘Deserter’ Hird for kindly providing some of the pictures from the day
—Rictus
For more pictures of the Open Bash Apocalypse battle, visit
http://z3.invisionfree.com/The_Ammobunker/index.php?showtopic=2317
For more pictures of ‘Something Something Something Zombies’ game, visit:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/The_Ammobunker/index.php?showtopic=2327
By way of a dessert to the banquet of Open Bash coverage, I thought you might like to see a few shots of the Stormhammer that Jasevx knocked up for the day as well as the Datasheet I wrote for it which was used on the day.
Jase based the conversion on a widened and lengthened Baneblade hull. The sponsons are mounted so that two sets of heavy bolters have their arcs of fi re pointing backwards, while the main turrets are positioned so that each one has a wide arc of fi re. Larger Baneblade barrels were used to represent Vanquisher cannon, as Jase wanted the tank to have more anti-tank potential.
The Datasheet I wrote refl ects the model; the two Stormhammer turrets are based on the Macharius and are upgradeable to Vanquisher cannon. Two sets of sponsons come as standard and the tank can be upgraded to be a command vehicle (refl ecting the status of the model and the background material I put together).
The additional structure point is due to the increased bulk of the tank; of course, none of this made any difference at all when the Decimator found her within its gun sights… Open Bash at the Ammo Bunker - Spotlight
HAMMER TIME
Many more pictures of the Stormhammer - both WIP and fi nished - can be found here
UNIT: 1 Stormhammer TYPE: Super Heavy Tank STRUCTURE POINTS: 4 WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT:
– Two Stormhammer turrets mounting two synchronised Battle Cannon. – Four sponsons; each mount Twin-linked Heavy Bolters and a Lascannon. WEAPON RANGE STR AP SPECIAL
Stormhammer Turret 72” 8 3 Ordanance 1, 7” Blast, (High Explosive) Primary Weapon
Lascannon 48” 9 2 Heavy 1
Heavy Bolters 36” 5 4 Heavy 3, Twin-linked OPTIONS: The Stormhammer may purchase the following upgrades from Codex: Imperial Guard: Hunter-killer missile, improved comms, minesweeper, pintle-mounted heavy stubber, searchlight, smoke launchers.
STORMHAMMER
POINTS: 600
The Stormhammer is rare even when compared to its sister warmachines. Like its kin it is an ancient design dating back to the earliest days of the ImperialArmy and the Great Crusade. Based upon a modifi ed Baneblade chassis the Stormhammer forgoes a main weapon and instead mounts a huge array of offensive weaponry. While other warmachines take on a specialist role the Stormhammer was created purely to wreak havoc amongst the enemy forces. Ideally suited to destroying en masse infantry and vehicles its mere presence has been known to cause the enemy to retreat for fear of losing too many warriors in the opening salvo of a battle.
The weaknesses of the Stormhammer are two fold. The fi rst is enemy anti-tank formations. Lacking the long range armour piercing potential of some super heavy vehicles it runs the risk of being destroyed or immobilised before the full force of it’s guns can be brought to bear. To help solve this issue a handful were fi tted with turrets mountingVanquisher cannon; giving it a much increased anti-armour effectiveness. The second weakness is, as with all similarly sized vehicles, its vulnerability to being outmanoeuvred and being assaulted by infantry.
Thus no commander would ever commit his vehicle to battle independent of supporting infantry and tank formations. Never a common sight as the millenniums have passed its presence has become even rarer. While remaining a highly destructive warmachine the diffi culty of constructing its modifi ed hull and maintaining the overworked engine during a campaign has meant more easily constructed and maintained vehicles becoming more favoured. Both Baneblades and the newer Macharius tanks tend to be more popular amongst Imperial Guard Commanders and tank crews alike. The Baneblade has an almost equal level of offensive potential; while formations of Macharius tanks have proved more survivable and fl exible on the battlefi eld.
Its distinctive silhouette on the horizon can still instill fear in the enemy and inspire hope in its comrades. While some worry of the effect to morale if it was lost, every commander hopes for the opportunity to have a Stormhammer form the tip of an offensive push. Leading from the front it can sweep aside the enemy clearing a path for its brothers in arms to exploit.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:
For +100 points the Stormhammer Turrets may be upgraded to mount Twin Linked Vanquisher Cannon. These may fi re High Explosive shells or Armour Piercing shells. When fi ring AP rounds the to-hit die may be re-rolled and when rolling for Armour Penetration roll 2D6+8, adding the two dice together.
