Let's talk first about Fall of Cadia! This has been the event we've all been waiting for; the advancement of the official cannon. Abaddon is finally putting the effort in and learning how to launch a successful black crusade. Cadia, the bastion of the Imperium is getting its front teeth kicked in, and everything's coming up chaos.
And what would a new campaign be without a few new heroes.
The first, and most notable hero making her triumphant return is Saint Celestine. Her model is picturesque, with an incredibly dynamic pose and fleeting doves. Not only that, but she is now accompanied by the Gemini twins, who act as a sort of perpetual bodyguard unit for her, granting her a decent pool of regenerating ablative wounds! To top it off, now she has Eternal Warrior and Armourbane and can still resurrect herself with an Act of Faith (should someone actually be able to take her down). All for 200 points. For what you're getting, that is disgustingly cheap! You can add her to any Armies of the Imperium force as a HQ, giving her unprecedented use. Obviously, her abilities and strengths are accentuated when she finds a home within a Deathstar unit (Grey Knight Paladin squads spring to mind), where she can absorb wounds with impunity, as well as slingshotting out and murdering everything she can get her hands on! It's great to see Sisters getting some more (brutally powerful) love, and hopefully it's a trend that Games Workshop continues.
Next, we have the big guy everyone has been talking about. Bellisarius Cawl; the big dog of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This guy is massive, and is basically a synergy machine! He accentuates the strengths of the Admech/Skitarii faction, and finally gives them a unique named character to call their own! No longer are you stuck with the Techpriest Dominus. Now you can run the Ultra-Techpriest! He's not some frail figurehead either! Rocking the ability to regenerate wounds at an alarming rate, and having the ability to lurk within units makes this guy one tenacious general!
And lastly, we have Inquisitor Greyfax. Now, to be honest, I don't care what her rules are, because this is an incredible model! From her witch hunter hat to her crossbow-mounting Condemner Boltgun, this model is pure gold in its design!
All in all, even though it's only 3 characters being introduced to the game, it's a game changer if you're an Imperial player. These three characters really amplify existing armies in three very distinct ways, and I'm predicting that they will be in heavy use in the current meta of the game!
Moving forward, I can only hope that, in the next step of the story arc, Chaos received a similar degree of love when it comes to new models and new rules. A guy can dream, right?
Either way, the fact that significant events are beginning to happen again to advance the history is something I think we can all get behind. This isn't some global narrative campaign to decide the fate of some backwater system with no significant impact on the larger Galaxy (Medusa V, I'm looking at you...). This is Cadia; the bastion of the Imperium holding back the flood of Chaos. This is the 13th Black Crusade, not looming on the horizon; it just kicked down the front door. Chapter home worlds are getting obliterated (sorry, space puppies!), Daemon Primarchs are roaming realspace, and I can't wait to see where this story progression takes us! Exciting times. Genuinely, I haven't been this intrigued by 40k lore in a long time!
Now, last week, we got a look in at what's coming up for Tzeentch, and most of last Sunday's post was based around what was in White Dwarf, which led me to assume that the wave of new releases was perhaps winding down, and that aside from the Skyfire's we knew were somewhere on the horizon, we had seen all that was to be expected. But in true Tzeentchian form, the trickery and deceit was rampant in the hallowed halls of Warhammer World, as before people could say "Flickering Fire", a new wave hit us not three days after WD dropped. And it had finally happened...
Plastic Lord of Change/Fateweaver kit. Plastic Changeling character pack.
The previously mentioned Skyfires!
And even word of a Blue Horror/Brimstone Horror box set!
What a time to be a Disciple of Tzeentch!
I'm lost for words with this release. It's extensive, incredibly comprehensive (seemingly filling every possible battlefield role for what is by all rights a brand new Faction for the game), and every model released so far is downright spectacular! Tzeentch players will not be found wanting with this book!
This wave also rounds out the Chaos Pantheon pretty neatly. Until Slannesh gets a story arc worthy of Chaos, I highly doubt we will see any models at all on that front. But look at Nurgle, Khorne and Tzeentch as stand alone armies! They have been fleshed out and supported incredibly well. It's not a case of a core set of kits that is flavoured by what characters and monsters you take. No sir-ee! Each of the three has their own unique foot soldiers, their own set of characters and monsters to lead, and most satisfyingly, they all look and play exactly how you would imagine them!
Games Workshop can seemingly do very little wrong at the moment! It looks like their CEO is really flexing his muscles and making waves in the best possible way. GW has been making very solid profits as of late, crediting a resurgence in the hobby, and that comes down to great game and model support, fantastic community outreach via social media and the likes of YouTube, and one more vital ingredient.
You and me.
The company relies on the wargaming community as its life blood; the source of its power to grow and advance. And they're incredibly aware of what people want, especially in the last 12 months. We have asked, and they have given. And in appreciation, I think the community has been overwhelmingly positive, both in feedback and with our hard earned pennies! Hopefully this is the trend moving forward; to see a company whose main interest is giving its supporters great products. If they can nail that, as they have been, profits and growth of the company will naturally follow!
This beautiful game is ours to enjoy. And I, for one, am happy to put my money where my mouth is and support a company that is supporting my hobby.
I know this post was a bit of a ramble, but as I said, it's been a big week! How are you feeling regarding GW's recent decisions and business ventures?
Thanks for reading,
Gabe
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