For +25 points the Stormhammer may have the following upgrade:
Command Tank: A high ranking offi cer is using
the Stormhammer as a mobile HQ. All friendly units within 24” of the command tank may re-roll failed Morale checks.
ARMOUR BS FRONT SIDE REAR 3 14 13 12
Greetings citizen and welcome to the second installment of the Imperial Register. Based on reader feedback, it seems that many of you liked this addition to the magazine. Thus, I am happy to report that this article shall become a continuous feature!
The goal remains the same: to introduce new units, weapons and wargear to the armies of the 41st millennium in order to increase diversity, creativity and fun. We need submissions from readers like you to keep this project afl oat. If you have ideas, let us know!
In this edition we see the return of ogryn bodyguards, the stealthy Alpha Legion operatives and trundling stalk tanks!
-Scrivener Glaeser
HEAVY SUPPORT Scout Stalk Tank v1.0
Points WS BS S I A F S R 130 4 3 5 3 3 12 11 9 Type: Walker, Agile Crew: 1 Chaos Servitor Weapons: Scout Stalk Tanks are armed with double pulse-lasers (counts as twin-linked multi-lasers) in mini-turrets. Because of its monstrous nature a Stalk Tank ignores opponents armour saves in close combat.
Options: The Stalk Tank may replace its pulse-lasers with twin-linked autocannons for free or twin-linked lascannons for +10 points.
It may be given any of the following upgrades from Codex: Chaos Space Marines at the points cost listed; Blasphemous Rune, Demonic Possession, Dirge Caster, Extra Armour, Pintle Mounted Combi-weapon, Searchlight, Smoke Launcher.
Special Rule: Agile: A Scout Stalk Tank scuttles across the battlefi eld at a disconcerting pace. They may move up to 6” and fi re all their weapons, or up to 12” and fi re one weapon. They are slowed by diffi cult terrain as other walkers but double the highest die result. Stalk Tanks may assault up to 6” and follow all the rules for walkers in an assault.
OGRYN BODYGUARD By Eric Farrington
Ogryns are a stable abhuman strain that can be found throughout Imperial domains. What they lack in brainpower they make up for in sheer brawn. They have a prodigious strength and resilience that tops even that of a Space Marine. In addition to their strong backs and simple minds they are extremely loyal to the Imperial creed. It is these qualities that make them ideal soldiers and shock troops for the Imperial Guard.
Imperial Register
THE IMPERIAL
REGISTER
Imperial Register
An army made entirely of Ogryns would potentially be a devastating force, but their inability to grasp such concepts as logistics and strategy makes such a force untenable. Instead, they are split into small units and spread throughout the regiments and companies of the Imperial Guard to help bolster their combat effi ciency.
It is common for Ogryns to form an emotional attachment to their commanding offi cers and commissars. Their simple grasp of the Imperial Creed easily confuses them and they genuinely believe the unit’s commanding officer is someone sent personally by the Emperor himself to lead them into battle. As a result it is common for offi cers whose command includes attached Ogryn units to be accompanied by an Ogryn acting as a bodyguard. After he has pledged his life to protect his offi cer from harm the other Ogryns look to him as a role model and something of an inspirational fi gure. Occasionally an Ogryn will show a greater degree of initiative marking him out as a prime candidate for augmetic surgery; this surgery will aim to boost his brainpower allowing the subject to absorb more advanced training such as rudimentary tactics and military structures. While offi cially given the rank of Sergeant, amongst the rank and fi le they are affectionately known as ‘Boneheads’. A clever commanding offi cer will often see to it that an Ogryn protecting him goes through this augmentation as soon as possible.
Profi le: As Codex: Imperial Guard
Doctrines: In order to take Ogryn bodyguards in your Imperial Guard force your regiment must use the Restricted Troops Doctrine that allows you to take Ogryn squads.
Numbers: You may include 1 Ogryn bodyguard per command squad in your army up to a maximum of 5. These do not count as one of your HQ choices and may be taken in addition to your usual allocation of HQ units in a mission. Each Bodyguard must join a different command squad.
Weapons: Ripper Gun (+1 Strength) and Frag grenades. These may be exchanged for two close combat weapons (+1 Attack) or 1 double handed weapon (+2 Strength) for free.
Options: A bodyguard maybe upgraded to a Bonehead for +10 pts. A Bonehead has access to the Imperial Guard armoury, although he is not classed as an offi cer.
Special Rules:
Advisor - As Codex: Imperial Guard Ogryn Proof - As Codex: Imperial Guard Bulky - As Codex: Imperial Guard.
Bodyguard - If within 4” of each other the bodyguard may exchange places with the unit’s offi cer at the beginning of any player’s assault phase. He will fi ght the offi cer’s opponents while the offi cer will now fi ght those originally fi ghting his bodyguard.
ALPHA LEGION OPERATIVES By Pete Mason
Of all the traitor legions the Alpha Legion is the most insidious, the most likely to make use of human infiltrators and spies in its efforts to undermine the Imperium. The legion frequently works through hidden cults and terrorist cells to achieve its covert aims. However its most valuable and effective agents are the mysterious Operatives. Highly trained and motivated they are frequently enhanced with concealed implants related to those the Astartes themselves receive. These chameleonic fi gures are able to infi ltrate the Imperium at almost any level of society and play almost any role. Sometimes hidden in this role for many years Administratum offi cials, Imperial Guard commanders and even Inquisitors have all been discovered as Operatives. Only the concealed hydra tattoo they all bear can give them away. While mostly operating in an intelligence gathering role, when the Alpha Legion goes to war these hidden agents often support their masters by carrying out daring assassination and sabotage missions,
providing precise coordinates for teleport assaults, spreading disinformation and sowing confusion within the enemy forces.
Operative
Pts WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
50 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+
Unit Type: Infantry
Number/Squad: 1-3 Operatives may be taken as a single Elites choice for a Chaos Space Marine, Chaos Renegade Militia, Witch Hunter Adversaries or a Lost and the Damned army. They are purchased and deployed as a single Elites choice, but operate as independent
characters in all respects during the game and do not have to be deployed in coherency or act as a unit during the game. Each Operative may be equipped differently.
Wargear:
Close combat weapon, Frag grenades
Stalker pistol – Uses the same profi le as a bolt pistol. In missions where sentries are used fi ring the stalker pistol will not raise the alarm unless the target survives.
Special Rules:
Infi ltrate, Stealth (The Operative receives +1 to any cover saves.)
Secrets and Lies – By spreading disinformation and disrupting enemy communications the Operative is able to interfere with the enemy’s plans. While there are operatives in play the enemy’s receives a -1 modifi er to his reserves rolls. The modifi er is not cumulative if more than one Operative is in play.
Options: Any Operative:
• may exchange their close combat weapon for a power weapon for 15 points.
• may be given a sniper rifl e for 5 points. • may be given melta bombs for 5 points. • may be given a personal icon for 5 points Imperial Register
OI! MONKEY!
FIREASE does not have a staff made entirely of selectively bred, genetically enhanced Gorilla Warriors. We accept submissions from the average monkey like you. For the monkeys, by the monkeys. So grab a gun, shoot alien scum and help to defend the FIREBASE!
Email your article to
fi [email protected] Do NOT embed photos in your document. Put only the photo name in your article with caption where it should appear. Do not resize your photos, that’s our job. Just bundle them up in a ZIP archive and send them along: AuthorName.doc, AuthorName.zip
By Corax ([email protected])
Rapid Fire has been one of the staple mechanics of Warhammer 40k for a long time, and has endured over the course of numerous iterations of the system. Although there have been modifi cations from time to time, the basic premise of the mechanic has remained constant – representing the shooting of assault rifl e class weapons carried by infantry. This has been refl ected in the profi le given in the rules, which assume that a warrior can fi re the weapon for longer and more accurately if he stands still than if he moves. The way this has been represented has been by allowing a unit equipped with Rapid Fire weapons to shoot twice up to twelve inches, and once up to twenty-four inches, if it stands still. Or, to move up to its maximum base movement, and then shoot twice to twelve inches. Over the course of various editions, different restrictions and limitations have been placed on the actions of the shooter, both before and after the act of shooting, further complicating the decision to move and shoot or stand and shoot.
THE SHOOTING/ASSAULT IMBALANCE It is an indisputable fact that the mechanics of 40k have been slanted in favour of hand-to-hand combat, primarily based on the premise that it is more ‘fun’. This fact is clearly supported by the fact that hand-to-hand is fought in both players’ turns, while shooting only occurs during the ‘active’ player’s turn. This means that the effectiveness of
shooting must be maximised during the stages of the game where it is possible. The problem is that the shooting mechanics, and the Rapid Fire rule in particular do not support effective shooting to anywhere near the extent that the hand-to-hand rules support effective combat. In the past, this was offset to some extent by ‘Overwatch’, but since Third Edition, shooting has been very much secondary to close combat. This serves to create a mechanical bias against armies that are primarily shooting oriented, which is hardly fun for an Imperial Guard player…
WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY BOLTER? The essential problem with Rapid Fire is twofold. First, that shooting any distance, or shooting at any signifi cant rate, requires you to forgo your Movement phase. In a game based on taking ground and seizing objectives, giving up a turn’s movement is a hefty price for any unit that isn’t equipped with multiple heavy weapons. If you’re going to give up your movement, you want to get a lot of bang for your buck!
Even when a unit does stand to shoot, they will (assuming for arguments sake a 10 man Space Marine Tactical Squad) get eight or nine shots off against a target more than twelve inches away, of which about six will hit, roughly three will wound (against T4) and one save will be failed (against a 3+ save). This means that the unit has sacrifi ced its entire movement phase to kill (on average) ONE enemy model. The other alternative is for them to
move forwards and try to get into range to shoot twice in the hope of causing more casualties through weight of fi re. This, however, raises the other problem of Rapid Fire…
…which is the interaction of Shooting ranges with Assault ranges and the Assault limitations of Rapid Fire. If a unit moves to within twelve inches and shoots it places itself in a situation with one of two outcomes: 1) The shooting will cause enough casualties among the enemy to cause them to break and fall back, or 2) The shooting with not cause enough casualties, and the squad will be assaulted by the enemy in their turn. The real problem here is that the unit that moves in to shoot does so at the risk of being left swinging in the breeze if the shooting fails to see the enemy off (as the Rapid Fire rules state that a unit that uses Rapid Fire weapons cannot assault afterwards). Given the large number of units in the game that are either Fearless, or have re-rollable Leadership values, the odds of breaking the enemy with shooting are relatively slim. In most cases, the unit being shot at will shrug it off and them move in during their movement phase, shoot pistols (if equipped), and then assault the unit that moved in to shoot them in the fi rst place. The consequence of this is a choice for the shooting unit between closing in to maximise shooting and then being assaulted, or standing back and shooting less effectively, but delaying the assault for a turn.
Opinion: Rapid Fire
THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY BOLTER!
An additional side effect of this is that it forces the shooting player onto the back foot, as he is not able to move proactively, and must instead try to stay away in the classic (not to mention boring) gun-line mould so beloved of the Imperial Guard. This in turn, brings up the Guard’s, and to a lesser extent all other shooting armies, curse – the inability to move and seize objectives without getting assaulted, because shooting alone is never effective enough to drive the enemy off or wipe them out.
An example that is quite instructive of the problems with Rapid Fire is that of the Thousand Sons – the only unit in the game that can always move and shoot at full effectiveness. Putting aside for a moment the effect of the AP3 Bolters, simply consider the fl exibility that always being able to shoot at least once to twenty-four inches gives. They are able to advance (albeit slowly) towards the enemy while shooting, allowing them to bring their strength to bear without having to sacrifi ce their mobility to do so. By the time they get to within twelve inches of the enemy, they have already subjected the foe to several turns of sustained shooting, and may have whittled their numbers down suffi ciently to make the ensuing close combat a more even affair. It is because they ignore the normal limitations of Rapid Fire that they are able to function as a true all-rounder unit.
6” INCREMENTS
At the heart of the Rapid Fire problem is one basic issue, which is that virtually everything in 40k is done in 6” increments. Everyone (almost) moves, shoots, assaults, falls back in units of 6”
or D6”. This is particularly problematic when the key distance for both shooting and assaulting is twelves inches. Back in the old days, when different races had different movement rates, it was fi ne to have relatively standardised gun ranges, as the movement rates created a diversity of situations where unit A would be in assault range, but not unit B, or where A could move in and shoot, and still be out of assault range of B. By standardising the movement phase, the rules have created a situation where if A moves to shoot B, B will be able to assault A, or vice versa.
As everyone knows, it is almost always better to assault an enemy unit than to allow it to assault you, if only to prevent the enemy from gaining extra attacks by charging. This means that as soon as a unit moves close enough to assault, they will almost always do so. Unless the shooting unit is a particularly combat ineffective one like Tau Fire Warriors, there are very few situations where the unit is better off shooting rather than assaulting. This effectively means that once a shooting unit is within twelve inches of the enemy, they can shoot and forgo the assault, or skip shooting (their strength) and pile in, if only to blunt the enemy from doing the same, resulting in the effectiveness of shooting units being compromised even before they are actually engaged in combat.
CONCLUSIONS
Rapid Fire is a mechanic that has evolved over the course of a number of editions of 40k, with different versions being applied at different times. The result of this has been a lack of consistency in the interaction of this mechanic with other mechanics of the game, specifi cally,
the standardisation of movement rates, and rules on assaults. This has resulted in a ‘chessboard’ like situation, where movement is highly constrained by the 6” increments that everything is measured in, and the need to be the one who gets the assault trumps all others. Combined with the range limitations imposed by Rapid Fire, it is quite possible for units equipped with Rapid Fire weapons to never actually shoot them during a game – if they move each turn, then assault (or are assaulted) once they are within twelve inches of the enemy.
While it could be argued that the choices Rapid Fire imposes force the player to make a decision between moving and shooting, and shooting and assaulting, the reality is that there is not much choice at all, as the game requires units to move in order to meet mission objectives and the mechanics of combat necessitate pro-active assaulting. The current balance seems to be based on the assumption that the effectiveness of shooting and assaulting is relatively similar. As was noted earlier, this is simply not the case. There are far more limitations on shooting, and Rapid Fire in particular, than on assaulting, in spite of the fact that it is already demonstrably less potent than assaulting.
The purpose of this discussion is not to provide a solution to the problems of the Rapid Fire mechanic, but to raise it as an issue among players who are interested in improving the game, and to draw some attention to how Rapid Fire might be improved in the future.
STREAMLINING: MINIMIZING YOUR 40K GROWING PAINS
The nature of Warhammer 40,000 differs greatly from your typical game because not only is it a game, but also a hobby. Players become interested in it because of its stunning models, as well as a fascinating background story upon which the individual histories of its factions are built. One of the most interesting things
about this hobby-game is that the specifi c way a model is built can have effects on how the game is played – this is perhaps its greatest strength, as well as its greatest foible!
Part of the nature of this hobby-game is its ability to suck people into a black hole of story and modeling. Many newer players spend months building and painting their
armies before actually playing a game. They concentrate on customizing their models and creating their own vision of what an army of the Dark Millennium would look like. And fi nally, when the time comes for them to actually test out their newly fi nished army, they are faced with two problems: 1) they don’t know the rules very well, and so they inevitably lose, and 2) they fi nd that all the awesome accessories, wargear, and extraneous modeling confi gurations that they’ve put so much time into aren’t actually worth using. We’ve all seen it happen a hundred times – even my fi rst Chaos army was populated by models wielding a pistol in each hand, as well as back-slung Plasma Guns; the occasional Plague Marine wore a Jump Pack. Many times I’ll see a new player’s Space Marine army list that includes over three hundred points of wargear on its Veteran Sergeants alone. While it’s always amusing to see a Devastator Squad Sergeant with an Adamantine Mantle, it makes me wonder if we veterans should be trying just a little harder to coach the newbies.
TIP #1 – If you’re just getting into 40K, read the rules and watch people play the game. You will minimize the possibility of a major headache later on. Your models won’t have extra guns sticking out of their foreheads, and your bikers won’t be wielding Lascannons.
Before going any further, I must clarify that this article is for the 40K player who is moving into the main phase of army building. You’ve bought your models. You’ve begun assembling them (or you might have even fi nished putting all of them together). You have a tentative Tips & Tactics: Streamlining your Army List
TIPS & TACTICS
Hello readers! I’ve been an avid fan of Firebase for a while, just like all of you. I’m happy to have the opportunity to be the one sharing my own ramblings with the Warhammer 40,000 online community! I hope I can put my writing (and playing) experience to good use as one of Firebase’s contributing writers. I’m offering you the ideas and perspective of someone who’s been into almost every aspect of gaming. From retail to competitive play, from design and development to coverage and commentary, I’ve seen it all. Years back I managed Cyberia, The Gamer’s Haven in Normal, IL (home of the original Adeptus Flatlandicus and FlatCon). I’ve worked for Decipher Inc. doing design and development for multiple CCG products. I’ve traveled to compete in both CCG and miniature gaming events, recording my own podcast radio program to showcase them. Finally, I’ve been contributing articles to Scrye magazine on and off for almost ten years. So I’m into gaming; so what? What about GW stuff?
I began buying Games Workshop products in late 1996 when a friend and roommate of mine showed me a game called Necromunda. Before that I’d played CCGs exclusively, but Necromunda’s three-dimensional quality caught my eye. Before long I had two gangs, and I’d begun looking into another game called Warhammer 40,000. My fi rst army, Chaos, was assembled and primed just a couple months later, and life never been the same! I’ve played so many other GW games over the years as well, including Talisman, Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Mordheim and of course Battlefl eet Gothic. Looking back, it’s hard to believe I’ve spent so much time at the gaming table, but I think I’ve spent an equal amount of time reading Black Library novels. Needless to say, I’m a complete 40K geek.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re able to put some of my tips to good use!
